Joyce Meyer - What Is True Love? (08/20/2019)
In the perilous last days, people will be selfish, lovers of money and pleasure more than God, holding a form of religion but denying its power (2 Timothy 3). The true power of the gospel is love—the new commandment Jesus gave: love one another as He loved us. Real love is active, costly, and purposeful, not just words or feelings. Walking in genuine, God-like love—starting at home and reaching out—is the answer to personal problems, societal chaos, and effective witness for Christ.
The Perilous Times of the Last Days
2 Timothy, chapter 3. Father, we're so grateful for your Word, and I pray that each of us will approach it tonight with meekness, knowing that we need all of it. That it's just for us. And I pray that your Word would renew our minds and change our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.
But understand this, that in the last days will come and set in perilous times of great stress and trouble, hard to deal with, and hard to bear. For people will be lovers of self, and utterly self-centered.
Now, I'd like to say that we're only talking about the world out there, and that we're not talking at all about the church or any Christians, but I think we know that there are still a few selfish, self-centered Christians hanging around. Amen?
I know it's not you. I'm well aware that it's not you, but we just want to pray for all those selfish, self-centered Christians that still need to get a revelation about dying to self and living for God.
They're lovers of money aroused by an inordinate, greedy desire for wealth. Proud and arrogant, contemptuous boasters, abusive, blasphemous, scoffing, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, and profane.
They will be without natural human affection, callous and inhuman. You know what that means? When people are callous, they can look at needs and not feel at all that they should be the one that tries to do anything about it. Somebody else should always do something, but somehow or another, it's never them.
They will admit to no truce or appeasement. They're slanderers, false accusers, troublemakers, intemperate, loosened morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of all that is good.
Holding a Form of Godliness
Now, thankfully, this is going to be over in two more verses. Because I'll guarantee you this is not a very happy way to start a conference.
They will be treacherous, betrayers, rash and inflated with self-conceit. They will be lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.
For although they hold a form of piety, true religion, they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it. Now, let's just stop right there. For although they hold a form of religion, they deny the power of that religion.
Well, what is the real power of the gospel message? It's the love message. It's the one thing that Jesus said, I'm going to give you as a new commandment. One new commandment. Love one another, just as I have loved you. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples.
You know, we often think we need somebody to love us, but really what we need is somebody to love. And everybody can find that. There's nobody in the whole world that can't find somebody to love because the whole world is desperate to be loved.
The Love Revolution
Now, you're looking at me kind of like, hmm, wonder where this is going. So let me just tell you something. I wrote a book two, three years ago, I don't know when it was, called The Love Revolution. And this is the worst selling book I ever wrote. I mean, the sales were bad. I mean, really bad. And the most we've ever sold in any conference is 112, they told me tonight.
And so when you have, you know, 7, 8, 9, 10,000 people in a building, that's just not really very impressive. And you say, well, that must really be a bad book. Why are you telling me about it?
Well, because it didn't not sell because it's bad. It didn't sell because people, frankly, don't think that this is an important message. Or they think they already know all about love.
But really, if we did, if we really, if every believer, if everyone who considers themselves to be a follower of Christ, was really out in their part of the world, walking in love, I would venture to say that most of the world would already be saved.
And we absolutely would not have the mess in our society that we have today. And many people today are interested in what the answer is to our dilemma in the world.
And from a spiritual standpoint, I believe that the answer to that dilemma is really getting out in society and representing Christ. Not just having a bunch of dead, dry religion, but really having the character of God developed in our life, walking in the fruit of the Spirit, which the Bible says there's no law that can come against the fruit of the Spirit.
You see, when we walk in love, it's impossible for people to really find anything wrong with you. They may try for a period of time, but love will melt the hardest, coldest heart. But it has to be real love.
So I'm calling this tonight, what is true love? You know, there's magazines, true love, true romance. So I guess if there's true love, then there must be an untrue love. And if there's true romance, there must be an untrue romance.
So the kind of love that is no good is the kind we talk about that has no action to it at all. It's just a conversation. It's just a sermon. But when it comes down to really putting it to work in our daily lives, then we back off from that.
Love Is an Effort
So you know what? I'm just mad at the devil. And so I'm just going to preach on love until people either get so tired of hearing me preach on it that they will do it.
Because you know, it really is pitiful how much we talk about love in church. And really how little of it there actually is. I mean, you know, we may get together in church and hug each other and say, I love you with the love of the Lord.
I tell you, sister, I just love you to death. I'm like, please don't love me to death. I'm trying to live. Thank you. I tell you, sister, I just love you to death. We just say some of the goofiest things.
Well, where were you when I needed a babysitter? Where were you when I needed somebody to help me move? Where were you when somebody else was trying to ruin my reputation and you could have talked up for me and said, no, you're not right about that. Come on.
I'm glad that you love me with the love of the Lord, but whatever that is, you know. I mean, if we really loved each other with the love of the Lord, the kind of love that Jesus loved with, oh my gosh.
I mean, if the church was that loving, you couldn't get all the people in. And I have found out and discovered that the only way that I can walk in love is to do it on purpose.
I can't wait to feel like it. I can't wait to want to. I can't wait to think it's fair. And I have to study it, study it, study it, study it. Keep it in front of me all the time because our flesh is inherently selfish and self-centered.
And we have to start a war with selfishness and say, I am not going to live a life where I am the only person in it.
God's Formula for Solving Problems
The Bible says that love is the most excellent thing that we can do. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 12:31. Now see, I know a lot of you came tonight thinking, hoping I would solve your problem. Well, I am. This is the answer to all of our problems.
Because here's what happens. Let me tell you God's formula for solving problems. You have a problem you cannot help yourself. However, at the same time you cannot help yourself, God will enable you to reach out and help somebody else.
Now, when you reach out and help somebody else, you're sowing a seed. Now, God can bring a harvest in your life. It used to just aggravate me that I couldn't help myself, but I could help somebody else.
And then finally, I saw it. That's what God wants us to do. We're not called to in-reach, we're called to outreach. We're not supposed to reach in and fix ourselves, or reach in and bless ourselves. We're supposed to do what? Forget yourself. Lose sight of yourself. Get yourself off your mind.
And live every day of your life to make somebody else happy, starting at home. Uh-oh. Starting at home. Hallelujah.
You know, if I, if I drank all my water and said, would somebody here be willing to get me a glass of water? I mean, there would be 500 people bolt for the drinking fountain to bring me a glass of water. You would think that was the coolest thing ever. Oh, I gave Joyce some water.
But if your husband asked you at home for a glass of water... What do you think I am? Your slave? Get your own water.
Why is it that we're willing to do as a ministry... Well... And let me tell you something. I'm not saying anything to you that God hasn't made me eat. I mean, I didn't go buy a sermon book and get my messages. I've had to live this.
And I don't preach anything that I haven't lived and that I don't know for sure works. And I'm telling you, if you want to be happy, forget about yourself and start living to make somebody else happy. Amen?
Love Your Enemies
1 Corinthians 12, 31. We can see it in Matthew 5, 44. Let's go there. How many of you think you need this? And you've already thought of all the people you wish were here that aren't.
Man, I wish my husband would have come with me tonight. Boy, does he need this message. Come on. How many of you have already thought of somebody you wish was here tonight? See?
Well, you know what? I wish they were too. But the thing is, is you're here. And I'm here. So we must need it.
Matthew 5, 44 through 47. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you to show that you are the children of your Father who is in heaven.
Why does God ask us to do that? To show people that we're not normal like all other people, but we've got something working in us that enables us to do things that are way beyond the ordinary.
For he makes his son to rise on the wicked and on the good. And he makes the rain to fall on the upright and the wrongdoers alike. And I love this.
For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that. And if you greet only your brothers, then what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles, the heathen, do that.
So here's my question tonight. Are we able, are we willing to even ask God to teach us how to love the way he loves? Because if we love the way God loves, that means that we're going to love when there's nothing in it for us.
Hi, everybody. We're going to love when there's nothing in it for us. When it's just an all giving out. And I can tell you from experience, I know that it will win people to Christ. And it will win some of the hardest people to Christ that you can imagine.
My Story of Loving the Unlovable
I'm sure if you watch my TV program much, you've heard my story about my dad sexually abused me for many, many, many, many, many years. My mother knew what was happening. She just was a very fearful woman who didn't know how to deal with him. And so she just let it happen.
And so I was abused and abandoned. Later on, many years later, after I thought that I had totally forgiven, God put it in my heart that as they were getting older, that I needed to buy them a better house to live in and take really good care of them until they died.
Well, that was the last thing in the world I wanted to do because the first thing that I said to God is, well, what did they ever do for me? He said, well, you're breathing, aren't you?
So the point is, is God wants us to be good to people who haven't done anything for us. Because that is the best way in the world that you can do spiritual warfare and keep the devil under your feet.
Love is the highest form of spiritual warfare. If we think that we're doing something smart to stay mad at somebody and try to get revenge on them, it's the absolute worst thing that we can do for our own selves.
It poisons our lives when we do that. And it's all based on feelings. Well, I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel. Well, I can tell you, I didn't feel like buying my mom and dad a house.
And I started out trying to buy a cheap house. And God said, no, you're gonna buy a nice house. And it's not like we just had a bunch of money laying around to go buy people houses. It was gonna take everything that we had.
And so I thought, well, surely Dave would tell me, no, that was gonna be my out. And he looked at me and said, well, if you think it's God, you better obey. And I was like, I don't want to obey.
Fast forward the story to the end. Took three years. Taking them to the doctors. Making sure the bills all got paid. Making sure the grass got cut. Making sure somebody got their groceries. Taking them to the doctor. On and on and on.
And finally, one morning, my dad, my mother said, your dad's been crying all week. He wants you to come over. Wants to tell you something.
All these years, my father had never apologized to me. Never even admitted what he did. And on that day, with tears, he said, I'm so sorry for what I did to you when you were a kid. He asked if we would pray with him. He received Christ. We baptized him ten days later.
And I always say this. I thought I was buying a house, but actually I was buying a soul. And I don't mean that in a wrong way. We know that Christ paid for our salvation. But you know, sometimes...
Well, let's put it like this. One of the main reasons why people don't walk in love is because love is an effort. And it will always... Now get this. It will always cost you something.
If it's real love, it's always going to cost something. It's going to cost some time, some effort, even to not start a fight in your home. It's going to cost you some pride.
You're going to have to be willing to swallow your pride and let somebody else think they're right when you're pretty sure you're right, but you don't think it's worth starting a fight over because you know that God has said to keep the peace. Come on now.
Love Costs Something
Oh, this is going to get better as the sessions go by. And it's not that you become a doormat. Love doesn't mean that you just let everybody walk all over you and you let everybody push you around.
But here's what it does mean. You confront when God shows you to confront. And you wait on Him when He tells you to wait on Him. And I've found that when I do it like that, most of the time when God tells me to confront, I just soon leave it alone.
And most of the time when I want to confront, He's telling me to leave it alone. When somebody has hurt us, one of the hardest things in the world is to wait and let God bring our vindication.
We want to take up for ourselves, don't we? Has anybody gotten anything out of this yet? Now see, if you're waiting for the other person to do what's right, I have an announcement to make tonight. You're the one hearing this message, so guess what? You get to start first.
And not only that, if you're the Christian in your house, then you ought to be the one to start first. You can't expect people that don't know the word to do anything right. They don't even know what right is.
So we have to do it as an example. I tell you, my husband was a wonderful example to me in the early years of our marriage. And you hear me tell all the funny stories about Dave, and I've got more funny ones this weekend.
Dave has done some new stuff that you will not believe in. I mean, that is hot off the press this weekend. We got a new Dave story. Amen.
But see, the thing is, is when Dave and I got married, he was a strong Christian. Now, I believed in God. I had been born again when I was a child, but I didn't know anything.
And you know, no matter how born again you are, if you don't know anything, then you're not going to act like you should be acting. That's why we need to study the word.
Dave Howers was a very mature, strong man of God. And he was the perfect man for me because I needed somebody not to tell me about Christ, not to tell me, yes, I like the words, I love you, but I didn't even know what it was.
I needed somebody to show me what it was. And he was the same no matter how I acted. I want you to get this. No matter how I acted, he stayed the same.
If you want to make an impression to the unbelievers in your home, at your place of business, no matter how they act, you stay the same. That's what Jesus did. He didn't change with the circumstances and act up with the people who were acting up. He remained the same.
Oh, Jesus, I just want to be like you. I surrender all. See, that's what I mean about phony baloney religion. And don't misunderstand me. I've participated in it plenty in my life, too.
It's just like we learn these outward behaviors and these little Christianese words, I love you with the love of the Lord. What in the world is that? Like I said, where are you when I need you?
Where are you when somebody needs to speak up for my reputation? Where are you when I need somebody to just sit with me for an hour because I feel like my guts are falling out, and I'd really rather that you don't preach to me. I'd like you just to be there with me.
I call this book The Love Revolution, which probably was a mistake because I don't think people got it, but... I put the word revolution on it because a revolution is a sudden radical change in the way things are ordinarily done.
And if we don't need a sudden, radical, complete change in what's going on in the world today, I don't know who does. And the only thing that I think is going to really change all the hatred, the bitterness, the resentment, the wickedness, the sin, the wretchedness, the selfishness, the self-centeredness is full-on love.
And it's going to take a whole lot of Christians that are willing to light their lamps and get out in the world and act like Jesus. It's not going to come through preaching to people while we do nothing.
You know the little game that kids play at school, show and tell? You know, where they take an item and then they show it? And then they tell everybody about it? Well, what we have many times as believers is tell and no show.
And we need show and tell. Once we show people the love of Christ, it's not going to be hard then to tell them about the Jesus that we love. Amen?
The Greatest Commandment
I love to preach this message, so you're just going to have to put up with me all weekend. In Matthew 22, 36, they asked Jesus, what is the heaviest, most important law? What's the heaviest one? What's the greatest commandment, the heaviest commandment?
Which kind of commandment is great and important? Which one is the principal kind? Some commandments are light. Which ones are heavy? I love that. Yes, bring us a heavy word, sister.
And he replied to them, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and your intellect. Another verse says, with all your strength.
This is the greatest and the most important commandment. And a second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.
If you've got a war going on with you, you live under condemnation all the time, you're ashamed of the who that you are, and you just plain don't like yourself, then you need to just tuck this message on love away.
Say, don't get rid of it, tuck it away over here somewhere, and then get a hold of some good teaching. I've got some, other people have got some, about accepting yourself because of what Christ has done for you.
Learning who you are in Christ. Get a good relationship with yourself, a good relationship with God, and now you're ready to go out and attack the world with the love of God.
If we really, if every believer, if everyone who considers themselves to be a follower of Christ was really out in their part of the world, walking in love, I would venture to say that most of the world would already be saved.
And we absolutely would not have the mess in our society that we have today. And many people today are interested in what the answer is to our dilemma in the world.
And from a spiritual standpoint, I believe that the answer to that dilemma is really getting out in society and representing Christ. Not just having a bunch of dead, dry religion, but really having the character of God developed in our life, walking in the fruit of the Spirit, which the Bible says there's no law that can come against the fruit of the Spirit.
You see, when we walk in love, it's impossible for people to really find anything wrong with you. They may try for a period of time, but love will melt the hardest, coldest heart. But it has to be real love.
Pursuing Love on Purpose
So I'm calling this tonight, what is true love? You know, there's magazines, true love, true romance. So I guess if there's true love, then there must be an untrue love. And if there's true romance, there must be an untrue romance.
So the kind of love that is no good is the kind we talk about that has no action to it at all. It's just a conversation. It's just a sermon. But when it comes down to really putting it to work in our daily lives, then we back off from that.
And you know what? There's a lot of stuff to learn to really be a powerful Christian. I mean, I've got... I mean, I've got thousands of messages that I've preached. And they're all vital, and they're all good.
But you know, some days when I just feel like, you know, man, Lord, I don't know if I'm doing it all. You know, there's this message, and that message, and this one, and that one, another one, another one.
I just center back to walk in love. If you just walk in love, you're going to cover all the rest of them. Amen? Love God. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. That just keeps it simple for me.
So for the last good number of years in my life, I have tried to focus more than anything else in my personal life on loving people, and everybody that I get around in my personal life, because believe it or not, I don't live in the little box. I do have a personal life.
They let me out of the TV screen occasionally. People are amazed when they see me somewhere. It's like I'm not supposed to be anywhere but in that box. But I do have a personal life.
And in my personal life, I try to make it my business to add value to everybody that I come across. And I'll tell you the truth, in the natural, I'm not a real outgoing, friendly person.
I mean, I'd much rather stand in front of a crowd of a million people than try to get to know one person. I'm not afraid of people, but I'm just... I'm just, you know, that's just the way I am.
I'm not like a sanguine, real friendly. I mean, we go out to eat and... I mean, Dave is talking to the waitress about where do you go to school? And what are you taking in school? And where did you come from? What are you going to do with your life?
And I'm like, Dave, can we order the food? Eat it and get out of here. And he's like, well, I just want to be friendly. And I'm telling you what, Mike, the pastor that was up here, he can get on an elevator and by the time he gets off, have a friend.
So, I'm just letting you know that it doesn't have to be your natural gift. That's not... You know, I would probably... My natural bent would be to go out in society, go shopping, do my stuff, just not say much to anybody, just do what I wanted to do, get the job done, get it over with and go back home.
But I have learned that I can affect people's lives just by being friendly. So, I've learned to do that. And I'm trying to let you know that even though something may not be a real natural gift for you, if it's something that God leads us to do, we can learn to do it. Amen?
Amen? Amen? Amen? Amen? Now, all you people that were born friendly, you're just like all over this. And some of you deeper people are like, well, I don't know if I really want to get involved or not.
I'm not asking to get involved, say hello. How are you? How's your day? That color looks good on you. Your hair looks nice. You know, just simple little things.
It's amazing how just a simple little adding value to someone's life can make a big difference.
A Cab Driver's Act of Love
Let me read you a story that I've pulled off the web. And this just gives you a good example of what love is and how little things can just make an unbelievable difference in people's lives.
This is by a man named Kent Nurburn, just to give credit where credit is due. Twenty years ago I drove a cab for a living. One time I arrived in the middle of the night at a building to pick someone up that was dark except for one single light on the ground floor window.
Under these circumstances, many drivers would just sit outside and honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away if nobody came out. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as our only means of transportation.
So unless a situation really smelled of danger, I would always go to the door. The passenger might be someone who needed my assistance, I reasoned to myself, so I walked to the door and knocked.
Just a minute, I heard from a frail elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor, and after a long pause the door opened, and I saw a woman in her 80s standing before me wearing a print dress and a little pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it.
She looked like something out of a 1940s movie. And by her side was a small nylon suitcase. Well, the apartment actually looked as if no one had lived in it for years. The furniture was all covered with sheets.
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils. Everything was in a cardboard box piled over in the corner. She said to me, would you mind to carry my bag out to the car?
So I took the suitcase to the cab. Then I returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb, and she kept thanking me over and over for my kindness.
It's nothing, I told her. I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated. Oh, you're such a good boy, she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then said, would you mind to drive through downtown? Well, I don't mind, I said. I'm not in a big hurry.
But it is not the shortest way indicating to her it was going to cost her more money if she went the long way. And she said, oh, I don't mind. I'm on my way to a hospice.
I looked in the rearview mirror and her eyes had tears in them. You see, I don't have any family left and the doctor says I don't have very long to live.
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. That was the first act of love, wasn't it? This is not somebody I need to make money off of. This is somebody I need to help.
What route would you like me to take, I ask. For the next two hours, we drove around the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
She had me slow down in front of a particular building or a corner and would just sit there and stare at the building and say absolutely nothing.
The sun was coming up and she suddenly said, well I'm tired, we better go now. I drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building that looked like a small convalescent home.
They must have been expecting her because two men came out ready to help her get into the building with a wheelchair. How much do I owe you, she asked, and reached into her purse.
I said nothing. She said, well no, you have to make a living. And he said, there are other passengers that I can make a living off of.
Almost without thinking, I bent over and gave her a hug. And she held onto me so tightly. She said, you gave an old woman a little moment of joy. Thank you.
I squeezed her hand, walked into the dim morning light. I didn't go back to work that day. I just drove aimlessly around lost in thought for the rest of the day.
What if that woman had gotten an angry driver? Or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I'd refused to take the run or had only honked once and then driven away?
And this is the part I love. On a quick review, I don't think that I've ever done anything more important in my life than that one single act.
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware. Beautifully wrapped in what others might consider a small one.
Small Acts That Matter
Let me tell you something. What I'm talking to you about tonight... Yeah. Amen. What I'm talking to all of us about tonight...
And you know, if there's anybody in the room who thinks you don't need this, you can throw your share back at me. Because I'd just be happy to preach this to myself. I need this.
Every time I teach on love. Every time I restudy on love. It builds me up and reminds me that this really is one of the most important things that we can possibly do in our lives.
And it's not always in big things. Many times it is in small little things. Like smiling at somebody. Or saying hello. Or telling somebody...
You know, one day I was in a bathroom. And I noticed a lady in there emptying the trash. And I'd seen her a few times. And so... I took some money out of my purse and gave it to her.
And I just said... You know... I'm sure that you really work hard. And a lot of times you don't really get... You know, the... The appreciation that you need.
I shoved the money in her hand and just took off. A little bit later she came chasing me into the shoe department. Telling me how much it meant to her. And how it was just so amazing.
And you know what? People are hurting in the world. And they're hurting a lot worse than you think you are. There's always somebody... No matter how bad we're hurting. Or no matter how bad we've got it. There's always somebody that's got it worse than we do.
And somebody that's hurting worse than we do. And just for the sake of God... We need to get out in the world and act like Jesus.
How would Jesus treat these people as he came into contact with them? You know, we always talk about following in Jesus' steps. Well, sometimes we need to study his stops.
Because Jesus always stopped for hurting people. It wasn't just, yes, he was going somewhere and he had a goal. But when somebody really needed help, he was always there to help him.
And you know, a lot of that is lacking in our society today. And nobody's going to bring it back if the Christians don't. So we need to stop just yelling about our Christianity and get out there and live it.
So people can see that we've got something that's worth having.
Pursue Love as the Highest Goal
The Bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians 14, 1, that we are to pursue this love. Pursue it. Go after it with all of your might.
That's been one of the things that has helped me in studying the love walk, probably more than anything else, is to realize it's something that I have to do on purpose.
It's not something I can wait to feel like doing. It's not something I wait to want to do. It's something that I do.
Don't just pray for God to bless you. Pray that God will make you a blessing everywhere that you go. And it's fine to pray that God will bless you.
Every day I say, God, I ask you to bless me and I ask you to make me a blessing everywhere that I go. Don't let me go out in the world, God, and act like I don't have ears and eyes.
Help me to hear what people say. Help me to see their needs. And help me to meet those needs. We don't even really need to pray for God to meet somebody's need if we could do it and just don't want to.
Uh-oh, I better say that again. We don't even really need to pray for God to meet somebody else's need if we could do it and just don't want to.
Well, you know, you can't do everything. That's right. You cannot do everything, but you better not do nothing. There's a difference in thinking we have to do everything and doing nothing.
I can't do everything for everybody, but I refuse to do nothing for anybody. Amen? Amen.
Indifference makes an excuse, but love always finds a way. We all have our own little excuse bag. We carry it with us. I mean, it's invisible.
You know, you don't see it like you do this one. But we've all got one handy. And boy, when somebody wants us to do something that we don't want to do, we reach right in there and we just...
Let's see. We just... Let's see. Well, that's going to be too hard. Or how about... Well, I don't know anybody else who does this.
Well, all the more reason to do it. Or how about... I've never done this before. And I love this one. I have too many personal problems of my own.
I got too many personal problems of my own to get involved with you. Yeah, well, here comes a word from God. You'll keep them too. You'll keep those problems and get a bunch more with it if you don't start doing something to help somebody else.
The only way we can be set free is by helping other people. If you knew how serious I am, I'm telling you, I don't care what kind of a problem you got.
If you will get your mind off of your problem and off of yourself and off of trying to solve your problem, here's what God wants you to hear.
You take care of His business and He'll take care of yours. Do you hear me? You take care of God's business and God will take care of yours.
Psalm 37.3 says, Trust in the Lord and do good. Trust in the Lord and do good. I love that. It's not just trust God. While you're trusting God, be a blessing to somebody else.
No matter how bad you're hurting, don't shrink back into a corner and just nurse your wounds. I mean, more than ever, keep your word. Keep your commitments. Be a blessing to people.
Keep your commitments in giving. Don't withdraw when you're hurting. Come on full force and say, I know that this is an attack of the devil and I know how to defeat the devil.
You overcome evil with good. You don't overcome evil by withdrawing from evil. You overcome evil by doing good.
We need to learn how to live to love. Put on love, the Bible says. Put it on. What does that mean?
Clothed in Love
Well, many years ago, I used to have a recurring dream and I didn't know what in the world it was all about. And I would dream this like fairly often. And you know, when you dream something over and over, you start to wonder, well, is there more to this than what I'm seeing?
And the dream that I had was I would get to my conferences like this and my clothes weren't there and I would eventually have to come out and preach in my pajamas. And I would be really embarrassed because I wasn't dressed properly.
And I didn't really get it at the time. And then I saw this scripture in Revelations that says to stay awake and put your clothes on. And then there's other scriptures that say to put off the old man and put on the new man and put on bowels of mercy and put on your shoes of peace and put on the breastplate of righteousness.
And so I began to think. And then in Colossians 3, it says, clothe yourselves with mercy. Clothe yourselves with kindness. And above all that you put on, put on love.
And then I finally got the interpretation of my dream. God said, you're not dressed properly because you're not walking in love.
And so when I would come to the pulpit, I had a good message. But because I didn't have a red hot on fire love walk in my everyday life, although yes, I had a good message and that word was blessing people, there was not the power behind it that needed to be there to change lives.
Because the only way you're going to get that kind of power and anointing is if you do what Jesus tells you to do, and that is walk in love.