04/06/24
JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD
Today’s Scripture
As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
Acts 24:25, NIV
04/06/24
DON’T PUT IT OFF
Felix was a ruthless, immoral Roman governor over Judea with whom the apostle Paul had the opportunity to share God’s truth. This was a destiny moment for Felix, and he knew he needed to change. God was speaking to his heart. It was vital that he receive the grace of God in order to see what God had in store for his life. He had the opportunity to take a step into his destiny, but he put it off and there’s no way to know if that “convenient” moment ever came.
God is speaking to all of us. It may be about an area where we need to grow, come up higher, and make better decisions. We’ve heard it. We keep ignoring it, but it won’t go away. Now is the time to act. Maybe it’s a whisper in your spirit that says you need to stretch, get out of your comfort zone, take a step of faith. Pay attention to the whispers. You are one whisper away from stepping into greater favor, greater influence, greater resources, something more than you’ve imagined.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for speaking to my heart and opening windows of grace for me to make changes in my life that need to be made. Help me to stop delaying to take the steps of faith that will take me higher. I will not put off dealing with these heart issues for a more convenient time. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
SECTION TWO
Some time ago, we received a precious testimony from Kate, who shared that she had been supernaturally delivered from four years of alcohol addiction. You may be asking, “How can this be? How does four years of alcohol addiction just disappear like that? How could such a powerful craving just lose its hold in such a short time?”
The answer is simple but powerful.
In her testimony, Kate wrote how she allowed God’s love to invade her mind as she listened to grace-based messages on her iPod that were full of Jesus and His love. My friend, when you allow His love to saturate your mind, it doesn’t matter what wrong beliefs, fears, or addictions are keeping you bound. God’s grace will begin to break them down.
This is what happens when you have an encounter with your loving Savior. Everyone who encounters Jesus never leaves the same. He came to set the captives free.
Whatever your condition, however long it has kept you bound—two years, ten years, thirty years—I want you to know and believe that God can set you free in a supernatural instant.
Believe that the One who is both willing and able to set you free is the same One who created time, and He who created time isn’t time-bound. He who turned water into the finest aged wine in a matter of seconds can bypass natural processes and accelerate your deliverance from any bondage!
I know of many people who struggled with addictions for decades. But once they had a supernatural encounter with Jesus, they just woke up one morning and found themselves free, with none of that familiar urge or desire to engage in their negative behavior anymore. Frank, who lives in the state of Maryland, wrote to me and shared how he was set free from drug addiction. He had been told “once an addict, always an addict,” and he had believed it.
But when he came to know the truth about the life-transforming love and grace of Jesus through one of my teaching resources, it just destroyed the chains that bound him. He shared, “Man, I could have jumped through the roof when I discovered that all I had to do was accept the finished work of Jesus and His grace!
“After thirty years of drug addiction, I thought there was no hope for me. But praise Jesus, I am now drug-free, and I’m in a good grace-preaching church with my wife, who has also been set free of her drug addiction.”
My friend, that is the power of right believing!
Today, believe God loves you and that His grace is available for you. Whatever bad prognosis you may have heard about your situation, no matter how dark and dire your circumstances may be right now, believe and accept God’s grace. You don’t have to accept defeat for the rest of your life!
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