LCH Blog Feed

Looking for Connection? Try Compass.

general@lakewood.cc (Joel and Victoria Osteen) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

God created us for relationship—first of all with Him, and then with other people. The people you spend time with impact the course of your future. That's why it's so important to spend time with believers who are committed to the Word of God, people who will encourage you, build you up, and pray for you when times get tough. That's why we have so many classes and small groups here at Lakewood Church. We want to give you every opportunity to connect with people of like faith to help you grow in your relationship with God the Father.

Victoria and I are so proud of our Compass Bible Study teachers and volunteers. Each week, they study, prepare, pray and present the truth of God's Word in a clear, relevant way that creates an atmosphere for Godly connections and support.

If you're looking for connection, if you're looking for a way to deepen your spiritual walk, there's a Compass Bible Study class just for you! For more information on Compass Bible Studies, click here

Victoria and I love you so much and pray for you every single day. We encourage you to keep coming as often as you can because there's a special blessing when believers come together in unity. (See Psalm 133) We want to see you live in freedom and victory and enjoy the abundant life that Jesus came to give you! See you this weekend!

Joel and Victoria Osteen

It's Just Temporary!

general@lakewood.cc (Lisa Comes) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:43:00 GMT

God put this truth strong in my spirit and I want to encourage you today that what you are going through right now is temporary. II Corinthians 4:16-18 exhorts us to look not at the things that are seen—your problems and circumstances—because they are temporary. Instead fix your eyes on what is unseen—God and His faithful promises—because they are eternal. The Message Bible elaborates on this thought and says that God has good times coming for you. I love that!

My declaration for 2012 is: It's just temporary and good times are coming! In fact, I have decided that I am going to celebrate the goodness of God and expect great things this year. This is not a time to give up on yourself or your dreams. God said, 'Forget the former things and do not dwell on the past because I am doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it?' (Isaiah 43:18-19) Don't allow circumstances to blind you from seeing the great things that God is doing and wants to do in your life.

Say 'Yes!' to God today. 'Father God, I do perceive that you are doing a new thing in my life. I am not going to allow a moment to become a lifetime. This is temporary and I am coming out with total victory and restoration!'

Starting Off the New Year Right

general@lakewood.cc (Joel and Victoria Osteen) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

One of the most popular New Year's resolutions is to lose weight, get in shape and develop healthy habits. But have you ever thought of being healthy as a spiritual issue? If you're tired and run down all the time, not feeling confident about yourself, it will hold you back from doing the things God has called you to do. That's why the Men's Ministry has teamed up with the Women's Ministry to start the New Year off with an eight-week, Health and Fitness Challenge—to offer you the tools and support you need to reach your goals.

If you want to be a part of this movement and receive weekly encouragement, health tips and fitness videos in your inbox, it's not too late to sign up! Click here for more information click here and mark your calendar for the mid-term rally on Wednesday, February 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lakewood Chapel.

Finally, we just want to encourage you that no matter what your goals and resolutions are this year, with God, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26) We are standing with you, believing for breakthroughs, increase, new opportunities and greater revelation of His love and truth in every area of your life! We believe wholeheartedly that 2012 is going to be your best year yet!

We love you and look forward to seeing you at a service this weekend!

Joel and Victoria Osteen

Life by Design

general@lakewood.cc (Joel and Victoria Osteen) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:39:00 GMT

Victoria and I are so full of expectancy for what God has for us all in 2012. We can sense your enthusiasm in the services and believe that together we are all rising to new levels in Jesus Christ this year!

We are always so proud of all of our ministries and volunteers. Every week, thousands of people serve behind the scenes to make sure you and your family receives the service and resources you need to develop your relationship with the Lord and other believers. Our passion is to see you connect, grow, serve and give the way scripture commands.

In Canvas, our student ministry, thousands of young adults meet every week creating a place for community and spiritual development. Canvas has lots of activities and events coming up, and we encourage all students to be a part! Click here for more information. Be sure to check out all of our ministry groups designed to meet your individual needs!

We also want to invite you to join us this Wednesday night to hear special guest, Charles Nieman from Abundant Living Faith Center in El Paso, Texas. His passion is to help people live the life God has called them to.

Please know that Victoria and I love you so much and pray for you every day. We believe that this year is going to be your best yet in every way! God bless you this week, and we look forward to seeing you at a service this weekend!

Joel and Victoria Osteen

Going into All the World

general@lakewood.cc (Joel and Victoria Osteen) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:27:00 GMT

In Mark 16:15, Jesus said that we are to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." As believers, we are the hands and feet of Jesus in the Earth. We are His mouthpiece. How will people hear the Good News of the gospel of Jesus unless we go tell them? How will they learn about the abundant, eternal life through Him unless we share it?

This ministry is reaching the world through many avenues—missions, events, television—and now you have the opportunity to go into all the world, too. Through our Missions Department and in partnership with World Gospel Organization, Lakewood is offering two trips to Honduras, one in June and one in August where you can help serve the churches and meet the needs of the people, both children and adults.

If you are interested in participating or learning more about these trips, we invite you to attend an introductory meeting on January 15th from 4:00-6:00 pm. Click here for more information.This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone age 14 or older who is interested in learning more about missions. Join us to help fulfill Jesus' great commission!

Please know that Victoria and I love you and pray for you every day. We are so excited about what God has in store for all of us in 2012! Thank you for being a part of this ministry. We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Joel and Victoria Osteen

A Blessing for the New Year

general@lakewood.cc (Joel and Victoria Osteen) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:00:00 GMT

Proverbs 22:4 says, "The reward of true humility and fear of the Lord is wealth, honor and a long life." As we prepare to embrace the New Year, that's my prayer for you—that you will have God's favor in abundance, that you will live a long, satisfied life, and that you will see your dreams and desires come to pass.

How does this happen? By honoring God. That's why I encourage you to make pleasing Him your highest priority. Get up every morning and thank God for His goodness. All through the day, acknowledge Him. Keep your spirit man filled up by spending time in prayer and the Word of God. When you seek Him first, know that "all these things"—whatever you need, will be added unto you. (Matt 6:33)

I encourage you to get ready to see God's goodness in 2012! He is going to turn negative situations around. He is going to open up new doors. He is going to pour out His favor in ways greater than you ever imagined.

Please know that Victoria and I love you and pray for you every day. We are so thankful for you and believe that your best days are right out in front of you!

Today, if you've never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, there's no better time to get on the road to eternal success than right now. Click here for more details.

Happy New Year!

Joel and Victoria Osteen

Are You Ready?

general@lakewood.cc (Joel and Victoria Osteen) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:00:00 GMT

Every family seems to have their own unique way of celebrating Christmas. Over the last couple of weeks, you may have been doing things to prepare for the holiday—decorating, baking, sending cards or buying gifts. As you finish those last few details, I want to remind you of what Jesus said in John 10:10, "I came so that you might have life—abundant life!" This Christmas, beyond the lights, beyond the music, beyond the gifts, God's message is still the same. He wants you to have abundant life through Jesus Christ and extend that life to others. More important than making our homes ready, we need to make sure our hearts are ready both to receive Christ's love and to extend it to others.

Remember, everywhere you go there are people in need. They may be smiling on the outside, but on the inside they're hurting. All around us, people are dealing with family issues, health problems, rejection, broken dreams and low self-esteem. You never know how God can use you to bring life to others.

Did you know that every believer has a ministry? It may not be in the pulpit, it doesn't have to be overseas on the mission field, but God is counting on you to reach out to others and be His messenger of life wherever you go.

When you see someone who is down and go over to encourage them, you just became a healer. You just released God's goodness and grace into that person. When you call a friend who is discouraged and say something like, "Hey, I'm thinking about you. I know there are good days up ahead for you," you just poured life into them.

This Christmas, remember that the true Christmas spirit is wrapped up in John 3:16—"God loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, so that we can have eternal life." As you gather with family and friends, look for ways to share life and share His love this Christmas holiday and every day of the year.

May the Lord bless and keep you and may His light shine upon you and your family in a special way as we celebrate the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas!

If you've never received the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, click here for more information.

2011 was INCREDIBLE!

general@lakewood.cc (Clayton Hurst) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:57:00 GMT

At the beginning of this year Pastor Joel declared 1 Corinthians 2:9 over our church: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind can imagine the incredible things God has instore for those who love Him!' What a year we had in Kidslife!

Here is just a few of our highlights:

-147,000+ kids attended a KidsLife service

-2,226 Elementary kids completed discipleship classes

-JLIFE(Jr Leadership) raised over $10,000 for missions

-30,000+ diapers were changed in KidsLife services

-2,013 kids attended opening night of Camp Kidslife 2011 (Largest children's service in Lakewood history)

Only God could have enabled and equiped us to accomplish such monumental heights! We are grateful to all of our kids, families, leaders, and staff who helped us impact generations this year!

We are believing that 2012 will be even better because we serve the God of OVERFLOW!

Celebrate Jesus, Embrace Freedom

general@lakewood.cc (Joel & Victoria Osteen) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:37:00 GMT

Scriptures tells us that Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. He is Emanuel, which means "God with us." When we celebrate Jesus, we are celebrating everything that He is, everything that He's done, and everything that He will do in our lives! When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can celebrate our salvation, our healing, restoration and freedom! We can celebrate recovery from every bondage and stronghold that has ever come against us because victory is imminent!

Galatians 5 says that "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free." In other words, God has no hidden agenda. He loves you with an everlasting love, and He wants you to be free and enjoy your freedom. But in this same verse it says, "Do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." In other words, now that you are free, stay free! Don't let the trappings of this world grab you. Don't allow addictions, wrong mindsets or unhealthy behaviors hold you back. You are created to be free!

If you have an area of your life where a stronghold has developed, we'd like to invite you to experience our Celebrate Recovery group and learn to embrace true freedom! We love you and want to see you move forward in victory in every area of your life!

May His peace and freedom be yours this holiday season and every day of the year!

Joel & Victoria Osteen

Celebrating Single Parent Families

general@lakewood.cc (Joel and Victoria Osteen) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:51:00 GMT

Victoria and I are so proud of our Single Parent Family ministry which offers support, encouragement and resources to help families grow spiritually and build strong, healthy connections. Our desire is to see you thrive as a family and give you the tools to overcome so many of the unique challenges single-parent homes face in this day and age. Scripture says that He places the solitary in families. Even though you may not have a spouse, even though you may feel alone at times, know that you are not alone. You have a family, you have a spiritual family, and you have a place here at Lakewood!

We hope you'll make plans to attend the Single Parent Christmas Bash at the Children's Museum of Houston on December 18th at 7:00 p.m. They'll have refreshments, crafts, caroling and special gifts for the children. You'll also enjoy unlimited access to museum activities. Click here for more information.

Victoria and I want you to know that we love and pray for you every single day. We believe that this year is going to be your best yet. We pray that the love of God be shed abroad in your heart so that you will know the hope to which He has called you.(Romans 5)

We speak blessing and peace over you this season and look forward to seeing you in service this weekend!

Joel and Victoria Osteen