Joel Osteen Podcast - Expecting Far And Beyond Favor | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: May 23, 2024

Don't let a spirit of negativity convince you that your best days are in the past. Enlarge your vision and get ready for the incredible things God has in store!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 visitJoelOsteen.com/GiveHope.Three minutes. Every day. Before your feet hit the floor, set your mind on things above with Joel’s new devotional, 3-Minute Mornings. Our May offer contains 365 days of favor and freedom. Put God first place, and you’ll see breakthroughs you couldn’t make happen. Request your copy today, https://bit.ly/4di5pMO.   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 so much for listening to the podcast, and thanks for supporting the ministry. We believe you're going to have an awesome 20-24, healthy, productive, and favor-filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. And God bless you. It's always our joy to come into your homes. We love you. We know God has great things in store for each one of you.

And if you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. We promise you it. We'll make you feel right at home. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks again for coming out today. I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this minister that died. He was standing in line at the pearly gates, and in front of him was a man dressed in a loud shirt wearing blue jeans and sunglasses. St. Peter asked, what's your name, sir? He said, my name is Joe Cohen, taxi cab driver, New York City. Peter checked his list and handed him a gold staff and a silk robe and said, well,

Welcome to heaven. The minister stepped up and said, I'm Reverend Joseph Snow, pastor of St. Mary's Cathedral. Peter checked his list and handed him a cotton robe and a wooden staff. He said, hey, wait a minute. It's not fair. The taxi cab driver got a gold staff and a silk robe. How could that be? Peter said, sir, up here, we work by results. When you preached, people slept. But when he drove, people prayed. Hold up your Bible, say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have.

I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about expecting far and beyond favor.

as we enter into a new year, it's very important to set the tone right at the very beginning. How we start so often will determine how much of God's favor we're going to see. We're not only beginning a new year, but we're beginning a new decade. In a major magazine named the last 10 years the decade from hell, they cited all the terrible things that had happened. 9-11, the economy going down, investment, fraud, wars. They summed it up by saying, it's the decade we'd like to forget. And if we're not careful, we'll go into this new year expecting more of the same. But the scripture talks about

how the darker it gets in the world, the brighter it's going to be for God's people. And things may get bad all around you. People negative, complaining, discouraged. Don't let that spirit rub off on you. The worse it gets, the brighter you're going to shine. And I want to help set the tone for the new decade. I'm going to speak words of faith over you and your future. And if you'll let them sink into your spirit, it's going to enlarge your vision and allow God to do amazing things. I realize some of you have had a rough year or even a rough decade. But I want to announce the tide of the battle is turning.

A shift is taking place. You are entering into a new season. Just like the winds can shift directions, in this new decade, things are going to shift in your favor. Some of you have been stuck at the same level year after year. You think you've reached your limits, gone as far as you can go, but you need to get ready. God is about to do a new thing. You have not even touched the surface of what he has in store. He has explosive blessings that can catapult you to a new level.

Some of you, it's going to be like you shifted from first year, into second gear. You're going to pick up speed. You're going to make more progress. Things are going to be accelerated. Some of you, it's going to be like you shifted from fourth gear into overdrive. Things are going to get easier. Things are going to start falling into place. The right people, the right brakes. But for some of you, it's going to be like your turboboosters kicked in. God is going to thrust you further than you imagine. He is going to open doors that you, that you're You never even dreamed possible. You're going to look back at the end of the decade and say, wow, God, you have done amazing things.

That's what I feel so strongly in my spirit. It's going to be an Ephesians 320 decade. It says God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond all we can imagine. Let that take root on the inside. It's going to be a far and beyond decade. Here's what that means. You're going to come into opportunity that will boggle your mind. You're going to see your career take off like a rocket.

You're going to meet the right people that will help further your dreams. You're going to accomplish goals much quicker than you imagined. You're going to come out of debt and pay that house off even though it looked impossible. You're going to get well even though the medical report says, there's no way. and things may be dark and gloomy around you, but keep your head held high. You have an advantage. You are a child of the most high God. His face is shining down on you.

God is saying it's not going to be an average decade. It's not going to be a barely get by decade. No, you need to get ready. It's going to be a decade of favor, a decade of increase, a decade where you accomplish your God-given dreams. Every day, you need to be a decade. to declare this over you and your family. Father, thank you for an exceedingly abundantly above and beyond decade. I know some of you can look back and think, wow, 2009 was kind of rough. Business was slow. I had some disappointments. Things didn't go my way. But here's the key. Don't allow what you've

been through or what didn't work out to set the tone for the new year. God promised in Psalms, he would make our enemies our footstools. You may have had some enemies come against you in 2009. Bad breaks, financial difficulties, sickness, even people. Those challenges were meant to stop you. They were meant to discourage you and steal your vision. But if you stay in faith, instead of being a stumbling block to stop you, God will turn them into a stepping stone to take you to a higher level.

just like if someone were to put out their foot to try to trip you, but you stepped on top of it, and instead of going down, you went up. It was meant to decrease you, but God caused it to backfire, and instead you increased. Everything you've been through up to now is to get you prepared for what God is about to do. Nothing in your life has been wasted. Every disappointment, every setback, every person that did you wrong, every long, every lonely night, that deposited something on the inside. God didn't send it, but he used it to get you prepared.

It's helped make you and mold you into who you are today. And we grow in the difficult times. That's when our faith is stretched and our character is developed. Without those adversities, you wouldn't be prepared for the great things that God has in store. Now, don't go into a new year, discouraged, offended, bitter, mad at a neighbor, mad at yourself, in self-pity. Let it all go. Start a fresh and anew. You cannot drag around the baggage from the past and expect to have God's goodness in your future. You may have had a tough 2009, but your attitude should be, this is a new day. Things are shifting

in my favor. This difficulty is not going to stop me. It's going to promote me. It was meant to bring me down, but I know the truth, God's going to use it to lift me up. This is what David said. I am confident of this. I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living. David was in tough times. Things weren't going his way. But he said, in effect, I'm not worried.

I'm not upset. I am confident. I will see God's goodness. In other words, 2009 may have been rough, but that's not going to steal my vision. that's not going to cause me to give up on my dreams. I am confident in 2010, I will see God's favor in a new way. Well, Joel, you just don't know what the medical report says.

No, but I do know what our God says. Well, you don't know what my finances look like. No, but I do know what our God looks like. He's all powerful. He controls the universe. Well, you don't know how big my obstacles are. No, but I do know how big our God is. the most high God. There's nothing too difficult for him. But too often we allow our circumstances to

set the tone and all that does is create more of the same. In the Old Testament, there was a woman about to give birth. She was an Israelite and she just got word that the Ark of the Covenant had been stolen. That was where God lived. And she was so upset and so distraught when she gave birth to her baby boy, she named him Iqabad. Iqabod means the glory has departed. Notice what she did. She named her future by what was happening in the present. She could have just as easily named him,

the glory will return instead of the glory has departed. But she was so focused on the negative, so caught up in where she was right then and there, that she tainted her whole future. What's my point? Don't ever name your future. by your present day circumstances. 2009 may have been rough, but don't you dare

go into 2010 thinking, oh man, it's going to be another hard year. I'm sure I'm not going to get any breaks again. No, get that Iqabod spirit off of you. Let me tell you what to name your future. Blessed, prosperous, successful, victorious, healthy, whole, strong, talented, creative wise. It may look like you're stuck in a rut. you don't really see how you could ever rise any higher.

Don't speak defeat over your life. Don't go around saying, well, I've reached my limits. I just don't have the education. I don't have the connections. No, name your future by saying God's face is shining down on me. God is opening up doors that no man can shut. My greatest victories are not behind me. They're still out in front of me.

When you do that, you're calling in, increase, blessing, favor. When we think about our future, there should be an enthusiasm. On the inside, it should be so ingrained in us. It's like a fountain that's just trying to bubble up over. We're constantly looking for God's goodness. We don't drag around thinking, oh, man, it's so hard. I never get any breaks. No, we go around thinking something good is going to happen to me.

God's far and beyond favor is on my life. It's going to be in Ephesians 320 decade. I am confident, just like David, I'm going to see the goodness of God in amazing ways. This is what it says in the book of Deuteronomy. When you live a life that honors God, when you obey His word and you're a person of excellence and integrity, then the scripture says that God's blessings will chase you down and overtake you.

You won't be able to outrun the good things of God. Really, we don't have to chase the blessings, just chase after God, and the blessings will automatically follow. Make pleasing the Lord your highest priority. Let go of any weights or sins that you know are holding you back. Be willing to deal with the issues that God is bringing to life. Don't give in to compromise and temptation. All that's doing is keeping you from God's best. If you'll make a decision that you're going to keep your heart pure before God and you're going to do your best to honor him, then God promises that his far and beyond favor is going to chase you down. A friend of ours was at home the other day, refinishing a piece of furniture.

She was using this electric sander to sand off the old stain. It was a piece of equipment she'd had for some time. It wasn't in that greatest shape. And as she was working, one of the main parts broke off, and it wouldn't work anymore. So she put the sander and the broken person. part into a lakewood church bag that she just happened to have at home. She went up to the hardware store and this gentleman came over to help her and she showed him the broken part and asked if he had it. He looked at her in the strangest way, almost like

this glaze came over him. And he said, no, we don't have that part. We don't even carry that model. But he reached up on the shelf and got a brand new top of the line sander and said, here, I want you to have this. It's our gift to you. Irene had never even met the man. Never seen him before. She was totally taken back. She said, are you sure you want to give this to me? He said, yes, I'm positive.

Just go up to the counter and give them my number 5, 5, 5.5. So she went up to the counter, almost in disbelief, and there were three registers open. They had 5 or 6 people in each line. She stood at the back of the line. All of a sudden, the lady, working the register, looked

over and said, hey lady, come up here. want to check you out right now. Irene pointed at herself and said, do you mean me? She said, yes, I mean you, the highly favored woman. Irene was kind of embarrassed. She didn't want to cut, but the lady insisted. So she went up there and showed her the sander and said, this man said he wanted to give this to me.

She said, well, I don't know if he can do that. Who was he? Irene said, I don't know, but he said his number was five, five, five. She said, well, he can do whatever he wants. He's the regional manager. Just as Irene was about to leave, she said to the lady, by the way, why did you call me up in front of all these people? The lady said, I saw your Lakewood church bag and I watch every Sunday. And I know anybody that goes to Lakewood has to be highly favored.

That's what I believe. I am looking at today people that are highly favored by the most high God. You need to get ready to have an exceedingly abundantly, abundantly abundantly. and beyond decade. A decade where people go out of their way for no reason to be good to you. A decade where you get promoted, even though you weren't the most qualified. A decade where you find yourself at the right place, at the right time. What is that? The favor of God. It's his blessings chasing you down and overtaking you. Well, you say, Joel, that never happened for me. I never get any good breaks. I always get the short end of the stick. No, you are naming your

baby, Iqabod. You are speaking defeat and mediocrity over your future. You need to change your baby's name. Iqabod is hard to spell anyway. It's not in style. His nickname's going to be Icky. You need to get in agreement with God and start declaring, this is my decade of favor. This is my decade to accomplish my dreams. This is my decade to go above and beyond. Psalm 31 19 says, God has blessings stored up for those that honor him. One thing I can tell you about Irene and her family is they honor God. They are givers. They're always volunteering here at the ministry, always looking for somebody to help.

Her husband's been out of work for some time, but you would never know it. They don't go around complaining, discouraged. They've always got a report of victory. They're always declaring the favor of God. Just like the scripture says, God's blessings are chasing them down and overtaken them. In the coming decade, God wants to exceed your expectations. You have no idea the amazing things God has already stored up for you, the places he's going to take you, the people you're going to meet, the breaks you're going to get.

For some of you, that blessing that's stored up is the husband or the wife that you've been dreaming about. for some of you it's a child coming back home a relationship being restored for some it's going to be a new opportunity things are going to fall into place to where you can accomplish what god's put in your heart even the hidden dreams that you've given up on god is not giving up he's going to bring the right people the right breaks the right ideas they're going to come chasing you down to where you look back and say that was far and beyond faith. That was Ephesians 320, God doing exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond. Now listen, your mind is going to try to talk you out of it. It'll tell you this is never going to happen for you.

But if you'll listen down in here, on the inside, something will say, no, no, this is for you. That's God speaking to your spirit person. It'll resonate on the inside. It's because this is God's dream for your life. He wants to amaze you with his goodness. It's very easy to get discouraged and think, well, it's been too long, and I've been at this level just so many years. I don't think I'm ever going to meet anybody to get married.

No, you've got to shake that off. It says in Isaiah, arise, shine, for the glory of the Lord is on you. Friends, it's time to arise. This is a new day. Put on a new attitude. Don't go into a new decade. down in the dumps, discouraged, no dreams, no goals, no enthusiasm, no make up your mind, I'm going to arise. I'm going to shine this year. I'm going to be my very, very best.

Here's why we can do it. The glory of the Lord is on you. It doesn't say that the glory is going to come one day, maybe next year if the economy gets better, maybe in the future if you get the break you need. No, it says the glory of the Lord is already on you. Whether you realize it or not, you are covered with God's glory. That word glory in the original translation implies God's favor, God's honor, and God's splendor are heavy upon you. Remember in the old days, hippies used to say heavy, man, heavy. Let me tell you, you are heavy with God's favor. You are dripping with God's goodness. No wonder that man wanted to be good to Irene. She was heavy with the glory of God. Friends, we're not supposed to be heavy with burdens, heavy with trials, heavy with worry, just so

concerned about our family. No, the only thing we're supposed to be heavy with is the favor of God. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm going to go into this new decade with the right perspective. I know I am extremely heavy. Not because I ate too much at Christmas. Not because of that New Year's dinner. No, I am heavy with the favor of God. And this is the one time I can encourage you to be overweight. But for some of you, when it comes to favor,

it looks like you hadn't eaten in five or six years. You're so skinny you've got to jump around in the shower to get wet. It's time to put on some weight, change your perspective, You are a child of the most high God. His favor is heavy on you. Our attitude should be there's no telling what's going to happen in this new decade. I am dripping with God's goodness. I am heavy with his favor. Heard a story about a couple that attends our church. They were believing to have children. One day the lady found out that she was pregnant with triplets. They were so excited about it. But during the pregnancy, there were complications. And, She had to be hospitalized for nearly three months. When the babies were finally born, they were extremely premature. The doctors weren't sure that they were even going to make it.

The parents, they put scripture verses up over each of their incubators. I will live and not die. God is restoring health unto me. With long life, God will satisfy me. They kept praying and believing. After six months of being in the hospital, the little babies were able to come home. and today everybody is happy, healthy, and whole. But a few months later, this couple got a bill from the hospital.

They had insurance to cover part of it, but not all of it. After the mother being in the hospital for nearly three months, and then three babies being in the hospital for six months each, their part of the hospital bill was $2 million. I'm sure that's what they thought too. In the natural, they didn't know how they would ever pay. that off. Look like they'd be paying their whole lifetime. But they didn't get discouraged. They didn't get negative and start complaining. Their attitude was, God, it's in your hands. You've taken care of us

in the past, and we know you'll take care of us in the future. One day, they received a call from the hospital administrator. He said, we've never done this before, but we have just made the decision. We're going to totally cancel your $2 million debt. That's far and beyond favor. That's. That's. That's That's God doing exceedingly, abundantly, above, and beyond. They were happy just to have healthy children. But God likes to exceed our expectations. Let me tell you a key. These people, like Irene, they are faithful people.

They honor God. They would send their ties and offerings into the church from the hospital. Even though they couldn't come, they didn't want to miss an opportunity to obey God. And when you honor God with your life like that, he says his blessings are going to chase you down and overtake you. And that $2 million debt being forgiven, you know what, what that was? That was heavy favor. I want you to see yourself the same way. You are not a lightweight.

You've been crowned with God's favor. You are weighted down right now, not with burdens, worries, fear. Get rid of that. You are weighted down with the goodness of God. And as you go out each day, doing your best to honor him, then God's promises, everywhere you go, his face is shining down on you. I love the promise that God gave to Joshua. He said, Joshua, today I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all the Israelites.

He was saying, today, I'm going to start releasing more of my favor, my blessings, my increase. Notice there was a set time God began to release favor in a new way. Not long after that, Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land. The scripture says, this day, God made Joshua great in the eyes of all the people.

Friends, that's God's dream for you. He wants to release his blessings, his favor in such a way that it makes you a great parent, a great spouse. a great leader, a great employee, a great friend, a great business person. God wants you to be respected, to be admired, to be looked up to, to have incredible influence. He's going to cause your good reputation to both precede you and to follow you.

Just like with Joshua, there was a set time that favor began to be released in a new way. I believe you and I have entered into that moment. a set time where God is saying, 2010 is your year. You've been faithful, you've honored me, you've given, you've served. Now I'm about to make your name great. Can you get a vision for it?

Can you make room in your thinking? Well, you say, Joel, I'm just a business person. I'm just an accountant. I'm just to stay at home mom. I'm just an architect. I'm just a school teacher. No, you're not just anything. You're a child of the most high God.

And at some point in your life, God is going to help you accomplish something significant that will give you a new level of influence, a new level of respect to where you can say like Joshua, this day, God has honored me more than I can imagine. This day, God has made my name great. One of our longtime members is named Helen Major. For nearly 40 years, she was an educator. She's a person of excellence, integrity. So faithful year after year, she taught elementary school, doing more than she had to, pouring into those children. She continued to get promoted,

assistant principal, even principal. After a very distinguished career, she retired. Not long ago, they were opening up a new school in the district. The board voted unanimously to name it the Helen Major elementary school. You know what that was? that day, God made her name great in the eyes of all the people. Just a, quote, ordinary person that God promoted in an extraordinary way. Friends, God wants to do the same thing for you. And he's saying to us what he said to Joshua, this day, I'm going to begin to make your name great.

This day, I'm going to begin to release my favor in a new way. This day, I'm going to open doors that no man can shut. receive that by faith. Things are shifting in your favor. God is about to shift you to a whole new level. Get ready to have a far and beyond decade. Make room for what God wants to do in your thinking. Remember, you are heavy with God's favor. Declare it every day. 2010 is my year. I'm going to have an Ephesians 320 decade and exceedingly abundantly above and beyond decade. If you do this, God will will amaze you with his goodness. He'll make your name great, taking your places you've never dreamed of, and you'll live that life of victory he has in store. Amen. Do you receive that today?

We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you, my Lord and Savior. 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 up. Three minutes.

Can such a small amount of time make a big difference to your day? To turn worry into confidence, frustration to hope. Defeat to victory. Maybe you just need a boost of faith. When we put God first place and get our thinking in line with His, even a small seat of time can make a huge difference. We have a new resource called Three Minute Mornings. Start your day the blessed way. My challenge is when you wake up, before you leave the house, take three minutes to speak

blessings over your life and to declare God's favor. Get your mind going in the right direction. When you do that, you're setting yourself up for a blessed victorious day. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any size to the ministry this month, Joel and Victoria would like to send you this just-released, life-giving new daily devotional. Before your feet hit the ground or go out the door, have your heart experience a bit of heaven. Set your mind on the things above with our new three-minute mornings devotional.

With this new 365-day devotional, three-minute mornings, you'll experience God showering down his favor like never before. You'll focus on the better that is coming and fully realize the freedom of not worrying about tomorrow. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. You're making a difference all over the world. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning,

download our daily podcast, listen on SiriusXM. But until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Three Minute Mornings today. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel.