God is so good, and His planning is impeccable!

Well, the Joyce Meyer Women's Conference is all it was advertised to be and more! The music is amazing; we have worshiped with Darlene and Fuzed Worship, and we have listened to the sweet voice of Kari Jobe. It's been exciting and it's been fun, but the most important thing is this: God is here. He had a Word prepared for each and every one of us, and I am hearing Him loud and clear. Last night, Joel Osteen gave us all a new word: Bam! He used an extended metaphor about cooking, saying that we cannot isolate the steps of God any more than we can isolate the ingredients in chocolate chip cookies. (Anything with chocolate works for me! :)) He reminded us that God is constantly adding ingredients to our lives, and even when life is seemingly good, it will get better when God says, "BAM! Here's a new ingredient for you!" Maybe that ingredient is a new challenge, or a new relationship, or a small victory. Maybe it's a new thing God needs us to learn, and He puts just the right book or person in our path to teach us that new thing. Either way, He "bams" us with the next thing He has in store, and God always has something fresh in store when we are faithful. Joel also said that God's calling is irrevocable on our lives, and, according to scripture, if we will pitch our tents in the land of hope as David did, we will see amazing things happen. Joel was an encourager and a strong reminder of the power of hope. And this morning, it got even better! Dave Meyer spoke about our country, giving us a hard and important word. I will share that later . . . I think I feel a letter to the editor coming on! But then came Joyce. And true to form, she had a Word from God. Here are her high points, and the first was written just for me . . . and maybe for you! 1) We must live in a prison of hope. Wow, this has been a word I have carried since 2008, when I talked to the Horry County School District about being a prisoner of hope for children. The Tenacious Life has big plans around this theme, so keep watch! We must be prisoners of hope, expecting and anticipating great things from God. Hope is a favorable and confident expectation, the happy anticipation of good, and hope releases joy! 2) "Together we can make a noise that's going to give the devil a nervous breakdown." When believers gather together to worship and praise almighty God, we shake the foundations, and hell cannot prevail against us. There are over 26,000 women at this conference, and we are making great noise in this city for God. 3) We must DECIDE to be hopeful, even when we don't feel like it. This CAN be done but only with God's power. 4) We can be catalysts in our families and communities and workplaces, turning things around for others. When we are hopeful without fail, we are contagious! 5) According to Romans 15:13, we must have joy and peace IN BELIEVING, that we might overflow. 6) Being a prisoner of hope releases us from other prisons in our lives. That's going to be a teaching at an upcoming study of mine! Get ready! 7) What God gives us, He expects us to give away. We must share our hope with others, and we must share from the riches God has given us. 8) We MUST get over being mad at others or mad at ourselves. Lack of forgiveness is a prison that destroys our hope. 9) We can have double blessings for former trouble, but double blessings don't come to the double-minded. We must set our minds to do what God expects and keep them there, not just when it's easy but when life gets hard and ugly. That's when others can see that our hope is in God because we could not do that by ourselves. Finally, I came here anticipating a Word from God, my Father, about what He expects from me. I came to worship and fellowship, and I came to be still before God. Some of the songs I have not known, but rather than get frustrated, I have used the words of the songs to pray to God. I have used the time --- in the midst of 26,000 --- to get still in my seat before God, to pray as though no one else was around, and I have felt His presence. He is good, He is mighty, and He is faithful. God is still in the business of saving lives, and I pray that some small detail you have read here will reach into your heart as it has mine. Look for more tomorrow, as I am sure He is not finished with us yet! Blessing from St. Louis! Love in Christ, Jean