THE FIRST THING YOU HAVE TO DO IF YOU'RE GONNA
BREAK ANY ADDICTION, IS STOP SAYING, "I CAN'T CONTROL THIS."
COME ON, NOW.
DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: SEE, THAT BECOMES AN EXCUSE.
"WELL, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T HELP IT.
THIS IS JUST MY PROBLEM.
JUST MY BONDAGE.
I DON'T HAVE ANY DISCIPLINE." YES YOU DO.
"I JUST CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF." YES, YOU CAN.
MAYBE YOU HAVEN'T PRACTICED IT VERY MUCH, BUT YOU COULD.
A SEED OF EVERYTHING THAT GOD IS, COMES INTO US, INTO OUR
SPIRIT THE MOMENT THAT WE RECEIVE CHRIST.
WHAT DOES A SEED NEED?
WATER.
WHAT IS THE WORD CALLED?
THE WATER OF THE WORD.
SO, THE MORE WE WATER THAT SEED WITH THE WORD OF GOD,
THE MORE OUR MIND IS RENEWED, THE MORE WE BEGIN TO BELIEVE.
AND THE BIBLE SAYS, "BE IT UNTO YOU EVEN AS YOU BELIEVE."
ONCE YOU FULLY, COMPLETELY BELIEVE SOMETHING, THE DEVIL
MIGHT AS WELL GET OUT OF THE WAY BECAUSE THERE'S GONNA
BE SOME CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE.
NOW, FIRST THING WE HAVE TO DO IS BELIEVE WHAT WE HAVE,
BEFORE WE'RE GONNA SEE IT MANIFEST IN OUR LIFE.
YOU GET IT INSIDE, THEN IT COMES TO THE OUTSIDE.
THIS IS ALL INSIDE-OUT.
EVEN IF YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF SUBSTANCE ADDICTION,
OR AN EATING DISORDER, YOU SHOULD GET UP EVERYDAY
AND DECLARE LOUDLY, "SIN IS NOT MY MASTER ACCORDING TO ROMANS 6,
AND I WILL NOT BE BROUGHT UNDER THE POWER OF ANYTHING."
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: NOW, HERE'S THE MISTAKE THAT WE MAKE.
WE WANNA WAIT UNTIL WE SEE THAT HAPPENING BEFORE WE WILL
DECLARE THAT IT'S A TRUTH.
"WELL, HOW CAN I SAY I'M FREE WHEN I'M OBVIOUSLY, NOT?"
BECAUSE GOD SAYS YOU ARE.
THE DEVIL SAYS YOU'RE IN BONDAGE.
GOD SAYS YOU'RE FREE.
IF YOU AGREE WITH THE DEVIL, YOU'LL KEEP GETTING MORE
OF WHAT YOU GOT.
YOU KNOW WHAT?
WHEN I USED TO SMOKE CIGARETTES AND I REALLY WANTED
TO QUIT, I WOULD DRIVE DOWN THE HIGHWAY,
SMOKING MY CIGARETTE SAYING, "I CAN'T STAND TO SMOKE.
DON'T LIKE TO SMOKE.
DON'T WANNA SMOKE.
I QUIT SMOKING." [BLOWING]
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: AND THE THING THAT'S VERY BEAUTIFUL ABOUT THIS IS
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I'M TEACHING YOU NOW.
IT WAS SOMETHING I FELT LIKE GOD LED ME TO DO.
AND WITHIN TWO WEEKS, I HAD QUIT.
I'M TELLING YOU, YOU GOTTA START AGREEING WITH GOD.
STOP SAYING, "I'M IN BONDAGE," AND START SAYING, "I AM FREE.
I AM FREE.
I AM FREE."
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
JOYCE: C'MON, THAT'LL DO YA A LOT OF GOOD.
WHERE THE MIND GOES THE MAN FOLLOWS.
OUR EMOTIONS GET ALL INVOLVED IN THIS.
AND GOD DOESN'T WANT US TO HAVE BROKEN HEARTS
AND WOUNDED EMOTIONS AND MESSED UP PERSONALITIES.
HE WANTS US TO KNOW WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST, TO KNOW THAT
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IT IS, TO KNOW THAT GOD LOVES
US UNCONDITIONALLY.
AND YES, WE DON'T HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER, AND WE ARE IMPERFECT,
BUT WE ARE JUST THE ONES THAT JESUS DIED FOR.
JOYCE: I MEAN, WE SEE IT ON TELEVISION,
THEY GOT A WHOLE PROGRAM NOW ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HOARD THINGS.
THERE'S ANOTHER PROGRAM ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXCESSIVE
NUMBERS OF PETS.
THERE'S GAMBLING ADDICTIONS AND EXERCISING ADDICTIONS
AND JUST ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
WELL, WHAT ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO DO?
THEY'RE TRYING TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES.
BUT WE NEED TO KNOW WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST, AND WE NEED TO KNOW
THAT WE HAVE WORTH AND VALUE BECAUSE JESUS DIED FOR US.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND WE NEED TO BE UNWILLING TO SPEND ONE MORE
NIGHT WITH THE FROGS.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: GOD CALLED MOSES TO DELIVER THE ISRAELITES OUT
OF EGYPT.
PHARAOH WHO WOULD REPRESENT THE DEVIL WOULDN'T LET 'EM GO.
SO, GOD BROUGHT PLAGUE AFTER PLAGUE.
THE NILE TURNED TO BLOOD.
IT WAS BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD EVERYWHERE.
THEN PHARAOH WOULD SAY HE'D LET 'EM GO, THEN HE'D CHANGE
HIS MIND.
SO, THEY GOT A CURSE OF FROGS.
EXODUS 8, SAYS FROGS EVERYWHERE.
WE HAVE WORRY FROGS, AND DRUG FROGS,
AND ALCOHOL FROGS, AND REBELLION FROGS.
C'MON, IS ANYBODY WITH ME?
ANGER FROGS, UNFORGIVENESS FROGS, BITTERNESS FROGS.
WELL, PHARAOH GOT TIRED OF THE FROGS AND HE SAID
TO MOSES, "ALL RIGHT, I WILL LET THE PEOPLE GO.
PRAY FOR ME, THAT GOD WOULD TAKE AWAY THE FROGS."
AND MOSES SAID TO HIM, "YOU DICTATE TO ME, WHEN YOU
WANT ME TO PRAY AND I WILL PRAY AT THAT TIME AND THE FROGS
WILL BE REMOVED." AND PHARAOH SAID, "TOMORROW."
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: WHY DID HE WANNA SPEND ONE MORE NIGHT
WITH THE FROGS?
MAYBE HE THOUGHT BY TOMORROW THEY'D GO AWAY ON THEIR OWN.
I REALLY THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHAT IT WAS.
YOU KNOW, IF I JUST WAIT TILL TOMORROW, MAYBE THESE THINGS
WILL GO AWAY ON THEIR OWN AND THEN I CAN STILL KEEP
THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE.
C'MON NOW.
THE TRICKLE-DOWN THEORY OF CONDITIONAL LOVE.
"WELL, JESUS LOVES ME, BUT HE LOVES ME CONDITIONALLY.
THEREFORE, HIS LOVE IS BASED ON MY PERFORMANCE.
THEREFORE, I HAVE TO EARN HIS LOVE BY PLEASING HIM.
THEREFORE, WHEN I PLEASE HIM, I FEEL LOVED, AND WHEN I DON'T
PLEASE HIM, I FEEL REJECTED." NOW, WE GOTTA STOP THERE
FOR A MINUTE BECAUSE HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS.
WHEN I FAIL, GOD STILL LOVES ME JUST AS MUCH AS HE DID
BEFORE I FAILED.
BUT IF I THINK THAT GOD'S LOVE FOR ME IS BASED ON MY
PERFORMANCE, THEN WHEN I FAIL, I SUDDENLY, NOW, FEEL THAT
HE DOESN'T LOVE ME ANYMORE.
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT GOD IS, IT HAS EVERYTHING
TO DO WITH MY FEELINGS.
"THEREFORE, I CANNOT ACCEPT LOVE FROM OTHER PEOPLE.
I DEFLECT IT.
AND I TRY TO PROVE TO THEM THAT I'M RIGHT, THAT I AM NOT
LOVABLE.
LOOK AND SEE HOW WEIRD I AM."
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: "I BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL EVENTUALLY REJECT ME
AND THEREFORE, THEY DO.
SO, THEREFORE, I USE THE WORLD'S STANDARDS: MONEY, POSITION,
POWER, STATUS, CLOTHES, TO PROVE TO MYSELF AND OTHERS
THAT I AM VALUABLE." "I'M VALUABLE, I'M A DOCTOR."
WHOEVER SAYS, "I'M VALUABLE, I'M A JANITOR"?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: BUT SEE, YOU ARE.
YOU'RE JUST AS VALUABLE AS THE DOCTOR.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: YOU ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT TO GOD
AS I AM TODAY.
YOU ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE PEOPLE LEADING WORSHIP.
YOU ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT TO GOD AS ANYBODY ELSE
ON THIS PLANET.
HE LOVES YOU JUST AS MUCH BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU
UNCONDITIONALLY.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: "THEREFORE, SINCE I DON'T LOVE WHO I AM,
I DON'T EXPECT THAT OTHERS WILL LOVE ME EITHER.
WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT SOMETHING TO DO WITH SOMETHING
THAT HAS NO REAL VALUE?
THEREFORE, I TRY TO EARN THEIR LOVE BY WHAT I DO.
I DON'T GIVE TO PEOPLE OUT OF A DESIRE TO LOVE THEM,
BUT TO BE LOVED." NOW, IF I HAD TIME, WHICH
I DON'T, I COULD GO THROUGH THE OTHER ONE, THE TRICKLE-DOWN
THEORY OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, AND IT'S JUST THE ABSOLUTE
OPPOSITE.
YOU CAN GET IT IN THE, "BEAUTY FOR ASHES," BOOK.
ALRIGHT, I'LL DO A FEW SENTENCES.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: WE'LL GO FAST.
"JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW, AND HE LOVES ME UNCONDITIONALLY.
THEREFORE, I HAVE NOT EARNED HIS LOVE, NOR CAN I EARN
HIS LOVE.
THEREFORE, I CANNOT BE SEPARATED FROM HIS LOVE.
WHEN I OBEY HIM, HE WILL BLESS ME.
WHEN I DISOBEY HIM, THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES.
HE MAY NOT LIKE MY BEHAVIOR, BUT HE ALWAYS LOVES ME.
THEREFORE, SINCE I HAVE EXPERIENCED GOD'S LOVE,
I KNOW THAT I AM LOVABLE.
THEREFORE, SINCE I KNOW THAT GOD LOVES ME, I AM ABLE
TO BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO COULD LOVE ME, TOO.
THEREFORE, I AM ABLE TO TRUST PEOPLE WHO LOVE ME.
THEREFORE, I AM ABLE TO ACCEPT THE LOVE THAT PEOPLE GIVE ME."
MAN, THIS MAKES YOU SO CONFIDENT.
YOU CAN GO OUT IN THE WORLD AND NOT BE AFRAID OF REJECTION
BECAUSE YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF.
AND ACTUALLY, IF SOMEBODY DOES REJECT YOU, YOU KNOW RIGHT AWAY,
THEY GOT A PROBLEM.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: "THEREFORE, SINCE MY MOST BASIC NEED FOR LOVE
AND A SENSE OF SELF-WORTH HAVE BEEN MET BY GOD, I DON'T
NEED TO BE FIXED BY PEOPLE."
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: HALLELUJAH!
AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND THEREFORE, AND THEREFORE.
YOU GET IT.
C'MON, GET UP ON YOUR FEET AND PRAISE GOD.