Month: October 2019

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Today’s Word with Joel & Victoria Osteen Ministries

https://www.joelosteen.com/Pages/Blog.aspx?blogid=14077

Today’s Scripture
“So I have come down to rescue them…and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land…”
(Exodus 3:8)
A Good and Spacious Land
Notice in today’s verse that God did not say He would bring His people into a small land; a little place, tight or crowded. No, receive this into your spirit: Just as God brought the children of Israel into a good and spacious land, so He will do the same for you! He wants to take you to the land of “more than enough,” a land of plenty of room flowing with increase, good breaks and opportunity. He wants you to live in a land where you not only have enough for yourself, but you’re so blessed that you can be a blessing to other people. If you’re not in a good and spacious place today, the challenge is: don’t settle where you are. This is not your permanent address! It’s only temporary. Keep standing, keep believing, keep pressing forward and walk into the good and spacious land God has in store for you!

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. I trust that You are leading me into a new land, a spacious land filled with blessing and opportunity. I choose to stand and keep my eyes on You as You lead me forward in Your purposes in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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The Commission to Make Disciples By Bobby Schuller

Originally posted here: https://hourofpower.org/the-commission-to-make-disciples/

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

– Matthew 28:19,20

Do you know what the Great Commission says? Christians often mistakenly believe that Jesus’ command was to go and preach the Gospel to the whole world, but in fact, that was not His mandate as recorded in the book of Matthew. Instead, He said to go and make disciples. Far from being a directive to design a perfect believer who looks and acts the way we think they should, making disciples simply means to invite others to follow the Rabbi Jesus by observing our lives. In other words, as we seek to live like He did, we lead people naturally and teach them more about our Savior without having to say a word.

Even better, anyone can be a disciple, whether child, adult, senior citizen, or sinner. Any person with the slightest interest in knowing more about the Light of the World is welcomed to follow the path He illuminates. When Jesus says to make disciples of all nations, the Greek word is ethnos, and it means all ethnicities, people groups, and languages. No one is excluded from the gift of believing in God’s only Son, and you are called to the awesome work of making Him known, in both word and deed.

Friend, you don’t have to evangelize everyone you come in contact with in order to be a disciple-maker. Doing the Lord’s work means that you model the light and love of Jesus by immersing each and every person you encounter in His undiscriminating and extravagant love. Live your life before people, give their hearts a safe place to dwell, and opportunities to share more about your Savior’s sacrifice will abound naturally.

Prayer
I receive my call, Jesus, to be a disciple-maker. May I model you to everyone I encounter.

Reflection
How can you put the Great Commission into practice?

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Thursday 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm 109
Save me, O Lord, in your kindness

O Lord my Lord, act on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me.

Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love. Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it.

With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.

O God of Creation, you have blessed us with the changing of the seasons. remind us of the wonder of your creation. remind us that it is you who give us the breath of life. … May the dying of summer’s spirit remind us of your great promise that death is temporary and life is eternal.

Dear God, I so much want to be in control.
I want to be the master of my own destiny.
Still I know that you are saying:
“Let me take you by the hand and lead you.
Accept my love and trust that where I will bring you,
the deepest desires of your heart will be fulfilled.”
Lord, open my hands to receive your gift of love. Amen.
Father Henri Nouwen

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Today’s Word with Joel & Victoria Osteen Ministries

Originally posted here: https://www.joelosteen.com/Pages/Blog.aspx?blogid=14077

Today’s Scripture
“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty.”
(Zechariah 4:6, NIV)
By the Breath of God
In the original Hebrew, the word “spirit” in today’s verse literally means “breath.” This Scripture is saying that the breakthroughs that are coming in our lives are not going to happen just by our talent, our connections or who we know. It’s going to happen because God breathes in our direction. God will shift the winds that blow healing, promotion and restoration our way. How are you going to get well? The medical report may say it’s impossible, but when God breathes on you, health, wholeness and restoration are headed toward you. How are you going to accomplish your dreams? You may not know the right people or have enough money or feel as though you have the talent. No, God is breathing and sending ideas, resources and the right connections your direction. If you will stay faithful and keep honoring and obeying God, suddenly, things will change. Suddenly, you will come into abundance. Suddenly, your child will turn around. Suddenly, you will get well. Suddenly, the breath of God will shift things in every area of your life!

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for breathing in my direction. Thank You for restoring life, peace, health and wholeness to my body and mind. I bless You today and receive the supernatural shifts You have prepared for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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Spiritual Children By Bobby Schuller

Originally posted here: https://hourofpower.org/spiritual-children/

“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

– Psalm 78:4

Hannah and I both have great families, and one of the coolest things about Hannah’s parents is that they raised six kids and gave themselves entirely to the job of child-rearing, so much so that they called it their hobby. Since the window of opportunity in raising their children was so short, they decided that being good parents was more important than anything else in their lives. Because they took such a proactive approach to guiding and shaping their kids, they not only taught them what to do, they taught them how to teach others what to do. So when Hannah was a teenager, her folks were training her in how to raise her own children some day. To broaden the impact of their approach, I believe this perspective applies not only to parenting, but also to spiritual parenting.

Friend, whether or not you have biological children, you have a heritage that includes spiritual offspring. Your true calling as a disciple of Jesus Christ is found in equipping and training upcoming generations so they can learn more about Him through the legacy of your life. As you undertake the assignments He calls you to, I encourage you to be a teacher and to look for chances to shape those around you. Be proactive in your spiritual parenting, and assume a posture of guiding, blessing, and serving others, especially the next generation, whenever you have the opportunity!

Prayer
Jesus, I want to be a spiritual parent. I pray for spiritual children who I can pour into as you pour into me.

Reflection
Who are your spiritual children?

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Wednesday 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Romans 8.26-30
The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom the Father foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those whom the Father predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

The Lord became my protector.
He brought me out to a place of freedom;
he saved me because he delighted in me.
Psalm 17
Dear God, I so much want to be in control.
I want to be the master of my own destiny.
Still I know that you are saying:
“Let me take you by the hand and lead you.
Accept my love and trust that where I will bring you,
the deepest desires of your heart will be fulfilled.”
Lord, open my hands to receive your gift of love. Amen.
Father Henri Nouwen

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Today’s Word with Joel & Victoria Osteen Ministries

Originally posted here: https://www.joelosteen.com/Pages/Blog.aspx?blogid=14077

Today’s Scripture
“…God…calls those things which do not exist as though they did.”
(Romans 4:17, NKJV)
Call Out Seeds of Greatness
Very often, we see potential in other people that they haven’t see in themselves. When you speak vision into them, when you tell them what they can become, you can help set the direction for their life. Your words have the power to push people into their divine destiny. I believe that the reason some people are not living at their full potential is because no one has ever spoken faith into them. No one has taken the time to say, “Hey, you’re great at this. You have a gift here. You’re going to do something amazing!” I believe that one of our assignments in life is to call out the seeds of greatness in other people. Look around at who God has placed in your life. They’re not there by accident. Take time to study them. See what they’re good at. What are their gifts? What do they excel at? Don’t just think about it, speak vision into them. Tell them what they can become. Let your encouragement ignite the greatness on the inside. Help them rise up in confidence so they can be all God has called them to be!

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the people You’ve placed in my life. I choose to be faithful, to speak life and call forth the greatness in them. Thank You for bringing me to new levels as I help others rise higher, too, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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A Double Commission By Bobby Schuller

Originally posted here: https://hourofpower.org/a-double-commission/

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

– 2 Corinthians 5:20

Did you know that you are a missionary? Though you might think that doing the Lord’s work means being employed in full-time ministry or spreading the Gospel in a far off country, the truth is that you have as much influence right here and now as you would on the other side of the world. Wherever you go in this life, Jesus has set divine appointments for you to share the love, hope, joy, and encouragement that He alone can bring. Whenever He moves you into a new season, there are people in it who need to hear the life-saving truth of the Gospel.

Besides being a missionary, you are a disciple-maker. That means that you are called by God to encourage, build-up, and bless other Christians. Just as people have poured into you so that you can grow in your relationship with Jesus, the Lord has commissioned you to come alongside others so that they, too, can learn what it looks like to follow in the way of their Savior. I encourage you to wake up every day and remember the mental image painted by one of my favorite Greek Proverbs, which says, “A society becomes great when its elders plant trees under whose shade they know they will never sit.”

Friend, you are that tree planter! No matter where the road of life leads you or upon which terrain you find yourself traveling, you are building your legacy with each and every encounter along the way. Whether in a school, a church, an office, a hospital, or in your own neighborhood, you are a commissioned missionary and disciple-maker, and you possess God-sized blessings that have the power to impact generations to come!

Prayer
I receive my call, Jesus, as a missionary and disciple-maker. Use me to provide shade for future generations.

Reflection
How do you carry out your call as a missionary and disciple-maker?

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Tuesday 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 13.18-21
Jesus said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

And again Jesus said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

O Lord, I trust in your merciful love. My heart will rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord who as been bountiful with me.
Psalm 12
Dear God, I so much want to be in control.
I want to be the master of my own destiny.
Still I know that you are saying:
“Let me take you by the hand and lead you.
Accept my love and trust that where I will bring you,
the deepest desires of your heart will be fulfilled.”
Lord, open my hands to receive your gift of love. Amen.
Father Henri Nouwen