Joel Osteen Podcast - A Flood Is Coming | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: November 8, 2023

God wants to flood your life with favor, blessings and new opportunities. Get ready to watch Him do exceedingly above all you can think or imagine. Nothing can stop the flood of God's power in your life!Your best days are still ahead, and together we can make a difference in this world with the message of God's hope and love.To give visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHopeFor more on living the life God intended for you, get Joel’s NEW book, 15 Ways to Live Longer and Healthier—AVAILABLE NOW! https://www.joelosteen.com/15waysbook Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of the Joel Osteen Podcast ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria, and thanks so much for listening to the podcast. Don't forget I have a new book out, 15 ways to live longer and healthier. I think you'll be blessed and encouraged by it. We love you so much, and we hope you enjoy the message. God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes. If you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you we'll make you feel right at home.

But thanks so much for tuning in today. And thank you again for coming out. I like to start with something funny. I heard about this young man. He was talking to God. He said, God, what's a million years like to you? God said, son, a million years to me is like one second to you. He said, well, God, what's a million dollars like to you?

He said, son, a million dollars to me is like one penny to you. Thought about it a moment. Finally got his nerve up. He said, God, would you give me a penny? God said, sure, just a second. Hold up your Bible, say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am.

I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess, my mind is alert, my heart is receptive, I will never be the same. In Jesus name, God bless you. I want to talk to you today about

how a flood is coming. Sometimes on the news, the weather person will announce that we're under a flash flood warning. That means conditions are right for possible flooding. Water could get out of its normal boundaries. It could overflow and increase in such a way that drainage and bayous are overwhelmed. Just like that weather person, I'm here to announce to you today, you're under a flash flood warning. conditions are just right. You've honored God, you've been faithful, you've passed the test.

Now God is saying there's about to be a flood, but not with water, you're going to see a flood of my goodness. A flood of opportunity, a flood of healing, a flood of good breaks to where you're overwhelmed with God's favor. It's beyond your expectations, puts you into overflow. Now, you may have experienced a lot of negative things in the past. Bad breaks, disappointments, heartache. It's easy to get discouraged and let that overwhelm you. The negative thoughts will tell you, you'll never get well. You saw the medical report.

You'll never rise any higher and accomplish your dreams. You've gone as far as you can go. Now, you need to get ready. Things have shifted. You're about to come into this flash flood, where suddenly you meet the right person, You qualify for that new home. You get accepted in that college.

You're chosen as the lead role in that new program. Your song hits the radio and your career takes off. You're going to see the surpassing greatness of God's favor. It's going to take you beyond your normal boundaries. It's going to supersede what the medical report says. It's going to supersede your talent, your education, your experience. It's going to thrust you to a level. level that you could have never gotten to on your own. It's not going to be a little drizzle,

a little sprinkle. It's going to be a flood of favor, a flood of talent, a flood of ideas, a flood of opportunity. Why don't you get this down in your spirit? A flood of God's goodness. Well, you say, Joel, you're just trying to get people's hopes up. I don't believe I'm going to see this flood. I don't believe that anything good's going to happen to me just because you're saying this, then this is not for you, this is for believers. This is for people who know things have shifted in their favor. People who know God can do exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond. This is for people who get up in the morning and say, Father, thank you for a flood of your favor today. Lord, thank you for a flood of wisdom, a flood of healing, a flood of your goodness in my life. This is what David did.

First Chronicles chapter 14, he was facing an impossible situation. He and his men were up against a huge army, the Philistines. They were greatly outnumbered. In the natural, they didn't have a chance. But God gave David the promise that he would go with them and they would defeat this army. David went out and did just that. God gave them the victory. And David was so overwhelmed with God's goodness.

He tried to describe it in verse 11. He said, God has broken through to my enemies like the breaking forth of water. One translation says, like a raging flood. Notice David likened God's power to a flood. He was saying when God shows up, it's going to be like a flood of favor, a flood of strength, a flood of good breaks. Think about how powerful water is. Three or four feet of water can pick up a car. that weighs thousands of pounds and move it all around.

You've seen on these news reports during a huge flood, whole houses being swept away. Nothing can stop the force of that water. In the same way, you may have obstacles that look insurmountable, dreams that look unattainable. But let me encourage you, when God releases a flood of his power, nothing will be able to stop you.

That sickness may look big, But when God releases a flood of healing, it doesn't stand a chance. Your opposition may be stronger, better finance, better equipped, but when God opens up the floodgates, there'll be no match for you. Or how about in your dreams? You may not have the connections. You don't know the right people. You don't have the funding. But when God releases a flood of favor, people will come out of the woodwork to help you out.

you won't have to look for them. Good breaks, opportunity, the right people will search you out. You need to get ready, not for a trickle, not a stream, not a river, but a flood of God's favor. A tidal wave of God's goodness, a tsunami of his increase.

God is going to take you to a level that you've never been before. It's going to be unprecedented. You're going to go further, quicker than you ever dreamed of. Exodus 3410 talks about it. God said, I'm going to do great things that I have never done before anywhere on earth. People will see what great things I can do because I'm going to do something awesome for you.

Now, when God uses the word awesome, he's not talking about a trickle, a stream, a river. He's talking about a flood of favor, a flood of ideas, a flood of healing. It may not look like it in the natural right now, but remember you're under a flash flood warning. Any moment the heavens could open up. Any moment you could meet the right person. Any moment God could do something awesome, something that you've never seen before in your life. Now the real question is will you let this seed take root? Every voice will tell you why this is not for you and I just flip it.

through the channels, turn this guy on. I don't even know who he is. He's not talking to me. I didn't even really plan on coming today, Joe. I just showed up. No, God has you here at the right place, at the right time, because he wants to do something amazing in your life. You've got to get an agreement and say, God, this is for me today. I'm raising my expectations. I'm shaking off doubt, negativity, disappointments, self-pity, little dreams, little dreams, little goals, God, I'm going to make room for a flood of your goodness. I met a lady a couple of years ago after the service, and she was in town for treatment at MD Anderson, our cancer hospital, and she was going to have a tumor removed, and then

she's going to have to take chemotherapy. All of her medical records, blood work, x-rays, were shipped from her hospital back at home. The doctor she was using here wanted her to retake all the test and redo all the x-rays just to double check and verify everything. She was already scheduled for surgery when the doctor called her in. He couldn't find the tumor anymore.

It was very clear on one x-ray, but on this new one, couldn't see anything. He said, I've been doing this for 26 years. I have never seen anything like this before. What was that? A flood of healing. A flood of

restoration. Friends, God can do what medicine cannot do. God made your body. He has you in the palm of his hand. The good news is God has the final say. He said the number of your days I will fulfill. That means sickness doesn't determine how long you're going to live. God does. Nothing can snatch you out of his hand. If it's not your time to go, then you're not going to go. You may be facing a major illness. Doesn't look good in the natural, but you're under a flash flood warning. Any moment, you can see a flood of healing. Any moment, God could turn that around.

Isaiah said, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of God will raise up a barrier. Several commentaries believe that the comma was misplaced during translation. Instead of reading, when the enemy comes in like a flood, comma, they believe the comma should have been placed after the word in. It would say when the enemy comes in

like a flood, God's spirit will raise up a barrier. In other words, the emphasis on the flood is on God's power and not the enemies. Now I've learned when the enemy attacks, God reacts. God

doesn't just sit back and think, well, wonder what's going to happen, wonder what they're going to do. No, God goes to work. You are his most prized possession. It says in Psalms, God is close to those that are hurting. God is close to the brokenhearted. God knows when you got a bad medical report. He knows when you're struggling in your finances. He knows when you're being mistreated. You may not see anything happening, but you can be assured, Almighty God not only is aware, but he is at work. He already has the solution. If you will stay in faith at the right time, he will

will release a flood of his power, a flood of healing, a flood of restoration. He'll not only bring you out, he'll bring you out better off than you were before. But one of the keys is we have to keep the right perspective. It's easy to focus on how big the problem is and never going to get well, Joel, it's impossible. I'm never going to get out of debt. This setback, this loss of income, this unexpected bill, it's going to be the end of me. No, that problem may feel overwhelming, but it is not the flood. The debt, the sickness, the opposition is like a trickle. Water barely even flowing, but God's power, the promotion, the healing, the breakthrough, the restoration is like a flood. That's the tidal wave that's headed towards you.

It's just a matter of time before it shows up. And when it does, it won't be any contest. It's like a drop of water compared to the whole ocean. Now all through the day, when you're tempted to worry, tempted to be frustrated, switch over into faith. Lord, thank you for a flood of your favor. God, I know you've got me in the palm of your hand. And Lord, I just want to thank you in advance that you're releasing a flood of your power that will suddenly turn this around. That's what David did. Psalm 112.

When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in. Notice it's not going to trickle in, not going to just barely get there, no, like a flood, like the breaking forth of waters, it's going to come bursting in. That simply means suddenly you're going to get well. Suddenly you meet the right person. Suddenly you're able to pay your house off. Our attitude should be my child may be off course, making poor decisions, but I'm expecting a flood of God's mercy to bring him back. or my house may have been on the market for a year, still hasn't sold, but I'm expecting a flood of favor to cause it to stand out and sell. Business may be slow, but I'm expecting a flood of new clients,

a flood of sales, a flood of promotion. In the midst of that difficulty, don't get discouraged. You're in prime position to see a flood of God's goodness. Lady came up to me a while back, and she was very excited. She had a family member, that needed a series of surgeries. It was vital for this person to live a productive life, but it was going to cost $400,000. It wasn't covered by their insurance. This family didn't have that kind of extra money.

This lady, month after month, she kept praying, believing. She didn't focus on the size of her problem. She focused on the size of her God. She didn't need a trickle, a stream, a river. she needed a flood of God's goodness. One day, her employer called her in. She'd worked for this company for over 30 years.

She didn't even know they knew about the problem, but they said, you've been so good to us, so faithful to this company, we've decided that we are going to underwrite the series of surgeries for your family member. $400,000. What was that? A tidal wave of God's goodness.

Like a flood. God, God's favor overtook her. Well, you say, Joel, that never happened for me. I never get any good breaks. $400,000, my boss doesn't even like me. Listen, it doesn't matter who likes you or who doesn't like you. The main thing is, Almighty God likes you, he's accepted you, he's approved you, he's already surrounded you with his favor like a shield.

Promotion doesn't come from people. It comes from God. If you'll be bold enough to believe, God has tidal waves of blessings. He has floods of favor in your future. That's what happened to one of our staff members. Craig and his wife, Samantha, have a nine-year-old son named Connor. Connor's a very handsome, fun young man. He has autism.

When he was five years old, he had never spoken a full paragraph before. In fact, he didn't really speak in complete sentences. He would speak a phrase or two here or there, maybe two or three words together, but not much more than that. Day after day, Craig, Samantha, the other children, they would speak faith over Connor, telling him you can do all things through Christ. You are more than a conqueror.

They were expecting a flood of God's favor. Every night before bedtime, either Craig or Samantha would go up and read a couple of books with Connor and pray together and then put him to bed. One night, Samantha had just finished reading and praying and was about to leave the room. She heard Connor start to speak. She listened carefully and he was speaking so clearly

and so fluently. She ran and got the video camera and recorded the first full paragraph that Connor had ever spoken. He was saying, this is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. He quoted word for word that confession we make at the start of every service.

What was that? Like a flood. God's favor overtook Connor. Craig told me how they would take DVDs of my messages home every week, and Connor would watch them again and again. When he turned on cartoons, he'd normally only watch five or ten minutes, but he'd watch my whole 30-minute message over and over.

I told Craig, when a five-year-old chooses me over Barney, that makes me feel really good. But Connor still has a way to go, but we know what God started. He will finish. Friends, God wants to release a flood of his power. Not a trickle, not a stream, not a river,

but a flood of increase, a flood of healing, a flood of ideas. Some of you are believing too small. You've settled where you are, thinking that you've reached your limits and your child could never get better and you could never overcome that obstacle. No, you need to get ready.

I can see something in your future. Through my eyes of faith, I can see a tidal wave coming your way. It's not a wave of defeat, a wave of bad breaks, a wave of more of the same. No, things have shifted. It's a wave of increase, a wave of favor, a wave of healing.

It's God releasing his goodness, like a flood. It's going to help you to overcome that obstacle. It's going to cause you to accomplish your dreams. Why don't you dare to believe? If you think trickle, you're going to receive trickle. If you think the problem's too big, it's going to keep you defeated. But if you could just switch over into faith and start thinking flood, then God could show you a flood. If you'll think overflow, God can bring you into overflow. If you'll dare to think tidal wave, then God can release a tidal wave of his goodness in your life. A few years ago, we were at dinner at a restaurant. Our son Jonathan was with us, and he's 17 years old now, and he's about 11 or 12 at the time.

And when we went to order, Jonathan told the waiter, I'd like a steak. The waiter asked, do you want a 6 ounce, a 10 ounce, or a 14 ounce? Jonathan did not think twice. He didn't look at the menu to check the price. He didn't ask me if his okay. He immediately said, I'll take the 14 ounce. When it comes to food, Jonathan is not expecting a trickle, a stream, a river, but a flood.

Jonathan not only has a big appetite, but he knows who his father is. He knows, I want to be good to him. That's the way we need to be with our heavenly father. don't have a small-minded mentality. Don't have a narrow, limited vision. Too many people think that they're bothering God. They shouldn't expect too much.

God, I'm not expecting to get out of this problem. If you could just help me endure it. God, I don't think I'll ever meet anybody great and fall in love and get married. If you can just help me, God, not to be too lonely in life. No, you're thinking trickle when God has a flood. You're thinking barely get by, when God has abundance. You're thinking six ounce when God has 14 ounce. If you'll believe bigger,

God will act bigger. You've got to do like Jonathan, step up to the plate and say, God, I know you control the whole universe, yet I'm the apple of your eye. I'm your most prized possession. God, you said you're longing to be good to me. So Lord, I just want to thank you for a flood of your favor in my life. When you release your faith in a big way like that, in a 14 ounce raise, God doesn't look down and think, what are they talking about?

Who do they think they are? They don't deserve it. The nerve of those people. No, that brings a smile to God's face. He says, I'm going to open the windows of heaven and pour out not a stream, not a trickle, not a river, but a flood of my favor, a flood of my goodness, a flood of my murder.

a flood of my mercy. Isaiah said, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to announce a day when the free favor of God profusely abounds. Notice the word he used to describe God's favor,

profusely. That means overwhelming, out of the norm, exceeding. He was talking about this flood of favor. At that time, the people were in a drought, no water. Isaiah, came along with this great news.

A shift has come. The drought is coming to an end. The favor is coming like a flood. But I'm sure there were some people that thought, what's Isaiah talking about? Nothing's happening. There's not a cloud in the sky. It's just as clear and blue and dry and hot

as it was the last three months. They missed their opportunity to see the free favor of God profusely abound. Don't let that do you. like Isaiah I've announced today a flood of God's power is coming favor like you've never seen before instead of being overwhelmed by burdens you're going to be overwhelmed by God's blessings but the real key is can you receive this into your spirit it's easy to think this is not for me Joel I don't see anything different happening I tried before and it didn't work out I've been through too much

that kind of negative thinking will stop the flood. God works where there's an attitude of faith. When you believe all things are possible. The enemy cannot stop this flood. He doesn't have that much power. Other people cannot stop it. The only one that can stop it is you. You control your own destiny.

God is for you. The enemy is against you. You get to cast the deciding vote. I'm asking you to take the limits off of God. He wants to do something new, something amazing in your life. But the real battle is taking place in our thought life. Those thoughts that say, it's not going to happen. You're too old.

You've made too many mistakes. You'll never get well. You'll never accomplish your dreams. No, this is the day that you're going to see the free favor of God profusely abound. God has floods of blessings in your future. He has tidal waves of increase in joy and healing and mercy. Make room for this flood. Get in agreement with God.

Paul prayed in Ephesians that the eyes of our understanding would be flooded with light so that we would know the amazing future God has in store. It's interesting that Paul used that phrase flooded with light. see, Paul had experienced a portion of this flood, but we're living in a better day than Paul. This is the day where Paul declared we would see the surpassing greatness of God's favor. Paul was saying, in effect, I've seen one level of God's goodness, but the day we're in, we would see God's goodness like no generation has seen it before. And I can tell you firsthand, Victoria and I have experienced.

this flood of God's favor. God has overwhelmed us with his goodness. I'm not bragging on us. I'm bragging on God. God has taken us beyond our education, beyond our talent, beyond our training, and he's unleashed his abundance, his wisdom, his favor in our lives. I was thinking about a couple of main keys. You've got to keep God first place in your life. Honor God. Deal with the issues that he's bringing to light. Stay open and be willing to always change. We don't have to be perfect. We all have flaws and weaknesses, but we should be growing. We should be making progress, improving. The second thing, we've learned to take the limits off of God. Like Jonathan, we ask for the 14 ounce. We believe big. We pray bowl prayers. And we live with this expectancy

that God has floods of favor, floods of wisdom, floods of goodness in our future. My prayer for you today is that the eyes of your understanding would be flooded with light, that you would know how much God loves you, how much He's for you, and what an amazing future he has in store. My prayer is that faith would fill your hearts, that you would raise your level of expectancy, and that you would see God's goodness, like never before. Like Isaiah, I've announced to you, you're under a flash flood warning.

Now, you need to get ready. You're about to see the favor of God profusely abound in your life. Because you've honored God, because you have been faithful and given and served and been good to others, I believe things have shifted in your favor. Suddenly dreams are going to come to pass. you're going to see the surpassing greatness of God's goodness. Now my encouragement, get up every morning and say, Father, thank you for this flood of favor in my life. Then go out expecting it. If you do that, I believe and declare, you're going to see God's goodness overwhelm you. You are coming into floods of favor, floods of healing, floods of wisdom, floods of good break, floods of mercy.

2013 is going to be a year of the shift and the year of the flood. Get ready for it. It's headed you away. If you receive it, can you say amen today? We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart.

I make you, my Lord and Savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place. He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed up. Sometimes life can make you feel like you are just living in the dark. Even your prayers don't feel like they're making it to heaven. But God is listening, and his light is about to shine.

We know God is all powerful, that he can answer any prayer, but sometimes we don't know what to pray. We don't think we deserve God's goodness. Maybe we're inconveniencing him or he has more important things to deal with. But God is concerned about every detail of your life. He's waiting to hear your prayers. I have a new resource called praying with confidence, guided prayers for life's moments. When you face challenges or obstacles that seem too big,

you'll find prayers that will build your faith, prayers that will move the hands of God. There are prayers you can pray for peace and comfort, prayers for your family and hell, prayers for your dreams and goals. As you make these prayers your own, pray with confidence, that's when you'll see the creator of the universe go to work. I hope you'll request your copy today. With a gift of any amount this month, we would like to immediately send you a copy of praying with confidence. Guided prayers for life's moments. In this new resource, Joel shares how to pray. You need a breakthrough when you need strength.

Yes, when life's moments happen and you're not sure how to pray, praying confident prayers will put you on the right path. You'll enter new seasons in your prayer life that will turn challenges to victories, heartache to hope, frustration, to newfound favor. Be sure to request your copy of Praying with Confidence, guided prayers for life's moments today. Visit joelosteen.com or call 888. 567 jaw