BUT ANYWAY, I WAS SITTING AT A STOPLIGHT, I STILL REMEMBER
EXACTLY WHERE I WAS AT IN MY CITY, AND I WAS VERY FRUSTRATED,
AND I SAID, "GOD, WHY CAN YOU NOT AT LEAST PROVIDE A LITTLE
MAIL EVERY DAY?
I MEAN, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT CALLED ME TO DO THIS, AND YOU
PUT A BIG DREAM IN MY HEART, AND I AM SO FRUSTRATED 'CAUSE I KNOW
YOU CAN DO THIS AND I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DON'T."
AND THE LORD SPOKE IN MY HEART SOMETHING THAT I DID NOT
UNDERSTAND, DIDN'T KNOW WAS IN THE SCRIPTURE EVEN, BUT HE SAID,
"I AM TEACHING YOU THAT MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE."
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: "I'M TEACHING YOU THAT MAN DOES NOT
LIVE BY BREAD ALONE." AND THERE'S MORE TO THAT
SCRIPTURE.
HE DIDN'T PUT THAT IN MY HEART AT THE TIME, THE REST OF IT
SAYS, "BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF
THE MOUTH OF GOD." WELL, REALLY WHAT HE WAS SAYING
TO ME IS, "I'M TRYING TO TEACH YOU THAT YOU CAN'T LIVE BY
THE MAILBOX." AND I COULD JUST GO ON,
AND ON, AND ON.
YOU CAN'T LIVE BY WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF YOU.
YOU CAN'T LIVE BY A MILLION DIFFERENT THINGS.
WE HAVE TO LIVE BY THE WORD OF GOD."
BUT LIKE I SAID, I DIDN'T EVEN REALLY KNOW THAT WAS
A SCRIPTURE.
I KIND OF KNEW--I KIND OF HAD A LITTLE INSTINCT ABOUT MAYBE
WHAT GOD WAS GETTING AT, BUT I WASN'T SURE.
SO, WHEN GOD'S TRYING TO GET SOMETHING TO YOU, HOW MANY OF
YOU HAVE LEARNED THAT HE HAS MULTIPLE WAYS OF CONTINUING TO
PUT THE SAME THING IN FRONT OF YOU UNTIL YOU GET IT, NO MATTER
HOW LONG IT TAKES?
YOU'LL GET IT IN THE MAILBOX, YOU'LL GET IT ON THE TV,
YOU'LL GET IT AT CHURCH.
EVERY TIME YOU TURN AROUND, YOU'LL GET THE SAME THING.
SO, GOD LED ME IN MY READING ON THAT PARTICULAR COUPLE DAYS
LATER TO DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 8.
IN DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 8, ACTUALLY I CAN TELL YOU WAS--AND
I DON'T SAY THIS ABOUT EVERYTHING, BUT IT WAS VERY
LIFE-CHANGING FOR ME BECAUSE IT TAUGHT ME--IT BASICALLY TAUGHT
ME THAT WE HAVE TO SEEK GOD FOR GOD, NOT FOR WHAT HE CAN DO
FOR US.
WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT SEEKING GOD'S HAND AND NOT
SEEKING HIS FACE.
I DON'T LIKE IT, I HAVE GROWN CHILDREN, AND WHEN THEY WERE
BABIES THIS WAS OKAY, BUT I WOULD NOT LIKE IT IF EVERY TIME
ONE OF MY CHILDREN WALKED IN THE HOUSE, THEY CAME TO GET
SOMETHING.
I WANT THEM TO COME BECAUSE THEY LOVE ME, AND TO SPEND TIME WITH
ME BECAUSE THEY LOVE ME.
SO, I'M GOING TO TAKE THE TIME TO GO THROUGH SOME OF
DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 8 WITH YOU TONIGHT, SHARE A FEW THINGS WITH
YOU, AND I ACTUALLY WANT TO TEACH YOU TONIGHT ABOUT
THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING JESUS FIRST IN YOUR LIFE, KEEPING HIM
FIRST IN YOUR LIFE.
NOW, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I GET ASKED PROBABLY MORE THAN ANY
OTHER QUESTION IN INTERVIEWS, WHICH I'VE DONE PLENTY OF, IS
WITH ALL YOU HAVE GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE, HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR
PRIORITIES STRAIGHT?
AND YOU KNOW WHAT I TELL THEM NOW?
I'M ALWAYS STRAIGHTENING THEM OUT.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY JUST ONE TIME MAKES A DECISION, GETS
THEIR PRIORITIES ALL LINED UP, AND NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH
IT AGAIN.
YOU KNOW WHY?
THERE'S--YOU CAN HAVE--EVERYTHING CAN BE
PERFECTLY IN ORDER IN YOUR LIFE AND YOU CAN BE LIKE--HAVE EVERY
PRIORITY RIGHT IN LINE RIGHT NOW, BUT THERE'S SO MANY THINGS
OUT IN THE WORLD TO DRAW US AWAY FROM THE THINGS THAT ARE
THE MOST IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY BE--I DON'T MEAN
CONSTANTLY, BUT EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR
LIVES, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR TIME, WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH
OUR TIME?
ARE WE PUTTING TIME INTO RELATIONSHIPS?
ARE WE LIVING A LIFE NOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE HAPPY
WITH LATER ON?
ARE WE INVESTING OUR TIME?
ARE WE WASTING OUR TIME?
AND IF YOU DON'T EVER TAKE THE TIME TO DO THAT AND MAKE THE
ADJUSTMENTS THAT YOU NEED TO, BASICALLY WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
IS WE'RE GOING TO END UP PRETTY MUCH LIVING A USELESS LIFE.
THE DEVIL IS VERY GOOD AT DRAWING PEOPLE AWAY FROM
THE THINGS THAT SHOULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM.
HOW MANY OF YOU REALIZE THAT LIKE YOUR OWN PERSONAL TIME WITH
GOD, THAT THE ENEMY IS VERY GOOD AT FINDING OTHER THINGS FOR YOU
TO DO DURING THAT TIME?
OKAY.
SO, DEUTERONOMY 8, VERSE 1.
HOW MANY OF YOU LIKE TO STUDY THE BIBLE?
OKAY, ALL RIGHT.
"ALL THE COMMANDMENTS WHICH I COMMAND YOU THIS DAY, YOU SHALL
BE WATCHFUL TO DO, THAT YOU MAY LIVE AND MULTIPLY AND GO IN AND
POSSESS THE LAND WHICH THE LORD SWORE TO GIVE TO YOUR FATHERS."
WELL, I LOVE THAT HE SAID, "I WANT YOU TO--I WANT YOU
TO OBEY MY COMMANDS," BUT IT WASN'T JUST BECAUSE HE LIKES
GIVING PEOPLE HARD THINGS TO DO.
HE SAID, "IF YOU DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE
A LIFE WORTH LIVING, NOT JUST BREATHE, BUT A LIFE
WORTH LIVING.
EVERYTHING YOU HAVE WILL MULTIPLY.
YOU WON'T BE GOING AROUND DESPERATE ALL THE TIME.
AND YOU'RE GOING TO POSSESS EVERYTHING THAT JESUS DIED
TO GIVE YOU." DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE
THERE ARE THAT ARE CHRISTIANS THAT SIT IN CHURCHES YEAR AFTER
YEAR AFTER YEAR AND DO NOT HAVE ONE OUNCE OF VICTORY
IN THEIR LIFE?
I KNOW BECAUSE I WAS ONE OF THEM FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
I LOVE THE LORD, I WENT TO CHURCH, I DID CHURCH WORK,
SERVED ON THE CHURCH BOARD.
OUR LIFE REVOLVED AROUND CHURCH.
BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, AT HOME, I WAS A NIGHTMARE BECAUSE I DID
NOT REALLY KNOW HOW TO ACCESS THE LIFE THAT JESUS DIED TO
GIVE ME.
AND IN MANY WAYS, I WAS NOT OBEYING GOD.
I WASN'T A TERRIBLE PERSON, BUT I WASN'T REALLY THE KIND OF
PERSON THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
AND SO, GOD SAYS TONIGHT, "LISTEN, WHATEVER IT IS THAT
I'VE TOLD YOU TO DO, DO IT.
JUST DO IT." BECAUSE EVERYTHING THAT GOD
TELLS US TO DO, IT'S NOT FOR HIS BENEFIT, IT'S FOR OUR BENEFIT.
ONCE WE FIGURE THAT OUT, IT GETS A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO DO IT.
IF GOD TELLS YOU TO FORGIVE SOMEBODY, IT'S NOT FOR HIS
BENEFIT, IT'S NOT EVEN FOR YOUR ENEMY'S BENEFIT, IT'S FOR
YOUR BENEFIT.
'CAUSE YOUR LIFE IS GOING TO GET BETTER IF YOU DON'T CARRY THAT
JUNK AROUND ON THE INSIDE OF YOU ALL THE TIME, AMEN?
AND SO, IF YOU WALKED IN HERE TONIGHT MAD AT SOMEBODY,
PLEASE DON'T GO HOME THE WAY YOU WALKED IN.
GET SOMETHING OUT OF THIS, DROP IT, LEAVE IT HERE,
AND GO HOME HAPPY.