en-us Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:33:23 -0400 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 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:59:08 -0500 864972 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 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:59:06 -0500 520582 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 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:58:39 -0500 843390 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 Sun, 07 Oct 2007 20:06:20 -0400 587789 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 Sun, 07 Oct 2007 20:06:19 -0400 497021 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 Sun, 07 Oct 2007 20:05:28 -0400 700944 Ephesians 5:18 says to 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 Sun, 07 Oct 2007 20:04:59 -0400 725042 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Sun, 07 Oct 2007 20:04:52 -0400 749035 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 Sun, 07 Oct 2007 20:04:40 -0400 758665 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 Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:02:06 -0400 790289 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 Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:02:03 -0400 800130 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, 07 Oct 2007 18:01:55 -0400 829170 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 Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:01:49 -0400 807152 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 Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:01:45 -0400 819577 Are there people in your life that you just can't make happy? You are not responsible for other people's happiness. While we should be givers, we shouldn't allow others to control us. Learn to set boundaries in your relationships so you can be all that God intended you to be. Joel Osteen Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:39:08 -0400 111004 Your will is stronger than your emotions. Instead of living by how you feel, live by what you know. Let me remind you that God is in control, He has a great plan for your life, and His power is greater than any other power. When you begin to have negative or discouraging feelings, shake them off. Even when you do not feel like it, choose to rule over that negative feeling anyway. Tell yourself: I'm going to be steady, immovable, and full of joy regardless of my circumstances. The more you do so, the easier it will become. Today, decide to be a more stable person and begin enjoying life - all of it! Joel Osteen Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:38:43 -0400 143142 Do you remember the old saying; "You are what you eat"? Well in many ways that is true in every area of our life, spiritually, emotionally and physically. You can make changes in your diet today that will help you live a stronger and healthier tomorrow. The reason you may lack energy or deal with aches and pains could be the result of the foods you eat. Many times a small change will make a big difference. You can choose water over sodas, a walk around the block over watching TV and more nutritious snacks over junk food. Make the commitment today to honor God by taking care of His temple - your body! When you do, you'll look better and feel better. You'll be happier, healthier, and have the energy to do the things that God has uniquely called you to do. Religion & Spirituality Joel Osteen Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:38:42 -0400 157316 Your physical body is not only the house you live in; it's the house God lives in. When you treat your body--the one He made in His image--as valuable, you honor God. The scriptures talk about staying fit, sleeping well and even eating the right foods. How you take care of yourself physically has a great impact on your overall well-being. When you make changes for your health's sake, you'll live longer, live healthier, and experience the abundant life that God has in store for you! Joel Osteen Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:38:36 -0400 150479 There's nothing like a good self-image based on healthy lifestyle choices and the confidence that comes from knowing you are accepted by the most important person of all, God! For many people, eating right, exercising, and avoiding the impulse to snack is a real challenge. If you're one of those people - or have a friend or family member who has that struggle - God wants you to have victory over your diet just like He wants you to succeed in every area of life. He will help you! Stay focused on the rewards: When you are at your ideal weight-not supermodel thin, but a weight that's realistically right for you--you will live healthier, stronger, and happier, with a better attitude. That's the life that God intended for you! Joel Osteen Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:38:34 -0400 170431 Pastor Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:38:27 -0400185161 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 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:38:08 -0400 381351 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 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:37:56 -0400 479942 Marcos Witt Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:37:23 -0400 674605 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 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:37:06 -0400 770120