Joyce Meyer - Our Favorite Scriptures

Ginger Stache: Hi, friends. Welcome to Joyce Meyer's Talk It Out podcast where my friends and I talk about God's word and the real stuff of life and we hold nothing back. I'm Ginger Stache, with Erin Cluley, Jai, and of course, Joyce Meyer. We're all in different stages of life. A young career woman and mom to two sweet kiddos. An accomplished songwriter facing an unexpected new life's journey. A leader, creative, an author with a heart for adventure. And a world-renowned Bible teacher whose personal story has impacted millions. And there's you, because sometimes you just need to talk about life with your girlfriends. So, consider yourself one of us, and let's Talk It Out.

Ginger Stache: Hi, friends. Merry Christmas week! And welcome to Talk It Out. Merry Christmas! You know, these things, they just happen so fast. They just roll around and you're like, "It's Christmas"!

Erin Cluley: I'm not sure how actually that happens so quickly.

Jai Williams: It was just Easter.

Erin Cluley: Yeah, Easter. Yeah, things go quickly.

Jai Williams: How did we get here?

Ginger Stache: So excited, like, stupid giddy about this show today. Because...

Erin Cluley: Are you?

Ginger Stache: I am.

Erin Cluley: That's fun.

Ginger Stache: It's like, we're gonna be talking, and many of you are gonna say, "Really"? You know, "Why is she so excited"? But we're gonna be talking about our favorite scriptures.

Jai Williams: Yes.

Ginger Stache: And fewer things make me happier than just some of the things that God has done in my life through specific scriptures in his word, and sharing it with other people so that they can kind of get that, "Oh, my goodness. That's there for me, too"? It makes me really happy.

Erin Cluley: Do you know what just happened?

Ginger Stache: It's like...

Erin Cluley: You are excited. As you're saying that like, I wrote down my scriptures for my favorite ones today, and as you were saying that, I remember, like, another one came back to me.

Ginger Stache: Oh!

Erin Cluley: So, like, well, I just think that's cool because things are inside of us. And they get you through seasons. And you almost forget about them, and then when they come back, you're like, "Oh yeah"! So, it is exciting.

Jai Williams: Yeah. So many of my favorite scriptures are from even things that I would just remember from even being a kid, like, a child, you know?

Ginger Stache: Oh, yeah, absolutely.

Jai Williams: And like, I've talked about this so many times on the show, like, how I learned my abc's through scripture. But like, it's so like, important the whole, you know, "Raise your child up in the way in the ways of the Lord. And when they're old, they won't depart from it". Cuz in my tough, tough times when I really couldn't physically open a Bible like, because I was, you know, so hurt or so weighed down with the pressures of life, like...

Ginger Stache: And how many of us have been there multiple times?

Jai Williams: Yes. "His word have I hidden in my heart," like, "That I might not sin against him". So, it was in my heart. And so, the scriptures are powerful and it's important to teach the kids. Because it'll rise up when you least expect it. So, yeah.

Ginger Stache: Yeah. And I think that specific scriptures do, like you're saying, take us all back to different points in our life, whether it was childhood, or whether it was a time that I just really needed this, or time a that my kid was hurting, or whatever it may be. And I love the way that God speaks to us and heals us. And there's just so much in his word that we take for granted that we don't understand the power in it. So, yeah.

Erin Cluley: I think it's amazing how like it will hit in just the right way when it's that season that you're in. So, like, a verse I could have read two years ago, didn't mean as much as it does to me now because of where I am now. And I think that just shows the power of how God's word really is alive and active.

Ginger Stache: Living, yes!

Erin Cluley: Yeah, it's not just words, it's not just a book. But like, it's alive and it meets you where you are. And only God could have done that.

Jai Williams: Yeah. And you know what? Can we just take it back? I still can't believe you say you're giddy. I'm like, I thought she was gonna be like, "I'm giddy because it's Christmas time"! No, she's like, "I'm giddy because we get to talk about scriptures"!

Ginger Stache: It's true, though. You know, okay. I'm giddy about Christmas, too.

Jai Williams: Yes.

Ginger Stache: Because I'm just a happy, little elf. But...

Erin Cluley: "But, spiritually speaking".

Ginger Stache: Exactly. And I think that this is so much more than just a list of verses from a book. You know, this is about talking about important times in our life. This is, these are the deep things of living that make it all work.

Erin Cluley: Yeah, it's true.

Ginger Stache: So, I don't know. I'm excited to hear all of yours. Seriously. But we're gonna start with one from Joyce, and she's going, she shared so many of her favorite scriptures that are really powerful and will impact many of our lives. But she's gonna start with one that had a huge impact on her own life.

Joyce Meyer: How many of you have some favorite scriptures, things that just really mean a lot to you? And, you know, they're probably something that God showed you or revealed to you at a time when you really desperately needed it. I think that most of us who've been walking with God for any length of time, you have some scriptures that you could say, really, just turned things around for you. And I really want people to study the word. Not just read the Bible, but study the word. And so, part of this I'm doing because I really hope it's gonna help you see the real power that's in the Word of God. There's power in God's word. So, I was a Christian for a long time before I ever started studying the word.

So, I talk about when I became a serious Christian. Because, you see, you can be a Christian and, if you really believe in Jesus, really truly believe in Jesus, I believe that your name is written in the lamb's book of life and you'll go to heaven. But I don't believe that anybody can ever enjoy their life or be of any value to God unless they study the word and really learn to live like a Christian. Being a Christian and living like a Christian is two different things. And in order to live like a Christian, we need to know the word and then we need to choose, with God's grace and help, to do the word in every situation in our life. So, back in 1976, when I got on my serious journey with God, one of the first scriptures that I remember really meaning much to me was John 8:31 and 32. So, let's take a look at that first. "So Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, if you abide in my word".

Now, the word abide means to live, dwell, stay, and remain. So, to abide in the word is certainly different than reading the Bible, amen? So, "If you abide in my word [hold fast to my teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly my disciples. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," amen.

Now, the reason why that was important to me was because I just had so much bondage in my life. I'd been sexually abused by my dad, and my mother didn't know how to help me so she just didn't. And then I married the first guy that came along after that and he mistreated me for another 5 years, ran around with other women, and ended up going to prison and, you know, I was just, you can't live like that for the first 23 years of your life and not be damaged. And many of you know exactly what I'm talking about. You did not get a good start in life but that does not mean that you cannot have a good finish. And so, being set free sounded really good to me. "You will know the truth, and the truth," if you learn to live by that, "Will make you free". So, I needed the hope of freedom. You know, we have to have hope if we're gonna press in and continue day, after day, after day, doing the right thing.

Ginger Stache: So, Joyce needed freedom.

Jai Williams: Yeah.

Ginger Stache: And this was a verse that talked about "The truth will set you free," and that's what everybody remembers about this. But the thing that also amazes me is what she also talks about. It says, "If you abide in my word, you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free". And it was the word, studying the word and getting to know what it says that led her to that freedom. You can't just take little parts of it and say, "Oh, yay".

Erin Cluley: "I'm free"!

Ginger Stache: Exactly. You have to catch the nuances of, "Abide in my word". What do you guys think of with that word, "Abide"? I think it's a really pretty word.

Erin Cluley: It's beautiful. It's actually, it brings back one of my favorite scriptures. I have to read mine because I know them, and then, I'll talk to you, and I'll forget exactly what it is.

Ginger Stache: That's ok. We're all with ya.

Erin Cluley: So, all my papers over here, are my favorite scriptures.

Jai Williams: We won't judge you with all your cheat sheets.

Erin Cluley: Thank you. John 15:5, so that one is: "I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I and you, you'll bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing". So, I think in one of the versions it uses the word, "Abide," but it's that whole concept of like, you have to be in him. And that's one of my favorites. Growing up, that verse meant a lot to my dad. And so, I watched him as he was raising me and my sister, with my mom, and watched him go through difficult times. But he taught us that principle so clearly. Like, you abide in Christ, it doesn't matter what's going on or how difficult things are, it's always better with him. And so, you stay with him, and he'll walk you through those things. So, that is one of my favorites.

Ginger Stache: Be connected to him.

Erin Cluley: Yeah.

Jai Williams: I love the concept of abiding in truth. Like, in this chaotic world, we can get so caught up in what Satan tries to present as truth, you know?

Ginger Stache: Oh yeah.

Jai Williams: And you can get so caught up in believing the lies. But like, seriously, living in truth, which is living in God's word and who God's word says you are, that's the part, like we, we like to take that little part out. And that's something that I would just love for us, as believers, to stop doing, taking pieces of scriptures out of context, and really going through and really reading, really reading the whole scripture. But then, how about reading the whole chapter? You know, like...

Ginger Stache: What?!

Jai Williams: You know, so you can like, know what it's all saying cuz we wanna take those little...

Ginger Stache: The context, the stories behind it.

Jai Williams: Yes, context is so important. And so, like, "The abiding in truth," is the part. And then, "If you abide in my word, if you live in my word, if you believe my word, then that truth will set you free". That truth will make you free. And that reminds me of one of my favorite ones. I remember being a little girl. I'm a church of God in Christ girl. So, Pentecost girl, Pentecostal, Pentecostal girl. And the denomination was called church of God in Christ, okay? You gotta know somethin' about it. It's a lot of words, but as a little kid, I was so proud of it.

Ginger Stache: Is that on a cheat sheet?

Jai Williams: But we called it for short, cogic, you know. So...

Erin Cluley: Ew.

Jai Williams: Yes, yes. And we had a little tagline, "You can't join in, you gotta be born in".

Erin Cluley: Woah!

Ginger Stache: So exclusive!

Jai Williams: So exclusive. But then, it's like, "No, born into the body of Christ". "Oh, okay, I thought, just meant this club". But, cuz I was like, "Are you cogic"? "Then no, I don't wanna be your friend". That's so wrong, church. Stop that! But one of the things we did every Sunday morning, we would do like, this roll call of like, scripture. And my grandma was the Sunday school superintendent, so that means she was the leader of all things, Sunday school. And so, she'd go to these lists. She'd do a scripture, then we'd do a scripture, and then she'd do a scripture. It's like a call and response. And hers was like, "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity". And then, the one that I remember so strongly, it was like, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts", we did King James, "To then which also your called in one body and be thankful," Colossians 3 and 15. Like that scripture...

Ginger Stache: You still remember that stuff. It becomes part of you.

Jai Williams: I still remember it, but I needed it so much when like my world was like chaotic and I thought that my world would never be peaceful again. And I thought that my heart would never be put back together again. And I felt like it was broken. That scripture rang so, I could even hear my grandma. She's passed away now, but I could literally hear her saying it with us. Like, you know, like, Colossians 3 and 15, "And let the peace of God rule your heart," you know, "Let the peace of God rule your heart". So, those...

Ginger Stache: Talk about freedom.

Jai Williams: It's like, but that's what I'm saying, like, "Abiding in that truth". Even when it feels like the truth is your heart's broken. You ain't got nothing. No, I can let the peace of God rule my heart. So, that scripture's powerful to me.

Ginger Stache: You talk about those things, and I think that's so beautiful. How important, like, the things that were important to your dad sunk into you, and the things that you learned in church, and you just don't forget those things. And my first two, I just remember my parents driving this into me, you know, Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength". And I was just naive enough to believe it, you know what I mean? When you're a child, it's different.

Jai Williams: All things. Superman.

Ginger Stache: Exactly! And you kind of walk with that. You know, not that you never fail, not that you never fall. "But with Jesus, I can do anything I need to do and I'm gonna be okay". And so, having that foundation from the very beginning was huge. And then, other verse that kind of goes along with it, in my head, is James 4:8, "Come near to God, and he will come near to you". Because it's not just, "Yeah, you're gonna be strong, and you can do it all". No, it's in Jesus' strength. And then, it's also, come near to God, "Abide in me," right? "Dwell in me," soak it in and he will come near to me. So, it's not like me just, you know how you wanna be in the cool club group, and it's just always kind of elusive? I remember one time...

Erin Cluley: Like cogic.

Ginger Stache: Exactly. Yeah, I wasn't born into it.

Jai Williams: You weren't. You couldn't be in it, then.

Ginger Stache: So, I remember one time, in junior high, there were the cool girls, and I got invited to the slumber party of the year, right, with the cool girls. And I thought, "This is it"!

Erin Cluley: Have arrived.

Jai Williams: You've made it.

Ginger Stache: "This is my open door". And I went and it was fun, and I did not fall into that group, you know what I mean? It was like, "Oh, it was a one-time thing".

Jai Williams: Yeah, you were a cool girl for the day.

Ginger Stache: Right. But with Jesus it's not like that. It's like, we don't have to have any question: "Is he going to accept me"? We are in the cool club. We draw near to him, and he draws near to us. So, I love that. And that really set me up for my entire life. But I also love what Joyce said about maybe you didn't have the beginning that you wanted, but you can have the future that God wants you to have. So, all of us, I see God working in our lives, whatever that situation may have been.

Erin Cluley: Yeah, I was thinking about, I didn't write it on my list because it's like, full chapters of the book. So, my notes, they didn't fit that. But what you were saying about like, reading the whole chapter and not just the verse. So, reading about David and what an amazing leader he was. And so, when you only read verses in some of those books of the Bible, you only get glimpses of the whole story. But I remember reading it like, as an adult, like, last year and thinking, "Oh my goodness, like, all the answers I need to how to do my life are right here. Like, I can be a good leader like David". And it was so alive and exciting to me, and I did feel giddy reading it. I wanted to tell everybody about what I had just read.

Ginger Stache: David was certainly giddy.

Erin Cluley: He was.

Ginger Stache: He was dancing around naked.

Jai Williams: Yeah, "He has his clothes off. How dare he"!

Erin Cluley: I didn't take that note for my own, but...

Jai Williams: I mean at home. Why not?

Erin Cluley: Why not?

Erin Cluley: But yeah, it's exciting, in the season that you're in. No matter what you've been through.

Jai Williams: No matter. And I glean from Psalms, all of 'em. Like all the Psalms, like those are some of my very, very top favorites. You know, just because David reminds me that it's okay to be a Christian and still be human and to say, like, "In this part of my life, I feel like God has abandoned me. But then I still remember", if you keep reading, "I still remember that God is good, and I trust you". But then, the next chapter is like, "I don't know," you know, "I might take that back, kinda like, Lord".

Ginger Stache: "Why are the bad guys still getting all the good stuff"?

Jai Williams: Right. "Why are you letting the bad guys win? It seems like the bad guys are winning," and so, but, yeah, like, David makes me feel more human. And that's what I love about scripture, is we really got people's diaries.

Ginger Stache: Yeah.

Jai Williams: Like, as believers now, like, we're very, very, I mean, we aren't, but, as not anymore. I mean, at one point, but a lot of Christians are very, very private, you know, like, we don't like to ruffle feathers.

Ginger Stache: Scared that people might know the truth, you know, know how weak we are.

Jai Williams: Heaven forbid! Like, the Bible, that's the first Reality TV. It's the truth!

Erin Cluley: Yeah. I mean, Jesus flipped over tables.

Jai Williams: He flipped over tables. He ran away from home. He was at church, but he ran away from home. Like, he flipped over tables. You know what I'm saying? Whoa. He made fish just duplicate, you know.

Ginger Stache: He hung out with bad people.

Jai Williams: He hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors.

Ginger Stache: Yeah.

Jai Williams: You know, I'm just saying, it's just all of the, like, seriously, if you talk about David, David literally told on himself. You know, like he lusted after another man's wife and then killed her husband. "da, da, da", like, the Bible's juicy.

Ginger Stache: Well, we're gonna keep moving on with our favorite scriptures. And so many people are dealing with fear, right now, in the world. "What's going to happen"? "What's going to happen in my life"? "What about my family"? "What about my job"? The culture, all of it. And so, joyce's favorite scripture, one of them, she's going to talk about next, deals with fear.

Joyce Meyer: Then we have this fear thing to deal with. And boy, that's something that we all gotta settle somewhere along the line or we're gonna always be in trouble. So, God told Joshua, "Every place on which the sole of your foot shall tread, that have already given unto you". And then in the same chapter, he tells him about three different times, "Fear not. Fear not. Fear not". Joshua 1:9, "Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go".

Now, let's talk about fear for a minute. See, I kept waiting to not feel fear. "Well, if I just wasn't afraid, I could do that". "If I just didn't feel this fear, I could do that". And boy, did God ever give me a revelation out of that verse. Man, I love that verse. Because actually, when God said to him, "Fear not," he was actually telling him, "Fear is going to present itself to you and try to stop you". It's gonna come. I've heard, I don't know for sure if it's accurate. I haven't taken the time to count, but that there are 365 "Fear nots" in the Bible, one for every day of the year. Fear is a thief and its whole goal is to keep you from moving forward. Did you hear me? Fear wants to freeze you in place and make you afraid to step out into anything, always make you afraid that you're wrong, always make you feel like that you can't even make a decision because now you're afraid that you might be wrong.

And so, I heard a story about a woman, and because God was trying to teach me this, this is the way God works in our life. He gave me different revelation on this scripture at the same time. And the story that I heard about the woman was this. There was a woman who had lived all of her life in fear. She wouldn't drive because of fear. She wouldn't go out at night because of fear. Fear just controlled her life. And so, she was a believer. She was talking to a friend who was a believer. And she said, "Oh, I just don't know what to do. I'm so afraid. Fear's stealing my life. I don't do this because of fear. I don't do that because of fear". And her friend just looked at her and just said, "Well, why don't you just do it afraid"?

Well, when I saw that, it was like this revelation just washed over me that fear is a feeling that the enemy brings to us. It's an evil spirit. God did not give us a spirit of fear, but he gave us power, love, and a calm and a sound mind. So, the devil brings fear for the sole purpose of trying to stop us from going forward. So, you can do it afraid. The Bible doesn't say that you can't shake, that you can't sweat, that you can't tremble. It just says, "Fear not," and "Fear not" means to keep moving when you feel fear. Courage is forward motion in the presence of fear.

Ginger Stache: So absolutely, I'll deal with fear. But there's nothing better to knowing that we have something to fight back with, with some of these scriptures that Joyce is sharing, and I'm sure you guys have scriptures as well, that "When I'm feeling fearful, this is where I go".

Erin Cluley: I hate, I shouldn't say that I hate it, but like, the first, the number one on my list is connected to fear. So, Philippians 4:6-7. I don't even need my notes for this one. I've said it so many times in my life. "Be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer and supplication, make your request be made known to God and the peace that passes understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". That verse has gotten me through so many, like, I wouldn't even say like points in life but more like minutes of the day. It's just, it's so real to me. So, it is a fear verse. And I don't wanna admit that I have fear, but.

Ginger Stache: But who doesn't? You know.

Jai Williams: These days, when I feel fear, I tend to go to a scripture that typically doesn't have to do with fear. It's Jeremiah 29:11.

Erin Cluley: Oh, that's good. It's like a different, perspective flip.

Ginger Stache: That's a great way to fight fear, yeah.

Jai Williams: Because my fear, recently, has been like, "God, I thought you told me the plan you had for me. And now, I don't know what to believe". You know, "I don't know", like, because when we talk about, like, when other people, you know, affect the ultimate plan that you were supposed to have because people have free will, it can alter the plan a, and now, you have to accept the plan b. And it's like, "Well, which plan is it? Like, which plan did you know about"? You know, so, it's for God, wait, "For I know the plans I have for you, sayeth the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you", it's different versions. So, like, "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". And that's like, I know so many different versions. I always mix them up like expected in and all that stuff.

Ginger Stache: But that's all right, yeah.

Jai Williams: So, I don't know which one I'm doing: NIV, KIV, blah, blah. But at the end of the day, what God has been really ringing to me when it comes to fear, because I've been fearful about my future. I don't like, cuz things can change at any point. And so, I'm like, "God, I knew the plan that you had for me and my ex-husband together, but what is your plan for me"? And he said, "That, my darling, has not changed. My plan", and it makes me emotional, "My plan for you hasn't changed. My plan for you guys, as a unit, yeah, we're gonna put somebody else in that spot, and do better things," you know. "But my plan for you", so, even when I get fearful...

Ginger Stache: God does not get derailed.

Jai Williams: He does not get derailed. I mean, he didn't want that to happen. But he said, "I'm not shocked by it," you know, "And I'm not thrown off about the plan that I have for you. You just get up and keep walking". So, I literally, read Jeremiah 29:11 every day just because I know that God has a plan for you, for me, and a great future ahead for me.

Ginger Stache: I have one that's kind of similar because years and years ago, like, almost 20 years ago now, when we first moved to st. Louis to begin working with Joyce Meyer Ministries, we left behind all of our friends and our church, and these people that have become family that we were so connected to, and came here where we knew no one. And there was fear about, you know, "God, what if my kids aren't happy"? You know, "What if we don't connect to people? What if, what if, what if"? And so, this is one of those, Erin, that we were talking about where it's "Read the whole thing". Because the story is just as impactful as the words, 'cause that's how God works. But it's Ruth, and it's verse 2:11 and 12. And Ruth had lost her husband. And decided to give up everything she had, the Gods that she knew and follow her mother-in-law. And this says...

Erin Cluley: That's amazing, right there.

Ginger Stache: I know. I know. And I really clung to that. "But Boaz answered her, 'all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord will repay you for what you have done, and a full reward will be given to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.'"

Jai Williams: That's powerful.

Ginger Stache: That was just like this little wink from God where he's saying, "I know what you're doing, I know what you're thinking, and I know what you're afraid of. But come here, wrap up in my arms. I've got you. But I'm gonna take care of this". And there is always a peace in that. And I'll tell you, it was hard. And a lot of things went wrong. And you always have that, "Oh, we missed God, because this isn't going perfectly".

Jai Williams: "I must have missed God on that one".

Ginger Stache: Yeah, and I kept coming back to this. I kept coming back to this. "No, this is what God says. I will be rewarded". And now, we can look back 20 years later, and see the goodness of God in it instead of just all the things, the what if's.

Erin Cluley: One of my other favorite verses, I wrote down, is similar to that same situation. When we moved, when we were in Missouri, then we moved back to Tulsa, and we thought, "This is it. We have heard God. Like, this is where we're gonna live the rest of our days". Mike was ready to retire there, one day. Well, then, two years later, we come back here. And so, I remember having conversations with him. Like, that didn't bother me too much. Like, change is fine with me. Like, "Sure, let's go". And I knew so strongly we were supposed to go here. But I remember having conversations like, "Did we miss him? Like, this doesn't make sense on paper. So, we must have gotten the plan wrong, like, we're off, somehow". And so, he showed me Proverbs 16:9, "A man plans his steps, but the Lord directs his paths". And to me, that's what I needed that "You're taking steps and you're doing what you can, and you hear me. But long game, here, Erin, I see the long game".

Ginger Stache: That's a great point. That's a great word.

Erin Cluley: It's not just, you, I can do the next thing, he's got the whole thing.

Ginger Stache: Yeah, well, we've got more great favorite scriptures. So, we're gonna go back to Joyce and get one of hers. Hopefully, you're finding these things, these little nuggets that help you in that area that you need, whether you're battling the past, or fear. Here's one, where we're gonna look at what Joyce has to say about one of her favorite scriptures that impacted her entire approach to life.

Joyce Meyer: So, you can stop doin' wrong things, and that's good, but you don't get the result that God wants you to have until you start doing right things. So, led by the Holy Spirit, I made a confession list that had 65 different things on it that I wanted to see happen in my life. And I did my homework. I found a scripture to back up every single one of them. I'm not telling you to just go make stuff up that you want, "I'm gonna be a gazillionaire," you know? "I'm gonna marry the president". That's not the kinda stuff I'm talkin' about. I'm talkin' about, you know, "God loves me, and I love people". You write that down. I mean, I wrote down even things like, "I get speaking engagements all the time, by mail, by phone, and in person".

I'd never had anybody ever ask me to come anywhere. Sixty-five things, and I can stand here today and tell you that every single one of those things has come to pass in my life. Every, single, solitary one has come to pass in my life. Listen, let me tell you somethin'. If you don't ever learn anything else, learn the power that's in your mouth. Proverbs 18:21: "The power of life and death is in the tongue, and they who indulge it will eat the fruit of it whether it's [for life or death]". So, you can either feed yourself death or you can feed yourself life. You can make yourself weak. You can make yourself strong. You can depress yourself. You can encourage yourself.

Ginger Stache: The exciting thing about what she's saying is there's not only such power, in our words, that we have to be careful with what we do say, so that we don't say the wrong stuff, because we've all been there. Please, I have said so many things that have gotten me into trouble.

Jai Williams: Oh, yeah.

Ginger Stache: But it's so good to know that by saying the right things, by saying what's in God's word, you can influence your life. You can open the door to God working in ways that you didn't realize was possible. This this thing about your words, that is a life-changing scripture.

Jai Williams: I don't necessarily love reading the scripture when it comes to my words, because I just wanna say what I wanna say.

Ginger Stache: Well, you know, that kind of makes sense. You know, I get it. And it's not about pushing down truth or not being true to what needs to be said. It's not about not speaking truth. So, yeah, tell me what you're thinking.

Jai Williams: I guess because like, okay, for our friends that are, I just went through, well, for the past few years, I've been going through a pretty bad divorce, and I felt like I just was so Christiany, at times, that I didn't feel, and I'm a justice person. And so, I wanted to say some things and do some things. I wanted a moment, I wanted a whole TV moment to like, you know, I just wanted a moment, honestly. I didn't do it. But certain times that I felt like...

Ginger Stache: We all do it sometimes.

Jai Williams: Yeah, I felt like I wanted to say what I wanted to say and do what I wanted to do. But then, I was quickly reminded of a scripture. Proverbs 15:1, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger". And so, I'm like..."Hmm". Well, I didn't really, sometimes, I would read that and I'm like, "Well, I don't care if he mad". Like, you know what I'm sayin'? So, I'm like, "Well, this time, I'm not gonna choose a gentle word," you know? So, it's just like, I get, the scripture always checks me. I don't always obey. And like Joyce said in the last clip, like she used to have a horrible attitude. When I get riled up then I do have a bad attitude, you know, especially because I want justice and I want the right thing to happen, so my words...

Ginger Stache: I want justice, too. I'm completely there. And in fact, there's a justice verse I wrote down because it means so much to me. Psalm 37:5 and 6, "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him," and he will do this. "He will make your righteousness shine like the Dawn, the justice of your cause, like the noonday sun".

Erin Cluley: Oh, that's good!

Ginger Stache: That's beautiful! And it's not our righteousness in our self, though. It's our righteousness in him. And so, that's where it all comes full circle. You can take scripture and you can misunderstand it. Or you can say, "No, this is all about pointing me and pointing others to Christ". Now, it doesn't mean you don't ever say what needs to be said.

Erin Cluley: Yeah, I think, I wonder, well, let me ask it. If you guys would agree. A lot of it is like a heart thing, like, what's your motive in saying it? So...

Jai Williams: I wanted to hurt his feelings.

Erin Cluley: Right? So, that's probably not...

Ginger Stache: Let's be honest.

Erin Cluley: Sometimes, you do have to say the hard thing, but like, if it's to a friend, or a spouse, or whatever it is, and you know, like it's, like, I think God gives you the words to speak even when they're the hard words to say. So, I think that's different. But I think motive is a big part of it, you know?

Ginger Stache: I agree.

Erin Cluley: Like, what is your heart going into it? Because then that helps, also, the words you say, maybe, come from a softer approach.

Ginger Stache: Yeah.

Erin Cluley: I don't know. What do you think?

Ginger Stache: But when you're speaking the Word of God, you can't go wrong.

Jai Williams: Yeah.

Ginger Stache: You know what I mean? That is my safety valve. Cuz it's like, there are a lot of times I wanna say things that are not in the word.

Jai Williams: Yeah. But then like, there's Matthew 18 that talks about going to your brother and sister in love. You know, like...

Ginger Stache: Right, and that's the sweet spot.

Jai Williams: That's the sweet spot. It's like, no, no one's saying, don't say anything. It's saying, "Go to them in love". And instead of going to, you know, homegirl over there and homeboy over there to talk to them about what happened with you and this person. No. Like, we're supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ. We should be able to come to each other and say, "Hey, when you did this, now grant you, I'm supposed to have an unoffendable heart, however, this kinda hurt my feelings, lowkey". You know, like. "And so, if you love me and if I love you, we're gonna work towards getting things right". You know, because another scripture's about, "As a friend is born", what is it? "A brother is born through adversity". Like, you become more like family once you've had those hard moments and are able to get above it and get over it and get through it. So, yeah. I think it's, God gives you what to say and how to say it. But if you're going to cut, which with my ex-husband, I was going to cut, I just wanted to be like, especially after he served me papers, it's like, "How dare you"? Like, how dare you?

Erin Cluley: Sometimes it feels good, like, in the moment, saying the mean thing, does feel great until you go back, and you read the Bible, and you realize, and remember how off you were.

Jai Williams: Yes. And so, like, not to be extreme, but like, the fact that I didn't like, I've never had a physical altercation in my life. Like, I've never done that. I've envisioned, you know, you know, like. But the fact that I didn't do some of the things that Satan was putting in my mind to think to do, you know, like, I'm glad I just said some of those words, like, 'cause on a scale of 1 to 10, I probably did a solid, you know, 3.

Ginger Stache: It could have been worse.

Jai Williams: It could have been worse. But I'm grateful that Holy Spirit did pull me back from doing some of the things that I was like, felt like I had the right to do, you know? But God is like, "Nah". So, he gives you a little leeway to be like, "Don't hate 'em, just come on back and ask me for forgiveness". And, you know, there's grace for that, you know? So...

Erin Cluley: I love what she shared in that clip about her confession list. And being a part of this ministry for so long and having heard her teachings about how she made that list, I love so much, how it is all based upon the Word of God. So, in our culture, you have a vision board, and you speak what you want, and you manifest what you want. Well, that doesn't actually work if you don't have the Word of God.

Ginger Stache: Right, that's not scriptural.

Erin Cluley: It's not. But what she's saying is so good that, "I pray what the word says. I pray what God says," and that's a very different approach to, it's not getting what I want, it's, I want what God wants. I will speak what his word says and then he will do the rest.

Ginger Stache: Have a vision board, you know, do that stuff. Make sure that it's based on what God says is in line for us in Christ. You know, it all comes back to Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart". It's because he's not just giving you everything you want. He's not just saying, "Oh, you envision this in your mind? It will be". It's so much more, "I'm going to chase after God. I'm gonna abide in him. And then, he will put in my heart those things that line up with what his word says about me". And that's where having that vision is supported by the Word of God. And it really makes a difference.

Erin Cluley: It does. I remember, how long ago was it? I mean, it's been a while. When Mike and I first got married and we went through some tough things then. And I remember vividly standing in the shower and speaking these things that I was not seeing yet. And I thought, "This is ridiculous. These are big asks, but God, you said it, so I'm gonna pray it". And it took years. Like, I'm not seeing the effects of those prayers until like, 12 years later. But I stood on the words God promised to me. And so, verses like Psalm 46:5, "God is within her, she will not be moved". That means a lot to me because I stood on God's promises for me during that time and I didn't waver, and I didn't move, and took a long time but it, he means what he says.

Ginger Stache: That's great.

Jai Williams: That reminds me of one of my favorite ones, which is Ephesians 3 and 20. "Now unto him, who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all I could ask or think according to the power that works within us". And so...

Erin Cluley: That's my favorite, too.

Jai Williams: Really?

Erin Cluley: Yeah.

Ginger Stache: I like that one.

Erin Cluley: Yeah, I'll put it on my list.

Ginger Stache: It's really good.

Jai Williams: It's just really is like, my favorite just because, but you have to ask it and you have to think it. Like, what you're saying. Like, you have to, he wants us to use our voice, and use our words to talk to him, and to say like, "Hey, like, I can do above like, exceedingly, abundantly above all you could ever ask or think," but the caveat in there is you have to ask it and have to think it. And so, that just has really empowered me.

Ginger Stache: Because "We have not because we ask not".

Jai Williams: Exactly. And so, it's empowered me to do exactly what you said you were doing in the shower. It's like just declaring those things that, you know. You know, like, the things that I don't even see as real. A lot of times, what I try to do is speak the opposite of what Satan's trying to tell me: that I'm not. And then, say, "No, no, no. I'm this". You know, "No, no, no. I will see this," you know, so, you gotta ask it and you got to think it. And so, it's super powerful to do that.

Ginger Stache: And we do have that confession list also. It's always online if you want to get it. It's not to confess those things necessarily exactly like Joyce did or to have what she has, or anything like that. It's just to use as a template and an inspiration to see what God has for you, and to create our own confession list and to have those scriptures that we really feel God is impressing on our lives. That's one of the things that I've done with tim and the girls, and now with the grandkids, praying for that, is that praying for a promise for them that I can hold on to in the word. And we talked about the 2 Timothy verse earlier, and that was the verse that God really laid on my heart for Taylor when she was really little. And it just means so much to me today to see how she's blossomed and what God's doing in her life and see that word come to pass. And before that part about "God does not give you a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind," it says, "Fan into flame the gift of faith that God has put in your grandmother and your mother and is now in you". It was a generational thing. And I was just so blessed to read that and think God is going to continue such wonderful works through, now, my children, and her children, and their children. And trusting God in that is huge.

Jai Williams: That's so beautiful.

Erin Cluley: It is.

Jai Williams: Just the power of the word and the power of scripture and how it applies to every season of life.

Ginger Stache: Your list of favorite scriptures is a living, breathing thing. It's growing all the time, and I'm always adding onto that list. And one of the things that I put on my list not too long ago, 'cause I've been going through kind of a hard time too. And I've just been asking those questions of, "God, what? What's next? You know, what? What do I have to look for in the future"? And, you know, my next birthday is going to be 60.

Erin Cluley: Yeah, it is!

Ginger Stache: Yeah, it is!

Jai Williams: Where 60, where! I saw a piece of confetti somewhere.

Erin Cluley: Did you?

Ginger Stache: There's still confetti laying around from before. Yeah. And so, you know, tim is looking at retirement at some point in the not-too-distant future. And I know, you know, I don't want that. I don't, for me, I mean, I want him to cuz I want us to be able to do fun stuff. But...

Jai Williams: "You retire. I'm still too young to retire".

Ginger Stache: And just, also, a little bit of discouragement like of some of the things that haven't happened the way that I wanted them to, or different things, and just been kind of struggling like, "God, how is this gonna work? And show me what you want me to see". And then, I came across this scripture, it's amos 4:13, and it's, I love this so much.

Jai Williams: Giddy, here we go.

Ginger Stache: I know. It makes me so happy. "He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind", I'm gonna cry, "Who turns Dawn to darkness and treads on the heights of the earth, the Lord God Almighty is his name". And that whole feeling of how big and majestic and creative God is that he's in all these places, and yet, the phrase that kills me, "And who reveals his thoughts to mankind". Like, he's doing those really big, important things, and he cares enough about me to say, "No, I want you to know what I'm thinking for you, and about you. I have a good plan for you, and I want you to see it. I want it to be revealed to you". And so, holding on to that promise, right now, when I'm not seeing it yet, I don't know what it is. And it's hard, and it's frustrating, and I don't like not knowing the plan. I like making the plan. But boy, the plans I make are not nearly as good as the God's plan, the plans that God makes. So, standing on this scripture, right now, it's a new thing for me, and I love that God takes care of us in that way.

Erin Cluley: That was very job-esque. That scripture. It just reminds me of job.

Ginger Stache: Yeah, when God said, "Who are you to question me? I've been doing all this really great stuff, and you're a little dirt man".

Erin Cluley: It's like, "So, I got this figured out for you". That's just, the scriptures like that, that you can, like, almost tangibly feel the majestic vastness of who God is. Like he created the universe, yet he cares about what you're walking through right now, and he is going to meet you where you are. And he's gonna drop a new favorite verse to you because he knows you need it. You can't put that into words unless you've lived it out. That's why it is so exciting.

Jai Williams: Like, just to think about it literally puts into context, especially someone like you, he knows that, isn't it cool how in his scripture, he knows how to speak to us in the way.

Ginger Stache: Yeah, exactly what you need. Yeah.

Jai Williams: In the way, like, because you're such nature person and to point you to a scripture that talks about the grandiosity of like a mountain. Somebody like you...

Ginger Stache: That speaks to my heart.

Jai Williams: Like me, I'd be like, "That's a big mountain, but I'm probably allergic to it". But for you...

Jai Williams: But for you, you're like, "Aaah". You know, like, it's so kind.

Ginger Stache: So personal.

Jai Williams: It's like, yes. And that's it, it just, if we open it, open the book, and really just take time with him, he'll lead us to where we need to go. And it will be handcrafted and unique to our journey.

Ginger Stache: Yes. And how well he knows us, and what moves us, and what speaks to us, and what we need, so much greater than we know.

Jai Williams: And the Bible's living and breathing, too.

Ginger Stache: Yeah, absolutely.

Jai Williams: That's the cool part like, even though it's not changing, but new revelation and new ways to, because the more experiences we have, scriptures mean different things. And so, like...

Ginger Stache: That's why writing it down is so helpful. And I really encourage you guys just, jot some things down now and then, whether it's Jai using an app, or Erin with her cheat sheets.

Erin Cluley: Like some lined notebook paper.

Ginger Stache: Lined notebook paper.

Jai Williams: I was like, "What in the world". And she's like, "And it was five star"...

Erin Cluley: It was a five-star spiral bound.

Jai Williams: Five subject bound with a folder, perforated lines. I'm like, I don't even own lined paper anymore.

Erin Cluley: But my favorite verses, I think are my favorite verses because I've written them and then I write them again. And as I'm writing them, like, they're sinking into my heart at the times that I just am clinging to them.