Joyce Meyer - Emotions (08/21/2019)
Joyce Meyer urges believers to manage emotions rather than be led by them—emotions reflect feelings, not truth; only the renewed mind and Spirit-guided will align with God's Word. Stop living by "I want, I think, I feel" (flesh); choose deeper life in Christ, submit will to His, practice forgiveness, self-control, and consistent right choices for maturity and joy.
Emotions Are Real – But Not the Truth
Everybody has emotions. Well, at least most people do. Some people, you think, could use having a few more. But we're going to start with the people who just have an abundance of them. And they tend to be led and guided by them rather than being guided by the Spirit. So, our emotions do not tell us the truth. They tell us how we feel. Your mind doesn't necessarily tell you the truth unless it's been totally renewed by the Word of God. Your mind and my mind tells us what we think. And so, probably more than anything else, people tell me and they tell you and when you're talking to each other, you talk about and I talk about what we want, what we think, and how we feel. I want, I think, I feel.
Flesh: Wants, Thoughts, Feelings
Well, interestingly enough, all of that, unless it's closely guided by the Holy Spirit, is part of what the Bible calls the flesh. What I think doesn't necessarily tell me what God thinks or what His Word says. What I feel doesn't necessarily tell me what God would have me do in a situation. And what I want may not be what God wants. Now, we improve in those areas the more we study the Word. And the more we learn to walk according to the Word. But I can tell you, even after being in church many, many years, back in the 70s, when I got into what I call a more serious relationship with God.
Serious Walk – From Me to Him
And I love to talk about that because, to be honest, you can be a Christian and you can go to church a couple times a week and you might read your Bible a little bit and still not be real serious in your walk with God. When people get serious about their relationship with God, they're not just interested in what God can do for them, but they're interested in what they can do for God. They want to be the kind of person that God can use, that God is working through them to help other people.
You know, I love doing things for my kids, and I will always do things for my kids. But I'll tell you, I reached a point where I just thought, I'd like you to do something for me. Now, all my kids are great and they do a lot of stuff for us, but it's just the truth. You know, that baby stage of Christianity is all about me, me, me, me, me. What can you do for me? But maturity begins to see that it has a responsibility and it begins to want to know what it can do then for the one who's helped them so much.
Submit Will to God's – Deeper Life
So, the Bible says that we have emotions, we have thoughts, we have a will. And what God's desire is for us is that we use our will to choose his will. He's not going to make us do what's right. He's given us free choice because he doesn't want robots who have no choice but to serve him. He wants us to come to the point where we can even say, you know, God, this is what I want. But if it's not what you want, then please don't give it to me. Has anybody started praying like that yet? Okay. That's the wise way to pray.
And we also grow to the point where even though we have our own thoughts and we have our own feelings, we know that we can't be led and guided by that if they don't agree with the Word of God. So let me just say that you're never gonna not have feelings. You're going to have feelings. You're going to have emotions. And sometimes they're good, and sometimes they're not. Sometimes they're there when you need them. They're there when you need them. Sometimes they're there when you want them. Sometimes they're there when you don't want them.
Feelings Change – Don't Be Led by Them
You may feel like doing something when you go to bed at night, get up the next morning and not feel like doing it anymore. And so we have to learn that we have feelings, but we cannot let them have us. There's a difference. We have to learn how to manage our emotions. And because emotions are so prevalent, I read and study in that area a fair amount. And I recently have been reading a book by a gentleman who's probably gone home to be with the Lord 100 years ago. But I love the fact that the word never gets old. Matter of fact, a lot of the most important things I've learned, I've learned from people that left the planet years and years and years ago.
Emotions Easily Affected – Observe Them
So that's one of the reasons why I wanted to write so many books and leave that legacy and that heritage to people that will come after me. Because I know that the things that I'm teaching now will be just as valuable 100 years from now as they are right now. And so... But one of the things that this man said, and it's not anything that I don't know, but it just was something that I needed to be reminded of. And maybe you need to be reminded of this too today. He said, watch your emotions and notice how easily they are affected by so many different things. If you don't sleep well, you're likely to be more emotional the next day. If you don't feel well, you're likely to be more emotional the next day. If the weather doesn't suit you.
My point is, is that things that people do or don't do can affect us emotionally. How other people behave can affect us emotionally. What kind of appreciation people give you or don't give you can affect us emotionally. So, because our feelings seem to be so affected by so many different things, I think it would be just a good little study class to take a week and just maybe pay a little bit of attention to when they're up and when they're down and what seems to be causing both.
Deeper Life – Beyond Surface Flesh
Some people are more emotional than others. Some have, you know, more control over their emotions than others. They say that women are a lot more emotional than men. You know, that's true in mine and Dave's case. It's not always true in every situation. I mean, sometimes I wonder if Dave's got any emotions. I mean, he's like... I mean, how many of you are married to somebody that just nothing bothers them? Good, about 20 people. There's not too many people in the world like that.
So, what God wants us to do is learn to live deeper. Everybody say deeper. Because the flesh, what I think, what I want, and what I feel, is more part of my exterior life. And it doesn't really or doesn't have to have that much to do with my deeper life, which is my life in Christ. But it takes us quite a while to learn that. How many of you, if you've been walking with God, now let's say 10 years, you are less affected by your circumstances now than you were 10 years ago? Okay. See? And the longer you walk with God, the more that's going to be the case.
Rooted Deep in Love – Secure Identity
You know why? Because although you are a spirit, you have a flesh, which is your soul and your body. The Bible tells us that if we walk by the spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It doesn't say that the flesh will stop screaming at you. But it says the more that we walk in the spirit, Galatians 5, 16, the less we will follow or submit to the lusts of our flesh. Your flesh is always going to be screaming at you, always going to be screaming at me, but we can make decisions that we're going to do what God wants us to do.
Now, deeper. The Bible says to be rooted deep in God's love. Do you know you can come to a place where you are so convinced that God loves you that nothing can ever take that away from you? Nothing can take that away from you. But how many years of my life, and perhaps in years too, and thankfully I don't do this anymore, but how many years of my life did every time I have trouble that was long-lasting, I would say, well, God, don't you love me? Don't you love me?
Chastening Shows Love – Zeal for Correction
You know, we think that if God loves us, then everything should turn up roses all the time, but the Bible actually says that when God chastises us, it's a sign of his love. In Revelations, it says we should be enthusiastic and full of zeal when God corrects us and shows us what's wrong with us. I don't know about you, but I've thought sometimes, God, you could just love me a little bit less today. I really... I don't want to know anything else that's wrong with me right now. Just feel free to go love somebody else. Amen?
But when you're rooted deep in that love, then you know that you know that you know, and nothing can ever take that away from you. The Bible says that we're to be rooted and grounded in Christ. And that means that you grow to a point where your identity is so established in who you are in Christ that although you don't want to be rejected, if a person rejects you, you can still be okay because you know God never rejects you.
Secure in Christ – Not in Titles or Approval
If you get turned down for a position at work that you wanted or a promotion you wanted, you don't have to feel insecure and feel like you're no good because you can go back to your relationship with God and say, if that was what God had for me, then it would have happened. And if it didn't happen, then God's got another plan for me and my worth and value is not tied up in the title I have at my company.
I think one of the best things that happens as a result of our relationship with God is that we can become secure in who we are in Him. Do you know what a nightmare it is when you're insecure and everything about how you feel about yourself is affected by how other people treat you and what your circumstances are?
Deep Cleaning – Invite God In
The Bible says, deep calleth unto deep. Now, I want to just ask you a couple of questions. How many of you maybe are at a point in your home where you need to do some deep cleaning? Okay, we're going to talk about that for a minute. And we're going to get a little analogy. So, are you the kind of person that just, when somebody is going to come over, you just quickly straighten up? Oh, this is a good example. Oh, we got company coming. Come on. All the kids have to get in gear. We're throwing everything in closets. We're shoving everything in drawers. We're picking everything up. The dishes are thrown in the dishwasher. And the company comes in, and we're busy, like, impressing them with our lovely house. But we know what's hidden behind the drawers and the doors.
No More "I Can't Help It" Excuse
Okay, well, you know what? The same thing can be true in our lives. When somebody comes around that we know and we want to impress, are we quick to straighten up? Or have we invited God to come into our life and do a lot of deep cleaning on the inside of us? Hmm. You know, well, let's just say this. If you would behave at home all the time the way you would behave if I showed up at your front door, come on, wake up. I'm tired, too.
See, our big excuse is, well, I just can't help it. I just can't help it. I just lose my temper. I'm just an emotional person. I just can't help it. That's one excuse that we need to get rid of, the I can't help it excuse. It's just hard. It's just so hard. Well, yeah, it's hard for everybody. We all just think being out of control is great, but that's not the way God wants us to be.
Take Responsibility – No Blaming Others
So, you know, I did a lot of screaming and yelling at my kids in my frustrated years. I mean, I wasn't abusive to them, but I just was, I was upset a lot, you know, all the time. I know none of you were like that, but I was. I always, I got along with everybody until somebody came home, and then it was a different story. And honestly, I had this happen to me one time, and it taught me a great lesson, and I share it often in my teachings when I'm teaching along these lines.
One day, I was upset with my kids, and they'd made a mess, and, you know, back then, I would say, go play, and then they'd get their toys out, and I'd say, clean that mess up. So, people that are unhappy inside, they're kind of led by their emotions, and they blame a lot of their unhappiness on other people. Like, I'm going to be happy now if you go play. Well, now I'm going to be happy if you clean your mess up.
Control Actions – Even When Feelings Wrong
And so, I was having one of my upset spells, and the doorbell rang, and I peeked out, and it was my pastor. I tell you what, I got control of myself so fast. I mean, I still remember. Well, pastor! Wow! It's so nice of you to stop by. Oh, the kids, oh yeah, they're playing. The little darlings, they're just in their room playing. And you know what? It's amazing when there's somebody around that we want to impress, how fast we can get control.
Well, that would be worth you coming if that's all I said. But I'm going to say some other stuff. Because you know what? until we take responsibility and stop just saying, well, that's just the way I am. I just can't help it. You know, we've all got excuses, but all they are is reasons stuffed with a lie. They're not the truth of God's Word. And God has given us a spirit of self-control. And it may take a while to get it developed and to learn how to walk in it.
Deeper Maturity – Feelings Don't Rule
But there's no point in me or you or anybody else saying, I just can't help it because God is never going to tell us to do or not to do something and leave us without the ability to do it. We cannot have spiritual maturity if we don't learn how to live deeper in God. And what that means is we have feelings, but we don't live by them. We have thoughts, we don't live by them. We have things we want or don't want, but we don't live by them.
I think too many of us, we're going to church all the time trying to find a way that we can get what we want. And that's not exactly God's plan for our lives. Amen? What if I said to you today, and I will just pretend because I would never say this because you'd probably never come back if I did. So we'll just pretend that what if I said to you today, you know, the things that you want in your life, you're never going to get them. So will you love God just as much and serve Him anyway?
Serve Anyway – Mountaintop or Valley
I think that's a question we all need to ask ourselves. Am I serving God for what He can do for me? Am I just willing to serve Him when I'm on the mountaintops in my life? Or am I willing to serve Him when just nothing in my life is making sense? And I see other people getting what I want, and I don't think they're nearly as spiritual as I am. And so I don't know why God is not giving it to me and giving it to them. Well, it may be that attitude that He's after. Why are you giving it to them, God? They're not nearly as spiritual as me. I am so spiritual.
All right. Romans 8, verse 8. So then, those who are living the life of the flesh, and I like the Amplified Bible, obviously, I've used it for years. those who are living the life of the flesh catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature. So, He's saying that living the life of the flesh means that we cater to our flesh whatever it wants. That's what we try to give it.
Catering to Flesh – You'll Pay the Bill
Now, I don't know if you have ever hosted a catered event, but it's so much fun when the event's going on. I mean, you've got all kinds of people waiting on you. You know, you go to a really, like, top-notch restaurant, you might have three waiters or waitresses that are just assigned to your table. I mean, every time you get a crumb on the table, they're coming and wiping it up. And anything you want, they're going to get it. Yes, ma'am. No, ma'am. They know your name. I mean, it's just awesome. But you know what? You will get the bill. Come on.
And maybe some of you are in a place right now where you've gotten the bill for catering to your flesh in the past. And God wants you to know that that can turn around so you're not continuing to pay that price in the future. You know, the great thing about God is no matter how many mistakes you've made in the past, you don't have to keep making them. And the more we choose the right thing, the more we get out of the messes that we're in.
Choose Right – Turn Messes Around
You know, we get in trouble. We get in trouble one decision at a time. Every time we make a decision that takes us further away from God, things get worse and worse. And maybe you've spent 40 years making a mess in your life. Well, don't get mad at God if he hasn't fixed it in a week. You may not be where you want to be, but if you're starting to make right decisions in your life now, things are getting better and better.
And even like choosing to be here this weekend, it's going to make your life better. You may not feel zippy different when you walk out of here, but I can tell you that next week or the week after or the month after, you're going to remember something that was said and it's going to keep you from getting in trouble on that day. And so we don't always... We don't always reap immediately the moment that we sow. But if we sow, we will reap in due season and at the right time.
Carnal vs Spiritual – Galatians 5:16
So we've got to be careful about catering to our appetites and impulses. 1 Corinthians 3.3 Paul said, you are still unspiritual. And he was talking to Christians. You know, there's carnal Christians and there's spiritual Christians. And our goal should be not to be a carnal Christian because carnal Christians are those who walk in the flesh. They are the ones who do everything they feel like doing, go after everything they think they should have and do what they want.
How many of you are with me? You're still tracking in here with me. He says, an unspiritual Christian is somebody who is under the control of ordinary impulses. I like that. You know, that's what emotions can come across like sometimes. Like a... You say something I don't like, I feel like telling you off, so I do. You say something I don't like, I decide to shut you out of my life and I'm never going to talk to you again.
Strife Blocks Blessing – Resist Enemy
Well, you know, sometimes when people offend me I still feel that way but now I've learned I don't get to do what I feel like. I have to do what the word tells me to do if I want to have the life that Jesus wants me to have. Shall I say that again? Alright, now here's one of the symptoms of being a baby Christian, a carnal, unspiritual Christian. As long as there is envy and jealousy and wranglings and factions which is strife among you are you not unspiritual and of the flesh behaving yourselves after a mere human standard like unchanged men.
Do you know how much strife there is in the church? How many people go to church and listen to some man or some woman preach every week and then leave and go to lunch with their friends and do nothing but gossip about him? Come on, don't look at me like that. There can be strife on the worship team, strife among the nursery staff, strife on the church staff and see where there's strife God can't bless us.
Principles Over Emotions – Definite Standards
But we're too a Greek about anything and everything whatever they ask for God can do it. There's power in agreement and that's exactly why Satan tries so hard to stir up strife. I wonder how many people are sitting in here today and you're mad at somebody. Well, I don't know you guys are looking too innocent for me. Maybe maybe you don't have these problems in Seattle. Maybe you're too busy worrying about the weather I don't know.
A.B. Simpson who's a man I was telling you about that wrote the things that I said about how easily our feeling has changed he said he always lives by this formula. First in importance is the fact of God's word. This is the standard. The next thing is I choose to put my faith in the facts of God's word. And the last thing that we pay attention to is our feelings. Feelings are fickle they're ever changing and boy how quick they can change. How suddenly they can change.
Emotional Person – No Principles
How many of you have ever gotten excited and bought something and boy you spent the next ten years wishing you wouldn't have? Watchman Nee who's a great Christian writer said that emotions are the believers number one enemy. They keep people walking in the flesh. They keep people out of the will of God. I think it's just good to take a little time this afternoon just to remember how easily we're led around by our feelings.
Do you know how much we tell other people what we think what we want and how we feel? well Joyce will you pray for me I feel like God doesn't love me. Well Joyce will you pray for me I don't I don't feel like God hears my prayers. Well Joyce will you pray for me I just don't feel like that I can go on. You listen to how often people tell you how they feel. Now feelings are real and we don't need to deny that we have them but we do need to deny them the right to manipulate us and control us.
Control Actions – Feelings Follow
Right? Is there anybody here today who believes that if you would control your emotions a little bit more and not let them control you as much that your life would get a whole lot better? Amen? So, like I said, I need this. Even if you don't, I'll be happy to listen to myself. All right. We cannot always control how we feel, but believe it or not, we can control what we do. Amen?
You know, I'll just give you an example. My dad abused me. My mother knew it and let him. I went to one of my aunts and uncles for help and they didn't want to get involved. Now, here I'm this child being sexually abused and all these people that are supposed to love me were hurting me. Now, it was easy to hate them and resent them until I wanted to get involved. I wanted to go deeper in God. And when I made that decision, then I kept coming up against walls of things that hindrances in my life that, like we said this morning, the chief slinger, the devil, had slung at me.
Forgive to Move Forward – Deeper Levels
And in order for me to then go on to a next level with God, that thing had to be submitted to God and had to be moved out of my way. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? You cannot have a right relationship with God and be angry with people and have bitterness and resentment in your heart. It just will not work. And because there's so many people that hurt us and so many people that don't seem to care about us, I can tell you forgiveness is something you're going to have to practice probably almost every single day of your life in some way, shape or form.
If you're around people, you're going to have an opportunity to need to forgive people. Okay, so fast forward all these years, I worked through what I, the best I knew how to, to forgive. But, you know, I wanted it more to just be like, okay, I forgive you. I'm not mad, but please stay out of my life. You know, there's forgiveness at a distance. And then there's forgiveness that gets real close and intimate, and that's a whole different story.
Obedience Doors – Deeper with God
So, I don't want to take a long time on this, but ultimately, my dad, my mother, and my aunt, because my aunt and uncle never had any children, and my aunt was my mother's sister and my uncle was my dad's brother. So, there was a very close relationship there. I spent a lot of time with my aunt and uncle when I was young. I only had one brother, and he, well, he's deceased now, but he was, he couldn't even take care of himself. I needed to take care of him too, so he couldn't help me.
So, long story short, I came down to all three of them, my dad, my mom, and my aunt, all three of them needed to be taken care of because they all lived a really long time. Let me tell you, we have a lot of longevity in our bloodline. I'm likely to be around a long time. So, then I see this scripture in Timothy that says, if you have relatives that are in need, and you won't take care of them, then you're worse than an infidel. It doesn't say do it if you feel like it. It doesn't say do it if they've been nice to you. It doesn't say do it if they deserve it. It just says do it.
Forgiveness Close – Powerful Victory
Well, I really wish somebody else, some remote cousin or member of the family somewhere would have stepped up, but nobody did. Now, I'm already so busy in my life, the last thing I have time to do now is take care of three elderly people. Because it gets to the point where you've got to get their groceries, you've got to get their grass cut, and it all gets very expensive. Because they're not making money anymore, they're just costing money.
So, I had all three of them on my hands. And I just want to tell you, and you know, they've all gone home to be with the Lord. My aunt passed away last year. And you know what? I'm just going to be very honest with you. Because of the relationship that we had throughout my life, and because really none of them had done anything for me or been there for me when I needed them, it was the most flesh grating thing that I ever had to do in my life was to spend 15 years making sure all their needs were met.
But I'll tell you something, it was probably the most powerful thing that I ever did. And more than anything that God gave me the grace to do, it probably defeated the devil in my life. And no telling. But I want to make it clear that I didn't feel like doing it. I didn't want to do it. So you don't have to feel like doing everything you do. And you don't have to want to do everything you do.
Submit Feelings – Choose Right Anyway
This is where we come into deeper levels of spiritual maturity where we say, God, I don't want to. And I don't even really think it's so fair that you asked me to. But, nevertheless, your will be done and not mine. So I might as well just throw this out there. You know, maybe you've got parents that didn't treat you right. Just maybe, somebody, I don't know. And maybe you don't ever bother to call or you won't do anything for them. And, well, you know what, maybe this is a wake-up call. You don't get to just do what you want to do if you want to follow God.
You say, God, what do you want me to do? And you do what he wants you to do. And you know what? When you start living like that, God's blessings are going to chase you down and overtake you. We all come up against things in our life, it's like... You ever feel that way? Like you're walking into a wall and you just wish God would move it out of the way, but he's not going to. Some way, somehow, you've got to find the right door and walk through it to get to the next level with God. And that door is always some door of obedience that you need to walk through in your life.
Principles – Definite Right and Wrong
And even now, I look back at the way I felt and, I mean, I did a lot for them. It was expensive. We went to the nursing home all the time. We made sure they went to the doctor. I did the very best that I could, but I look back now and still I think, you know, I probably could have done a little better. So I'm just telling you, don't make the wrong choices and then spend half of your life in regret. Because you can't go back and fix something that you should have done right to start with. Come on, is God speaking to anybody?
Watchman Nee also said this, and I love this. He who lives by emotion lives without principle. Wow. And you know what a principle is? Because it's an accepted rule of action, a course of conduct that you are committed to, or a standard that you live your life by. And I can tell you this is one of the things that is seriously missing in our society today. Well, there's no absolute truth. Do what you feel like. Everything's relative. You're the most important person on the planet. As long as you're happy, things are good. And that's not the standard that God calls us to live by.
Christ-Likeness – Check the Word
We're called to Christ-likeness. And in every area of our life, if we want to do what's right, we need to check the Bible and see how Jesus would have handled that situation. And see, we can think, I can't, I can't, I can't. But no, let's back up. If you can't, then God wouldn't have told you to. And if He told you to, then you can't. You can't do it without Him, but you can do it through Him and by His grace and by His power.
Now, Watchman Nee wrote a great book. It's pretty thick, but it's really good if you want some deeper reading. It's called The Spiritual Man. Has anybody read that book? Okay. So, we, and this is, this is just a little section out of the book and I want to take the time to read it. Just a couple paragraphs. We should remember that in walking after the Spirit, all of our actions must be governed by principles. Since the Spirit has its own laws and principles, to walk by the Spirit is to walk according to its laws.
Precise Standard – Yes or No
With spiritual principles, everything becomes sharply defined. There is a precise standard of right and wrong. If it's yes, then it's yes. If it's no, then it's no. Whether the day is clear or cloudy, if it's no, then it's no. Rather exciting or depressive. If it's no, then it's no. The Christian's walk should follow a precise standard. And the Word of God must be the standard for our life.
Let me say again, and we all want our way, me just as much as anybody else, but it is not God's job to spend all of His time trying to keep us happy. I don't want you patty-caking this afternoon. I want to hear some loud clapping. Amen. But if his emotion is not handed over to death, he cannot abide a permanent standard. He will live by the whim of his vacillating feelings and not according to a definite principle.
Emotional Life vs Principled Life
A principled life differs very greatly from an emotional life. Anyone who behaves from emotion cares neither for principle nor for reason, but only for his own feelings. If he's happy or thrilled, he might be led to undertake a certain project, even though he may know deep inside that it's unreasonable. But when he feels cold or melancholy or despondent, he won't even so much as fulfill his basic duties before his feelings fail to support him.
Let me put that to you in a way that you can understand it. When you're feeling high and good, oh, yes, praise God. I'll commit to that. I can do that. But then when you have kind of a low day, it's like, no, I don't want to do that. I'm not going to do that anymore. You know, it's easy to love people when they're doing what you want. It's harder to love people when they're not doing what you want. And maybe they haven't done what you want them to do for a long time.
Feel Wrong – Still Do Right
One of the things that God put in my heart that I share a lot with the people that I have the privilege of teaching is that we can feel totally wrong and still, by the grace of God, choose to do what is right. And, you know, some of you, I don't know, maybe some of you, this is kind of like a new gate you're standing at today. It kind of, I don't know, maybe all you've gone to is bless me meetings. You know, but... But I'm interested in helping you not just have victory in the meeting, but to have some victory when you go home and nothing much has changed.
Amen. I always tell people, hey, the conference is great, and we'd love to just stay here forever, but we all got to go home. And some of the same stuff we left is still going to be there. I do not have a magic message to make all your circumstances disappear, but I do have great messages on how you can change. So we will commit to things that are totally unreasonable that even way down deep inside we know are silly. And we can think we're going to pull it off because we're excited that day, and then when those emotions fade, then we no longer want to do what we said that we were going to do.
Wisdom Does Now – Happy Later
If God's children would pay a little attention to their emotion, they would notice how changeable they are and how dangerous it is, therefore, to walk by them. So often their attitude is if the Word of God agrees with their feelings, they observe it, but if the Word does not agree with their feelings, then they simply reject it. It's always interesting for me as a teacher to watch the things that people get excited about when I'm teaching. If it's something that's going to benefit them, I mean, I can talk about something free from a platform. You would not believe how, I mean, well, normally well-behaved Christians can act if you say that you're about to give away free teaching CDs.
I mean, you bet you don't want to be down here in the front because they will attack you to get the free CD. Amen? Or, man, if we start throwing stuff out there, whoo, people will jump over seats and jump over each other and whatever, just to get this thing free. But if you tell them you want them to go buy this, hmmm. .. See, we don't behave nearly as well when it's going to cost us.
Focus on Right – Not What Benefits Me
Yeah, ho, I like you. I like people that I can tell need what I say. Matter of fact, it's kind of fun when I say it and I can tell it's hurting a little bit. You know why? It may hurt right now, but later it's going to make you happy. All right. There have to be definite rights and wrongs. God's word is true no matter how I feel. Okay. The emotional person buys what they can't pay for. And then when they can't pay for it, they go borrow money on another charge card to pay for what they bought on that charge card.
I mean, the world has provided us with some of the craziest systems today. I mean, it is unbelievable the debt that people are in because they have purchased things that they don't even know where they're at now, don't use them, and didn't even really want them when they bought them. I don't know if you're anything like me. I mean, this actually happened to me the other day. I was going through my closet, just looking at different tops. I like to go through and prune my clothes sometimes and give them to people, you know, if I'm not using them.
Wisdom – Happy Later Results
And so I saw a top and later on over here, I thought it was the same top. And I thought, no. And so I took it back over here. I had bought two of the exact same top. Exactly the same. And then when I saw my daughter the next time, she had that top on. I said, I got two of those. See, we are sometimes like if I need something, I might go buy another one and then find the one I bought a year ago, a week later.
Have you ever done that? You know, we're always going to keep something in case we need it. Well, no, I'm not going to give that away. I'm going to keep that in case I need it. But here's the thing that I've learned. When I do need it, I'm not going to know what I did with it. So, if I'm not using it, I might as well bless somebody else with it and trust God to give me what I need when I need it.
Wisdom does now what it will be happy with later. That's my definition of what wisdom is. My very own. I made it up. Wisdom does now what it will be happy with later. Well, it's obvious in order to do that that you have to submit your feelings to the Spirit of God. The emotional person says things that he later regrets. It gives up on things that he later wishes he would have stuck with.
Commit Wisely – No Emotional Decisions
How many of you have ever had a goal to lose 50 pounds? And so, you got started, and you're exercising, and you're going along good, and man, you've lost 10 pounds. You're just doing so good. And then somebody shows up with the cake. And so, you think, well, I just have to eat the cake. I can't stand it. Not that there's anything wrong with having something once in a while. But here's the thing, you can't have something all the time. You can only have it sometimes.
There's certain things that we're not going to feel good if we do it all the time. We're not going to look good if we do it all the time. And so, we have to have some discipline in our lives. Okay. So, then a lot of people have this mentality. Well, I blew it today. I might as well just forget it and just go back to doing what I've done. Now, come on. Let's don't be silly. So, now, you've gained the 10 pounds back plus five more. Now, you're wishing, I wish, I wish I would have never given up back over here. Because now, I got to start all over again.
Stick With It – Don't Quit Halfway
Can I just tell you, stick with what you're doing right now. Stick with it and stick with it and stick with it. And if you have a bad day where you fail, get up the next day and start all over again. And don't let the devil just keep defeating. You know, I used to give up so quick on exercise. Dave has exercised all of his life. 55 years, I've been watching the man exercise. It's been annoying. And... Finally, I started about 13 years ago. But prior to that, every time I would decide I was going to get in shape, I wanted to get in shape overnight.
And so I would start doing all this stuff that I didn't even know how to do. And sure enough, the next day, I'd be like... Or whatever the case would be. And I would think, you see, Dave, I told you I can't work out. It just doesn't work for me. Well, let me tell you something. Anytime you start doing what's right, it's just a little analogy, it's going to make you a little bit sore somewhere. Amen?
But if you stick with it, eventually you'll get the breakthrough, and then you won't live in regrets. Let me say again, stick with things. Don't get halfway down the road and give up and go back to the starting line. Some people spend their whole life getting started and never finishing. Getting started and never finishing. I believe that God is looking for finishers, people that will go all the way through and do all that he wants them to do.
Finish Strong – God Looks for Finishers
Wisdom thinks before speaking. Okay. When you commit emotionally, you usually end up not keeping your word. That's why I'll tell you something, to be honest, it's really not wise at all to marry somebody just because they give you goosebumps. And how many of you found the goosebumps go away? Somebody was telling me the other day, their son married this girl way too quick. I mean, like, he had problems, she had problems. The last thing needed to do was give each other problems, but... Oh, this is the one who... Got married, and she said, I have never seen anybody change so fast as this person did that my son married.
As soon as they said I do, she became like a different creature. So here's the thing, before you say I do, you better make sure that you're not doing it just on goosebumps. Now, you know, the plan today is, if you don't like them, go get another one. But that's not God's plan. Amen? I'm sorry, but it's just not. You get one, you're supposed to keep them and make it work. Now, come on, don't get mad at me. It's Bible. I got to preach the whole thing, not just the parts everybody likes.