Joel Osteen Podcast - Developing A Growth Plan | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: January 2, 2026

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Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes.

We love you and we know God has great things in store. And if you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services. We'd love to meet you one-on-one. But thanks so much for tuning in today. and thanks again for coming out. I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this pastor.

He was greeting people in the lobby after the service, and he saw this man that he hadn't seen in a long, long time. He pulled him aside and said, sir, you need to join the army of the Lord. The man said, what do you mean? I'm in the army of the Lord. The pastor said, well, how come I only see you on Christmas and Easter? The man whispered back, I'm in the secret service.

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 taking steps to grow. We have to realize that growth is not automatic. There are many, successful people, but they haven't reached half of their potential because they stopped growing. There's something called destination disease. That is, when we reach a certain goal, when we get

our degree, when we get a certain position, when we get the house paid off, we just kick back and put our mind in neutral and we coast off of what we've already learned. We may make a little progress here and there, but we're really not learning anything. new. We're really not growing. We're not becoming better in our careers, better in our personal life. And one of the reasons is the way we were trained. As a little child, we grow automatically. We get bigger. We develop physically. Mentally, we have parents, teachers, coaches that challenge us to grow. Early on, growth is automatic. It's just a part of our life. But the problem is, at one point, When we stop growing physically, when we get out of school, that growth is no longer automatic.

If we're going to continue to grow, we have to take responsibility for our own growth. We have to have the attitude, how can I improve? What can I do to make me better? We have to stir up that desire to learn. We should have a goal to grow in some way every day, a goal to learn something new every single day. A man by the name of Pablo Casas was one of the greatest cellists that ever lived. He started playing at the age of 12. He accomplished things that no other cellist had done. He was known as the very best in his field. At the age of 85, he still got up early every day and practiced for five hours.

One time a reporter asked him why he still put so much effort in it, he smiled and said, it's because I think I'm getting better. He understood this principle. When you stop learning, you stop growing. When you stop growing, you stop living. Life becomes very routine. We lose our enthusiasm. We lose our zeal. Well, let me ask you today, what steps are you taken to grow? Are you reading books, listening to teaching CDs? Are you taking any courses on the internet, go into any seminars? Do you have any good news? Do you have any good news? You know, mentors? Are you doing anything to stretch yourself? Friends, God's given you a gift. You have a treasure on the inside. One of our main goals should be to develop our potential. I read where the number one

magazine in America. The best selling most red magazine is TV Guide. Nothing against TV Guide, but we should use our time wisely. 50% of people after they graduate from school, after they graduate from school, either high school or college, will never read an entire book the rest of their life. It's because we view learning as a period of life instead of as a way of life. We think I'm out of school, I'm done learning, got my position, I'm a partner in the firm, a manager at the office, pastor of a church. No, we're never supposed to stop learning. Today there are so many opportunities to grow with modern technology, it's easy, to increase and expand our thinking. Don't get stuck in a rut. You shouldn't be at the same place

next year in your career, in your finances, in your relationships as you are right now. You should know more. If you work in the field of sales, you need to read books on how to communicate more effectively. People have gone where you're trying to go. Listen to what they have to say. Take courses, go to seminars. There's potential in you that has to be drawn out. A lot of of times we're waiting on God to open doors. God, if you'll give me more favor, God just give me more opportunity, but really God's waiting on us to develop what he's put on the inside. We have to tap into that potential. When I was in my early 20s, we were about to buy a significant amount of television equipment for the ministry, several hundred thousand dollars worth, and it was between

two large manufacturers. The man that represented this one company was in his mid to late 60s, a very kind, friendly man. And I had gone up to Dallas to see the equipment and spent the day with him and I was about to fly back home to Houston. And he said, Joel, I'd like to fly back with you to just keep your company. And then I'll turn around and fly back to Dallas. I said, no, no, you don't need to do that. I'll be fine. But he insisted. And so we got on the plane and he sat next to me. This man knew everything about me. He knew where I had grown up. He knew where I'd gone to school. He knew what my hobbies were. He knew all about the church. He knew how it got started. Outside of my family, this man probably knew more about me than anybody. It was amazing. I finally said,

why do you know all this? He said, Joel, it's something I learned from one of the greatest salespersons that's ever lived. He taught me the more I know about my clients, the better I'll be able to relate to them. The more I understand where they're coming from and what their needs are, the better I'll be able to serve them. He said, Joel, you're in your 20s. I'm in my 60s. Think about how much better I can relate to you knowing what your background is, knowing what your hobbies are, knowing how you were raised. That's why he was the number one salesperson in this huge company. He had made a lifetime of studying sales. He told how he went to sales seminars at least twice a year. He had been doing that for 40 years. He knew the emotion behind cells. He had taken courses

on how to relate, how to communicate more effectively. No wonder he was blessed. He was learning. He was growing, developing what God put on the inside. No matter what field you're in, even if you're a stay-at-home mom, you need to always look for ways to improve to become everything God's created you to be. That means if you're an accountant. Don't just settle there and think I've reached my goal. This is where I'm going to be the rest of my life. No, that's destination disease coming on strong, trying to limit you. Take steps to learn more. Go get your CPA license. Get out of the box and learn something different. Maybe you work in the field as a electrician, as a carpenter, as a mechanic. That's great. But what steps are you taken to improve. I read where if a person will spend an hour a day on a certain subject,

after three years, that person will be an expert on that subject. You need to find the area of your greatest gifting, what you're good at naturally, and spend time increasing in that area. If you'll stay focused and learn a little more each day, a little more each year, before long, you'll be one of the experts. You'll be a leader in your own. You'll be a leader in your own. You'll be a your field. You need to develop your gifts to the point where your company cannot make it without you. Or at least if you're not there, things don't run nearly as smooth. Because if you're out for a week and nobody misses you and sales are just as good and all the work gets done, I need to sound the alarm right now. You've got to wake up and smell the coffee. If they don't miss you, they may figure

you're not necessary. You need to kick it into a new gear. Produce more than you. You're, you've been producing. Take courses to improve your skills. You've got to step it up a notch. Well, Joel, I have kind of a low-level position. If I'm gone, nobody would ever miss me. Well, maybe so, but make up your mind. That is not where you're going to stay. Don't build a house where you should have a tent. That is not a permanent address. You're not supposed to live there forever. You're just passing through. Keep growing. Keep learning. Do more than you have to do. Overproduce. Cream always rises to the top. You do your best each day and you're going to get noticed. That's what it says in Proverbs 2229. Do you see a person skilled in their work? They will stand before great men, not obscure people.

That's saying, if you will be diligent to develop the gifts that God's given you and be your best every day, then promotion is coming your way. Well, you say, my supervisor has 10 years seniority on me. They're not going anywhere. There's no room for me to increase. No, if you outperform them, if you outgrow them, if you know more than them, God says your gifts will make room for you. It may take a year, it may take five years, but new doors are going to open. You don't have to worry about who's in front of you and who's blocking you and why it's not going to happen. God is in complete control. Don't get discouraged and think, well, this isn't for me today. There's no room for me to increase. No, kick your learning into a new gear. You're not working under people. You're working under God. And you don't know, God may not want you to have that supervisor's position. That may be too low for you. God may want to thrust you far ahead of that and put you at a whole new level. I know people right now that used to be former receptionist, they used to answer the phone. Today, they are running multi-million dollar corporations. What am I saying? Develop your skills. Don't stop growing. Don't stop

learning. Well, Joel, I'm doing as good as my coworkers. I'm doing as good as everybody else in my department. No, you're not supposed to be like everybody else. That thinking will limit you. That'll convince you to just settle where you are. We're supposed to be a cut above. We should be so excellent, so productive, so filled with wisdom and insight that when you're not at work, people say, I can't wait till they get back. This office is practically falling apart. Let me tell you a way that you can always be missed. That is, if you will learn to be a problem solver,

don't go to your boss or your supervisor and say, well, we got a problem over here, and this person is about to quit, and this manager's mad, this department is in disarray. Bob cursed out Larry yesterday. Bill's never on time. Nobody paid the taxes last month.

What would you like me to do? No, don't present. problems present solutions. I know as an employer, one of the main things we are looking for is people that can solve problems. Anybody can present problems. My nine-year-old daughter can come tell me, Daddy, the house is on fire. That's easy. But I want somebody that will not only tell me the house is on fire, but the fire department's on the way. And we got everybody out safely. And I call the insurance company, they'll be here tomorrow, and here's a hotel to stay in. Here's a car to drive. What's my point?

If you want to be invaluable to your organization, be a problem solver, present solutions, or at least several different options. I have four or five main managers that help me here. Over the last nine years, I cannot remember one time that they've ever come to me and said, Joel, we've got a problem and we don't know what to do. No, even if they don't know what to do, they're not going to tell me. They're going to act like they do. This is an area that we can all improve in, become more solution-oriented and not problem-oriented. Even in your personal life, don't go to your spouse and say, here's a problem. What are you going to do? No, if you ever present a problem, follow it up by presenting a solution. I mean, we've had employees in the past. When they

went on vacation, we had a big celebration. Thank God they're gone for a week. We can finally quit hearing about what's wrong. Don't let that be you, present solutions. Hope they're not here today. What are you doing to improve so you can go to the next level? Can you take a course that would give you an advantage? You've got to stay on the offensive. Well, Joel, I got my degree. I got my certification. I got my license. No, do you realize how many degrees are outdated in as little as five years? The world is changing so fast. If you don't have this attitude to continue to learn, to take steps to grow, then you can be left behind. Some of you today, need to be set free from destination disease. You've reached a certain level, but you've stopped growing. You need to break out of that box and learn something new. Will Rogers said, even if you're on the right track, if you sit down, eventually you'll get run over. And if you're not taking steps to grow, don't be surprised if somebody comes along and takes a promotion that belongs to you. Well, bless God, nobody's going to get my promotion, Joel. No, if you're not prepared, if you're not

developing what God's put on the inside, you can miss out on what rightfully belongs to you. And the good news is, it's not too late to start. You can become everything God's created you to be. Now, I want to challenge you to develop a personal growth plan for your life. You need a specific plan that shows how you're going to grow. In other words, these are the steps I'm going to take each day to improve, to get better. Not something vague. Well, maybe I'll read a book every once in a while. No, it needs to be a definite plan. It's not going to happen automatically. You've got to put it into place. Let me give you some ideas. Drive into work. Instead of listening to the radio, listen to good teaching CDs, listen to training materials, things that are going to

improve you in your field, things that are going to give you more knowledge. The average American spends 300 hours a year in their car. You can turn your car into a university. That's valuable time. take advantage of it. Or how about at the gym, when you're working out, make sure you have good information going into you. Have people tell me all the time, Joel, I listen to you while I run, listen to you taking my walk each day, listen to you while I work out. An elderly lady told me the other day, Joel, I listen to you before I go to bed at night. You always put me right to sleep. She meant it as a compliment, but thanks anyway, mother. These are simple things.

I'm not talking about spending an extra three hours a day studying. I'm talking about taking advantage of the time that you're not using right now. Now, I love the new technology. With these podcasts, you can have messages downloaded to your iPod to where you can listen to them any time you want. This year, we will give away 60 million messages free of charge. All you've got to do is sign up and it'll come to you directly to you. And you can listen to those messages again and again.

again, that's a growth plan. When God sees you putting forth effort, when he sees you stretching and doing your part to improve, that's when you're going to see supernatural doors open. That's when you're going to see favor and promotion like you've never seen it before. Including your plan, go into a seminar at least once a year. You need to get around other people in your same field. Listen to their ideas. Expand your thinking. I'm constantly talking to other ministers. I'm constantly talking to other ministers, other leaders. Twice a year, we have a roundtable here with a couple hundred pastors. All we do is share ideas. Every person gets two minutes to share the most effective thing that's working in their ministry. I've learned so much and gotten so many good ideas.

If you're going to continue to grow and be your best, you need to get around other people in your field and be open to learn. Another important part of any growth plan should be to have good mentors. Find people that have been where you're trying to go. People that know more than you and let them mentor you. You need good people speaking into your life. When you're around them, ask questions, pick their brain, find out how they got to where they are and how they think. Well, you say, Joel, I don't need a mentor. I'm very successful. I'm doing really well. No, think about this. Tiger Woods is probably the greatest golfer that's ever played. But do you know Tiger Woods has a coach. He has a trainer, people to help him with his swing, people to help him with his exercise

routine, people to help him with his mental focus. If Tiger Woods needs a coach, being as great as he is in his field, surely we need a coach. We need mentors and people speak in faith into us. I read about this group of sales associates. There were several hundred of them in the room from the same company. The speaker asked them, how many knew who the top three salespeople in the room were. Every person raised their hand. He then asked, how many of you have taken time to take those people to lunch and find out how they got to where they are? Not one hand went up. The point we're making is, all around us, God has put people in our path to gain wisdom, insight, experience, but we have to be open. Look around you today and see who's in your life that you could be learning from. And I say this

respectfully, but don't waste your valuable time with people that are not adding anything to your growth. Life is too short to hang around people with little dreams, little goals, people that are not going anywhere. Let me tell you, destination disease is extremely contagious. If you hang around them long enough, it's going to rub off on you. And this is especially important for young people. if you're still in school, high school, junior high, even college, you need to associate with people that inspire you, people that build you up, people that challenge you to go higher, not people that tear you down and convince you to stay where you are. Your time is too valuable for that. You may not be the most popular person in school, but 20 years from now, nobody remembers who the most popular one was. And those people that may be getting all the attention because they're a little wilder, because they're wearing so much bling, 20 years from now, the bling is not going to matter. What's going to matter is did you get a good education? Did you get a good foundation to build your life on? It's funny. The science fair is never the most popular event in school. Being in the math club is never as popular as being on the football team.

My friend, some of them, they made fun of people that were on the debate team when I was growing up. But it's funny, now they work for people that were on the debate team. Make the most of what you have. High school, junior high, those are critical, formative years. There's so much emphasis on sports these days. And I love sports. I've played sports all growing up. And I know they teach us discipline and perseverance and teamwork.

But we need to keep it all in perspective. Most likely we are not going to play sports for a living. I read where one in five million young men will play professional basketball. I don't mean to depress you, but if you're white, it's one in 15 million. If you're my size, it's one in two billion. The average professional football career is three and a half years. And even if you do make it, and we have a lot of professional athletes here today, and that's great. We're all for you, but you still need a good foundation to be.

build on. When you take learning and growing seriously, you get in school and you're serious about your education, people may call you a bookworm, a geek, a nerd, but don't let any of that bother you because in a few years they'll call you boss. They'll call you CEO, doctor, senator, superintendent, pastor. I heard somebody say, popularity is people liking you, happiness is you liking you. Don't worry about who doesn't like you. Just make sure that you like you, that you're being the best that you can be. It's good to set growth goals. Where do you want to be in a year? If you don't set goals, you're probably not going to end up there. I read about this young man in high school. He was a star swimmer. His dream was to compete in the Olympics. In 1972, he was watching the Olympics on television. And when he saw the time from the gold medal swimmer,

he noticed that he only had to lower his time by four seconds and he would be able to compete. So he came up with a plan. He had four years to prepare, and he figured if he would train 10 months a year for four years, all he had to do was lower his time by one tenth of a second each month. He broke it down into small increments. And he knew if he'd get a little bit better each day, he could reach his goal. He stuck with it. And sure enough, in 19, 76, John neighbor came home with four Olympic gold medals. The point I'm making is if you will develop a plan to get a little bit better each day, you'll be amazed at where you'll be in a year, five years, 20 years. Right now, that gold may look way, way off, but all it really takes is a little growth, a little of improvement each day. I have a friend that grew up in a very poor environment. His father left the family at an early age, and he was being raised. He was being raised. by a single parent mom in the projects. He was very insecure and he had a terrible problem with stuttering. And through a series of good breaks and really God's favor, he got accepted into college.

His dream was to become a journalist. But the first few days in college, a professor said to him, you're wasting your time. You stutter too much. You will never be a journalist. He was sitting on the front lawn of the college about to go home, so depressed. And this lady, he came along and said, son, what's wrong? He explained what the teacher had told him and how he was about to drop out. She looked at him very sternly and said, how dare he tell you that? You're not going to drop out. You're coming with me. She was the dean of the college. She put him in a different class, and she got rid of that other professor. This young man, this young man had never met his roommate, they came from two totally different backgrounds. His roommate was raised in a wealthy

environment from a well-to-do home. Here he came from the projects. But God always knows what he's doing. When you have a desire to improve, to get better, God will make sure the right people come across your path. And that roommate, when he found out what his friend wanted to become, he said, you'll never be a journalist with your vocabulary like that. You need to learn some new words. He took him under his wing and every day that roommate taught him a new word. Day after day, month after month without fail, he'd get the dictionary out, taught him a word, taught him how to say it, taught him how to pronounce it. He would make his friend use it back to him in a sentence. Four years every day learning a new word. Today that young man is an award-winning journalist. He works for

the major network. He continues to excel. I see him on the news all the time. But it all started by learning one new word a day. Well, what is your plan for personal growth? Are you doing anything intentionally and strategically to better yourself? If not, you can start today. Come up with a plan. It can be something simple like, I'm going to get up every morning and spend the first 20 minutes meditating on God's word,

thanking God for what he's done. I'm going to listen to a teaching CD on the way to work. At night, I'm going to turn the TV off a little bit earlier and read a book for 20 minutes. I'm going to hook up with my mentor twice a month and go out to lunch. I'm going to be at church every weekend. That's a growth plan. As you take your growth responsibly, God will honor your efforts. I believe in the coming days, you're going to see new opportunities come across your path.

You're going to have opportunities to stretch, to take on new challenges, to go to a new level, but you've got to be prepared. Don't let destination disease set in. You have seeds of greatness on the inside, just waiting to take root and flourish. Make a decision you're going to learn something new every single day. If you will get in a growth plan for your life and stick with it and really focus on developing your gifts,

then God promises your gifts will make room for you. That means he'll do for you what he did for that young man. He'll bring the right people into your life. He'll give you the right breaks. he'll give you the right opportunities. You'll rise higher and higher. And I believe and declare, you'll see every dream, every desire God's put in your heart.

You'll see that come to fulfillment. 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 of. What if every plan you set, every habit you formed, and every decision you made became a pathway to see God move in your life?

We all have hopes and dreams, things we're believing for. When you start the year in faith, expecting God's goodness, you are strong. setting the tone for a blessed new year. We'd love to send you our 2026 Faith for Today planner. You can write down your dreams and goals, plus use it for your everyday activities and reminders. It's important to feed your faith on a daily basis. This planner, it's not just a calendar. It's filled with scriptures and inspiration to help you stay encouraged and keep believing for what God has put in your heart. 2026 is your year to see the goodness of God in greater ways. Let go of what didn't work out and get ready for the new things God has in store.

As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month, we would like to send you a copy of the 2026 Faith for Today Planner. Each month features a fresh theme of encouragement, a guiding scripture to stand on, room to write your goals, prayers, and vision. Space for faith steps, because faith isn't passive, it's active. A monthly QR code linking to a message or message. video to keep your spirit lifted. With a 2026 Faith for Today planner, you'll be reminded that

living by faith makes room for God to do what only he can do. Break through in your business, God's healing touch, loved ones returning to faith. Request your copy of the planner and step into the new year with bold faith, fresh hope, and daily encouragement to strengthen your spirit and face every challenge with confidence. No matter what's happening around you, faith can rise up in you. Keep believing and expecting a blessed 2026. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day.

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 to help keep the ministry strong. We so appreciate all the Champion of Hope Partners for your monthly support. We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

Until we see you next time. May the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of the 2026 Faith for Today planner. Visit Joelosteen.com or call 888-567 Joel. For a special year-end gift this month, we are also offering the Faith to Share bundle. Keep one, give one. Give the gift of faith, focus, and fresh,

hope for someone special in your life. You can also request the God's Word Work study collection. This empowering collection includes the NIV, The Message, Parallel Bible, a beautifully crafted leather bookmark and pen, and how to read your Bible and enjoy it, along with two planners. 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. Stay organized, encouraged, and full of faith all year long. Request these resources today.