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Showing posts from December, 2011

Have an exciting year :It is well

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I shared this five years ago, and I think it is worth sharing again, Have an exciting year indeed. Beloved, it is well with us, no matter what we are going through. It is the beginning of a new year, and the devil is looking for all avenues to destroy us, attacking us and our families with diseases and trying very hard to frighten us. But let us remember that His grace is sufficient for us and that His strengh is made perfect in our weaknesses. Also, His word says that when we pass through the waters, he will be with us. So Jesus is with us in these storms of ill-health and other problems, let us keep trusting Him, He will take us through and we will arrive safely. Amen

It’s About the Way You Finish

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria So often, when people make mistakes, they get down on themselves and think, “If only...” “I should have...” “What if...?” It’s easy to feel like you’ve missed the best plan for your life. That’s when people get discouraged and stop pursuing their God-given dreams. But understand today, just because you’ve made a mistake or failed in some way, that doesn’t cancel God’s plan. God never disqualifies you. He never says, “Go sit on the sidelines. You’ve blown it too many times. You’ve got too many weaknesses.” No, God always gives you another chance! Some of the great people in the Bible made very poor choices. The apostle Paul started off as a murderer, yet his destiny was bigger than his mistakes. He ended up becoming a great leader and writing over half of the New Testament. What am I saying? Our mistakes, our failures, o

A Picture of God

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us” (1 John 4:12, NLT) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria If you’re like most, you have photos in your home of the people who mean the most to you. You may enjoy showing these photos to others and reliving the special moments captured. But have you ever thought about having a picture of God in your house? It may not be in a frame on the shelf, but today’s scripture tells us that when we love others, we are creating a picture of God. We are showing others what He looks like because God is love. Understand today that God wants us to know Him, and He wants to reveal Himself to the world through us. He wants us to display His love and share it with others. First Corinthians 13 tells us what love looks like. Take a few minutes each day and let that scripture sink down into your heart. Remember, you are never more like God than when you are lov

Unhindered Prayers

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7, NLT) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Did you know that the way you treat people has an impact on the effectiveness of your prayers? The Bible says that the prayer of the righteous person is powerful, but if we aren’t treating others with honor, kindness and respect, then we aren’t allowing His righteousness to operate in us. When we don’t treat others the way we should, it closes the door to God’s power and hinders our prayers. This is especially true in a marriage relationship. Marriage isn’t just an agreement between two people to live life together. Marriage is a God-ordained institution that helps us understand love and unity. When two people are married, they become one physically, spiritually and emotionally. This particular passage is directed toward husbands, but it applies to all believers as well. We should always treat others “with understanding,” which means consi

No Reply Necessary

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge — to the great amazement of the governor” (Matthew 27:12–14, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria One time, a reporter asked me what I thought about two men he named, but I hadn’t ever heard of them. I just replied, “I’m sorry. I don’t know them.” He began to laugh and thought that was so funny. I asked, “Well, who are they?” He said, “Joel, they are your two most outspoken critics. They’re always talking about you.” He couldn’t believe that I hadn’t ever heard of them. I’ve learned that you can’t waste your time engaging in conflicts that don’t matter. There will always be critics. There will always be naysayers, but we have to follow the example of Jesus. When He was falsely accused, He didn’t try to defend Himself. He gave no reply to the

The Position of Power

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Good sense makes a man restrain his anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression or an offense” (Proverbs 19:11, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Every day, we have opportunities to get upset, be frustrated or get offended. Maybe you had plans that didn’t work out, or someone was rude to you at the office. Maybe you were doing something that should have taken one hour, and it ended up taking three. Life is full of inconveniences, but even though we can’t always control our circumstances, we can control our reaction. I heard somebody say, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond.” We should always go out each day with a positive attitude, full of hope and expecting God’s favor. But at the same time, we should recognize that most days are not going to go exactly as we planned. Remember, we were created to live in peace. Peace is our position of power. If you get stressed because you got off schedule or upset because your ch

Perfect toward Him

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...I will walk within my house with a perfect heart” (Psalm 101:2, NKJ) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria This time of year, people often take time to reflect and set goals for the New Year. But have you ever set “perfection” as a goal on your list? Now, that may seem a little strange or unobtainable to many, but really, in God’s eyes perfection isn’t about performance. In fact, it isn’t about behavior at all. What God is looking for is a heart that is perfect toward Him. Scripture says that man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart. That means that He is more pleased with someone who has a heart toward Him who may mess up than He is with someone doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons. The condition of your heart is extremely important to God. When you have a right heart, you are humble before Him. You seek His ways. You get up each day with a desire to please Him. You submit every area of your life to Him, and you are wil

The Promises of Peace

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people...” (Psalm 85:8, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria No matter what is going on in your life right now, the Lord promises that you can have peace. It doesn’t matter what’s happening in the economy, in your relationships or at the office; nothing in this world can take His peace from you. But notice the first part of this verse — we have to do our part. We have to listen to what He tells us to do. You may be thinking to yourself, “God doesn’t speak to me.” But once you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you become His. The Bible says that you are His sheep, and you can hear His voice, and the voice of a stranger you will not follow. The Lord speaks in many ways. First of all, He speaks through the Word of God. But sometimes He speaks through the encouragement of a friend, or through a song, or in the beauty of nature. Sometimes it’s a simple “knowing” deep down on the ins

God-Given Dreams

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure” (Proverbs 16:9, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Oftentimes as children, we have dreams for the future, dreams of being ball players and actresses, super heroes and firemen. But most of the time, they end up just being wishful thinking. As we get older, we grow out of them. It’s good to play and have dreams as children, but when we grow up, we have to know the difference between a God-given dream and a wish. I remember when I was a little boy, I dreamed of playing basketball for the Houston Rockets. That was definitely a fantasy! Beyond our wishes though, we all have dreams placed inside of us by the Creator of the universe. In fact, the Latin word for “desire” means “from the Father.” One way to tell if a dream is really from God is that the desire won’t go away. You may have had it for years, but you still can’t let it go. In fact, you may have tried to let it go, but

Gifts for a King

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts — gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11 AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Can you imagine what it must have been like for the Wise Men when they saw Jesus? He was just a child in a stable surrounded by animals, but these Wise Men recognized that He was the King of kings and the Lord of lords; the Savior of the world. Immediately, they fell on their faces to worship Him, but notice what they did next — they presented Him gifts as part of their worship. And they didn’t just give any old thing they had; they gave Him their absolute best — costly gold, frankincense and myrrh. When we give Jesus our absolute best — our time, talent and resources, it is truly an act of worship. We are saying with our actions, “God, You mean more to me than anything. Because You are so awesome

Keep Your Dreams Alive

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Throughout life, we will always have forces opposing us to try to keep us from becoming all God’s created us to be. And many times, the adversities and unfair situations are set up by the enemy to try to discourage us and deceive us into giving up on our dreams. Today, you may feel like you’re at an empty place in life. Not much is going your way. You’ve been through difficulties and setbacks. But I believe God wants to restore you. He wants to encourage you, and pour out His spirit upon you. He wants to do a new thing in and through you. It doesn’t matter what’s happened in your past, God has something new for your future. I always say, when one dream dies, dream another dream. Today, remember, God has placed so much inside of you. You have gifts, talents and abilities that no one else has. You may have had more than your share of unfair things happe

Dreams in the Making

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “ ‘Here comes that dreamer!’ they said to each other” (Genesis, 37:19, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria In scripture, Joseph was a dreamer. His dreams were so real that he just had to tell others about them. Not everyone was as excited about Joseph’s dreams as he was, but that didn’t keep him from dreaming. It didn’t keep him from believing what was in his heart. When opposition came, when his family turned their back on him, when he was falsely accused and thrown into prison, he kept on dreaming. His life didn’t take the route he had expected, but God was working behind the scenes realigning his steps until those dreams in his heart became reality. Today, I want to encourage you, no matter what route your life has taken, no matter who has turned their back on you, no matter what anyone else has said about you, those God-given dreams in your heart are still in the making. Your part is to keep believing, keep forgiving, keep following your heart, an

Be All that You Can See

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith will it be done to you’ ” (Matthew 9:29, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria God created us as visual beings. He is a creative God, and He’s given us the ability to create as well. It all starts with what you see in your mind’s eye. Everyone has their own mental picture of the way they see themselves, their family and their future. This picture determines what kind of life you live. If you have an image of success, victory, health, happiness and abundance, you will naturally gravitate toward that. But if you have an image of lack, defeat and mediocrity, that negative mental picture will keep you from God’s best. Remember, if you’re going to be successful, you have to first see yourself as successful — the way God sees you. According to your faith, it will be done to you. Faith comes by hearing the Word. That’s why it’s so important to take time every day to study and meditate on God’s pr

The Father’s Anticipation

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, not only is your eternity secure, but you become a child of the Most High God. You instantly have an Everlasting Father! Think about that word everlasting. It means that before the beginning of time, the Father was there. He was waiting for you to accept Him and become a child of His. I can only imagine that He was excited and anticipating that day just like a father would anticipate the birth of his child in the natural. I can imagine that each day God would think, “Is it today?” I don’t know what your experience has been with your earthly father, but God is a good and perfect Father. He loves you with an everlasting love. He loves everything about

Wise Men Still seek Him

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria After Jesus was born, the Bible tells us in Matthew chapter two that Wise Men came from the East to bow before Him and worship Him. They went to great lengths just to get a glimpse of the Child and traveled a long distance for many months, following the star. When they saw Him, they were so overwhelmed. The scripture says they fell on their faces to honor and worship Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That means that we should have a reverential honor and respect for Him — just like the Wise Men did. We are wise when we set everything else in life aside in order to seek Him. We are wise when we worship Him and give Him everything that we are. We are wise when we take time to honor Him. Remember, God is a rewarder of the people who diligently seek after Him. As you continue to put Him

Prince of Peace

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria The Bible calls Jesus the Prince of Peace. That means He is the ruler of peace. He is the ultimate peace. Having His peace is not like having the peace the world has; His peace is permanent. It never changes, and it can never be taken away. It’s interesting that the word “peace” literally means “to set at one again.” In other words, when we are one with the Father, when we line up our thoughts, our words and our actions with Him through the blood of Jesus Christ, we will experience His peace in our lives. Anytime you find that you don’t have peace about something on the inside of your heart, when you feel an uneasiness, that’s a sign that you should stop and pray and make sure you are in line with God’s direction. Remember

Unto Us

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder...” (Isaiah 9:6, NKJ) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria When Jesus came to earth, He brought with Him everything you need to be empowered to live a life of victory. He came as a little baby, but He represented all authority in heaven and earth. When you choose to serve Him, you have access to all of His resources. You have access to His peace, power, authority, provision, joy and strength. He brought all of this to us when He came to earth. Unto us a child is born...unto us victory is given. Unto us, peace is given. Unto us, provision is given. Unto us hope and healing are given. Unto us eternal life is given! Whatever you need today, remember, when Jesus came into the world, He made a way for every one of your needs to be met spiritually, emotionally and physically. Surrender your life to Him and receive all the spiritual blessings He has in store for you

Ask of Me

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession” (Psalm 2:8, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Did you know it pleases God when we pray bold prayers and ask Him for big things? The God we serve doesn’t want us to just barely get by in life. He wants us to thrive and experience the fullness of His blessing. He wants us to not only have our needs met, but be in a position to reach out and help meet the needs of others, too! When we ask God for something, a supernatural door is opened. We are showing our faith in Him, and faith gives God something to work with. In fact, scripture says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. He wants us to come to Him and know His goodness. He wants us to believe that He is good and that He has good things in store for us. Today, I encourage you to get bold with your prayers. Ask God for big things. Believe that He is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Put

Do Not Be Afraid

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit’ ” (Matthew 1:20, NLT) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Have you ever felt overwhelmed or even afraid of what God has called you to do? Maybe you were pursuing a dream or goal and things didn’t turn out the way you planned. Joseph had planned to take Mary as his wife, but when he found out she was pregnant, he didn’t know what to think. He was afraid that he might be making a mistake because things didn’t turn out the way he planned. But, God sent a messenger in a dream to reassure Joseph that he was on the right path. Today let me reassure you that God knows right where you are, and He knows how to get you to where you need to be. Even when things don’t go the way you planned, His hand is on you. Do not be afraid, trust that God is working behind the

Failure is Not Final

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Phillipians 3:13, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Are you down on yourself today because of past mistakes you’ve made or because you’re not where you want to be in life? God knows every poor choice, every difficulty, every wrong turn you may have made, and He’s already planned your comeback! In scripture, Jonah took a detour, so to speak. It took him a little bit longer, but because he called out to God, because he believed, God not only rescued him, but God got him to his final destination. Friend, know today that failure is not final. God always has the final say. Mistakes don’t have to keep you from your destiny. God’s plan can override every setback. Your world may be in turmoil today in a relationship, in your finances or health. But know this: not only will God rescue you; He will set your feet on a rock and lead you to your final destination in life. Reme

From Joel and Victoria Osteen, special message for the new year

You were created and fashioned by the Master. He made you just the way you are, and He has a specific and amazing plan for you, a destiny for your life. I love what the Bible says in the book of Ephesians. It says “we are God’s masterpiece.” Today, God calls you His masterpiece! You have seeds of greatness inside of you. You may be able to easily spot the greatness in others, but today I want you to see the greatness God has put in you. You have a destiny: a unique call, a special purpose that God created just for you. It’s there waiting for you. It’s always been there. The Bible says that He planned it for you long ago. It’s easy to hear it, but it can be a lot harder to actually receive it. You can even believe it for somebody else. You believe God’s best for your friends and the loved ones in your life. You encourage and support them as they pursue their destiny, but you struggle to receive it in your own heart. God doesn’t see you as a “maybe” or a “what if.

A New Route

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion” (Psalm 103:4, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria I know people who feel like they’ve wasted years of their lives because of poor choices. They spent years in a relationship that was toxic, years with an addiction, years at a job where they weren’t fulfilled. But you have to realize, nothing you have been through is ever wasted. Your past experiences, good and bad have deposited something on the inside of you. Those challenges have sharpened you to help make you who you are today. When the enemy brings hardship into your life, God has a way of taking that experience and turning it around for your advantage. You may think you’ve hit a dead end, but if you’ll stay in faith, you will see God begin to open up a new route. He’ll put the right people in your path, the right opportunities, the right circumstances to move you forward toward your God-given destiny. Today, don’t

Setup for a Comeback

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again...” (Proverbs 24:16, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Life is full of things that try to push us down. We all face disappointments and setbacks. Maybe you received some bad news about your health or perhaps a relationship didn’t work out. That was a setback. It’s easy to get discouraged or lose your enthusiasm or even be tempted to just settle where you are. But if we’re going to see God’s best, we have to have a “bounce back” mentality. That means when you get knocked down, you don’t stay down. You get back up again. You have to know that every time adversity comes against you, it’s a setup for a comeback! Remember, as a believer in Jesus, the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives on the inside of you. There is no challenge too difficult, no obstacle too high, no sickness, no disappointment, no person, nothing that can keep you from your God-given destiny. If you stay in fai

His Plan for you remains

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria No matter where you’ve been, no matter what you’ve done, realize today that your destiny supersedes your mistakes. When God designed the plan for your life, it wasn’t dependent on you being perfect, never making a mistake, or never taking a wrong turn. No, God knew we would all make mistakes. He knows how to get you back on track no matter where you are in life. Just like there are many routes on a map, God has a plan to help you reach your destination. He has detours, shortcuts and bypasses. He has already calculated the entire route for your life. Today, if you’re feeling like you’ve blown it, if you feel like you are too old, too far gone or too off track, know that nothing you've done, no mistake that you’ve made — or ever will make — is a surprise to God. He’s already got it figured out. He’s arranged a comeback for every setback! He has grace for ev

The Good Land

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land — a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills” (Deuteronomy 8:7, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Are you facing an area of lack in your life? Lack in your finances, lack in your relationships, lack in your physical health? The good news is that’s not the place God wants you to stay. He wants to bring you into a new land with no lack, no shortage, no defeat and no mediocrity. He wants you to live in a place where you will have more than enough so you can be a blessing to others. He wants to lift you up and keep you up. He wants you to remain stable and strong in Him. The key is that in order to get God’s results, we have to do things God’s way. His love is unconditional, His access is unlimited, but our obedience is what opens the door to His blessings. We have to do our part and humble ourselves before Him and keep pressing forward with an attitude of faith an