WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FREE?
WELL, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU'RE FREE TO DO ANYTHING YOU
WANT TO ANYTIME YOU WANT TO.
ACTUALLY, THE TRUTH IS IS YOU ARE ALREADY FREE DO THAT.
IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING TO ME HOW PEOPLE FIGHT FOR IT TO BE
FREE TODAY AND ACTUALLY, GOD ALREADY SET PEOPLE FREE IN
THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN HE SAID, "I SET BEFORE YOU LIFE
AND DEATH, CHOOSE."
SO, WE'RE ALREADY FREE BUT EVERYTHING COMES WITH
A CONSEQUENCE.
EVERY SEED THAT WE SOW COMES WITH SOME KIND OF A HARVEST IN
OUR LIFE.
AND I WAS THINKING THIS MORNING, I THINK ABOUT THIS OFTEN, THE
PROBLEM TODAY IS A LOT OF PEOPLE WANNA DO WHAT THEY PLEASE, BUT
THEN THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES.
AND SEE, YOU JUST--YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
YOU JUST CAN'T DO THAT.
YES, YOU CAN DO ALL KINDS OF STUFF, BUT YOU WILL HAVE
CONSEQUENCES.
AND SO, WE HAVE TO START MAKING CHOICES IN OUR LIVES.
AND WE DON'T HAVE TO, WE GET TO START MAKING CHOICES IN OUR
LIVES THAT ARE EVEN THOUGH THE CHOICE, RIGHT NOW, MIGHT NOT BE
THE MOST COMFORTABLE THING ON OUR FLESH, WE KNOW THAT IT WILL
PRODUCE A GREAT RESULT LATER ON DOWN THE ROAD.
BECAUSE WE ALL UNDERSTAND EXAMPLES OF EATING, DON'T WE?
WE UNDERSTAND SELF-CONTROL AND EATING.
HOW MANY UNDERSTAND SELF-CONTROL AND EATING?
OKAY, WE ATE AT A RESTAURANT HERE YESTERDAY AND THEY JUST HAD
THE BEST LOBSTER BISQUE SOUP.
NOW, IT'S GOOD BUT IT'S ALSO VERY FATTENING.
AND SO, YOU--I MEAN, IT WAS SMOOTH.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: IT WAS CREAMY.
I MEAN, IT HAD JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF FLAVOR.
YOU'RE THINKING, WHERE IS IT?
AND SO, I ALWAYS HAVE DAVE ORDER STUFF SO I CAN EAT SOME OF IT,
YOU KNOW, THAT WAY THEN IT'S NOT MINE.
I DIDN'T ORDER IT.
I ORDERED THE SALAD.
"DAVE, YOU GET THE SOUP."
AND SO, I ATE SOME OF IT.
I DIDN'T EAT ALL OF IT, BUT I ATE SOME OF IT.
AND SO, THIS MORNING I'M THINKING, MAN, MAYBE I'LL JUST
GET--MAYBE I'LL JUST GET A BOWL OF THAT MYSELF TODAY.
AND THEN I'M THINKING, NO, I REALLY DON'T WANNA DO THAT.
SEE, I DO WANNA DO IT BUT I DON'T WANNA DO IT AND THE REASON
I DON'T WANNA DO IT IS BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GAIN WEIGHT.
SO, I PRETTY MUCH KNOW WHAT I CAN EAT, WHAT I CAN'T EAT AND
MAINTAIN THE WEIGHT THAT I WANT TO HAVE.
I CAN EAT GOOD.
I ENJOY WHAT I EAT, BUT I CAN'T EAT EVERYTHING THAT I'D LIKE
TO HAVE.
SO, YOU SEE, I WANNA GO EAT MORE SOUP, CREAMY SOUP THAT YOU CAN
SMELL THE CALORIES IN BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN ANYTHING IS THAT
CREAMY, THAT IT'S FULL OF CREAM AND BUTTER.
AMEN?
AND SO, I WANT MORE SOUP.
MAYBE DAVE WILL GET IT AGAIN AND I CAN HAVE ONE BITE TODAY.
I WANT MORE SOUP, BUT--NOW, HERE'S THE THING.
I WANT YOU TO LISTEN.
BUT MORE THAN I WANT THE SOUP--SEE, I'M GUESS I'M
ASKING YOU TODAY, WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE?
MORE THAN I WANT THE SOUP, I WANT TO MAINTAIN THE SAME WEIGHT
THAT I'M AT NOW.
AND SO, WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA WANT MORE THAN ONE THING.
YOUR FLESH WANTS ONE THING, THE SPIRIT WANTS SOMETHING ELSE.
BUT TODAY I'M ASKING YOU TO START THINKING ABOUT NOT WHAT
YOU WANT RIGHT THIS MOMENT.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: WELL, NOT WHAT YOU WANT RIGHT THIS MOMENT, 'CAUSE
YOU KNOW WHAT?
IT'S GONNA TASTE GOOD AND THAT'S GONNA LAST ALL OF ABOUT
30 SECONDS AND THEN THAT'S GONE.
AND THEN HERE'S THE WAY THE FLESH IS, "WELL, YOU DIDN'T
GAIN ANY WEIGHT, DO IT AGAIN.
OH, YOU'RE GOOD.
YOU DIDN'T GAIN ANY WEIGHT, DO IT AGAIN.
OH, YOU DIDN'T GAIN ANY WEIGHT, DO IT AGAIN."
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, "THAT CLEANERS MUST HAVE SHRUNK
MY PANTS.
I DON'T--" COME ON, IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND SO, I'VE LEARNED THAT I CANNOT HAVE EVERYTHING
I WANT.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT ME LIKE, "REALLY?"
I CANNOT HAVE EVERYTHING I WANT.
I CAN HAVE SOME THINGS THAT I WANT BUT SEE, I'M FREE TO NOT
HAVE TO LET MY FLESH CONTROL ME AND DICTATE TO ME WHAT I'M
GONNA DO.
I DON'T HAVE--NOW LISTEN, I DON'T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING
I WANT TO DO.
I'M FREE TO DO WHAT I REALLY KNOW IN MY SPIRIT IS GONNA BE
THE BEST THING FOR ME LONG TERM.
I'MMA GO BACK OVER THERE AND REWIND AND SAY THAT AGAIN.
BOY, COME ON.
I'M FREE NOT TO HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING THAT I WANNA DO.
THAT'S WHY I CALL THIS THE FREEDOM OF SELF-CONTROL
BECAUSE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SELF-CONTROL, PEOPLE THINK RIGHT
AWAY, "WELL, THAT'S NOT FREEDOM.
THAT'S BONDAGE."
BECAUSE WE MISTAKENLY THINK THAT TO BE FREE MEANS, "I CAN DO
WHATEVER I WANNA DO ANYTIME I WANNA DO IT AND HAVE NO
CONSEQUENCES," AND THAT'S JUST NOT EVEN ACCORDING TO
SPIRITUAL LAW.
THE BIBLE SAYS FROM COVER TO COVER WE WILL REAP WHAT WE SOW.
I'M GONNA TELL YA A SECRET THIS MORNING AND SOME OF YOU WOULD
PREFER ANOTHER ANSWER BUT YOU'RE HERE SO I MIGHT AS WELL TELL YA.
YOU'RE HERE SO I MIGHT AS WELL TELL YA THE TRUTH.
YOU CAN CHANGE A LOT OF THINGS IN YOUR LIFE AND YOU CAN CHANGE
THEM PRETTY FAST IF YOU'RE WILLING TO START MAKING SOME
DIFFERENT DECISIONS.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND IT'S TRUE.
SOME OF YOU COULD SEE SOME BIG CHANGES IF YOU WOULD JUST MAKE
SOME DIFFERENT CHOICES IN WHO YOU HANG OUT WITH ALL THE TIME.
THAT SIDE OF THE ROOM DON'T LIKE THAT.
SOME OF YOU COULD MAKE SOME BIG CHANGES IF YOU MADE--YOU KNOW,
GET AROUND SOME HAPPY PEOPLE.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: GET AROUND SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE FULL OF
THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
GET AROUND SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA ENCOURAGE YOU
AND BUILD YOU UP.
GET AROUND SOME PEOPLE THAT BEHAVE A LITTLE BETTER THAN YOU,
NOT PEOPLE THAT BEHAVE WORSE THAN YOU.
GET AROUND SOMEBODY THAT CAN BE AN EXAMPLE TO YOU AND YOU THINK,
"MAN, I WANNA COME UP HIGHER."
GET AROUND SOME GENEROUS PEOPLE.
DON'T HANG OUT WITH A BUNCH OF STINGY, SELFISH, SELF-CENTERED
PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.
AMEN?
I'MMA SAY IT ONE MORE TIME.
I FEEL LIKE I GOT EVERYTHING ON REPEAT THIS MORNING.
YOU COULD SEE SOME THINGS IN YOUR LIFE CHANGE PRETTY FAST IF
YOU WOULD JUST MAKE A DECISION TODAY TO CHANGE AN ATTITUDE,
FORGIVE, STOP COMPLAINING.
OH, I'M GETTING A LITTLE FAINT SOMETHING OUT THERE EVERY ONCE
IF A WHILE.
AMEN.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: YOU SAY, "MAN, I DIDN'T COME HERE THIS MORNING TO
GET BEAT UP."
I'M NOT BEATING YOU UP.
I'M TELLING YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR, MAY NOT WANNA HEAR,
BUT NEED TO HEAR.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]