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
you free in my book 100 ways to simplify
your life I can’t imagine why anybody in
the world that we live in today that is
so complicated would not want to read
about 100 ways that you can simplify
your life you know the way we think
about life sometimes is so complicated
the way we approach things in life the
way we approach relationships even our
expectations from other people can be so
complicated worry is complicated
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
begin to do your own study at home on
how you can simplify your life because
once again
the simple of your life is the more
you’re going to enjoy it
and the more powerful that it’s going to
be so you get all this information and
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God to speak to you in a fresh way on
how to live and what you’re living for
choices teaching package 100 ways to
simplify your life book and the truth
makes you free DVD provides easy to
understand spiritual principles to help
you experience a greater level of
freedom and enjoy life more than ever
before
get both DVD and book with the donation
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call toll free 1-800-789-7895
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