IN OUR LIFE, WE SHOULD HAVE A FLOW OF JOY,
A FLOW OF PEACE, A FLOW OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
COMING OUT OF US, A FLOW OF GOODNESS
FLOWING OUT OF US, MERCY.
WE SHOULD HAVE A FLOW OF GOOD THINGS IN OUR LIFE.
AND WHEN THE RIGHT THINGS ARE BUBBLING UP IN US
AND FLOWING OUT OF US, WE NOT ONLY ENJOY OUR LIVES,
BUT WE'RE ABLE TO BE A BLESSING TO OTHER PEOPLE.
SO, I GUESS I WANT TO ASK YOU TODAY,
WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU?
I'LL ASK MYSELF, WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU, JOYCE?
WELL, SOMETIMES GOOD STUFF, AND SOME DAYS WE JUST GET
A LITTLE SPURT, AND I'D LIKE TO FIX THAT, AMEN?
WHAT FLOWS OUT OF YOU IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN WHAT COMES TO YOU.
WE GET WAY TOO CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GETTING IN LIFE
OR WHAT WE'RE NOT GETTING, OR NOT HAVING
A BAD CIRCUMSTANCE.
AND GOD WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S WHAT'S IN US
THAT IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT'S COMING TO US.
BECAUSE IF WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT THING IN US
AND WE GET RID OF THE HINDRANCES IN OUR LIFE,
THEN THE RIGHT THING WILL FLOW THROUGH US,
AND IT WON'T ONLY BE A BLESSING TO US, BUT IT WILL BE A BLESSING
TO OTHER PEOPLE.
SO, IS A GOOD FLOW BEING HINDERED IN YOUR LIFE?
IS WHAT'S COMING OUT OF US DEAD, OR IS IT LIVING?
DOES IT MINISTER LIFE?
DOES IT MINISTER DEATH?
IS THERE A FLOW AT ALL?
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T HEAR FROM GOD?
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T SENSE GOD'S PRESENCE?
THERE'S NO JOY, THERE'S NO PEACE.
NOTHING SEEMS TO BE WORKING.
EVERYTHING IS A STRUGGLE.
SOME OF YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, IT'S LIKE,
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND, I GO TO CHURCH,
BUT SOMETHING'S JUST NOT RIGHT.
SOMETHING'S JUST NOT RIGHT." WELL, SOMETIMES, WE'VE GOT SOME
THINGS CLOGGING UP OUR PIPES.
AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE A BELIEVER,
BUT YOU'RE NOT LIVING THE LIFE YOU SHOULD LIVE,
IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING BECAUSE BEFORE YOU RECEIVED
CHRIST AND GOT INTO THE WORD, YOU COULD SIN ALL DAY LONG,
IT DIDN'T BOTHER YOU THAT MUCH.
BUT ONCE YOU RECEIVE CHRIST AND YOU START LEARNING BETTER,
NOW IF YOU CONTINUE IN THAT KIND OF A LIFESTYLE,
YOU WILL BE MISERABLE.
CAN I JUST SAY THIS, AND I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THIS?
THERE'S NOTHING MORE MISERABLE THAN A GUILTY CONSCIENCE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIMES SLEEPING,
NOT EVERYBODY OBVIOUSLY, BUT A LOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE
A HARD TIME SLEEPING, THERE'S SOMETHING
ON YOUR CONSCIENCE THAT'S BOTHERING YOU,
SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE NOT ATTENDED TO.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY GOOD AT JUST GLOSSING OVER THINGS
AND FINDING SOME PLACE TO KIND OF STICK IT
IN A BACK ROOM IN OUR HEART SOMEWHERE,
AND JUST PRETENDING LIKE IT DOESN'T EXIST.
AND I HAD A SITUATION 2 OR 3 YEARS AGO
THAT I WELL REMEMBER, WHERE I JUST
WASN'T SLEEPING GOOD, WHICH NORMALLY
WASN'T THE CASE FOR ME.
AND I TOSSED AND TURNED, AND KEPT WAKING UP,
AND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.
FINALLY, ABOUT 5 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING,
I SAID TO GOD--I WISH I WOULD'VE DONE IT MUCH SOONER,
BUT I SAID, "WHAT IS WRONG?
WHAT IS WRONG?" YOU KNOW, IF YOU ASK GOD,
"WHAT'S WRONG?" AND YOU REALLY WANT
TO HEAR THE TRUTH, HE'LL TELL YOU, BUT YOU MAY NOT
LIKE EVERYTHING THAT HE SAYS.
WE ALWAYS WANT OUR PROBLEMS TO BE SOMETHING SOMEBODY ELSE
IS DOING, BUT IN THAT INSTANCE, QUICKLY GOD BROUGHT TO MY HEART
SOMETHING THAT I HAD SAID, A WAY THAT I HAD BEHAVED
THAT DAY BEFORE I WENT TO BED TOWARDS SOMEBODY ELSE.
AND I JUST KIND OF GLOSSED OVER IT,
MADE AN EXCUSE, AND DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF IT.
SEE, WE SHOULD BE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT IF WE HURT
SOMEBODY'S FEELINGS, WE SHOULD SAY, "I'M SORRY."
IF WE ACT RUDE, WE SHOULD SAY, "I'M SORRY."
NOT BEHAVE BADLY AND THEN SAY, "WELL, I HAD A ROUGH DAY
AT WORK." YOU KNOW, WE MAKE TOO MANY
EXCUSES FOR BAD BEHAVIOR, AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO
IS LET GOD DEAL WITH US ABOUT THESE THINGS AND SAY,
"NO GOD, I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE THAT,
AND I NEED YOU TO HELP ME." NOTHING IS WORSE THAN HAVING
A GUILTY CONSCIENCE.
JOHN 4:14, JESUS IS TALKING WITH,
WE CALL HER, THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.
AND HE SAYS, "'WHOEVER TAKES A DRINK OF THE WATER
THAT I WILL GIVE HIM SHALL NEVER, NO NEVER,
BE THIRSTY ANYMORE.
BUT THE WATER THAT I GIVE HIM SHALL BECOME A SPRING OF WATER
WELLING UP (FLOWING, BUBBLING) [CONTINUALLY] WITH HIM
UNTO ETERNAL LIFE.'" I WANT YOU TO JUST TRY
TO GET A PICTURE OF THAT.
WHAT--HOW GOOD IS LIFE WHEN WE'VE GOT--WE JUST FEEL
LIKE LIFE IS BUBBLING UP IN US, AND THERE'S JOY
JUST BUBBLING UP IN US.
AND YOU KNOW, I LIVED TOO MANY YEARS
WHERE I'D GET UP IN THE MORNING AND COULDN'T WAIT TO GO TO BED,
AND THEN GO TO BED AT NIGHT AND COULDN'T WAIT TO GET UP.
YOU KNOW, I WASN'T EVER REALLY SATISFIED WITH ANYTHING.
AND MAN, IT BECAME SO IMPORTANT TO ME
WHEN I FINALLY GOT AHOLD OF JOHN 10:10 AND REALIZED
THAT JESUS DIDN'T JUST DIE FOR ME
SO I COULD SOMEDAY IN A SWEET BY AND BY
GO TO HEAVEN, BUT HE DIED SO WE COULD
"HAVE AND ENJOY OUR LIFE, AND HAVE IT IN ABUNDANCE
(TO THE FULL UNTIL IT OVERFLOWS)."
AND ENJOYING LIFE DOES NOT MEAN THAT I'M GOING TO GET
EVERYTHING I WANT, OR THAT I'M GOING TO LIVE
ON VACATION, OR I'M GOING TO HAVE THE PERFECT PEOPLE
IN MY LIFE.
ENJOYING LIFE MEANS THAT THERE'S A PLACE IN CHRIST
THAT WE CAN COME TO, A PLACE OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY,
WHERE ALTHOUGH WE MAY NOT LIKE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES,
NOBODY LIKES DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES,
WE STILL CAN FIND A PLACE WHERE WE CAN BE HAPPY
AND JOYFUL NO MATTER WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR LIFE.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND ISN'T THAT REALLY WHAT WE WANT?
PAUL TALKED ABOUT IT WHEN HE SAID,
"MY DETERMINED PURPOSE IS TO KNOW HIM AND THE POWER
OF HIS RESURRECTION THAT LIFTS ME OUT
FROM AMONG THE DEAD EVEN WHILE I'M IN THE BODY."
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY.
HE SAID THERE'S A PLACE THAT WE CAN COME TO IN CHRIST
WHERE, WITH ALL THE DEADNESS AROUND US, AND ALL THE TROUBLE,
AND ALL THE BAD CIRCUMSTANCES, AND THE GROUCHY PEOPLE,
AND THE HIGH FINANCES, AND ALL THE THINGS
THAT ARE GOING ON, WHERE IN HIM
WE CAN BE LIFTED ABOVE THAT INTO RESURRECTION LIFE.
YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE SAYS IN ISAIAH 40
THAT WHEN WE WAIT ON GOD, WE WILL MOUNT UP
WITH WINGS LIKE EAGLES, WHO MOUNT UP CLOSE TO THE SUN.
WELL, IF YOU'VE NEVER REALLY LOOKED ANY FURTHER
THAN JUST READING THAT SCRIPTURE,
YOU MAY NOT REALLY UNDERSTAND THE TOTAL BEAUTY OF IT.
BUT AN EAGLE HAS AN ABILITY TO FLY SO HIGH,
THEY'RE NOT AFRAID OF THE STORMS OF LIFE.
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TUNNEL VISION, AND THEY CAN SEE
MILES AND MILES AWAY WHEN A STORM IS COMING.
AND INSTEAD OF RUNNING FROM IT, OR HAVING A BAD ATTITUDE
OR A FEARFUL ATTITUDE, THEY ACTUALLY WAIT FOR IT
TO COME, AND THEY LET THE DRAFT OR THE STORM WHEN IT HITS THEM,
IT POPS THEM UP ABOVE THE STORMS,
AND THEY CAN FLY AROUND IN FREEDOM AND JUST LOOK DOWN
AT WHAT'S HAPPENING.
WELL, SEE, THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE SHOULD BE AS BELIEVERS.
WE DON'T HAVE TO RUN FROM PROBLEMS, AMEN?
AND YOU KNOW WHY?
YOU HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCE WITH GOD,
AND IT TAKES SOME TIME TO GET TO THIS POINT,
BUT HONESTLY AND TRULY, NONE OF US LIKE TROUBLE,
BUT IF YOU LOVE GOD AND YOU WANT
WHAT HE WANTS IN YOUR LIFE AND YOU DON'T GIVE UP,
THERE'S NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
THAT COMES YOUR WAY THAT GOD WILL NOT BE ABLE
TO TAKE IT AND, SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER,
WORK IT OUT FOR YOUR BENEFIT IN YOUR LIFE.
THE THING MAY NOT BE GOOD, BUT GOD IS GOOD.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT GOD BROUGHT YOUR TROUBLE,
BUT HE'LL USE YOUR TROUBLE TO MAKE YOU A STRONGER BELIEVER
AND TO BE A BETTER WITNESS TO SOMEBODY ELSE.
HOW MANY OF YOU ARE GOING THROUGH SOME THINGS RIGHT NOW?
OKAY.
WELL, SEE, WE HAVE STUFF TOO, YOU KNOW?
I HAD--IN THE LAST 3 YEARS, I'VE HAD
BOTH OF MY HIPS REPLACED.
KIND OF NICE NOW YOU CAN GET REPLACEMENT PARTS, YOU KNOW?
AND THAT'S COOL, SO YOU KNOW, YOU GO THROUGH
A HEALING PROCESS, AND BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH.
WELL, I'VE BEEN HAVING A LITTLE ISSUE WITH THIS ONE,
SO THEY DON'T THINK IT'S MY HIP, THEY THINK NOW
IT COULD BE SOMETHING WITH MY BACK.
I'VE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH SCIATIC NERVE.
THIS MORNING, GETTING READY TO COME OVER HERE,
I HAD THIS PAIN GOING DOWN THE BACK OF MY LEG.
WELL, YOU KNOW, MY LIFE'S NOT PERFECT EITHER,
BUT I HAVE TO APPLY THE SAME PRINCIPLES TO MY LIFE
THAT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPLY TO YOURS.
YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T GET A PASS FROM PROBLEMS JUST BECAUSE
YOU'RE PREACHING THE WORD.
MATTER OF FACT, YOU GET ATTACKED MORE
THAN IF YOU WEREN'T DOING ANYTHING.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE DO HAVE AUTHORITY OVER THE ENEMY.
AND ALTHOUGH HE COMES AGAINST US ONE WAY, HE'LL FLEE BEFORE
US SEVEN WAYS.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: ROMANS 8, "RIGHT IN THE MIDST
OF ALL THESE THINGS, WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS."
YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR?
I BELIEVE IT MEANS THAT BEFORE YOUR PROBLEM STARTS,
YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT WHATEVER COMES YOUR WAY,
YOU WILL ULTIMATELY HAVE THE VICTORY.
AMEN?
OKAY.
SO, I WANT TO ASK AGAIN, WHAT'S FLOWING OUT OF YOU?
NOW, INTERESTING THING.
THE PHILISTINES, WHO WERE THE ENEMIES
OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD, THEY HAD A WAY OF DOING WARFARE
THAT ALSO THE ISRAELITES DID WARFARE THE SAME WAY.
BACK IN THOSE DAYS, ONE OF THE WAYS
THAT YOU DEFEATED YOUR ENEMIES WAS TO THROW DIRT
DOWN THEIR WELL.
SEE, YOU ALREADY KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING, DON'T YOU?
THEY WOULD THROW EARTH OR DIRT DOWN THEIR WELLS, AND STONES,
PEBBLES AND STONES, UNTIL THEY GOT IT STOPPED UP
TO WHERE THERE WAS NO WATER FLOWING OUT OF THE WELL.
ANOTHER THING THEY DID IS THEY WOULD THROW STONES
ALL OVER THEIR PROPERTY SO NOTHING WOULD GROW.
WELL, WHEN I SAW THIS SCRIPTURE YEARS AGO,
I TAUGHT THIS MESSAGE ONCE.
I DON'T KNOW WHY I'VE NEVER TAUGHT IT AGAIN 'CAUSE I THINK
IT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE, BUT GENESIS 26:15,
"NOW ALL THE WELLS WHICH HIS FATHER'S SERVANT
HAD DUG IN THE DAYS OF ABRAHAM, HIS FATHER THE--HIS FATHER,
THE PHILISTINES HAD CLOSED AND FILLED WITH EARTH."
SO, LET'S JUST SAY THAT EARTH REPRESENTS THE WORLD
AND ALL OF ITS WAYS.
WELL, IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT THE ENEMY WANTS TO DO,
HE WANTS TO FILL US, OUR INNER LIFE,
WITH ALL THE WAYS OF THE WORLD SO EVEN THOUGH WE GET
UP AND GO TO CHURCH TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK,
AND WE READ OUR BIBLES, AND WE MAY GIVE
A LITTLE BIT IN THE OFFERING, THERE'S STILL NOT MUCH
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND THE REST OF THE PEOPLE OUT THERE
BECAUSE THE ENEMY'S CONSTANTLY TRYING TO FILL US
WITH THE WAYS OF THE WORLD.
DOES ANYBODY SEEM TO HAVE ANY TEMPTATION THESE DAYS
ABOUT HAVING TO REALLY STAND STEADFAST
TO NOT GET SUCKED INTO THE SYSTEM OUT THERE?
AND YOU KNOW, MANY TIMES EVEN AS A BELIEVER,
IF YOU'RE GOING TO REALLY TAKE A FIRM STAND AGAINST UNGODLINESS
AND AGAINST SIN, YOU MAY HAVE TO BE WILLING
TO STAND ALONE A GREAT DEAL OF THE TIME.