Joyce Meyer - Me and My Big Mouth! Study Guide: The Answer is Right Under Your Nose: Your Answer Is Right Under Your Nose (Me and My Big Mouth: The Answer is Right Under Your Nose)

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

. ..But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

1 Corinthians 2:16

As believers, we need to understand the soul and be trained in discerning the activities of it. As defined in this study, the soul consists of the mind or intellect, the will, and the emotions. Since the soul is full of "self," it can and should be purified and rendered a vessel fit for the Master's use. (2 Tim. 2:21.) Our mouth gives expression to what we think, feel, and want. Our mind tells us what we think, not necessarily what God thinks. Our will tells us what we want, not what God wants. And our emotions tell us what we feel, not what God feels. As our soul is purified, it is trained to carry God's thoughts, desires, and feelings; then we become a mouthpiece for the Lord!

The Word of God teaches us in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that we have been given the mind of Christ and that we hold the thoughts, feelings, and purposes of His heart. We hold them in us, but the uncrucified soul "blocks" them from coming forth. There is a continual struggle between the flesh and the spirit.

The body and soul corporately make up what the Bible refers to as "the flesh." Therefore we will use the terms "the soul" and "the flesh" interchangeably.

Man wants to think his own thoughts, but God desires to use the mind of man to think His thoughts through. Man wants what he desires, but eventually his desires are changed into God's, if he submits himself to the Holy Spirit. Man lives a great deal by his feelings, which seem to be the believer's number one enemy.

Feelings can be trained to come under the leadership of the Spirit, but this is a process that requires time and diligence.

This book is about the mouth, and as I have indicated, the mouth gives expression either to the flesh or to the spirit. It can be used to verbalize God's Word or it can be a vehicle to express the enemy's work. I don't believe that any child of God wants to be used as a mouthpiece for the devil, but many are.

Proverbs 18:21 states, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. There is no subject in the Bible that we should take any more seriously than the mouth. It can be used to bring blessings or destruction not only to our own lives, but also to the lives of many others.

Countless excellent books have been written on the mouth. When God began placing a desire in my heart to write a book on the subject, I must admit that I thought, "What for? What can I say that has not already been said?" But I do believe God wants such a book written, and I believe it will be timely in the lives of all those who read it.

I pray that the anointing of the Holy Spirit will be on this book in a powerful way to bring revelation, conviction, and repentance. I pray that as you read the words in it, they will burn into your soul a new desire to be a mouthpiece for God.

CHAPTER 1

LEARNING TO SPEAK GOD'S LANGUAGE

And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in God [constantly]. Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.

Mark 11:22,23

Do you have problems? Your answer is right under your nose. At least a major part of it is.

I do not believe that anyone can live in victory without being well informed concerning the power of words.

Usually when we have mountains in our lives we talk about them, but God's Word instructs us to talk to them, as we see in Jesus'

words in this passage.

Are You Talking About Your Mountains Or to Your Mountains?

When Jesus said that we are to speak to our mountain in faith, commanding it to be lifted up and thrown into the sea, this is a radical statement and one that deserves some study.

First of all, what do we say to the mountains in our lives? It is obvious that we are not to hurl our will at them, but the will of God, and His will is His Word.

In Luke 4 when Jesus was being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He answered every trial with the Word of God. He repeatedly said, "It is written," and quoted Scriptures that met the lies and deceptions of the devil head on.

We have a tendency to "try" this for a while, and then when we do not see quick results we stop speaking the Word to our problems and begin once again speaking our feelings, which is probably what got us into trouble to begin with.

A stonecutter may strike a rock ninety-nine times with a hammer, and there may be no evidence at all that the rock is cracking.

Then on the one hundredth time, it may split in half. Each blow was weakening the stone even though there were no signs to indicate it.

Persistence is a vital link to victory. We must know what we believe and be determined to stick with it until we see results.

Obedience and Forgiveness Are as Important as Faith and Persistence

For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].

And whenever you stand praying, if you have

anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings.

Mark 11:24-26

To make sure we maintain balance in this teaching, let me say that speaking the Word of God is powerful and absolutely necessary in overcoming. However, it is not the only doctrine in the Word of God.

For example, obedience is equally important. If a person thinks he can live in disobedience, but speak God's Word to his mountains and get results, he will be sadly disappointed, as Jesus clearly stated in this passage.

Mark 11:22-26 must be considered as a whole. In verse 22 Jesus said to constantly have faith in God. In verse 23 He talked about releasing faith by speaking to mountains. In verse 24 He spoke of prayer and the importance of praying believing prayers.

In verse 25 He gave a command to forgive. And in verse 26 He stated plainly that if we do not forgive, neither will our Father in heaven forgive us our failings and shortcomings.

There is no power in speaking to a mountain if the heart is full of unforgiveness, yet this problem is rampant among God's children.

Multitudes of people who have accepted Christ as their personal Savior fall into the deception of trying to operate one of God's principles while completely ignoring another.

Obedience is the central theme of the Bible. For many of us, our life is in a mess due to disobedience. The disobedience may have been the result of ignorance or rebellion, but the only way out of the mess is repentance and a return to submission and obedience.

Don't Ignore the "Its" and "Buts"

If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 28:1,2

Please notice the "ifs" in this passage. So often we choose to ignore the "ifs" and "burs" in the Bible.

Consider, for example, 1 Corinthians 1:9,10:

God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.