GOSPEL CORNER
03/08/24
JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORDey
Today’s Scripture
“But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”
Luke 18:8, MSG
What Kind of Faith?
If God showed up at your house today, what kind of faith would He find? Is it a little faith, weak faith, complaining faith, average faith, or great faith? The enemy would love for you to go through life barely believing, full of doubt, getting talked out of your dreams, giving up on what God put in your heart. “It’s never going to hapepen. Look at how big these problems are.” That kind of thinking is limiting what God can do. That kind of faith will never overcome the forces that are trying to hold you back from becoming all God created you to be.
God wants to do something new in your life, something uncommon, out of the ordinary, but if you’re going to see great favor, you have to awaken your great faith. It’s going to happen when you dare to believe that God is all-powerful despite what circumstances look like. You believe that God is not limited, and you start to believe for bigger things. You believe that what God promises in His Word will come to pass.
SECTION TWO
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are looking for faith in my life, that You desire that I believe and trust You more and more. Thank You that You are all-powerful and that You are always working what is best for my life. I declare that I am going to believe for bigger things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Let’s take a look at the life of Solomon. When Solomon became king, he was only a young man of about 18 years old and had big shoes to fill as David’s successor to the throne.
Solomon was not filled with wisdom when he first ascended the throne, but he was clearly very earnest. He went to Mount Gibeon, where the tabernacle of Moses was, to offer a thousand burnt offerings to the Lord. At Mount Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” (2 Chron. 1:7).
Now, think about this for a moment. What would you have asked for if you were in Solomon’s position? Solomon did not ask for riches. Neither did he ask to be honored by all men.
Instead, he told the Lord, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” (2 Chron. 1:10). Another account in the Book of 1 Kings tells us that Solomon told the Lord, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
So when Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge, he was asking for an understanding heart.
Let’s go deeper. The word “understanding” here is the Hebrew word shama, which means “to hear intelligently.”
In other words, Solomon had asked for a hearing heart—one that hears from and flows with the leading of the Spirit of God, who leads us into all truth (John 16:13). You need a hearing heart for God’s wisdom to flow through you in every aspect of your life!
The Bible records that Solomon’s request pleased the Lord (1 Kings 3:10). I believe that the same request that pleased the Lord then still pleases Him today. When we ask Jesus for wisdom, we put ourselves in a posture of trusting and depending on His unmerited favor.
Although Solomon only asked for wisdom, the Lord added “riches and wealth and honor” to him. Too many people are chasing riches, wealth, and honor, not realizing that they come through the wisdom of Jesus.
Even if someone were to come into sudden wealth, without the wisdom of Jesus to manage it, the money would be squandered away. But with the wisdom of Jesus, you won’t only be blessed, you will also be able to hold on to the blessings in your life. Jesus makes you safe for good success that produces lasting and abiding fruit from generation to generation!
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