Joyce Meyer - How Do I Apply God's Word To My Situation? (08/21/2019)
I don't think that we have ever fully realized how amazingly powerful the Word of God is. How many of you take some kind of medicine? Okay, well, now, we don't know how it works. It's kind of amazing that you can have some super big problem, or a pain somewhere, or something going on in your body, and yet you can take a pill. And if you take it on a regular basis, those symptoms will go away. Well, you see, I think that the Word of God is medicine for our soul. Amen?
I believe that we have got this humongous medicine cabinet that's right here, and it has something in it for everything that ails you. There's help in here for jealousy. There's hel
Joyce Meyer stresses the unmatched healing power of God's Word, likening it to medicine for every soul ailment – from anger and jealousy to condemnation and selfishness. She urges believers to be quick to hear, slow to speak and anger, and to actively apply Scripture like targeted medicine, becoming doers who obey rather than mere hearers who deceive themselves through excuses.
The Word of God – Medicine for Your Soul
I don't think that we have ever fully realized how amazingly powerful the Word of God is, and how like... I mean, you know, how many of you take some kind of medicine? Okay, well, now, we don't know how it works.
It's kind of amazing that you can have some super big problem or a pain somewhere, or something going on in your body, and yet you can take a pill, and if you take it on a regular basis, those symptoms will go away.
Well, you see, I think that the Word of God is medicine for our soul. Amen? I believe that we have got this humongous medicine cabinet that's right here, and it has something in it for everything that ails you.
There's help in here for jealousy. There's help in here for condemnation. There's help in here for the lost. There's help in here for the weak. There's help in here for the angry. There's help for our mouth. There's help for our mind. There's help for selfishness.
I mean, this is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful book. It is a treasure. Amen?
Quick to Hear, Slow to Speak – James 1:19
So, understand this, my beloved brethren, that every man be, I'm going to say three things, quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to take offense, and get angry.
Now, I looked at this list this morning, and I personally like to, I like to kind of think about where I'm at spiritually, and how am I doing in these areas.
So, I'll tell you, I don't have a huge problem with anger anymore. God's really worked in my life with that. I mean, years ago, I spent more time being angry than I wasn't angry, but I don't, I've got a revelation on that.
I don't waste much time with that. I'm not real easily offended, because I've kind of trained myself to quickly try to believe the best, and believe that if somebody did offend me, that's probably not what they were trying to do.
And so, that has helped me a lot. However, when it comes to listening, I could still use to grow a little bit, because I kind of like talking more than I like listening.
And also, in the area of being slow to speak. Sometimes I say things before I should say them.
However, I am happy to report that I am a lot better than what I used to be. And so, you see, we, we, I'm so glad that we can celebrate our progress, and we don't have to be depressed about how far we still have to go. Amen?
Listen More – To People and God
Now, when it comes to this listening thing, that we should listen more, obviously, we should listen more to people. We can learn a lot if we listen to people. Amen? Amen?
And, but I think it also has another meaning that we need to realize, and that is, is that we need to always have one ear tuned toward God.
And I'd like to kind of present this idea to you this weekend, that we basically live in two worlds at one time. We're in this world, but we're also at the same time we're here with our feet on the ground, we're connected to another world.
Now, you see me with my feet here on the platform this morning, but you better hope I'm hearing from God. Because if I'm not, if I'm not letting him lead me and guide me, then you probably won't get very much out of this.
And so I'm not like sitting here real aware, you know, that God is speaking to me. But I know when I teach that there are times where I will have a plan and I'll get up and what I say has not much to do at all with my plan, because God already knows what you need.
I think that we talk too quick, and we answer people too quick, and we need to slow down and think a little bit, make a connection with God.
How do you want me to handle this situation? Do you want me to say anything? Do you want me to be quiet? Just taking more time before we pop off an answer can be real wise.
I want to give you a biblical example. You might be familiar with the story where Jesus was being taken to task by some of the Pharisees.
They were trying to find a reason to find fault with him. And so they brought a woman that was caught in adultery in front of him, and they knew that the law said that they should stone her.
And Jesus could not break the law. He kept the law perfectly so we would be free from the tyranny of living under the law.
And when he said on the cross it is finished, he meant that old system of trying to live under the law of Moses.
But he couldn't break the law. So now he's in a situation where the Pharisees are watching to see what are you going to do.
And yet he didn't want the woman to be stoned. And so if you remember the story, Jesus, when they said to him, what do you say? The law says we should stone her death.
What do you say that we should do with her? Because he's out teaching love and mercy. So now what's he going to do?
You ever felt like you were kind of in a trap somewhere and you're like, hmm, what am I going to do now?
And so Jesus, the Bible says that he bent down on the ground and he wrote in the sand or the dirt with his finger.
Now, what was that all about? What was he doing? And then he gets up and he says, let him who is among you without sin cast the first stone.
Well, the answer was perfect because he didn't break the law was what he said, but he still kept his message about love.
Well, whichever one among you has never done anything wrong, then you can be free to cast the first stone.
And it says one by one, they dropped their stones and walked away.
And so I think if we would take more time to listen to what we should be saying before we open our mouth, things would get a lot better.
Receive the Word with Meekness – James 1:21
Verse 21, so get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness and in a humble, gentle, modest spirit, receive and welcome the word which implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to save your soul.
So if we look at this in context, he's saying, okay, now listen to this. Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to take offense and slow to get angry because your anger doesn't, it's not the right thing.
It's not the way God wants us to live. And so here's some help for you. Be sure that you receive the word of God with an attitude of meekness because it contains the power to save your soul or if you will, it contains the power to tear down that spirit of anger that you're feeling and actually will give you the strength.
The word of God will give us the strength that we need to let go of things that God wants us to let go of and it will give us the strength to do the things These are the things that God wants us to do.
Here's what I would do. If I was angry, and I was having a very difficult time getting over it, I would look up several scriptures on anger.
Because see, here's the thing. If I've got a headache, putting a band-aid down my head don't help. So we need to take the Word of God purposefully, depending on what we need.
If I've got a bad attitude, looking up scriptures on anger. on how I can be blessed is not going to change my attitude. Come on, I know it's early. You can get this. Amen.
And so, what I'm telling you is that the Word of God can be used specifically for specific situations. Like, I recommend if you are starting out in a walk with God, and you have all these boatloads of problems.
Things that you need to grow up in and get over. I mean, it's fine to be on a certain Bible reading plan. I think that's great discipline.
But if I were you, if you're having a specific problem with something, I would commit to studying the Word of God in that area. Are you with me?
Study the Word of God in that area. Because there's power in the Word to help you solve the problem that you have.
So let's just say that I'm angry and just really want to go rip somebody's head off. But I know that's not what God wants me to do.
So now this is a little book we have. We call it the purple book. But it's about the power of speaking God's Word out loud. And it's divided up into categories for you.
So it's kind of like a real quick, like, man, I'm in trouble. I'm about to tell somebody off. And I need to get some medicine here. Help me.
Except they put a thing on here and now it's tearing my page. Okay, there.
So I can get this and I can go, I will bridle my anger. I will trash my wrath. I will cool my pipes. God will help me.
I follow the example of the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, plenteous in mercy and loving kindness.
I am slow to anger. And I have great understanding. I am not like he who is hasty of spirit, exposing and exalting his folly.
I speak soft answers that turn away wrath, not grievous words that stir up anger.
And so there's three pages of these kind of scriptures here. And I can tell you the truth. If you read these out loud, it won't be long and your soul will start to calm down and you're going to start to feel better and better and better.
Now all anybody can do in my position is tell you what will help you. But knowing what I've said is not going to do what needs to be done.
It's you going home and doing it when you have a personal situation going on in your life that will make the changes.
That's what I would do even right now. If I was having a huge problem with something and I could not get over it, let's just say I was having an attack of jealousy.
I heard some really good news about somebody that I'm not real crazy about and I'm not real happy if you want to know the truth that they got blessed.
And I don't want to feel that way. I know that's not God's will for me because jealousy and envy rots the bones.
Well, I don't want rotten bones. I want to have strong bones. So I would look up several scriptures on jealousy.
I would pray, God, you got to help me. And then I would take my medicine. Are you out there today?
I would take my medicine and I would let it help heal my soul.
Be Doers of the Word – Not Just Hearers
Be a doer of the word. Obey the message. Not just a listener to it.
Then he says, betraying yourselves into deception by reasoning, which is contrary to the truth.
Now, that's kind of a mouthful and we could miss what he's trying to say. So let's just slow down and take it apart.
If I... I can go to church three times a week. And I can watch Christian TV every morning. And I can listen to teaching CDs on the way to work.
But if I don't do then what I've heard, it does me nor anybody else any good at all.
Because the Bible does not say that we're blessed in our hearing. It says we're blessed in our doing.