THE REASON YOU HAVE CHALLENGES IS BECAUSE THERE’S SOMETHING AMAZING IN FRONT OF YOU.

27/09/23

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:
Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
Psalm 60:12, NKJV

UNDER ATTACK
It’s easy to feel discouraged when you feel you’re under attack, when the odds are against you, when you don’t feel equipped for what you’re facing. “Under attack” is the wrong perspective. You’re not under attack; you’re in a battle. Under attack implies, “I’m not strong enough. I’m outnumbered.” Both are false. You and God are a majority. You have the most powerful force in the universe on your side. But a mind-set that says you’re shortchanged or at a disadvantage is not going to move you forward. The reason you have challenges is because there’s something amazing in front of you. The enemy wouldn’t be fighting you if you didn’t have greatness in you. He’s trying to keep you from taking new ground for the kingdom. Don’t fall apart. Get your sword out and start praising God, start declaring His Word, start speaking His promises. “What was meant for my harm, God is turning to my advantage. What He started in my life, He’s going to finish. With God I will do valiantly.”

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that I am not on my own, I am not weak, and I am equipped for whatever I am facing. Because You are with me, I know that I will do valiantly, break through the barriers of the past, and take new ground for the kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO
I used to think that among Jesus’ 12 disciples, John was the Lord’s favorite disciple and the one who was the closest to Him because the Bible calls John “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” I was under the impression that John had a special favor with Jesus, and always wondered what made him so special that he stood apart from the other disciples. Don’t you want to be known as the disciple whom Jesus loves? I do!

Then one day, when I was reading God’s Word, the secret of John’s favor dawned on me. The Lord opened my eyes and showed me that the phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is actually found only in John’s own book! Check it out for yourself. You will not find this phrase being used in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is found only in the Gospel of John. It is a phrase that John used to describe himself!

Now, what was John doing? He was practicing and personalizing the love that Jesus had for him. We are all God’s favorites, but John knew the secret of accessing Jesus’ unmerited favor for himself. It is your prerogative to see yourself as the disciple whom Jesus loves, and to call yourself that!

When I started to teach that the secret of John’s favor lay in his personalization of God’s love, the people in my church literally stepped into a new dimension of experiencing God’s unmerited favor in their lives. I have seen how some of them really took this revelation and ran with it. Some of them customized the wallpapers of their cell phones to say “The disciple whom Jesus loves,” while others signed off their text messages and emails with the phrase.

As they kept reminding themselves that they are the disciple whom Jesus loves, they began to grow in the consciousness of the Lord’s love for them. At the same time, they began to grow in being favor-conscious!

I have piles of praise reports on how our congregation members have been so blessed just by being conscious of Jesus’ favor in their lives. Some of them have been promoted, some have received spectacular increments to their paychecks, and many have won various prizes at company functions and in other contests, including all-expense-paid vacations.

The world calls this “luck,” but for the believer, there is no such thing as luck. There is only the unmerited favor of Jesus!