Joel Osteen Podcast - Dealing With Unexpected Difficulties | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

When you find yourself in a difficult season, you have to remember that difficulty is not a surprise to God. It may feel unexpected, but if God allowed it, He has a way to use it for your advantage. 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 refresh how you experience time in His Word! In this brand-new book, you’ll find 12 powerful lenses that will transform the way you read your Bible. Let our November offer show you How to Read Your Bible & Enjoy It https://bit.ly/4f5GjAY.  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's a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great things in store. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks so much for tuning in today. And again, thank you for coming out. I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard about these two little boys, ages four and six. They were brothers. They were spending the night with their grandmother. She told them before they went to bed to make sure that they said their prayers.

They went in the room and got down on their knees. And the smallest boy began praying at the top of his lungs. God, I pray for a new bicycle. I pray for a new PlayStation. I pray for a new DVD. It's brother, punched him. He said, why are you screaming? God isn't death. He said, I know that, but grandmother is. 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. In Jesus name, God bless you. I want to talk to you today about dealing with unexpected difficulties. It's one thing to know that you're going into a challenging season, you get prepared for it,

you get mentally ready. But what about the difficulties that we didn't see coming? The unexpected crisis that catches us off guard. It's so overwhelming, it's almost like it knocks the wind out of us. A few years after Victoria and I were married, there was a knock on the door. I answered it and a police officer was standing there. He handed me an envelope and said, somebody really doesn't like you. I said, what do you mean? I didn't think I had an enemy in the world. He said, this man is suing you over some property that you sold him. I wasn't expecting to be in a

lawsuit at 24 years old. One time I was driving to lunch with some friends. We had just left the church and I got a phone call saying that my sister Lisa had opened a mail bomb. it exploded in her lap. I wasn't expecting to be rushing to the hospital hoping she would survive. A gentleman was at our service last week. He came home from work just like normal, thought it was an ordinary day. But there was a note on the kitchen table saying his wife had fallen in love with someone else.

In life, we all have to deal with the unexpected. Just because we're a believer, just because we're a good person doing the right thing, doesn't make us exempt from trouble. The scripture says the rain falls on the just and the unjust. In these times where something unexpected has happened, the boss called you in and said, I'm sorry, we don't need you anymore. The doctor says, we see something on your exam that doesn't look good. When you find yourself facing a crisis,

it's easy to panic and fall all apart. But you have to realize that crisis, is not a surprise to God. It may be unexpected to us, but God knows the end from the beginning. God has solutions to problems that we haven't even had. And God would not have allowed the difficulty

unless he had a divine purpose for it. You have to remind yourself, you are in a controlled environment. It may feel like your circumstances are out of control, but the creator of the universe is in complete control. He has you in the palm of his hand. Nothing can happen to you without God's permission. In fact, God is even in control of our enemies. The scripture talks about how God caused

Pharaoh to harden his heart and not let the people go. Notice God caused him to be difficult. Why was that? So God could show his power in extraordinary ways. When something, and unexpected happens, catches you off guard, instead of falling apart and blaming God and panicking, our attitude should be, God, I know you're still on the throne. This is not a surprise to you. You wouldn't have allowed it unless you had a purpose. And it may look like a set back, but I know the truth, it's a set up for you to show your power in a greater way. it's a set up for you to show my unbelieving co-workers your greatness. God's purpose in the crisis is to not just show us his power,

but to show other people what he can do. And if you will view that adversity as an opportunity for God to display his greatness, then God will use you as an example. He wants your neighbors to say, how in the world did they make it? The medical report said impossible, but look at her today. She's as strong and healthy as can be. Or they got laid off at the worst possible time, but look at them now. They got a better job than we do.

Friends, God wants to turn your test into a testimony. That's why God will not stop every adversity. Being a believer doesn't make us immune to difficulty, but God promises if we'll stay in faith, he will take what was meant for our harm and not only use it to our advantage, but he will use it to display his greatness to other people. And so when something unexpected happens, instead of falling apart and panicking, no, that's when more than ever, you need to expect God to show up and turn the situation around. Expect God's favor. Expect his

supernatural power. And it is true that the rain falls on the just and the unjust, but here's the difference. For the just, for the believer, that's you and me, the script. The scripture, the says no weapon formed against us will ever prosper. It doesn't say that something would never form. You'll never have any rain. You'll never have unexpected trouble. No, it says in effect, you may go through some difficulties. You may get a negative medical report. You may see a relationship turned sour, but because you're a child of the most high God, that difficulty is not going to prosper against you. This means in the end, it's not going to get the best of you. You're going to get the best of it. God's not only going to bring you out, he's going to bring you out better off

than you were before. And when we face an unexpected challenge, it's easy to get down on ourselves and think, well, I'm trying to do my best, trying to honor God, I must be doing something wrong. I must just not be doing good enough. Well, a lot of times the reason we have difficulties is not because we're doing something wrong, but because we're doing something right. It's because you're making a difference. It's because you're taking new ground for your family. It's because you're a threat to the enemy.

He would leave you alone if you weren't advancing the kingdom. He wouldn't bother you if he didn't know God had something amazing in your future. That's why he's trying to get you discouraged and bitter and blaming God to keep you from the new levels that God has in store. You say, Joel, I don't understand why these people at the office give me such a hard time.

I treat them with respect. I work hard. I mind my own business. But they're always criticizing, finding fault with me. Listen, that's not because you're doing anything wrong. If you acted like them, they'd leave you alone. If you were lazy and complained and had a bad attitude, it's because you're doing something right.

It's because you're letting your light shine. Darkness never likes the light, but don't worry about it. Light will always overtake the darkness. Just keep shining, keep smiling, keep treating people good, even though they're not treating you good. Keep doing the right thing, even though the wrong thing's happening. That trouble is a sure sign that God has something amazing in your future. And the enemy's not going to roll out the red carpet and let us fulfill our destiny unopposed. He's going to throw out unexpected challenges, unexpected trouble, unexpected difficulties.

But know this. The God we serve has unexpected favor, unexpected healing, unexpected breakthroughs, unexpected turnarounds. Matthew chapter 13, Jesus told us story about a man that went out to his field and planted wheat in the ground. He sowed good seed. This represents he was doing the right thing, honoring God with his life, being good to others. But it says, while he slept, an enemy came in and planted weeds in his soil. The man was asleep. He didn't know what happened. He was expecting to have a great harvest of wheat.

He had done the right things. He had sown the right seeds. But when it came time for harvest, all of a sudden, the weed sprung up among his wheat. anytime you're doing the right thing, you're living a life that's honoring God, you're being your best each day, don't be surprised if you find some weeds among your wheat. Doesn't mean that you're doing anything wrong. And it's one thing to know you're sowing bad seeds and compromising, not living right. And you can expect to reap trouble and adversity. That's no big surprise. But what about like this man? When you're doing the right thing,

sowing the right seeds, but you look in your field and you see things popping up that you didn't plant. That doesn't seem fair. The workers said to this farmer, where did these weeds come from? We saw you. We know you sowed good seeds. The farmer said, an enemy has come in and sown these destructive seeds. It's the same way today. There is an enemy that has sown weeds in all of our lives.

The good news is those weeds do not have to keep us from our God-given destiny. It's interesting. It says that when the wheat was ready for harvest, the weeds sprung up unexpectedly, suddenly. This tells me that when we are close to our victory, when we are on the verge of our greatest accomplishment, our greatest breakthrough, when you're about to go into the harvest season, that's when the unexpected challenges. will pop up to try to keep us from moving forward. I remember when my father went to be with the Lord back in 1999, I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church.

And I felt a strength, a confidence, a peace like I'd never felt before. I knew I was stepping into a new level of my life, a new level of my destiny. But at the same time, I never felt such fear, intimidation, feelings of inadequacy. What was that? There were two crops coming up, the one I had planted of faith, of confidence, of victory, and the one the enemy had planted of doubt, unbelief, you can't do this. I could have easily talked myself out of it, but I realized those destructive thoughts were just weeds that the enemy had sown into my good soil. They were popping up right when it was my time for harvest. Now, I had the attitude, hey, I didn't sew it. I don't have to reap. it. I'm going to reap the confidence, the faith, the victory. I'm going to step into that new level

of my destiny. And some of you today are wondering, where did this trouble come from? Doesn't make any sense. I worked for this company loyally for 20 years. How could they lay me off? Or I've done my best to stay healthy, to stay in shape, to exercise. Why did I come down with this sickness? Friends, those are simply weeds that the enemy has sown into your life. They may pop up. They may pop up, up at just the wrong time. When you should be enjoying the best of life, you have a sickness to deal with. Business slows down. A child starts acting up. Here's what I'm saying. Don't panic. Don't start blaming God. You are close to your breakthrough. Your harvest is coming. That's why those unexpected challenges are popping up. Let me tell you, if those weeds could keep you from your destiny,

God would have never allowed them to be planted. If that trouble could stop you, God would have never permitted it to happen. It says in 1. Peter 412, don't think it's strange when you encounter fiery trials. It's saying don't be surprised by difficulties. Don't get bent out of shape when you face tough times. I want us to see these unexpected challenges in a new light.

Instead of falling apart, thinking I can't believe, this is happening. No, our attitude should be. It's just another weed. No big deal. I didn't sow it. I don't have to reap it. God said he would take care of it for me. For some reason, you got laid off, lost your job. Don't panic.

It's just a weeds popping up. If you'll stay in faith, God will not only open up another door, but he'll give you a better job with better benefits, better friends, making better money. If you were to get a bad report about your health,

Don't fall apart. Why, God, me? No, view that sickness as a weed. It's not permanent. It's temporary. It can't keep you from your destiny. You're a child of the most high God. And if it's not your time to go, you're not going to go. Or maybe a friend betrays you, walks out of a relationship. Next time you see them, just say, hello, weed. You don't need them to become who God's created you to be. All right, don't say it. but you can sure think it. This parable ends with the workers asking the farmer, should we go out and pull up the weeds? The farmer says, no, just wait. And at the right time, the weeds will be destroyed. That's what God is saying to us. The weeds that pop up, the unexpected difficulties,

you don't have to fight those battles. Don't spend your life constantly trying to pull up all the weeds and fix everything in your own strength. If you do that, you'll end up destroying the harvest when you were trying to destroy the weeds. Just wait and let God take care of it for you. God knows how to fight your battles. God knows how to make your wrongs right. God knows which doors need to be opened, which people need to be moved out of the way so you can get to where you're supposed to be.

Years ago, I was on a flight to India with my father. and we'd been flying for about 13 hours. We had another couple of hours to go. Up to that point, it'd been a very smooth, comfortable flight. But at one point, we hit some turbulence like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It was like a roller coaster. The plane was going every which way. There was food and bags up on the ceiling. Then they'd come down and go right back up again. For 10 minutes, it was the wildest ride of my life. People were hollering, babies were crying. That plane was shaking so violently, you were sure it was going to break apart. And me being the great man of faith that I am, I thought this is it. It's over. There's no way we're

going to make it through. But sure enough, in about 10 minutes, it seemed like in eternity, we made it through the turbulence, and it was just as calm and smooth as it was before. an hour two later, we landed safely at our destination. And that's the way it is in life. We're going along just fine, got a good job, healthy, children are blessed. Then we hit some turbulence. We get a negative medical report. A relationship goes through a storm.

We're named in a lawsuit. Our mind tells us, this is the way it's always going to be. You're never going to get well. That lawsuit's going to sink you. The relationship's never going to work out. No, can I tell you, you're just in a part of your 10 minutes of turbulence. This too shall pass. God is still on the throne.

He's brought you safe and sound this far. Just because it's rocky and people around you are hollering and you feel like panicking, doesn't mean it's over. Sooner or later, you're going to come through that turbulence and it's going to be just as smooth and calm as it was before. And I've learned in life, basically every person is going to have 10 minutes of turbulence. Not all at once, but a minute or two here, a minute or two there. In those tough times when you feel like the plane is going to break apart, you feel like panicking, living upset and worried, you've got to come back to that place of trust and say,

no, I know the creator of the universe is piloting my plane. The most high God is directed my steps. and he said, no weapon formed against me is going to prosper. He said, did not be surprised by these fiery trials. So I'm not going to panic, get upset, drop out of church, live life better. No, I'm going to come back to that place of peace, and I'm going to enjoy my life right in the midst of these difficulties. I've heard it said, trouble is inevitable, but misery is optional. We're all going to face trouble. Unfair situations are going to come, but it's tough. totally up to us as to whether we're going to fall apart and panic and get upset and drop out

of church and live life sour. He heard about this man that was out walking. He got bit by a dog. He was so upset. He went to the doctor and they discovered the dog had rabies and he was going to have to get some shots and now he was really upset and been out of shape and angry. The doctor came back in to give him the shots and he saw the man making out a list. He thought the man was writing out his will. The doctor kind of laughed and said, sir, it's not that bad. You're not going to die. The man said, this is not my will. This is a list of all the people I'm going to bite. I know people like that. They encounter one of their 10 minutes of turbulence and they get mad at the world. They go around spreading that poison everywhere they go. Don't let that be you. Don't let that be

me. When something unexpected happens, our attitude should be, I'm not impressed. this difficulty doesn't move me. I'm not going to complain, get bitter, start panicking. No, I know this two shall pass. It's just another step on the way to my divine destiny. This is what Joseph had to do. He constantly was dealing with unexpected difficulties. He never expected his own brothers to throw him into a pit and sell him into slavery. He could have said, God, that's not fair. I thought you put a dream in my heart. No, Joseph understood this principle. He knew he didn't sow those seeds, and God would take care of the weeds, so he just kept being his best.

He never expected Potiphar's wife to lie about him, have him thrown into prison. He never expected his cellmate when he got out to forget all about Joseph, even though he had done him nothing but good. It was one bad break after another. Joseph could have easily gotten bitter and angry and made that list. of everybody he was going to bite. No, his attitude was, this is all just a part of my 10 minutes of turbulence.

These are weeds that the enemy has sown into my good soil, so I'm not worried about it. I know these weeds cannot keep me from my God-given destiny. He just kept being his best, and you know the story. He ended up second in command of the whole nation.

He's the one that said, what was meant for my harm, God used to my advantage. And you may be in one of your 10 minutes of turbulence right now. It looks very difficult, but I'm here to tell you, this too shall pass. God did not bring you this far to fail you now. It may be rocky. The medical report may say impossible. The financial situation may tell you you're going under. In the natural you don't see any way, but God is saying, I still have a way. I'm Jehovah Jira, the Lord your provider. I'm Jehovah Rafa, the Lord your healer. I am Elshad I, the God who is more than enough.

If that crisis could stop you, if those brothers throwing you into the pit, so to speak, like Joseph, could ruin your life, you can be assured God would have never allowed it to happen. If that person that hurt you, that disappointment you went through, could have kept you from your destiny, no, the most high God would not have permitted that. What am I saying? saying, if you're alive and breathing, you can still become everything that God has created you to be. Don't allow a crisis that you've gone through or you're going through or you ever go through to steal your joy and keep you from pressing forward. Just remember that scripture, Romans 828, all things are going to work together for your good. The key word is together.

A difficulty on its own may not make sense. but when it comes together one day, it will make sense. I mentioned earlier how a few years after Victoria and I were married, we were named in a lawsuit. The person that bought our house was suing us over the plumbing. He didn't just sue us. He sued the builder and the architect, the real estate agent, the plumber, anybody he could think of.

And we knew we had done nothing wrong. We didn't build the house. The plumbing had worked fine for us. But for six months, practically, while I was in that lawsuit, I was sick to my stomach. I was so worried. I thought it was the worst thing that could have ever happened to me. I let it steal my joy and caused me to live all stressed out. At one point, several weeks ahead, I was going to have to give my deposition, my testimony. I started preparing and studying and getting all my documents out and thinking about what I was going

to say. Went in and gave my testimony at the lawyer's office. When I got finished, I was, I was so nauseated, I couldn't drive home. I had to have somebody come pick me up. Long story short, several months later, the lawsuit was thrown out. We were totally cleared and very grateful. But here's the point I'm making. The lawsuit in itself didn't seem like it was working for my good. It seemed like it was a waste of a lot of energy and just unnecessary stress and heartache. I didn't see how anything would ever come out of that productive. No, remember. God will not allow a difficulty unless he has a divine purpose. Some 15 years later, when we acquired this place, the former Compact Center, a company filed a lawsuit to try to keep us from moving in.

This time, when I went to give my deposition, I wasn't the least bit nervous. I knew exactly what to expect. I had been through that process before. I gave my testimony just as calm, clear, and effective as can be. leaving the lawyer's office that day. After giving my testimony, I realized that first lawsuit, the one I couldn't stand, the one I thought was the worst thing in the world, that was God getting me prepared for the lawsuit with the compact center. Had it not been for that man suing us over the plumbing, I would have never had the confidence, the experience when it came to a lawsuit that really mattered, a lawsuit between me and my destiny.

Here's what I'm saying. Nothing in life is wasted. Even your 10 minutes of turbulence, God's going to use it to your advantage. The enemy may have sown some seeds, weeds in your life today, and you're thinking, this doesn't make sense. Where did this trouble come from? No, it may not make sense by itself. But I believe one day when it all comes together, you will say like me, if it had not been for the man suing me over the plumbing, I might not have made it to me to be. I might not have made it to me. the compact center. Like Joseph, if it had not been for my brothers throwing me into the pit, I may not have ever made it to the palace. In other words, if it had not been for that turbulence, I may not have fulfilled my divine destiny. We've all heard the saying, bad things happen to good people. That is true. But it's also true that good people overcome bad things and come out better off than they were before. Friends, I'm here to tell you, God is going to be. You to turn your test into a testimony. That difficulty that you think is so bad, it's not working

against you. It is working for you. The creator of the universe is going to use it to your advantage. Weeds may have popped up in your field today. Don't be discouraged by it. Be encouraged. That trouble is a sure sign that God has something amazing in your future. And yes, the enemy has unexpected trouble. But remember, our God has a unexpected favor, unexpected breakthroughs, unexpected promotion. So let me challenge you, don't be surprised by the fiery trials. The forces of darkness would not be fighting you if they didn't know God had something amazing in your future. So the next time you face an unexpected challenge had the idea, no big deal. This is just a part of my 10 minutes of turbulence.

God has brought me through before and I know God will bring me through again. If you'll have that kind of attitude, here's the promise. No weapon formed against you will ever prosper. Here's what that means. You'll overcome every obstacle. You'll defeat every enemy. Now, I believe and declare, you will become everything God's created you to be

and you will have everything God intended for you to have. 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

up this is my Bible I am what it says I am I have what it says I have I can do this is the first Bible that my parents gave me I was six years old They taught me the importance of believe in what God says about you and letting that determine your self-image. Now, how through the scripture you can learn to handle challenges and pursue your dreams.

Some people tell me that the Bible's not practical for them, how they don't understand it. We've created a new resource called How to Read Your Bible and Enjoy it. It provides 12 distinct lenses that will help you see the Bible with fresh eyes so you can discover the hidden treasures that increase your faith, practical truths that will help you in your everyday life. When you tap into the power of God's Word, there's no limit to where he'll take you. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any size to the ministry this month, Joel would like to send you this inspiring new resource.

Sometimes reading the Bible can feel confusing, out of touch, or even produce more fear than faith. But now, with this new resource, how to read your Bible and enjoy it, it will make the Word of God come alive in new ways. You'll discover fresh inspiration on every page of your Bible. The 12 lenses give you the power to see the scripture in a whole new light. When you experience the right way to approach God's Word, it will ignite renewed passion in your life. When you get God's Word down in you, it brings life and victory. This has a great Bible reading plan, plus introductions to each book.

It'll help you enjoy reading the Bible. Thanks so much for being a part of the ministry. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day, and we appreciate your prayers and support. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, watch on YouTube, or we have a new Joel Osteen Television Network 24 hours a day, and, of course, SiriusXM as well.

Until we see you next next. time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of How to Read Your Bible and enjoy it. Today, visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel. Call or click anytime, 24 hours a day.