Joyce Meyer - Your Mind and Your Mouth

Thank you for joining me today on "Enjoying Everyday Life". Yesterday, I started teaching on joy. I'm gonna be doing that again, today and tomorrow because joy is something that we all want. A lot of times we say we want to be happy. But happiness is really based on what's happening, where joy is something so much stronger than that. Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit. It comes into us when we receive Christ as our Savior. And so, we have joy. But there are things that we can do or not do that block and hinder that joy. Well, today I wanna talk to you about how does your mind and your mouth affect your joy? Wow. Well, there's a lot that can be said about that. First of all, Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinks in his heart so does he become". Wow. I always like to say, "Where the mind goes, the man follows". Think about that. "As a man thinks in his heart, so does he become".

I've been saying lately, and not to be taken out of context, but I think sometimes, our real life is lived out in our mind. It's like, you can have a really bad circumstance, but if you have a good attitude toward it, it doesn't seem bad at all. And you can have fairly good circumstances, but if you're negative and the type of person that can always find something wrong, then your life is gonna be miserable. So, our life doesn't necessarily always, it's not always dictated to by what our circumstances are. It's how our perspective toward those circumstances. So, I guess we might say anybody who really wants to be joyful can be, no matter what their circumstances are in their life. I think I better say that again, because maybe you don't believe that. Anybody can be joyful, really, no matter what their circumstances are, if they really want to be and decide to be.

If you have hopeless thoughts, you're not gonna feel joyful. Doubt, fear, worry: there's all kinds of negative ways of thinking that will hinder and block your joy. If we think about our problems all the time, sad things. Even just, if you think too much about everything that's going on in the world. You know, we need to be informed and we need to know enough to know what's going on, but I don't advise just camping on top of all the stuff that's going on in the world today. I really feel like God's just told me, take it one day at a time. I mean, you can do what you want to, but I personally don't listen to the news excessively. I'll look over the highlights on my phone every morning and I feel like if there's something I need to know, that God will let me know. But so much of the news is bad news.

And I don't wanna just be loaded down with everything bad that's going on in the world. 'Cause you know what? I still believe, and this may sound like, you know, I'm not being realistic. But I still believe that if it were reported that there's more good things going on in the world than bad ones, we just don't hear about them. Like, every person, I believe, has more good things going on in their life than bad ones. But if you just focus on the bad stuff, then that becomes bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Hope, however, releases joy. Wow. I'll tell you something else that releases joy, helping other people. I mean this sincerely, it's been such a revelation to me. In the mornings, a lot of times, I'll sit and purposely think about what I can do for somebody else that day. I'll think about who I'm gonna be around, or what I might be able to do for them, or even what I might be able to say to them.

You know, some people are desperate just for a compliment. Maybe they live around people that are negative all the time, and they just need to be encouraged. Maybe it's buying somebody a gift. It can be a lot of different things. But if you get your mind off of everything that's wrong in your life and think about what you can do to help somebody else, you'll actually, will start to feel more joyful. Galatians 6:10 says, "Be mindful", and see, there it is right there, have your mind full of. "Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to the believers". So, you can think on purpose about ways that you can be a blessing and it will increase your joy. Now, hope is such an amazing thing. Bible hope is not the worldly kind of hope. It's like, "Well, I hope this happens, but I'm not sure it will. And it probably won't, but I sure hope it does". No, that's not Bible hope.

Romans 5:2-5 says, "Through him also we have [our] access (our entrance) by faith into the grace (of God) in which we stand". So, by faith we have grace. We're saved by grace, through faith. So, we receive everything that Jesus died for us to have, through faith. I like to say that we receive, from the devil, through fear, and we receive from God, through faith. "And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God". Well, many people don't know what the word, glory, means. And so, I wanna give you the definition. It means: the manifestation of all of the excellencies of God. So, he said, "We believe that we are going to experience the glory of God". So, what's he doing? He's expecting some wonderful, amazing things to happen in his life. And that's what we're encouraged to do. What are you expecting? The Bible definition of hope is: the expectation of good. God is a good God. And we need to expect him to do good things in our life.

Now, you say, "Well, I don't deserve it". Well, that's what makes it beautiful. God doesn't do good things for me because I'm good and deserve it, he does 'em because he's good. But you only get from God what you expect, believe for, or where your faith is at. And I would venture to say that probably a lot more people do not aggressively sit around and expect something good, or even use your imagination to see something good happening, than those who just kinda wait to see what's gonna happen, or even worse, expect something bad to happen. Verse 3 says, "Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!]" and I love that. When are you gonna get joyful? Next week, when your circumstance changes? You know, even when the circumstance you have now changes, and I'm not trying to be negative, but you'll probably get another one.

You know, I don't pay that much attention to my problems anymore. It seems like when I first started in my relationship with Jesus, I just felt like my life was just nothing but one problem after another, after another, after another. But the more you keep your mind on Jesus, the more experience you have with him, and you know that he's gonna take care of things. You don't have to focus on your problems all the time. "Let us exult and triumph", that means win, "In our troubles", not when they're over, but in them. "And rejoice in our sufferings". Now, you know, that's hard to do, unless you know how to believe right. "Knowing", how can we rejoice now in our troubles, in our sufferings? "Knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance".

Now, in James, the Bible says when we become, "Fully patient, we'll be lacking in nothing". And you see, if we really believe that God is gonna always take care of us, it may take longer than we think it should, it may not be the way that we think it should, but God is faithful. He's always faithful. And God always takes care of us, if we stay in faith and keep a good attitude. And I have to add that. We always have a part. Stay in faith, keep a good attitude, be wise about your thoughts. And especially, be wise about your words. If we believe that something good is gonna come out of our problems... See, can I tell you something? You grow spiritually during tough times. You don't grow spiritually when things are good. When things are good, you enjoy the growth that you got when things were difficult. And Jesus said, "In the world there will be tribulation," it's guaranteed. Then he said, "Cheer up. I have overcome the world".

And endurance, you know, endurance is the ability to go through stuff with a good attitude. Patience is not just waiting on something. Patience is how you behave while you wait. And patience also is a Fruit of the Spirit, by the way, you do have patience in you. You are patient. You may not be exercising it, but you do have it. "And endurance develops", I'm going kinda slow 'cause I want you to get this. "Endurance develops maturity of character". And that's what we need. We need to be mature Christians, not baby Christians. "(approved faith and tried integrity). And character [like this] produces [the habit]", oh, I love this, "[of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation".

You know, we are eternal beings, and no matter what happens here on this earth, we are gonna live forever. No matter how long, let's just say you live to be a hundred-years-old, to be honest, that's nothing compared to eternity. We've got eternity to be in heaven. We can put up with whatever we need to put up with here. And I think if we remain joyful, that's our billboard advertisement for Christianity. "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given unto us". The definition of hope is: favorable and confident expectation. Hope describes a happy anticipation of good. And you hear me say this all the time, and I will keep saying it because I think it's very powerful. Every morning, I don't miss very many, I say out loud, "Something good is going to happen to me today, and something good is going to happen through me today".

I spent too many years of my life expecting the next bad thing to happen because I had, had a lot of experience with disappointment and bad things happening, so I got to the point where I was kind of afraid to believe for anything good, because I didn't wanna be disappointed if it didn't happen. I mean, that was a sour attitude. But boy, when I learned how to believe that good things were gonna happen... You say, "Well, Joyce, what if I believe that and it doesn't happen"? Then, get up the next day and believe it again. It's really your thoughts that make you miserable or keep you happy. So, if you think something good's gonna happen, even if it doesn't, you're gonna still have the joy that God wants you to have. When depression and sadness came over king David, he put his hope in God. And he remembered good things from the past, and that's also important.

You may be having a big problem right now, but what has God done for you in the past? There's good things that God's done for you in the past. Think about those things. Talk about those things. If God did it once, he can do it again. If God can do it for anybody, he can do it for you. Our attitude should be, "If anything good can happen today, it will, and it will happen to me". Here's what David said, "Why, my soul, are you so downcast"? He talked to himself. "Why, my soul, are you so downcast? Why are you so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God". He was making a decision. Maybe he didn't feel like praising God, but he said, "I will praise God". "This is the day the Lord was made, I will rejoice and be glad".

You have a free will. You can decide to be happy. You don't have to feel happy to decide to be happy. Then, if you decide to be happy, then the feelings will follow your decision. Now, what are you waiting for in your life? I'm getting ready to share a scripture with you that I think is just absolutely wonderful. But I'm gonna ask you first: what are you waiting for in your life? Are you waiting for more trouble? Or are you really waiting for good news? I love good news. I tell God all the time, "Send me some good news". I love good news. My staff knows I love good news. So, when they hear anything good, they'll call me, "I've got some good news". Are you waiting for a miracle from God? Are you waiting for God to surprise you with something amazing? Or are you just kinda hanging out waiting to see what's gonna happen? "I don't know. We'll see".

I want you to listen to this scripture. This is the Amplified version of Isaiah 30:18. "And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits to be good to you". Now, I'm kinda ad-libbing this cuz it's pretty long. So, I want you to see this. The Lord is waiting to be good to you. Wow. We should say, "Here I am". Says he's "[expecting, looking, and longing] to be good to you". God is good, and he wants to be good to somebody. "Therefore he lifts himself up, that he might have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice". That's part of his character, and that means that he makes wrong things right. Wow. Ew, we should clap for that. God makes wrong things right. So, even when people mistreat you, if you put your trust in God, God will be your vindicator. He will make the wrong situation right. "Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are all those who wait for him", now, listen, "Who expect, look and long for him [for his favor, his love, his peace, his joy, and his matchless, unbroken companionship]".

So, what this scripture's saying, and I love it, is God is waiting to be good to somebody, but he has to find somebody who's waiting for him to be good to them. Well, if I were you, I would say, "God, you don't have to look any further, here I am". But don't let this just be something that you get excited about it today, and do today. Let this become part of your everyday life. Think and believe and expect, and declare out of your mouth, that good things are gonna happen to you. And I always say to God, "Not because I'm good, but because you're good". What about self-talk, how do you talk to yourself? What kind of thoughts do you have about yourself? You know, if you think all kinds of negative, downgrading things about yourself, you're not gonna have joy. What about your imagination, what goes on in your imagination? Do you imagine all kinds of bad things happening? Our old nature produces evil imaginations, but we can daily put on a new nature, the Bible says. Ephesians 4:23, I think it is, it says, daily, put on a new, renewed thinking and renewed attitudes. Bible says we can "Cast down wrong imaginations".

If you catch yourself, sometimes our mind will just drift off into wherever. Sometimes, this doesn't happen very often, but I'll catch myself just thinking about some of the things my dad did to me when I was a little girl. Well, you know what? I stop that immediately. And I say, "No. That's in my past, that's gone, that's forgotten, that's forgiven. Good things are gonna happen to me". You do not have to just think whatever falls in your head, you can choose your thinking. And when you catch yourself thinking wrong things, you can stop it, and think on something good. 2 Corinthians 10:4 and 5: "(the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds:) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought unto the obedience of Jesus Christ". Oh, my goodness, this is so good. Thinking good things. Don't think bad things about other people.

Romans 12 says, "Don't think more highly of yourself than you ought to but see yourself through the grace of God". You know, maybe you're very talented, or you're extremely smart, or you know, very creative, and you know people that don't have those gifts. Well, don't think you're better than them because you have those gifts, and they don't. You have those gifts because God gave them to you. And if anything, it should humble you, not make you feel better than somebody else. Every time we put somebody else down, we're really thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to. Let's talk about the mouth for a few minutes, here, before we run out of time. I know you wouldn't want me to forget that. Proverbs 18:20 and 21. "A man's [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth", you eat your words, "And with the consequences of his words, he must be satisfied [whether good or evil]". So, words have consequences. And he said, "Whatever you speak, you're gonna be full of, and you're gonna have to be satisfied with the result you get from the words that you speak".

And boy, we just talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk and a lot of times we don't realize that every word we say, we're sowing a seed that's gonna bring some kind of harvest in our life. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue". Wow. You can minister death or life to others, but you can also minister death or life to yourself. So, if you think right and talk right, it's gonna increase your joy. But let's just say that you talk about, you excessively talk about everything that's going on in the world. And you talk about everything you don't like about your job, and everything you don't like about your boss, and all the people you don't like that you work with, and your neighbors you don't like, and everything that's wrong. Well, you're not gonna be joyful. And don't be saying, "I lost my joy". You didn't lose it, you gave it away. Talk about good things. Think about good things. If you hear anything good about anybody, talk about that. Everybody you know, no matter how they might irritate you, they have good things in their life that you can talk about.

As far as I'm concerned, that's a, "Wow," scripture. "The power of life and death is in the tongue, and they who indulge it will eat the fruit of it [whether for life or death]". And I love first 1 Peter 3:10. "Let him who wants to enjoy life and see [good, whether apparent or not] keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile". If you wanna enjoy your life, you gotta keep your tongue free from evil. Proverbs 21:9 says, "It's better to dwell in the corner of a housetop [on a flat oriental roof, exposed to all kinds of bad weather] than in a house shared with a nagging, quarrelsome, and fault-finding woman". I don't understand why they always blame it on the woman. But I can tell you, it would be miserable to live in a house with a woman like that, and I used to be a woman like that. But it would also be miserable to live in a house with a man like that, or even if you have kids like that. Bring joy into your home. Don't just fill it full of every negative thing that you can find to fill it full of. Be joyful. And then, the favorite James 3: "We all stumble in many ways. But anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, and keep their whole body in check".

So, he's saying, "If you can control your mouth, you can control your whole body". And then, he gives some really good examples. "If we put a bit in the mouth of a horse", which is just a little piece of metal, "We can make them obey us, and turn the whole animal", in any direction we wanna go in. "Or take a ship, they're large and driven by strong winds, and yet, they're steered by a very small rudder", that determines what direction they go in, "Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes a great boast. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark". In other words, boy, just one word can cause so much trouble. But you know what? One word can also bring so much joy. I want you to enjoy your life. God wants you to enjoy your life, and I believe you want to enjoy your life. And I think there's some people watching today, that you really, really, really, really, really needed to hear this. "In the world, there will be tribulation," Jesus said, "Cheer up, I have overcome the world". You may be going through a really rough time right now, but I can tell you that being sad is only gonna make it worse, it's not gonna make it better.