The Lord's Prayer's Interpretation

Matthew 6:9-13

New International Version (NIV)

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,

10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.

The Devil's Lies by Joyce Meyer

[Jesus said]
You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false. —John 8:44

The devil lies. In fact, the devil doesn't know how to speak the truth.

Most Christians know that—and yet they still listen to his evil words. Sometimes the lies seem to just pop into our minds for no apparent reason; sometimes Satan even speaks to us through other people. He puts something critical or hurtful into their minds about us, and they speak it out for us to hear. If we listen and accept what we hear, our enemy rejoices. If we listen long enough to the deceptive information we have taken in, we will find ourselves facing serious problems. Instead of listening and absorbing the untruths and satanic deceptions, you can look at what Jesus did and follow His example.

Love Changes Everything by Joyce Meyer

Are you willing and ready to become a student of the love walk? If so, you need to know that it requires education and commitment.

We must have our minds renewed to what love really is. Love is tangible; it is not just a spiritual thing that cannot be seen or touched. It is evident to everyone who comes in contact with it. Love is a decision we make―a decision to treat people the way Jesus would treat them.

When we make a true commitment to walk in love, it usually causes a huge shift in our lifestyle. Many of our ways―our thoughts, conversation, habits―have to change. For instance, we may be accustomed to spending all of our extra money on ourselves only to discover that walking in love requires that we spend it on others.

The Power of Peace by Joyce Meyer

Having an attitude of peace and calm is priceless. It’s an attitude that says, “I’m trusting God,” and it speaks powerfully to people. But it takes time, focus and the grace of God to be consistently peaceful.

One way to develop consistent peace is to learn to live “in the now.” We can spend a lot of time thinking about the past or wondering what the future holds…but we can’t accomplish anything unless our mind is focused on today.

The Bible tells us that God gives us grace for each day that we live. I believe that grace is the power, enablement or energy to do what we need to do—and He gives it generously, as we need it.

We need to make a decision every morning to say, “God has given me today. I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Putting God First in Your Priorities by Joyce Meyer

There are so many things that clamor for our attention and devotion: our jobs, our kids, our spouses, our hobbies—the demands and distractions of life. And we have to be careful not to let them become more important or more of a priority than our relationship with God.

The first of the Ten Commandments states we will have no other gods before Him (see Exodus 20:3). And Deuteronomy 5:8-9 (NLT) says, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”

Yet how many of the things that occupy our time, money, thoughts and attention have taken the place where God is supposed to be? 

Understanding the Fruit of the Spirit by Joyce Meyer

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! –Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

You may not know it, but when you gave your life to Jesus, all the fruit of the Spirit were planted inside you in seed form. Through the Spirit you can experience joy and peace in every circumstance, no matter how difficult or painful.

You may not be a naturally patient person, but you can call on the Spirit within to produce patience. If you’re battling unhealthy behaviors, like an addiction or some kind of bad habit, the Holy Spirit can give you the ability to resist the devil and make healthy choices.

The apostle Paul put it this way: When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power.

Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:5-6 NLT)

It Ain't About Survival

Before I first listened to Joyce’s teaching on the fruit of the Spirit, I confess I didn’t really understand how the fruit worked. I assumed it was all about will power. If I didn’t have peace or patience, it must be because I wasn’t trying hard enough. It never occurred to me to ask for God’s help.

It might have had to do with how I was raised. Though I grew up in a Christian home, my mother was the poster child for the self-made woman – the oldest of 10 who grew up in a West Virginia coal-mining town during the Great Depression.

She escaped at 18, married a mean man, went to work, divorced, remarried and eventually became one of the first female Chamber of Commerce executives in the country. She was a dynamo who loved to say, “I’m a survivor.” That was her battle cry and badge of honor.