Joel Osteen

Can I just say, I love Joel Osteen. :)  He is the most positive person in America it would seem.  :)

My husband was saying how no one could get at mad at that guy.  And it's true!  He is just the nicest person, and he is not offensive in any way.  Why would an atheist get mad about anything he preaches or says?  He is all about love and acceptance. 

He really does a great job of making the gospel the "good news" as it should be.  He makes the gospel look attractive and inviting, as it should.  Go Joel Osteen!

Some have accused him of preaching a prosperity gospel, but I think he is just trying to encourage people, which is great!

I remember a friend at Biola, where I went to college, said walking into chapel there was like saying, "Please come hit me over the head with a two by four." lol :)  But that is often the only message the church sends out.  "You are unworthy to stand before our powerful and mighty God!"  Which is somewhat true, but also God loves us.  And we need to not forget that. 

Here are some quotes from him: :)

"We all face challenges, but it’s not the size of the problem that’s important. It’s our perception of that problem; it’s how big or small we make it in our minds. Don’t make your problems bigger. Learn instead to make God bigger."

Amen!  Shakespeare once said, "We can make a hell of heaven or a heaven of hell."  It's all in the mind and how we perceive things.  When we say something is not good, how can we really know what is good for us at the time?  Maybe something that seems bad is good, and what we think would have been good would be bad.  Instead of saying that our greatest goal is to be happy we need to make our greatest goal to become more holy.  Then our perspective about everything will change.  Amen. :)

"Now is not the time to shrink back in fear. This is the time to move forward in faith. Get up every morning knowing you have everything you need to fulfill your destiny."

Amen!  Satan wants us to fear.  Satan's GREATEST goal is for you to fear.  But God wants us to be bold and courageous.  He wants us to have faith.  "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but a spirit of son ship."  We are sons and daughters of the most high God, meaning we have nothing to be afraid of.  We are only to fear God in a respect kind of way and nothing else.  Because "we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!"  Amen :)

"When life weighs you down, limiting your thinking, you've got to get past those limitations and believe that God created you for something bigger." 

Yes he did!  Don't let Satan limit you through negative thinking.  Stay positive!  Stay in faith!  And you will be able to do anything.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Amen?  Amen. :)

"Help bring peace back to your family. They’ve got enough people trying to push them down. They should be able to count on you to help lift them up."

Yes very true.  I always feel bad if I am ever not peaceful or discouraging to my husband.  God has brought this to my attention, that he may have enough people making life hard for him, and I need to not be one as well.  Those we love most we are called to encourage the most.  Focus on the positive.  What do they do well?  What is great about them?  Don't focus on things they lack, but in what ways are they are an asset to you?  How is your life more blessed because they are in it?  Be thankful for the people God has given you every day, because many people don't even have anyone remotely great in their lives. :( If God has blessed you with great people and friends, make sure to thank him and them.  Tell them how much you appreciate them.  God would want you to. :)  Amen :)

"You may have a reason to feel sorry for yourself, but God promised to give you beauty for those ashes. If you are going to see the beauty, you have to shake off the self-pity."

Amen!  We have to be careful of feeling too sorry for ourselves.  To have too much self-pity is essentially to spit in God's face and tell him you are not thankful for the life and things he has given you.  The more thankful for you are, the more God will want to bless you.  Don't wallow in grief and self-pity for too long.  You need to shake it off.  Get your focus off of yourself and onto someone else.  Help someone else in some way.  Then you won't think about your own misery anymore.  Amen. :) 

"Get your mind off of your problems and pain by helping somebody else in need. When you help others in your time of need, you are sowing a seed God can use to change your situation."

That echoes the previous quote. :)

"You may be waiting on God, but God is waiting on you. If you’ll do what you know God is asking you to do, your faithfulness will activate His favor, increase & blessing."

Yes the Christian life is neither all us or all God, it is both.  "You can't steer a ship that isn't moving."  And God can't steer us unless we are moving and doing something.  We need to be obedient to what we already know he wants us to do, in order for him to show us more of what he wants us to do.  If we are faithful in a few things, then he will give us more things.  :)

And I do think God wants to bless us.  We are his children after all.  Parents always want to bless their children when they do good things.  He wants to give us more favor at work, but we have to be obedient first and do the right things.  He wants to bless us with money even, but we have to be faithful in our jobs and work hard.  God wants to bless us emotionally with close relationships, but we have to follow his guidelines for how to really love others.  And he wants to bless us spiritually, but we have to put in the hard work of studying God's word and praying often.  We won't get something for nothing, but we will get something for something.  If we do our part, God will in turn bless us. :) 

Amen!  God pour out your blessings on us.  But show us how we can be more and more deserving of your blessings.  :)  Thank you for all that you have already given us.  We love you! :)  You are awesome! :)

A side note: remember to tithe 10% of your income.  I recommend tithing to World Vision to the orphans and widows fund personally.  Given the verse, "This is religion that God our father accepts, to care for orphans and widows in their distress." 

I have a friend at church who has a cool story.  Her and her husband were tithing faithfully.  God then kept increasing her husband's income with raise after raise.  If you will trust God with your money and tithe, I do believe he will bless you financially.  If you don't tithe you are actually under a curse, and your money and bank account will seem to have holes in it. :(  But if you do tithe, you will be filled to overflowing with money and other blessings.  It is the opposite of what seems logical, but it is the truth.  I heard in a sermon once, "There are two conversions in the Christian walk; the first is of the heart and the second is of the pocket book."  Or of your money.  Remember that we cannot serve both God and money, we will love the one and hate the other.  Look at Malachi 3:7-9.

"Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.
⁹ You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.

¹⁰ Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it."

Amen! :)  If you want God to bless you financially, tithe.  It's as simple as that. :)