en-us Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:34:29 -0400 http://www.joelosteen.com Success is intentional, not accidental. You may not know what steps to take right now in life to accomplish what God has put in your heart, but God knows the plan, and if you'll do your part to seek Him and begin to make plans to succeed, God will guide you. It says in the scriptures, "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." You don't have to vaguely go through life. God wants to direct your steps. He wants to show you His plan. Decide today to make plans to succeed. Write down your goals. Make time to evaluate where you are in life. Evaluate your finances, your career, your relationships. Don't go another week without having a plan for your future. Evaluate how you're spending your time and money. If you'll go beyond dreaming, and start making plans to succeed, God promises He's going to direct your steps and He will lead you down the path of His favor. Joel Osteen Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:13:52 -0500 1028565 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:29:14 -0500 1015179 http://www.joelosteen.com Make the choice to stay alive your whole life by keeping your dreams, purpose and goals in front of you. Remember, you have a specific destiny to fulfill created by Almighty God. You didn't just accidentally show up on planet earth. God knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb, and He has an assignment for you. You were created to make a difference-to impact our society-to make this world a better place. On the inside of you right now, there are dreams and desires put there by the Creator of the universe. Don't let the pressures of life push those dreams down. Stir up those dreams. Stir up those gifts. Shake off every disappointment and press forward. This is a new day. Get a new vision. Make up your mind that no matter what comes your way, you're going to keep pressing forward. You're going to keep growing. You're going to keep learning. You're going to stay active. If you will stay passionate about life, knowing what your purpose is and being your best every day, you will find that you are living a way that generates such enthusiasm, that you are excited about life! Joel Osteen Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:29:11 -0500 1016606 http://www.joelosteen.com It’s easy to get stuck in a rut in life�'to stop expecting things to improve, to quit growing or pressing forward. That’s when negative thoughts come that say you’ve reached your limits, or you’re never going to accomplish your goals. But you don’t have to accept those lies. Our God is a God of increase. He never wants us to go backwards, only forward. Sure, there are seasons when you may not see a lot of growth. There are seasons when you have to dig your heels in and fight the good fight of faith. Stand and believe that no matter what’s come against you, no matter how unfair something was, things are shifting in your favor. Every setback is simply a setup for a comeback! God not only wants to bring you out, He wants to bring you out better off than you were before. Begin to declare this over your life today. Declare that you are walking into new seasons of increase, new seasons in your health, new seasons in your finances, new seasons in your relationships. This is your set time for favor. You may have been rejected in the past, but you’re going to be accepted in the future. You may have been pushed down in days gone by, but in this season, you’re going to be lifted up. God is going to make your enemies your footstools. Thank Him that your set time for favor is here. Thank Him that your hour of deliverance has come. As you do, you’ll rise out of mediocrity. You’ll defeat every enemy, overcome every obstacle, and you’ll live that life of victory God has in store! Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:43:29 -0500 829170 http://www.joelosteen.com God has equipped each one of us with specific gifts and talents. When God made you He knew how high you could jump, how fast you could run, and how much you could accomplish. He put inside of you a specific set of skills and it’s up to you to not only to identify those gifts, but to be disciplined to develop those gifts. You have to learn to stay in your “strength zone.” What is your strength zone? It’s different for each person according to the gifts and abilities God has placed within. What are you naturally good at? What do you do well? Take the time to identify your strengths and weaknesses and as the Scripture says, give yourself to your gifts. In other words, don’t spend all your time trying to improve your weaknesses. Don’t waste valuable days pursuing things that are outside your main gifting. Focus on your strengths. There is something that you’re good at naturally�'something you can do that comes easy to you. If you have a gift of communication, you shouldn’t be sitting behind a desk all day not interacting with other people. Step out into your area of gifting. Are you good with your hands? Do you have a great voice? Find ways to develop those gifts. Know that your gift’s and talents are a part of your divine destiny. Remember, you are one of kind. If you will stay in your strength zone and develop your gifts, God has promised your gifts will make room for you. Tap into the potential inside of you. Stay focused and work on the things that you’re already good at. If you’ll be comfortable with who God made you, and thank Him for your unique giftings, you’ll not only enjoy your life more, but you’ll be ready to receive the abundant blessing God has in store for you! Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:42:53 -0500 921939 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:42:46 -0500 908350 http://www.joelosteen.com Have the words and opinions of other people caused you to water down your dreams? One of the most important things you can learn is that other people don’t set the limits for your life. Other people don’t have to believe in you in order for your dreams to come to pass. There will always be critics and naysayers. The negative voices come at everyone. But other people don’t determine your destiny, you do. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:3, “What if they don’t believe? Will their lack of faith make the faith of God of no effect?” This verse is saying, “It doesn’t matter if other people don’t believe. Their unbelief is not going to keep me from believing in my dreams.” When God puts a promise in your heart, it’s not up to other people to bring it to pass, it’s up to you! You don’t need everyone to validate you. You don’t need to get confirmation from all your friends. You have to follow the voice of God for yourself and allow Him to order your steps. God sees the hidden treasures that you’ve had buried on the inside of you. He wants to bring those treasures out and make your dreams reality! As you stir your faith up and water those seeds they will take root, and you will accomplish things that you never even thought possible! It doesn’t matter what negative things have been spoken over you in the past, God’s blessing is greater than any curse! Begin to speak words of life and faith over yourself. As you get rid of those old, defeated thoughts, and replace them with what God says about you, you will rise higher and live the abundant life God has in store for you! Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:42:45 -0500 898896 http://www.joelosteen.com God has equipped you with everything you need to fulfill your destiny. The Scripture tells us that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are anointed. The word “anointing” is the power of God which gives you courage, strength, and ability. That means you are well-able to do what He has called you to do. You can accomplish your goals. You have the ideas, the creativity and talent to be successful. You can overcome any obstacle! You’ve been armed with strength for every battle! The forces that are with you are greater than the forces that are against you! Being anointed means that you are fully equipped for everything God has called you to. God has already lined up the right people to come across your path. He’s already lined up the right breaks. You have everything you need to live a victorious life. You were created to excel! You have seeds of greatness on the inside of you. You may not have seen it in the past but if you’ll stay in faith it’s just a matter of time. It’s on its way. Don’t settle where you are. Don’t have weak, defeated mentality. No, put your shoulders back. Have the attitude, “I am anointed. I can accomplish my dreams. I can overcome any obstacle. I’ve been equipped and empowered by the Creator of the universe! I am fully equipped to live the abundant life God as in store!” Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:42:43 -0500 885400 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:42:32 -0500 884526 http://www.joelosteen.com God desires that you be so blessed that you can turn around and be a blessing everywhere you go! He wants you to have so much peace, so much joy, so much victory that when other people get around you it spills over onto them! In the book of Psalms, David said, “My cup runs over.” He was overflowing with the anointing�'the tangible, effective power of God. Too many people today have a barely-get-by-mentality. They settle for thoughts like, “I can barely pay my bills…I have an okay job…I have an okay marriage.” But Jesus came so we can live an abundant life! That means an abundance of joy, an abundance of peace, an abundance of health, an abundance of finances. You may not see it right now, and maybe you haven’t experienced it in the past, but don’t get complacent and just settle for where you are. Get a vision for your future! Get a vision for increase! Get a vision for Abundance! Psalm 35:27 says, “Let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His children.’” God delights to see you prosperous and successful. When you choose to think God’s thoughts and choose God’s way, you’ll see that increase and victory in every area of your life. Now is the time to move forward and live the abundant life God has planned for you! Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:42:29 -0500 864972 Ecclesiastes says, \"Give yourself to what you are doing.\" In other words, don't live in the past or worry about the future. Instead, focus on what you are doing right now and learn to appreciate what God has given you. When you wake up in the morning, pause a few minutes to watch the sun coming over the horizon. When you hear the little footsteps of your children coming down the stairs, take it in and let it bring a smile to your face. When you receive a call from a friend, give them your full attention. If you approach your days by living in the moment, then you can transform every ordinary day into a masterpiece. Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:03:42 -0500 681058 Lisa Comes Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:03:40 -0500 688358 Too often we only associate with people just like us, people that look like us, that have our same interests or have our same personalities. It's easy to include them because we feel comfortable. But what about the people that don't dress like us, the people that don't come from our same background or neighborhood? All too often we write them off and think, "They're not like me. They don't believe what I believe, they don't do the things that I like to do." I firmly believe that God put these people in our life for a reason. His love is inclusive, not exclusive. The Bible says that the same amount of mercy we show to other people is the amount of mercy God will show back to us. When you enlarge your circle of love to include all types of people, you are being merciful. Give people the benefit of the doubt. When they seem to shut you out, simply draw a larger circle and include them. When you do, you will be expressing the unconditional love of Jesus and God will make sure His mercy and compassion is extended back to you. Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:03:30 -0500 627094 You are always ministering to those around you. Even though you may not be behind a pulpit, your life is your sermon. People watch how you live, how you respond to adversity, how consistent you are and how you treat the people around you. God calls us to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. This simply means that the way we live should make other people want to be around us and have what we have. We should express so much joy, so much peace, be so kind, so generous and so good-natured that it draws people to us. Someone once said, "Preach at all times. Use words only if necessary." If you will strive each day to be a good example, you will not only make a positive impact in other people's lives, but God will begin to bless you in return. Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:03:22 -0500 620840 A little over two thousand years ago they crucified Jesus on the cross, buried Him in a grave and thought that was the end of it. But, on the third day He arose and said, "Because I live, you will live also." Jesus was not just talking about breathing and merely existing. He was talking about living an abundant life. Not a barely get by life or a life filled with bad habits, addictions, lack and mediocrity. Because of the price He paid, we can live a life of victory. Some people are living with things that are far less than God's best. Let me encourage you today to draw the line in the sand and say, "That's it. This is a new day. I'm going to take hold of everything Christ died and rose again to accomplish." Make up your mind not to settle for partial victory. Rise up and have faith! As you do, God will help you overcome any obstacle standing in your way. Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:03:20 -0500 609914 Too often, when we have a need, we focus on it. It's all we talk about, all we think about. My problems, my bills, my health, my hurt, my pains. Rather than turning inward, we need to turn outward. If you're in tough times today, don't sit around depressed, go help somebody else. If you want God to solve your problems, go help solve somebody else's problems. Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:02:57 -0500 381350 Everybody wants to make good choices. Should you take that new job? Should you go further in this relationship? How should you deal with a particular problem? But to make the best choices we need God's wisdom. Someone once said, \"You make your decisions and then your decisions make you.\" If you allow your choices to be guided by the wisdom of God, the direction you get from reading His Word and spending time in prayer, then you're going to experience true success. I have good news for you today! God wants to give you wisdom. Proverbs says that He will help you find the right course of action every time. Not some of the time; all of the time. Take time each day to listen to what God is saying to you. As you do, you'll make better decisions and you'll live the life of victory that God has in-store for you. Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:02:42 -0500 381351 Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:02:37 -0500 434791 No matter what challenges you are facing today, know that God has armed you with strength for the battle. Philippians 4:13 says, \"I have strength for all things through Christ who empowers me. I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me.\" You may have received bad news concerning your health, having difficulties in your marriage or it may look like one of your dreams has died, but don't give up and settle for mediocrity. Take hold of God's strength. Shake off that weakness mentality and put on a warrior mentality because God has already infused you with His can do power. If you'll rise up in faith and start acting on it, God will not only fight your battles for you, but He's promised He'll defeat your enemies. Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:34:09 -0500 598338 http://www.lakewood.cc God wants you to burn up without burning out through supernatural living. Acts 1:8 says, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses." When you begin to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, you're character will become more like Jesus' character. You'll talk like Him, think like Him, and act like Him. Let your life be changed by His consuming fire and live the life God always intended for you to live. Marcos Witt Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:34:02 -0500 587790 Do you know that you have a God-given destiny? You are not an accident. God ordained before the foundation of the world that you would be here at this particular time. Jeremiah 29:11 says, \"These are the plans I have for you,' says the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.\" All through Scripture, you can read how God had a specific plan and purpose for each person's life. He told Elizabeth that she would give birth to John and that he would pave the way for Christ. He told Samson's mother that she was going to have a baby and gave her a specific plan for his life. In the same way, God began thinking about you long ago. He was planning out good things for your life, where you would be, what assignment you would have and the opportunities to bring across your path. As you continue to put your faith and hope in the Lord, there is nothing that can keep you from becoming all that God created you to be. You have a bright future ahead! Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:33:55 -0500 576601 God has a certain place where you are going to thrive under His blessings. He has a company picked out for you, a special neighborhood for you to live in and specific friends for you to be around. In the book of Acts, Jesus instructed five hundred people to go to the upper room to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit, but only one hundred and twenty showed up. Although many had the opportunity, only a small group was in the right location. Don't miss out on you're opportunity for a blessing. Pay close attention to where you are, who your with and the places you are going. Ask yourself, \"Is this where God is guiding me to be?\" Then, move where the Holy Spirit leads you and you'll find God's best in your life. Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:33:50 -0500 561938 Too often we expect the people in our lives to perform perfectly, to never disappoint us and to always be there for us. But no one is perfect and those are unrealistic expectations. There is no such thing as the perfect spouse, boss or friend. No matter how much others love you or how good they are, at some point, they are going to disappoint you or hurt your feelings. Instead of becoming resentful or bitter when others do not measure up, give them grace and understand that it is simply a part of life. Romans 12:16 says that we need to \"adapt and adjust in order to keep the peace.\" If you'll have the right expectations in your relationships and give others mercy, your relationships will begin to grow and God will honor you for doing your part. Joel Osteen Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:33:37 -0500 533503 The people you choose to associate with and the people you choose as friends have tremendous impact on whether or not you fulfill your God-given destiny. You will become like the people you continually spend time with. If you associate with successful people, you increase your chances of being successful. If you associate with people who have a big vision, people who have big dreams, and people who are going places, they will inspire you to accomplish more than you ever thought possible! But remember, just the opposite is also true. If you hang around lazy, undisciplined people who are negative and critical, then their defeated mentality will affect you. That’s why it’s so important that you choose the right people to associate with. If you’ll be selective about whom you associate with, you will rise higher and higher. God will pour out His blessings and favor, and you’ll live the life of victory He has in store for you! Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:58:25 -0500 770120 Do you ever become complacent in your thinking and find yourself saying things like, \"I'm just a regular guy, I'm just a businessman, I'm just a schoolteacher. I'm just a stay at home mom ... I'll never do anything significant.\" But, do you know that you are not JUST anything? The Bible says that you are a child of the Most High God. You have seeds of greatness on the inside. The Lord is constantly trying to help you discover who you are and to know all that you can accomplish with His supernatural strength. He desires for you to acheive great things and grow into your full potential. When you get a vision for your life and begin seeing yourself the way God sees you, you will live a life worth remembering. Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:58:19 -0500 672043 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast/~3/155442765/WireTap-20070909-ACatalogueofPreviousUniverses.mp3 On WireTap today (September 9, 2007): A Catalogue of Previous Universes<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast?a=0Iu0CczN"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast?i=0Iu0CczN" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast?a=JlL4n2xy"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast?i=JlL4n2xy" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast?a=dUJXq8sm"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast?i=dUJXq8sm" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast?a=AGvUyMjN"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast?i=AGvUyMjN" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Wiretap_Unofficial_Podcast/~4/155442765" height="1" width="1"/> Podcasts chalmers2006@gmail.com (chalmers2006@gmail.com) Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:57:35 -0500 http://www.supernintendochalmers.net/wiretap/podcast/WireTap-20070909-ACatalogueofPreviousUniverses.mp3 793115 http://www.joelosteen.com God has already released good things into your future. When God laid out the plan for your life, He lined up the right people, the right circumstances, and the right breaks. In your future, He's already released favor, supernatural opportunities, and divine connections. The breaks you need in life have already been preordained to come across your path. If you will stay in faith and go out each day and be a person of excellence, you'll walk into these appointments of favor. It will be just as if you stumbled into God's blessings! When you really understand this principal, you'll begin to get excited about every sing day! You'll have a spring in your step as you think about what blessing is coming next! It could be today. It could be tomorrow. It could be next week. Keep expecting. Keep believing. Stay focused on the fact that God has already released into your future everything you need to fulfill your destiny. Start declaring seasons of increase over your life. Declare that the favor is on you and opportunities are coming. As you do, you'll move forward into the favor and blessing God has ordered for you! Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:57:32 -0500 843390 We all have good intentions. We may want to give up an addiction, a bad attitude or being impatient and do what we know is right. But, it's not enough to simply have the desire to do something. Matthew 26:41 says, \"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Pray that you don't come into the temptation.\" One of the keys to controlling your weaknesses and overcoming temptations is to learn to pray so that you will become strong in your weakest areas. Ask God to help you with your temper, your thought life and your relationships with others. If you do, God will give you the strength you need to overcome any obstacle! Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:57:25 -0500 479942 http://www.joelosteen.com Did you know that the quality of your relationships directly effect your happiness? You can have all the money in the world, you can have your health, you can have great opportunities in front of you, but if you don’t have good relationships you’re not going to enjoy your life very much. Most of the time, it’s not the big things that hold people back in relationships, it’s the small things. If you will be willing to make minor adjustments, very often, you’ll see major improvements. Study those around you and learn what they like and don’t like. Look for ways that you can improve your relationships. Maybe you can change your voice tones so people can receive from you more easily. Maybe you can become a better listener. Do your part to come up higher in this area. Take time to sow into the people that you really love. I believe if you’ll make some of these simple changes you’ll see major improvements. Your relationships will get better and better. You’ll have more peace, more joy, more harmony in your homes�'and you’ll live the life of victory that God has in store! Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:57:22 -0500 800130 http://www.joelosteen.com God has placed dreams and desires in each of our hearts. Are you believing for something that seems to be taking a long time? Are you tempted to quit? Maybe you’ve already given up on that dream. Today is a new day�'it’s time for you to get your fire back! It may be taking a long time, but God is faithful! He promises to complete the work He began in your life. Don’t fall into the temptation to get complacent and think it’s never going to happen. Right now, whether you see it or not, God is working behind the scenes and arranging things in your favor. When you develop an attitude of expectancy, you open the door to His miracle-working power in your life. Decide today to declare His Word and speak words of victory. Start declaring today, “My time is coming...God is working behind the scenes on my behalf…I will fulfill my destiny…I will fulfill the plan God has for my life!” As you declare and expect God to move, your faith will grow. Your hope will grow. Keep expecting and waiting for the appointed time. As you do, you’ll step into the victorious destiny God has planned for you! Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:57:15 -0500 807152 http://www.joelosteen.com When God places dreams and desires in your heart, He also begins lining up the people you need to help bring those dreams to pass. In Acts 9, God supernaturally turned the apostle Paul’s life around and gave him a message to share with others. But, because of his past, nobody would have anything to do with him. God brought Barnabas across Paul’s path and they developed a friendship. When Barnabas spread the news that Paul should be trusted, people began to accept him and listen to his message. Paul went on to spread the Good News of the Gospel throughout the world and He wrote half the New Testament. God knows who you need to know. Begin to believe that He is in control. He will place the right people in your life at the right time. He will give you divine connections. Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:57:13 -0500 539833 Marcos Witt Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:57:06 -0500 674605 http://www.joelosteen.com Everyone has times in life when they receive criticism from others. Someone may be talking about you, trying to make you look bad or blowing things out of proportion. Don’t sink down to their level, become defensive and try to prove that you are right and they are wrong. When you encounter criticism, shake it off and let it go. This is what Jesus told his disciples. He sent them out to different towns to teach people and care for their needs, but Jesus knew they would suffer rejection. In Matthew 10:14, Jesus said, “When you go into a town, whoever will not receive and welcome your message, when you leave that place, shake the dust off of your feet.” In other words, let God be your vindicator. Everyone will not understand you or accept you so just run your race and stay focused on what God has called you to do. Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:56:54 -0500 520582 We all have dreams and desires that we believe God will help to come to pass. These dreams are like seeds planted in the soil of our hearts and most of the time, they do not bloom overnight. Often, there is a period of waiting involved and this is when it is so easy to give up, become discouraged and to settle for mediocrity. But God never gives up on a dream. Once the seed is planted and the promise takes root, we may give up, but the seed is still in us. If you'll stir your faith up and start believing once again, then God can begin bring it to pass. Every time you give God praise, keep pressing on or have a smile on your face, you will water that seed. And if you do this, you'll allow God to give birth to your dreams and you'll live the life of victory He has in store. Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:56:52 -0500 439725 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:56:39 -0500 749035 http://www.lakewood.cc Too many people are sitting on the sidelines of life with no enthusiasm towards their future because they have made mistakes and experienced some setbacks. But, God is not looking for perfect people. If He were, we would all be disqualified. God is looking for people that have a heart that's right toward Him. If you have a heart that is seeking God and you wake up each day striving to do your best, then you do not have to live guilty and condemned. When those old thoughts come to mind saying, \"You don't deserve God's blessings,\" just respond with, \"You're exactly right. I know I don't deserve it, but that's what God's mercy is all about.\" The goodness of God will make miracles out of all your mistakes. Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:56:37 -0500 587789 It’s important to develop good habits in life. A habit is something that you do without thinking about it and you may do it for so long that it almost becomes involuntary. Studies say that ninety percent of your normal behavior is based on your habits. For example, you have habits that determine how you treat people, how you spend money, what you watch and what you listen to. Some people have developed habits that are keeping them from God’s best. But, you can learn how to develop God honoring habits that will help you live the kind of life that God intended. Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:56:29 -0500 478945 http://www.joelosteen.com Your imagination is extremely powerful! God created you as a visual being. Choosing the right images in your mind’s eye is important because your life will move in the direction of your thoughts. Visualization is simply seeing yourself the way you want to be. It’s creating a picture in your mind of you accomplishing your goals, overcoming obstacles, and fulfilling your God-given destiny. The Bible says in Proverbs that “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” The way you see yourself in your mind’s eye, over time, will drop down into your heart. If you’ll create a picture in your imagination of something you want or a dream coming to pass and keep it in front of you, then you will move in that direction. Get up every morning and picture yourself succeeding! Picture yourself healthy and whole! Picture yourself and your family not only being blessed, but being a bigger blessing to others. If you’ll keep the right images in front of you and always submit them to the Lord through prayer and thanksgiving, God promises that nothing will be impossible to you! Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:56:22 -0500 758665 How you begin your day usually determines the kind of day you experience. If you begin your day in a hurry, rushing from one task to another or stressed out, often you will become uptight and stay on the edge the rest of the day. In the Bible, David says, \"Early in the morning, my song will rise to You.\" If you're going to be your best and live life to the full, then God needs to receive the first part of your day. Before the stress and busyness comes, before you read the newspaper and before you think about all you have to do, take time to thank God for His goodness. Read the Scriptures, meditate on His promises and speak words of victory over your life. When you do this, you're giving God your first fruits and he'll walk with you the rest of the day! Joel Osteen Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:39:56 -0500 497021 http://www.joelosteen.com You are called to be an eagle that soars and does great things. But, throughout life there will always be a few crows crowing at you and trying to bring you down. Sometimes there will be a few hawks that try to argue with you, fight with you and distract you. Your job is to rise above all of those voices and strive towards your God-given calling. When the crow is pestering the eagle, the eagle simply flies up higher. He knows the crow cannot live at his altitude and he does not have to fight with the eagle. God made the eagle to spread his wings out, catch the thermal winds and soar higher than the crow. In the same way, when people mistreat you or when unfair things happen, if you’ll stay on the high road, then God will take care of the rest. Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:04:00 -0500 964043 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:03:45 -0500 943112 Do you ever feel overburdened by the cares of this world or have days full of anxiety or stress? God wants to make your life easier. He wants you to be free and living each day full of peace. He wants to assist you and give you special advantages every single day. Isaiah 30:18 says, “ God earnestly longs to be gracious to you … to have mercy on you and show you His loving-kindness.” His grace, mercy and loving-kindness are all part of His favor. When you learn how to tap into God’s favor, you’ll have a tremendous advantage! God’s favor will cause you to be promoted even though you weren’t the most qualified. God’s favor will open a door for you that may not open for someone else. Endless advantages come when you learn to walk in God’s favor. Activate your faith in this area by declaring God’s favor in your life everyday. As you expect His favor, God will do unusual and extraordinary things in your life and you’ll live the life of victory that God has in store for you today! Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:03:38 -0500 735319 http://www.joelosteen.com Ephesians 2:10 says that “We are God’s masterpiece.” That means you are not average. You are not ordinary. You are one of a kind. When God created you He went to great lengths to make you exactly the way He wanted. You didn’t just happen to get your personality. You didn’t just accidentally get your nose, your skin color, your gifts or abilities. God designed you the way you are on purpose, for a purpose. The Apostle Paul said, “We should be to the praise of God’s glory.” In this passage, he’s not talking about giving God praise with our words, although that is important. He’s encouraging us to make our lives a living praise to Him! When you understand your value, and not only who you are but Whose you are, then your very existence will give God praise. When you are secure in who God made you, and you go out each day being your best, your life will give God praise. In other words, driving to work you’re giving God praise. Mowing the lawn you’re giving God praise. Going to the grocery store you’re giving God praise. Walking through the mall you’re giving God praise! Honor God today by accepting who you are. Make the decision to be the best you can be. Get up every morning and set your mind in the right direction by making positive affirmations over your life: “I’m the apple of God’s eye. I’m His masterpiece. His fingerprints are all over me.” If you will learn to accept and approve yourself and have a right opinion about who you are then you’re going to rise higher. God is going to pour out His blessings and you will live that life of victory that God has in store! Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:03:31 -0500 932394 http://www.joelosteen.com God created you to be successful. Before the foundation of the world, He laid out an exact plan for your life. In this plan, He has marked moments that come across your path. These moments are not ordinary. They are destiny-altering moments. They are designed to thrust you years ahead. It says in Ecclesiastes 9:11 that “time and chance come together for every person.” That means you’ll have opportunities to meet the right people, opportunities to advance in your career, opportunities to fulfill your dreams. God has already pre-arranged times of increase and blessing. You may not be seeing a lot of breaks right now, but in your future, there are seasons of favor and increase. There are God-ordained moments that He’s already planned out for you. Don’t miss these moments! Don’t get distracted by the cares of this world, and don’t stop believing! If you’ll go out each day with an attitude of expectancy, you’ll rise higher and higher, and you will see more of God’s blessing and favor in your life. As you embrace those God-given opportunities, you will live the life of victory He has in store! Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:58 -0500 819577 Every day, the opportunity to get upset and offended presents itself. In the Bible, the word “offense” comes from the Greek word that means, “bait.” When you’re tempted to be offended, when someone is rude to you or inconsiderate, recognize that the enemy is offering you bait. He knows that if he can steal your peace, he can steal your victory. The good news is that you don’t have to take the bait! You don’t have to go around upset, bitter, and offended�'even when someone wrongs you. Keeping peace in your heart is more important than holding on to anger and bitterness. You can wake up every morning and decide to live free from offenses. You can choose to live in God’s peace. When offenses do come, learn to forgive quickly. Don’t allow the offense to take root in your heart. If you’ll do your part and keep your heart free from offenses, you’ll not only enjoy life more, but your relationships with others will improve. God will pour out His abundant blessing and favor in your life and you’ll live in freedom the way God intends! Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:54 -0500 790289 Everyone has things that would be considered in-completions: dreams that have not yet come to pass, promises that have not yet been fulfilled in our health, finances, or family. Maybe you’ve been praying and believing for something for many years. Don’t be tempted to think that it’s never going to happen. God desires to finish what He started in your life. The Scripture says in Philippians 1:6, “Be confident of this: He who began a good work in you will continue to perform it until it’s perfectly complete.” Be encouraged today because God is called the Author and the Finisher of your faith�'which means He’s constantly working behind the scenes in your life. Anything He began, any dream He put in your heart, He is well-able to finish. Stay in faith, guard your heart, and keep your hopes up! God has promised He will complete your in-completions! Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:50 -0500 725042 http://www.joelosteen.com Everyday there are opportunities in life to get upset and loose your joy and peace. There are many things that can steal your joy people, traffic, disappointments. But if you are going to live in victory you have to have to choose the right approach to life. It's good to have plans, but submit your plans to God and decide in advance to stay in peace no matter what happens. The Scripture says, "No man can take your joy." That means no person can make you be unhappy. No circumstance can force you to get upset. It's totally up to you. You have complete control of how peaceful and happy you want to live. When those inconveniences come, when your plans don't work out or when somebody irritates you, you can decide, "I am not going to get upset. I am not going to lose my joy. I have the power to stay in peace." Jesus put it this way in John 14:27, "Stop allowing yourself to be upset and disturbed." Notice it's a decision you have to make. Decide today to keep your joy and peace. Change your approach and believe that God is directing your steps. Believe that you are exactly where you're supposed to be. As you do, you'll keep your joy and you will experience God's blessing, and favor, and live the life of victory He has in store! Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:48 -0500 972164 http://www.joelosteen.com David said in the Psalms, “Magnify the Lord with me.” When you magnify something, you don’t the size of it, you change your perspective about it. David was in effect saying, “Don’t magnify your problems. Magnify your God!” When you’re in tough times it’s good to look back over your life and remember all the things that God has brought you through. Remember the times God made a way when you didn’t see any way. Remember the times God protected you and supernaturally opened doors. This is what they did all throughout the Bible. When they had an adversity they’d say, “God, we remember how You fed us out in the wilderness. We remember how You parted the Red Sea. We remember how You protected us from our enemies.” They chose to keep the right perspective. And sometimes, it’s not easy when the storms of life are raging, but check yourself. What kind of attitude do you have towards adversity? Are you talking to God about how big your problems are? Or are you talking to your problems about how big your God is? Choose today to have the right perspective. Your challenge is temporary and your challenge is going to take you to a higher level. Everything that you’re facing is subject to change. God is still on the throne. He still has you in the palm of His hand. He promised that when you go through the fire, He'll bring you out without even having the smell of smoke. If you'll choose the right perspective by magnifying God and not your problems, He promised He'll fight your battles for you. He’ll turn every negative situation around. He’ll bring you out with the victory every single time! Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:45 -0500 982704 http://www.joelosteen.com 2008 Joel Osteen Ministries Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:44 -0500 1000379 Do you know that you can be someone else's miracle? Galatians 6:10 says, \"As occasion and opportunity arise, let us do good for all people.\" This means that whenever you have the opportunity to do good or whenever you're able to be a blessing to others, don't pass it up. When you wake up each morning ask God to show you someone you can bless that day. Ask Him to bring somebody across your path that has a need and then walk out of your home looking for ways to do good. It may not be something big - just a smile here, an encouraging word there, buying somebody's dinner or giving somebody a ride. Choose to focus on living to give. When you do, you'll find that it's one of the most rewarding and God honoring ways for you to live. Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:37 -0500 647241 God has placed dreams and desires in your heart. You may have promises that you're standing on, things that you believe will come to pass, and you're waiting for your dreams to be fulfilled. James 5:7 says, \"Be patient as you wait see how the farmer waits expectantly.\" Maybe you're waiting for a relationship to improve, waiting to get married or waiting for a promotion. As you do so, wait with expectancy. Instead of becoming discouraged or negative while you wait, begin expecting for God straighten out your path for your dream to come true. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:35 -0500 400787 Pastor Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:32 -0500185161 Ephesians 5:18 says to If you knew God was preparing to turn around a situation you're worrying about right now, then you would probably let out a big sigh of relief. You would relax and let go of all the pressure. Why don't you go ahead and do that now? Turn it completely over to God and stop trying to figure it all out. David said, \"I was young and now I'm old and I have never seen the righteous forsaken.\" Let God take care of it His way and He'll not only bring you out, but He'll bring you out better than you were before! Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:09 -0500 274801 When you look at situations in your life that you want to change or dreams that you want to come to pass, you probably begin putting together a plan to make it happen. But, if you're not careful, you can put God in a box and tell Him how, when and where to achieve those dreams. The Scripture says in Isaiah 55, \"God's ways are not our ways. They are higher and better than our ways.\" Instead of trying to make your plan work, remember that God already has a better way mapped out. Begin to trust God and know that He has your best interests in mind. And, even when things don't seem to be going according to your plan, stay open and believe that He is directing your steps. Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:02:03 -0500 693140 We all go through disappointments and setbacks. Sometimes relationships do not work out, a friend betrays you or you do not receive a promotion you deserve. When this happens, it can be easy to get discouraged, lose your joy and enthusiasm. But, even though life is not always fair, our God always is! He is a God of justice. He sees every wrong that's ever been done to you, every person that's ever hurt you and every unfair situation. The good news is as you stay faithful and not become bitter, God promises He will pay you back for every injustice. He will take what was meant for your harm and He'll turn it around and use it to your advantage. Let me encourage you today, that as you choose the right attitude and give God the glory through every circumstance, He will not only bring you out, He'll bring you out better than you were before. Joel Osteen Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:01:58 -0500 700944