Displaying Christian Sermons by tag: world

Textual sermon: How Should I Deal With All the Hurt in the World?

And God's doing the same thing in your life. And so when they did realize it was joseph, then they were afraid and they thought, "well, there's no tellings what he's gonna do to us now he's got a chance to get us back." And this is what joseph said to them, genesis 50:20: "as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are this day." In other words, God used that situation, that cruel situation, to get joseph into a place where he could actually use him then to help the whole nation when the time came around and was right. Let me tell you something. You may be headed somewhere and right now you feel like you're headed in the totally wrong direction in your life. You may have no idea that this is the exact route that you need to get where you wanna be and just don't understand how you're going this way, c'mon. Joyce: acts chapter 7, verse 9. I love this. "and the patriarchs [jacob's sons], boiling with envy and hatred and anger, sold joseph into slavery in egypt; but God--" those are two of my favorite words in the bible. "but God." Doesn't matter what anybody else does. If God be for me, who can be against me? If God is on my side, whom shall I fear? Joyce: they did all this stuff to him "but God was with him."

And I'll tell you the truth. You don't even need to know what God's gonna do as long as you know that he's with you. I don't know what route you'll have to take to get where God wants you to be but if you keep loving him and you keep trusting him, he is gonna get you into a place that is gonna just leave you with jaw-dropping awe. Joyce: see, I've done this journey. I've been doing this 40 years. I'm not making stuff up here. I know where I was at when I started. I know what I was like when I started. And I'm not only sharing the word of God with you. I'm sharing experience with you to say I know that I know that I know that I know that there's nothing that can destroy you if you put your hope in God and you believe that something good is gonna happen to you. Joyce: c'mon, nothing. There's nothing. And then, of course, romans 8:28 would go along with this: "we are assured and know that [god being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who," what? "love God and want his will." Simple. Love God. One of the first things, probably the first thing that I say every morning when I wake up is, "i love you, Lord." I'll tell you what, if you just love Jesus, it goes a long, long, long, long way into taking care of everything else. I love you, Lord. I love you. Tell him that a hundred times a day, "i love you, Lord. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you." That pretty much says it all.

Ginger: loving God and trusting him will guide you. It's kind of like walking through a dark woods where you can't really see everything that's happening around you but you've got this really bright beacon that is just shining a path and helping you through the things. You don't see everything but you have complete confidence in the one who is giving you the light to make you walk through it in confidence. And with that help, you'll see how he makes something good out of really difficult circumstances. Today's message, what you just saw, that answer, is from Joyce's teaching series called "my favorite scriptures." Now, you can get this as a digital download or on cd and I think you're really going to love it. It's 24 scriptures that changed Joyce's life. And it also comes with those scriptures printed in a booklet so you'll always have them handy with you too. So pick this up today. Don't wait around. Call us or go to the website right now and let that change begin. Shine that beacon where you need it. Here's a look at what's coming up next week on "everyday answers." Joyce: God always works through people. Get that in your head. God always works through people. If you ask God for a miracle he may show you something you need to do. Ginger: are you dissatisfied with the people in your life?

Are you not enjoying things the way that you used to? Well, there's probably a very good reason for that and it may not be exactly what you think. Listen as Joyce shares the answer to the question: "how do I appreciate what I have?" Joyce: I have a scripture on my heart that I wanna share with you and what I'm gonna share with you in a minute could be the one thing that God sent you here to get. Ecclesiastes 6:9: "better is the sight of the eye--better is the sight of the eyes [the enjoyment of what is available to one] than the cravings of wandering desire." So what's he saying? It's better to enjoy what you have than to always be wanting something that you don't have. Now, c'mon, some of you are not happy with what you have but the truth is maybe you've been so unhappy with what you don't have that you have forgotten to take a look at what you do have. We'll just let that kind of drift across the room here. Joyce: maybe you're married to somebody or you're in relationship with somebody and you have focused on what's wrong with them for so long that you've completely forgotten why you ever liked 'em to start with. Joyce: there must have been something there that you liked at some point-- Joyce: in the relationship. You know, I used to not be very bright.

I didn't know how to apply all this to my life and I had plenty of things on my list that I thought was wrong with dave. Of course, there was nothing wrong with me. It was just all--how many of you get me with that? It's all the other person. Joyce: and I can actually remember making a list of all the things that was wrong with dave that I wanted God to change. It never helped. Joyce: it didn't help at all. It just kept making me more unhappy and more unhappy. You know why? What you focus on becomes larger in your life. The more you focus on what's wrong, the more miserable you're gonna be and the bigger it's gonna seem. And I think we all have found out by now that we are capable of blowing things completely out of proportion. So sometimes what we need is a little bit of perspective. I have a story that I read sometimes and I probably won't get all the details right but this girl was in college and she sent her parents this letter and just went on and on about "i'm sorry I haven't written but, you know, my apartment caught on fire and I lost everything that I had. And I had to jump out the window and, you know, I did break my leg. And then I had to go to the hospital and, you know, the guy who took care of me in the hospital felt sorry for me 'cause I didn't have a place to live.

He took me in and we became close and, you know, we have a relationship. And I do need to tell you, mom and dad, that I am pregnant now and I know that you'll be happy to be grandparents and, you know, he's not my race, he's not my religion, but I know you'll receive him with open arms and he does have a slight disorder but I know you'll look beyond that." And then she said all that and she said, "now actually, mom and dad, none of that has happened but I have failed history." Joyce: I mean, I'm sure they were, like, "oh, thank God you just failed history." But if she would have written home and said, "i failed history," they would have been having a fit about that. So what are you upset about that maybe you could just calm down a whole lot this morning if you'd actually take the time to count your blessings, amen? How many of you walked in here this morning? See, well. Joyce: you can see, right? Amen.

We've got so many things to be thankful for and I actually have come a long way, thank God, by his grace and mercy. And not too long ago, I sat down and wrote a list of everything that I like about my husband. And there's a whole lot of stuff, you know? He's good looking, he takes care of himself, he's just so easy-going.

He kind of just lets me do whatever I want to unless I just get kind of really too feisty and then he'll stop me. He actually loves me just the way I am. Does this apply to anybody in the room today? Maybe you have been focusing--c'mon, has anybody maybe been focusing a little too much on what you don't have, what God has not done for you, and not focusing enough on, "hey, I'm saved. I'm not going to hell, wow." Joyce: that's gonna be pretty exciting. Let's learn how to love people and value them where they're at, not where we would like them to be. And if we do that, then God can work in our hearts and change us and, oops, maybe he'll just change the other person too and we can still enjoy our life while he's doing it, amen? All right, likewise, I think that many times we look at what we don't have and what we can't do to help other people instead of looking at what we do have and what we can do. You know, when Jesus was ready to feed the 5,000, he said to the disciples, "what do you have?"

And they proceeded to tell him how little they had. But all God really wants us to do is to be willing to give him what we do have and even though it may not be enough, he can then multiply it and make it work out, amen? Joyce: you know, just a little side note since I'm into this. I think a lot of people, they never get around to doing the things they'd really like to do because they kind of think they couldn't do enough to make any difference and, you know, my husband's been working out and exercising for 55 years, thus that's why he looks as good as he does.

And for years and years he tried to encourage me to work out but I always thought I was too busy, there's no way I can do it. How can I do that with all the traveling we do? Just about the time I get started, then I won't be able to do it anymore. And so, long story short, God dealt with me about it and I finally made this decision.

Now, c'mon, this is gonna help somebody. I decided that I was gonna do what I could do instead of being concerned about what I could not do. I mean, I decided if I could only work out and exercise 10 minutes a week then doing something is better than doing nothing, c'mon. Joyce: doing something is better than doing nothing.

Maybe you just feel like you have got such deep debt that there's no way you could ever get out of debt so now you just don't bother to pay your bills at all. You just keep going out and spending more and more money. Well, I don't care if you pay $1 on your debt a week, it's always better to be going somewhere.

You know, there's a lot of things that we can do in life but one thing we must never do is nothing. Because the more we do nothing, the more we're gonna have nothing good happen in our lives. And so as a result of making that decision 12 years ago, I now work out with a trainer 3 times a week and I walk 5 miles every morning.

All because I decided I was gonna do what I could do instead of being concerned about what I could not do. How many of you need to start doing something, lest you do nothing, amen? Ginger: so you can learn to enjoy the things you have in your life right now and still strive to improve your situation whatever it may be. The choice is yours. You know, where we live, all of us at Joyce meyer ministries, we're located in missouri and it's hilly and beautiful but this morning when I woke up I was listening to the radio and I heard that there was a lot of fog outside. And with that situation, the first thing you think is, "oh, I'm gonna have to leave earlier, the traffic's gonna be bad. I'll have to be extra careful and go slow." And, you know, no one wants fog but when I started driving, it was spectacularly beautiful because up higher you could see the fog down low in the valleys and the sun was shining through it. It was gorgeous.

But I had to choose to look up from the fog to see that beauty. The choice is ours. Take the time to see the beauty that God puts in our difficult circumstances. We have to choose. You can also choose to share your voice with us. We love to hear from you. Let's check it out now. [music] ginger: this is some great stuff that we all need to listen to because we asked you to share how you love people who are difficult to love and here are some of your responses. Eluny from south africa says, "i used to focus on what the person did that made it difficult for me to love them. It can be so frustrating but all you have to do is pray, pray, and pray.

Ask God for his guidance to see that person through the eyes of Jesus. I stopped focusing on their failures and I appreciate their victories. I ask God to help me deal with negative feelings so I am at a place where I can love them." That's beautiful. Thank you, eluny. You know, she was at our women's conference so I had a chance, you know, to talk back and forth with her a little bit so that was exciting. Here's another friend, janee from arkansas. She says, "i came from a family where love was absent. My parents, extended family, and even the church I grew up in offered no love. I grew up thinking I was worthless and unlovable.

God is replacing those lies sown in my heart from years of emotional neglect and abuse with his truth that he loves me. He's teaching me to love his people that way, his way. I've learned to love my family even though they cannot love. Sometimes I must love from a distance because they are toxic and harmful to be around but I still love and pray for them." Janee, that's beautiful and a great encouragement for many people who, I'm sure, have experienced similar situations. And you know, there are just a lot of hard-to-love people in the world but God calls us to love them. And the great thing is he doesn't just tell us to do it. He helps us do it.

Today, we want you to take some time to encourage people who feel that they are alone and unloved. Write whatever you want, a scripture that's helped you, an encouraging note, whatever God puts on your heart. Use those social media channels and don't forget to put #ea and just encourage someone today.

Whether you're a believer or a non-believer, a new Christian or experienced, the answer to today's "help me" question may help relieve some pressure you're experiencing. Ginger: this is from stephania: "how should I deal with all the hurt in the world? I can't find peace of mind--in my mind about all those people that I can't reach."

Joyce: well, first of all, and I don't mean this to sound crude at all, but God had to teach me a long time ago, you know, Joyce, you're not the savior. Ginger: we do all need to tell ourselves that. Just remind ourselves. Joyce: you know, that he is and so it's great to have that kind of compassion in your heart but, at the same time, first of all, there's no one of us that can do it all. Not one of us can do it all. And I had to come to grips with that because, to be very honest, I'd like to solve every problem on the planet. I mean, there's no kind of outreach that I would not like to be involved in. And even here at the ministry, we've had to come to grips with the fact that we can't do it all, you know? And so no one person can solve all the problems in the world. Only God can do that. But even he is gonna respect people's free will. So people who won't let God into their life, not even God can do anything for them so certainly we can't.

And the bible says in psalm 37 that we're not to fret over the wickedness in the world. So yes, there's terrible things going on, there's a lot of people that are lost and they are without Christ, but instead of focusing on that, let's focus on the good and helping as many people as we can without getting depressed and downtrodden about the ones that we can't help. Ginger: well, the wrong thoughts can be paralyzing. Joyce: oh, absolutely. Ginger: I mean, if we're concentrating on what we can't do rather than the part that God asks us to play, that will change everything. Joyce: he wants us to be positive about everything.

You know, I can focus on all the wickedness in the world or I can be aware it's there and pray about it and do what I can but focus on God and the good. Ginger: make sure you share your questions with us. Do it on social media. Use the hashtag "ask Joyce" or on our "everyday answers" page on our website, and also contact us for today's resource offer. I love this. This is Joyce's teaching called "my favorite scriptures." And this is Joyce walking us through those scriptures that really changed her life. So there is great stuff in here that will apply to you. It applies to me. It would apply to any life. In fact, she talks about 24 different scriptures in here, in depth, and it really is encouraging and it's inspiring and it makes a difference. You can get this as a digital download or on cd and it comes with a little booklet inside that prints out all those scriptures for you too. So this is really great. These are those scriptures that changed her life and you know what she's been through, an abusive childhood, and changed her into the woman she is today. Because God is so good and he loves you that very same way. God bless you so much. Enjoy your day. We'll see you next time.

Textual Sermon: Why Are There Calamities In This World If God Is Love? - Joseph Prince

Now God made man last, on the last day alright. On the sixth day. God made everything on the first five days and then man on the sixth day. Why did God made man last? Why was man made or created last? Well one thing we know that man cannot take glory in creation. Like right now they are trying to create like God. Number two, God wanted man to enjoy the finished work. So everything in Earth at that time was finished already. Not only finished, it was finished well. It was good. So everything was right for the plucking, everything was perfect for man's enjoyment. To tantalize his senses. The flowers give off their aroma, the sound of the breeze was like music, like Beethoven. Amen? The fruits were luscious and huge. Man's every need God did not create a need in man's body that did not have a corresponding answer in God.

God created... whether it's fruits or whatever it is. So everything that we desire God gave us that desire. Sin is but a perversion of that desire. Amen. Everything you have is not from the devil. The devil never gave you any "needs". He perverts the needs that you have. Needs are a sign that there is an object out there, a gift out there from God that is meant to meet that need, whether it is a fruit, a luscious fruit alright to tantalize your taste buds, and to nourish your body. Alright? Whatever it is, it is to show you more of the goodness of God. Can I have a good amen? So God made the first man and then we have all the trees and God said of every tree, say, "Every." "You may eat of it, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it for the day you eat of it you shall surely die." Alright. Why? Why did God made everything good and the bible says God saw everything He made and God made trees before He made man. Plus the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which He said do not eat from. He made that tree and He pronounced it as good. Inclusive of that tree. That tree was called by God good. But it is not good for man. Can I have a good amen? Just like the law. The tree is the knowledge of good and evil.

The law is the knowledge of good and evil. God gave the law. But it is not good for man. It cannot but only curse, for man. As far as man is concerned. When Jesus came it cannot but bless Him because He was fully obedient. You follow me? Alright? So God did not want man to find his fulfilment in the law.

Knowledge of good and evil, and now we understand that. So in other words, man was the federal head of the human race at that time. There was no descendants yet, but man - Adam that is, was the federal head. Say, "Federal head." I'm going to share with you some things you will understand why the tsunami, why earthquakes, why this why that? People ask these questions but you must start from the beginning. Ok are you with me? This is going somewhere. Now, God made man with a free choice. People say if God knew Adam was going to take from the wrong tree why didn't God stop him? Well if God stopped him, God is intervening into something He Himself would not. Because He is a just God. Alright?

If God gave man everything good, and gave man a free choice to exercise but man is not able to choose anything but good, free choice is not free choice. Someone asked a question, "Why did God put that tree down there?" I'm answering you. If God gave man free choice, and everything... all the choices in front of man, all the creation in front of man is all good, wherein lies the free choice? Wherein lies the exercise of the choice? So God gave man one option. Alright? As a sign of man's respect and reverance for God, God said, "Don't eat from this tree."

Which represents the law, don't be in My position. Don't assume to be Me. Alright? You can never be God. Alright? You cannot handle the law the way I can. Alright? You need to be subject to Me, and then you will find the law fulfilled in you. But man became arrogant because of the snake talk. Alright you know the... All creation spoke at one time. You know when Jesus comes back your cat will talk to you. "You see I've been keeping this for a long time, but there is something I want to say." Alright your dog have been saying. Your dog will start talking again, "You know I've been telling the other dog next door. Alright? I hate it when you let me drink from the toilet bowl. Alright? You don't know how it feels like. Ok?" So all creation could talk. We saw this in the picture of Numbers where we find the donkey was talking to the half-past-six prophet Balaam. So one day when all creation will come to that, we'll end with that, all creation will be restored. Alright?

Right now creation is moaning, creation is in pain, creation is groaning. God is not fully in control. If God is in control, we'll have streets of gold. Everybody will be fully supplied. There will be no sick child, no sick person amongst us. Nobody will grow old and nobody will die. No animal will die. So the bible says in Romans 8 all creation is crying out for something to happen. Before we come to that, Adam and Eve took that fruit. They exercised their choice alright? Albeit it was a wrong choice, and by choosing the tree they are telling God, "God, we don't want Your world, we want our world." A world that is born out of our own knowledge, of good and evil. We can decide on morality, we can decide on what sort of approach to You. We don't want You to have all the say. We don't want You to do everything for us, in us, through us. We want to work. So God says, "Ok." They partook of that and God says, "Remember I told you the choice?"

You cannot exercise your choice and don't expect the consequence. If you put your finger in the fire, your finger will burn. You cannot say, "I don't want to be burned, but I want to feel the fire." You cannot do that. You cannot say, "I want to commit adultery, but I don't want the consequences." You cannot do that. Alright? God has worked the system in this world in such a way that there will be consequence. So the consequence is this alright? The whole creation fell, because its head fell. Are you with me?