Joel Osteen Podcast - Defining Moments | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: July 16, 2025

Temptation will always be there—and not just the temptation to compromise, but the temptation to get discouraged, to give up, the desire to make our wrongs right. But with God’s help, you can run the other direction!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 visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope.Your life is marked for distinction. Our July offer will help you silence doubt, shake off rejection, and reach the destiny God has already prepared for you. Request the new Chosen devotional and step forward with confidence—you’ve been chosen for more, https://bit.ly/4dVacnV! 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.

Victoria and I believe in you're going to have a blessed summer praying for you guys every day. And thanks for being with us today. Hey, I'm excited. Victoria's got a new book out. It's called Grace to Go. And I know it's going to bless you. I'm excited because in this book, you will see how you are strengthened, that you are prepared, and you are ready for anything that's in front of you. You are grace to go.

Enjoy today's message. 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 one of our services. I 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, and I heard about this lady. She saw this little old man sitting on his front porch rocking in his rocking chair.

He always seemed to be so happy. She finally went over to him and said, Can't help but notice. You're always smiling, always in a good mood. Tell me, what is your secret? for such a long, happy life. He said, that's easy. I smoke three packs of cigarettes every day.

I eat nothing but junk food, and I never exercise. She said, that's amazing. How old are you? He said, 26. 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 defining moments. We all make hundreds of decisions each day. Most of them are routine. We don't think much about them. But there are certain decisions that carry much more weight. They not only affect us, they affect our children and future generations. And sometimes,

what we think is an ordinary decision, no big deal. It's really a defining moment. When you're in a situation where you're tempted to compromise, to get upset, to be better, you know to make the right choice you have to dig your heels in, be disciplined, not go by what you feel. That's not just another routine choice. That's a defining moment. The decisions you make in these tough times, when you feel like doing the easy thing. You feel like telling somebody off. You feel like being offended. You have to remind yourself, this is a defining moment. It's going to impact my destiny. So I'm going to dig my heels in and do the right thing, even though it's difficult. See, the pain of discipline is much less than the pain of regret. It's better to be uncomfortable for a little while than to make a poor choice

and be uncomfortable for a long time. And giving into what we feel, what we want, taking the easy way out, that pleasure is only temporary. The pain lasts much longer. But in the heat of the moment, every voice will tell you, it doesn't matter. It's no big deal, just do it.

Not going to hurt anything. Don't believe those lies. It's going to impact your destiny. And Jesus said, pray that you don't enter into temptation. Whatever area that you struggle in, before you leave the house, you need to pray. God help me to keep my cool today. Or God help me to keep my eyes on the right things. God help me to resist this addiction, to not compromise.

Then all through the day, you have to guard your mind. Every temptation starts with a thought. This is where the real battle is taken place. And when those tempting thoughts come, don't dwell on. it. Don't give it the time a day. If you allow it to stay, it'll draw you in and can lead you to compromise.

This is what Joseph had to do. He was working as a slave at the house of a man named Potterfer. He continued to excel. Eventually Potterfer put him in charge of his whole household. Well, Joseph was a good-looking young man,

tall, dark, and handsome. One day, he was walking through the house, minding his own business, and business when Potipher's wife came up and tried to seduce him. She made advances toward him. Here Joseph was a slave. He'd been betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit. He could have thought, God's forgotten about me. What's it going to matter if I compromise? Besides, it's her idea anyway. I'm tired of being stuck as a slave. I'm ready to have some fun. He could have let his guard down, taking the easy way out. But he didn't do it. He really,

it was a defining moment he wouldn't compromise. She grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him close. The scripture says he tore himself away and took off running. Notice how determined he was. Sometimes to stay on the high road,

you have to take drastic measures. I know it's not very macho to run from a woman, but you've got to do what you got to do. When he turned and ran away, she ripped part of his coat off. She lied about him. She falsely accused him. Joseph went to prison, but when it was all said and done, he was put in charge of all the affairs of Egypt. What you do in your defining moments will make you or break you. If Joseph would have taken the

easy way out, given into the temptation, I'm not so sure he would have made it to the throne. God would have forgiven him, of course. God always gives us. God always gives us. us another chance, but to reach your highest potential, you have to pass these certain tests. And the scripture says to run from temptation. It doesn't say to just casually get away, be careful, watch out. God specifically says run. There's a sense of urgency. This means don't play games. your destiny is at stake. That person at the office that's overly friendly toward you. they're making advances. God has a word from the Lord for you today.

Run. Joel, I'm not going to do anything. I just like the attention they give me. No, if you mess with fire, you're going to get burned. That temporary pleasure is not worth the long-term pain. He may be tall, dark, handsome, and rich. She may be hot, fine, good-looking beautiful. It's not worth missing your destiny over. Let me make it more practical.

Maybe you're trying to lose weight. You're up at the mall and you walk by the Cinebaum booth. Run. Don't go over there thinking you're just going to look and see. The spirit is willing. The flesh is weak. If you go over there, you're going to end up eating three and taking four to go. When you turn the computer on and that ad pops up that you know is not healthy, run.

Don't go check it out. You may need to turn the computer off and go take a good run. When your spouse says something that irritates you, you're ready to give him a peace of your mind. Tell him off right then. Just like Joseph, you need to turn, run away. You can explain it later. What am I saying?

Get out of compromising situations as quickly as you can. God will give you the grace to overcome what you can't get away from, but he won't give you the grace. to overcome what we can get away from. Sometimes we keep falling into the same temptation, the same compromise again and again. It could all change if we would do our part and get out of those situations.

One time David was at home and he'd been resting most of the day and around dusk he decided to go up on his rooftop and get some fresh air. When he did, he looked out and saw this beautiful young lady taking a bath. instead of running from the temptation, he said, thank you, Jesus. The scripture says, with every temptation, God will make a way of escape.

There will always be a moment of grace. There will be a time where you have the strength, the ability to resist, and walk away. But here's the key. The moment of grace doesn't last hour after hour. Right at the start, you got to be. to dig your heels in, be disciplined to do the right thing. David led his guard down, had an

affair with the woman, then he had her husband killed. One compromise led to another. It could have all been avoided if he had done like Joseph and simply ran from the temptation. Joseph's father was Jacob. Joseph had a twin brother named

Esau. One time Esau was very hungry. Been out hunting, couldn't find anything to eat? All of the sudden, he smelled this great aroma in the air. It was the stew that Jacob had made. He went over and said, Jacob, I'm famished. Can I have some of your stew? I'm so hungry. You would think Jacob would say, sure, Esau. You're my brother. You can have as much as you want. But Jacob never missed an opportunity to take advantage of someone. He said, Esau, I'll be glad to give you some stew if you'll trade me your birthright for it.

The birthright was extremely valuable. It belonged to the firstborn son. It gave them a double portion. Esau was the oldest son. He had the birthright. But he was so hungry, he said, what good is this birthright going to do me if I starve to death?

When we let our feelings rule us, we never make good decisions. Esau wasn't going to starve. He was a skillful hunter. It was just a matter of time before he found something to eat. But he was so moved by his feelings. He said, okay, Jacob, you got a deal. I'll trade you my birthright for your pot of stew.

Esau chose to satisfy a short-term appetite, but it cost him a lifetime blessing. He gave away something extremely valuable because he was uncomfortable. He wanted to be happy right then. He didn't think about the long term. He didn't realize that was a defining moment. You can't get on board with your feelings. Your feelings will lead you down the wrong path.

Hebrew says, Esau had no chance to recall the choice he made, even though he sought for it with bitter tears. I wonder how many times we're missing God's best because we're making decisions based on the short term, what we want, what we want. what we feel. The flesh likes to be comfortable. I know

I should bite my tongue, but it feels good to tell them off. I know I should be faithful in this relationship, but I like hanging with this other person. Or I know I should have integrity in my business dealings. But Joel, this is a easy way to get ahead. The decisions

you make in your defining moments will determine how high you will rise. Will you be a Joseph and do the right thing when it's hard? Or will you be an Esau and compromise to accommodate how you feel? Esau was so furious with Jacob for tricking him out of his birthright. He was planning on killing him.

Jacob got word that his life was in danger and took off running. Many years later, Jacob had become so prosperous that the land couldn't sustain all of his animals. He wanted to go back home. The problem was the only route was through the land. that Esau owned. Jacob decided to take a chance. He sent messengers to give gifts to Esau.

The messengers came back and said, Jacob, Esau, is coming to see you and he's bringing 400 men with him. Jacob thought that means one thing, revenge. He's going to pay me back. Jacob was so full of fear, so uptight. This time, he sent hundreds of animals ahead of him,

that when Esau saw all the sheep, the camel, the goats, that his heart would be softened. Finally, the big moment arrived. They see Esau and 400 men coming toward them. Jacob's heart starts beating 90 to nothing. The adrenaline is flowing. He's about to see the man he cheated, deceived, stole his double portion. Jacob told someone to take his family, including his young son Joseph over to the side, hopefully so they wouldn't get her. This little boy Joseph is watching all the drama take place. He knows his father cheated his uncle Esau. He knows his dad has done wrong. He's heard the stories. Esau's a couple hundred yards coming toward them. In an act of humility, Jacob went out and bowed down seven times before Esau. When Esau recognized

it was Jacob he took off running toward him. Jacob thought, oh great, I'm done. This is it. Wasn't what he thought. When Esau got there, he grabbed Jacob and gave him a big hug. The scripture says he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him and embraced him. They both begin to weep and weep. Finally, Esau looked up, said, Jacob, who are all these people around us? Jacob said, this is my family. These are my children. In fact, there's your little nephew, Joseph, over there. I can imagine Esau going over and hugging Joseph. It was a defining moment not only in Esau's life. This time he passed the test, but it was a defining moment in Joseph's life. He saw his uncle show mercy to his father. He saw him forgive a wrong, take the high road. This incredible act of

kindness left an indelible mark on Joseph's heart. Fast forward many, many years later, this little boy Joseph is a grown man. He's been sold into slavery. He's been thrown into a pit. He's been through prison. Now he's the leader of a great nation. Second in command only to the pharaoh. There's a terrible famine throughout the land. Joseph is in charge of the food supply, one of the most powerful. people of that time. One day, his brothers, the same ones that threw him into a pet, the same ones that sold him into slavery, made his life so miserable, were now standing right before him. They were trying to get food for their family. It had been so many years, they don't recognize that it's their brother, Joseph. They all bow down before Joseph in

humility. Joseph suddenly flashes back to that time when he was a little boy and he saw Jacob, his father, bowed down to Esau. All these emotions come flooding up in his heart. It's like the same scene is playing out, but this time he's in Esau's position. He remembers how Esau showed his father mercy. He remembers how Esau forgave the wrong, treated him with him. He was a man. He remembers him with kindness, even though his father didn't deserve it. Joseph looked at his brothers when he could have gotten revenge, when he could have paid them back, but because of a defining moment that happened when he was a little boy, he too was full of mercy. He treated his brothers like Esau treated his father.

Genesis says he threw his arms around their necks, hugged them, embrace them. They wept together. Joseph moved all of his brothers, 70 family members, including his father, back to Egypt. He gave them the best part of the land. What am I saying? The decisions you make in your defining moments not only affect you, they affect your children. How you respond to a wrong that's been done to you, how you handle a disappointment. Your attitude in the tough times, that's leaving a mark on those around you.

and sometimes you have to do the right thing, not because you feel like it, but because you're setting an example for your children. That defining moment will live on. Maybe you get a negative medical report. You feel like falling apart. But in that defining moment, you stay in peace. You know God's in control, the number of your days he will fulfill. When your children hit a tough time, you know what they'll do? stay in peace. They'll follow your example. Your response in the defining moments speaks volumes.

This is what's creating your legacy, what you did in the difficult times, how you treated people that didn't treat you right. Any of us can do the right thing in the good times. That's easy. But to reach the fullness of your destiny, you have to pass the test of these defining moments. years ago, my brother Paul was in Colorado skiing with his son Matthew. Matt was eight years old and they'd been out skiing all day and that night they went out to eat. Paul drove

his rental car to the big shopping center. After they finished eating, there was a big storm. With snowing really badly, the wind was blowing. You could hardly see anything like a blizzard. Hardly anyone else was out. While Paul was still in the parking lot, just maybe going five miles an hour, creeping along, trying to find his way out. He noticed these flashing red lights behind him.

He pulled over. It was the security guard. He came up to Paul's window, and he thought this man was going to advise him about the storm and maybe encourage him not to leave since it was a blizzard. But this man was very curt, very matter of fact. He informed Paul that he had just run a stop sign there in the parking. lot during the blizzard and he was going to give him a ticket. When he saw Paul's driver's license, he said sarcastically, oh, I guess stop signs don't mean anything in Texas. Paul was so irritated.

He was ready to give him a peace of his mind. See, Paul's not as holy as I am. Paul thought, here I'm in a rental car, in a different city. I don't know the roads, in a parking lot, in the middle of a blizzard, and you're going to give me a ten. ticket for running a stop sign? He had this big speech all planned out for when the officer came back to his window. Then he looked over and noticed little Matt was taking all this in. Even though he was a young boy, Matt knew this was an unfair situation. When Paul realized that Matt was watching, it totally changed his perspective. He knew this was a defining moment. How he responded in this unfair time would not only affect him, but it would affect his son.

When the officer came back, Paul was as friendly as can be. He said, I'm sorry, officer, I'll do better next time. He took the ticket, then tore it up. No, I'm just kidding. But Paul never said a negative word to Matt about the officer. Didn't try to badmouth him. He showed him respect and moved on. Today, Matt is a grown man, has his own child.

he's never been anything but respectful to people. But what if Paul would have been rude and thought, hey, you know what? He's sarcastic to me. I'm going to be sarcastic back to him. He would have been training his child that's okay to be disrespectful. It's okay to buck the system. You don't have to listen to authority. The defining moments carry much more weight.

Make sure you're passing the test. No person lives or dies unto himself. People are watching you. not just your children, your coworkers, your neighbors, that person at the gym. What makes the biggest impression is not what we do in the good times, but it's how we respond in the difficult times. The next time you have an unfair situation, somebody does you wrong, your plans don't work out. Instead of making a quick decision that you may regret later on, why don't you take a step

back and say, okay, I recognize this is one of my defining moments. I'm not going to take the easy way out. I'm not going to be rude because they were rude to me. I'm not going to be discouraged because I went through a loss. I know God is still on the throne. This is not a surprise to him. So I'm going to stay on the high road, in peace, and keep doing the right thing. When you do that, you're passing the test.

That's what's creating your legacy. More than your accomplishments, your character, your integrity, how you treat people, that's what's being passed down to your children to future generations. And we may not always get it right. I'm not saying we should never make a mistake, but we should be improving. We should be better this year than we were five years ago. When I was 24 years old, I was in the TV control room at the church. My father had just finished ministering.

The service was just over. I was standing there talking with some of my friends, and we were laughing. just having a good time. My father came into the control room. I was very surprised to see him. He never came back after the service. But he was very upset.

For some reason, he thought we had been laughing and making fun of things during the service. But we weren't. We'd been working like normal. I was directing the other guys were running the cameras. My father told us how we shouldn't be disrespectful, how we shouldn't be making fun like that, and how we should take it more seriously.

on and on. There were six of us in the room. The other young men weren't about to open their mouth and defend themselves. They just took it all in like they were guilty. But I said very politely, Daddy, we didn't do anything wrong. It's not what you think. He didn't want to hear it. He kept chewing us out, letting us have it. I got home about an hour later. The phone rang. It was my father. He said, Joel, I blew it tonight. I'm so sorry. I was uptight about some other things, I want you to forgive me. I said, of course, I'll forgive you. Then he asked for the phone numbers of the other people in the room. He wouldn't go to bed until he made things right. I said, you don't have to call them. They're going to be fine. He said, no, I need to take care of it right now.

11 o'clock at night. Hear this well-respected, 65-year-old pastor is calling these 20-year-old young men to say that he was sorry. To this day, my friends still talk about that time. My father called to apologize. That was a defining moment. Made a huge impression upon me. God doesn't expect us to be perfect, but what we do after we make a mistake speaks volumes. Are you secure enough to call and apologize? Do you have the humility to say, I was wrong, I blew it, forget. give me, I'm sorry, your children, your relatives, your coworkers, they'll never forget that. That defining moment will live on. When they make a mistake, because of your example, they'll be inspired to do the right thing. Fifty-six years ago was another defining moment in my

family's life. My father had been the pastor of a large, successful church. They'd just built a beautiful new sanctuary. But my father knew there was more. He came back and talked to his congregation about how God can heal and restore and how we should live an abundant, overcoming life. But some of the people in the congregation didn't like his new message of faith and hope and victory. Long story short, my father had to leave. Now this church that he'd poured his life into for many, many years was no longer his.

He could have easily gotten discouraged and bitter and thought God has doing the right thing. why did this happen to me? But in that defining moment, he didn't give up. He didn't blame others. He didn't believe the lives that he was finished. He and my mother went out on Mother's Day in 1959, started Lakewood Church with 90 people. Today, we celebrate 56th anniversary because somebody made a right choice in a defining moment. Friends, we all have unfair situation. We all have setbacks. The flesh likes to get discouraged, fall into self-pity, blame others.

Do like my father. Don't get stuck there. Move on to the next chapter of your life. That loss is to make room for a new beginning. Now, all of us face these temptations, not to just compromise, but a temptation to get discouraged, to give up on your dreams.

God has made a way of escape. There is a moment of grace for every difficulty. I'm asking you, to step into it. Pass that test. Remember the decisions you make in the defining moments not only affect you, they affect your family line. Choose wisely. Stay on the high road. If you do this, I believe and declare. Your defining moments won't defeat you. They'll promote you. You and your children will rise higher, accomplish dreams, and become everything God created you to be. In Jesus name, if you receive it, say amen 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 you places that you've never dreamed. Sometimes in life, people don't choose us. We've all felt overlooked and like we're not good enough. It's easy to live inferior thinking we don't measure up.

People may have left you out. The good news is God has chosen you. He's the one that matters. And in my new book, Chosen, Your Life is marked for distinction. You'll discover, before you were born, God not only knew you, but he handpicked you and placed a calling on your life. You are equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny. When you understand that you're chosen, fear and doubt can't stay,

you'll live with a boldness to step into the greatness God put in you. I love to send you my new book, Chosen, plus the Chosen T-shirt from our friends at Copperfield. 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, Chosen. Your life is marked for distinction. In the scriptures, Jesus encouraged us by saying, You didn't choose me, I chose you. This powerful guide will help you discover the abundant life you were designed to live.

As a child of God, you have a calling, a purpose, a destiny still to be fulfilled. When you request your copy, we also want to send you our exclusive chosen t-shirt from CopperFit that will remind you that you've been chosen by Almighty God every time. you wear it. Please request these gifts today and discover that God is moving on your behalf. Your next days are going to be your best days. You're not average. You're not ordinary. You've been chosen by Almighty God. Victoria and I want you to know how much we love you. We pray for you and your family every day. Thanks so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity is helping people all over the world. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for your

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This Bible also enables you to connect through your smartphone or tablet to a vast, power-packed array of study notes, devotionals, interactive maps, videos, and worship music. You can request these inspiring resources. by calling 888-567, Joel, or logging on to joelosteen.com today. Call or click anytime, 24 hours a day. Yes, God has chosen you for a reason, for a purpose. Request your copies today.