Joel Osteen urges Christians to break down barriers

Famed televangelist Joel Osteen urged Christians to break the barriers of limitations on their minds and achieve greater things in the name of Jesus Christ.

The 53-year-old senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston Texas, the largest Protestant church in the U.S., talked about breaking barriers on his blog Friday.

The preacher used the life lesson of Roger Bannister, who exemplified what it meant to break barriers when he made history in May of 1956 and run a mile in just under four minutes. Bannister's feat broke the scientists' theories at that time that the human body could not possibly run a mile under this few minutes and paved the way for more and more runners repeating his feat.

"If you'll do like Roger and recondition your mind, start thinking better, believing that you're a 'can do' person, knowing that you have seeds of greatness, you too will break barriers that you thought were impossible!" wrote Pastor Osteen.

The New York Times best-selling author believes that God meant His people to achieve great things in life. He also equated breaking barriers or setting new standards with making it easier for others. He said that's exactly what his dad did when he broke the chains of poverty for his family and gave him a better headstart in life.

"Remember, God is a progressive God. He wants to see you increase so you can help others increase," said the preacher.

He also quoted John 14:12, which states, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

Joyce Meyer, another prominent preacher and New York Times best-selling author, also believe that God didn't call His people to be trapped in negative thinking. Rather, Meyer said that God wants Christians to become "prisoners of hope," always expectant and cherishing hopeful thoughts in God's wonderful promises.