The Good News Blog

by Charles Stanley

The story of Gideon offers scriptural guidance for times when the odds are overwhelming and defeat seems imminent. No matter what your challenges are, the Lord is able to demonstrate His awesome power and deliver you.

God uses difficulty to build faith. Gideon was willing to believe God and go up against an army four times larger than his own. Trusting the Lord is a process which must be learned through experience.

At times God takes the people He uses and places them in impossible situations—in that way, they discover that He is faithful. We may prefer to acquire faith by reading a book, but the Lord knows that the best classroom is a place of utter helplessness.

God may require us to do what seems unreasonable. The Israelites were already outnumbered, but the Lord instructed Gideon to reduce the army to a mere 300 men. That made

The Levels of Life
by Dr. Charles Stanley

Living accommodations vary widely in the physical world, ranging from mansions to crude shelters. In the same way, the spiritual realm also has different levels.

In our passage today, the Lord reveals three ranks of spiritual life:

1. The Natural Man—Everyone who has not accepted Christ as his Savior is in this category. Many in this group are capable of good deeds, but since their sins remain unforgiven, they are separated from the Lord. Because the Holy Spirit does not dwell within them, they cannot understand the things of God.

2. The Spiritual Man—This group is composed of Christians who are filled with the Spirit and surrendered to His control. Though they’re not perfect, they are quick to recognize transgression, confess sin, and genuinely repent by turning back to God. Because the Holy Spirit is ruling in their lives, He is able

by Bo Sanchez

One day, I was preaching about expressing our love more.

After the talk, two grey-haired gentlemen walked up to me.

The first man said, “Brother Bo, in all the years that I’ve been married, not once have I have ever told my wife that I loved her. I was never trained to be expressive.”

The other man added, “Bo, I don’t feel a need to say ‘I love you’ to my wife. What other proof does she need? I’m still here married to her, am I not? I guess I want my actions to speak more than my words.”

I studied the men in front of me. And I understood them.

Because I realized what epoch they came from. Let me give you an idea of how old they were: I was wondering if they were classmates of Jose Rizal or Emilio Aguinaldo.

Just kidding.

They were as old as my father.

And that’s why I

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it” -Numbers 14:24, NAS

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

One time in Scripture, Moses sent twelve men to spy out the Promised Land. The people of Israel were camped right next door and excited about possessing the land. But after 40 days, ten of the men came back with a negative report. They said, “Moses, there are giants in the land, and we’ll never defeat them.” That negative report spread throughout the rest of the camp, and the people began to murmur and complain.

But one of the spies named Caleb said, “Moses, we are well able to defeat these people. Let us go up at once and take the land!”

It’s interesting that they

by Victoria Osteen

The Bible talks about joy and calls it “unspeakable and full of glory.” You know what that says to me? It says that joy is more than just a feeling. It’s more than just being happy. Joy is a supernatural force on the inside of you.

Joy is a deep abiding strength. It’s constantly there. It is a fruit, or offspring, of the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t come from your circumstances. The world can’t give it to you, and the world can’t take it away!

So how do you “get” joy today? The good news is that when you make Jesus your Lord and Savior, the Bible says that the Spirit of God makes His home inside of you. And if the Holy Spirit is on the inside of you, than so is joy! As believers, we already have joy! But we have to stir up what God has

by Victoria Osteen

Everywhere I go, I encounter so many people who have a misconception that God is always mad at them. When things don´t go well, the first thing they say is, “Well, God, You did it to me again!”

It´s as if they think God is just waiting for them to do something wrong so He can punish them and make their lives difficult. Let me assure you right now: that is the farthest thing from the truth! God is not mad at you; He is madly in love with you!

It doesn´t matter how many times you´ve made a mistake; it doesn´t matter how many times you´ve blown it. God is always ready to receive you with open, loving arms.

In fact, He´s already forgiven you for anything you´ve done in the past and anything you will

by Joel Osteen

One of the battles that everyone faces at some time or another is the battle of discouragement. Our dreams don’t always happen on our timetable. We go through disappointments and adversities. With so much coming against us, it can be easy to loose enthusiasm and zeal for life. It’s good to have family and friends who encourage you. It’s good to have a coach, a teacher, or a pastor to cheer you on.

But one thing I’ve learned is that other people cannot keep us encouraged. They may give us a boost. They may help us from time to time. But if you’re really going to live in victory, that encouragement has to come from the inside. You’ve got to learn to encourage yourself.

When times get tough and things aren’t going your way and you feel like giving up on your dreams, deep down in your spirit there has

TODAY´S SCRIPTURE

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6, NKJ)

TODAY´S WORD from Joel and Victoria

As a believer in Jesus, did you know that goodness and mercy are following you? God´s grace and favor are chasing you down! But if you live with a cloud of condemnation over you, if you surround yourself with negativity, then you are putting a barrier between yourself and the blessings of God.

So many believers today miss out on what God has in store for them because they live like they´ve got a dark cloud over their heads. They´re always talking doom and gloom, living in condemnation. But when you open your heart to receive what God has for you,

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“You crown the year with Your bounty and goodness…” (Psalm 65:11, AMP)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Are you seeing the goodness of God overflowing in your life today? If you´ll look with your eyes of faith, you´ll see that He´s already crowned your year with His goodness. In other words, you have been especially chosen; you are marked to receive His goodness.

And when God crowns you with His goodness, it doesn´t matter what´s going on around you. It doesn´t matter what´s happening in the economy, in the job market, or the housing market. God´s crown of favor and blessing cannot be moved. You are the head and not the tail; above only and not beneath.

Are you ready to receive His crown today? Are you ready to walk in the authority you´ve already been

by Joel Osteen

Not long ago, a man was telling me about how he felt as if he had wasted the first forty years of his life. He had come from a good family. He was bright and had all kinds of opportunity in front of him, but he ended up a cocaine addict. He told me, “Joel, I don’t even really remember the first part of my life. I was so high and so messed up. I ruined my marriage. I blew my education.”

At one point, he thought his life was over, but today things are different. Now he’s in his early fifties, his family is back together, and he has a good job. In fact, he volunteers for us every weekend. He said, “I never dreamed God would give me another chance. I never dreamed I could be this fulfilled.”