A Victorious Life Begins in Your Mind
By: Joel Osteen
ISBN: 9780892969678
Publisher: FaithWords
Publication Date: 10/4/2016
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 4 Stars Bestselling author Joel Osteen shares how reprogramming your thoughts to remove negativity will lead to a more blessed, fulfilled life. Your mind has incredible power over your success or failure. THINK BETTER, LIVE BETTER offers a simple yet life-changing strategy for erasing the thoughts that keep you down and reprogramming your mind with positive thinking to reach a new level of victory. As a child of the Most High God, you are equipped to handle anything that comes your way. To claim your destiny, start thinking about yourself the way God does and delete the thoughts that tear down your confidence. When you train yourself to tune out the negativity and tune into your calling, you'll begin to live the wonderful plans God has made for you.
My Review
A special thank you to FaithWords, Center Street and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Think Better, Live Better: Victorious Living Starts in Your Mind. Joel Osteen delivers an uplifting and inspiring message, with powerful words to empower and motivate. Change the way you think, in order to see the positive changes in your life. Reprogram. As always, Osteen focuses on the positive, and reiterates a message for the downtrodden. A way to pick yourself up. A way out of your struggles. Whether it be your environment, health, financial, family dysfunction, or any part of your life. God meant for us to be extraordinary, not ordinary. Broken out in "easy to read" chapters: • Reprogram Your Mind • Remove Negative Labels • Release the Full You • Think Yourself to Victory • Pregnant with Possibility • The Promise Is in You • Ask Big • You Have What You Need • Keep Your Crown • Just Remember Osteen reminds readers - our minds are like a computer. We all must deal with computer viruses, and in a similar way when God created us, he put in the correct software for a victorious, healthy, strong and creative person. We were programmed to live an abundant, victorious, faith-filled life. That is how we were designed. The reason we do not always experience this abundant life, is that we have allowed viruses to contaminate our software. We are infected, stay negative, and do not believe our dreams will come to pass. However, we can get rid of the viruses. If our thinking is limited our life will be limited. When you think better, you will live better. If we are going to reach our highest potential, we must learn to Hit the Delete Button. "Delete. Delete." Restore. Guarding your Mind. Stop dwelling on the negative and allowing the enemy to contaminate your software. If he can control your thinking, he can control your life. It is not too late. Clear out the negative things people say. Reprogram. The battle takes place in our minds. From our environment. God did not make us faulty. Clear out the viruses. Remove labels holding you back. Our God is supernatural and he is not limited by education, background, race, or family. You are not who people say you are. From additions, struggles, and bad habits. See what you can become. We are not meant to be ordinary. We are created to soar.
I really enjoyed Chapter Four: Think Yourself to Victory. Meditate (think about over and over). However, Meditating is the same principle as worrying. When you worry, you’re just meditating on the wrong thing. Using your faith in reverse. If you go through the day worried about family, finances, and your future, it causes you to be anxious, fearful, negative, and discouraged. In our world of doom and gloom, watching the news, stock market, politics, debt crisis, and fear of financial loss, it causes more havoc. You can choose to meditate on the problem or you can meditate on the promises. The whole key is what’s going on in you "thought life." What are you meditating on? Problems or Promises? Just because you don’t see anything doesn’t mean it’s not going to come to pass. Just because you are struggling with dysfunction in your home or business, fighting a battle with health or illness, do not stay discouraged. The healing is within you. It’s just a matter of time to turn it around with better thoughts. Possibilities. The seed is still alive. What you allow to play in your mind will determine what kind of life you live. There is no room for doubt, unbelief, anxiety, fear, or depression. Signature Osteen style, the author uses personal relatable stories combined with faith, Biblical scriptures and important Bible characters and leaders, with special callouts and highlights of reinforcement, encouragement, and reminder messages for your daily life. (This also could serve as a daily devotional). Guard your mind, heart, and spirit, as you would your home or other valuables. Stop renting out space in your mind to problems. Who and what is staying in your house? Sometimes in order to stay in faith you must ignore a negative report. You were made for more. Don’t let your own thoughts, your environment, or those around you discourage you. You have the greatness. Keep believing. Keep doing. Do not accept rejection, failure, disappointments, and defeat. We never know how many gifts are in us right now, just waiting to be released. Do not miss your destiny. Always remember to ask big. The enemy’s main tool is deception. An ideal book and message for all of us living in today’s time of turmoil. We all need a positive affirmation and reminder that we have what we need. Don’t let a loss or a disappointment carry away your blessing. It is not the end, but a new beginning. “Your perception of yourself will determine what kind of life you live.” Rediscover who you really are. We never know what is going on behind the scenes, preparing for God’s greatness.
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About the Author
Raised in Houston, Texas, with a loving family of seven and world-renowned parents in full-time ministry, Joel Osteen never imagined that he would follow so closely in his father’s footsteps. As a young man, his training and interests were behind the scenes in television production though he was close to his father in ministry.
"There’s no greater feeling than being able to help people rise higher and overcome something and feel better about themselves. I think that we’re all made to help others, to lift people up.” - Joel Osteen
His father always encouraged him to preach, but Joel would politely decline time and time again until one day in October 1999 when his father was admitted to the hospital with kidney complications. Joel finally agreed to preach the next Sunday, and his father passed the following week. Joel’s first sermon was the last his father ever heard. Joel and his wife, Victoria, were suddenly thrust into full-time leadership of Lakewood Church.
According to several sources, he has become the most watched inspirational figure in America, and in 2014, Sirius XM launched Joel Osteen Radio, (#128) a channel dedicated to the inspirational messages of Joel and Victoria. Additionally, over the past eight years, more than two million people have attended Joel and Victoria’s Night of Hope events across the U.S. and around the world.
“Keep following the dream that God put in your heart. Believe. Work hard. There may be some difficult seasons, but you have to keep moving forward. Sometimes we say faith is spelled R I-S-K. Sometimes, you’ve got to risk if you feel a calling deep down. You’ve got to take that step of faith. - Joel Osteen
Joel’s far-reaching impact can be found in the simplicity of his core message: Our God is a good God Who has good plans for those who choose to follow Jesus and are faithful and obedient to God’s Word. Read More
