YOU CANNOT HAVE SPIRITUAL MATURITY, I CANNOT
AND YOU CANNOT, WE CANNOT BECOME WHAT GOD WANTS US TO BE AND DO
WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE WORLD DOES.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: NOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW COMFORTABLE OR UNCOMFORTABLE
THIS IS GOING TO BE FOR SOME PEOPLE TODAY, BUT I'LL TELL YOU,
WE NEED TO HEAR MORE ABOUT NOT LIVING IN SIN, SAYING NO
TO STUFF, NOT COMPROMISING.
BECAUSE THE ENEMY IS USING IT TO BRING DECEPTION
INTO PEOPLE'S LIVES.
"IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT, JUST A LITTLE BIT.
EVERYBODY ELSE DOES IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE
THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE." I AM PLEADING WITH YOU TODAY.
AND YOU KNOW, THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID, "I BEG OF YOU."
I THINK SOMETIMES WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO DO THE KIND OF STUFF
THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, AND YOU SEE WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO
IN PEOPLE'S LIVES, AND YOU SEE THEM CONTINUE TO COMPROMISE,
IT'S LIKE THERE'S JUST LIKE A--PLEASE START DOING
WHAT YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO, AND NOT
JUST WHAT ALL YOUR FRIENDS WANT YOU TO DO, AMEN?
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: OKAY, CAN I HAVE MY SLINGERS COME OUT?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE; COME ON, YOU'VE GOT SLINGERS
IN YOUR LIFE, SLINGERS THAT TEMPT YOU TO COMPROMISE.
LET'S SLING A LITTLE COMPROMISE OUT THERE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
JOYCE: WHEW.
OKAY, THAT'S GOOD.
ALL RIGHT, NOW HERE IS THE THING THAT I WANT TO BRING
TO YOUR ATTENTION.
AND I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN, SO I ALREADY HAD IT PLANNED
IN MY MESSAGE.
YOU GUYS CAN GO BACK NOW UNTIL I NEED YOU AGAIN.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: LISTEN, WHEN THEY SLUNG THE STONES
OF COMPROMISE OUT THERE, YOU WERE ALL TRYING
TO CATCH IT.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: COME ON, I COULD SAY, "AMEN," AND WE COULD
GO TO LUNCH, AND YOU GOT THE MESSAGE.
YOU WERE ALL TRYING TO CATCH IT.
AND WHAT EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING WAS...
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: DOING EVERYTHING THAT YOU COULD TO AVOID IT.
YOU KNOW, THE APOSTLE PAUL HAD THE FLOW OF GOD IN HIS LIFE,
THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
AND, BUT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A COUPLE OF SCRIPTURES
AND SEE WHY.
ACTS 23:1, "THEN PAUL, GAZING EARNESTLY AT THE COUNCIL
(OF SANHEDRIN), SAID, 'BRETHREN, I HAVE LIVED BEFORE GOD,
DOING MY DUTY WITH A PERFECTLY GOOD CONSCIENCE
UNTIL THIS VERY DAY [AS A CITIZEN
AND A TRUE, LOYAL JEW].'" LET ME JUST SAY AGAIN GOD
HAS GIVEN US OUR CONSCIENCE.
AND WHEN YOUR CONSCIENCE HAS BEEN ENLIGHTENED
BY THE HOLY SPIRIT--NOW, THERE IS A FALSE GUILT THAT PEOPLE
CAN CARRY AROUND.
I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THAT FOR A LONG TIME.
I HAD TO LEARN ENOUGH OF THE WORD TO KNOW WHAT WAS
TRULY RIGHT AND WHAT WAS TRULY WRONG.
BECAUSE TO BE HONEST, IF YOU DON'T KNOW THAT,
ANYTHING YOU TRY TO DO IN LIFE TO ENJOY YOURSELF,
THE DEVIL'S GOING TO MAKE YOU FEEL GUILTY ABOUT.
SO, WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS REAL CONVICTION FROM THE HOLY GHOST
COMPARED TO WHAT IS CONDEMNATION FROM THE DEVIL, AMEN?
THE THING THAT PAUL SAID, WHICH I LOVE THIS, HE SAID,
"I'M FREE TO DO ANYTHING.
THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S ILLEGAL FOR ME."
IN OTHER WORDS, TO BE HONEST, YOU CAN COMPROMISE
AND PROBABLY STILL GO TO HEAVEN.
A LOT OF THESE OTHER THINGS THAT I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT,
YOU COULD PROBABLY STILL DO SOME OF THOSE THINGS AND GO
TO HEAVEN.
BUT IT'S NOT THE BEST THING FOR YOU, IT'S NOT THE BEST
EXAMPLE TO THE WORLD.
YOU KNOW, THE WORLD IS JUST LOOKING AT US, LOOKING
FOR EXCUSES TO JUDGE AND CRITICIZE US,
AND YELL THAT WE'RE PHONY.
SO, YOU PUT A BUMPER STICKER ON YOUR CAR, AND THEY'RE
GOING TO WATCH YOUR BEHAVIOR.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE THAT MANY TIMES
PEOPLE WILL TEST US.
THEY'LL TRY TO GET US TO DO SOMETHING THAT THEY KNOW IS
WRONG JUST SO IF WE DO IT, THEN OUR PRESENCE DOESN'T CONVICT
THEM ANYMORE OF THEIR SIN BECAUSE NOW WE'RE DOING THE SAME
THING THAT THEY'RE DOING.
BUT THEN THEY JUDGE US AND CRITICIZE US FOR IT.
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF WE BEHAVE
LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, ALL WE'RE DOING IS GIVING THEM FUEL TO SAY
THAT WE'RE JUST PHONIES AND THAT WHAT WE HAVE
IS REALLY NOT REAL.
OUR BEHAVIOR AND OUR LIFESTYLES NEED TO BRING A GODLY CONVICTION
ON PEOPLE.
NOT LIKE A JUDGMENTAL SPIRIT, BUT PEOPLE NEED TO BE
A LITTLE BIT CONVICTED ABOUT THEIR BEHAVIOR
IN YOUR PRESENCE.
AND THE ONLY WAY THAT'S EVER GOING TO HAPPEN IS
IF YOU HOLD A STANDARD.
NOT BEING JUDGMENTAL TOWARD THEM, NOT BEING CRITICAL TOWARD
THEM, NOT TRYING TO MAKE THEM FEEL GUILTY, BUT YOU HAVE
TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOURSELF.
MY HUSBAND, WHEN HE WORKED IN THE ENGINEERING FIELD BEFORE
HE CAME TO WORK AT THE MINISTRY MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO,
DAVE WAS ALWAYS A GODLY MAN, HE HAD STANDARDS IN HIS LIFE
AND, YOU KNOW, THE GUYS WOULD SIT AROUND
AND THEY KNEW DAVE WAS A CHRISTIAN, AND HE'S TOLD ME
ABOUT TIMES WHEN THEY WOULD BE TELLING REALLY DIRTY JOKES.
HE TOLD ME SOME STORY ABOUT ONE GUY
WHO WAS TRYING TO--CAME UP TO HIS AREA WHERE HE WORKED,
AND STARTED TRYING TO TELL HIM A DIRTY JOKE.
AND HE LOOKED AT HIM, AND HE SAID, "NOW, WHY ARE YOU
TRYING TO TELL ME THAT?
YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT I'M A BELIEVER IN GOD AND I DON'T
LIKE THAT KIND OF STUFF." WELL, YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE
A LITTLE BIT HARD TO DO THAT BECAUSE ALL OF A SUDDEN NOW YOU
SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THE REST OF THE PACK.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THE OTHER SIDE OF IT WAS?
WHEN THIS GUY GOT IN TROUBLE LATER ON WITH HIS MARRIAGE
AND HIS WIFE WAS LEAVING HIM, WHO DO YOU THINK HE CAME
TO TO GET SOME HELP AND SOME COUNSEL?
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: BUT THE THING THAT I ALWAYS REALLY LIKED
ABOUT THE WAY DAVE HANDLED HIMSELF AT WORK WAS HE
WOULD CONFRONT PEOPLE, BUT NOT IN A CRITICAL
OR A JUDGMENTAL WAY.
HE WOULD BE JUST AS FRIENDLY WITH THAT GUY THE NEXT TIME HE
SAW HIM AS IF THAT WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED.
AND THE PLACE WHERE WE GET IN TROUBLE IS WHERE WE GET
AN ATTITUDE.
"WELL, I'M BETTER THAN YOU," AND THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE
CAN'T STAND.
YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE THAT ATTITUDE, BUT YOU
DON'T NEED TO COMPROMISE WITH EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE WORLD
FOR THEM TO BE WILLING TO ACCEPT YOU, AMEN?
SO, WE WANT TO KEEP OUR CONSCIENCE CLEAR BEFORE GOD
BECAUSE COMPROMISE IS LIKE A STONE THROWN INTO YOUR WELL,
AND IT'S GOING TO MESS UP THE FLOW IN YOUR LIFE.
THERE'S NOTHING WORSE THAN HAVING A GUILTY CONSCIENCE
ABOUT SOMETHING THAT YOU DID THAT YOU KNEW GOD DID NOT WANT
YOU TO DO.
BUT SEE, HERE'S THE THING.
WE GET SO USED TO COMPROMISING AND DOING THINGS
BELOW GODLY STANDARD, IF NOBODY EVER CONFRONTS IT,
THEN WE JUST KEEP DOING IT.
LITTLE BIT, LITTLE BIT, LITTLE BIT, UNTIL ALL OF A SUDDEN,
OUR LIVES ARE RUINED AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A BELIEVER THAT WAS ONCE REALLY STRONG
WITH GOD, STARTED GETTING OFF TRACK?
AND IT'S A LITTLE BIT, LITTLE BIT, LITTLE BIT.
AND THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, SOMEBODY SAYS, "I HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM." WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?
IT DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
IT HAPPENED A LITTLE HERE, LITTLE THERE.
THE DEVIL IS PATIENT.
COME ON, HE TAKES HIS TIME.
HE WILL WORK IN OUR LIVES A LITTLE BIT, A LITTLE BIT,
A LITTLE BIT.
AND THAT LITTLE BIT LIE IS ONE OF THE LIES THAT YOU
HAVE TO REALLY WATCH FOR.
NOW, I KNOW SOMETIMES THIS GETS A LITTLE BIT UNCOMFORTABLE
BECAUSE WELL, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO HAVE OUR FUN, WE WANT TO BE
PART OF THE GROUP, WE WANT TO DO ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
BUT THE THING IS, IS I'M NOT STANDING HERE TELLING YOU TODAY,
GIVING YOU A LIST OF THINGS YOU CAN'T DO.
WHAT I'M TELLING YOU IS THAT IF YOU DO WHAT GOD WANTS
YOU TO DO, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A FREEDOM AND A JOY
THAT'S GOING TO BE WORTH A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN ANYTHING
YOU THINK YOU HAD TO WALK AWAY FROM TO GET IT.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: ROMANS 9:1, "I'M SPEAKING THE TRUTH
IN CHRIST.
I'M NOT LYING; MY CONSCIENCE [ENLIGHTENED
AND PROMPTED] BY THE HOLY SPIRIT BEARS WITNESS WITHIN ME."
SO, PAUL WAS SAYING, "LOOK, I DON'T HAVE KNOWN SIN
IN MY LIFE." DOESN'T MEAN HE DIDN'T--THAT HE
DID EVERYTHING RIGHT, BUT HE SAID,
"I'VE GOT A CLEAR CONSCIENCE.
I'M GOOD WITH GOD." NOW, THERE'S TWO WAYS TO KEEP
FROM HAVING A GUILTY CONSCIENCE.
ONE OF THEM IS WHEN YOU SIN, TO BE QUICK TO REPENT
AND WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM WHAT YOU'VE DONE WRONG.
THAT'S GOOD, THAT'S A GOOD PLAN, THAT DOOR'S ALWAYS OPEN.
BUT IF IT CONTINUES TO BE THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER
AND OVER AND OVER, THEN MAYBE THAT'S AN INDICATION
THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO JUST STOP REPENTING FOR,
AND JUST DECIDE THAT NEEDS TO GO OUT OF OUR LIVES.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE THING WHEN WE DO SOMETHING WRONG AND WE
DON'T HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE THAT WE'RE DOING IT WRONG.
BUT THE MORE KNOWLEDGE WE HAVE, THE MORE RESPONSIBLE WE BECOME
TO DO WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE ROUTE
OF SINNING, FEELING GUILTY, HAVING GOD DEAL WITH US,
REPENTING, FINALLY RECEIVING MERCY, GETTING BACK
TO SQUARE ONE AGAIN, AND THEN DOING THE SAME THING
ALL OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
SO YES, WE CAN REPENT.
THANK GOD THAT HIS MERCY'S NEW EVERY DAY.
I DON'T THINK THAT WE CAN EVER OUT-SIN GOD'S FORGIVENESS.
BUT, I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO LIVE,
AND THAT IS TO DECIDE TODAY, "IT'S TIME FOR ME TO COME UP
TO A NEW LEVEL OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY, AND INSTEAD
OF JUST REPENTING ALL THE TIME FOR THE SAME STUFF, I WANT
TO START DOING WHAT GOD LEADS ME TO DO THE FIRST TIME HE LEADS ME
TO DO IT SO I DON'T HAVE TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD AGAIN."