Joyce Meyer - Be Your Best: How You Can Live a Happy, Healthy, and Full Life

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Be your best

Copyright 2007 Joyce Meyer

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Amplified Bible.

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Scriptures noted NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV.

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Scriptures noted TLB are taken from The Living Bible, copyright 1971.

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scriptures noted NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 2nd Edition, copyright 2006.

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ISBN 978-0-446-55046-8

One of the greatest burdens of my heart is to see Gods people enjoy the life Jesus died to give them. I dont want to just hear them talk about itI want to see them walking in it. I believe its Gods will, based upon Jesus words, I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows) (John 10:10).

Jesus came to give us life as God knows itfull, rich, meaningful, and satisfying. He wants us to be our very best in lifeto fully be the person He created us to be. He didnt suffer the scourging, the beatings, and the agony of hanging on the cross so we could live mad, worried, depressed, stressed, frustrated, and aggravated all the time. He died that we might have life and be filled with His joy (see John 17:13).

When I say its Gods will we enjoy our lives, Im referring to our everyday livesgoing to work, driving in traffic, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, paying the bills, and teaching our kids to mind. And its in our ordinary, everyday lives He wants us to be our best. Yes, life has difficulties and disappointments, but God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit, Who lives inside us, to help us live ordinary life in an extraordinary, supernatural way.

To be your best in life involves living your entire life based upon Gods value system. It puts your entire being (body, mind, will, emotions, and spirit) right at the top of Gods list of important and valuable things. Your entire being plays an important part in Gods plan; Hes entrusted you to take care of it. Only by keeping our spirits, souls, and bodies in tip-top condition can we truly do Gods work.

God wants you to experience the joy of living a balanced lifewhether it regards your health, your personal growth, your spirituality, your career and success, your finances, your relationships, or your marriage and family. As you read through these articles, be open to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He points out areas of your life that need to be changed. It may not be easy to change your thinking, but dont give up. God is on your side. By His grace you can become all you were meant to be.

Believing His best for you,

thoughts

If you went to church and the paint was peeling, the doors broken, and the windows boarded, youd wonder about the pastor, wouldnt you? The church is his instrument for celebrating the glory of God, yet if he doesnt respect the church enough to keep it in good condition, what does this say about his relationship with God?

The same question applies to our bodies. The body is the home of the spirit where God dwells. To do the work God has for us to do, we need to keep it in shape. If we let our bodies get too shabby or sick, we will not be able to experience the presence of God and His joy and peace any more than we could in a run-down church building. Each time we break down emotionally, mentally; or physically, it has a wearing effect on us. If we do it too often, we may eventually come to a place where we can no longer be restored.

D o you have any idea how valuable you are? If you suffer from self-doubt and self-hatred, if you abuse your body with bad food or bad habits, even if you simply put yourself at the very bottom of the list of people you do things for, then you do not understand your own value. If you did, you wouldnt treat yourself that way.

Maybe you never learned your own importance. Thats what happened to me. My poor relationship with my body began with sexual, emotional, and mental abuse throughout my childhood. During those years of abuse and fear, I developed a shame-based nature. I felt bad about myself all the time. Those feelings developed into a very dangerous train of thought. Since I didnt like myself or feel attractive, I had no confidence, and I acted like it, I was twenty pounds overweight because I was eating bad food and not exercising, and I didnt feel that I was special enough to make any kind of effort on my own behalf. I looked bad, felt bad, and did nothing to help myself.

At the age of eighteen, I married, left home, and moved more than fifteen times during a five-year period.

My first marriage was extremely stressful. We separated numerous times. He was a heavy drinker, had trouble keeping a job, had affairs with other women, and was a petty thief. I had a miscarriage before later giving birth to a son. When I left the hospital with my baby, I had nowhere to go, so I lived with a relative for a few months. After filing for divorce, I moved back to my parents house in desperation. I did not realize that all the stress was taking its toll on my body.