restoring fellowship

with the Father

Uncovering & Eliminating What s Separating You from God

Teaching Notes by Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer Ministries
P.O. Box 655 • Fenton, MO 63026
636-349-0303 • 1-800-727-9673
www.joycemeyer.org

TN186
Copyright © 2006 Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored electronically, sold, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written
consent of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc.
 April 20-22, 2006
Hampton, Virginia

RESTORING FELLOWSHIP
WITH THE FATHER
It’s Time To Get Serious
Foundation Scripture: Joel 2:1, 15 – A wake-up call

I. It Is Time To Get Serious!

A. I was a Christian for many years before I got serious.

1. Lukewarm and blind

Revelation 3:14-22 – Laodicea

B. John 5:1-9 – Are you serious about getting well?

1. Then get up – get a new attitude.

2. Stop blaming others and God.

3. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and be responsible.

Choose one thing that needs to change in your

life and get serious about it.

C. God’s promises have conditions.

II. Fasting

A. Fasting shows we are getting serious.

RESTORING FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER 1

 1. There are many kinds of fasts, but they all require giving
up something and being serious about seeking God.

B. Things you can fast

1. Food, sex (see I Corinthians 7:5), TV, spending,

talking, etc.

Are you afraid to be quiet and alone with yourself?

2. Fasting food can be done many different ways.

a. Partial fast – one meal a day, vegetables,

fruit, juice, no sweets or bread, one day
a month, etc.

b. Jesus said: “If you have the presence of

the Bridegroom, you don’t need to fast.”

3. It is all about removing hindrances and restoring broken

fellowship.

III. Restoring Fellowship

A. Psalm 32 – David was totally miserable until the hindrance of his

unconfessed sin was removed and broken fellowship restored.

B. Psalm 51:6, 10-12, 17 – Being in fellowship (unhindered fellowship)

with God is the most important thing.

C. We cannot stay busy enough to get away from God.

1. Psalm 139:7-12 – God is everywhere. There is no

place to hide.

D. God’s goal in pouring out His Spirit was to provide “close fellowship”
with Him.

1. John 14:16-18, 26; 15:7-15 – Daily relationship

RESTORING FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER 2

 2. Joel 2:28-29 – God’s Spirit poured out on all
so all can have “close fellowship.”

E. I John 5:21 – Remove anything that prevents Him from having first
place in your life.

F. Romans 11:36 – All things begin and end in Him.

1. Get serious – it’s all about Him.

2. Awake, be sober minded, alert; be cautious and

active. The Day of the Lord is at hand.

JM NOTE: Move into the altar call – address those at home as well as those
in the conference.

RESTORING FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER 3

RESTORING FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER 4
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 The Number One Hindrance
To Being Blessed
I. Everything Changes When We Meet God’s Conditions.

A. Joel 2:12-13

1. God’s promises have conditions. (See Deuteronomy 28:1-15.)

2. The number one hindrance to being blessed is disobedience.

B. Joshua 1:1-9 – Do what I have commanded – don’t drift to the right

or left.

1. Stay focused on the main thing.

Do not major in the minors.

2. Don’t get entangled.

3. Don’t drift.

C. John 13:17 – Jesus gives direction and says, “You’ll be happy if you
do what I’ve said.”

D. James 1:22 – Don’t be deceived thinking you don’t have to do what

God says.

1. Excuses deceive us.

E. Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Our purpose in life is to obey God.

II. Don’t Put It Off.

A. Haggai 1:2-10 – They lived under a curse due to disobedience.

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 B. Malachi 3:8-12 – Bring ALL the tithe and be blessed.

1. This command is to everyone.

2. Do it!

C. Good intentions don’t equal obedience.

III. Obedience, Not Sacrifice

A. I Samuel 10:1, 8 – The instruction

B. I Samuel 13:8-14 – The compromise

C. I Samuel 15:1-24 – Saul disobeys God and pays for it.

1. This command was a matter of personal

obedience.

2. Some commands are general to everyone

and others are of a personal nature.

IV. You Follow God.

A. John 21:15-22

1. Don’t compare – follow God!

B. Romans 14:22-23 – Don’t try to push your convictions on others.

1. You do what God tells you to do.

C. Romans 5:19 – One man’s obedience can have a major affect on many.

V. Extreme Obedience

A. Philippians 2:8 – Jesus was extremely obedient.

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 1. He sacrificed.

B. Deuteronomy 30:9-11

1. Don’t believe the “it’s too hard” lie.

C. Where God guides – He provides.

1. His grace is sufficient, and He will enable you to bear

any trouble or difficulty you meet along the way.

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 Grieving And Quenching
The Holy Spirit
I. Grieving And Quenching The Holy Spirit

A. Ephesians 4:30 – Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit.

B. I Thessalonians 5:19 – Don’t quench (suppress) the Holy Spirit.

C. John 7:37-39 – Do you have a flow in your life?

1. Flow (defined) – To move along in a stream;

to proceed continuously and smoothly.

II. What Grieves God?

A. Hebrews 10:38 – Fear grieves God.

1. Faith opens the door for God to work.

2. Fear hinders His flow.

3. The just live by faith.

4. Hebrews 11:6 – Can’t please God without faith.

Fear grieves Him.

B. Ephesians 4:29-30

1. Vain, useless, lifeless, hurtful, evil, unwholesome WORDS

2. Words that do no good, help nothing, help nobody; words

that kill

a. Words can kill confidence, hope, faith,

creativity, or progress.

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 b. Proverbs 18:21 – The power of life and
death are in the tongue.

3. Proverbs 8:8 – Can we say, “All the words of my mouth

are upright”?

4. References in Proverbs regarding the mouth and words:

a. Proverbs 10:11, 19, 31-32

b. Proverbs 12:18, 22

c. Proverbs 13:3

d. Proverbs 15:2, 4

e. Proverbs 16:24

f. Proverbs 17:27

g. Proverbs 18:20-21

h. Proverbs 20:19

i. Proverbs 21:23

j. Proverbs 29:20

k. Proverbs 31:26

C. Ephesians 4:30-32 – Anger and all its relatives grieve God because it
breaks unity, destroys relationship, diminishes power, steals peace, kills
joy, and is the exact total opposite of God’s nature.

1. Joel 2:13 – God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger,

and abounding in loving-kindness.

2. Are you angry? GET OVER IT. We have all been hurt,
treated unfairly, disappointed in life, looked over, walked
on, ignored, insulted, and offended.

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 Let it go! Forgive! Get over it! And after you have done
that, get ready to have to do it again.

3. Learn to ignore an insult.

Proverbs 12:16 and I Samuel 17:28-30

a. Fulfilling his destiny was more important to

David than being offended and entrapped
by Eliab’s comment.

b. Offense is a trap and a stumbling stone.

D. Entanglement grieves God.

1. We get ENTANGLED in revenge, protecting our reputation,

trying to make people treat us right, love us, approve of us,
accept us, applaud us, etc.

2. II Timothy 2:4 – No soldier gets entangled in the affairs of

ordinary life. He lives to please the one who called him.

3. Hebrews 12:1 – Run your race and don’t get entangled in sin.

JM NOTE: Video Support – Man running a race; picking up weights and getting
more and more and more entangled.

E. Don’t be foolish and let someone else’s bad manners or foolish decision
ruin your life.

1. Get serious about removing these hindrances.

III. But I Feel . . .

A. Do you feel hurt, angry, offended, used, rejected, etc.?

B. Do you feel justified in your anger?

RESTORING FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER 15

 1. You are not. God said, “When you are angry
– get over it!” (See Ephesians 4:26-27.)

C. Stop letting your emotions rule!!!

1. Feel what you feel – don’t deny your feelings. Tell

God exactly how you feel, BUT do the right thing.

2. Don’t hinder God and break fellowship with Him

over something as fickle as feelings.

IV. Don’t Quench The Holy Spirit.

A. I Thessalonians 5:19 – To be thoroughly understood, we must read

the entire chapter.

B. I Thessalonians 5:1-9 – As Joel prophesied, “The day of the Lord

is coming.”

1. Judgment Day is coming!

2. Ready or not, here He comes!

3. Joel 1:14-15; 2:1, 15-16

4. Romans 14:12 – Every man will stand before

God and give an account of his life.

C. I Thessalonians 5:12-13 – Get to know those who labor among you.

1. Appreciate them.

2. Don’t judge and criticize.

John 8:15-17; 7:24

3. John 8:1-7 – Throw stones only if you are without sin.

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 4. This wrong attitude quenches the Holy Spirit and stops
the flow!

D. I Thessalonians 5:14

1. Deal with sin. (See Psalm 1:1.)

2. Encourage the weak, the timid, and fearful.

Encouragement is a wonderful ministry.

3. Be patient. Keep your temper in control.

E. I Thessalonians 5:16 – Be happy – rejoice.

1. MAKE A DECISION to be happy.

2. It is God’s will.

John 10:10; 15:11; 17:13

3. Depression, despair (hopelessness), and

discouragement hinder God’s flow.

F. I Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray at all times. (See Ephesians 6:18.)

G. I Thessalonians 5:18 – Thank God in everything.

1. Grumbling, murmuring, and complaining

quench the Spirit.

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 Wrong Thinking
I. A Narrow Mind Gives You A Narrow Life.

A. Romans 12:2 – God has a good life for you, but your mind must be
renewed completely.

1. Very simply put: we must learn to think like God thinks!

B. Matthew 9:17 – You cannot put new wine into old wineskins.

C. What is our old wineskin?

1. Old ways of approaching God – stop approaching

God based on your supposed good works and approach
BOLDLY because of your faith in Christ and His shed
blood.

a. Ephesians 3:12 – We can have a bold approach

and free, unreserved access to God.

b. John 14:12-14 – Develop “greater than” thinking.

c. Present to God all that Jesus is – not what you are.

2. Old ways of thinking: little, narrow, small thinking

a. Isaiah 43:19 – Behold, I do a new thing!

b. Learn to think in terms of “large” instead of “little.”

c. Exodus 3:8 – God tells Moses what a large life He

has planned for the Israelites.

1) Exodus 3:9-4:1 – God has a big plan, but

Moses cannot get beyond little thinking.

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 2) Exodus 4:1-14 – God keeps telling Moses
that no matter what Pharaoh does, He will
do something greater; and Moses continues
to bring up all the possible problems. God
finally got angry!

d. II Samuel 22:20 – David said, “God brought me forth

into a LARGE place because He delighted in me.”

e. Psalm 118:5 – Out of my distress I called upon the

Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free and in
a LARGE place.

f. John 21:11 – Jesus sent the disciples fishing and

they caught 153 LARGE fish.

g. Luke 5:1-5 (KJV) – Jesus told Peter to lower the

nets again, and Peter said he would lower the net.

3. Not being willing to let go of old ways of doing things

a. There are still churches who would NOT THINK

of allowing a guitar or a band in church because
they have always had the organ.

b. They may close the door to the entire younger

generation, but at least they refused to change!!!!

c. If you don't keep things fresh, everybody eventually

gets tired of it.

d. Some churches and ministries need to stop trying

to be RELIGIOUS and start doing what it takes
to help people.

Jesus meets people where they are at. (Thomas

would not believe unless he was allowed to
touch the wounds in Jesus’ hands; so Jesus let
him do it, and then said it would be better if he
could believe without seeing.)

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 e. We have made a lot of changes in the past
two years for the sole purpose of being
ready to meet the younger generation.

4. Religiosity and Legalism – I believe that religiosity and

legalism is one of the greatest hindrances to enjoying God
and life. (See II Corinthians 3:6.)

a. The religious person either feels proud or

guilty all of the time, depending on whether
he perceives that he is being good or bad. He
also watches for others who he perceives to
be acting bad.

b. Religious people “watch and gossip.” They have

misread the Scripture that says: “watch and pray.”

The religious person is very judgmental and critical.

There is very little or no mercy in their soul.

c. Luke 20:20 –The religious people watched Jesus,

hoping to ensnare Him.

d. Religious people make a law or a rule out of everything.

Prayer becomes a rule, Bible study is a rule, and quantity
is more important than quality. Even if they do good
works, they are done with pride and often to be seen
of man. They do good works to get God's love and
approval, rather than because they believe He loves
them and approves of them.

1) How they dress is a rule, how much television

they watch is a rule, and so-called religious
holidays are rules to be kept.

2) They pay a great deal of attention to what

is going on around them, but almost none
to what is going on in them. Jesus said that
they were whitewashed tombs filled with
dead men's bones.

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 NARROW-MINDEDNESS IS A HINDRANCE
TO GOD AND TO YOU

II. Big Thinkers Always Find A Way.

A. Luke 19:1-8 – Zacchaeus was little in stature, but he was a big thinker.
He found a way to do what he wanted to do. Jesus went to his house
for dinner!!!

1. The statement “there is no way” is really incorrect. There

is always a way with God.

B. John 1:45-47 – Nathanael had his opinion; but he was a big enough
thinker to be open-minded, and Jesus complimented him.

C. Matthew 14:28-29 – Peter thought that if Jesus could walk on water

then maybe he could also.

1. Peter got into a lot of trouble because he was emotional

and impetuous, but God used him because he was a big
thinker.

D. God likes dreamers – people who imagine that they can do more
than they are currently doing.

1. Joseph was a dreamer and God gave him favor every-

where he went. No matter what his circumstances
were, God favored him and he prospered.

2. Joseph refused “dead-end” thinking.

LITTLE THINKING IS A HINDRANCE

TO GOD AND TO YOU!!!

III. Do you Think Too Little Of Yourself?

A. Judges 6:10-17 – Gideon had a small opinion of himself and found

it difficult to believe that God wanted to use him.

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 B. I Corinthians 1:26-29 – God chooses people with little or no ability
so He can show Himself strong through them.

C. Our confidence is in Him. Our sufficiency is in Him.

(See Philippians 4:13.)

D. Stop looking at yourself and look at God.

1. When Moses was afraid and negative, God said:

“I will be with you.”

2. When God told Joshua to finish what Moses had

started, He said: “I will be with you.”

3. Genesis 28:15 – God promises Jacob not to leave

him until everything He has promised has been
accomplished in his life.

E. With God all things are possible.

1. Matthew 19:26; Mark 9:23; and Luke 18:27

A POOR OPINION OF YOURSELF

HINDERS GOD AND YOU!!!

IV. Do You Only Have Room In Your Life For You, Your Kind, And Your
Own Ideas?

A. II Kings 5:1-14 – Naaman needed a miracle and almost missed it

because he had his own idea of how God should work.

1. If you are desperate enough, you won't mind if God steps

outside your denomination’s doctrine to help you.

B. Do you have room in your heart for everybody or just the people who
are like you?

1. If you are poor, do you find yourself not liking rich people?

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 2. If you are rich, do you find yourself not liking poor people?

3. Are you prejudiced against any other race of people?

It is double-dumb to be against someone because

they are a different nationality. None of us gets to
choose our race; we just are what we are.

4. If you're the boss, do you only hang out with people

in leadership?

5. If you're the employee, do you resent the boss just

because he is the boss?

6. Do you call people “Hoosiers” and “hicks” just because

they live in a rural area?

C. Is your idea the only one worth paying attention to?

1. Is pride hindering the flow of God in your life?

2. Remember, Nathaniel was open-minded. Are you?

3. Will you listen to reason or is your mind already made up?

(See James 3:17.)

4. Are you too stubborn to change if someone shows you

a better way to do something?

JM NOTE: Dave and I are letting the younger people make a lot of the decisions;
the ministry is bigger than ever, and we are working less. We found
out that other people have good ideas!! We found out that sometime
instead of being the way, we get in the way!!

5. Is your way of doing a task the only way, or even the best
way, to do it?

a. Some people can never grow because they

don't know how to delegate. They may be
willing to delegate work, but not authority.

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 They want to boss everyone around and have
them do everything the way they want it done.

b. Mom's, your children may not do it the way you

would do it; but if you let them help you, perhaps
you will begin to enjoy life and have less stress.

HAVING ROOM FOR ONLY YOU AND YOUR OPINION

IS A MAJOR HINDRANCE TO GOD AND TO YOU!!!

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