Welcome to 15 Minutes in the Word with New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer. On today's program, Joyce will be teaching from her series, Enjoying Successful Relationships. God wants to bless us, but we must get along. Because where there is unity, there is blessing and anointing. So it's our job to learn how to set aside our own agenda and serve one another through love. Now, here's Joyce with today's teaching. Number 16-9 says that man's mind plans his way, but God directs his steps. I saw a sign recently said, man plans and God laughs. And you know, I do believe that our steps are ordered by the Lord much more than what we realize they are. And I believe that many times when we think we're in the wrong place, God has indeed got us in the right place. What am I doing here? I can't believe this happened. How did this happen? Jesus understood the difference between divine interruptions and demonic interruptions. It seems like people bounce back and forth, not really ever understanding the balance. You don't want to interrupt me when I'm having my prayer time and my fellowship time with God in the morning unless it's really important. Not that I would be mean, but I'm not interruptible at that time. Because I learned many years ago that if I did not have that time with God, I was not going to be very nice that day. And it's not really good if you're a preacher and you're not nice. Amen, I need a lot of help. And I can't do it on my own. I know that every day I tell God, I know full well I'm nothing without you. And if you don't help me, if you don't strengthen me, I will not do anything right today. And I remember when I first started understanding I needed to spend that time with God and my kids were all still at home and they'd get upset. Can't you come out of that room in the morning? Can't you come down here and make our breakfast? I said, look, you're all teenagers. You can put cereal in a bowl and eat it. If you were smart, you'd send me to my room. Your life is going to be better if I'm in here. So that's one thing that you need to not allow people to interrupt. You need to have your time with God because you're not going to be good for anything else if you don't do that. But then the rest of the day, we need to be open to God. Have a plan and work your plan unless God interrupts your plan. And if he does interrupt your plan, whatever time you spend doing what he's asked you to do, he will redeem that time back to you and make something else easier or send somebody else along to help you with that. There's so many ways that we can do this. My husband is absolutely wonderful at talking to people and showing an interest in them that perhaps a lot of other people wouldn't mess with at all. And I think that's part of the way we show hospitality to strangers and foreigners and maybe people who feel a little bit out of place. What would happen when you go to church if instead of heading for your three friends? What would happen if you said, God show me somebody today that's new, show me somebody that's lonely, show me somebody that's hurting? And how about if you went and got them and asked them to go sit with you and your three friends? Let's see, we don't want to, you know, it's like, you know, I'm going to church. Don't bother me. I want to just sit in my pew and nobody better be in my seat either because I sit, I sit in the third row on the end seat and everybody knows it and nobody better be in my seat. Come on, don't mess with me. I'm a Christian. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Okay, another wonderful scripture that I absolutely love, Acts 10 38 says, see how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth. We all want the anointing, right? I love this. See how God, let's put that scripture up, please, Acts 10 38, see how God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with strength and ability and power and how he went about doing good. We all went about. Every day you go out of your house and you have the ministry of winting about. How many of you get that? You know, you, what did you do yesterday? Well, I went to the grocery store and I went to the cleaners and I went to the shopping mall and I went here and I went there. Well, how many people did you touch? Or did you do your best to ignore all of them and not have to talk to any of them and not even time to smile? And maybe you had this gigantic cart full of groceries and there was some little old lady that had two items and the thought tried to enter your mind to let her go in front of you, but no, you were in a hurry. But bless God, you got your bumper sticker and your cross around your neck and got your fish shown on your t-shirt that you got at your choice Meyer conference. Come on, you all know I'm telling the truth. Well, I didn't, you know, I got this stuff for my own life, so I'm not picking on anybody else. Jesus was interruptible. Let's look at Matthew chapter eight. I mean, it's amazing to me what all he did just while he was winting about. Thank you, daughter. I got so many kids. I love it. I tell everybody they can call me Mama J. Matthew eight a day in the life of Jesus. Verse one, when Jesus came down from the mountain, please notice that he started on the mountain spending his time with God. He didn't come down until he did that. No winting about until you have time with God. Great throngs followed him and behold a leper came up to him and prostrating himself, worshiped him and saying, Lord, if you're willing, you can cleanse me. And he reached out his hand and touched him and saying, I'm willing. I want everybody here to reach out your hands and say, I'm willing. You saw him, Lord. Oh, you've had it now. It's too late. You can't take it back. God saw you. He's got one of those cameras. You know, I like to have on traffic lights now. Oh, and now he's got it. He's got them in church and he's got a picture of every time you say, I surrender all. I surrender all. Here I am. God, use me, use me, use me. Amen, sister Joyce. That's right. Love should be the number one thing. You got snapshots of all that. And then Jesus said, don't tell anybody about this. Go show yourself to the priest. I offer the offering that Moses told you to offer. Verse five, and as he went to Capernaum, a centurion came up to him, begging him, Lord, my servant boy is lying at house paralyzed and distressed with intense pain. And Jesus said, oh, no problem. I'll come. I'll come restore him. Well, I know what most of us would have said. Well, you know, be warm and be filled. I got somewhere to go. I'll put you on my prayer list, but verse 14 through 16. And when Jesus went into Peter's house, he saw, open your eyes and look at what's going on around you. He saw his mother, mother-in-law lying ill with fever and he touched her hand. The fever left her and she got up, began to serve. When evening came, they brought to him many who were under the power of demons. And he drove out the spirits with a word and restored to health all that were sick. And this just goes on and on and on and on and on and on. I've got verse after verse after verse. So Jesus was definitely interruptible. We certainly need to stay focused and know what God's called us to do and not let people just use us and interrupt us for silly stuff. But we need to be available to God. How many of you will pray every morning in God? What can I do for you today? Now don't you do that unless you mean it because He's going to give you something to do. I'm giving you a way to get over being a bored Christian. Same old, same old, go to church, go home, go to church, go home. Do the seminar, buy the t-shirt. Happy, clappy to the music, go to church, go home, go to church, go home. And after a few years of that, you're like, then you think you need a new church so you go somewhere else. They tickle you for a while, then that wears you out. I know, I've been there, done all that. Please don't misunderstand this, but I think sometimes we make too much out of church as a building we go to to put in our time with God. And the fact is we are the church and we should be living this life everywhere that we go. That's what we need, people to get out there and live the life everywhere they go. Do you have any idea how many people just the people in this room could touch? My goodness, it would be phenomenal. Matthew 25, 32. We're going to take a look at sheep and goats. Yeah, you got that right, honey. Oh, Jesus. Are you a sheep or a goat? Sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep. Well, we'll see. Sheep say, goat say, but, but, but, but, but. Well, I know I should do that, but I know I should probably help them, but are you thinking I probably should go over there and talk to that person. They look really lonely, but you'll goat you, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but. Verse 32, Matthew 25, 32. All nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them, the people from one another as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. And he will cause the sheep to stand at his right hand, but the goats that is left. And we're going to read all this, so focus. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, come, you blessed of my father, you favored of God and appointed to eternal salvation, inherit and receive as your own the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Far, I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you brought me together with yourselves and you welcomed and entertained and lodged me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me with help and ministry and care. I was in prison and you came to see me. Then the just and the upright will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and we welcomed and entertained you or naked and clothed you? When did we see you sick or in prison and came to visit you? And the king will reply to them, truly I tell you, as far as you did it for one of the least in the estimation of men, of these my brethren, you did it unto me. Maybe I could just put a little more better spin on it to help you really understand it. God takes it personally how we treat people. He says, however you treat other people, as far as I'm concerned, that's the way you're treating me. People are all different, so we need to learn how to relate to everyone, not just those who are like us. We must learn to avoid strife by trying to keep unity and oneness with the people in our lives. If we truly want to be like Christ, we need to become a servant. We cannot become so busy that we refuse to be interrupted when someone needs help. Most of Jesus' miracles took place when we stopped along the way. A sincere, deep desire to help people is one of the most godly attitudes we can have. Galatians 513 says this, You, my brothers and sisters were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh. Rather, serve one another humbly in love. Get your daily dose of encouragement with the Joyce Meyer Ministries app. Catch up on seven days of enjoying everyday life episodes. Grow deeper in God's Word with the Daily Devotional and Question of the Day. And enjoy all your favorite teachings from Joyce in your digital library. Find all this and more with the Joyce Meyer Ministries app. Search Joyce Meyer in your app store and download it today. Thank you for listening to 15 Minutes in the Word with Joyce.
