Joel Osteen Podcast - Discover Your Greatness | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: March 25, 2024

Your greatness doesn’t come from where you’ve been, it comes from your Heavenly Father. He knows how to bring out the gifts and talents He placed inside you.Believe big! Believe for more! Our March offer,This Time Next Year: Believe Big Journal, combines faith-building stories from Scripture with space to record your own reflections of the amazing things God is doing in your life. Be reminded each day that the God who breathed life into you is a more-than-enough God! Request your copy now, https://bit.ly/3IebX0B. 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. We are so glad that you are a part of this podcast. We believe that it's going to make a huge difference in your life. Know that we are praying for you. And we love you guys. And just appreciate just taking the time. We're believing it's going to be a beautiful spring for you and an awesome 2024. Enjoy the message today. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. And if you're ever in our area, please stop by. Be a part of one of our services. I'll promise you. We'll make you feel. right at home. I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week. We have a daily podcast you can download our YouTube channel. Watch the messages anytime or you can follow us on social media. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired. But thanks so much for tuning in and thank you again for coming out in

person. I like to start with something funny and I heard about this little girl. She was sitting on her grandfather's lap. She noticed how wrinkled his face was. And she contemplated the difference between his and hers. She said, granddaddy, did God make you? He kind of laughed and said, yes, honey, he made me a long time ago. She then asked, did God make me? He said, yes, he made you just a little while ago. She thought about it a minute and said, Granddaddy, God's getting better, isn't he? 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 discover your greatness. Saul was the leader of Israel. For 40 days, a giant name Goliath came out in the morning and the evening to taunt the Israelites. His size and strength, coupled with his intimidating threats, paralyzed the Israeli army. That is, until a teenager named David showed up to bring lunch to his brothers. When he heard the insults from Goliath saw the soldiers running in fear,

something rose up on the inside. He said, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he would defy the armies of the living God? He went out to face Goliath, not wearing any armor, still dressed as a shepherd, from taking care of his father's, sheep, not with a sword or a spear, but with a slingshot that he had used to keep lions and bear from his sheep. He picked up five smooth stones and ran toward the giant. Saul and his men were

watching this drama play out intently, certain that David was about to be crushed. But David slung a rock with such skill and such force, it hit Goliath in the forehead and knocked him unconscious. Saul stood there in disbelief. He couldn't understand it. How did David learn to fight like a warrior? Where did he learn to speak so powerfully that he had both camps, the Israelis, and the Philistines spellbound?

Where did he get this confidence, this leadership, who trained him? He went over to David and didn't say, wow, congratulations, that was so awesome. Thank you for stepping up. He said, David, tell me, about your father. He was saying, where do you come from? How could you do this? You must have an incredible father. David said, his name is Jesse. We live in the city of Bethlehem. I can imagine Saul

telling an assistant find out about Jesse. I want to know everything. The research comes back. He's a shepherd. He comes from an ordinary family, lives in a typical house, shops at Walmart, eats at Chick-fil-A, watches the Kardashians, there's nothing significant about him. Saul was perplexed. How could this teenager have such greatness in him? How could he rise up and become a hero when he comes from an average family?

The reason Saul was confused was David didn't give him the whole answer. He told him about Jesse, who his natural father was, but he didn't tell him about his heavenly father. your greatness, your courage, the hero in you, it doesn't come from your natural father. The scripture says every good gift comes from your father in heaven above. Now Jesse was a good father.

He did his best to care for his family. He had David take lunch to his brothers. He wanted to make sure they were okay. But like any of us, Jesse had shortcomings. He had limitations. He didn't speak faith into David. He didn't encourage him to go after his dreams. When the prophet Samuel showed up at his house to anoint the next king of Israel,

Jesse didn't bring David in from the shepherd's fields. He didn't think David was king material. He thought David, he's too small, too young. He's not that talented. He'll never do anything great. He discounted David. The good news is people don't determine your destiny. Your gifts, your talents, your potential.

the king in you, it comes from your heavenly father. That's why Saul was confused. He saw greatness in David. He knew there was a king in him, a world changer. He thought, am I missing something? Isn't this Jesse's son? Doesn't he come from an average family? They've never done anything significant.

Here's the key. You come through your father, but you come from Almighty God. He knew you before you were formed in your life. mother's womb. You may have had a father like Jesse that couldn't see your potential that didn't encourage you to dream big, to pursue what God put in your heart. Feels like you're limited. Like David, you were left out in the field. No, God knows how to bring you in. He knows how to cause the gifts he's put in you to come out, how to make you shine. Your time is coming. You're going to go further than people thought. You're going to accomplish dreams bigger than they've imagined. You're going to accomplish

dreams bigger than they've imagined. There will be people like Saul in disbelief thinking how could you defeat that giant? How could you start that business? How could you get the compact center? How could you lead your company in sales? What you're going to accomplish is not going to match where you've come from.

Now, you may have had a great family, people that have excelled, done big things, but what God has for you is greater. He wants every generation to increase. increase. And I'm proud to be the son of John Osteen. He was an awesome father. But I realize I'm not just John's son. I'm a son of the most high God. And yes, we celebrate our fathers. We honor them, but I'm saying, don't stop there. Recognize the gifts, the courage, the creativity, the greatness. It comes from your heavenly father. Don't discount yourself. Don't come up with excuses to settle. I've

on as far as anyone in my family. I didn't have anybody to help me. My father wasn't around. Your heavenly father was there the whole time. He's been watching over you even before you were born. What he started, he's going to finish. There are gifts and talents in you

he's about to bring out. You're going to step into a new boldness, confidence, see favor and increase that your family has never seen. My father's parents, my grandparents, they were very good people. They were loving and kind, but they didn't have much vision.

They lost everything during the Great Depression. They were very poor, struggled to make ends meet. My father went to school with holes in his shoes, holes in his pants. He had to drop out of high school to work on the farm. It looked like he was limited

that his destiny was to just survive. It's all he had seen growing up. But at 17 years old, he was walking home from a night night club at 2 o'clock in the morning. He looked up at the stars and began to think about God and what he was going to do with his life. He wasn't raised with any kind of faith. He'd never been to church, but that night he felt a sense of purpose. He knew he was made for more. The next morning, he went to church with a friend and gave his life to Christ. Something came alive on the inside.

He felt God calling him to become a pastor. Nobody in his family had any kind of training for ministry. No background of pastors or leadership. They were farmers. He told his parents he was going to leave the farm and go out and start ministry. They said, John, you better stay here with us. All you know how to do is work on the farm. You're going to get out there and fail.

They meant well. They were trying to protect him. but like Jesse, they couldn't see his potential. They couldn't see his greatness. They thought we're poor. All we know how to do is farm. That's our son. We raised him.

That's all he knows how to do. They didn't realize greatness doesn't come from people. It comes from God. And yes, our fathers, our natural fathers, our family, they influence us. They teach us what they know. But your gifts, talents, courage, favor, it comes from your heavenly father.

You are not limited by what people didn't give you. My father had to hitchhike, but he left home and started ministering in the prisons, in the senior citizens' homes. Doors started opening. He was able to go back and finish high school. Went to seminary, pastored great churches, started Lakewood, pastored here for almost 40 years. Along the way, I can hear someone asking, whose son is that?

He sure is talented. He's such a great speaker. such a gifted leader, impacting so many people. When they found out who his parents were, they thought, how could that be? That doesn't make sense. It's because they were only looking at it in the natural. Every good gift comes from your heavenly father.

What he's destined for your life is not limited by what kind of natural father you had. Jesse couldn't see the greatness in David. My grandfather couldn't see the greatness in my father. but just because they didn't see it, that didn't stop it from coming to pass. I hope you had a great father, like I did, loving, kind, empowering, a father that pushed you further, helped you to be confident and secure. But even if you didn't, you're still going to do great things.

You're still going to leave your mark. Maybe your father was like Jesse. He didn't believe in you or he wasn't around. He talked down to you. When you think of your father, it's not a father. fond memory. It's a source of pain and disappointment. Perhaps he was like my father's dad. He meant well, but he told my father what he couldn't accomplish, how he was going to fail. What I want you to see is that is not going to stop your destiny. Your heavenly father overrides what people do.

Your greatness doesn't come from your natural bloodline, from your lineage. It comes from your father in heaven. What he's spoken over your life will come to pass. Tell me about your father. Well, he was so busy, Joel. He didn't have time for me. He discouraged me. He was loving, but man, he had some rough edges. I don't mean that father.

Tell me about your heavenly father. He spoke worlds into existence. He flung stars into space. He fearfully and wonderfully made you. He said, you're a masterpiece. He's equipped you, empowered you, anointed you. He put seeds of greatness in you.

He calls you a history, maker, a giant killer, a world changer. Whether your natural father was great or not so great, whether you have fond memories or not so fond memories, when you recognize who your heavenly father is, that he is the giver of all good gifts. That means if your father was loving, kind, talented, generous, that all came from our heavenly father. Maybe it was just the opposite. then despite what's in your natural bloodline, despite the dysfunction, the limitation, you'll be the exception.

You'll defeat giants. You'll accomplish dreams. You'll become all you were created to be. In my grandparents' defense, they had no history of leadership. They didn't know how to train my father to become a pastor. They had never experienced abundance, more than enough, influence.

No wonder they couldn't see it. It was foreign to them. don't fault people that can't see what you can see. God will put things in your spirit that your parents, your relatives, people around you can't fathom. It's too big, too great, too influential. They can't comprehend it. They've never seen it. You're going to set a new standard.

You're going to accomplish dreams bigger than they've imagined. You're going to see honor, influence, wealth that your family has never experienced. There's no history of it. When you look back, it's all one level. I don't see how that can happen. You're looking at your natural lineage. I'm asking you not to look back, but to look up. Your Heavenly Father has some big gifts coming, big favor, big opportunities, creativity, ideas, resources that will exceed your expectations.

He's about to catapult you into greatness, into abundance, into new levels of your destiny. See, there are times that for, for judgment, that for you, you know, you're in the greatness. generations, everything is the same, going along fine, no complaints, then suddenly, like with David, greatness comes out. There's no explanations. How could he defeat that giant? Jesse couldn't train him for that. He couldn't train him to become a king that wasn't in Jesse. He'd never experienced any of that. It was his heavenly father shining down favor. When Jesus was on the earth, He went around healing the sick, curing the lepers, teaching with such authority and wisdom that great crowds followed him. When people looked at his background, where he had come from, they couldn't understand it.

They asked, is this not the carpenter's son? They were saying, isn't this Joseph's child? We know Joseph. He builds cabinets. He's not anything special. How could his son be doing miracles? How could his son be this influential? Where did he get this wisdom to teach in the synagogues?

Like Saul, they were looking at his natural father. They were looking at his background, his training, where he lived. They didn't realize who his heavenly father was. And sometimes life will try to tell you that you're average. You've reached your limits. Gone as far as you can. Look at your family. There's nothing special about you.

You can't do anything great. You're just William's son. You're just Casey's son. That may be true, but you have to realize you have another father. No discredit to your natural father, but your heavenly father is the giver of all good gifts. Now, I believe God is about to show out in your life in such a way, people will look at you and think, is this not Jesse's son? How can he defeat that giant?

His father is a shepherd. Is this not Jack Osteen's son? How can John be pastor in a church of thousands? They're farmers. Is this not William's son? How can he be leading that company? William's struggle with an addiction. Is this not Jose's son?

How can he be that successful? Jose was never around growing up. Your destiny is not limited by how you were raised. It's not limited by what level your parents reach. God wants you to go further. Now get in agreement with him. Quit seeing yourself as average, limited. We all struggle with these addictions, Joel.

this depression, we never get any good breaks. That's just who we are. That is not who you are. Your spiritual bloodline override your natural bloodline. If you're going to see the greatness that belongs to you, the favor, the influence, the talent, you have to look to your heavenly father. That's what David did.

That's where he got the courage, the strength, the favor. He wasn't looking at his history, his family line, what his father had accomplished. If he had stayed focused on that, he would have never left the shepherd's fields. He would have lived limited, intimidated. We wouldn't be talking about him. David understood this principle. He said to Goliath, you come against me with a sword and a spear,

but I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Israel. He was saying, you may be big, you may be powerful, but I know who my heavenly father is. I know what he's put in me. in the scripture, God promised Abraham that he was going to be the father of many nations. He was 80 years old and had never had a child. His wife Sarah had gone through the change of life. There was no way in the natural that they could have a baby.

But God told Abraham to do something interesting, to go outside his tent at night and look up into the sky, and the number of stars he could see that's how many descendants he was going to have. It looked impossible to have children. Look like it was too late. God could have given him this promise at 35 years old. He could have spoken to him at a more reasonable time when it was common to have a child.

But often God waits till the odds are against us till we don't see how it can happen so when he brings it to pass, everyone will know it was his favor. But the time we're waiting, that's a test of our faith. are we going to get discouraged, talk ourselves out of it? It's never going to happen, Joel. It's been too long.

This giant is too big. I can imagine those thoughts came to Abraham. That's when God said, Abraham, get outside your tent and look up. God was saying, Abraham, you're looking at it in the natural. As long as you're in your tent, all you can see is you and Sarah. You're focused on what you can accomplish. You have to get outside your tent and look at it. up. Bring me into the picture. Recognize I'm your source. No, you can't father this child in your own

efforts. You are too old, but I'm your heavenly father. I can make things happen that you can't make happen. Get your eyes off your impossibilities and get your eyes on me. See, when we're in our tent, all we can see is our limitations, how we were raised, what we can't do. In our tent is our father, our grandparents, our relatives, you have to get out of your tent and look up. Have a bigger vision. You're not doing life on your own. Yes, you have natural parents, relatives, but your heavenly father controls the universe. He makes ways where you don't see ways. He's not limited by who raised you, by your background, by what seems impossible. If you'll get out of your tent, get a new perspective, start believing the

you're favored, declaring that good things are coming, then you'll see your heavenly father turn impossible situations around. Take you further than you ever dream. Seemed like David, as a teenager, was stuck in the shepherd's fields. God put big dreams in his heart. Down deep, he knew he was destined to leave his mark, but year after year, taking care of sheep. I can imagine he started to get discouraged. It's never going to happen. God said, David, get out of your tent. Get a new vision. I can see him in the fields at night, looking up at the stars. He feels this new sense of destiny. He can hear his heavenly father whispering, the greatness I put in you is about to come out. Keep believing. Keep dreaming. Keep being your best. When my father was coming home from that nightclub,

two o'clock in the morning, for some reason, he looked up at the stars. He felt limited. No future to speak of. But that night, as he looked up, something began to happen. Faith began to rise, hope that he had never felt, a dream to do something significant with his life. What happened? He got out of his tent. He knew he had come through his parents. But that night, he started to realize who he had come from. That his heavenly father was calling him, that he wasn't just the son of Jack Osteen,

but he was the son of the Most High God. you may feel limited like you've gone as far as you can deep down you know there are bigger things in you every circumstance it says that you're stuck god is saying come out of your tent look up you're focused on the natural you have to change your perspective you're not limited by your background you're not at the mercy of who raised you what you didn't get what looks impossible your heavenly father is about to breathe on your life in a new way new doors are about to open, new gifts are about to come out, the greatness God put in you is about to show up. There was a young boy back in the early 1900s that was raised by a single mother in the hills of Tennessee.

Because his mother was not married, the neighbors wouldn't allow him to play with their children. It was very looked down on back then. They would make remarks like, what's he doing in our town? And who's his father anyway? Saturdays he would go up with his mother to the local store and people would make disparaging comments, loud enough for him to hear. Here they are again.

Did you ever figure out who his father is? This little boy grew up insecure, always feeling like there was something wrong with him. At 12 years old, a new pastor moved into town. He was a young minister, very gifted and passionate. This young boy had never been to church. But one Sunday he decided to go hear this new minister that everyone was talking about. He arrived late and sat in the back so no one would notice.

As he listened that day, he felt a love and acceptance that he had never felt. He had planned to leave early, but he was so engrossed in what the minister was saying. It was over before he knew it. He got caught in the crowd. As he was leaving, the young minister was greeting the congregation at the door. He saw this young man. He noticed that he wasn't with anyone. He didn't know anything about him.

He said very innocently, very friendly, young man, whose child are you? The room grew completely silent. That was the question everyone wanted to ask. The boy didn't know what to say. Put his head down. The minister realized something was wrong, how the little boy was very uncomfortable. He looked at him and said, oh, I know who your father is. I can see the resemblance so strongly

you're a child of Almighty God. That day was a turning point in the young boy's life. The stronghold of insecurity and shame was broken. Thirty years later, that young boy was elected governor of Tennessee. If you ask him, Ben Hooper would tell you the day he really got elected was the day that minister told him who his father was. Tell me about your father.

I don't mean your natural father. They may not have been there. They may have made mistakes. They may not have believed in you. Tell me about your heavenly father. Do you realize who you belong to? That your gifts, your talents, your greatness doesn't come from people, from family, from relatives.

It comes from your heavenly father. When he breathed life into you, he put his DNA on the inside. That's how David could do something no one in his family had done. That's how my father could break out of poverty and limited thinking and make a difference with his life. Our natural DNA gets passed down, but your spiritual DNA will override the natural. I saw a documentary on championship race horses, the kind you see at the Kentucky Derby.

It's not a coincidence that these horses are the fastest horses in the world. They've been carefully studied and carefully bred for generations. It can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to breed a racehorse with a champion stallion. It's very expensive. Before breeding, the owner will go back 50 or 60 years and study the bloodline of a particular stallion. They'll research his father, his grandfather, they'll study how long their stride was, the length of their legs, their takeoff speed, their endurance.

With all this information, they'll choose the stallion. They believe to be the perfect match. They understand winners don't just randomly happen. It's in their DNA. That's how it is with you and me. Because of who your heavenly father is, you can defeat giants. You can accomplish great dreams. You can break addictions.

You can set new standards. I'm not looking at ordinary people. You have the DNA of a champion. There's no limit to what you can achieve. I know who your father is. There's no obstacle you can't overcome. I've seen your father do it. There's no struggle that can hold you back. Your father is Jehovah Jira, the Lord, your provider. Now do your part. Come out of your tent. Get a new perspective. You're not limited by who raised you. You're not at a disadvantage because of what you didn't get.

Who went before you? You are hearing this because you're about to see the greatness in you come out. people are going to wonder, is this the carpenter son? Is this Jesse's son? Is this Jack Osteen son? Get ready. You're about to defy the odds. I believe and declare God is about to do something unusual, uncommon favor that will catapult you ahead.

Gifts and talents coming out that you didn't know you had. Courage, confidence, creativity like you've never seen. Healing is coming. Promotion, good breaks, the full. fullness of your destiny in Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say amen today? But I'd like to give 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. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love to send you some free

information on your new walk with the Lord, just text the number on the screen or you can go to the website. I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. It starts with just a tiny seed. From it, tender bud sprout. The miracle of new life blooms and thrives. But how do you experience the same miraculous and extraordinary growth in your own life? Sometimes our life is limited because we're believing too small. Faith is like a seed. When you believe, all things are possible. That's when you'll see new growth, opportunity, and healing. We don't have to figure out how it's going to happen. All we have to do is belief. There may not be a way in the natural, but our God is supernatural. We'd like to send you

our new, this time next year, Believe Big Journal. It'll help you to enlarge your vision and stretch your faith. Where would you like to be a year from now? Who knows what God will do in 2024 if you'll take the limous off of him and believe for the great things he's placed in your heart. Azar thank you for your gift of any amount this month. We want to send you the this time next year Believe Big Journal, along with our new Believe Tea. As you begin to believe big, you'll see God move in powerful ways. The impossible made possible.

Growth, provision, and new opportunities will burst forth above and beyond what you can ask or imagine. Also, for the first time ever, We want to present you with our new Believe T-shirt, created exclusively by our friends at CopperFit for the viewers and partners of Joe Lohsteen. We invite you to wear and declare what you are believing God for in 2024.

It's a gift from CopperFit as they extend their support of the message of hope. Many of you have watched us a long time, but you've never been to Lakewood. We have a perfect time. We're calling it Homecoming Weekend, April 13th and 14th. We'd love to meet you. I'll introduce you to my family.

You can see the facility and enjoy a service. We'd be honored to have you. We'll make you feel right at home. Remember, you can watch the services live online every Sunday. Download our podcast, watch on YouTube. We'll keep you inspired and encouraged. Be sure to request your copy of this time next year, Believe Big Journal and the CopperFit Believe T-shirt as our gift of thanks today.

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