Joyce Meyer Quotations

Consider a tree for a moment. As beautiful as trees are to look at, we don't see what goes on underground - as they grow roots. Trees must develop deep roots in order to grow strong and produce their beauty. But we don't see the roots. We just see and enjoy the beauty. In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree.

You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.

Patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave while we're waiting.

I believe that a trusting attitude and a patient attitude go hand in hand. You see, when you let go and learn to trust God, it releases joy in your life. And when you trust God, you're able to be more patient. Patience is not just about waiting for something... it's about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting.

It's so important to realize that every time you get upset, it drains your emotional energy. Losing your cool makes you tired. Getting angry a lot messes with your health.

I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you.

The eagle has no fear of adversity. We need to be like the eagle and have a fearless spirit of a conqueror!

Watch out for the joy-stealers: gossip, criticism, complaining, faultfinding, and a negative, judgmental attitude.

God's grace is amazing! We're saved by grace - God's undeserved favor - and we live by grace, which is also God's power in our lives to do what we could never do in our own strength. And it's all because God is love, and He loves us unconditionally, constantly and completely.

Loving others always costs us something and requires effort. And you have to decide to do it on purpose. You can't wait for a feeling to motivate you.

If someone decides they're not going to be happy, it's not your problem. You don't have to spend your time and energy trying to cheer up someone who has already decided to stay in a bad mood. Believe it or not, you can actually hurt people by playing into their self-pity.

We live in a time-crunched world, and just about everything we do seems to be urgent.

Nobody likes to have trouble. The moment we get a hint that it's coming, a common response is, 'Oh no! Not again!'

Sometimes when you've had a long series of disappointing things happen, you can get into the very bad habit of just expecting more of what you've already had.

Resist the need to be 'right' all the time or to always have the last word.

I can tell you from experience that God's help and presence in our lives is vital. He is the Author of all true success and everything that is good-without Him, we can do nothing of true value.

We all get weary sometimes, and we tend to think that life is what makes us weary.

The only answer to fear is faith in God, knowing He loves you unconditionally and individually.

There are some hurts that we experience that can be forgiven but we won't forget them.

If your inner life is not producing what you would like on the outside, don't be discouraged... just be willing to change.

At school I pretended I had a normal life, but I felt lonely all the time and different from everyone else. I never felt like I fit in, and I wasn't allowed to participate in after-school activities, go to sports events or parties or date boys. Many times I had to make up stories about why I couldn't do anything with my classmates.

Over the years I've learned how to lock myself up in a prison of hope, knowing that God has nothing but His best planned for me. He promised me things concerning my ministry and my life.

If you want to become fully mature in the Lord, you must learn to love truth. Otherwise, you will always leave open a door of deception for the enemy to take what is meant to be yours.

You see, rebellion, and the disobedience it causes, keeps us from having the power of God that's available to us as Christians.

Pride is an independent, me-oriented spirit. It makes people arrogant, rude and hard to get along with. When our heart is prideful, we don't give God the credit and we mistreat people, looking down on them and thinking we deserve what we have.

When we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, something wonderful happens: God begins to change our desires, and we want to be more like Him.

Integrity means that you are the same in public as you are in private.

We should never let material things get ahead of God or become so important in our lives that we can't walk away from them if He tells us to. Anything you own that has a hold on you is a problem.

A BMW can't take you as far as a diploma.

When doubt comes against us, we have to lift up the shield of faith. We do this when we open our mouth and say what God's Word says, rather than grumbling and complaining about the problem.

If you're not careful to think and speak words of faith, worry will creep in, and it will not only steal your peace and joy, it will steal your 'today.' The present is the greatest gift God ever gives us. So hold on to the peace that's yours in Christ. Don't let it go.

When we believe the best of people, we let go of each thing they do that is hurtful to us. And we choose to think things like, 'I don't believe they meant to hurt me.' 'Maybe they're having a bad day or don't feel well.' 'They probably don't even realize how they sound.'

Anytime we step out boldly to make changes, we take a chance that we might fail. But the only way to get better is to try.

Many people feel so pressured by the expectations of others that it causes them to be frustrated, miserable and confused about what they should do. But there is a way to live a simple, joy-filled, peaceful life, and the key is learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit, not the traditions or expectations of man.

We can improve our relationships with others by leaps and bounds if we become encouragers instead of critics.

No matter what has happened to you in the past or what is going on in your life right now, it has no power to keep you from having an amazingly good future if you will walk by faith in God. God loves you! He wants you to live with victory over sin so you can possess His promises for your life today!

Christianity is a lifestyle. And being a Christian is more than a label.

The flesh, or human nature, is generally lazy and self-centered.

When you focus on how wonderful God is and all the great things He's done... is doing... and even will do in your life, your natural response will be praise, adoration and awe. Don't let yourself ever get used to it... stay amazed!

If you're in a workplace you don't like right now, be encouraged because God will use it for your good. Think about it this way: He wants you to be a light in the darkness - and He's putting His confidence in you!

Did you know there's a difference between being busy and being fruitful? Did you ever stop to think that just being busy - running around in circles all day but not accomplishing anything - is the same as wasting your time? It's frustrating to expend so much energy and time and not have any fruit from your effort!

Don't judge other people. For example, if you want God's anointing to be on you for parenting, you need to be careful not to criticize other parents.

Don't just let the devil use your mind as a garbage dump.

The day we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior is one of the greatest days of our lives. Not only are our sins washed away, but God puts His Spirit inside of us and gives us new desires.

Forgiveness is not a feeling - it's a decision we make because we want to do what's right before God. It's a quality decision that won't be easy and it may take time to get through the process, depending on the severity of the offense.

Your emotions are very unstable and should never be the foundation for direction in your life.

If we're really honest with ourselves, most of us will admit that we want to impress people, and this is what's causing us to do what we do.

When we trust God more than our feelings, it confuses the devil. I mean, when he throws you his best shot and he can't budge you from believing God, he won't know what to do with you anymore.

Instead of being critical of people in authority over you and envious of their position, be happy you're not responsible for everything they have to do. Instead of piling on complaints, thank them for what they do. Overwhelm them with encouragement and appreciation!

Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.

When you begin to worry, go find something to do. Get busy being a blessing to someone; do something fruitful. Talking about your problem or sitting alone, thinking about it, does no good; it serves only to make you miserable. Above all else, remember that worrying is totally useless. Worrying will not solve your problem.

I know from personal experience how damaging it can be to live with bitterness and unforgiveness. I like to say it's like taking poison and hoping your enemy will die. And it really is that harmful to us to live this way.

Change is always tough. Even for those who see themselves as agents of change, the process of starting a new thing can cause times of disorientation, uncertainty and insecurity.

God has equipped you to handle difficult things. In fact, He has already planted the seeds of discipline and self-control inside you. You just have to water those seeds with His Word to make them grow!

Our enemy, the devil, wants to control us, and his target is our will. The main way he tries to influence our will is through lying to us.

Frustration is a sign I am acting independently. The more you try your own way, the tighter the doors will stay closed.

We will all fail in life, but nobody has to be a failure. Failing at a thing doesn't make you a failure. You are only a failure when you quit trying.

I've been saying for a couple of years now that people need to let God out of the Sunday morning box, that He doesn't want to just be with you for an hour or two on Sunday morning and then put back in His box to sit there until you have an emergency, but He wants to invade your Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be.

Getting stress out of your life takes more than prayer alone. You must take action to make changes and stop doing whatever is causing the stress. You can learn to calm down in the way you handle things.

We all face storms in life. Some are more difficult than others, but we all go through trials and tribulation. That's why we have the gift of faith.

I'm only going to stand before God and give an account for my life, not for somebody else's life. If I have a bad attitude, then I need to say there's no point in me blaming you for what's wrong in my life.

Individuals need to be willing to face truth about their attitudes, behaviors, even what we want out of life.

I've discovered that when we take time to renew our minds with God's Word, we learn how to think like God thinks, say what God says, and act like He wants us to act.

Spiritual people don't float around all day on clouds of glory; they live in the real world and deal with real issues in real ways.

What we need to understand is that when traditions become laws, rules, obligations and expectations others put on us that we don't want to fulfill, then they lose real meaning and steal the joy from our lives. And if we're too religious, we won't be able to be led by the Holy Spirit and enjoy an intimate relationship with Him.

There are a lot of 'chicken Christians.' Chickens are generally afraid of life, and they seldom fly or reach their potential in life. And when a storm comes, all they seem to do is flap around the chicken yard, stirring up dirt and running to the chicken house.

It's like a jar of salad dressing sitting on a shelf... most of the seasoning settles to the bottom of the bottle. But when you shake that bottle up, all the ingredients mix together and then the dressing can add flavor to a salad. In the same way, we can stir ourselves up and regain the reverence, respect and awe we once had for the Lord.

I used to have a real problem with self-pity. Every time the devil would throw a pity party, I would attend.

It's so easy to settle for less than God's best for us because we don't always feel like taking responsibility for our behavior or putting forth some effort to do what we need to do so we can accomplish great things for God and help people. But the cost of settling for less is actually harder than being completely obedient to God's will.

When you feel like it's too hard to obey God, remember that He will never tell you to do something without giving you the grace, power and ability to do it.

Jesus never mistreated anyone just because they mistreated Him. He confronted them in a spirit of gentleness and then continued to love them.

We live in an imperfect world, and imperfect people surround us every day.

God doesn't do things halfway. He goes all out! When God does something, it's not just barely enough, mediocre or lukewarm.

I want to let you in on a little secret: I don't always feel like I'm a success. That's right. There are plenty of times when I feel like I've just totally messed up and failed to connect with the people I'm trying to communicate with.

Instead of blaming everyone and everything else for your problems, pray for God to help you take an inventory of what's been on your mind so you can think about what you've been thinking about.

Satan is the master distracter. He is always working to keep us off track in our walk with God.

Instead of judging people, we need to pray.

God's mercy is fresh and new every morning.

Over the years, I've learned that a confident person doesn't concentrate or focus on their weaknesses - they maximize their strengths.

Don't complain. The Israelites wasted forty years murmuring and complaining in the wilderness, when they could have just obeyed God and entered into their Promised Land.

You know, God will give favor to anyone who will believe Him. Every day you should confess that you have favor everywhere you go. God will begin to open doors that you wouldn't believe.

Simplicity is a key to avoiding complication. Part of the definition of simplicity is 'not complex or complicated; sincere.'

God wants to use you to make other people happy! And the happier you make others, the happier you will be because you reap what you sow.

Humility is not something that comes naturally. But it is a cardinal virtue that should be pursued more than any other.

I consider wisdom supernatural because it isn't taught by men - it's a gift from God.

When you become a Christian, something truly amazing happens: God comes to live inside your heart. You become the home of God.

I wonder how many times people give up just before a breakthrough - when they are on the very brink of success.

Each time we cooperate with God, we take one more giant step forward. Because when God asks us to change, it means that He always has something better to give us - more freedom, greater joy, and greater blessings.

Once I realized that right thinking is vital to victorious living, I got more serious about thinking about what I was thinking about, and choosing my thoughts carefully.

Dread, which is closely related to fear, steals the ability to enjoy ordinary life and makes people anxious about the future. It keeps them from looking forward to the next day, the next month, or the next decade.

You see, you are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. You have emotions, you have thoughts, you have a will, and you have a conscience. You are a complex being! And Jesus came to heal every single part of you. There's not one part that He doesn't want to make completely whole.

Prayer is simply talking to God like a friend and should be the easiest thing we do each day.

There's a part of you - the born-again part, your spirit - that's dead to sin. That's why it bothers you now when you sin. The 'wilderness' part of you - your soul - is your unrenewed mind, out-of-control emotions, and stubborn will.

The Bible says to 'fear not,' but this doesn't mean you should never feel scared. It means when you do feel fear, keep going forward and do what you are supposed to do. Or as I like to say, do it afraid.

If we live a self-directed, self-motivated, self-centered life, always needing to get our own way, then we're going to be miserable. In fact, many times we believe it's our problems that are making us unhappy when, in reality, it's because we're focused on ourselves!

Know that as a Christian, your destiny is to be Christlike in all of your ways.

Depression begins with disappointment. When disappointment festers in our soul, it leads to discouragement.

There's no happier person than a truly thankful, content person.

Getting organized in the normal routines of life and finishing little projects you've started is an important first step toward realizing larger goals. If you can't get a handle on the small things, how will you ever get it together to focus on the big things?