SEE, ONE OF MY GREAT DREAMS IS TO FINISH MY RACE.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO TELL YOU HOW IMPORTANT
THAT IS TO ME.
THIS HAS BEEN A LONG JOURNEY FOR ME, AND I'VE BEEN TEACHING
THE WORD 42 YEARS AND I REALLY HOPE AND PRAY,
IT IS A GREAT DESIRE OF MINE THAT I CAN STILL BE SHARING
THE WORD IN SOME FORM OR FASHION RIGHT UNTIL GOD IS FINISHED
WITH ME AND HE TAKES ME HOME.
WELL, YOU SEE, I KNOW THAT IN ORDER DO THAT, I GOTTA
DO A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF BEHIND THE SCENES
TO STAY STRONG.
IT TAKES MY TIME.
IT TAKES EFFORT.
SOMETIMES IT TAKES MONEY.
SOMETIMES IT'S INCONVENIENT, BUT YOU SEE, WE'RE VERY BAD
AT WANTING SOMETHING OVER HERE ON THIS END BUT NOT WANTING
TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO GET IT.
LET ME ASK A QUESTION, ARE YOU A GAMBLER OR AN INVESTOR?
YOU KNOW WHAT A PERSON WHO KIND OF HAS A GAMBLING SPIRIT DOES?
AND I'M NOT EVEN NECESSARILY TALKING ABOUT
THE CASINO TYPE THING.
I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU KIND OF JUST DON'T DO THE RIGHT THING
AND KIND OF SORT OF HOPE YOU GET BY WITH IT.
BUT THE BIBLE SAYS THAT WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.
AND SO, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO START DOING
A WHOLE LOT MORE MAINTENANCE AND INSTEAD OF JUST WAITING
UNTIL WE HAVE A MAJOR DISASTER IN LIFE AND TRYING TO QUICK GET
STRONG, LET'S TALK THIS MORNING ABOUT STAYING STRONG.
LET'S TALK ABOUT DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO
WHEN THERE IS NO EMERGENCY, BUT IT'S JUST WISDOM TO DO IT,
AND THEN YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT LESS EMERGENCIES, AND TO BE HONEST
WITH YOU, IT'S GONNA BE A LOT LESS PAINFUL, AND IN THE LONG
RUN, IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT LESS TIME TO DEAL WITH THINGS
A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME THAN IT WILL--YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T TAKE
CARE OF MY TEETH FOR A LONG TIME, PART OF IT WAS WE DIDN'T
HAVE THE MONEY, BUT THEN PART OF IT WAS I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO.
AND I'LL JUST BE HONEST AND TELL YA, I HAVE SIX TEETH
IN MY WHOLE MOUTH THAT DON'T HAVE CROWNS ON THEM.
SO, DO WHAT YOU NEED DO WHEN YOU NEED TO DO IT.
AND EVEN NOW, I'M ONE OF THOSE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT GET
A LOT OF PLAQUE ON MY TEETH.
THEY WANT ME TO COME GET MY TEETH CLEANED EVERY 4 MONTHS.
I DON'T WANT TO GET MY TEETH CLEANED EVERY 4 MONTHS.
I MEAN, I'D BE HAPPY TO GO ONCE EVERY TWO OR THREE YEARS.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: BUT HERE'S THE THING, IF I EVEN 7 OR 8 MONTHS WHEN
I GO TO GET MY TEETH CLEANED, IT REALLY HURTS BECAUSE THEY
HAVE TO REALLY DIG AROUND TO GET THE PLAQUE OFF.
IF I GO EVERY 4 MONTHS, DOESN'T HURT AT ALL.
COME ON, HOW MANY OF YOU ARE UNDERSTANDING
WHAT I'M SAYING TODAY?
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: YOU SAY, "WELL, THIS IS SURE A LOT
OF PRACTICAL STUFF.
I CAME TO GET A WORD FROM GOD AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
MY TEETH AND COLONOSCOPY AND--"
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: YOU KNOW WHAT?
THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG TODAY, SOMETIMES WE GO TO CHURCH
AND EVERYTHING IS JUST SO SPIRITUAL THAT WE GO OUT
AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO LIVE PRACTICAL, EVERYDAY LIFE, AMEN?
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: "OH, THE SERVICE TODAY WAS SO..."
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: "IT WAS, WOW." "WELL, WHAT'D YOU LEARN?"
"UH, I DON'T KNOW BUT, MAN, I HAD A LOT OF GOOSEBUMPS,
IT WAS GREAT."
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: WOW, STAYING STRONG.
ALL RIGHT, PROVERBS 18:14, GREAT SCRIPTURE.
"THE STRONG SPIRIT OF A MAN WILL SUSTAIN HIM IN BODILY PAIN
AND TROUBLE, BUT A WEAK AND A BROKEN SPIRIT WHO CAN
RAISE IT UP OR WHO CAN BEAR IT?" IF WE STAY STRONG SPIRITUALLY
THEN, REALLY, NO MATTER WHAT COME AGAINST US,
WE WILL MAKE IT THROUGH.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GONNA BE EASY.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S GONNA BE NO PAIN INVOLVED.
BUT TRULY, TRULY, WE CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST
WHO IS OUR STRENGTH.
YES, YOU CAN MAKE IT THROUGH WHATEVER YOU'RE GOING THROUGH
RIGHT NOW.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT?
YOU CAN GET SO STRONG IN SPIRIT THAT YOU CAN BE GOING THROUGH
REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT THINGS AND WHILE YOU ARE, YOU'RE STILL
REACHING OUT AND HELPING OTHER PEOPLE AND THEY DON'T EVEN
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: DID YOU HEAR ME?
WE DON'T HAVE TO BE THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT EVERY TIME WE
HAVE A PROBLEM, WE FALL APART.
WE CAN BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT.
BUT IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME MAINTENANCE, SOME REGULAR DOING
OF WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING, NOT JUST WAITING UNTIL ALL
OF SUDDEN, WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE FALLING APART AND QUICK, QUICK,
TRYING TO GET TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE.
EPHESIANS CHAPTER 6 IS A CHAPTER IN THE BIBLE ABOUT HOW TO DEFEAT
THE DEVIL.
AND WE ALL LOVE THOSE KINDS OF MESSAGES.
EVERYBODY LIKES TO THINK THAT THEY'VE GOT THE POWER
AND THEY CAN DEFEAT THE ENEMY.
AND IN EPHESIANS 6:11 THROUGH 18, IT TEACHES US
ABOUT PUTTING ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD AND PUTTING ON PEACE
AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THE DIFFERENT FACETS OF ARMOR THAT WE
CAN PUT ON WHICH CAUSES US TO BE VICTORIOUS AGAINST THE ENEMY.
BUT VERSE 10 IS ONE THAT WE MIGHT NOT PAY AS MUCH
ATTENTION TO AS WE SHOULD.
AND THAT PRECEDES ALL THE OTHERS AND IT SIMPLY SAYS, "BE STRONG
IN THE LORD.