Switch over into faith. You keep doing that, and fear is getting weaker and weaker while your faith is getting stronger and stronger. You’ll have peace and trust that God has you in the palm of His hand.
Your words have transformative power and give life to what you're saying. When you declare God's Word and speak blessings over your relationships, health and future, life-changing possibilities are unlimited. This month, Joel would like to send you his new book so you can declare faith-filled words that invite blessings, favor and success into your life.
Today's Word: APR 19, 2024
After Jesus rose from the dead, He spoke today’s Scripture to His disciples. When you retain someone’s sin, you hold on to it. God was saying that when you hold on to the wrongs people have done to you, the poison contaminates you. When you don’t forgive, the sin you retain that hurt you—that bitterness, anger, hatred, or criticalness—can produce the same results in you. It can be very hard to forgive, especially when someone has hurt you, but you don’t have to forgive them for their sakes; you forgive for your own sake. Forgiving doesn’t mean you’re excusing anyone or lessening the offense. Forgiveness keeps their poison out of your life and takes away their power to keep hurting you. Forgiveness is about choosing to release the hurt and trust God to make it up to you, so you can claim the amazing future that awaits you. When you forgive someone, you set a prisoner free from chains of anger and bitterness. That prisoner isn’t the person who hurt you; the prisoner is you.
As you face circumstances in life, sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged. But what if you could believe big and know that by this time next year, you’re going to see things turn around. This month’s ministry thank you will help make the coming year a time of expectation, hope and above all…belief!
We can all look back and see times when we let our guard down and compromised, giving in to temptation or not handling a situation the way we should have. It’s easy to be defined by one moment in life—a divorce, a business that didn’t make it, a personal failure. That negative recording reminds us of what we’ve done wrong, why we’re not going to be blessed or accomplish our dreams. The enemy is called “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). He’d love to convince you to let that one mistake or one season to cause you to live condemned and guilty. But that mistake didn’t cancel God’s plan. You may have failed, but you’re not a failure. That was a moment or a season in your life; it doesn’t determine your future. Don’t let a mistake define you. If you go around wearing the negative label of “divorced,” “addict,” “failure,” or “compromiser,” you’re going to miss the fullness of what God has in store for you.
Other people may also try to define you by your mistakes. They’ll stick those labels on you, reminding you of the times you failed, compromised, didn’t measure up. Some people will remember your failures more than your victories despite all the times you succeeded, despite all the times you sacrificed for others and went the extra mile, despite all the times you honored God. When you go through one bad season, don’t be surprised if people say, “God’s not going to bless you. You gave in to the temptation. Your business failed. You’re divorced. It’s over for you.”
Don’t let people label you. They don’t determine your destiny. They can’t stop what God has ordained for your life. The only person who can stop you is you. If you let your mistakes define you, if you wear the labels people stick on you, if you believe the lies from the enemy, that will keep you from your destiny. When someone keeps bringing up your past mistakes, they may not realize it, but they’re working for the accuser. You can’t stop others from putting a negative label on you, but you can take it right off. “I’m not defined by my mistakes. I’m defined by what God says about me. I am forgiven. I am redeemed. My past mistakes are behind me, and my failures are in my yesterday.”
“God’s mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23). Receive that mercy and move on. “What about that failure?” It’s in the past. “What about that mistake?” It’s covered by mercy. “What about the divorce, the compromise, the time you blew it?” That’s over and done. Life is too short to let what happened in the past keep you from the great things God has in your future.
READ BLOG ENTRYSwitch over into faith. You keep doing that, and fear is getting weaker and weaker while your faith is getting stronger and stronger. You’ll have peace and trust that God has you in the palm of His hand.
Follow Joel Osteen Ministries on Instagram. Inspiring people to reach their dreams and live their best life.
