He is not with you, as some wrongly believe, to condemn, judge, or find fault! When Almighty God is with you, good things will happen in you, around you, and through you. Expect this to happen to you today!

25/12/25

Joel Osteen Ministries
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Micah 5:2, NIV

To Where You Need to Be

Joseph and Mary were living in Nazareth, planning to have the baby Jesus there, but the Roman emperor called for a census. That meant they had to travel to Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem to be counted. Mary was nine months pregnant, so you can imagine the difficulties she had riding on a donkey for a week on the ninety-mile journey and camping out along the way. But God’s purpose was to bring them to a place of blessing. Seven hundred years earlier, Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. It wasn’t a coincidence that the emperor called for the census at this particular time or that God was also leading the Magi to meet them there with gifts and provision. It was the hand of God strategically moving them to where they needed to be.

God not only orders your steps, but He orders other people’s steps to meet you at your place of blessing. You may not understand it, it may be with difficulty, but trust Him and rest in faith. He is moving you to a place of greater blessing.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that Your hand has been at work behind the scenes in my life in so many ways. Thank You for the countless things You have made happen for my good that I could never make happen. I declare that I’m going to stay in peace and know that You are in control. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Did you know that Jesus’ name is not just Jesus? His name is also Immanuel, meaning the Almighty God is with us. How comforting it is to know that our awesome Almighty God, who is also our loving Father, is always with us!

A precious brother shared with me that even as a believer years ago, he had a problem with alcohol, and every night he would be out drinking to the point that he could not even remember how he got home the next day. He tried everything he could to stop drinking, but failed repeatedly.

One day, he went out with some friends for a game of squash. After the game, he laid down on the ground to rest. As he was resting, he felt Jesus’ presence come upon him and in that very moment, the Lord broke his addiction to alcohol and totally removed his desire to drink!

Today, this brother whom the Lord delivered from alcoholism is a key leader in my church. Isn’t it just like God to take the weak things of the world to confound the mighty, and the foolish things of the world to confound the wise?

You know, all our struggling, willpower, discipline, and self-effort cannot do what the presence of the Lord can do in an instant. And who is to say that as we are talking about Jesus now, His presence will not take away something that is destructive in your life?

You see, you are transformed not by struggling. You are transformed by beholding Jesus and believing that He loves you and wants to save you.

Now, what does it mean to say “God with us”? We must understand it the same way the Hebrew people would have understood it.

There is something beautiful here—this is the secret of Immanuel! The Jewish mind understands that when the Lord is with you, you become successful in every endeavor.

My friend, it is no different for you today. When the Bible says that Jesus is with you, He is with you to help you, assist you, turn things around for you, and make good things happen for you.

He is not with you, as some wrongly believe, to condemn, judge, or find fault! When Almighty God is with you, good things will happen in you, around you, and through you. Expect this to happen to you today!