en-us Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:13:37 -0400 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 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:38:41 -0400 576601 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, 10 Mar 2008 22:38:23 -0400 422261 Marcos Witt Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:38:11 -0400 674605 http://www.joelosteen.com Do you ever feel like you are limited by the system of this world? You go to work, get a paycheck, and that determines your limits. Maybe you have dreams and desires, but you don’t feel like you have the right connections. Or maybe you don’t have the right education. It’s tempting to think, “I’ll never rise any higher. I’m limited to the system that I’m in.” But you have to remember, God likes to go outside the system! He likes to do unusual, extraordinary things. You may have a dream in your heart that’s bigger than your finances. It’s bigger than your education, bigger than anything that your family has ever done. And it’s easy to think, “Well, I don’t have the expertise. I don’t have the connections. I don’t have the right people behind me.” It may be bigger than your system but be encouraged today. You may not have the right connections but you have God�'you and God are a majority! Your dream is not dependent on other people. God loves to take ordinary people and use them to do extraordinary things. You have not seen your best days yet. No matter where you are in life, no matter what environment you’re in, no matter how impossible your dreams may seem. You need to know God already has a plan. He already has a way. If you will stay in faith God will go outside the system and take you places that you never thought possible! He’ll take you way beyond your system and you live the life of victory He has in store! Joel Osteen Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:37:57 -0400 1064310 God has a bright future for you! If the curtain were pulled back today so that you could look into His plans and desires for your life, you would see God opening doors to bring new opportunities across your path and His preparations for clearing away any obstacles that might hold you back. Jeremiah 29:11 is clear that God has a plan and a future for you, so let me encourage you today to turn your desires and plans over to God and say, \"I'm trusting You. I believe that You're in control and even though I may not see anything happening today, I believe You're working in my life.\" When you put your trust in God and allow Him to be in complete control, you'll have a life filled with greater peace, hope and the confidence that everything is going to be all right. Joel Osteen Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:37:40 -0400 248407 Too many people go around feeling bad because they are listening to the wrong voices. The enemy is called the accuser of the brethren and there is nothing he would like more than for you to live your life feeling guilty and condemned. Don't make the mistake of receiving these accusations. The Apostle Paul said, "The things I know I should do, I don't. The things I know I shouldn't do, I end up doing." Even he struggled in this area and he wrote more than half of the New Testament! God is not displeased with you just because you don't perform perfectly one hundred percent of the time. When you go through setbacks in life, choose to receive God's mercy. Let go of the past and press forward with joy, confidence, and purpose. Joel Osteen Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:37:38 -0400 228578 God's power is limited by only one thing: Your way of thinking. When we are worried, negative, or discouraged, it shows a lack of faith. The children of Israel were guilty of it. They saw first-hand his miracles but still questioned God when they were in the wilderness. Stir up your faith today and get out of that rut! It's time to stop thinking about what you can't do and start thinking about what God can do. No matter what you need, never ask, \"Can God?\" God can and God will. When you truly believe this, and keep an attitude of faith, you'll be at peace and expecting all of the good things that you inherit as God's child. Joel Osteen Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:37:16 -0400 137587 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 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:36:33 -0400 587790 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 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:36:16 -0400 627094 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 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:36:15 -0400 609914 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 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:35:59 -0400 533503 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 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:36:16 -0500 479942 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 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:35:56 -0500 735319 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 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:35:30 -0500 725042 Ephesians 5:18 says to 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 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:34:45 -0500 758665 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 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:34:32 -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 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:34:30 -0500 700944 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 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:17:22 -0500 770120 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, 17 Feb 2008 23:17:15 -0500 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, 17 Feb 2008 23:17:14 -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 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:17:11 -0500 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, 17 Feb 2008 23:17:09 -0500 819577 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, 17 Feb 2008 23:17:07 -0500 829170 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 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:17:05 -0500 843390 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, 17 Feb 2008 23:17:02 -0500 864972 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:17:00 -0500 884526 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, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:57 -0500 885400 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, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:54 -0500 898896 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:53 -0500 908350 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, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:51 -0500 921939 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 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:48 -0500 932394 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:46 -0500 943112 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 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:43 -0500 539833 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 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:40 -0500 964043 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 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:38 -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 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:35 -0500 982704 http://www.joelosteen.com 2008 Joel Osteen Ministries Joel Osteen Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:31 -0500 1000379 http://www.joelosteen.com Joel Osteen Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:28 -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 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:16:19 -0500 1016606