God knows how to get rid of the opposition quickly. Don’t be discouraged by how permanent that obstacle looks or how much more powerful it seems than you. You have an advantage. The Most High God is on your side. He knows how to cause your enemies to hurry out of your way. You’re going to see some things turn around quickly, problems resolve suddenly, and the opposition be defeated rapidly.

Gospel Corner

01/11/25

Joel Osteen Ministries

Today’s Word
Today’s Scripture
For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching….So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives.
2 Kings 7:6–7, NLT

It’s Going to Happen Quickly
The city of Samaria was surrounded by a huge Syrian army. The Israelites’ food supply had been cut off, and now the people were starving. They didn’t have the army, the weapons, or the strength to fight back. The situation looked impossible. It was just a matter of time before they would die. But God is not limited by what you don’t have. He’s not intimidated by how big the opposition is, by how bad the medical report is, by what the financial statement says. He used the sound of a great approaching army to cause the Syrians to flee for their lives, leaving behind an abundance of provision for the Israelites.

God knows how to get rid of the opposition quickly. Don’t be discouraged by how permanent that obstacle looks or how much more powerful it seems than you. You have an advantage. The Most High God is on your side. He knows how to cause your enemies to hurry out of your way. You’re going to see some things turn around quickly, problems resolve suddenly, and the opposition be defeated rapidly.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are the God who can do the impossible and who loves to surprise us. Thank You that one touch of Your favor can turn around what looks like it will never change. I believe that this is a new day and You are going to do more than I can imagine. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

When I visited the Mount of Beatitudes in Israel some time ago, the Lord opened my eyes to see for the first time how He had met the man with leprosy in Matthew 8:1–4. After preaching to the multitudes, our Lord didn’t go down the mountain toward them. Our Lord had actually walked down the mountain in another direction, very likely in the direction toward Capernaum (Matt. 8:5).

As I took a path down the mountain toward Capernaum that day, I saw slabs of stone strewn along the foot of the mountain. These stone slabs are just the right size for a man to crawl under and find shelter. Right then and there, I had the revelation of how the man with leprosy could have hidden under one of these slabs for fear of being discovered by the people, and how our Lord Jesus had known the man was hiding there and deliberately gone to seek him before the crowds caught up with Him.

In Jesus’ day, those with leprosy were ostracized and isolated in accordance with the law of Moses. Because they were conscious of how unclean they were and what the law required of them, their natural response was to withdraw and hide.

But hiding didn’t get the man with leprosy in Matthew 8 the healing and restoration he needed. Fortunately, hearing about the goodness of God—how God wanted to be a loving Father to him and take care of all his needs—got him out of hiding and into seeking the Lord for his miracle.

It changed his mind from seeing a God Who ostracized and condemned unclean people to seeing a God Who loved them no matter what their condition. This change of mind lit his faith and put courage in his heart to seek and receive the healing he so desperately wanted.

Like the man with leprosy at the start of his story, could you also be hiding from God today? Maybe you’ve been struggling with an addiction or cycle of defeat that you can’t seem to get out of. Maybe you’ve been a victim of sexual abuse and you blame yourself for it. Maybe you’ve had a failed marriage or business, or made a bad decision that has led to loss. And maybe your failure has caused you to avoid God, avoid going to church, and avoid people in general.

Beloved, whatever may be causing you to feel “unclean” or disqualified today, God wants you to change your mind about Him and, instead of hiding from Him, to run to Him!