“Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?
“Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.
“Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
“For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers,
“Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35-39).
You may have no conception of how much God wants you to be free. God hurts when you are unhappy. Sometimes you get up and you are in a bad mood all day. Do you know the kind of day I am talking about?
You are kicking the cat, yelling at the kids, hating the neighbors, and you have this old grumpy, grouchy look on your face. “All I ever do is work, work, work, and nobody appreciates it.”
I know how you act because I have done that, too. When the kids come home, you think, Why don’t you stay at school fourteen hours a day instead of seven?”
Do you know that hurts God? I am not trying to make you feel bad. I am trying to get you to realize that if you can believe God loves you, you are going to begin to respond to that love, then that love will fill you up and start pouring out all over everybody else. You will be free to be a sweetheart, flowing in the fruit of kindness.
If you will grab hold of the fact that God loves you, your healing will come forth, your prosperity will come forth and your needs will be met. Why? You will just start to relax.
The main reason God can’t give us most of the things He wants to give us is that we are so busy trying to get them that He can’t catch us long enough to put them on us. God wants you to rest in Him and just love Him. He wants you to let Him love you and just receive.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A New York Times bestselling author, her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics with a particular focus on the mind, mouth, moods and attitudes. Her candid communication style allows her to share openly and practically about her experiences so others can apply what she has learned to their lives.
Joyce hosts a TV and radio show, Enjoying Everyday Life, which broadcasts worldwide to a potential audience of 4.5 billion people. She has authored 100 books, which have been translated into more than 100 languages. More than 12 million of her books have been distributed free of charge around the world, and each year millions of copies are sold.
Joyce conducts close to a dozen domestic and international conferences every year, teaching people to enjoy their everyday lives. For 30 years, her annual women's conference has attracted more than 200,000 women from all over the world to St. Louis for specifically themed teachings by her and guest speakers.
Through her teachings, God has provided opportunities to meet the needs of the suffering and bring the Gospel in a practical way. Joyce's passion to help hurting people every day is foundational to the vision of Hand of Hope, the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. These outreaches around the globe include feeding programs, medical care, homes for orphans, and programs combatting human trafficking. In her hometown of St. Louis, Joyce and Dave, her husband, founded the St. Louis Dream Center (SLDC) in 2000. The SLDC serves the inner city through hands-on programs targeted at reaching the lost and hurting with the love of Christ.
Over the years, God has provided Joyce with many opportunities to share her testimony and the life-changing message of the Gospel. Having suffered sexual abuse throughout her childhood, as well as just dealing with the struggles of everyday life, Joyce discovered the freedom to live victoriously by applying God's Word to her life and in turn desires to help others do the same.
Joyce is and continues to be an incredible testimony of the dynamic, redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
