Joyce Meyer - Why Can't I Just Fit In? (08/24/2019)
Joyce Meyer addresses the deep struggle of feeling like you just don't fit in, reminding us that Jesus has already decided we are lovable and worthy. Drawing from Scripture, she calls believers to embrace their God-given uniqueness with courage, sharing personal experiences and biblical examples like Noah, Daniel, and the three Hebrew men to show how standing firm—even through rejection and trials—leads to God's deliverance and powerful witness. In these difficult times, God has placed us here on purpose to be bold and different for Him.
Opening Prayer
Father, thank you for this conference and for allowing us to serve your people. I pray that the teaching this morning would really help prepare people for whatever is ahead in their future. I pray, Lord, that everybody would be attentive to the Word and that they would receive something that is going to make a big difference in their lives. Help me with my mouth as I speak and bring things out of me that I do not even know that people need to hear. In Jesus' name. Amen.
The Courage to Be Different
Well, today I want to talk to you about having the courage to be different. Amen. You know, there are probably relatively few people that have the courage to be completely and fully themselves throughout their lifetime. But I believe that as children of God, we can learn that as long as we have our trust in Him.
Do you know anything at all about living a phony life because you are trying to impress everybody else around you? That is real torment, is it not? To not be able to be free to be who you are. And you know, the truth is we are all different. God made us different on purpose. And so, it is really foolish to spend your life trying to be like somebody else.
Now, other people can be an example to us, but they should never become our standard. Our standard is Jesus. And if He did not want us to be different, we would not all have something as simple as different fingerprints. I mean, He has gone to pretty great extremes to say, I did not create you to be just like somebody else.
Embracing God’s Unique Calling
And it was hard for me to fully step into and embrace this role that God has called me to because I got a lot of rejection when I first stepped out to do this. You know, a woman ministering is much more acceptable today than it was forty years ago when I started.
And I believe that sometimes God uses people, and I am sure He wants to use you in a similar way in whatever area you are in, to kind of clear the path for other people that are going to come behind them. And I paid a price to do what I am doing. Honestly, I do not believe that you can ever do anything that is of much value if you are not willing to pay a price to do it.
And part of the price that we pay is being misunderstood by other people. We always expect people to understand, but they do not. And we have to finally understand that if God has spoken something to your heart, you get it. But if He has not spoken that to somebody else about you, they have no ability to understand.
Jesus Understands Us Completely
And if you are trying to deal as a believer with an unbeliever, then they certainly do not get it. They do not understand anything about our walk with God. But I love Hebrews 4 that says that we have a high priest who understands. See, Jesus understands you.
So, in your own little brand of uniqueness... See, I used to think I was weird, but then I finally realized, I am not weird, I am unique. And you are unique. And God wants you to be free to be fully and completely yourself.
You can survive rejection if you have to. You can survive the rejection of people, but you cannot survive losing your relationship with God by being a coward and giving in to the demands the world is making on us.
Personal Cost of Obedience
You know, when I first stepped out to follow the call of God on my life, I mean, I went through some very, very, very hard times. I got asked to leave my church, lost most of my friends, and it was a lonely and a hard time for me.
And to stand here and say that I had no fear would not be true because back then I did not understand how to deal with fear like I do today. But I am so grateful that God gave me the courage and the grace to want to please Him more than I wanted to please the people.
You know, do not get into thinking like, oh, I do not know what I would do if this happened. Well, I do not know what I would do if that happened. Well, I just do not think I could take it if that happened. I do not think I could stand it if that happened.
Strength Through Christ
No, what you need to be thinking is, I can do whatever I need to do. Whatever comes against me in life, God is with me, and I can do whatever I need to do through Christ who is my strength.
See, I like my friends but I do not have to have them to survive. We have to understand that the one thing we cannot do without is God. We can do without anything else if we have to, but we cannot do without God.
People that are willing to be different and be fully who they are—matter of fact, I think I might as well say they are the only people that can do great things. The only people that can do great things are those that are willing to stand up and stand out and pay a price.
Noah: A Man Who Stood Out
Now, Noah was quite different. And in Genesis chapter 6, beginning in verse 5, “And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually.”
Sounds a little bit like today, do you not think? I mean, does not the Bible say that it will be as it was in the days of Noah? It will be as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Come on, we need to wake up and realize what is going on in the earth today.
And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart. So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind whom I have created from the face of the ground. Not only man, but the beasts, and the creeping things, and the birds of the air, for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them.
Noah Found Grace
But Noah found grace and favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a man of integrity in his community, and he walked with God.
Can I tell you something? No matter how bad things look, God has always got a man, He has always got a woman, and it only takes one. And it could be you. It only takes one.
What one person can do—one man, Adam, sinned, and sin was passed on to all men; one God-man, Jesus Christ, became righteous, and righteousness was passed on to all men.
Let me tell you, if you will stand up and pay the price, and not care who likes it, God can use you to do something beyond the ordinary. I do not want to be ordinary. I do not care anything about being average. I want to be all I can be, in Jesus' name, and make a difference.
Greatness Inside Every Believer
You have all got greatness on the inside of you. If you are a believer, you have a desire down deep inside of you to do something extraordinary. Do you not? It is in there.
And then the devil will come against your brain: well, who do you think you are? You cannot do that. It only takes one.
And God uses some of the most ridiculous people. I mean, 1 Corinthians says that He uses the weak and the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. What the world would throw away, God chooses and uses for His glory.
So let me just say this. Do not discount or disqualify yourself. Do not insult God by saying that He cannot use you. God chooses the weak and the foolish things of the world so that no man can take the credit.
Tests of Integrity
I just love for people to look and say, well, that has got to be God. That has to be God.
I believe that many times when we are going through some kind of temptation to compromise our integrity, I believe that it is not only an attack of the enemy, but I think sometimes God just kind of stands back and it is a test for us because there is something else that God wants to use us for, but He has got to test us where we are at to make sure that we are going to handle it right. Amen?
You see, if we fall apart because two neighbors do not like us and we are praying for some big thing, do you have any idea?
Overcoming Rejection
I know, thank God, a lot of people love me, but there is a lot of people that do not. Unbelievable. You are right.
I mean, I was in a drugstore the other day picking something up and a lady came up to me and she said, I am so sorry to bother you and can I just hug you? And so she hugged me and she said, you know, you have just changed my life and she said, here is an interesting thing. She said, when I was first saved, I was told, do not listen to Joyce Meyer. She said, but I am so glad I listened anyway.
And you know, I thought, I mean, stuff like that used to hurt me, but now it is like, I do not know, God has got me covered. Even though I know it is happening, I am still sometimes kind of in shock that somebody does not like me.
Well, see, that is kind of what happens when you like yourself. When you like yourself, you do not go around being insecure all the time because you think, well, they probably do not like me. They probably do not like me.
Confidence in God’s Acceptance
Hello, when you know that God likes you, then you are not worried so much about what everybody else thinks.
I tell you, I am encouraged every time that I go back and read about Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel said, I will not defile myself.
And there were a couple of different things that happened. I am just going to tell you about them to conserve some time. But one of the things that happened was they passed a law that anybody who prayed to anybody other than the king would be put in a lion's den.
And I love what the Bible says. It says, and Daniel, with his windows open, continued to pray three times a day, just as he always had done.
Daniel’s Uncompromising Faith
Now, you see why that is so important? He said, I am not going to compromise one little bit. I am not going to worry about what you think you can do to me. I am going to continue to be who I am, fully myself. I am a Christian. I am not going to apologize for it. I am not going to be quiet about it. I am not ashamed of it.
And you will just have to do whatever it is that you do, and I will trust God. Well, sure enough, he was put in the lion's den. Laid down, had a nap. God sent an angel to shut the lions' mouths.
And the king actually did not want to see Daniel hurt because he actually really loved and respected him. But because he had given his word that he would do this, he had to do it.
And if you read the whole story, it says that when Daniel came out, the king rejoiced, and he made a rule that nobody could serve any God but Daniel's God.
Our Witness Through Standing Firm
What is the message there? The message is that if we will stand up and be who we are supposed to be, people are going to believe in Christ because of our witness. Are you there?
They may make fun of you. They may talk about you. They may reject you. But when push comes to shove, honey, they are going to know who they can go to to get answers for their life.
And we are coming into a time in our society where people are going to be desperate for answers. And you want to make sure that you have paid the price to be somebody that they feel like they can come to in a time of need.
When Dave used to work in the engineering field, I mean, he took a stand for what was right. And he said guys would come along sometimes at his particular work area or maybe at lunch. They would try to tell him a dirty joke.
Dave’s Example in the Workplace
And he told me about one instance where he said to God, Why are You doing that? You know I do not want to hear that stuff.
And see, you do not have to just sit and let people fill you full of garbage because they feel like doing it. Speak up and say, you know what, I really do not want to get into that kind of a conversation. I do not want to hear dirty jokes. I do not want to hear the gossip.
You know, well, then if they do not want to eat with you, then just go sit somewhere and eat with God. Do not worry about that stuff.
And so, you know, they said different things about him, talking about which Dave could care less. I mean, he is one guy that does not care what anybody thinks.
But he said, when their marriages were falling apart, when they got a report that they had cancer, they would always go to him and say, I was wondering if you could talk to me, Dave.
Being Ready for People in Crisis
My wife left me. I was wondering if I could talk to you, Dave. I just got a really bad report from the doctor.
See, we need to be prepared to be somebody that people can come to when they are desperate. Come on, whatever happens, we can do whatever we need to do through Christ who is our strength. You know why? Because we are bold and courageous.
And boy, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Well, if you have never read those stories, you need to go read Daniel chapter 3. I mean, how powerful the story is about them.
Matter of fact, we might as well just read it. I do not see any reason not to, do you?
Now, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were friends of Daniel. He not only was a man of integrity, he hung out with other people that were.
Choosing the Right Friends
Somebody here could help yourself a lot if you just get a new batch of friends. Amen.
Now, here another rule was made that when the people heard the sound of all these musical instruments, that they had to bow down and worship the golden image that the king had set up.
And the Bible does not say this, but I think it might have been a picture of him. Because people like this king probably like to worship themselves.
And so Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said, well, we are not bowing down. And they said, well then, if you do not bow down, I hope you are ready to go into the fiery furnace.
Refusing to Bow
And so, they said, and I love this—Shadrach, verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, it is not necessary for us to even answer you on this point.
If our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us. But if not, let it be known to you that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.
So, in other words, I would like to keep my job, but if I have to tell lies and help you steal money to keep my job, then I guess I just will not have this job. Amen?
Oh, but I have got to keep my job. I have got to keep my job. No. Act like a Christian. Trust God to get you a better one.
Trusting God’s Plan
All right. So, and when they said, if God is able to deliver us, He will, they did not mean it like if He has the power to do it. They meant, if that is in God's plan to do that, He will do that. And if not, we are not bowing down to you.
So, sure enough, and I am not going to read this whole thing, they turned the furnace up seven times hotter than it was before.
See, sometimes when you first initially take a stand to do what is right, situations can get worse. And that is something you need to know. Otherwise, the devil is going to scream in your ear, well, that did not work.
How many of you have had that happen? You have made a right choice and things have gotten worse.
The Fourth Man in the Fire
So, three men in the furnace—let us look at verse 24. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king saw and was astonished so much so that he jumped up and said to the counselors, Did we not put three men in the furnace, bound? Into the midst of the fire? And they answered, True, O king.
And he answered, Behold, I see four men. But here is the really good part—I see four men loose.
Now here is the message that I think this brings. You can actually—God can use the furnace of affliction to set you free from bondages. That has to be what it means.
They went in bound and in the furnace, there was a fourth man that we know was Jesus and in that trouble, in that problem, they were set free and loosed from their bondages.
Coming Out Without the Smell of Smoke
And then it goes on to say, when they came out, they did not even smell like smoke.
And I love that because I look back at everything that I went through from my childhood—and you guys recognize this, this is not just my story, we have all got stories like this—everything that I went through and man, I do not even smell like smoke. Come on.
And if you have not arrived at that place yet, you are on your way. Amen? You are on your way.
And here again, when the king saw the great and mighty things that God did, he made a ruling and a decree that nobody could serve any God except the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Alive in This Hour on Purpose
And see, this is what I am trying to say today. We are alive in this day and hour on purpose. You do not just pop up on the planet at some random time. God has ordained that we be alive now.
And so whatever is happening today, we are part of it and we have got what it takes to stand strong and be a witness for Jesus in this hour.