Have you ever eaten a meal without knowing who cooked it? Whether you realize it or not, you are living in faith. Discover how to apply that same type of faith when hard times come around.
the following program is paid for by the
friends and partners of Joyce Meyer
ministries Christianity is not a passive
religion it’s not a thing where we just
wish home but we’ve got it we pray and
we say and we do the part that God’s
telling us to do
mark 4:35 on the same day when evening
had come he said to them let us go over
to the other side let us go over to the
other side we all get kind of excited
when God initially says something to us
that sounds like we’re going to make
progress when we receive a promise from
him or a word from him and if we were to
skip all the way over to mark chapter 5
verse 1 it says and they came to the
other side so wonderful Jesus said let’s
go and they arrived but their’s verse 36
37 38 39 40 and 41 that we have to deal
with before we get to chapter 5 verse 1
that’s what I call the middle and to be
honest with you we live most of the time
in the middle everybody gets excited
about the new thing everybody gets
excited when they finally arrive and
they’ve reached their goal but a lot of
people never reach their goals they
never get to their destination they
never see their dreams fulfilled they
never experienced the fulfillment of the
promises of God in their life because
they don’t know what to do in the middle
so today I’m I talk to you about the
middle and leaving the throne verse 36
mark 436 and leaving the throne they
took him with them just as he was in the
boat in which he was sitting and there
were other boats there also and a
furious storm of wind of hurricane
proportions arose I wasn’t thinking that
was going to happen and the waves kept
beating into the boat so that was
already becoming filled but he was in
the stern of the boat asleep now doesn’t
it just really frustrate you when you’re
in a storm and it feels to you like
Jesus is asleep
we get kind of frantic don’t like what
now we start trying to figure everything
out we start worrying and we start
running everybody we know for advice can
I give you a little insight this morning
most of the people that you’re asking
how to solve your problem they don’t
even know what to do about their own so
try running to the throne not the phone
master master don’t you care that we are
perishing and he arose and rebuked the
wind and said to the sea hush now be
still and the wind ceased sank to rest
as if exhausted by its beating and there
was immediately a great calm and a
perfect peace and he said to them why
are you so timid and fearful how is it
that you have no faith well my faith
yeah I’m well Jesus I have faith I mean
I believe in you you know it’s one thing
to believe in Jesus it’s another thing
to learn how to take that faith in your
everyday life and let it keep you calm
in the storm can anybody say Amen
you know I love the sound of joy and it
was so cool this morning watching
everybody in worship and some of those
songs we were singing and what a good
time everybody was having and I just
thought what a wonderful sound joyous
that’s wonderful but you know what we
don’t want you just to have it in here
when all the conditions are perfect we
want you to have that joy when you don’t
have anything in particular to be joyful
about and joy is not always extreme
hilarity and laughing as hard as you can
laugh I love one of the definitions of
peace and joy a calm delight a calm
delight you know yesterday afternoon I
took a little nap to rest a little
between the the first and second session
and I was laying in bed just resting I
didn’t really sleep that much and I just
I had this thought I said you know Jesus
I just love my life and that’s such a
wonderful feeling because for so many
years I didn’t like life I was never
satisfied I didn’t like me I didn’t like
too many other people I didn’t like
anything that was going on I just was
not a happy camper but praise God I went
to church
people’s somebody interviewed me
recently and said you know are you are
you against church or religion
absolutely not know how ridiculous would
that be we have a church in st. Louis I
want people to go to church and I want
you to go to church regularly that’s
part of what you need to do but I don’t
want you to do it just out of some
formalism like you think you’re getting
a check mark on your god calendar I want
you to go because you want to be there
because you’re growing and learning and
you’re worshiping God and you fully
intend when you walk in I am going to
learn something and I am going to go out
and do it we got to learn to do it and
the place where we do it is in the storm
it’s very easy to do it in here this is
no effort you got a cushy seat
I’ve studied to bring you the word you
got great music oh you just we didn’t
charge you anything to get in you’re
just like
just ah feed me but I can tell you it’s
not gonna be that easy when you get out
of here
stuff stuff starts happening amen one of
the things I really enjoy when I’m
finished with my preaching in the
daytime I don’t do it at night is a cup
of Starbucks coffee well yeah so like
Tommy Barnett says thank God for
Starbucks till the anointing kicks in
and so I even have my own little cup
I’ve got one of these double walled cups
from Starbucks that keeps it hot for a
long long time and it’s I like it it’s a
copper color I like that so got the
whole thing you know and so somebody had
got me some coffee and brought it so it
would be ready when I went back we went
back and somebody had stolen my coffee
my cup the cream
everything gone gone well you know what
I can remember a day when I would have
had a fit about that I mean an absolute
fit and I would have gotten confused
little good I’m up there pouring my
heart out to these people all morning
and all I was a little cup of coffee
what about me why me and I don’t know
who stand the devil’s always picking on
me I mean it for maybe like five seconds
I was aggravated and then I just laughed
I said you know what this is really
funny and I said I feel sorry for
whoever stole my coffee now it’s
possible that somebody cleaning up back
there they just thought they were being
tidy and threw it away I don’t know how
you’d throw away a whole brand-new mug
of coffee but you know people think
differently so after about five more
minutes I decided to believe the best
like the Bible sucks amen so there’s
always stuff going on in life there’s
always the storm it’s one thing to stand
up here and preach it it’s another thing
for you to sit and listen to it but we
got to go out and live it live it and
most of the time whatever I preach I’m
tested on and most of the time whatever
you hear anybody ever notice that
you’ll be tested on the Bible says when
the seed is sown into your heart the
devil comes immediately to try to steal
the seed that was sown and I think one
of the ways that he does it is by very
simply testing you on what you just
heard and we need we need to get it
learn a new sentence this is only a test
can we practice say this is only a test
amen so the storm and Jesus said why are
you acting like that where’s your faith
it takes more than just faith that Jesus
died for you to get through this world
victoriously it takes more than that and
I believe that we have an obligation to
God to learn how to live in victory
while we’re here because we are the
Jesus that people are looking at we’re
his witnesses we’re his ambassadors he’s
appealing to the world through us and
they don’t want a bunch of sad sour
broken-down pitiful pathetic religion
they want to see people that have got
victory have got joy have got keys that
are loving people and they were all
filled with great awe and they feared
exceedingly and said to one another well
who is this man that even the wind obeys
him and then they came to the other side
let’s look at John 14:27 I want you all
to make a decision this morning before
we go any further at all in this message
Jesus has left us a legacy any loving
person when they die they usually like
to leave something to their loved ones
and Jesus has left us a legacy and it
includes many things but one of the last
things that he talked about leaving us
is recorded in John 14:27 and he says
peace I leave with you my own peace I
now give him bequeath unto you not
as the world gives do I give to you now
watch this do not let your hearts be
troubled neither let them be afraid stop
allowing yourselves to be agitated and
disturbed well I can’t help it and do
not permit yourselves to be fearful and
intimidated and cowardly and unsettled
so before you’re going to have peace
you’re going to have to make some
decisions about some things and the
first decision you have to make as I am
unwilling to live without peace I will
not live without peace you see I spent
way too much of my life in turmoil and
maybe fifteen years ago I made a
decision that I was going to have peace
and I was going to have joy and I was
going to have righteousness because
that’s the kingdom that I was not going
to spend the rest of my life feeling
guilty every time I made some little
minor mistake obviously we’re going to
be sorry for the things that we do wrong
but Jesus has provided a way for us to
be forgiven he says there’s no
condemnation to those in Christ’s
condemnation as a total waste of time
doesn’t help you behave better
it just keeps you stuck where you’re at
the kingdom of God is not meat and drink
it is righteousness peace and joy in the
Holy Ghost and I decided instead of just
singing songs about the kingdom I was
actually going to try to live in it amen
I decided God has provided wonderful
things for you but you have to decide
that you’re going to have them and that
you are not going to let any person on
earth or any devil and he’ll take them
away from you you must make a decision
today
and here comes the bad news the good
news is Jesus provided peace the bad
news is you’re gonna have to make an
effort let’s look at it again peace I
leave with you because see here’s the
thing
Oh God I pray that you’d give me peace I
wish I had peace you don’t really even
need to pray for peace to be honest you
just need to thank God that you’ve got
it because he says right here you’ve
already got it I think we asked for a
lot of stuff that we ought to be
recognizing that we have and thanking
God for it and then that that attitude
of faith will actually release that
thing out of our spirit into our soul Oh
God give me peace come give me peace
peace peace please God I can’t say to
you no thank you God that I have peace
give me the grace to walk in this peace
help me see what I’m doing that’s
keeping me all aggravated and stirred up
show me what I need to do and give me
the grace to do it you never do it on
your own you got to lean on him all the
time but I finally decided I am NOT
going to spend the rest of my life
without peace well one of the things
that’s going to have to learn to do if
you want to have pieces learn how to not
worry not worry worries making a down
payment on a problem you may never have
worry is a total complete useless waste
of time
worry never solves your problem all it
does is torture you it torments you and
it has nothing to do with faith I can’t
help it I’m just a worrier
now you have peace I said you have peace
and you have power I have peace and I
have power therefore I am NOT going to
live in worry now I like to be really
practical about stuff and so I know it’s
not going to do me much good to say go
home and don’t worry unless I can maybe
help you understand why you worry and
the only thing that I can come to the
couple reasons why we worry and that is
number one we actually still really
think that we can solve our problem we
don’t get it yet
that we can’t do it God’s not going to
let us do it because he wants us to lean
on him and rely on him now there are
things that we can do and should do and
those are what we should do but the
minute you start going beyond that
you’re going to get frustrated and
aggravated as soon as you start trying
to do something about something you
can’t do anything about like for example
trying to change people I mean how many
of you let’s just talk to the ladies
from here how many of you ladies have
just frustrated yourself long enough
trying to change your husband has it
worked
well then just isn’t it kind of dumb to
keep doing the same thing over and over
and over you’re not changing him matter
of fact I found out the more I tried to
change Dave the worse it got
he just ramped it up to another level
because you see people don’t want to be
put under the law the law increases sin
so the more you try to make somebody do
something pretty much the way the flesh
reacts is the more determined they are
that they’re not going to and the thing
is even if you get them to stop that
thing until the heart is changed it’s
going to show up somewhere else it’s
like one of those whack-a-mole games you
know you it comes up over here in New
York and it comes up over here then
there it is again
only God can get inside of a person and
change the heart the heart amen and I
can give you some good news though I
don’t know how long you’ve been married
but I’ve been married 43 years and the
one man
and oh man I tell you in the last I
don’t know maybe eight nine years it’s
just gotten so easy I mean I’m just like
do whatever you want to do cuz I’m
staying peaceful
whoo amen
humming David I just hardly ever have a
problem anymore
because I finally got it about killed
myself before I did I was about ready
for the funny farm but I finally got it
only God can change people and I guess
if God doesn’t like the way he is then
God can tell him and change it and he
takes the same attitude toward me I have
four children they’re all different so
different it’s like how could you all
have come out of the same place I just
don’t get it and you see different ones
I’m doing things and you think oh man
don’t do that oh oh and we want to tell
them how many of you’ve noticed
especially if you have grown children
telling them something they’re like
mother
I am 30 years old
so we’re worried about the spouse we’re
worrying about the kids we’re worried
about the grandkids we’re worried about
the world we’re worrying about
everything we do wrong we worry where we
worry and all you’re doing is making
yourself miserable actually you can you
can actually make yourself sick with
worry worry can cause stomach problems
give people ulcers can cause colon
problems give you headaches nervous
tension makes you irritable it creates a
lot of stress and cancer is known to be
connected to stress causes loss of sleep
loss of focus you begin to you can’t
focus on what you’re supposed to focus
on because you’re so worried about
everything so now you start forgetting
things and losing things
I got a witness in here today let me
tell you hey you know I just think you
need to have a little Holy Ghost fit and
you need to say I am NOT gonna worry
anymore
and the minute and I’m telling you you
may have to fight a fight because the
minute you decide you’re not going to
worry the devil will probably give you
20 new things to worry about so you’re
gonna have to make some declarations you
did not understand me devil I am NOT
going to live and worry take your best
shot
but I am NOT gonna live and worry see I
hope I can get you to understand that
Christianity is not a passive religion
it’s not a thing where we just wish and
hoping we’ve got it we pray and we say
and we do the part that’s God’s telling
us to do come on some of you if you will
just change your attitude your life can
do a 360 degree turn if you’ll just say
I have not smart enough to solve this I
me MA
I am not smart enough to solve this I do
not know what to do and when people say
what are you gonna do what are you to
say I don’t have a clue don’t know but I
know somebody who does know and I guess
he’ll tell me when he’s good and ready
listen the definition of worry this is
the definition that I got I didn’t make
it up I got this I’m forgetting now
because I’ve had it a long time but to
torment oneself with disturbing thoughts
does anybody here have enough sense to
not torment your own self
well what are you doing today tormenting
myself yes I just thought I’d spend
today making myself completely totally
miserable to torment oneself disturbing
thoughts to feel uneasy anxious or
troubled to torment with annoyances
cares and anxieties
to seize by the throat take into the
teeth and shake our mangle the Bible
says that weary and the cares and
anxieties of the world the deceitfulness
of riches chokes the word
spend all that time that you’re spending
worrying meditating on the Word of God
fight the good fight get out your Bible
and start saying some stuff out loud
your own voice will disrupt the wrong
thoughts you’re having you’ll believe
more of what you say than what anybody
else says make a decision you’re not
going to live in worry humans are the
only species of creation that worries
and we are supposed to be the most
intelligent
we’re like the cream of the crop
everybody else gets it trees don’t worry
birds don’t worry rabbits don’t worry
flowers don’t worry lions don’t worry
pigs don’t worry cows don’t worry oh but
a smart ones the wise munch the
intelligent group we worry nobody else
worries Matthew 25 or Matthew 6 I’m
sorry
the practic
how not to worry learn how to get some
humility learn what you can do and what
you can’t do do what God tells you to do
but stay away from trying to do anything
he didn’t tell you to do do what you can
do God will do what you can’t do
Matthew 6 therefore I tell you stop
being perpetually uneasy anxious and
worried about your life
the next time you start to worry just
have a little talk with yourself as they
all right stop it right now just stop it
talk to yourself say this is not going
to do any good I’ve been there done that
I’m not going to waste this day
tormenting myself and making myself
miserable thinking about this thing over
and over and over god I cast it on you I
give it to you and then you know what
you should do go get involved in
something else that will take your your
time and your mind something that’s
going to be happy something that’s going
to be helpful something that’s going to
be joyful and peaceful well as we talked
about today when we step out in faith we
always have a beginning and hopefully we
have an end but it’s really what happens
in the middle that makes all the
difference in the world and the reason I
say hopefully we have an end is because
if we don’t make the right decisions in
the middle of our faith or while we’re
waiting to see the fulfillment of the
promises of God then many people turn
back and never get to the end of their
dreams and their visions and so I really
want to encourage you in the midst of
whatever you’re doing you’re believing
God but cast your care on him and
believe that if you’ll just keep doing
what you know that you should do day
after day after day after day you’re
going to get to the end and it’s going
to be beautiful I love to say that it’s
not what we do once that gives us a good
result it’s what we do right over and
over and over and over again so maybe
you’re watching today and you feel like
you’ve been trying to do what’s right
but you’re getting a little weary well
the Bible says be not weary in
well-doing for in due season you shall
reap if you faint not today we’re
offering three CDs an audio series
called unleashing the power of faith and
a long way that my book do it afraid and
I will
both of these resources are really
important for you to help you understand
the power of faith that God has put in
your spirit and how to release it on how
to not let fear rule your life you know
we only have one convention each year
that’s just for women
it’s our yearly women’s convention and I
tell you we are so excited about it it’s
just a great event every year and I
really want you to make a decision to be
there we’re going to have great praise
and worship great special music awesome
special guests to teach you the word
I’ll be sharing the word in three
different meetings I think it’s
something you don’t want to miss you
know there’s something wonderful that
happens when you actually set aside a
block of time to get yourself out of the
ordinary events of every day and just go
and really have what we might call a
little camp meeting with God so please
if you haven’t registered yet make sure
you join us it’s on restoration this
year you know God is a God who restores
he makes all things new and not only
does he make all things new he can take
the old stuff even the stuff that was
bad in our life and he can work it out
for our good this year come and be
restored through the mercy and the love
of Jesus Christ
the proceeding was paid for by the
friends and partners of Joyce Meyer
ministries