THE FIRST THING
YOU HAVE TO DO IF YOU'RE GONNA BREAK ANY ADDICTION, IS STOP
SAYING, "I CAN'T CONTROL THIS." COME ON, NOW. DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT. [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] JOYCE: SEE, THAT BECOMES
AN EXCUSE. "WELL, YOU KNOW,
I CAN'T HELP IT. THIS IS JUST MY PROBLEM. JUST MY BONDAGE. I DON'T HAVE ANY DISCIPLINE."
YES YOU DO. "I JUST CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF."
YES, YOU CAN. MAYBE YOU HAVEN'T PRACTICED IT
VERY MUCH, BUT YOU COULD. MAYBE YOU HAVEN'T PRACTICED IT
VERY MUCH, BUT YOU COULD. A SEED OF EVERYTHING THAT GOD
IS, COMES INTO US, INTO OUR SPIRIT THE MOMENT THAT WE
RECEIVE CHRIST. WHAT DOES A SEED NEED? WATER. WHAT IS THE WORD CALLED? THE WATER OF THE WORD. SO, THE MORE WE WATER THAT
SEED WITH THE WORD OF GOD, THE MORE OUR MIND IS RENEWED,
THE MORE WE BEGIN TO BELIEVE. AND THE BIBLE SAYS, "BE IT UNTO
YOU EVEN AS YOU BELIEVE." ONCE YOU FULLY, COMPLETELY
BELIEVE SOMETHING, THE DEVIL MIGHT AS WELL GET OUT OF THE WAY
BECAUSE THERE'S GONNA BE SOME CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE. NOW, FIRST THING WE HAVE TO DO
IS BELIEVE WHAT WE HAVE, BEFORE WE'RE GONNA SEE
IT MANIFEST IN OUR LIFE. YOU GET IT INSIDE,
THEN IT COMES TO THE OUTSIDE. THIS IS ALL INSIDE-OUT. EVEN IF YOU HAVE SOME KIND
OF SUBSTANCE ADDICTION, OR AN EATING DISORDER,
YOU SHOULD GET UP EVERYDAY AND DECLARE LOUDLY, "SIN IS NOT
MY MASTER ACCORDING TO ROMANS 6, AND I WILL NOT BE BROUGHT UNDER
THE POWER OF ANYTHING." [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] JOYCE: NOW, HERE'S
THE MISTAKE THAT WE MAKE. WE WANNA WAIT UNTIL WE SEE
THAT HAPPENING BEFORE WE WILL DECLARE THAT IT'S A TRUTH. "WELL, HOW CAN I SAY I'M FREE
WHEN I'M OBVIOUSLY, NOT?" BECAUSE GOD SAYS YOU ARE. THE DEVIL SAYS YOU'RE
IN BONDAGE. GOD SAYS YOU'RE FREE. IF YOU AGREE WITH THE DEVIL,
YOU'LL KEEP GETTING MORE OF WHAT YOU GOT. YOU KNOW WHAT? WHEN I USED TO SMOKE CIGARETTES
AND I REALLY WANTED TO QUIT, I WOULD DRIVE
DOWN THE HIGHWAY, SMOKING MY CIGARETTE SAYING,
"I CAN'T STAND TO SMOKE. DON'T LIKE TO SMOKE. DON'T WANNA SMOKE. I QUIT SMOKING."
[BLOWING] [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] JOYCE: AND THE THING THAT'S
VERY BEAUTIFUL ABOUT THIS IS I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I'M TEACHING
YOU NOW. IT WAS SOMETHING I FELT LIKE
GOD LED ME TO DO. AND WITHIN TWO WEEKS,
I HAD QUIT. I'M TELLING YOU, YOU GOTTA
START AGREEING WITH GOD. STOP SAYING, "I'M IN BONDAGE,"
AND START SAYING, "I AM FREE. I AM FREE. I AM FREE. I AM FREE. I AM FREE." I AM FREE." [AUDIENCE CHEERING] JOYCE: C'MON, THAT'LL DO YA
A LOT OF GOOD. WHERE THE MIND GOES THE MAN
FOLLOWS. OUR EMOTIONS GET ALL INVOLVED
IN THIS. AND GOD DOESN'T WANT US
TO HAVE BROKEN HEARTS AND WOUNDED EMOTIONS
AND MESSED UP PERSONALITIES. HE WANTS US TO KNOW WHO WE
ARE IN CHRIST, TO KNOW THAT THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IT IS,
TO KNOW THAT GOD LOVES US UNCONDITIONALLY. AND YES, WE DON'T HAVE IT ALL
TOGETHER, AND WE ARE IMPERFECT, BUT WE ARE JUST THE ONES
THAT JESUS DIED FOR. JOYCE: I MEAN, WE SEE
IT ON TELEVISION, THEY GOT A WHOLE PROGRAM NOW
ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HOARD THINGS. THERE'S ANOTHER PROGRAM ABOUT
PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXCESSIVE NUMBERS OF PETS. THERE'S GAMBLING ADDICTIONS
AND EXERCISING ADDICTIONS AND JUST ALL KINDS OF THINGS. WELL, WHAT ARE PEOPLE TRYING
TO DO? THEY'RE TRYING TO FEEL GOOD
ABOUT THEMSELVES. BUT WE NEED TO KNOW WHO WE ARE
IN CHRIST, AND WE NEED TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE WORTH AND VALUE
BECAUSE JESUS DIED FOR US. [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] JOYCE: AND WE NEED TO BE
UNWILLING TO SPEND ONE MORE NIGHT WITH THE FROGS. [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] JOYCE: GOD CALLED MOSES
TO DELIVER THE ISRAELITES OUT OF EGYPT. PHARAOH WHO WOULD REPRESENT
THE DEVIL WOULDN'T LET 'EM GO. SO, GOD BROUGHT PLAGUE AFTER
PLAGUE. THE NILE TURNED TO BLOOD. IT WAS BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD
EVERYWHERE. THEN PHARAOH WOULD SAY HE'D
LET 'EM GO, THEN HE'D CHANGE HIS MIND. SO, THEY GOT A CURSE OF FROGS. EXODUS 8, SAYS FROGS
EVERYWHERE. WE HAVE WORRY FROGS,
AND DRUG FROGS, AND ALCOHOL FROGS,
AND REBELLION FROGS. C'MON, IS ANYBODY WITH ME? ANGER FROGS, UNFORGIVENESS
FROGS, BITTERNESS FROGS. WELL, PHARAOH GOT TIRED
OF THE FROGS AND HE SAID TO MOSES, "ALL RIGHT,
I WILL LET THE PEOPLE GO. PRAY FOR ME, THAT GOD WOULD
TAKE AWAY THE FROGS." AND MOSES SAID TO HIM,
"YOU DICTATE TO ME, WHEN YOU WANT ME TO PRAY AND I WILL PRAY
AT THAT TIME AND THE FROGS WILL BE REMOVED."
AND PHARAOH SAID, "TOMORROW." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] JOYCE: WHY DID HE WANNA
SPEND ONE MORE NIGHT WITH THE FROGS? MAYBE HE THOUGHT BY TOMORROW
THEY'D GO AWAY ON THEIR OWN. I REALLY THINK THAT'S KIND
OF WHAT IT WAS. YOU KNOW, IF I JUST WAIT TILL
TOMORROW, MAYBE THESE THINGS WILL GO AWAY ON THEIR OWN
AND THEN I CAN STILL KEEP THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE. C'MON NOW. THE TRICKLE-DOWN THEORY
OF CONDITIONAL LOVE. "WELL, JESUS LOVES ME,
BUT HE LOVES ME CONDITIONALLY. THEREFORE, HIS LOVE IS BASED
ON MY PERFORMANCE. THEREFORE, I HAVE TO EARN HIS
LOVE BY PLEASING HIM. THEREFORE, WHEN I PLEASE HIM,
I FEEL LOVED, AND WHEN I DON'T PLEASE HIM, I FEEL REJECTED."
NOW, WE GOTTA STOP THERE FOR A MINUTE BECAUSE HERE'S
WHAT HAPPENS. WHEN I FAIL, GOD STILL LOVES
ME JUST AS MUCH AS HE DID BEFORE I FAILED. BUT IF I THINK THAT GOD'S LOVE
FOR ME IS BASED ON MY PERFORMANCE, THEN WHEN I FAIL,
I SUDDENLY, NOW, FEEL THAT HE DOESN'T LOVE ME ANYMORE. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT
GOD IS, IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH MY FEELINGS. "THEREFORE, I CANNOT ACCEPT
LOVE FROM OTHER PEOPLE. I DEFLECT IT. AND I TRY TO PROVE TO THEM
THAT I'M RIGHT, THAT I AM NOT LOVABLE. LOOK AND SEE HOW WEIRD I AM." [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] JOYCE: "I BELIEVE THAT THEY
WILL EVENTUALLY REJECT ME AND THEREFORE, THEY DO. SO, THEREFORE, I USE THE WORLD'S
STANDARDS: MONEY, POSITION, POWER, STATUS, CLOTHES,
TO PROVE TO MYSELF AND OTHERS THAT I AM VALUABLE."
"I'M VALUABLE, I'M A DOCTOR." WHOEVER SAYS, "I'M VALUABLE,
I'M A JANITOR"? [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] JOYCE: BUT SEE, YOU ARE. YOU'RE JUST AS VALUABLE
AS THE DOCTOR. [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] JOYCE: YOU ARE JUST
AS IMPORTANT TO GOD AS I AM TODAY. YOU ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT
AS THE PEOPLE LEADING WORSHIP. YOU ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT
TO GOD AS ANYBODY ELSE ON THIS PLANET. HE LOVES YOU JUST AS MUCH
BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY. [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] JOYCE: "THEREFORE,
SINCE I DON'T LOVE WHO I AM, I DON'T EXPECT THAT OTHERS WILL
LOVE ME EITHER. WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT
SOMETHING TO DO WITH SOMETHING THAT HAS NO REAL VALUE? THEREFORE, I TRY TO EARN THEIR
LOVE BY WHAT I DO. I DON'T GIVE TO PEOPLE OUT
OF A DESIRE TO LOVE THEM, BUT TO BE LOVED."
NOW, IF I HAD TIME, WHICH I DON'T, I COULD GO THROUGH
THE OTHER ONE, THE TRICKLE-DOWN THEORY OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE,
AND IT'S JUST THE ABSOLUTE OPPOSITE. YOU CAN GET IT IN THE,
"BEAUTY FOR ASHES," BOOK. ALRIGHT,
I'LL DO A FEW SENTENCES. [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] JOYCE: WE'LL GO FAST. "JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW,
AND HE LOVES ME UNCONDITIONALLY. THEREFORE, I HAVE NOT EARNED
HIS LOVE, NOR CAN I EARN HIS LOVE. THEREFORE, I CANNOT BE SEPARATED
FROM HIS LOVE. WHEN I OBEY HIM,
HE WILL BLESS ME. WHEN I DISOBEY HIM,
THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES. HE MAY NOT LIKE MY BEHAVIOR,
BUT HE ALWAYS LOVES ME. THEREFORE, SINCE I HAVE
EXPERIENCED GOD'S LOVE, I KNOW THAT I AM LOVABLE. THEREFORE, SINCE I KNOW THAT
GOD LOVES ME, I AM ABLE TO BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE
WHO COULD LOVE ME, TOO. THEREFORE, I AM ABLE TO TRUST
PEOPLE WHO LOVE ME. THEREFORE, I AM ABLE TO ACCEPT
THE LOVE THAT PEOPLE GIVE ME." MAN, THIS MAKES YOU
SO CONFIDENT. YOU CAN GO OUT IN THE WORLD
AND NOT BE AFRAID OF REJECTION BECAUSE YOU FEEL GOOD
ABOUT YOURSELF. AND ACTUALLY, IF SOMEBODY DOES
REJECT YOU, YOU KNOW RIGHT AWAY, THEY GOT A PROBLEM. [AUDIENCE LAUGHING] [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] JOYCE: "THEREFORE, SINCE
MY MOST BASIC NEED FOR LOVE AND A SENSE OF SELF-WORTH
HAVE BEEN MET BY GOD, I DON'T NEED TO BE FIXED BY PEOPLE." [AUDIENCE APPLAUDING] JOYCE: HALLELUJAH! AND ON, AND ON, AND ON,
AND THEREFORE, AND THEREFORE. YOU GET IT. C'MON, GET UP ON YOUR FEET
AND PRAISE GOD.
