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This program is made

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We have to turn the

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lights on, turn the lights

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up, and start being excellent

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once again. I'm Joyce Meyer

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and I believe that God

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Carolina. Register now at Joyce

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meyer.org/Battlefield. I've just been thinking

0:56

a lot about discipline

0:59

and self-control. I'm

1:01

sure for a lot

1:03

of people that will

1:06

get this on television

1:08

at just the right

1:10

time. I've just been

1:12

thinking a lot about

1:15

discipline and self-control

1:18

and I can tell you

1:20

that every day of our

1:22

lives. We have to say

1:24

no to something that we

1:26

would like to do. And

1:28

yes to something that we

1:30

would prefer not to do.

1:33

Amen? And it's not ever

1:35

going to stop. It's going

1:37

to be that way every day

1:39

the rest of your

1:42

life. But discipline and

1:44

self-control are actually

1:46

good friends that God

1:49

has given us. Self-control

1:51

is a fruit of the spirit and

1:53

it's actually last on the list.

1:56

The list starts with love and

1:58

joy, peace, patience, goodness. up

2:00

with self-control. And I think that's

2:02

interesting. I call them like the

2:05

two bookends of the fruit of the

2:07

spirit. All the fruit of the spirit come

2:09

out of love, but they're all held in

2:11

place by self-control. You can't be

2:13

kind if you don't have any self-control.

2:16

Can't be humble if you don't have

2:18

self-control. And I hear people say

2:20

frequently, and I'm sure you do too,

2:22

and maybe you even say this, you know, I

2:24

just I'm just not disciplined. I

2:26

just can't control myself in

2:29

that area. And that

2:31

is absolutely 100% not

2:34

true. And you need

2:36

to stop saying that.

2:39

Come on, I don't

2:41

make me say everything

2:43

three times. You

2:46

say, well, but

2:48

I'm not. Well, you

2:50

start by

2:52

confessing what God

2:54

says you have. And

2:58

it helps renew your mind,

3:00

and before long, you start

3:02

believing that you actually have

3:04

what he says you have. And

3:06

then as soon as you believe

3:08

it, the devil might as well

3:10

get out of your way, because

3:13

then you'll start producing it. Men?

3:15

So you need to say, I

3:17

am disciplined, and I have self-control,

3:20

and I do what God tells me to

3:22

do, and if he tells me not

3:24

to do something, I don't do it.

3:29

Now, being a

3:32

Christian is not

3:34

for weak-minded, wimpy,

3:37

lazy people. We

3:39

get everything from

3:42

God. We get

3:44

a starter load, you

3:46

might say, when we're

3:49

born again. God is

3:51

holy and he can't

3:54

be anywhere that's

3:56

not holy. His

3:59

grace does

4:01

a wonderful work in our

4:03

spirit so he can come

4:05

and live there. He cleans

4:07

us up, he forgives us,

4:09

he comes to dwelling us,

4:12

he gives us his nature,

4:14

he makes us a new

4:16

creature, the fruit of the

4:18

Holy Spirit is in us,

4:20

but it all comes as

4:22

a seed. I love what

4:24

the Bible says in First

4:26

John, I think it's three,

4:28

it says that... Anyone who

4:30

is in Christ cannot continue

4:33

to purposely live in sin,

4:35

doesn't say he never does

4:37

anything wrong, but he says

4:39

he can't purposely continue in

4:41

sin, because Christ lives in

4:43

him. Actually, the amplified Bible

4:45

says the divine sperm of

4:47

God is in him. And

4:49

I love that. Christ is

4:51

called the Seed, capital S.

4:54

and he is in us.

4:56

He's put in us as

4:58

a seed and we all

5:00

know that seeds have to

5:02

be watered and you have

5:04

to keep the weeds away

5:06

from them and they have

5:08

to have the sunshine. Well,

5:10

the word is referred to

5:13

as the water of the

5:15

word and so the more

5:17

of the word we study,

5:19

the more of it we

5:21

believe, the more of those

5:23

seeds grow and become things

5:25

that people can actually see.

5:28

You know when God first started

5:30

with me I had love on

5:32

the inside of me according to

5:35

the Bible, but I sure couldn't

5:37

find it anywhere I mean I

5:39

wanted to love people, but I

5:41

just I just was not a

5:44

very loving person I wasn't a

5:46

very nice person I'd been hurt

5:48

and wounded and I hadn't been

5:50

healed yet and so I was

5:53

busy taking care of myself and

5:55

trying to make sure that I

5:57

never got hurt again and I

6:00

I just wasn't Very nice and

6:02

God had to teach me a

6:04

lot of things and the more

6:06

I I studied the word, the

6:09

more I learned, and the more

6:11

I learned, the more it changed

6:13

me, and the more it changed.

6:15

God works on us from the

6:18

inside out. He plants in us

6:20

everything that we need to live

6:22

a great life. But now I

6:24

want you to pay attention to

6:27

these scriptures. His divine

6:29

power has granted to us

6:32

all things, say all things,

6:34

all things, that pertain to

6:37

life and godliness through the

6:39

knowledge of him who called

6:42

us to his own glory

6:44

and excellence. Well, I could

6:46

just stop right there and

6:49

preach on that one sentence

6:51

all night. called to be

6:54

excellent people with excellent behavior

6:56

who treat people excellently and

6:59

live excellent lives. Not sloppy,

7:01

not lazy, not undisciplined, but

7:04

excellent. And it says we're

7:06

called to glory. Well, you

7:09

know, we throw a lot

7:11

of words around don't even

7:14

know what they mean. And

7:16

so the word glory means.

7:19

the manifestation of all of

7:21

the excellencies of our God.

7:24

So God has given us

7:26

all of these things as

7:29

a gift that pertain to

7:31

life and godliness through the

7:33

knowledge of him, you have

7:36

to know what you have,

7:38

or you don't even realize

7:41

you have it, who has

7:43

called us to his own

7:46

glory and his own excellence.

7:48

An excellent person always goes

7:51

the extra mile. They never

7:53

do the least they can

7:56

do. They always do the

7:58

most that they can do.

8:01

An excellent person always keeps

8:03

their word. They always do

8:06

what they say they're going

8:08

to do. And we'll just

8:11

stop there and let it

8:13

suffice to say that we

8:15

live in a world today

8:18

who that is not excellent

8:20

and it is getting worse

8:23

all the time and we...

8:26

Those of us who represent

8:29

Christ and that's that's what

8:31

you are if you're a

8:33

Christian You're a person who's

8:35

here to represent Christ We

8:38

have to turn the lights

8:40

on turn the lights up

8:42

and start being excellent once

8:44

again Because that's what the

8:47

world needs to see our

8:49

God is an excellent God

8:51

and he's called us to

8:53

be an excellent people There's

8:56

some area for every single

8:58

one of us where we

9:00

can come up higher Where

9:03

we can make a decision

9:05

to be more excellent in

9:07

that area and a lot

9:09

of excellence Begins with little

9:11

things that the Holy Spirit

9:13

deals with you about That

9:15

might not even make sense

9:17

to somebody else if you

9:19

told them But we begin

9:21

by being excellent in all

9:23

the little things that God

9:25

prompts us and then it

9:27

gets to be more and

9:29

more and more and more

9:32

in our life. And I

9:34

know that excellence is God's

9:36

desire for us, because I'll

9:38

tell you when you are

9:40

filled with the Holy Spirit

9:42

and you get into a

9:44

serious relationship with God, you

9:46

start getting convicted about little

9:48

things that didn't bother you

9:50

at all before he came

9:52

to live on the inside

9:54

of you. Nobody came and

9:56

told you, but all of

9:58

a sudden now, you know

10:00

that's not the way to

10:03

do things. Just a simple

10:05

example, you're shopping, you're going

10:07

through a rack of clothes,

10:09

you knock a piece of

10:11

clothes. in the floor, you

10:13

start to walk off. Come

10:15

on, how many? And the

10:17

Holy Spirit says, still small

10:19

voice, a knowing, pick it

10:21

up. Anybody ever get that

10:23

besides me? Well, sometimes he

10:25

even has me clean up

10:27

all the other stuff. Now,

10:30

that's when it starts to get

10:33

really aggravating. It's like... I told

10:35

him one time, why should I

10:37

clean up their mess? He said,

10:39

would you like to have somebody

10:41

clean up your messes someday? And

10:44

I said, yeah, that sounds good.

10:46

Now I want you to listen

10:48

to what I'm going to say.

10:50

A lot of times, when God

10:52

asked you to do... or

10:55

prompts you, we're going to use

10:57

the word prompt a lot because

11:00

that's the way the Holy Spirit

11:02

deals. He prompts us, he doesn't

11:04

yell at us, he doesn't try

11:06

to make us, he doesn't threaten

11:09

us, he prompts us. There's just

11:11

a little like, this is the

11:13

better way to do that. Every

11:15

time that we do that, we're

11:18

opening the door for some blessing

11:20

that God wants to bring our

11:22

way. in due time. Joyce today

11:25

I would love to have a

11:27

really good conversation about how to

11:29

be a strong believer in a

11:31

difficult, Because there's a lot coming

11:34

against us right now. I mean,

11:36

there's just no way around it.

11:38

It's not easy. What are some

11:41

of the things that you... have

11:43

found throughout your life, whether it's

11:45

now or earlier, that has made

11:47

it more challenging to be a

11:50

Christian in the world that we

11:52

live in today? Well, maybe I

11:54

can talk to you about how

11:56

to make it easier on yourself.

11:59

Now, first of all, I think

12:01

if you're going to be a

12:03

really committed Christian, you have to

12:06

realize that you are going to

12:08

get persecution from somewhere. It's either

12:10

going to come from family or

12:12

it's going to come from friends

12:15

who don't want to be as

12:17

committed as you are and so

12:19

they accuse you of being a

12:21

fanatic or you may experience things

12:24

like people not including you at

12:26

lunch at work or different things

12:28

like that because if you're a

12:31

strong believer and I'm not talking

12:33

about somebody who's just being outlandish

12:35

and just doing nothing but talking

12:37

about the Bible all the time.

12:40

I mean, there's, you know, prudence

12:42

that we need to use and

12:44

what to say. Where? Because you're

12:47

not going to get somebody to

12:49

believe by trying to cram the

12:51

gospel down their throat. The best

12:53

thing to do is to live

12:56

the life in front of them

12:58

and wait until they're open and

13:00

want to ask you. So I

13:02

think it has to be a

13:05

foregone conclusion that if I'm going

13:07

to be really committed. And you

13:09

know, there's a lot of people

13:12

who go to church every week

13:14

that are not really wholly committed

13:16

to serving God in their everyday

13:18

life. They still compromise and do

13:21

a lot of things that, you

13:23

know, they probably shouldn't be doing.

13:25

And to, once you're prepared to

13:27

do that, then I think we

13:30

need to remember that we are

13:32

in the world, but not of

13:34

the world. So we hear that,

13:37

how do we do that? Well

13:39

that means that I don't do

13:41

things the way the world does

13:43

things and that's one of the

13:46

things that makes you come under

13:48

persecution. sometimes, or seem a little

13:50

bit odd to people. You know,

13:53

like I remember somebody that was

13:55

doing my taxes one time telling

13:57

me that I was giving too

13:59

much money to the church. Well,

14:02

he was looking at it purely

14:04

from a, just a financial standpoint.

14:06

On paper. Yeah. And he didn't

14:08

understand what I understood that I'm

14:11

going to reap what I sow,

14:13

and I wasn't giving because I

14:15

thought I had to, I was

14:18

doing it because. I wanted to.

14:20

So people don't understand. They're not

14:22

going to understand you. If they

14:24

don't know what you know about

14:27

the word, they're just not going

14:29

to understand you. So... So expect

14:31

that. Yeah. Well, I mean, I

14:34

don't think we have to go

14:36

around believing to be persecuted, but

14:38

it is going to happen. You're

14:40

going to experience some rejection. Jesus

14:43

was rejected and he said that

14:45

a servant's not above his master.

14:47

And so there... I mean, I've

14:49

been through enough of it myself

14:52

that... that I know. And so

14:54

to be in the world but

14:56

not be of it means that

14:59

I'm going to find myself pretty

15:01

much continually needing to make choices

15:03

that are going to be kind

15:05

of going against the flow, so

15:08

to speak, or I'm going to

15:10

always be swimming upstream when everybody

15:12

else is floating downstream. And it's

15:14

in the beginning, it's something you

15:17

have to really try in the

15:19

beginning of your walk with God,

15:21

you have to... really try to

15:24

seem so hard and you know

15:26

you pay too much attention to

15:28

the friends you don't have that

15:30

don't want to be like you

15:33

but after a while to be

15:35

honest it becomes your lifestyle and

15:37

that's what being a Christian needs

15:40

to be it needs to be

15:42

our lifestyle and then I remember

15:44

what Joshua he said and and

15:46

this is probably a big thing

15:49

we need to remember is you

15:51

know as for me in my

15:53

house We're gonna

15:55

serve the Lord you you serve

15:57

whoever you want to serve But

16:00

as for me and my house, we

16:02

will serve the Lord. And that's

16:04

what each person has to make

16:07

their own decision about how

16:09

they're going to live and

16:11

how committed they're going to

16:13

be. And I think it's wise

16:15

to remember that when all this is

16:18

over, there's only going to be

16:20

God or the devil. We've only

16:22

got two options of how we're

16:24

going to live out eternity.

16:26

And we make many decisions

16:28

now that... may seem that we're

16:30

losing something by making those

16:33

decisions, but you'll reap the reward

16:35

of doing the right thing when

16:38

you get to heaven. And also

16:40

to remember that, I mean, even

16:42

say you lived a hundred years,

16:44

which very, very, very few people

16:46

do that, but let's just say

16:49

you live to be a hundred. That

16:51

sounds like a long time, but

16:53

it's nothing compared to

16:55

eternity. And so I've kind of come

16:58

to the conclusion that I need to

17:00

spend now getting ready for there. And

17:02

so it's really about decision. And

17:04

you know, to be honest, sometimes, Ginger,

17:07

I think we talk ourselves into, oh,

17:09

this is so hard. It's, you know, I

17:11

didn't get invited to the party. It's

17:13

so hard. But maybe you need to

17:15

talk about yourself the other way. You know,

17:17

Jesus wouldn't have been invited to that

17:19

party either. And so I'm glad to

17:22

be in his group and not somebody

17:24

else else's. Yeah. Do you find

17:26

that as the world changes

17:29

around us, that it

17:31

gets easier because you are

17:33

close to Christ and you

17:35

have to make these right

17:38

decisions, but it also gets

17:40

harder to watch the world

17:42

going where it's going? In

17:45

other words, we know the

17:47

end, but still, it's a

17:49

difficult process. Well, and to

17:51

be honest, and you know, I

17:53

hope people understand what I mean by

17:56

this, but as a believer in Christ,

17:58

this is not where you belong. I

18:00

mean, this is not our, this

18:02

is not our home. Yeah. And

18:05

so there's a certain part of

18:07

us that's going to always be

18:09

uncomfortable here. And I remember, I

18:12

remember kind of never feeling like

18:14

100% satisfied. And it got to

18:16

the point where it was really

18:19

bothering me because I want to

18:21

be totally satisfied with what God

18:24

has given me. you know, happy

18:26

all the time. And he led

18:28

me to some scriptures that basically

18:31

tell us that eternity, you know,

18:33

heaven is our home and even

18:35

creation groans waiting for the full

18:38

redemption of mankind. And so we

18:40

can't, you know, when you have

18:43

a beautiful spirit because you've been

18:45

born again, and the holy spirits

18:47

living in you. If he feels

18:50

grief, which you know he does,

18:52

then we're going to feel a

18:54

little bit of that too. And

18:57

I know for me, and I've

18:59

said this to you, I am

19:02

just so weary of all the

19:04

strife and arguing and bickering in

19:06

the world and so many angry

19:09

people and everybody's got an issue

19:11

or a drum that they want

19:13

to bang and you know, we

19:16

just need to love God and

19:18

appreciate what he does in our

19:20

lives. Find people to be good

19:23

to and be happy and enjoy

19:25

the day that God has given

19:28

us and you know that doesn't

19:30

mean that we're not all going

19:32

to have Troubles Jesus said in

19:35

the world you will have tribulation,

19:37

but his answer to it was

19:39

cheer up. I have overcome the

19:42

world. So he's basically saying you've

19:44

got this going on now But

19:47

if you realize that I've got

19:49

a plan for here, you know,

19:51

then you can be cheerful in

19:54

the middle of it. And everybody.

19:56

Sooner or later, we all have

19:58

to take a responsibility for ourselves

20:01

and how we're going to behave,

20:03

how we're going to believe, you

20:05

know, just making a decision, I'm

20:08

going to be positive and not

20:10

negative. I'm going to be around

20:13

as many positive people as I

20:15

can be and not just surround

20:17

myself with complainers and grumblers and

20:20

murmurers and angry people. you know,

20:22

people who just always gossiping and

20:24

judging. I mean, that in itself

20:27

will drag you down. But even

20:29

if you're not around any of

20:32

that, I think we feel the

20:34

weight of what's going on in

20:36

the world and the sin and,

20:39

you know, I was talking with

20:41

somebody this morning about something. I

20:43

don't remember not exactly what it

20:46

was, but it was something that

20:48

the Bible says is wrong, that

20:51

the world sees as being right.

20:53

There are a lot of those

20:55

things. Yeah, right now. But you

20:58

know, the Bible says it in

21:00

the last days, which we are

21:02

probably in the last, in the

21:05

last days, people will call evil

21:07

good and good evil. That's why

21:09

it's so important for Christians to

21:12

not think that all I need

21:14

to do is show up at

21:17

church once a week and everything

21:19

is going to be wonderful in

21:21

my life. You have to know

21:24

the word. You have to... Not

21:26

just read a chapter a day

21:28

out of the Bible to fulfill

21:31

some religious obligation, but set aside

21:33

time to study the word of

21:36

God and to listen to teachers

21:38

and preachers and read good books

21:40

that are full of biblical principles.

21:43

We have to... The word is

21:45

our food. It's the food for

21:47

our spirit. Just like we feed

21:50

our body, physical food. We need

21:52

to feed our spirit. spiritual food

21:55

and it's the word and worship

21:57

and fellowship with God and things

21:59

like that and you know I

22:02

can tell when I'm getting physically

22:04

hungry, can't you? And so I

22:06

think we can also tell when

22:09

we're getting spiritually hungry. And when

22:11

you start feeling weak spiritually, or

22:13

like you're starting to maybe drift.

22:16

And drift is a good word.

22:18

Because if you just kind of

22:21

just, if you're not being decisive,

22:23

if you're being the least bit

22:25

passive, I mean, you will drift.

22:28

in the wrong direction with the crowd.

22:31

And that's not what we want to

22:33

do. We ought to stand strong in

22:35

the times that we're in. The Bible

22:37

says that if God did not shorten

22:39

the days for the sake of the

22:42

very elect, no man could stand the

22:44

deception that's coming on the world. I'm

22:46

going to say that again. If God

22:48

did not shorten the days for the

22:50

sake of the very elect, no man,

22:53

no matter how spiritual you are, would

22:55

withstand the deception. That's

22:57

coming on the world. And so

22:59

how many things today do people

23:02

think are just fine? That the

23:04

Bible condemns You know, I might

23:06

as well make a few people

23:09

mad while I'm go for it

23:11

So what about what about people

23:14

living together before they're married? I

23:16

mean, that's just become a common

23:18

Almost expected thing like the next

23:21

step after dating is to live

23:23

together Like how could you get

23:26

married before you try that out?

23:28

Like when you get married before

23:30

you try it out. People aren't

23:33

ashamed of it. They don't feel

23:35

there's any need to hide it.

23:37

It's just... That's the way it

23:40

is. But that's not what God

23:42

says. And so we have to

23:45

make a decision. Are we going

23:47

to go with the world? You

23:49

know, I remember trying on clothes

23:52

in different places for my conferences.

23:54

And... feeling like it was something

23:57

that would be inappropriate for me.

23:59

to wear a little too short

24:01

or a little too tight or

24:04

a little too low. And I

24:06

remember when the skirts came out

24:09

that had the slit up the

24:11

side, but it would go halfway

24:13

up your leg. And I remember

24:16

a sales park saying to me

24:18

one day, oh honey, that looks

24:20

beautiful on you besides. That's all

24:23

the style today. I said, but

24:25

it's not my style for what

24:28

I'm doing. And so. I like

24:30

it, I'll buy it, but you

24:32

sow the slit up to my

24:35

knee. So we have to stand

24:37

up for what we believe in.

24:40

And you know, if you live

24:42

with the thought in mind of,

24:44

I'm going to live today to

24:47

please God, not people, then that

24:49

helps you a lot when you're

24:52

living in the society we are.

24:54

Which is a really important decision

24:56

to make, not always the easiest.

24:59

No. but well worth it. Well

25:01

worth the sacrifices that we'll make.

25:03

Thank you Joyce, we appreciate your

25:06

encouragement very much. So sometimes what

25:08

we think will bring us happiness

25:10

still doesn't do it for us.

25:12

We try everything. Look out for

25:15

number one. But life still feels

25:17

empty. You know, we typically look

25:19

at our circumstances and try to

25:21

change them in order for me

25:23

to be happy. I know this

25:25

because I thought this way for

25:27

years. I was always on my

25:30

mind. I would constantly think, what

25:32

about me? What about me? I

25:34

had no idea that the root

25:36

of my unhappiness was something I

25:38

could actually change. I was getting

25:40

in my own way and missing

25:43

the blessings that God has for

25:45

me. You see, selfishness deals our

25:47

joy. But God has such a

25:49

better way for us to live.

25:51

I firmly believe that people need

25:53

to realize that there's... great power

25:55

in an unselfish life. That's why

25:58

I've written, what about me? Inside

26:00

I share why it's important to

26:02

get out of that me mindset

26:04

and how to change your perspective

26:06

in a way that will benefit

26:08

you and others. I have absolutely

26:11

no doubt that what I share

26:13

in this book will change your

26:15

life, just like it completely changed

26:17

mine. Request, what about me today?

26:19

And take important steps to living

26:21

an unselfish life. It's available to

26:24

you right now for your gift

26:26

of any amount. Call us today

26:28

at 1-800-331-8,000, or visit us online

26:30

at Joyce meyer.org. You can get

26:32

out of your own way, walk

26:34

in love, and live unselfishly. Request

26:36

your copy of What About Me

26:39

Today? And if you would like

26:41

to go even deeper with Joyce

26:43

by declaring war on selfishness, Consider

26:45

giving a gift of $45 or

26:47

more, and you'll receive Joyce's What

26:49

About Me study guide in addition

26:52

to the book. This in-depth study

26:54

guide is a great addition alongside

26:56

the book to ensure you master

26:58

content. And remember, you'll not only

27:00

receive Joyce's book, What About Me?

27:02

But your gift today allows us

27:05

to share the love of Christ

27:07

around the world through our hand

27:09

of hope outreaches. What About Me

27:11

is available to you now for

27:13

your gift of any amount, or

27:15

go the extra step to receive

27:17

the What About Me Study Guide

27:20

too for $45 or more. This

27:22

is a great opportunity for a

27:24

book study with family or friends.

27:26

And it's yours today, so give

27:28

us a call at 1-800-33-1-8,000, or

27:30

visit us online at Joyce meyer.org.

27:33

Well, if enough of us become

27:35

unselfish followers of Jesus, we can

27:37

change the world. Ready for a

27:39

change? It all begins with your

27:41

thoughts. Join Joyce for something new

27:43

as we focus a weekend on

27:45

her all-time best-selling book, Battlefield of

27:48

the Mind. Join us live for

27:50

a weekend to refocus and recharge.

27:52

Healthy thoughts lead to a better

27:54

life and the fantastic future God

27:56

has for you. Don't miss this

27:58

rare opportunity. April 24th through the...

28:01

in Charleston, South Carolina. We hope

28:03

you enjoy today's program. We are

28:05

so grateful you enjoyed

28:07

today's program. We

28:10

are so grateful to our

28:12

and all we do who make this

28:14

and all we do possible,

28:16

including sharing God's help to offering

28:18

help to people in need

28:20

all over the world. This

28:22

program has been made possible

28:24

by the partners of Joyce Meyer

28:27

Ministries.