Again, Joel Osteen is a motivational speaker and not a true herald of The Gospel of Christ. A free floating message like the above, can only come AFTER an even greater message of Biblical Truth that points to Christ Himself.
Denying the reality that it's okay for humans to have crappy days, and even worst, suggesting that we should always be in control of our moods is just plain wrong.
Being conscious of your mood is one thing but without a source to anchor you to reality, you'll be grasping at the air, and coming back for more "happy" words day after day.
You can't tell people to be happy - just for the sake of being happy!
That's like saying "HAVE FAITH"!.... Faith in what???
Haven't we yet learned the "Mind over matter" deal just doesn't work??
This false teaching is obviously from the ancient pagan hindu religions that teach of some super power we supposedly have within ourselves to change ourselves. But this runs completely opposite to Biblical truth.
The inability to change ourselves is then the two-edged sword that will then convict of us failing to do so, when we continue to have difficulties in life - or even a normal bad day at the office.
Sure, there are some people who have strong wills and might even be able to temporarily change their moods with positive thinking. But the greater message (above) should not be about fixing a temporary mood swing but instead having a permanent world view that one can always rely on as a foundation for one's soul in permanent hope for life.
Truth without a foundation is no longer Truth! We all must have an non-shifting foundation of Truth in order to utilize it as a source.
GOD IS THE TRUTH:
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom". - Proverbs 1.
But the Truth is that God is ALWAYS on the Throne. So no matter what type of day or mood we're having, if we center our day and our existance, and purpose on Him, and what the Bible states about life and reality, we know regardless, we're going to be okay.
It's pretty much as real as understanding that "IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT US". .... It's about God... 24/7.
Notice how the more we make our lives about US, the more worries, pressures, stress, expectations, etc. we seem to have.
Living a "self centered" life has it's consequences.
This is because many times we depend our "happiness" to be based on how much material resources we have stocked up. We make our relationships, our incomes, our future, our past, our present, and our self-imposed expectations the center of our universe.
But knowing that we're RIGHT with God and knowing Him; cultivating a desire to serve Him, we find our contentment in Knowing that we are forgiven and live in His favor.
This is the true source of REAL joy.
But the issue with God's Truth is that we need to actually KNOW and BELIEVE what the Bible states in order for us to apply it to our lives! This is advice you probably won't find Osteen giving his followers. If he did he'd probably have less followers because people would be dealing with their thirst on Godly wisdom and not man's wisdom.
"On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive,.."
- John Chapt. 7
"Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” - John Chapt. 4
But Osteen's adivce is the very popular idea that you have to "pick yourself up by your own bootstraps" - a concept that might not work for someone who has to walk 20 miles every day for a bucket of clean water.
If a gospel doesn't work EVERYWHERE around the world, it's a false gospel.
The great evil of listening to this man and others like him speak is that for those who can't possibly "pick themselves up by their own bootstraps", they'll feel like they fail every day, and they'll have nothing but self defeat, learned helplessness, depression, and anxiety to follow.
Whereas, a person who understands The Gospel of Christ and who lives by it, finds it necessary to KNOW GOD, abide by His teachings, and loving Him finds a real balance between our every day struggles, shifting moods, and maintains their source of strength from God's Truth and promises - NOT THEIR personal abilities.
Knowing that IN CHRIST, and in Christ alone, HE IS OUR SOURCE OF STRENGTH if we truly believe.
Believing this gives us a REAL fighting chance because it's not just our struggle anymore but we have BY PROMISE, divine help from above. When those crappy dark clouds come, they might knock us down but by faith, we KNOW we'll be getting up from them as soon as we remember that He is our anchor to reality.
Jesus says.... "Seek FIRST the kingdom of Heaven and all it's righteousness, and (THEN) all these things (life's necessities) will be added to you".
- Matthew 6:33
Jesus says.... "If you want to save your life, for my sake LOSE IT... and (ONLY THEN) will you FIND IT".
- Matthew 10:39
The Bible teaches that it was never nor ever will ever be by WORLDLY WISDOM that we can reach the knowledge of God and Truth.... Only through the perceived silliness of the Cross. (The Gospel). In humility and only through the Gospel of Christ.
(1 Corinthians 1:21)
If we look to man's wisdom.... Worldly wisdom, we will ALWAYS be lead astray.
Our strength WILL indeed sometimes fall short, and that's okay because we are only human.
But the Apostle Paul said: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".
- Philippians 4:13
The Lord, Jesus said: "Apart from me you can do NOTHING".
- John 15:5
"Delight yourself IN the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart."- Psalm 37:4
"HAPPINESS", isn't promised to anyone while on this earth... but TRUTH is offered to EVERYONE. And only in the fullness of Christ's truth is true joy found.
"... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans Chapt. 8
