Sid: Well in the studio I have Rick Joyner many of you are familiar with him many of you have read his books. But Rick told me he has recently had some encounters with the Lord that short of his salvation experience are the most significant that he has ever ever had. And I said “I need you in my studio.” But Rick I have to publically protest I think it’s totally unfair; he had an opportunity to ask God any question he wanted and he was in such a situation that he heard God’s voice as clear as he ever has. Could you picture having the opportunity to ask God any question that you want that you’ve been pondering? How about you? I know that I’ve got lots of questions I mean I must be filled with questions. Well I want to find out some of the things that God told Rick, but let’s take you back to you have to go on a trip and all of a sudden your car doesn’t work.
Rick: Yeah well I intended to drive down to where my family vacations from the Gulf Coast and my car died and wouldn’t start and nobody could fix it. They were calling engineers all over the world and that’s when I said “This is supernatural.” But anyway my natural father I’m going to take an airline I’ll fly down and then I heard the Lord say “Ride your motorcycle.” And it was so loud and so clear I couldn’t deny it. But I’d never ridden anywhere close to that far before, I mean it was 3x’s further than I’ve ever ridden my motorcycle in a day even when I was much younger. So but I was determined to obey even if I had to stop and take several days to do it. I ended up to do the ride part of it in one day, stopped stay with my daughter the next day I did almost 700 miles in one day on my motorcycle. Which if any one understands motorcycles… one, I say motorcycle miles are to car miles like dog years are to human years. I mean it’s just much more intense it where’s you out it much more fun, but it’s because the Lord joined me on that ride. His presence came upon me and I mean I’ve had a lot of experiences with Him but it was an uncommon presence of the Lord; I felt Him with me on the motorcycling.
Sid: You know what’s coming to my mind is you sacrificed because God told you to do something you didn’t want to do. You told me it rained when you were on that trip, what does rain feel like when you’re going 70 miles an hour or so on a motorcycle.
Rick: It feels like bullets even though I haven’t been hit by bullets I think it would feel like bullets. But I just got behind my windshield and got comfortable and I was fine.
Sid: Yeah but you were a baseball catcher and your knees are shot you can’t do that!
Rick: That was tough and I thought “You know this is really going to be hard.” And when I said to the Lord you know about as far you know as I could go on that day I was so sore; didn’t think I could put my feet down. I just said “Lord if I go any further you’ve got to heal my knees.” And He did, it was just absolutely incredible the way; the next time I stopped for gas I felt like I could run laps around the gas station you know.
Sid: Now you told me that you felt Him, you felt His presence I know spiritual things it’s hard to put into words but try to put that into words what do you mean?
Rick: Yeah it’s you know I’ve been in…I’ve had a few times when the presence of the Lord would come into a room or something you didn’t have to see Him with your eyes; it’s like your eyes you don’t even need them at that point you know He’s there. And it was like that I felt Him behind me on the motorcycle and I felt him like He was talking into my ear. And I had never had anything, I mean I have a great time with the Lord on my motorcycle it’s one of my best places to pray and intercede. But I’d never had anything like that. I’8ve never heard…I mean I’ve never had him speaking to me conversationally like that. I mean I have had him give me directives, give me orders “Do this” but it’s always been that, but this was a wholly different nature.
Sid: He actually told you something that shocked you tell me about that.
Rick: He told me a lot of things that shocked me
Sid: (Laughing)
Rick: But you know I’m relating to Him the way I do “What can I do for You Lord?” And He said “Labor is cheap” He said, you know “Friends are expensive but sons are priceless.” And I was you know I was real excited about this book I wanted to finish on my vacation. He is basically saying “I can get anybody to write books but I don’t have many friends.”
Sid: Aside for me to believe Rick God is saying to you “I want a friend, I don’t have many friends” that’s what you’re telling me.
Rick: That’s what He said I know that’s…
Sid: The God that created the universe doesn’t have enough friends?
Rick: Well you know they say no successful person can make friends because once you get successful everybody is wanting to get close to you for all of their agendas and reasons. I don’t think that’s true but they say that but once you’re on a pinnacle it’s hard to make friends. And I feel like God you know we put Him on such a pinnacle and I had; I only related to Him as Almighty God. When I came to Him “What can I do, give me orders.” But there was…
Sid: You related to God as a servant because you want Him to say to you “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Rick: Absolutely. That was the focus of my life.
Sid: But He’s changing your paradigm now tell me a bit about it.
Rick: Yeah He said He had to deliver me from my slave mentality but he said “I could not have gotten there without that slave mentality; without my focus to serve…
Sid: What a paradox you couldn’t get to the point unless you had a servant mentality but He wants now to deliver you from because we program ourselves and we’re not thinking outside of the box of where God wants us.
Rick: Yeah and that’s what I was doing you know my whole relationship to Him was what I could do for Him. It’s far more important what we become than what we do. And He was…to Him it was far more important to have a friend than it was for me to write more books and all, even though I’ll do that, but it was shocking to me it was hard for me to grasp. It was extremely awkward the way it unfolded it was more wonderful it was so wonderful I’m fine being awkward.
Sid: Help me out, what was the awkward part just adjusting from servant to friend?
Rick: Yeah and I’m still working that out, I’m still struggling with that I consider myself a baby friend, an immature friend who’s trying to be a better friend every day. And I’m trying to be a better servant to I don’t think I was the best servant I could be I’ve room to grow there, but I want to be delivered from that mentality and learn to approach Him as a friend but learn more than that to be a friend.
Sid: To your best understanding now what is a friend of God?
Rick: You know I have a lot of employees you, do to.
Sid: Right.
Rick: And then you have friends, they’re the ones that you go out to eat with, you hang out with you make you do stuff together there’s just a different relationship. And when I’m with my friends sometimes I don’t want to talk business I don’t want to talk details of management and things like that. We may talk about the Lord because that’s always appropriate, but it’s a different relationship and I felt the same way but you know He didn’t want to talk about the books I was writing He didn’t want to talk about these things so much He wanted me to relate to him on a different level.
Sid: Okay why did He do this with you, why you, why did He pick you?
Rick: Well I’ll probably you know I had set my heart to be the best servant I could be; I was seeking the sons of Issachar anointing and you know Issachar he was prophesied over to become a slave at force labor. But that’s how the sons of Issachar got their anointing they became slaves.
Sid: I didn’t know that.
Rick: Yeah in Genesis 49 if you look at what Jacob prophesied over Issachar “When he saw that the land was pleasant and good he bowed his shoulder which speaks of his authority to become a slave at force labor.”
Sid: And the sons of Issachar now the times that we were in they understood the prophetic times.
Rick: Yeah and they also had a practical understanding what do we do in these times. And so and I’d been praying for that for the years. And the Lord said “To get that sons of Issachar anointing you had to become a slave as they did.” So for many years now I’ve been trying to be the best slave and He would give me jobs others didn’t want, He would give me people to help that others didn’t want to help and stuff like that it was really hard. But being the Lord’s slave is the best job that you could ever get it was the most fulfilling thing and the most wonderful I almost feel like guilty you know claiming to have done much, but it was a wonderful time. I had this whole mentality I approached Him as a servant with the master. And He on this motorcycle ride said “We’ve got to change our relationship now, He said “Now you’re a friend and now I’m calling you a friend and now we’ve got to relate as friends.” So and I’m just starting out on that and learning more every day.
Sid: Okay you know more than me tell me what you know about being a friend for God.
Rick: Well one thing if you’re…he said “Friends are expensive.” I think you’ve got to invest in friends, you know you’ve got to take them out to eat; you’ve got to really commit and invest to making friends.
Sid: Yeah I already take the Lord out to eat.
Rick: Yeah.
Sid: How do you do that?
Rick: Well He says you unto the least of His little ones I always claim to be the least of His little ones so as I do unto myself I’ve done unto Him (Just joking – laughing).
Sid: I got it there’s one request but no I’ve got it.
Rick: But truly He says “As you do to the least of His little ones you’re doing it to Him we can take Him out to lunch every day by taking out His people. And He said “You will not see me until you say blessed is he that comes in My name.” I think that we have to see Him in His people. And I think that that’s something too you know the people who have helped my children are my closest friends. And my closest friends are always concerned about my children, “How are your kids doing? How are you…” And I think that’s something too that we love what He loves.” Love the ones that He loves and I think that this is all apart but care about Him. Now this was the most challenging thing I was in this movie premier or documentary premier that I’ve been a part of with about 500 almost all Hollywood people, probably the most liberal people in the country and I think I’m one of 2 Christians in the entire group. And I felt the power of God that night like I had not in church in many years. I felt power go out; they felt it they said “They felt it.” When I shared some scriptures they said “They felt the power.” One lady from the Sierra Club said “She felt like it almost knocked her down some stairs it was so strong.” And I went back to my hotel room and I said “Lord I didn’t even think that you would even go to something like that” and He was there powerfully all night. And He said “You were with my friends tonight.”
Sid: Wait a second I protest!
Rick: Wait a second I said “Lord they don’t even know you.” He indicated to me that they will but this is what He said He said “But they love something that I love very much and my people don’t pay much attention to.” He said “I so love the world not just people but the whole world.” And you know the scripture that I quoted when so much power went out that night was the one in Revelation 11 that says “He will destroy those that destroy the earth.” God really cares about the world too He cares about us more than many sparrows but He loves the sparrows too. But anyway He called them “His friends too because they loved something so much that He loves.” And that really really got my attention. Now I believe that they’re going to know Him, but there is something to of really really devoting ourselves the best friend that you can have are those who are so devoted to you they want to know what you love, they want to know how to care for that you know the ones that you love. And I think it’s the same devotion to the Lord.
Sid: You know I find that most people are interested in themselves they’re not interested in others.
Rick: Yeah.
Sid: And some of the things that you’re doing is what Jesus said was the most important commandment to love God with all of your might, soul, spirit strength and to love your neighbor as yourself it really gets simple.
Rick: It’s utterly simple but I think also you know why He said He didn’t have many friends He didn’t have many who would really spend time with Him. Now they’ll spend time in study, they’ll spend time in a lot of things but I think he wants…You know the best friends are those who will listen to you they care about your heart enough to really listen to you.
Sid: You know when I think about a friend of God I think about Brother Lawrence. I read his book many years ago and then I just reread it it was almost like a brand new book called “The Practice of the Presence of God” And this was a Monk that was a dishwasher and had nothing but he was totally focused even when washing dishes He was with Jesus.
Rick: Yeah.
Sid: All the time. People of the highest royalty so to speak and the highest business connections would make appointments to see this dishwasher because the presence of God was on him. God told you something about Brother Lawrence what did He tell you?
Rick: Well I asked Him about Brother Lawrence.
Sid: That was one of your questions.
Rick: Yeah.
Sid: Okay.
Rick: Yeah I’d actually asked Him if He cared about sports; I mean He said “Ask Him anything.”
Sid: You asked God if He cared about sports?
Rick: I did that’s was the only thing I could think of.
Sid: That is I’m going to tell you that is so unreligious!
Rick: Well.
Sid: To ask such a question.
Rick: One thing God is not nearly as religious as we tend to be.
Sid: (Laughing)
Rick: But He wanted me to ask real questions that I cared about because I love sports I love going to ballgames and I just enjoy I just enjoy doing it with my kids and…but I asked Him and He said “He loved what we loved.” And He just desired to be included in what we’re doing and that’s when I asked Him “Do you mean practicing your presence like Brother Lawrence?” And I don’t think so much practicing His presence as it is acknowledging His presence and seeing Him and abiding in Him and knowing His presence He’s with us right here right now. Do we acknowledge Him, do we see Him?
Sid: So how are you going to acknowledge Him right now what would you do; what you think about Him I don’t know you tell me.
Rick: Well I think one thing brother Lawrence did he washed every dish as if Jesus were going to eat off of it.
Sid: Wow!
Rick: Because even the least of His little ones as you…as even the least of His little ones ate off of those dishes. And it was as if He was talking to the Lord the whole time and I believe that he grew in this fellowship and relationship and conversation that I’ve honestly felt very awkward at but I want to grow in it.
Sid: So what did Jesus say about Brother Lawrence?
Rick: He said “He loved washing dishes with Brother Lawrence.” (Laughing)
Sid: That is so, that blows the religious mind I’ll tell you what when we come back I’ve got to find out what he answered about sports and what you really mean about He’s not really as religious as we are. But we put together just for our Ministry a 5 CD package called “Wanted a Friend for God; Reward the Key to eternal Joy.”
