Joel Osteen Podcast - Become A Miracle | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: October 23, 2024

When you go out of your way to bless someone else, you are setting your own miracle into motion. Your destiny is linked to helping those around you.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 visitJoelOsteen.com/GiveHope.Good things are en route to you! But if you’re holding on to the old, there’s no room for the new. Our October offer will teach you how to make room for God to bless you in ways you never thought possible! It's time to Empty Out the Negative and be filled with blessings! https://bit.ly/3XE45Nf  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 so much for listening to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We believe you're going to have an awesome 2024, healthy, productive, and favor-filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes.

And 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. Thanks so much for tuning in. And thank you again for coming out today. I like to start with something funny and I heard about this minister who was walking down the street

when he came upon this group of young boys that were surrounding a small dog. He asked them what they were doing. They explained they were having a contest and whoever could tell the biggest lie would get to keep the dog. The minister launched into a 10-minute sermon starting with, don't you know lying is a sin

and ending with, when I was your age, I never told a lie. It was complete silence. Just when he thought, he'd gotten through to them. The youngest boy spoke up and said, all right, give him the dog. 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 becoming a miracle. many people right now are praying for a miracle. They're saying, God, please send me a friend. God, I need help with these children. I need training. God, I need a good break. We have to realize we can become the miracle they need. God uses people. He has no hands to heal except our hands.

No voice to encourage except our voice. No arms to hug except our arms. And God will bring people across our path so we can be the answer to their prayer. You may not realize it, but you are a miracle waiting to happen. Somebody you know is lonely. They're praying for a friend. You're the miracle that they're waiting for. Somebody got a bad medical report. They're worried. Praying, God, please send me a sign. Let me know that you're still in control. You are that sign. A simple phone call. Hey, I'm thinking about you. I want to let you know it's all going to work out. You just became their miracle. Somebody is discouraged saying, God, I don't understand this subject. I'm not going to pass this course. God, send me somebody. You are that somebody. Take time to

become the miracle. Be aware of who's in your life. They're not there by accident. God put them there on purpose. It's because you are full of miracles. There is healing in you. There's restoration. There's friendship, there are new beginnings. Life is so much more rewarding when you realize I can be the answer to somebody's prayer. I can lift the fallen. I can restore the broken. I can be kind to a stranger. I can become someone's miracle. My brother Paul is in Africa right now. Most of you know he's a surgeon. For the next several months, he'll be operating on less fortunate people way back in the middle of nowhere. It's a remote village, hundreds of miles from the nearest city. The clinic is just a small, 10 building, barely has electricity, minimal medical supplies,

only one doctor. On a recent visit, a young man came in in the middle of the night that had been gored by an elephant's tusk, went right through his midsection. Paul took him back to the makeshift operating room to hopefully spare his life. The problem was there was no blood in the blood supply to replenish him with. Paul could have thought, too bad. I'd love to help you, but you're going to need several pints of blood and it's just not your lucky day. Now before he operated, he took 30 minutes and gave his blood. He operated on the young man, then replenished the blood he had lost with his own blood. what was he doing becoming a miracle

he could have prayed God he's in bad shape he sure needs a miracle no Paul realized I am his miracle and we all know that God can do great things we know God that can do miracles but what I want us to see is he's put miracles in you you can be the answer to someone's prayer

you can be the good break they're looking for you can be the help they've been longing to have it may not be something as dramatic as saving their life. It may be just teaching your co-worker the skills you know, helping that family that's struggling with the rent, taking that young man to baseball practice with your son each week. It's no big deal to you, but it's a miracle to them. It's what will push them toward their destiny. What kind of world would this be if we all had the attitude,

I am a miracle waiting to happen? I've heard it said, sometimes we don't need a miracle. We just need each other. Look around at who's in your life. Listen to what they're saying. Is there any way that you can help? Can you put in a good word for them at the office? Do they need a dress for a special occasion? And you've got a dozen in your closet you're never going to wear? Do they live here alone? Their family's in another state? You could invite them to have lunch with your family from time to time, make them feel welcome. Those are opportunities to become a miracle. A good friend of mine grew up in the projects, very poor, came from a single parent family, and there wasn't always stability in the home.

His dream was to become a television journalist. He loved to read and write. Against all odds, he got a scholarship to a major university. He's African American. He was accepted at this mostly white Ivy League school. His roommate came from a very prestigious, influential family. He came from just the opposite, from the project, a low-income family. But these two young men hit it off and became the best of friends.

He told his roommate his dream of becoming a journalist. His roommate said, if you're going to be a journalist, you've got to have a better vocabulary. You don't know enough words. Every day, this roommate would get the dictionary out and teach his friend one new word, had him use it in sentences all through the day. This went on for four straight years. What was this roommate doing? Becoming a miracle.

He took time to care. He realized his friend was in his life for a reason. Today, this young man is one of the top newscasters in America. He works for a major network seen on one of the most prestigious news programs. But I wonder where he would be if his roommate had not taken

time to become a miracle. Well, you say, Joel, I don't want to hear about being a miracle. I need a miracle. Here's the key. If you will become a miracle, God will always make sure that you have the miracles that you need. As long as you're sowing these seeds, the right people will be in your future. The right opportunities, the breaks you need. God will get you to where you're supposed to be.

That's what it says in Proverbs 11. When you refresh others, you will be refreshed. If you want your dream to come to pass, help somebody else's dream come to pass. If you need a miracle, become a miracle. When you take time to invest in others, the seeds you sow will always come back to you. I met two ladies after the service a few years ago, and one of them was a little older and one younger, and I thought they were mother and daughter. But the older one said, no, we're not, but she's just like my daughter.

and she told how before we moved the church from the northeast location to this new facility, she didn't know if she would be able to continue to come. She's a widow and not used to driving on the freeways. She was very concerned about it. One day after service, she was telling a group of friends her dilemma. This young lady that she had never met before overheard what she was saying.

She stepped up and said, how about I'll come pick you up each Sunday and bring you. The lady looked at her very surprised. She said, are you serious? Where do you live? Come to find out, they live 30 minutes apart. But that didn't stop this young lady. She could have thought, well, I'd love to help you, but that's a long way.

I'm busy in my career and gas is really high. She saw this as an opportunity to become a miracle. Now, every Sunday morning, like clockwork, she pulls up in her driveway, 9.30 in the morning, brings her to church. After this older lady told me the story, she hugged this young girl. girl and said, Joel, she's my miracle. You can't help everyone, but you can't help someone. There are people God has put in your path that are connected to your destiny. As you help them rise higher, then you will rise higher. As you meet their needs, God will meet your needs. As you become a miracle,

God will give you miracles. But just the opposite is true. If we're too busy to help someone else, we're not going to have the help we need. If we're too caught up in our own dreams to invest in others or too worried about our own problems to encourage somebody else, we're going to get stuck. Reaching your highest potential is dependent on you helping someone else reach their potential. It's like a boomerang.

When you help somebody else rise higher, it always comes back to you and you'll rise higher. Jesus told a parable in Luke chapter 10 about a man that was watching walking down the road when he was attacked and beaten by these bandits. They left him on the ground almost dead. In a little while a priest came by, saw the man from a distance, thought, boy, he's in bad shape. He sure needs a miracle. I'll be praying for him. Kept on going. Another man came by, a Levite. He did a little better. He went over to the man and checked him out, felt sorry for him.

thought, boy, this is really unfair. I hope somebody helps him. Went on down the road. The third man, a Samaritan came by. Like the first two, he thought, boy, he sure needs a miracle. But he took it one step further and said, you know what? I am his miracle. I'm at the right place, at the right time.

God put him in my path so I can be a healer, so I can be a restore, so I can give him a new beginning. The Samaritan went to him. got down on his knees and began to care for him. He gave him water from his canteen, took off his scarf and bandaged up his wounds. He then gently lifted him off the ground, placed him on his animal. He held him mile after mile as they walked to the nearest city. They got to the local inn, the hotel. He paid the owner. Said, you take care of him. Let him stay as long as he had like. Give him anything that he needs. And I promise you this. I'll come back and pay for any extra expenses.

My question today is, which man are you? It's easy to get so busy. Joel, I don't have time to help others. I got my own problems. No, helping others can be the key to see in your situation turn around. Those people you see that need encouragement, that need a ride, that need you to give blood, that need help in accomplishing a dream,

those are opportunities for you to go to a higher level. when you refresh others, you will be refreshed. It's interesting. The first example Jesus used was a priest. He couldn't stop. He had to get to the temple. He had religious duties to fulfill. Didn't have time to bother with this man. After all, if he helped him, he might get his white robe bloody. He might not look presentable at the temple.

Had all kinds of excuses. But can I tell you, true religion gets dirty. True religion doesn't hide behind stained glass or fancy clothes. It goes to where the needs are. When you get down low to lift somebody up, in God's eyes, you can't get any higher. The closest thing to the heart of God is helping hurting people. When you take time to restore the broken, you pour the healing oil on their wounds, encouraging them, wiping away their tears, letting them know that there are new beginnings.

that's the religion Jesus talked about. True religion doesn't judge people to see if they deserve our help. Well, she's in need, Joel, but I don't think she's living the right kind of life. He's hurting, but it's his own fault.

He's got the addiction. They brought the trouble on themselves. Now, Jesus said, it's the sick who need the doctor, not the healthy. God didn't call us to judge people. He called us to heal people. He called us to restore people.

He called us to become their miracles. Anybody can find fault. Anybody can be critical and come up with excuses to pass on by. That's easy. But where are the people that will take time to care? Where are the people that will get down and dirty and help love them back into holiness? This third man, the Samaritan,

he immediately went to the man and started helping him, making a difference. He didn't think twice he became the miracle. That's the kind of people. I want us to be. Not pastor byers. Not too busy in our career. Too busy with church work. Not people like the second man that feel sorry for them. I wish it hadn't happened. I feel bad. I'm going to be praying. No, let's become the miracle. God is counting on us. You can lift the fallen. You can heal the hurting. You can be a friend to the lonely. You can help a dream come to pass. You are full of miracles.

friend of mine, young lady named Tammy Trent, she's a popular Christian singer. She told how she and her husband went to a tropical island for a vacation to celebrate their 11th anniversary. Her husband was a very skilled diver. He could go underwater without an air tank for six or seven minutes at a time. They got to the beach on the first day, so excited. The husband jumped in the water and started exploring the underwater caves. Tammy stayed on the beach to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Ten minutes went by and she didn't see a sign of her husband.

Got a little worried. Twenty minutes, still no sign. 30 minutes still didn't see her husband. She began to panic. She told the authorities. They sent out boats and started looking hour after hour. Long story short, her husband drowned. They found his body the next day.

Tammy was not only in shock, totally devastated, but she was in this foreign country all alone with nobody that she knew. Her parents immediately made arrangements to come the next day. The problem is this all happened on September 10th, 2001. The next day was 9-11. All flights were grounded. She was there for days by herself. She felt alone and forgotten.

She was so numb, she couldn't even think straight. She finally was able to pray and said, God, if you still care, send somebody to help me. God sends somebody to let me know that you're still there. A few minutes, there was a knock on her hotel door. It was the housekeeper. She was an older Jamaican woman. She said, I don't mean to get in your business, but when I was cleaning the room next door, I couldn't help but hear you crying through the walls.

And I was wondering if there's anything that I could pray with you about. Tammy told her what had happened. And this older Jamaican housekeeper put her loving arms around Tammy and held her like she was her own daughter. That moment, thousands of miles from home, Tammy knew that God was still in control. See, this housekeeper, she took time to be a healer. She was sensitive to the needs around her, even hearing the cries from another room. She knew one reason she was here on earth was to help wipe away the tea. That day she poured healing oil on Tammy's wound. She became a miracle.

And the scripture talks about how one day God will wipe away all the tears. There will be no tragedy, no more sickness, no more pain. But in the meantime, God is counting on you and me to wipe away those tears. Are you lifting the fallen? Are you restoring the broken? Are you taking time to help somebody in need? It's great to come to church and celebrate. This is important. We come to be encouraged and filled up and strengthened. But our real assignment begins when we leave this building. Look around and find the discouraged. Listen for the cries for help.

You may not hear them with your ears, but you can hear them with your heart. You see when somebody's down, all of a sudden you feel that compassion flowing out to them. You think, man, I need to take them out to dinner. I need to go encourage them. Don't put it off. don't be a passer buyer. That's God wanting you to bring healing. There's a tear that needs to be wiped away.

Years ago, I went into this restaurant to eat lunch. There was a little diner, and you order your food up at the front. As I was walking to the counter, I saw this man sitting at a table by himself. Now, her eyes met. He nodded at me. When they did, I immediately felt a compassion toward him. I knew I was supposed to encourage him in some way. But he was dressed in a nice suit. He looked well to do. And I was in my shorts and had our son

Jonathan with me. He was about two years old at the time. And I thought, I'm not going to go encourage him. He's doing just fine. He kept putting it off and putting it off. But I couldn't get away from it. I ordered my food. On the way out, since he had nodded at me, I decided to stop by his table and just being friendly. I said hello and ask him how it was going. He kind of laughed and said, not very well. Things are kind of rough. I didn't think much about it. I just smiled and said, well, I know this, it's going to get better. He thanked me. That's the end of the conversation, 10, 15 seconds, and I left. A few months later, I received a letter in the mail from him. He told how he was at the lowest point of his life at that time. He's going

through a divorce. His whole world had fallen apart. For months, he'd been in depression. But he said, when you made that statement that it's going to get better, it was like something reignited. on the inside. That day was a turning point in his life. He came out of the depression, he got his fire back. Today he's moving forward. Here's what I want you to see.

I didn't say anything profound. I didn't feel chill bumps when I said it. I simply took time to show him that I cared. We don't realize what we carry. We've got the most powerful force in the universe on the inside. What may seem ordinary to us, No big deal, but when God breathes on it, it becomes extraordinary. It can be life-giving. A simple act of

kindness, simple hug, words of encouragement, letting somebody know that you care. That can be the spark that brings them back to life. 1995, a young lady gave birth to baby twin girls. They were born very premature. One of them was diagnosed with a severe heart problem and wasn't expected to live. The hospital's policy was to keep the babies in separate incubators. Several days passed and this one baby continued to go downhill. It was very close to death. One of the nurses felt strongly that the babies should be put in the same incubator like they were in their mother's womb. After much hard work and much persuasion, she convinced the hospital to make an exception to their policy and the babies were put in the same incubator. And the babies were put in

the same incubator side by side. Overnight, somehow the healthy baby managed to put her arm around her little sick sister. Much to everyone's surprise, that little sister, health started to improve. Her temperature came back to normal.

Her heart stabilized. Little by little, day after day, she got better and better. Today, both of those young ladies are perfectly healthy. I brought a picture of the babies right here. It's called the rescuing hug. Here's my point. We don't always see how powerful we really are.

God has put healing in you. Your hugs can cause people to get better. Your kind words can put people back on their feet. The scripture says a gentle tongue brings healing. A phone call. Giving them a ride, taking them out to dinner, encouraging them in their dreams. There are miracles in your dreams.

there are miracles in you waiting to happen. And some people just need to know that you believe in them. When you tell them, hey, you're amazing. You're going to do great things. I'm praying for you. That may seem simple to you, but to the other person, it can be life-giving. It can help them blossom into all they were created to be. One time in the scripture, Moses was on the top of this big hill watching a battle that was taken place.

He was holding his rod up in the air. As long as he had his rod up, the Israelites were winning. But the battle went on hour after hour and he got tired. Every time he put his hands down, the Amalekites would start to win. Finally, Moses couldn't take it any longer. He was too tired. His brother Aaron and a friend Her were at the bottom of the mountain, watching all this take place.

They could have prayed, God, we need a miracle. God keep the Amalekites from defeating. us. Now they had this attitude, we can become the miracle. They rushed up to the top of the hill. God on each side of Moses, and they held his hands in the air. Because they became the miracle, the Israelites won the victory. There are people God puts in our path that need us to hold up their hands. They're not going to win by themselves. They need your encouragement. They need your rescuing hug. They need to know that you care. They're praying for a miracle.

Don't miss the opportunity. Do like Aaron and her and become the miracle. I saw a report on the news a while back. It's about a young lady named Megan. She was a junior in high school and a star long-distance runner on the track team. At the state track final, she had already won first place in the 1600-meter race. Now she was competing in the 3,200 meter. As she came around the final curve, about 50 meters,

from the finish line. She saw the girl in front of her start to wobble. Her knees begin to buckle. She couldn't run in a straight line, finally fell to the ground. What happened next made news around the world. Instead of Megan passing her by, seeing that as an opportunity to beat another runner, Megan stopped running, went over to the girl, picked her up off the ground, put her arm around her shoulders, and begin to carry her toward the finish line. The people in the stands begin to cheer. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. When she got to the finish line, Megan turned so her opponent could cross the line in front of her.

Technically, they should have both been disqualified because you're not allowed to touch another runner. But the state made an exception and gave them both a finishing time. Megan said afterward, helping her cross that finish line was more satisfying to me than winning the state championship. you. It's great to receive a miracle, but there's no greater feeling than to become a miracle. Who are you carrying? Who are you lifting up? Who are you helping to cross that finish line? Your destiny is connected to helping others. Isaiah put it this way. When you feed the hungry, when you clothe the naked, when you help those in need, then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly come.

If you will make it your business to become a miracle, God will make it his business to give you miracles. You will never lack his blessings in favor. Friends, you are the answer to somebody's prayer. You can give a rescuing hug this week. You can help a friend cross the finish line. You are the miracle that they're believing for. When you go out each day, have this attitude,

I'm a miracle waiting to happen. And if you will live, not thinking about how you can get a miracle, but how you can become a miracle, then I believe and declare, just like God promised, your light is going to break forth like the dawn. Your healing, your promotion, your vindication will quickly come. You will rise higher, overcome every obstacle, and become everything that God's created you to be in Jesus' name. 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 you places that you've never dreamed of. Sometimes the circumstances of life can be overwhelmingly negative. What should we do when we experience these kinds of negative reports and realities? Our life is like a container. It can only hold so much. When we allow negative things in like worry, guilt, and unforgiveness, that's taking up space for the good things that belong to you. That's why I wrote my book, Empty Out the Negative. I'll show you how to get rid of what's limiting you so you can live a victorious, fulfilled life. When you make room for joy, peace and faith,

God will feel you a fresh and anew. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount to the ministry this month, Joel and Victoria would like to send you this powerful book, Empty Out the Negative, Empty Out Fear, and Replace It with Faith. My doctor, he said, I went in there and there is no cancer in your body. Empty out a hurt-filled childhood and replace it with confidence. So I took what Joel said, and I physically replaced them with, I am strong, I am worthy. I started saying those over and over and over.

Empty out broken relationships and find renewed love. In a world that's just so full of so much noise and negativity and hatred, and just to come and have so much encouragement filled into you is something I've never had my whole life. Are you holding on to things that are weighing you down? It's time to empty that out. so you can live a positive, faith-filled life. Joel and I pray for you every day. We're believing for God's very best for you and your family.

You know, we appreciate your prayers and your support. Your generosity is impacting so many lives. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, listen on Sirius XM, watch the new Joel Osteen Network streaming on television. But until we see you next week, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Empty Out the Negative today. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel.