GOD IS ALWAYS RIGHT, AND IF WE DISAGREE WITH HIM, THEN WE ARE
ALWAYS WRONG.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: GOD'S THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN GUIDE OUR LIVES IN
A RIGHT WAY.
AND I WANNA SAY THIS, AND I WANT YOU TO GET THIS.
ANYTHING THAT GOD ASKS YOU TO DO OR NOT TO DO, ANYTHING HE ASKS
YOU TO GIVE UP IS ALWAYS AND ONLY FOR YOUR BENEFIT.
IF WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT GOD IS GOOD AND THAT HE LOVES US, AND
HE TELLS US TO GIVE UP SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T WANNA GIVE UP,
FIRST OF ALL, IT'S WRONG TO DISOBEY GOD, BUT SECONDLY, WE'RE
ONLY HURTING OURSELVES BECAUSE EVERYTHING THAT HE TELLS US TO
DO IS SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO GIVES US THE LIFE THAT WE SAY WE
WANNA HAVE, BUT WE'RE NOT DOING THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO IN
ORDER TO GET IT.
I'LL NEVER FORGET A WOMAN THAT ATTENDED A CONFERENCE.
AND I TELL THIS STORY PRETTY OFTEN, BUT IT'S STILL AMAZES ME.
WE WERE HAVIN' SOME KIND OF A BANQUET-TYPE CONFERENCE
WHERE--AND IT WAS ALL LADIES, AND THEY WERE SITTIN' AT THESE
BIG ROUND TABLES TOGETHER, LIKE, ABOUT EIGHT PEOPLE AT A TABLE.
SO THEY HAD PLENTY OF FELLOWSHIP DURING MEALS AND STUFF, AND SO,
I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS TEACHIN' ON, BUT AT THE END OF THE
CONFERENCE, THE LADY CAME TO ME AND SHE SAID, "WELL, I KNOW NOW
EXACTLY WHAT MY PROBLEM IS."
AND I SAID, "WELL, WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?"
SHE SAID, "WELL, I WAS ABUSED SEXUALLY, LIKE YOU ARE."
AND SHE SAID, "IT JUST SO HAPPENS," ALL THESE LITTLE
THINGS THAT WE THINK ARE COINCIDENCES, AND THEY'RE REALLY
THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD.
"IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT ALL THE LADIES AT THE TABLE WITH
ME HAD A SIMILAR BACKGROUND TO MINE."
AND SHE SAID, "AS I LISTENED TO THEM TALK ABOUT THEIR HEALING
AND WHAT ALL GOD HAD DONE IN THEIR LIFE AND HOW FREE THEY
WERE NOW," SHE SAID, "I REALIZED AFTER LISTENING TO THEM THAT GOD
HAS TOLD ME THE SAME THINGS THAT HE TOLD THEM.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS, THEY DID IT, AND I DIDN'T."
LET THAT SOAK IN JUST A LITTLE BIT.
IF I WERE TO ASK RIGHT NOW--AND I WON'T MAKE YOU RAISE
YOUR HANDS, ALTHOUGH I PROBABLY SHOULD.
IF I WERE TO ASK RIGHT NOW, HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW RIGHT NOW,
WITHOUT ME SAYIN' ANOTHER WORD, THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT GOD
HAS TOLD YOU TO DO OR SOMETHING THAT HE HAS ASKED YOU TO STOP
DOING, MAYBE QUITE A WHILE AGO, AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T DONE IT?
WE'VE GOT PEOPLE, BRAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT?
I'M NOT TRYIN' TO BE MEAN, BUT YOU'LL STAY IN THE SAME MESS
YOU'RE IN AND IT'LL JUST GET WORSE UNTIL YOU DO WHAT GOD
TELLS YOU TO DO.
"FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD."
IT'S GREAT TO SAY, "I HAVE FAITH IN GOD," BUT IF I'M NOT GONNA DO
WHAT HE TELLS ME TO DO, THEN I'M NOT GONNA GET ANYWHERE.
AND SO, MAYBE SOME OF YOU WILL SQUIRM IN YOUR SEATS A LITTLE
BIT THIS MORNING.
I HOPE YOU DO.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD ALWAYS JUST BE ALL THAT COMFORTABLE
SITTIN' IN CHURCH.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: OKAY, SO, WE'RE GONNA TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
OBEDIENCE.
HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD THE SCRIPTURE, "RESIST THE DEVIL,
AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU"?
OKAY, WELL, THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT WHAT THE SCRIPTURE SAYS.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: THAT'S THE PART OF IT WE QUOTE, BUT IT ACTUALLY SAYS:
"SUBMIT YOURSELF TO GOD, RESIST THE DEVIL, AND HE WILL FLEE
FROM YOU."
SO, WE HAVE NO POWER OVER SATAN IF WE'RE LIVING IN KNOWN
DISOBEDIENCE.
NOW, I THINK THAT GOD'S A LITTLE MORE GRACIOUS TO US WHEN WE'RE
LIVIN' IN IGNORANCE.
THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID THAT GOD GAVE HIM GRACE BECAUSE HE HAD
ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE.
HE WAS PERSECUTING CHRISTIANS, BUT HE ACTUALLY REALLY BELIEVED
THAT HE WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING.
HOWEVER, AS SOON AS GOD SHOWED HIM OTHERWISE, HE WAS READY
AND QUICK TO MAKE A CHANGE.
SO, IF YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS WRONG,
THEN GOD WILL GIVE YOU MORE GRACE, A SPACE OF TIME.
BUT EVERY TIME YOU COME TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD, WHETHER IT'S
WATCHIN' A TV PROGRAM, OR LISTENING TO A MESSAGE, OR
READING THE BIBLE, OR COMING TO CHURCH, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU GET?
NOT JUST A GOOD MESSAGE.
YOU GET MORE RESPONSIBILITY.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: BECAUSE NOW YOU KNOW SOMETHING THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW
BEFORE, AND SO, IF YOU KEEP DOING THE SAME DUMB STUFF YOU
DID BEFORE YOU KNEW THE RIGHT THING TO DO, NOW, YOU'RE GONNA
EXPERIENCE THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.
"WELL, I THOUGHT GOD'S MERCIFUL."
HE IS MERCIFUL, BUT SOMETIMES THE MOST MERCIFUL THING YOU CAN
DO IS NOT LET SOMEBODY KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH SOMETHING
THAT'S HURTING THEM.
"SUBMIT YOURSELF TO GOD, RESIST THE DEVIL, AND HE WILL FLEE."
NOW, WE'RE ALWAYS ALL GONNA HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE DEVIL
BECAUSE HE HATES US.
AND REALLY, YOU SHOULD BE MORE CONCERNED IF HE'S NOT GIVING YOU
ANY TROUBLE THAN IF HE IS.
BECAUSE IF HE'S NOT GIVING YOU ANY TROUBLE, THEN YOU'RE NOT
PROBABLY NOT GIVING HIM ANY.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: HOWEVER, THE BEST WAY IN THE WORLD TO GIVE THE DEVIL
NO POWER OVER YOU IS, TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY, QUICKLY
AND PROMPTLY DO WHATEVER GOD ASKS YOU TO DO.
QUICKLY AND PROMPTLY DO WHATEVER GOD ASKS YOU TO DO.