WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL STUFF GOING ON IN THE WORLD TODAY,
AND THERE'S A BIG PUSH FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT
PLACES FOR CHRISTIANS TO BE CLOSET CHRISTIANS,
OR TO NOT BE CHRISTIANS, OR SHUT YOUR MOUTH,
OR DON'T STAND UP.
DON'T YOU DARE GO AGAINST THE FLOW.
AND I BELIEVE THAT WE'RE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE IF WE BUY
INTO THAT.
I BELIEVE THAT GOD WANTS US TO BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: LET ME JUST SAY THAT SINNERS ARE NOT QUIET ABOUT
WHAT THEY WANT.
AND IT'S AMAZING THAT THERE'S THESE LITTLE SMALL GROUPS OF
PEOPLE THAT WANT TO TAKE AWAY OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS AND THEY
KEEP AT IT, AND KEEP AT IT, AND KEEP AT IT, AND KEEP AT IT,
AND KEEP AT IT, AND KEEP AT IT UNTIL THEY JUST FINALLY END UP
GETTING WHAT THEY WANT.
AND SO, WE NEED TO KEEP AT IT, AND KEEP AT IT, AND KEEP AT IT,
AND KEEP AT IT, AND KEEP AT IT.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: CAN I JUST TELL YOU THIS AND BE VERY PLAIN?
BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST ARE THE ONLY HOPE THAT WE HAVE TODAY
OF NOT LOSING OUR CHRISTIAN RIGHTS IN THIS COUNTRY.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: I WOULD HAVE NEVER EVER, EVER THOUGHT 50 YEARS
AGO THAT I COULD LIVE TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON TODAY.
I MEAN, THE WORLD HAS CHANGED SO DRAMATICALLY IN 50 YEARS THAT IT
IS ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING.
AND SO, WE NEED TO LEARN THAT WE ARE GONNA STAND UP AGAINST
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD TODAY AND REFUSE TO BOW DOWN,
TO BOW DOWN.
THE DEVIL'S ALWAYS WANTING US TO BOW DOWN.
THE DEVIL SAID TO JESUS, "IF YOU'LL BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP
ME JUST ONCE." AND THE ENEMY PRESSES US TO
COMPROMISE WITH THE WORLD SO WE CAN GET ALONG WITH THEM.
COME ON NOW.
I SAID, HE PRESSES US TO COMPROMISE WITH THE WORLD SO WE
CAN BE ACCEPTED AND GET ALONG WITH THEM.
THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ME TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT
REALIZING THAT YOU CAN SURVIVE REJECTION IF YOU HAVE TO.
YOU CAN SURVIVE THE REJECTION OF PEOPLE, BUT YOU CANNOT
SURVIVE LOSING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BY BEING A COWARD
AND GIVING IN TO WHAT THE WORLD IS MAKING DEMANDS ON US FOR.
GOD IS WITH US.
HE'S WITH YOU.
AND HE'S DEPENDING ON YOU AND HE'S DEPENDING ON ME.
AND THIS IS A TIME FOR US TO SHINE, SHINE, SHINE.
ISAIAH 43:1 THROUGH 5, "BUT NOW
[IN SPITE OF PAST JUDGMENTS FOR ISRAEL'S SINS], THUS SAYS
THE LORD, HE WHO CREATED YOU, O JACOB, AND HE WHO FORMED YOU,
O ISRAEL: FEAR NOT, FOR I HAVE REDEEMED YOU [I HAVE RANSOMED
YOU BY PAYING A PRICE INSTEAD OF LEAVING YOU A CAPTIVE]; I HAVE
CALLED YOU BY YOUR NAME; YOU ARE MINE."
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
JOYCE: WOW, I LIKE THAT.
"WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE WATERS, I'LL BE WITH YOU,
AND THROUGH THE RIVERS, THEY WILL NOT OVERWHELM YOU.
WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE FIRE, YOU WILL NOT BE BURNED OR
SCORCHED, NOR WILL THE FLAME KINDLE UPON YOU.
FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, YOUR SAVIOR;
I GIVE EGYPT [TO THE BABYLONIANS] FOR YOUR RANSOM,
ETHIOPIA AND SEBA [THE PROVINCE OF ETHIOPIA] IS IN EXCHANGE
[FOR YOUR RELEASE].
BECAUSE YOU ARE PRECIOUS IN MY SIGHT AND HONORED, AND BECAUSE
I LOVE YOU, I WILL GIVE MEN IN RETURN FOR YOU AND PEOPLE IN
EXCHANGE FOR YOUR LIFE.
FEAR NOT, I AM WITH YOU.
FEAR NOT, I AM WITH YOU."
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: MANY TIMES IN MY WALK WITH GOD I'VE HAD TO TURN
TO THOSE SCRIPTURES AND REMEMBER THAT WHEN I'M GOING THROUGH,
THAT GOD HASN'T LEFT ME.
EVEN THOUGH I MAY FEEL LIKE HE HAS, HE HASN'T LEFT ME.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST STEPPED OUT TO FOLLOW THE CALL OF GOD ON
MY LIFE, I MEAN, I WENT THROUGH SOME VERY, VERY, VERY HARD
TIMES.
I GOT ASKED TO LEAVE MY CHURCH, LOST MOST OF MY FRIENDS, AND IT
WAS A LONELY AND A HARD TIME FOR ME.
AND TO STAND HERE AND SAY THAT I HAD NO FEAR WOULD NOT BE TRUE
BECAUSE BACK THEN, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW TO DEAL WITH FEAR
LIKE I DO TODAY.
BUT I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT GOD GAVE ME THE COURAGE AND THE
GRACE TO WANT TO PLEASE HIM MORE THAN I WANTED TO PLEASE
THE PEOPLE.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND, YOU KNOW, AS I WAS STUDYING THIS MORNING,
I FELT LIKE THAT GOD TOLD ME AS A MINISTER, PART OF MY JOB IS TO
PREPARE PEOPLE TO FACE THE FUTURE.
I WANT US ALL TO BE PREPARED TO TAKE A STAND FOR GOD AND BE
DETERMINED THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA COMPROMISE WITH THE WORLD AND
LOSE WHAT JESUS DIED TO GIVE US.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND I HAVE FELT VERY STRONGLY, STARTING LAST YEAR
SOMETIME, THAT I NEED TO KEEP IN FRONT OF PEOPLE MORE AND MORE
AND MORE THAT JESUS IS COMING BACK SOON.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU READ THE NEW TESTAMENT,
THE APOSTLES TALKED ABOUT THIS ALL THE TIME.
I MEAN, THEY WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE, DO THIS BECAUSE
THE LORD'S COMING SOON.
DON'T LIVE A SELFISH LIFE BECAUSE THE LORD'S COMING SOON.
AND SO, I BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS COMING SOON AND I DON'T KNOW
EXACTLY WHEN THAT'S GONNA BE, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD LIVE EVERY
DAY LIKE IT MIGHT BE TONIGHT.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: AND SO, I WANT TO DO WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP YOU BE
PREPARED.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DAVE SHARES ABOUT KIDS GOING OFF
TO COLLEGE TODAY.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S LIKE 75% OF CHRISTIAN KIDS THAT GO TO
COLLEGE LOSE THEIR FAITH WHILE THEY'RE IN COLLEGE.
YOU KNOW WHY?
BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT PREPARED WHEN THEY GO IN TO KNOW WHAT
THEY'RE GONNA DEAL WITH.
AND SO, WE NEED TO PREPARE OUR CHILDREN TO TELL THEM, YOUR
FAITH IS GONNA BE ATTACKED.
YOU'RE GONNA BE JUDGED.
YOU'RE GONNA BE CRITICIZED.
YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ALL KINDS OF SCIENTIFIC THINGS AND MENTAL
THINGS THAT IF YOU JUST GO WITH YOUR HEAD AND YOU DON'T STICK
WITH YOUR HEART, YOU COULD END UP GETTING CONFUSED
AND THROWING AWAY YOUR FAITH.
I BELIEVE WHEN WE'RE PREPARED, I THINK WHEN WE'RE PREPARED,
THEN WE CAN HANDLE ANYTHING AND WE CAN FACE ANYTHING.