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Inspiration

Remove Wrong Labels
By Joel Osteen - Jul 12, 2013
A man was telling me one time how he overheard his junior high teacher telling his mother that he was a slow learner. For 30 years, he wore that label around. He never had a good job, never had real success. He just kind of floundered through life believing that he would always be slow. I talked to him about the importance of removing labels—that what others say about you cannot negate what God says about you unless you choose to believe it. Either you will accept what others say as the truth or you accept what God says as the truth. That teacher may have been sincere. She may have made an assessment based on where he was at the time, but this is a new day. She doesn't know what God has placed in you. I said to the man, "If you're going to reach your highest potential, you've got to say, 'No, thanks. I am not wearing that slow-learner label anymore. That may have been her opinion, but I have another opinion. It's from my Creator, and He says I have the mind of Christ; that I am full of wisdom; that I can fulfill my destiny.'"

Today I'm saying the same to you. It doesn't matter what people have said about you in the past. You can't let negative labels hold you back.

I talked to a high school student one time. She was about to take her final exams. She said, "Joel, will you pray that God will help me to make C's on these tests?"

I said, "Why do we want to pray for C's and not A's?"

She said, "Oh no, Joel. My high school counselor told me I'm just a C student."

She really didn't know any better. Somebody stuck a label on her, and she was wearing it around like it was the truth.

Have you ever thought about the fact that the same God who can help you make a "C" can help you make an "A"? Why don't you remove that label? The same God that can help you get by in life can help you excel in life. The same God that can give you an apartment can give you the desires of your heart.

Are there labels that are holding you back today? Is the label "divorced" telling you, "You'll never meet anyone new?" Is the label "overweight" telling you, "You'll never get into shape?" Is the label "addicted" telling you, "You'll never break these bad habits?" Friend, whatever label you choose to wear is what you will become. Why don't you change those negative labels to be what God says about you? God says, "You are free." "You are clean." "You are healthy and whole." Don't go the next 20 years wearing the wrong label. Put some new labels on today. Believe that God is at work in your life and move forward to embrace the freedom and victory He has in store for you!

 "…Let it be to me according to your word…" (Luke 1:38, NKJV)
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