Head to Toe Help from the Book of James w/Kim Poe | Joyce Meyer’s Talk It Out Podcast | Episode 130

Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed by a difficult season? Maybe you’re looking for advice on a confusing situation you’re in, or you just want to learn how to use your words in the best, most effective way possible. Whichever it might be, this episode on the book of James with Ginger, Erin and their amazing friend Kim Poe has just what you need!

Real life, real friends, no pretense… welcome to Talk It Out! Join Joyce Meyer, Ginger Stache, Erin Cluley, and their guests, as they talk out the stuff of everyday faith. It’s as real as it gets.

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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.

I love a good outcome. You know, when things are gonna work like they say, they work.
Like, the two things for me is you know, face products and hair products. Like
Yes.
When I look on this bottle and you tell me this is the great detangler
Uh-huh.
For my hair, I wanted to do that. Yeah.
So many products in my bathroom at home right now that did not make it.
And I said, why would the product owner do this to me. Like, why would he promise this thing?
But I I’d look into the word of god, and I know that when he promises something.
Like, it manifests. It’s gonna it’s gonna work out. Are you ready?
To talk it out.
We’re so excited because today, we are talking out the book of James,
and it’s one of my favorites. And I might talk really fast because it just makes me very excited.
But this is a talk
it out podcast where my friends and I get to really dig into the word of god and talk about how practical it is and how good god is in his word to give us everything that we need.
So come on in and join us. I’m Ginger Stockey with Aaron Clearly.
And today, our friend Kim Poe is back.
Oh, it’s nice.
Oh, I love James as well.
Yeah. I heard this. Oh, wait a minute.
I I know I’m gonna talk about James, but I do love that. And y’all too. Okay. Okay.
And just quickly, I I heard that you kinda felt the nudge of the holy spirit telling you to read James, but you decided that you
you were doing other important godly things And never got you. 100% the truth.
It was insane. I have this little Bible study in of the book of James, and it’s just been sitting in my house.
That I did. I honestly felt like the Holy Spirit was saying.
You know, I want you to pick it up. I want you to read it.
And I was. I felt like, well, I’m doing other godly things.
So Like, I had
my Bible. I had another Bible study and I was just like, oh, okay. I’ll get to it, you know.
And then he sends me this email.
Hey, you wanna come and talk to me in Ginger about the book of James?
And I’m like, I went like, you know, old school with different strokes, like, what’d you tell my wheels?
Forward. I did. I did. All this time. God was telling me to be prepared.
Yes. I’ll listen. Absolutely fine. Maybe. Yeah.
Yeah. Really, it’s hard to make these promises. It’s very hard.
Well, if you wanna learn more about Kim, she has been on the podcast before.
She was on episode 88 where we talked about when you’re feeling stuck in life. Yeah.
She she shares some great things about going through a divorce and having her 2 wonderful daughters.
And so check that out if you want.
You can go to joycemeyer.org/ talk it out to get our back episodes.
But like I said, today, we we are really gonna dig into the book of James, which we’re calling head to toe help.
Yeah.
That is
my favorite thing about James.
And wants to mature us.
Oh, yeah. And why I have just I found myself going back to it over and over.
My entire life, because it really is everything. It’s so practical.
And
when people say, I don’t understand the Bible when I read it. Mhmm. Do James because it’s it’s short.
It’s easy to read.
Easy read. And
it’s just chapters? Yes. 5. No. I have 5 chapters. Erin was saying 4.
I think she doesn’t like the last chapter.
I just don’t do it. So the lord, I’m gonna leave that out. Or just can’t count.
And now I’ll be all fine. Maybe that’s gonna be our here today.
But but it does everything from from how we think
Yeah. She missed them.
Following exactly following where god would take us. It’s it’s just so good.
And and Erin said that she needed to read it when she was a child, because she had it also talks a lot about the tongue, and she had a lot of soap evidently
Oh my goodness.
On her tongue.
I don’t know if I’ve ever told you story, but as
small child you?
What you see before you is a state angelic creature. The new man. Yes.
The new man is up for you. As a child, my words were not quite so sweet.
I had I had an attitude. And so my parents would first put Tabasco on my tongue.
Like, if I said
if I said Sandy things,
well, then I was like, this is really good.
So bring it on. That’s why you’re gonna drop. And I don’t. Exactly.
So then they switched to soap, which you probably can’t do that anymore. But yeah.
So the book of James was started early as a conversation point.
That’s good. It’s
our household. Goodness. Thank god.
Yeah. Yeah. Right? So now look how it worked out. I guess we get sweet, Erin, instead of foulmout there.
Yeah. It’s really good. Come
along the
way. Loyalty.
I was with, uh, Edu Bible study with some amazing ladies.
And so just the past couple of weeks that we’ve been talking about James and It’s been interesting.
I love it when god just sort of lines things up in your life.
Yeah.
But, like, you talk about it here, and and then you start talking about it there, but not on purpose.
Just think it’s interesting. But a friend was telling another one of the one of the girls, this is a great place to start if you’re gonna read Like, if you are new to this whole thing or you haven’t ever, like, dig dug it digging into the
Yeah.
Dug into the word. Yeah. Dig it digging.
Yeah. So it really messed it up. This is so frustrating.
Oh my goodness.
Bear with me. Um, it’s a great place to start your bible reading process if you’re
new to the faith. 3.
Yeah. Yeah. Because you get, like you said, like you get a good variety of topics and a good understanding of what what it means to follow Jesus.
Yeah. It really does. I like it where he’s talking about Well, I kinda don’t, but I do, but, you know, the whole consider it all joy.
When you go through it, I know. Right at the beginning. At the beginning, he Here he comes. Right? Yeah.
Exactly.
He does. He introduces himself. This is who I am. Consider it all joy.
When you go through. Yeah. I don’t think you’re this 1. Yeah. I don’t want this one.
I know. I know as I was sitting and reading it and just kinda going through it, talking to god about it, um, just certain words would stick out.
Now, first of all, when he said consider it all joy, whenever you go through various trials.
Yeah.
And I was telling god, I don’t like a variety of
you know, trial. So many choices.
I like a variety of things. I like a variety of shoes.
Yeah. Yes. That is an excellent point.
But I don’t like a variety of trials. No.
So Like, I mean, I take your favorite trials.
I don’t.
It’s it’s just not fun. You on this one. Yeah.
It’s just all of these trials.
And whenever they come, so that means that they’re gonna come whenever at any time, you know, these trials could come.
But he’s still saying, consider it all joy, but what really jumped out at me was he said because you know.
And what that made me think about is that he was reminding us.
Like, he wants to remind us, and I was like, god. You know what? Yeah.
It is great to have reminders. I need reminders.
I remember and I think about this because I I remember just going through unwanted seasons of life.
And when I would go to a church service or go to conferences or I listen to my worship music or even just, like, go to my bathroom.
I have these, me and my daughter, we write um, scriptures on the wall with, uh, on the mirror with dry erase markers.
So there are scriptures in my bathroom, and these are reminders, and I even reading pre preparing for this, I was like, oh.
Yeah. It’s a reminder that this is a test of my faith. That’s right.
And it’s gonna produce something. He was saying it’s gonna produce this endurance.
It’s gonna produce I’m gonna be this person. I’m gonna be fully complete. I’m not gonna lack anything.
So that really excited me because it actually does have a purpose.
Yeah.
All of this has a purpose.
Saying that it’s a reminder because when you read stuff like that in the Bible
Mhmm.
Like, you’re gonna have trials. Well, why would I wanna read this?
Because I’m not I don’t wanna send it for that.
Yeah.
But instead, like, what you’re saying regardless of whether you read it or not, this you will have trials. Yes.
So when you get to read in the word that this this will happen to you, but there is hope
Yeah.
That they’re that you can’t have joy in the middle of it.
That is a different perspective of how you read those words.
Yeah. And it’s not really
it helps understand why we can’t stop with one part of one verse. Good. Good.
Because you read something and automatically the way we are, I am as a human is like, oh, no. Yeah.
Yeah. No. No. No. But when you continue on and you read not only how god explains it, but the entire narrative of who he is.
Yes. That is so good.
It it changes it so much, and we can’t let ourselves pull out one little thing and
Mhmm.
And focus on it so much that we miss all the gold that’s in there.
I love that. The gold. And it is.
It is. It is. Well, we need to hear from Joyce on this one because the this this is just one of those things, um, in scripture that a lot of people can get stuck on.
And I I’ve been there myself. I totally get it.
So let’s see what Joyce has to say about this one.
But I’m gonna be sharing this morning out of first chapter of James.
And it’s kind of an Archie chapter because it talks about being joyful in your trials.
And I think that that’s a lifelong pursuit.
I think it’s something that we’re we’re always growing into.
But we do get better and better, and the more experience that you have with god.
The more you realize that you can consider your trial is joyful.
I like the way that’s worded because it doesn’t actually mean I have to enjoy them, but I can consider them joyful because of what the Bible teaches us that they will do for us after we’ve gone through them and haven’t given up.
And so James chapter 1 verse 2 says consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials.
Versus 3 in force is be assured that the testing of your faith Through experience, produces endurance, leading to spiritual maturity and inner peace.
And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work so that you may be perfect and completely developed in your faith lacking in nothing.
So this is really telling us the value of our difficulties.
And Most of you, I’m sure if you think back that the things that you thought were gonna kill you when you were going through them When you look back, you can say they were actually some of the best things that took place in my life because It’s not the good times that change us.
It’s not the good times that necessarily bring us closer to god. But it’s the hard times.
It’s those times in our life when we know that we can’t solve the problem ourselves.
And that we have to completely surrender to god and learn how to do things his way.
And nobody grows in good times.
In good times, we enjoy the growth that we have gained in those difficult times.
So that’s why The Holy Spirit is teaching here through the mouth of James that we should consider our trials joyful.
Not by focusing on how bad the trial is, but by thinking about the benefit that we’re gonna get from it.
If we don’t give up, You know, that’s saying no pain, no gain actually is true.
And it’s even true in this situation.
So one of the things that I’ve learned to do is while I’m going through a difficult time, which I do, just like everybody else does, Some of them are shorter, some are longer.
I prefer the shorter ones, but they’re not all short. Sometimes you feel like is this ever going.
To go away. And one of the things that I’ve learned to say, just even the last few years, is this is gonna end well.
You can do things to keep yourself encouraged.
While you’re going through a difficulty, you can’t always wait for somebody else to come along and encourage you.
Because they just may not. And I love the the the scripture in Psalms.
It says David encouraged himself in the lord.
And so you can actually encourage yourself by saying to yourself, thinking, meditating, or even saying out loud, This is gonna end well.
I’m growing, spiritually.
And another thing I like to say when I’m going through a difficult situation and it doesn’t look like anything is happening.
It doesn’t feel like anything is happening.
Matter of fact, it kind of feels like God’s on vacation, and you don’t know why he’s not helping you because you know that he could.
I’ve learned to say this is not gonna last forever. It will come to an end.
And something good is going to come out of this.
We all know the scripture Romans 828 that God works all things together for our good to those who love him and want his will.
I’m gonna read you the the scripture, and we know with great confidence that god who is deeply concerned about us causes all things to work together as a plan for good for those who love him and who are called according to his plan, and purpose.
So it says all things when they’re put together. Work out for good.
This is one of those scriptures that what Joyce was saying is is so real. Oh my goodness.
You know, we’ve we’ve all been there, we all completely can relate to it.
And it’s one of those scriptures that I have just really grappled with.
You know, ask God help me to understand this because you are
god. Yep.
You don’t have to do it this way.
No.
You know, you you can teach me through good times if you wanted to.
So, you know, I’ve had a lot of those. Mhmm.
Let’s have a really good talk guide because I’m not I’m not loving this.
Yeah. Absolutely.
And he has shown me I’m so grateful some beautiful things because, you know, it was never god’s plan for any of us to have trials in our we were never supposed to know evil.
Yeah. And so because of the choices that that we have made because he gave us free will. Yeah.
Evil came into the world. So it’s not that god is saying, count it all joy when you face evil because or when you when you face trials because you deserve this.
Yeah. He’s not saying that at all.
He’s saying, I love you so much that I’m going to be with you through the most difficult times in your life I’m going to bring something good out of it.
I think in that you have to truly study the character of who he is to understand what you’re saying because it doesn’t sound like love.
It doesn’t sound like a good god would make me go through some of the really hard things we’ve all been through and that our friends are going through.
But when you understand his character and who he is and not just, like, you said, like, a line in the Bible.
Yeah. But, like, you you dive into this and you study who his character is, then then again, you can see it totally different.
Yeah.
Because he’s not making us go through these things.
Right.
It’s
it’s the way the world is.
And some of it is our decisions to Of course. Things that we do Absolutely.
As well that kinda put us in those circumstances.
But I think too realizing that joy is not it’s helped me realizing that joy is not a feeling.
I’m not gonna feel it. It’s just accepting this adversity and saying like Joyce said, this is gonna end well.
I think that’s the mercy and kindness of god to offer us good news.
This is gonna be a good outcome.
I was thinking the other day, like, I love a good outcome You know, when things are gonna work like they say, they work, like, the 2 things for me is, you know, face products and hair products.
Like
Yes.
When I look on this bottle, and you tell me this is the great detangler
Uh-huh.
For my hair, I want it to do that. Yeah.
Like, I should have major slip like, when I’m doing my
hair, seriously. I should. Yes. You should. I promise.
So many products in my bathroom at home right now that did not make it.
Because what was on the product did not do, you know, the same thing for my hair.
And I was very disappointed. I’m like, why would
Rosa stuff. Yes.
It’s like And I said, why would a product owner do this to me?
Like, why would he promise this thing?
But I I’ve looked into the word of god, and I know that when he promises us something, like, it manifests.
It’s gonna it’s gonna work out.
Like, he said, like, you know, the testing of it’s the testing of your faith, but it’s gonna produce something.
It’s producing endurance and you’re gonna be and nothing and fully complete.
And so that excites me that on the other side of this Yeah.
You know, there’s good. That’s a really gate a really great guarantee on the bottle. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It is.
As you’re saying that. So from someone on social media, fine or one.
She says that is where I’m at, so used to disappointment. I’m afraid to hope again.
Afraid to believe the promise of healing us for me.
And so whatever her circumstances, as you were saying that, it’s like, we can pray that over her. Yeah.
That she knows that he is the he is the maker and he only speaks truth. Yeah.
And so the trials that she’s facing This is true for her.
Yeah.
He’s a good god who loves her, and that good will come.
Mhmm. Yes.
It just yeah.
We gotta look for. Mhmm. Look for
Like you were saying, Kim too, some some of the words in there are really important. Yes.
Because the those those words that move you into the next thought because he doesn’t just say counted all joy when you meet trials or or he he says, count it all joy because of what I will do.
You know, he doesn’t just stop. Yeah. He says because of what I will do to make such a difference.
That’s good.
And so when when you know that, when you know what he has in mind, then it’s not like we need to be content Mhmm.
In being stuck where we are because he doesn’t leave us there. And it They’re gonna do it.
It’s a promise. It’s not just a this is what I want you to do. Mhmm. It’s a promise. Yeah.
Yeah. Mike and I were just last week, we were sharing our story at church.
And so the things that we walked through the past couple of years.
And so the pastor asked a question, what not click not connected to our story, but what do you love most about each other right now?
And so I was I hadn’t prepared an answer. And so I’m going off the fly.
And in that moment, I’m looking at Mike, and I thought, I have such a deep love for him that I wouldn’t have had had we not walked through all we did a few years ago because I know who he is.
I know his character. And Then as I’m saying this, I’m thinking of myself, like, I have grown so much in the past few years.
I love who I am more now because of what god has done in me and the work that I have had, and it has changed my outlook on life and how I look at trials.
Yeah. Because now I can see it took years.
Yeah.
But god moved in all of it. And it Mhmm. I wouldn’t wanna do it again. Yeah.
I’m not suggesting I’d like to go back. Yeah.
But I do see that it really like, he means what he says
because
there is a steadfastness Yeah. Inside of me now that I don’t know that they had before.
There is nothing. It will be complete lacking in nothing.
Yeah.
And you can see that growth when you walk through.
Yeah. I was look I looked up that word perseverance.
Um, it means continuing when you don’t want to. Oh, yeah.
And I was like, oh,
that’s me. That’s me. Thank you, God.
Just yeah. Just just knowing that there is going to be you know, um, a promise.
There was a promise on the other side of this that god doesn’t lie. That’s his character.
And and it doesn’t mean that he meant for these things necessarily to happen along the way, but he knew that when they did that he could bring good out of them.
Yeah.
And I
think what you’re saying is really important one quick note that it’s okay that our first go to isn’t.
Yay. Yeah.
This is a bright Mhmm.
Because we are human.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But to that we can follow-up with it. We don’t.
We have are not a lost cause because our first go to answer is not.
Feel like god’s graced me this in that moment, and then he can remind us.
I find it really interesting that James was used to write this. Mhmm.
Because, you know, this is the inspired word of god.
So this this is what god wants us to know, that he used James. And this wasn’t James the disciple.
Yeah.
This was James, the brother
of
of Jesus. Yeah. And so Good. When you read in scripture, Mhmm. That Jesus’s family did not believe.
Yeah.
Like, they were they were hard on him.
Him. Yes.
And and so then to see James at this point, you you talk about going through trials.
What about having the son of god as your brother? You know what I mean?
Like, how can I compare to this guy over here who’s never gonna send and I’m
Yeah? Because I get siblings that are not the son of god. You know, so I
just can’t I just
can’t imagine how hard that was at times Yeah.
Mhmm.
For for James and then not to believe.
Yeah. And Oh my goodness.
And then later
Yeah.
To see Jesus after the resurrection Mhmm. Because Jesus appeared to him.
And have that revelation and have everything changed and then have god begin speaking through you. Mhmm.
In this way, that is now impacting so many of our lives for so long.
So I I think of the trials and the things that he must have gone through.
Yeah. Yeah.
As as a boy and as a young man walking through this, and we’re God brought him today.
So, you know, this is coming out of experience as well.
Sounds like it. It really does. And, like, he but he has this resolve in this confident assurance.
Like, what I’m saying here, I know this is gonna happen, and he gets so strong.
And some of the places in here, and he starts calling him names and stuff. I I think one place.
He was like, you foolish people or something like that. Yeah.
You know, he I think he was just becoming so com of just passionate about it. Like, look here.
I know. This is how this works. Yeah.
And you would I love that you said that about that encounter he had with his brother, the Messiah, the son of god.
You know, you would have to wonder if that this book came from that conversation, like, oh, I gotta write this down because that’s what I find myself doing.
When things happen. I get my journal. And I’m like, oh, boy. This one was good.
Like, I don’t wanna feel good. Yeah.
You did good. You came through. Yeah. So, yeah, he does he does all things well.
He does.
You
know, we’re we’re only in, like, what verse
2 or 3?
Right? To 4 for
that. I sense that’s that’s a 4. I’m good. I’m so glad we are making the progress.
Is that net
Well, the next thing that Joyce is gonna teach us about is one of my very favorite scriptures in James and actually in in the whole Bible.
But also one of the most confusing passages for me at times too.
So let’s see what she has to say, and
then we’ll talk more about
Now another piece of really good news is in James 1538, it says if you lack wisdom, To guide you through a decision or circumstance.
All you need to do is ask your benevolent god who gives to everyone Everybody say everyone.
And you know that everyone includes you, who gives to everyone generously And without rebuke or blame, the amplified Bible says without reproach.
So that means If we do dumb things, unwise things, and we get ourselves in trouble, that we can still go to god admit it, repent, but then ask him to help us.
And the Bible says that he will help us and he won’t even kinda throw up in our face what we did.
He’s not gonna say, well, you deserve the trouble that you have.
You know how sometimes if somebody’s been mean to you and you help them or maybe with a child, they misbehaved, and then they want you to do something for them, and so you decide that you’ll do it.
But we always gotta throw in there, well, after what you did.
I shouldn’t give you this, or after what you did to me, I shouldn’t help you in your situation, but see, god doesn’t do that.
I’m telling you what forgiveness of our sins is more amazing than what what we can even possibly imagine.
I was reading this morning Psalm 89, a lot about David, and how faithful god was to King David.
And how much he loved him, and he said he’s a man after my own heart.
Yet David, as close as he was to god, committed adultery, and then murdered to try to cover up his adultery.
And for a year, he didn’t repent, He lived in denial, and then he was confronted by the prophet Nathan, and he finally admitted his sin And in the Amplified Bible, it says that god instantly forgave me.
My sin and inequity.
See, we don’t even have to beg god because he sees the sincerity of our hearts.
And so when you make a mistake, if you’re sincerely Sorry, and let me throw in here if you make a lot of the same mistakes over and over and over.
We still can go to god and say I need you to help me.
I’ve gotten myself in a mess. I know it’s my own fault. I behave foolishly. But I repent.
I’m sorry I did it. I wanna change. Will you help me get out of this situation?
And, you know, when god helps us, it doesn’t always mean that he just makes the trouble disappear.
I’m realizing more and more and more in my life that when I ask god to fix something, that more often than not, He doesn’t just miraculously fix it.
He shows me what I need to do to fix it.
So remember that when you’re asking god to help you, you need to listen for what he’s what action he’s gonna tell you that you need to take.
Now that doesn’t mean that there are not times when we receive miracles, and there’s situations we have where we can’t do anything, and god has to do everything for us.
But Ephesian 6 has says having done all the crisis remain having done all the crisis demands, stand firmly in your place.
That is one of those scriptures that that I use a lot in my prayers.
James 15, because it says if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask god who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to him.
I mean, that is a beautiful stand that when I’m praying, I can trust god.
That he’ll give me the wisdom that I need.
So where where I’ve also gotten confused is when it continues to verse 6, and it says, but Let him ask in faith with no doubting for the one who doubts as like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
And then that’s when Satan comes in. And he’s like, oh, you’re you’re doubting.
Yep.
Yeah. You know, this is not gonna work. God is not gonna give you what you want. Yeah.
Because I know deep down that you’re doubting. Mhmm. Because, you know, of course, I’ve asked those questions. Yeah.
How do I know that this is god’s will?
How do I know that he wants me to to have wisdom in this area?
I have this doubt because I’ve seen things not work out other times the way that I wanted them to with this prayer.
And what what has been really huge for me is is to look at other places in the Bible where it talks about what faith is.
Yeah.
Faith is not something that, um, it has to be complete and entire and whole.
When he says without doubt, he means that that our faith is secure because we know who god is.
Yeah. Not because we’re perfect in our faith. God is the perfecter of our faith.
Yeah.
And so to to know where it says in the Bible, if you just have a tiny bit of faith, the size of a mustard seed.
Mhmm. You can make a mountain move
Yeah.
With with god’s help. And so then it’s like, okay. I can put these things together and understand. Yeah.
That doubt means something very different than figuring it all out myself.
It’s trusting in god and not knowing what the outcome will be, but when he says he will give us wisdom, he will give us wisdom.
Yeah. That is something that he always wants us to have in, and he will give it to us.
So I love that. My my mom is, uh, just a a great inspirational woman of faith and talk about trials.
She’s been through a lot of really hard stuff in her life.
You know, just physical things and big losses, and and she is a woman of faith.
And that doesn’t mean that she’s ever never questioned. Right.
But she has faith and and she loves that verse about the grain of a mustard seed.
And so she makes she puts these little pieces of jewelry together, which which I love, and she has all little mustard seeds that she puts on necklaces and and gives them to people just to remind people and And it’s such an inspiration to me.
This this was a bracelet that my dad gave my mom when they were in high school together.
Okay.
And then she put on this little grain of a mustard seed and gave it to me and is like, you know, have faith in god.
Wow. And it’s just such a reminder that it’s not about being perfect.
Mhmm.
Yeah.
That I don’t have to be like a wave in the in the ocean just tossing back and forth because I can have even just the tiniest bit of faith Yeah.
Yeah. That god’s gonna hold me steady.
Yeah.
You know, this is a prime example of why you should have a Bible study because I read that and I was like, I thought I’m not perfect.
So I have some work to do because I
We all do. Yeah. Sometimes do doubt.
But then I took it that way. I thought, well, how can I be perfect?
How can I have perfect faith?
Yeah.
So you explained that was really helpful. Because I did go to the perfection side.
And I then I started thinking, like, am I not doing this right? Yeah.
Don’t you love that? The god is the perfecter of our faith? It’s not our responsibility. Yeah.
But if we give him a little bit, he’ll grow it into a lot.
He sure will. He does all the time.
And I don’t I I don’t think that there is a as far as wisdom goes, there is not one circumstance in life.
That does not require the wisdom of god.
Yeah. I
I’m telling you he’s my default, especially now at this time in my life.
I don’t I don’t care what it is. Like, god, you know, um, I need a new washer.
So how are we gonna do this?
You know, just everything, just everything, you know, how to, um, raising these 2 girls. Yeah. Somebody. Help.
Yeah. But I don’t. I’m on do. I got my own.
What I said for you while you do
it. And I’ll make sure. Yes.
And, you know, there are times where I am I mean, because sitting in the moment and waiting for him becomes so uncomfortable.
And you just have those, like, you have those moments to doubt.
But I know that there is not a moment where god does not want us to expect the best.
I think he just always wants us to expect the best.
And that’s I think that’s how I know for me, I come against those doubtful thoughts.
Yeah.
It’s just saying, no. Going back to god’s character, he’s good. He does good. He’s provided.
He has made a way. You know? Yeah.
It’s so so encouraging and so ensuring that we have these promises to help us walk through those times.
And and I think now we need to move on to the soap that
prefer we talk about wisdom some more.
Me too. This one’s still cool. Talk about this one either.
Let’s talk about your mouth.
You know, Erin knows you so well. This is this is my biggest area.
It’s like, oh, father help me with my mouth. Please help me with my mouth. So I was You
want me to get you some soap too?
I was okay. Well,
I don’t
want the Tabasco either though. So It’s
kind of fun. Yeah.
I wish chocolate worked.
Yeah. Yeah. We can try it. Let’s test it out.
The flesh would be, like,
same more. Yeah. Same old. Because you fit. Yeah. You’re right. You’re right.
It’s not a good plan at all.
Well, let’s check it out and see what Joyce has to say about James really digs into the power of the tongue and how we have to work so hard to control it the best that we can with god’s help.
So let’s check-in with Joyce.
We all need to pray on a regular basis that god would help us to really realize how powerful words are.
And you know what? I still don’t think that I totally get it after all the study I’ve done because it’s obvious if we really understood that the power of life and death was in the tongue that we would be a lot more careful about what we say, wouldn’t we?
I mean, if we really, really, really believe that scripture, we would be a lot more careful about what we say.
Now thank god we grow.
I’ve come a long way, but the Bible says no man contained the tongue.
It is an undisciplined, irreconcilable, evil, full of deadly, poison.
With it, we bless god and with it, we curse man. Amazing, isn’t it?
That we Christians can get in church and worship god like we did earlier tonight with those amazingly beautiful, wonderful worship songs that god gives people.
How awesome it is to be in a room full of people like this with everybody singing the same song worshiping god.
It is absolutely amazing. Now it is criminal to leave here and get in the car and talk about the 5 things you didn’t like about the night.
You know, those lights, those I just mean, oh, those lights are just terrible.
Well, well, do you wanna see me on TV? Then we gotta have lights.
The power of life and death is in the tongue.
Those who indulge it shall eat the fruit of it rather for life or death.
Let’s don’t praise god and then turn right around and curse men.
And let’s ask the holy spirit to really start convict us in this area.
I mean, let’s pray every day. God convict me when I say stupid stuff.
I wanna use my mouth to glorify you.
And I’m so used to saying dumb stuff that I don’t even realize I’m doing it half the time So I’m asking for your conviction, just get right in the middle of me every time I do it so at least I can repent.
And get forgiveness.
Many of you know right now, this is the place to be tonight.
This is good for you, out of the heart the mouth speaks.
What’s in your heart comes out of your mouth?
We can learn more about people by listening to them than through any other source.
And we can also learn a lot about ourselves.
By listening to ourselves.
James III teaches us that if we can control our tongue, we are fully and completely mature, and we can control every other part of our body.
Wow. Help me Jesus. Ezekiel 37.
Now not only do we need to stop saying wrong things, But we need to saying wrong things is to stay so busy saying right things that there’s no room for the wrong things.
I’m just gonna be quiet.
Yeah. Looks like I’m talking. I I think I should. I think quiet.
Yeah. You know, it it there’s so much in there about what not to say.
Yeah.
And and what to say, you know, letting god’s word pour out of us and and they’re when you read through James.
It really connects to gossip and grumbling and complaining and talk badly about our brothers and There’s there’s so much that we have to learn about the power of those words that we can say very flippantly and not understanding the damage that they can do.
Yeah. And I there’s just so much much to learn in this.
There is it’s
also equally Like, once you read this, there is now a we have a responsibility Mhmm.
With this information.
Yeah.
And so if you haven’t read it yet and you don’t know the word, I feel like there’s you we understand why you don’t know that you’re worth that power.
Now that we’ve read this, and I still choose to say something.
I, like, I can feel in my head and my heart.
I’m about to say something that it’s not good, and I’m gonna say it anyways.
Oh my goodness.
And that almost seems worse to me because I’m choosing on purpose to say words that
Yeah.
Are not good and are going to affect things negatively. Definitely not positive.
Yeah.
So there’s a lot of responsibility with knowing.
There is. You’re right.
And it’s a it’s the word of god.
I like even before He goes into talking about the tongue just like you were saying, Ginger, reading the scriptures around, um, and going further, he says the one who look intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it and doesn’t forget it.
And we have to remind ourselves that it is the word of god that helps us in all of these things.
Like, if we are because I’ll begin to think it is, like, I’ll try to modify that behavior myself.
And then when I don’t make the mark, I’m just like, I feel condemned all day.
But it’s me that responsibility. I’ve been part of that responsibility is walking after the spirit, like the word says, and then you won’t fulfill those the cravings and the desires of the flesh because it does.
I mean, when you have teenagers, when you have a grown daughter, when you just have a life stuff and they’re saying stuff, and you have to sit and look at them and then go, okay.
Give me a minute because you can actually see yourself like sand stuff. Uh-huh. Oh, you wear.
Like, oh, I’m having a moment.
Yeah. Take your time. Just give me a second. Don’t say it, though.
Last week. This is a funny story. Last week, Mike and I were on our way somewhere.
We were on our way to counseling. So that’s typically when these things come these conversations happen.
But we were making a decision. I didn’t like his decision, even though I knew it was right.
I also knew I needed to listen to him and and trust him in this.
We had we had argued about a little bit, and then I said, no. We’ll just do what you want.
Then I got super quiet. And he said, I know you’re mad over there. I know you’re so angry.
And I said, no, I’m not. I if I say anything to you, it will not be good.
So I need to sit here for a second. Don’t me anything, and I’ll I’ll be okay.
Just give
me a minute to be quiet.
You’re like, be grateful for the silence right now.
This is me trying to be submissive to your decision. Give me
a minute. I’m gonna need
a second. But I I knew if I spoke in that moment, my words are not gonna be good.
I needed to hold my tongue.
So god gave you the wisdom in that moment that he needed. He did. He was like Oh, good.
It is. It was so cool. It was all of James. Coming to life in that moment.
Yeah. So you had trials?
In trials?
You asked for wisdom?
Yes.
There you go.
And you tame the tongue. Oh. I tame my tongue. I see your dead brother. Yeah. Yes.
It works so well done.
When Kim and I were talking about this.
Uh, last week, the example you gave me of, like, how the dentist has to hold
your tongue with my goodness. I even told her that sometimes I go to the mirror.
And I do silly stuff. Like, when I read the word and he’s talking about the tongue, I’m like, can I tame it?
You know, But it is so difficult even at the dentist, you know, when they’re doing whatever they’re doing in there and they’re try they used a little tool to try to hold your tongue over it finds its way around
the little tool. And it’s like It’s a slippery sucker.
It is a nosy. It’s so nosy. What’s happening over there, guys? Yeah.
But I think that’s totally really paints the picture
of, like, what what our mouth Yes. They we want to say so many things. Mhmm.
A mind of our own or mind of his own, but
Yeah.
And there are so many things that we want to say about each other. Mhmm.
You know, you talk about gossip in this. Yeah.
It’s so easy just to fall into those those things of Yeah.
Talking about something because either it’s hurt you and and of course, there are times that we need to be able to share.
James also says to confess your sin
to one another and to
share those burdens. But but it’s so easy to get into that pattern of saying negative things about other people And it it’s just a dangerous, dangerous thing.
And to break those patterns, it it takes some real strength on our part because sometimes you feel like with your girlfriends, well, what are we gonna talk about?
Mhmm. If we don’t do that We don’t think we’re gonna play it.
So, like, it says, do not this is in chapter 411. Do not speak evil against one another.
Yeah.
The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks evil against the law against the word of god and judges the law.
That if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law.
You’re not doing what god’s word says to do, but you’re a judge.
And then it goes on and and this is actually before that in James, but this is one of those things that when you put it all together and you go, oh, I don’t I don’t wanna do that.
In chapter 2, 13, it says, for judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.
So if I judge my brother and I have no mercy for them, the judgment I’m gonna receive is gonna be the same thing that my mercy then, I’ve just spin it in the wrong place.
Mhmm.
And, wow, I hear those things and just like, okay, god. Like you were saying, Kim, it it’s you.
Yep. You have to help me with this. It’s your holy spirit.
Yep.
That has to help me with this.
Yeah.
And, um, what I found over over the years is is progress in a lot of these a lot of these areas.
I remember a long time ago when when it was with with my friends, and I just sat quite for a long time.
I’m like, you’re really quiet. And I’m like, yeah. And and I just told them, I’m really working on this.
And I, you know, I I don’t think we should be doing this.
And and you begin to see all of you kinda changing together as friends who love each other.
Absolutely. You
don’t have to go there. Yeah. Yeah.
So now, I mean, you know, the trouble with my tongue is really just that slowing down and taking the time and and not saying those things that are right on the tip of my tongue.
You just wanna jump out when they shouldn’t all the time.
So why do you think it’s so much
easier to say the wrong thing. Yeah. You know what I’m saying? It’s so much fallout.
Yeah. Yeah.
Like, and we have to practice the right thing and think about it and go you know, and we have to make that decision, but it’s so much easier.
You know, and I think it is. I think it’s pride.
It absolutely is.
It is It feels a blow against my pride for me to not say what I know you deserve to hear.
Uh-huh. And Wow. If you’re wrong or I disagree or whatever, it I have the right to tell you my opinion or that you’re being silly.
Yeah.
Yeah. But the
holy spirit calls us to a higher standard pertains.
Because once I start looking in here, it does make a difference. Yeah.
Once I start going to the word of god, like, you know, it it does. It will change you.
People need to know, like, this is not it’s not a magical potion.
Like, the the book is alive and it works, and it will transform your thinking. It really does.
It transforms your thinking. That’s why I I have found myself going back to James, my entire life, literally, because it is so practical.
And it is the the inspired word of god from the Holy Spirit, and he uses it to help me.
And I feel understood.
Yeah.
And he uses it to to help train me.
You know, I I read James as a whole as like saying, I love you enough to be there in every trial that I will even bring joy out of the most difficult things in your life.
I see your faith, and I will give you the wisdom that you need when you ask for it.
And when you draw near to me, I will draw near to you what beautiful promises.
And that, yes, I know you’ve got problems in some of these areas, and I’m right there with you.
I’m working with you on it, and I’m gonna help you tame that that giant redder that sometimes wants to take your life into the wrong waves.
Oh my goodness. Help you with it. I just I love that.
To me, it really is a a steady force in my entire life. Yeah.
I’m gonna get you some of that dentist gauze for your tongue. For your next birthday.
We’ll see if it works. Who knows? Who knows? It’s hard to say.
I remember myself too. Yeah. Really, who doesn’t who doesn’t need it?
Yeah. We all do.
Oh, but there’s just there’s just so much. So many great verses.
We could go on and learn on into different ones.
But but like we were saying earlier, it’s just encouraging everyone to read these 5 little chapters to look at it as a whole and then take out some of those verses put them on your mirror.
Like like Ken was saying,
remind yourself. Let it be a reminder for what we all need to do and who god is and And I love jumping in and studying this stuff together.
It’s fun. It’s very exciting.
Yeah. Thank you guys, and thank you, Kim, for being with us.
Having me.
It’s a lot of fun.
I’ll never think of my hair products as the same when I read the labels.
Yes. Yeah. You better do it.
I am holding you accountable.
Well, thank you all so much for being here with us. We love you.
We love it when you’re on the paint couch with us, and we just get to share this stuff between friends.
Make sure you go to Joyce Meyer, Joyce Meyer. What is our address?
Joycemeyer.org/talk it out, and you can find out some of our walk it out scriptures that will kinda help you.
Make this very, very practical in your own life.
And we pray that god will do exactly what he has promised in your life.
He’ll give you the wisdom that you need He will give you joy in trials when it doesn’t even make sense, and he will help you be quiet when you need to.
Hope we’ll see you next time.
Bye bye.