Works That Don't Work

Seven Things That Steal Your Joy: Overcoming the Obstacles to Your Happiness
by Joyce Meyer

(Page 2 of 3)

The Word teaches that God's people dug wells for themselves that couldn't hold water: “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water” (Jeremiah 2:13). I know what it is like to work hard with no results. I have spent many years of my life digging empty wells like these, and I can tell you, it really wears you out.

You may be digging an empty well right now. You may be working on something or somebody. You may have your own little project going. You may be following your own little plan, trying to make things happen in your own strength and ability. If so, it is not going to work if you have left God out of your plan.

Many times we make a plan and then pray for it to work. God wants us to pray first and ask Him for His plan. After we have His plan, then He wants us to trust Him to bring it to pass.

Our activity birthed out of the flesh actually prevents God from showing Himself strong in our lives. The Bible describes that kind of activity as “works of the flesh.” I call them “works that don't work.” That is not the way to live the higher life that God has prepared for us.

TWO WAYS TO LIVE

We can live as a slave to the law, or as an heir to the promise of grace. The following passage presents two ways in which you and I can choose to live:

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondmaid and one by the free woman. But whereas the child of the slave woman was born according to the flesh and had an ordinary birth, the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of the promise. Now all this is an allegory; these [two women] represent two covenants.

One covenant originated from Mount Sinai [where the Law was given] and bears [children destined] for slavery; this is Hagar. (Galatians 4:22-24)

We know from studying Genesis that Sarah represents the other covenant mentioned in these verses. She is the woman who was supposed to wait on the promise of God and receive the child born in a supernatural way.

Later in this book we will review how at one point Sarah grew tired of waiting for God's promise, tried to make things happen herself, and ended up in a mess. But God was faithful to keep His promise, and she found out that when we wait on God and trust Him, He will bring to pass what we are believing for according to His will-no matter how long it takes.

We can live by trying to take care of ourselves, or we can live by trusting God. We can try to make things happen, or we can believe God to make things happen. The choice is ours.

If you want the pressure taken off, then choose to stop trying to make everything happen yourself, in your own timing, in your own way, according to your own plan. Instead, throw your life wide open to God and pray:

Lord, whatever I may desire in life, if You don't want me to have it, I don't want it. If You do want me to have it, I ask You for it and believe You will give it to me in Your time, in Your way, according to Your divine plan.

In my own life, I have adopted a new policy. It's called the hands-off policy. Every day I pray: Lord, I am not doing anything unless You show me what You want me to do. I believe if you ask God for this kind of guidance, you will see marvelous things happen in your life.

Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer

About the Author

JOYCE MEYER has been teaching the Word of God since 1976 and in full-time ministry since 1980. She is the bestselling author of more than fifty inspirational books, including How to Hear from God, Knowing God Intimately, and Battlefield of the Mind. She has also released thousands of teaching cassettes and a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences.