BETTER DAYS AHEAD

Better Days Ahead
By: Joel Osteen

The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
Job 42:10

Have you ever felt robbed or cheated by life? You may have experienced some unfair situations in which somebody did you wrong or mistreated you. Perhaps you are having problems in a relationship, or in your marriage, or with a child. Or maybe you’ve struggled financially, and you don’t see how you can ever get ahead. Life has been one setback after another. If that sounds like you, I have good news for you: God wants to restore everything that has been stolen from you. He wants to restore your joy, peace, health, finances, and your family. And when God restores, He doesn’t leave you as you were before bad things happened to you; He brings you out better than you were previously.

For instance, in the Bible, if a thief was caught stealing, he had to repay his victim seven times what he stole. In another place, Scripture commands that the thief repay four times as much. God Himself said through the prophet Isaiah, “I will pay you back double for all the unfair things that have happened.” (Isaiah 61:7)

When you face trouble or somebody does you wrong, instead of getting discouraged, your attitude should be, “Father, I thank you that I’m now in position to receive double. I know I’m going to come out stronger, healthier, and happier than I’ve ever been.”

God does not want to bring you out of your adversities all beaten up and bedraggled; no, you are not simply a survivor, you are “more than a conqueror” (Romans 8:37) He wants to bring you out promoted and increased, with abundance. Beyond that, God wants to make the enemy pay for the wrongs done to you, His child.

If you’re in a tough situation today, you need to develop restoration mentality. Mentally encourage yourself that God is going to turn your situation around. Remind yourself that you are a victor and not a victim. You don’t just defeat the enemy, you gather up all the spoils. You come out better than before, blessed to overflowing.

In the Scripture we read of Job, a good man who loved God and had a heart to do what’s right. Yet in a few weeks’ time, he lost his business, his flocks, and herds, his family, and his health. Things could not get any worse for Job, and I’m sure he was tempted to be bitter. He could have said, “God, it’s not fair. I don’t understand why this is happening to me.”

His own wife told him, “Job, just curse God and die.”
But no, Job knew that God is a God of restoration. He knew God could turn any situation around. And his attitude was, Even if I die I’m going to die trusting God. I’m going to die believing for the best.

When it was all said and done, God not only turned Job’s calamity around, He brought Job out with twice what he had before. He had twice as many cattle, twice as many sheep. He got his health back, and God gave him a new family. God restored double what the enemy had stolen. Amazingly, the Scripture says, “The latter part of Job’s life was more blessed than the first part”

Maybe you need to be reminded today that God wants the rest of your life to be more blessed than the first part. Despite what you’ve been through, or how somebody has treated you, no matter what the medical report says, or what your bank statement says, God is saying, “I WANT TO MAKE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE HAPPIER AND MORE FULFILLED THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE.” God wants to bring you out to a flourishing finish. In other words, God is saying THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

TODAY’S PRAYER:

FATHER, I DARE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO TURN AROUND THOSE CONDITIONS IN MY LIFE OVER WHICH I HAVE NO CONTROL, SITUATIONS IN WHICH SOMEONE HAS CHOSEN TO DO EVIL AGAINST ME. I KNOW YOU REWARD THOSE WHO TRUST YOU, SO I WILL CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO RESTORE ALL THAT HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM ME.