Filled bones, burning lungs, fingers crossed. That's how you start your electric Ford Explorer again. To get it all up again. Ready for 35,950 euros. With a drive-in to 602 kilometers. Book your test on Ford.nl. Ready, set, Ford. 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, The Fearsome Four. When we feel discouraged, defeated, or overwhelmed by the pressures of life, chances are we're being hit by what Joyce calls the fearsome four. Fear, guilt, worry, and insecurity. The devil uses these obstacles to keep us from God's calling. But with Christ, we can defeat all of them and reach God's perfect plan for our life. Be empowered with today's teaching and learn to embrace God's fearless form, peace, confidence, love, and courage. Now, here's Joyce with today's teaching. Every morning when I would go to have my prayer and time with God, I would go over one of two things, all of my problems and all of my mistakes. Oh God, I'm so sorry. God, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. God, I know I'm a mess. I'm so sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. But you know, the Bible says, ask and receive that your joy may be full. I was asking, but I never took the time to stop and receive. And I'd like to encourage you from now on, when you ask God to forgive your sins for anything that you've done wrong, take a moment and say, and I receive your forgiveness right now. Don't just ask, but ask and receive. Why? That you can take that next step so your joy can be full. And one morning as I was doing my regular routine, I really remember the Lord speaking to me and saying, are you going to fellowship with me this morning? Are your problems and your sins? Do you spend more time with your sins than you do with God? Do you spend more time thinking about what you've done wrong than what He's done right? where sin does abound grace does much more abound now we're going to go to Romans chapter 6 I'm going to try to do something here that sometimes I hesitate to do because Romans chapter 6, 7, 8 are a little bit intense in that you have to really study them for usually a long time before they break through that old religious mindset that we have and really begin to dawn on us what God has actually done for us through Christ. But I'm going to take a chance that I've got out some of the really serious folks this morning that are really wanting to learn and go on with God. And I'm going to believe the people watching my television are the ones who God has led to turn on today and you're ready for a breakthrough in this area. So Romans chapter 6, beginning in verse 2. how can we who died to sin live in it any longer? So he doesn't say sin is dead. Oh, let me tell you, sin is alive and well on planet earth. It will scream at you day in and day out. But we're dead to sin. What do you mean Joyce we dead to sin I mean that as a new creature in Christ you have a new heart a new want to a new attitude And the truth is is that the new you the God you the spiritual you does not want to sin. See, I knew we're going to have to go slow. Now, did you see, even when I said that, I'm sure the first thing you thought is, well yeah then why do I? Well you're going to see in 11 verses I hope to show you that you're not seeing yourself as you should see yourself and you're not properly looking at sin for what it is. Can I tell you something? Sin has been taken care of. Everything that we need to deal with sin every time it raises its ugly head has been taken care of. The first thing that you've got to know is you're a new creature in Christ. Old things have passed away. God says, I will give you my spirit. I will put a new heart in you. I will take the stony, hard heart out of you and give you a heart of flesh sensitive to the touch of God. That means that on the inside of you, God is living there. The Holy Spirit is living there. You don't have to really be afraid of falling into sin. I hate that I fell into sin. We don't fall into sin. We choose it. Now sometimes we choose it before we really realize what we're doing. You know, you can get impatient or lose your temper. Those are things that I would call, just for the sake of talking about it, sins of the flesh. They're just that old stinking flesh still rearing its ugly head. We just got some more growing to do. But I honestly don't believe, if you really understand who you are in Christ, and I think that's a lot of it that we're missing. I don't really think that you can purposely, knowingly, habitually sin. I said I don't think you can purposely, knowingly, habitually sin. And God sees your heart. And just in case you think I've lost my mind, I've got scripture to back up everything I'm saying. What I really believe is sometimes we're afraid almost to preach the kind of freedom and the kind of liberated attitude that I'm going to preach to you today because we almost think, well, if we do that, then aren't we giving people a license to sin? If you tell people they don't have to be afraid to sin, then aren't you just inviting them to sin? No, because the whole point is is you've got a new heart and you don't want to anyway. Why in the world would you be here today if you were looking for a reason to sin? So why should I talk to you like you're looking for a reason to sin? and leave you in a bunch of fear, you better not sin. You better not sin. Verse 3, are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who've been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, so we too might habitually live and behave in newness of life. Now what this really means is we have to learn how to identify with Christ. I don't know how to get you to believe this except to just say that if you don't ever get around to believing it, you're going to have a hard time. But what the Bible really teaches us is that Christ was our substitute and that we are joint heirs with him. And everything that he suffered to gain, every victory that he gained for us when he took sin to the cross and died there with it that moment sin lost its power over anyone who would really believe in Jesus Christ because what God saw on that day on the cross in Christ he saw every person that ever would believe in his son Jesus Christ and trust him for their salvation spiritually we were in him when he died. We were in him when he was raised from the dead. According to the Bible, we are seated right now in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Even though we're standing right here right now, we are also in him. And if you never know who you are in Christ, you're never going to get this. When you're baptized, he said, do you not know that when you were baptized, you were baptized into that death? I die to the old way of living. I'm resurrected to a brand new life. It's not just some holy bath that we get or some ritual that we go through because we're supposed to. There's a wonderful, wonderful meaning to baptism. It's an outward sign of an inward decision that God already knows that you've made, but you're actually making a declaration to the whole spiritual world, including evil spirits. Look at this. I'm dying to you and all of your way of living, devil, and I'm raising up to a brand new life through Christ Jesus. My gosh, if we would ever know what he's done for us and who we are in him. Now listen, we sin, but I do not believe that our identity is sinner and I've had a lot of people give me a lot of trouble over this but I'm so convinced that I'm just going to step out and say it again there's a difference in who you are and what you do my children are my children I don't like everything they do but they're still my children and you don't want to mess with my kids matter of fact I don't even want you coming around telling me what they do that you don't like because frankly it's none of your business I will take care of my kids well come on and I mean if we have that attitude as human beings what kind of an attitude do you think God has when Satan, the accuser of the brethren, tries to accuse us before God. But what you have to do when Satan comes around and reminds you of what you've done wrong and then tries to load you down with guilt, you need to say, you need to say, it is none of your business because I do not belong to you. I have died to you and all your way of living and I belong to another now. I belong to God. And I am His problem and His business. And He will take care of me. And until you learn how to do that, somebody may get happy before we get out of here today. Let me tell you something I thought I studied for years and years to know what I trying to share with you today And even if I can just make you hungry to get a revelation on this, I will have accomplished something. This is a hard thing to get because Satan is there trying to say, you've got to be kidding. Nothing can be that good. You think you can just go around and do whatever you want to and then just apologize and it's all going to be over? we need to realize that God is a God of hearts and He sees our heart. You know, if you're just fooling around and you're just looking for an excuse to sin, then I can't help you today. There's nothing I can do to help you. But if you're serious, if you really love God, and you know that Jesus is your only hope, and you really want to live to please God, which you do or you wouldn't be here today. People that are looking for an excuse to live a sloppy life don't take vacation to go to a meeting like this on a Friday morning. that's just not what you do now there may be some you know channel surfers out there that have just kind of accidentally turned this program on and you're trying to see if I'm crazy or if I've really got something that you might like to hear and I don't know where you're at but I'll say to you if you love God if you've received Christ as your Savior and if you really want to live the life that Jesus died for you to live then you're never going to do it if you're loaded down with guilt and condemnation all the time over everything that you've ever done wrong. There's nothing that we have done wrong that God cannot fix through the blood of Jesus Christ. Nothing. I bet you that this place has got people in it today and there's probably even more watching by TV that you feel so guilty about the way your kids have turned out. And you're just sure it's your fault. well can I tell you something even if you didn't do everything right you made some mistakes and could have done some things better as a parent you know what your kids can recover if they want to my parents didn't raise me right I had a nightmare for a childhood but when I was grown and I chose God for myself He resurrected everything in my life and gave me back double for my farmer trouble. Thanks for listening. Despite the challenges we may face in life, when we put our trust in God, we receive an incredible promise from Him. 2 Timothy 1.17 says that we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. This promise gives us the strength to look at our problems and know that God is on our side. He wants to give us his peace as we face whatever lies ahead. For more resources from Joyce, visit JoyceMeyer.org. We all go through hard times, and it's so easy in those moments to focus on the problem. But what if you were able to see the trials of your life the way God sees them, and respond to them the way he teaches us in his word? Joyce Meyer wants to show you how in her new book, Blessed in the Mess. Even in the middle of life's difficulties, God's kindness shines through. Blessed in the Mess. Order your copy today at joycemeier.org. Thank you for listening to 15 Minutes in the Word with Joyce.
