Joyce Meyer - Change Your Mind - Part 2

What happens if we put our mind on God? If we put our mind on loving people? I wanna be somebody who's known to love people. And so, I have to think about it every day. Every day, I have to think about loving people. Who am I gonna be with today? What can I do to build them up? Can I give them a compliment? Can I encourage them? Is there something they need that I can do for them? Come on, I love you. Get your mind off yourself. You sweet little thing you, get your mind off yourself and think about what you can do for somebody else. How can you help expand the kingdom? Do you know that one person can change the world? Steve jobs said, "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do".

I remember praying the craziest prayer one day. I felt stupid even praying it. But I felt like God wanted me to pray this. I prayed, "God, I pray that you would let me help every person on the planet with your word. Every person, let me help every person". Well, I don't know if we've gotten to everybody yet, but our television program is on in 106 languages. So, wow! I'll tell you how that works. This is not bragging for me, I'm nothing without God. But we went to Papua, New Guinea. I mean, that's like, way out there somewhere. And we went there to hold a crusade. And the only way people would know me there is by television. And so, we were going to the crusade and there were no people in the streets. And I thought, "Man, nobody's coming to the meeting. This is going to be awful".

And when we got there, there were...Ended up being like 650,000 people there, and nobody was in the streets because they were all in the crusade. And that was just a result of people watching on television. And that's one country. I can stay home and do 30 minutes on television and reach more people than I can reach running all over the world all the time wearing myself out. I finally got smart. I work smarter, not harder. I love John 11:40. It was about the death and the resurrection of Lazarus. But Jesus said to Mary and Martha and the other people standing around, because you know, Lazarus was already dead. Jesus was gonna raise him from the dead. And Martha said, "Oh, he's been stinking four days".

Maybe you got some dead stinking circumstances, that have been dead for so long. But I'm telling you, God can resurrect anything. Amen. He can resurrect what you think is a dead marriage. He is a God of resurrection. And Paul said, "I'm determined to know the power of his resurrection...The power [that lifts me] out from among the dead, even while I'm in the body". Wow. I don't know about you, but I've made my mind up, I'm not living some weak, whiny, pitiful, pathetic life. If God says anybody can have it, I'm gonna have it. Amen. My birth certificate says I'm 80, but I don't feel 80, and I'm not gonna act 80, and I'm not gonna go just sit in a rocking chair because I'm 80. Amen. I plan to be doing this until I draw my last breath, whenever God knows that, that is. I have no desire to do anything else, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain".

I personally can't wait to get to heaven, but I'll stay here and keep doing what I'm doing, because I believe that people need it. There's nothing and nobody in your life that God can't change. Don't you ever look at somebody and say or think, "You'll never change". Come on. Oh, you'll never change. Oh, you don't know what God's gonna do. I mean, Paul was terrible. Saul, he was terrible. He was killing Christians, hunting 'em down, putting 'em in prison. He was just taking a little trip to the next town where he's planning to kill more people. And all of a sudden, suddenly! Suddenly! I love the suddenlies. Woo! Paul and Silas in prison praising God at midnight, when suddenly! The angel came and opened the door. You know what? You got some suddenlies coming in your life. Amen? I mean, if you really think about that whole deal with Saul, it's just like pretty amazing. I mean, he was just terrible.

And all of a sudden, Jesus said to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me"? And he said, "Lord, what would you have me do"? I mean, he was a smart guy. Paul was, he was doing wrong things, but he really believed he was doing the right thing. You know, that's what religious legalism will do to you. He was a religious legalistic pharisee, and he really thought he was doing the right thing. And so, you know the story, he was blinded. God told him to go to this certain house, and then he told the guy that owned the house to go there and lay his hands on Saul, he'd get filled with the Holy Spirit, and get his sight back. And I mean, here this guy that was killing people one day, a few days later is out preaching the gospel. You know what? I was making my bed when God called me to preach. You don't have to go around looking for a ministry. "Well, what does God want me to do? What's God's will for my life"?

Just live your life, enjoy life. All you gotta do is tell God, "I want to do whatever you want me to do". You show me what that is, tell me what that is, and I'm willing to do it. So many people driving themselves nuts trying to figure out what God's will is for their life. I was making my bed. I wasn't expecting to get called to preach. And I was listening to the first teaching cassette tape I'd ever listened to. It was on the story of when Jesus told the disciples to cross over to the other side, and they immediately ran into a hurricane-type storm. Jesus asleep in the boat, but they did arrive on the other side. Long story short, I was so amazed that somebody could take one scripture and preach on it and keep my interest for a whole hour. I wasn't used to anointed preaching.

Yeah, well, you know. I was making my bed, and God just said, "You're gonna go all over the world and teach my word". And I was just crazy enough to believe it. You know, are you crazy enough to just believe some, I mean, far out stuff? Listen, I don't think we really understand Ephesians 3:20, it says, "For God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all that you could ever [dare] to hope, ask, or think". Now wait a minute, "Through the power that worketh in you". I just recently really got a hold of that. It's like, yeah, God's able, but he doesn't do it for you, he does it through you. See. So, we're partners with God. I always like to talk about when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

Now, he's getting ready to raise a dead man. And so, he obviously didn't need any help with getting the stone away from the tomb. But he told the people, "You roll away the stone". Hmm, somebody got it. He'll do his part, but not if we don't do our part. Maybe you've got some stones you need to roll away. Yeah, I'm gonna go talk to you, I like you. Maybe it's some stones of offense that you've got lodged in your well. Maybe some blame, some excuses, a whole bunch of self-pity. I used to work all week and then every Saturday and Sunday, I felt sorry for myself because Dave watched football and played golf. That was my life. Work all week, have pity parties all weekend, and go back to work. How pathetic is that?

Do you know what? You can have a good time no matter what anybody else is doing. Just make your mind up you're going to. Instead of loving him enough to be happy for him, that after working all week he could enjoy a golf game and a football game, I was selfish and self-centered, and wanted him to pay attention to me. Me, me, me, me, me. Is anybody in here getting fed up with just yourself? I feel a little fiery today. I don't know. I'm definitely not sticking to this message. Anyway, when Jesus was talking to Mary and Martha, I love this. John 11:40, "Did I not tell you if you would only believe, you would see the glory of God"? That's all God wants. "God, what do you want me to do"? He wants you to believe. Read the book, believe what it says, before you see it, before you feel it, no matter what you think.

Come on. Can anybody here believe God more than you believe yourself? "Well, I don't think," well, who gives a flip what you think? What does God think? Come on, what does God think? "Well, I don't feel," well, it doesn't matter. You don't have to feel like doing the right thing, to do the right thing. You don't have to feel like being nice, to be nice. You have the spirit of self- control and the spirit of power and love and a sound mind. You have the mind of Christ. You can think like Jesus. Man, you're awesome! I wish you knew how awesome you are. You are just so awesome, so powerful, so amazing. Woo! Sin entered the world through one man, Adam. And righteousness came in through one man, Jesus Christ. It only takes one person that's goofy enough to believe they can change the world. I believe I can change the world.

Now, see some of you think, "Well, you sure are full of yourself". No, I'm just dumb enough to believe God. Come on, it only takes one. What are you gonna do? "Well, I don't know, I don't know, I'm just waiting for God to do something for me". Well, maybe he's waiting for you to do something for him. How about if you start getting up every day and saying, "God, what can I do for you today"? Well, that'll mess your life up good. Is anybody here understanding me today? There are some rare individuals that believe they can do great things, and they do 'em. Nehemiah was one of those people... If you're not familiar with the story of Nehemiah, really you ought to read that book, it's just, it's awesome. The land was in a state of ruin, much like what's going on in our country.

Do you have any idea how pathetic it is? How far we've fallen? How great this country was? It's really sad, just sad. But we can have a resurrection! But only if we do our part. You can't...How many of you understand we just sit around and pray for God to do everything, and it don't work that way. We're partners with God. He'll do his part, but we gotta roll away the stone. Amen? Maybe you got a stone that's a bad attitude. I had a bunch of them. You know, in the Old Testament the way that they defeated their enemies was they would fill their wells full of stones. They'd throw stones down their well and block up their wells. And boy, I got a good message on that, how the devil just likes to fill us full of stones of blame, and stones of bitterness, and stones of offense, and, you know, all these things.

And then, Jesus said, "Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water". But if we're all stopped up with all these stones of... I'm happy to be able to stand here and tell you that I am not mad at one human being on this earth. I do not have one bit of unforgiveness in my heart. And boy, I used to be mad at somebody all the time. Don't waste your life being angry at people that are out having a good time and couldn't care less that you're mad. Don't give somebody else the responsibility for your joy. Hello, anybody get that? "Well, you're not making me happy". Well, make yourself happy. "Nobody encourages me".

Well, encourage yourself. David said, "I encouraged myself in the Lord". Nehemiah, the land was in a state of ruin, their walls were torn down. I'm just gonna read you a few verses out of the book of Nehemiah. "Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. And they said to me, 'those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The walls of Jerusalem are broken down and its gates have been burned with fire.'" well, because the walls were broken down, and its gates had been burned with fire, they had no protection. The cities back then had walls around them and that's what kept the enemies out, and their walls had been torn down, so they had no protection.

Now, watch what Nehemiah does. He doesn't say, "Somebody needs to do something". I'll tell you a statement I hate, "Well, they need to do something". The government is not gonna fix anything for you. They are the ones that have messed it up. And I don't care if you're republican or a democrat, none of them are gonna save us. What this country needs is a massive return to God. You say, "Well, that's what I'm waiting for. I'm waiting for a revival". Well, why don't you start one in your own life? Have a private revival, get excited about God again, make him number one in your life. Woo! And Nehemiah...I love this. "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. And for some days I mourned and I fasted and I prayed before the God of heaven".

Now, Nehemiah didn't hear the bad news, and then make a plan, and expect God to bless it. We don't plan first, and then pray that God will bless our plan, we pray, and then do what God tells us to. So, first he prayed, and apparently God told him to do something, chapter two, verses 17 and 18, "Then I said to them, 'you see the trouble that we're in, Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, and let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be living in disgrace.' and I also told them about the gracious hand of my God that was on me and what the king had said to me". He had went to the king and asked for permission to do this.

"They replied, 'let us start rebuilding.' so they began this good work". They worked together, they prayed continuously, they fought enemies and opposition. If you read the whole story, it's like, right away as soon as they started trying to do something good, the enemy got involved. And it got so bad that they got to the point where they had to keep a weapon in one hand, and they worked with the other hand. But they refused to give up, and the end of the story is, the wall was rebuilt! It's just like, "Let us cross over to the other side". They left, huge hurricane proportion storm, Jesus asleep in the boat. Chapter five, verse one, "And they arrived on the other side".

You know, there's always gonna be something happening in the middle, that makes you think you're never gonna make it to the end. You think I liked it when both of my legs wouldn't work? And yeah, you know, there was a little concern. I mean, we have people that work for us. What happens if Joyce is done? Is this the end? No! I'mma get over this and get back to work. I never thought once about giving up, or not getting well. I plan to do just what I'm doing, get back out here and preach the gospel. Amen. Joseph believed that God could work something good out of a bad situation. And you know what? He finally did, but there was a lot of stuff that happened in the middle. Come on, there's a beginning, there's an end, but there's a middle. You're not ever gonna make it to the end, if you can't make it through the middle.