YOUR DESTINY IS NOT IN WHAT YOU LOST, IT’S IN WHAT YOU HAVE . IF YOU STOP MOURNING YOUR LOSS, YOU’LL COME INTO SOMETHING GREATER, SOMETHING BETTER, SOMETHING MORE FULFILLING THAN YOU’VE EVER IMAGINED.

GOSPEL CORNER

14/11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
1 Samuel 16:1, NIV

YOUR DESTINY LIES AHEAD.
God had told Samuel to anoint Saul to be the first king of Israel. I can see Samuel taking Saul, who wasn’t trained in leadership, under his wing, encouraging him, giving him advice and counsel. He wanted him to succeed so badly. Saul started off well, but over time he started compromising and lost the kingdom. God told Samuel, “I regret that I ever made Saul king.” Samuel got so discouraged by what didn’t work out, wondering why Saul didn’t do better, that God finally told Samuel he had mourned long enough over what was lost. The nation’s destiny lie ahead in the next choice, David, who became the greatest king who ever lived.

As with Samuel, you may have done your best, given your heart and soul, but you didn’t get the position, the relationship didn’t make it, or the business didn’t succeed. It wasn’t fair or your fault, but your destiny is not in what you lost, it’s in what you have left. If you stop mourning your loss, you’ll come into something greater, something better, something more fulfilling than you’ve ever imagined.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for new dreams, new relationships, new beginnings, and new seasons. Thank You that after a season of disappointment and mourning over a Saul, You already have a David lined up. I look forward to something greater and more fulfilling than I’ve ever imagined. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

My dear friend, do you have a revelation of God’s personal love for you today? His love has to be experienced in your heart.

Head knowledge—just knowing intellectually that God loves you because He loves everyone—isn’t going to cut it. It is when you really encounter the person of Jesus and His grace, and really know in your heart that He loves you, that positive and profound changes begin to happen in your life.

Is there a scriptural basis for saying this? Yes, there is. The Bible tells us clearly, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Pet. 1:2). The word for “knowledge” here is the Greek epignosis, which refers to a heart experience of what and Who God is, rather than mere intellectual knowledge of facts about Him.

It is a knowledge that is gained through an intimate and personal relationship with God. In other words, when you hear and hear until you know in your heart that the Lord loves you and is for you, you will experience His unmerited favor and supernatural peace in the area of your challenges. That is when you will find His strength, wisdom, and supply multiplied tangibly in your life.

Do you remember Gideon, who saw himself as least in his family and who was threshing wheat in a winepress for fear of being seen by the Midianites?

We read his story in the book of Judges and see how he overcame his insecurities and fears and singlehandedly saved Israel from the Midianites, because he first heard gracious, encouraging words from the Angel of the LORD: “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor! . . . Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man” (Judg. 6:12, 16). When he began to see how the Lord saw him, and believed that the Lord was with him and for him, he fulfilled his destiny!

If, like Gideon, you feel small and powerless in the face of your challenges, I encourage you to keep hearing how, because of Jesus’ sacrifice and finished work, nothing can separate you from God’s love. I want you to know right now that He has already made you more than a conqueror in Christ (Rom. 8:37–39).

When you know who you are in Christ and believe in God’s love for you, you will become strong and you will see God do great things in and through you. When you know that God is with you and for you, who or what can stand against you (Rom. 8:31)? You will surely win the fights of life and live the amazing destiny God has prepared for you!