04/05/2021
Lakewood Church pastor Osteen (Empty Out the Negative) provides guidance to help Christians practice intentional peacefulness in this insightful homily. He advises Christians to not allow disappointments to cause frustration or discouragement, and instead to remember that God is in control. Osteen suggests replacing “thoughts of worry” with an “all is well” mindset, describes how doing so can relieve pressure and contribute to peacefulness, and cites examples of God’s divine protection and intervention in the lives of Elijah, Paul, Silas, Daniel, David, and Joseph to suggest it’s possible to know peace in times of adversity. He then identifies “destiny moments” when God set up seemingly ordinary circumstances to fulfill his purpose—such as when Jesus instructed two of his disciples to bring him the donkey that he would ride into Jerusalem. Throughout, readers are reminded that challenges are an opportunity to see God working in their lives: “You can’t go anywhere without your Guardian God. That’s why you can live from a place of peace, a place of faith, even though there’s turmoil all around you.” Osteen’s fans will love this. (May)
