Joyce Meyer - Moving On - Part 1

Emotional healing is a hot topic today. And lots and lots of money is spent on counseling and medicine, and I’m not against any of that, but I don’t like to see people park at the point of their pain and then stay there for the next 20 or 30 years, and that’s what so many people do. They get hurt and then the rest of their life is somehow connected to that hurt. And we also have a bad habit of using our pain as an excuse to behave badly. I’ll say that one more time, 'cause I’m not sure you believe me yet. We use our pain as an excuse to act badly. Whatever happened to you wasn’t your fault. If somebody mistreated you, treated you unjustly, took advantage of you. There was domestic abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, abandonment, rejection, whatever it was, may be the reason why you have issues today, but you can’t let that become an excuse to stay that way. And that’s what so many people do.

So many people in the world are dysfunctional, and that means you’re not functioning the way God intended you to function. If we could just see the life that God intends us to have and wants us to have and go for it. Paul said, «I am determined to let go of what lies behind and press toward the things that are ahead». «Press, » that means a little effort on our part. And he said, «I am determined», now listen to this, «I am determined to take hold of those things for which Christ Jesus died to take hold of me».

That’s always been my goal as a teacher. I love to see people get saved, but I wouldn’t call myself an evangelist. I’m a teacher, and more than anything, I wanna see people, after they’re saved, grow spiritually so they can enjoy the things that Jesus died for them to have. It’s one thing to be a miserable sinner, but it’s another thing to be a miserable saint. And we should be happy and enjoy life. Jesus said, «He came that we might have and enjoy our life and have it in abundance to the full until it overflows». I never got to be a kid because when, I guess I was around five when my dad started sexually Messing with me, and it just progressed from there. And I don’t ever remember feeling safe or just getting to be a child.

And so, I didn’t really know how to enjoy life or how to have fun because I always, always, always felt responsible for something, and I had a false sense of responsibility. If I didn’t have a problem, I’d be happy to take care of yours. And several years ago, when I saw John 10:10, which that’s why I call my TV program, «Enjoying Everyday Life, » «The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy». But Jesus said, «I came that you might have and enjoy your life». And I just wanna tell you, you should be enjoying every single day of your life. And that doesn’t mean that you have to be on vacation all the time or out buying a new outfit. We are anointed to enjoy ordinary, everyday life.

People are always looking for some big event to get 'em happy. No, we can just be happy 'cause it’s Monday and we need to do the laundry, or because it’s Tuesday and we need to go to the grocery store. You know what the joy of the Lord is? It’s having joy because you have Jesus in your life. I don’t know about you, but I am determined to be happy and make the devil mad, because one thing that he cannot stand is for people to be happy, to enjoy life. You should enjoy God. Have a friendship with him. Digging into the past to discover why we are the way we are today is very popular, and I’m not against counseling. I didn’t ever go for counseling. The Holy Spirit was my counselor, but it wasn’t as popular when I was trying to overcome my problems, and I wouldn’t have had the money to go anyway. But if you are going to get counseling, make sure you get somebody that knows what they’re doing.

One psychologist told me, «I was in the middle of counseling one of my clients one day, and all of a sudden I thought, 'i don’t have a clue of what I’m talking about'». So, she said, «I gave them your book, 'battlefield of the mind, ' and sent them home». Go to a Christian counselor because they will put the word in, but you don’t have to do that because the Holy Spirit is our counselor, our comforter, our teacher, amen? And he walked me out of my mess one thing at a time. He would reveal to me and I would work with him on that and then I’d get over that and then we’d start on something else. And the first thing the Holy Spirit has to show you is the truth about you. The truth about you, not somebody else.

So, you don’t need to sit there today and think, «Oh man, I wish so and so was here». It would be nice if they were here, but God got you here, so maybe there’s something in this for you today. Or maybe it will help you understand somebody else better that you’re in relationship with. Sometimes we blame people for all these things and they don’t even realize what they’re doing. People would say to me, «Why are you acting like that»? And I thought, «Acting like what»? I honestly didn’t know I had a problem. I don’t know how I could have not known I had a problem but I didn’t know I had a problem. I thought Dave had a problem. «If Dave would change, I’d be happy». «If my kids would just mind, I’d be happy». «If I could work, I’d be happy». «If I didn’t have to work, I’d be happy».

And, you know Dave finally said to me one day, he said, «You know what? I’ve tried every way imaginable to make you happy, and I’ve finally decided you’re not gonna be happy so, I’m done trying». But, he said, «I’m gonna enjoy my life». Ooh, that made me mad. Whew, 'cause you know what? Miserable people like to make other people miserable. And if you’re in relationship with a miserable person, don’t let them make you miserable. Don’t become codependent on their problem. And when I would get mad and he’d just be enjoying his life, I wanted to rip his head off. Oh, I was so mad when he did that. But you know what?

That was actually one of the ways that God got to me because I couldn’t control it. I couldn’t control him with my anger or my fits. And he wasn’t like trying to jam it in my face or something, he would just go ahead and be happy. And he wasn’t mad at me. Anytime I wanted to enjoy, he was right there. He loved me when I would receive it. Most of the time I didn’t know how to receive it because anybody that ever told me they loved me, I thought, «Well, if this is love, I could do without it». Amen? And the thing is, I never had any idea that God was interested in my emotions. I thought the only thing he cared about was my spiritual life and me being saved and going to church. That was about it.

And I went on like that as a Christian for probably 10, 15 years. It aggravates me when I say to somebody, «Are you a Christian»? And they tell me what church they go to. I didn’t ask you what church you went to. You can go to church and not be a Christian. A Christian means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, being transformed into his image, becoming like Jesus. It has nothing to do with going to church. Now, you wanna go to church because, well, probably three main reasons. When you’re around other people, you become accountable. If you’re not there, somebody might call to see where you’re at, maybe, we hope so. You get to worship corporately, and you hear the Word of God, which, if you’re in the right place, will be taught under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and it will get beyond your head into your heart, and it will change your life.

If you’re sittin' somewhere week, after week and learning nothing, go somewhere else. «Well, I don’t want grandma to get mad». Well, let grandma get mad. Your life is on the line. Amen? «Well, all my friends are there». Well, you know, you might end up, find out like me that they’re really not your friends after all. I had all these friends that I catered to and when God touched my life and I was filled with the Holy Spirit, God called me to teach. Suddenly, I didn’t have any friends. Because now I was weird. I was overly spiritual. I needed to calm down and just be a regular woman, whatever that is. I had my years of cooking and cleaning and I don’t cook. The last time I tried, well, I tried to fry Dave some eggs and the egg ended up not in the pan but in the stove.

You know, we should keep a picture of those eggs and show it when I talk about it. So, I don’t even try now. I made a tuna casserole and it was so dry you couldn’t even chew it up, so. You know, at one time I was a very good cook. But you know why I’m not now? Because that’s not what I’m called to do. I had a neighbor that sewed and made her family’s clothes and she wanted me to sew, so I took sewing lessons. And I made Dave a pair of shorts, and when I got done, the pocket was longer than the shorts. The shorts ended here and the pocket was down here. I tried to grow a garden because she had a garden. We were gonna can tomatoes, and a bunch of black bugs came in overnight and ate big holes in my tomatoes, and they didn’t touch her tomatoes. And she lived about as far as from here to where that photographer standing over there.

And I crabbed at God. «Well, I prayed over my tomatoes. I doubt that she even prayed». And «Why didn’t you protect my tomatoes»? He said, «Because I never told you to grow tomatoes». Come on, I wonder which one of you are trying to do what somebody else is doing because you think that’s what you need to be to be normal when actually God is calling you to be something totally different. You know, there’s not very many people that have the courage to really just be themselves. Don’t compare yourself with anybody. Don’t compete with anybody. If God took the trouble to give every one of us a different set of fingerprints and a different DNA, that in itself should tell us he does not want us to be like somebody else.

Now, other people can be an example to us. I don’t like it when people say, «I’m going to be the next Joyce meyer, » and I think, «Well, I really hope not». I would like to think you’d like to be a little better. Well, you better start loving up on me really big 'cause I’m not gonna be around forever. Now, I’m just as healthy as I can be, but you know, nobody lives forever, and I’m 81, so I don’t know. Almost 82. And people always ask me, «Are you gonna retire»? And I’ve said «No, » but I thought later, I don’t know, maybe I’d like to have at least a year before, the Lord… No, you don’t want me to do that, okay? You’re like everybody else. You want me to work till I die. I probably wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I didn’t. And it’s true, the past has affected all of us, whether good or bad. Who you are today is a combination of your God-given temperament, plus the things that happened to you in your life, and that becomes your personality.

Now, you can’t do anything about your natural God-given temperament, but you can, with God’s help, make changes in your personality by not letting the past control you. Those days are gone, you gotta let 'em go. It’s time to move on. If you’ve been parked at the same place way too long, or like God said through Moses to the Israelites, «You’ve been at this mountain long enough». Maybe some of you have been at the same mountain long enough. You’re stuck. And it’s time to blast out of that place and say, «I’ve had it. I’m no longer gonna let the past control me. I am gonna get well, get on with God, and have the life he intended me to have».

And you will have to make a decision. You can’t just pray for God to do everything for you. You pray, but you have to be willing to cooperate with God. I got well because the Holy Spirit told me to do certain things that I did, and he would put just the right book in my hand at just the right time. Or have just the right person speak at our church at just the right time. And you know, if you’re running from your past, it’s time to stand still and let God heal you. The «Leave it to beaver» family has left. We’re living in a crazy world today, but I believe that we can still enjoy our life no matter how bad things get because we have another secret kingdom that we live in called the Kingdom of God. We’re in the world, but we’re not of the world.

In Romans 14:17 says, «The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink: but it is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost». Those are three things that God wants you to have: being right with him, having peace, and having joy. Jesus came and he brought good news. The gospel is good news. You don’t get good news on TV. Luke 4:18, Jesus speaking said, «The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me», wonder how many people today even know what the anointing is. It’s the presence and the power of God on someone that actually can be felt. You may not know what it is, but you know that person’s different. You’re drawn to them.

«God has anointed me to preach the good news of the gospel to the poor», and he’s not talking about just financially poor. He’s talking about the poor in spirit, the hurting, the people that I’m talking about who parked at their pain 20 years ago and you’re letting the devil still run your life. «He has sent me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity]».

Now, that anointing that was on Jesus is on us, and without sounding full of pride, that anointing is on me today as I speak to you, because the anointing is what breaks the bondages off of our lives. You’ve gotta listen to people that are anointed or you’re wasting your time. And I don’t do anything fancy, so that’s about all I’ve got. So, my intention is to do the same thing Jesus did, to send you out delivered, because the word should do something to you. It should break something off of you, it should add something to your life. There’s a lady here, and I don’t know who she is, but they told me she flew all the way here from Atlanta, from Austria just to come to this conference. Hi. You know, it’s funny, my daughter’s in Austria preaching this weekend.

So, you came here and she went there. And mike said she was trying to tell him what God did for her last night, and she was so emotional, she couldn’t even get the words out. Well, that’s awesome. If we came here, whether you know it or not, these buildings aren’t cheap. We came here, maybe it was just for her, I don’t know. But I’ll tell you something, when your life changes, you are likely to change a few other people’s lives, 'cause whatever God did in her, it’ll make a change, and she’ll go home and she wouldn’t even have to open her mouth and people will start noticing that change. Amen?

Well, when people start saying, «You’re different, what happened to you»? Then they’re open to hearing about Jesus. Amen? Our dysfunction usually manifests in a lack of balance. We either do too much of nothing, too much of something, or not enough of something. People will either not spend any money on themselves because they don’t deserve it, or they become shopaholics and live online buying things. My kids won’t teach me how to buy things online. 'cause they’re afraid I’ll buy three cases of something from Timbuktu and think I ordered one bottle from Atlanta. That’s all right, then they just have to do it for me. Dysfunction manifests in insecurity, low self-esteem, feeling like a failure, and so they try to compensate with perfectionism.

«If I’m perfect, then I’ll have worth and value, and nobody can find anything wrong with me». Boy, trying to be a perfectionist is hard work. Isn’t it? Or you become a workaholic, which is what I was. High achiever, «I’ll have worth and value through my accomplishments». A controller, which I was. «I won’t ever get hurt again because I’ll be in control of every situation». Or people will become isolated and withdrawn. They don’t wanna have anything to do with anybody because they’re afraid of getting hurt. Or some people just don’t do anything. These are survival methods, but they’re not healing, and Jesus wants to heal us. «My yoke is easy. My burden is light». Life should not be hard.