WHEN THE DEVIL COMES TO ACCUSE YOU WITH THE LAW AND SHOWS YOU HOW YOU HAVE FALLEN SHORT AND FAILED, TURN YOUR EYES AWAY FROM YOURSELF AND POINT TO THE PAYMENT THAT JESUS MADE ON THE CROSS.

GOSPEL CORNER

14/ 08/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.”
Acts 13:36, NIV

LIVE YOUR PURPOSE
Many people today are not being true to who they are because they’re afraid they may disappoint someone, fall out of their good graces, or not be accepted. But you can’t live the life God wants for you, the life He purposed for you, if you are trying to be who your parents, who your friends, or who your boss wants you to be. You have to be true to who God made you to be.

After all, God doesn’t want you to be an imitation of someone else. You should be the original you were created to be. There is an anointing on your life, an empowerment, not to be somebody else, but to be you. If you let people squeeze you into their mold and you bow down to their pressure to try to please your critics, it not only takes away your uniqueness, but it also lessens the favor on your life. It’s time for you to go out and fulfill your purpose for your generation, run your own race, and to be free to be who you really are.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that I can seek Your kingdom first and be who You want me to be. Help me to run my own race with passion. I believe that Your anointing and empowerment and favor will rest upon my life so that I can fulfill Your purpose for me in my generation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

SECTION TWO

Do you know what makes Christianity unique and gives it the power to free people from all fears, condemning thoughts, and addictions? Many of the world’s belief systems are governed by moral codes, rules, and laws. But Christianity is unique in that it is not about an impersonal list of dos and don’ts.

It is about having a relationship with Almighty God. And it is God working in us and for us through this relationship that brings transformation in our lives.

Beloved, God is all about having a relationship with you today. The apostle John tells us that “the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

Notice also that the law was given. This implies a sense of distance. In contrast, grace came! Grace is personal and came as a person—the person of Jesus Christ.

The law is hard, cold, and impersonal. You cannot have a relationship with two tablets of stone. But grace is gentle and warm. Grace is not a teaching or doctrine. Grace is a person, and you can have a relationship with a person.

God is not interested in mere obedience and submission. He is a God of love and He longs to have an intimate relationship with you.

Jesus came and died a cruel death on the cross, paying the full debt of sin with His own life so that you and I can reign in life today. His sacrifice fulfilled every requirement of the law perfectly on our behalf (Matt. 5:17 NIV). All that we were unable to do, He did on our behalf.

When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are made holy and righteous by His blood once and for all. You can enter into a relationship with Almighty God and come boldly into His presence without any guilt, condemnation, or expectation of punishment.

You see, when you have fulfilled your debt to the lender for the mortgage on your house, you stop sending in your monthly payments because the debt has already been fulfilled. If the lender sends you a letter demanding additional payment, all you have to do is produce the title deed to your home. In the same sense, the debt that you and I owed to the law has already been fulfilled by our Savior, Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!

When the devil comes to accuse you with the law and shows you how you have fallen short and failed, turn your eyes away from yourself and point to the payment that Jesus made on the cross. Christ is your title deed, which is why you are called a “Christian” today.

You are not your own. You have been purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. His blood, shed for you, is what makes your relationship with God secure. It is what gives you the basis to reach out and receive your freedom from your loving Savior today!