"JEALOUSY," THE BIBLE SAYS, "ROTS THE BONES."
IT'S A TERRIBLE THING.
I WAS THINKING, A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO,
YOU KNOW, THERE'S ENOUGH PAIN IN THE WORLD.
AND WE ALL HAVE-- EACH ONE OF US,
HAS ENOUGH PAIN OF OUR OWN WHETHER IT'S PHYSICAL PAIN,
OR EMOTIONAL PAIN FROM THINGS YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH IN THE PAST,
OR THINGS YOU'RE GOING THROUGH NOW,
OR FINANCIAL BURDENS THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THAT--
THE DEVIL TRIES TO BRING ENOUGH STUFF AGAINST US THAT WE DON'T
NEED TO HELP HIM BY DOING THINGS TO MAKE OURSELVES MISERABLE.
NOW, I DON'T WANT YOU TO MISS THIS.
I'M GONNA TELL YOU THREE THINGS THAT WE DO,
WHERE WE MAKE OURSELVES MISERABLE.
NUMBER ONE: WORRY.
WORRY IS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY USELESS.
IT'S LIKE ROCKING IN A ROCKING CHAIR ALL DAY.
IT KEEPS YOU BUSY, BUT YOU GET NOWHERE.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: IT DOESN'T SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS.
IT DOESN'T MOVE THE HAND OF GOD.
ALL IT DOES IS TORMENT YOU.
THE SECOND THING IS UNFORGIVENESS.
SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH ARE HARBORING UNFORGIVENESS
TOWARD OTHER PEOPLE.
IT'S ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING HOW MANY PEOPLE COME
TO CHURCH MAD, AND SOMETIMES, COMING TO CHURCH MAD
AT THE PERSON YOU'RE COMING TO CHURCH WITH.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: AMEN?
IT'S THE BIGGEST OPEN DOOR THAT SATAN HAS
INTO THE LIVES OF CHRISTIANS.
AND THE THING YOU GOTTA REALIZE IS WHEN GOD TELLS
US TO FORGIVE OTHER PEOPLE, HE'S NOT DOING IT FOR THEM,
HE'S DOING IT FOR US.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU HOLD UNFORGIVENESS AGAINST SOMEONE,
IT DOESN'T HURT THEM.
THEY CAN BE OUT HAVING A GOOD TIME AND DON'T EVEN
CARE THAT YOU'RE UPSET.
BUT WHEN YOU FORGIVE, YOU DO YOURSELF A FAVOR.
NOW, THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M TEACHING ON TONIGHT,
BUT I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU,
IF ANY ONE OF YOU IS HOLDING UNFORGIVENESS AGAINST ANYONE,
FOR ANYTHING-- ANYONE, FOR ANYTHING.
MAYBE, WHAT THEY DID TO YOU WAS UNJUST AND UNFAIR,
BUT GOD CAN BRING JUSTICE TO YOU, AND HE CAN GIVE
YOU A DOUBLE REWARD FOR YOUR FORMER TROUBLE.
GOD IS A GOD OF JUSTICE.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: BUT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT
HE'S NOT GONNA DO THAT, UNLESS YOU FORGIVE THEM,
AND LET GO OF WHATEVER IT IS, YOU'RE HOLDING AGAINST THEM.
AND SO, I JUST PRAY, IF YOU'RE HOLDING ANYTHING,
AGAINST ANYBODY, THAT YOU'LL MAKE THAT
DECISION TO LEAVE IT, LET IT GO, DROP IT,
AND DON'T TAKE IT OUT OF HERE WITH YOU.
AND THE THIRD THING, THAT CAME TO MY MIND,
WAS THIS NONSENSE ABOUT JEALOUSY.
WHAT IF YOU WERE A PASTOR HERE, TONIGHT, AND YOU'VE PASTORED
A CHURCH FOR--I DON'T KNOW, 20 YEARS, AND YOU HAVE
200 PEOPLE.
AND THE NEW GUY COMES TO TOWN, AND OPENS UP A CHURCH,
A MILE DOWN THE STREET FROM YOU, AND AFTER FOUR MONTHS,
HE'S GOT A THOUSAND PEOPLE STRONG.
DO YOU REACH OUT TO HIM IN FRIENDSHIP?
DO YOU, MAYBE, GIVE HIM AN OFFERING TO HELP BUY
HIS NEW SOUND SYSTEM?
[LAUGHING] OR DO YOU HAVE A LITTLE,
NASTY THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HIM?
IT'S AMAZING, THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE FIND WRONG WITH YOU,
WHEN YOU'RE SUCCEEDING.
I SAID, IT'S AMAZING, THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE
FIND WRONG WITH YOU, WHEN YOU'RE SUCCEEDING.
I MEAN, I KNOW PEOPLE, YOUNG MEN, THAT ARE COMING
UP IN MINISTRY, AND YOUNG WOMEN, AND GOD'S BLESSING THEIR
MINISTRIES AND THEY'RE DOING SO GOOD.
AND YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND
FOR A WHILE, THEY JUST GOTTA FIND SOMETHING WRONG WITH 'EM.
GOTTA FIND SOMETHING WRONG, AND IT'S NOTHING BUT JEALOUSY,
AND IT'S ONE OF THE WORST THINGS THAT WE CAN DO.
I'M GONNA MAKE A STATEMENT AND I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER
THIS: UNTIL YOU CAN BE HAPPY FOR SOMEBODY,
WHO GOT WHAT YOU WANTED, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA GET YOURS.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: THAT'S YOUR MOTHER'S DAY GIFT.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN.
UNTIL YOU CAN BE HAPPY FOR SOMEBODY,
WHO GOT WHAT YOU WANTED, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA GET YOURS.
AMEN?
AUDIENCE: AMEN.
JOYCE: I TELL THIS STORY OFTEN,
BUT I'LL NEVER FORGET BACK, AND I'LL CALL THEM
MY "STUPID DAYS." YOU KNOW, I WAS A BELIEVER,
BUT DIDN'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE YET,
DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PRAY FOR THE THINGS I REALLY NEEDED.
I JUST PRAYED FOR STUFF THAT I WANTED.
AND BACK THEN, A LOT OF LADIES WORE FUR COATS,
AND IT WAS ALMOST KIND OF LIKE A STATUS SYMBOL,
IF YOU HAD A FUR COAT.
AND SO, I WAS BELIEVING GOD FOR A FUR COAT.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: AND I MEAN, I HAD-- I WANTED A FULL-LENGTH,
BLACK, MINK COAT.
AND I WAS PRAYING AND ASKING GOD TO GIVE ME THIS COAT.
AND I HAD A NEIGHBOR THAT I LOVED WITH THE LOVE
OF THE LORD, BUT I DIDN'T LIKE HER MUCH.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: C'MON, DO ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY PEOPLE LIKE THAT
IN YOUR LIFE?
YOU LOVE 'EM, WITH THE LOVE OF THE LORD,
IN CHURCH, ON SUNDAY, WHEN YOUR PASTOR MAKES YOU.
"I LOVE YOU, WITH THE LOVE OF THE LORD."
STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT IS, BUT--
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: ONE DAY, MY DOORBELL RANG, AND SHE SAID,
"YOU ARE NOT GONNA BELIEVE WHAT GOD GAVE ME!"
AND SHE'S HOLDING THIS GIANT BOX,
AND SHE FLIPPED THE LID OFF, AND IT WAS MY FUR COAT.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: AND I SWEAR, I HONESTLY, THOUGHT THE ANGEL
BROUGHT IT TO THE WRONG HOUSE.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: I THOUGHT, "THERE IS NO WAY THAT
GOD GAVE HER THAT COAT, BECAUSE I AM A LOT MORE
SPIRITUAL THAN SHE IS!"
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: "I PRAY, I FAST...[MUMBLING]."
"AND SHE JUST RUNS AROUND AND HAS FUN,
AND GIVES TWO DOLLARS A WEEK, AND THERE IS NO WAY."
WELL...
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: YOU SEE, I NEEDED A CIRCUMCISION.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: AND BY THE WAY, THE BIBLE STILL TALKS ABOUT
CIRCUMCISION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, IT'S JUST
A CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART.
AND I HAD A WRONG HEART ATTITUDE.
MY ATTITUDE NEEDED TO BE CHANGED.
FIRST OF ALL, I WASN'T EVEN FOR--
I HAD SO MANY DESPERATE NEEDS IN JUST IN MY ATTITUDE ALONE,
THE LAST THING I NEEDED TO BE PRAYING FOR WAS A FUR COAT.
AND SO, WHAT DID GOD DO?
HE GAVE IT TO SOMEBODY, THAT HE KNEW IT WAS
GOING TO IRRITATE ME, IF HE GAVE IT TO HER.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: BUT I DID THE CHRISTIAN THING.
"OH, PRAISE THE LORD.
THANK YOU, JESUS.
THAT'S SO GOOD." AND INSIDE, I'M THINKING,
"GOD, IF YOU DON'T GET HER OUT OF MY HOUSE,
I AM GONNA TO HAVE A SCREAMING FIT RIGHT NOW."
WELL, SHE LEFT, AND I TELL YOU WHAT,
THE STUFF THAT CAME OUT OF ME WAS UGLY.
ANYBODY KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: AND GOD DID THAT, TO BRING OUT OF ME,
THINGS THAT WERE IN ME THAT WERE REALLY PREVENTING
ME FROM BEING BLESSED, BUT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW
THEY WERE IN THERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, WE CAN HAVE STUFF IN OUR LIFE
AND STUFF IN OUR ATTITUDE THAT WE DON'T EVEN REALLY
KNOW IS THERE UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS THAT FORCES US TO HAVE
TO TAKE A LOOK AT OURSELVES.
YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE TIME, WE THINK THAT ANY
PROBLEM WE HAVE IS SOMEBODY ELSE'S FAULT.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
I THINK ABOUT NINETY PERCENT OF OUR PROBLEMS ARE
JUST A BAD ATTITUDE.