Joel Osteen Podcast - Breaking Negative Cycles | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: March 31, 2025

God has equipped you to break the negative cycles in your family line. You're called to set a new standard for future generations. 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. 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.

I like to start with something funny and my brother Paul sent me this one and it's so corny I haven't told it in 10 years. That's how bad it is. But here he goes. I heard about Bubba. He was outside doing yard work with his wheat eater when he accidentally cut off his cat's tail.

The cat was in the bushes. Bubba didn't see him. He felt so badly. He grabbed the tail, grabbed the cat, said to his friend, I'm going to Walmart. His friend said Walmart. Why Walmart? Bubba said, hello.

They're the largest retailer in the world. Paul's cell number is 713. Come on, 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 breaking negative cycles. Most of the things we struggle with didn't start with us. They've been passed down in our family line. You don't get to choose your battles.

You didn't get to pick what you'll have to deal with. Just as you inherit your parents' DNA, which determines your eye color, how tall you'll be, what kind of hair you'll have, you also inherit attitudes, habits, and behavior from those that have gone before you. Research shows how depression can be passed down. Anger, low self-esteem, addictions.

It was in your bloodline and it showed up with you. The scripture calls this an iniquity. That means a hereditary weakness. I've seen families that can't get along. Parents arguing, cousins upset, siblings bitter, grandparents are at odds. That's a spirit of strife. a spirit of division that keeps getting passed down.

I knew this young man growing up, his father was indicted for fraud and went to prison. This young man told me how his grandfather was the same way. He was so upset with them. Couldn't understand why they'd make poor choices, why they'd cheat people. 20 years later, a friend called and said, did you hear about so-and-so? He's in trouble for fraud. He didn't choose it. It chose him.

it will continue to go from generation to generation until someone rises up and says, I'm going to break this negative cycle. It didn't start with you. The good news is it can end with you. You can be the one that affects generations to come. You can make it easier on your children and grandchildren. And it's good to look back at your family history and see what are we good at? What do we excel in? And what are the weaknesses? Where do I see a pattern of mediocrity, compromise, and failure? When you understand those same spirits are coming after you, then you can be on guard. You can be prepared. Say, no thanks, depression. You're not welcome here.

No thanks. I'm not giving in to this addiction, this compromise. No thanks. I'm not living inferior, insecure, angry, bitter. Don't let that iniquity continue on. It's been in your family line, but the reason you're hearing this is so that you can put an end to it. I heard this phrase, it ran in my family until it ran into me. You're the difference maker.

You're called to set a new standard. You're the exception. Everyone in your family was negative except you. Everyone was broke except you. Everyone addicted except you. Everyone bitter except you. I am looking at exceptional people, people that stand out, people that defy the odds, people that break barriers. Numbers chapter 25, the Israelites had gotten off course. This false prophet named

Balaam encouraged the Midianite women to lure the Israelites into worshiping their idols. They fell right into that trap. They begin feasting with the Midianites, worshiping the God bail. There were all kinds of immorality and compromise going. on and God was very displeased. This plague broke out and 24,000 Israelites were killed. Look like that would continue on. Moses warned the people that they needed to change, but they weren't listening. One of the Israelites took a Midianite woman into his tent in defiance of what Moses said. Everyone was standing around watching, wondering what was going to happen. Then a young man named Phineas rose up, went into the tent, and put an end to it. The scripture says Phineas had the courage to step in

and the plague was stopped. All this compromising, mediocrity, and one person stepped in and said, I'm going to honor God. I'm going to live with integrity. I'm going to do the right thing. And the plague ended. You can stop the plague in your family. You can be the Phineas. There may be negative baggage. people compromising, addictions, mediocrity, it just takes one Phineas, one man, one woman to break the cycle of defeat. My prayer is God give us Phineasus, give us people who will rise up, not just accept the dysfunction, not just live with the defeat, but will have the courage to make a difference, to put an end to what's limiting us. Phineas had to kill the compromise, killed the disrespect,

kill the worshipping of idols, was drastic, it was extreme, but what you don't kill will end up killing you. There are negative things in our family line that we have to say, you cannot live in my life. It's symbolic. You have to kill the anger,

kill the addiction, kill the unforgiveness. You can stop the plague, but as long as you allow these things to live, live, it's going to kill your dreams, kill your peace, kill your freedom, kill your purpose. Now be a Phineas. Have the courage to step up. Our attitude should be, this may have been passed down, but it's not going to get past me. This is where it ends. This is where the depression stops. This is where the addiction, the low self-esteem, the poverty mindset comes to an end.

Don't live with the dysfunction. Break the dysfunction. Well, nobody. in my family is successful. We just barely get by. That's what was passed down to you. That's the way it's been, but you're a Phineas. You're putting an end to that. You're called to rise higher. You're called to put a stop to that plague. But, Joy, everyone in my family struggles with addictions. We all compromise. We all have anger issues. That would be a good excuse to stay that way. If not for one thing, you're a Phineas. You have the courage to step in. God is destined you to break the negative cycle, to set your family on a new course, to reach levels that you've never seen. Now, don't miss your chance. This is a window of opportunity,

a door that will not always be open. It may be difficult, but God won't ask you to do something and not give you the grace to do it. Your children are counting on you. Your great-grandchildren, their destinies hang in the balance. Will they deal with the same things you do? Or will you put an end to it? Will you be the one to break that negative cycle and stop the plague? I already know the answer. I'm looking at Phineasus.

I'm looking at barrier breakers. I'm looking at people who are called, equipped, and anointed. The power in you is greater than any power that's trying to stop you. You're going to feel a new sense of courage. God's favor is going to be on you in a greater way. Things you've struggled with in the past are not going to be a struggle anymore. Chains that have held you back are being broken. Strong holes that have kept you captive are coming down.

God's going to do what you can't do on your own. When you stand for righteousness, when you refuse to compromise, when you say, no, I'm not hanging around these same friends that are holding me back. when you break out of that negative mindset and believe bigger, pray bolder, dream larger, you're going to see the hand of God turn things around, break addictions, bring you out of dysfunction, promote you the levels that you never thought possible. Think about all these people living with a plague and one man rose up and did something about it. One man broke that cycle that had killed 24,000 people.

how many people are going to live better off because you had the courage to step up? How many of your relatives will look back and say, wow, thank God for Phineas. Thank God for Julie. Thank God for Uncle Robert. Thank God for Marcella. Now we're free. Now we're blessed. Now we're confident.

Now we're successful. Because you're a Phineas, because you killed what could have killed you, you're impacting generations to come. You're one of those heroes of faith. Joel, I don't think you're talking about me. Man, I'm not Phineas. I still struggle with an addiction. I still have a problem with my temper. I'm still dealing with poverty and lack.

Let me encourage you. Phineas is in you. The barrier breaker is in you. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives on the inside of you. And yes, there's a battle in your bloodline. The good news is you're going to win. that Phineas spirit is going to rise up in a new way.

You're going to put a stop to what's stopping you. Those weaknesses that have been passed down are just what they're called. They're weak. They're no match for you. A friend of mine was raised in a good family. When he was a toddler, his father in his early 20s got a job at a large transportation company. He was at an entry-level position out washing the vehicles. He's a hard worker.

always on time, went the extra mile. Those were the good things that had been passed down. We all have these positive attributes in our family line, people that pass down courage, talent, good attitudes. The key is to take the positive, build on the good things, and leave the negative behind. This man's parents and grandparents, they were good people, but they struggled with alcohol.

Over time, they both ended up becoming alcoholics. That was the environment he was raised in. Well, he received promotion after promotion from out washing the cars to supervising the department. Then head of operations. Ten years later, he was in senior management. Everything was going great. His family was blessed. But in this new position, the people he worked with would go out several times a week at lunch and drink.

They called it liquid lunch. Now, he never touched alcohol, knowing what his parents and grandparents struggled with. But he didn't want to seem odd like he was too square. So he started drinking. Just a few times a week. No big deal. He didn't realize that alcohol gene was lying dormant in his DNA. He was predisposed to alcoholism that was passed down to him.

He made the mistake of waking up that gene. He started drinking more and more. The scripture says, don't give the enemy a foothold. Don't open the door. If you crack a little little, he's going to push and push. He'd love for all that negative baggage to go from generation to generation. Before long, it started affecting this father. He started showing up late for work, started missing appointments.

He got to where some days he wouldn't come home from work. Wasn't with the family anymore. God's so bad he lost his job, started living in shelters. My friend told me how they were the perfect family, living the American dream, and then alcoholism destroyed their life. My friend is in the entertainment industry now, and he's very successful. He said, Joel, I don't touch alcohol, not because of religious reasons, but I know I'm predisposed to alcoholism.

When you look back in your family line and you see things that have caused heartache and pain, things that have kept people from their potential, it's important to recognize that those genes are passed down. You're predisposed to that. But here's the beauty. That doesn't mean it's going to automatically happen. You get to choose whether you activate that gene or whether you leave it lying dormant. His father activated it and it ruined his life. His son chose to leave it dormant and he's living a blessed, free, favor-filled life. Alcoholism ran in his family until it ran into him. He was a Phineas. He had the courage to step up and put an end to it. His attitude was, this alcoholism didn't start with me, but it's going to stop with me. I'm the difference maker.

I know some of you think, well, Joel's too late for me. I've already activated that gene. No, you can deactivate it. You have the power to turn it off. you can be the one to break the negative cycle. Now, it may not be alcohol for you. It may be bitterness, low self-esteem, anger. There's a gene line dormant. Don't wake it up. Don't open the door.

You're going to be tempted. My friend told how in the entertainment industry, practically every event, every meeting, there's alcohol. People expect him to drink. Ask him how he dealt with it. He said, Joel, I'm bold about it. When people pressure me, I say, listen, I come from a family of alcoholics. I've seen it ruin their life, and I'm not going to let it ruin mine.

When you look back at your history, there may be things that are fine for other people, but you know you shouldn't do it because you've been predisposed to it. You don't want to wake up that gene. Be aware and be diligent. Don't play with fire. Don't think you can compromise just a little. Be dishonest, just a little. or run with the wrong crowd just a little.

It's not worth the chance. What are you going to wake up? What genes are you going to activate? God told Phineas, because you had the courage to step up and stop this plague, I'm going to make a covenant of peace with you. You and your descendants will be priests for all time. Look at how God works. When you step up and put an end to the plague,

when you stop the negative baggage, the addiction, the depression, the depression, the lack. God says, I'm not only going to honor you and your family, but I'm going to show favor to your descendants. I'm going to place a lasting blessing on your family line. I know today I'm walking in favor because of those that went before me. I'm walking in blessings because I had people that honored God. My father broke the negative cycle of poverty in our family. He was raised very poor during the Great Depression, many times they didn't have money for food or clothing. Look like that poverty spirit, that lack mentality, that defeat mindset would be passed down to him.

But at 17 years old, when he gave his life to Christ, the first one in his family, something rose up in him. He said, my children will never be raised in the poverty and defeat that I'm raised in. That gene was there, but he deactivated it. He was a Phineas. He said, this plague is stopping with me. He didn't just sit back. He took steps of faith. He had to hitchhike. He didn't have a car, but he went out and started ministry. God opened doors, made ways. My father left our family blessed, successful, not just with resources, but with a new mindset, that our God is all powerful, that when we believe he can take you

where you've never dreamed, that when you honor him, he'll open doors that no person can shut. They'll give you compact sinners. That'll heal you from cancer. Now, our children have enough negative things to deal with. I don't want them predisposed to doubt, predisposed to fear, addictions, compromise. I want them predisposed to faith, predisposed to blessings, predisposed to godliness, to integrity, to generosity. I want them to succeed because of me and not in spite of me. In the scripture, Isaac was very old and about the past.

He was nearly blind. He sent word for his son Esau to come in and he was going to give him the blessing that belonged to the firstborn son. Well, his wife, Rebecca, loved their son Jacob more than Esau. She told Jacob to dress up like Esau, go in there and pretend to be his brother so he could get the best blessing. Esau was very hairy, so she made Jacob some animal skin to put on his arms.

Jacob went in, tricked their father, and received the blessing. It wasn't just the mother that was deceitful. Jacob had that same spirit. He was dishonest. Remember how earlier he tricked his brother out of his birthright? It didn't stop there. His uncle Laban was dishonest. He tricked Jacob, said he was going to give him one daughter in marriage.

But when Jacob woke up, the morning after the wedding, he looked over in bed, and it was the other sister. Surprise. Now, notice how that same spirit traveled through the family line. Deceit, manipulation, dishonesty. That's not a coincidence. That's a spirit that keeps getting passed down. It just needs a Phineas for someone to rise up and say, no, we're not living like this. I recognize what's happening.

I'm going to live as a person of honor, true to my word, with integrity. One time, Abraham had to travel to a new city, and his wife Sarah was very beautiful, and he was afraid that the people would kill him so they could have her. So he lied and told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister that they weren't married.

The king later found out the truth. Eventually, Abraham passed. Years later, his son, Isaac, was traveling, through the same city. His wife, Rebecca, was very beautiful. Isaac was afraid they would get rid of him to have her. He told King Abimelech the same king that Rebecca was his sister and not his wife. And it's interesting how these negative traits keep getting passed down. It's the same way today. It can be a spirit of low self-esteem. Everyone in your family feels unworthy, not good enough, not attractive. Do yourself a favor. Be a Phineas. Put an end to it. You're made in the image of God.

You have royal blood flowing through your veins. Turn off that unworthy, inferior gene. Let it stay dormant. Maybe it's a spirit of mediocrity. No one in your family can get ahead. You're not expecting anything good. Joel, we're just average people. You have to get rid of that spirit. It's been passed down long enough. It ran in your family. The good news is it ran into you. You're the Phineas. Get your passion back. Start expecting to rise higher. Start declaring God's promises over your life. It's good to ask yourself, why do I struggle in this area? Why do I feel I'm not good enough? Why am I drawn to compromise, to addictions, to manipulation? Those are battles you didn't choose. Battles that didn't start with you. they were passed down, but they can stop with you.

You can be the Phineas. It may not be easy, but if you'll make a move, God will make a move. If you'll take a step of faith, God will give you the grace to do what you can't do on your own. He's just waiting for you to rise up. That may mean to forgive, to get rid of the bitterness. It may mean to get help with that addiction, to attend our freedom class. it may mean like my father to have a new mindset, to not accept defeat and mediocrity as your destiny, to have a new vision, to believe that you can leave your mark.

You have to deactivate those negative traits that have been passed down. You didn't have anything to do with it. It's an iniquity, something you inherited, but God wouldn't have allowed it if it was going to keep you from your destiny. you can break that negative cycle and be the one to set your family on a new course. In the Old Testament, God told Saul to go and kill all the Amalekites, to not spare anyone or anything. Saul went out and defeated the enemy, but he spared King Agag. When he returned home, the prophet Samuel came. He said, Saul, God told you to destroy the entire army, but you've spared the king.

Fast forward hundreds of years later, Esther was in the palace, a man by the name of Haman was trying to get rid of her and all the Jews. It says that Haman was an agite. An agite was a descendant of King Agag. If Saul would have taken care of his enemy when God gave him the power to do it, then Esther wouldn't have this problem 500 years later. could it be if you don't rise up and put a stop to what's hindering you, then hundreds of years from now your family will still be struggling with it? God is saying this is your time. This is your moment.

Your destiny is calling out. You can either put up with it and let it conquer you or you can put your foot down and say, no, I'm going to be a Phineas. I'm going to put a stop to what's holding us back. I'm going to deal with this addiction, this anger, this compromise, this depression. I'm not going to let my history keep me from my destiny. Yes, we all have negative things in our family line. But when you gave your life to Christ, you became a new creation.

He put some new genes in you. There is strength in your genes. There is freedom in your genes. There's health, abundance, victory is in your genes. Well, Joel, this is encouraging. but everybody in my family gets divorced. We all have addictions. Everyone struggles in their finances. Here's the catch. You're not everyone. You're the exception. You're a pheneas. You have more knowledge than they had. The favor on your life is stronger. The blessing is greater. The anointing is more powerful.

They may have lived with it, but you were raised up to put an end to it. You're the difference maker. you can break that negative cycle. 1874, a member of the New York prison board noticed that six people from the same family were serving in one of the prisons. He was intrigued by it and decided to do a study. He traced their family line back to a man by the name of Max Jukes. He was born in 1720. He was known in the town as the troublemaker, a heavy drinker, no integrity. He married a woman just like him. They had six daughters, two sons. 1,200 of their descendants were studied. Of those, 310 were homeless, 180 alcoholics, 160 were drug addicts, 150 became criminals that served time in prison. Another family was studied that lived along that same time.

His name was Jonathan Edwards. He was a famous theologian, the president of Princeton University. He married his wife, they had 11 children. He was a devoted family man that honored God. 1,400 of their descendants were studied. Among them 13 were college presidents. 65 were professors. 100 were lawyers. 66 were physicians. 85 were authors of classic books. 32 were state judges. 80 were holders of public

office including three U.S. senators, three governors, and one vice president of the United States. It makes a difference what you're passing down. Your choices will affect generations to come. You may have things in your family line that have been there for generations. Addictions, poverty, divorce, compromise. It's going to say there until someone rises up and puts a stop to it. I'm saying you're the Phineas. You're the one God has raised up to break the negative cycle. This is not an option. You have to be a lot. You have to be a few. You have to. You have to be the Phineas. You're the Phineas. You're the one God is raised up to break. You have to kill it or it will kill your dreams. It will kill your potential. It will kill your purpose. There's a battle in your bloodline. You didn't choose it, but you can win it. The forces that are for you are greater

than forces that are against you. If you will rise up and be a Phineas, I believe and declare like God did for him, there's going to be a blessing on your family line. You're going to see favor that you've never seen, addictions are being broken. Depression, strife, low self-esteem, you're going to rise higher and become all you were created to be in Jesus' name. 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. I make you. my Lord and Savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again.

We'd love to send you some information on your new walk with the Lord. You can text the number or go to the website. I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. 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 problems 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 face. 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. your copies today and begin to see a new mental picture of 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 a 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 jolosteen.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 Joeloste.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.