Joyce Meyer Enjoying Everyday Life® TV Audio Podc... - Joyce's Battlefield – Part 1

0:00Cancon the world's largest fully suppressed range day is coming to Las Vegas. October 23rd and 24th at Boulder City Rifle and Pistol Club. Come shoot all day for just $50 per person. All firearms and ammunition are provided. Try before you buy or just come to experience the hundreds of firearms, suppressors and accessories at Cancon. Get your tickets now at canconevents.com. This program is supported by you, our viewers and our partners. I'm Joyce Meyer. I've seen God's power transform my own life and he will do it for you. Welcome to Enjoying Everyday Life. We have a special program for you today. You may already know Joyce's personal story of triumph over the pain of childhood abuse.

1:00She shares some details throughout all of her teachings as examples of how God's word and our relationship with Him can lead us from pain to peace and from disorder to destiny. A few years ago she talked about her life in more detail. She gave us a greater understanding of the torment and suffering she endured for the first 18 years of her life. For the next couple of days we will share that story again in hopes that you'll see that whatever you're facing now, whether it's from past pain or a current circumstance, that God knows where you are. He hears your prayers and even if you can't see a way out of your situation, He knows the way and will guide you to freedom. Now if you believe that hearing some of these details could bring up difficult thoughts and emotions from your own story, we encourage you to pray and watch this with someone who will support you. This is not meant for you to relive your pain, but it is meant to show you God's power

2:04to heal and restore your life. It's so interesting to me that what the world thinks is freedom today is so much not freedom. Being able to do anything you want to anytime you want to, even if it hurts, all kinds of other people is not freedom. But being free enough to know who you are in Christ and to be able to live your life to make other people's lives better, to not have to be burdened by what people think of you and what they say because you know who you are before God. And to get up every day and just do the best that you can and yet know that you're going to have imperfections, but because you have a relationship with God, you can live in that continual love and forgiveness that He offers, that every day is a brand new beginning

3:05in Him. In Corinthians 2 verse 14, it says, but thanks be to God who in Christ always, say always, leads us in triumph as trophies of Christ's victory. And through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere. That basically means that God will give you victory and then He will use you as a vessel to make other people aware of the knowledge of God. I believe that God has a trophy case in heaven. I can't prove that scripturally, but this does say that we will become trophies of God's

4:07grace. We know what a trophy is. I mean, if someone is a basketball player and they have a trophy case, we're like, wow, you must be really good at that sport or rather it's an ice skater or whatever. Well, I just want to tell you that God is also very good at what He does. And I think that every person that works with God and lets Him transform them and come from being the victim to having victory. I think we also get some kind of a trophy in the heavenly trophy case that God displays for all the spiritual realm to see. And if you're not a trophy yet, then I certainly want to help you become one because you do not have to stay a victim of anything nor do you have to spend your entire life in recovery. You can get well and go on and be used by God.

5:10I was sexually, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused by my father as far back as I can remember until I finally left home at age 18. And for whatever reason I do believe that my brother was doing what she knew to do in those days, nobody heard of abuse. Nobody talked about sexual abuse. There was no programs on television making it plain what abuse did to people. Nobody talked about it. Nobody talked about it. Back then people didn't, rarely you even heard of anybody getting a divorce. And so it was 30 years after all this happened before my mother finally talked to me about it. And she said, I'm sorry for what I let your father do to you, but the truth is is I just couldn't face the scandal. I'm not mad at her. I'm not mad at anybody. But when I had my own children, it really became hard for me to understand how my mother

6:15could not help me in that situation. And to be honest, I actually came to a point where it became harder for me. I think I felt more resentment toward her than I did even toward my dad because, you know, I knew he was messed up and I didn't back then when I was a child, but I learned in later years through the word of God that hurting people hurt people and I even learned that he had grown up in an incestuous atmosphere in his own family. And so he was acting out some learned behavior. You know, it's really, it's easier for you to forgive people if you can understand that something is messed up in them too. So I was abused by my father and abandoned by my mother to the abuse. Now there are things that I will never have that sure I would have liked to have had. I'll never know what it's like to have a great dad. I'll never know what it's like to be able to sit on my dad's lap, put my arms around

7:17his neck and just get a hug without fear that it's going to turn into something else. I'll never be able to be hurting and ask my dad to go have coffee with me and sit down and just tell him what I'm going through and have him really care. I'll never have that. I'll never really have a mother that really can be what a person needs as a mother, but she was also so messed up from the abuse in our home and didn't just have the right personality or the courage to know how to do anything about it. So it's just not the kind of situation if I'm hurting. I've got a mom and a dad that I can go to and say, gee, mom, I'd like to come home for dinner and talk about what's going on in my life. I can't do that. But I have something better. Because I have a walk with God and a relationship with God that is the absolute most wonderful

8:24and precious thing in the whole world. And the Bible says in Psalm 2710, even if your mother and father forsake you, I will take you up and adopt you and I will make you my own child. Amen? There's so much to Joyce's story and we just want to encourage you right here because the people who are supposed to protect Joyce were the cause of her pain. Some of you know exactly how she felt. You're about to hear more details of her abuse, but she'll also share about suffering and silence. Perhaps you're watching this program today because God wants to remind you that you're not alone and he wants to heal your pain. He wants to know about it. He loves you and he wants to hear your heart. If you're feeling ashamed about anything, you can bring it all to him and he will not reject you. Being vulnerable with him is a key element to your healing journey.

9:28You're not alone. The creator of the universe loves you and what you're learning through Joyce's story today is a part of his plan to help you. No matter what you're dealing with, there's always hope in Christ. I'm going to tell you some of the things that I remember and I want to tell you that the things that I'm going to share with you today, I'm not doing it because I want to because in fact I don't. It's very easy now to stand up and say my father sexually abused me, but to tell you the things I'm going to tell you today, some of the details, that's not easy. And I don't do it for me, I don't do it because I need to. But I believe that sexual abuse has become such a word that we accept that nobody, that people don't even really get it anymore. It's just like, oh, you know, you were sexually abused, but I want you to understand more about the pain and the trauma of what that means to help you not only understand yourself, but deal with some of the other people you might be dealing with.

10:32My father began by molesting me when I was, I'm just guessing probably about the age of seven, to be honest, that's all I ever remember from him so I don't really know how old I was. I wasn't yet old enough for him to have sex with me so I began by molesting me and he would take me for rides in the car and parking out of the way places and give me pornography to look at and they would ask me to tell him how it made me feel. And if I didn't tell him what he wanted to hear, then he'd get mad. One of the things that I believe was more damaging to me than anything else was having to pretend that I liked what he was doing when I had this raging anger on the inside of me every time he did it. Interestingly enough, he was always careful not to hurt me. He was always careful to make sure that there were no signs of the abuse. He took a long time, he had a long thought out well laid plan.

11:37I despised being forced through fear to act like I liked things that I thought were absolutely disgusting. He always told me that what he did, he did because I was so special and because he loved me. What I learned that love was was a pretty perverted thing. When I was about nine or ten years old, I remember my father taking him with me to the house of a female relative and telling me that he was going to have sex with her and he told me how much she loved it, how good it was, all these things were to encourage me that it was an okay thing to do. Then he would tell me in detail the things that they did. One of the things I remember that was probably one of the most disgusting to me was when I got old enough to learn how to drive, my father would take me out every Sunday afternoon for a driving lesson and of all the ridiculous places to take me to do what he was going to do

12:44to me was he took me to a graveyard and that is where he would have sex with me in the car. If anyone came around then we would have to get out of the car and pretend like we were looking at graves. He worked nights as a truck mechanic and so I was at school most of the time during the day and I only had to deal with him on the weekends but I would tell you I hated summers. Couldn't wait to go back to school. some mornings he'd come and wake me up and put his hands on me under the covers. Actually, my father didn't just have a problem with me. He had problems with lots of women. There was lots and lots of women that he got into relationships with and he was really sad. I had to keep lots of secrets. He said everything he did was good and it had to be our secret. If I told anybody nobody would understand, they wouldn't believe me anyway and I would

13:48cause lots of problems in the family. It was interesting that I realized this morning it became my burden not to cause any problems in the family because of my pain. And probably one of the single biggest things that I've had to deal with in my life and still to this day have to stand against it is a false sense of responsibility. I had lots of secrets. Secrets are a heavy burden especially for a child. Our secrets can make us sick if we never share them. The world is full of dysfunctional people who have secrets that they've never told anyone. Always remember the truth will make you free. The reason why Satan wants us to keep everything hidden is because as long as it's hidden in you, you can never really get free from it, not completely. And I hid what was going on in

14:48our family for so long that when I finally did share it when I was maybe like 19, 20 years old. First time I tried to talk about it, I would shake violently. Abuse means to be misused, impropriately, to be used up or to be wasted. To use in such a way as to cause harm or damage or to be treated cruelly. People listening or people here today may have been sexually, emotionally, mentally, physically or verbally abused but all types of abuse are damaging. Many times when misused are used for a purpose other than which God intended as far it is damaging. It traumatizes us. And the word trauma means abuse, especially repeated abuse, which traumatizes the individual being abused. They become wounded. They sustain a shock that creates severe

15:51and possibly lasting damage to the psychological development of the individual. Now think about what a person has been repeatedly mistreated. It changes the way they think. It changes the way they see people. It changes the way they see themselves. It can change the way they might be able to see God. It messes up their emotions. They just begin to react to things and many times have no self-control over how they behave. They're angry. They feel like they're do something because they know that what has happened to them is not right yet. They don't know what to do about it. Many of those people spend their life in bitterness and resentment using all kinds of worldly things to try to drown their pain. Rather it's success or our buying things or relationships or some kind of substance

16:57abuse, you can only take so much pain and then you have to do something to get rid of it. But God offers us a plan where we don't just cover it up and need another fix every day, but where we can actually become a brand new creature. I love second Corinthians 517. My gosh, what a wonderful scripture. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things pass away and all things become brand new. Now that doesn't mean that that just like happens. But what it means is when you receive Christ, you have a brand new opportunity. You never have to be hopeless again because God promises that He can restore, renew, lift, heal. And there's such a wonderful promise in the Word of God that I'm going to show

17:58you in just a little bit that it should just leave us so excited. So many people in our society have been traumatized. It's unbelievable the number of people that we deal with day in and day out around the globe that have been so hurt and so wounded and so many people that we deal with, too. Are using some kind of supposed success, our money, our position, or some kind of natural influence to try to hide their pain. And you know, we can dress it up and we can paint it and we can take it to the party. But that doesn't mean that we're not still hurting inside. In Jesus as far as I know is the only one who can come and get inside of us. I'm so glad that the Bible says that He will come and live in us and that His kingdom is within us.

18:59And His kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. He brings His kingdom to replace all that misery that we have in our souls, all the fear and the doubt and the unbelief and the agony of bad memories. I'm so grateful for what I've learned from the Word of God because the Bible says in John 8 that whom the Son is set free is free indeed, really free, genuinely free. And so those things that you have hidden in you, if something you've done that you're ashamed of or something that was done to you that you're ashamed of, if you've never ever ever talked about it, you're not doing yourself a favor. Start by talking to God openly and honestly. Talk to yourself openly and honestly. And hopefully and prayerfully you have at least one person in your life, a spiritual leader, a family member, a friend that you feel that you can trust

20:02just to get it out of you. See, we're so afraid of people know, but really tell you the truth, people are not most people if they've got any sense at all, they're not going to reject you if you tell them the truth. You need to do need to be wise about who you choose, but we should never judge people when they tell us something that they've done that's bothering them or something that was done to them that's bothering them. And then when I finally did start talking about it, I found out a lot of people had the same thing happened, but my whole childhood growing up, I thought I was the only person in the whole universe that that was happening to. And I thought there was something wrong with me because it was happening. You have to get it out to get over it. We have more from Joyce to share with you, but let's focus on what she just said. You have to get it out to get over it. It's not an easy process, but with God, you can take the steps you need to

21:08receive his peace and comfort. I know that's what you want. I want to take a moment to pray for your healing journey. So let's pray together. God, right now we just lift up our friends who are listening right now, perhaps with tears streaming down their face with broken hearts and with memories rising up and and all the pain that swirling around God. I pray that you reach into their life with your overwhelming love and just wrap your arms around them, draw them in tightly to you and begin your healing process. You love them so much. You have a good plan for them. And Lord, in spite of everything that they're dealing with, you are right there in the middle of it. So we thank you that you are working in their life in Jesus' name for complete healing and wholeness. Thank you for being a big God. So we just want you to understand as we pray for you, powerful things happen.

22:10Prayer is important. It works and it's real in your life. We also have several free online Bible studies to help you walk through this process of healing and digging into God's word. You can go to Joycemeyer.org slash study and find the one that fits best for your situation. There are several to choose from. There's power in God's word and Joyce wants to help you discover how to use it in your life. Let's join Joyce now as she continues sharing her story. Some things I remember as I got older when I was about 12 or 13, my father progressed from a list station to rape. He didn't force me physically but he definitely forced me with fear, manipulation, control, and threats and lies. And even having to get this ready this time has been interesting for me because never before in all the years of talking about this have I ever used the word rape. And when I first said it about three weeks ago preparing for this, it sounded

23:13so violent even to me because I always said sexual abuse. But I really believe that God put this in my heart because I do think that we've gotten a nest to size to the word sexual abuse. And literally what he did was he raped me. And he did it every week, at least once a week until the time I was 18. I did a little bit of math and realized that my father whom I was supposed to be able to trust who was supposed to keep me safe raped me a minimum of 200 times before I became 18. How can that have happened to me and me stand here before you today in the condition I'm in today if God is not alive and well. I'm claiming it. How is that possible without God?

24:20The biggest black guy that you can give the devil is to give God your pain and let him turn it into game. To give him your mess and let it become your message. Because when I tell you that I know what it's like to hurt, you believe me. And when I tell you my testimony and I tell you that I am healed and whole and sane and well and I've got a great marriage of 43 years and that I love my life and I think I'm being a value to the kingdom of God. That gives you hope. That gives you hope. That God will do it for you. Amen. And that's why I'm doing this because I want I want people to know how good God is and that your struggle is worth it. Your journey is worth it. Don't give up. Don't give up.

25:27Have you ever wondered how Joyce became Joyce? She overcame unimaginable abuse. She's a trailblazer for women and her story of God's healing has brought hope to millions of hurting people. But there's more to the story than you may know. Joyce Meyer is sharing more than ever in her long awaited memoir, My Battlefield, A Life Broken and Made Whole. I believe now is the time for me to share my story even deeper because I have seen great good come from my battles and I believe God will do the same thing for you. Whatever battle you're facing today, Joyce's story offers hope of what God can do when someone chooses to trust and live by his word. Inside these pages, Joyce shares moments she never thought she would share. Private battles, hidden pain, and the healing journey that slowly transformed her life. My Battlefield is available for your gift of any amount to the ministry. Request your copy today. Call us at 1-800-331-8000. Go online to JoyceMire.org or use the QR code on your screen. If you're eager to learn even more,

26:32request the My Battlefield package for a donation of $99 or more. You'll receive My Battlefield Heart Cover book, The My Battlefield Journal. Joyce's book, Tell Them I Love Them, and a Joyce Meyer Ministries ink pen. Your gift today helps Joyce Meyer Ministries spread the gospel to people all over the world. My reason for writing this book is very simple. I want people who have been hurt, abused, damaged, or broken in some way to know that their story isn't finished. No matter how painful the past has been or how long the struggle has lasted, you can redeem it because we all face battles in life, but I've learned that every battlefield can become a place where God will meet you. He met me in mine and I believe he will meet you in yours too. Dive deeper into the story and discover the most personal chapters of Joyce's life. The battles no one saw and the healing only God could bring. Joyce's memoir will encourage you

27:33to keep going even when you want to quit. To never give up on a dream, God is placed in your heart. My Battlefield is now available for a gift of any amount to the ministry. Request your copy today. Call us at 1-800-331-8000. Go online to JoyceMire.org or use the QR code on your screen. We hope you enjoyed today's program. We are so grateful to our Joyce Meyer ministry's partners

28:44who make this and all we do possible, including sharing God's Word and offering help to people who need all over the world. This program is supported by you, our viewers and our partners. I knew about investing, but I really didn't know how to go about it. Meet Corey, a wealth-front client since 2011. When I set up wealth-front, it asked me, what are you saving for? Buying a house, college for our kids, it worked really hard and did not want to waste it or risk it all. With wealth-front, it could put money in and it would automatically distribute it into a diversified portfolio. Then it starts to compound, the compounding compounds on the compounding. It's just cool to see it working on autopilot. That's probably the best part. Just let it run and it's great. In just minutes, get a globally diversified portfolio that's automatically managed for you and designed to perform in any market. You'll join over one million people who already trust wealth-front to save an invest. Starting is easy.

29:46At wealthfront.com, Client was paid $1,000 for their testimonial creating a conflict of interest, Outcomes Verry. Investment Management and Advisory Services provided by Welfront Advisors LLC, an SEC registered investment advisor. Investing involves risk to principle regardless of the strategy used. Past performance does not guarantee future results.