08/05/24
JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
If someone listens to God’s word but doesn’t do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his face in a mirror, studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like.
James 1:23–24, GW
The Right Mirror
James says that God’s Word is like a mirror. It reflects who you really are. What God says about you is the true image that you need to keep in front of you. You are not defined by people, by your past, by how you were raised, or by what didn’t work out. You are defined by your Creator. When you look in the mirror of God’s Word, you’ll see that you are valuable, talented, confident, favored, blessed, and worthy. You have to see it on the inside before it will happen on the outside. You have to start seeing yourself as whole, as free, as forgiven and clean, as redeemed and restored. Start seeing yourself as blessed, prosperous, crowned with favor, one of a kind. As you see yourself as God sees you, it begins to heal a damaged self-image, to repair the hurts and scars that have caused you to see yourself as lacking, inferior, unqualified. It may not happen overnight, but if you keep seeing yourself the right way, little by little you’re going to become what you’re seeing.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that You have made me the way I am and that what You say about me is my true image. Thank You that Your Word defines me rather than what other people say about me or what has happened in my past. I declare that I am becoming more and more like who You say I am. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
SECTION TWO
Let me share with you how Megan, a precious lady from Minnesota, confronted her fears by speaking the Word of God for the area of her need and saw the power of God released in her situation. I’ll let her tell you her story:
I was diagnosed with throat and neck cancer. After a series of treatments, I recovered and tests showed that there was no more cancer. However, two years later, the doctors found a mass in my throat again.
At that time, I’d begun watching Joseph Prince on television. He shared a testimony of a woman who had taken hold of 1 John 4:17—”as He is, so are we in this world”—for herself and ended up not needing to have any surgery.
So I took hold of this Scripture for myself as well. My first thought after hearing the doctor’s diagnosis was, “As Jesus is, so am I in this world. Since He does not have cancer, then neither do I.”
Fear tried to enter my thoughts over the next several days, but I believed and kept declaring 1 John 4:17 as I was being told that I might have cancer again. I was advised to have a biopsy done and was also told that a bilateral tonsillectomy, a procedure to remove the tonsils, would be needed.
As I was being prepped for surgery, I was asked if there was anything I wanted to say. I said, “Yes. When the doctor comes in to do the surgery, she will say that the surgery is not needed and there is no cancer.”
And that was exactly what happened! The tonsillectomy was canceled because the biopsy showed that I did not have cancer! When told the good news, I smiled and said, “Thank You, Jesus!”
I have your book, 100 Days of Favor, which has a page that teaches on 1 John 4:17. I keep a bookmark on that page and read it often.
I am continually being set free by the gospel of grace. Thank you, Pastor Prince!
Praise the Lord—what an awesome testimony of the power of the written Word released through our mouths! Beloved, what the Lord did for Megan, He can and will do for you too!
Dara Network TV 