JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word
Today’s Scripture
“Now bring your brother Aaron near, and his sons with him from among the sons of Israel, so that he may serve as priest to Me.”
Exodus 28:1, AMP
Don’t Disqualify Yourself
When Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, he left his brother Aaron in charge of the Israelites. But because Moses was gone for so long, the people demanded that Aaron make them gods to worship. Aaron gave in to the pressure and made them a golden calf. Aaron had spoken for Moses before Pharaoh and declared God’s words. He had seen God’s miracles up close over and over, yet he compromised and partook of what was a great sin. You would think God would be done with Aaron. But God doesn’t write us off. In His mercy, He chose Aaron to be the first high priest of Israel, the only priest who could go into the Holy of Holies once a year and offer the sin offering for the people on the Day of Atonement.
Don’t disqualify yourself because you compromised and gave in to temptation. Don’t live guilty, condemned, feeling washed up. God forgave Aaron, and He has forgiven you, but you have to forgive yourself. God still has something awesome in your future.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that because of what Jesus has done on the cross, You remove the shame from my life. Thank You that You have redeemed and forgiven me and even made me a priest unto You. I believe that You have something awesome in my future. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
[8/16, 1:38 AM] Odia Abuja: Do you often feel as though God is displeased with you because you can’t seem to break out of a bad habit? Are you facing a situation that just seems impossible to overcome? Let me share Colton’s testimony with you to show you how believing in Jesus’ finished work and receiving His grace are key to receiving your breakthrough.
SECTION TWO
Since Colton was a little boy, he tried to please God by his performance and obedience. Whenever he sinned by doing or not doing something, he would feel totally condemned and depressed. He found that the more he tried to get rid of certain bad habits by self-discipline, the more he continued in them.
Right after graduation from high school, this young man from Texas received one of my books. Through reading the book, he understood that God is fully pleased with him—not based on his works, but on the perfect, finished work of Jesus at the cross.
Colton began confessing that he was still righteous in Christ through His perfect sacrifice whenever he missed the mark. The result? Listen to what he says: “I was finally able to overcome many wrong habits and attitudes. I also went from a 1.76 grade point average (GPA) in high school to a 4.00 GPA in my first semester in college. As I began to be more conscious of Jesus and not my performance, faith was just there and things that held me back fell away.”
When Colton decided to pursue further education in the field of medicine, it appeared to be an impossible situation as the tuition fee was simply unaffordable for his family. But as this brother continued to believe God and receive His grace through Christ Jesus, he began to see “obstacle after obstacle removed.” He shared happily with me, “Today, half of my tuition fee has been paid off, and Jesus is already working on clearing the rest for me!”
Beloved, God still sees you righteous even when you fail, because you are forever perfect and accepted in Christ. God judges you not based on your imperfect performance, but on the perfect performance and sacrifice of Christ. The more you believe and receive this truth, the more you will, like Colton, overcome every bad habit and receive your breakthroughs.
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