GOSPEL CORNER

28/11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3, NIV

SPEAK FAITH, SPEAK VICTORY.
When David went out to face Goliath, you can imagine the thoughts that flooded his mind. “He’s twice my size. He’s their champion fighter, and I have no battle experience. This is impossible.” All these negative thoughts bombarded his mind. One thing that made David a champion is he didn’t speak them out. He recognized that he had to put a watch over his mouth and not speak defeat or uncertainty, but rather change the negative thinking by speaking positive. He declared to Goliath, “You come against me with a sword and shield, but I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Israel.”

In the face of difficulties, you first have to zip your lips from speaking negatively. Then your report should be, “I am well able. I will defeat this giant. I will accomplish my dreams. God being for me is more than the world being against me.” When you speak faith, speak victory, speak health, speak abundance, negative thoughts can’t stay. Use your words to give life to your faith, not your doubt.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that You are the Most High God and that no giant is too great for You. Thank You that You being for me is more than anything that comes against me. Help me to be like David and put a watch over my lips and declare Your Word to the enemy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO
If we’re honest, we all have some measure of wrong believing in our lives. Just ask yourself, “Have I often felt anxious, worried, or fearful that the worst would happen to me and my loved ones?” These negative, exhausting emotions are merely flags that indicate what we truly believe about ourselves, our lives, and God.

When we are fearful and worried all the time, we are living as if we don’t believe that we have a strong and able Shepherd who is tenderhearted toward us, who leads us to good places, who protects us and lovingly watches over us. So if worrying or being fearful seems to be your natural default mode, what you need to do is to keep hearing and learning about you believe tha

GOSPEL CORNER

27/11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion….Blessed are all who wait for him!
Isaiah 30:18, NIV

Get Your Expectations Up
Did you notice in today’s Scripture that God longs to be good to you, that He wants to show you His favor and compassion, but there’s a condition? He’s looking for people who wait for Him, who are expecting His goodness. He’s looking for people who believe that healing is coming, that breakthroughs are on the way, that their future will be brighter than their past. Could it be that God is longing to show you His goodness, but you’re not seeing it because you’re not looking for it? It’s easy to become passive and complacent, thinking you’ve seen your best days. No, God has an awesome future planned for you. The Scripture says His favor is for a lifetime, but you have to be looking for it. You have to be expecting things to turn around, believing that good breaks are coming, thanking Him that the best is still ahead. Don’t put your faith on autopilot. God didn’t create you to reach a certain level and get stuck. He promises that your path will get brighter and brighter. Are you looking for it?

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are the all-powerful God who longs to be gracious to me. Thank You for being the God who rises up to show me compassion. I declare that I am believing that the best of Your goodness is still ahead. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

Do you feel as if you have toiled all night and caught nothing? Perhaps you feel as though you are in a dead-end situation in your career. Or perhaps whatever you have been trying to do to save your marriage just isn’t working. Maybe your toil is in the area of your parenting—no matter how much effort you put into reaching out to your child, the relationship just seems to grow colder and more distant by the day.

My friend, now is not the time to give up, but to listen to your wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus. Hear Him. Rather than depend on your experience and expertise, lean in to Him. You are not alone in your boat.

Listen to Him and do exactly what He tells you to do. Our Lord Jesus told Peter to let down “your nets”—plural. Peter said, “At Your word I will let down the net”—singular (Luke 5:4–5). It is no wonder the net began to break and Peter had to call for his friends to come and help him.

Jesus is your very present help in time of need. Whatever your struggle is today, you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt that He is with you and knows exactly how to help you.

There are also people who have been toiling relentlessly, trying everything they know to get their lives right and win God’s approval. The more they try, the more distant they feel from Him. The harder they push, the more they feel that they consistently fail and disappoint Him. They are just as exasperated, fatigued, and frustrated as the fishermen who had labored all night and caught nothing.

My dear reader, if this describes you, I want you to know that God loves you even with all your imperfections. Yes, in all your failings, in all your mistakes, God still loves you! Come to Him just as you are.

But Pastor Prince, you don’t understand. Let me sort out my life first, then I will come.

My friend, no one tries to clean himself before he takes a bath. Jesus is the bath! Come to Him with all your inadequacies, all your addictions, all your habits, and all your hang-ups, and let Him do what He does best. Let Him save you and restore you to wholeness! Jesus will transform you with His perfect love.

GOSPEL CORNER

26/11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.
Mark 6:5–6, ESV

THE GOD WHO MARVELS
In Mark 6, Jesus was in His hometown of Nazareth, teaching in the synagogue. They had heard about the miracles He was doing, and they were amazed by the wisdom of His teaching. But they didn’t believe. They thought they knew who He was. They knew His family. He had worked among them as a carpenter. They thought there couldn’t be anything special about Him. Because of their unbelief, He couldn’t do any mighty miracles there even though He had all His power. He had gone to different cities, doing amazing things. You would think in His hometown, they would believe more than anywhere else, but it was just the opposite. Jesus marveled at their unbelief.

When God looks at you, what does He marvel at? Is there anything you’re believing for that will cause God to marvel? Is there anything you’re dreaming about that’s out of your reach, that you can’t accomplish, that’s too big, too much, too hard? It’s time to awaken your faith and cause God to be amazed. Dare to believe bigger, dare to ask, dare to dream.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You for Your Beloved Son who is everything He says He is and is still doing mighty works today. Thank You that I can put unbelief far from me and awaken my faith to believe and ask bigger than I ever have. I want my faith to amaze You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

There are Christians who know in theory that Jesus is with them, but they do not actively practice His presence. For me personally, one of the best ways to practice the presence of the Lord is to thank Him all the time.

You can give thanks to Him for everything. Just say, “Lord, I thank You for this beautiful sunset. I thank You for Your love and for surrounding me with good things and good friends.”

There is no limit to what you can thank Him for since every good and perfect gift that we enjoy today comes directly from Him (James 1:17). Even if you have had a rough day at work and you are facing a seemingly impossible challenge, you can practice His presence.

The moment you realize that your heart is heavy with worry and your mind is plagued by anxiety, share your challenge with Jesus and thank Him that this problem is not bigger than His hands. Begin to surrender it to Him and depend on Him for His strength, power, and peace.

As you do that, you are already practicing the presence of the Lord. And as you honor His presence and behave like He is indeed with you, He sees it as faith in Him and intervenes on your behalf for your success in whatever situation you may be in.

It is sad when Christians behave like some husbands who bring their wives to a party, only to ignore them completely. Their wives could be right there with them physically, but these guys are so engaged with their own friends, talking about the stock market, economy, or latest game on television, that their wives might as well not be with them.

Ladies, do you know men like that? Now, men who are reading this, I know you are not like that, so don’t get offended, all right? I know you cherish and love your wife.

What I am trying to illustrate is that just because someone is with you physically, it does not mean that the person feels appreciated by you. Appreciation only occurs when you start acknowledging the presence of that person.

Now, what does the word “appreciate” mean? It means “to increase in value.” If you appreciate someone, the person increases in value in your eyes.

My friend, the Lord is already with you, so start to practice His presence. Begin by thanking Him, appreciating Him and increasing His value in your eyes, and you will see Him acting on your behalf.

GOSPEL CORNER

25/11/24

Psalm 103:20 tells us that angels heed “the voice of His word” (boldface mine). Who gives voice to God’s Word? YOU do.

Every time you quote Scriptures out loud, you are giving voice to His Word, and angels will respond. When you say, “Father, I thank You that no evil shall befall me today, nor shall any plague or disease come near my dwelling,” angels harken to the voice of the Word of God being spoken. Angels cannot read your mind—so speak forth His Word!

I want to encourage you to study the Word of God and memorize a few verses. When you feel swamped by fear, learn to speak out God’s Word. God’s power lies dormant until you speak it forth. When you do, it becomes real and powerful in your situation and comes against whatever you might be facing.

Hebrews 1:14 says that God’s angels are “all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (boldface mine). Notice that it doesn’t say “minister to” but “minister for” those who will inherit salvation (that refers to children of God—you and me).

That’s an important distinction—”minister for” means that they are waiting for our instructions. We need to speak to activate them. They are waiting to respond to our words; they will not automatically look into every need that we have.

You activate angels when you declare, “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.” Trigger your heavenly army when you proclaim, “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.”

Our Lord Jesus Himself demonstrated the importance of speaking aloud God’s Word in the wilderness when three times He said, “It is written” and quoted God’s Word. I don’t know about you, but I intend to speak forth God’s Word!

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GOSPEL CORNER

24/11/24

When negative thoughts come your way, you must not give them time to take root in your heart. That correlates with the wise saying that you can’t stop birds from flying over your head, but you can surely stop them from building a nest on your head. We can’t stop the enemy from attacking our minds, but we can surely defend ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).

God’s Word is infallible, unshakable, and everlasting (Isa. 40:8, 1 Pet. 1:25). Our Lord Jesus Himself showed us what to do when we are under attack by the devil. Three times He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Each time, His response was the same—He quoted the written Word of God. Against each attack, His response was to say, “It is written” (Matt. 4:1–11).

I know of believers who say, “God spoke to me and told me that He will do that for me.” I want to encourage you not to go by what you think the Lord said to you. You cannot fight the devil by saying, “God spoke to me,” apart from the written Word. Please understand that I am not at all against God speaking to you, but coming against the enemy and his attacks with “God spoke to me” is not what our Lord Jesus did.

My friend, if you want to combat the enemy’s attacks, stick to the pattern that our Lord Jesus showed us. In the first temptation, the devil challenged our Lord Jesus to prove His identity, saying, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matt. 4:3).

Don’t you think it is interesting that our Lord did not rely on what His Father had audibly spoken over Him at the River Jordan? A voice had come from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17).

Yet, the Lord did not point Satan to the spoken word of God. Over and over again, He declared, “It is written.” Now, if the Son of God used “it is written” to defeat the devil, how much more you and I need to.

When fear grips your heart or evil thoughts plague your mind, quote His written Word!

23/11/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
1 Kings 18:41, NKJV

THE SOUND OF ABUNDANCE
For over three years it had not rained in Israel—no water, no crops, a great famine. When there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and no hint of rain, the prophet Elijah showed up and said, “I hear the sound of the abundance of rain.” He made this bold declaration to King Ahab. God will sometimes put things in your spirit that contradict what you see. He heard an abundance of rain, but he saw barren ground, dried-up crops, drought. The key is to not let what you see override what you’ve heard. If you’re always looking for a sign, you’re going to get discouraged. “I heard the promise of healing, but I see sickness. I heard abundance, but I see lack. I heard freedom, but all I see is addiction.”

Stay in faith when there’s no evidence. Don’t let what you see talk you out of what you’ve heard. Elijah soon saw a downpour. It’s very powerful when you can say, “I don’t see any sign of what I’m believing for, but God’s on the throne. Rain is on the way.”

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for all the ways You speak to me about what is coming. Thank You that You are in no way limited to what my circumstances look like and have been. Help me to have the boldness to speak out the words that You say and set a miracle in motion. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

I see a new generation of God’s people emerging as the grace revolution sweeps the globe. The truth is that only grace, found in the person of Jesus Christ, can lead us into the promised land.

Moses, who represents the law, is dead (Josh. 1:2). And only Joshua, a type of Christ, can bring us into the promised land.

We can’t enter it based on the obsolete Mosaic covenant. We can’t inherit it based on our efforts to be justified through keeping perfectly the Ten Commandments. We can inherit it only through faith in the grace of our Lord Jesus. It is not by our works that we inherit God’s promises, but by Christ’s perfect, finished work.

How did the wall of Jericho that stood between God’s people and the promised land come crashing down? Did God’s people have to use their own might to push down the wall? Did they have to fight an army? No, at just the blast of the rams’ horns and with a great shout, God caused the wall to crumble.

The ram’s horn is a beautiful picture of the death of our Lord Jesus. The ram had to die for the horn to be obtained. The sounding of the ram’s horn is thus a proclamation of our Lord’s death and finished work. At the cross, when Jesus had paid fully for all our sins with His blood, He proclaimed, “It is finished!”

It is the shed blood of Jesus that brings us out of captivity and into the promised land. What the ten plagues of Moses could not do, the blood of Jesus did. It was the blood of Christ, typified by the lambs’ blood applied to the lintels and doorposts of the Hebrew homes, that caused Pharaoh, a type of Satan, to finally release God’s people.

God threw down His trump card—the blood of His Son! So it was His Son, the true Lamb of God, Who brought them out of Egypt, and it was also His Son Who brought them into the promised land. It is all Christ and Christ alone!

Why couldn’t the miracles of Moses free God’s people? Because they were miracles of judgment. Judgment and condemnation will not free you, only the love and grace of our Lord Jesus, Who shed His blood at Calvary for you, can do that.

My friend, are you hearing about the judgments of the law today, or are you hearing the ram’s horn being blown? One condemns and brings death, the other liberates and gives life. One causes you to remain in bondage to sin and live a defeated life, the other empowers you to break free and reign in life.

Today, make sure you are hearing the true gospel that makes bondages and addictions crumble and fall away like the walls of Jericho did!

GOSPEL CORNER

22/11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
Asa conducted himself well before GOD, reviving the ways of his ancestor David. He cleaned house…and threw out all the idols his predecessors had made.
1 Kings 15:11–12, MSG

DO SOME SERIOUS CLEANING
Sometimes we’ve believed the same destructive, limiting, defeating thoughts so long that they’ve become a part of who we are. Perhaps it started in how we were raised. We opened the door and now it’s like they have their own room. Imagine fear, worry, doubt, and insecurity living in your house, dragging you down, stealing your joy, taking your peace. That may be the way it’s been, but this is going to be a new day. It’s time to do some serious house cleaning as King Asa did. You need to evict some tenants that have been living in your mind.

The good news is that you’re in charge. You determine what stays in your mind. You need to tell fear, “You’re evicted. I’m not living afraid of what might happen. My future is in God’s hands.” Tell worry, “You’ve been with me long enough. You’ve lost your lease.” Tell doubt, “Your time is up. I have some new rules. You have to go.” Tell insecurity, “You’re no longer welcome here. Get out. I’m not going to be intimidated by you.”

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that I can take the bold steps to remove the negative, defeating thoughts that I need to get out of my life. I can’t do it on my own, so I ask You for help to break and get rid of whatever needs to be removed. Help me clean my house. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

SECTION TWO

I preach the gospel of grace because the good news of Jesus changes lives. The gospel is the good news that the moment you receive Jesus into your life and make Him your Lord and Savior, all your sins are forgiven and you receive the gift of eternal life.

You are justified and made righteous through your faith in Jesus Christ. Your righteousness is a gift from Him. In Christ you now have perfect standing before God, paid for by the precious, eternal blood of His Son.

There is no more judgment, punishment, and curse for you because the full judgment, punishment, and curse for all your sins fell upon our Lord Jesus at the cross. He paid it all!

This is what happened to Neil from the United Kingdom when he came to understand that he had become the righteousness of God in Jesus:

While reading a book by Pastor Prince, I was delivered from a forty-year addiction to pornography. In the past, I had tried to break free from this addiction by my own power and in my own strength, but failed every time.

Throughout that time, the devil used this addiction to heap fear, guilt, and condemnation on me. This fear and shame kept me from asking for help from the pastors of the various churches I attended over the forty-year period. I had even held leadership positions in some of these places.

Through reading Pastor Prince’s book, I got a fresh revelation of who I am in Christ—I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus—and how there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. It was through this fresh revelation that the grip of this addiction was broken off my life forever.

I now wear a ring on my left middle finger to remind myself that I am righteous, as righteous as Jesus, that there is no condemnation for me because I am in Christ Jesus, and that I am perfect and holy in God’s sight. Every time the devil tries to tempt me to view pornography, I just have to look at the ring to remind myself that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, and the temptation loses any hold on me.

Hallelujah! This is what I’m talking about. Beloved, however long you’ve struggled with a certain temptation or addiction, the same victory Neil had and is still enjoying can be yours today. It’s yours when you know what Jesus’ finished work has accomplished for you and you receive His gift of no condemnation.

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GOSPEL CORNER .

21/11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
“Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.
1 Samuel 17:43, NLT

It’s Not Too Big
Just before David went out to face Goliath, King Saul had told David that it was ridiculous to try, that he was just a boy, and that Goliath was a man of war. When Goliath saw how small David was, he immediately made fun of him, ridiculed him. He was saying, “Is this teenager the best you have? He’s not even worth my time.” David’s father and his brothers had also reinforced this lie, saying, “David, you’re not enough, and you’ll never be enough. It’s too big.”

To reach your destiny, you have to tune out all the naysayers, the intimidations, the “can’t do it” thoughts. When people are discounting you, that’s a sign you’re right where you’re supposed to be. God is positioning you to defy the odds, to go where no one in your family has gone, to break generational curses, to bring down giants, to set new standards. Don’t get discouraged when people don’t believe in you and try to talk you out of it. That means God is about to catapult you to new levels as He did with David.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

“Father, thank You that I am not limited by what the enemy or people around me say or think about me. Thank You that You have qualified me to do what You have destined me to do. I will not allow others to put a limitation on what You have put in my heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SECTION TWO

You need the truth of God’s Word to uproot any wrong belief. This is why it’s so important to get into His Word and take time to meditate upon verses that reveal God’s unwavering and unfailing love for you.

For instance, if you find your mind drifting into anxious thoughts over the smallest things, I encourage you to memorize and quote today’s scripture: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isa. 26:3).

Whenever I feel stressed or worried about something, I pull away from life’s hustle and bustle and simply meditate on God’s promises. Sometimes I like to drive to a quiet park, and as gentle anointed music plays in my car, I feed on and speak His Word, allowing it to permeate my spirit: “God’s Word declares, ‘You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.'”

And I tell the Lord, “Yes, Lord, it is You who will keep me in perfect peace. Perfect peace comes from You. I just need to rest in Your grace and keep my mind on You. I don’t need to think about what to do about this challenge. As I trust in You and keep my mind stayed on You, You will lead me and guide me. Lord Jesus, my trust is in You and You alone.”

What am I doing here? Instead of allowing stress and worry to get to me, I’m training my heart to see how God sees my challenges. The bigger God becomes in my heart, the smaller my challenges become. In fact, many times when I just relax and keep my mind on the Lord, His peace and wisdom begin to flow in me, and the challenge that I was previously so worried about becomes minute and inconsequential in the presence of Almighty God.

Are you faced with an insurmountable circumstance today? Learn to see what God sees by meditating on His Word, and let His peace drive out your anxiety. Let His wisdom direct your paths.