How to Embrace God’s Forgiveness by Joyce Meyer

Do you serve God or your feelings?

Now, that may sound like an odd question for a believer, but really, it isn't. Let me put it this way... When you ask God to forgive you, do you accept His forgiveness right away or do you waste time feeling guilty?

So many Christians struggle with guilt and condemnation. They're trying to pay God back for what they did wrong when Jesus already made it right.

God's unconditional love is a very difficult concept for people to accept because, in the world, there's always payment for everything we receive. It's just how things work here. But God is not like people! 

Aren't you glad about that? 

We need to learn that whether or not we feel forgiven, we're forgiven.

The Power of Confession

Feelings of guilt and condemnation are a huge problem in the Church, but I want you to understand that’s what they are—feelings. 

If you really know God's Word, no matter how you feel, you can speak scriptures over your life and pretty soon your feelings have lost their authority.

For instance, 1 John 1:9 says that if we repent and confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us. You need to take hold of that.

The next time you ask God to forgive you and then feel guilty afterward, open your mouth and say, "God forgave me." Quote 1 John 1:9 or use another scripture but say it out loud. There is power in the tongue! 

Praying and declaring Scripture out loud not only helps to renew your mind, it helps you stand firm, and it certainly puts the devil in his place.

The devil will try to make us feel guilty even when we didn't do anything wrong. So we need to confess our sins until everything is out in the open and told, and then get dressed in our spiritual armor so we can firmly stand our ground.

Love Conquers Condemnation

When it comes right down to it, we just want to be loved unconditionally and accepted for who we are. We don't want to have to pretend or perform. We just want to be accepted and loved. And God offers that to every single one of us.

None of us can earn God's love. But in order to receive God's love we need to first believe that He loves us.

If you have trouble believing God in this area, don't just put up with it and wish that you felt better. Study the love of God. Read books about it. Listen to teachings on love. Start talking about it.

Say, "If anybody can have God's love, I'm going to have it. If anybody can be free, I'm going to be free. If anybody can be happy, I'm going to be happy. If anyone can have peace, it's going to be me. If anybody can be used by God, I can be used by God. If anyone can get over their broken past, I will."

Don't give in to your emotions—minister to them. Manage them. Remember that every day you're in Christ, you're a new person. 

Choosing A Season of Growth

Another area Christians struggle with is believing God has great plans for their life. Don't trust your feelings on that either. Trust God's Word. 

Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

We can all have the future God has planned for us if we choose to go after it—if we choose to grow and develop a deep relationship with God.

Yes, it's painful to grow. It's not easy to say no to yourself and yes to God. But every time you deny your flesh, it gets a little weaker and you get the victory.

People who are really strong, serious Christians are going after the meat of the Word. They listen to teachings on pride. They want to be humble, patient and victorious in Christ, and they train themselves to learn right from wrong.

I'm here to tell you that if you know who you are in Christ and you choose to grow, you will have a lot less trouble fighting guilt and condemnation. As a matter of fact, you will love God and the people He uses to correct you because they're helping you change and grow. 

I don't want you to wake up every day and just live your life based on how you feel. I want you to know that God loves you no matter what and that you don't have to let feelings dictate the course of your life.

I believe you will see a transition if you pray and ask God, "Do what you want to do in my life. I'm Yours."

I dare you.

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Pastor Joyce Meyer Prayers That Get Answered Sermon

Keep Balanced
For we who have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on God) do enter that rest. HEBREWS 4:3
It is easy to get overcommitted, burned out, bummed out, worn out, and stressed out if you are trying to keep up with too many commitments. It is out of balance to try to do everything.
If you are happy doing what you do, keep doing it. But if it wears you out and robs you of peace, don't do it. What sense does it make to commit to something, and then murmur and complain about it while you are doing it?
Being overcommitted will frustrate you. Anxiety is usually a sign that God never told you to do what you are doing in the first place. To avoid frustration in your life, keep in balance.
Talk to God Anywhere

Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19

The angel of the Lord said to Moses, "Take the shoes off your feet, for the ground on which you stand is holy ground" (see Exodus 3:5). The ground was holy because the Holy One was there. Now through faith in Jesus, you are the temple of the Holy Ghost. Everywhere you go becomes a holy place because the Holy One dwells in you. God is not in a building, where you can only visit Him on Sunday morning. He is with you everywhere you go. You can talk to Him while you vacuum, or while you change the oil in your car. When you let God become involved in every aspect of your life, every day becomes exciting.
Pray All Day
Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. PSALM 141:2
God wants to be the center of your life: the center of your conversation, the center of your entertainment, and the center of your relationships. Prayer keeps Him in the center of all you do.
Years ago I could have told you that I prayed an hour every day. But now, I couldn't even determine how long I pray, because I just pray every time I see or feel a need. I pray while driving. I pray while working, and while relaxing. Sometimes I just stop what I am doing and praise God, and that is prayer too. I cast my cares on Him and say, "Lord, I am not going to worry about anything today; I am giving it to You." Prayer should be like breathing, natural to do anywhere you are.

Bishop TD Jakes Prayer Healing A Broken Heart

Your Light is Come

God is granting you open access in this season! The doors that He opens, no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.

He knows your works, and he knows that you have little strength, yet you have kept His word and have not denied His name.

Hold on to what you have, be a good steward, you are an overcomer, you are victorious! Revelation 3:7-11 

1. It takes courage to walk into an atmosphere that is set against you. However, if you’re going to get what you want out of life, out of God or any adverse situation, you’ve got to be prepared. People may be murmuring in corners, but you have to know that the mission you are on is so important that you cannot afford to worry about what people think. You must go anyway.

2. I learned as a backslider that you can be out of fellowship with God and still sense the spirit of the Lord. No matter where you are on your road to Destiny, or how far you have wandered off the path, GOD will meet you right where you are! "For I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you, I will accomplish what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15)

5. We have a lot of visionaries who imagine certain things happening, but leadership fills in the gap between what you envisioned and what's going on right now.
6. The key to successful leadership is to not surround yourself with a group of people who look perspectives, beliefs and opinions.

7. The things God has promised you will begin to happen when you can receive them internally. If you can't believe it, you'll never receive it.

8. God wants to reveal His plan for successful living to us and He expects us to in turn prepare future generations to experience more! 9. Don’t give up! You, who are about to break beneath the stress of intense struggles, be relentless! Do not quit!

10. There’s power in passive praise! God needs to know if He can trust you to praise Him while He has you in wait mode. Can He? exactly like you, think exactly like you, or act exactly like you. In order to be successful, you have to have a diverse group, with varied

11. God gives each of us our own unique gifts. It is our job to recognize these gifts and utilize them to live up to our full potential.

T D JAKES PRAYER GUIDE : Heavenly Father, please forgive me for those times I’ve settled for less than Your best, for those times I’ve been impatient and tried to take matters into my own hands. Protect me from the snares of the enemy. Help me to know Your love for me and allow You to nourish and sustain me, even while keeping the desires of my heart alive. Please give me patience to trust in You along the way. Amen.

Weak prayer life

4. Weak prayer life. The fourth sign that you are under spiritual attack is a weakening prayer life. “Could you not watch with Me one hour?” Jesus asked His disciples. Then He told them, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:40-41).

Lack attack

3. “Lack attack.” The third sign that you are under attack is a “lack attack.” There are times when it seems that all of your resources dry up at the same time. The enemy attacks in this to get you to take your eyes off of God and put your eyes on money. If he can get you worrying rather than worshipping, you will start making decisions based on opportunity rather than anointing. Always remember there are two times in your life when you are especially vulnerable to temptation: when you have nothing and when you have everything. Stay close to God in both the good times and the bad times.

SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL ATTACK

2. Physical fatigue. The second warning sign is physical fatigue. I know that doesn’t sound very spiritual, but keep in mind that we are created beings—spirit, soul, and body. If my body is weak, it allows things to get into my mind (soul), and that allows things to negatively affect my spirit. Many times we face our greatest attacks just before a great promotion or just after a great victory. Keep in mind when you’re going through it—an attack could very well be an indication that you are about to be promoted or just had a great victory.

501 prayers against spiritual attack and warfare

How do we Battle with the Enemy and Win.  we said it's real; there is an invisible world, and there is an invisible war. In this book we learned that you have protection.  Everything you need to be victorious, you have.  You've got the belt of truth; you've got the breastplate of righteousness

This Book Contains 520 Powerful prayers against the powers of darkness, Evil forces, Powers of the Witches and all rulers of darkness of this world. According to Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 2 Corinthians 10:4 The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds”

Many Christians are prone to overlook or minimize this; however, we cannot run away from the fact that we are in a war. The day we decided to become disciples of Christ we declared war against the kingdom of the devil and all his works in our lives and in our communities.

This war is real. We can either decide to fight or be defeated. Many of us are not experiencing any warfare because we have long been defeated and the enemy doesn’t bother us anymore.

The picture Paul used in Ephesians was that of a Roman soldier who needed to be strong and watchful in order to be able to fight well. It is a picture of a soldier who needed to be careful and prepared at all times. Spiritual warfare is about overcoming the enemy, his temptations, and his traps. It is about winning new territories for God.

The reason why spiritual warfare is so important is that prayer is not only about talking to God; it is also about defeating the devil and his evil plans. The devil has a ministry. His 24/7 ministry is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. The ministry of the devil is to war against the purposes of God in our lives and in our nations. His main calling is to make sure as many people as possible go to hell, including you and me. His mission is make people doubt God.

In this Book you will understand the Battle of Spiritual Warfare together with over 501   prayers that will enable you to fight the powers of darkness and be victorious. The prayers ensure that you will recover all your possessions and your God given potentials in you. You will also get back all that the Devil has taken away from you.

SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL ATTACK

8.    Loss of spiritual desire. The goal of any spiritual attack is to turn you away from what God wants to do in your life. That is why the first warning sign of attack is a loss of spiritual desire. We don’t live by feelings alone, but there is a difference between doing something merely out of obligation and doing something because you delight in it. When you delight in the Lord, nothing else compares. Someone passionate for God finds pleasure in the things of God.

Silent The Devil-

When Satan wants to run you down, you have the power to run him down before he runs you down. When Satan wants to destroy you, you certainly have the power to destroy his forces before he destroys you. When Satan wants to stop your going out and coming in, you have the power to stop his enterprises against you before he stops you, when Satan want to over throw your goings, you have the power to overthrow him before he overthrows you and when Satan wants to destroy you completely, you have the power to completely destroy him before his destruction reach your dwelling place.