04/10/23
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JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
THE 15/15 EXPERIENCE SPECIAL EDITION
04/10/23
Today’s Word
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News . . .
Colossians 1:22–23, NLT
STAY POSITIVE TOWARD YOURSELF.
Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV). You can’t love others if you don’t first love yourself. The best thing you can do for your family and friends is to be good to you, be kind to you, be merciful to you, be forgiving to you, be loving to you. You’re good to others, so why aren’t you good to you? You don’t criticize your friend, so why are you criticizing you? You compliment your coworker, so when was the last time you complimented yourself? You admire other people’s talents, so why don’t you admire your talents? Start being good to you. That’s not being selfish or arrogant; that’s loving yourself.
Too many people go through life being against themselves, feeling as though something’s wrong inside. I heard someone say, “I discovered the enemy. It was me.” Are you your enemy? Are you defeating yourself, limiting your dreams, sabotaging your relationships—all because you don’t like yourself? You have enough people and circumstances against you, so don’t be against yourself.
When you wake up in the morning, don’t lie in bed and think of everything you feel is wrong with you or what you don’t like about your looks. You don’t need to relive your mistakes. Why didn’t I finish college? I should have been more disciplined. I lost my temper yesterday. Those are toxic thoughts that will drain your strength, your energy, and your enthusiasm. Instead of focusing on what you think is wrong with you, start focusing on what’s right with you. You have weaknesses, you’ve made mistakes—we all have—but there’s a lot more right with you than there is wrong with you. Dwelling on the negative doesn’t help you do better. Beating yourself up for past mistakes doesn’t move you forward. The better you feel about yourself, the better you’ll do. The more you like yourself, the further you’ll go.
REFLECTION
What stands out to you in Joel’s encouragement to Stay Positive Toward Yourself? In what area(s) of your life do you need to be kinder, more loving, and more compassionate to yourself?
DECLARATION
Today, I declare that because of Jesus, I am holy, blameless, and without fault. I will love myself so that I can love others the way God intends. I declare that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The Creator of the universe breathed life into me, and He is still changing me. I declare that God has entrusted me with gifts and talents, and I will fulfill His purpose for my life.
PRAYER
Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your incredible love, forgiveness, and compassion. I humbly ask for Your mercy to guide me to a place of self-compassion where I can forgive myself as You have so generously forgiven me. Help me to be at peace with myself so that I can nurture peace with my loved ones. I seek Your divine wisdom, Lord, to see myself as You see me. Let me remember that through Jesus, I am free, forgiven, and favored in Your eyes. Show me how to appreciate myself as the masterpiece You say I am, reminding me of the distinctive gifts and talents that You’ve given me. As I cultivate greater love and appreciation for all that You made me to be, guide me to share that love with others, living out the divine purpose You have planned for my life. In the powerful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen
SECTION TWO
A warning is issued in 1 Peter 5:8—”Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
I know that a lion roars to intimidate and to bring fear, but I used to wonder what kind of fear the devil tries to instill in the believer. We must let the Bible interpret the Bible. We can’t base our interpretations on our denominational backgrounds or our experiences.
One day, I was reading Proverbs 19 when I came across verse 12: “The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.” Who is the king that this verse refers to? It is our Lord Jesus!
So when the devil goes about like a roaring lion, he is trying to impersonate the King. He is trying to make you feel as if God is angry with you. Every time you hear preaching that leaves you with a sense that God is angry with you, guess what? You have just been roared at!
But know this, beloved: God will NEVER be angry with you ever again. He only has to tell us this, but He wanted us to be so sure that He swore in His Word that He would never be angry with us again.
Today’s verses are from Isaiah 54, which is right after the famous messianic chapter of the sufferings of Christ in Isaiah 53. Therefore, Isaiah 54 is spelling out the triumphs and spoils of His sufferings.
Do you know why God will never be angry with us again? It is because of what Christ has accomplished for us! On the cross, God poured out all His anger on the body of His Son. Jesus exhausted all the fiery indignation of a holy God against all our sins, and when all of God’s judgment of our sins had been completely exhausted, He shouted, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).
And because our sins have already been punished, God, who is a holy and just God, will not punish us today when we believe in what Christ has done. God’s holiness is now on your side. His righteousness is now for you, not against you. You are His beloved, in whom He is well pleased because of Jesus’ finished work!
The next time the devil tries to rob you of your sense of being beloved by making you think that God is angry with you, just ignore him. Ignore him when he says, “How can you call yourself a Christian?”
You are a righteous, accepted, and beloved child of God! When you believe this, you will have the confidence to face every challenge with boldness, knowing that you have God’s unmerited favor on your side!
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