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I Declare

FaithWords

DAY ONE

I DECLARE God’s incredible blessings over my life. I will see an explosion of God’s goodness, a sudden widespread increase. I will experience the surpassing greatness of God’s favor. It will elevate me to a level higher than I ever dreamed of. Explosive blessings are coming my way. This is my declaration.

A friend of mine wanted to attend a major university, but he needed a scholarship to pay for his tuition. He applied many months before the school year started. Even though his grades were good enough to get into the school, he was informed that there were no more scholarships available. So, he enrolled in a junior college instead.

It looked like his dream of going to the major university was over. It looked like the situation was permanent. All the facts said it would not to happen. But just a few weeks before school was to start, the scholarship office called back and said something had opened up. Instead of offering him the two-year partial scholarship he had applied for, they offered him a four-year total scholarship; an explosive blessing.

You may think your situation is permanent. You’ve been in it a long time. You don’t see how you could ever rise any higher. All the facts are telling you it’s impossible. But God is saying today, “You need to get ready. Where you are is not permanent. I have explosive blessings coming your way. I will increase you beyond your salary. I will bless you beyond your normal income. I will suddenly change things in your life.”

That’s how the word explosion is defined. It means, “sudden, widespread increase.” That’s what God wants to do for each one of us. Suddenly. You won’t expect it. It’s out of the ordinary and it’s not small. It’s not mediocre. It’s widespread increase. That means it’s so amazing you know it had to be the hand of God.

That’s what happened to one gentleman. He stopped by the church a while back and brought a very large donation to the ministry. It was his tithe. He said he had received an inheritance from a family member he had never met before. In fact, he didn’t even really know that they were related, but this man left him a gift that thrust his family to a whole new level. He was able to not only pay his house off but he also had paid off several other people’s houses as well.

I don’t know about you, but I’m believing for some long-lost relatives like that. I’m believing for explosive blessings.

The Apostle Paul talked about this in Ephesians 2:7 (AMP). He said that we would see “the unlimited, immeasurable, surpassing greatness of God’s favor.” He was saying we would see favor like we’ve never seen it before.

I’m believing for explosive blessings.

In the real world, it may look like you could never accomplish your dreams. You’ve already calculated how you’ll never get out of debt. You’ve run all the numbers—but God is saying, “You haven’t seen My explosive blessings. You haven’t seen the surpassing greatness of My favor. I have blessings that will catapult you years ahead. I have increase that goes beyond your normal calculations.”

I’ve learned God doesn’t always take us in normal increments. There are times He will increase us little by little. We have to be faithful day in and day out. But when you come to one of these explosive blessings, instead of going from 7 to 8 to 9, God will take you from 7 to 8 to 63 to 64. That’s widespread increase!

DAY TWO

I DECLARE I will experience God’s faithfulness. I will not worry. I will not doubt. I will keep my trust in Him, knowing that He will not fail me. I will give birth to every promise God put in my heart and I will become everything God created me to be. This is my declaration.

Every one of us has dreams and goals in our heart. There are promises that we are standing on. Maybe you are believing for a child to turn around, or believing to get healthy again, believing to start a business or to be in ministry. Deep down you know God has spoken that to your spirit. He has birthed it on the inside. But so often, because it’s taking a long time and we’ve been through disappointments, we get negative and start thinking that it will not happen.

The reason many people don’t see God’s promises come to pass is because they become discouraged and give up too soon. But just because you don’t see anything happening doesn’t mean God is not working. Just because it’s taking a long time doesn’t mean God ran out of options. Your mind is saying, It’s over. Your emotions are saying, No way. The circumstances look impossible. That doesn’t mean God won’t do what He said.

Just because you don’t see anything happening doesn’t mean God is not working.

God is faithful to His word. All of His promises are “Yes” and “Amen.” That means if you will do your part and believe even though it looks impossible, and not let your mind, your emotions, or other people talk you out of it, then God promises in due season and at the right time He will bring it to pass. It may not happen the way you expect it or on your timetable, but God is a faithful God. It will happen.

He will not let you down. That’s what He said in Hebrews 13: “I will not in any way fail you or leave you without support. Therefore we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my Helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ ”

You need to let that sink down on the inside: “I will not fail you.” God is saying, “Everything will work out. I’m in complete control. I know what the medical report says. I know what the financial situation looks like. I see the people who are coming against you. I know how big your dreams are. And hear me clearly; I will not fail you. I will not let you down. I will not let that problem overtake you. I will cause you to be the overcomer.”

God is saying if we will keep our trust in Him, He will always make a way even though it looks like there is no way. He will give you strength for every battle, wisdom for every decision, peace that passes understanding. God will vindicate you for the wrongs that have been done. He will pay you back for unfair situations. He promised He will not only bring your dreams to pass but He will give you even the secret desires of your heart.

Dare to trust Him. Come back to that place of peace. Quit being worried, stressed out, wondering if it will happen. God has you in the palm of His hand. He has never once failed before, and the good news is He is not about to start now.

DAY THREE

I DECLARE I have the grace I need for today. I am full of power, strength, and determination. Nothing I face will be too much for me. I will overcome every obstacle, outlast every challenge, and come through every difficulty better off than I was before. This is my declaration.

When the people of Israel were in the wilderness headed toward the Promised Land, God gave them manna each morning to eat. It would appear on the ground. But He specifically instructed them to gather up only enough for one day’s supply. In fact, if they took more it wouldn’t last. It would spoil. In the same way, God doesn’t give us grace for a year at a time, a month at a time. No, every twenty-four hours God has a fresh new supply of grace, of favor, of wisdom, of forgiveness.

Every twenty-four hours God has a fresh new supply of grace, of favor, of wisdom, of forgiveness.

How will you make it through the slow season at work? One day at a time.

How will you raise a difficult child? One day at a time.

I heard Corrie ten Boom say something very interesting on this topic. During World War II, she and her Dutch family hid Jews from the Nazis and saved many lives. Eventually she was caught and put in prison. In the concentration camps she saw all kinds of atrocities. She even witnessed the deaths of her own father and sister. Through a series of unusual events Corrie was accidentally released and her life was spared. In spite of seeing all the senseless killings she never really became bitter. She even forgave the man who killed her family members.

Somebody asked her how she could make it through those dark days of seeing such terrible acts of hatred and still be loving and kind and forgiving. She answered that question with a story. She told how when she was a little girl, her father would take her on train rides throughout Europe. He would always purchase the tickets several weeks in advance. But he would never give her the ticket until right before they were boarding. Of course, she was a small girl, and he was concerned she might lose it or leave it at home. But whenever her father saw the headlights of the train pulling into the station he would hand his little daughter the ticket and they would step onboard together.

Corrie said to the person who asked how she could be so forgiving: “The reason you can’t fathom how I could forgive the person who killed my family, how I could not be filled with bitterness and hatred, is because just like my father and our train tickets, God doesn’t give us the grace we need until we’re about to step onboard. But if you were to ever go through something like I went through I can assure you God’s grace will be there to help you make it through the dark valleys and still keep your head held high and your heart filled with love.”

Maybe right now you can’t see how to overcome an obstacle, accomplish your dreams, or forgive someone who hurt you, but understand that when you get there God will hand you the ticket. He purchased it two thousand years ago on a cross at Calvary.

Now when you come to a dark valley, a difficult season, a sickness, don’t worry about it. Your Heavenly Father will hand you the ticket. He will give you the grace, the strength, the favor, the forgiveness, to do what you need to do.

DAY FOUR

I DECLARE it is not too late to accomplish everything God has placed in my heart. I have not missed my window of opportunity. God has moments of favor in my future. He is preparing me right now because He is about to release a special grace to help me accomplish that dream. This is my time. This is my moment. I receive it today! This is my declaration.

Many times we put off what we know God wants us to do. Maybe down deep God has been dealing with you about forgiving a wrong, getting back in shape, having a better attitude, spending more time with your family. Or maybe it’s a dream or goal that you know you should be pursuing, such as starting a business, writing a book, joining the choir, learning a new hobby.

You know God put it on the inside but so often we make excuses that hold us back. Things like, “I’m too busy. I tried and failed. I’m not that talented. They hurt me too badly.”

It’s easy to talk yourself out of your dreams and goals. Too many people settle for mediocrity. But the good news is God never aborts a dream. We may give up on them. We may quit pursuing new opportunities, quit believing to overcome an obstacle. But God still has every intention of bringing to pass every dream, every promise, He put in your heart.

You may have put off taking the first step for a week, a year, or twenty-five years, but God is saying, “It’s not too late to get started.” You can still become everything God created you to be. But you must do your part and move off dead center. You’re not too old or too young. You haven’t missed your window of opportunity. The dream is still alive on the inside.

You can still become everything God created you to be.

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Excerpted from I Declare by Joel Osteen Copyright © 2012 by Joel Osteen. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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