Joel Osteen Ministries Featuring: Victoria Osteen - You Are a Child of Promise

The Bible speaks a lot about our words. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” And James wrote, “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things” (James 3:4–5). He recognized that although our tongue is a very small part of our body, it directs the course of our life for victory or defeat even when we’re in the midst of stormy, negative situations. Too often when we get in difficult situations, we forget the power that we have in our tongue and where it can lead us. [Video Below] You have to be strong with your words of faith as well as being strong in your thoughts. And the best way to get your thoughts to line up is to release your words of faith. Words reinforce what you think. Make God bigger than anything else that you see. This is message #724R, "You Are a Child of Promise", by Victoria Osteen. For more inspirational messages, visit https://www.JoelOsteen.com/Messages

Listening in Your Spirit

Just as we have physical ears, we have spiritual ears. God doesn't speak to us out loud like you see in some movies, He speaks to us in our spirit. Many times God will speak things that contradict what we see with our eyes. You're struggling in your finances, but you hear that voice saying, "You're blessed. You have more than enough." It doesn't look like you'll ever get well, but you hear a voice saying, "You're healthy. You're whole." It's just the opposite of what it looks like, but God calls you what you are before it happens. Abraham didn't have any children when God called him "a father of many nations." Gideon was afraid and felt unqualified to lead the Israelites yet God called him "a mighty hero."

The scripture says that "the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). That sickness or addiction may look permanent, but one touch of God's favor and you'll be well. You may feel like you're stuck, you're not seeing any good breaks—stay in faith, it's subject to change. If you listen down in your spirit, you'll hear that voice saying, "New levels are coming, new opportunities, new relationships. Favor is in your future."

In 1 Kings 18, it hadn't rained in Israel for three and a half years, and there was a great drought in the land. But the prophet Elijah heard God speak to his spirit and he told King Ahab, "I hear the sound of abundance of rain" (v. 41). Everywhere the king looked it was brittle dry. I'm sure he thought, "Elijah, you're hearing things. There's not a cloud in the sky." That's the way God is. In a drought, God will talk to you about rain. In lack, He'll talk to you about abundance. When you feel insignificant, He'll talk to you about greatness. He speaks to your spirit about what's coming, but it may be the opposite of what your circumstances look like.

Elijah could have thought, "I'm not going to tell anyone what I heard. They'll think I'm crazy." But Elijah was bold enough to announce what he heard. The scripture says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so" (Psalm 107:2). It's not enough to just believe what you hear, you need to announce it. When you're fighting a sickness, tell someone, "I'm healthy. I'm whole." They may look at you and say, "What do you mean? There's no sign of you getting well." When you announce it, it sets the miracle in motion. Your words have creative power. You give life to your faith by speaking it out. That's what allows God to bring it to pass.