Joel Osteen Podcast - Be Selective in What You Feed Yourself | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: September 4, 2025

If we want to reach our destiny, we have to be selective about what we allow into our spirit. When you make an effort to surround yourself with positive influences, God will take you places that you never imagined. 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/GiveHope 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 a joy to come into your homes. We love you. 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. And thank you again for coming out today. I like to start with something funny. I heard about this wealthy man. He was known for being eccentric. He was having a big party at his house. And in his backyard, he had a huge pool filled with alligators and sharks.

He said to the guest, anyone that'll swim across my pool, I'll give you anything you want. In a few minutes, there was a big splash. And a man was in there going 90 to nothing, dodging alligators, maneuvering around the sharks. He made it to the other side just in the nick of time and got out his friends. as can be. The wealthy man said, I can't believe it. You're the bravest person I've ever met. Now, what is it that you would want? The man said, what I want more than anything else is the name of the person that pushed me in. Hold up your Bibles and 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 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 selective with what you feed yourself. Our ears and our eyes are the gates to our soul. What we watch, what we listen to, who we associate with, that's constantly feeding us. You've heard the saying, you are what you eat. If you eat junk food all the time, Twinkies, sodas, candy bars. You're not going to be very healthy. Why?

You're feeding yourself the wrong things. In the same way, if you're watching things that are unwholesome, listening to things that are dragging you down, hanging around people that gossip, then because you're feeding your inner man junk food, you're not going to be as strong and become all that God's created you to be. You have to be extremely careful as to what you take in.

Today, more than ever, we have opportunity to feed on wrong things. There are over 500 channels on television. We have the internet, smartphones, magazines, billboards. Every place we turn, there's information trying to influence us. It's not all bad. There's nothing wrong with being entertained, but you have to stay on guard. With the good, wholesome entertainment comes a bunch of trash. programs now have people

airing out their dirty laundry showing you all the conflict, the backstabbing, the jealousy, the dysfunction. With so many outlets, the shock value keeps getting turned up higher and higher. What we thought was far out and bizarre 20 years ago is no big deal now. It's just totally normal.

And that shock value, yes, it can get your attention. Yes, it can be entertaining in a sense, but it's also filling your mind with trash. It's also poisoning your spirit. If you put trash in, you're going to get trash out. If you're watching programs where people are constantly compromising, being unfaithful in relationships, don't be surprised if you find yourself in that situation. If you're watching people being dishonest, stabbing people in the back, doing whatever they can to get ahead, that's all going in to your subconscious mind.

Little by little is becoming more and more acceptable. What's happening is it's desensitizing you. The shock value is wearing off. Before long, you may think, hey, that's really no big deal. A few years ago, a young man walked into his high school and shot and killed three of his classmates. He was a model student, had no history of violence from a well-to-do family. The authorities were puzzled.

They asked him, how could you kill so? easily. He said, it's no big deal. I kill every day. He was talking about the video games. He had been playing for years. He had become desensitized to killing. He'd watched it on the screen happen so long that the line between make believe and reality had become blurred. The scripture says, don't give the enemy a foothold. Notice he can't take it. We have to open the door. One of the biggest doors we open is through our eyes, watching things that are unwholesome. Proverbs 15 says, only a fool feeds on trash. Friends, you're going to become what you eat. Take inventory of what you're feeding yourself. What are you watching? What are you listening to? What kind of values is that

portraying? Is it building you up? Is it wholesome, inspiring you to be better? If not, make the necessary changes. Don't feed on trash. When you watch something on television, you watch a movie, it's just like you're inviting those people into your house. You need to ask yourself, do I want them in my home? Do I want to hear all their secrets? Do I want to see all their dirty laundry? Some of what's on TV today is to appeal to the lowest common denominator. People fighting with family members, all kinds of bizarre situations. It's kind of like a record. It's kind of like a out on the freeway where everybody wants to stop and just see what happened. That bar keeps getting set lower and lower. Do yourself a favor. Stay far away from that. No matter how off the wall it gets.

I was at a grocery store a few months ago at the checkout line and one of the magazine headlines read two-headed man in a love triangle with an alien from outer space, details inside. I thought, no thanks. I am not a garbage can. I'm not going to fill my mind with poison. Only a fool feeds on trash. Listen, life is too short. Your time is too valuable to feed on anything other than what's building you up. Psalm 119 says, God, keep me from paying attention to what's worthless.

Every time we turn on the television, we should pray that prayer. God, keep me from what's worthless. Every time we get on the Internet. walk by the magazine rack. God, help me not to waste my time getting hooked on something that's not adding any value to my life. Here's what I've learned. If you're not selective in what you watch, the television will determine your character. The television will determine who you are.

Statistics tell us the average person will spend more time watching television than anything else other than working and sleeping. when it's all added up, 10 years of our life will have been spent watching TV. By the time a child graduates from high school, he will have watched 18,000 hours of television compared to 12,000 hours spent in school. Parents don't let the television be a babysitter for your children. Don't put your 5-year-old in there, let them watch whatever they want. You choose something wholesome, something that's going to strengthen their values, not something that will erode what you're teaching then.

I read where the number of violent acts during prime time is 12 per hour. The number of violent acts during cartoons is 42 per hour. If you plant your children in front of the television, they may grow into something that you don't like. Very often, television glamorizes the wrong things. Most marriages portrayed on TV are not healthy, loyal, faithful. TV guide said 91% of intimacy

shown on television is outside of marriage. Nine times out of 10, what's glamorized is the affair. That's the fun, that's the passion, being unfaithful, running around. You only live once. If you watch that long enough, it's going to chip away at what you know is right. If you're not careful, it'll cause you to lower

your standard and think, hey, everybody else is doing it. That's television determining your character. Be selective. When something comes on that you know is not good, be disciplined to change the channel. That's why God created the remote control. You don't even have to get up, just push the button, swift on by. If not, you're feeding the flesh. Anytime you feed the flesh, it's going to lead you away from God's best. The scripture says, it is the thought life that pollutes us. If we watch the wrong images, the wrong thoughts will follow. Before long, you'll find yourself in temptation that could have been avoided if you'd have just been disciplined in what you watch.

I like to watch television, especially sports. But I've learned sometimes when a questionable commercial comes on, even during the ball game, I've got to switch off for 30 seconds and come back when it's over. I'm not going to let that pollute me. The other day, I was at a hotel gym working out. Every TV in this little gym was tuned in to the making of the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Edition. I asked the young man working there, would he please switch it over to the football game? I know he probably thought, I'm stiff, old-fashioned, strange, but you've got to come to the point where you realize your destiny is too great. Your assignment too important, your future is too bright to let something pollute your life. We have enough to over. We have enough to over

come that we can't get away from. Let's not make it harder by putting on wholesome things in. Well, you say, Joe, it's not hurting me. I'm strong. It's just entertainment. Yes, it may be entertaining you, but it's filling you with all kinds of wrong values. And sooner or later, if you put trash in, somehow, some way the trash is going to come out. Years ago, there was a very popular cable television show where every other word was a curse. word and had to be bleeped out. It was the furthest thing from wholesome and uplifting that you could possibly find. This person I knew, he was hooked. He loved watching it and he was trying to convince me why it was okay. He said, Joel, if you can just get past all the cursing and past all the cheating

and past all the dysfunction, you'll find that really they're a loving, caring family. And I don't even doubt that that's true. But here's the the point I'm making. You could go out to the garbage dumpster today, and if you dig around long enough, you could probably find a little piece of a biscuit that's halfway edible. But you know as well as I do, it's not worth digging in the trash trying to find one little morsel of something good. You're better than that. You are a temple of the most high God, called, chosen, appointed, approved. Now, do your best to keep your temple pure. When I was younger, I had a sports car that I loved so much.

I took great care of it. It was a performance car. Had a big engine. I would wash that car practically every other day. And I would only put the very best in the engine. Every three months, I would change the oil, whether it needed it or not. I put the high performance oil in it, not regular oil, but this oil cost about twice as much as regular oil. Back then, if you wanted to, you could put regular gasoline.

but I always put the highest octane gasoline. I wanted that car to perform at the highest possible level. Well, that's the way you need to see yourself. You are a high performance, extremely valuable, incredibly talented, uniquely gifted person. How much better will you run? How much faster will you go? How much fuller will your life be if you will be selective as to what you put into your engine? Sure, you can get by with watching things that are questionable,

listening to things that drag you down, hanging around people that erode your values. Your car will run, but I'm talking about reaching your highest potential. I'm talking about becoming everything that God's created you to be. When we put the right things in, not only that, how many problems will we avoid? How much temptation will we not have to deal with? This is where David missed it.

David was a great leader. He loved God. He wrote beautiful songs. But David led his guard down and wasn't disciplined in what he watched. One night he was on the top of his house and he looked out and saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. All David had to do in modern day terms was change the channel. Turn away. Don't even go there.

God will always give you a chance. You will never be tempted. beyond what you can handle. This scripture says God will make a way of escape. On the inside, you'll hear an alarm going off. You'll feel an unrest, a little voice telling you, this is not good, change the channel. Don't hang out with these people.

Get out of this environment. We will never make a mistake without God first warning us. In fact, if you look back over your life, the bad choices you've made, most likely you can remember again and again. You heard the alarm. God was dealing with you. You knew it wasn't right, but you ignored that voice and did it anyway.

That's what David did. He ignored the warning. Instead of going away, he did just the opposite. He went and got the binoculars. Thought, wow, the favor of God, the right place, the right time. Not hardly. He had an affair. He ended up having her husband killed.

One bad thing after another. It could have all been avoided if he would have been disciplined in what he watched. The good news is, David learned from his mistake. Psalm 101, verse 3, he made a vow to God. He said, God, I will set no evil thing before my eyes. He was saying, in effect, God, I've blown it in the past. I've asked for your forgiveness. But God, I'm making a decision. I am not going to look at anything that's unwholesome and impure. We should all make that same vow. God, I'm going to change the channel when I know it's not good. God, I'm going to listen to the alarm. I'm going to be sensitive.

I'm going to keep my mind, my thought life pure. See, I've learned God's not trying to keep us from something. He's trying to get us to something. In other words, God's not just trying to make our life miserable. Just be super strict and you can't watch that. You can't hang out with them. You can't have any fun. It's just the opposite. If you will do it God's way, you will have more fun than you've ever had before. God will take you place. is greater than you've ever imagined. God is trying to get you to an abundant, fulfilled, amazing life.

Now let's do our part and be selective. All through the scripture, our life is compared to the life of an eagle. If you study the eagle, you'll find that its strength is found in its diet. What's interesting is the eagle

will not eat anything dead. Unless he's in captivity, the eagle only feeds off of live food. Other birds like the buzzard, the vulture, the crow, they feed off of dead carcasses. They'll eat anything they can, not the eagle. He doesn't take the easy way out. He flies over the stream and looks for fish, and he'll swoop down and get a fresh salmon for dinner.

The scripture tells us that we should mount up with wings, not as the buzzard, not as the vulture, not as the chicken, with wings as eagles. And just like the eagle, our strength is going to be in our diet. Our strength is going to be what we're taking in. You can't go around all day eating dead food and expect to be strong and healthy. If you're hanging around people that gossip all the time, recognize what they're feeding you is dead. If you're watching things that are questionable and unwholesome, you're eating dead food.

And yes, the eagle can survive eating with the chickens, the buzzards, the crows. But the problem is he's never going to soar. He's never going to become all God has created him to be. Some of you today, if you would just change your diet, you would go to a new level. If you would make the decision to quit watching the programs that are polluting your mind and causing you to compromise.

If you quit hanging out with the people that are always gossiping and keeping you stirred up, if you'd quit eating so many dead things, you would see God's favor. in a greater way. You're going to become what you eat. Maybe you've gone to lunch with the same people at work year after year. They're negative. They complain. They talk bad about other people. You don't have to hurt their feelings. You don't have to go in there tomorrow and make some big announcement. Man, I heard something at church. I'm getting away from you. If you do, don't tell them it was

me. No, just very suddenly, you need to start spending less and less time. with them, gradually start breaking away little by little. You are an eagle. You were never meant to feed off a dead food. If they want to be a crow, a chicken, a buzzard, that's up to them. That's their choice, but that's not who you are. Psalm 1 says, do not sit inactive in the path of the ungodly. You want to be blessed. You can't sit there passively and let that gossip poisoning you. It's not up to God. It's up to you. He's saying, find somewhere else to eat lunch. When a program comes on that's not wholesome and you feel the alarm going off, you cannot sit inactive. You've got to pick up the remote control and change the channel. God's not going to do it for you. Be proactive, not inactive. Or maybe all your friends are going to see a

movie. You don't feel good about it. There's an alarm going off down in here. Well, you can't just go with the flow and think, well, they may get upset. They may not understand. they may make fun of me, they may think I'm old-fashioned. You have to ask yourself, am I going to live to please people, or am I going to live to please God? Am I going to be a buzzard and stay on the ground, or am I going to be an eagle and sword? Don't sit inactive.

Listen, if you're going to be an eagle, it's going to take more work. It's going to take being disciplined. Some of your friends may not understand. They may get upset. that. Here's what I've learned. Not everyone is willing to pay the price to be an eagle. Yes, everyone wants to soar, but not everyone is willing to deny their flesh and not feed off a dead food. Bottom line is this, if you're going to soar with the eagles, you can't hang out with the chickens. You cannot sit inactive when you know something is not God's best. You've got to be bold, rise up and make that change.

years ago, Victoria and I were at a Broadway play. It was a top-rated show. Somebody had given us very expensive tickets right up front. We got there, but every other word was a curse word for the first 15 minutes. And some of the scenes

were very risque, and I kept thinking that it was going to get better, but it never did. Finally, I whispered to Victoria, I don't want to feed myself this junk. I value who I am, and we just very quietly and discreetly stepped out. Yes, the tickets were expensive. Yes, it was valuable, but do you know what's more valuable?

The temple that God has given me. I'm not going to sit inactive and let somebody dump trash into me. Friends, we are not garbage cans. Our ears and eyes are not trash receptors. People have every right to make the play, make the movie, make the program, but we have every right not to watch. If someone's telling off-colored jokes around you, you don't have to have a lot. to try to straighten them out. You don't have to go read the Bible to them, but you should care enough about your temple to quietly step away. Don't sit inactive. I was driving home years ago in my car and had a long day, a lot had come against me and turned the radio on. The first thing I heard was, you're no good, you're no good, you're no good. I thought it was over. Then she said,

baby, you're no good. I thought I've got enough to deal with than having this lady that I don't even know tell me four times that I'm no good. I didn't sit inactive. I pushed the button, turned on the Lakewood CD, and I heard I am a friend of God.

Lord, you are good. All the time, you are good. It's amazing the difference between dead food and live food. It's in a restaurant once. Guy was up there playing his guitar and singing, and he announced that he had just written a new song, and we all turned around to listen. And I'm sure he meant well, but this was the saddest, most depressing song. He started singing about how his wife had left him, and he was brokenhearted, lonely, and had nowhere to go. No friends.

He's just going to ride off into the sunset, fade away, depressed and defeated. About halfway through the song, I thought, man, I'm coming with you. I'm depressed, too. I didn't even want to eat the rest of my dinner. All that's doing is feeding your death. I like what somebody said. If you play a country western song backwards, the man gets his wife back, his horse back, and his dog back.

If you're going to be an eagle, you've got to learn to tune things like that out. Can't always get away. You may not have a choice, but you can tune it out, not dwell on it. In other words, you may work around people that are negative and sour. You're in an environment where there's dead food and you have no control over it. Here's the key. Before you get there, you need to put in

extra amounts of live food to get your inner man built up and strong. Listen to good praise music. Put on good faith building messages, things that are going to combat that negative. I know a gentleman that for many years he struggled with depression. He got my CDs on not losing your joy and Every day on the way to work, he listened to them over and over, month after month, even year after year. He said, Joel, I've heard them probably a thousand times. I practically have them memorized, but that's what helps me to stay strong and overcome. See, he understands the importance of feeding himself live food. Sometimes what your thoughts will feed you is dead. You cannot sit inactive, put something in you that will feed you victory. It doesn't have to be my message.

It can be somebody else's? They're not as good as mine, but feed you something like. I'm only kidding. I read where the average American spends 400 hours a year in their car driving back and forth to work. Many people use that time to feed themselves the wrong things. And I like to listen to the news. I like to stay informed, but I've learned the news doesn't keep you built up. Once you hear what you need to know, you need to move. on and use that time to feed yourself life. Listen to something that's going to help you grow, something that's going to inspire you to be better. One study showed that if you'd take that same drive time and listen to good teaching CDs, then after three years, it's the equivalent of spending two years in college. People tell me all the time, Joel, I listen to your messages

while I run each day, while I'm at the gym. One lady said, Joel, I listen to you every night before I go to bed. You always put me right to sleep. I thought thanks a lot, but I love the new technology. With these podcasts, you can have them downloaded to your computer

and listen to the messages anytime you want. This year, we will give away nearly 60 million of my messages. It's all free of charge. All you've got to do is sign up and it'll come every week to your computer and it's a brand new message that will feed you life.

you should take advantage of it. This week, I heard Victoria's cell phone going off on the kitchen table. It was buzzing. Went and picked it up. And the message read, I can do all things through Christ. She has programmed her phone every two hours to send her a scripture. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are more than a conquer.

She calls that her text message from God. All through the day, she's feeding herself life. Well, you said, Joel, God's never sent me a text. message, faith without works is dead. Program it yourself. Friends, we are going to become what we eat. Don't feed on trash. Be an eagle. Be disciplined in what you watch, what you listen to. Make a decision to get rid of anything that's dead. Don't let that poison you. You were created to soar. Some of you today, if you just change your diet, if you just get rid of the negative influences, you would see God's favor in a new way.

Take inventory of what you're putting in. What are you watching? What are you listening to? Who are you hanging out with? And then ask yourself a very important question. What is this feeding me? If it's not feeding your life, don't sit inactive, be bold. Make the necessary changes.

If you will be selective with what you feed yourself, I can promise to this, you'll grow. You'll rise higher. And I believe and declare you'll become everything God's created you to be. And you're going to have everything God intended for you to have. Amen. Do you receive it 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 you places that you've never dreamed of. God's healing isn't earned. It's received, and you can discover how in the next 31 days. Life has a way of wearing us down, physically, mentally, emotionally, but God didn't create us to just survive, but to thrive. I'm excited about our new devotional, happy, healthy, and free. For 31 days, I'll take you on a wellness journey for your spirit, body, and soul. It's filled with daily declarations, scriptures, encouragement, As you get your mind in tune with what God says, you'll experience a refreshing, a revitalization.

You are created to be strong, to be passionate, to live happy, healthy, and free. When you contact us today, we'll send you happy, healthy, and free, a 31-day wellness journey as our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount. This devotional will help you strengthen your faith, declare God's promises, and receive the healing he's already made available to you. Spirit, soul, and body. God wants you whole, and this resource will help you experience his peace

from the inside out. Please request your copy today. Begin a life-receiving, life-giving journey that will transform your spirit, mind, and body in just 31 days. God is going to restore what the enemy tried to steal, your joy, your peace, your hell. Victoria and I pray for you and your family

every day. Thanks so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity is bringing hope to people around the world. Special thank you to our champion of hope partners for your monthly gifts. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning. Download our daily podcast, watch on YouTube, the new Joel Osteen Network, social media. You can listen on Sirius XM 24 hours a day. We'll keep you encouraged inspired. Until we see you next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Happy, Healthy, and Free. A 31-day wellness journey. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel. For an additional gift this month, we are also offering the Wholeness and

Promise bundle, which includes the Happy, Healthy, and Free Book, plus the Words of Promise Journal, a beautifully designed journal where you can reflect, record prayers, and speak life over your future. You can also request the happy, healthy, and free collection, featuring the devotional, the journal, and a beautifully crafted set of three desktop encouragement blocks. Each whitewashed wooden block displays one powerful word, happy, healthy, and free, along with a carefully chosen scripture. Place them in your home or workspace as daily reminders of God's problems. for your life. You can request these life-changing resources by calling 888-567, Joel, or logging on to Joel Osteen.com today. Call or click anytime 24 hours a day. This is your season to rise stronger,

live lighter, and walk daily in God's healing and peace. Request your copies today. If you're a pastor, we'd like to invite you to our pastors gathering. We'd be honored to spend the day with you here at Lakewood. We'll share some of the things we've learned, insights, and behind the scenes. Be a time of inspiration and encouragement. We'd love to meet you.