It’s exciting to see yourself maturing in Christ. Keep running your race and being a blessing to others. Let Joyce encourage you today. – – – – – – – Follow Joyce: WEBSITE: https://joycemeyer.org
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JoyceMeyerMi…
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/JoyceMeyer/
TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/JoyceMeyer/
– – – – – – – Joyce Meyer, one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers and New York Times best-selling author, shares encouragement and advice to help us enjoy our daily lives. With a heart to share Christ and love people, Joyce’s messages help people in all walks of life to grow in their faith, learn to study the Bible, find healing from the wounds of life, get answers to life’s questions and encounter the love of God in a powerful way. #JoyceMeyer#EnjoyingEverydayLife#RunYourRace
let me tell you something if you want to
go all the way through with God you
better have some
guts I mean that’s about as plain and
simple as I know how to put it I mean we
need to have courage and we need to be
determined I’m not going to be a wimpy
whiny whitewashed Christian I am going
to go all the way through with God and
if I’m going to be a Christian I’m going
to be a real one I’m going to stand
strong for God and I’m going to help
other people I’m here to help other
people you would be absolutely amazed if
you knew some of the things that some of
your leaders go
through while they’re ministering to you
and you don’t even have a clue what
they’re going through so first of all
let’s just read a couple scriptures 2
Timothy CH
4 verses 7 and
8 I tell you I spent so many years as
what I call a yo-yo Christian up when my
circumstances were up and down when they
were down up and down up and down and up
and
down and when you get tired enough of
that then you start wanting to have
stability in your
life I have fought the good worthy
honorable and Noble
fight everybody say I I
fight I have finished the
race I have kept
firmly and held on to the
faith as to what remains
henceforth that is laid up for me the
Victor’s Crown of righteousness for
being right with God and doing right
which the Lord the righteous judge will
award to me and recompense me on that
great
day and not to me only but also to those
who have loved and yearned for and
welcomed his appearing can I tell you
something Jesus is coming
back and I decided toward the end of
last year that I needed to do a little
more teaching about living for eternity
and not just living for this moment that
I’m in right now do you know how short a
life is compared to
eternity we are going to live
forever so what if I don’t get my way
while I’m
here I mean so what if everything that I
want doesn’t happen to me while I’m here
in Hebrews chapter 11 we call it the
Great Hall of Fame of Faith where there
was so many of these great men and women
that were talking about they did this by
faith and that by faith and this by
faith and that by faith but then it gets
down to a certain part that I really
love and it says all of these although
they did not receive the Fulfillment of
their faith they held on to faith and
they died in faith believing God and you
know what the most important thing is
not even really that I get what I want
it’s that I keep walking in faith that I
keep trusting God that I keep believing
God that I keep saying good things about
God you know what it’s not about
us he said I fought the good fight and
I’m waiting for his appearing and I’ve
seen so many scriptures in the Bible now
it’s amazing when God is leading you to
I have seen so many scriptures where
they were encouraged to do this because
the Lord is coming sooner do that
because the Lord is coming soon one
place Paul said live unselfishly because
the Lord is near and so we don’t want to
wait until the trumpet blows and then
quick try to get
ready we want to live ready and so that
means every day of our life we pursue
God with all of our heart and I’m just
so excited about seeing people that are
that are maturing and growing in God and
that are actually running their race and
being a blessing to other people no
matter what is going on in their life
and now let’s look at Acts chapter 20
beginning in verse
22 so beginning in verse 22 Paul says
and now you see I’m going to Jerusalem
Bound by the Holy Spirit and obligated
and compelled by the conviction of my
own Spirit not knowing what will befall
me there except that the Holy Spirit
clearly and emphatically affirms to me
in city after City that imprisonment and
suffering await me now you know I hate
to say it
but do we have enough strong Christians
of this type
today that would say I don’t care what
happens to me God says go and I’m
going see I believe that we need to be
stronger we need to be more determined
that we’re going to finish our race and
that we’re not going to quit and give up
he said I I’m compelled by the holy
spirit that I have to go do this but
none of these things move me and I love
this verse 24 none of these things move
me neither do I esteem my life dear to
myself if only I may finish my course
with joy and the ministry which I have
obtained which was entrusted to me by
the Lord Jesus Faithfully to attest to
the good news the gospel of God’s
grace and now observe I perceive that
all of you among whom I have gone in and
out proclaiming the kingdom you will see
my face no more Paul knew that he was
about to die but he said I’m going to
finish my race I’m going to keep doing
what I’m supposed to be doing until I
draw my very last breath now God does
not want us
to let a bunch of little petty things
bother us and upset us all the time
actually Paul said some interesting
things he even told people in 1
Corinthians 7 if you’re married that’s
good but if you’re not married don’t
seek to get married because if you do
you’re going to have other issues to
deal with that you wouldn’t have to deal
with if you weren’t
married I mean it’s actually really
funny you have to I mean I don’t want to
take the time to go there tonight
because I’ve got some other places I
want to be but it was like Paul was just
saying you know I mean there there’s
nothing wrong with it but you know
please understand that when you get a
husband or a wife you’re going to have
to deal with stuff that that you
wouldn’t have to deal with and Paul’s
whole attitude was the Lord is coming I
mean he thought Jesus was coming you
know in a couple of days and so if he
felt that way then how should we be
behaving
now I don’t know exactly when he’s
coming but I know it’s sooner than it
was back
then and I know that every day that goes
by it’s sooner than it was the day
before and just as sure as we’re sitting
here tonight the trumpet is going to
blow he is going to split the Eastern
Sky the dead are going to rise up out of
the ground and we’re going to rise up in
the air and we’re going to all meet
him
Hallelujah and that is when you’re going
to be glad you didn’t
[Applause]
quit but we need to live like that day
may be in the next
hour or it may be tomorrow morning let’s
don’t be like the foolish virgins who
waited until the bridegroom showed up to
try and get ready
to meet him and obviously you know I’m
not just talking to you I’m trying to
talk to people all over the world and
I’ll tell you something you’re here in
church tonight so you may be ready to do
these kind of things I’m talking about
but there’s a whole world full of people
that this is just like
huh
what the world is just needs so much
help and it needs the word of God and so
many people will never go to church but
they all watch
TV and they’re probably not trying to
watch me on purpose but I try to be on
enough that they can’t help
it you
know I just feel so impressed to keep
telling
people let’s be the real
deal you know what stuff is going to
happen to
you and we can’t get all you know
I don’t understand why is this happening
to me I don’t understand well why not
you why is it okay if it’s somebody else
I mean why why is it if it’s somebody
else they should trust God but we should
fall
apart when you don’t know what to do
keep doing what you know to do get up
and pray confess the word go to work go
to church keep your commitments pay your
bills be kind to people be loving walk
in love and if you really really really
want to make the devil mad I mean you
really want to make him mad when he is
throwing his best shot at you you go out
and do more for other people than what
you’ve ever done before in your
life