GOSPEL CORNER

06/08/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
[Isaac] said, Your brother came with crafty cunning and treacherous deceit and has taken your blessing.
Genesis 27:35, AMPC

WHAT IS THE SOURCE?
In Genesis 27, Jacob deceived his father into giving him the family blessing rather than his brother, Esau. Jacob was dishonest and a deceiver, and his mother, Rebekah, was also a deceiver. It didn’t stop there. Jacob’s uncle, Laban, was dishonest in his business dealings and tricked Jacob into marrying his daughter Leah. Notice how that same spirit of deceit, manipulation, and dishonesty traveled through the family line. That was not a coincidence. That was a spirit that kept getting passed down in that family.

It’s good to ask yourself, “Why do I struggle in this area? Why am I drawn to compromise, to addictions, to manipulation?” Be aware of the source. Some of the problems you deal with were passed down to you, but they can stop with you. It may not be easy, but if you take a step of faith to put it to an end, God will give you grace to do it. That may mean letting go of bitterness, getting help with an addiction, or refusing to accept mediocrity as your destiny, but you can break the negative cycle.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that when Christ conquered death on the cross He broke the power of every negative thing that’s trying to hold me back. Thank You that any stronghold of the enemy within our family line is being destroyed. I believe that I have been set free. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Beloved, understanding the purpose of the law is critical to your relationship with God. He gave the law for one purpose: that you would have the knowledge of sin and recognize your need for a Savior.

Without the law, there would be no sin (Rom. 4:15). For example, if there is no law on how fast you can drive on a particular road, that is, if there is no speed limit, the state trooper cannot stop you and give you a ticket for speeding. In simple terms, no law equals no sin. No recognition of sin equals no need for a Savior!

The law was thus given to bring man to the end of himself so that in his despair, he would see his need for Jesus. Because of the law, no man can say that he is not a sinner and no man can say that he doesn’t need Jesus.

That is the purpose of the law. It was not designed to make you godly, but to expose your ungodliness.

What the devil wants to do is keep the law over your head all the time so that you constantly feel condemned and guilty. That is how he keeps you trapped in a cycle of defeat. The devil is the master legalist who constantly reminds you of how unworthy you are of God’s blessings. Known as the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10), here are some of his common attacks:

You call yourself a Christian?

You are a hypocrite!

Forget about praying. God will never listen to your prayers.

Look at your life. How dare you step into church?

My friend, these are lies, all lies! The devil is using the law to make you conscious of all your shortcomings. But through Jesus Christ, you are no longer under the condemnation of the law. The devil has been disarmed by the power of the cross!

Jesus, who knew no sin, was condemned on your behalf on the cross. Through Jesus Christ, you are now made righteous apart from the works of the law. So when you hear the voice of the accuser condemning you, remind yourself that you are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). Declare it out loud! Come on, say it with me three times, each time louder than the first:

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ!

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ!

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ!

Righteousness is a gift. It is not a reward for perfect obedience to the law. You are clothed today not in your own righteousness, which is self-righteousness, but with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. God sees you as righteous as Jesus Himself. This is your permanent, eternal standing before Him because of what Christ has done for you.

And hey, when you are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, any obstacle that tries to obstruct you from living your life to the fullest, whether it’s an addiction, sickness, fear, or depression, has to go!

GOSPEL CORNER:

05/08/24

When I share—even from the Bible—the gift of righteousness we have through Christ, someone will inevitably ask, “But, Pastor Prince, if you preach that one is forever righteous before the Lord apart from his works and law keeping, won’t people go out and live a licentious life? Won’t it give people a license to sin?”

In addressing this question that today’s Scripture deals with superbly, allow me to make this explicitly clear in black and white, so there is no doubt in anyone’s mind: I, Joseph Prince, am vehemently, completely, aggressively, and irrevocably against sin!

Sin is evil. I do not condone sin. A lifestyle of sin leads only to defeat and destruction.

My goal is for people to live a life of victory over sin, but I do not believe a victorious life comes by preaching the law. I am convicted that it happens by preaching the grace of God.

When you visit our church, you won’t find a congregation that, having received the good news of the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, wants to run off and start living in sin. In fact, some of the top business people, management executives, entrepreneurs, lawyers, accountants, and consultants in my country attend our church, and you will find a congregation that is deeply in love with the person of Jesus.

You will hear wonderful and amazing testimonies of how marriages have been restored, how terminal diseases have been miraculously healed, how long-term addictions and bondages have been supernaturally overcome, and other awesome testimonies that the good news of Jesus brings.

What you will see in our congregation is that sin loses its appeal when you encounter the person of grace, Jesus Christ, and realize all that He has done for you on the cross and blessed you with. You will begin to realize that you have been given this great gift of righteousness and that you did nothing to deserve it. You did nothing to earn it and you did nothing to merit it.

Now, will such an encounter with Jesus cause you to want to go out and sin? Of course not! On the contrary, it will cause you to fall in love with Jesus all over again.

It will make you a better husband, a better father, a better housewife, a better student. It will make you someone who desires with all your heart to guard the glory of our Lord Jesus by living a life that is victorious over sin, by His grace and strength.

The preoccupation with Christ instead of self will cause you to start reigning in life through the one, Jesus Christ. That is what we call the Grace Revolution!

The Word of God says, “Awake to righteousness, and sin not” (1 Cor. 15:34 KJV). The more you realize that you are righteous, the more you will experience victory over sin! So wake up every morning and give thanks that you are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ!

GOSPEL CORNER

04/08/24

*** There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge puffs up (1 Cor. 8:1). It can make one proud and arrogant. But wisdom will make you humble and teachable.

You can read extensively and accumulate a lot of knowledge, but still lack wisdom. You also don’t become wise just by growing older and having more experience in life. Wisdom is not natural. It does not matter if you are young or old, experienced or inexperienced, highly educated or not. Wisdom comes by God’s unmerited favor.

Listen to what God’s Word says about the importance of wisdom: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace [unmerited favor]; a crown of glory she will deliver to you” (Prov. 4:7–9).

You see, promotion and honor all come as a result of receiving wisdom. First Corinthians 1:30 says that Christ is made unto us wisdom first, then righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Wisdom comes first!

I remember how the key thing that I would pray for every day in the early days of our church was for the wisdom of God to guide us in everything that we did. That was my focus. I did not want to manage the church with my own knowledge. I wanted to depend on Jesus’ wisdom.

In fact, it was during this time of believing for God’s wisdom that the Lord opened my eyes to the gospel of grace—the gospel of grace that is unadulterated by the law and man’s works, and based entirely on the finished work of Jesus!

When my eyes were opened to the gospel of Jesus’ unmerited favor, lives began to be wonderfully changed and transformed, and from just a few hundred people in the mid-nineties, regular attendance at our Sunday services has grown to more than 33,000 precious people.

Whenever I am asked to explain how we grew the church, my answer is plain and simple—it was and is entirely by the unmerited favor of Jesus. I know that it is grace and grace alone that caused our church to experience such explosive growth.

Today, the same gospel of grace that we preach every Sunday in our church is being broadcast into millions of homes across America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region. We started as a little church in Singapore that nobody had heard of, but God’s unmerited favor has blessed us to become an international ministry that is impacting the world with the good news of His unmerited favor.

We take no credit for it because this wisdom is from Jesus, and our boast is in Him and Him alone. Beloved, let His wisdom lead you to supernatural success!

SECTION TWO

Today’s Scripture
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.

Psalm 23:6, NLT

Today’s Word What Is Pursuing You?
Until the moment when the prophet Samuel suddenly showed up at David’s house and anointed him to be the next king of Israel, all the circumstances in David’s life said he’d never see his dreams fulfilled. It’s significant that Samuel came to him. David didn’t have to try to convince Samuel to be for him or pursue him. Samuel came knocking on his door. There are blessings, good breaks, and the right people in your future that are going to come looking for you. You don’t have to go after them; God is going to cause them to pursue and find you. There are Samuels, promotions, healings, turnarounds, and moments of favor that God has already lined up to thrust you into your destiny. People can’t stop, betrayals can’t stop, and rejection can’t stop what God has planned for you. His plan supersedes those who try to push you down, leave you out, and tell you you’re not qualified. Now do your part and live with expectancy, excited about your future, thanking God for the favor in store.

PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that Your goodness and unfailing love are following me all the days of my life. Thank You for all the moments of favor that You’ve lined up to pursue and find me. I declare that Your plan for my life will supersede everything that comes against me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

GOSPEL CORNER

03/08/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORDey

Today’s Scripture
“But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”
Luke 18:8, MSG

What Kind of Faith?
If God showed up at your house today, what kind of faith would He find? Is it a little faith, weak faith, complaining faith, average faith, or great faith? The enemy would love for you to go through life barely believing, full of doubt, getting talked out of your dreams, giving up on what God put in your heart. “It’s never going to hapepen. Look at how big these problems are.” That kind of thinking is limiting what God can do. That kind of faith will never overcome the forces that are trying to hold you back from becoming all God created you to be.

God wants to do something new in your life, something uncommon, out of the ordinary, but if you’re going to see great favor, you have to awaken your great faith. It’s going to happen when you dare to believe that God is all-powerful despite what circumstances look like. You believe that God is not limited, and you start to believe for bigger things. You believe that what God promises in His Word will come to pass.

SECTION TWO

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are looking for faith in my life, that You desire that I believe and trust You more and more. Thank You that You are all-powerful and that You are always working what is best for my life. I declare that I am going to believe for bigger things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Let’s take a look at the life of Solomon. When Solomon became king, he was only a young man of about 18 years old and had big shoes to fill as David’s successor to the throne.

Solomon was not filled with wisdom when he first ascended the throne, but he was clearly very earnest. He went to Mount Gibeon, where the tabernacle of Moses was, to offer a thousand burnt offerings to the Lord. At Mount Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” (2 Chron. 1:7).

Now, think about this for a moment. What would you have asked for if you were in Solomon’s position? Solomon did not ask for riches. Neither did he ask to be honored by all men.

Instead, he told the Lord, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” (2 Chron. 1:10). Another account in the Book of 1 Kings tells us that Solomon told the Lord, “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

So when Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge, he was asking for an understanding heart.

Let’s go deeper. The word “understanding” here is the Hebrew word shama, which means “to hear intelligently.”

In other words, Solomon had asked for a hearing heart—one that hears from and flows with the leading of the Spirit of God, who leads us into all truth (John 16:13). You need a hearing heart for God’s wisdom to flow through you in every aspect of your life!

The Bible records that Solomon’s request pleased the Lord (1 Kings 3:10). I believe that the same request that pleased the Lord then still pleases Him today. When we ask Jesus for wisdom, we put ourselves in a posture of trusting and depending on His unmerited favor.

Although Solomon only asked for wisdom, the Lord added “riches and wealth and honor” to him. Too many people are chasing riches, wealth, and honor, not realizing that they come through the wisdom of Jesus.

Even if someone were to come into sudden wealth, without the wisdom of Jesus to manage it, the money would be squandered away. But with the wisdom of Jesus, you won’t only be blessed, you will also be able to hold on to the blessings in your life. Jesus makes you safe for good success that produces lasting and abiding fruit from generation to generation!

GOSPEL CORNER

02/08/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.
Genesis 33:4, NLT

MAKE THINGS RIGHT
When Jacob was a young man, he tricked his brother, Esau, out of his birthright, then he deceived his father into giving him the firstborn blessing that should have gone to Esau. When Esau found out, he was so angry that Jacob had to flee for his life. Jacob ran away from a problem he created, a relationship he severely damaged, and lived for twenty years in exile from his immediate family. When Jacob finally decided to go back home, it meant facing Esau. You always have to go back and deal with what you run from.

You can imagine Jacob’s apprehension of Esau’s anger and revenge, but Esau met him, embraced and kissed him, and they both wept. When you stop running, when you deal with things that you’ve pushed down, when you get honest with yourself and make things right, the grace of God goes before you. God will soften people’s hearts. You may need to ask for forgiveness or call that loved one you haven’t spoken to and make peace. Don’t wait. God will make your crooked places straight.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You restore broken relationships and soften people’s hearts that have been offended. Thank You that I can stop running away or staying away from people with whom I need to make peace. I believe that You are going before me with Your grace and straightening the crooked places. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

Today, I want you to read the parable of the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). As you read, keep in mind that this son utterly rejected and completely humiliated and dishonored his father, then only returned home when he remembered that even his father’s hired servants had more food than he did!

It was not the son’s love for his father that made him journey home; it was his stomach. In his own self-absorbed pride, he wanted to earn his own keep as a hired servant rather than to receive his father’s provision by grace or unmerited favor.

God wants us to know that even when our motivations are wrong, even when we have a hidden (usually self-centered) agenda and our intentions are not completely pure, He still runs to us in our time of need and showers His unmerited, undeserved, and unearned favor upon us.

Oh, how unsearchable are the depths of His love and grace toward us! It will never be about our love for God. It will always be about His magnificent love for us. The Bible makes this clear: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10 KJV).

Some people think that fellowship with God can only be restored when you are perfectly contrite and have perfectly confessed all your sins. Yet we see in this parable that it was the father who was the initiator, it was the father who had missed his son, who was already looking out for him, and who had already forgiven him.

Before the son could utter a single word of his rehearsed apology, the father had already run to him, embraced him, and welcomed him home. Can you see how it’s all about our Father’s heart of grace, forgiveness, and love? Our Father God swallows up all our imperfections, and true repentance comes because of His goodness.

Do I say “sorry” to God and confess my sins when I have fallen short and failed? Of course I do. But I do it not to be forgiven because I know that I am already forgiven through Jesus’ finished work.

The confession is out of the overflow of my heart because I have experienced His goodness and grace and because I know that as His son, I am forever righteous through Jesus’ blood. It springs from being righteousness-conscious, not sin-conscious; from being forgiveness-conscious, not judgment-conscious. There is a massive difference.

If you understand this and begin practicing this, you will begin experiencing new dimensions in your love walk with the Father. You will realize that your Daddy God is all about relationship and not religious protocol. He just loves being with you.

Under grace, He doesn’t demand perfection from you; He supplies perfection to you through the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. So no matter how many mistakes you have made, don’t be afraid of Him. He loves you. Your Father is running toward you to embrace you!

GOSPEL CORNER

01/08/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
Ezra 3:11, NKJV

BE PREPARED FOR OPPOSITION
In Ezra 3, with the permission of the king of Persia, fifty thousand Israelite men had returned to Jerusalem from exile with a leader named Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple. After two years, they finished the foundation and had a big celebration. Zerubbabel knew God’s favor was on his life. Everything was falling into place—the building supplies, the workers, the king’s provisions—and they were about to start the next phase when opposition arose. Local enemies of Judah didn’t want the temple rebuilt, so they stirred up trouble to stop it.

When you start to take steps of faith and see God’s favor, it’s amazing how that can stir up other people’s jealousy, criticism, gossip, and slander. But God has put greatness in you. He’s called you to stand out, to be a difference maker, to take your family to a new level. You’re going to have to be thick-skinned and determined to not waste your time trying to win people over who are not happy when you succeed. Just stay focused on what God has called you to do.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You have called me to be a difference maker and to fulfill the purpose You have for me. Thank You that my highest potential lies ahead of me and is not subject to the approval of other people. I will set my face and stay focused on what You have called me to do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

I love it when I’m in Israel and I hear little children running around in playgrounds, calling out, “Abba! Abba!” and jumping into their daddies’ embraces. To the Jews, Abba is the most intimate way in which you can address your father.

It’s a beautiful picture of the truth that through Jesus, you have received the Spirit of sonship by whom you cry out “Abba, Father.” Did you notice that the Holy Spirit refused to translate the original Aramaic word “Abba” into English?

In Abba’s arms, a child is most secure, protected, and loved. No enemy can pull a child out of his or her Abba’s strong arms. That’s the image God wants us to have when we pray to Him and call Him “Abba.” Of course, you can call Him “Daddy” or “Papa,” or whatever term helps you to see God as a warm, loving, and caring Father.

Unless you can see Him as your Abba Father, you will continue to have a “spirit of bondage again to fear” (Rom. 8:15), referring to the Old Testament fear of God. It’s a slavish fear of judgment and punishment that brings you into bondage and makes you afraid of God.

But God doesn’t want you to fear Him. He wants you to have a Spirit of sonship! Too many believers are living with an orphan, fatherless spirit. If you are entangled with all kinds of fears, guilt, and worries today, what you need is a good heavenly dose of the Father’s love for you!

Something amazing happens in your spirit when you see God as your Father. If my daughter, Jessica, has a nightmare, all she has to do is cry out, “Daddy!” and Daddy is there! Jessica doesn’t have to go, “O Father that liveth and inhabiteth the next room, I plead with thee to come to me at this time of peril, that thou mayest rescue me from this nightmare!” All she has to do is to cry out, “Daddy!” and I’m there.

Similarly, in your moments of weakness you don’t have to approach God with perfect prayers. You just cry out, “Daddy!” and your heavenly Father runs to you!

You are not coming before a judge. You are coming before your Father, your Daddy God, who embraces and loves you just the way you are.

Take time to come to your Abba Father today. Believe that He loves you unconditionally today. See Him welcoming you with a smile on His face and with outstretched arms. Run into His embrace, bask in His perfect love for you, and let it melt away every worry, fear, and insecurity.

When you believe and receive your Father’s love for you, it will put unshakable peace and strength in your heart!

GOSPEL CORNER

31/07/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.
Luke 24:30–31, NLT

OPEN OUR EYES
Two days after Jesus was crucified and buried, two of His discouraged, heartbroken disciples were walking the seven-mile journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus when they were joined by a man they didn’t recognize. They were so focused on their great loss that they didn’t recognize the miracle of the moment, that they were walking with the risen Jesus. They were missing the joy in the journey. They didn’t see it until God suddenly opened their eyes and they recognized they had been in His presence the whole time.

We see the difficulties and struggles every day, but are we seeing the joy in the journey? Could it be that God is doing great things, that we’re actually in a great moment right now, but we don’t see the good things? My prayer is, “God, open our eyes as You did for those two disciples.” There are great things happening right now—great memories to be made, great people to enjoy, great opportunities coming. Don’t be so busy and stressed trying to get where you want to go that you miss it.

SECTION TWO

When something goes wrong, is your first thought, “Well, this must be happening to me because of the sins that I have committed”? When you have a flat tire or fall sick, do you wonder, “What sin is God punishing me for now?”

If your answer to both questions is “yes,” you are not alone. This kind of thinking is so prevalent in the church because many believers don’t really believe that they are under the new covenant. They believe the opposite of today’s Scripture and think God is not merciful to their mistakes and always mindful of their sins.

The problem with the church today is wrong believing. Jesus Himself defined the new covenant for us at the last supper when He said, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28).

The main clause of the new covenant is the forgiveness of all your sins because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Your forgiveness does not hinge on how many good deeds you have done, how much money you have given to the church or charities, or what leadership position you hold. No, it all hinges on the shed blood of Jesus.

God put the main clause of the new covenant—Hebrews 8:12—as the last clause to show us that it is this final clause that makes the new covenant work in our lives. If you don’t believe the main and final clause, then you won’t experience the full benefits of the new covenant. You are also negating God’s Word and the finished work of Jesus.

The new covenant says that God is merciful to your unrighteousness and has forgotten your sins and lawless deeds. If God says that He has forgotten them, then He has truly forgotten them. God cannot lie!

But how can God forget my sins?

He can because He is God! If He said it, then He has done it. You know that sin you committed many years ago? God has forgotten it. He does not keep an itemized account of all your failures.

There is no big projector screen in heaven to show all your sins—from the day you were born to the day you die. All records of your sins have been incinerated by the blood of Jesus when He cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). When God looks at you today, He sees you covered with Jesus’ blood and completely righteous.

Only the devil, you yourself, and the people around you will bring your sins to your remembrance. So when you are weighed down by the mistakes of your past, run to God and lean on His grace!

Why? For He will be merciful to your unrighteousness, and your sins and lawless deeds He will remember no more. This is the main clause of the new covenant of grace! This is His Word!

GOSPEL CORNER

29/07/24

People have asked me from time to time, “Pastor Prince, why is an understanding of the complete forgiveness of my sins so important for me to walk in God’s unmerited favor?”

This is a good question. Friend, when you don’t have a clear sense of your complete forgiveness, you will constantly be on an emotional seesaw. Sometimes, you feel that things between you and God are all right, but at other times, you don’t think that it is so. Sometimes, you feel confident that the Lord is with you to make you a success, but at other times, you feel like you blew it and the Lord will not help you until you confess your sin and make amends.

You will be in a constant cycle of feeling insecure, where you are always hopping in and out of God’s favor. All these feelings depend on how well you think you have performed, and ignore the cross of Jesus altogether. My friend, God does not evaluate you based on your behavior. He sees only Jesus’ perfect work. But because you do not believe that Jesus has indeed forgiven you of all your sins, you end up feeling like a total and complete hypocrite and failure.

I hope that you are beginning to see that understanding the complete forgiveness of your sins is not just for theologians. Thinking that your sins are not completely forgiven will fundamentally affect your relationship with Jesus. While He is all ready to bless you, give you favor, and make you a success, unbelief in His finished work robs you of the ability to receive His goodness, His blessings, His unmerited favor, and His success in your life.

The cross of Jesus qualified you, but unbelief in the main clause of the new covenant disqualifies you. Meditate on what God says about your sins in the new covenant and free yourself to receive from Him today.

The new covenant is based entirely on His unmerited favor. There is nothing for you to do, nothing for you to perform, nothing for you to accomplish. Your part in the new covenant is just to have faith in Jesus and to believe that you are totally forgiven and free to enjoy the new covenant blessings through His finished work!