04/03/24_0

When faced with what appeared to be certain destruction, King Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord. Today’s scripture is part of his prayer.

Note that instead of rehashing his fears to the Lord and lamenting about how overpowered by their enemies their small tribe was, Jehoshaphat centered his prayer and thoughts on just how big and powerful his God truly is.

He proclaimed boldly that “no one is able to withstand” the Lord—no one! In a hopeless situation, he hoped in the Lord.

I call that Bible hope! Hope is a beautiful word in the Bible. Hope in the New Testament is the Greek word elpis, which is defined as a “favorable and confident expectation” or “the happy anticipation of good.”

This means that when you hope in the Lord, there is a joy in your countenance (simply put, a smile on your face). There is a confident assurance in your heart that, bleak as the circumstances appear to be, it’s not over yet.

Unfortunately, the word “hope” as used in our modern vernacular is completely different and sometimes even antithetical to the way the Bible defines it. When we say things such as, “I hope that I will get the job,” our use of the word connotes uncertainty, doubt, and ambivalence.

The Word of God declares that “this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us” (Rom. 5:5 NLT). We can have true hope—a certain, joyful, confident expectation of good—when we rightly believe how dearly God loves us!

There is a direct and proportionate correlation between hope and rightly believing in God’s love for you. Hope springs in your heart when you believe that God loves you.

No matter how adverse your circumstances may seem today, put your trust in the Lord. Believe that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf, and that He is turning the situation around for your good (Rom. 8:28). All His abundant heavenly resources, His power, His healing, His restoration, His deliverance, His provision, His favor, His help, His comfort, and His love are with you and on your side, waiting to be unleashed upon you.

The Lord your God will open up the windows of heaven over your life and pour out for you such a blessing that there won’t be room enough to receive it! When our entire hope and trust is in Him, we can count on His promises toward us. This hope never disappoints, which means that your greatest victories are ahead of you.

03/03/24

ISAIAH 55:8 FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS, SAITH THE LORD. 55:9 FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.

THE GOD OF ALL POSSIBLITIES

Mr. Peter had a job interview to attend at 10am but his wife developed complications at 9am. He decided to take the wife to the hospital and leave for the interview thereafter but on their way to the hospital, the taxi broke down. It was already 10:30am before he could get another taxi.

He arrived the hospital at 11am, dropped the wife and used the same taxi to go for the interview. He arrived the interview venue at 12noon(2hours late).
He rang the bell but no one opened the door. Meanwhile, earlier at 10am, the company mail delivery had rang the bell but no one opened the door too. When the door was finally opened, Mr. Peter said “I’m sorry, I came… ” he wanted to apologise for coming late, but the Secretary interrupted before he could finish his statement and ushered him to the Board Room. The Secretary said, “I apologise, Mr. Peter, for keeping you waiting since 10am. We actually heard when the bell rang at 10am but we were held up in a meeting with our company suppliers.
However, we have sat since 8am to deliberate on your job specification, your office and the salary.”
Mr. Peter was baffled and said, “Ma’am, I haven’t been interviewed yet’’. The MD answered him and said, “We decided not to conduct the interview at least to save time and also save the interviewees money on transport. So we looked at the papers for the most appropriate person we wanted and we opted for you. Also, we had tested your patience this morning by keeping you waiting intentionally for 2hrs. That’s part of your interview. You won’t be disappointed. You’ll be shown your office, your secretary and the
driver assigned to drive your company’s allotted vehicle. You’ll be on probation for 2yrs.”
He got the job!!!
On his way out, his phone rang and it was the wife. She said, “honey, I was delivered of a bouncing baby boy.” It was their fifth child and the only male child. He immediately named the child ‘Miracle’.
He got a double miracle same day. All the disappointments turned out to favour him. God positioned the mail delivery man to ring the bell at 10am.
God also held them up in the meeting until Mr. Peter arrived.
Note: You might be held up by issues in your life and hope might be diminishing and you think the chance is gone. But you know what? God’s waiting for you to release His favor.
So don’t go back along the way. Don’t quit. Don’t be upset by what you face along the way. In fact, God has already deliberated on your specifications.
One more thing: You don’t have to go through any interview, since you have all the qualifications God wants.
My prayers for you: who share this testimony to 7 different Whatsapp groups are

1. God will position somebody at the right place and the right time for you who will ring the bell in your favor.
2. God will turn all your disappointments to be a blessing for you.
3. Every positive meeting will end in your favor and every negative meeting will scatter in your favor.

03/03/24

When there were plagues and pestilences all over ancient Egypt because Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go, look at what God said about the children of Israel: “I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell . . . I will make a difference between My people and your people.”

The Bible records that although Egypt was plagued by swarms of flies and other pestilences, the Israelites were safe in Goshen, completely untouched by the troubles!

Don’t be afraid when you hear or read of terrible diseases in the world. As God’s beloved child, you are in the world, but not of the world. And as the children of Israel were kept safe and protected in Goshen, so will the Lord keep you safe in the secret place of the Most High.

02/03/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
“I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.”
Isaiah 46:4, NLT

THROUGH EVERY SEASON
God has grace for every season. He’s been carrying you for your whole life. When you look back, perhaps you can see how He carried you through a sickness and gave you a strength you had never felt. Or perhaps He carried you through a loss. It was painful, but deep down you felt a peace and were able to keep moving forward. Or perhaps He carried you through a challenge with your child. You should have had a nervous breakdown, and it should have caused you to give up on your dreams. But every day you had the grace to stay in faith. You believed when every thought said, “It’s never going to work out.” Here you are on the other side—blessed, healthy, and stronger than ever.

***Be encouraged today. If God carried you back then, He’s going to carry you now. Whatever you’re facing may seem insurmountable, but it’s not going to defeat you. It’s not going to be too much. You’re not going to be overwhelmed. You’re being carried by the Creator of the universe.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for promising me grace for every season, and thank You for carrying me throughout my lifetime. Thank You that You made me and care about every detail of my life. I believe and declare that nothing that’s coming against me will be too much. I will overcome. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

I love how Psalm 91 reminds us that we have round-the-clock protection. Whether it is at night or in the day. Whether it is in darkness or at noonday. Whether we are faced with a terror or confronted by arrows. Whether pestilences threaten or destruction looms. We do not have to be afraid because our God, who watches over us, neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:3–4)!

*** The reality is, the world we live in seems to be engulfed in negative news and fear. We often hear reports of senseless terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, horrific accidents claiming multiple victims, or an epidemic affecting entire communities, leading to hundreds of babies being born with deformities. I know that many can’t help but dread that the same tragedies could befall them.#

But beloved, I want you to know that in the midst of all that is happening in the world, you can be fearless, and this comes from knowing the Lord as the God of peace.

Romans chapter 15 ends with the apostle Paul saying, “Now the God of peace be with you all” (Rom. 15:33, boldface mine). You might ask, Isn’t God with us all the time? Why then did Paul specifically say, “The God of peace be with you all”?

What Paul was speaking over the people was for God to manifest Himself as the God of peace in their lives. In other words, even though God is always with us, we may not always experience Him as the God of peace.

Do you know what happens when God manifests Himself as the God of peace in your life? Romans 16:20 (boldface mine) tells us this: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

Do you see what the God of peace will do in your life? He will crush every fear, every worry, and every anxiety!

Do you see grace in that verse as well? Grace—the undeserved, unearned, and unmerited favor of God—is the only thing against which the devil has no defense. That is why we put our faith in the blood of Jesus when we talk about protection. His sinless blood was shed to pay the price for the guilty one.

And because Jesus paid the price, we who are in Him have a right to walk in divine health and protection. Grace qualifies us for God’s all-encompassing protection. Amen!

29/02/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment, for she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.
Mark 5:27–28, AMPC

PUSH THROUGH
There was a lady who had a bleeding disorder for twelve years. She had spent all her money on the best doctors but continued to get worse. Then one day she heard that Jesus was passing through her town, and her faith was awakened suddenly. She left her house determined to push through the crowds and get to Jesus. She had to push through doubts that it wouldn’t happen, push through her past that said she’d tried and it didn’t work out, push through fear that Jesus might not approve her. Despite all the opposition, she kept saying to herself, “When I get to Jesus, I will be healed.” She tapped into her great faith, reached out and touched the edge of His robe, and was healed. Jesus looked at her and said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. I didn’t even see you. Your faith caused this miracle to happen.”

Are there blessings you’re missing, favor you’re not seeing, because you’re not stretching your faith? What do you need to press through in faith? Great faith gets God’s attention.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You for Your presence in my life today and that my faith can push through to You and do amazing things. Thank You that I can reach out and touch You by faith. I declare that I am stretching my faith to believe in You in greater ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

SECTION TWO

What a wonderful promise we have in Psalm 91:11–12! In the same way the angels surrounded Elisha and his servant and protected them, they are surrounding us and protecting us today, because God has given them charge over us to protect us!

When we choose to make Him our habitation, He charges His angels to watch over us and to surround us with His divine protection.

Now, did you know that Psalm 91:11–12 was quoted by the devil when he tried to tempt our Lord Jesus? He brought our Lord to the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'” To this Jesus replied, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God'” (Matt. 4:5–7).

The temptation of our Lord Jesus in the wilderness is the only instance in the Bible where the devil is recorded quoting Scripture. But the devil deliberately misquoted verse 11. The devil misquotes the Bible because he is the father of lies. Verse 11 actually reads (boldface mine): “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

I asked the Lord why the devil left out the words “to keep you in all your ways” and He directed me to Proverbs 3:6–7 (boldface mine), which says: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil.”

You see, the devil didn’t want to say the words “to keep you in all your ways” because that would be tantamount to reminding believers of Proverbs 3:6–7—to acknowledge God in all our ways. So he conveniently left out that whole portion.

But praise the Lord, we know that this is what the Lord has promised: “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (boldface mine). Our part is to simply acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He shall direct our paths, protecting us along the way!

28/02/24

TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
Mephibosheth bowed to David again and said, “You are being very kind to me, your servant! And I am no better than a dead dog!”
2 Samuel 9:8, NCV

A Dead-Dog Mentality Mephibosheth was born into royalty as the grandson of King Saul. But after his father, Jonathan, and Saul were killed in battle, he was crippled in an accident and ended up living for many years in the slums of Lo-Debar, one of the poorest cities of that day. Mephibosheth let the bad breaks in his life define his identity, forgot who he was, and saw himself as no better than a dead dog. He would have lived his entire life in defeat and lack if David hadn’t brought him to live in the palace and restored all that belonged to his grandfather.

You may have been through disappointments and feel like a victim, unworthy, not valuable, undeserving, at a disadvantage. But you have to get rid of that dead-dog mentality. The King of kings is looking to bring you to the palace and restore all that belongs to you as His child. He’s coming to remind you that you have royalty in your blood and a crown of favor on your head. Start having a child-of-the-King mentality. You are worthy, valuable, forgiven, blessed, and victorious.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for being my Father and breathing Your life into me. Help me to quit believing the lies that say I am a victim and unworthy of Your blessings. I believe and declare that I am a child of the Most High God and that I’m stepping up to live in the palace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

Under the old covenant, it is true that God’s protection was conditional. But for you and me today, it is vital that we read and understand Psalm 91 through the lens of the new covenant—through the lens of the cross.

We are no longer living under the old covenant. We have a new and living way (Heb. 10:20)! Under the old, protection is achieved. Under the new, protection is received.

I have covered the differences between law and grace extensively in my books such as Destined to Reign and Grace Revolution, so I won’t delve too deeply into this subject here. All I really want you to see is this: The cross has made a difference.

At the cross, God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Today, we are the righteousness of God in Christ!

Because we are righteous in Christ, we can receive the promise of Psalm 5:12, which declares, “For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.”

Naturally, we can’t always watch our backs. But supernaturally, God has got us covered all around. His abundant supply of grace (unmerited favor) encompasses us like a mighty and impenetrable force field, surrounding us 360 degrees and twenty-four hours a day!

Coming back to Psalm 91:14, how do we set our love upon God today? We set our love upon God by meditating on, talking about, and listening to preaching about His love for us!

Remember, it is not about our love for Him, but His love for us. It is about us meditating on Bible verses such as, “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life” (John 3:16 AMPC).

There is protection and deliverance from destruction when you believe in God’s love for you. Set your mind on how greatly loved and dearly prized you are. The more conscious you are of the Lord’s love for you, the more His protection will manifest in your life!

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

Today’s Scripture
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
3 John 2, NKJV

27/02/24

IS YOUR SOUL HEALTHY?
Peace, Ninety percent of all visits to a primary care physician are stress-related. We don’t realize how much our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts affect us physically. Today’s Scripture implies that if our soul is unhealthy, it will spill over into our physical health. If you’re living worried, bitter, guilty, and angry, those negative emotions and that negative energy poison your soul and weaken your immune system’s ability to fight off sickness. You lie in bed worrying about your finances all night, can’t sleep, then wonder why you have no energy, your blood pressure is high, and you have constant headaches.

It might be related to bitterness over what someone did years ago. You can’t take in toxins and not be poisoned. If you get your soul healthy, many of the physical ailments will go away. It’s all interconnected.

Is your soul healthy? Ask God to show you anything that is causing you negative emotions, then release it to Him. When you empty out the unforgiveness, the worry, the discouragement, God will cause your soul to prosper and fill you with joy and healing.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You want both my soul and health to prosper in all things. I choose to empty out any negative emotions and attitudes so You can fill me with peace and joy. I believe that You will help me keep my soul and my body whole and healthy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

In the days of the prophet Elisha, the king of Syria seized upon an opportunity to capture Elisha who was in the city of Dothan. He mobilized a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city one night. He wasn’t prepared to take any risk of the prophet escaping.

Early the next morning in Dothan, when Elisha’s servant went outside, he saw troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. He and Elisha were completely surrounded by enemy forces intent on killing them. The servant flew into a state of panic and cried out to Elisha, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15).

Put yourself in the shoes of Elisha’s servant. You (and I) would probably have been filled with fear too. But here’s where I want you to pay close attention, because there is a powerful truth I want you to catch.

Without faltering, Elisha calmly told his servant, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16).

I can just imagine how the servant must have felt. There was absolutely no logic in what Elisha had just said. There were just the two of them against a whole army! Had his master gone mad?

Before the servant could work himself into an even greater panic, Elisha prayed a simple prayer: “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see” (2 Kings 6:17). And the Lord opened the eyes of the servant. Then he saw that the hillside all around them was filled with blindingly magnificent horses and chariots of fire.

God’s army of angels was flanking them on every side, ablaze with the glory, beauty, and majesty of the Most High. As the servant marveled, he realized that the Syrian forces were utterly dwarfed by the angelic army.

Why had the young servant been fearful while Elisha was fearless? The answer is this: They saw different things. The young man saw the great Syrian army. But Elisha saw an even greater angelic army on chariots of fire. Elisha had spiritual insight.

My dear reader, would you commit to heart what Elisha told his servant in 2 Kings 6:16? If you are in a constant fight with fear, meditate on this Scripture and fortify your heart with this promise.

Whether you find yourself besieged by debts, attacked by what doctors call a terminal illness, or constantly anxious over the safety of your children, remember this powerful verse. The God of angelic armies is with you. No weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isa. 54:17)

26/02/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

FLAWS AND ALL
Today’s Scripture
Deuteronomy 7:6, NIV
The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

TODAY’S WORD
It’s interesting that the twelve-thousand-pound block of marble that Michelangelo used to carve his magnificent sculpture of David had been twice discarded by other famous sculptors.

They thought it had too many flaws, imperfections, and blemishes in the marble’s grain. Michelangelo saw the same defects, but he looked beyond the imperfections. He said, “I see a masterpiece in this rock.”

Similar to the two artists, other people may look at you and say, “They’ll never amount to much. Look at their failures and weaknesses and mistakes.” All they see are your flaws. They may write you off. But God says, “I see flaws and weaknesses, but I also see a masterpiece. I see a blessed, strong, forgiven, favored child of the Most High God.” He knows how to make you and mold you to where the best you comes out. You may see yourself as the failed you, the broken you, the guilty you, but the true you is still in you. You’re about to become the masterpiece God created you to be, the blessed you, the faithful you, the honored you, the righteous you.

PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that You created me to be a masterpiece, to be Your prized possession. Thank You that You saw all my flaws and weaknesses but looked beyond my imperfections. I believe that the blessed me, the faithful me, the righteous me will show out. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SECTION TWO

Beloved, when you depend on God’s wisdom to succeed today, you will see whatever you do prosper. Simply observe how our Lord Jesus always flowed in divine wisdom in His earthly ministry. For example, look at what happened when the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Him.

The Pharisees came to Him and quoted from the law, saying, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:4–5).

They thought that they had succeeded in trapping Jesus because if He told them to stone her, then they would accuse Him of not demonstrating the forgiveness and grace that He had been preaching about. If He were to say that they should not stone her, then the Pharisees would accuse Him of breaking the law of Moses and bring a charge against Him.

The Pharisees were probably gloating over the clever trap that they had devised. That is why they confronted Jesus in the public area around the temple. They wanted to embarrass Him in front of the multitudes that had come to hear Him teach.

Now, observe the wisdom of Jesus in operation. He simply told them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7).

What majesty! They came to Jesus with the law of Moses and Jesus gave them the perfect standard of the law. Without flinching, He simply challenged the person who was perfect before the law to cast the first stone.

The Pharisees who had come to ensnare Jesus began to walk away one by one, completely silenced. This same Jesus, with all His wisdom, is today our ascended Christ, who is seated at the Father’s right hand, and whom the Bible says is “made unto us wisdom!”

From this and other accounts of Jesus in the Gospels, we see how in everything He does, our Savior is altogether lovely. He is never early, never late. He is always at the right place at the right time. He is always in perfect peace and there is no sense of hurry about Him.

When it was time to be tender, He was infinitely gentle, gracious, and forgiving—we see this from His response to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:10–11). When it was time to overturn the tables of the money changers, He did it with passion.

He was never frazzled by the Pharisees’ attempts to trip Him up and was always flowing with divine wisdom. He is steel and velvet, meekness and majesty, perfect manhood and deity.

This is Jesus and you are in Him! Begin to see yourself in Christ, who is always flowing with divine wisdom, always in control of the situation, and the same wisdom that flows in Him will flow in and through you.