"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness'"
(2 Corinthians 12:9a, NKJV) We all go through seasons of difficulty and face storms in life. But during those times, we have to remember that Almighty God is greater than any struggle we face! He’ll take those challenges and use them to strengthen us, but we have to do our part and take a step of faith toward the victory. Think about the caterpillar before it becomes a butterfly. When it’s wrapped in its dark cocoon on the backside of some tree, it doesn’t look like it has many options. But inside that cocoon as it becomes a butterfly, it doesn’t just sit and wait for someone to come and let it out. No, that butterfly knows that it has to make a move if it’s going to be set free to fly. In the same way, we have to do something to get out of the confining places we are in. We have to pray, we have to believe, and we have to press through to victory. Today, no matter what you may be facing, remember His grace is sufficient for you. His strength is made perfect in you. He has given you everything you need to overcome in this life. Now is the time to break free and rise to new levels because He has victory and blessing prepared for you! Heavenly Father, thank You for the strength to make it through any challenge I may face. I choose to put my trust in You. I declare that You are good and faithful. Thank You for equipping me for victory in every area of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.”(2 Corinthians 4:13, NKJV)
Every believer has been given a measure of faith. In order to see the promises of God come to pass in your life, you have to give your faith a voice. You must declare what God says about you in His Word. Those seeds of faith inside you are activated when you speak them out into the atmosphere. That’s why the scripture tells us, “Let the weak say I am strong. Let the poor say I am rich.” When you give your faith a voice, you send forth the Word of God, and the Bible says that He watches over His Word to bring it to pass in your life. The key is to not allow words of defeat or negativity to come out of your mouth. Don’t dig up your seed by speaking against His Word. Instead, water your seed by continuing to declare the Word of God. When you wake up every morning, thank Him that His promises are coming to pass in your life. As you do, you will see those things come to pass, and you will live the life of victory God has prepared for you. Father, I humbly come before You giving You my thoughts, my actions and my words. Help me to activate my faith by speaking Your Word daily. May my words and thoughts be pleasing to You always in Jesus’ name. Amen. “Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain...”(Zechariah 10:1, NKJV)
In scripture, rain represents God’s favor. This verse is telling us to “ask for rain even though it’s raining.” What does that mean? You might think, “If it’s raining, it doesn’t seem like you’d need to ask for it.” But God is saying, “My favor is available to you, but you’re not going to receive it unless you ask.” Right now, God is showering down blessings, healing, promotion and good ideas. It’s raining favor. But, we have to do our part to get our words in line with what God wants to do. We have to ask for that favor. We have to call it in if we are going to experience it. We have to release our faith with our words. This is a great day to be alive! God is pouring out His favor like no other time in history. Right now, it’s raining increase. It’s raining new ideas. It’s raining promotion. Don’t let it pass you by. Start declaring it for yourself, “I am blessed. I am prosperous. I am favored. I am healthy. I am free.” Ask for rain in this time of rain and see His blessing and provision in every area of your life! Father, thank You for Your grace, mercy and favor. Right now, I ask for rain in the time of rain. I ask for increase of Your favor and blessing. Use me to be a blessing to others everywhere I go in Jesus’ name. Amen. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...”(Hebrews 3:15, NIV)
In 1999, I was eating dinner at my house one evening. My father called and asked me if I would speak for him that Sunday at Lakewood. In my 36 years, I had never ministered one time before. I didn’t have any desire to be in front of people. I liked being behind the scenes. I said, “I’m sorry, Daddy. That’s just not who I am. I’m not a minister.” He laughed and said, “Well, that’s fine, Joel. At least, I wanted to ask you.” When I sat back down to finish eating my dinner, something said so strongly, “Joel, you need to do it.” It wasn’t out loud. It was just an impression, a knowing. I can’t explain it. It didn’t make sense to my mind. Every voice of reasoning said, “Don’t do it,” but I couldn’t get away from it. I called my father back and said I had changed my mind. I ministered for him that next Sunday. What I didn’t realize is that would be the last Sunday of my father’s life. Friend, when you feel the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit, don’t harden your heart. Don’t ignore it. Listen and respond. He knows the future and has your best in mind. Trust Him and listen to His leading! Father, thank You for leading and guiding me. I choose to tune in to You. Help me to hear Your voice, to know You and follow You all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.— Joel & Victoria Osteen “You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”(Nehemiah 9:6, NIV)
So many people today are looking for answers. They are looking for direction and tuning in to different voices around them. They think the universe is going to direct them or the stars will lead them. But, why would you turn to the stars for your answers when you can turn to the one who made the stars? God didn’t just put you on the Earth and say, “Good luck. You’re on your own. I hope you make it.” No, He created us for fellowship with Him. He created us for relationship. He wants us to choose Him over anything else this world has to offer. Today, don’t settle for second best. Don’t just look to a higher power; look to the Highest Power. Look to God, the Creator of the universe. He is good and has a good plan for your life. If you’ve never turned to God, call on Him today. Ask Him to reveal Himself to You. Ask Him to show you His ways so that you can walk with Him and know Him all the days of your life! Father, today I acknowledge that You alone are God. You are the highest authority among heaven and earth. Show me Your ways. Show me Your love. Help me to hear Your voice so that I can walk with You in peace and freedom in Jesus’ name. Amen.— Joel & Victoria Osteen “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord...”
2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV) If we brought our two children up on the platform and their clothes were all raggedy and worn out, if they had holes in their shoes and their hair was a ratty mess, you would look at us and think, “What kind of parents are they?” It would be a poor reflection on how we care for our children. Now, think about how our lives reflect God’s goodness. When you’re happy, looking good, living in a nice place, excelling in your career, generous with others, that brings a smile to God’s face. It shows the world His goodness. Always remember: it brings God pleasure to prosper you. It brings God pleasure when you show the world His goodness and glory. Remember, you are a reflection of your Father, and He delights in you! Father, thank You for showing me Your goodness and faithfulness. I want to represent You well. Thank You for pouring out Your blessing upon me so that I can reflect Your love and goodness in every area of life in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen “But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.” (Romans 15:29, NKJV)
God’s blessing is His supernatural empowerment. It is His favor. And we’ve all seen a measure of His blessing, but I believe there is a whole new level He wants to take you to. God has promises and opportunities in store for you that you haven’t even thought of yet! What you’ve seen in the past is only a fraction of what God wants to do in your future. Understand that God likes to outdo Himself. He wants to open doors for you and bring out talents and abilities you didn’t even know you had. Remember, the God we serve is a God of abundance. He is the God of more than enough. Not only does He want to meet your needs, He wants to give you enough to bless other people. That’s living in the fullness of the blessing. Don’t settle where you are. Your destiny is not determined by the economy, by your past, or what anyone else thinks or says. Your destiny is determined by Almighty God. He wants to overwhelm you with His goodness so you can walk in the fullness of the blessing! Father, I come to You today with an open and humble heart. Show me Your ways. Teach me to be a blessing to others. Help me to love others the way You love me so I can walk in the fullness of the blessing in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”(Psalm 23:5 NIV)
God’s dream for your life is that you would be blessed in such a way that you could be a blessing to others. David said, “My cup runs over.” God is an overflow God. But here’s the key: you can’t go around thinking thoughts of lack, not enough, or struggle and expect to have abundance. If you’ve been under pressure for a long time and have difficulty making ends meet, it’s easy to develop a limited mindset. “I’ll never get out of this neighborhood.” Or, “I’ll never have enough to send my kids to college.” No, that may be where you are now, but that’s not where you have to stay. God is called El Shaddai, the God of More than Enough! Not the God of Barely Enough. Not the God of Just Help Me Make it Through. No, He’s the God of Overflow! Today, no matter what you may be experiencing, stir yourself up in faith and declare who God is in your life. Declare that He is well able; declare that He is more than enough! Declare that your cup runs over with the blessing and victory He has prepared for you! Father, thank You for Your grace, favor and mercy to me. I know that You are preparing a place of blessing for me. I know that my cup runs over, and as I press into You, I will walk in Your blessing in Jesus’ name. Amen.— Joel & Victoria Osteen “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28
God wants to give you rest. He wants to refresh and restore your soul — your mind, will and emotions. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “busyness” of life, and before long, your mind, will and emotions are so “spun up” that you can barely think straight! But even in the hustle of life, you can find rest, ease and relaxation. God wants you to enjoy your life. That’s why He tells us to come to Him. God wants to take care of everything that concerns you so that you can find rest in your innermost being. Imagine how you would feel if someone came up to you today and said, “Give me all of your monthly bills; I’m going to pay them.” You’d get pretty excited, wouldn’t you? But it wouldn’t happen until you did your part to actually hand that person your bills. They can’t pay them for you if you never release them. In the same way, when we release our cares and concerns to God, He promises to take care of them. Today, choose to release your cares to the Lord. Let Him fill you with His peace and joy. Receive the rest that He promises and enjoy the fulfillment and blessing He has for you! “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps”(Proverbs 16:9, NIV)
Have you ever tried something and got the results you wanted and then tried the same thing again and got different results? This happened to Moses in the Bible. They needed water and God told Moses to strike the rock. He struck the rock and water flowed out freely. Another time they needed water again, and God told Moses, “Speak to the rock.” Do you know what Moses did? He went over and struck the rock. He thought, “Hey, it worked last time. It’ll work this time.” But it didn’t. God had a different plan. The point is that we have to stay open and make adjustments to stay in tune with God’s plan. You can do the same thing the same way you did last time and get different results. It may not be something major, but like Moses, maybe it’s just something small. Sometimes a small tweak, a small adjustment can make a major difference in the outcome. Today, make sure you aren’t doing things just because it’s the way you always did it before. Instead, listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit of God inside. Follow His leading and stay in sync with the wonderful plan He has for you! Heavenly Father, I submit my mind, will and heart to You. Help me to see clearly what Your plan is for me. Help me to stay close to You always, not living in the past, but pressing forward to the new things You have in store for me in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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