The Good News Blog

by Joel Osteen

I saw an article not long ago that talked about how to reduce your risk of being laid off. There were three main criteria that businesses considered when determining who should stay and who should go. The people that didn’t get laid off, number one, had a positive attitude. Number two, they were versatile. And number three, they were always improving their skills.

What’s your attitude like in the workplace? Do other people want to work with you or do they run the other direction when they see you coming? We have to be determined to set our attitude in a positive direction every single day.

Every morning, I’ve learned to say, “Father, thank You that today is going to be a blessing day and a receiving day, a day where I’ll be a blessing to someone and a day where I will receive Your goodness in a greater way.”

by Dr. Harold Sala

“Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.” -Psalm 127:4

The world’s greatest mission field is not the Dark Continent of Africa, nor is it the highlands of Papua New Guinea, or the jungles of South America. Are you ready for this?

The greatest mission field today is the hearts of our children. And today forces more sinister and frightening than the vipers of the jungle and more devastating than malaria which no longer responds to medicines are making their bids for the hearts of our children and grandchildren.

Today our children are both our greatest challenge and our greatest mission field. But here is the question: How do we respond to the evil and sinister forces which challenge them? Turn off the TV set. Give them the gift of yourself, and strive to include them in your overloaded schedule. Yes, but even more.

For

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“So [Israel] came up to Baal–perazim, and David smote [the Philistines] there. Then David said, God has broken my enemies by my hand, like the bursting forth of waters. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal–perazim [Lord of breaking through]“  -I Chronicles 14:11, AMP

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Notice, David likened God’s power to the bursting forth of waters. In other words, he described it as a flood. He was saying that when the God of the breakthrough shows up and releases His power, it will be like a flood of His goodness, a flood of His favor, a flood of healing, a flood of new opportunity.

Think about how powerful water is. Three or four feet of water can pick up a huge car that weighs thousands of pounds and move it all around. I’ve seen on the news whole houses floating down the

by Joel Osteen

I want to share with you a story about a young man who was raised in a small country town. In his early twenties, he married a young girl from the community who was really into fashion–especially high–heeled shoes.

One day after they had gotten married, they were driving home and it was raining. A truck was coming from the other direction, didn’t see them, and turned right in front of them. This young man tried to stop, but he couldn’t and plowed right into that truck, totaling their vehicle.

The young man couldn’t get his door open, so he tried to crawl out the window and encouraged his wife to do the same. She said, “I can’t. My legs are hurt.” When he looked down, he saw that both of her ankles had been crushed.

They rushed her to a hospital in a larger city and after several days and

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“…the Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like the bursting out of great waters…” – (II Samuel 5:20, NLT)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

A breakthrough is simply a sudden burst of God’s favor. It’s an explosion of His goodness. It’s when suddenly, God releases His power in such a way that it overwhelms you and drives out your enemies!

Maybe you’ve been praying about a child for years, and suddenly, they get back on the right course. That’s a breakthrough. Or you were trying to get in to a certain college. They said they were full, but suddenly, they call you back and say they have room for you.

That’s another breakthrough. Perhaps you’ve struggled in your finances for a long time then you get a good break or a promotion. Now it’s not a struggle anymore. Those are all breakthroughs.

No matter what you’ve been facing, no

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” -(Galatians 5:1, NAS).

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

So many people today are missing out on the freedom that God has in store for them simply because they’re always running from their adversities. They’re continually running from their challenges or difficulties, content to stay right where they are.

And I know that it’s sometimes difficult to stand against the enemy. It can be uncomfortable to confront our challenges in order to take hold of freedom. But I believe that it is actually more difficult to run from our challenges than it is to stand and face them.

See, if you’ll face your challenges, then it will only be a temporary difficulty. But if you spend your whole life running from your challenges, it’s

by Dr. Harold Sala

“Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees. But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed.” -Job 4:4-5

When difficulties come, on what do you focus? Some look back. They are the ones who try to drive looking in the rear view mirror. Their thoughts are consumed with two questions which, like a broken record, play over and over again: “What if?” or “If only?” “What if I had not made that investment? What if I had listened to my mom or dad?

Some focus entirely on the future when difficulties arise. And what’s wrong with that? Isn’t goal setting important? Yes. Certainly, if you have no thought of where you want to go, you’ll never get there, for sure.

But focusing entirely on tomorrow is daydreaming, or living in a fantasy world