GOSPEL CORNER

02/11/24

Over the last two decades I’ve had the privilege of unveiling the beautiful person of our Lord Jesus Christ and the perfection of His finished work through the preaching of the gospel of glorious grace. As the name of Jesus is lifted up and proclaimed, we are receiving testimony after testimony about how people’s lives have been touched and transformed by the grace of God.

People of all walks of life, all over the world, are finding freedom from their long-term conditions, addictions, and bondages. They share joyfully with us how the Lord supernaturally delivered them from long-term panic attacks, substance abuse, and from decades of depression. Others write in, brimming with thanksgiving, because God has restored their marriages and their relationships with their estranged children, and healed their bodies when doctors had given them no hope.

I wish I could read all of them to you, because you will notice that there is one common thread woven through all these letters. There is one common denominator that tipped these people over from defeat into victory, from breakdowns into breakthroughs: they all had an encounter with Jesus. They all caught a revelation of His grace.

My dear friend, the grace revolution begins with Jesus. It is not a movement, teaching, or subject to be studied. It is all about a person. What you believe about this person makes all the difference.

I am sure you have heard about Jesus and are familiar with His name. You may have even attended Sunday school as a child and heard all the Bible stories about Him. The question is, do you know Jesus personally? Is He a historical figure, a prominent Jewish rabbi, or simply the son of a Galilean carpenter?

Who is He to you? Is He just another teacher? Or is He your Savior?

Whatever adversity, challenge, or circumstances you may be faced with today, your answer is found in the person of Jesus. Today, there is a grace revolution that is sweeping across the globe, because the person of Jesus is boldly preached, proclaimed, and lifted high.

This is what the grace revolution is all about. It is about your life touched, changed, and transformed from the inside out. It is about living a victorious life. A life that wins. A life that reigns triumphant over defeat, failure, and frustration.

When you encounter the person of grace, see His heart of love for you, and when the veil of Christian religion is removed, there is no turning back. You’ll begin to step away from defeat and take a massive leap toward your victory!

People of all walks of life, all over the world, are finding freedom from their long-term conditions, addictions, and bondages. They share joyfully with us how the Lord supernaturally delivered them from long-term panic attacks, substance abuse, and from decades of depression. Others write in, brimming with thanksgiving, because God has restored their marriages and their relationships with their estranged children, and healed their bodies when doctors had given them no hope.

I wish I could read all of them to you, because you will notice that there is one common thread woven through all these letters. There is one common denominator that tipped these people over from defeat into victory, from breakdowns into breakthroughs: they all had an encounter with Jesus. They all caught a revelation of His grace.

My dear friend, the grace revolution begins with Jesus. It is not a movement, teaching, or subject to be studied. It is all about a person. What you believe about this person makes all the difference.

I am sure you have heard about Jesus and are familiar with His name. You may have even attended Sunday school as a child and heard all the Bible stories about Him. The question is, do you know Jesus personally? Is He a historical figure, a prominent Jewish rabbi, or simply the son of a Galilean carpenter?

Who is He to you? Is He just another teacher? Or is He your Savior?

Whatever adversity, challenge, or circumstances you may be faced with today, your answer is found in the person of Jesus. Today, there is a grace revolution that is sweeping across the globe, because the person of Jesus is boldly preached, proclaimed, and lifted high.

This is what the grace revolution is all about. It is about your life touched, changed, and transformed from the inside out. It is about living a victorious life. A life that wins. A life that reigns triumphant over defeat, failure, and frustration.

When you encounter the person of grace, see His heart of love for you, and when the veil of Christian religion is removed, there is no turning back. You’ll begin to step away from defeat and take a massive leap toward your victory!

GOSPEL CORNER

02/11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
Saul gave in and confessed, “I’ve sinned. I’ve trampled roughshod over GOD’s Word and your instructions. I cared more about pleasing the people. I let them tell me what to do.”
1 Samuel 15:24, MSG

Stay True
Saul was the first king of Israel. He wasn’t raised in wealth and influence, but was suddenly thrust into a position that he never dreamed possible. He started out doing what God asked him to do, but over time he made the mistake of letting what other people thought, how he would be accepted, influence his decisions. Finally, after God gave him a specific instruction, he failed to fully obey, compromised, and then made excuses before admitting he did it for fear of the people. Because Saul was a people pleaser, he ended up losing the kingdom.

The problem with living image-driven is that you can’t please God and please people all the time. Sometimes God will ask you to do something that’s not popular, that other people don’t understand, that your friends might not accept, that causes coworkers to look down on you. Don’t be a Saul. When you know God has told you something, stay true to your purpose and refuse to compromise. Be more concerned about how God sees you than how people see you. He’s the One who matters.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that I don’t have to let other people squeeze me into their mold. Thank You that You speak to me with directions for my life, and Your approval is all that I need. I’m not going to be pressured into compromising what I know is right to do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

SECTION TWO

God’s blessings are part of our inheritance in the new covenant of grace, which Jesus died to give us. God’s Word tells us that “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us . . . that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Isn’t it interesting that the Lord is very specific in mentioning that Christ became a curse for us on the cross, so that we can experience and enjoy the blessing of Abraham? He does not want us to simply experience any kind of blessing. He wants us to experience the blessing of Abraham. I think it behooves us then to find out what “the blessing of Abraham” is and who can receive it.

The Bible tells us that “if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29). Are you Christ’s? Do you belong to Jesus? Then that makes you an heir according to the promise.

Every believer in Christ is an heir. Whenever you hear the word “heir,” it speaks of something good. It speaks of an inheritance that you don’t work for, an inheritance that is yours not because of what you do, but because of whose you are.

In this case, as a new covenant believer in Jesus, you belong to Jesus and you have a blood-bought inheritance in Christ as the seed of Abraham. You, beloved, are an heir according to THE promise!

Now, there are many promises in the Bible, but what is THE promise that God made to Abraham? We can’t claim this promise if we don’t know what it is. We need to go to the Word (use the Bible to interpret the Bible) to establish what the promise is. And we find the answer in Romans 4:13—”For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

The promise to Abraham and his seed (you and I) is that he would be “the heir of the world”! In the original Greek text, the word “world” here is kosmos. Its meaning includes “the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments, riches, advantages, pleasures.”

Now, that is what you are an heir to through Jesus’ finished work! In Christ, you are an heir of the world—its goods, its endowments, its riches, its advantages, and its pleasures. This is THE promise that God made to Abraham and his seed. Don’t apologize for it. It is your inheritance in Christ!

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GOSPEL CORNER

01/11/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung up our harps.
Psalm 137:1–2, NIV

Don’t Hang Up Your Harp. After the people of Judah were conquered and taken into captivity by the Babylonians, they were so discouraged. They used to be joyful and sing about the greatness of Jehovah, but now they just sat and wept over what they lost. They didn’t just lose their freedom; they lost their praise and hung up their harps. When their captors asked them to sing the joyous songs of Israel, they refused. Their attitude was: “After God delivers us, we’ll get our joy back and sing again.”

No, praise is what turns a difficult season around. While you’re waiting for things to change, believing for breakthroughs, the enemy would love for you to get discouraged, to sit around complaining about your problems and hang up your harp. That’s when you need to give God praise more than ever. Praise activates His power. Praise causes angels to go to work. Praise opens prison doors. Praise breaks chains. Praise defeats giants. Don’t hang up your harp. You can praise your way out. Keep the praises going up and you’ll be amazed at what God will do.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that You are my God and that’s reason enough to never waver in believing Your promises. Thank You that I can sing with joy in whatever season I am in. I am going to keep believing, keep praising, and keep thanking You for what’s on the way. 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!

30/10/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
So Haman…robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”
Esther 6:11, NIV

LET GOD DO IT
In the book of Esther, a powerful Persian official named Haman tried to push down Mordecai, who was Esther’s cousin. He disrespected Mordecai, tried to make him look bad, then plotted to execute him. But one day the king told Haman to put a royal robe on Mordecai, march him through the streets, and announce to everyone what a great man Mordecai was. Out of all the people the king could have chosen, he specifically chose Haman to honor Mordecai, the very person who was against him.

When someone treats you badly, that’s what can happen when you let God vindicate you. Don’t worry about the boss who’s not giving you credit. You’re not working unto people. You’re working unto God, and He is keeping the records. Perhaps instead of you working for that boss, one day that boss may be working for you. Stay in peace. If you let God vindicate you His way, it will be bigger, sweeter, more rewarding, and more honoring than you can imagine. He will make sure you get exactly what you deserve.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that You are still on the throne and You are my vindicator when I am treated badly. Thank You that You can bring me out of difficulties better off than I was before they showed up. I am going to stay in peace and let You vindicate me Your way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

SECTION TWO

David is a wonderful example of someone who talked to the Lord and practiced His presence all the time. Even as a young teenager taking care of his father’s sheep in the fields, he would be singing psalms and hymns to the Lord and playing his harp.

In 1 Samuel 16, the Bible records that King Saul was very unsettled, and his servants told him that he was being troubled by a distressing spirit. They then advised him to bring David before him to play the harp for him, saying that evil spirits departed when David played the harp.

One of the servants gave a glowing description of David as someone “who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.” Do you know why David could cause Saul to become refreshed just by playing his harp? Do you know why David could have such accolades heaped upon him? I believe that the key is in the last part of the verse: “the LORD is with him.”

A few years after Wendy and I got married, an incident happened that I will never forget. I was on my way home one day and I had stepped into a cramped elevator. A group of ladies squeezed into the same elevator with me and their perfumes were overpowering!

Anyway, almost dizzy from near-suffocation, I got home and greeted Wendy with a kiss. She looked at me and remarked that she smelled a familiar female fragrance on me. To clear the air (literally), I told her about my encounter earlier with the ladies in the elevator. And that’s why, my friend, it’s so important to have trust in your marriage!

I am sure that you have experienced something similar before. Have you ever been in a room filled with cigarette smoke? You may not smoke, but your hair and clothes will smell of smoke even after you have left the room.

In the same way, you cannot be in the presence of the Lord without His glory, His majesty, His beauty, His power, His love, and His peace rubbing off on you. You begin to “smell” like Jesus, be powerful like Him, and be filled with peace like Him!

No wonder Acts 4:13 records this about Peter and John: “Now when they [the rulers and elders of Israel] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

Beloved, choose to prioritize the presence of the Lord wherever you are. You will experience the undeniable evidence of His presence in your life.

29/10/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
Jesus wept.
John 11:35, NIV

AMAZING
One of the beauties of our God is that He feels what we feel. When Jesus saw Mary and Martha weeping over the death of their brother, Lazarus, “Jesus wept.” He was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled” by their tears. He could feel their heartbreak, their sorrow. There are times when life throws us such a blow that all we can do is weep. What’s interesting is that Jesus already knew He was going to raise Lazarus, yet He entered into their sorrow and began to weep with them. Know this: When you weep, God weeps. When you’re heartbroken, God feels it. When you don’t think you can go on, when you feel overwhelmed, God is right there with you. The Scripture says, “He is close to the brokenhearted.”

God used sorrow to prepare Mary and Martha for something amazing—a resurrection. Tears of sorrow gave way to tears of joy, laughter, and celebration. When you’re in a season of struggle and weeping, keep this promise in your spirit: “I know joy is coming. God is about to amaze me.”

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that I never have to wonder about Your unconditional love for me even in the most difficult times. Thank You that You feel what I feel, You weep when I weep, and You are always for me. I declare that I am going to live securely, knowing that You always amaze me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler. Not “maybe” or “sometimes,” but an unqualified “surely.” Not a conditional “He might” but a definitive “He shall.” What blessed assurance we have that our God will deliver us from the snare of the fowler!

The Bible depicts the devil as a fowler. A fowler is a professional bird catcher. He lays traps and carefully conceals them so that he can ambush unsuspecting birds. The Bible also depicts the devil as a thief and murderer who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

What we need to understand is that the world we live in is a fallen world. Adam committed high treason and gave the keys of this world to the devil. Because of what Adam did, the devil is the ruler of this world. The apostle Paul calls him “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).

That is why as long as the devil is still the ruler of this world, the world will continue to get darker and darker and there will continue to be accidents, sicknesses, calamities, tragedies, and deaths.

But we can rejoice in the knowledge that the devil’s lease on this world is quickly running out. Apostle Paul also tells us that our Lord Jesus is coming back and all His enemies will be humbled or put under His feet, with death as the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26).

In the meantime, we will see the world getting darker and darker. But as believers, we do not need to live in fear. Our trust is in our Lord Jesus. We are in this world, but we are not of this world (John 17:16).

There is a very real and active fowler that is setting up snares. Even as I write this, I’m reading and hearing reports of bombs going off, shootings, a commercial airplane crashing upon landing, and viral outbreaks in different parts of the world.

In the natural, this can be extremely disheartening. But don’t forget that we have a Savior who is even more real, and He has promised to deliver us from the snare of the fowler and from perilous pestilences.

The bottom-line is, we need to realize how much we need our Savior and His protection daily. We need to involve the Lord Jesus in our lives every day. Only He can deliver us and keep us safe!

GOSPEL CORNER

28/10/24

Jesus gives you His shalom to set you up for success in life. You cannot be a success in your marriage, family, and career when you are crippled and paralyzed with fear.

Today, as you are reading this, I believe with all my heart that Jesus has already begun a work in your heart to liberate you from all your fears, whatever they may be. They may be the fear of failure, the fear of success, the fear of people’s opinions of you, or even the fear that God is not with you.

All the fears that you are experiencing in your life today began with an untruth, a lie that you have somehow believed. Perhaps you have believed that God is angry and displeased with you, and that His presence is far from you.

That’s why the Bible says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

This scripture tells us that when you begin to have a revelation that God loves you perfectly (not because of what you have accomplished, but because of what Jesus has accomplished for you), that revelation of the unmerited favor of Jesus will cast out every fear, every lie, every anxiety, every doubt, and every worry that God is against you. The more you have a revelation of Jesus and how He has made you perfect, the more you will free yourself to receive His complete shalom and succeed in life!

My friend, know that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have absolute peace with God. The new covenant of grace is also known as the covenant of peace. Today, you stand upon the righteousness of Jesus and not your own. Today, because of Jesus, God says this to you: “I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke [condemn] you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed” (Isa. 54:9–10).

God is on your side. Jesus’ shalom is on your side to make you a success in life. All of heaven’s resources are on your side.

Even if you are caught in the midst of a storm right now, just think of the picture of the eagle chicks sleeping soundly in spite of the storm, nestled under the wings of their mother, their protector and provider. And may the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). Go in this peace, my friend, and rest upon His shalom!

27/ 10/24

GOSPEL CORNER

When you change the way you see yourself and God, you will see changes in your negative circumstances.

A lady from Tennessee discovered this when she was about to give up on her failing graphic design business. Around that time, she was given my book, Destined to Reign, which completely changed the way she saw herself and her career.

She said, “My mindset about myself, and more importantly, how much God loves me through Jesus Christ, began to change. I began to believe and see that Jesus is my success, that it’s not my career that makes me a success . . . Within two months, I began to see my business turn around. Six months down the road, business is booming—I am receiving royalties each month that I never dreamed I would get!”

Beloved, believe that you are greatly, immeasurably loved by your Father in heaven, and you can’t help but see His goodness in your life!

26/10/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
“Your approval means nothing to me.”
John 5:41, NLT

APPROVAL ADDICTION
After the religious leaders in Jerusalem criticized Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath, He told them that their disapproval meant nothing to Him. He wasn’t dependent on who liked or supported Him. He received His approval from His Heavenly Father.

We all want to be liked, but too many people let the opinion of others determine what they do and who they are. They run everything through a filter: “How’s this going to make me look? Will others be impressed and applaud, or will they look down on me?” They don’t realize they’re addicted to approval. They have to keep pleasing others in order to feel good about themselves. But some people will never give you their approval no matter what you do. Sometimes people are for you, and sometimes they’re not. Your destiny is not predicated on their approval of you. God laid out your plan. He called you, equipped you, and gave you favor. When you’re secure in who He made you to be, you know you’re valuable, talented, attractive, and a masterpiece. You don’t need anyone else’s validation.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that I can feel good about who I am because You made me just as I am. Help me to not become dependent upon other people’s approval or try to get my value from them. I declare that I have Your approval and love and that’s all I need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

God is a good God. He is a God of love. But we will never know how much God loves us until we know how much He loves Jesus, because He gave us Jesus, His beloved Son.

Do you remember the story of Abraham in Genesis 22? Abraham’s heart must have been broken when he led his one and only promised son, Isaac, up Mount Moriah to be sacrificed. But in the end, Isaac did not have to die because God provided a substitute—a ram.

The ram caught in the thicket was really a picture of Jesus, who would one day be arrested, and led up Mount Calvary to be crucified in our place for our sins.

My friend, God so loved His Son, but He so loved you too, that He was willing to give up His Son for you. That’s how much He loves you! And if God was willing to give you heaven’s best—Jesus—do you think that He will withhold anything good from you?