Joel Osteen Podcast - Believing Without A Sign | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: December 22, 2024

There will be times when where God is taking you is going to require you to believe without a sign. You may not see any evidence yet, but you can trust that God is at work behind the scenes. 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.Dream it! Write it! Speak it! Expect it! With inspiring scriptures, daily reflections, intentional goals, personal writing space, and inspiration from Joel, our December offer will help you believe bigger and receive God's promises, https://bit.ly/3OfcB0T! 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. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired.

But I'd like to start with something funny. I heard about this pastor. He was raising funds for a new auditorium. He said that the congregation, anyone who will give $1,000 can pick out the next three hymns. Little old lady in the back stood up, said, Pastor, I'll do it.

He was so excited. He said, thank you so much. Now, which three hymns would you like? She looked over the congregation, said, I'll take him and him and him. 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 believing without a sign. We all have dreams and goals, promises we're standing on. And when we see God's favor, doors opening, our health improving, the right people showing up, it's easy to believe. We know God's at work. But sometimes we're doing our best, praying, believing, but nothing's happening.

The medical report is not getting better. Doors are not opening. Our finances are not improving. There's no sign that it's going to happen. It's easy to get discouraged and give up on what we're believing for. But the scripture says, faith is the evidence of things not seen. If you can see it, it doesn't take any faith. If you have the evidence, it's easy to stay encouraged. But to reach your destiny, there will be these times where there is no evidence. Every circumstance says, you'll never get well, never meet the right person. They'll never accomplish that dream.

You're no better off now than you were a year ago. We think, God, if you just give me a sign, if you just let me know that you're working, if I just see something in proving, well, this is when you have to dig down deep and say, I don't have to have the evidence. I'm not moved by what I see. I'm moved by what I know. And God, I know you are faithful to what you promised. Just because you don't see a sign doesn't mean God is not working. Don't believe those lies that nothing is happening. In the unseen realm, God is arranging things in your favor, lining up the healing, the right people, the promotion. And the fact that you can't see anything happening, that's God showing you that he trusts

you. You don't have to see everything to keep moving forward. You've matured to the point where you walk by faith and not by sight. And where God is taking you, the amazing future he has planned is going to require you to believe without a sign, to trust him when there's no evidence. If you have to see everything to stay encouraged, see it to keep believing, it will limit how high you can go. You have to pass this test of staying in faith when nothing is improving, thanking God, when all the circumstances say, it's never going to change. You may be there now. You've been praying and believing, but it doesn't seem like it's doing any good. You don't see any evidence. Kind of feels like God's on vacation. He doesn't even hear your prayers. That's something. That's something. You don't. It's something. It's,

silence doesn't mean God is forgotten about you. He sees your faithfulness. He sees you doing the right thing when it's hard. When you could have given up, you went the extra mile and kept believing. When you felt like complaining, you kept praising. When every thought said it was never going to happen, you kept thanking God that he was working. Let me encourage you, your time is coming. What God promised you is on the way. Don't get talked out of it. Don't let people. Don't let People delays, doubt, convince you to give up. Your breakthrough is already on the schedule. Your miracle has already been set in motion.

Seems like nothing is happening, but suddenly it's going to change. Suddenly the dream comes to pass. Suddenly the right person shows up. Jesus told Thomas, because you've seen me, you have believed. But blessed are those who have not seen yet believe. you haven't seen it, but you keep believing. God says there's a blessing coming. Because you believe without the evidence, believe without the sign,

favor is coming, healing is coming, victory is coming. Now don't be a Thomas. God show me a sign, then I'll believe. Let my circumstances improve. Then I'll stay in faith. Open this door, God. Then I'll know you're working. God is looking for people who believe without a sign.

who are not moved by what they don't see, who don't need the evidence to prove to them that God is working. Second King, Chapter 20, King Hezekiah became very sick. He was close to death when the prophet when the prophet Isaiah showed up at the palace. I'm sure he was hoping for good news. Maybe Isaiah will come prophesy that things are about to turn around, that I'm about to get well. But it wasn't what he was thinking. Isaiah said, King Hezekiah, I have a word from the Lord. Lord for you. God says, set your house in order, for you will surely die. He didn't say maybe you'll pass. There's a chance you're not going to make it. It's not looking good, King. He said, there was no doubt. This is the end. You will not recover from this illness. Hesachaya could have been depressed,

given up on life, but he began to pray. He reminded God of all the good he had done, how he'd torn down the pagan shrines, removed all the idols. He poured out his heart and asked God in his mercy to spare his life. Before Isaiah left the palace grounds, God changed his mind

and told Isaiah to go back and give him this new report. Isaiah said, Hezekiah, the Lord says, He has heard your prayers and he's going to heal you. In three days, you will get out of this bed and he will add 15 more years to your life.

You can imagine how excited and how overwhelmed Hezekiah was. He just received this amazing promise that this death sentence had been reversed. But Hezekiah was kind of like us. After the excitement wore off, he started thinking, how do I know I'm going to get well? I don't look any different. I don't feel any better. Nothing has changed.

Doubt started to come. is it really going to happen? Are you sure that's what God said? Hezekiah said to Isaiah, what sign will the Lord give me to prove that I'm going to get well? He was saying, Isaiah, I appreciate what you've told me. That's encouraging, but I need some evidence. I need to see something so I'll believe. I need God to prove that he's going to do it. Isaiah said, all right, God will give you a sign. Do you want the shadow on the sundial to go 10 degrees forward or 10 degrees backwards. Hizekiah said backwards. They watched as the shadow defied the odds and went backwards. And God is merciful. He'll give you a sign sometimes, but here's my point. If you live

by this approach, God prove that you're going to do what you said. God, I need some evidence. If I don't see something, then I'm not going to believe. If you're always dependent on a sign, you won't reach the fullness of your destiny. Maybe like Hezekiah, you're praying for a sign, but you're not seeing anything. The sundial is not going backwards. The right attitude is, God, I don't have to have a sign. You don't have to prove to me that you're going to do it. You've already proved to me who you are.

You've already made ways where I didn't see a way. You've already opened doors that I couldn't open. You've already defeated giants that were much bigger. You've already broken chains I could never break. God, I trust you with no evidence. I'm not a Thomas. I don't have to see it to believe it. I'm not a Hezekiah. You don't have to prove to me that you're faithful. You've already shown yourself faithful. And yes, it's great when you get a sign, but don't rely on a sign. Don't become dependent on seeing then you'll believe. That doesn't take much faith. Your faith kicks in when there's no evidence.

instead of asking God to prove to you what he's going to do, why don't you turn it around and prove to God who you are? Prove to him that you're not going to be moved by what you don't see. Prove that you're not going to give up because things aren't changing. Prove that you're going to stand in faith when every circumstance says it's never going to happen. What's interesting is right before Hezekiah got sick, he had just seen the greatest victory of his life. The Assyrian army was coming against him and the people of Judah. They were much bigger. They had more resources.

The night before the Assyrians were going to attack, the angel of the Lord went into their camp and killed 185,000 of their soldiers. The others took off running, Hezekiah, and the people of Judah were spared. You would think that Hezekiah wouldn't need a sign. He just saw a supernatural victory. He just saw God show out. But how many times do we forget what God is done? Like Hezekiah, God has shown up and turned things around for us.

He's healed us, protected us, freed us, promoted us. If you need a sign, look back at the goodness of God in your life. Look back at how he brought you through the pandemic, how he gave you strength when you didn't think you could go on. how he promoted you when you weren't next in line, how he turned your child around, how he brought someone great into your life to love, how that one good break caused your business to take off.

When you need evidence, look back at the faithfulness of God. This is what Elijah did. There was a great famine in the land, and for three and a half years, it did not rain, no water, no crops, people were barely surviving. When nothing looked any different, In the middle of the drought, Elijah showed up and said, I hear the sound of the abundance of rain. He was so bold, he went and told King Ahab, this drought is coming to an end.

Rain is on the way. When he said that, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, no rain. God will put things in your spirit that contradict what you see. He heard an abundance of rain. He saw barren ground, dried up crops, drought. famine. The key is don't let what you see override what you've heard. If you're always looking for a sign, you're going to get discouraged. I heard rain, but I see drought. I heard healing, but I see sickness. I heard abundance, but I see life. Joel, I heard freedom, but all I see is dysfunction,

addictions, depression. When I see something different, then I'll believe. When I have some evidence, then I'll get my hopes up. No, I'll see. don't be a Hezekiah, be an Elijah. You don't have to have a sign. God doesn't have to prove to you that he's going to do what he's promised. You've seen his faithfulness. You have a history with him. He's made things happen all through your life that you could have never made happen. Now do your part and believe without a sign. Stay in faith when there's no evidence. Don't let what you see talk you out of what you've heard. It's very powerful when you can say. say, I don't see any sign of what I'm believing for, but that's okay. I don't need a sign.

I know God's on the throne. I know he's in control. I know what he started. He will finish. Elijah went on top of Mount Carmel to pray. He bowed down and began to thank God that rain was coming, that what he heard in his spirit was on the way. He asked his assistant to go out and look on the other side of the mountain, see if there was any sign of rain. Now, he wasn't dependent. He wasn't dependent on a sign, he was looking for God's goodness. He was expecting rain. That's different than I'm not going to believe unless I have a sign. His attitude was, I know God's at work. It could happen any time. I know rain is coming. He had this confidence, this unshakable faith. This is this thing came back, said, sorry Elijah. There are no clouds in the sky. It's as clear as can be. Checks the latest

radar. Super Doppler, nothing in sight. Elijah didn't get depressed. God, I must have heard you wrong. He kept thanking God that rain was coming. He didn't let the lack of evidence convince him that it wasn't going to happen. He kept looking for the rain. He kept talking like it was going to happen. I can hear King Ahab kind of laughing. Saying Elijah, where's that rain you were talking about? Thought you said there's going to be an abundance. I haven't felt one little drop. Elijah said, Ahab, I'm not worried. I don't need a sign to believe. I'm not dependent on the evidence. I know what God has spoken to me. Elijah sent the assistant out again, ask him to look, see if he saw any sign of rain.

He came back again and again and again with the same report. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfectly clear. Six times no sign. Six times nothing had changed. Six times this negative report. It's not going to happen, Elijah. Just accepted. no rain is coming. You may be where Elijah was. You know what God has promised you, health, freedom, abundance, a spouse, a child, but you've been looking, standing in faith, thanking God, but there's no evidence. Nothing is improving. No good breaks. You still can't concede. This is when you have to dig down deep and say, God, I'm not moved by what I don't see. I know you're a faithful God. I'm going to keep looking.

Keep expecting, keep praising, keep declaring, keep thinking that is on the way. Don't let the clear sky fool you. God can change things suddenly. He controls the universe. One touch of his favor and you'll see the abundance of rain. You're not seeing any sign of it? That's a test. What are you made of?

Are you going to give up, get discouraged, settle for mediocrity? Or are you going to do like Elijah and keep believing despite what? what you're seeing. On the seventh time, the assistant came back and said, Elijah, this time, I saw a small cloud about the size of a man's hand. Was it long after that that the heavens opened up? There was a huge downpourn. The three and a half year drought suddenly came to an end. Like Elijah, many of you have been faithful. You believed when every circumstance said it wasn't going to happened. You didn't listen to the naysayers. You didn't get talked out of it. You've been looking for God's goodness. I believe you're about to come in to your seventh time. You're about to see the

open windows of heaven something better than you've imagined. More rewarding, more fulfilling. The scripture says there was a remarkable rainstorm. God is going to do something remarkable in your life out of the ordinary that will exceed your expectations. It's significant that Elijah's assistant, someone close to him, kept bringing him the news that it's not going to happen. There are no clouds. He didn't mean to be negative. He was just reporting the facts. But sometimes the people closest to you will try to talk you out of what God put in your heart.

They may mean well, but they didn't hear what God spoke to you. They'll keep telling you what they saw. you can't let that drown out what you've heard. Don't let their negative comments, their doubt. You still think you're going to get well. Man, it's been a long battle. You really believe your child's going to get on course. He's doing worse than ever. You think you're going to have a bountable year. I don't see it. Man, the economy, the gas prices, inflation, the pandemic. They're looking at it in the natural, but we serve a supernatural God. There will be seasons like Elijah. that you're looking, expecting, believing, but again and again, there's no sign, no improvement. What if on the fourth time, Elijah would have said to the assistant, I guess you're right, it's not going to rain, or on the fifth time he got discouraged. God, I know what I heard. Surely it would have happened by now. At least I would see some clouds, some wind, a sign that

things were about to change. Maybe that's where you are. On your fourth time, no evidence. Your fifth time still no sign. Your sixth time, sky's still blue. Don't give up now. Those are tests. Yes, it'd be much easier if like Hezekiah, we always got a sign, but we'd never grow. We wouldn't reach our potential. Where God is taking you is going to take unshakable faith.

Not moved by what you see. Not discouraged because of a lack of evidence. I know today, I'm not looking at Thomas's. Lord, show me and I'll believe. I'm not looking at Hezekiahs. God, give me a sign and I'll trust you. I'm looking at Elijah's. God, we believe without a sign. We keep looking for rain, even though the skies are clear. We don't let people, time, delays, what's not happening, talk us out of what we've heard in our spirit. I'm looking at people that are headed for an abundance of rain, an abundance of joy, an abundance of favor, an abundance of of resources for something remarkable, uncommon that will take your family to a new level. Right after we acquired this facility, the former compact center, a company filed a lawsuit to try to keep us from moving in. They were a huge real estate company that owns all the property around the building. And we'd just come off this great victory, only to find out that it was now

tied up in the courts and we couldn't move forward. Our attorneys told us, it could take up to 10 years to settle. They'd met with the other side, but they were in no hurry to do something. In fact, the more they delayed, the more at a disadvantage we were. Our main attorney called and said, Joel, they're playing hardball. They don't want to talk. They don't want to negotiate. They're stubborn.

A month went by, nothing happened. Two months, nothing, three months, four months, five months. Like Elijah, not a cloud in the sky. No evidence that it was ever going to work. work out. I had to do what I'm asking you to do. I just kept thanking God, Father, I'm not moved by what I don't see. I don't need a sign. I'm not looking for evidence. I know when it's your time, all the forces of darkness can us stop what you have ordained for us? Doubt would try to come, negative thoughts, people tried to talk us out of it. Our main attorney asked me,

what if I got them to give you enough funds to build a facility like? like this somewhere else. I told him we don't want somewhere else. This building is a landmark in Houston. Two million Eustonians had come to this building every year for 30 years. Don't let a lack of evidence cause you to water down your dreams. Don't settle for mediocrity. What God has for you is going to take resilience, determination, perseverance. You have to have a made-up mind. You can't be talked out of it. You can't be moved by what you see. What you see may contradict what God put in your heart. You may not see anything improving. I didn't see the other side letting up. I didn't see any sign of progress. Like Elijah, we heard no, three times, four times, five times,

no evidence, no budging, no movement. But if you'll stay in faith, you're going to come into your seventh time where things suddenly change. suddenly the door opens. Suddenly the wrong people are moved out of the way. Suddenly your health begins to turn around. One day unexpectedly, almost two years later, our attorneys said that the other side had called and they wanted to meet. He said, Joel, don't get your hopes up. This is probably just a ploy to distract us. He didn't realize my hopes had already been up. For two years, I'd been thanking God, looking for his goodness, expecting his favor. When we met, the CEO of the company, the first thing he said was, Joel, I watch you on television every week,

and my son-in-law is a youth pastor. God knows how to bring the right people at the right time. 24 hours later, he had agreed to let us have the building and to lease us 9,000 covered parking spaces so we didn't have to build a garage. You may not see any sign of what you're believing for. You could get discouraged. Let the lack of evidence. talk you out of it. No, stay in faith. God is working behind the scenes. Who knows, you may be on your fourth time. Your fifth time. This is not the time to give up. You are closer than you think. Your seventh time is coming. It's going to happen suddenly. It's going to be supernatural, something that you couldn't make happen. The truth is, that CEO could have shown up two years earlier.

He could have come three months in. I wouldn't have had to pray and believe and trust. But these times that we have to wait, believe, not be moved by what we don't see, that's preparing us for the new levels God has in store. Don't get discouraged because it's not happening on your timetable. Everything is serving God's plan. When you're waiting, staying in faith, believing when there's no sign, you're growing. You're showing God what you're made of. instead of God proven to you who he is, you're proven to him who you are. Anybody can get discouraged. Anybody can be a Thomas.

I'm not going to believe unless I see it, but God is looking for Elijah's. People that aren't moved by the lack of evidence. People that don't water down their dreams. People that believe without a sign. 17 years old, God put a dream in my father's heart that one day he would pastor a church with thousands of people. He was raised very poor, but he got off the farm, and in 1959, he and my mother started Lakewood on Mother's Day with 90 people. He eventually named the church Lakewood International Outreach Center. The fact is, it was a small neighborhood church, but he called it an international

outreach. That dream was still alive. But for 13 years, Lakewood didn't really grow. Had less than 200 people. my father knew what God had spoken to him, a church with thousands. There was no evidence. He could have gotten discouraged. God show me a sign. Let me know that it's going to happen. But year after year, my father, my mother, they just kept being faithful, preaching to those 90 people, thanking God, that what he heard in his spirit was on the way. Be so much easier. We saw a good break or little growth there. The right person show up. But sometimes God will withhold the evidence. He's seeing what we're going to do. Are we going to be a Thomas? God, I'll believe. I'll give you my best if you show me a sign. God is giving you an opportunity to grow,

to trust him in a greater way, to prove to him that you will walk by faith and not by sight so he can entrust you with more. 1972, it was like God opened up a faucet. People started coming to Lakewood from all over the city. Lakewood grew from a couple hundred to a church of many thousands. He saw what God put in his spirit. But God could have done that the first year or the second year, but we have to pass these tests. We all go through silent seasons where we're believing, praying, but nothing is changing. You don't see any sign of what God promised is going to happen. you'll be tempted to walk away from a dream, to give up on a child, a spouse, a breakthrough. God, if you'll just do what you did for Hezekiah, prove that you're going to do it.

Then I'll start believing again. But most of the time, it's going to be like Elijah. No sign. People saying it's not going to happen. Your thoughts telling you it's never going to rain. Do like he did. Don't be moved by what you see. The skies may be clear right now, but you're a lot.

seven time is coming. God sees your faithfulness. He sees you believing when there's no evidence. You are closer than you think. The clouds are starting to form right now. Now, I believe and declare your abundance of rain is on the way. What you're believing for is going to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, healing, favor, breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny. In Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen? I'd like to give 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. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love to give you some free literature on your new walk with the Lord. If you just text the number or go to the website, I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. What if what you imagined came to pass?

What if what you asked for turned out greater than what you can see? What if you could plan for God's best in your life? We all have hopes and dreams and things we're believing for, but what God has in store for you is more than you can imagine. When you start the year off in faith, Believe in for greater things, that's when God will exceed your expectations. We love to send you our 2025 more to imagine planner.

You can write down your dreams and goals, plus use it for your everyday activity and reminders. It is so important to feed yourself hope and faith on a daily basis. This planner is not only a calendar, but it's filled with inspiration and scripture to help you stay encouraged and keep believing for what God is put in your heart. He sees your faithfulness, how you're being your best each day. You're going to see the goodness of God in new ways in 2025. As you support the ministry this month with a special year-end gift of any amount, we would like to bless you with the more-to-imagined 20-25 planner.

With the new planner, you can start each day writing down the fresh vision God gives you. Whether it's appointments, daily tasks, or long-term desires in your heart, let each note be a testament to your faith. included are handpicked scriptures and uplifting reflections to empower you as you walk this faith journey with Jesus one day at a time. Joel and I are standing in faith with you that 2025 will be a year of far and beyond favor for you and your family. We pray for you every day for God's very best, and we want to thank you for your prayer and support, especially your year-end gifts. You are impacting people all over the world. Remember, you can watch the services online,

every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, listen on SiriusXM, or watch our YouTube channel and the new Joel Osteen streaming television network 24 hours a day. Until we see you next time, have a very merry Christmas. Be sure to request your copy of the More to Imagine 2025 planner. Today, visit Joel Osteen.com or call us toll-free.