Joyce Meyer Motivation in Lifes Difficult Times Full Sermon TBN

God knows right where you're at. You may feel invisible, but he knows right where you're at. And he knows what needs to be done in your life. God never does bad things to us. But sometimes he takes little longer to get us out of them than what we'd like. And he's got purpose in it. You know, every Bible teacher think is kind of bent in some direction. And mine guess is always going to gear little bit more toward spiritual maturity. And just growing up in God and being what he wants us to be. And love meetings like this. I've attended many of them in my life. But meant what said in the prayer. It's more important that you have revival in you than that you just go to one. Now, wonderful things can happen in time like this that can actually change you permanently. So, when God touches you, you know you've been touched and you never are the same again. But at the same time, having lived quite while and been in ministry now 40 years, this is my 40th year of teaching the Bible. And have been to I've been to multitudes of meetings like this, especially back in the '70s and '80s. And saw lots of people that got extremely excited along with everybody else's excitement, but then nothing ever changed. And to me that's tragic. And not in any way, shape or form, to put damper on your enthusiasm, because love it, but want to make sure that can deposit something in you, I'm sure as well as all the other speakers wanting to do that, that when you leave the atmosphere and the lights and the different speaker every night and and the wonderful music and everything that's happening here, when these 10 days are over, want you to go home and still have revival going on in you. So, if some of your circumstances at home don't change, you can still be happy and still be joyful and still be stable and still be peaceful. Amen. Cuz see, the world is in desperate condition. Really, really, really bad. And they're looking for some hope. Just any glimmer of hope that something might change for them. And they can't There's nothing worse than being speaker and having your throat act stupid. think it was your oil, Stephen. He made me smell the oil and now it's all went from here down to here. There's nothing worse than phony Christian. And if there's any one thing that's important to me in my life, want to be the real deal. don't want to be one way up here and then another way when go to McDonald's or another way when I'm out shopping and somebody crosses me the wrong way. want to really represent Jesus in way that can make big difference in somebody else's life. Matthew 21:18. In the early dawn the next morning as he was coming back to the city, he was hungry. Jesus was hungry. Can tell you the world is full of hungry people? There's hungry people where you work and I'm not talking about physical hunger. I'm talking about they're hungry for joy, they're hungry for peace, they're hungry for hope. They're hungry, many of them for some reason to even want to stay alive. By the way, special hello to all the people at all the other locations. We don't want to forget you. We're glad you're there. Amen. And all the people watching online. So in the early dawn the next morning as he was coming back to the city, he was hungry and as he saw one single leafy fig tree above the roadside, he went to it but he found nothing but leaves on it. Seeing that in the fig tree, the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves. And he said to it, "Never again shall fruit grow on you." And the fig tree withered withered up at once and died. Now, used to feel sorry for that fig tree. thought, "Well, that's kind of bad to get cursed just because it wasn't the season for fruit." kind of felt like, "Well, it it wasn't the fig tree's fault, but it didn't have, you know, what Jesus wanted." But, God has given me one of the best lessons out of those messages and something that love to share on. You see, that fig tree was like lot of Christians. It had leaves, but no fruit. You know, even Adam tried to start out with leaves, and it didn't work for him, either. And what mean by leaves are actually on the fig tree when you see when the leaf comes, there's supposed to be fruit under the leaf. So, you see, when we have any kind of advertisement about our Christianity, whether it's bumper sticker, you wear cross around your neck, or you carry Bible to work, or you've, you know, whatever the case might be. Back in the days when when first started, women wore these big Jesus rhinestone pins. Anybody ever remember one of those dudes? See, now that's telling your age right there, but mean, they were those dudes were big, and they Jesus in rhinestones, and we all thought that was the coolest thing. So, we wore our Jesus rhinestone pins and had our Bibles and our bumper stickers, and we're Christians. And we go to church four times week, and underline in my Bible that looks like coloring book. And so, you know, you you can you can have half the Bible underlined in four colors, and that doesn't mean you know thing. mean, it just doesn't mean that we know anything. And so, it's very important to me that don't just have leaves, but have fruit. And so, want want to talk to you tonight about the value of experience. You see, See, longer you live, the more experience you have. And so that means the longer you live, the wiser you should get. Now, that doesn't work with everybody. Some people are still dumb at 85, but we live life forward, but we understand it backward. don't want you to ever forget that because many of the things that some of you are going through right now that you think are just the most awful thing in the whole world, you give it 20 years, and you'll look back and say, "Man, did that ever change me. Boy, did that bring me closer to God. Man, learned big lesson out of that. Amen?" And at my stage in my journey of life now, which I'm in the last third of it, would not take anything for the experiences that I've had. They are some of the most precious, most treasured memories, and some of the hardest, most gut-wrenching things that have ever gone through. But they have helped make me who am. And to be honest, if you don't have those, you don't really have very much to say. You just don't have very much to say because you can It's one thing to preach, it's another thing to preach with God's anointing on it. And let me tell you something, don't forget this, noise is not anointing. Just cuz somebody comes in and makes lot of noise and can shout and yell, that doesn't mean that your life is going going changed this time next week, and that's what the anointing does. It changes us. It breaks bondages off of us, and it leaves deposit in our lives. Amen. I'm sorry about the throat thing. You'll just have to bear with me. You'll listen to me in between the throat clearing. So, Proverbs 3:13 says, "Blessed, happy, fortunate, enviable is the man who finds skillful and godly wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, drawing it forth from God's word and life's experiences." That's the amplified. We have that one up. Yeah. Yes, and life's experiences. And life's experiences. So, want to just say to you, how much experience do you have? Well, you know, we have people here tonight that are teenagers. We have people that are younger than teenagers. We have people that are in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s. don't know. may be the oldest person in the building. have no idea. And if am, then I'm supposed to know more than the rest of you. Now, that doesn't always work, but chances are if you're 20 and I'm 73, might know few things that you don't know. And one of the things that we need today desperately is we need the younger generation and the older generation to work together. Because here's here's what we have. have never seen time when young people are so talented as they are today. mean, it is almost scary what you guys can do with all this media stuff. mean, it is amazing. mean, my grandson, my little tiny grandson, can do more with his phone than can do with mine. And so, you you have gifts, you have talent, you have zeal, you have enthusiasm, but now, don't get mad at me when say this. You don't have as much experience as some people that are older than you. And there's nothing that hate worse than to see somebody who's young act like somebody has no sense just because they're older and don't get all the technology today. Amen. I'll tell you the thing that impressed me about your pastor the first time met him, and don't even know if you remember this, Steven, but we were in Australia at Hillsong. And from the minute came into the green room, he and were in there, and he started talking to me. And mean, he asked me every kind of question that you could ask me. He hung on to every word that said. He would have sat there and talked to me for week if would have talked to him. But you know what that said to me? This is young man that's not full of himself. He did not one time try to try to tell me what he knew. Come on now, most of us are so busy trying to tell everybody else what we know that we don't even listen to anybody. Not one time did he try to tell me anything he knew, he only wanted to know what from my years of And so would recommend that anytime you get around anybody that's maybe let's just say 30 years older than you are that the first question you ask them is what can you tell me? Can you tell me one thing about life that will help me live mine better? Just one thing. And then if they if they are believer and Christian just say to them, "Can you tell me one thing that you've learned in ministry? One spiritual principle that will help me live better for Jesus." I'll tell you what, if we can get together, if we can get the wisdom together with the gifts, whoa, watch out devil because the revival will be on. Amen. There was actually time in history and it still is this way in some cultures where when an older man or woman, I'm talking about what they would call an elderly man or woman walked into the room, everybody stood up. kind of wish sometimes we had some of that respect back. And you know what they were respecting? Their wisdom. Their years of experience and their wisdom. What all does somebody go through by the time they're Yeah, you get it, don't you, honey? What all does somebody go through by the time they're 50, 60, You're going to have lots of fun in your life, but you're going to go through some stuff, too. Amen. And if you got personal revival in you, you'll make it through. You know, the Apostle Paul said, "I've learned how to be content. I've learned" There's pain in that word. I've learned. I've learned how to be content. It wasn't something that just got downloaded into him from new program. he learned how to be content. You know when the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20, "It's no longer that live, but Christ that lives in me." That's such great statement. Do you know that that was 20 years after his conversion? It's very difficult to say that week after you're born again. You might be able to quote the scripture, but to mean To mean it is another thing entirely. Now, have way more message than I've got night, and pray that God will really help me bring across to you some of the most important things. Because one of the things that want to share with you is how what thought was important when was 30 and how utterly unimportant it really is now. Amen. Just how ridiculously unimportant it is now. In Deuteronomy 1:13, Moses couldn't handle everything by himself, and he was about to anoint some helpers. And he said, "Choose wise, understanding, experienced, and respected men according to your tribes, and will will make them head over you." You notice that he did not mention talented? He didn't even mention talented or gifted. He said wise, understanding, experienced, and respected. You know why think lot of times we just ruin somebody because they've got talent? And we put them on platform, and they have no spiritual maturity, and they can't handle the they cannot handle the attention, and it just absolutely destroys them, and they end up making fool out of themselves and doing damage to the name of Christ. No wonder the Bible says, "Do not promote new convert." Let's trust God with the timing of when he selects to use us. Is anybody in for that tonight? Maybe, just maybe, and don't know this may may not be the case at all, but just maybe if you're out there tonight and maybe you wanted to get picked for something in the church and you didn't get picked. What do you do when God doesn't pick you? You trust God. You trust God that it's not time yet, it's not right yet, and you might even be willing to think, "Maybe I'm not ready." Cuz see, when we think we're ready, it's not necessarily when let me tell you. When God spoke to me about the ministry that was going to have, thought for sure would fall out of bed the next morning and be traveling around the world. You know, "Yea, say unto you." That can sound really exciting. yes, in in due time, at the appointed time. What is that? Nobody knows what that is. It's like until God's good and ready. And so, for 6 years taught home Bible study that had 20 25 people, and maybe if we got blessed, 30. And did that for 5 years, not 5 days, not 5 weeks, not 5 months, 5 years, did not get paid for it, had desperate financial needs. People would come and join the party and leave, and I'd have to clean the mess up, and in the midst of all that, God was teaching me or trying to teach me little something about attitude and servanthood. Come on now. And remember just couple of things that that happened. And I'm just going to try be really practical with you. was just learning about faith back then and boy, we just all thought we were going to believe God and get everything we wanted cuz we were part of the word and faith movement and you know, whatever you believe for you'll get. And so, didn't didn't have the slightest idea what to really use my faith for. And so, was always always using it for things. Stuff that wanted or promotion that wanted or believed God for Dave to change and that didn't work. believed God to change my kids and that didn't work and you know, we're all we're always believing for something. It never occurred to me to ask God to change me cuz of course, didn't think had anything wrong with me. was like you know, the perfect specimen of everything. You know, and you we really don't know anything until we know that we don't know anything. And then we have learned the first thing that might help us towards someday learning something. Amen. So, just couple little stories. Want to kind of show you how you'll stay at place and God will test you in that place. And then when you finally pass those tests then you'll move up here. And then you'll go through tests on that level. And then when you finally pass those tests, now, sometimes we're not real smart about this test passing thing. And so, we just get to take them over and over and over and over and over. Come on. So, of all the most I'm almost embarrassed to tell you this, but was believing God big time for coat. Cuz went to one of those big word and faith churches and I'm telling you what, we would have camp meetings and all the speakers would come in and all the wives of the reverend and the this and that and something else, they had on their fur coat. And man, just thought if you had fur coat, you were the in with the in crowd. You were in. And so, was believing for fur coat and one day my neighbor came over, she was Christian girl that went to my church, lived right next door to me and attended my Bible study and loved her with the love of the Lord, but didn't like her. How many of you know about that? Well, love you with the love of the Lord. Whatever that is, don't know what that is, but I've decided can do without lot of it. And So, really just didn't like her. She just downright annoyed me. And The minute that opened the door, mean, could tell without her saying word that she was extremely excited. And I'm already thinking, you know. And she had this big box in her hand and she said, "You are not going to believe what God gave me." "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE IT." And so, she came in and she opened this box AND IT WAS MY FUR COAT. MY FUR COAT. AND TELL you what, honestly THOUGHT THE ANGEL BROUGHT THAT to the wrong house. mean, I'm telling you, thought THERE IS NO WAY THAT GOD GAVE her that coat. Because she's not nearly as spiritual as am. Well, did what was supposed to do. praise the Lord. I'm so happy you. Thank you, Jesus. And inside inside, come on, because what's important is inside. Come on, there's message here. Inside mean, God don't care about that. love you with the love of the Lord. What he cares about is do really love you? Am going to be there for you when you have need? And he didn't care about my old praise the Lord, you know, what was coming out of me. What was jealousy and great rage and greed and judgment. thought, she doesn't give nearly as much money to churches do. fast and pray all the time. She eats all the time. DO NOT TELL ME DO NOT EVEN BEGIN TO TELL me that God gave you that coat. So, couple more years go by and get to take test again. Now, I'm still at my house, you know, with my 20 people. Still got my big vision, see? You going to stay right where you're at. Until you learn the lesson that God wants you to learn on this level. You might as well preach cuz it's good clap cuz it's good anyway. And think my throat is finally okay, so now you're IN FOR TROUBLE. SO, THEN MY PASTOR CAME BY ONE day and he was 26, was 36. We both thought we knew everything. Neither one of us knew anything. And he was believing for big ministry. I'm believing for big ministry, and you know, we're all believing. And he'd been off to some big camp meeting in Texas and and while he was there, they gave him $2,500 honorarium. And he was so excited. And couple of people had said they wanted to partner with him in his ministry, and he was so excited. So, he came to my house to tell me the good news. How many of you know sometimes you just don't want to hear somebody's testimony? Now, I'm I'm going to just talking real stuff here, okay? All right. And so, but I've had couple of years since the fur coat, and so we've moved along little bit. And so, he's telling me, can't believe it. They gave me this honorarium, and couple of people wanted to partner with me. It was so awesome. It was amazing." And then all of sudden it was like he kind of realized what he how this might be hitting me. And he said, "Is it okay that I'm telling you this?" And said, yeah, PRAISE THE LORD." I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU. WELL, WASN'T AS unhappy as was 2 years ago, but still wasn't totally thrilled. And so, when he left, went and threw myself across my daughter's bed, remember. And cried, and cried, and cried, and cried, and cried. And said to God, am going to tithe and give offerings from now until the time Jesus comes back if never see one penny from it." And after that day, our finances started to turn around and change. You see, it's not it's not just about giving. It's about the attitude that we live with in the rest of our lives. And you see, sometimes God's going to run some tests by you. He's going to run some people by you that aren't as spiritual as you as you that are getting what you want. All right, come on now. And you're going to have to learn to be happy for them. And the only way you can be happy for them is if you trust God so much that you absolutely do not want anything that he doesn't want you to have. Not now, not ever. Amen. You know, don't pray anymore for God to give me what want. pray that God will give me what can handle. And pray God please don't give me anything that's going to make me think I'm more important than what am. Please don't give me anything that's going to ever take me away from you. And please don't get And if try to get anything that's not your will, slam the door in my face. Amen. Now, the Bible says that although he was son, talking about Jesus, in Hebrews 5:8 and 9, he learned active special obedience through what he suffered. Now, listen to this. Verse 9. And his completed experience. Hebrews 5:8 and 9. Making him perfectly equipped. He became the author and the source of eternal salvation. Wow. In other words, you might have calling. But you need to be equipped. With some experience. lot of people have gift that can take them somewhere, but they don't have enough character to keep them there once they get there. And so, want to say something to you and want you to remember it. Don't be in such hurry. About getting what you want. And going where you're going. Y'ALL DON'T BE IN SUCH HURRY. Take time to learn the things you need to learn. So when you get where you're going, you'll be able to stay there. And not just get somewhere. And then lose that place. There were so many things that had to go through and had cancer 25 years ago. was betrayed by friends. was attacked by the media. was so stinking lonely when got out on the road and started traveling because you just your life is just different when you're gone from home all the time. It's just totally different. was misunderstood. was judged. was criticized. And I'll tell you something that have learned. It's like I'm writing right after Paul. have learned. That what people think of me is really not nearly as important as used to think it was. mean, it just really doesn't make all that much difference. Cuz you know what? Haters are GOING TO HATE. AND JUDGES ARE GOING TO JUDGE. AND CRITICIZERS ARE GOING TO CRITICIZE. AND guess we can think, well, at least if they're bugging me, they're leaving somebody else alone. Amen. And You know, really don't care all that much what people think anymore. That's why can get up here and just have fun. Now, if it's somebody in my close family and think they're thinking bad of me about something that will still bother me, but honestly, I've learned the world out there wants to have an opinion about all kinds of stuff that they don't know anything at all about. They don't know NOTHING ABOUT IT. THEY don't know me. They don't know what I've been through. They don't know anything about me. They don't know what price I've paid to do what I'm doing. They don't know and it's none OF THEIR BUSINESS. AND WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU, DON'T let what somebody thinks about you ruin one more day OF YOUR LIFE. NOT ONE MORE DAY OF YOUR LIFE. BECAUSE I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S IMPORTANT. YOUR REPUTATION AND MY reputation here on this earth doesn't matter all that much. It's our reputation in heaven that we've got to be concerned about. And God HAS TOLD ME THAT HE ME and so that's all that matters. Amen. want to make deposit in you so you can stay in revival when these 10 days are over. Amen. You know, I've actually really learned learned by experience that if we love God and we trust him that there is no painful, unjust thing that can happen to us that God won't somehow work it out for our good. And mean I'm not I'm not just I'm telling you know that. know that by experience. know it because I've been through it. But it is important how we go through these things that happen to us. That's the important thing. You can go through things and go through things and go through things and go through things. But the thing that's important is what is our attitude while we go through it. How do we go through it? Amen. I'll just story comes up in me. We were on big television station one time once week and was just getting started in television and the station was doing really, really, really good. And they called and said they were canceling our time. Well, we've got contract. Well, that didn't matter. They decided they were going to do some kind of program change so they were canceling our time. Well, it was devastating to us because it was good station. It was bringing in some income which we desperately needed and so man, you know, you you you have temptation when somebody does something that's unfair to you. Man. It's just so hard and was upset about it. was in church one night and they were receiving an offering and felt like the Lord said put that station in the basket as an offering. Wow. In other words, mean, couldn't physically put it in there, but he wanted me to like give that to him. Give it to him. Okay. Well, long story short, now I'm on that station every day and have been for long time. They came back to us and wanted me to come on every day. I'm telling you what, you keep good attitude and the devil cannot steal from you. Did you hear me? If you keep good attitude, said the devil cannot steal from you. Amen. Now, most of you know, if you know much at all about my ministry, you know, I'm little mixed up about that clock. It started saying had 20 minutes, now it says have 41. What is that telling me? Well, mean, don't want to stand up here and preach for 5 hours. HOW MUCH TIME NO, YOU WOULD NOT PUT UP WITH THAT. ANYWAY, Now, forgot what was going to tell you. It's almost there. I'm having I'm having senior moment. Yeah, every day on that station, but there was something else was going to tell you, and forgot. Anyway, got got plenty of other things can tell you, so it doesn't matter. know what was going to tell you. See, there it is. still got it, just little slower. So, And so, you all know that most of you know that was abused when was child. And mean, it's tough when you go through something like that. mean, my dad sexually abused me for years and years and years, repeatedly, repeatedly. And I'm not going to get into the nastiness of the story, but it just was very, very very bad. And my mother was afraid of my dad, and she was afraid of the scandal, and she knew what he was doing, but she didn't didn't help me. And had relative, an aunt and uncle, that went to for help, and they didn't want to get involved, and you know, so somewhere along the line, just decided was going to survive. Well, was born again when was 9 years old. snuck off to church with some relatives and was received Christ. And never knew anything after that. actually cheated in game of hide-and-go-seek the next day, and thought lost my salvation. remember had my head leaned against the building, and peeked, and devil told me lost my salvation, so But few years back, started saying, "You know, don't know what it was, but when was about 9 years old, this determination came into me that was going to overcome." Well, then all of sudden, realized, "Well, that was when was saved." And so, see, when you receive the spirit of Christ, you don't receive give-up spirit. You receive GO-THROUGH SPIRIT. YOU GOING TO SOMETHING that's going to bring you through, friend. And now want to share this with you. prayed for God to get me out of that situation. prayed prayers probably shouldn't have prayed. prayed for my dad to die. prayed for my mother to leave him. Anything to get me out of that situation. And he did not get me out of the situation. But he did get He did take me through it. He did take me through it. And you know, it's kind of up to God whether we get out or we go through. And had no idea what God was going to do with my life, but I'll be honest with you. What went through is helping millions of people around the globe. And now listen to me. Sometimes God will allow you to go through something. He doesn't do those things. But sometimes he will allow you to go through something just for the sole purpose of equipping you to be able to help somebody else later on in life. So, if said tonight, "How many of you want to be used by God?" Every hand would go up. But then have to say, "Do you really?" Cuz see, Jesus learned obedience through the things that he suffered. And his completed experience equipped him to become the author of our salvation. Every Any place that you go to look for job today, one of the first things they're going to ask you is, "Do you have any experience?" And I'm going to tell you the truth. This is my opinion, and don't disrespect education. I'm grateful for what have, which is not probably as much as most of you have, but experience is much more valuable even than education. mean, it really is. And so, went through lot of things and left home as soon as was 18. Married the first guy that came along because thought nobody would ever want me. That was another 5-year nightmare. And thought because left home that left the that no longer had the problem. That's right. But took it with me. It was in my soul. And see, some of you are still walking around with things from your past. It's in your soul. You may be physically away from it, but you might still have it in your soul. And that's where Jesus wants to heal us. He wants to get down in our souls and he wants to heal us. Amen. And so, there's way too many stories to tell you, but can tell you this and don't know how know this does not even make any sense to me, but will tell you this and mean it with all my heart. cannot say to you that that I'm sorry that was abused and that wish it wouldn't have happened. cannot say that anymore because some way, somehow know that God has worked that out for my good and he has used it in my life to help other people. know that. know that know that know that. And want to tell you something. He will use everything that you're going through, too. Everything. Now, along the way, had to learn to stop blaming. had to learn to stop feeling sorry for myself. had to learn to stop being bitter. had to learn to truly forgive. And boy, the biggest test of that came the biggest test of that came when my mom and dad were elderly and not well. And God began to put on my heart, want you to take care of them. The first time heard that, was praying, rebuked the devil. thought it was devil. did. said, rebuke you, Satan." mean, thought there is no way that God would ask me to do that. Let me tell you something, God will ask you to do things. Come on. mean, look at what he asked his only SON TO DO. SO, HERE AGAIN, long story short, after much wrestling with God, we brought them to our city. We put them in nice little house. Got in my car, had somebody mow the grass, got the groceries, did everything. When they got older and older, we put them in nursing home care. And so, my mom, my dad, and my aunt, who happens to be part of the aunt and uncle that didn't help me. And now have to take care of her. And so, between my my mom and my dad and my aunt, we've now been paying nursing home bills for 15 years. For people that all hurt me. But now, let me tell you something. My dad received Christ as result of us reaching out to him. You see, thought thought when God told me to put them in nice little house and take care of them, thought was buying house, and wasn't happy about it because took what little bit of money we had, and didn't realize he was in that house 3 years, and he called me over one morning. My mother said, "Your dad wants to see you." And he was crying, and went over, and he after he's now 80 years old, and first time ever, he apologized to me for what he did to me. First time ever, 80 years old, and he said, "I'm just want you to know that I'm sorry for what did to you when you were little girl." And said, "Daddy, would you like to be saved?" And he's crying, he's on walker, and he says, "Yes." And prayed the prayer of salvation with him, and he asked us to baptize him. 10 days later, we baptized him. thought was buying house and was buying soul. COME ON. THAT'S WHY THAT'S WHY GOD wants us to be generous with what we have. Let Let me give you an example. Let's just say that you work at place and lady there, maybe supervisor, just treats you like dirt. And it is really hard for you to be there, but you feel like that's where God has told you to be. Okay, now, let's say that you've finally grown past gossiping about her, and you've even gotten to the point where you can pray for her, and you know, do all those things Christians are supposed to do. And now, let's say that you happen to hear that her car is in the shop, and it's going to be in there for month, and that she has no proper transportation. Now, let's just suppose that maybe God put it on your heart to go by and pick her up every morning and take her home every night, even though it's way out of your way. Now, all of sudden, you got fruit under your leaves. Come on. Cuz see, she's been making fun of your leaves. She's been making fun of your Christianity, but now you show up with the fruit. You see, you can't ARGUE WITH FRUIT. AND WHAT WE NEED IN THE CHURCH IS MORE FRUIT. WE DON'T NEED TO JUST GET TOGETHER IN our building. See, this is an awesome time in your life. But take it with you. You got to take it out of here and take it with you. It's no good if you don't take it with you. 105 Psalm 105:18, have to show you this scripture. Maybe you have to have gone through few things to get this scripture, but love it. wish knew what was going on with that clock, but just don't know what I'm doing. And you guys won't tell me and that's not fair. What are you doing WITH THAT IS THAT HOW LONG I'VE BEEN PREACHING? Or how long have to go? Is that how long I've been preaching? Thank you. My gosh. Psalm Okay, how many of you know the story of Joseph and what all he went through? His feet, they hurt with fetters. We got this up cuz want you to see it. He was laid in chains of iron. And his soul entered into the iron. Now, you know what that really means? He hurt so bad. That those chains that were on him became like part of his soul. Let me tell you something. I've been through hell, but am one strong lady. And that's what we need. We need that strength, we need courage, we need confidence, we need to personally know who God is because we've been in some situations and know that he never left us nor forsake us. You can't know God through your preacher, you can't know God through listening to somebody's CDs, you can't know God through having somebody's books or CDs. You got to You got to HANG ON TO GOD IN YOUR MIDNIGHT HOUR when it's nobody BUT YOU AND HIM. THAT'S THAT'S WHEN YOU GOT TO GET WITH God and get your victory. Amen. You know, more than anything want to see people glorify God. could tell you million more stories, but let me just end this up tonight by saying God knows right where you're at. You may feel invisible, but he knows right where you're at. And he knows what needs to be done in your life. God never does bad things to us. But sometimes he takes little longer to get us out of them than what we'd like. And he's got purpose in it. So instead of just get me out of this, get me out of this, get me out of this, you got to get me out of this. How about praying new way? God, know that you'll bring me out of this at the right time. But while I'm in it, let me get what you want me to have. Let me get something out of this that you want me to have. The situation may stink, but God is still good. Amen. And I'll tell you what, when you get little more iron in your soul, devil better watch out. Because then he can't mess up your day because somebody talked about you at work. And then he can't destroy your joy because somebody gossiped about you. Listen, had one of those big media blast attacks like Steven and this church did few years ago. And felt for you when you were going through that. But I'll tell you something, you're better man now. He may not think you are, BUT YOU ARE. CUZ I'LL TELL YOU ONE ONE THING, THE NEXT time it happens, if it does, you won't care nearly as much. Amen. And then you'll get to like me. would would not even take my time to read that junk. don't read it. don't look at it. You know why? They don't know me, and feel little bit like the Apostle Paul did when he said, "From now on, let no man bother me because bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ." AMEN. COME ON, GIVE GOD CLAP. LORD, WE LOVE SO MUCH. WE WORSHIP YOU AND WE PRAISE YOU. Let me pray for all of you. Father, don't know what each person's going through, but know we do go through things. And we don't have to be afraid of them. We don't even have to run from them. What we can do is say, "God, know you'll get me out of this at the right time. know you will because know you love me." And if there's something need to learn while I'm in this situation, then want to embrace it and want to learn it and want to pass this test because don't want to take it over and over and over. Help me be the person that you want me to be. only want to be what you want me to be. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for having me tonight.