Being a practical Christian

Joyce Meyer heads Joyce Meyer Ministries in Fenton, Mo. She speaks in crusades and through her Life in the Word television and radio programs. She recently talked to Ann Floyd, associate editor, about living and ministering for Christ, simply and practically.

Evangel: People identify with you because you major on the practical and speak to where they live.

Meyer: I’m a practical person. That’s just the way the Word comes out of me. I don’t like things I can’t understand or don’t see any purpose in. Even though I’m straightforward and blunt, because I use myself as an example people aren’t offended and they receive that truth into their lives.

Most people don’t like themselves, so they are not comfortable in their relationship with God. And they have difficulty in their relationships with others. So I talk a lot about those three relationships — knowing who you are in Christ and liking yourself and not comparing yourself with others.

Evangel: How did you find healing for the situations you faced — including abuse?

Meyer: Healing came through studying the Word and having the Holy Spirit minister to me personally. For years, I didn’t feel like I made any progress. When you’ve got a mountain of problems, it’s like taking one piece of straw off of a haystack. I finally learned I couldn’t change myself; only God could change me. Even though I had a lot of quirky things in my personality from the way I’d been treated, I couldn’t use them as an excuse to stay that way.

I want to help people who are hurting. Because I was abused as a child, I know what it is to have a lot of pain. I pray that God will let me be a bridge where people can cross over from just having a religious experience to understanding they can have a deep personal relationship with Him.

Evangel: What’s the No. 1 challenge women in your audiences face?

Meyer: Probably it’s juggling all the different roles. It’s challenging to keep my life simple enough to be able to enjoy it. My children want a mother; they don’t just want a minister. My husband wants a wife; he doesn’t just want a minister. My grandchildren are not all that impressed with having Joyce Meyer for their grandmother; they want a grandmother.

Evangel: So how do you set priorities and keep fresh in the Word?

Meyer: I’ve learned what David said in Psalm 27:4: "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord … and gaze upon the beauty of the Lord" (NIV). I must spend time with God — not just time getting a message to give to somebody else but just time with Him because of who He is.

I pay attention to John 15:5: "Apart from me you can do nothing." I realize that no matter how many sermons I preach, the next one won’t be on target if I don’t lean on God. I’ve learned to appreciate everything God does and every soul that’s saved.

Evangel: What do you say to a woman who is struggling with the call of God and finds that doors aren’t opening for her?

Meyer: Be faithful; God will open doors in His timing.

I encourage women who are married to have a right relationship with their husband. They have to recognize his authority in the home and make sure they draw him into the ministry.

People ask me continually, "How can I get my ministry started?" They want to know what I did. What I did is irrelevant because I did what God told me to. He told me to start a Bible study. I did and it worked. If they do that because I did, it could totally flop.

I say, "You can’t go start a ministry. You have to follow the Holy Spirit."

Evangel: Anything else?

Meyer: We have a real problem in our society putting God first. Too many people have God on this emergency call line. When they have a big disaster, they want to get close to God. The Lord told me a long time ago, "If you just act like you’re desperate all the time, we won’t have any problem."

So you’re talking to a desperate woman.