04/08/23
JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word
Today’s Scripture
And Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “Surely, let us go up and let us take possession of it because surely we will be able to prevail over it.”
Numbers 13:30, LEB
Giants on Your Land
When Moses sent twelve men to spy out the Promised Land, ten spies came back saying though it was more than they ever dreamed, the inhabitants were too big, too strong, and the cities too fortified. They were fully persuaded that they couldn’t defeat the opposition. The two other spies, Joshua and Caleb, came back fully persuaded that they could “surely” overcome and take the land. They had a “surely” mentality. “Surely we will defeat these enemies, overcome this trouble, and live in the Promised Land.” What’s interesting is they were the only two Israelites of that generation who made it into the Promised Land.
Don’t get talked out of your dreams. There may be giants on your land—a sickness, a debt, an addiction. Do as Caleb did and put a “surely” on the front of what you’re believing for. “Surely I will defeat this giant. My God is not limited by the environment, by the economy, by what I don’t have, by who’s against me. Surely, He’s on my side.”
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are so much greater than any giants in the land, and the facts are never a reason to keep me from Your best for my life. Thank You that because You are with me, I can be fully persuaded that victory is coming. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
SECTION TWO
There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge puffs up (1 Corinthians 8:1). It can make one proud and arrogant. But wisdom will make you humble and teachable. You can read extensively and accumulate a lot of knowledge, but still lack wisdom. You also don’t become wise just by growing older and having more experience in life. Wisdom is not natural. It does not matter if you are young or old, experienced or inexperienced, highly educated or not. Wisdom comes by God’s unmerited favor.
Listen to what God’s Word says about the importance of wisdom: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace [unmerited favor]; a crown of glory she will deliver to you” (Proverbs 4:7–9). You see, promotion and honor all come as a result of receiving wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30 says that Christ is made unto us wisdom first, then righteousness, holiness and redemption. Wisdom comes first!
I remember how the key thing that I would pray for every day in the early days of our church was for the wisdom of God to guide us in everything that we did. That was my focus. I did not want to manage the church with my own knowledge. I wanted to depend on Jesus’ wisdom. In fact, it was during this time of believing for God’s wisdom that the Lord opened my eyes to the gospel of grace—the gospel of grace that is unadulterated by the law and man’s works, and based entirely on the finished work of Jesus!
When my eyes were opened to the gospel of Jesus’ unmerited favor, lives began to be wonderfully changed and transformed, and from just a few hundred people in the mid-nineties, our highest attendance for our Sunday services to date was more than 22,000 precious people. Whenever I am asked to explain how we grew the church, my answer is plain and simple—it was and is entirely by the unmerited favor of Jesus. I know that it is grace and grace alone that caused our church to experience such explosive growth.
Today, the same gospel of grace that we preach every Sunday in our church is being broadcast into millions of homes across America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region. We started as a little church in Singapore that nobody had heard of, but God’s unmerited favor has blessed us to become an international ministry that is impacting the world with the good news of His unmerited favor. We take no credit for it because this wisdom is from Jesus, and our boast is in Him and Him alone. Beloved, let His wisdom lead you to supernatural success!
https://www.josephprince.com/meditate-devo/wisdom-is-the-principal-thing
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