VICTORIA OSTEEN: I WANT TO ENCOURAGE US TODAY ABOUT REMEMBERING, REMEMBERING THE GOOD, REMEMBERING THE THINGS THAT ARE HELPFUL TO US. YOU SEE, SO MANY TIMES IN LIFE, THERE’S NEGATIVE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO US. MAYBE A BAD CHILDHOOD, MAYBE A DIVORCE, SOME NEGATIVE WORDS HAVE BEEN SPOKEN IN YOUR–IN YOUR LIFE, AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE DON’T WANT TO REMEMBER.
WE WANT TO REMEMBER WHAT IS BENEFICIAL AND WHAT IS GOOD. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN MOWING THE LAWN OR MAYBE WASHING THE DISHES, DRIVING DOWN THE STREET, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN A MEMORY FROM THE PAST HITS YOUR THOUGHTS? MAN, IT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. OR MAYBE SOMETHING THAT HAD HAPPENED 2 WEEKS AGO AT WORK JUST KIND OF RUNS RIGHT INTO YOUR THOUGHT LIFE, AND IT MAKES YOU FEEL SAD, OR LONELY, DEPRESSED.
MAYBE THOSE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS MADE YOU EVEN FEEL FEAR FOR A MOMENT, FEAR OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. YOU SEE, THAT’S WHAT NEGATIVE THOUGHTS DO TO OUR LIFE, THEY STOP US. THEY’RE INTENDED TO CAUSE US TO PAUSE, TO NOT WALK IN FAITH AND VICTORY, SO THAT’S WHY I WANT TO ENCOURAGE US SO MUCH TO REMEMBER WHAT WE’RE REMEMBERING.
LET’S REMEMBER THE GOOD. THE APOSTLES WROTE MANY TIMES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, THEY WROTE THINGS LIKE THIS, “I AM WRITING TO REMIND YOU. I AM WRITING TO REMIND YOU AGAIN.”. PAUL PUT IT THIS WAY, HE SAID, “I NEVER GET TIRED OF REMINDING YOU.”. IN 2 PETER, PETER SAID THIS, HE SAYS, “I’M WRITING YOU TWO LETTERS, TWO LETTERS TO REMIND YOU.”.
YOU SEE, THEY KNEW THE POWER IN REMEMBERING THE RIGHT THING. THEY KNEW THAT IT COULD TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU REMEMBERED WHAT GOD HAS SAID AND WHEN YOU REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS DONE. SEE, WE NEED TO REMEMBER. IT’S EASY TO PUT OUR MINDS ON AUTOPILOT, BUT WE HAVE TO KNOW THAT THERE’S TRANSFORMING POWER, AND IT’S WORTH USING OUR TIME AND ENERGY TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE’RE REMEMBERING.
THE OLD TESTAMENT, GOD COMMANDED HIS PEOPLE, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, HE COMMANDED THEM TO TAKE TIME OUT FROM THEIR BUSY SCHEDULES SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR TO CELEBRATE. FESTIVALS HE CALLED THEM, TIMES OF REMEMBRANCE. SEE, HE WANTED THEM TO STOP, TO CELEBRATE WHAT HE HAD DONE. NOW, CAN I TELL YOU THIS? THIS WASN’T A SUGGESTION BY GOD.
IT WASN’T SOMETHING THAT WAS OPTIONAL. GOD REQUIRED THEM TO TAKE TIME TO STOP AND REMEMBER THE MIRACLES, HOW HE PARTED THE RED SEA, HOW HE BROUGHT WATER OUT OF THE ROCK, HOW MANNA CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. HE WANTED THEM TO PAUSE AND REMEMBER THE WONDERS THAT HE HAD DONE, THE MARVELOUS DEEDS THAT HE HAD PERFORMED.
YOU KNOW WHY HE WANTED THEM TO DO THAT? BECAUSE THEY’RE A LOT LIKE US TODAY. THEY GET BUSY DOING LIFE, AND SOMETIMES, WHEN WE’RE SO BUSY DOING LIFE, WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO FORGET, AND IN THAT BUSYNESS, AND IN THOSE STRUGGLES, AND IN THOSE PLACES THAT’S TRYING TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN, WE FIND OURSELF THINKING, “IF I DON’T MAKE THIS HAPPEN, IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
