Joel Osteen Podcast - Better Together | Victoria Osteen

Episode Date: March 1, 2025

You weren’t created to do life alone. When you invest into the relationships in your life, you will be better prepared to withstand any storm! 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.God wants to bless you abundantly! It’s time to embrace His promises, stop settling for less,  and step into the overflow. Our March offer will show you how to shift your mindset so that your heart aligns with God's Word and you walk confidently into the abundant life He has for you, https://bit.ly/4jIaL7a. 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. The older that I get, the more I live on this earth, the more I understand how important relationships are and how important it is to be in community with one another. You know, I can look back over my life and I can see how God placed me in an amazing family.

Do you know, sometimes when we're in the moment, we don't understand how great the moment really is. But I look back now and I see how God put people, friends, family in my life that not only held me accountable, that not only sharpened me, but prayed with me, supported me, linked arms with me so that I could weather the storms of life. And I believe that is what God has intended for all.

all of us, to live a life that is together. You see, God intended us to have families and make community. When he created Adam, he stood back and he said, it's not good that Adam is alone. And he created Eve. What he was doing was putting in the heart of every one of us, community, family, love. He said, Adam, Eve, I want you to go.

I want you to multiple. supply, increase the earth. He was saying, I want you to grow your family strong, bring the other people that are in community with you. See, that's what God intended for every single one of us to do. I can truly say today that I am what I am, not because of all my great decisions, not because I was so smart, because I had people in my life who helped me, who motivated me, who challenged me. even when I didn't want to hear it, I listened. It made a difference in my life. And I believe you could probably say the same thing.

I've had good people in my life. You see, we need to be those good people. We were never intended to live this life isolated as an island and to ourselves. God intended us to be in community with one another, to motivate, to strengthen, and support one another. You see, that's the healthy way to live. Ecclesiastity says it like this. Two people are better off than one, for they can each help one another succeed. If one person falls, the other one can reach out and help them up.

You see, we need each other. If you're going to live a successful life, you've got to understand the people in your life that are like-minded are important. And they are worth developing a strong relationship with. a strong community with. Good relationships are two-way streets. It's as much about what you give than what you receive. The Bible tells us to encourage one another daily. It doesn't say, wait around to be encouraged. It says we are to have an exchange of encouragement on a daily basis. Do you know when you need encouragement, the greatest thing that you can do is to speak encouragement. Because when you speak encouragement to them, you literally breathe God's life

into them. And as a result, you breathe God's life into your own soul. You see, God says this should be an exchange of encouragement. We can't live as islands to ourselves. You know, sometimes it feels like it would be easier to do it alone, doesn't it? Because sometimes the people in our life are annoying and they're aggravating and they're troublesome. But you know what? God is saying, it's okay. If you're with the right group of people, the people I've put you with, you have potential in that group of people. If there are people in your family that you don't think that they can get it right, that's okay because you're there for them. And I can tell you someone else is there for you. It's interesting because I believe that we're our happiest and our healthiest

when we are helpful to other people. In fact, it was a study on happiness. And it was interesting because it talked about what actions that we can do that create this emotion of happiness within us. And you would think it was when we go on vacation that we're our happiest. When we get a present, we're our happiest.

But it was saying that the emotion of happiness is really a sense of when you are helpful and your purpose is tied to someone else and helping them. That gives you the greatest heightened sense of happiness. In fact, it was interesting. They called it the helpful high. That's what they labeled it. It's the helpful high. See, I can't imagine getting high on anything but being helpful, knowing that it's such a euphoric feeling. It doesn't even have a hangover. You can be helpful and get high at the same time. I believe that's why this church works.

I believe that's what makes this church what it is. Because this church is a place that you can come and be loved and encouraged and prayed for. This church is a place that people will link arms with you. And I love this church because you don't have to be perfect to be loved. You don't have to be perfect. No one's judging you. They're just loving you and being helpful. You know, it's interesting because we all have people around us.

You know, sometimes we think, well, God, I can't help everyone? But can I tell you that if you'll look very closely, God will have many people around you that you can invest into, that can be a part of your life. I was talking about how, you know, one way to be a helpful person is to be a person that has the best interest of someone else. And what I mean by that is the Bible says we're to be sharpening. to one another. And think about that word just a minute. If you've ever cut your hand on a knife, you'll understand sometimes sharp things hurt. They don't always feel so good. But God is saying,

I want the people in your life to sharpen you as you sharpen them. But that only comes from a trusted community, a place where you know there's a sincere love. I can tell you that my greatest growth has come when I've been challenged by the people that love me the most, when I've been held accountable by the people who love me the most, because they not only hold me accountable, they not only sharpen me, but they're also there to link arms with me and support me. You see, that is where we're going to find help and growth. What am I saying today? I'm saying we're better together. We were meant to be together. I found that. I found that we're better together. I found this wonderful story about the redwood trees in northern California.

And these trees grow 350 feet up in the air. They grow very close together. The interesting part is their roots are very shallow. They're only about five and a half feet underground. You would think something so incredibly tall would have to go very, very deep in the ground to hold itself up. But the extraordinary fact about this tree is that the roots don't go deep, but they spread wide. Those roots find the other tree's roots, and they begin to intermingle their roots together.

And they say that they find nutrition with one another, and that literally the way their roots are so intermingled, they hold each other up. That a tree in the middle of those trees can die from old age, and it can stay there 100 years, because it's so intermingled with the other trees. You see, it finds its strength in all climates from being woven together with the other trees. So whether the winds are blowing, the rains are coming down, or whether there's a drought,

there is always stability in the forest of the redwood trees. And if we could be as united together in our lives as those redwood trees are, I believe we could withstand any storm, that we could withstand any drought because we're not only holding one another up, but we are giving nourishment to one another. You see, God intended us to be together. He intended us to start in our families. The Bible talks about giving your life away.

Who are you entwined with today? Who are you investing in? Who are you giving your life to? I believe there should be people in our lives that we ask God, can I invest in this person? You see, you can give people money, you can give them cars, you can do nice things for them. But can I tell you, when you give them your greatest commodity,

which is yourself, it makes all the difference in the world? When you entwine your life with someone else, even if it's seasonal, and you invest in them, I believe that's when you'll stand strong, you'll grow, and you will be able to withstand the storms of this life. Amen. Amen. He's an awesome God. He's created us to be better together.

We all carry a mental picture of what our life can be. Is yours limited? Do you picture yourself stuck, inadequate, defeated? Are you willing to change your mindset in order to experience a life of blessing and abundance? We all have a picture in our mind of our self, our family, our future. And if that picture is negative, you see yourself at a disadvantage, your problem's too big, it's going to limit your life. My new book, The Abundance Mindset, will help you see yourself the right way.

If you'll change those negative pictures, start seeing yourself blessed, healthy, rising high, or accomplishing dreams, then things will begin to shift in your favor. You have to see it on the inside before it'll come to pass on the outside. We'll send you the Mindset Journal too. These tools will help you get your inner vision in the right place so you can move into the favor and blessing that God has for you. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month, we would like to send you a copy of Joel's book, The Abundance Mindset,

and this inspiring mindset journal. Joel shares powerful scriptures and encouraging thoughts about how to move from barely enough to more than enough, how to be someone else's miracle and experience miracles in your own life. As you make the book and journal a part of your daily walk, you'll be built up every day regarding how to tap into God's favor and blessing, how not to talk yourself out of the dreams and opportunities he has already prepared for you.

How to experience life to the fullest. Request your copies today and begin to see a new mental picture of you. yourself that will lead to new measures of blessing, favor, promotion, and abundance. Let's go into 2025 with an abundant mindset. I believe you're going to see the goodness of God in new ways. Victoria and I want you to know we pray for you and your family every day for God's very best. We want to thank you for your prayer and support. You are impacting people all over the world. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for your monthly support. If you're not partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember, you can watch the services online every

Sunday morning. Download our daily podcast, listen on Sirius XM, watch on YouTube, also the new Joel Osteen Network streaming on television 24 hours a day. Until we see you again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of the Abundance Mindset Book and Mindset Journal today. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel. For an additional donation this month, we are also offering His Goodness, Abundance Bowl. You can request this inspiring resource by calling 888-567 Joel or logging on to joelosteen.com today. If you've never been to Lakewood, we have a great opportunity. We call it Homecoming Weekend.

We'd love to meet you and your family. You can see the building and attend one of the services. It's a great time to be a part of the Lakewood family. Looking forward to seeing you homecoming weekend.