SAYING GOODBYE TO GUILT - JOYCE MEYER

"Be excited when God shows you that there’s something wrong with you."

Joyce Meyer at Lakewood Church Saturday November 15, 2014

Watch the video for the Prayer and Word shared before the message.


SAYING GOODBYE TO GUILT
Many spend too much time feeling guilty and condemned.
We’ve talked about spiritual growth and maturity this weekend.
Today we’ll talk about how guilt and condemnation trap us and keep us in the same place.
In order to grow spiritually we must learn who we are in Christ.
And He has forgiven us and given us His righteousness. [2 Corinthians 5:21]
Imputed righteousness is a gift from God that enables us to walk in that right standing.
We’ve been given righteousness.
God never expects us to produce something if He didn’t put the seed in us.
The moment you are born again God downloads seeds of His own character inside of us.
We have the fruit of the Holy Spirit. [Galatians 5:22-23]
You have the ability to love people.
Our joy doesn’t have to be based on our circumstances.
There’s no point saying I can’t control myself because the seed is in you.
I am the righteousness of God in Christ.
I am patient.
Some may say "No you’re not."

Yes I am.
You’re fully equipped to be a dynamic influence in the world today.
Have you ever been on a treadmill and couldn’t get off because it was going too fast?
That’s what guilt is like.
It accomplishes nothing.
It presses us down into our problems rather than lifting us out of them.
Not many get to young adulthood without the devil having worked through people to make them feel like there’s something wrong with them.
Sometimes out of our misery we surrender to Christ.
But we’ll still live in misery if we don’t recognize that we’ll still make mistakes.
But we must grow.
"This time next year I’m going to be better than I am today." -Joyce Meyer
God looks at our hearts.
God is not a sideline in our lives.
He is the mainline.
Without Him we are nothing.
So we pursue Him like someone addicted and craving Him.
We cannot mature if we’re not educated, and if we drag all of yesterday’s mistakes into tomorrow.
God has forgiven you completely and removed your sin.
Stop remembering what God has forgotten.
Stop talking about the past and focus on the future because Jesus died to give me a great future.
Joyce is looking for creative ways to teach people the importance of spiritual maturity.
Pursuing holiness.
Matthew 5:48 You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete [a]maturity of godliness in mind and character, [b]having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Spend the rest of your life moving towards perfection.
Learning how to be holy.
But you must be wide open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Lord please don’t ever leave me alone in my mess.

When you experience conviction that’s a blessing.
But don’t let it become condemnation.
Be excited when God shows you that there’s something wrong with you.
Revelation lets us know God chastises those whom He dearly loves. [Revelation 3:19]
Why are we so concerned about what’s wrong with everybody else?
Let the Holy Spirit deal with you.
Ephesians 4:15 Rather, let our lives lovingly ^[a]express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
It’s not the truth about somebody else that will make you free, but the truth about yourself.
1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation,
Joyce kept saying “ I'm going through” and God said Be Thankful you’re going through and not stuck in the middle.
You’re never going to stop seeing things wrong with yourself.
Philippians 2:12-13

¹² Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, ^[a]with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).

¹³ [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while ^[b]effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and ^[c]delight.

This doesn’t mean work for your salvation.
When Joyce started working out she didn’t have any visible muscles.
But the muscles were in her.
But now she has visible muscles because she’s worked out.
And she could lose that muscle if she stopped working out.
That’s why we have to keep staying filled with the things of God.
If I’m not careful what we can do is try to change.
Is not trying – it’s yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit.
I can’t change myself but I can study the Word of God.
I can hang out with some people that might have a good influence on my life.
If we try to change without God He’s offended.
Joyce tried so hard to change herself.
Resisting the devil doesn’t mean to get rid of all your problems.
It means when you have problems learn from God and act like God - not the devil.
Just have a good attitude when you’ve got something coming up that you know isn’t going to be pleasant.
Don’t go home and try; go home and believe.
Spend more time with God hanging on the vine.
The fruit comes out on the branches and all the branches do is hang on to the vine.
It doesn’t mean you don’t put out effort.
But it’s a holy effort in the power of the Holy Spirit.
God gets the credit.
Why do I have to suffer first for a little while? [1 Peter 5:10]
When we ask God to deliver us from something, even though it’s His will, why doesn’t it happen right away?
Sometimes we have a period of suffering so when it does happen we know 100% that it was God who changed us.
Joyce has become nice, and fairly submissive.
Only by God’s grace.
The bible says when Christ appears we’ll all be changed. [1 Corinthians 15:52]
Whatever still needs to be done will be done then.
You are a holy righteous, completely forgiven child of the Most High God.
Once upon a time before Joyce even got out of bed the devil was rehearsing all her mistakes from the day before and assuring her she’d do it again.
Ugh, life is hard.
I don’t know if I can go on like this anymore.
If anyone tried to correct her Joyce would say “Yes everything is my fault, I’m the worse person in the world.”
Satan is the accuser of the brethren. [Revelation 12:10]
He feeds us a constant stream of lies.
We must resist him not assist him.
Every time we agree with the devil we’re assisting him.
We resist him when we agree with God.
If you did something wrong and repented ask God to help you.
Joyce prays "Tie me to the altar and don’t let me go until You get Your way in my life."

We have a choice to apply what Joyce is saying.
Own up to misbehavior.
That’s the facing the truth Joyce talked about last night.
Plan to be sweet.
Be patient with me while I’m growing.
It’s so awesome just to hear someone acknowledge an issue.
Paul was a persecutor of Christians.
It’s interesting the people God chooses.
How could Paul have gotten over feeling guilty after all he'd done?
Philippians 3:11-13

¹¹ That if possible I may attain to the [^[a]spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

¹² Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.

¹³ I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

There’s a pressing.
To press means to press against the pressure.
The woman with the issue of blood pressed through the crowd with a holy determination.
This is a lie from satan, just because I feel guilty doesn’t mean I am guilty.
Am I going to believe my feelings or the word of God?
I can be confident even if I don’t feel confident.
Sometimes Joyce feels more anointed than other times but she knows she’s always anointed.
I may feel guilty but I’m not.
I’ve already talked to God about this and I am forgiven.
Talk back to the devil.
Confess the Word of God out loud.
Call those things that be not as though they are.
I may not feel forgiven/loved but I know that I am.
Nobody can fight this fight for you.
It’s called fighting the good fight of faith.
We cannot run from Goliath and ever defeat him.
David ran quickly toward the battle line. [1 Samuel 17:48]
David had to become a giant killer.
Before Paul said one thing I do… in Philippians 3:13
He shared the things that allowed him to get to that point where he could say I don’t live with guilt and condemnation.
Philippians 3:9 And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith.
I must know that I’m made right with God.
It’s not my righteousness; I have His righteousness.
You have to know who you are before your 'do' will ever change.
Religion says if you do this then you’ll be acceptable.
God says you are acceptable.
We’re not made acceptable to God based on what we do.
We’re made acceptable first and then we work on all the junk.
God’s love is perfect.
We’re here showing God that we love Him. (He doesn’t love us more for coming).
Joyce is 71 and has 11 grandchildren.
People ask her about retirement.
She’s not going to retire.
She wants to do this until the day that she falls over and she wants people to know the amazing freedom that they can have in Christ.
Joyce looks at Israel [Houghton] and how he goes all over the world.
He’s fulfilling his call because he loves God; not to get God to love him.
How can you get what you’ve already got?
Everything that God’s got is already yours.
Joyce didn’t have any money nor a car, but when she married Dave she got money and a car.
She could sign his name and have the same authority Dave had.
But she didn’t have any of that authority when they were dating.
Are you dating Jesus or are you married?
Have you said the for better or worse, in sickness and in health…part?
There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. [Romans 8:1]
When you do make mistakes you can follow the spirit of the flesh.
If you follow the flesh you'll think you made a mistake and you have to pay.
Feeling bad.
Many years ago Joyce was feeling guilty.
Her guilt was like a heavy burden she carried with her.
She went to Target and parked far away, just so she could drag her pitiful self all the way across the lot.
God dealt with her and said HOW DO YOU PLAN TO GET OVER THIS MISTAKE YOU MADE?
I’ll receive the sacrifice You made for me on Calvary.
WHEN?
Joyce would let herself feel guilty for a time as long as she thought the sin merited.
3 days.
If that sacrifice will be good in 3 days why isn’t it good now?
Would you just receive the sacrifice now?
I need you and you are no good to Me in this condition.
We’re useless to the kingdom when we’re self-absorbed about what’s wrong with us.
I cannot get beyond where I’m at if I don’t know where I’m at.
Be determined to get beyond that sin.
Study the word in that area.
He’s not mad at you, God loves you.
Listen until the information becomes revelation.
Philippians 3:10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [^[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]
Because I know who I am I’m able to quickly let go of what has happened.
We need to learn how to ignore the lies of satan.
Mark 5:36 ^[a]Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on believing.
Jesus was on the way to Jairus’ house to heal his daughter.
Jesus overheard but ignored it.
Just because somebody says something doesn’t mean I have to pay attention to it.
1 Corinthians 4:1-4
So then, let us [apostles] be looked upon as ministering servants of Christ and stewards (trustees) of the mysteries (the secret purposes) of God.

² Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].

³ But [as for me personally] it matters very little to me that I should be put on trial by you [on this point], and that you or any other human tribunal should investigate and question and cross-question me. I do not even put myself on trial and judge myself.

⁴ I am not conscious of anything against myself, and I feel blameless; but I am not vindicated and acquitted before God on that account. It is the Lord [Himself] Who examines and judges me.

Paul was obviously being judged and criticized by others.
Stop judging and criticizing yourself.
What kind of relationship do you have with yourself?
See yourself through God glasses.
Joyce Googled herself this morning.
She learned she’s a heretic.
She owns all kinds of stuff that she doesn’t even know where it’s at.
And she allegedly taught that Jesus wasn’t the son of God.
She’s not one bit bothered by it.
She won’t give the devil the time to look that junk up and be concerned because she knows who she is.
She doesn’t say everything perfectly but her heart is right towards God.
The only thing that makes Joyce sad is that people foolishly believe whatever they read on the Internet.
You must not believe everything you hear, read, see.
You need to know who you are.
And when you do you can start to enjoy your life.
You’re awesome.
You’re amazing.
God loves you.
If you’re born again, you are greatly loved, you have a great future in front of you.
Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. [1 John 4:4]
And ALL your sins are completely forgiven.
So say GOODBYE to guilt!


PRAYER/ALTAR CALL