Joel Osteen Podcast - Enter Into God's Rest | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: October 13, 2023

When you live from a place of peace, you’re not moved by the circumstances around you. You know that when it’s all said and done, God is going to cause all things to work together for your good.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.

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoyed 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. We know that God has good things in store for you and that's why we come with a message of hope each week. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and see us. I promise you will make you feel right at home. but thanks so much for tuning in today. I'd like to get started each week with something funny,

so listen to this one. A blonde lady was speeding down the road, and she was pulled over by a female police officer that was also blonde. She asked to see the lady's driver's license. She dug and dug through her purse, getting more and more agitated. Finally, she asked, what does it look like?

The police woman said, it's square, and it has your picture on it. The driver finally found a square mirror, looked at it, saw her picture, and handed it to the officer. The blonde officer looked at the mirror and shook her head. She handed it back and said, all right, you can go. I didn't realize you were a police officer.

Somebody give me a ride home today? Hold your Bibles up. Say it like you mean it. Ready? 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'll 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 the importance of staying in peace and not being controlled by your circumstances. And so many people are always trying to get rid of their problems and then they're going to be happy. Then they're going to start enjoying their lives. But really, God wants us to learn to have peace in the midst of the storms. He wants us to have peace even when things aren't going our way.

Our boss isn't treating us right. We didn't get the promotion we wanted. Our child isn't doing what he should. And if we make the mistake of basing our peace on our circumstances, we'll never experience God's best. Because the fact is, there will always be something to upset us. You're never going to get rid of all the people in your life that aggravate you. You're never going to come to a point where you don't have challenges

and you don't have real good opportunities to get discouraged. We have to change our understanding. approach to life. People may not change. Circumstances may not change, so we're going to have to change. Now, like what the Apostle Paul said. He'd been through all kinds of shipwrecks and heartache and people had done unfair things to him. But he said, in spite of all these things, we are more than conquers. That's the kind of attitude we need to have. See, don't use your faith to try to get rid of all your problems. Use your faith to remain calm in the midst of your problems. One time Jesus was on a boat asleep, and all of a sudden this huge storm arose.

The winds were so strong. They were batting the boat back and forth. And the disciples got all upset and all afraid. They finally ran back there. Said Jesus, get up. We're about to die. We're about to perish. And Jesus got up, and he simply spoke to the storm.

He said, peace be still. And all of a sudden, there was a great calm. And the reason Jesus was able to bring peace to that situation, was because he had peace on the inside. He was in the storm, but he didn't let the storm get in him. And if you get upset and frustrated, every time things don't go your way, then you can't bring peace to that situation. And really, peace is not the absence of trouble. Peace is not the absence of enemies. You can have trouble and conflict all around you on the outside, but real peace is to know how to not let it get on the inside. Some of you today, you're all upset and worried.

worried. Your child's not doing right. Or maybe there's a situation at work that's just so unfair. And you're letting that just keep you stirred up on the inside. Day after day, it's just weighing you down, draining your joy, draining your energy, draining your enthusiasm. The whole problem is you've let the storm get on the inside. You've got to make some changes. Quit allowing those things to upset you. Learn to turn that situation over to God. Don't let the storm get in you. Life's too short to live it that way. The Bible talks about how we should enter into the rest of God.

That's a place where we know that God is in control. We know God is fighting our battles for us. We know when it's all said and done, God is promised, he's going to cause all things to work together for our good. And that's why we can stay in peace. That's why we can have a smile

on our face even though things aren't going our way. God is in control. And if God be for us, who dare even be against us? But understand, until you get back to this place of peace, God can't really work in your life. Because God works where there's an attitude of faith and expectancy, not when we're upset and worried and going around, all discouraged. And really, practically every day, we're going to have opportunities to lose our peace. Somebody is rude to you on the phone. You want to just jump

back down their throat. No, I'm going to stay at peace. I'm not going to allow him to upset me. or the boss doesn't give you the credit you deserve. You didn't get the big promotion you were really hoping for, but that's okay, I know God's in control. I know God has something better in store. Well, Joel, I'm upset because this man walked out of our relationship. That's just not fair. No, hold your peace.

If you'll stay calm, if you'll stay at rest, God will bring somebody better into your life. He'll take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it all around and use it for your advantage. But you've got to do your part and hold you. your peace. Don't live life, upset, worried, and frustrated. Sometimes we lose our peace over things we can't change. And you can't change the traffic in the morning. You might as well just sit there and enjoy it. Just stay calm. You can't make your husband or your wife or your boss or your neighbor do

what's right. Only God can. You might as well start enjoying your life while God is in the process of changing things. I know one time Victoria and I and our kids, we were going on vacation to Branson, Missouri. It was around Christmas time, so the airports were very crowded. We had to change planes in Memphis. We didn't have a very long layover. We got off the plane, and our kids were real hungry, so we stopped at a little hamburger stand real quick to get them something to eat, and then we took off toward the gate.

And I mean, it was a long way. We had to catch a couple shuttle buses, and then we ran the rest of the way. And when I got to the gate, I noticed the plane was still here, but the main door at the jetway was closed. And so I went up to that counter and I did everything I could to try to get on that plane. I prayed for God's favor. I smiled real big and I was as friendly as I could be, but none of that worked.

I thought, man, I don't want to sit in this airport for three or four hours waiting for the next flight. And I could feel myself starting to get stressed. And I had to make a choice right then and there. Was I going to keep my peace or was I going to give it away? I kept about half of it. When we finally got to Branson a little later I got off the plane

and this older couple came up to me and she said I hate to bother you but I gotta tell you I really love you I listen to you all the time and I just enjoy it so much on and on she went I started to feel a little better started to get my joy back but I noticed her husband

that whole time was looking at me like who in the world is this guy and this lady just went on and on and as I was finally leaving I overheard her saying oh honey you know who he is, he's the guy that sings my achy, breaky heart. I thought it's going to be one of those days.

See, we got to learn to just keep our peace. Even when people don't know who we are, even when things don't go our way. Even when we get caught in traffic, even when our plans don't work out, let me ask you, how do you know that's not where God wants you to be? How do you know

God is not protecting you from an accident? I love the scripture in Proverbs. It says, since the Lord is directing our steps. Why do we try to figure out everything that happens along the way? No, just go with the flow. Quit worrying about things you can't change. Learn to turn the situation completely over to God. He is in control of your life. And really, one of the greatest ways that we can show God that we're trusting him is by simply remaining calm. Not by how much we pray, not by how many times we come to church. That's all great. But what's going on in you? When you get to that point,

where the storm is raging and people are treating you unfair. Maybe you got a bad report from the doctor. And in the natural, you should be discouraged. You should be all upset. But instead, you've got a smile on your face. You've still got that spring in your step. You're at peace. And what you're really saying is, God, I trust you. I know you're bigger than this sickness. I know you're bigger than this marriage trouble. I know you're bigger than my enemies. And when you hold your peace and remain at rest, that's when God can fight your battles for you. And really, God wants us to be stable. Don't be the type of person that's up when your circumstances are up and down when they're down.

If you live like that, the enemy will control you your whole lifetime. Have some stability. We've got to learn to stay at peace if we get the promotion, and we're at peace if we don't get the promotion. We're calm if traffic's good, and we're still calm if traffic's all backed up. We're in a good mood when people are treating us fair, and we're in a good mood even when life is a little bit unfair. We need to be the type of person that it's very difficult for us to lose our peace. Well, somebody's talking about you. They're saying critical things.

That's okay. I know God is in control. I know God will fight my battles for me. Well, aren't you going to at least respond back? Aren't you going to at least set the record straight? No, I know God will be my vindicator. I know God will make my wrongs right. Or maybe I heard you got a bad report from the doctor.

I'm sure you're all upset. No, I'm not upset. I'm at peace. I know the number of my days God has promised he will fulfill. I know my life is in the palm of God's hands. Well, I heard you're up against some big enemies. Yes, that's true, but I'm not worried. I know my God is bigger.

I know no man can stand against my God. With men, it may be impossible. But I know with God all things are possible. See, one of the greatest ways we can show God, that we're trusting him is just by simply remaining calm. And so often when trouble comes, first thing we do is rebuke and we resist and we get ourselves all worn out and all in a frenzy.

But really, just staying at peace in the midst of the storm is spiritual warfare. When the enemy hit you with his best shot and in the natural, you should get a little discouraged. You should start complaining like everybody else, but instead you just stay happy anyway. You don't get bitter. You don't blame God.

You don't try to go pay somebody. back, you're at peace. When you do that, God will always cause you to come out ahead. The other day, I was waiting in my car for this parking spot. This man was just about to pull out, and I was sitting there with my blinker on. I'd been there a long time, and it was very obvious I was going to pull into this spot. But when he backed out, I got blocked for a couple of seconds, and so this other car just pulled right in there and beat me to it. And I couldn't believe it. I'd been there a long time, and there was no doubt in my mind. That guy had been watching me, wait for this spot, and I had to make a decision. Was I going to lose my peace, or was I just going to

stay calm and overlook it? Was I going to get upset? Or was I going to sow it as a seed and trust God to make it up to me? And understand, in the natural, I wanted to blow my horn and let him know what I thought. And the natural, I wanted to let him go on inside, and I'd just go let a little air out of each time. But I finally decided, you know what, this is not worth losing my peace over. I'm just going to bless him and move on. And some of you today, you're allowing people to steal your peace. Every time they do a certain thing, it's just like clockwork. You get all wrought up on the inside. Well, that's not right. They aggravate me. They shouldn't do that. No, quit allowing them to control you. Every time you get upset, you're playing right into the enemy's hands. And you know what?

They may not ever change. I hope they do. But my point is, we have to change. And I've discovered God is more interested in changing me than he is in changing my circumstances. And if I will just work with God and not allow these things to upset me, be moldable and pliable, then God will begin to change my circumstances. But we've got to sow a seed first

by doing the right thing. And sometimes we have to do the right thing a long time before we see right results. You've got to learn to overlook these offenses. You've got to go the extra mile to keep the peace in your life. Understand, there's always going to be people around you that are able to aggravate you if you allow them.

And you cannot just pray them away. Even if they did leave, God would probably send two more people to replace them. You've got to learn to overcome that. Maybe at your office, people are gossiping about you, talking behind your back. Or maybe somebody's just real condescending to you. They just kind of irritate you.

They get on your nerves. It's like they pester you. And in the natural, you want to get in there and argue. You want to get in there and set the record straight. Well, you know what? I'm going to tell you what I think. But no, if you'll just hold your peace, if you'll be the bigger person and take the high road

and learn to overlook a few things, then that allows God to fight your battles for you. And all through the scripture, it compares us to an eagle. And it's interesting what the eagle does. Do you know the eagle has some pest? And one of its biggest pest is a crow. He's always squawking, always clucking, always causing him trouble.

And the truth is, we all have a few crows in our lives. Probably have a few chickens and a few turkeys as well. By that, I mean, that's just people that can rub us the wrong way. People that can irritate us if we allow them. But we need to take a lesson from the eagle. When the eagle is out flying, often a crow will come up right behind him and start to pester him, just aggravate him and annoy him. And although the eagle is much larger, it cannot turn very quickly.

In other words, it cannot out-maneuver the crow. And so what the eagle does to get rid of his pest is he just stretches out his seven or eight-foot wingspan. And he catches some of the thermal currents, and he rises up higher and higher and higher. And eventually, he gets into an altitude that no other bird can live. That crow can't even breathe up there. There's been eagle spotted as high as 20,000 feet up there where the jets fly. The point is, if you want to get rid of your pest, you've got to come up higher. Don't ever sink down to their level.

Don't ever sink down to their level. Don't try to argue. Don't try to pay somebody back. Don't give them the cold shoulder. Be the bigger person. Overlook their faults. Walk in love. Learn to even bless your enemies.

Somebody's talking about you. Somebody's doing you wrong. Just bless them and move on anyway. Let me tell you, in the long run, crows can hang with eagles. You do that and you'll rise above all that jump. As I said, we all have some crows in our lives. That's people that are going to always talk, try to stir up trouble, try to be critical.

But don't you dare sink down to their level. You are an eagle. You've been made in the image of Almighty God. Learn to live above your circumstances. Rise above the petty politics at the office. Don't let people pull you into strife and division and get you all upset, gossiping. Well, Joel, they're talking about me. I'm going to show them.

No, you've got to hold your peace. You've got to be the bigger person. Learn to rise above that. Always remember the turkeys, the chickens, the crows, they cannot live at the altitude you were designed to live at. Why don't you put your wings out and begin to soar? God is in complete control of your life. He's promised if you will just remain at rest,

he'll make your wrongs right. He'll bring justice into your life. Man, what a freeing way this is to live. We don't have to worry. We don't have to try to pay somebody back. We don't have to be controlled by every little circumstance. We can just do like the eagle and rise up above it. Do you know I've never seen an eagle pecking around in a chicken coop with a bunch of chickens?

An eagle lives in the high places. An eagle lives up there where he's close to God. Another interesting thing about an eagle is when he comes to the storm, he doesn't go through the storm. He doesn't just bury his head and say, oh, here it comes again. I got to fight these winds. This lightning is going to be terrible. I'll probably never make it out. No, the eagle doesn't go through the storm.

Once again, he just puts his wings out and catches a little more wind, and he rises above it. He'll go up higher and higher and higher until he's completely above all that turmoil. And that eagle is not the least bit concerned about the storm he's facing. He doesn't get upset. He knows he has a way out.

And that way is to come up higher. And I'm sure he probably could fight his way through the storm. Struggle and fight and come out of that half dead, all beat up. But what a shame for him to live that way when God's given him the ability to rise above it. The fact is, that's what many of us do. God has given us his peace. He's told us to cast our cares on him. He said, if we'll just remain at rest, he'll fight our battles for us.

But so often we live worried and upset. We let people still our joy. We get bent out of shape if our plans don't exactly work out. Or maybe we're frustrated because our boss or our husband or wife is not doing what we want them to do. But no, you can't change that. Learn to rise above it. Turn that situation over to God. Some of you have spent 10 or 15 years being frustrated.

You're really not enjoying your life like God wants you to. Why don't you make a decision today that you're going to get your peace back, that you're not going to allow all these things to upset you and bother you anymore? Learn to rise above that. See, the crow has to flap his wings 90 to nothing just to fly. He's always got to be working. But an eagle, all he's got to do is catch the right wind currents and he'll soar. Didn't have to be like the crow working and working all the time.

He just got to put his wings out and learn how to rest. He learns how to let the winds carry him. If you're always frustrated, trying to fix everything in your life and trying to straighten this person out for what they said about, you and worried about your health, worried about your finances, you're being just like that crow. You're working and working, flapping and flapping. But friends, my message today is life doesn't have to be that way. Why don't you enter into God's rest?

Why don't you learn to trust him? He's in complete control of your life. He said he'd never leave you nor forsake you. He said he'd be the friend that sticks closer than a brother. I know some of you are going through some difficult times, but you need to know God can make a way out. And if you can just get back to peace, then God can even do the impossible in your life. I think about the children of Israel. One time, they were facing what seemed to be an impossible situation.

God had just delivered them out of slavery in Egypt. Pharaoh had let them go. And now they were on their way to the promised land. But all of a sudden, Pharaoh changed his mind. He and the Egyptian army came chasing after them. And the children of Israel ended up at a dead end at the Red Sea. And the first thing they did when they faced the United States, when they face that trouble is what many of us do today.

They lost their peace. They got upset. They started complaining. They started blaming other people. They said, Moses, why did you bring us out here in the wilderness to die? Weren't there enough graves in Egypt? Now look at us. We don't even have a chance.

And Moses knew if God was going to work in that situation, he had to get them calm. He had to get their peace back. And so he said to them there in Exodus 14, verse 13. and I imagine he probably said it sternly. He said, stand still, and you will see the deliverance of the Lord. He was saying, in effect, if you want God to turn this around, you're going to have to quit worrying, you're going to have to quit complaining, you've got to quit living all upset, be still and know he is your God.

The next verse, he went on to say, for the Lord will fight this battle for you, but you shall hold your peace and remain at rest. Notice what we have to do if we want God. to work in our lives. We got to hold our peace and remain at rest. And you too may be in what seems to be an impossible situation in your life, in your health, in your finances, in your marriage, in your business. And you say, that's why I'm so stressed out today. That's why I'm so upset. But I believe God is saying the same thing to you that he said to these people many years ago, get your peace back. Remain at rest. Being upset, being worried, being negative, that's only going to

make matters worse. And you need to know that God is a supernatural God and that situation is subject to change. It may look impossible in the natural, but just like God supernaturally parted the Red Sea for these people, God can supernaturally make a way out in your own life. You say, well, Joel, I don't see how my business could ever make it. I don't see how I'm ever going to get married. Or I don't see how I could ever get out of these problems. It's just too bad. Well, the scripture talks about the things that we see with our natural eyes are only temporary. That means they are subject to change. And all it takes is one touch of God's favor.

In a split second, God can turn any situation around. Suddenly, God can prosper your business. God can give you one idea. He can give you one new account that'd cause your business to take off. You single people, God can suddenly bring somebody into your life that you really love. He can cause you to be at the right place, at the right time. Any situation, God can suddenly turn it around, split second at time. I remember when we were trying to get the compact center, there were so many times where

I was just tempted to think, man, this is never going to work out. We just have too many odds against us. And I'd have to catch myself and say, no, I am not going to worry about this. I'm not going to give up. I'm just going to stay in peace and keep believing. Now, I knew as long as I was at rest, then God could work in that situation. And even after we signed the agreement with the city to lease it, you know, a company filed a lawsuit to try to keep us from moving in. And our attorneys told us there was no guarantee that we would win.

And even if we did, it could have been tied up in the legal system for five or ten years. And I thought, man, I've already presented this to the church. Many of them have given money. What are we going to do if we lose? What am I going to do if we win and the building's got to sit there vacant for five or ten years waiting for the outcome? And I was so tempted to get worried and so tempted to lose my peace. I just had to keep telling myself every day, Joel, keep your peace. It's all in God's hands.

And we had been in that legal battle for over a year and a half. And our council said, these people will never settle with you. Don't even think about it. They've got too much writing on it. Do you know, just a few weeks before the big trial, one night I'll never forget it. I was out riding my bicycle. And I got a call saying that the other side wanted to sit down and talk. And our attorney said, oh, it's just a ploy.

It's just a distraction. Don't get your hopes up. People do this all the time. But no, do you know, in less than 48 hours? We had not only reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit, but that company had agreed to lease us nearly 9,000 covered parking spaces there at the compact center. As most of you know, we'll be moving in in just a little while.

But my point is, all it took was one touch of God's favor. And in the same way, God can suddenly turn it. any situation around in your life, in your marriage, in your child, in your finances, in your health, in your business. But I believe the whole key is we have to hold our peace and remain at rest. Well, let me ask you, are there things in your life that you're worrying about, things that are weighing you down, things that you're allowing to steal your peace? Why don't you make a decision today that you're going to turn it over to God and really enter into his rest? You're not going to worry about it anymore. You're not going to let those people

steal your joy. You're not going to give up on the dreams God's placed in your heart. And some of you need to get a new perspective. You need to get a fresh new outlook. Maybe you've been in a difficult situation for a long time. It just doesn't look like it's going to get any better. The storm is raging.

You're discouraged. It looks so gloomy. But you need to do like that eagle and begin to rise up higher. There have been times I've been on an airplane about to take off. And the skies are so gray outside. It's just overcast and really kind of depressing looking. But then we take off

and we begin to go through the clouds. And finally, we break through all the gloom and despair. And lo and behold, the sun is up there shining brighter than ever. The skies are blue. You can tell the air is crystal clear. See, the sun was shining the whole time. I just had to get a higher

perspective in order to see it. And you need to know the clouds in your life are only temporary. It may look dark and gloomy, but you can rest assured the sun is up there shining brighter than ever. one of the best things you can say to yourself when you're tempted to get discouraged is no this too shall pass it is not going to last forever those clouds are going to blow out one day and i'm going to see the goodness of god

again in my life i'm going to see this situation turn around friends get a higher perspective god is on your side there's nothing too difficult for him my prayer today is that you lay aside everything that's weighing you down big things or little things and that you live your life free from worry, free from frustration, free from discouragement, knowing that God is in complete control. And when life gets tough and things don't go your way, don't be a crow, don't be a chicken, be the eagle God made you to be. Learn to put your wings out and rise above it. You were made to soar. If you do that, you'll be able to say with the Apostle Paul, in spite of all these things, I am more than a conquer. Amen. How many of you receive it today? Amen, I know you do.

We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make you a 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 church. Keep God first place. He'll take your places that you've never dreamed of. Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you encouraged and inspired all through the week. Help us to continue to share the message of hope with those all around the world. Visit Joel Osteen.com or click the link in the description to partner with us today.

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