With a heart to share Christ and love people, Joyce’s messages help people in all walks of life to grow in their faith, learn to study the Bible, find healing from the wounds of life, get answers to life’s questions and encounter the love of God in a powerful way.

the following program is paid for by the

friends and partners of Joyce Meyer

ministries now God’s Word when it’s

followed allows us to live a simple

beautiful enjoyable life I can tell you

that hating people is complicated and it

is hard work

how many of you feel like life sometimes

gets pretty complicated and is there

anybody here that’s like me that even if

it’s not complicated it doesn’t take you

very long to complicate it human beings

have the ability to just ramp everything

up to the next level and I have to

remind myself keep it simple keep it

simple well what’s the simple solution

to this what’s the what would Jesus do

in this situation and Luke 18 verse 17 I

want you to get this today truly I say

unto you whoever does not accept and

receive and welcome the kingdom of God

like a little child pay attention that

he said little because you can see every

year that a child gets older they begin

to have the ability also to complicate

things but when they’re really little

there’s just none of that he who does

not accept and receive the kingdom like

a little child shall not in any way

enter it at all now that doesn’t mean

that he won’t be saved but I believe

that many people are officially legally

in the kingdom but they never really

enjoy Kingdom living because their

approach is all wrong is it possible

that maybe you’re mixed up about your

approach let me show you how Satan gets

after even kids as they begin to get

very old we have seven year old twin

granddaughters their names are angel and

star and they’re very close they love

each other very much they do have

different personalities one is more

aggressive one is a little more

laid-back one’s more of a talker one’s a

little more quiet and last week’s star

wasn’t feeling very good and so she

wasn’t sure she was going to be able to

to go to school and an angel said to our

daughter Sandra she said

oh I want star to be able to go to

school and Sandi thought oh that’s sweet

she’s gonna she wants her twin to be

there with her she’s going to miss her

and then all of a sudden angel said if

she stays home sick today when she goes

to school tomorrow because she was sick

she’s going to get a lot more hugs than

me now the thing that I thought was

amazing was that at seven years old the

enemies already got them in that rat

race of competition of wanting to make

sure that they get as much as everybody

else and they get as much attention as

everybody else and so see already the

enemy is trying to steal any kind of

knowledge of who they are as individuals

and it becomes the comparison and the

competition game that I am so fed up

with that I can hardly stand it not only

in everybody else but when I see it in

myself it’s just like I’m just not going

to live like that anymore and I got over

a lot of that a long time ago but it

still keeps trying to creep up into our

lives doesn’t it so that’s why we need

to hear this kind of stuff over and over

and over so children little children

especially are simple they really are

very simple and one of the things that

they’re very good at is forgiveness I

mean two kids can be just ready to tear

each other’s hair out and five minutes

later they’re playing together and

giving each other their favorite toy and

they forgot all about it now I’m only

going to say a little bit about this

forgiveness issue but it is probably

still yet one of the biggest problems

that we have among Christians there is

just way too many Christians that are

mad and it messes up the plan of God for

your life it steals your peace it steals

your joy it is definitely not pleasing

to God

and when we get hurt or offended or

wounded which we will if you’re going to

live in the

world you’re going to get hurt if you’re

going to get involved with any other

human being there’s going to come a time

when they’re going to disappoint you if

you’re looking for a perfect person a

perfect church a perfect job you just

need to get out of the planet and go

float on the clouds somewhere because it

just doesn’t not exist but a lot of the

whole hurt and wounded thing is that we

get hurt we get offended and there is

another choice

the other choice is I’m going to let it

go I’m gonna drop it why can’t we do

like what we read about David last night

where when ELab came and tried to make

him feel small and little the Bible says

that David just turned away from Ely and

we need to turn away from some of this

stuff that’s making us bleed eternally a

lot of the people that hurt you honestly

and truly they really don’t set out to

sometimes they don’t even know they did

it and I kind of learned a long time ago

what sense does it make for me to go

around being miserable all day being mad

at somebody that don’t even care that

I’m mad and they’re out having a good

time it’s like when I used to get mad at

Dave and you know this was when I would

get mad and stay mad for a long time and

I was not yet obeying that scripture not

to let the Sun go down on your anger and

maybe we’d have some kind of an argument

during the day and we’d go to bed at

night I’d sleep on the seam of the

mattress because I didn’t want him to

touch me I’d be cold all night because I

was not going to ask him for any cover

and I’d be laying there with all this

junk in my head this bitterness this

anger this trying to figure this out and

Dave’s over there covered up snuggly

snoring having nice dreams now I asked

you who was suffering

they was able to just let it go but I

had to hang on to it just keep rehashing

it over and over and over so I want you

to get this as much as possible by me

saying it one time because I don’t have

time to stay on this all day everything

that God tells us to do in the Bible is

something that will be good for us

if we do it so when you forgive you’re

not doing God a favor you’re not even

doing your enemies a favor you are doing

something for you you are giving

yourself the gift of freedom come on and

honestly I believe we we complicate the

whole thought process of that there’s

somebody even right here today when I

said that you’re like yeah well you

don’t know what I went through and you

don’t know how bad it hurts and I’m not

you know so there you go again

complicating it but I feel I feeling

it’s not fair really you’re wasting your

time God promises to be our Vindicator

but God will not do what he promises to

do if we don’t open the door for him

through obedience if we do what we can

do God will do what we cannot do so keep

it simple just let it go stop thinking

about it

stop talking about it every time Satan

tries to drag you back there again just

say I’m not going back there I’ve been

around that mountain I’m not doing that

any more and the next time you see that

person that was rude to you or hurt you

or whatever if I were you I would just

kick the devil in the teeth and I would

go right up and give them some kind of

compliment I’m not getting too many hand

claps on that one

now I’m not suggesting that anybody open

the door for abuse you know if somebody

is abusing you and being kind to them is

just going to keep the door open for

them to keep abusing you that’s a

different situation than what I’m

talking about but the Bible says love

your enemies be good to those and do

favors for those who have hurt you and

wounded you you see the thing that you

don’t understand it took me a long time

to understand and probably some of you

do understand it is if somebody would

fit into the category of enemy in my

life and I do something kind for them

that is the highest form of spiritual

warfare that you can enter into you know

what I’ve come to realize really truly

people don’t know what they’re doing

I mean they honestly really don’t know

what they’re doing you know my dad

sexually abused me for 15 years and I

can tell you that he knew what he did

was wrong but I honestly believe that he

did not understand how he was damaging

me he really didn’t he actually was

being controlled by an evil spirit of

lust and he just didn’t get it you know

hurting people hurt people I want to

take you to two little groups of

Scripture and just show you how the

simple thing is just to let it go now

you can make a nightmare out of this I

mean you can hang on to something for

the rest of your life and you can hate

and be bitter and resentful and angry

and mad and offended and every time you

see the person you can just cringe

inside and you can talk about them and

you can think about them or you could

just make a decision today I’m just

gonna let it go does that sound good to

anybody

I think I’m just gonna do myself a favor

and just let that go and you know what

maybe you don’t even have anything right

now but I can promise you and I’m not

trying to be negative not too much time

will go by and you’ll be able to use

this message job 42 beginning in verse

10 you know job just had terrible

terrible terrible tragic things going on

in his life I mean I’m talking to lost

everything boils from the crown of his

head to the soles of his feet and so his

friends come to comfort him have you

ever really needed one of your friends

to be there for you and they just said

the total wrong thing it’s like how

could you be that dumb and breathe can

you not see it all what I need from you

at this particular time like nothing

aggravates me worse when I’m hurting

than to have somebody preach me one of

my own sermons oh that’s aggravating I

don’t need you to preach to me right now

I just need you to understand I’m

hurting and to comfort me well Joe had

been through a really really rough time

and his friends just really totally had

not been there for him but let’s see

what happens and the Lord turned the

captivity of Job and restored his

fortunes when he prayed for his friends

and also the Lord gave job twice as much

as he had before and there came to him

all of his brothers and sisters and all

who had known him before and they ate

bread with him in his house and they

sympathize with him finally he’s getting

what he wants and they comforted him

over all the distressing calamities that

the Lord had brought upon him and every

man also gave him a piece of money and

every

and gave him an earring of gold and the

Lord blessed the latter days of job more

than his beginning for he had fourteen

thousand sheep six thousand camels a

thousand yoke of oxen and one thousand

female donkeys he also had seven sons

and three daughters and he called the

first the name of the first daughter

Jemima and the name of the second Kezia

and the name of the third

Karen how Pook I’m glad I wasn’t her and

in all the land there were no women as

fair as the daughters of Job and their

father gave them inheritance among their

brothers and I want you to get this and

after this job lived 140 years say after

this after this thing that you’ve gone

through this thing that you’re going

through there’s a whole lot of life left

but the quality of that life that is

left for you depends on how you handle

that thing that happened to you please

and not only for those of you in here

for a wonderful television viewing

audience please please please remember

that there’s life after whatever tragic

thing is going on in your life right now

job lived after all that he didn’t just

live to be 140 after all that he lived

another 140 years and God gave him twice

as much as he had before and it all

started when he prayed for his friends

to be blessed who had hurt him terribly

one more great example and then we’ll

move on Genesis chapter 50 talk for a

minute about Joseph’s young man had a

dream his brothers hated him because he

was daddy’s favorite his dad gave him a

beautiful coat a special gift and so

let’s put the Scriptures up so just

before I read these they actually hated

Joseph so bad that they ended up selling

him as a slave and telling his dad that

he’d been killed and I mean he ended up

being in prison for years thirteen years

for something he didn’t do and it was

just a big mess all because of what they

did so now there’s a famine in the land

and they sent a messenger to Joseph

saying your father commanded before he

died saying so shall you say to Joseph

his father left a message for Joseph

forgive take up and away all resentment

and all claims of requital concerning I

pray you now the trespass of your

brothers and their sin for they did evil

to you now we pray you forgive the

trespass of the servants of your

father’s God and Joseph wept when they

spoke that way to him now there was a

famine in the land and actually Joseph’s

brothers didn’t have food

but God had so moved in Joseph’s life

because he refused to be bitter that he

was actually in charge of all the food

in Egypt listen no matter how somebody

else tries to put you down

God will promote you I said God will

promote you but he will not promote you

with bitterness resentment hatred and

unforgiveness in your heart God will not

promote you if you don’t forgive Amen

okay let’s put this back up and finish

it then his brothers went and fell down

before him saying you see where your

servants and we’re willing to be your

slaves and Joseph said to them fear not

for a mine the place of God vengeance is

his not mine I love them and as for you

you thought evil against me but God

meant it for good to bring about that

many people should be kept alive as they

are this day listen whether you like it

or not that there are times when God

will use the evil in somebody else’s

life to work something good in you that

doesn’t mean that he created the evil

but he will use it to help mature you

and help you grow up and help you

develop the character of God and then

don’t just get in prayer and try to

sound spiritual god help me love the

unlovely we pray a lot of stuff we don’t

want anymore the man in the moon okay

let’s go ahead now therefore do not be

afraid I will provide for and support

you and your little ones so now he turns

around he’s gonna support him and take

care of him and he comfort them

imparting cheer hope and strength and he

spoke to their hearts kindly Joseph

dwelt in Egypt he and his father’s

household and Joseph lived a hundred and

ten years there’s life after tragedy he

had a lot of years left after his

brothers sold him into slavery and I’m

just imploring you today to become like

a little child and just let it go get it

off your mind forget it and go on and

enjoy the life that you’ve still got

left can anybody make that decision

today and it is a decision I really want

you to understand that in please those

of you watching my television understand

that you can make a decision you are a

decisive decision-making person and you

can make a decision I do not care how I

feel I am NOT going to let this destroy

the rest of my life I am going to

release this thing to God and I am going

to trust him to make it right

now God’s Word when it’s followed allows

us to live a simple beautiful enjoyable

life I can tell you that hating people

is complicated and it is hard work

amen

another thing that we see about children

that we could certainly stand to copy is

they just believe so easy I mean

children believe in magic they believe

in fairy tales they have no problem

coming up with a imaginary playmate

they have no problem just kind of

believing that there’s this other world

here and that they can make things up

and decide to see things they want to

see them and enjoy you know if your life

is not so hot right now why don’t you

just dream a little I can tell you what

it’ll just make you feel better to dream

a little see that’s our right and

privilege of children of God we can move

over in that supernatural realm and we

can think things on purpose we can think

what we want to think and you can create

a little joy in your own life and how

many of you believe children do that

this is a book by John Ortberg God is

closer than you think I really like the

book I’ve actually read it about three

times and um here’s just a couple of

examples this is under a little section

called

I can feel him walking around a friend

of ours have a daughter who said when

she was five years old five years old I

know that Jesus lives in my heart

because when I put my hand on it I can

feel him walking around in there

not actually us more mature adults we

know that was oh that was just her

heartbeat that’s silly

but that little childlike spirit felt

that heartbeat and you know actually she

was right because your heart beating is

a sign that the life of God is in you

and so she said oh I know that God’s

alive I can feel him walking around in

my heart I think we need a lot more of

that childlike wonder than what we allow

ourselves to have I think we can enjoy

our lives a whole lot more if we’ll just

stop being so mature and boring be a

little more childlike we need to be more

like little children you know children

easily believe they believe what they

can’t see they believe what their

parents tell them if you tell a child

you’ve got an angel that goes with you

everywhere that you go they’re more than

likely to believe it they may even give

their angel a name you never can tell so

many wonderful things the Bible says

about simply believing and I just want

to encourage you today that that’s a

decision you can make you can decide to

complicate this and say well how could I

know that’s true I don’t feel it I don’t

see it or you can just decide you know

what I’m gonna believe it you know what

at this point in my life I would choose

to believe what I believe even if

somebody came along and said you know

it’s really not true and and I thought

you know you’re probably right I’d

choose to believe it anyway just because

it makes me so stinkin happy

amen now you know what it even if there

was some outside chance that I’m being

really foolish forgiving my enemies I’m

going to do it anyway because it just

makes me happy

I’d much rather not be full of hatred

and bitterness and resentment john 11:40

is one of my favorite scriptures Jesus

said did I not tell you if you would

only believe that you would see the

glory of God can I encourage you today

to get out of the complication of your

mind and see what’s in your heart see if

you can feel Jesus walking around in

there well you know we can all simplify

our lives by just following God’s word

his word is for our good and it provides

us with the right path to follow we

complicate our lives when we begin to

rebell toward God’s principles and the

things that he teaches us in his word so

simplify your life obey God the earlier

you obey God the better and the simpler

and more powerful your life is going to

be some nineteen eight says the precepts

of the Lord are right rejoicing the

heart the commandment of the Lord is

pure and bright enlightening the eyes so

just make a decision if there’s any area

in your life where you’re wrestling with

God why not just say you know what god I

think you’re smarter than me and I’m

just going to do it your way today we’re

offering a DVD teaching the truth makes

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about life sometimes is so complicated

the way we approach things in life the

way we approach relationships even our

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reasoning is complicated I’ve got a lot

to say to you that I can’t say all of it

here on the program so why don’t you get

this book in this DVD teaching and just

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once again

the simple of your life is the more

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and the more powerful that it’s going to

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it out for our good this year come and

be restored through the mercy and the

love of Jesus Christ

every day nearly 42,000 children become

orphans

we are following God’s call to take care

of these precious children by fully

funding over 40 children’s homes

worldwide to ensure that children like

Rajkumar living in our AIDS orphanage in

Chandra call India will have a loving

and safe home along with proper medical

care Raj Kumar and the other children at

the orphanage have the HIV virus they

are considered outcasts and even denied

access to food and water sending them to

struggle to survive in the streets you

know I have to believe that when we

reach out to help people like this that

it really puts a big smile on God’s face

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