Joel Osteen Podcast - Celebrate Partial Victories | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: November 26, 2025

Many people go through life focused on the goals they haven't accomplished. If we're going to stay motivated, we have to learn to celebrate the small victories. Fear says, “You can’t.” Faith says, “God will!” This November, take a 30-day journey to renew your mind and walk confidently in God’s promises. Request No More Fear: You Have the Mind of Christ and choose faith over fear today!https://bit.ly/42Ti2dH 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. Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of our services. I'll promise you we'll make you feel right at home.

But thanks so much for tuning in. And thank you again for coming out today. I like to start with something funny. I heard about this group of elderly ladies, way up in their 80s. They were driving down the freeway together when they got pulled over by a police officer. The officer said to the woman driving,

ma'am, do you realize you're only going 35 miles an hour? She said, yes, officer, I realize that. He said, well, why are you going so slow? She said, that's what the sign says. He kind of laughed and said, no, ma'am, that's the number of the freeway. This is Highway 35. And by the way, why do these ladies look so terrified?

She smiled and said, because we just got off, Highway 95. Hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the Word of God.

I boldly confess, my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be the same. Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about celebrating partial victories. We all have things in our life that are incomplete. A dream hasn't come to pass. A problem hasn't turned around. We've made some progress, seen a sign of God's favor, but it's still unfinished. The mistake we make too often is we wait for the total victory to celebrate. As soon as I get over this illness. As soon as this legal situation clears up or Joel, when I break free from this addiction, then I'll celebrate. No, the key to seeing it come to fulfillment is you have to celebrate partial

victories along the way. You're not totally out of debt, but you paid off one credit card. Celebrate what God has done. You haven't lost all the weight, but you did lose five pounds to celebrate that victory. You haven't received your college degree, but you haven't received your college degree, but you you did finish your first year. When you celebrate your partial victories, it gives you the strength to keep moving forward. I talked to an elderly lady recently. She'd had a stroke. She was walking very slowly with a cane. I asked how she was doing. She could have complained. I can't believe I had this stroke, barely walk anymore. Instead, she smiled real big and said, Joel, I have to use this cane, but at least I'm walking. She was saying I could be

home. I could be in bed. I'm not totally well, but I'm headed that way. When you thank God for the partial, he'll release more healing, more strength, more favor. But sometimes we're so focused on the completion, we miss and take for granted the small victories. Your child may not be on course yet, but he was respectful this morning. That's a partial victory. Thank God for it. You're struggling with those anxiety attacks. You haven't had one in three weeks. A partial victory. Lord, thank you that I'm getting better.

Or maybe you didn't make that big cell that you worked so hard for. Things fell through. But you did sell something. Don't go around complaining. I'll never get ahead. Be grateful for your partial victories. Your time is coming. God is on the throne.

If you'll pass this test of being grateful for the small, God will release big. things in your life. When Jesus needed food to feed 5,000 people, his disciples brought him five lobes of bread, two fish, said this is all we could find. Jesus could have looked up to the heavens and said, Father, are you kidding? I need to feed 5,000 and this is what you've given me. But he saw it from a different perspective. His attitude was, I could have nothing, but Father, thank you that you blessed me with this small amount.

thank you for the five loaves and two fish. Because he was grateful for the partial, God multiplied it and gave him more. Are you complaining about the partial? Or are you celebrating the partial? Are you so focused on how far you have to go that you're missing the small miracles along the way? Don't let the completion of what you're believing for

keep your Thanksgiving back. Celebrating partial victories is what will lead you. to total victory. In the book of Ezra, the Israelites had a dream to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. It was a huge task. People came from all over. After much work, they finally finished the foundation. The scripture says, when they completed the foundation, they all gathered together,

and they blew their trumpets, clashed their symbols, and shouted to the Lord. All they had completed was the foundation. yet they had this huge celebration, this big party. They didn't have any walls up, no roof, no chairs, just a big piece of property. They could have thought, we're never going to get the rest of the materials. We'll never be able to finish. Instead, they were celebrating that partial victory. Well, Joel, I don't think I'll ever break this addiction. I've had it for six years. Have you made any progress in the last six years? Have you resisted the temptation one time? Have you attended one celebrate recovery class?

Start thanking God for your small victories. You may not be totally free yet, but at least you're in church. At least you're listening. That's a partial victory. You're not out partying with your friends. You're not out in the clubs. You're not where you used to be. Lord, thank you for where you brought me to today.

Maybe you've been believing to get out of debt, but it's been a long time and you don't see how it could happen. have you had any good breaks? Have you seen any favor, increase, promotion? Even if it's small, if you'll be grateful, thank God for the little. That's a seed you're sowing for God to bless you with more. Moses Malone was a Hall of Fame basketball player that played right in this facility. He recently went to be with the Lord. At the funeral, another great player, Charles Barkley, told how Moses had taken him under his wing, treated him like a son. In fact, Charles had so much respect and admiration for Moses, he called him dad. When Charles first came into the league, Moses said, Charles, you're overweight,

you're too heavy, you're never going to be your best. I want you to lose 10 pounds. Charles went out and worked hard and watched what he ate. Came back a few weeks later. He had lost those 10 pounds. and he and Moses celebrated together. Then Moses said, Charles, now I want you to go out and lose 10 more pounds. He went back, did the same thing. Worked hard, came back a few weeks later, and they celebrated together. This happened six more times. After Charles had lost 80 pounds, Moses said, all right, now you're at your ideal weight.

You're going to be a great basketball player. Charles asked him later, Moses, why didn't you just tell me up front? you wanted me to lose 80 pounds. He said, I knew if I'd told you at the beginning, you'd have been overwhelmed and not thought you could do it. But I knew if you took it in small increments and we celebrated along the way, I knew you'd stick with it. The same principle, if you'll celebrate your partial victories, that's what gives you the strength, the encouragement, the determination to keep going. In the scripture, a man by the name of Jonah made a mistake. He tried to run away from God and wouldn't do what he knew he was supposed to do.

He ended up in the belly of this well. It looked hopeless, looked like he was done. It was dark, smelly, no way out in the natural. But sitting in the belly of this fish, Jonah said, God, I offer unto you a sacrifice of praise with thanksgiving. giving. He could have been depressed, negative. Instead, he was thanking God that he was still alive. There were plenty of things to complain about, but he found the one thing that was right, and he thanked God for that partial victory. He wasn't out. He wasn't delivered, but at least

his life was spared. As he thanked God for the partial, God went to work, had that fish spit him up on the dry ground. And it's easy to complain about what's not right. God, get me out of this fish. It stinks in here. Modern day, God, I don't like my work. These people don't treat me right. Complaining doesn't get God's attention. When we complain, God tunes it out. If you want God to show up and turn it around, you have to do like Jonah. Even in the tough times, find something to thank him for. In the book of Genesis, when God created the heavens and the earth, On the first day he said, Let there be light and light came. There were no oceans,

no skies, no animals. Everything was chaotic. It was an unfinished product. But at the end of that day, God said, it is good. On the second day, God separated the waters from the sky. He still hadn't made any fish, any animals.

There were no mountains, no sunsets. But at the end of that day, he said, it is good. Same thing at the end of day three, day four, day five. It was incomplete. The miracle was unfinished, but five times God said it is good. On the sixth day, when God completed creation, this time he said, it is very good. If you don't learn to see the good in the unfinished, you'll never get to very good.

If you're complaining about where you are, why am I still struggling in these areas? When is my dream ever going to come to pass? You'll get stuck. Don't wait till it's totally complete, till you see very good until you give God thanks. Find the good along the way and thank him for the partial. If you'll be grateful for the good, God will take you to very good. As a young man, my father had a dream that one day he would pastor a church with thousands of people. But for years, he was in a small feed store, a little building pastoring 90

people. He didn't complain. He preached to those 90 like he was preaching to thousands. His attitude was, God, I know I have more in me, but this is good. I'm content where I am. Because he was grateful for the good, God took him to very good. He saw the completion of that dream. And sometimes we think, when I meet the right person, I'll have a good attitude. When I break the addiction, when I get the funding for my dream, then I'll give God praise. Now, you have to praise him for the partial when it's incomplete, when it looks dysfunctional. When the medical report says you're not going to get well, when your dream seems impossible, find something good and thank God for it. The first year I started ministry every Sunday afternoon I had a celebration.

I thank God that he brought me through another Sunday. Thousands of pastors speak every weekend. To them, it may have been no big deal, but for me, it was a major accomplishment. On my first year anniversary, I had a party for myself. I said, Lord, thank you for bringing me through another year. Thank you for giving me the grace. Thank you that I didn't get discouraged. Thank you that I didn't listen to the critics.

Lord, that was good. If nobody else will celebrate you, you need to learn to celebrate yourself. have your own party. You don't have to tell anyone just between you and God. Thank him for his favor in your life. Thank him for where he's brought you to. Thank him for fighting your battles. If you'll keep thanking him for the good, God will take you to very good. But sometimes we can be so hard on ourselves. We focus on the areas where we don't measure up and how we should be further along. But being down on yourself. Negative, critical. That only makes you do worse. We all have flaws, weaknesses, shortcomings. If you keep dwelling on those things, then it's going to hold you back. You need to

focus on what you're doing right and not on what you're doing wrong. Find the good. I know a young man that was raised by a single parent mother. His dad was never around, didn't even know him. And because he didn't have any kind of father figure in his life, he didn't know what it means. He didn't know what it means to be a good father. Now he is a father, but he's so hard on himself, critical, always being negative toward himself. I told him, you need to lighten up. Give yourself a break. Just the fact that you're in your children's life, trying to be your best, that's a reason to celebrate. You're doing better than your father. You're setting a new standard for your family. But a lot of people like him have had negative things passed down.

Bad habits they have to overcome. Generational curses that they had nothing to do with. It's easy to stay focused on weaknesses and every time you blew it. That's just going to keep you condemned. Look away from your flaws and start seeing yourself as a good parent, a good man, a good woman. The enemy doesn't want you to celebrate yourself. He'll remind you of everything that you're not, you're not a good parent. How could you say that?

You have these flaws. You're struggling in these areas. You don't perform perfectly. Let that go in one ear and out the other. You can say, I may not be a perfect parent, but I can celebrate the fact that at least I'm here. I'm trying. I'm responsible. I'm committed. I'm being my best. Very few people today can look in the mirror and say, you are good. Well, not me, Joel. I don't perform perfectly. I've got these struggles. I've got these areas of weak, says, no, when you say, I am good, it's not because of who you are, it's because of whose you are. You are a child of the Most High God. He handpicked you. He breathed life into you. He crowned you with his favor. He put seeds of greatness on the inside. Don't you dare go around feeling like you don't measure up, not good enough, intimidated, insecure.

Who you are is not determined by how you perform. you are is determined by who your heavenly father is. You have the DNA of Almighty God. When you make mistakes, and we all do, when you fall down, the enemy will whisper those condemning voices. Look at you. You're a hypocrite. God's never going to bless you. Just answer back. I may have fallen down, but I didn't stay down. I got back up again. I'm on the right course. The scripture says, a good man falls seven times, but the Lord raises. him up. Don't live with that heaviness. You could be on the sidelines, depressed, defeated, bitter, but look at you, you're still in the game. You're redeemed, you're restored,

you're moving forward, you're headed toward your destiny. You can feel good about who you are. On the first day of creation, when God said, let there be light, there were no planets, no animals, no oceans. He knew it wasn't finished, but he still took time to celebrate. He still said, it is good. We all have things in our life that are not finished. Maybe you're struggling with an addiction or some kind of bad habit, not being patient or losing your temper. We have these weaknesses, but you shouldn't go around down on yourself. What's wrong with me? When am I ever going to do better? You have to stop along the way and celebrate the small victories, even though the whole thing is not finished. If someone would have been watching creation,

they would have said, God, what are you talking about? It is good. It's not good. It's chaotic. It's a big mess. Nothing is in order. People may look at you and try to judge you. What do you mean you feel good about yourself? You still have these weaknesses. You still struggle in these areas. Just tell them, don't worry. I'm not a finished product. You're seeing Day one, day two, but day six is coming. What God started in my life, he's going to finish. In the meantime, hold your head up high. You may not be where you want to be, but you can thank God.

You're not where you used to be. You're growing. You're making progress. You're coming up higher. Don't get so focused on how far you have to go. Celebrate where you are. Thank God for where he brought you to. if you're waiting for the completion, for the finished product, you're going to be waiting your whole lifetime.

If you don't learn to celebrate the good in day one, in the season that you're in, you'll never get to day two. If you're down on yourself because of weaknesses, like my friend, you don't think you're a good enough parent. You're frustrated because you're not far enough along. You're going to get stuck. And I'm not saying to ignore issues, not deal with weaknesses. I'm saying you have to find the good in right now, in the improvement you're making, and then thank God for that good. It may be small.

That's okay. God loves for you to thank him for small things. You haven't totally broken the addiction, but instead of smoking 10 cigarettes yesterday, you smoke nine and a half. You put number 10 out halfway through. That was good. Celebrate that half. When you walked through the kitchen last night,

Instead of eating the whole bag of Oreos, you only ate a dozen. That was good. Pat yourself on the back. Now, don't go celebrate with a piece of cheesecake. At the office last week, that person that was rude to you, normally you would have given them a peace of your mind, told them what you thought, but this time you just smiled, turned around, and walked away. For some people, no big deal, no reason to celebrate, but for you, the whole church should rejoice. Zipping it up, that's like God parted in the red sea. What am I saying?

It's good to celebrate where you are while God is in the process of changing you. You don't have to be finished to feel good about yourself. Too many people go around feeling wrong on the inside. They get up every morning and take inventory of their faults. How they blew it the day before, how they don't measure up, that's going to hold you back. Being against yourself will keep you from your destiny.

What if on day one of creation, God would have said, yes, the light is good, but everything else is so messed up. I got so much work to do. I'm just depressed. No, he was showing us this principle. He knew it wasn't finished. There were a thousand things out of order, but he found the one thing that was right and said that was good. He could have kept on going, kept on creating, finished it all at once, but he found the one thing. Instead, he stopped at the end of each day to celebrate what he had done.

Nobody was there to praise him, so he praised himself. Have you praised yourself lately? Have you taken time to pat yourself on the back and say, that was good? You came to church today, that was good. You didn't complain in the traffic, that was good. You overlooked an insult last week, that was good. You spent time with your children, that was good. you turned the TV off, didn't watch it all night, went to bed, that was good.

A lot of good things you've been doing. Take time to compliment yourself. There's nothing the enemy would love any more than for you to go through life being against yourself. Focused on your failures, on how you don't measure up, don't fall into that trap. When he whispers those lies, well, you blew your diet, you were late to work, you lost your temper, you gave into that temptation, Just remind yourself, you are not a finished product. You may have some things wrong with you, but you have a lot more right with you. Learn to celebrate who you are and not beat yourself up because of who you're not. God is changing you from glory to glory.

You haven't made it to day six yet. There are still some unfinished things. Keep honoring him. Keep being your best. And God will get you to where you're supposed to be. This principle is true as well in relationships. If you will focus on the good in your spouse, your children, in your friends, see their strengths, praise them for what you like, that'll draw out more good. People improve when you compliment them for what's right more than when you nag them for what's wrong.

Your spouse may have a hundred good qualities, but if you focus on the three things you don't like, that can't. can drive you apart. Maybe your husband is not a big communicator. He doesn't like to talk a lot. You could choose to focus on that and it will become a source of frustration. Or you could focus on one of his good qualities, the fact that he's a hard worker. He's committed. He makes a good living. You never have to wonder about him being home. If you'll praise him for the good, then God will take you to very good. The relationship will get better. Or perhaps your children, They're making seas in schools and you're kind of disappointed. Instead of harping on them, well, you've got to do better. I'm disappointed in you. Why don't you praise them for what they're

doing right? Hey, you're striving. You're a hard worker. I'm proud that you're my child. When you praise them for the good, they'll do better. Well, Joel, my husband, he gets on my nerves. He's got flaws. He's got weaknesses. Can I say this very respectfully? So do you. if you will overlook the things you don't like and focus on the things you do like, you can change the atmosphere in your home. But as long as you're complaining, she's not enough of this,

he's not enough of that, he should be better at that. Here's a newsflash. They're not a finished product. God is still working on them. If they were perfect, they wouldn't have married you. Or me. Let's make it real.

Here's what I'm saying. God brought the two of you together on purpose. So like iron sharpens iron, you can sharpen each other. Now don't use your iron to try to flatten each other out. Don't use your iron to try to hammer out flaws and weaknesses. Don't use your iron and speak hurtful words that cut like a knife. The way you sharpen each other is by bringing out their good qualities. You know how to push the wrong buttons that bring out the worst.

make them argue, upset, get them off course, why don't you try pushing the right buttons that bring out their best? Praise them for what you like. Encourage them in what they're good at. Be a voice of faith and strength that propels them toward their destiny. The truth is, we're all going to have some weaknesses till the day we die. We should be growing, making progress, but there will still be something that we're working on. If you don't learn, to see the good in people and overlook the things that you don't like, you're going to live frustrated. And celebrating partial victories means you celebrate the people in your life that are not finished. They're still growing, still dealing with some weaknesses. It's easy to write them off,

get upset, not give them the time of day, be unfriendly. Why don't you try a new approach and make allowances for their weaknesses? Overlook those petty things that are getting on your nerves. Focus on the good qualities, the things that you fell in love in the first place in your spouse. They're still there. You've just discovered these other qualities that you didn't see while you were dating. They hadn't come to light yet. But before you pack up and find somebody else, try celebrating the good in that man, the good in that woman. They're on the potter's will. God's in the process of changing them. If you'll be grateful for the good, God will take you. you to very good. I'm asking you to celebrate your partial victories. Cheer your spouse on even though

they're not perfect. Feel good about who you are even though you're still struggling in some areas. Thank God for the foundation even though you don't have the whole building up. Take time to celebrate in phases. I've learned the more you thank God, the more he'll release strength, healing, favor, and breakthroughs. And if you will celebrate partial victories, I'll I believe and declare what God started in your life, he's going to finish. You're going to break bad habits, accomplish dreams, and become everything he's created you to be. In Jesus' name, if you receive it today, can you say amen? We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life.

Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart, I make you, my Lord and Savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place. He's going to take you places that you've never dreamed. Fear can be a powerful force and will try to make you feel alone, stuck, without hope.

But fear doesn't have to get the final say. There is a way out. Fear is a powerful force. but so is faith. What we focus on shapes our reality. In my new book, No More Fear, you have the mind of Christ. I'll show you how to silence fear and live boldly in faith and confidence. Just like David said, though I walk through the valley, I will not fear. You too can walk through life's challenges without being paralyzed by fear. I can't promise you you'll never feel fear, but I can teach you how to rise above it by dwelling on what God says, learning to report,

place the anxious thoughts with faith-filled ones. You can live from a place of peace, power, and purpose. 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, No More Fear. You have the Mind of Christ. The Bible proclaims, The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? This powerful and practical book will help you silenced doubt, overcome anxiety, and step boldly into God's overcoming power. When fear whispers, you can't. This devotional will stir your faith to declare, God will. Each page reminds you that you weren't created to live in fear or despair. You were created to live with passion, purpose, and confidence in God's plans for your life. Let God's word equip you to rise above fear

and walk in victory. Fear doesn't have the final say. God does. Be bold, be strong, and step up to who he made you to be. Victoria and I want you to know we're praying for you and your family, believing for God's very best. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity is helping people around the world.

As we finish this year, I hope you'll consider making a special year-in gift helps to keep the ministry strong. I always want to thank our champion of hope partners for your monthly gifts. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Until we see you next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Joel's new book. No more fear.

You have the mind of Christ. Visit Joelosteen.com or call 888-567, Joel. And for an additional gift this month, we're also offering the God's Word Work Study Collection. This empowering set includes the NIV, The Message Parallel Bible, Joel's No More Fear Devotional, the classic How to Read Your Bible and enjoy it, plus a beautifully crafted leather bookmark with pen. You can request these inspiring scripture discovery resources by calling 888-567, Joel, or logging on to Joel Lowstein.com today.

Call or click anytime, 24 hours a day. Silence fear. Strengthen your spirit. Let God's Word equip you to rise above fear and walk in victory. Request these resources today.