Joel Osteen Podcast - Be A Bounce Back Person | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: April 17, 2026

Life is full of things that try to push us down. But if we’re going to see God’s best, we have to have a bounce back mentality. This means that despite the obstacles, you know God is going to bring you out better than you were before. Take back what life tried to steal. Rediscovering the Forgotten You will help you reignite your passion and step confidently into the life God created you to live. Request our April offer and rediscover your dreams today! https://bit.ly/4aCX4D0   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. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend? We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes.

We love you and we know God has great things in store. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll 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. and thank you again for coming out. I like to start with something funny each week, and I heard about this guy.

He was late to work for the third day in a row. His boss said sarcastically, okay, what's your excuse this time? He said, I'm so sorry, but my wife asked to drive me to work. And I told her she didn't need to, but she insisted and said she could be ready in 10 minutes. But then when we left, the drawbridge was up,

and I had to swim across the river, fighting off alligators, Then a helicopter picked me up, put me on top of a building. I ran down 60 flights of stairs and got here as quickly as I could. His boss shook his head and said, do you expect me to believe that? No woman can get dressed in just 10 minutes. All right. 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 being a bounce back person. Life is full of things that try to push us down. We all face disappointments and setbacks. Maybe you got bad news concerning your health. Relationship didn't work out. Or perhaps the hurricane damaged your house. It was a setback.

It's easy to get discouraged, lose our enthusiasm. Too often we just settle where we are. But if we're going to see God's best, we have to have this bounce back mentality. That means when you get knocked down, you don't stay down, you get back up again. It means when disappointments come,

things don't go your way, you don't have a pity party and think life's just not fair. No, you shake it off knowing what was meant, for your harm, God's going to use for your good. When you're a bounce back person, you know that every adversity, every setback is not permanent. It's not going to last forever. It's only temporary. Weeping may endure for a night, but you know joy is coming in the morning. So you don't sit around complaining, thinking about how bad it was and everything you lost. You know God is a God of restoration and that he's promised to pay you back double for every unfair situation. Instead of being discouraged

by the difficulty, you're encouraged by it, knowing that you're going to get double for your trouble. You're going to come out better off than you were before. And I believe today, I'm looking at bounce back people. You have the seed of Almighty God. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives on the inside of you. In your blood right now is the DNA of a winner. the DNA of an overcomer. There is no challenge too difficult for you. There is no obstacle

too high to overcome. No sickness, no disappointment, no person, no hurricane, no stock market can keep you from your God-given destiny. The enemy may have done his best, but his best will never be enough. If you stay in faith,

what was meant to stop you will not be a stumbling block, but rather a stepping stone so you can go to a higher level. I want you to get your hopes up. You are not average. You are not ordinary. You are a child of the most high God. Life may have dealt you a tough blow.

At times it feels like the wind's been taken out of our cell. But the good news is, Almighty God has put a bounce back in your spirit. That's why when you're tempted to give up on your dreams, when you're tempted to just settle where you are, Something down in here says, no way. This is not who I am. I was created to live in victory.

I was created to overcome this sickness. I was created to rise above these problems. Why is that? It's in your DNA. You have the blood of a winner. And when times get tough, you can't sit back and feel sorry for yourself. You've got to dig your heels in.

Have the attitude. I may be knocked down, but I didn't get knocked out. and I recognize this setback is simply a setup for a greater comeback, and it's just a matter of time before I come back stronger, healthier, better than I was before. During the recent hurricane, I noticed the different types of trees that had been blown down. Huge oak trees, four or five feet around. They looked as sturdy as can be, but they were no match for the 100-mile-an-hour winds. I saw pine trees. Must have been 14,000. feet tall, laying in yard after yard, big trees, small trees, pines, oaks, elms, magnolias, none of them could

withstand those hurricane force winds. There was just one type of tree I noticed didn't get blown down. It's the palm tree. You know why? God designed the palm tree to withstand the storm. Unlike most other trees, the palm tree is able to bend so it doesn't break. In fact, the palm tree, tree can bend all the way over to where the top is almost touching the ground and still not break. During a hurricane, it may be that way for four or five hours. Looks like it's done. Looks like it's over. I can imagine the hurricane huffing and puffing and thinking I may not be able to uproot you,

but at least I will keep you from ever standing up again. That hurricane keeps blowing. He thinks he's winning the battle. But when the hurricane runs out of steam, when the winds die down, you know what happens? that palm tree comes right back up to where it was before. It's just like it stretches real good, takes a deep breath, and says, oh yeah, this is where I'm supposed to be. Why is that?

Because God put a bounce back in the palm tree. It may get pushed over, but it's temporary. It's only a matter of time for it rises right back up again. During the storm, the palm tree is not worried. He doesn't get depressed and think, oh, no, another hurricane. this will be the one. I'm sure it's going to defeat me. Now he just stays in peace. He sees other trees left and right going down, but he knows who he is. He knows Almighty God has put a bounce back in his DNA. Studies tell us during a hurricane when the palm tree is being stretched, when it's

being bent and pushed over, its root system is actually being strengthened and given new opportunities for growth. When the storm is over, the palm tree smiles and says, I knew I was going to come back up, but what do you know? I came back up stronger than I was before. That's what God says will happen to each one of us if we just stay in faith.

Psalm 9212, The righteous will flourish like a palm tree. Isn't it interesting? God could have said we would flourish like an oak tree. That means we'd be big, sturdy, have great branches. He could have said we'd flourish like a pine tree. That means we'd be tall and impressive, be able to see for miles. But the reason God said we'd flourish like a palm tree is because God knew there would be difficult times.

He knew things would come against us to try to steal our joy, steal our victory. So God said, you're going to be like a palm tree because I put a bounce back in your spirit. The storms of life will come. the winds will blow. At times it looks like we're done. Looks like it's over. We got a bad report about our health. We didn't get a promotion. Looks like one of our dreams has died. But just like that palm tree, when the storm is over, you're not going to stay down. You're going to come right back up again. No weapon formed against you will ever prosper. A good person may fall seven times, yet the Lord raises him up. The winds may be blowing in your life today. Maybe business. Maybe business.

is slow, you're facing a health issue, a child won't do what's right. Your attitude should be, it's just a matter of time before this turns around. This sickness may have me down, but I'm not staying down. God is restoring health back to me. This disappointment may look like the end, but I know when one door closes, God always opens up another door. Times may be tough. The storm may be raging, but I'm not worried. I'm not upset. I know I am the right. I am the righteous. I'm doing my best to please God. That means I'm like a palm tree. So when the storm's over, I'm not going to be laying down. I'm not going to be defeated and depressed. I'm going to come out stronger, healthier, increased, and promoted. Friends, you have a bounce

back in your spirit. If you'll stay in agreement with God, no matter how hard the winds blow, they cannot uproot you, they cannot break you, they cannot topple you. When it's all said and done, you'll be able to say, I'm still standing. I came right back up. Went through a divorce. Somebody walked out on me. I didn't think I'd ever be happy, but look at me now. Happy as can be.

Matter of fact, I'm kind of glad. I got rid of that old goat. Many of you can say today, you've been through a major setback, a major disappointment. I don't know. Somebody cheated you in a business deal. You didn't get a promotion. A relationship didn't work out.

You should be down and defeated. You should be all washed up, but look at you today. You're like that energizer bunny. You keep going and going and going. You may bend, but you're not going to break. You have bounced back power put in you by the creator of the universe. And when the storms come, life gets difficult. You're struggling in a relationship, in your finances, in your health.

Recognize that is not your normal state. Don't accept that as the way it's always going to be. You may be a little bent right now because of the strong winds, but that's not permanent. Those winds, that storm, that trouble, that sickness is not going to last forever. It's just a season. When those winds stop blowing and they will, this two shall pass, you're going to rise right back up again. Why?

You've got that bounce back power. And we have to realize in life there will always be disappointments and setbacks, but we are not like an oak tree that can be talking about. toppled over. We're not like a pine tree that can be blown down. You and I are like the palm tree. We may get bent, but when it's all said and done, we're going to rise right back up stronger than we were before. It's in our DNA. There's an interesting scripture in Jeremiah 522. It says that God has put a decree in every grain of sand that says that sand will keep the ocean in its boundaries. and the ocean will not cross over it.

You might say that the sand has the DNA to contain the ocean. In the natural, that doesn't make a lot of sense. The sand is nothing compared to the ocean. The ocean is massive and powerful. Yet the tiny little sand, because of the DNA God put in it, it can keep the oceans in its boundaries. I can imagine the sand and the ocean having a conversation. The ocean says little sand,

do you really think you can contain me? I am billions and billions of times more massive and more powerful than you. There is no way in the world you can keep me in my boundaries. The little sand says, listen here, Mr. Ocean, it doesn't matter how big or small I am. Doesn't matter what I have or don't have. All that matters is Almighty God has put a decree in me and in my DNA I have the ability to hold you back. that makes the ocean so mad. He starts churning and churning. This big storm comes and he rushes past the sand way beyond its normal boundaries.

The ocean begins to laugh and laugh. He says, I told you so. I told you you could never contain me. But do you know, the little sand doesn't get upset. The little sand doesn't go call 911. He doesn't say, God, I thought you put the promise in me. know every grain of sand like a big choir

they begin to sing in unison you've got to go back you got to go back you got to go back sure enough as soon as the storm's over as soon as the wind quits blowing the ocean goes right back to its normal boundaries not because the sand is bigger not because the sand is more

powerful but because God put a decree in the sand in the same way God has put a decree in each one of us. When you are created, in your DNA, it says, you are blessed. You are prosperous. You are healthy. You are strong. You are talented. Your DNA says God always causes you to triumph. Those that are for you are greater than those that are against you. That is in the very core of your makeup. And if you'll get an agreement with God, in your thoughts, in your attitudes, in the words you speak,

in your actions, then the DNA on the inside will override anything on the outside. Like that little sand, when you feel overwhelmed, when life deals you a tough blow, your attitude should be, you got to go back. Well, Joel, the doctor said, I might as well learn to live with this sickness. Nothing more they can do. No, every day you need to tell that sickness, you got to go back. My DNA says, I'm well, I'm healthy. With long life, God satisfies me.

Well, when the stock market went down, I lost a lot. Cost me a bunch. I don't know what I'm going to do. No, you need to start telling it. You got to go back. My DNA says, I'm blessed. I'm prosperous. God's opening up the windows of heaven.

His favor surrounded me. I can't outrun the good things of God. Well, my child won't do right. Seems like the more I pray, the worse he gets. He's causing me so much heartache and pain. No, instead of being depressed, instead of talking about the problem, you need to start speaking to that problem and telling it, it's got to go back. God, you said, my children would be mighty in the land.

You said the seed of the righteous is blessed. You said, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. God, that's in my DNA. So I'm not moved by what I see or what I don't see. I choose to believe the promise you put in me will override any negative circumstances. sense. When you have that kind of attitude, like that little sand, you will always have the last laugh. But here's a key. Don't talk about your problems. Talk to your problems. Tell them they've got to go back. I hear people say things like, my arthritis is really acting up today. I understand what they mean,

but don't talk about it. Talk to it. Just say, listen to your arthritis, you've got to go back. You're not welcome in my body. My body is a temple of the most high God. you're going to have to find somewhere else to live because health and healing are the only things I allow in me. Well, Joel, I've struggled with depression for years or I've had this addiction since I was a teenager. Now, you've got to get a new perspective.

Start talking to that trouble. You say, listen here, alcohol, nicotine, drugs, you've controlled me long enough. This is a new day. You have got to go back. I am drawing the line in the sand. I know whom the sun sets free is free indeed. In my DNA is health, wholeness, freedom, and victory.

If you will get in agreement with God, anything that's trying to hold you back is only temporary. Didn't come to stay, it came to pass. That means sickness has got to go back. Poverty and lack has got to go back. That's not in your DNA. Depression and discouragement has got to go back. In your DNA, there's courage, confidence, favor, health, wholeness, victory, and abundant life

is down in your DNA. Make a decision, anything to the contrary is not allowed to stay. It's temporary. It's got to go back. We have people that watch us from the hospitals. Many of them are facing cancer and other serious illnesses. It's so important that you don't just sit back and accept that disease as the norm. Too often we don't have the resolve that we should. We get so overwhelmed by it and so discouraged. We give up before the battle even starts. But you've got to be a fighter. You've got to dig your heels in. And every day, announced to yourself and announced to the enemy, this cancer is not welcome in my body. It goes against the DNA that God has put on the inside. It is a trespasser. It is on private property. It is on private property.

and as a child of the most I God, I have the authority to say, cancer, you've got to go back. You are not going to defeat me. You're not going to steal my joy. You're not going to take one day of my divine destiny. Every morning you need to say, Father, I just want to thank you that health and healing is flowing through my system. That sickness and disease cannot live in me. Remember, you are like a palm tree. that disease is only a season. Yes, the wind is blowing, but it cannot break you. It cannot topple you. It can only bend you. But the good news is you're going to bounce right back up. That's the spirit that God's put on the inside of each one of you. And know this. God watches over his children. He has us in the palm of his hand. God knows every struggle, every lonely night, every unfair situation. A little sparrow. A little sparrow.

cannot fall to the ground without God knowing about it. How much more is God concerned about you and I, his sons and daughters? And the scripture says, when the enemy comes in like a flood, that means when you feel overwhelmed, when the hurricane hits and the stock market dips, what does God do?

He doesn't say too bad. I told you life was going to be hard. You should have made better decisions. No, when the enemy comes in like a flood, God raises up a barrier. In other words, that gets God's attention. He does not sit back and make us fight our battles on our own. That's when God steps up and begins to turn things in our favor. It's just like a parent. When you see one of your children in trouble, somebody or something is bothering them, mistreating them, we don't even think twice. It just comes naturally to us. We stop what we're doing and go immediately to help them out. I remember one time when our son Jonathan was about two years old, we were in the grocery store together, and I'd walk down to the end of the aisle, and he'd stayed there by the cart. I was about 40 or 50 feet away. I could still see him. But while I was looking for something, he started getting things off the bottom shelf. Just a few boxes of cereal, making a little mess. It's no big deal. I was going to clean it up. But when this lady came around the corner that worked there, she got very upset that he was making a mess.

and she started to jump down his throat. She said, listen to here, young man, you need to learn to keep your hands to yourself, and you may not make a mess in this store, on and on. And when I heard that, something rose up on the inside of me. I don't know if it was God or the devil, but it sure felt good. Listen, I am as nice as can be.

I'm kind, I'm friendly. I'll help anybody with anything, but when somebody starts messing with my children, That is a different story. I don't know if you've ever seen the Incredible Hulk. He's this normal-looking guy, and all of a sudden he goes through a transformation. His shirt starts ripping, his muscles bulge out, his face goes green. That's exactly how I felt like I could fight a tiger.

I mean, you can mess with me. You can say, Joel's to this, to that, no big deal. It doesn't bother me. It bounces off of me. but if you mess with my children, you've got the fight of your life on your hand. I may not be big, but dynamite comes in small packages. Listen, that's the way our heavenly father is. When the enemy comes in like a flood, that means when sickness tries to attack your body,

when somebody mistreats you, when you're doing the right thing, but the wrong thing's happening. God doesn't sit back and say too bad. No, God steps up and says, hey, wait a minute, you're messing with the wrong person. That's my child. That's my son. That's my daughter. If you're going to mess with them, you've got to first mess with me. And who am I? I am the all-powerful creator of the universe. God looks at your enemies and says, in effect, you want some of this? Go ahead and make my day.

God is saying, I am your protection. I am your deliverer. I am your healer. I am your strength. I am your wisdom. I am your victory. You got to know in the tough times of life, you're not alone. You've got somebody fighting for you. Almighty God has got your back. He's got a hedge of protection around you, a bloodline that the enemy cannot cross. And some of you today, you need to get your fire back. Nothing you have been through can keep you from your God-given destiny. You have bounced back before and you're going to bounce back again. You are not a victim. You are a victor. You may be a little bent because of the strong winds, but the good news is you're not broke and you will bounce back. I love the way David put it.

God lifted me out of the horrible pit and put a new song in my mouth. Just like God lifted him out, God is going to lift you out. Where you are is not where you're staying. There are brighter days up ahead. favor, promotion, increase. No good thing is God going to withhold because you walk up rightly. But you've got to do your part. You've got to put a new song in your mouth. That means don't go around talking about your problems and how bad it is and how you're never going to make it. Have a song of victory. Somebody ask you how you're doing. Don't give them a detailed report of how long you didn't have power and man, it was so hot and I was so miserable. No, your attitude should be, I'm too blessed to be stressed. I'm healthy. My family is well. Life is good.

Well, I heard you had a lot of damage during the hurricane. Aren't you discouraged? No, I've got that bounce back in my spirit. I'm believing God's going to pay me back double. Well, somebody said you hadn't been feeling well. You've been under the weather. Yes, that's true. But understand, this is not my normal state. This two shall pass. It's only temporary. I know my bounce back is coming. another key is in the middle of your setback, you need to start planning for your comeback. In the middle of the adversity, in the middle of the tough time, you need to start making your list of who you're going to invite to your victory celebration. We drew plans for this beautiful building in the middle of a lawsuit that a company had filed to try to keep us from moving in. Didn't make a lot of sense, but we were planning the grand opening.

We were laying out the first year services. You cannot wait for everything to be perfect before you decide to have your victory party. That means if you're in the hospital, you need to start planning what you're going to do when you get out. Or maybe the hurricane damaged your house. Do you need to make an invitation list to your party? What party, Joel, the party you have when you move into your new home? Or when you show off your new furniture or your new carpet. Maybe you lost some when the stock market went down.

I heard somebody say, our 401ks were turned into 201Ks. Listen, you need to start planning. You're coming out of debt party. It may not look like it in the natural, but we serve a supernatural God. Well, Joel, have you seen the stock market? Yes, but have you seen our God? He is Jehovah Jira, the Lord, our provider. It doesn't say the economy is our provider, the stock market, even our job.

God is our provider. And the good news is, God is not having a down year. I'm happy to report the economy in heaven is doing just fine. Don't plan on having a 201K, but how about a 601K, a 1201K? Just as it went down, it can certainly go up. The scripture says, lift up your head and the king of glory will come in. Who is the king of glory? The Lord mighty in battle.

This is saying, if you want God to come, in and fight your battles for you. You got to lift up your head. You got to get a vision of yourself rising higher. You can't stay focused on where you are, how it's never going to get me better. Your life is going to follow your vision. And if you're looking down, focused on your problems, you'll stay right where you are. You've got to lift up your head. That means if you're sick, you've got to start seeing yourself well. If you're struggling in your finances, start seeing yourself with more than enough. You may have major obstacles,

but you need to see yourself rising above them. If you will lift up your head, then the Lord, mighty in battle, will come in. And when God shows up, every adversity will be turned to victory. Every battlefield will be turned to a blessing field. Friends, you are the righteous. You're going to flourish like a palm tree.

You have the bounce back in your spirit. I declare it in the name of Jesus, It will come to pass. Do you receive it today? Life throws so much at us. Disappointments, failures, challenges. We can feel so out of touch that we no longer recognize ourselves. Life has a way of changing us.

At one time we were outgoing and excited about our dreams. But when we go through disappointments and people do us wrong, it's easy to lose that positive, passionate person that we used to be. In my new book, Rediscovering the Forgotten You, I'll help you get back to who you really are, the joyful you, the confident you, the talented you. It's not too late. You haven't been through too much. You may have lost part of yourself, but you can find yourself. God is in the business of restoring what was lost, healing what was broken. You haven't seen the best version of you yet. It's still in front of you.

As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount, we would like to send you a copy of Joel's brand new book. discovering the forgotten you. Take back your passion, reignite your dreams, and embrace the life you were created to live. This book shares uplifting scripture and personal stories that will help you release bitterness, silence self-defeating thoughts,

and embrace, by faith, the vision of the life God designed for you. Life's challenges might have distorted the true you, but now you can reclaim, revitalize, and restore the version of yourself that you once knew, or the version that you know God has made you to be, filled with hopes and dreams, optimism and confidence.

Request your copy today and discover the best version of you yet. God is about to breathe new life, new passion, new dreams into your heart. What he started, he's going to finish. Thanks so much for being with us today. Victoria and I are praying for you and your family for God's very best. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity helps people all over the world. A special thank you to our champion of hope partners

for all you do to make the ministry possible. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider the coming one. Until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Rediscovering the Forgotten You, available this month by simply visiting us at joel osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel. You can also receive the God's Got You Rediscovery Duo. You'll receive Rediscovering the Forgotten You and God's Got You, promises for overcoming fear.

It's the perfect combination to help you rekindle your purpose while standing firm in God's promises. In addition to these two inspiration books, you can also receive the beautifully crafted CSB Thin Line Study Bible in Camel Swade Soft Leather Touch, an elegant Bible that offers a rich, immersive study experience and brings God's Word beautifully into your everyday life. This collection is more than encouragement. It is a foundation for lasting renewal, rooted in God's Word, strengthened by faith, and anchored in His promises. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567 Joel

or logging on to Joel Osteen.com today.