Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day

Book Description Joel Osteen reaches one of the largest audiences in the U.S. and across the globe--more than 42,000 people attend his church every week, and millions more tune in by television to hear his words of inspiration and wisdom. His first book, Your Best Life Now , has sold over 4 million copies and is available worldwide in 17 languages. His message of hope is helping people find a closer connection with God by learning to apply the principles of Scripture to their everyday lives. In this new book, Become a Better You , Joel Osteen offers seven simple yet profound action steps that will help readers discover the better things they were born for... their individual purpose and destiny. As charming and passionate on the page as he is in person, Osteen incorporates key biblical principles, devotions, and personal testimonies that will uplift and enlighten readers. He speaks directly to the hearts and concerns of people from every walk of life. People love Joel Osteen--they love to be in his presence, to hear him speak, and to read what he's written--they just can't get enough of him. Become a Better You will encourage and inspire readers to reach their full, unique and God given potential. A Word from Joel Osteen Dear Amazon Customer, I am very excited to be working with Amazon.com as an online bookseller and partner for the publication of my new book, Become a Better You . As a leader in e-commerce, Amazon.com is an informative and innovative online resource. Get ready to embark on a remarkable journey. One that will help you break free from the past and realize your full potential as a spouse, parent, or friend. Whether you realize it or not, miracles are happening all around you. I'm confident that reading this book will lead you to accept the gift of who you were meant to be and live a life filled with more hope, joy, and victory. Believing for God's Best, Joel Osteen An Interview with Joel Osteen Q: Do you have a hero? A: Of course, my greatest hero is Jesus Christ. He should be everyone's greatest hero. However, among men, I have two real heroes. My father, John Osteen, was not only the best father anyone could ever have, but was my best friend as well. He was a man of great integrity, and he taught me how important it was to incorporate Jesus Christ into every part of my life. Another of my heroes is Billy Graham who throughout the years has remained true to that which God called him to do and has done so with the utmost dedication, humility, and integrity. Q: In today's conflicted world, how do you encourage people to maintain their faith? A: As believers we should be assured that Jesus said He would never leave us nor forsake us. We should adopt a mindset that God wants to be involved in our everyday lives, through good times and difficult times. We should communicate with God throughout our day (to pray without ceasing), not just when we are in crisis. He cares about our lives even in the small things. There is no part of our lives that are insignificant to Him. Q: What did working behind the scenes at Lakewood during your father's ministry inform how you preach today? A: Really it all started for me when I was born. Our family never missed church; Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night, week in and week out. However, for 17 years I did produce and edit my fatherx92s sermons for television. I often joke that I attended one year of college and 17 years of seminary. For those 17 years, I would have to study my father's weekly sermons and then cut them down to a 28-minute TV program while maintaining the message. I guess I've listened to at least 1,500 of my fatherx92s messages. Q: Your ministry reaches millions each week through television and the Internet. How has technology changed how people worship today? A: Through telecommunications technology, especially the web, more Christian programming is available than ever before. Not only do people have more choices in Christian programming, but they can get as much as they want whenever they want it. I think that our use of technology results in people spending more of their time thinking about the things of God. However, I don't see technology replacing worship in the traditional sense--that is worshipping with other believers in a church. Everyone should belong to a good Bible-based church. Q: In our busy lives, what is your advice for how we can slow things down and find peaceful moments? A: Personally, I take time each morning to spend with God. I have a quiet place in my home or I find a quiet place if I am traveling where I pray and seek guidance from God. I think that is the best way for anyone to start their day; it really sets the tone for each day. Q: As a father, what advice would you share with parents struggling with our fast-paced culture? A: Victoria and I decided a long time ago that our family takes priority over most everything else. I tell people all the time that their families should be their first mission field. Today, it takes a great deal of our time and energy to make a living. We need to make sure our families don't get the short end of the stick and we need to make time for them. And, I am talking about "quality time"; no cell phones, no business calls, no outside distractions, just family. More to Explore Your Best Life Now Become a Better You [Abridged Audio CD] Scriptures and Meditations for Your Best Life Now From Publishers Weekly Megachurch pastor and bestselling author Osteen follows up Your Best Life Now with this disappointingly unoriginal Christian self-help book. The seven subtitular steps to improvement include instructions to develop good habits, better relationships and an inner life. Osteen balances mind-over-matter pep talks with claims that God wants to bless faithful people with successes. The future is always promising, because God never performs His greatest feats in your yesterdays. At the same time, in order to receive God's blessing, one must back up prayers with action, obey, maintain a positive attitude toward life and do the right thing with the right motives. Some of Osteen's advice is sound; for example, he suggests that if you are forgiving and kind to colleagues and friends, they'll cut you slack when you have crabby days. Other suggestions—like writing down a big goal and posting it on your mirror or desk—are unremarkable. Laced throughout are anodyne first-person vignettes; Osteen struggled with frustration when his favorite restaurant announced a 45-minute wait. The hurried Osteen went to a nearby burger joint, only to have a brief encounter that changed another customer's life. Voilà—God turned Osteen's disappointment into blessing! Though this book is destined for strong sales, it offers nothing innovative. (Oct. 15) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Joel Osteen is a native Texan and the Pastor of Lakewood Church, which according to Church Growth Today is America's largest and fastest growing church. On July 16, 2005 after completing $95 million dollars in renovations, Joel moved Lakewood Church into its new 16,000-seat home - the former Compaq Center. It is the largest regularly-used worship center in the United States. Each week Joel delivers God's message of hope and encouragement to more than 38,000 attendees.According to Nielsen Media Research, Joel is the most watched inspirational figure in America. His weekly sermon is broadcast into every U.S. television market here it is viewed by seven million Americans each week and more than 20 million each month. His weekly broadcast is also seen in almost 100 nations around the world. In 2004 his first book, Your Best Life Now, was released by Time Warner debuting at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List and quickly rising to #1. It remained on the New York Times Bestseller List for more than 3 years and has sold more than 4 million copies. Most recently, Joel was named as one of Barbara Walters 10 Most Fascinating People of 2006 and he was selected as the Most Influential Christian in 2006 by the readers of Church Report Magazine. The son of John Osteen a highly respected minister of the Gospel and the founder of Lakewood Church -- Joel attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he studied radio and television communications. In 1982, Joel returned to Houston and founded Lakewood s television ministry where he produced John Osteen s televised sermons for 17 years until January 1999 when his father passed away suddenly from a heart attack. For many years John Osteen encouraged Joel to preach, but he always declined preferring to work behind the scenes. But, in early 1999 Joel felt compelled to accept his father s invitation and he preached his first sermon on January 17th of that year. Little did anyone know that would be the last Sunday of John Osteen s life. Two weeks later Joel began preaching and later that year was installed as the new Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church. Almost immediately, weekly attendance began to grow at an extraordinary rate and, in 2005 Joel moved Lakewood Church into its present location, the former Compaq Center, a 16,000-seat arena that was once home to the Houston Rockets professional basketball team. Now, with his wife Victoria, and the leadership staff of Lakewood, this innovative church is poised for the new millennium. Joel s extraordinary success can be found in his core message: That our God is a good God who desires to bless those who are obedient and faithful to Him through Jesus Christ. It is Joel s deepest desire that his own life be an example of that principle and that everyone who hears this message of hope and encouragement would choose to accept God s goodness and mercy and to become all that God wants them to be. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. CHAPTER 1 Stretching to the Next Level The famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed many beautiful buildings, homes, and other magnificent structures. Toward the end of his career, a reporter asked him, "Of your many beautiful designs, which one is your favorite?" Without missing a beat, Frank Lloyd Wright answered, "My next one." Frank Lloyd Wright understood the principle of stretching, constantly pressing forward, never being satisfied simply with past successes. The entire world is waiting for your next adventure. Too many people are living far below their potential. They have many gifts and talents, and so much more going for them. But they've gotten comfortable, settled where they are, and lately become too easily satisfied. I often hear people making excuses for stagnating in their personal growth: "I've achieved as much as most." "Compared to other people, I'm doing pretty well in my career." "I've gone as far as my parents did." That's great, but God wants you to go further. He's a progressive God, and He wants every generation to be increasing in happiness, success, and significance. No matter where we are in life, God has more in store. He never wants us to quit growing. We should always be reaching for new heights in our abilities, in our spiritual walk, in our finances, careers, and personal relationships. We all have areas where we can come up higher. We may have achieved a certain level of success, but there are always new challenges, other mountains to climb. There are new dreams and goals that we can pursue. No doubt, God has already done a lot in your past. He's opened doors for you that nobody else could open. Maybe He's given you a wonderful family and home. Perhaps He's caused you to be promoted, given you favor with your employer or supervisors. That is marvelous, and you should thank God for all that He has done for you. But be careful: Sometimes when you are enjoying life, it is easy to become complacent, to get satisfied, and think, Yes, God's been good to me. I can't complain. I've achieved my goals; I've reached my limits . But God never performs His greatest feats in your yesterdays. He may have done wonders in the past, but you haven't seen anything yet! The best is yet to come. Don't allow your life to become dull. Keep dreaming, hoping, and planning for new projects, experiences, and adventures with God. God never performs His greatest feats in your yesterdays. I've discovered that God likes to outdo Himself. He wants to show His favor in your life in greater ways today than He did yesterday. He wants you to be more blessed tomorrow than you are today. He intends for you to have a greater impact on the world than you have had. That means if you're a teacher, you haven't taught your best lesson yet. If you're a builder, you haven't built your best home yet. If you're a businessperson, you haven't negotiated your best deal yet. It's time to get your hopes up; enlarge your vision, and get ready for the new things that God has on the horizon. Your best days are not behind you. They're in front of you. But if this is going to happen, we have to keep pressing forward, stretching ourselves. Get rid of low expectations. Don't make little plans for your life. Don't have little dreams. Don't go around thinking, Everybody gets good breaks except me. I've reached my limits. I'll probably never get this promotion. I don't know why I'm not as talented as that other person. No, get rid of that defeated mind-set. You are a child of the Most High God. God has breathed His life into you. He planted seeds of greatness in you. You have everything you need to fulfill your God-given destiny. God has already put in the talent, the creativity, the discipline, the wisdom, and the determination. It's all in you. You are full of potential. But you have to do your part and start tapping into it. You have to make better use of the gifts and talents that God has given you. The Scripture teaches that we have a valuable treasure on the inside. You have a gift. You have something to offer that nobody else has. You didn't just show up on planet Earth by accident. You were handpicked by Almighty God. He saw you before you were formed in your mother's womb and placed you here for a reason. You have an assignment. There's something that God wants you to accomplish. Somebody needs your touch. Somebody needs what you have. Don't live with that treasure undiscovered, and don't die with the treasure still in you. Press forward. Give birth to the dreams and desires that God has placed in your heart. Neurologists have discovered that the average person uses less than 10 percent of his or her mind. That means more than 90 percent of the mind's capability lies dormant. It never gets tapped into. But if we could just understand what we have: God has deposited a part of Himself in you. When it came time for you to be born, God said, "Let Me give you some of this gift; some of this talent; some of this creativity." You have the seed of Almighty God on the inside of you. You were never created to be average. You were never created to reach a certain level and then plateau. You were created to excel. There's no limit to how high you can go in life. There's no limit to what you can accomplish, if you will just learn to shake off complacency and keep stretching into the next level. But it all starts in our hearts and minds. We have to believe that we have what it takes. We have to believe that we have a gift, a treasure on the inside. People may have tried to push you down. Circumstances may have soured your outlook on life. Maybe you've tried to succeed in life but have hit a brick wall again and again. Try again. Somebody may have told you "no" a thousand times; ask again. Keep asking until you get the "yes" that you've been waiting to hear. You've got to keep pressing. Too many people grow satisfied with far less than God's best for their lives. Sometimes they get discouraged, but all too often, they simply get comfortable. They stop stretching anymore; they are not exercising their faith, and like a once muscular, toned body that no longer exercises, they grow flabby. One of the main reasons for this sort of complacency is that people don't really understand what they have on the inside. They don't understand their God-given potential. Years ago, a friend of mine and a passenger were in Europe driving on the Autobahn, the superhighway across Germany. Unlike American freeways, the Autobahn has no speed limits. You can travel as fast as you want to drive. My friend was so excited as he pressed down on the accelerator and took the car up to 80 miles an hour, then 90, 100, 110. He felt like the king of the road, zooming past people left and right. A few minutes later, another car streaked down the freeway. This car was the exact same model as my friend's car, but it blew by him like he was standing still. That second automobile must have been going 170 per hour. The passenger traveling with my friend laughed and said, "See; you're not going as fast as you can. You're just going as fast as you will." Think about that: My friend's car possessed tremendous potential. It too was capable of going 180 miles per hour. The manufacturer put in the potential. How fast my friend drove didn't have anything to do with the car's capability. In other words, the potential was not lessened just because he chose not to use it. And simply having the potential on board did not affect his future. It's the same way with us. Our potential has been put in us by our Manufacturer, our Creator, Almighty God. Whether we use it or not does not diminish it, but it does impact our future. The events of your past do not reduce your potential. How somebody has treated you or what he or she said about you doesn't change your potential. Maybe you've been through some disappointments, or have had some unfair things happen in life. None of that affects your potential. It has been put in you permanently by the Creator of the Universe. When we believe, we take a step of faith and stretch ourselves; that's when we start to tap into it. That's when we'll rise higher. The capability is in you. The real question is: Are you willing to break free from your self-imposed limitations and start stretching to the next level? Too often, we allow experiences from the past to keep us from pressing forward. Perhaps a business partner, a coach, a relative, or a friend said, "Hey, do you really think you can do that? Maybe that opportunity is not right for you. What if you try and fail? What if it doesn't work out?" These negative words may haunt you and stymie your progress in pressing forward. Understand that none of those statements can change your potential on the inside. It's still in you. Don't allow other people to talk you out of using what God has given you and doing what you know God wants you to do. Many people have had negative comments spoken over them, such as "You don't have what it takes. You're not very talented. I don't think you'll ever be successful." If we're not careful, we'll allow those negative words to play over and over in our minds. They can create a stronghold. A young woman named Sherry came to me for advice. She had tolerated an abusive relationship for years in which she was repeatedly told, "You can't do anything right. You're so slow. You're not attractive." After hearing that for so long, it had totally beaten her down physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She had no joy, little confidence, and extremely low self-esteem. I told her what I'm telling you: "Your value, your gifts, and talents have been put in you by Almighty God. And it doesn't matter what anyone else has spoken over you. The good news is God has the final authority. He says you have a treasure on the inside. He says you have a gift. He says you are valuable. You've got to quit playing that old tune and put on a new one. You need to be dwelling on thoughts like: I am creative. I am talented. I am valuable. I have a bright future. My best days are still ou... Read more