13/07/23
JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word
Today’s Scripture
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
Psalm 23:6, NKJV
A Surely Mentality
In today’s Scripture, David was saying, “I am confident that good things are coming. I am confident that this situation is turning around.” It’s very powerful when you add the “surely” to what you’re believing for. Thoughts will tell you that you’ll never get well. “Surely, Lord, good health is on the way.” “You’ll never get out of debt.” “Surely I will lend and not borrow.” “You’ll always struggle with that bad habit.” “Surely I will break this addiction. Surely freedom is coming.”
What you’re up against may look too big. None of the circumstances look like it’s going to happen. You could be filled with worry and doubt. Try a new approach. Start adding some “surelys” to what you’re believing for. When you have this surely mentality, you’re going to see some “surelys” come to pass. Don’t let the circumstances fool you. Surely goodness and mercy are following you. Surely God is about to bless you and show you favor that you’ve never seen.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the confidence I have that good things are coming to me because You are on the throne. Help me to always have this surely mentality that leads to victory. I am looking for Your goodness and believing for Your favor today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
PART TWO:
What qualifies you for God’s protection? I ask this question because I have heard many Ministers whose teachings make it seem like you have to qualify for God’s blessings. They make it sound like God blesses you only if you are able to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This also applies in the area of your protection. When they read, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him” (boldface mine), they conclude that God’s protection is dependent on us fulfilling the condition of loving the Lord perfectly.
Unfortunately, such teaching robs you of the faith to believe God for divine protection over yourself and your loved ones. Anything that is dependent on our efforts is on a shaky foundation, because no matter how “good” a Christian we think we are, our love for the Lord will fail. That is precisely why God sent His Son. He knew that man would never be able to fulfill all His commandments. In sending His Son, He was saying to us, “I know you can’t, so let Me love you with all My heart, all My mind, and all My strength.” Therein lies the beautiful love story we call the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God SO loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to save and ransom us. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself fulfilled all the requirements of the law. Today, even when our love for Him wavers, even when we fail, He still delivers us from evil!
One Scripture that beautifully encapsulates the crux of the new covenant of grace is 1 John 4:10 (boldface mine): “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [the atoning sacrifice] for our sins.” I pray that your heart will be anchored on this revelation. The emphasis of the new covenant is God’s love for you, not your love for God.
Am I saying that your love for God is unimportant? Of course not. What I am saying is that our love for Him will always waver, but His love never fails. The Bible declares that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (Lam. 3:22 ESV, boldface mine). I am so grateful that we are under the new covenant of God’s amazing grace, where we can depend on His unconditional, unchanging, and irrevocable love for us!
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