Tests and Rewards | Joyce Meyer | Radio Podcasts

Embark on a transformative journey with Joyce Meyer in this enlightening radio podcast titled ‘Tests and Rewards.’ In this episode, Joyce delves into the challenges we face in life, emphasizing that even in the midst of trials, God promises to work everything out for our good. Discover the keys to facing trouble with confidence and embracing a positive expectation for the victory that awaits. Join Joyce as she shares invaluable insights on navigating life’s challenges with faith and resilience.

Joyce Meyer, one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers and New York Times best-selling author, shares encouragement and advice to help us enjoy our daily lives.

With a heart to share Christ and love people, Joyce’s messages help people in all walks of life to grow in their faith, learn to study the Bible, find healing from the wounds of life, get answers to life’s questions and encounter the love of God in a powerful way.

Welcome to enjoying everyday life with New York Times best selling author, Joyce Meyer.
On today’s program, Joyce will be teaching from her series, blessed in the mess. Life is full of trials.
God does not promise as a problem free life.
But he does promise us to work everything out for our good if we love him.
God allows us to go through difficult times because they make us depend more upon him.
So when things aren’t going our way, trust the lord, he is good all the time, and he will ultimately work things out better than we can even imagine.
Now here’s Joyce with today’s teaching.
You know, there was a time in my life when I had had so many bad things happen to me for so long that I got to the point where I was afraid of trouble.
The Bible calls it evil forebodings.
And it says that all of our days are made anxious by evil forebodings by just Have you ever had so much stuff in your life that you’re just kinda waiting for the next shoe to drop, you know, your life, what what’s gonna happen next?
And I’m so glad I don’t have to live like that anymore that now I’ve come all the way full center.
Now I wait to see what the next good thing is. It’s gonna happen in my life.
And I did a thorough study on the word hope a few years back, and found out that hope is not like the world.
Well, I hope something happens, but I don’t know if it will, but I hope it will.
But bible hope is expecting something good to happen at any minute.
It’s a positive expectation that something good is going to happen to you.
And That’s the way I live now.
I’m glad that Jesus completely turns us around and causes us to learn how to live completely opposite of the way we did live.
And I’m not afraid of trouble now, I know that some will come.
I don’t know what it will be, but Jesus said in the world, there will be tribulation.
It’s foolish for any of us to think that will ever reach a time when we’re on this earth where we will never have any kind of trouble.
And so we have to toughen up a little bit spiritually toughen up a little bit.
The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain and trouble.
But a weak spirit who can bear. So you’ve been made stronger this weekend.
But that strength won’t last forever.
You gotta keep pouring it in and keep pouring it in and keep pouring it in because the world sucks it out, sucks it out, Sucks it out.
Amen? But the good news is is you don’t have to be afraid of trouble. You know why?
Because you are more done a conqueror. And I mean that.
I really believe You know, maybe for a long time, I just confessed it and I I preached it, but somewhere along the line, I crossed over.
And, I mean, I really 100% believe that no matter what the enemy comes up with, that we can outlast him.
And we can experience the victory in our lives.
And if you know that, then the trouble that you’re going through won’t be nearly as bad because you have such positive expectation while you’re on your way to the victory.
You know, the Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for.
The evidence of things not seen.
And faith means that you’ve got it inside before you get it outside.
And when you’ve got it inside, it’s pretty much the same as having an outside.
You’re just going through the process waiting for it to show up.
So those two and a half months that I wasn’t able to walk, when both of my legs were down, I knew I was gonna get all right.
I knew that. I knew that I was in god’s hands and that he wasn’t finished with me yet and that one way or another, He would strengthen me and make me able to finish what he’s called me to do.
So therefore, I wasn’t really all that unhappy during those two and a half months.
I mean, I would rather been able to go out and go places, but I wasn’t really unhappy because I knew that I knew that I knew that I already had the victory before I saw it.
Amen? And you do too, but it doesn’t do you any good if you don’t know it.
I wanna pick up where I left off last night in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 8 gonna talk to you this afternoon about the tests that we go through and the rewards that god has for us.
But first, I wanna kinda clean up what I left undone last night.
2nd Corinthians 48, we are hedged in and pressed on every side troubled and oppressed in every way, but I love that.
That’s the transition. He said, look, I got this problem, but let me tell you this.
Not cramped or crushed We suffer embarrassment and a pro perplex and unable to, way, find out, but not driven to despair.
The word despair means to be without a way. Were never without a way because Jesus is the way.
Amen? We may not know the way, but he knows the way.
See, whatever kind of situation you have, whatever you’re going back home to, I can’t promise you that your situation at home will have changed, but I can promise you if you’ve been paying attention, you’ve changed.
You’ve changed.
And that means that whatever it was that was bothering you is not gonna bother you nearly as much as it did.
And that’s gonna make the devil mad because he wants to bother you. Amen?
We’re never without a way.
We are pursued, persecuted, and heart driven, but we are not deserted to stand alone.
We are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed.
See, I love that taking the negative thing that the debt was trying to do and turning it around into something positive.
That’s what the world doesn’t know how to do.
Always caring about in the body, the liability, and exposure to the same pudding to death that the lord Jesus suffered.
But I wanna explain this you understand in a practical way.
That doesn’t mean that you’re gonna get on a cross and die like Jesus did.
But Jesus said, if any man wants to be my disciple.
Let him take up his cross and follow me.
And the amplified Bible says, forget himself, lose sight of himself and all of his own interests.
So the death that we’re called to die is to die to self.
The cross that we carry is to learn how to live an unselfish life.
And that is a big job because we like ourselves.
We want what we want when we want it, the way we want it and don’t tell me no.
Amen? And, see, before you can really serve other people, before you can really fulfill what god wants you to do, which is to be a servant of the lord Jesus Christ.
Paul said, I, the servant of the lord Jesus Christ, We have to die to self.
Otherwise, we’re always in the way.
And, basically, it comes down to Lord, if you can remove this cup from me, take it.
But if not, your will be done, not mine. Your will be done, not mine.
I’ll tell you how I pray.
Anything that I pray for that’s not specifically in the word I always say to god.
And if it’s not your will, then please don’t give it to me because the last thing I ever want is something that god doesn’t want me to have.
You haven’t had a hard time till you get a bunch of stuff that god’s not in.
God told me a long time ago. He said, do you remember this?
If you start it, you’re gonna have to finish it.
Because I’m not gonna take over when you get tired. Amen?
So we have to be careful about getting stuff started That’s not god.
Not to add to the word because the Bible says not to do that, but I’m gonna amplify this a little bit myself so you get it.
Always caring about in the body, the liability and exposure, the same pudding to death to self that the lord Jesus suffered.
So that the resurrection life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.
Jesus died the self. He was betrayed. He was rejected. He was abused. He was hated.
And he had to not let all that bother him and keep his eyes strictly fixed on what his father had sent him to do.
1st 11, for we who live are constantly experiencing being handed over to death to self.
For Jesus’ sake, that the resurrection life of Jesus also may be evidence through our flesh, which is liable to death.
Now stick with me verse 12.
Thus, death to self is actively at work in us but it is in order that our life might be actively at work in you.
One little tiny person out there is kinda you know what that means?
I can’t help you until I’ve died to me Come on.
Don’t make me stay here on this one scripture all afternoon.
I can’t really help you, or maybe I should say this, to the degree that I have died to self, it’s only to that degree that I can help you.
And the more I die to self, the more resurrection power can flow through me to help the people I’m ministering to.
See, I I’m taken care of.
I know where I’m going. My life is settled.
My name is in the lamb’s book of life.
I am not the least little tiny bit afraid of death. I’m looking forward to getting out of here.
I understand now what Paul meant when he said, as far as I’m concerned, I’d rather go, but for your sake, I’ll stay.
I’ve lived my life. I’ve done everything that you can do.
There’s nothing that this world has for me that I want.
But I do wanna finish what god has called me to do.
And I believe that many of you do too.
Maybe some more than others, but Jesus didn’t die just so he could make you happy.
He wants you to be happy, but more than that, he wants you to be holding.
If you are holding, you will be happy. But, see, we chase happy and ignore holy. Come on.
Come on. And what we need to do is chase holy and holy will make us happy.
Now I’ll give you a little sneak preview of what Tampa is gonna be like.
Because I’ve already written the book for next year. I finally wrote it.
I wrote a book called, what about me? What about me.
And so we’re going after this selfie, self centered.
What about me thing in Tampa next year?
And you wanna gather up every selfie, self centered Christian, you know, buy them a ticket and bring them.
Today, we’re offering Joyce’s book blessed in the mess, and the and the mess study guide.
In these resources, Joyce will teach us how to find the blessings god has placed, even in the middle of life’s most challenging circumstances.
Contact us now with your gift of $30 or more, and we’ll send it right away.
Order now at joycemeyer.org or toll free at 1807890089.
Most people want to be successful.
But what you have to decide is whose definition of success are you going to follow?
In my new book, The Pathway To Success, I want to walk with you toward a life filled with meaning and purpose the way god sees it.
God has given everything we need for a life that’s fulfilling to us and pleasing to him.
And I want to help you discover it. The pathway to success. Visit joycemeyer.org and order your copy today.
Thanks for listening to enjoying everyday life. Joyce Meyer Ministries mission is to share Christ and love people.
Together, we can do much more.