Joyce Meyer: Finding the Answers and Power You Need in the Word

When people ask me where to start reading the Bible, I tell them there’s really no wrong place to start. You can study anything that’s going to help you.

When I first started studying the Word, I didn't have very good relationships because I didn't really understand what love was. So that’s what I studied.

As I studied the subject of love, I learned that it’s more than a gooey feeling. By studying what the Bible says  about love, I learned how to love. Then my life began to change.

Whatever you’re dealing with, you can find scripture about it by using a concordance. For example, if you’re dealing with anger or fear, flip to the concordance in the back of your Bible & locate those words to see which scriptures talk about those issues.

If you can’t think of anything right away, thumb through the concordance & pick a subject that grabs your attention. Begin looking at all scriptures referenced with this word & read them. Ask Holy Spirit to lead you & reveal truth to you.

No matter where you start, remember that the Word is alive & has something for you today!

Help Me Reach My Goal: Alzheimer's Disease Walk

Some of you may remember me sharing the story of someone close to me passing way from Alzheimer's Disease.

In 2004 I lost my father to this sickening disease!

You can check out my story: Alzheimer's Disease Awareness: Our Stories

I've made my donation & I need your help in meeting my goal. I will be participating in the 5k Walk to END Alzheimer's Disease this Saturday.

The funds are to fight against this disease.

Please repost, reblog, share this blog post with your friends & family.

You can make your donation on my official webpage HERE

Thank you! 

Ashley N.

Joyce Meyer: God is Untying Your Knots One at a Time

Picture your life as a jumble of shoestrings all tied up in knots, each shoestring a different color. Each knot represents a problem, & the process of untangling those knots & straightening out those problems is going to take a bit of time & effort. It took a long time to tie all those knots, & it will take some time to straighten them all out.

In our modern, instantaneous society, we tend to jump from one thing to another, but God never gets in a hurry. He never quits or runs out of patience. He will deal with us about one particular thing, & then He will let us rest for awhile, but not too long.  Soon He will come back & begin to work on something else. He will continue until, one by one, our knots are all untied.

If it sometimes seems that you’re not making any progress, it’s because the Lord is untying your knots one at a time. Let His patience develop in you,  & sooner or later, you will see victory in your life & experience the freedom you have wanted for so long.

Joyce Meyer: The Greatest Gift You Can Give

It's the most outrageous thing. The more I think about it, the more amazed I am. It gives blessings that are undeserved and withholds punishment when it is deserved.  It's absolutely the greatest gift you can give someone.

The gift is called mercy. See, Jesus came to earth and gave us mercy, so we need to learn to give mercy to others.

By Christ's example, we're taught to love and pray for our enemies. We're taught to be friendly to those who do not treat us as we would like to be treated. We are told to give to and care for the poor and helpless who will never be able to pay us back.

We can give to people who will give us gifts in return. But we're more blessed when we choose to give to those who cannot pay us back, that's giving mercy.

The greatest gift you can give God is to become more like Jesus. You can do that by treating others the way He treated you. Give those around you the greatest gift could ever receive from you: mercy.

Joyce Meyer: Stop Keeping Score

If someone has hurt you, don't spend the next 10 years of your life hurting yourself by hanging on to that offense. Most likely, the other person isn't even thinking about you, while you dwell on the incident for years. That only hurts one person, you.

When we walk in unforgiveness, we try to "keep score," viewing ourselves as better than the other person.

Back in the early days of our marriage, when Dave and I were fussing and fuming at each other, I would bring up stuff that happened years before and Dave would say, "Where do you keep all that stuff?" Well, I had a place, and it was all in there eating at me. And every new thing Dave did wrong would get added to this list, and it kept growing until it became a bitter giant in my heart.

When we walk in God's love, we find freedom by keeping "no account" of wrongs done to us. If you're hurting from the pain of unforgiveness today, ask God to help you stop keeping score. You can let go of your bitterness today.

Joyce Meyer: It's OK to Enjoy Your Life

Enjoyment is the fuel we need to reach the finish line of an endeavor with a good attitude. We may drive ourselves to finish, but somewhere along the way we will probably become bitter & get a chip on our shoulder if we don't lighten up & take a time to celebrate the journey.

Too many people work constantly & stress themselves out, feeling guilty about enjoying & celebrating life when God has clearly ordained & commanded both labor & enjoyment. Ecclesiastes 2:24 says that it's good for us to relax & enjoy ourselves in the midst of had work.

Our thinking has been warped in this area. Satan has managed to deceive us, & by doing so he succeeds in keeping people weary & worn-out, feeling resentful & taken advantage of because of excessive wok & responsibility.

We need times of refreshment & recreation as well as work & accomplishment, You should be diligent in whatever task God as placed in front of you, but make sure that you find a balance by learning to reward yourself & enjoy life. God thinks you are worth it!

***You can find this devotional plan, along with others from the YouVerison Bible app under Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life

Joyce Meyer: Take Responsibility for Your Happiniess

One of the most important lessons I have learned is that I cannot count on someone else to make me happy. God has given us the ability to take responsibility for our own happiness.

A lot of people aren't happy unless a certain person behaves a certain way, or unless a certain situations works out just the way they want it to. Every day we let our happiness depend on other people & situations, when in reality, God wants us to find our happiness in Him.

There was a time when I would feel sorry for myself if Dave went to play golf the day after one of our big conferences, I wanted him to go shopping or watch a movie with me. But God showed me that we have different ways of relaxing & unwinding.

That's just one example, but there are so many ways that we put unrealistic expectations on people & rely on them to keep us happy. God wants us to look to Him first & rely on Him for our happiness.

***You can find this devotional plan, along with others from the YouVerison Bible app under Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life

Joyce Meyer: Let God Do the Heavy Lifting

One of the most important things I have learned is to let God do the heavy lifting. Too many times we see what's wrong with ourselves & try to fix it through our own strength, but this will never be good enough. Jesus said in John 15:5, "apart from me you can do nothing" (NIV).

We may try to be self-sufficient, but we need to let God supply the grace & ability to do what we need to do. Willpower & determination can get us started, but they've been known to quit in the middle & leave us stranded.

We can learn to enjoy the life Jesus died to give us by inviting God to become involved in every aspect of it. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary & burdened, & I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28 NIV).

We are not made to function without God. And with Him, we can break any bad habit or addiction like overeating, substance abuse, poor time management, anger issues you name it. Jesus is bigger than any problem you have.

***You can find this devotional plan, along with others from the YouVerison Bible app under Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life

Joyce Meyer: The Enemy Has a Plan Too

God has a plan for your life, but the devil has a plan for you too. As a result, the Bible says we need to "be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant & cautious at all times."

Temperate means 'disciplined.' sober of mind means 'serious,' vigilant means 'determined' & cautious means 'careful.' we are to live like this 'at all times.' That's serious.

But we need to get serious to fight off the enemy. Whenever God shows you an area in your life where the enemy is attacking you, that's not the time to sit back & do nothing. It's time to get serious & fight back against Satan.

God's plan is for us to be more than conquerors in Christ. We don't have to live enslaved to the enemy's plan. You can decide right now to do what you need to do. Get serious with God, follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, & stay on guard against the enemy. Choose today to follow God's plan for your life, not Satan's & you will defeat the enemy at every turn.

***You can find this devotional plan, along with others from the YouVerison Bible app under Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life

Joyce Meyer: God Can Clean Up Any Mess

I was seriously abused throughout my childhood. My life was horrible! I don't remember ever being really happy until I was in my twenties. My mind was a mess, my emotions were a mess...everything was a mess!

But it didn't stay that way. God has dealt with me, changed me and brought me through it all. Now I have a great relationship with God, real peace and joy, good relationships with family and friends, and I'm doing what God has called me to do.

Hebrews 11:16 tells us God rewards those who diligently seek Him. I've discovered that anything I sacrificed to get closer to God and obey Him, I received back from Him many times over what I gave. and what He gave me was always much better.

I understand, I've been through some really bad stuff. But God will reward those who seek Him. Be determined to seek Him in the midst of your hardship. He is more than able to clean up your messes!

***You can find this devotional plan, along with others from the YouVerison Bible app under Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life

Joyce Meyer: Forgetting About Ourselves

Paul said that he had been "crucified with Christ." In other words, he had to stop thinking about himself in order to live for God. And we are encouraged to do the same.

At this point you may be thinking, "What about me? Who is going to care of me? This is usually what prevents us from living the way God wants us to live. It always comes back to me.

We are so accustomed to seeing our desires satisfied that the very though of forgetting about ourselves even for one day can be frightening. But if we can muster up the courage to try it, we will  be amazed at the freedom and joy we experience.

The secret to having joy is giving your life away rather than trying to keep it. When you get the focus off of you and onto God, God can show you how to live a truly meaningful life.

I encourage you to start your days by dedicating yourself to God. When you do, He will faithfully help you live a godly life.