I want to teach you a key to making every day better…How you can be thankful despite your circumstances. Let’s look at 1 Thessalonians 5:18. It says, “thank God in everything. No matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks, for this is the will of God for you who are in Christ Jesus.” I know sometimes that’s very, very difficult. God doesn’t tell us to do things just to sit back and watch us have a difficult time but everything he asks us to do is for our benefit, and a thankful attitude will help you through your greatest struggles in life. To get started, I want you to share this testimony about a man who was diagnosed with cancer, relied on God through the entire process of healing, and today he is so thankful that he has a heavenly father to rely on. I believe as you read his story, no matter what your situation is — and I know that among all of you watching, the situations are varied — but no matter what our problems are, they’re important to us. No matter what your situation is, I believe if you will give thanks in it — not just when it’s over, but in it; you don’t necessarily have to thank God for it, but in it, knowing that if you trust him, he will work good out of it, I believe it will really make your journey a lot easier.

Ed’s story:

Life had been good to Ed Starrett — happily married with four children, a professional career in the medical field, and a musical talent that gave him plenty of opportunity to express his love for God. Suddenly in March of 2003, his life came crashing down around him when he was diagnosed with a stage 4 b-cell non-hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“Any time you get news like that, it just… It’s like getting socked in the gut,” Ed says. “It takes everything that you have and just sucks it right out of you.”

We all have to deal with stress from time to time but if it’s an everyday occurrence, something’s probably out of balance, so join me as we discover how to make the necessary changes to have peace in our lives.

I, for one, am not willing to live a life frustrated, confused, aggravated, upset, and in turmoil. I want to tell you that until I got to the point where I was no longer willing to live like that, I kept living like that. I think a lot of times we wish for stuff without understanding that wishing for it is not going to make it happen. We have to go after it and pursue it. Listen to what I’m going to say. We have to be willing – we have to be willing to make whatever changes we need to make in order to see that thing happen in our life. We always want our circumstances to change and we want everybody else around us to change so things will be the way we’d like them to be but until we get willing to change, until we look at our lives and see what we can do to make things different, we’re just going to be wishing.

The bible says in Matthew 6:33, “seek first the kingdom of god and all these things will be added unto you.” so everything – anything that would be defined as a thing, which that’s a promotion at work, it’s an open door in ministry, it’s money, it’s a new house, a new car, wanting to get married, or having a problem in some area, all those things are things. They are things that belong to this realm that will pass away when the world passes away. But god wants us to enjoy things so he says if we’ll seek the kingdom, he will add the things. If we seek the kingdom, god will add the things. We do not have to seek things. We seek the kingdom and god adds the things. What is the kingdom? Is it just this nebulous spiritual realm that sounds real “ooh” but we don’t understand what it is? First of all, the bible says the kingdom of god is in you. It’s in you. The kingdom of god is in you. It’s the spiritual realm in you and the ruler of that kingdom is King Jesus. He comes to live in us and he wants to rule our lives from the inside out.

Dr. Leman: a couple of things: for all the grandparents out there, do you want to give your kids and your grandchildren a great gift sometime? Get a video camera. Borrow one if you don’t have one. And look into it — this is your life. Speak to the camera. Tell them about your trials. Tell them about your spiritual pilgrimage in life. Tell them who you are. Do you want to give them a gift that will last a lifetime and another lifetime? Give them that.  It’s the little things that make a difference in our kids’ lives and our grandchildren’s lives. Share who you are without being phony, without speaking “Christianese” — just tell it like it is, and you’re giving your kids and your grandchildren something that will last them a lifetime.

Joyce: and really, what people do want more than they want anything is to be valued. And one of the ways that we can value them is by giving them time. I think today we have a tendency to replace everything with things. Things are great, gifts are great, but we also have to make sure that we’re taking time to invest into one another’s lives.

Dr. Leman: with five kids, I can tell you I can afford to give my kids anything they ever wanted in life. I’ve taken great pride, Joyce, and not given them squat diddly jack. But we’ve given them time, we’ve given them love, we’ve given them discipline, and we’ve affirmed them for who they are, and we treat our kids differently. You want a great gift to give your kids? There it is.

Joyce: well, Dr. Leman, thank you for being with us. Well, one of the things that’s really important to me that you remember is that it’s not too late for you to turn things around, and even if you were raised in an abusive home, you can have a great finish. There’s healing for you. There’s restoration for you through the word of god. And if you’ve made mistakes as a parent, don’t think that it’s too late or that you’ve just made so many mistakes and now your kids are going to be a big mess; that’s not true. You pray for your children and god can work in their lives. And another thing you can do is just be honest with them. I find that sometimes just saying to my kids or to somebody else:  “you know what? I didn’t act right. What I did wasn’t right. I’m sorry. Will you please forgive me?” it’s amazing how much that in itself can turn things around. So, we want you to be encouraged today that your childhood memories can affect you in a negative way but they don’t have to, and you can begin to create good memories right now.

Narrator: Dave and Joyce are visiting the staff and the patients at the hand of hope Methodist hospital in Chandrakal, India. Located in a very remote place, across the road is the home for children with hiv. Some of them came as a result of their parents dying here in the aids ward of the hospital. Margaret Barbour has been very involved with the hiv positive children from the day the hospital originally opened.

Margaret Barbour: I was at the hospital for two years. I was there helping out. The orphaned children — seven of them, the first orphans came in at that time while I was there and one of my duties was to take care of those kids. I’ve learned so much about the aids virus. I’ve learned so much about aids children. Before that, I’d had no experience working with aids children and I’ve found that there’s a depth to aids children that is not normally there with normal children. I don’t mean that in a strange way; I mean it in the sense that there’s a quietness and a calmness about them because they’ve gone through sorrow. There’s a wisdom about these children that is different.

I would like to tell you about one little girl; she had tears in her eyes and she shared, “my life is so different than what it would have been when I think about what my life was like before and how I have my life here.” I think it had touched her heart and she was able to express it. Many of them will have that in their hearts but they can’t have the vocabulary to put it together but she was an older girl and she was able to express it to the house parents and I think they all had a big crying session. It was very precious. Very precious.

John Maxwell: We compound a lot of our frustrations and our fears by taking on yesterday or tomorrow instead of understanding that today is the day that we really need to focus and concentrate on.

Joyce Meyer: Hello. Thank you for joining me today. Do you ever feel overwhelmed with everything you have to fit into your schedule? All of our lives are getting more involved, and that’s probably not going to change. I think I’ve finally decided that the world is not going to change, so maybe I need to change. I believe that we can greatly simplify our lives by just changing the way we look at things. We can make our lives less stressful. Author and speaker John Maxwell joins me to talk about some practical steps that we can take to simplify our lives.

Narrator: John Maxwell is a renowned leadership expert, entrepreneur and international bestselling author of over 30 books including “the 21 irrefutable laws of leadership.” He speaks to fortune 500 companies, nba, nfl, and U.S. military groups, and in conferences worldwide. He’s helped millions of women and men excel in both personal and professional growth and development. John is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

John Maxwell: When you have a passion deep down inside, there will be a God-confidence that will come alongside of you that will equip you for the task that is ahead.

Joyce: John, thank you so much for being on the program today. We always love it when you come.

John Maxwell: I love being with you, Joyce, very much.

Joyce Meyer: You know, some time over the last couple of years God really got something across to me. Sometimes I’m a little thick-headed and it takes me awhile. I’m the kind of person who when anything is not right, I want to fix it. If life is frustrating, then I want to fix life!

Ginger: The city of Durban is a popular tourist area in South Africa. It’s known for its beautiful beaches and thriving economy. It’s also known for something else: Street children. Durban, South Africa is a dangerous place. Like most cities in South Africa, violent crime rates are very high. They tell adults here day or night to be very careful, to be aware of their surroundings. But you’re not an adult — you’re a 14 year old child living here on the streets alone. You get up in the morning and you pick up the blanket on the sidewalk where you slept, you go down to the beach where you can wash and try to take a bath. Then you come back and you find a spot where you can begin begging for money — trying to do anything that you can to get enough money to buy food to survive. You make it through the day and the sun starts to go down and that’s when it gets really dangerous for you. The chances of you being sexually abused or beaten are very very high. But the biggest thing is that you feel like you’re an animal. You feel like you don’t belong to society, that no one loves you. That’s why it’s so important that someone reaches out with Christ’s love. What Joyce Meyer ministries is doing for these young people is working together with an organization called “umthombo” here. They are going to the streets and they’re sharing with these children that there is a better way of life, that there is a god who loves them and that there is an opportunity for them to leave the streets and find a life that is fulfilling, where they are loved. There’s opportunity and together we’re sharing that with them.

Tom Hewitt: Our goal is to change the way society perceives and treats street children. And also with the kids themselves, often when you’re told that you’re the rubbish of society your whole life, you start to internalize that.

Nokukhan Ya Mohlomi: When I was on the streets, it was really hard for me because when you’re on the streets, you feel that you are different from other people — you are not a human being.

Joyce Meyer – You think maybe you’re just an animal. You don’t want other people to see you because you feel ashamed and then you feel like you’re totally different.

Joyce: Get your beans right over here. Here babe, you want some more? Here let’s give you a little more. Wow, what an opportunity to feed hungry children. And you know, if it weren’t for our friends and partners of Joyce Meyer ministries we wouldn’t be able to do this. These kids are just so precious and so sweet. We have to be grateful for the opportunity to help them. This is not only just a place where they can receive a meal but there’s a church here and a hope center where we’ll be educating them. There’s medical help available to them. Right now, today, there’s an eye clinic going on. So people who haven’t been able to see are going to be able to see. So we’re just privileged. When we come to places like this people are always thanking us, but actually we need thank them for the privilege of being able to reach out and help them. I want to thank you for helping us help them.

Ginger: The twin boys you see here have the same story as many of the children in these camps.  They’re orphans. Their father died from tuberculosis soon after they arrived. And recently, their mother died from aids-related issues. Because their parents were not recognized as citizens, the state was not responsible for their care. That meant these two boys and their young sister were left completely alone to care for themselves.

Maria: They were six months when I started to stay with them.

Joyce Meyer – Their sister, Chablili, wasn’t going to school anymore. And there was no food. Nothing they can do. The twins were using only water to drink. The children are very very sick. Sometime they are going to die.

Maria Nkmo: To me, it was like I’m mad because I can’t afford to help my children, but if God says I must help that lady, I don’t know how to do it, but I will try. Each and every month I took 50 rand, bought the cooking oil, soap and gave it to her.

Ginger: Connie Kritzinger is a pastor in South Africa and when he and his wife heard about what Maria and the others were doing, he wanted to see it for himself.

Connie Kritzinger: When we were introduced here, Maria was feeding them but as she started, the kids just got more and more and the numbers just increased day by day. We started getting involved and bringing food — out of our own pockets — bringing food, bringing clothes and whatever they needed.

Ginger: Hurietta and Machiel Schoeman heard about the women through a local community outreach program and they got involved.

Hurietta Schoeman: They gave me the name of this group of ladies working here, so I approached them and they brought me in and they showed me around. It was very bad at that stage. It was raining a lot and there was a lot of rubbish lying around; a lot of sick people. So it just grabbed my heart. I think for three nights I couldn’t sleep, just to think that these people had nothing — no running water, no toilet facilities. And so I tried to provide, but it was not possible. And then I started to cry.

Machiel Schoeman: The previous night we literally watched one of Joyce’s programs in India where she was feeding the kids. She just said, “why can’t Joyce come here? Why can’t Joyce come and help us?” We said, “okay, let’s pray.” And that morning we prayed. And it wasn’t two weeks the pastor found us and he said Joyce Meyer’s people want to come and see us.

David Vanrensburg: It’s important for us to partner with a local church and work with a local church, and that’s how we got involved. They brought us here. They showed us. They said this is the area, can we help? — can Joyce Meyer Ministries help?

David: we do so much here at home. We have the dream center here in St. Louis. Every day we’re going and we’re just loving on widows. We’re helping the orphans. We’re visiting people in prisons. We’ve been to all 50 states, every state prison, basically just to say, “hey, we love you. Here’s a gift.” a good friend of ours preaches a whole message called “what’s in your hand is what’s in your heart.” so, don’t look to Africa if that’s not where god has called you; look at what god has around you.  What is in your hand is probably what god wants you to be working on at that point.

Joyce Meyer: exactly.  Thanks for being with us today.  We’ll have to have you back some more. You did a good job! Thank you. Well, today we wanted to hopefully get you involved in reaching out to hurting people around the world.  We always like to put some of god’s word in your hand because we believe that that’s one of the best gifts that we can give you. So we have an offer that we want to talk to you about, a way for you to get involved and a way for us to sow some word into your life.  So if you’ll just watch this, and please continue to pray for us as we keep reaching out around the world to bring a hand of hope.

Joyce Meyer:  we’re asking you to help us help others with a special donation to our “hand of hope” outreaches. As a token of thanks, we’ll send you this boxed book set “joy redefined” with three hardbound minibooks helping you expand your relationship with Jesus, others and you.

David: I’m sure that even in the video you saw, you’ve seen testimonies of these people, but I mean time after time again — especially if it’s their first trip — they are just like blown away that what they’ve studied for their whole life is actually helping somebody with needs that we would never even see here in the united states. That’s what’s so cool. They’re literally changed forever. Their lives are changed forever. It’s kind of a double blessing; not only do the people going get to utilize their god-given gift to help somebody else, but the people on the receiving end are getting to receive medical care that they may not ever get if we weren’t there. So we’re taking a team to Ethiopia this fall and India next year, so if you’re interested at all, call our office and we will hook you up.

Joyce Meyer: if you’re a medical professional, right?

David: if you’re a medical professional.

Joyce Meyer: alright.  The bible says that god is a god of justice. Lest that just be a real spiritual-sounding word that nobody ever gets much out of, justice means to make wrong things right.  It’s really pretty simple when you break it down like that, that we are really just trying to make wrong things right.  We talk about this a lot on our program, as well as all of our teaching programs, because I really feel like I have to teach people the need to be involved in helping other people. I’m sure that you would testify and I can testify that even though it’s a lot of hard work to go and do that, doesn’t it add to the quality of your life when you come back from something like that and you realize that you’ve touched so many people?