Joyce Meyer - Breaking Free Of Wilderness Mindsets (08/21/2019)
Joyce Meyer addresses impatience as a wrong mindset that blocks God's promises, showing how the Israelites' impatience led to complaining and prolonged wilderness time. True patience—trusting God's timing while staying sweet and kind—builds character, glorifies God in suffering, and opens doors for breakthrough and witness, as seen in everyday stories of choosing grace over frustration.
The Danger of an Impatient Mindset
We are now, this morning, going to talk about wrong thought pattern number five, which is, I just can't wait any longer. God, you've got to do something right now. I just can't wait any longer. It's an impatient mindset and attitude. How many of you have ever threatened God, if you don't do something, I'm going to give up. God, if I don't have a breakthrough in the next few days, I'm out of here.
Well, can I tell you what? God is not one iota impressed by that. Matter of fact, I think He laughs. Impatience is the fruit of pride. I'm going to let you think about that a second. We think what we should have, what we want right now, and we're not even considering that maybe God knows better than we do.
Maybe God's got a plan that He's working, and maybe whatever it is that we're going through, that we're not getting our breakthrough on when we want it, is actually something that we need to continue to go through for a while because it's building spiritual muscles in us, stretching our faith, and developing us into the person that God needs us to be for whatever He wants us to do in the future.
We need to learn how to trust God and say, I believe my times are in your hands. We think we deserve better than what we have. We certainly don't want to wait on anything or be inconvenienced. We don't even want to wait in a checkout lane in a grocery store.
How Impatience Shows Up in Daily Life
And we all know how we can act if the poor clerk runs out of tape in her machine or is a new clerk and doesn't seem to know what she's doing. We have our Christian cross around our neck, but our attitude doesn't portray Christianity. We all know how we can act in traffic. Amen. Let's hear the low groans. Amen. Amen.
And so patience is very important. The Bible says when patience is fully developed, and I love this, you are a perfect man lacking in nothing. Another translation says when patience is fully developed, you are a perfect man wanting nothing.
And I really do believe when we can learn to trust God enough to believe that His timing is perfect, and that when the right time comes for us, that no devil in hell and no man on earth can keep us from getting what God wants us to have. Come on now. Come on.
Did it ever occur to you when you're dealing with that clerk in the store and she's not moving as fast as you'd like her to, that she's already under pressure and feels foolish because she's not performing right. And maybe, just maybe, just maybe, there's an outside possibility that God put you there, not for you to get what you want, but for you to be an encouragement to her.
I used to get so impatient in situations like that, and now I've come to the point where I say, you know what? I'm not so important that I can't stand here and wait a few minutes. Don't get under stress. Everything's fine. You're doing a good job.
Well, thank God, I've come a long way in that area. But, my natural personality has a tendency toward impatience. I'm a quick, strong-willed, type A, choleric personality. I want it. I want it now. And I want it right when I get it.
And so, trust me, I understand that being patient is something that we have to do on purpose. It may not be something that we're going to feel all the time, but let me tell you that you don't have to feel patient to be patient. I said you don't have to feel patient to be patient.
Patience: Action Over Feeling
How we feel is in a category all by itself, but what we do is another story. You don't have to feel like acting right to act right. You don't have to feel like doing what's right to do right. You don't have to feel like forgiving somebody in order to forgive them. Because forgiveness is not about how you feel about them, it's how you choose to treat them. Amen?
And I believe that patience is probably one of the most important virtues that we can develop. I believe that it really says a lot to people about stability, and it's also a way that we can love people who are maybe making mistakes and need to have somebody show them some patience.
Now the Israelites were definitely impatient, Numbers 21:4-5. And they journeyed from Mount Hor by way to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom, and the people became impatient, and look what happened, according to the Amplified Bible, they came along with impatience, depressed and much discouraged because of the trials of the way.
You know, the easiest route is not always the shortest route. Sometimes we think that we just want to get something quick, quick, quick, quick, but it's really not going to be the best thing for us in the end.
And then they went on to complain. You know, impatience causes complaining. We stopped last night with that particular point that the Israelites complained and they remained. And as long as we're complaining and murmuring and grumbling, we're going to stay right where we're at.
It's amazing how many things we can find to thank God for if we just think about each thing that we do as a blessing. Impatience is one of the things that kept the Israelites in the wilderness and it will be one of the things that will keep us from really enjoying the fullness of the promises of God.
How many of you tend to be a little impatient? How many of you are like real impatient? And of course, once again, Dave didn't have his hand up. Yeah, well let me tell you, I drive with him, he's not perfectly patient. Amen.
The Farmer's Example of Patient Faith
James 5:7 says, be patient as you wait. Now, I want to make a point out of that because it does not say be patient if you wait. So be patient, brethren, as you wait for the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land. See how he keeps up his patient vigil over it.
Now we can see that example, a farmer plants his seed and it does not look for a long time like one thing is happening. And we plant seeds of faith, we plant seeds of obedience. But our breakthroughs come not just through faith, but through faith and patience.
Now hear me, patience is not just waiting, it's how we act while we're waiting. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, it has to do with character, it has to do with temperament. It has to do with not getting angry when we don't get our way. It has to do with staying sweet when the situation that you're in is very sour.
We are not showing the world anything about Jesus if we get out there and act just like they do. So it's very important that we get a humble mind, which we've already talked about in this series, and that we realize that everybody doesn't have to move at our pace, and it's not going to be the end of the world if we have to wait on something.
And that we don't have to mistreat people because they're not giving us what we want the second that we want it. Or when they make mistakes. Don't think more highly of yourself than you ought to, the Bible says. But think with the mind of Christ. Let this same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.
I sat this morning and I said out loud, God I'm no better than anybody else. I know you love me, I'm no worse than anybody else, but I'm no better than anybody else. So don't let me mistreat anybody today, don't let me look down on anybody, don't let me disrespect anybody.
You see, as soon as you start thinking that you're better than somebody else, then you're going to start mistreating people. Well, how can you be so dumb? How can you be so slow?
And I want to tell you something, God takes it very personally when we mistreat people. And when somebody mistreats you and hurts you, God takes it very personally. And if you keep a good attitude even in that, God will give you a breakthrough and reward you.
I don't like it when people show disrespect to other people. I don't like it when people show disrespect to me. And I don't want to be disrespectful to anybody else. And in order for me not to be, I would never be disrespectful on purpose.
But if I get impatient, then my body language and my voice tone begins to sound very disrespectful. How many of you know about the body language? Do any of you have body language that good? It's like, well... I didn't say a word, but I just said, are you the stupidest thing on the earth?
So, we not only have to have a patient mouth, we have to have a patient face, and a patient body.
Suffering Patiently Pleases God
Be patient as you wait. First Peter 2:19. Now these scriptures that I'm getting ready to read you are pretty hard to swallow. But nonetheless, they're in here, so we might as well have meat today and not dessert.
For one is regarded favorably, is approved, acceptable, and thankworthy, if, as in the sight of God, he endures the pain of unjust suffering. After all, what kind of glory is there in it when you do wrong and you're punished for it? And you take it patiently.
But if you bear patiently with suffering which results when you do right, and that is undeserved, now this is acceptable and pleasing to God.
You know, I'm kinda beginning to think, well, what's with that? You like it if we suffer unjustly? For even to this were you called, oh my gosh, it's part of our calling. It is inseparable from your vocation as a believer.
For Christ also suffered for you, leaving you His personal example, His personal example of how to suffer. We are to suffer gloriously, not grotesquely. Now just hang with me.
You have reached a stage of deep spiritual maturity when you can be going through something that is not fair, not right, very hard for you, and really for all intent and purpose unless you decide to tell somebody, nobody around you can even tell it. Nothing in your life changes. You continue to reach out and bless people because you've got your faith firmly planted in God that nothing can hurt you long term.
For even to this you were called. Verse 22. He, Jesus, was guilty of no sin. Neither was deceit or guile ever found on His lips. And this, verse 23, has become my new favorite scripture. I'm having this put on a plaque, painted on a plaque, decorated, it's going on my office wall.
When He was reviled and insulted, He did not revile or offer insult in return. When He was abused and suffered, He made no threats of vengeance, but He trusted Himself and everything to Him who judges fairly.
Now, just for clarification, God's not happy when you suffer. Your pain and my pain hurts Him just like it hurts us and probably more deeply. But what this is saying is that the thing that glorifies God, it's not our suffering that glorifies God, but it's being patient in our suffering that glorifies God.
It's continuing to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness. All those things. When we're going through things. And it is one of the greatest witnesses that we can have to the world.
It's not going to do you any good to have a bumper sticker on your car, take your Bible to work, stick your headphones in your ears at lunch, and go off in a corner and not fellowship with anybody. Act like you're better than everybody else. And then the first time something happens that you don't like, stand there and have an impatient fit.
Well, that's not right. Bless God, you're not going to treat me that way. And I'm, you just, well, yeah, I'm shutting you out of my life. Jesus made no threats of vengeance. He just trusted Himself to God.
One of the hardest things in the world, I think, to do is when somebody hurts you, to trust God to be your vindicator. But when you get to that point, I tell you what, the devil can't handle you.
Real-Life Examples of Choosing Patience
Now, I'm just going to tell you a couple stories. Some time ago in our family life, there was a situation that I can use as an example that will help you understand what I mean today.
Our son Daniel had come back from a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. He came back with a severe rash on his arms and several open sores. He'd been told that it was the Dominican Republic version of poison ivy. It looked so bad that we felt we needed to confirm what it was.
Our family doctor was off that day, so we made an appointment with the doctor taking his calls. Our daughter Sandra called, made the appointment, told them how old Daniel was and that she was his sister and would be bringing him in.
We were all very busy that day, including Sandra, so it was a sacrifice for her to make the appointment. It was a 45-minute drive to the doctor.
When she got there, the same lady that she had told, this is my brother, I'll be bringing him in, I'm his sister, said, oh, I'm sorry, but it's our policy not to treat minors unaccompanied by a parent.
Well, Sandra explained that when I called, I told you that I was his sister and I would be bringing him in. Well, the lady would not give in. She said, no, I'm sorry, but we cannot see him without a parent.
So, by the grace of God, she managed to not get upset. She stayed sweet, maintained her witness, got on the phone, called her dad, who was visiting his mother, told him the situation. So he said, well, I'll leave and come over there.
Well, earlier that morning, when Dave was going out, he just felt for some reason that he should go by the office and pick up some of my books and some of my teaching, probably cassette tapes at the time. He didn't know why in particular, but he just had that urge in his heart to go get them.
So, when he got to the doctor's office, the lady saw his name, Dave Meyer. She said, I recognize your name. Are you by any chance related to Joyce Meyer? I've just recently started watching her on TV.
So, he was able to give her one of my books and talk to her a little bit. But the point in telling you this story is simply this. What if Sandra had lost her temper, been impatient, and told that lady off?
What if when Dave came in there, he would have had a few choice words to say about having to waste his time and how ridiculous it was. And then she said, are you Joyce Meyer's husband? I've been watching her on TV preach about the love of Jesus Christ.
Another story, one day I had finished a conference like this only in my hometown. I had done it at what at that time was my home church. And, you know, I love what I'm doing, but to be honest, by the time Saturday's over, I'm tired.
And one of the things that I really enjoy is getting a good meal, a little good fellowship, having a good cup of coffee. So, we made a reservation at a local restaurant, told them the number of people.
And as soon as the conference was over, we went there and it was extremely crowded. There were people just jammed into the place and there wasn't even any place to sit.
So, we went up to the desk because we had a reservation. Said, the Meyer party's here, we have a reservation. And she said, oh, we don't take reservations on Saturday afternoon.
Well, you know, you can feel it. It's like... Come on, how many... The back is getting stiff, the shoulders... Well, you gave me a reservation. I mean, here it's like...
And I'm thinking, God, don't tell me that after working all weekend, Thursday night, Friday morning, Friday night, Saturday morning, that I am going to have to sit here, important me, who's just been adored and admired by the crowd. Come on.
Don't tell me that amazing, important me is going to have to act like a normal person and stand here and wait to get a seat.
Well, thankfully, God helped me keep my mouth shut. When I get in situations like that, sometimes I have to say, help me, God, help me, help me, God, help me, help me. Like in my heart, I'm going like, help me, help me.
Because you can feel it, you can feel it coming. Man, and you got to get it before it gets to your mouth. Because if it gets to your mouth, you know, it starts here and you've only got about this much space.
So we were all cool. We waited. We finally got our table. And there was a whole bunch of us and the restaurant was really crowded. And the table was, there were people sitting on this outside side of the table, but it was real close to the wall.
Well, when the waitress came, she took all the drink orders first. And so she came back with trays of coffee and water and iced tea and different kinds of sodas. And so she's trying to get behind this table here.
And she dumped a whole tray of drinks all over Dave. Well, I tell you what, Dave couldn't have been any nicer. He said, don't worry about it. It's not a problem. It's not your fault.
She was so upset. He even went and got the manager and said, no, I don't want her to get in trouble. This was not her fault. I mean, he went the extra mile to just cover her. Love covers a multitude of sins.
So she came back to the table, got the drinks again, came back to the table, and it was obvious she had just been bawling. And I said, are you okay? Is it okay?
And she said, I was so nervous when I saw who I was waiting on because I have just started watching you on TV. And I tell you, in my heart, I'm thank you, Jesus. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you that I didn't act like a fool. Thank you, Jesus. I didn't act like a fool.
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Joyce continues exposing wrong mindsets that kept the Israelites in the wilderness, emphasizing personal responsibility over blame, rejecting self-pity as idolatry, refusing to believe past mistakes disqualify blessings, and combating jealousy by blessing others instead—ultimately urging believers to own their issues, embrace truth for freedom, and live boldly in Christ's blessings.
Taking Personal Responsibility Ends the Blame Game
I found at least ten, and I'm sure that there are more, but I found at least ten wrong mindsets, wrong ways that the Israelites were thinking that I believe kept them wandering around the wilderness. It wasn't their enemies. We often think, well, if the devil, and if, and if, and but, and but, and if, and if.
But really, so many times, we are our own problem. It's not our problem that's our problem. It's our attitude toward our problem that is our problem. It's our mindset toward our problem that is our problem.
Even when we have a problem, we think, well, this is just too much for me. I just can't do this anymore. Well, that's a wrong mindset that can keep you in bondage. But if you can think, I can do whatever I need to do through Christ who strengthens me, and I am not going to give up, then you've already won. It's just simply a matter of walking it out.
The next wrong attitude that the Israelites had that got them in a lot of trouble and will also get us in a lot of trouble and keep us from living in the Promised Land is, it's not my fault, not my fault, it's not my fault that I don't feel good. It's not my fault. It's not my fault I'm in debt, it's not my fault my marriage is falling apart, it's your fault.
It's not my fault I've got such a big mess in my life. Tell you what, only the truth will make you free. And it's not the truth about somebody else that will set me free, it's the truth about me that will set me free.
Facing Truth Brings Real Freedom
Now, we're going to have a little more me here right now, so get ready. How freeing would it be if you could say, you know, I don't feel good because I don't take care of my body. I don't sleep like I should, I don't eat like I should, I don't rest like I should. I ought to feel bad.
I'm in debt because I spend too much money. Anybody who spends more than they make will be in debt. I don't behave wisely, I'm led by my emotions. My marriage is in trouble because I'm selfish and I'm hard to get along with and I have a big mouth.
Come on now, I'm leaving here in about 30 minutes and so I gotta bear down here and we gotta have this baby, okay? Now we're going into hard labor. Without an epidural by the way.
I have a mess in my life because I've not obeyed God. You say, oh no that's, that is not, that is not correct, sister Joyce. I have problems because I was abused. I have problems because I was abandoned. I have problems because I didn't get the same opportunity as other people. All my friends got to go to college, I didn't get to go to college.
I have problems because, because, because, because. Well, you know what? Yeah, there are things that we have to deal with because of the things that have happened to us. And they may be a reason why you are the way you are, but you can't let them become an excuse to stay that way.
The moment that a reason becomes an excuse, then we're trapped in it. And the devil is very happy about the whole thing.
We know, we know how this got started. Shall we go to Genesis chapter 3? Let us begin at the beginning. Blame started in the garden. Genesis 3:12-13.
And the man said to God, the woman that you gave me, you don't even want me to get started on that whole woman thing. I do not have time for that. The wife, always the woman.
Well, I, I do have to at least say this. It was not Eve's fault that Adam ate the apple. Well, she gave it to him and she tempted him. Well, he was supposed to be the man of the garden. The man of the garden.
And when she offered him that apple, he should have said, woman. What is your problem? You know what God has said to us. But he ate it and then he blamed her for the mess in his life.
And then of course, Eve blamed the devil. Well, there was the serpent. He came and beguiled me and cheated me and outwitted me.
And all both of them had to do was just very simply and sweetly do what God told them to do. We don't do what God tells us to do. And then we always want to put the blame somewhere.
Blame Blocks Breakthrough—Truth Sets Free
We see the same situation with Abraham and Sarah. Let us go there for just a moment. Genesis chapter 16, verses 1-5. Now Sarah, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.
And Sarah got a bright idea about how to solve her problem. I know what we'll do. So she gave her handmaiden to Abram, told him to go have intercourse with her. How many of you ladies know that wasn't very bright?
Any sane woman would know that that's a problem waiting to happen right there. Now just to be fair, you know, this was something that occurred back in those days at different times. But that was not what God had told them to do.
He said, I'm going to give you a child from your own body. But they didn't want to what? W-A-I-T. Wait. And be patient.
So just a few verses here to get the point across. Verse 3, So Sarah, Abram's wife, took Hagar, her Egyptian maid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his second wife.
And he had intercourse with Hagar, and she became pregnant. And when she saw that she was with child, she looked with contempt upon her mistress and despised her.
Now she's got a second wife with an attitude. Then Sarah said to Abram, here it comes, may the responsibility for my wrong and the deprivation of my rights be upon you.
I gave my maid into your bosom, and when she saw that she was with child, I have now become contemptible and despised in her eyes. It's your fault, Abram. Blame. Got to blame somebody else.
For years and years, I blamed all my bad behavior on the fact that I'd been abused. For years, I blamed, I blamed, I blamed. It was never my fault. It was always somebody else. It was always something else.
I blamed my unhappiness on something else. And I spent a lot of years going around and around the same stupid mountain. It's not my fault. It's this, it's that.
If I had more money, I'd be happy. If I had a bigger house, I'd be happy. If, if, if, if, if, if, if my back didn't hurt, I'd be happy.
I was never gonna be happy, no matter what I had, because there was a problem in me. I had a problem. And I needed to stop blaming it on everybody else.
And maybe, just maybe, this is helping somebody here in the room today, or maybe somebody who's watching by TV.
Any sin can be forgiven. But not until you face truth. Truth and mercy meet together. Can't have mercy without truth. That's what repentance is. It's coming to a place of truth.
You don't have to feel condemned. You don't have to feel guilty. But you do have to face it and give it to God. No matter how ugly it is, face it. Call it what it is. Give it to God.
And learn how to fast track through the wilderness. And enjoy the wonderful life that Jesus died to give you.
I'm gonna ask people today, please stop blaming everything in your life on somebody else. I'm not gonna go on for a minute, cause that's gotta settle.
Please stop blaming your bad attitude on your circumstances. As believers, we are supposed to be able to have bad circumstances and keep a good attitude. We're supposed to be the stable group.
Oh yes, we love to think about Jesus. Jesus the same. Yesterday, today, and forever. Well, guess where He lives? In you. In you. And in me.
And He lives in us to equip us to go out in the world and behave the same way that He behaves in the same kind of situations that He was in. To be an example.
We always got an excuse for everything. Nothing's our fault. The Bible says that Jesus came full of grace and truth. There's always grace available. There's always God's goodness available free of charge, but not until we face truth.
Self-Pity: The Useless Emotion That Blocks Power
I dare not stay with that or I'll not get done for sure. Wrong thought pattern number seven. I feel sorry for myself because I've got so many problems.
Self-pity is the most useless emotion. You can be addicted to self-pity. And every time you don't get your way, the first response you have is to feel sorry for yourself.
Self-pity, now you're not gonna like this, but it's true, is idolatry. Why? Sister Joyce, I wouldn't worship an idol. When we're full of self-pity, we turn in on ourselves and idolize ourselves.
And all we can think about is me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me. That's all we think about. What you did to me. What I'm not, what you're not doing for me. What's happening to me. Please, please, please, please, please, please.
When something doesn't go your way and you can feel that. Go, no, no, no, no. I cannot be pitiful and powerful. I am not gonna sit here and waste this day feeling sorry for myself all day.
God will take care of me. If I trust God, God will take care of me.
Now, let me just finish this off by simply saying, not the whole thing I'm finishing off, but this point. Many of you are not getting a breakthrough simply because you will not give up self-pity.
Feeling sorry for ourselves does not move the hand of God. Only faith moves God. And faith is a positive, hopeful expectation that something good is going to happen to me at any moment. Amen?
Can't feel sorry for yourself. I love to read the story about Zacchaeus and Luke 19. I don't have time to go there, but I'll just tell it to you.
Jesus was coming to town and Zacchaeus, along with all the rest of the crowd, wanted to see him. But Zacchaeus was a little short guy. And he couldn't see over the people.
And you know, we all fall short in some way. So I think Zacchaeus, there's more to that story than just the fact that he wasn't as tall as everybody else. I think there's a message there for us. We all come up short in some way.
Well, instead of feeling sorry for himself and sitting down, everybody else gets to see Jesus. I can't see Jesus because I'm short. Man, what a bummer it is to be short. I miss everything in life just because I'm short.
No, the Bible says that Zacchaeus ran on ahead of the rest of the crowd and climbed up in a tree so he can see Jesus.
I think some of you need to climb a tree. You need to quit blaming where you fell short and what you don't have and just find some way around what you think is your misfortune or your so-called inability.
Zacchaeus climbed a tree so when Jesus came, he could see him better than anybody else. But here's the amazing thing. The Bible says that as Jesus walked by, he looked up and saw Zacchaeus in the tree.
Wonder why his attention was called to the tree. Something in Zacchaeus' determined spirit spoke to something in the spirit of Jesus.
And when you have determination in your spirit rather than self-pity, you will attract the attention of Jesus.
And you know what he said to Zacchaeus? Come on down here. I'm going to go to your house for dinner today. Whoa! Yeah! Come on!
But let's don't forget, he had to climb a tree. Well, climb a tree? I can't climb a tree. That's too hard. I can't climb a tree. What if I fall?
Maybe I should have the props team make me a tree so I can climb it in these meetings. Amen?
Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop blaming. Start looking for open doors. Start looking for opportunities. Start being creative.
It doesn't matter what you were. Stop talking about what I was and start talking about what I am.
You know, I was abused, but I am the righteousness of God in Christ. You might say, well, I was a prostitute, but you could say I am a new creature in Jesus Christ. Old things pass away, and all things become brand new.
Don't talk anymore about what you was. Start talking about who you are in Jesus. I just make myself so happy when I preach.
Past Mistakes Don't Disqualify God's Blessings
Wrong thought pattern number eight. I've made too many mistakes to be blessed. Wow, is that a lie from the pit of hell?
Ephesians 1. We can get everything we need here right out of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 1, verses 3 through 5.
May blessing, praise, laudation, and eulogy be to the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual given by the Holy Spirit blessing in the heavenly realm.
He doesn't bless us because we deserve it. He blesses us because we're in Christ. Even as in His love He chose us, picked us out for Himself as His own in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, consecrated, and set apart for Him and blameless in His sight.
Verse 5, for He foreordained us, destined us, planned in love for us to be adopted, revealed as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will. Why? Because it pleased Him and was His kind intent.
God doesn't bless anybody because they deserve it, because none of us deserve it. He blesses us because He can't help Himself. He's just a blesser.
And when you start receiving that kind of free love and free grace from God, then all of a sudden you can begin to go out in the world and you can love people, not because they deserve it, but just because you can't stand it if you don't bless somebody.
Instead of having impatient fits, now I have blessing fits. I do. You don't want to get around me on a day when I'm having a blessing fit, because you're going to get blessed.
I'm going to buy you something, I'm going to give you something, I'm going to do something for you, I'm going to build you up, I'm going to edify you, I'm going to make you feel better before you get away from me than you did when you came.
Because I just can't help it. I'm in a blessing fit. But I had to learn how to receive that from God.
I tell God all the time, you got anything you want to do for anybody today? Here I am. I'm a little spiritual pig. I'll take it all.
All you got to know is know your position in Christ and ask. Ask. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond all that we could ever dare to hope, ask, or think.
We dare to have the boldness of approaching the throne of grace freely. You can be daring in your relationship with God. Not disrespectful, but bold. Not because you do everything right, but because you worship the one who has done everything right.
How many of you know you don't deserve to be blessed? Well, I want you to start asking God all day long. God, I know I don't deserve it, but bless me. I'm expecting you to bless me.
I'm waiting for you to bless me. I'm waiting for breakthrough. I'm expecting you to give me favor everywhere that I go. I'm expecting you to open doors for me.
I'm expecting the best job. I'm expecting the best pay. I'm expecting the best seat in this restaurant. Not because I deserve it, but because I serve a great and a mighty God.
And I might add, if you're not going to ask for it, you're not going to get it. You have not because you ask not.
Jealousy Destroys—Blessing Others Defeats It
Wrong thought pattern number nine. I want what you have. I'm jealous. You know, the Israelites, Miriam and Aaron, they were even jealous of Moses. They wanted his authority. They wanted his position.
The Bible says that, in Proverbs 14:30, that envy and jealousy is like rottenness to the bones. Jealousy, envy. Got to be careful about jealousy.
Last week, I detected some jealous thoughts coming into my brain. And I love having the Holy Spirit active in my life. To point those things out to me.
So I don't just have to sit around and let the devil fill my head full of junk. And every time that the devil puts a jealous thought in my mind about somebody, I pray for them to be blessed.
I'm not going to put up with it. I am not going to put up with it. Get thee behind me, Satan. I am not going to be jealous of anybody else.
I will not. I will not. I will not. I will not let that roll around in my brain and take root in me.