Blog Archives
Back On Track
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 21, 2012
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born
anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. —Ephesians 2:10
We are God’s own handiwork. He created us with His own hands. We got messed up, so we had to be recreated in Christ Jesus. We had to be born again so that we could go ahead and do those good works that God had preplanned and predestined for us before Satan tried to ruin us.
Just because you and I have had trouble in our lives or just because we have made mistakes does not mean that God’s plan has been changed. It is still there. All we have to do is get back on track.
From the book New Day, New You by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by InProv. All rights reserved.
Go Further, Dream Bigger
Today’s Scripture:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13, NKJV.
Today’s Word:
Today, I want to remind you of what God says about you. No matter what’s happening in your life today, remember: you are not limited by your resources, your family or your background. Almighty God has equipped and empowered you. He has given you creativity, ideas, inventions, skills and talents. Don’t you dare settle for a mediocre life! Today, I call forth the seeds of greatness inside of you.
Today, I declare that your best days are ahead. That you are going to go further than anyone in your family ever did; that you are going to dream bigger and live higher. I declare that you are a leader, an influencer, a minister of reconciliation. You are the fragrance of God to the nations.
Before anyone put a curse on you, God Almighty put a blessing on you. Walk and live in that blessing by following His commands and staying fully committed to Him in everything you do!
Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You for blessing me and calling me according to Your purposes. I receive Your Word which is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I will hide Your truth in my heart that I might not sin against You n Jesus’ name. Amen.
Copyright © 2012 Joel Osteen Ministries
The Unity Of The Faith
Posted by Joel Osteen on 9/21/2012
One thing I’ve learned in life is that you aren’t going to agree on everything with every single person you encounter. Backgrounds, upbringing, friends and family all have influence on people’s perspective. Scripture shows us in Ephesians 4 that our goal should be to come together in the unity of the faith in the knowledge of the Son of God. In other words, we are eternally connected by believing that Jesus is the Son of God; that He lived on earth, died for our sins, and rose from the dead so that we could live in eternity with Him. Unity in Christ is the foundation upon which everything else in our lives should be built.
My friend Andy Stanley talks about this in his new book, Deep and Wide—Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend. He writes:
“For millennia, before the invention of concrete, builders used stones to lay a foundation for a new building. They gathered granite, marble, or limestone from a quarry and chiseled the material into giant brick-shaped blocks. They then selected one particular stone and designated it the “cornerstone”—the reference stone that would determine the placement of every other stone in the foundation. As they laid other stones end-to-end to form the outline of the building’s foundation, they made sure each one was level and square with the cornerstone.
In a clever play on words, Jesus used Peter’s nickname to connect his declaration to what was to come. The cornerstone or foundation for this new entity called ‘the church’ would be the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Two millennia later, that is still the unifying factor within the church. Truth is, belief in Jesus as the Son of God is about the only thing all Bible churches hold in common. As Jesus predicted, Peter’s declaration became the common ground and a compass point for everything that was to follow.”
Today, instead of focusing on your differences, focus on your agreements. Focus on unity in knowing Christ and allowing Him to do His perfect work in every area of your life!
“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13, NLT)
Our Daily Bread – Words In Space
Read: Ephesians 3:8-13
True confession: When I found out that astronaut Rex Walheim would be taking a copy of Our Daily Bread with him into space for the last mission of the shuttleAtlantis, I looked ahead to find out which devotionals I had written that he would be reading. The idea of having my words read in outer space seemed, well, pretty amazing for this small-town kid.
No sooner had I satisfied my curiosity, however, than I had another thought. Why do I consider this such a big deal? My words are heard in heavenly places whenever I pray. What has happened to me that I take for granted the concept that the God who created the universe listens to my words? In Christ, I can approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3:12). Why be more awestruck at having a human read what I have written than having Almighty God hear what I pray?
If that idea isn’t enough to rouse me from complacency, there’s this: The Lord is using the church to make known His wisdom to the “principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (v.10). Imagine. God not only hears our prayers, but He uses us earthlings to teach heavenly beings the plan of redemption He has accomplished through Christ. Now that’s a big deal!
Oh, to know that He is near!
Earth recedes and heaven opens,
God is waiting, God is here. —O. Smith
This Disobedience Of Unbelief
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 20, 2012
And Elisha said to him, Take bow and arrows. And he took bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put your hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it, and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. And he said, Open the window to the east. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria. For you shall smite the Syrians in Aphek till you have destroyed them. Then he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, Strike on the ground. And he struck three times and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him and said, You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had destroyed it. But now you shall strike Syria down only three times. —2 Kings 13:15–19
It’s easy to say, “I believe,” but the true test comes when we have to act on what we believe. In this story, the king came to Elisha the prophet to seek his help in obtaining deliverance from the Syrians. The prophet told him to strike arrows on the ground as a symbol of Israel’s attacks against their enemy, but the king stopped after shooting only three arrows onto the ground.
Unbelief is disobedience. Period. Had the king believed, he would have struck arrows on the ground many times. Because of his unbelief, he stopped before he’d even gotten a good start. It is not surprising that Elisha became frustrated and angry with him. Incidents of unbelief are recorded throughout the Old and New Testaments. Unbelief seems to be at work in nearly every direction we turn. Matthew 17:14-20 records the story of a man who brought his epileptic son to Jesus for healing. He said, “And I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to cure him” (v. 16).
This boy’s father was hurt and disappointed in the disciples’ lack of ability to emulate their Leader. We might have agreed with him had we been in his place that day. After all, Jesus had been traveling with these twelve men for several months. They had repeatedly observed as He performed miracles wherever they went. In Luke 10, we learn that Jesus sent out other followers, and they performed a number of miracles and healings. Why couldn’t the disciples do them in this instance? Jesus had constantly encouraged them to heal the sick and do the things that He did.
Yet they were unable to heal the boy, and Jesus said: “O you unbelieving (warped, wayward, rebellious) and thoroughly perverse generation! How long am I to remain with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to Me” (v. 17). Jesus cast out the demon, and the boy was cured. Unbelief leads to disobedience.
But here’s the end of the story. When the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t heal the boy, Jesus’ answer was clear: “Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust] . . .” (v. 20).
I feel sure that Jesus’ answer caused the disciples to examine their hearts and to ask what held them back. Why didn’t they believe? Perhaps they had allowed negative thinking to enter their minds. Perhaps they weren’t able to grasp the fact that Jesus wanted to use them and empower them to perform miracles.
Of course, we know from reading the book of Acts that once they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples demonstrated God’s supernatural power at work—but not in this story. He said to them, “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father” (John 14:12).
The promise remains valid to this day. Unbelief will keep us from doing what God has called and anointed us to accomplish in life. It will also hinder us from experiencing the sense of peace He wants us to enjoy as we find rest for our souls in Him (see Matthew 11:28,29 KJV).
When God tells us we can do something, we must believe that we can. It is not by our power or our might that we are able to do what He tells us to, but by His Spirit working on the inside of us that we win in the battle of unbelief.
Lord Jesus, forgive my lack of faith. I know that when I don’t believe, I am disobeying You. In Your name, I ask You to help me push away every bit of unbelief so that I may focus on faithfully following You. Amen.
From the book Battlefield of the Mind Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Speak Vision
Today’s Scripture:
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. – Proverbs 18:21, NIV.
Today’s Word:
Every word you speak matters. Something you say may seem insignificant to you, but to someone else those words can be life changing. When you use your words to lift someone’s spirit and speak words of vision and life over them, you are depositing seeds that will last throughout eternity.
It’s especially important to speak vision into our children. As a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher or friend, the children in your life need to hear on a regular basis that they can do something great with their lives. As parents, our words carry incredible weight. That’s why you should never put a child down. Don’t ever say, “You’re slow, clumsy or dumb. Why can’t you make good grades like your sister? Why can’t you hit the baseball like your cousin?” Those words are seeds. They can take root and affect that child many years later. Too many people have been crippled by low expectations. But today, all of that can change. Today, you can start to speak vision over yourself and over the people in your life. Today, you can call out the seeds of greatness in others and stir up the gift of God inside. Today, speak life, speak hope and speak vision!
Prayer for Today:
Father, today I choose to speak life. I choose to speak hope. I choose to speak vision. Let me see the people in my life the way You see them. Let me see the potential You have placed in them so that I can call forth their seeds of greatness in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Copyright © 2012 Joel Osteen Ministries
You Are More Than a Conqueror
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 19, 2012
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. —Romans 8:37
Some people believe the only way to victory is to somehow avoid having problems. But I have learned that real victory is not in being problem free. True victory for the child of God comes when there is still peace in the soul right in the midst of the raging storm—when tragedy strikes and one can still say, “It is well with my soul.”
This can only happen when you are looking at Jesus instead of your circumstances.
The key to having victory is understanding it only comes “through Him who loved us.” If you are facing problems that seem insurmountable, remember you are a conqueror through Him. Allow God to strengthen your inner man. When you are strong inside you can defeat anything that comes against you.
From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Live With An Eternal Perspective
Today’s Scripture:
…It is more blessed to give than to receive. – Acts 20:35, NIV.
Today’s Word:
So much of our culture is inward focused. People are conditioned to think, “What’s in it for me?” But the most rewarding way to live is not with the attitude, “How can I get blessed today?” No, if we are always self-focused wondering how we can benefit, that’s living with a shallow, temporary mentality. Instead of looking out only for your good, turn it around and say, “How can I be a blessing to others? Who can I inspire to rise higher? What seeds of greatness can I call forth out of someone?” Friend, that’s living at a higher level.
Today, I encourage you to be on the lookout for ways to be a blessing to other people. It’s amazing how one word of encouragement can change the direction of a person’s life forever. When you reach out and speak faith over others, when you speak vision and cause others to rise higher, something supernatural happens to your own life. It won’t be long before you see yourself excelling and rising up higher when you live with an eternal perspective!
Prayer for Today:
Father, help me to live with an eternal perspective. Help me to stay focused on meeting the needs of others. Let me be Your hands and feet, let me be Your mouthpiece and bring You glory in everything I do in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Copyright © 2012 Joel Osteen Ministries
Little Things Lead To Big Things
Posted by Victoria Osteen on 9/18/2012
Sometimes opportunities cross our paths that seem small or insignificant. Perhaps you don’t quite see how a seemingly little thing can fit into the big picture of your life. However, if you know in your heart that God is presenting you with an opportunity, He has a purpose for it. He can use that opportunity to increase you and promote you beyond your wildest dreams.
Long before Joel and I became Pastors of Lakewood Church, I spent many years helping his father get ready for the weekly services and television program. Now, it wasn’t something I had planned on doing, but it all came about when his hair stylist announced her resignation. I happened to be standing there when she did, and Joel’s father immediately turned to me and asked if I would take her place. I wasn’t a hairdresser. I didn’t go to cosmetology school. My first thought was, “If you’re bold enough to trust me, I’m bold enough to do it. It’s your hair!” And the rest is history.
Joel’s father used to tell us that he was going to preach into his nineties, and we had no reason to believe differently. I just figured I would be right there helping him. I remember one day, I was calculating how old I would be when he was ninety; and I can tell you, I would have been doing his hair for a long time! Nevertheless, I was committed. I said to God, “If this is what You have for me to do, I am going to be the most faithful person You can find.” And I was faithful even when there were many other things I would have rather done, given the choice. At the time, it was difficult to see how this fit into the “big picture” of my life or where this could possibly take me. But I just kept meditating on that scripture, “If you will be faithful in the little, God will trust you with much more.” (See Matthew 25)
What I didn’t know at the time is that God was preparing me for ministry through that experience. As I look back over my time with Daddy Osteen, I wouldn’t trade it for the world! He loved me and I loved him. Learning from him about ministry prepared me for where I am today. I believe if it were not for those years we spent together, I would not have the same opportunities.
Always remember, when you are faithful with what God has called you to do, no matter how big or small, you are planting seeds for your future. If you want to grow and increase in any area of your life, you have to use what you have been given, and then God will multiply it. Stay faithful. Give your best to whatever you do because you never know what door God will open when you are faithful in the little things.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV)
Copyright © 2012 Joel Osteen Ministries
Our Daily Bread – Standing In The Fire
Read: Daniel 3:10-25
Wrapped in blankets in my grandparents’ pickup, I watched as fire consumed our home. My father says I slept soundly as he carried my brother and me and our puppies out to safety. When I woke up and saw the huge blaze, I was already safe. I was too curious and too young to be scared.
I remember several things from that night. Even inside the truck, the heat was intense and the fire was mesmerizing. I remember too the fear on the faces of everyone else, checking and re-checking to see if loved ones were safe. Later I learned that in the chaos my father raced into the fire to look for my grandfather, which prompted my grandfather (who was not inside the house) to race in to get my father. Their courage affected all who saw it that night.
I’m reminded of that fire every time I read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. When challenged with the decree to bow to the king or face execution (Dan. 3:10-12), these three bravely faced the fire for the One they loved (vv.16-18). And the Lord stood with them in the flames (v.25).
When life’s “flames” test us, may those who observe our choices recognize our love for each other and for our God.
Read more of Daniel and his friends in Daniel 1–3.
How do their lives encourage you to stand firm for God?
Ask the Lord to help you make courageous choices today.
I Am Lady Fab 