IT'S INTERESTING THAT THERE'S

SO MUCH INFORMATION OUT THERE

BOMBARDING US ON HOW TO TAKE

CARE OF OUR PHYSICAL BODIES.

HOW TO EAT RIGHT, WHAT

SUPPLEMENTS TO TAKE, IF YOU

READ ARTICLES, THEY'RE SAYING

YOU NEED TO GET IN THIS MANY

HOURS OF SLEEP, DO YOUR

EXERCISES, JUST SO MANY WAYS,

THESE DAYS, TO TAKE CARE OF

OUR PHYSICAL BODIES, AND THAT

IS SO IMPORTANT.

OUR PHYSICAL BODIES ARE A

TEMPLE TO HOUSE OUR SPIRIT.

IT'S THE TEMPLE OF GOD, SO WE

NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR

BODIES THE BEST WE CAN.

YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE,

THOUGH, A VERY STRONG

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OUTSIDE.

YOU CAN LOOK REALLY GREAT ON

THE OUTSIDE, BUT YOU CAN BE

WEAK AND WEARY ON THE INSIDE.

YOU SEE, WE HAVE AN INNER

MAN, AND THAT INNER MAN IS

THE CORE OF WHO WE REALLY

ARE.

THAT INNER MAN IS HOW WE

RESPOND TO LIFE.

NOT LONG AGO, I HURT MY

SHOULDER SO BAD THAT I

LITERALLY COULDN'T LIFT IT.

IT WAS CRAZY, I COULDN'T

BELIEVE IT WAS HAPPENING TO

ME, BUT MY MUSCLES JUST

WEREN'T FIRING.

SOMETHING I HAD DONE, I JUST

MUST HAVE MOVED A FUNNY WAY,

I DON'T KNOW, BUT MY SHOULDER

WAS HURTING SO BAD.

NOW, YOU ALL, I AM NOT

TELLING YOU ALL MY WOES,

OKAY?

I'M MAKING A POINT.

ABOUT THE TIME MY SHOULDER

STARTED FEELING GOOD, IT TOOK

ABOUT FIVE DAYS FOR MY

SHOULDER TO FEEL GOOD, I GOT

UP THE NEXT MORNING SO

EXCITED, AND MY BACK, MY

LOWER BACK WAS KILLING ME.

I COULD HARDLY EVEN BEND UP.

I THOUGHT, "WHAT IS

HAPPENING TO ME?

I'M FALLING APART,

THIS CAN'T BE."

SO, I WENT TO THE DOCTOR, I

SAID, "DOCTOR, I MEAN, I

DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON

WITH ME," AND I BEGAN TO TELL

HIM WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

HE GAVE ME AN X-RAY, HE

LOOKED ME OVER, CHECKED ME

OVER, AND HE SAID, "YOU KNOW,

I'M GOING TO WRITE YOU A

PRESCRIPTION TO THE PHYSICAL

THERAPIST."

HE SAID, "IT DOESN'T LOOK

LIKE THAT ANY OF YOUR MUSCLES

ARE TORE, YOUR DISCS SEEM TO

BE FINE, NOTHING'S BULGING,

NOTHING'S HAPPENING, YOU NEED

TO GO TO A PHYSICAL

THERAPIST."

SO, I WENT TO THE PHYSICAL

THERAPIST, AND I GAVE HIM MY

PAPERWORK, AND I WAS LIKE,

"THIS IS WHAT THE DOCTOR

SAID, LOOK AT IT, AND MAYBE

YOU CAN HELP ME OUT."

SO, HE WAS READING THE

INSTRUCTIONS THAT THE DOCTOR

GAVE HIM, AND THEN HE BEGAN

TO ASK ME TO DO A FEW

MOVEMENTS, JUST DAILY

MOVEMENTS, THINGS WE DO ALL

THE TIME, REACH TO THE SIDE,

BEND OVER, STRETCH UP, JUST

SOME DIFFERENT THINGS, WALK

BACK, WALK FORTH, THEN HE

LOOKED RIGHT AT ME AND HE

SAID, "VICTORIA," HE SAID,

"YOUR CORE IS WEAK."

HE SAID, "YOU NEED TO BUILD

UP YOUR INNER CORE MUSCLES."

HE SAID, "YOU KNOW, WHEN WE

GO THROUGH THE DAY, WE FEEL

LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR

EXTREMITIES DO ALL THE WORK.

SO, WE'LL GRAB SOMETHING, WE

REACT TO SOMETHING," AND HE

SAID, "BUT REALLY, IF YOU

HAVE A STRONG CORE, IT

ENGAGES YOUR CORE FIRST, AND

THEN YOUR CORE HELPS YOUR

BODY MOVE WITHOUT INJURY,"

AND HE SAID, "IF YOU DON'T

ENGAGE AND START WORKING ON

THIS CORE," HE SAID, "THESE

INJURIES COULD BECOME MORE

FREQUENT AND THEY COULD GET

WORSE WITH TIME."

DO YOU KNOW THAT'S HOW OUR

INNER MAN WORKS?

SEE, OUR INNER MAN IS THE

CORE OF WHO WE ARE, IT'S OUR

IDENTITY.

OUR INNER MAN CONTROLS OUR

ATTITUDES AND IT REGULATES

OUR THOUGHTS.

SEE, WHEN WE HAVE A STRONG

INNER MAN, IT ENGAGES THE

REST OF OUR LIFE AND HELPS

OUR LIFE BECOME EASIER.

IN FACT, THE INJURIES THAT WE

SUFFER SOMETIME IS BECAUSE

WE'RE NOT ENGAGING OUR

SPIRITUAL MAN.

WE'RE SAYING THINGS WE

SHOULDN'T, WE'RE IN STRIFE

WITH OUR SPOUSE, WE'RE

PUSHING OUR CHILDREN AWAY,

WE'RE NOT LIKING OUR JOB, SO

IT'S NOT HELPING US ANY,

BECAUSE, SEE, OUR EXTREMITIES

ARE DOING IT, IT'S CALLED THE

FLESH.

WE NEED TO ENGAGE THIS INNER

CORE, THIS SPIRITUAL MAN, SO

THAT WE CAN QUIT HAVING THESE

UNNECESSARY INJURIES.

WE DO NOT WANT THEM TO BE

FREQUENT IN OUR LIFE.

WE WANT TO TAKE THIS COMMAND

CENTER, THIS SPIRIT MAN, AND

WE WANT TO WALK IN A POSTURE

OF FAITH.

WE WANT TO WALK IN A POSTURE

OF SELF-DISCIPLINE, OF

CONFIDENCE.

SEE, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT

HAPPENS WHEN YOU ENGAGE YOUR

CORE MUSCLES.

HE SAID IT HELPS YOU POSTURE

YOURSELF, IT HELPS YOU FIND

THE STRENGTH TO MOVE

THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.

MY PHYSICAL THERAPIST SAID IF

YOU WILL DO THESE EXERCISES

I'M ABOUT TO GIVE YOU AND

SHOW YOU, THEN THIS WILL HELP

YOU TREMENDOUSLY.

HE SHOWED ME HOW TO DO THE

PLANK, ALL DIFFERENT WAYS TO

DO THE PLANK.

HE SHOWED ME A FEW OTHER

EXERCISES, AND HE SAID NOW DO

THOSE EXERCISES AND THEY'LL

HELP YOU.

YOU SEE, IF I DO THESE

EXERCISES, IF I MAKE A HABIT

OF DOING THEM, IF I FIND

SPACE IN MY DAY TO DO THEM,

AND TAKE TIME TO DO THEM,

THEY WILL HELP ME.

BUT IF I DON'T, IT'S GOING TO

STAY THE SAME.

I'M GOING TO STAY WEAK IN MY

CORE.

YOU SEE, PAUL PRAYED FOR THE

EPHESIANS IN CHAPTER 3:16,

AND HE PRAYED THIS, HE PRAYED

THAT THEY WOULD BE

STRENGTHENED WITH GOD'S POWER

THROUGH HIS SPIRIT IN THEIR

INNER MAN.

YOU SEE, PAUL TALKED A LOT

ABOUT THE OUTER MAN AND THE

INNER MAN IN HIS WRITINGS.

THE INNER MAN IS STRENGTHENED

BY GOD THROUGH THE SPIRIT.

YOU SEE, WE HAVE GOT TO MAKE

TIME, WE HAVE GOT TO FIND

ROOM IN OUR BUSY LIVES TO LET

THE SPIRIT OF GOD MINISTER

LIFE TO US, TO BE TOUCHED BY

THE WORD OF GOD AND THE VERY

PRESENCE OF ALMIGHTY GOD,

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT

STRENGTHENS OUR INNER MAN.

WE CANNOT NEGLECT THIS INNER

MAN.

WE DON'T WANT TO LOOK FINE ON

THE OUTSIDE BUT BE WEAK,

UNDISCIPLINED, WEARY, OUR

SOUL ON THE INSIDE.

YOU SEE, SO I WANT TO

ENCOURAGE US AND CHALLENGE US

TODAY TO FIND THAT PERSONAL

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD ON A

DAILY BASIS.

MAKE IT A HABIT TO RENEW AND

STRENGTHEN YOUR INNER MAN,

BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IT'S GOING

TO HAPPEN, AND IF WE DON'T,

WE'RE GOING TO STAY THE SAME.

YOU SEE, WE NEED TO READ THE

WORD OF GOD.

WE NEED TO DECIDE THAT GOD'S

WORD IS THE LIVING, BREATHING

WORD OF GOD, AND MIXED WITH

HIS SPIRIT, IT FEEDS OUR

INNER MAN.

YOU SEE, JOEL'S DAD USED TO

SAY IT LIKE THIS, HE USED TO

SAY, "SOME PEOPLE FEED THEIR

PHYSICAL BODIES THREE HOT

MEALS A DAY, BUT THEY FEED

THEIR INNER MAN ONE COLD

SNACK A WEAK."

INNER MAN IS GOING TO MAKE

YOU STRONG.

THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING TO

GET OUR STRENGTH.

I LOVE WHAT IT SAYS IN JOHN

1:1, IT SAYS, "IN THE

BEGINNING," BEFORE IT ALL

BEGAN, "WAS THE WORD, AND THE

WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE

WORD WAS GOD."

WHEN YOU SPEND TIME OPENING

YOUR BIBLE AND GETTING IN THE

WORD, YOU'RE SPENDING TIME

WITH GOD.

ASK HIM, ASK HIM TO SPEAK TO

YOU THROUGH HIS WORD.

ASK HIM TO DEVELOP THIS

RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

SAY "GOD, I WANT TO HAVE A

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH

THIS INVISIBLE GOD," BECAUSE

HE MAY BE INVISIBLE, BUT HIS

RICH BLESSINGS ARE QUITE

VISIBLE IN OUR LIFE.

THEY WILL MANIFEST IN

STRENGTH AND POWER.

SO, MY ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU

TODAY IS GET SOME SCRIPTURES,

PUT THEM ON YOUR MIRROR, PUT

THEM ON YOUR REFRIGERATOR,

MEDITATE ON THE WORD OF GOD.

GET IT IN YOU WHEN YOU DON'T

NEED IT SO IT'LL COME OUT OF

YOU WHEN YOU DO NEED IT.

LISTEN, BUILD YOUR PERSONAL

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

I KNOW THAT HE LOVES YOU AND

HE'S A GREAT FATHER.

HE'S NOT LOOKING AT WHAT

YOU'RE DOING WRONG, HE'S

LOOKING AT WHAT YOU'RE DOING

RIGHT.

HE DOESN'T WANT TO CONDEMN

YOU, THAT'S NOT HIS JOB, HIS

JOB IS TO CONVINCE YOU HOW

SPECIAL YOU ARE TO HIM

THROUGH HIS LOVE.

I BELIEVE WHEN WE STRENGTHEN

OUR INNER MAN, WE'LL FIND

THAT RENEWED VITALITY AND

WE'LL FIND THAT POWER OF GOD

IN OUR SOUL, AMEN?

YOUR PARTNERSHIP MAKES

THIS MINISTRY POSSIBLE.

YOUR FAITHFUL AND

CONSISTENT MONTHLY SUPPORT

MAKES YOU A CHAMPION OF

HOPE.

THE VISION OF JOEL OSTEEN

MINISTRIES IS TO USE EVERY

AVENUE AVAILABLE TO PRESENT

THE HOPE OF JESUS CHRIST TO

PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.

WE KNOW IT IS THIS HOPE

AND THE TRANSFORMING

POWER OF THE GOSPEL THAT