Joel Osteen Podcast - Don't Let People Label You

Episode Date: August 5, 2020

People don’t determine your destiny; God does. If you’re going to rise to the next level you need to remove the negative labels that are holding you back.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 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.

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I want to talk to you today about not letting people label you. Throughout life, people are constantly telling us what we can or cannot become, what we do or don't have, it's just like they're sticking a label on us. Too short, too slow, too old, too many mistakes, not talented enough. Most of the time, these labels are not what God says about us. But if we don't know any better, we'll wear them like they're the truth. The sad thing is, if we keep them on long enough, they'll become so ingrained in our thinking

that we'll become what people have said rather than what God has said. Albert Einstein's teacher told Einstein's father, no matter what Albert does, he'll never be successful. Friends, people don't determine our destiny, God does. I know a gentleman that was told by his high school counselor that he was not that talented and he should focus on the lowest skilled job he could find.

What happened? That counselor stuck a label on him. Below average. Barely get by, not talented. He didn't know any better. He wore the label year after year. In his thinking, I'm not that smart. I just don't have what it takes. He got a job at the local factory and stayed at the lowest level year after year. One day the factory closed and he went across town and applied at another factory. This company had a policy that every applicant had to take an IQ test. He took the test and his IQ came back at the genius level. The owner called him in and said, what are you doing applying for this low level position? You've scored the highest of anyone in our company's 63-year history. That day, a stronghold was broken in his mind.

that day he removed a label that had held him back for 17 years. He eventually started his own company and even went on to invent several products that are now patented and in the marketplace. And some of you, just like him, if you're going to rise to the next level, if you're going to become everything God's created you to be, you've got to remove a label that's holding you back. somebody has convinced you that you've reached your limits, gone as far as you can go, or you've made too many mistakes. You're all washed up. You'll never accomplish your dreams. You just don't have the resources.

No, people don't determine our destiny, God does. When I was growing up, I was very small. I grew six inches after high school. When I played basketball, at one point, I was practically a foot shorter than my teammates. And somehow I got the nickname Peanut Everywhere I went That's all I heard Hey Peanut, good morning peanut

During the basketball games In front of the whole high school class Go Peanut Go The cheerleaders Big G little O Go go go I was the little O And no one said it derogatorily They just said it in fun

But I have to tell you it didn't help my self-esteem every time I heard it, it reminded me of what I was not. I'm not as tall as everybody else. I'm below average. I'm not up to par. I let that label stick. And I became less and less outgoing, more quiet, more reserved, all because of a label that I allowed other people to put on me.

One day I did what I'm asking you to do. I took that label off. I realized when God made me, he didn't. didn't make a mistake. He made me like I am on purpose. I may be small, but I know dynamite comes in small packages. In the same way, you are not too tall, too short, too old, too young. God says, you are a masterpiece. Now put your shoulders back, hold your head up high, and wear that label proudly, child of the most high God. Today, in our schools, there's a lot of bullying. I had a parent tell me recently how her 10-year-old son was being teased because he's a very eager learner.

He's always reading books and taking extra classes. Even at recess, when the other kids are out playing, he'll go over to a table and work on his math. They're constantly giving him a hard time and calling him different names. Listen, students, young people, when you work hard, you study, you make good grades, stay on the high road. People may call you stiff, nerd, geek, bookworm, but don't worry about it. In a few years, they'll call you boss. They won't be talking about you. They'll be working for you. Now don't let their label keep you from becoming all God's created you to be. Most of the time, the reason people say hurtful, critical things is simply because,

they are jealous of who you are. Let me make it real clear. Most of the time, the reason you have haters is because down deep, they want to become just like you. But the problem is they've allowed their own heart

to become polluted. And since God won't let them rise to your level, the only way they can justify not being where you are is to try to find fault and criticize. They think if they can push you down and make you look smaller, it'll make them look bigger and they won't feel so badly about themselves.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, no one can make you feel inferior without your permission. They may call you names, try to make you look small, but you don't have to wear their labels. Now, I've learned you are not what people call you, you are what you answer to. They can call you dumb and old and fat and loser and failure. Don't answer to that. That's not who you are. Just keep moving forward, being your best each day, doing great things in life. You don't have to let their labels stick. Every once in a while, my children and I will make chocolate chip cookies. The instructions tell you to grease the pan so the cookies won't stick.

We use a product called Pam and you spray it on the pan and it keeps the cookies from sticking. In the same way, when you keep your mind focused on what God says about you, you go through the day, dwelling on the fact that I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord. Favor surrounds me like a shield. Goodness and mercy are following me. When you meditate on that, it's just like you're spraying Pam all over you. Nothing else can stick.

Somebody tells you, well, you're too tall, you're too short. It slides right off. No, no. I know I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I'm one of a kind. That's the label I'm choosing to wear. Well, it looks like that problem is never going to turn around. Looks like it's permanent.

No, I know this two shall pass. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers me out of them all. When you think thoughts like that, what God says about you, those wrong labels will not be able to stick. This is what my father did. He went through a great disappointment.

Early in life, when he was a young man, he got married. it wasn't a good choice and the marriage didn't last. My father was devastated. He thought his days of ministry were over, didn't think he'd ever have a family again. He resigned his church, got out of the ministry, and started selling insurance.

It was the lowest point of his life. Unfortunately, the people around him were not very merciful. They told him he was not welcome in their church anymore. He had his chance, but he blew. it. They stuck the label on him failure, not usable, washed up. See, sometimes when you're down,

people will try to keep you down. They'll remind you of all the reasons while you're never going to be what you could have been. But don't believe those lies. God knew every mistake you would ever make and he has already arranged a comeback.

But now you've got to do your part. You cannot sit around in self-pity wearing these wrong labels thinking you're washed up, you've got to sit on the sidelines of life. That's what my father did. For several years, he believed those lies and lived defeated, depressed,

no passion for life. One day, he realized what I'm telling you, that people don't determine our destiny. God does. We don't have to wear the labels that they try to stick on us. Don't get me wrong. I am not for divorce,

but I am for divorce. but I am for divorced people. You may have gone through some setbacks, some failures, you may have made some poor choices, but know this, God is a God of another chance. His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. His calling will never leave your life. Jesus came to lift the fallen,

to restore the broken, to heal the hurting. Some of you are still wearing those old labels, guilt, condemnation, washed up, not usable. God has some new labels for you tonight. Will you dare wear them? The label God has for you says, forgiven, restored, new beginning, beauty for ashes, joy for mourning. My father began to let these new labels stick. One day he met my mother.

They got married, eventually had five children. my father got back in the ministry and went on to pastor churches for over 50 years was married to my mother for nearly 47 years. He saw God restore him in amazing ways and do great things with

his life. God will do the same thing for you if you will simply wear the right labels. I think about a young lady in the scripture her name was Rehab. She was a prostitute. She'd made a lot of poor choices in life

I'm sure plenty of people had written her off and seen her as a scorn on society. No doubt she was wearing the label, failure, outcast, not valuable, no future. Surely God wouldn't have some new labels for her to wear. No, people may give up on us, but God never gives up on us. One day Joshua, the people of Israel were about to go into Jericho across the Jordan River. and Jericho was where Rahab lived. So Joshua sent two men in to spy out the land. Word got out that the spies were there

and Rahab took the men into her home and hid them. In other words, she took a stand for what was right. She felt the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob calling out to her and she responded in faith. When the security forces came looking for the two men, she covered for them and said, hey, they're not here. They've already gone.

she risked her own life by sticking up for these men. The two spies told her, Rehab, we were going to wipe out the whole city. But because you've honored God by showing us favor, we're going to spare you and anyone in this home. Rahab and her family were the only ones that were saved. But here's what's interesting. Rehab went on to marry a Jewish man.

They had a son named Boaz. Boaz married Ruth and had a son named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse. Jesse had a son named David. That means Rahab, a former prostitute, is in the family line of Jesus Christ. What am I saying? You are not what people label you.

You are what God labels you. People labeled Rahab outcast, failure, not usable. God labeled her chosen. restored, valuable masterpiece. Some of you today if you could just get rid of the wrong labels,

if you just quit thinking about what people have said about you, things like he'll never amount to much, he's just too far out. She'll never have a position of influence. I know what she used to do. He'll never accomplish his dreams. He comes from the wrong family.

No, you don't know the amazing things God has in your future. You may consider yourself kind of like Rahab too far out, too far gone, not religious enough. Now let me tell you, God loves to take people just like you and pour out his mercy

and favor in amazing ways. But it all starts with you. You've got to get rid of the wrong labels. Quit telling yourself, I'm washed up. I've made too many mistakes. I'm not talented. I'm not attractive. No, put on some new labels. I'm restored, redeemed,

anointed, equipped, and empowered. This is what David had to do. When the prophet Samuel came to his home to anoint one of his father's sons as the next king of Israel, his father, Jesse, didn't even bother bringing David in from the shepherd's fields where he was out taking care of the sheep.

In other words, Jesse thought, I'm sure it's not David. He's too young. he's not as talented as his brothers he's not that smart I know it's not him Prophet Samuel looked over the other seven sons and one by one said not this one not this one finally got to the last one

said Jesse don't you have another son Jesse said oh yeah Dave it's out there in the fields but I'm sure it's not him Friends God doesn't label us the way people label us people look on the outside but God looks in the heart God knows the destiny he's already planned out for you.

God loves to take the most unlikely people and use them in amazing, extraordinary ways. Some of you have let your mistakes and what you think you don't have and how you haven't measured up to someone else in your family, keep you from rising up and really believing in yourself. As long as you're wearing those labels,

it limits what God can do. Even Rahab, in spite of all of the mistakes she made, in a moment of faith, she dared to believe. She dared to say, I've been raised up for such a time as this. I can do something great. I can help save God's people. She not only believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but she believed in herself, that she was a person of destiny called and chosen by Almighty God. when David came in from the shepherds' field, Samuel saw him and said, that's the right son.

He's the next king of Israel. Right then and there, David had to get rid of the old labels. He had heard them a thousand times. He's just a shepherd boy. He's not as talented as brothers. He's not big enough. He had to remove the wrong labels, and he put some new labels on, anointed, equipped, empowered. It's interesting.

even though his other brothers saw Samuel anoint him king, they still tried to stick their old labels on him. When David was out where the army had gathered, his oldest brother Eliab said, hey David,

what are you doing out here? And with whom have you left those few sheep you're supposed to be taken care of? What was Elieb doing? Trying to stick his old label on him. Not talented, weak, intimidated, inferior. David could have thought, Yeah, right, what was I thinking?

He could have let those wrong labels keep him from his destiny. But not this time. He rose up in faith and said, Elieb, it doesn't matter what you say about me. That doesn't change what God has said about me. You're still sticking those old labels of weak, defeated, not able to.

You don't realize I've removed those labels and Almighty God, the creator of the universe, has put some new labels on me. They say, giant kill. more than a conqueror, destined for greatness, king of Israel. See, sometimes the people that have known us the longest will be the least likely ones to accept change and celebrate the new things God is doing in our lives. When Jesus went back to where he grew up, this was after he had done many miracles, after he had started his ministry, he went back to his hometown, saw his old friends,

that people he knew way back when. They said, is this not the carpenter's son? Notice they had an old label on him. They were trying to keep him in his box. They were saying, in effect, he's nothing special. Don't believe what you hear about him. We grew up with him. He's just a plain old, ordinary guy.

Jesus could do no miracles in his own hometown. One reason is because the people would not accept who he had become. And some of the people that knew you way back then, they may never accept you for who you are now. They may never give you their approval or the credit that you deserve. The good news is you don't have to have their approval. God gives you his approval. Now here's the key.

Don't get frustrated if they keep labeling you the old way. You don't have to prove to anyone who you are. your reputation, your actions will speak for themselves. They may try to discredit you, knock you, keep you in a box. Your attitude should be no big deal. I am not who you say I am. That's who I used to be, but now I've come up higher. In other words, I'm not a shepherd boy anymore.

Now I'm a king of Israel. I'm not a woman of the streets anymore. Now I'm a woman highly favored by God. I'm not a failure. I'm not a loser. Yeah, I had some setbacks, but that's over and done. now I'm redeemed, restored, and on my way to an amazing future. I think about a young man in the scripture.

His name is Jabez. His name actually means pain, trouble, sorrow. We don't know why his mother would name him this. Maybe she was very poor and didn't need another mouth to feed. Maybe she had a terrible time giving birth. But no doubt this mother was a very big, bitter woman. Because instead of celebrating the birth of her son and being happy for his life, she tried to project her own bitterness and hurt onto him by naming him pain, trouble, sorrow.

You can imagine how this could have affected Jabez. He could have lived a life very defeated, upset. I mean, every time someone said, hello, J. Bez, they were saying hello, pain. Here comes J. Bez, here comes trouble. He could have gone year after year wearing those labels that his own mother put on him. No, Jabez understood this principle. He said, in effect, my mother may have said I'm a pain. She may have called me nothing but trouble. But God, I believe that I'm a person of destiny called and chosen by you.

And God, you said that your plans for me are for good and not evil. So, God, I'm asking you to bless me, not a little. not mediocre, not average. No, God, I'm asking that you would bless me indeed. Think of the nerve of Jabez. What right did he think he had with all these wrong labels to think that God would still do something great with his life? I can imagine God saying to the angel Gabriel,

look down there at Jabez, all the odds are against him. His own mother has labeled him a pain, a failure, a loser, but listen to what he's saying. He still believes he has a great future. He still believes he's a person of destiny. He believes what I've said about him more than what his own mother said about him. Friends, that's the kind of faith

that gets God's attention. Like J. Bez, you may have gotten off to a rough start in life, had some negative things spoken over you. But if J. Bez were standing before us tonight, he would look in the eyes and say, don't let what other people have said about you keep you from your destiny.

Don't wear their labels. Because Jabez was bold enough to get rid of the wrong labels, because he enlarged his vision, the scripture says that God granted him his request. In other words, God took him places that he never dreamed of. That's what God wants to do for each one of you.

You may have had some negative things spoken over you. Maybe just your own thoughts. The voices in your own head are labeling do things that would hold you back. There's a great promise we can stand on. Now Isaiah 54-17, it says no weapon formed against you will prosper. Here it is, but every tongue raised against you in judgment. That means every wrong label you will show to be in the wrong. Notice number one, the good news, what they said about you is not going to prosper. And number two, very important, God's not going to do it.

You've got to do it. You will show to be in the wrong. That means we have to get rid of the old labels. Does it matter what the coach said, the counselor said, the ex-spouse said? Or like Jabez, even what your mother said, no, God has the final say. And he says that his plans for you

are for good and not evil to give you a future and a hope. That means nothing that was spoken over you can define you, even if it was from your own mother or father. It means that nothing that's happened in your past has to keep you from your God-given destiny. Even if you've failed or gone through unfair situations,

you can show it to be in the wrong by rising up in faith, shaking off the self-pity and moving forward with your life. Friends, you are not who people say you are. You are who God says you are. And he says, you have seeds of greatness on the inside. Will you dare be bold like Jabez?

And don't just remove the old labels, but enlarge your vision. Dare to say, God, I'm asking you to bless me indeed. God, in spite of the mistakes I've made, in spite of what they said about me, God, I believe that you can take me places that I never thought possible. Well, you say, Joel, I don't know how that could happen for me. I've been through a lot. I just don't have the resources, the connections, the education to accomplish my dreams. No, you may not see a way, but God has a way.

I think about the bumblebee. All the laws of physics say the bumblebee cannot fly. Its body is too big for its wings. Technically, it needs a larger wingspan. For years, experts in aerodynamics have studied the bumblebee, and their conclusion is, it cannot fly. They stuck a label on it, grounded, has to walk wherever it goes. The only problem is the bumblebee could not understand what the experts were saying,

therefore the label would not stick. Now against all the odds of aerodynamics, in spite of what the experts, engineers, scientists have said, the bumblebee flies wherever it wants to. Do you know why the bumblebee can fly? Because God told it to fly. God is not limited to the laws of nature. If you will remove the wrong labels, you will be amazed at how far. your wings can take you much farther than people have said about you, it's because God breathed his life into you. You have ability, talent that goes beyond the natural. Some of you today,

you're not flying. It's not because you weren't created to, but because somebody put a label on you that you believed. Now it's become a stronghold in your own thinking. It's limiting what God can do. I'm asking you to remove the old labels and start relabeling yourself and your future with what God says about you. That label that says you've reached your limits, remove it. Put on a new label. The path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter. My best days are still in front of me. That label that says you're too short, too old, not talented enough, you come from the wrong family, remove it.

The new label is, I am fearfully and willing. wonderfully made. Well, you're never going to be successful. All the experts said, you're never going to get off the ground. Remove it. The new label is, God, you said, I would mount up with wings like the eagles. I know I was destined to soar to live a victorious, abundant, fulfilled life. If you will remove the wrong labels, I believe like Jabez, God will bless you indeed. Like my father, you will see God restore you and give you beauty for ashes. Like David, God will take you from the background and put you in a position of influence. And like Rahab, God will break a curse and help you make a mark for generations to come. Now, I want to declare over each one of you, because you're wearing the right labels,

you're going to see Ephesians 320 come to pass in your own life. God is going to promote you. He's going to increase you. He's going to open up supernatural doors. He's going to bring divine connections. He's going to turn negative situations around. You're going to see the exceeding greatness of God's power in your life. I believe and declare you're going to become everything he created you to be and you're going to have everything he intended for you to have. Amen. Do you receive it tonight? I know you do. Thank you for listening to the Joel O'Sdeen podcast. Help us continue to share the message of hope with those all over the world. Visit joelosteen.com slash give hope to give a gift today.

Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you next time. More than ever before, people are turning to the church for their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, the church has largely been ill-equipped to help. That is until now. Join nearly 50,000 people just like you who've enrolled in the mental health coach training program and become equipped to help. For a limited time, apply for a full tuition scholarship and only pay a one-time tech fee of $54 if accepted. Apply now at mentalhealthcoach.org. Again, that's mental healthcoach.org.

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