Joel Osteen Podcast - Embracing Every Season - Jonathan Osteen

Episode Date: October 10, 2018

People say, “My season’s coming. I’m just waiting on my season.” God has a purpose and a plan for today. Let’s not rush through it. Let’s not dread it. Instead, let’s say, “God, since this is where you have me right now, I’m going to embrace it. I’m going to be my best. I’m going to make the most of it."--- --- --- ---Follow Jonathan Osteen on Instagram if you are not alreadyhttps://www.instagram.com/jonathanosteen 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.

No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if you could unlock insights about your finances in less than five minutes with a clear picture of where you stand today and where your money can work harder? Now you can.

Visit facet.com to take the free quiz and get your financial wellness score today. That's facet.com. This ad is sponsored by Facet Wealth Incorporated is an SEC registered investment advisor. This is not an offer to buy or sell securities, nor is an investment, legal, or tax advice. You're ready for a comeback. And with Purdue Global, you can do more than take classes. You can take charge of your story, of your career, of your life. Earn a degree you can be proud of and get an education employer's respect.

It's time, your time, not just to go back to school, but to come back and move forward with Purdue Global. Purdue's online university for working adults. Start your comeback at PurdueGlobal.edu. He'll forget about the video game you gave him on his birthday. Wow, thanks, Grandpa. But he'll never forget how you invested in his future with the UNEST app. Wow, thanks, Grandpa.

The UNEST app makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give funds to a child's investment account for limited time. Download the UNEST app and use the code IHeart50 at sign up to receive a $50 bonus when you fund your account. That's code IHeart50 when you sign up at UNEST.co for a $50 bonus. See terms and conditions at UNES. See you. Hi, this is Joel. Today we have a very special podcast, our son Jonathan's very first message. I hope you enjoy it. How's everyone doing tonight? Well, I'm excited to be here. Like Nick said,

this is my first time speaking a full message. So I was looking for inspiration. I thought, why don't I go back and listen to my dad's first time speaking? You know, he's doing all right. So how did he get started? Check this out. But my dad called me Monday night, and he said, Joel, are you sitting down? And I thought, oh, no, it's going to be bad news. And I thought maybe it was about his health or something. He said, but I want to ask you something. And don't pass out when I ask you.

And I thought, okay, what is it? And he said, will you preach for me Sunday morning? And I thought, boy, that was bad news. And I said, but I thought about the advantages of being my first time. One, if I'm really bad and you don't enjoy it, when you walk out of here, you can say, you know, that boy has nowhere to go but up. He's come a long way. But what I realized is that I don't have a country accent and I don't have a mullet.

So I think in some ways I'm already off to a better start. The truth is, when I was asked to speak, I was excited, I was honored. And that's because, not because it's a great opportunity, but that's because of all of you. It's such a privilege to get to share a thought with you tonight. You know, we're in this together. I pray for you every day, and I'm excited about what God is doing in your life. When I was in college, I used to drive home from Austin almost every weekend so that I could be here. And that's because these nights matter.

God's doing something amazing. Lives are being changed, and that's not something we take lightly. So thanks for being apart. Thanks for being here. You know, it's such an honor to speak to you, and I hope you leave encouraged. Let me pray and we'll get started. Thank you, God, for everything you have already done. this weekend. May we continue to see more of your goodness, more of your love, more of who you are.

I pray that you would be lifted high tonight. Lord, we want to hear everything that you want to say. So we are listening. Come and have your way. In Jesus' name, amen. So I want to talk about, oh, you may be seated. I've never had to do that before. Tonight I want to talk about embracing the seasons. You know, when God created the earth, he said, there be light, and he separated the day from the night. Then he formed the heavens, and he placed the sun, moon, and stars in the sky. He said, let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Right in the beginning, God set and placed this idea of seasons as a way of life for his creation.

He designed everything with this flow, this pattern, this rhythm he calls seasons. What I found is the more we understand. about seasons, the more we realize that every season is necessary and ordained by God. When we realize that they were his idea, we can actually embrace the season rather than fight it. You know, it's our perspective that determines how we go through seasons and what we get out of it. I would go as far as to say, even in the uncomfortable seasons, there's something to be enjoyed and celebrated.

I've heard people say, my season's coming. I'm just waiting on my season. And I believe there are so many blessings ahead. But the truth is, this is your season. You've been equipped, graced, anointed for where you are right now. God has a purpose and a plan for today. Every moment with him is valuable. So let's not fight it.

Let's not rush through it. Let's not dread it. Instead, let's say, God, since this is where you have me right now, I'm going to embrace it. I'm going to be my best. I'm going to make the most of it. This is my season. Now, some of you may already know about seasons,

but for everyone that was born and raised in Houston, Texas, like I was, this may be a bit of a foreign concept. What we have is called summer, and we're blessed with a lot of it. In fact, sometimes we get summer all the way up through Christmas, as a Christmas present, I guess. Well, there's these other places in the world. They get these things called winter and spring and fall that don't make you sweat all the time.

Growing up in Houston can make you forget those even exist. In life, sometimes we can forget about seasons entirely. Every so often we need this reminder. The enemy would try to convince you that like Houston, life doesn't have seasons. Everything that happens to you is permanent. Every struggle, every obstacle, every difficulty you're facing is forever. They'll use words like always and never. Maybe you've heard them before.

Thoughts like, you'll never break this addiction. You'll always be insecure. You'll never get out of debt. You'll always be anxious and depressed. You better just learn to live with it. If we're not careful, we can find ourselves believing those lies. A situation may seem like it's forever. a problem may seem permanent, but the Bible says to everything there is a season.

When you recognize that your Heavenly Father designed life with seasons, everything starts to come into focus. You realize this stronghold, this difficulty isn't permanent. It's just a season. These hardships won't last. This challenge isn't forever. I'm not going to overreact. or make it bigger than it is.

It's just a season. We can recognize that we've been equipped, anointed, and graced for where we are. We're coming out of this better than before. So the next time we're faced with those always and never lies, why don't we replace them with the truth, that God is always good and he will never fail us? Those promises are permanent.

That truth is forever. With every season that comes, we're going to need something that doesn't change. We're going to need someone. In those times, we can remember, God is always good, and he will never fail us. A while ago, my aunt, Lisa, and Uncle Kevin were going through one of these never seasons. They tried for years to have a baby with no success. They went through all the treatments, the medical procedures, did everything they could. The doctor finally told them, I'm sorry.

you'll never be able to have a child. And they were heartbroken. This had been their dream to raise a family, and now they were being told it would never happen. I'm sure that was difficult. I'm sure they were discouraged. But they knew if God had put this in their heart, then he would bring it to pass.

So they didn't give up. They didn't give in to what seemed like a never-season. My aunt found promises in Scripture. One of them said, God will make me the happy mother of children. My uncle, who's a twin, received a package in the mail of diapers, just as promotional material, and he wrote on them, this is for my twin babies. They were making plans.

They were showing God their faith. Medically speaking, there was no chance. Yet my aunt was declaring God's word, and my uncle had diapers on his desk with a date on them. One day she received a call from a woman, she knows, that runs a home for teenage girls. the woman said, I wouldn't normally do this, but one of our girls is about to give birth. Would you and your husband be interested in adopting? When my aunt heard that, something came alive on the inside. She knew this was for them.

They said yes, and a few months later, they were standing in the delivery room, holding not one baby, but twin girls. And after that, they even adopted a boy, and now they have the family they always dreamt of. They could have settled, given in to what seemed permanent, but they knew with God it was only a season. He has the final say. Are you believing those always and never lies? Maybe tonight those thoughts are playing in your mind. You'll never be healthy.

Your family will always be broken. You'll never get out of this neighborhood. You'll always be an addict. Every voice may say it's forever, but God has the final say. Don't believe those lies. You may not be able to see how it can happen, but God's not limited by what you see, by what you have, by how you were raised.

It may look permanent, but the Bible says these light afflictions are for a moment. We have to see it as temporary as a season. You know, God is still on the throne. He's in control. He holds our future. It may be difficult, and may be unfair, but quit telling yourself

that it will never change. The battle is in your mind. The enemy would love to convince you to just live with it, to give up your joy, to lose your passion. Like my aunt and uncle, maybe it's been years. You've just accepted that it's never going to happen. So let me encourage you tonight to stir your faith. What God promised is still on the way. He can restore your family. He can break an addiction. He can get you to where you're meant to be. These light afflictions are for a moment. The sun, the moon, the stars, all of heaven is saying, it's just a season. Our outlook should be, I know this is not going to last. I know my God is in control, so I'm going to stay in faith. I'm going to thank him that things are changing even when I don't see it. There's another version of that scripture

that says, for our present troubles won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever. The struggle is temporary. The blessing is forever. So whenever I hear about this idea of seasons, my mind seems to automatically categorize them into good and bad, as if that's how it works. We go from one season to the other season and back again. But the more I read what the Bible has to say about seasons, the more I realize that's not God's design. Second Corinthians says we are being transformed into the same image as him, from glory to glory. God doesn't work in good and bad seasons, but in glory to glory seasons. His plan for your life is always to take you higher, to make you better, to show you more of his greatness, his power,

his love. I'm not saying we won't have challenging or uncomfortable moments, but when we see our seasons the way God does, not as some serious. of highs and lows, but as a journey from glory to glory, we'll recognize that they are all necessary and working for our good. He has a purpose for every season. When you're planting something, you have to prepare the soil, water the seed, pull up the weeds, give it time to grow before you get to harvest. When the seed's underground and we don't see anything happening, we keep watering because we know it's taking root. When it comes time, we pull up the weeds, because without that, the plant wouldn't grow. Even when it's slow, we make sure it gets enough sunlight so that it will be

healthy. But in life, sometimes we want to get to harvest, but we think, I wish I could just skip watering. It's boring. I don't want to pull up the weeds. That would be uncomfortable. But these are the steps God uses to lead us from glory to glory. Every season is meaningful. He has a purpose and a plan, So rather than fighting it, trying to rush through it, why don't we embrace the glory that we're in? Maybe you're being your best. You're putting God first. You're doing the right thing. But nothing's happening.

It's been months and you haven't seen anything on the surface and stay encouraged because your seed is taking root. Things are happening that you can't see. God is working behind the scenes. He's causing your roots to go down deep because he's got a great plan for your life. or maybe you're frustrated because your health hasn't improved. You haven't met the right person. That door still hasn't opened. God hasn't forgotten you.

You're in a watering season. It's all part of the process. Keep believing. David said, God, my times are in your hands. He was saying, God, I know you're in control. And at the right time, you're going to turn things around. So I'm going to stay in faith. Don't get discouraged by the planting, the watering,

the pulling up weed season. They're important. They can be uncomfortable. We might not always understand them, but God's doing a work in us. Our character is being developed. That's when we're showing God that will trust him, that will be faithful. We grow in the difficult times. The seed takes root in the dark. God wouldn't allow something to happen if he wasn't going to use it for our good. It takes faith to see that and embrace not just harvest, but all seasons. When we look at Joseph's in the Old Testament, we can see how God used every season to lead him to his destiny. As a teenager, God gave him a dream that he would lead a nation. Then when he told his brothers, they got jealous, threw him in a pit, and sold him into slavery.

He found himself in Egypt working for a man named Potipher. Joseph had every right to be upset, frustrated, bitter. But the Bible says, as it turns out, God was with Joseph, and things went very well with him. him. Even Potipher saw that and put him in charge of his entire estate. Then Potipers' wife decided to lie about Joseph, falsely accuse him, and he was thrown in prison. That probably should have broken Joseph. But he found favor with the headguard, and as a prisoner, ended up managing the whole operation. Then that's where he met Pharaoh's cup bearer and baker, and God used him to interpret their dreams. Then when Pharaoh needed someone to interpret his dream, they knew just who to call.

Pharaoh recognized that God was with Joseph and was so impressed that he appointed him second in command over all of Egypt. When a famine struck, the Bible says soon the whole world was coming to buy supplies from Joseph. God used him in an amazing way. When we look back on his life, we can see how God used every season to lead him to his his destiny. If we left one out, the others wouldn't have happened. If his brothers hadn't been jealous, he would have never been sold into slavery. If he'd never been sold into slavery, he would have never met Potipher. If Potipher's wife hadn't falsely accused him, he would have never been thrown in prison. If he hadn't been thrown in prison, he would have never interpreted the servant's

dreams. If he hadn't interpreted their dreams, he would have never been called before Pharaoh and put in charge of the nation in order to save them in a time of crisis. When we were look at any of these moments on their own, they don't make sense. It's just one unfair season after the other. But when we see the full picture, we see God's design, his hand at work. Now, what I love about Joseph is that we don't read one time where he complained, God angry, or was cynical. He could have said, God, why is this happening to me? I didn't do anything wrong. Instead, he kept being his best. He had a good attitude. He did everything with excellence. Could it be that Joseph embraced even an unfair and uncomfortable season? He probably didn't understand it all, but he trusted that God was working

everything for his good. Every stepback, every disappointment, every betrayal was leading him closer to the throne, or the alternative to embrace is endure. I don't know about you, but I don't want to endure life. Let's be like Joseph and have a good attitude, even when people aren't treating us right. Let's stay in faith in an unfair situation. Let's keep a good attitude. Let's trust God even in an uncomfortable season. Who knows what dreams he asked for you to interpret? Don't miss the miracle because you're frustrated and fighting the season. You may be in the prison, so to speak, but you're just one call away from the palace, from God bringing you into the world. From God bringing you to your destiny, connecting all the dots. What would Joseph say if we were to ask him about this

journey? The answer is found in the names of his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, which means God has made me forget all my hardships and prospered me double. God has a plan and a purpose for every season. If we'll trust it, if we'll embrace it, then we'll look back like Joseph and say, it was worth it. You know, sometimes, the seasons we think are unimportant are the very ones God is using to prepare us for what he has planned. A few years ago, I was playing acoustic guitar here at church for all three services every single weekend. And now that sounds like this amazing opportunity, but when you're 16 and spending every Saturday night at church, you may start to think twice. Trust me. On top of that,

I don't think I was really in the mix. No one could hear what I was playing. I could have been making up my own song, and I don't think anyone would have known. These guys know it. They're laughing at me right now. But I made a decision that if I was going to be here, then I would worship. Because if not, it would have really been a waste of time. So for years, every Saturday night I was worshiping.

When I look back now, I see how that prepared me for I am. Today, I'm leading worship, but it was all those Saturday nights that taught me how to do it. It was that season that at the time felt unimportant that helped me to develop not just my musical ability, but my heart. I think about the 17 years my dad spent behind the scenes editing my grandfather's sermons. He would have to listen to one over and over again in order to edit it for the TV broadcast. That could have felt insignificant. Little did he know, editing all those sermons was preparing him to write them one day. God was using that season to teach him.

When David was out in the shepherd's field, tending to his father's sheep, that might have seemed like a waste of time. A few weeks ago, he had been anointed king, and now he's looking after sheep, and they weren't even his sheep. But day after day, month after month, year after year, he's spent in this field. There's no way he could have known what God was preparing him for. but he just kept watching those sheep practicing his slingshot. Then one day a man named Goliath showed up, 10 feet tall, mocking the name of the Lord. As soon as David found out, he was at the front line saying, I fought lions and bears for these sheep. Who does he think he is?

Cursing the name of God, this uncircumcised Philistine, God will deliver him over to me too. And with one stone from that slingshot, he slew the giant. Who knows what God is preparing you for in a hidden season? If David hadn't embraced what seemed unimportant, he wouldn't have been ready to face Goliath. But we read so many times in Scripture where he cared for his father's sheep with excellence. Even out in the field, he was writing psalms.

He was making music. He was praising God. Just because he was in a slow season, didn't mean he was wasting time. Maybe where you are feels overlooked, unimportant. But with God, every moment is valuable. He knows exactly what he's doing.

He's preparing you in those unseen places. So let's be like David and not waste time. They may not be your sheep, but care for them with excellence. You may be out in the field, but make music, sing a song. You may not understand what God is preparing you for, but give him praise because he's at work in your life. There's a verse in Matthew that seems to illustrate this idea of seasons so well.

It says this, are you tired, worn out, burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me, work with me, watch how I. Watch how I. Watch how I. I do it, learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavier ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. The unforced rhythms of grace. That sounds like a better word for seasons. Wherever we are tonight, this is what Jesus is saying. Come to me, and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to embrace the season. Without Jesus, we're just fighting the current, swimming upstream.

We can make our own plans, wish we were somewhere else, try to do it our own way. But as that verse says, it will only leave us tired, worn down, burned out. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. With Jesus, we can live freely and lightly, knowing we've been equipped, anointed, and graced for every season. He won't give us anything that's too great for us to handle. These rhythms remind me of waves. On your own, it's like you're standing in the ocean, facing the shore.

Every wave that hits you seems to come out of nowhere. They crash into you unexpectedly, knock you down. But when we turn and face the waves, when we look to Jesus, we can actually embrace them. We can flow with the tie, learn its rhythms. We'll realize it's only a season. It's just a wave. I know it's preparing me for my destiny. It's all part of God's plan.

In fact, I can ride this wave. It's working for my good. God designed life with seasons, but he never intended for you to go through them alone. He loves you so much. He sent his own son to be with you every step. The only way we can embrace our season is to first embrace Jesus

and everything that he's done for us. That's how we truly live. That's life in its fullest. Let me pray. God, we know you have us in the palm of your hand. Lord, I pray that we would leave here tonight with a new perspective on seasons. a new excitement for life.

We know in all things you are working for our good. Continue to prepare us, continue to lead us, show us these unforced rhythms of grace. And Lord, I lift up all those going through an unfair and uncomfortable, a difficult season right now. God, we need you. Though it may seem permanent, Lord, we believe what you said, that these light afflictions are for a moment.

so we trust that they are working in us a glory that vastly outweighs them. Lord, I pray that you would reveal that glory in a real way here tonight. God, our times are in your hands. Jesus, we embrace you. Help us to embrace our season. Amen. Thank you for listening to the Joel O'S-Steen podcast. Help us continue to share the message of hope with those all over the world.

visit joel osteen.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 nice buns soft fluffy and ultra low net carbs

discover hero bread the delicious ultra low net carb bread with incredible taste and texture Hero bread has zero grams of sugar and is under 100 calories per serving, plus high in fiber and up to 10 grams of protein per serving. Available on Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and hero.co. That's hero.co. Order from hero.co now and get 10% off your purchase with promo code IHM10. Enhance your child's reading journey with the Good and the Beautiful's Reading booster program. Choose from three all-in-one kids for kindergarten, first, or second grade at readingbooster.com. Each kit includes reading cards, books, and games designed to create fun ways to learn phonics, sight words, and vowel sounds. There's even a free, ad-free app with additional games and kid-safe content. Bring home a love of learning with the good and the beautiful. Visit

readingbooster.com today. 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 mentalhealthcoach.org.