JOYCE UNIVERSITY STUDY GUIDE

WEEK 2

Know God and Be Whole!

MONDAY
What Do You Really Know?

So Jesus said…, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in
accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and
the Truth will set you free.
—JOHN 8:31-32

We live in a time that some refer to as “The Information Age.” There is so much
coming at us through the various forms of technology we encounter all day long –
smart phones, computers, TV, radio, billboards, etc. It can be overwhelming!

But just because we hear or see something doesn’t mean we know it or really get it.
There are degrees of knowing; you can barely know something or you can have a
revelation of something so that it becomes a part of you and is worked into your
behavior.

In the Bible, there are eight different verbs in the Greek that represent different
degrees of “knowing,” but we translate them all as “to know.”

Study PHILIPPIANS 3:10, JOHN 8:31-32 and 1 JOHN 4:18 and note the different
ways the term “know” is expressed.
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Based on what you see in PHILIPPIANS 3:10, what does this reveal about the nature
of our relationship with God?
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According to JOHN 8:31-32, how do you determine if you know God’s truth well
enough that it brings freedom to your life?
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Look up 1 JOHN 4:18 to discover one powerful effect of having God’s love in our
lives. What is it? Have you experienced this in your relationship with Him?
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Use a concordance to look up other verses with the word “know” in them. Study
them and discover other degrees of knowing God that you can experience.

Pray that God will keep you from being deceived and to help you rightly divide the
Word of Truth. Be totally sold out and committed to Jesus!
—Joyce
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TUESDAY
Don’t Settle for Shallow Information – Get Revelation!

…I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the
Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.
—PHILIPPIANS 3:12

Information without revelation is a frightening thing. Because if we don’t have a

revelation of the Truth, we’ll be more concerned with what other people think and
make decisions based on our feelings.

The best way to “lay hold of (grasp) and make my own that for which Christ Jesus
has laid hold of me and made me His own” is to spend time with God on a regular
basis. Pray, telling God what’s on your heart and mind, and wait on Him, expecting
Him to speak to you. We also have to study the Word. This is absolutely the best way
to get to know who God really is.

What do you know deep down inside your heart about God? What do you believe is
true…even more than what you think, feel or want based on your circumstances or
what others say? Write down scriptures that back up your beliefs.
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How do you make decisions in your day-to-day life? Are they based on how you feel
and what you think? Or do you do what you know is right in your heart based on your
knowledge of God’s Word and what His Spirit is leading you to do?
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Prompt obedience to God’s Word is vitally important in renewing your mind with the
Truth (ROMANS 12:2) as well as gaining revelation of who God is and what His will is
for you. Is there a known area of disobedience you need to surrender to God? If so,
write it here and search out scriptures that will help you overcome it.
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Look up JOB 19:25, 1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 and GALATIANS 6:9. What do these
verses reveal about who God is to you and what He promises to do in your life if you
trust and follow His wisdom about how you should live?
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We have to make a decision to believe what the Bible says—not just to mentally
assent to it but to live according to what it says. It’s amazing what God will do in our
lives when we do His Word!
—Joyce
 JOYCE UNIVERSITY STUDY GUIDE

WEDNESDAY
Study Abroad in Peru!

Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you
will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently
obey the Lord your God.
—ZECHARIAH 6:15 NIV

In the introduction to today’s show, Joyce said, “Sometimes before we can preach
the Gospel to people, we have to be the Gospel to people.” That’s what our Hand of
Hope world missions outreaches are all about – being the hands and heart of Jesus,
showing His love.

On this trip to Peru, you saw how…

• a church was built for a struggling congregation in desperate need of a place
to gather and worship
• a well was established, providing clean water that is safe for the people to use
to meet basic needs of daily life, like drinking, cooking and cleaning
• a free medical clinic helped to relieve physical suffering for many and bring
hope and comfort to those in need of a miracle
• children in poverty were blessed with brand-new school supplies through the
backpack giveaway

In your own part of the world, God wants to work in your life, and through you, to
help people in practical ways right where you live.

There are many verses in the Bible that talk about how we show God’s love when we
help those in need. Look some of them up and write them down here. (Hint: If you
need help getting started, use a concordance to look up references for words like
love, share, hungry, poor/poverty and forgive/forgiveness.)
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God wants to use you to show His love to others and make their lives better. He has
amazing plans for your life and He’s given you the talents and abilities you need to
walk them out. Search your heart as you spend time in prayer and ask God to show
you what He’s created you to be and do. Write down what He reveals to you.
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Second CORINTHIANS 5:20 (NIV) says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as
though God were making his appeal through us.” Consider how you are Christ’s
ambassador in the world around you.

What can you do today to reach out and help someone in need in your neighborhood,
family or workplace? How can God use you to “make his appeal” known to people in
your sphere of influence? Remember that it’s more important to show God’s love
than preach about it without living it.
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God works through people, and He wants to use YOU to be an answer to someone’s
prayer. He will provide ways for you to share His love with others, because
EPHESIANS 2:10 (NIV) says, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Expect Him to do something good in you, for you and through you today!

All God asks is that we seize the opportunities we have to help our fellow man. The
Holy Spirit does the work; our role is to show the love of Christ.”
—Ginger Stache, CMO of Joyce Meyer Ministries
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THURSDAY
Jesus Can Heal You Everywhere You Hurt

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach
good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
—ISAIAH 61:1 NKJV

God cares about every detail of your life. Big or small, if it matters to you, it 

matters to Him. When we’re hurting or struggling in any area of our life—spiritually,
mentally, emotionally, financially, in relationships—God wants to help us and heal us.
And all things are possible with God (MATTHEW 19:26), so He can heal you wherever
you hurt!

The world is filled with brokenhearted people. Joyce describes this as being broken
in your personality, not able to function at your best, the way God wants you to live.
Read ISAIAH 61:1 and note the various ways Jesus is anointed to help us experience
healing in our broken places.
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ISAIAH 61:2-3 says Jesus wants to “comfort all who mourn…to give them beauty for
ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness” (NKJV). What does this promise mean for us? What do we get in return
when we give God the ashes of our life?
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Are there any broken areas in your life that weigh heavily on your heart or are
holding you back from being what God is calling you to be? If you answer yes, what
are they and how can you give up those ashes to gain God’s beauty?
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According to verse 3, there is a powerful result when we receive God’s comfort,

beauty and joy. What is it?
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We all experience injustice to some degree in this life. Study LUKE 18:7 and 

PSALM 89:14 and explain why we can have hope in those times.
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When God is our Vindicator, He does amazing things on our behalf. Study 

ISAIAH 61:7-8 to discover what He promises to do for us.
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If you are struggling with pain caused by an injustice that’s been done to you, talk to
God about it. You are safe with Him and can honestly express your feelings and
thoughts about it. Then make the decision to let go of it, giving it to God. Write down
a prayer and scripture that help you through this process.
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Give your broken life to God—your pain, disadvantages, everything you’ve had a bad
attitude about—and you’ll end up with an amazing life in the long run!
—Joyce
 JOYCE UNIVERSITY STUDY GUIDE

FRIDAY
From Brokenness to Wholeness in Christ

Jesus said to him, Get up! Pick up your bed…and walk!

—MARK 5:8

God wants to heal us, and then He wants us to take things a step further. He wants
us to help other people discover how they can find what they need through a
relationship with Him.

Make a determined decision that: “I’m not going to live wounded all my life. I’m going
to receive my healing, and I’m going to help others realize that what God has done
for me, He can do for them too!”

Joyce teaches about the road to healing. Write down the six steps she shares in 

this process:
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Read the story about the crippled man in JOHN 5:1-9. In verse 6, Jesus asks the
man an interesting question, and in verse 8, He gives him a command to receive his
healing. What does this situation teach us about our part in the process of getting
God’s beauty in exchange for the ashes of our life?
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Study 2 CORINTHIANS 3:17-18 to discover how we grow spiritually and experience

God’s promises for our life.
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Many times, healing and restoration are a journey we have to walk out with God, not
a “drive-through breakthrough.” But God wants us to have hope—the happy
anticipation that something good is going to happen—and faith in Him to bring us
through our challenges to the place of complete victory in Christ.

Don’t settle for just wishing you’ll somehow get the breakthrough you need. Study
God’s Word, ask Him to show you what you need to do, and expect Him to do
something good for you.

Are you ready to give up the ashes of your life in exchange for God’s beauty? 

Stir up your hope today, and say out loud, “Something good is going to happen 

in my life today!”
—Joyce