01/08/23
JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word
JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word
Today’s Scripture
“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:19, NKJV
Rivers in the Desert
The Israelites were not only being held in captivity in Babylon, but all around them was the desert. Even if they escaped, they couldn’t survive the journey home. But God explained the new thing He was doing for them. He was going to make a road to get them through and make rivers in the desert to give them drink. He was saying, “You can’t figure this new thing out because it’s not going to be natural; it’s going to be supernatural.”
God knows how to bring you out of captivity—struggle, lack, addictions, bad breaks. It’s going to be supernatural. You’re going to see abundance where there had been barrenness. Don’t limit this new thing to what you think can happen. “If I can just learn to live with this sickness…” No, God is going to free you from the sickness. “If I can just pay my bills…” God’s going to bring you into overflow. You may not see how. That’s okay. It’s not up to you. It’s up to the God who makes rivers in the desert.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are not limited by deserts, or for the right conditions to be in place, in order for You to do what You want. Thank You that You’re always doing new things for me. I want Your stream of grace to flow unhindered in and through my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
SECTION TWO
I love it when I’m in Israel and I hear little children running around in playgrounds, calling out, “Abba! Abba!” and jumping into their daddies’ embraces. To the Jews, Abba is the most intimate way in which you can address your father. It’s a beautiful picture of the truth that through Jesus, you have received the Spirit of sonship by whom you cry out “Abba, Father.” Did you notice that the Holy Spirit refused to translate the original Aramaic word “Abba” into English?
*In Abba’s arms, a child is most secure, protected, and loved. No enemy can pull a child out of his or her Abba’s strong arms. That’s the image God wants us to have when we pray to Him and call Him “Abba.” Of course, you can call Him “Daddy” or “Papa,” or whatever term helps you to see God as a warm, loving, and caring Father.
Unless you can see Him as your Abba Father, you will continue to have a “spirit of bondage again to fear” (Rom. 8:15), referring to the Old Testament fear of God. It’s a slavish fear of judgment and punishment that brings you into bondage and makes you afraid of God. But God doesn’t want you to fear Him. He wants you to have a Spirit of sonship! Too many believers are living with an orphan, fatherless spirit. If you are entangled with all kinds of fears, guilt, and worries today, what you need is a good heavenly dose of the Father’s love for you!
Something amazing happens in your spirit when you see God as your Father. If my daughter, Jessica, has a nightmare, all she has to do is cry out, “Daddy!” and Daddy is there! Jessica doesn’t have to go, “O Father that liveth and inhabiteth the next room, I plead with thee to come to me at this time of peril, that thou mayest rescue me from this nightmare!” All she has to do is to cry out, “Daddy!” and I’m there.
Similarly, in your moments of weakness you don’t have to approach God with perfect prayers. You just cry out, “Daddy!” and your heavenly Father runs to you! You are not coming before a judge. You are coming before your Father, your Daddy God, who embraces and loves you just the way you are.
Take time to come to your Abba Father today. Believe that He loves you unconditionally today. See Him welcoming you with a smile on His face and with outstretched arms. Run into His embrace, bask in His perfect love for you, and let it melt away every worry, fear, and insecurity. When you believe and receive your Father’s love for you, it will put unshakable peace and strength in your heart!
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