JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD
Today’s Scripture
Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 34:3, NKJV
SWITCH OVER TO PRAISE
When you’re up against challenges that seem too big or dreams that look impossible, you’ll be tempted to worry, to live stressed and complaining. In those moments, you have to pay attention to what kind of atmosphere you’re creating. Whatever you’re sending out, you’re going to draw in. If you go around complaining about how a problem is not going to work out, that negative atmosphere draws in discouragement and will stop your victory. You can’t reach your potential.
When you face difficulties, the best thing you can do is give God praise. A situation may be too much for you, but it’s not too much for Him. Don’t magnify your problems. Magnify your God. Thank Him for who He is. “Lord, You are the all-powerful Creator of the universe. You are the great I AM. You are my provider, my healer, my protector, my deliverer, my way maker.” That’s what causes God to show up—not begging Him, not complaining, not worrying. Switch over into praise. That’s what attracts the most powerful force in the universe.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You inhabit my praise and that You are here with me in all the challenges of my life. Praise You for being the Most High God who provides, protects, heals, and makes a way for me. I choose to magnify You and exalt Your name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
SECTION TWO
Grace is the only thing against which the devil has no defense. If you are living by your self-effort to earn God’s approval, the devil has power over you because he can always point to something that you have not done. This gives him dominion over you.
If you claim God’s protection and healing based on what you have done, the devil, who is a master accuser, just has to point to one of your failures, and all your faith implodes. You will disqualify yourself mentally and inwardly from receiving whatever you might be trusting the Lord for.
But grace qualifies us for protection. Because Jesus paid the price, we who are in Him have a right to walk in divine health and protection.
When the devil accuses you, saying, “How dare you believe God for protection, when you are (he goes on to list your failures),” you just have to point to Jesus’ blood, which has paid for all your failures. With grace as your basis, the God of peace can reign over your fears and impart to you unshakable faith for His protection!
Something else happens when you understand His grace—you will also grow in your understanding of how perfectly loved you are by your Father in heaven. God so loved you and me, He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross on our behalf, carrying all our sins upon His own body so that today, we can come boldly to His throne of grace.
He did it so that today, we are not as sheep without a shepherd, but we are so deeply loved and cared for by our Abba Father. We are His children and when we call on Him, He WILL answer.
We have a God who demonstrated His love for us while we were still sinners—when we had nothing to offer Him but our brokenness, our shame, our sins, and our disqualifications! Oh what perfect love!
The Word of God says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:18–19, boldface mine).
Are you fearful today? Ask yourself this question: Do you know how much God loves you?
You see, you can’t reason away fear. But when you have a revelation of His perfect love for you, every fear in your life will be cast out. To the extent that you understand His love for you, you will live fearlessly in dangerous times!
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