Joyce Meyer - Prayer that Defeats Satan - Part 2

You know, we want to help people. As believers in Christ, we want to help people. And I remember one young man that we worked with for four years. I mean, we gave him a lot of time, spent money to help him get healthy and good, and when we felt like it was time for us to step away, he went right back to doing what he was doing before we started trying to help him. So, satan will use people to steal your time. A lot of people that come to you for help, they just wanna complain about what their situation is, but they really, truly don’t want to change. If people are not changing at all, then something’s wrong. You need to be careful about not letting those people just steal your time.

You know, you don’t have to be available for everybody’s emergency. Satan uses people who wanna steal your time, but you end up not really helping them. Don’t let anybody in your life just be a taker. That’ll wear you out, too. People that are always just taking, they’re never putting anything back into the relationship. They’re just taking. Always wanting you to do something for them, but never available when you need some help from them. Avoid people that drain you and add nothing to your life.

Hebrews 12:1 says, «Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the truth], let us strip off and throw aside every…» Now, listen to these words. «Encumbrance, throw off every (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us». So, I’m seeing, «Don’t get encumbered». «Don’t be carrying around more than what you can handle». «Don’t get entangled». Do you ever just get entangled in somebody else’s mess? And you start out trying to help 'em, but by the end of it they’ve just worn you out and they’re still doing the same things that they were before. And «With steady, active persistence», persistence, «Run the race that is set before you».

See, you can’t run your race if you’ve got somebody dragging you down all the time. Ephesians 5:16. I love this. «Make the very most of your time [buy up each opportunity], because the days are evil». Don’t waste your time on people or things that never bear any fruit. I’m telling you, this, what I’m saying right now, would help so many people if they would pay attention to it. You say, «Well, my schedule just drives me crazy. I never have a free minute». Well, I’ll tell you what the Lord told me. You made your schedule and only you can change it. So, if you don’t like the schedule that you have, write down on a piece of paper everything you’re doing.

Now, go back and ask yourself why you’re doing them. We do so many things just because people want us to, and we don’t want them to get mad at us. So, we do it. But there’s really no grace on us to do it because it’s not what God wants us to do. And anytime we’re doing things that there’s no grace on, it’s always gonna suck the energy and the enthusiasm and the zeal out of us. Satan gets us confused about our priorities. We try to do everything and end up doing nothing. Nobody can do it all. And I’ve made that mistake in my life. Didn’t wanna say «No» to anybody. «Yes, I can do that. Yes, I can do that. Yes, I can do that. Yes, I can, forward, write a forward for your book. Yes, I…», you know, it’s easy to say «Yes,» but then when it actually comes to having to do it, sometimes you’ve got so many other things going on that you’re like, «Why in the world did I say 'yes' to this»?

Well, that’s what you need to think about and even pray about before you do that. Satan gets us confused about our priorities. I think it was John Maxwell that said, «Give 80% of your time to your top two priorities». Wow. Well, that could make a big difference for us, right? What happens when we can’t focus on our priorities? «Example, a lion trainer goes into the animal cage with a gun, a whip, and a stool. He holds the stool with the seat facing him and the four legs facing the lion. He does this because when the lion tries to focus on all four legs at once, it produces a type of paralysis in the lion».

I love that. That’s interesting. You wonder how these people have the nerve to go into a cage with a lion, a wild animal that can turn on 'em at any time, and they go with this little stool pointed at 'em, but they can’t focus on all four legs at once, and it… Paralyzes them. So, maybe satan has us trying to focus on so many things that we also get paralyzed and end up doing nothing and being confused about what we should do. What is your top priority? Whatever your top priority is, that’s what you should give most of your time to. He wants to wear out our commitments and our consecration. He wants us to make commitments and then not keep 'em, because that’s not integrity. And God wants a people of integrity. He tempts us with the world, so we’re separated from God’s presence. «Don’t love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the father is not in him».

Now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy things in the world. But when they become more important to you than God is, when you’ll give up your time with God to do those other things, then you’re headed for trouble. «For all that’s in the world: the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] And the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] And the pride of life [assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things], these don’t come from the father but are from the world [itself]. And the world passes away and disappears». I love that. «The world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it: but he who does the will of God and Carries out his purpose in his life abides and (remains) forever».

You know, if you’re born again and you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you’re gonna live forever. Not just here, but forever. And I think we should spend a good deal of our time here preparing for there. The Bible says «You brought nothing into the world and you’re not gonna take anything out». So, all the things that we crave and desire and give up time with God to be sure we can get these things, they’re already in the process of decaying when you bring them home. And if you don’t believe that things decay, just go look at a junkyard. That car that’s a piece of junk now, was at one time, somebody’s dream. And I don’t know, maybe they worked two jobs and ignored family just so they could have that beautiful shiny new car. But it doesn’t stay that way forever.

Matthew 6:24 says, «Nobody can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and (deceitful riches, and money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in)». Now, the Bible says, «If you delight yourself in the Lord, he will give you the desires of your heart». And in Matthew 6:33 it says that if we seek God first, he will add all of these other things. So, it’s really very simple. Keep God first in your life. And anything that satan does to try to get you off of that, you need to resist, resist him at his onset. And whatever you do, keep God first place in your life, keep him first place in your time. And learn to pray about everything.

God wants to be involved in everything that we do. And prayer doesn’t have to be some special set of circumstances where you have to get in a certain posture and be in a certain place. You can pray anytime, anywhere, about anything. Now, it is good to have a set apart time with God, but you don’t have to say, «Well, I’ll pray about that later when I pray». No, you can pray right now. Because if you decide to pray about it later when you pray, chances are you’ll forget it and you won’t pray about it. Be a «Now» person, do what you know you need to do now. «Nobody can serve two masters: he’ll hate the one and love the other, or stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and (money and things)».

The Bible says, «You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind and all your strength». Is that true for you? Do you love God more than anything else? You know, if you do, you’ll be willing to sacrifice other things to give God the time that he deserves. A lot of people go to church on Sunday, and they never think about God until the next week. We need God daily in our lives. We need him moment by moment in our lives. Mark 12:30 says, «And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart, and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind, (your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and the principal commandment».

What’s the first commandment out of the 10? «You shall have no other Gods before you». Yes, anything can become a God. Money can become a God: your job can become a God. But nothing should take the place of keeping God first place in our lives. You know, years ago, when I had only been in ministry, maybe seven or eight years, one morning I was driving to work and I felt the Lord whisper in my heart, «You know, you’re so proud of yourself because you work for me». I worked at a church, and I was going to my job, and I guess feeling kind of good that I worked for God. And he said, «You’re proud of yourself because you work for me, but the only problem is you don’t spend any time with me».

And boy, that was like a wakeup call for me. God wants you to spend time with him before you even do a bunch of good works, which he also wants us to do, but we won’t have the strength and the ability to do them properly if we don’t spend time with God first. I hope I’m getting my point across today. Spend time with God first. You’ll be strong enough to «Resist the devil and he will flee,» because you have authority over him, not in your name, but in the name of Jesus. And don’t forget, «Resist the devil at his onset». The world may look tempting, but as I said, go to a junkyard and you’ll quickly realize that the earth is passing away. The world is changing. «And those who deal with this world [overusing the enjoyments of this life]».

I like that. God wants us to enjoy our life. John 10:10 says, «The thief only comes to steal, kill and destroy. But I came that you might have and enjoy your life and have it in abundance (to the full, until it overflows)». So, God wants us to enjoy our life, but he says we can overuse the enjoyments of this life. We can get so wrapped up in just enjoying ourselves that we forget the most important things. «As though they were not absorbed by it and as if they had no dealings with it. For the outward form of this world (the present world order) is passing away».

You know, when you’re 30, you can’t ever imagine being 60 or 70 or 80. But I can promise you that you’ll get there. And one day you’ll wake up and realize that maybe at the best you’ve got 10 more years left. And you don’t wanna look back at your life and have nothing but regrets saying, «I wish I would’ve, I wish I wouldn’t have. I wish I would’ve. I wish I wouldn’t have». The time to do things right, is now. Not after it’s too late, and all you can do is have regrets. «Store up treasure in heaven where moth rust and decay cannot get to it».

You know, every time you give into the work of the kingdom, you’re storing up treasure in heaven. You can go out and buy another pair of earrings, and that’s okay. Nothing wrong with that. But it’s not gonna store up any treasure in heaven. However, when you give to feed the hungry or help the poor or see the gospel preached, then you’re storing up treasure in heaven. Look at a picture of yourself when you were 20, and then go take a look at yourself in the mirror now. You will realize that even the part of you that is in the world is wasting away.

Just by being in the world, we change, and we get older and older, and we can’t do all the things we used to do. And we get tired easier. And you know, that’s the natural order of things. And so, as you grow in age, you will have to make changes to what you commit to do because you will need more rest and you will need even more time with God. But, boy, you can help a lot of people, if you’ve learned anything from your experiences in life, then you’ll have wisdom and you’ll know how to give people proper guidance.

2 Corinthians 4:16, «Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, and exhausted, and wearied out through fear)». There it is again. The devil trying to wear us out. «(through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] Decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] Renewed day after day». On June the 4th, I will be 82 years old. And you know what? I know I’m 82, but I don’t think I’m 82. I don’t feel like I’m 82. And so, I have taken care of myself. I’ve worked out for the last 20 years, and I eat good, and I get good rest, now.

Now, I didn’t do it right on the front end: I’ll admit. But thank God I started using godly common sense, in time, to still be able to recover from all the mistakes I made. And now, I can be around for a long time continuing to teach the Word of God and helping people. And I have a lot of experience now. So, experience gives you wisdom. I like this. Paul said, «Our outward man is wasting away, and our inner man is being daily renewed».

I think that’s why, even though I am the age I am, I don’t feel that because my inner man is being renewed day by day. Take better care of the part of you that will live forever, not the part that is wearing out and wasting away. Some people will go to the gym every day, but they won’t spend 15 minutes in prayer. And going to the gym is good for you, but prayer’s even better. You have to connect with God. I hope and pray that I’m getting that point across. It’s not just enough to watch my program on TV every day, or to watch somebody else that’s your favorite preacher. It’s not enough just to go to church once a week. We need God daily and he’s always available. He says, «Seek me and you will find me. Ask and keep on asking and it’ll be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened unto you».

But the responsibility is on us to knock, seek and pray, and ask. God responds to our action of faith to call upon his goodness in our lives. And I just wanna say again, the minute that you sense the enemy attacking you, like, say the minute that you feel a physical symptom, don’t just say, «Oh, I must be getting sick. I must be getting that flu that’s going around». Well, maybe you are and maybe you’re not. But I wouldn’t claim it before it claimed you. What should you say? «I believe God’s healing power is working in me all the time, keeping me from sickness and disease».

What we say matters a lot. Words are powerful, very powerful. God said, «Let there be light». And there was light. Just imagine that. He just said something, and it happened. And Jesus, when it was time for him to go to the cross and he knew he was gonna suffer, he told his disciples, you can find this in John 14:30. He said, «I’m not gonna be talking much more with you now because the evil one comes, and he has no part in me». Well, what was he saying? «I’m gonna be under a lot of pressure now and it’s gonna be much better if I don’t say as much. Because the enemy has no part in me. And I don’t wanna open my mouth and say something that’s gonna give him a part in me». «The power of life and death is in the tongue. And those who indulge it will eat the fruit of it, whether, for life or death». Don’t say, «Oh, I hear there’s gonna be layoffs at work. I’m afraid I’ll get laid off».

Oh, the devil wants us to be afraid. He can weary us out through fear. You can say, «I’m not afraid. God has promised that he will take care of me. And even if I did lose this job, God will give me one that’s better». Take better care of the part of you that will live forever than the part that is wearing out and wasting away. Well, how shall we resist satan? Prayer is the first line of offense and defense. Pray immediately when you sense satan attacking in any way. Apply the blood of Jesus by faith to your mind, emotions, body, will, or any other area that you sense satan attacking. I did that just this morning. I said, «By faith, Lord, I apply the blood of Jesus to my life. And I thank you that when the enemy sees that blood, he has to pass by me».

That’s what happened in the Old Testament when the angel of death was going through the land of Egypt and slaying all the firstborn. But God told his people who lived in Goshen to take the blood of a spotless lamb and put it on the lintel and the doorpost of their house and stay inside. And when the angel saw the blood, it would pass over them. Well, surely that’s gotta be a message to us. We have a blood working for us that’s much stronger than the blood of the lambs and goats that they have. We have the blood of Jesus that has been poured out for us and shed for us. And there’s power in that blood. And we need to just talk about that, sometimes. You can just talk about it out loud in your house.

«There’s power in the blood of Jesus». Play songs about the blood of Jesus. Remember that there’s power in the word, in the name and in the blood. Speak the word against the enemy, pray against the enemy and apply that blood by faith. And last, but not least, I wanna say that the last thing you wanna do is have unforgiveness in your heart. Because when you do, that’s an open door for satan. The Bible says in Ephesians 4, «When you’re angry, don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Don’t give the devil any such foothold».

If we give him a foothold, then he can gain a stronghold. Do you know that being able to forgive people is a blessing from God for us to be able to use? I’m so grateful that I don’t have to stay angry that God has taught me how to forgive. And you might say, «Well, they don’t deserve forgiveness». Well, I don’t deserve forgiveness and neither do you. But God’s forgiven us anyway. «Well, they haven’t even apologized». Well, you can forgive 'em anyway. And pray for them. Pray for them to be blessed with the truth that they need to see.

Resist any temptation that will compromise your integrity. Don’t let the enemy walk all over you anymore. Take a stand and resist him at his onset and don’t let him wear you out, and weary you out through this thing, and another thing, and another thing, and another thing. Resist each one of them and they won’t have an effect on you. God bless you, and thank you so much for being with us today. We love you, and we hope that you’ll stay connected with Joyce Meyer Ministries through this program and keep learning the Word of God.