Joel Osteen Podcast - Expectation

Episode Date: May 15, 2019

Expectation is the breeding ground for God to do the impossible in our lives. Have you started expecting lack, mediocrity, and struggle? Begin to shift your perspective and expect to see the miraculous in your life. Expectation is not just positive thinking, expectation is our faith being put into action! 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. Are you ready to move your career forward? Make your comeback with Purdue Global and get college credit for your work, school, life, or military experiences. With these credits, you may have already completed up to 75% of your undergraduate degree.

You've worked hard to get where you are. It's time to get the recognition you deserve and earn a degree you'll be proud of, one that employers will trust and respect. When you take the next step in your life and career, make it count with Purdue Global. Purdue's online university for working adults. Start your comeback at PurdueGlobal. 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.C for a $50 bonus. See terms and conditions at UNS.com.

See you. Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. We enjoy spending this time with you, and I hope you'll leave inspired. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. Enjoy our son Jonathan today. Tonight I want to talk about expectation. Whether we know it or not, we're all expecting something. When we turn the key, we expect the car to start. When the clouds darken, we expect it to rain. When our teams up 40 points we expect to win the game. The question is not if we're expecting, but what are we expecting? Are we expecting the right things? Are we expecting enough? The Bible shows us that God meets us at the level of our expectation. When we wake up expecting to have a great day, God meets us right there. When we expect opportunity, he opens doors. When we expect to meet the right people, he brings them across our path.

Wherever our level of expectation is, that's where we're asking God to meet us. That's the extent we're allowing him to move in our lives. He wants to do something amazing, but we've got to give him some room to work. We got to expect the miracle, expect the breakthrough, expect our dreams to come to pass. Sometimes we find ourselves expecting the very things we don't want. We expect the relationship not to last. We expect that we won't get the job or the position. We expect to struggle with addiction.

When God's saying, I want the best for you, why are you expecting the worst? Maybe we think, if I don't expect much, then I won't be disappointed. The truth is, if you don't expect much, you'll miss your destiny. If we're going to become all that God's created us to be, we have to learn to expect on his level. We have to take a step beyond what's familiar, beyond the ordinary, into what only he can do. This is a time to redefine our expectations. If we don't set them,

then people and circumstances will set them for us. I've heard it said, things just keep getting worse. This is just the way the world's headed. That kind of talk has created such a negative outlook in our generation. We've been told 2017 was bad. 2018 made it worse,

and now it's all downhill from here. I don't know about you, but I'm done letting anyone other people, than God, tell me what's next. Let's stir our expectation in 2019. Let's believe for our best year yet. Let's believe this is the year we see our family restored. This is the year we are set free. This is the year we take new ground. It's not just positive thinking. Expectation is our faith being released. It's a force that can move mountains, part seas, bring the dead to life. If our expectations don't seem impossible.

If our dreams aren't intimidating, if what we're believing for is anything less than extraordinary, then it doesn't take faith. We're talking about God-sized expectation. The kind of expectation that says, I'll pay this car off in half the time and be able to give it away.

The kind of expectation that says, right now I'm working for this company, but one day I'm going to own it. The kind of expectation that says, I will be used. healed. I will be set free, despite what the situation looks like. Maybe you're thinking that sounds awesome, but you also sound crazy. Then we're off to a good start. Let's get our hopes up. I imagine God looks at that level of expectation with a smile and says, I'll meet you there. Finally, she's getting

a glimpse of who I am. Finally, he's scratching the surface of what I have in store. Isaiah 3018 says God is longing to be good to those who expect and look for his goodness. My question is, what are you looking for? What are you expecting? Are you looking for what could go wrong? Are you expecting more of the same? Or are you looking for God's favor? Expecting him to show up this year? He's longing to be good to people like that. Let's raise our level of expectation in 2019. There are hundreds of people gathered around one man. a man they said could make the blind sea in the lame walk, a man who could touch a leper and cause him to be healed. The whole city had come to get a glimpse of this man, Jesus.

As he made his waist through the streets, the people pushed and shouted, trying to get as close as they could. In the midst of all that chaos, a woman pressed through the crowd with one thought in her mind. If I can touch him, I'll be healed. This woman had suffered for 12 years with chronic bleeding. It took all the strength she had just to be there that day.

With every step she took, she said it again, I will be healed. When she could finally see him, she reached out and touched his robe, knowing full well what was about to happen. Suddenly Jesus stopped and asked, who touched my robe? The disciples probably thought, here we go again. Why does he always ask these kind of questions? Jesus, everyone's touching you. There's hundreds of people here.

He said, no, this was different. Who was it? When she realized she couldn't hide any longer, the woman stepped forward, hung her head, and said, it was me. Jesus looked at her with a smile, lifted her head and said, you took a risk. Now you're healed and whole. Go and live well. Dozens of people brushed up against Jesus that day. The woman who reached out in expectation received a miracle. Where are we in that crowd? Are we brushing up against him just hoping something happens? or are we like the woman who reached out expecting to be healed? There are a lot of people with needs that day.

The fact that they were even there shows us that they believed what they had heard about Jesus, but there's a difference between believing and expecting. The others said, God, I know you can. This woman said, God, I know you will. If we want to see the power of God in our lives, we need to go from believing to expecting. Many of us believe God can do great things. We know it's possible with him, but we don't expect that it will happen to us. We don't make room for him to work. When we live expectantly, it gets God's attention. When we wake up each day expecting to overcome, expecting to be debt-free,

expecting to be a greater blessing, heaven sees that and the angels go to work. They get that miracle, that breakthrough, down off the shelf and put it in one of the world. of those brown Amazon boxes with your name on it. They're like, finally, someone is expecting a delivery. We've got warehouses full of this stuff up here. Why don't we throw in a few extra blessings? Send the joy, send the strength, send the opportunity. God is longing to be good to us. Let's not keep them waiting because we're not expecting. The Bible says she kept saying to herself, I will be healed. She didn't just say it once. She said it over and over. I will be healed. I will be restored. I will overcome. She was releasing her face and it started with

what she said to herself. It started with her thoughts. In the same way, we can't go around thinking I'll never get any better. This is as good as I get. There's nothing good in my future. Doubt and fear may come, but like that woman, we have to speak up and keep saying to ourselves, I will succeed. I will be free. The best is yet to come. Don't just say it once. Say it until you're convinced. This is our year to expect great things. This is our year to dream again, to see God do something new.

We can talk ourselves out of the miracle, or like she did, we can talk ourselves into it. Let's set our thoughts in the right direction in 2019. The difference between believing and expecting is that two people can be in the same place at the same time, doing the same thing and have entirely different experiences. Some of the people there that day were at the right place, at the right time, and even came into physical contact with Jesus, but missed the miracle. Why? There was no expectation. How many times have we bumped up against Jesus thinking he doesn't have anything from me? I don't want to bother him. The good news is tonight, we're in the right place, at the right time, and God's saying,

will you just reach out? I want to be good to you. Are we coming on Sunday? night expecting to hear from God or are we waiting for the songs or the speaker to determine what kind of experience we have? We should come expecting God to show up. We should come expecting to make new friends. We should come expecting to be refreshed and renewed. When we approach life like that, we'll stop brushing up against Jesus and start reaching out for him. He's not going to pass us by. We're not going to miss what he has for us. We're determined to become all that he's created. to be. When a couple is believing for a baby, it's one thing. They may believe for a few months or a few years before anything happens. But when the woman becomes pregnant, everything changes. And I'm not

about to assume what that's like, but I do know it's a whole new attitude. It changes the way they talk, the way they think. It's no longer if it's when. They start getting ready for what's about to happen. They buy toys and clothes. They read books. They get a they start making a list of names. Now they're expecting. When that baby finally arrives, they've prepared for it. That's how we should expect. Not if, but when.

When I get promoted, when I get healed, when my family is restored. Start getting ready for what God is about to do. Let's get a vision for what we're expecting. Take a tour of that campus. Meet some people there. Go to that open house. They don't know you can't afford it right now. Maybe you're single.

You can plan your wedding anniversary. Or if you're in the hospital, have someone bring your running shoes and keep them by your bed. That's what my grandfather did. You might not be able to use them right now, but every time you look at them, you can say, I will run again. You're expecting.

At first, when there's no sign of a baby, the couple doesn't say, you know what, it's been a month and I haven't seen anything. I don't think we're expecting anymore. No, they don't need to see it. They don't even need to feel it. They got a report from the doctor that says a baby is on the way. That's all they need to start making preparations.

If we can expect what a doctor says, surely we can expect what God says. There was a couple that lived in a tiny apartment, and they were happy, but they knew God had bigger plans. So they bought this couch that was way too big for their living room. It was pushed all the way up against the wall, and they still had to turn sideways just to get by. whenever people came over they would say i'm sorry you'll have to excuse our couch we bought it for our new house when asked where they were moving the couple always replied we don't know yet we just know we're not staying here some people thought that was crazy but these people just knew god had better things in store they were getting ready for it three years went by and those same people would ask when are you moving

the couple would always say soon they didn't let it bother them they never thought maybe we should have just bought a smaller couch. This is ridiculous. No, they kept expecting until one day they were offered this huge promotion. It was an amazing opportunity. And do you know where that couch is now? It's not in their new house. They bought other furniture. They gave that couch to another couple that's expecting their dream home. We can't overestimate God. He always meets us at the level of our expectation. Take the limits off. Don't let it be so low. He can't fit anything there. Start getting ready for what God's about to do. Make some room for him to work. We don't have to buy a really big couch, but what can we do to show God that we're expecting?

Let's say what that couple did. Soon. When is that problem going to turn around? Soon. When are you getting out of debt? Soon. When is that door going to open soon? Say it by faith. Say it with expectancy and watch how God meets us there. Have you ever told a five-year-old something and then almost wished you hadn't because they never, ever forgot it? I have. Some friends of mine have a little boy that's about five years old and one day he was playing with some Legos that I have. He's flying this ship around, making the sound effects. It keeps falling apart. I'm trying to put it back together, but he doesn't care. He's loving life. You've never seen happiness like this. So in the spur of the and I say, hey, I'll get you some of these Legos. I meant for his birthday or for Christmas. I didn't mean

I'd get them in like 15 minutes. After I said that, it was all he could talk about. He kept asking, J.O., did you get my Legos yet? I said, it's been three minutes. I've been right here the whole time. How would I have gotten your Legos? The next time I saw him, he didn't say hi. He didn't give me a hug. The first words out of his mouth were, did you get my Legos? I would get calls. I would get calls. from his parents' phone throughout the week, and when I answered, this little voice on the other end would ask me about Legos. I could not escape it, but he wasn't being rude. He wasn't being unfriendly. He wasn't even demanding. He just knew if I told him, I'd get him Legos, I would. He believed me enough to expect it. The thought that he wasn't going to get Legos never crossed his mind.

He might not have known when, but he never doubted. I even overheard him telling other people I was going to get him Legos. It wasn't his birthday. It wasn't Christmas, but I finally got him those Legos, and I think I was even happier than he was now that he had stopped asking. Isn't that what we should expect from God? That if he said he'd do something, he'd do it? That's childlike expectation. When we take God at his word, we hold on to the promise. We can't help but tell other people. This little boy didn't ask if I could afford it. He didn't try to give me, directions to the store or check if it was in stock. In the same way, we don't have to figure it out for God. We don't have to tell him how to do it. We don't have to have a step by step plan with our

expectation. The Bible says, ask and keep asking, expect and keep expecting. God knows what he's saying. He meant what he said. If there's no way, he can make one. Sometimes it feels like if we can't figure it out, then God probably can't either. We think, expectation sounds great, but let's be realistic. There's not enough time. This debt is too great. I've had this addiction too long. No, God didn't say, ask, but keep it realistic. Expect, but don't get carried away. He created reality. He gets to decide what's realistic, and he says we can do all things through his strengths. He says we are free, equipped, talented. He calls us. He says, his children. Why don't we expect like kids again? God is a good father. He's longing to be good to us.

Let's not keep him waiting because we're not expecting. We don't have to beg. We don't have to figure it out. We can trust because he's faithful. And if he said he'd do it, then we can praise him like it's already done. In Psalm 5, David writes, each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly. He didn't pray and then get discouraged. He didn't ask God and then become complacent. David waited expectantly. In the time before our prayers are answered, the moments leading up to the promise, there's always a period of waiting. The question is, are we waiting the right way? When we wait expectantly, we wake up saying this could be the day, I get the call. This could be the day the situation turns around. We have anticipation in our spirit. We have anticipation in our spirit.

it. We might not see it yet, but we talk like it's on the way. We act like it's going to happen. We're not just waiting. We're releasing our faith. We see this all throughout David's life. He said things like surely goodness and mercy will follow me all my days. He wasn't just hoping that happened. David was convinced. He expected it. And this is one of the reasons God called him a man after his own heart. He had great expectation. When David wrote some of these things, he wasn't the king of Israel. He was a man on the run. The current king wanted him dead. Yet he still said, I am confident. I will see God's goodness in the land of the living. He knew it was only a matter of time before God delivered him. And until then, he was going to wait expectantly. True waiting is not

passive. It's actively expecting. We're not thinking this is never going to work out. I should just learn to live with this problem. Like David, we pray, believe, and leave. And, then start looking for the answer. We can say things like, surely his blessings will chase me down. I am confident God is going to show up. It could be a work. It could be at school. I could get a call whenever, wherever, I'm on the lookout for God's goodness. The Bible in the book of James encourages us to wait for God's promises like a farmer waits for the harvest. Think about that. A farmer doesn't plant his crops and spend the next six months worry. He doesn't stress when he can't see the seed.

He doesn't kick back and do nothing until springtime. He's actively expecting. He waters the seed, takes care of the soil, pulls up the weeds. On top of that, he's making preparations for the harvest to come. He's getting ready for what's about to happen. Like a farmer, we don't have to live anxious and worried while we wait for the promise. We know it's not if, it's when. God has us in the palm of his hand. He'll never leave us or forsake us. He promised to keep us in perfect peace. We don't have to stress when the seeds underground, when we don't see anything happening. We know God is at work behind the scenes. He's still in control. He'll do what he said. When doubt and fears come, pull them up like their weeds. Let's just let them know that the harvest is on the way. We're not waiting anxiously. We're waiting expectantly. It's an active position.

of faith. A farmer isn't complacent. He cultivates what he's expecting and God causes it to grow. It's our job to do the same. While we wait, let's thank God for what he's done in the past. Let's praise him for what he's going to do in the future. Keep saying to yourself, the promise is coming. Don't give in to negative thoughts. Let's stand on God's word and start getting ready for it, making room for what is about to happen. Let's worship while we wait. When we do what we can, God does the things we can't. He brings the healing. He brings the favor.

He brings the deliverance. He's faithful to his promise. The Bible says, while we wait, God gives us strength. He causes us to soar like eagles. We may still face challenges, but we can expect to overcome. We'll rise up and soar above the difficulty.

Maybe you're thinking, what if I expect and it doesn't happen? What if I say this could be the day and it's not? then you're one step closer to the promise. It might not have happened today, but God can still do it tomorrow. We're not talking about one or two days of expectation. We're not talking about expecting for a week and seeing if it works. We're talking about a lifestyle of expectation.

Let's not miss what God has for us because we weren't willing to step out in faith. It might seem impossible. God's not asking us to deny the facts. He's looking to see if we'll put more. weight in his promise or our problem. The impossible hasn't stopped him yet. He flung stars into space. He created the universe. He breathed life into every soul. We can expect great things from our God. Romans 8 says creation waits an eager expectation for what God will reveal. One translation says, On its tiptoes. What if that's how we approach this year? On our tiptoes and expectation.

knowing that at any moment God could show up. We can be on our tiptoes at work, at school, at the grocery store. We're so looking forward to what God is going to do that we can't keep our feet on the ground. When people ask why we're so excited, we'll tell them we're expecting the best. 2019 is going to be a great year. That old cynical attitude never got anyone anywhere. Let's leave that in the past and be a generation on our tiptoes and expectation for what God will do.

What are you expecting this year? Is it enough? Let me say it this way. If God gave us what we were expecting in 2019, would we be pleased or would we look back and wonder why we didn't expect his best? Don't be just another person in the crowd. Reach out like that woman and receive the miracle.

The Bible says God has blessings stored up for the righteous. 2019 is a time to bring some of those blessings out of store. storage. For as much as I didn't want to let that little boy down when I said I'd get him Legos. How much more will your Heavenly Father not let you down? There are scholarships and management positions waiting for you. There is freedom and healing and breakthrough in your future. God is longing to be good to you. Don't let a lack of expectation keep you from your Legos. This is your year to see the miraculous. This is your year to experience God's goodness. He's going show up. He's going to open doors and break chains. He'll take you to a new level. You will be healed.

You will be free. You will fulfill your destiny. Let's do our part and expect it. Let's get on our tiptoes. Let's wake up like David and start looking for God's promise. It might not happen our way or on our timetable, but God always has our best interest at heart. He always meets us at the level of our expectation. Take the limits off. Dare to expect great things. Dare to dream again. Dare to believe God for the impossible.

Release your faith and watch how he responds. Let's pray. God, we're on our tiptoes and expectation this year. We don't just believe you can. God, we know you will. You will heal. You will restore. You will break chains.

Lord, we know. know it's only a matter of time and until then we're going to wait expectantly. Lord, we're looking for your goodness this year. We're not expecting just to maintain just to barely get by. God, we're expecting your best in our lives. We're expecting your best in your church. We're expecting the best in this city and we're expecting the best in this world. We believe it and we expect it.

In Jesus' name. Thank you for listening to. the Joel Osteen 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. Fortunately, 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 mental healthcoach.org. That's mental healthcoach.org. Be a barbecue hero with delicious ultra-low net carb, hero bread, buns, and tortillas.

soft and fluffy, high in fiber, and with zero grams of sugar and up to 10 grams of protein, coming in at under 100 calories per serving. Oh, and did I mention, they taste like their mouthwatering traditional versions. It's enough to have the neighbors asking for seconds. Use code IHM 10 for 10% off your first hero bread purchase at hero.co. That's IHM 10 for 10% off at hero.co. Summer is here and our sleep is just as important as our weekend plans. So get the sleep you deserve with Lisa.

For limited time, save up to $700 off select mattresses Plus two free pillows during our summer sale Check out our hybrid mattress designed to keep you cool during those hot summer nights. Lisa also offers free shipping and a risk-free 100-night trial. Get the sleep you deserve. Shop our summer sale now and save up to $700 off select mattresses Plus two free pillows at Lisa.com. That's L-E-E-E-S-A.com.

Exclusions apply, visit Lisa.com for details.