It's Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God's Favor [Hardcover]

Joel Osteen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 3, 2009

Get your hopes up. Raise your expectations. Your best days are in front of you.

In challenging times, it may be hard to see better days ahead. You may feel as though your struggles will never end, that things won't ever turn around for you.

This is exactly the moment to put your faith into action and expect God's blessings.

It's your time to declare your faith, to look for God's favor, and to give control of your life to Him so that you can find fulfillment in His plans for you!

It's Your Time to believe.

It's not easy to always be optimistic. Life can be difficult, and in hard economic times it's not just your finances that suffer. Your relationships can be strained. Your health can be stressed. Bad habits can return and negative thoughts can take over.

When one part of your life after another takes a bad turn, you can feel like there is no end in sight, no way out. The truth is, maybe you don't have an answer. But God does! Maybe you don't have the strength. But God does!

It's Your Time for favor.

In It's Your Time, bestselling author Joel Osteen, pastor of the nation's largest church, offers the inspirational truth that no matter where you stand in life, you are never alone. He reminds you also that the bigger your burden, the greater your blessings to come.

You may have neglected God, but He has not abandoned you. He has already released good things into your future. As long as you're breathing, you can still reclaim His favor by renewing your faith and accepting His plans for you.

It's Your Time for restoration.

In these pages, Joel offers assurances that God does not want you to merely survive challenging times, He wants you to thrive. When you give your life over to Him, God will send opportunities your way so that you can soar to new heights of fulfillment.

History has shown that the most difficult times can serve as catalysts for creativity, innovation, and accomplishment. If you hold on to your faith, ask for God's favor, and don't give in to depression or discouragement, you will emerge not bitter but better, not a victim but a victor.

It's Your Time to trust.

God already is working in your life to arrange the right people, the right skills, and the right opportunities to give you the tools you need to fulfill and exceed your dreams.

Drawing from Joel's experiences and those of people around the world, It's Your Time offers messages of faith, hope, and strength to help you rise above any circumstance so that you can fulfill God's best plan for your life.

It's Your Time to stretch.

Joel has filled this book with bold new prayers, inspiring stories, and practical tools for moving forward in faith. You will find inspiration from others who have overcome adversity and achieved their dreams. You will find proven methods for not just picking up the pieces but for building a new life better than you'd imagined.

The hopeful messages and warm encouragements in this book will push you to expand your horizons beyond what you thought you were capable of doing so that you might go even farther than you'd ever dreamed of going.

It's Your Time!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joel Osteen is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Listed by several sources as America's largest and fastest-growing congregation, Lakewood Church has approximately 45,000 adult attendees every week. Millions more watch Joel's messages as they are broadcast on national and international television networks. Joel is the author of numerous journals, devotionals, and books, including the Hope for Today Bible and the bestseller, It's Your Time. His book Become a Better You has sold over two million copies to date, remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for five months. Visit Joel's website at www.joelosteen.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1ST edition (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 143910011X
• ISBN-13: 978-1439100110
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (188 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joel Osteen is a native Texan and the Pastor of Lakewood Church, which according to Church Growth Today is America's largest and fastest growing church with over 38,000 attendees. On July 16, 2005 after completing $95 million dollars in renovations, Joel moved Lakewood Church into its new 16,000 seat home -- the former Compaq Center which is now the largest regularly-used worship center in the United States. According to Nielsen Media Research, Joel is the most watched inspirational figure in America. His weekly sermon is broadcast into television markets across the U.S. where it is viewed by seven million Americans each week and more than 20 million each month. His weekly broadcast is also seen in almost 100 nations around the world. In 2004 his first book, Your Best Life Now was released by Time Warner debuting at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List and quickly rising to #1. It remained on the New York Times Bestseller for more than 2 years and has sold more than 4 million copies. Most recently, Joel was named as one of Barbara Walters' "10 Most Fascinating People of 2006" and he was selected as the "Most Influential Christian in 2006" by the readers of Church Report Magazine. The son of John Osteen -- a highly respected minister of the Gospel and the founder of Lakewood Church -- Joel attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he studied radio and television communications. In 1982, Joel returned to Houston and founded Lakewood's television ministry where he produced John Osteen's televised sermons for 17 years until January 1999 when his father passed away. For many years John Osteen encouraged Joel to preach, but he always declined preferring to work behind the scenes. In early 1999, Joel felt compelled to accept his father's invitation and he preached his first sermon on January 17th of that year. Little did anyone know that would be the last Sunday of John Osteen's life. Two weeks later Joel began preaching and later that year was installed as the new Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church. Almost immediately, weekly attendance began to grow at an extraordinary rate and, in 2005 Joel moved Lakewood Church into its present location, the former Compaq Center, a 16,000 seat arena that was once home to the Houston Rockets professional basketball team. Now, with his wife Victoria and the leadership staff of Lakewood, this innovative church is poised for the new millennium. Joel's extraordinary success can be found in his core message: That our God is a good God who desires to bless those who are obedient and faithful to Him through Jesus Christ. It is Joel's deepest desire that his own life be an example of that principle and that everyone who hears this message of hope and encouragement would choose to accept God's goodness and mercy and to become all that God wants them to be.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#33 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#53 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#33 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#53 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 96 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Ignore the Negative Reviews December 7, 2009

By Blessedbybooks VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I've purchased all of Joel Osteen's previous books (and Victoria's book as well) and I've found all of them to be helpful, inspiring and uplifting. Since there have been several recent books and because of some negative reviews on this site, I almost didn't purchase It's Your Time. Fortunately I took the chance based on my past experience with his books and I'm glad I did. I truly disagree with the negative reviews that state "it's a rehash" or that the book was "phoned in" rather than being written with care and dedication. Yes there are references to previous books and previous anecdotes. But the majority of the stories, examples and anecdotes are new. Osteen makes numerous references to the current economic situation and how to weather the storms. His concrete suggestions for dealing with adversity would be helpful even to an atheist, much more to a believer.

I realize he's seen as sort of an unsophisticated "Bible thumper" but he has a great way to demonstrating how adversity can be turned into a blessing and our enemies can inspire us to greatness. As he commented in the book, if not for Goliath, David would probably have lived and died a simple shepherd boy. It took adversity, a challenge and risk for the world to recognize David's talent and greatness.

My thoughts regarding the negative reviews is that some people a) resent Osteen's success and b) think that religious teachings need to focus on punishment and sacrifice to be credible. In all fairness, if you are a Biblical scholar, the Osteen books are probably not your cup of tea. But for the many millions of people who are mired in self doubt and afraid to act, I think they will find some insight and inspiration from It's Your Time.

51 of 59 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Not what you expect November 23, 2009

By Krykie TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I like Joel Osteen, and watch his sermons weekly either on TV or via podcast. This is not a review of Joel Osteen; it is a review of the book.

I purchased this book on kindle when it first came out, and I haven't finished reading it yet -- and doubt that I will. This is not a real book, but more of a collection of sermons he has given over the years. In fact, I watched a sermon after I started reading the book -- and though when reading the book it seemed familiar, when I saw the TV show I was surprised to hear not just the "theme" but the actual story I had read. Same joke, same anecdote, same lesson, almost verbatim.

If you have already watched Joel on TV or podcast, then no need to buy this book to learn another facet -- it is just a repackage of sermons he has already given.

However, if you don't mind reading what you've already heard/seen, then perhaps buying this book will reinforce what you've already been told by Joel. I wish I had known the content before I bought this book -- I probably would have waited.

127 of 153 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars It's (Not Worth) Your Time November 13, 2009

By high-rollah

Format:Hardcover

I really like Joel Osteen. Since I started watching him on TV years ago, alot of what he speaks to makes sense to me, and he has enriched my life in many ways. I read his first book, and enjoyed it. Then I read his second book, and noticed he borrowed some material from his first book. I had very high hopes for this new release, and thought this time the book would contain all new material. Maybe my hopes were too high.

After reading this book, I came to the conclusion that this time around he is just phoning it in. Most of "It's Your Time" is comprised of recycled anecdotes and passages from his previous two books, as well as transcriptions of a few TV sermons. How many times do we need to hear how he met his wife? We get it already....you bought a cheap watch. Or his deal with the Compaq Center(I don't think we'll ever hear the end of that one), or the story about the exploding can of biscuits, and about 50 other passages that made me stop and check the book jacket to see if I was reading his "new" book or one of his previous books. Anyone else notice this too?

There was a smattering of new paragraphs, but not enough to justify 300 pages.....a pamphlet maybe. I hope the next time around will not be as disappointing. So in the meantime, I will stay in faith, and pray for some new material. Amen.