Starting Your Best Life Now

  Copyright © 2007 by Joel Osteen Publishing

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in review.

  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

  Scriptures noted AMP are taken from Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

  Scriptures noted NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

  Scriptures noted NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

  Scriptures noted TLB are taken from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

  Scriptures noted NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

  Scriptures noted THE MESSAGE are from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

  Scriptures noted KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

  Literary development and design: Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota.

  Portions of this book have been adapted from Your Best Life Now, copyright © 2004 and Daily Readings from Your Best Life Now, copyright © 2005 by Joel Osteen. Published by FaithWords.

  Faith Words

  Hachette Book Group USA

  237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

  Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroupUSA.com.

  First eBook Edition: April 2007

  ISBN: 978-0-446-53994-4

  Contents

  Introduction

  Part 1: Enlarge Your Vision

  Dare to Unpack Your Dreams

  Expect Great Things

  Rise to New Levels

  Break Through Barriers

  Declare God’s Favor

  Part 2: Develop a Healthy Self-Image

  See Yourself as God Sees You

  Be Strong and Courageous

  Be an Original

  Become What You Believe

  Part 3: Discover the Power of Your Thoughts and Words

  Win the Victory in Your Mind

  Think About Your Thinking

  Speak to Your Mountains

  Confess God’s Word

  Part 4: Let GO of the Past

  Let the Old Go

  Get Up and Move On

  Forgive to Be Free

  Keep Moving Forward

  Part 5: Find Strength Through Adversity

  Stand Up on the Inside

  Trust God’s Timing

  Be Patient

  Walk Through The Fire

  Part 6: Live to Give

  Be a Giver

  Walk in Love

  Keep an Open Heart

  Reap a Harvest

  Part 7: Choose to Be Happy

  Rejoice in the Lord Always

  Excel in Integrity

  Enjoy Your Best Life Now

  _______________________

  PRESENTED TO

  _______________________

  FROM

  _______________________

  DATE

  INTRODUCTION

  “The future is yours for the taking!” is an often quoted expression of hope passed on to graduating seniors, new employees, and wide-eyed couples on their wedding days. Yet we all know that while some people grab life with enthusiasm and take control of their futures, such a grandiose promise doesn’t always pan out for everybody. Why is that?

  Happy, successful, fulfilled individuals have learned how to live their best lives now. They make the most of the present moment and new opportunities, and thereby enhance their future. You can, too. No matter where you are or what challenges you face, you can start to enjoy your life right now.

  Many people end up going through life with low self-esteem, focusing on the negative, feeling inferior or inadequate, always dwelling on reasons why they can’t be happy. Others put off their happiness until some future date. Unfortunately, “someday” never comes. Today is the only day we have. We can’t do anything about the past, and we don’t know what the future holds. But we can live at our full potential right now!

  In this book, you will discover just how to do that. Within these pages, you will find seven simple, yet profound, steps to start your best life. —>

  In Starting Your Best Life Now, we’ll explore how to:

  • Enlarge your vision

  • Develop a healthy self-image

  • Discover the power of your thoughts and words

  • Let go of the past

  • Find strength through adversity

  • Live to give

  • Choose to be happy.

  I CHALLENGE YOU TO BREAK OUT OF THE “BARELY GET BY”MENTALITY, to become the best you can be, not merely average or ordinary. To do that, you may have to rid yourself of some negative mind sets that are holding you back and start seeing yourself as doing more, enjoying more, being more. That, my friend, is what it means to live your best life now!

  ENLARGE

  Your Vision

  We serve the Most High God

  and His dream for your life

  is so much bigger and better

  than you can even imagine.

  Never settle for a small view of God.

  Start thinking as God thinks.

  Think big.

  Think increase.

  Think abundance.

  Think more than enough!

  To start living your best life now, you must start looking at life through eyes of faith, visualizing the life you want to live.

  DARE TO UNPACK YOUR DREAMS

  From the time she was a little girl, Tara Holland dreamed of becoming Miss America. After two years as runner-up in the Miss Florida pageant, she was tempted to give up, but she chose instead to focus on her goal. She rented videos of every pageant she could find and watched them over and over again. As Tara watched each young woman crowned a winner, she pictured herself receiving the crown and walking down the runway in victory.

  So when Tara was crowned Miss America in 1997, taking that long walk down the runway came as natural to her as breathing. Afterward, a reporter asked her if she was nervous about being on television, in front of millions, accepting her crown. “No,” she said, “I wasn’t nervous at all. You see, I had walked down that runway thousands of times before.” She was simply living out the dream she had practiced so many times in her mind.

  SO WHAT ABOUT YOU?

  What do you want to do with your life? What are your dreams? If you could write your best life story today, what would it say?

  Is your first reaction to hesitate? Perhaps you most often see and describe yourself in terms of past experiences or present limitations. Perhaps you see yourself more in terms of losing or just surviving rather than fulfilling your dreams.

  If you’ve packed away your dreams, dare to unpack them today. It’s time to enlarge your vision. Dare to ask God to rekindle those dreams in your heart and mind. He wants to do big things and new things in your life. God wants us to be constantly increasing
, to be rising to new heights. He wants to pour out “His far and beyond favor” on you (Ephesians 2:7).

  Quiet your heart and receive God’s Word: “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ ” (Jeremiah 29:11).

  Friend, if you will get in agreement with God, this can be the greatest time of your life. With God on your side, you cannot possibly lose. He can make a way when it looks as though there is none. He can open doors that no man can shut. He can cause you to be at the right place, at the right time. He can supernaturally turn your dreams into reality.

  NEVER ALLOW YOUR OWN WRONG THINKING TO KEEP YOU FROM GOD’S BEST.

  Eliminate a barely-get-by mentality and let God’s seed take root.

  EXPECT GREAT THINGS

  Centuries ago, wine was stored in leather wineskins rather than bottles. When the wineskins were new, they were soft and pliable, but as they aged, they became hardened and couldn’t expand. If new wine was poured in an old wineskin, the container would burst and the wine be lost.

  Interestingly, when Jesus wanted to encourage His followers to enlarge their visions, He reminded them, “You can’t put new wine into old wineskins” (Matthew 9:17). He was saying that you cannot have a larger life with restricted attitudes. He is trying to do something new, but unless we’re willing to change our thinking, we’ll miss His opportunities for us.

  God is constantly trying to plant new seeds in your heart. He’s constantly trying to get you to give up antiquated ideas and spark new bursts of creativity within. He’s trying to fill you with so much hope and expectancy that the seed will grow and bring forth a tremendous harvest.

  Knock down the barriers and expect

  God to do great things in your life.

  ARE YOU A NEW OR OLD WINESKIN?

  Just because you’re young doesn’t mean your thinking hasn’t already gotten old and hardened. You may have assumed that you will never be successful or do anything meaningful or enjoy the good things in life that you’ve seen others enjoy. You may think your life stinks and always will stink.

  Will you stretch your faith and vision and get rid of those old negative mind-sets that hold you back? Start making room in your thinking for what God has in store for you. You must conceive it in your heart and mind before you can receive it. The key is to believe, to let the seeds God is placing in your life to take root so they can grow. Expect God’s favor to help you break out of the ruts and rise to new heights. Expect to excel in whatever you do.

  Quiet your heart and receive God’s Word: “It shall be done to you according to your faith” (Matthew 9:29 NASB).

  God is saying to you something similar to what the angel Gabriel told a young woman, the Virgin Mary—that she would conceive without knowing a man (Luke 1:26–38). In other words, what God wants to do in your life is not going to be by your might or power. It’s going to be by His Spirit. The supernatural power of the Most High God shall come upon you and cause it to happen.

  Will you believe? Remember: With God, all things are possible.

  This could be the day you see your miracle.

  RISE TO NEW LEVELS

  Todd Jacobs dreamed of starting his own computer software business, but when he got married and the first baby came along, he shelved his dreams and took a mundane job just to pay the bills. Ironically, when a terrific opportunity arose for Todd to work with one of his best friends and develop software for a well-known, established company, he turned it down. He doubted his skills and was afraid to take a chance.

  Like Todd, many people miss pivotal opportunities in their lives every day because they expect nothing better. God opens new doors for them, yet regrettably they back away. Rather than launch out in faith and believe for the best, they say, “Well, that could never happen to me. That’s just too good to be true.”

  DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY WILL SWING OPEN FOR YOU

  God has more in store for you! His dream for your life is so much greater than you can imagine. If God showed you everything He has in store for you, it would boggle your mind.

  If you have a vision for victory in your life, you can rise to a new level. But as long as your gaze is on your problems instead of on your possibilities, you risk moving in the wrong direction and missing out on the great things God wants to do in and through you.

  It’s a spiritual as well as a psychological fact: Your life will follow your expectations. If you dwell on positive thoughts, your life will move that direction; if you continually think negative thoughts, you will live a negative life, which will affect your relationship with your family and friends. If you expect defeat, failure, or mediocrity, your subconscious mind will make sure that you lose, fail, or sabotage every attempt to push above average.

  WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TOHOW YOU BELIEVE.

  It’s time to quit limiting God. God is your source, and His creativity and resources are unlimited! One idea from God can forever change the course of your life. God is not limited by what you have or don’t have. God can do anything, if you will simply stop limiting Him in your thinking.

  Quiet your heart and receive God’s Word: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

  When God brings opportunities across your path, step out boldly in faith, expect the best, move forward with confidence, knowing that you are well able to do what God wants you to do. Step outside that little box you’ve grown accustomed to. Start thinking big!

  If you will change your thinking, God can change your life.

  BREAK THROUGH BARRIERS

  Up until the early 1950s, track-and-field experts pompously declared that no runner could break the four-minute-mile barrier. “Experts” conducted all sorts of profound studies to show that it was impossible for a human being to run that far, that fast, for that length of time. And no one ever had.

  But one day a twenty-five-year-old man named Roger Bannister refused to let all those impossibilities form a stronghold in his mind. He began to train, believing he could break the record. And, sure enough, he went out and ran the “Miracle Mile,” breaking the four-minute-mile barrier.

  Now, here is what is so interesting about this story. Within ten years after Bannister broke the record, 336 more runners also broke it! Think of that. As far back as statisticians kept track-and-field records—hundreds of years—nobody had done it. What changed?

  Simple. For all those years, the barrier was in the runners’ minds. One man proved the experts wrong and hundreds ran free.

  ASK GOD TO PUT SOME FIRE IN YOUR SPIRIT.

  WHAT’S HOLDING YOU BACK?

  When God led the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt, the eleven-day journey to the Promised Land took forty years. God wanted them to move forward, but they wandered in the desert, going around the same mountain, time after time. They were trapped in a poor, defeated mentality, focusing on their problems, always complaining and fretting about the obstacles between them and their destiny.

  No matter what you have gone through in the past, no matter how many setbacks you’ve suffered or who or what has tried to thwart your progress, today is a new day, and God wants to do a new thing in your life. Never let your past determine your future.

  If you will change your thinking, God can change your life. You were born to win; you were born to break through barriers; you were created to be a champion. Our God is called El Shaddai, “the God of more than enough.” He’s not “El Cheapo,” the God of barely enough!

  Quiet your heart and receive God’s Word: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

  Don’t accept whatever comes your way in life. Take a stand and make a difference. Your words have amazing power, so quit talking about what you can’t do, and start talking about what God can do. Stay in an attitude of faith, and you will break through the barriers of the past
.

  Nothing is going to be able to keep you down.

  DECLARE GOD’S FAVOR

  Joseph was a young man with a heart full of dreams when his brothers sold him into slavery. Think of being hauled away to Egypt, mistreated, taken advantage of, unjustly accused of rape, and thrown into prison. But the Bible says, “The favor of God was upon Joseph” (Genesis 39:5–23). Despite overwhelming adversity, and no matter what people did to him, he continued to prosper and eventually was put in charge of all Egypt’s agricultural affairs.

  Ruth was a young widow providing care for her mother-inlaw, Naomi, and they were practically starving during a severe famine. Yet Ruth found “favor” with the owner of the grain field (Ruth 2:10), and eventually she and Naomi’s dire circumstances turned around, and their needs were supplied in abundance.

  When you are living under God’s “favor,” or favor-minded, the Bible says, God’s blessings and “love chase after me every day of my life” (Psalm 23:6 THE MESSAGE). In other words, you won’t be able to outrun the good things of God. Everywhere you go, things are going to change in your favor. Every time you turn around, somebody’s going to want to do something good for you.

  ARE YOU MISSING OUT?

  The favor of God comes to us in the midst of life’s challenges. In less than a year, the Old Testament character Job lost everything—his family, his business, and his health. He lived in perpetual pain. But in the midst of that dark hour, Job said to God, “You have granted me life and favor” (Job 12:10 NKJV). Amazingly, Job was not delivered, healed, and set free until chapter 42! But at the very beginning, when his circumstances appeared most helpless, Job was saying, “God, I don’t care how bad the situation gets. Your favor is going to turn it around.” No wonder God restored to Job twice what he had before!

  Quiet your heart and receive God’s Word: “Set your hope wholly and unchangeably on the grace (divine favor) that is coming to you” (1 Peter 1:13 AMP).