GOSPEL CORNER:TOO OFTEN WE HAVE THE WRONG IMAGE OF GOD AND SHRINK BACK IN FEAR AND INTIMIDATION, FEELING THAT WE CAN NEVER MEASURE UP AND WILL ALWAYS BE UNWORTHY.

02/01/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
Now we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him.
Ephesians 3:12, TLB

HOW DO YOU SEE GOD?
How you see God today will have a great impact on this coming year. If you have the right image of God, knowing that He gladly welcomes you, that His face lights up when He sees you, that He loves spending time with you, hearing your concerns, and knowing what you’re dreaming about, you’ll go fearlessly to Him. All through the day, you’ll talk with Him as a son or daughter. But not many of us have the audacity to think that God would be happy to see us. So many people see Him as a harsh and condemning judge who holds our mistakes against us and expects us to be perfect. Too often we have the wrong image of God and shrink back in fear and intimidation, feeling that we can never measure up and will always be unworthy.

Start your new year knowing that God is not basing His “glad welcome” on your performance, on how perfectly you’ve lived, or the good works you’ve done. It’s based on your faith in Christ and the fact that you’re His child. Believe it and receive it.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You gladly welcome me into Your presence as Your child because of my faith in Jesus. Thank You that You are not waiting for me to perform perfectly and then You’ll show me Your love and goodness. I will come fearlessly before You, knowing that Your face lights up when You see me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

The devil doesn’t want you to be strong in the Lord’s love for you. Instead, he wants you to question God’s love for you. To accomplish this, one of his key strategies is to try to make you think that God is mad at you.

God’s Word tells us that the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. This means that he cannot just devour anyone. He must look for those whom he can devour.

Some of us are “undevourable.” There may not be such a word, but it certainly describes a great place to be when the enemy is on the prowl for his next victim.

My friend, you can become “undevourable” to the devil. The secret is found in the preceding verse, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7).

Can you see it? The secret to being “undevourable” is to be carefree and not be bogged down by anxieties and worries! It is to laugh a lot, enjoy your life, and to take no thought for tomorrow.

***To the legalistic mind, this sounds terribly irresponsible. However, in God’s mind, your greatest responsibility is to rejoice in the Lord always and to not worry about your past failures, your present circumstances, and your future challenges!

Why? It’s because of what God’s grace has already done for you. And it’s because the One who has the power over death is caring for you and watching over you right this minute.***

If you want to see victory over the enemy’s attacks, then learn to relax, to let go, and to release every oppressive thought, worry, and care into Jesus’ loving hands. Believe with all your heart that He cares for you and that you are not alone in this journey. You have a constant companion in Jesus on this great adventure called life.

Note that the devil walks about like a roaring lion. The devil is an impostor who tries to intimidate you through the impression that God is angry with you.

Let’s be clear here: there is only one true lion and that is the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ (Rev. 5:5), the King of kings, and He is not mad at you today. His wrath is directed at anything that seeks to destroy you. You are not the object of His wrath; you are the object of His love.

So be strong in His love for you. That’s how you resist the devil who will have no choice but to flee from you!