Joel Osteen, senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston
HOUSTON, Texas — Joel Osteen, senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, the largest and one of the most diverse churches in the U.S., is releasing his newest book, Break Out! 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life, next week. In his book, Osteen reveals biblical and personal examples of God’s miraculous work, and shares how Christians can positively impact their lives by praying boldly, changing their attitudes, and trusting in God’s plan and His timetable.
Osteen spoke to The Christian Post on Sunday about why people should pray for greatness, opposed to praying to just get by. He also explained why believers need to forgive themselves of past sins, and why Christians must stay faithful in God’s plan, especially during times of great struggle, so they can live a purposeful life that reveals God’s grace and power.
The following is an edited transcript from the interview:
CP: In your new book, you encourage Christians to pray for greatness opposed to praying just to get by in life. Why is it important for Christians to pray for big transformations?
Osteen: My take on it is that God wants to do big things in our lives, but so many times we limit Him with our thinking and with our prayers. I have people tell me a lot that “I pray over my food, and I pray over my child,” but they never pray for their dreams or they never pray for what they really want.
I think that when you pray big it shows God that, God I trust you. It’s not an arrogance, like, oh God, I want a bigger house. I don’t mean that. But God, help me to reach more people, help me to set a new standard for my family. I think when you pray those kind of things, it shows God that you believe that He’s a big God, and that he can do great things. So to me, it’s important that we pray big prayers.
