Joel Osteen Podcast - Coming Up Higher | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: September 13, 2024

How high we rise in life is directly related to our obedience. When you allow God to guide you, you will experience new levels of His favor. 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 still works miraclestoday just as He did in Scripture! InMiracles Happen, you’ll find stories of 30 miracles from the Bible plus 5 modern-day miracles. Let our September offer stir your faith and increase your expectation—your miracle is on the way!Request your copy today,https://bit.ly/3SVZvsb.  Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of the Joel Osteen Podcast ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We believe you're going to have an awesome 2024, healthy, productive, and favor-filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. Well, God bless you. It is always our joy to come into your homes. We may not know you by name, but we believe you're a part of our extended family. We're believing that this is going to be the best year of your life. I know that God rewards the people that seek after him, and that's you or you will. wouldn't be watching today.

And if you're ever in our area, you've got to stop by and see us. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. I tell you often, these are the finest people in all of Houston, right here at Lakewood. So come out and see you sometime. I like to get started each week with something kind of funny. And one day Adam was talking to God. And he said, God, why did you make Eve so beautiful? God said, so you would love her.

He said, why did you give her such long, flowing hair? Same thing, so you would love her. Why'd you give her such a great figure? Said it again, so you would love her. He said, all right, God, tell me this. You made her so beautiful, so attractive. Why did you make her so dumb? God said, that's easy, Adam.

So she would love you. Hold up your Bibles. 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. I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living seed of the Word of God. I will never be the same, never, never, never, never, I'll never be the same in Jesus' name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about not getting stuck in a rut and becoming all that God, God's created you to be. God has a great plan for each of our lives. And his dream is that we continually be rising to new levels. But how how we go in life and how much of God's favor and blessings we experience will be directly related to how obedient we are. And one of the ways that God

leads us is through our conscience. Right down in here, all of a sudden you feel a prompting, a suggestion, you know you should do something. Or maybe you're about to make a decision, an alarm goes off on the inside. You feel an unrest, an uneasiness. Something says, hey, hold off. Don't do that. That's God talking to us. He's trying to lead us and guide us. And it's up to each one of us to be quick to obey and not ignore that still small voice. God's trying to keep us on the best path. And throughout life, God will deal with us and bring areas to light that we need to improve in. He knows the things that are holding us back. He knows our faults, our weaknesses, the things that we keep sweeping under the rug. And he will bring these things to our attention.

And if we're going to continue to increase, we have to be willing to face the truth about ourselves and deal with these things. A lot of people don't realize the reason they're stuck. the reason they can't break out of that rut in their marriage, their finances, their career, it's because they're not dealing with the issues that God keeps bringing up. Things like a bad attitude, how they treat people, the friends they choose, what they watch, the unforgiveness in their heart. They just sweep it under the rug and go against their conscience. They ignore the still small voice, and that's keeping them right where they are.

And sometimes we think, well, Joel, it's hard. I know I should forgive, but they hurt me so badly. Or I know I need to get in shape, but I don't really have the time. I know I need to quit working so much, but I need the extra money. No, if we could just understand, everything God tells us is for our good. God is never trying to hold us back. He's never trying to make our lives more difficult. He's trying to release more of his favor.

He's trying to release more of his blessings. And I'm asking us today to look in. inside? Are there things in your life that God's been dealing with you about that you keep putting off? You keep ignoring, getting your finances in order, being less judgmental, keeping strife out of the home, making peace with somebody. Search your heart and pay attention to what God is saying to you. Some of you, God's been dealing with you for years about your friends, the people you're choosing to hang around. You know they're not a good influence. You know they're pulling you down, but you keep making excuses. Joel, I don't want to hurt their feelings. If I don't hang around

them, I may be lonely. I may not have any friends. But the fact is, if you'll make the right changes and do what you feel good about down in here, God will give you new friends. Not only that, he'll give you better friends, people that pull you up and don't drag you down. And yes, we may go through a season of being lonely, but I'd rather be lonely for a little while, knowing that I'm rising higher, knowing that I'm going to fulfill my destiny, I'd rather do that than let people pollute me and keep me from being all God's created me to be. Anytime you obey, there is a blessing that will follow. Every time you're obedient, you're sowing a seed to come up higher.

It may not happen overnight, but at some point, in some way, shape, or form, you will see God's goodness in a greater way. And I wonder how many people today are stuck somewhere in life simply because they're still hanging around with people that they know years ago they should have gotten away from at the office, sitting at lunch every day with people that gossip, criticize, talk about people, bad mouth the company. Well, Joel, I can't help it. They're in the lunchroom. Yes, you can.

Go find somewhere else to eat lunch. Don't allow them to poison you. Do you know if you hang around negative and critical people, before long, most likely, you will become negative and critical. If you hang around jealous, fault-finding people, I'm telling you that old jealous, fault-finding spirit is going to rub off on you. You want to know what you're going to be like in the future? Just take a look at your friends.

It says in Proverbs, if you walk with wise men, you will become wise. In other words, we will become exactly like the people that we're hanging around. And really, there are a lot of things in life that we can get away with, But my question today is how high do you want to go? Do you want to continue to increase? Do you want to see more of God's blessings in favor? If so, the higher we go, the lower our flesh has to go. That means the more disciplined we have to be.

The quicker we have to learn to obey. If you're hanging around people that compromise, cheat on their spouse, have no integrity, you're just asking for trouble. Well, Joel, I do that. It doesn't bother me. doesn't seem to hurt me one bit. No, you don't know how much that's holding you back. You don't know what God wants to release, but he cannot do that. If you just get away from the negative influences and do what you feel good about down in here, you would see God's favor in a new way. You would rise to a

higher level. And understand, the longer we put something off, the more difficult it is to do later on. And many times, the more problems it causes us right now. It's much, you're much, you. It's much better to learn to be quick to obey. The moment you feel the uneasiness, the moment the alarm goes off and something says, hey, this isn't right. Don't do it. Don't go day after day, month after month, year after year. No, do it right then. That's God talking to you, trying to keep you on his very best path. And here's the thing. God has given us all our own free will. God will not force us to do what's right. He won't force us to make good decisions. It's up to each one of us. It's up to each one of us, individually to pay attention to that still small voice and not get so busy and so caught up in

our way that we miss what God is trying to tell us. Even right now, most likely God is speaking something to every one of us. Deep down in here, we know of a few things we should be doing, but we keep putting off. Hell, I know I need to spend more time with my family. I know I need to get my finances in order. I know I need to quit drinking so many colas. I know I need to get back in shape. See, God deals with us with very practical things. Learn to act on it. In fact, I was talking to a lady the other day. She told me how all of a sudden she felt this strong urge right down in here to go get a checkup, to get a physical. And here, she is a very young woman, looked as healthy as can be, active, energetic, exercises regularly. Normally, that's the furthest thing from our

mind, but she just kept having that feeling right here. Go see the doctor. go get a checkup, the still small voice. And for several weeks, she just ignored it, put it off. Oh, man, I'm fine. That's not for me. But she couldn't get away from it. A couple of months later, she finally went to the doctor. And at the checkup, he found a small cyst in her body.

Come to find out, it was malignant. Long story short, he was able to completely remove it. And because it hadn't spread, she didn't have to have any further treatment. Afterwards, the doctor told her, It's a very good thing you came in when you did, because a couple of years later, and this would have been a major problem, could have even been a life-threatening situation. And she was so grateful. She said, Joel, I know that was God. I would have never normally gone to the doctor.

And I don't say that to bring fear, simply to make the point that we need to listen to the still small voice. God knows what's best for us. And some of you today, if you don't start obeying what you know is right concerning the small voice, how you treat people, concerning how you treat your mate, that relationship is not going to last. This can save you so much heartache and pain. I've had people come to me with tears in their eyes. They say, Joel, I knew I should have kept the strife out of my family. I knew I should have spent more time with them. I knew I shouldn't have been so hard to get along with. Don't let that be you. Be obedient now so you don't have regrets later on. Victoria and I were married in 1987. And for the first

couple of years, like any young couple, I guess, we were trying to learn to become one. The problem was she wasn't learning the way I wanted her to. And we didn't have any major problems, just little things, arguing over things that didn't matter, always wanting to have my way, not being willing to compromise. And I'll never forget, God spoke to me back then, not out loud, just like I'm talking about right down in here. He said, Joel, if you don't make changes and do your part to keep the peace in the family. You're not only going to change the beautiful girl you married, but it's going to cause you major problems in the future. And thank God, I was smart enough

to heed that warning. And we quit arguing over little things, and we were willing to make compromises and adjustments to make our marriage work out. And the day we're as happy as it can be. We have a great relationship most of the time. When she's obedient. But you too, if you would just do what you know down in here is right, overlooking some things, biting your tongue when you want to argue, being the bigger person to keep the peace. That would save you so much heartache. I know some couples, they just live to push each other's buttons. They're always at odds with each other, no joy, no peace. Listen, you've got to come up higher. You've got to make changes. Well, Joel, I'm waiting for him to do it. I'm waiting for her to do it. Now, do you know who

the bigger person is, the one that makes the first move. The most mature person is the one that takes the high road to keep the peace. God's dealing with some of you about your mouth, not saying so many hurtful, critical things. You've developed a bad habit. You know down in here it's destroying the relationship. Well, don't be hard-headed. Don't have to have 25 alarms go off before you do something about it. After all, most of the time, God's not going to hit us over the head with a ball-back. and say, hey, come on, you're ruining your marriage. You're going to end up hurting lonely. No, he just whispers it. It's the still small voice. We have to be sensitive. Pay attention and do whatever it takes to keep your family together. Too often we make excuses.

Well, I know I should treat my spouse better. I know I'm kind of disrespectful, Joel, but they're disrespectful to me. I know I shouldn't watch this junk on television, but everybody else is doing it. I know I kind of got a chip on my shoulder. I know I'm hard to get along with, but I've been through a lot in life. It's just not fair. No excuses keep us right where we are. Let's learn to deal with things. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be at this same place next year as I am right now. I want to be more mature. I want to have a better attitude. I want to be a better father, a better husband. The only way that's going to happen is for us to stay open and deal with the issues God brings to light. It may be something

simple as how you talk to your spouse, your tone of voice, your body language, your facial expressions. Well, Joel, I'm nice. I don't say things wrong. Maybe not, but if you talk like that, if you're harsh, if you're short, if you're just always matter of fact, if you listen right down in here, you'll feel that conviction. Something says that's not right. You can do better. You can be kinder. And if you will make those simple adjustments, you will see the relationship go to a new level. most of the time it is not the big things that are holding us back. It's just the small things. I know people that are jealous. They see somebody that's blessed, somebody that's prospering. Instead of being happy for them and rejoicing with them, they go around talking about them,

finding fault, being critical, being judgmental. And what's interesting is most of the time that person could have the same success, the same joy, the same fulfillment. The problem was they weren't willing to pay the price. They weren't willing to make the sacrifices the other person made to get to where they are. In other words, they weren't disciplined to listen to the still small voice. They weren't disciplined to obey their conscience.

And yes, we all have different gifts and talents, but what I'm saying is any one of us can rise higher and higher and higher. There is no limit to what God will do in your life if you will learn to be quick to obey and deal with the issues he brings delight, even small things. I know the other day I was watching a minister on television. He's a fine man. He's got a great ministry. But as I was watching, I began to critique the production of the program.

Most of you know, that's my background, television production. So I was sitting there not even really paying attention thinking, why'd they put the camera there? That background doesn't look good. And he shouldn't be wearing that. And that light's not adjusted right. Before you knew it, I'd found a dozen things I would have done differently. And all the sudden, I felt that still small voice, say, Joel, don't be critical. Look for the good. Look at what they're doing right. Look at all the people that they're helping. I felt that conviction. I could have easily blown it off. Could have ignored it. Nobody would have known. But no, I've learned to just quickly say, Father, forgive me. Help me to never be critical. Help me to do better. Help me to always see the good. See, that was an opportunity.

for me to come up higher. God showed me something, although small, that it would keep me from being my very, very best. And no, I'm not perfect, but I've learned to deal with things like that. I've learned to stay open and look for ways that I can improve. I don't want to get stuck in life. And I want to stir you to action. Don't keep putting things off. Make a decision with me that you're going to do what you know you should be doing. And as I said, there's a lot we can do in life and get away with. We can run with the wrong crowd and still get to heaven. We can treat people disrespectfully. We can be sloppy in our business affairs.

But I'm talking about rising higher. I'm talking about being the very best that you can be. I know some of you, God's dealing with you about your finances. You're living above your means, spending more than you can afford, charging everything on the credit card, paying 18, 20, 24% interest. And at the same time, praying for God to help you financially. God helped me get out of debt. And of course, God does want to help us, but we have to do our part.

Most of the time, if we're really honest, what's happened is way back here, we made a purchase that we didn't feel good about. We bought the car, the house, the boat. The alarm was going off. We just ignored it. And now we're in this bind. It's much better to learn to obey all along the way than we don't have to deal with many of these issues. And I'm not trying to make anybody feel bad.

but rather to challenge us to obey right now. This is one of the most important principles we will ever learn. Follow peace. Listen to your conscience. Deal with the issues God brings to light. Don't put it off. The longer you put it off, the more difficult it's going to be. And as I said, God deals with us about very practical things.

Maybe he's dealing with you today about how you spend your time. You know you need to be more organized, more efficient. more focused. Well, don't put that off. Maybe it's something as simple as you need to get to work on time. You're always running late and you keep ignoring it. Hell, Joel, I know I need to get up earlier. I know I need to be more disciplined. Well, don't put it off any longer. Come up higher in that area. Some of you know you need to make peace with somebody. You're at odds with a family member. You're at strife between you and a business associate, between you and a neighbor. And you keep putting it all. It's not my fault, Joel. They started this fight. They brought it on themselves. No, you have to be the bigger person. Swallow your pride and keep the peace. I know people that spend years and years of their life with unforgiveness on the inside. Somebody did them wrong.

Somebody hurt them. They know they need to let it go. It bothers their conscience, but they just won't do it. And now the bitterness is poisoning their life, poisoning their attitude. You cannot just sweep things like that under the rug. and think, oh, it doesn't matter. It's not hurting me. Maybe I'll deal with it one day. No, you need to deal with it now. That's going to keep you right where you are. That's a weight that will hold you back from being your very best. Too many people today are stuck in a rut simply because they refuse to deal with things. They sweep it under the rug. And then they wonder why they're not happy, why they're not increasing, why they can't sleep well at night. It's because their conscience is not clear. We cannot bury things and expect to rise higher and have God's very best.

I think about David. You remember when he committed adultery with Bashiba. On top of that, he tried to cover it up and he had her husband killed, send him out to the front lines of the battle. And for one year, David just swept that under the rug. He didn't repent. He didn't feel sorry. He just ignored it and went about his business. He thought, if I don't deal with it, if I ignore it, won't bother me, it won't affect me. But do you know that was one of the worst years of David's life? He was miserable. The scripture says he was weak, he was sick, he had all kinds of problems. And that's what happens to us when we refuse to deal with issues. It drags us down. Really, we step out of God's protection and favor. It's very costly to just sweep things under the rug. We go around

with that guilty conscience. We don't feel good about ourselves. We take it out of our own. We take it out on other people. Many times, just like David, we're weak, defeated in mediocrity. It's because of the poison on the inside. But friends, there's no reason for any of us to live that way. Our God is a forgiving God. Our God is a merciful God. When you make mistakes, you don't have to hide it. When you do wrong, don't run away from God, run to God. The scripture says here in 1 John 1, verse 9, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us. When we make mistakes. When we do wrong, there are three things that we should do. Number one, admit it. Don't try to justify it. Well, I did wrong, Joel, but I was under a lot of pressure. I was dishonest, but everybody else was doing it.

No, don't make excuses. Don't beat around the bush. Just call it what it is. I was wrong. Number two, we need to confess our sins. It's not. Not enough to just think about it. We need to get along with God. And in a quiet moment, just say, God, I'm sorry. I did wrong. I made a bad choice. I hurt somebody.

I'm asking for your forgiveness. I'm asking for your mercy. The third thing, very important, we need to repent. Repent means we turn around and we don't do it again. It means we go off in a different direction. We cannot go to God and say, I'm sorry, and then keep doing the same thing again and again. We need to change our ways, change our best. behavior. A lot of people are sorry they did wrong. They're sorry they hurt somebody, but they're not

sincere enough to turn away and not do it again. We got to learn to do like David. After that year, he finally got it out into the open. He said, God, I'm sorry, forgive me, create in me a clean heart, restore the joy of my salvation. When he did that, that's when God restored him. That's when he got his joy back, his peace back, his victory back. He went on to do great things. But you think about it, David could have got stuck right there in defeat, in mediocrity for the rest of his life, had he refused to deal with that issue. And I'm asking us today, are there things in your life that you keep sweeping under the rug? Things that you're burying, things that you're refusing to deal with. If so, why don't you get it out in the open today?

When you ask for forgiveness, just like David, God can restore you. That's when he'll put you on your best path. That's when he'll give you a new beginning. But as long as we have things buried, it's going to keep us right where we are. And God deals with each one of us individually. We're all at different levels. And we should never compare ourselves because when we do that, we end up making excuses. For instance, maybe all your friends are going to see a movie.

And you read the review, and right down in here, you don't feel good about it. You know it would not be God's best for you. And the alarm goes off. Your conscience tells you, hey, don't do that. well, there's an opportunity for you to come up higher. The easy thing to do is just blow it off and say, oh, it's not going to hurt me. I'm strong.

Besides, all my friends, they love God. They come to church. They're good people. No, you don't know that God didn't deal with them and they ignored it. Maybe they're at a different level in their spiritual walk. Or maybe they'd be a whole lot more blessed if they would quit giving in. You've got to do what you feel good about in your own heart. It may cost you a few friends.

it may mean you have a few nights lonely. Maybe you can't play on that ball team that parties after every game. But remember, anything God asked you to do is for your benefit. It's so he can ultimately release more of his favor into your life. And too often we're short-sighted. Well, I hear what he's saying. I got to start getting up early and getting to work on time. That's going to be a pain. I know, I need to get back in shape. I've heard those messages. I've got to eat right. No, it may be a little difficult at the beginning, maybe a little uncomfortable early on, but later on when you get that promotion, later on when you feel better, later on when you have better relationships, you'll be very happy you were willing to pay the price. Do what's right now

so you don't have these regrets later on. And understand, anything God asks us to do, he always gives us the grace to do it. If God asks you to forgive somebody, you may not think you can. But if you will take that step of faith, the grace will be there to help you. But you don't get the grace unless you step out. You have to make the first move. Some of you don't think you could ever get out of that habit of being critical, sarcastic, saying hurtful things. But if you would just have the desire, if you would just be disciplined to bite your tongue and walk away a couple times, God would see that step of faith. And he'd give you a supernatural strength to help you overcome. Friends, God has so many great things in store for every one of you.

Don't you dare get stuck in a rut. Don't you dare settle for mediocrity with bad habits, bad attitudes. Pay attention to the still small voice on the inside. Deal with the issues God brings to light. Learn to be quick to obey. Remember how high we go in life is going to be directly related to how obedient we are. And I know sometimes you see your friends out doing things and you just can't feel good about it, seems kind of unfair. But the scripture says, to whom much is given, much is required.

That simply means God's getting you prepared for greater things. He's going to take you further than you thought possible. I just challenge you again. Do your best. Look inside. Don't ever ignore your conscience. If you'll live this obedient life, you will rise higher and higher. God has promised he'll pour out more of his blessings in favor. And I know, God will live. God will do for you what he's done for me. He'll take you places that you've never even dreamed of. Amen. Do you receive it today? 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 your places that you've never dreamed out. Sometimes the difficulties of life can be so overwhelming. You feel like you're stumbling around in the dark. Things are so bad, you would need a miracle to change your situation. But is a miracle even possible? We all face situations where we don't see a way out.

It's easy to get discouraged and give up on what we're believing for. That's how we felt in 1981. My mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a few weeks to live. Nothing could be done, medically speaking, but she chose to believe that God is a miracle worker. Today, 43 years later, by the grace of God, she's still healthy and strong. I'm so grateful to be alive. I'm 90 years young. I thank God every day that he still does miracles.

I'd love to send you my new book. It's called Miracles Happened. It's filled with powerful stories of miracles from the scripture and, real life stories of people that have seen the hand of God. It'll help build your faith so you can believe what seems impossible. God did it for my mother. He'll do it for you. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount to the ministry this month,

Joel and Victoria would like to send you this powerful book, Miracles Happen, Your Journey to Supernatural Breakthrough. This new book details 30 different miracles from the Word of God, and each one comes with an encouragement and application. to your own life. God has miracles stored up for you. Healing, freedom, favor, breakthroughs. Miracles still happen today. And faith is what activates God's power. When you believe, all things are possible. That's when you'll see the hand of God do supernatural things in your life. Victoria and I are standing in faith with you. We pray for you every day. We appreciate your prayer and

support. Your generosity is impacting so many lives. Remember, you can watch. Watch the services live online every Sunday morning. Download our daily podcast. Watch on YouTube, the new Joel Osteen Network, listen on Sirius XM. Until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Miracles Happen. Your journey to Supernatural Breakthrough today. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel.