Joel Osteen Devotional 20 October 2019 – Beauty for Ashes
TOPIC: Beauty for Ashes
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
…to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness… – Isaiah 61:3, TLV
TODAY’S WORD
Everyone has experienced hurt and disappointment. We’ve all been burned by life. But God doesn’t want us to sit in the ashes of the past, He wants to trade our brokenness for healing. He wants to give us beauty for our ashes, joy for mourning, and praise for despair. Ashes represent what’s left over after something’s been burned up—our broken dreams, our disappointments, our hurts, our failures. The key is that we have to be willing to give up the ashes in order to receive the beauty. You can’t have both because the old has to go before the new can come.
Joel Osteen Devotional 20 October 2019 – Beauty for Ashes
Today, are you willing to trust Him with your past hurts? Are you willing to let go of the pain, to forgive others and yourself so you can move forward in freedom? Don’t waste another day sitting in the ashes. The past is over, but your future remains. Your best days are ahead. Let God give you joy instead of mourning, and let Him make something beautiful out of the ashes of your life today!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
God, thank You for promising to sweep away the ashes of my past and give me something beautiful in their place. I choose to give them up to You and receive Your healing and restoration in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Joel Scott Osteen is an American pastor, televangelist, and author, based in Houston, Texas. Osteen’s televised sermons are seen by over 7 million viewers weekly and over 20 million monthly in over 100 countries. He is the author of ten books which have been ranked number one on The New York Times Best Seller list