02/03/24
JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD
Today’s Scripture
“I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.”
Isaiah 46:4, NLT
THROUGH EVERY SEASON
God has grace for every season. He’s been carrying you for your whole life. When you look back, perhaps you can see how He carried you through a sickness and gave you a strength you had never felt. Or perhaps He carried you through a loss. It was painful, but deep down you felt a peace and were able to keep moving forward. Or perhaps He carried you through a challenge with your child. You should have had a nervous breakdown, and it should have caused you to give up on your dreams. But every day you had the grace to stay in faith. You believed when every thought said, “It’s never going to work out.” Here you are on the other side—blessed, healthy, and stronger than ever.
***Be encouraged today. If God carried you back then, He’s going to carry you now. Whatever you’re facing may seem insurmountable, but it’s not going to defeat you. It’s not going to be too much. You’re not going to be overwhelmed. You’re being carried by the Creator of the universe.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for promising me grace for every season, and thank You for carrying me throughout my lifetime. Thank You that You made me and care about every detail of my life. I believe and declare that nothing that’s coming against me will be too much. I will overcome. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
SECTION TWO
I love how Psalm 91 reminds us that we have round-the-clock protection. Whether it is at night or in the day. Whether it is in darkness or at noonday. Whether we are faced with a terror or confronted by arrows. Whether pestilences threaten or destruction looms. We do not have to be afraid because our God, who watches over us, neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:3–4)!
*** The reality is, the world we live in seems to be engulfed in negative news and fear. We often hear reports of senseless terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, horrific accidents claiming multiple victims, or an epidemic affecting entire communities, leading to hundreds of babies being born with deformities. I know that many can’t help but dread that the same tragedies could befall them.#
But beloved, I want you to know that in the midst of all that is happening in the world, you can be fearless, and this comes from knowing the Lord as the God of peace.
Romans chapter 15 ends with the apostle Paul saying, “Now the God of peace be with you all” (Rom. 15:33, boldface mine). You might ask, Isn’t God with us all the time? Why then did Paul specifically say, “The God of peace be with you all”?
What Paul was speaking over the people was for God to manifest Himself as the God of peace in their lives. In other words, even though God is always with us, we may not always experience Him as the God of peace.
Do you know what happens when God manifests Himself as the God of peace in your life? Romans 16:20 (boldface mine) tells us this: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Do you see what the God of peace will do in your life? He will crush every fear, every worry, and every anxiety!
Do you see grace in that verse as well? Grace—the undeserved, unearned, and unmerited favor of God—is the only thing against which the devil has no defense. That is why we put our faith in the blood of Jesus when we talk about protection. His sinless blood was shed to pay the price for the guilty one.
And because Jesus paid the price, we who are in Him have a right to walk in divine health and protection. Grace qualifies us for God’s all-encompassing protection. Amen!
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