Becoming a Man of Unwavering Faith

WITH COMMENTARY AND A FOREWORD BY

Joel Osteen

New York | Boston | Nashville

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Table of Contents

Copyright Page

W
HEN
I
WAS YOUNG
, I often heard my father tell our church congregation, “I want you to look out there with me today and see that brand-new sanctuary.” At the time, we were meeting in a small rundown building. But Daddy would say, “I want you to see that new building completed and paid off.” People who were visiting with us
that particular Sunday probably thought we were crazy. But Daddy would say, “Close your eyes and see that new church sanctuary with me through your eyes of faith. See it full of people worshiping God.” We saw that sanctuary many years before it ever came to pass. And today the sixteen-thousand-seat arena of Lakewood Church in Houston has four services each weekend.

That was just who my dad was—a man of faith whose life and ministry were shaped through adversity and great challenges. As you read this book, you’ll see exactly what I mean, and I have no doubt that you’ll be inspired by his message.

The beauty of my father’s life was that he was a man of great integrity. For me, that means he was the same at home as he was in the church and whenever he was in front of other people. His sincerity had a tremendous impact on me and my siblings, and I’m sure it’s a significant reason why today all five of us are working in the ministry.

Daddy was a constant source of inspiration to us. As a boy, he grew up in Great Depression-era poverty with
next to nothing. He told me later in his life that “having been raised in that poverty with nothing to eat at times and holes in my pants and shoes, I determined in my heart that my children would never experience the same.” For us to watch his determination and faith in God set the whole tone for our lives.

My father was also an incredible example of kindness and compassion for others. He had such a big heart for people. It didn’t matter who someone was, whether he or she was rich or poor, up or down, my father was for them. He always believed in the best about people, and he would try to draw that out of them.

My dad’s whole message was that you can rise higher, you can overcome, and with God all things are possible. But he didn’t just talk about it. He lived it out before us, and for more than forty years he pastored Lakewood Church with great love and faithfulness.

At the end of every chapter, I have added a short personal reflection. I trust that this book will help you unlock doors that lead you to becoming a man of
unwavering faith. No matter where you are or what challenges you face, you can start to enjoy a new life as you are transformed and renewed by God’s Word!

H
E WAS A MAN OF FAITH

whose life and ministry were shaped through adversity and great challenges.

E
VERY MAN FACES STRUGGLES
and temptations. There are moments when every man feels surrounded by trouble on every side. Overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, many men become convinced that their destiny is to suffer pain, disease, troubles, anxieties, and defeat. Some resign themselves to the position that nothing can be done about their situation.

The Bible says, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). The time will come, if it hasn’t already,
when you’re going to have to believe God for something significant—for your marriage, your finances, your children, your spiritual growth, your health. You need to know how to come to Him in unwavering faith and how to stand on the Word of God.

My own personal journey to becoming a man of faith began as a boy on a cotton farm with five siblings during the Great Depression. As a child, I thought about God many times, but I grew up into my teens having gone to church very little. My best friend, Sam Martin, constantly told me about the love of God, but I wouldn’t listen to him and chose to leave Jesus out of my life.

At the age of seventeen, I found myself without peace in my heart. One night while walking home alone from a nightclub in Ft. Worth, Texas, at two o’clock in the morning, I began to think about time… eternity… heaven.
Where would I spend eternity?
When I got home, I pulled out our old family Bible and came upon a beautiful picture of Jesus standing at a door knocking. Under the picture were the words: “Behold, I stand at the door
and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). I could understand opening the door of my life and letting Jesus in, so early the next morning I called Sam, and he invited me to go to church with him.

That Sunday morning, I beat Sam to the church! Although I didn’t understand the sermon that morning, I had come to give my heart to Jesus, and that was what I was waiting to do. However, when the pastor invited anyone who wanted to receive salvation to come to the front of the church and the invitation song began, it felt as though my shoes were nailed to the floor. I couldn’t get the courage to move. Finally, Sam slipped his arm around my shoulder and whispered he’d come with me.

When I got to the front of the church, the pastor asked me if I wanted to receive Jesus in my heart, and I said, “I don’t know. I’ve been real wicked.” He shook my hand real hard and said, “I didn’t ask you that. Will you receive Jesus as your Savior?” I balked and said, “I don’t know. I work in the wrong kind of place.” He nearly shook my
hand off as he said, “I didn’t ask you that. Will you accept Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior?” It was then that I surrendered all to Jesus and said courageously, “Absolutely!” With that word, I passed from death into life, became a new creature in Christ Jesus, and took my first step to becoming a man of faith.

From that day, things were different. My grades in high school went from Cs and Ds to As and Bs. That first year I began preaching anywhere I was welcomed—Bible study groups, nursing homes, and missions. Eventually, I worked my way through college and seminary and became a pastor.

For nineteen years, I ministered in all the knowledge I had and was the pastor of a successful, growing church. But I knew that I had not experienced and was not enjoying the things the believers did in the New Testament, and deep within me I felt God had more for me. One day, with God’s help and the prayers of others, I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and experienced the power of God, which revolutionized me and my ministry.

On Mother’s Day 1959, we founded Lakewood Church with ninety members. Over the years, the church grew, and we built an 8,200-seat sanctuary in the middle of the recession in 1988 a few weeks before Christmas—debt free. By 1999, we had 10,000 members. During my ministry, I had the privilege of traveling extensively throughout the world, taking the message of God’s love and power to people of all nations, which included making over forty mission trips to India. For sixteen years I hosted my own weekly television program, reaching millions in the U.S. and in many other countries with the Gospel. My books, cassettes, and videotaped messages went all over the world.

The principles of faith in God and His Word set forth in this book have been tried in the crucible of my life. I remember when the doctor told us that our baby daughter Lisa had brain damage and would never be normal. She had no sucking reflexes, no muscle tone, and symptoms similar to cerebral palsy. It was the miracle of her healing that opened my eyes to the miracle-working power of
God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

I remember the time when my nervous system collapsed, and I lost all sense of purpose, direction, and initiative. I felt that life held no hope of reality. I came under a dark hole of fear that God was no longer with me, and I could not sleep. When day came, I wished for night. When night came, I wished for day. God graciously delivered me from that condition, not instantly, but through trusting His Word the victory came.

Some years later, I went through months of agonizing pain in my back and legs and faced back surgery and visions of being paralyzed and unable to walk. Another battle came in 1986 when I was in Methodist Hospital, awaiting open heart surgery. In both situations, Jesus brought me through to victory, permeating my whole being with faith and assurance as I read and believed His Word!

It was in the midst of the great challenges of my life that I learned how to exercise my faith. The Lord Jesus worked in my life and my family through all these conflicts
and many more. Through His grace and strength, the fields of battle became my greatest victory ground. Now when fear knocks at my door, faith answers. I learned the power of faith to help me stand and overcome.

So what makes the difference between living a life of victory and faith or living one of defeat and unbelief? What are the qualities of a man of genuine faith? I believe they are exemplified by the lives of the great men of faith in the Bible, particularly Jabez and Elijah and others on whom I will focus in this book.

We are privileged to live in a generation when God is pouring out His Spirit in a mighty way. The gentle rain of the precious Holy Spirit is falling upon the dry religious ground of our day to give sweet refreshing to weary-hearted men of God. He can do it for you… today.

The Lord said in the Book of Joel, “I will restore…” He is restoring to His Church the power and love of God, and His will is that we become men of faith who bring His presence into the lives of our families and the world around us.

To become a man of unwavering faith, you must first find out what the Word of God says about it, and then do what the Word says to do to obtain it. As you read through the pages of this book, meditate on the biblical truths and crown Jesus as Lord of your life. Trust the Holy Spirit to be your Teacher as you read.

Please do not give up! God’s Word works. Jesus loves you! If you heed the message of this book, God will give you light on how to be the man of faith He desires you to be.