https://sermons.love/joel-osteen/6210-joel-osteen-you-have-the-cure-easter-message.html When Jesus went to the cross, he took on our guilt, our shame, our failures. He not only bore our sins, but he took our sicknesses. Before he was crucified, he was beaten with 39 stripes on his back. Studies tell us, there are 39 major categories of disease, he took one strike for each one. That’s why it says, “By his stripes you were healed”. We are not at the mercy of fear, depression, addictions – we have the cure, the Most High God is breathing in our direction. Him being for you is more than the world being against you. Don’t let the fear, the guilt, the depression holds you down – take the antidote, “Father, thank you that I am forgiven, I am redeemed, I am free, I am healthy and whole”. When thoughts tell you, “You’re just average, there’s nothing special about you”. If you dwell on that poison, it will infect your thinking. You have to take your medicine, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I’m wearing a crown of favor, I have royal blood flowing through my veins”. Proverbs says, “God’s word is like a medicine”. When you meditate on it, it brings healing and wholeness. When thoughts whisper, “You’ll always struggle in your finances, this slowdown is going to ruin your business”. Don’t let that virus take root, “Father, thank you that the economy is not my source, but you are my source. You said you would prosper me even in the desert”. You have the cure, now make sure that you’re taking your medicine. God-inspired art prints One time the Israelites had turned against God, they started worshipping idols. They ended up exiled from their own land and brought into captivity in Babylon. It was their own fault, they had brought the trouble on themselves. The prophet Jeremiah was very discouraged, he asked, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician that can help us”? He was saying, “God is there no cure? Is there no remedy from this virus, that we’ve let infect us”? He likened it to being bit by poisonous snakes, the truth is, we’ve all been bitten by something, bitten by guilt, bitten by fear, bitten by rejection. How do we deal with the venom? How do we get rid of the poison and not let it stop our destiny? I read about how they develop anti-venom for snake bites. Years ago after much research, scientists took some of the poisonous venom from the snake and injected it into horses. The horse would naturally develop antibodies, that they could then remove and use it as serum for someone that was bitten by a snake. But over time they realize, the anti-venom from the blood of horses wasn’t working fast enough in people, many were losing their lives. They needed an anti-venom that was more powerful, more effective. They tested many animals and finally discovered, that the blood of a lamb produced the most effective anti-venom. Unlock the blood of a horse, when the sheep was injected with the poisonous venom, the antibodies it created were much faster in people and produced a much stronger and more powerful anti-venom. God-inspired art prints A few years ago they discovered that sheep in south Australia produced some of the most effective antibody than anywhere in the world, it’s because those sheep are in a pristine environment, where they are free from disease that typically affect other sheep. And the fact that these sheep are so healthy and have such pure blood, that’s why they create the most powerful anti-venom. Think back to the Garden of Eden, that’s the first time we see a poisonous snake. The enemy is called a serpent, he bit Adam and Eve, not physically but in their thinking. He deceived them and they became poisoned, they ate the forbidden fruit, they did wrong and open the door to trouble. All of a sudden they were afraid, they realized they were naked, they ran and hid. Fear came in, guilt, shame, heartache. God had to come up with a plan to deal with the venom, that had poisoned mankind. He needed to create an anti-venom, but it had to be something incredibly powerful. That meant it had to come from the purest blood, the most effective source. God didn’t choose the blood of a horse, he didn’t choose the blood of a goat, he didn’t choose the blood of another animal, this time he chose the blood of his only son. The first time John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. Jesus wasn’t just any lamb, he was the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. That’s why his anti-venom is more powerful than any poison that comes against you. The enemy will try to poison your with doubt, “It’s never going to work out”. Poison your with fear, “What if you catch that virus”. Poison you with insecurity, “You’re not good enough, nobody wants to be around you”. That poison cannot keep you from your destiny, it is no match for the anti-venom created by the Most High God. God-inspired art prints Now quit telling yourself, “You’ve made too many mistakes”, living guilty, condemned – take your antibody, “Father, thank you that your mercy is bigger than my mistakes. Thank you, that what you started in my life you will finish”. You have to receive God’s mercy and move forward. You can’t reach your destiny, if you’re always looking back. Nothing you’ve done is a surprise to God. He knew every mistake you would make, every failure, you can still get to where you’re supposed to be, but you have to shake off the guilt and move ahead. When you’re dealing with fear, depression, anxiety, don’t just accept it thinking, “I’ll always struggle in this area” – take your medicine, “Father, thank you that I am free, I have the mind of…