MY FRIEND, DO YOU KNOW YOUR COMMANDER IN CHIEF, JESUS CHRIST? DO YOU KNOW WITH FULL ASSURANCE THAT HIS PRESENCE AND UNMERITED FAVOR ARE WITH YOU? 

03/04/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
Luke 15:20, NIV

RUNNING, NOT WALKING
The father in this parable represents our Heavenly Father and His heart of compassion toward us when we’ve sinned and gotten off course. Notice in today’s Scripture that when the prodigal returned to his father, the father came running to hug him. The only place in the Bible where it pictures God running is to this young man who’s dirty with hog manure and mud. God could have come running to heal the lepers, to teach in the synagogue, to the religious leaders, but instead He came running to someone who had made mistakes.

The enemy has worked overtime to convince us that God is not for us. What would happen if we believed that God will always gladly welcome us? How much better would we live? How much freer, more secure, more at peace would we be if we were confident that God is for us, that even when we make mistakes, He’s waiting with arms held open wide, ready to restore us and get us back on track? Don’t let the wrong image of God keep you from coming to Him.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that You are the God who runs to meet me even when I’ve made mistakes and gotten off course. Thank You that Your arms are always held wide open and Your love always restores me. I declare that I am going to walk in peace and be confident that You are for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SECTION TWO
It is interesting to listen to how some Christians talk. You may hear them talking about what the devil did to them, how they got really mad at the devil, and how they spent a whole night rebuking the devil.

Such Christians may also go around town telling people what the devil has been telling them, but you don’t really hear them talking about what the Lord has been telling them. Guess what? They are tuned in to the wrong frequency!

Instead of magnifying Jesus and His presence and being conscious of Him, they are magnifying the devil and being more devil-conscious than Jesus-conscious. It’s really sad! They are always talking about warfare and the devil.

Do you know that the best warfare to engage in is to magnify the Lord Jesus in your life? The Bible declares, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered.” Amen!

Recently, I had a conversation with a medical doctor about spiritual warfare. She said to me, “When there is a condition in your body, you must know what the correct medical name for it is so that you can pray against it accurately.” Then, she told me somewhat smugly, “As someone who’s been in the army,⁷ you should know this: the most important military strategy is to know your enemy.”

I smiled at her and said, “Actually, I believe that the most important military strategy is not to know your enemy, but to know your commander in chief and his directives for you.”

My friend, do you know your commander in chief, Jesus Christ? Do you know with full assurance that His presence and unmerited favor are with you? Start practicing the presence of Jesus in your life today, and see what a difference He will bring to your situation!