It's Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God's Favor (Hardcover) by Joel Osteen

I believe Joel has got it right again this time I also like his Hope Bible. You can pre read or browse his new book here http://budurl.com/9skc

we must extend kurdesce to all of Gods' anointed; but he aint. he adheares to p.c. guidelines. if r p.c. there is no way u kan b a true minister of the word of God.

My Lord tells me to take up my cross and follow Him. He doesn't tell me if I follow Him I will be rich.

Hello Moira

I always encourage people to study and know the Bible itself before reading books written about what God is saying. This way if you know God's word in your own mind it is harder to deceive you with God's intentions for us.

In  John 16: 33 Jesus said the following:   in the world you will have tribulation (problems, distresses, sabotages from evil) : but be of good cheer I have over come the world ( satan, devil, evil schemes toward believers)

Study the first few chapters of the book  Job and the final few  chapters.  Or read about the life of other men in the Bible who were Godly and walking in God's purpose. Discover the  problems they experienced  and how God brought them through these problems.

The enemy of Faith in God is the devil and he will do everything under his ability to defeat a believer in Christ with evil. Read the few chapters of the book of James;

There are many warnings in the Bible that we will not live a complete life of wealth, health and total bliss in the world as we know it now.

 The power of Faith  in Jesus  is his promise to help us survive and defeat evil when it attacks our life. It does not mean we live free of the pain of evil's attack on our life.

This is the devil's last chance to steal a believer's  soul away from God; or continued believing in God while longsuffering through problems will  show the devil you belong to God.

Study all the scriptures with tribulation in them and read the definition of tribulation. It will strengthen your faith when evil attacks your life: it is a guarantee a challenge in some form will enter your life. Find a way to enjoy your life no matter your position on status in society today.

Be Blessed and evolve into a mature Christian in Christ

Moira
M2m writes: “I always encourage people to study and know the Bible itself before reading books written about what God is saying. This way if you know God's word in your own mind it is harder to deceive you with God's intentions for us.”
I agree with m2m’s advice. Many new converts to Christ, for lack of knowing what the Bible says, have been lead down a diversity of doctrinal paths that take them deeper and deeper into error, as a result of books they have read written by people who themselves are in error.
One of the most important experiences we need to have as truly born again believers in Christ is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Many are taught that we receive this infilling at conversion, yet the book of Act shows otherwise; a separate prayer needs to be prayed to receive the Holy Spirit. It was common practice for the Apostles to pray for the people who gave their heart to Christ to receive the Holy Spirit. As the centuries passed the church got away from this practice; the major reason was exponential corrupting of the ministry and church doctrine by those given the responsibility to maintain the high standard that Jesus and the Apostles taught.
The Catholic Church strayed terribly from Biblical Christianity; it is a miracle of God the church did not corrupt the written word with their decline into corruption. Those who made any attempt to correct church error were put to death, until the 1500’s when the Catholic Church started to dramatically lose its power over the masses. We can only be thankful, otherwise we may still be bound in the middle ages, concerning Biblical Christianity; still today there are believers in Christ who are in error for lack of reading and correct exegesis of the Scriptures, partly caused by believing someone else’s incorrect interpretation of Scripture and not knowing what the Bible really says. Without the Holy Spirit it is real easy to be lead astray by every wind of doctrine we hear, for the Holy Spirit helps us to more correctly understand scripture in a way we cannot without His help.
Not having read Joel’s book I cannot give a correct assessment of its content, only to make a comment according to your assessment. If your report is accurate Joel has only emphasized one side of the Christian experience, to the neglect of the other. I would venture to say that to be a well rounded man of God, he is aware of the other half of the equation; otherwise Joel would be labeled a “prosperity preacher” who is misleading the flock.
It is true that if we are walking in the perfection that God requires of us who profess to be His people, He will prosper us; what would be the exception to this rule is what God has preordained for us in the Kingdom. All of us cannot be rich, some of us have to be poor for the ministry God has for us. The Bible warns against perusing wealth to the neglect of perusing a wealthy relationship with God [the church of Laodicea was guilty of this]. Our primary pursuit in Christ is to be “One” with Him; the rest will fall into place as we mature in Christ. Suffering is a part of being a Christian; even Jesus stated that as a fact, without it we won’t mature.
Samuel  samuside@aol.com    11/29/09  2:09 am EDT