KNOW WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE WHOLENESS OF YOUR BODY AND MIND. BE WISE—DON’T OVERDOSE YOURSELF ON INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE THAT DOES NOT INFUSE YOU WITH GOD’S LIFE AND POWER.

GOSPEL CORNER

04/ 09/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORDS

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
So Elisha…took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
1 Kings 19:21, NIV

THE BEST PATH
Elisha was plowing in a field, leading the twelfth team of oxen, when the prophet Elijah walked up and threw his cloak on Elisha and said, “Come work for me.” Elisha was next in line to run their successful family business and had plenty of resources, staff, and a nice place to live. His future was set. Why would he want to leave? God suddenly dropped such a strong desire in Elisha that he left it all behind and went with Elijah to be his servant. Sometimes what God puts in your heart doesn’t make sense on paper or to other people. But God won’t move you out unless He has something better. Not long after that, Elijah was taken to Heaven, and Elisha received a double portion of his spirit. The prophet Elisha performed twice as many miracles as Elijah.

If you keep God first, He’s going to put desires in you and open doors you never dreamed would open, bringing opportunities, influence, favor, and resources. The best path is an abundant path that takes you further than you could imagine.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You know the best path, the most abundant path, for my life. Thank You that You put the right desires in my heart to take me beyond where I would ever dream of going. I believe that You are opening doors even now that I could never open. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

I always encourage my church to be mindful of their eye- and ear-gates. Essentially, this means that we need to be conscious of what we watch and hear on a regular basis.

The Book of Proverbs, which is chock-full of God’s wisdom, tells us, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.”

God tells us to guard what we hear, what we see, and what is in our hearts. He wants us to have our ears full of the gracious words of Jesus, our eyes full of the presence of Jesus, and our hearts meditating on what we have heard and seen in Jesus.

That’s what “give attention to my words” means today in the new covenant, for Jesus is God’s Word made flesh. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace [unmerited favor] and truth.”

It is all about beholding Jesus, and as we behold Him, we are transformed more and more into His likeness, full of unmerited favor and truth! Don’t miss this powerful promise, my friend. The result of tuning our ear- and eye-gates to Jesus is that He will be life and health to us.

The Bible shows us that there is a direct correlation between hearing and seeing Jesus, and the health of our physical bodies. The more we hear and see Jesus, the healthier and stronger we become! Our mortal bodies become infused with His resurrection life and power!

If we are only feeding on the news media, magazines, or the unending stream of information on the Internet, it is no wonder that we feel weak and tired. There is just no nourishment for us there.

Please hear what I am saying. It is all right to keep yourself abreast of current world events and be in the know about what is happening in the Middle East, trends in the economy and developments in the political arena. Such information may even be necessary for the industry that you are in.

I am not asking you to become an ignoramus or to live in a cave. What I am saying is this: Know what is good for the wholeness of your body and mind. Be wise—don’t overdose yourself on information and knowledge that does not infuse you with God’s life and power.