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, Blessed in the Mess. Choosing to trust God, despite our circumstances, is the answer to everything. This doesn't mean we sit back and do nothing while God fixes all our problems. It means we can live with joy and be a blessing to someone else while he works things out in his way and in his perfect timing. If we tend to God's business, he will take care of ours. Now, here's Joyce with today's teaching. You know what? Even when Jesus shows up, we're still going to have stuff wrong with us. He doesn't care that you never reach the place of perfection. What he wants is a perfect heart who's always moving toward him, moving toward him, moving toward him. And I tell people all the time, just get up every day and do the best you can and let God do the rest of what you can't do. And when he returns, whatever is still wrong with you, he's going to be changed in the twinkling of an eye. And you will be like him and see him as he is. You know what? I don't worry about stuff that's wrong with me anymore. It doesn't trouble me one bit. And it makes the devil so mad he's about to have a nervous breakdown. You know why I don't worry with it anymore? Because I about killed myself with worry over it for years and years. And you know what God finally showed me? You're no surprise to me. I knew what I was getting when I got you. Come on. I mean, do you honestly think that you got saved in the next day? God said, huh? I sure didn't know you were going to be like this. God is not surprised by anything that happens in our life. The people in Nepal were surprised by the earthquake, but God was not surprised. And you may be surprised by some of the things that are going on in your life right now, but God is not surprised. And he already has prepared your way of escape. God has already planned the way out, and all you have to do is keep taking some trust and some do good. I love this message. Mysteries. Let's lean into them. Instead of backing away from them. Verse 53, For this perishable part of us must put on the imperishable nature, and this mortal part of us, this nature that is capable of dying, must put on immortality freedom from death. Now just hang on. And when this perishable part puts on the imperishable, and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says death is swallowed up in an unto victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? You may leave this earth, but you won't die. You'll be like him even as he is right now, and you'll understand everything that you don't understand now. You know, there's a lot of things that I don't understand that don't confuse me. I don't understand gravity, but I'm enjoying it right now. I don't get upset about not understanding that. I don't fully understand all the mechanics of breathing, but I'm participating and enjoying it. I don't understand how trees and grass and flowers can look so dead in the winter and have no life in them, and then in the spring they just kind of ... But I enjoy that every year, and I'm like, oh my God, you are so good. I don't understand electricity, but I depend on it. I don't know how I can put a little message in myself on it, send it to my son who's in India and in less than five minutes have a message back from him. I don't understand it, but I use it every day. Why do we think that we have to understand everything about God who is less understandable than anybody? I don't need to understand what God's doing in my life. I just need to trust him that he's good, and whatever he's doing, whether I like it or not right now, I will like it eventually. I wish that I could really explain to you all the stuff that I've went through in my life. Oh, it was such an unbelievable mess, and the work that God has done in me. But it hasn't all been pleasant, but it's so worth it. Stop running away from God and running away from everything that's uncomfortable and everything that's hard and everything that hurts you a little bit, and just dig in and say, God, I want your will in my life. You do what you want to do in my life. When I lost all my friends, I was lonely. I mean lonely, and it was hard, and it hurt, but I couldn't have gone to the next place. I couldn't have carried all that baggage with me. Some of you have got some stuff that you're trying to take with you, and it's just dead baggage, and you need to get rid of it and let it go. But why do we keep hanging on and hanging on and hanging on? Because sometimes even our pain, we're so attached to it that we don't want to let go of it. Like I said this morning, we can learn how to function within our dysfunction. You know, one of the biggest questions that we get asked today, I guess, is, do you think Jesus is going to come soon? Well, I'll be honest with you. I hope he does. I'm sure not afraid of it. I'm ready. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Why would we want to be here if we could be there? The only reason why I want to stay is for the sake of all the people who don't know Christ yet and continue to have opportunity to try to bring that truth to them. In Matthew chapter 24, it's a great chapter about signs of the end times, and the disciples said, Lord, tell us, when are you going to return? When are you going to come back? When are these things going to take place? He began to give them a discourse about wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and famines and divers places and all of these things that are going to happen. You know what? It's happening in the world today. We're seeing the signs. Then I think it's like about in verse 13, Jesus said a wonderful thing. He didn't tell them exactly when the time was going to be, but he said, occupy until I come. In other words, you don't need to worry about when I'm coming. You need to just keep doing your assignment. You know, every one of us has an assignment from God, but it's a little different. Some of you have an assignment right now. You're raising three kids and that's your assignment. Dave has an assignment. I have an assignment. I've decided a long time ago I'm not going to worry about all this stuff that I don't understand. I'm just going to do my assignment. Come on. I'm just going to do my assignment. I don't have to worry about my kids. I'm going to pray for my kids and I'm going to do my assignment. I don't have to worry about the financial system in the world. I'm going to do my assignment and trust God to take care of me. What happens is we have all these problems and then we no longer focus on what God wants us to do. We're focusing on the problems and then the work of God does not get done in the earth. You know what? Everybody's assignment is a little bit different. I look at Dave. He's been sitting down there. I was thinking today, my gosh, 40 years. This man's been sitting and listening to me teach. 40 years. You know what? I'm not Dave's teacher. He doesn't come to me and say, boy, I learned a lot out of that message tonight. I don't know that I've ever heard him say that to me. It wouldn't be good if he did because God told me a long time ago, you're his wife. You're not his teacher. Well, that was worth you coming tonight. He's not sitting there because he has to. That's his assignment. It is. Now see, they're laughing. This is the part that God has given him to, and that's certainly not all he does is just sit there, but he's in every meeting that I do as my covering. He protects me. He makes sure I don't get hurt. He makes sure I don't do stupid stuff. He loves me. He encourages me. You know what? When God first gave me my assignment and gave him his assignment, he wasn't too crazy about it. It doesn't matter if you like your assignment or not. Just do it. Hello? I said, it doesn't matter if you like your assignment or not. Just do it. Because you know what? Your joy is attached to you doing what God has asked you to do. Look at me. I'm going to say something important. Whatever you do, stop making life complicated. You know what? I just do what I do. I preach. I pray. I study. I write books. I preach. I pray. I study. I write books. I travel. I do conferences. Thirty years. I've been doing these conferences. I've been doing my assignment. Amen. Do I ever get tired of it? Yes! I found myself thinking today, well actually last night when the building, we couldn't get in the building, you know that kind of stuff is discouraging for me. And I thought. And I found myself thinking, am I just going to work my whole entire life? Now the, oh, trust God and do good. Trust God and do good. Trust God and do good. Come on, I'm just being real with you. Doubt is going to come against you. Thoughts are going to come against you. But we have a choice. We have an option. We can trust God. We don't have to spend our lives confused and miserable trying to figure out stuff that only God knows the answers to. We can say, I am not going to try to figure this out. I am going to trust in the Lord with all my heart and mind. I will not lean to my own understanding in all my ways. I will acknowledge him and he will direct my path. Now I'm not suggesting that we go around being stupid. I mean, I always say, God, if there's something you want to show me, show me. I want to learn. I want revelation. I don't want information anymore. I want revelation. I've had enough information to last me 20 lifetimes. I want revelation from God. Trust in the Lord and do good. Jesus did this even on the cross. I was thinking about this and it really blessed me when I saw this. Right down to the very end, the last thing that Jesus said was, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And right before that, he said, my God, my God, why? Even Jesus in his humanity said, why? You know, I can ask why, but I don't have to get confused. God show me why if you want to, but if you don't, I'm going to trust you anyway. Thanks for listening. Trials and tribulations are part of life, but if we handle it God's way, he will bless us in the middle of the mess. God uses hard times to strengthen our faith and teach us important lessons. Remember, we gain experience through our challenges, which qualify and equip us for God to use us to help others. Looking for more? You got it. Each day, you'll find more unique episodes of the enjoying everyday life program and other exclusive content in the Joyce Meyer app and online at joysemeyer.org. 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.
