Article: You Are Equipped

[rjcharley]

God has equipped you with everything you need to fulfill your destiny. The Scripture tells us that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are anointed. The word anointing is the power of God which gives you courage, strength, and ability. That means you are well-able to do what He has called you to do. You can accomplish your goals. You have the ideas,

Comments

[arago_sama]

Joel Osteen sucks and preaches a false gospel.

[martiancyclist]

Mostly just the Gospel taken out of its proper ascetic context. The needed correction is pretty small, though important.

[pastorlenny]

There are other problems with the ministry, too. Like almost totally glossing over the realities of sin, repentance, redemption, justification, resurrection, and parousia.

[martiancyclist]

I'd call that the ascetic context, actually. Well, part of the ascetic context. I suspect he also glosses over fasting and mortification of the flesh.

[pastorlenny]

The word anointing is the power of God which gives you courage, strength, and ability.

Nope. That's not what "anointing" means. Where did you get such an idea?

That means you are well-able to do what He has called you to do. You can accomplish your goals.

Like many other people, you are confusing several different concepts here. "What He has called you to do" is not the same thing as "your goals." In fact, many times these two things are entirely unrelated or even antitheitcal to each other -- unless you have extraordinary clarity regarding the call of God on your life.

Also, there is a difference between "you can" and "He will." This difference is non-trivial.

I am anointed.

But I'm not. The Anointed One may be within me -- but that's not the same thing as me being anointed myself.

I can accomplish my dreams.

No. My dreams may simply be immature, self-centered fantasies -- and may have nothing to do with God's actual purposes in my life.

Are you not prepared to experience poverty and suffering for the glory of God?

[martiancyclist]

But I was annointed, on March 31, 2007, with a mixture of olive oil, myrrh, and a few other ingredients. Of course, the goal of that annointing was not to give me a good life here, but rather a good life later. Martyrdom would be the ideal consequence of that annointing, not that I expect it to happen to me.

[pastorlenny]

Well, at least you clarified the actual meaning of "anointed." And your matryrdom can be arranged.

[rjcharley]

i guess David wasn't "anointed" to fight and kill Goliath then, only to be king.

[lordhellebore]

Somehow this text constantly confuses "my goals/dreams/etc." with "what God wants".

[muffledlaugh]

ugh, Joel Osteen....

[paedraggaidin]

Love the icon! Mind if I steal it? :) Also expresses my sentiments exactly.

[muffledlaugh]

why thank you :)

and steal away! unfortunately i don't know who made it...

[rjcharley]

first off, if you read the entire thing you would note first off that this isn't my opinion, but rather Joel Osteen's message, for which I take no credit. all I am doing is sharing it. secondly, I do not presume to know anything more than those who have walked with God/Christ for far longer than I have. that said, I am glad that God/Christ is God/Christ and that He loves me and that IS fact, not opinion and that He will continue to be God/Christ and to love me (and everyone else as well regardless of their opinions about Him). thanks anyway for reading and commenting. God bless...

[arago_sama]

Why would you share something that is contradictory to the message of Jesus Christ?

[martiancyclist]

If you realize that "success" in Christian terms, means martyrdom, that God has called us to complete perfection, and that our "goals" should be to crucify our self, it's quite correct, though.

[rjcharley]

i thought the message of Jesus Christ was to transform us into His image, to uplift the Father, and how can the Father be uplifted if we are broke, busted, disgusted, depressed, etc like everybody else? just asking.