Joel Osteen (July-17-2025) Daily Devotion: Who’s the Boss?
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: For you are still only baby Christians, controlled by your own desires, not God’s. 1 Corinthians 3:3, TLB
TODAY'S WORD: Today’s Scripture describes a lot of people. If they feel like telling somebody off, feel like buying something they can’t afford, or feel like watching something they know is not good, they do it anyway. Desires and feelings will always be there. The problem is that when we give in to them, we come under their control. The more you feed those feelings—anger, self-pity, a bad attitude, a critical spirit—the stronger they grow.
The way you break free is to quit feeding them. The next time you feel like being upset, stay in peace. Put on some good praise music; think about how much you have to be grateful for. That’s feeding your spirit man instead of feeding your flesh. As your spirit person gets stronger, the flesh is getting weaker. Starve the negative emotions, and over time, they won’t control you. The sign of maturity is that you can feel the negative emotions, but you don’t act on them.
PRAYER FOR TODAY: “Father, thank You that I can choose to be disciplined and say no to the flesh and its desires. Thank You that every day I can take my feelings off the throne and allow Your Spirit to control my life. Help me to sow to the Spirit and do what’s right. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
