GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

20/11/24

Today’s Scripture
When [Joseph’s] master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did…Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.
Genesis 39:3–4, NIV

BE A JOSEPH
After Joseph had been sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, he worked for a high-ranking military official in Egypt, running his household. He could have lived offended and been bitter, but he left it in God’s hands. He never complained or slacked off. He kept being his best. But Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of trying to harm her, and Joseph was thrown in prison for years. He went from being disowned by his brothers to a slave to a prisoner with no reputation. But Joseph trusted God to be his vindicator, kept doing the right thing in prison, and the day finally came when he so impressed Pharaoh that he was made the prime minister of Egypt.

As with Joseph, you may face a season of disrespect, with people damaging your reputation. God sees you doing the right thing, being a Joseph—not angry or holding a grudge. Pharoah is coming for you. The right people are going to show up. Vindication is coming. It’s going to happen quickly. Suddenly you’re going to see vindication, restoration, promotion, honor, and influence.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You for Your presence and favor in my life that no situation or person can take away. Thank You that my reputation and the respect I’m given are in Your hands. I believe that You are always my vindicator and my part is to just keep doing the right thing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

When Jesus saw the five loaves and two little fish, unlike His disciples, He didn’t see the naturally impossible demand placed on Him—to feed 5,000 men (not including the women and children) with a boy’s small lunch. He saw the supernatural supply in His Father’s kingdom.

The result? Not only were the people fed till they were stuffed, there were also 12 baskets full of leftovers!

My friend, are you facing a situation of insufficiency today? Perhaps you can’t find enough time to get your work done, as well as spend quality time with your family. Why not put your time in Jesus’ hands and, as with the five loaves and two little fish, allow Him to multiply it? Jesus will give you the wisdom on how best to use your time.

Try it for yourself. Bring your little to Jesus! He will multiply whatever little you place in His hands with plenty left over!

GOSPEL CORNER

19/11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
James 1:5–7, NIV

MAKE UP YOUR MIND
Today’s Scripture is talking about wisdom, but the principle is that when you ask God for something, be sure you really expect Him to answer. Sometimes we go to God hoping and wishing that something will happen. How about going to God with confidence, knowing that when you ask in faith, He will answer you? It says God will gladly give you wisdom. He loves for you to come to Him. He’s longing to be good to you. But if you’re going to see good things happen, you have to come to Him expecting an answer. And when you ask, believe that you receive it. By faith, believe that it happened.

You have to make up your mind. Are you going to believe what God promised you, or are you going to let doubt, negative voices, or other opinions convince you it’s not going to happen? “You can’t get well. You’ll never break the addiction. You’ll never be successful.” Do yourself a favor and tune that out. Don’t let doubt keep you from your destiny. Have an unwavering mind.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You for the expectancy rising in my heart that You have good things in store for me. Thank You that my hopes and dreams can be in You alone. I believe and declare that doubt is not going to keep me from what You have in store. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SECTION TWO

She had been hemorrhaging continuously for 12 years. Medical science had no answer. Money to pay for expensive medication had run dry, very likely with all faith and hope that she could be made well.

And then one day, she heard of a travelling preacher, teacher, and healer. She heard about His compassionate touch, His kind eyes, and healing hands. She heard that everyone who came to Him to be healed was healed.

Suddenly, faith to believe that she would be next sparked on the inside. And when this woman touched Jesus with that faith, power left His body and healed her instantly!

What had fired up her faith? It was simply hearing about how good, kind, and loving Jesus was that led her to believe that He was both able and willing to heal her.

God is just as willing to heal you today. Just focus on His love for you. See His heart to heal you of your condition and faith will ignite in you, sparking off an explosion of healing in your body!

GOSPEL CORNER

18/11/24

Many Christians make the mistake of thinking that God is too busy taking care of the “big things” to be interested in the little problems they are facing.

But God is not like that. He is not just God Almighty, He is also your heavenly Father who loves you! To God, whether it’s a new pimple on your face, a sore throat, or an aching back, no matter how trivial or commonplace it sounds, if it troubles you, He wants to take care of it!

If, as the Bible says, God bothers to keep track of how many hairs you have on your head, then there is no symptom, no discomfort, and no condition in your body that He doesn’t know of or care about. His love for you is all-encompassing, personal, and in-depth. There is nothing in your body or life too small that you can’t bring to Him and watch Him take care of!

¹7/ 11/24

GOSPEL CORNER

We know we can stay safe and protected when we don’t act presumptuously or irresponsibly but lean in to God’s wisdom. The Lord Jesus demonstrated this to us Himself.

When the devil tried to tempt Him to jump off the pinnacle of the temple, quoting Scripture to say that angels were supposed to bear Him up, our Lord Jesus responded by saying, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God'” (Matt. 4:7 NLT). Likewise, let us not test the Lord by making irresponsible and unwise decisions that ignore the written Word of God or the godly counsel spoken over our lives.

When you are led by His wisdom, the Lord can protect you from making unwise decisions. For example, someone may offer you “the investment opportunity of a lifetime.” On the surface, everything might seem to check out and it may appear to be a legitimate opportunity that is not to be missed. But before you rush to commit to anything, can I encourage you to first ask the Lord for His wisdom and leading?

There is a principle we can learn from in Isaiah 11, where it says of the Lord that “the spirit of wisdom and understanding” will rest on Him, and “He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear” (Isa. 11:2–3 NASB). You see, there is a discernment and wisdom from the Lord that goes beyond looking at the outward appearance of a matter.

When you call on Him, He will answer you and give you an answer of peace. If you don’t feel a peace to proceed, don’t allow anyone to pressure you into making a decision you will regret!

GOSPEL CORNER

16/ 11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man.
Colossians 3:8–10, NKJV

MAKE A CHANGE
Every day you have to make choices. Am I going to hold on to an offense, or am I going to let it go? Am I going to hang out with friends who cause me to compromise, or am I going to stay on the high road and be a person of excellence? Am I going to cut corners at work, or am I going to have integrity and give it my best? Am I going to be critical, harsh, and contentious, or am I going to be loving, kind, and respectful. I’m asking you to put off the old man. Don’t let the flesh take the throne and dictate your life. Let the Spirit rule. Honor God with your decisions. You can win the war within. God is calling you up higher. Whatever you know is holding you back, this is the time to make a change. This is a moment of grace to do what you couldn’t do before. Your decision can restore a relationship, take you to a new level in your career, or break bad habits and addictions.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that You have set me free and given me the power to make choices that honor You. Thank You that change is always possible and I am not stuck with the flesh ruling my life. I believe that Your grace is here to help me put off the old man and put on the new man. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

SECTION TWO

Frances Havergal wrote the well-loved hymn, Like a River Glorious. Read the lyrics of this beautiful hymn and see how her revelation of the ever-cleansing blood of Jesus ushered in the richness of God’s perfect peace into her heart and mind:

Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace,

Over all victorious, in its bright increase;

Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day,

Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.

Refrain:

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest

Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,

Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;

Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,

Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.

Every joy or trial falleth from above,

Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;

We may trust Him fully all for us to do;

They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Frances’s last words before she went on to be with Jesus were, “It is all perfect peace. I’m only waiting for Jesus to take me in.” What a way to enter into glory—possessing a perfect assurance of salvation, because she knew in her soul that all her sins were forgiven, and that every moment of her life she stood forgiven before God!

My friend, if you’re living life in the valley of despair today, believing that your sins are separating you from intimacy with the Lord and miring you in defeat, I want you to know that because you have put your faith in Christ, you are under the fountain of the ever-cleansing blood of Christ! Every sense of defilement or stain of sin will be washed away from your conscience when you know and believe what Frances discovered.

Because Jesus’ blood continually cleanses you, you cannot bounce in and out of the light of Christ, in and out of being seated in the heavenly places in Christ, in and out of being forgiven, justified, and made righteous, and in and out of fellowship with God. It is not a sometimes-yes-sometimes-no salvation, but a salvation that has secured a yes to all of God’s promises because of the blood of Jesus (2 Cor. 1:19–20)!

Today, with all of your heart, beloved, say yes!

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
“…but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.”
John 14:31, NLT

WHAT THE FATHER REQUIRES
As Jesus approached the time of the cross, He said the prince of this world was coming but had no power over Him. Then He added in today’s Scripture, “But I will do what the Father requires of Me.” That last part is the key. We’re all going to face attacks, trouble, and opposition. The enemy will come, and he has no power over us, but we have to do what the Father requires. We can’t sit back and say, “Why did this happen? This is not fair.” What the Father requires is that we move forward in faith.

Don’t let fear hold you back. The only tools the enemy has are deception and lies. The only power he has is the power you give him by believing his lies. He’s called the father of lies. There is no truth in him. Don’t believe the lie that a setback or illness is permanent. Don’t water down your dreams. The enemy is defeated. Now get your passion back and go after what God put in your heart.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that I can guard my heart and keep it free from all the lies and deceptions that try to keep me intimidated and living worried. Thank You that I can ignore the lies and believe the truth of Your Word. I declare that I will obey and do what You require. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SECTION TWO

The apostle Paul tells believers who have been born again in Christ that God the Father “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13–14).

Notice that there has been a change of location. You used to be under the power of darkness. But the moment you believed in Jesus, you were moved and placed under the blood of Jesus, where there is perpetual forgiveness of sins.

To understand the total forgiveness of sins, we have to understand the value of the person Who sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. He alone, because He was sinless, could pay for all the sins of every man.

When our Lord Jesus died at Calvary, He took all of humanity’s sins with one sacrifice of Himself at the cross. He took the judgment, punishment, and condemnation for all sins upon Himself. That’s the value of the one Man, Jesus. He is an overpayment for all our sins.

Now, does that mean that everyone is automatically forgiven? Of course not! While everyone’s sin is paid for, every individual needs to make a personal decision to receive the forgiveness of all their sins by receiving Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

Jesus is the only way to salvation. There is no other way except through Jesus and His shed blood.

There is no ambivalence in scripture as to how a person becomes a born-again believer in Christ. To be saved, you have to confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.

Therefore, anyone who tells you that everyone’s sin is automatically forgiven and that you don’t need to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior in order to be saved is scripturally inaccurate. Such teachings are heretical and are lies from the pit of hell.

There is no salvation without Jesus. There is no forgiveness without the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. There is no assurance that all our sins have been forgiven without the resurrection of Jesus.

But today, as born-again believers in Christ, there is forgiveness and the amazing assurance that our salvation is secure and we will never be put to shame! This is our reality today—we can enjoy His presence, His righteousness, and His help every day and in every season.

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!