NO MATTER WHAT WE FACE OR WHAT WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH, LIKE THE ISRAELITES, GOD GIVES US BEAUTY FOR OUR ASHES. 

15/02/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES

Lakewood Church: Prayer for Healing & Restoration

Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted… to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…
Isaiah 61:1,3, NIV

Beauty for Ashes
There are a lot of hurting people in our world today. Whether we show it or not, we are all fighting a battle. After the incident we experienced last Sunday, many of us may be fighting fear and confusion.

In the book of Isaiah, the Israelites went through a devastating exile. But God spoke to the prophet Isaiah and promised that He would turn their ashes into beauty.

No matter what we face or what we have been through, like the Israelites, God gives us beauty for our ashes. He can bind up wounds and heal heartaches. And, like Isaiah, God is counting on us to let others know that He can do the same for them. Your encouragement can be what lifts someone out of despair.

Take heart knowing that God loves you and your life is in His hands. Reach out to someone else to let them know that He is looking out for them too. Don’t let the day go by without encouraging someone. There are hurting people God has put in your path for such a time as this.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that you have a plan for me and that You give beauty for ashes. Help me to use my words to encourage and speak life and blessing into the people around me. Help me share Your love with them just as You share it with me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

Whenever you find a promise or blessing for the righteous in the Bible, grab hold of it by saying, “Father, I receive this blessing in Jesus’ name!”

Let me show you how to practice this. When you read in Proverbs 10:6 that blessings are on the head of the righteous, say, “Thank You, Father, this promise is for ME because I have been made righteous through faith in Jesus and His finished work!”

So every day, instead of fearing that lack will devour you, expect God’s provision and blessings to hunt you down and surround you! Expect good things to happen to you. Say, “Father, I thank You that Your blessings crown my head. Your bountiful provisions are upon me and my household!”

Beloved, the more you begin to believe and speak words of abundance, provision, and increase, the more you will experience the full blessings of the righteous!