Piense Mejor Viva Mejor by Joel Osteen

I had heard about this book and have wanted to read it. My friend gave me the book but he actually gave me the Spanish version and it was wonderful to challenge myself in this way. I loved reading through it — though it took seemingly forever. I learned a lot and loved the biblical basis for all the principles that I have seen shared in numerous other books I’ve read in recent past also.

“Faith the size of a mustard seed.”

That’s all it takes. A mustard seed planted in the right soil can become a huge mustard tree.

Pg. 7, Tiene semillas de grandeza.

“You have seeds of greatness.”

It does not matter what the “experts” say when God is the real expert of you and your life. When you let God lead and are obedient, it is incredible what the results may be. I believe that the saying, “work as if it were all up to and pray as if it were all up to God,” is most applicable here. Noah prayed and acted out of faith and because of that, did not perish. For God says, “It is not by your power, not by your might, and not by your spirit.” It is only by God and with God that we can do great things.

Pg. 47, Los expertos dijeron que David era muy pequeño, pero Dios dijo que tenía el tamaño corrrecto.

“The experts said that David was very little, but God said he was the correct size.”

Pg. 47, Fueron expertos los que construyeron el Titanic, y se hundió. Los que construyeron el Arca eran novatos y flotó.

“There were experts that constructed the Titanic and it sank. Those who constructed the Ark were novices and it floated.”

As the title of the book says, think better live better. If we fill our mind with positive thoughts, we will move differently. We will act with positivity, higher levels of confidence and strength. When we repeat that we can do all things with Christ, we are calling God to us. We need to invite the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, to ask Jesus to enter our hearts, and for God to be alongside us each and every day.

Pg. 58, Durante todo el día tuve que decir: “Todo lo puedo en Cristo. Soy fuerte en el Señor. Si Dios por mí, ¿quién se atreve a estar en mi contra?” Pronuncié esas palabras un mes tras otro.

“During each day you have to say, ‘I can do all in Christ. I am strong in the Lord. If God is for me, who can be against me?’ Repeat these words one after the other.

I love this. I do this. When people ask me how I am, I answer confidently, “I am blessed.” We all have things that we are ashamed of, things we wish we could change, things we would never wish on anyone that have happened to us. Nonetheless, we are all strong, healthy, and blessed — if we aren’t… God can change us, but we need to ask Him.

Pg. 74, Durante todo el día, deberíamos estar pensando: Mis mejores días están frente a mí. Algo grande viene a mi encuentro. Lo que querían para mi perjuicio, Dios va a usarlo para mi beneficio. Mis más grandes triunfos todavía están en mi futuro. Tenga pensamientos de poder a propósito: Soy fuerte. Sano. Bendecido.

“During the whole day, we should be thinking, my best days are in front of me. Something great is going to come from me. That which has damaged me, God is going to use for my benefit. My grandest triumphs are still in my future. I have thoughts of accomplishing my purpose. I am strong. Healthy. Blessed.”

Let me know if you catch that in the next part I highlighted. With what? With your faith. We can attract God’s blessings with our faith. Joshua might have felt weird circling the walls of Jericho and blowing trumpets but he had faith in God and the walls came down! David might have had some doubt going against Goliath with a sling and a stone but he had faith and he slain the giant! God will do the same for you, we must believe and keep faith.

Pg. 95, Puede atraer lo negativo con dudas o puede atraer las bendiciones de Dios con su fe.

“You can attract the negative with doubts or you can attract the blessings of God with your faith.”

Being proactive is not just an option but a necessity. While there are many things that we can do in life and many things that we can say, we can NOT be passive. By being passive, we will not have the protection of God.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” — Ephesians 6:11

We must put on the armor. God will not arm us on our own. It is up to us to take a stand and rely on God in a way that we can never do alone.

Pg. 100, Usted no puede ser pasivo y, sencillamente, aceptar lo que venga y pensar que eso es lo que le tocó en la vida.

“You cannot be passive and simply accept that which comes and think that is what you get in life.”

Rivers of living water is what stands out to me. When I think of rivers, I think of the Amazon, the Nile, the Mississippi River. Those rivers FLOW. They are big, long, and flowing. They flourish. They have power. The rivers of living water flow through me. Just imagine the power that we would feel within us. God says that we can tell a mountain to move and by faith, He will move it. Imagine if we all worked for God’s glory and not our own. As Jesus said… it is from OUR depths. Therefore, God has already implanted these things within us.

Pg. 102, Jesús dijo, “De lo más profundo de su ser brotarán ríos de agua viva.” Su liberación no vendrá de otras personas. Su ascenso, su sanidad, su avance vendrá de su interior. De lo más profundo de su ser brotarán ríos.

“Jesus said, ‘From the depths of your being will flow rivers of living water.’ Your freedom will not come from other people. Your ascent, your health, your advance comes from within you. From the depths of your being will flow rivers of living water.”

Talk about reassurance. Remember what the Bible says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” — 1 Corinthians 10:13

Pg. 114, Dios nunca le pedirá a usted algo sin antes haberlo puesto en su interior.

“God never requires of you something without having put it within you.”

Again. We can NOT be passive. We must take action and attract great things to us in this life. All that we need, we have. God is like a master potter, and as long as the clay is in His hands, He can form you, He can form me, and He can form us all. And the truth is, that He always will. The closer we become to God, the more that we become.

Pg. 118, Usted tiene lo necesario. No pierda su destino esperando por alguien más.

“You have all that you need. Do not lose your destiny waiting for someone more.”

This chapter centered around the same theme and wow is it ever true. God says that we already have all we need. We need to give life to what is inside. I do this every morning in my prayer time. I ask God to reveal His vision for my life and open doors I cannot open alone. I seek His guidance and His presence, I do not believe there is another way. I think that Francis Chan said it best. We must surrender to God. He created us, He knows best.

“Do you understand that it’s impossible to please God in any way other than wholehearted surrender?” — Francis Chan

Pg. 125, Usted no necesita que nadie más dé a luz a aquello que Dios ha puesto en su corazón. Deje de buscar a otra persona. Usted es la persona adecuada. Está equipado. Está ungido. Tiene lo necesario. Ahora avive lo que lleva dentro. Es tiempo de que usted sea celebrado. Es tiempo de que usted ascienda a un nuevo nivel. ¡Es tiempo de que usted haga algo grande!

“You do not need anything more than the power that God has placed within your heart. Stop searching for someone else. You are an adequate person. You are equipped. You are anointed. You have what’s necessary. Now you will give life to what is inside. It is time that you are celebrated. It is time you are ascending to a new level. It is time that you are doing something great.”

Keeping along with the same message, God knows best, God knows most, we must ask Him to reveal it all to us. We cannot do it alone, we never could before and we never will be able to in the future either.

Pg. 130, Dios puede hacer que sucedan las cosas que usted nunca hubiera podido hacer. Él ya ha puesto abundancia en su futuro. Él ya alineó a las personas indicadas, las circunstancias que necesita, que se abran las puertas que usted nunca habría podido abrir. Si va por la vida orando solo, “para apenas pasarla” perderá la plenitud de su destino.

“God can make things happen that you never could have done. He has already placed an abundance in your future. He has already lined up the indicated people, the necessary circumstances, that which opens the doors that you never would have been able to open. If you go through life praying only, ‘to barely pass it’ you are going to lose the plenitude or fullness of your destiny.”

It’s important to be bold with our prayers. Mark Batterson says, “God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God.”

Pg. 142, Esta es la clave: La razón por la que Dios respondió esa atrevida oración es porque salomón continuó, “Dios, si me haces famoso, si me das influencia y riqueza, yo la usaré para ayudar a las viudas, cuidar a los huérfanos, hacer justicia al oprimido, dar voz a los que no tiene ninguna.”

“This is the key: The reason that God responded to Solomon’s bold prayer, ‘God if you make me successful, if you give me influence and wealth, I will use it to help the widows, care for the orphans, and bring justice to the oppressed, to give a voice to those who don’t have one.’”

The voices of people around you can NOT control your destiny unless you let them. Other people only have as much control over us as we give them, as much as we allow them to have. God has created us and designed us in such a way to be incredible and powerful. Our value has already been laid out and is fulfilled when we live in the way that God has for us.

Pg. 169, La Corona de Honra es Suya. Ellos no pueden cambiar lo que es estud a menos que se los permita. No controlan su destino. No determinan su valor. No soplan vida en usted; Dios sí.

“The Crown of Honor is Yours. They cannot change you unless they are allowed to. They do not control your destiny. They do not determine your value. They do not blow life into you; God yes.”

The last thing that I highlighted from the book was about others and the effects or impacts that they should have on us. Really though, what others say and do should not impact what we think of ourselves. I recently wrote a small piece reflecting on this and I cannot overstate the importance of it. God knows us, nobody else truly does. How then can we believe what they are saying when they judge us, it’s simply not true. If we want to know who we are, we MUST ask God.

Pg. 174, Nuestra actitud debería ser: Pueden estar de mi lado o en mi contra, pueden celebrarme o criticarme, pero una cosa es segura: No les voy a dar mi corona. Yo sé quién soy. Pertenezco a la realeza. Soy aceptado. Soy aprobado. Soy valioso.

“Our attitude should be: They can be for me or against me, they can celebrate or criticize me, but one thing is for sure: They will not give me my crown. I know who I am. I belong to royalty. I am accepted. I am approved. I am valuable.”