Joel Osteen Podcast - Blessings Finding You | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: May 10, 2026

God’s dream for your life is greater than your own. Seek Him first and His favor will find you.  When you anchor your prayers in God’s promises, faith grows and your next step becomes clear. Request our May offer today and discover how to Pray It Forward as you move toward breakthrough. https://bit.ly/4uJPXSo 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. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. And I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media. And you can come visit us in person.

We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. But I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this group of school children. They were in the cafeteria line at their Catholic elementary school. The start of the line, there was a big bowl of apples. A nun had written a note. It said, take only one, God is watching. At the end of the line, there was a big bowl of chocolate chip cookies. One of the children had written a note.

It said, take all you want. God is watching the apples. 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 blessings finding you. It's easy to worry about the future and how can I accomplish my dreams and what if I don't get that good break? What if my health goes down or I don't meet the right person? It creates all this

pressure where we have to make things happening. We live striving and straining, trying to force this door to open and make this person like us, turn this problem around. When Jesus was talking to people like this in Matthew chapter 6, they were very worried about their food, their clothing, how they were going to make it. He said to them in verse 33, don't worry about those things. You're Heavenly Father knows all that you need. He was saying, God has already planned your future. He knows what it's going to take to get you to your destiny. You're not doing life on your own. It's not just up to you, the most how God is ordering your steps. And Jesus gave us the key in verse 33. He said, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. He was saying, in effect,

don't have to spend your life seeking the blessing, seeking provision, seeking approval, seeking the right people. That's going to lead to frustration. There's a better way to live. If you'll seek God, then the blessings will seek you. There's a reversal. When you keep God first place, that takes the pressure off. Now it's not up to you to make it all happen. That's God's responsibility. He will add all these things. But if we don't understand this, it would be stress, tension, hey, man, I've got to get this promotion, and I got to win over this coworker, I got to fix this problem. And sure, we have to use our gifts, be determined, take steps of faith. But you don't have to live with that pressure. You can stay in peace

knowing that because you're honoring God, he's arranging the good breaks. He's lining up the right people. He's scheduling the healing, the turnaround. You don't have to find it. It's going to finds you. Don't spend your life chasing the blessing. Chase God and the blessings will chase you. But I wonder how many of us are trying to do God's job. We're striving, straining, manipulating. Don't take the pressure off. Let God be God. He knows what's best for you. He's already written every day of your life in his book. He knows what you need, who you need, when you need it, and how to get it to you. He'll open doors that you could never open. He'll bring people you never imagine.

He'll put you in rooms where you weren't qualified, opportunity, resources, influences, far beyond what you had in mind. God's dream for your life is much bigger than your own. Where He's taken you, you could never accomplish by yourself. Just your own efforts, your talent, your hard work. That's all good, but God is going to add. things that exceed your expectations, that bogger your mind, that thrust you where no one in your family has gone. And it says, seek first the kingdom and his righteousness. That means his way

of doing things. God's kingdom, in one sense, is opposite of what we naturally think. He said to bless your enemies. Be good to those that do you wrong. I don't want to bless them. I want to get revenge. Forgive those that hurt you. I don't want to. forgive. I want to hold a garage. No, seek first the kingdom. If you want God to add, you have to do it his way. It means walking by faith and not by sight. You may have a situation where you don't see how it could work out. The odds are against you. You could be worried, discouraged. Instead, God, I don't see a way, but I know you have a way. You being for me is more than what's trying to stop me. That's seeking the kingdom. Being faithful at work, doing the right

thing when no one is watching. Integrity, excellence, that's God's way. Trusting when you don't understand. A good attitude when life's not fair. Biding your tongue when you want to tell someone off, putting down your carnal desires. That's not just being disciplined. That's seeking the kingdom. That's doing it God's way. That's what puts you in position. position for God to add all these things. But sometimes we hear we need to seek God and we think, okay, I got to pray two hours in the morning. I got to read my Bible more. I got to come to church more. And that's all good. That's part of it. But you can honor God in your everyday life, having a faith-filled attitude, treating people with respect, kind to your family, being excellent at

work. That's his righteousness. That's God's way of doing things. When you live like that, are seeking God, that means blessings are seeking you. We see this in the life of David. He was a teenager out in the shepherd's fields, taking care of his father's sheep. He was the youngest of eight brothers, and he got stuck with the leftover job out there in the desert, lonely, boring, no future to speak of. And David had big dreams. He could sense the greatness that God put in him, but he was at a disadvantage. Some of his brothers were in the military. They had prestigious positions.

Well, David could have slacked off and taken the easy way out. I don't care about these sheep. Big deal if we lose a few. Nobody's going to know. David was a person of excellence. He did the right thing when no one was watching. He cared for those sheep night and day, made sure they had food and water.

He'd fight off wild animals, killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands just to protect the sheep. All that time that David was going to extra mile, doing the right thing when it was hard, being his best when he wasn't getting any credit. He wasn't just being a good son, a good employee. He was honoring God. That was a time of testing, a time of proving. People may not be watching, but God is watching.

Maybe nobody is telling you. thank you. You're not getting the credit you deserve, but you keep doing the right thing. You keep showing up on time, doing more than you have to. People may not see it, but God sees it. He's the one that matters. He's keeping the records. You're not just being faithful. You're seeking God. You're doing things his way. That's what puts you in position for him to add all these things. Promotion doesn't come from people. It comes from the Lord. David kept a good attitude in a difficult situation. He didn't complain, get better. Out in the fields is where he wrote some of the Psalms. When he got up in the morning,

he could have thought, oh man, another day with these stinking sheep. I'm so tired of feeding them, cleaning up their ways. Why don't my brothers have to help me? He had plenty of reasons to complain and live sour. But David made the decision he was going to do things God's way. Maybe that's where he wrote Psalm 118. This is the day the Lord has made. I'm going to rejoice and be glad in it. Perhaps he wrote Psalm 5 out there early in the morning. You will hear my song of praise.

Maybe it was Psalm 63. Oh, God, you are my God. And earnestly, I seek after you. He had this attitude of praise, Thanksgiving, right out in the desert when it was lonely, unfair, when he didn't see a way out, but he's still full of praise. He's still caring for the sheep with excellence. He's still being faithful and consistent. Well, David thought that the shepherds fields were his destiny, in the

natural, there wasn't any way out. But when you seek God, blessings start seeking you. God will add things that you couldn't add. He'll speak to people to be good to you that you've never met. God told the prophet Samuel, traveled to the city of Bethlehem, to the house of a man named Jesse, for I've chosen one of his sons to be the next king of Israel. Here David is out in the fields, just minding his own business, another ordinary day being faithful, serving with excellence, doing more than what was required. But as he was seeking God, what he couldn't see was Samuel was seeking him. something was headed his way that would change the course of his life. Many of you are like David.

You go the extra mile. You take care of your family with kindness and compassion. Even when you're tired, you still shine. At work, you give it your best. You serve at church, in your community, always be in a blessing. It may seem like you're stuck, reached limits, no way to go higher, but God has some blessings seeking you right now. Things you can't see.

You couldn't plan. There was no sign of it, but your Samuel is about to show up. Healing is pursuing you. The right person, the door opening, the breakthrough in your business. You couldn't find it. It's going to find you. Something better than you ever dream. See, God sees you doing the right thing when it's hard.

He sees your consistency. day after day, being good to people, sacrificing your time and energy. He sees you being excellent, staying holy and pure, refusing to compromise. God has a Samuel coming, a surprise, something unexpected. Suddenly, the right person is knocking on your door. That's not a lucky break. That's the blessing seeking you. Because you're doing things God's way, his favor is going to find you. Samuel showed up at Jesse's house, David's father, and asked to see the sons. And Jesse brought seven of them out. Samuel looked at them, studied.

No, it's not any of these. Can imagine he's a little confused. Thought, did I come to the right house? Did I hear God wrong? Jesse spoke up, said, I do have one more son, but he's the youngest. He's small. He doesn't have any experience. I'm sure it's not him.

People may discount you. try to make you feel like you're not enough. You're not tall enough, talented enough, attractive enough, funny enough. The good news is you're not dependent on what people think about you. They don't determine your destiny. They may push you down, but God knows how to lift you up. They may overlook you, but God knows how to make you be seen. He'll promote you in front of the people that are trying to discredit you.

He'll prepare a table in the presence of your enemies. Now, quit worrying about who's not for you and who looks down on you. Why won't they give me any credit? No, your time is coming. Samuel is on the way. You keep pursuing God, doing things his way, and the blessings will chase you down. What you couldn't make happen will come to you. You didn't have to strain, manipulate, force.

It's going to fall into your hands. See, David wasn't out in the fields coming up with a campaign strategy. how he could get elected. He didn't go to different villages, passing out flowers, holding town halls, making a case how he'd be a great king. He didn't go after the throne. He went after God. Faithfulness and excellence, integrity, praising, and the throne came to him.

You don't have to make it all happen. God said all these things he will add. What God is about to add is something you didn't see coming. You didn't work for it. You didn't earn it. You didn't have the experience. It's the goodness of God thrusting you into your purpose. Now here's the key.

Stay consistent. Every day you do the right thing, Samuel is a little closer. You're passing the test. David had to prove to God that he would take care of those sheep before God would let him take care of his people. If he had slacked off with the sheep and didn't keep them fed and let wild animals harm them, God would have never trusted him to take care of the Israelites. Be your best where you are. Don't wait for Samuel to show up. Then you'll have a good attitude.

Then you'll be faithful. Then you'll let your talent shine. The way to honor God is to shine where you are. Excel at your workplace. Be compassionate with your family. Be generous with your time and resources. Get up in the morning and thank God. Thank God. for his goodness. Stay full of praise. That's seeking God, doing things his way. That's when blessings will come seeking you. When I look back over my life, many of the important moments when I was thrust to a new level weren't things that I was going after. I was simply honoring God. Like David, in the Shepherdsfield, so to speak, just being my best where I was and suddenly the Samuel showed up. In my early 20s,

I went to a jewelry store to buy battery for my watch. I walked in and here came Samuel walking. I mean, here came Victoria walking toward me, the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. I don't know if God spoke to her to come wait on me or if she is just overwhelmed by my good looks, but she came right over and started talking to me. I was there to buy a battery for my watch. She ended up selling me a whole new watch, and she's been taking my money ever since then. That was 40 years ago. I don't know how that can be. I'm only 39, but I could have never made that happen.

But as you honor God, he has the right people coming towards you. David said I was young, now I'm old, and I've never once seen the righteous forsaken. You don't have to worry and make it all happen. Talk someone into liking you. Lower your standard because you may not meet anyone. No, keep on. honoring God and the right person will find you. Someone better than you can imagine that sees you as the gift that you are. They're already en route. Your steps and their steps are being ordered by the Lord. What God has purpose, nothing can stop. One Sunday morning, when my father was pastoring,

I was running through the front lobby up the stairs to the TV area, and service was about to start. A man came around the corner and said, Joel, my cousin has a construction permit for the last full power television station in Houston. He wants you to have it. I never dreamed we'd have a television station. That wasn't even on my radar. I didn't go after it.

It came to me. We put the station on the air. A few years later, we sold it. It was those funds that helped us renovate the compact center. God knows what you're going to need, and he knows how to bring it to you. When my father passed, I was working behind the scenes. I never thought I'd be a minister. Suddenly this door opened. I didn't pursue it. It pursued me. I was planning on doing television production the rest of my life. But God is going to add things that surprise you, cause you to bloom

and blossom. He's put gifts in you that you haven't tapped into yet. A few years after I'd been pastoring, Victoria encouraged me to write a book. I thought, Victoria, I don't know how to write a book. I don't know what to say. I don't even know where to begin. But an executive from one of the largest publishing companies in the world was walking to the subway in New York going home, and he saw my name on a sign.

He didn't know who I was. He'd never heard of me. But he told me, something told me that I was to sign you for a book deal. He went, looked us up, researched us, offered us a contract. Now I have books in many languages. which is all over the world. I could have never made that happen. I couldn't have planned it.

I couldn't have won his favor. I didn't even know him. This was the hand of God causing blessings to seek those who seek him. One more. How about when we needed a larger auditorium? I was trying to build, but things kept falling through.

Well, a friend called that I hadn't spoken to in years. He said, Joel, you need to get the compact center. The Rockets basketball team is about to move out. I didn't go after this building. I didn't know anything about it. It came to us.

What am I saying? You don't have to strive and strain, try to make everything happen. You're trying to do God's job. That's going to bring frustration. You don't have to figure it all out. Your job is to keep God first place. Keep doing things his way.

As you seek him, he's going to have the blessings seek you, the right people. The contracts, the healing, the open doors, it's going to track you down. The scripture says, no good thing will God withhold when you walk up rightly. That's you. You're walking up rightly. You're committed, faithful, being good to people, God is not going to withhold anything

you need to get you to your destiny. Samuel came and anointed David as king, a very powerful moment. But David didn't go to the throne. he went back to the Shepherdsfields. One day his father asked him to take lunch to his brothers that were in the army in another city. David could have thought, Dad, I'm not an errand boy. I'm not going to take them lunch. That's beneath me. You saw him anoint me king. I'm made for bigger things than that. He could have dismissed it, went on his way. But David wasn't too big to do a small thing. He knew as you're serving others, you are serving God. He took the launch.

That's when he heard Goliath taunting the Israelites. As David walked in obedience in small things, in what seemed insignificant, it was leading him to a big thing. He would have never met Goliath had he not been faithful to do the simple task that his father asked. Don't discount small acts of obedience, doing simple things that may seem beneath you. And Joel, I've got more training than this. I'm more qualified, more experienced. Don't ask me to take care of the sheep. Find somebody else to take them lunch.

You don't know what's going to be waiting for you. There are some Goliaths, some destiny moments that are hidden in small acts of obedience. I used to pick out my father's suit and tie to wear on television each Sunday. I'd go over to his house every Saturday evening and I'd write it down. He wore this and that and keep the record. My mom would say, Joel, Daddy's 70 years old. He can pick out his own clothes, but I had seen what my father would wear and I wanted to just look good. But I'd never dream one day I would be picking out a suit and tie for me to wear on television. Being obedient in small things is showing God he can trust you with big things. David took lunch to his brothers, honoring God, doing a small thing, and Goliath showed up,

a big thing that forever changed David's life, a destiny moment where he became a national hero. Hebrew says that God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek after him. When you're seeking after God doing things his way, then you're on God's payroll. He's a rewarder. He'll compensate you. When you do a small act of obedience, there's a reward. When you forgive someone that doesn't deserve it, God will reward you. When you get up in the morning and take time to thank God for the day and acknowledge his goodness, there's a reward.

When you stay faithful in the shepherd's field, obscurity, not getting the credit, but you keep being your best, God sees that. He'll compensate you. And God knows how to pay you like no one else. He'll pay you with joy and wisdom, good health, great relationships. But sometimes we're on the wrong payrolls. We're working for the wrong boss. Maybe we're self-employed, working for ourselves. I've got to strive, I've got to strain, I've got to work this thing out.

The problem is we don't pay well. You'll barely get minimum wage out of that. Or we're letting our circumstances be the boss, frustrated by what's not changing, upset with the neighbor, trying to set them straight, that doesn't pay well. Maybe we're letting our feelings dictate our mood, people's approval, what they said. Well, they left me out. They said, I'm too small. I've got to prove them wrong.

No, you need to change payrolls. You need to turn in your resignation. No more letting stress and fear, people's opinion, jealousy, be your boss. Get on God's payroll. start doing things his way, seeking first his kingdom. Have you seen at the first of the year there's this list of the best companies to work for? Some have great benefits, beautiful facilities, retirement packages, extended vacation. That's all nice, but nobody can pay you like God can pay you.

The best payroll you could ever be on is the most high God's. Not just material things, but how about paying you with peace? hell, a sound mind. How about supernatural provision, protection, and favor? I have to remind myself of this because it's easy to get on someone else's pay wrong, striving, trying to make this happening. Wonder what it's going to be like in 10 years. How's this going to work out? What if that doesn't change? You can't control all that. Your future is in God's hands. You don't have to figure it all out. It's not up to you to get to your destiny, to open the right doors, to the right people, to come up with the plan, the strategy, your job is to keep God first place.

Use your gifts and talents to honor him. Then he promises he will add everything you need. You don't have to add it. He's responsible to open the doors and bring the right people, protect you. When you're on his payroll, you'll be well compensated. He'll take you further than you can imagine. But I wonder today if you need to change payrolls. Are you self-employed, trying to do it all on your own? That's going to wear you out. Are you trying to keep score, outperform, prove who you are? You're going to go in debt. Dave Ramsey were here. He'd tell you, pay it off, get out of debt. That's dreaming the life out of you. Trying to keep up with people's expectations, running a race you're not supposed to be in. David would have never made. David would have never made.

it to the throne if he'd been on the wrong payroll out in the fields if he is bitter competing with his brothers trying to prove to his father who he was he'd been stuck his attitude was i'm going to do it god's way i'm going to seek first his kingdom he started the morning thanking god he excelled where he was faithful in small things good attitude day after day excellent when no one was watching the right time payday came God took him from the background to the foreground, from being discounted to being in charge. Make sure you stay on the right payroll. Do it God's way. No more straining, striving, worrying. You're trying to do God's job. Take the pressure off. Today can be a turning point. Do your best and then rest.

Then God promised he will add all of these things. If you'll do this, I believe and declare, like with David, Samuel is about to come looking for you. Things you couldn't make happen. Good breaks, the right people, healing, freedom, 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, and we'd love to send you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. You can text the number on the screen or go to the website,

but I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. It's easy to feel stuck in life, wondering why things aren't changing and worrying if it'll ever happen, but there's a better way to wait. I'd love to send you my new resource called Pray It Forward. This book is a collection of prayers and promises from the scripture to help you pray boldly to strengthen your faith. While you're waiting, it's important to keep your mind filled with hope and expectancy. When you pray in faith, believe in what God promised, that's what moves the hands of God, and that's when you'll see doors open.

Healing begins to come, breakthroughs in your family. Don't let doubt hold you back. Pray it forward. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount, we'd love. to send you a copy of Pray It Forward, Guided Prayers for Faith and Breakthrough. Inspired by Real Life Answered Prayers, Pray It Forward will help you speak God's promises over your life and over the people you love, trusting that when you ask in faith, God is already at work, preparing victory ahead of you.

You can take these prayers and scriptures and pray them forward. They'll build a momentum of faith that carries you past obstacles and into the promises God has spoken over your life. As you meditate on these truths, you won't be tossed back and forth by finances, health challenges, or relationship struggles. Instead, you'll be able to boldly pray with faith that is immovable and strong,

and you'll be filled with peace, assurance, and joy. Don't let circumstances control your future. Pray the truth of God's word forward in faith, and watch the mountains in your life begin to move. When you pray the promises, what God has spoken over your life, those are powerful prayers, and that's when God shows up and does what only he can do. Thanks so much for being with us. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day, and we appreciate your prayer and support.

Your generosity helps us take this message of hope to people around the world. A special thank you to our champion of hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. But until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Pray It Forward, guided prayers for faith and breakthrough, available this month by simply visiting us at Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567, Joel. You can also receive the Pray It Forward companion prayer journal, designed to help you engage in scripture, personalize faith-filled prayers, and put God's promises into action.

With an additional gift, you can receive the Pray It Forward Prayer's Essential Collection that centers around a prayer bowl with scripture cards, designed to help you physically release what's been weighing on your heart. This collection creates a powerful prayer rhythm for your life, helping you focus your thoughts, speak God's word boldly, and stay anchored in hope when circumstances try to shake you. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567, Joel or logging on to joel o'sdean.com today call or click anytime 24 hours a day