Joel Osteen Podcast - Freedom In The Fire | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: January 6, 2025

God can use closed doors and disappointments to launch you into new levels of your destiny. That difficulty isn’t setting you back; it’s setting you up for new growth and opportunity. 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.Start every day with faith to move mountains and peace that surpasses all understanding. Our 2025 Today's Word Daily Devotional includes 365 days of Scripture, inspiration, and prayers. Let this January offer encourage you all year long,https://bit.ly/3ZWYzX5. 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 2024, healthy, productive, and favor-filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. Well, God bless you. It's great to be with you today and I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired. But I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this teenager.

He'd just gotten his driver's license. He asked his father about borrowing the car. His father said, son, I'll make a deal with you. If you'll bring your grades up, read your Bible every day, and cut your hair, I'll let you borrow it. He came back a few weeks later, ask about it again. Father said, son, you brought your grades up. You've been reading your Bible, but you still haven't cut your hair. The son said, Dad, I've been thinking, Moses had long hair.

Samson had long hair, even Jesus had long hair. The father said, yes, son, and they walked everywhere they went. 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 freedom in the fire. In the National Park in California, there are these huge sequoia trees. They stand over 300 feet tall. They can live over 2,000 years.

They're magnificent trees. On the branches, they develop a cone. Inside that cone are the seeds to produce new sequoia trees. What's significant is those seeds are locked up in the cone. They don't just naturally come out over time. The seeds can be in the cone hundreds of years, never produce a tree. The only way the cone will open is through fire. Lightning will strike.

The heat from the fire will cause the cone to open. The seeds are able to germinate and become what they were created to be. But I always saw fire as a bad thing. Oh man, there's another fire in the forest, not realizing the fire was all a part of God's plan. It's how he designed nature to work. One article talked about how people tried to put out these natural fires

for years as quickly as possible, not realizing that was doing more damage to the forest. Now there were no new trees. The fire was necessary for new growth. In the same way, there are seeds that are locked up in you. Seeds of favor, seeds

of greatness, seeds of purpose. The only way they'll come out, is through fire. We don't like the fire, being uncomfortable, going through things you don't understand, business slowed, friend walked away, medical report wasn't good. It's easy to get discouraged, water down your dreams. But God won't allow a difficulty unless he has a purpose for it. There is potential locked up in you that will only come out through adversity. There are gifts and talents that you won't discover without going through times when it's uncomfortable. David said, God enlarged me in my distress. He didn't say God enlarged me in my good times,

enlarged me when everyone was celebrating me. He said, God enlarged me when I faced a giant twice my size. God enlarged me when King Saul was trying to kill me. God enlarged me when my own father didn't believe in me. It was in that fire that David discovered talent that he didn't know he had. In the fire, he stepped into courage, favor, greatness that he would have never known had he not felt the heat, the pressure, the adversity. You may be in the fire now thinking, God, what's going on in my life? This trouble, this child that's off course, this medical situation, it's setting me back. No, the truth is, it's setting you up.

what you can't see is God is enlarging you. You're about to step into new levels of your destiny. You're going to see new growth, new opportunity, new talent. It couldn't happen without the fire. You may not see it yet, but there's favor in that fire. There's promotion in that fire. There's freedom in that fire. The fire is opening up things that you would have never seen.

Don't fight the fire. Stay faithful in the fire. I've learned God will not mismanage your life. He knows how much fire, how much heat, how much pressure you can handle. He controls the thermostat. If that fire was going to take you out, he wouldn't have allowed it. You are well able. You are strong in the Lord.

You are full of can-do power. Keep the right perspective. That fire is not going to burn you up. It's releasing you into new levels. The fire is all a part of God's plan. so you can become everything you were created to be. That's why Peter said, don't think it's strange when you face fiery trials.

He could have said when you face difficulties, adversities, but he used the word fiery. God was saying, sometimes I'm going to let you go through the fire, through things you don't understand, things that are not fair. You'll be tempted to get bitter, upset, but trust him in the fire. he's ordering your steps. He's still in control.

He wouldn't have allowed it if it was going to stop you. That fire is opening up seeds to your destiny. Levels you could never reach without the fire. Sometimes forest rangers will do what's called a controlled burn. They'll set a fire on purpose to burn off the underbrush. They carefully study and plan exactly what needs to be burned. When difficulties come again, against us can seem like things are out of control. I lost my main client. It's diagnosed with this

illness. The pandemic, inflation, gas prices. It feels like a wildfire. But can I encourage you, you're in a controlled burn? God has you in the palm of his hand. He sees what you're going through. He knows who hurt you, what you didn't get, what wasn't fair. He wouldn't have let you get in the fire if he wasn't going to bring you out of the fire. The good news is you're not going to come out the same. The enemy meant it to stop you, but God only allowed it so he can promote you. The fire is a sign that you're about to bloom, you're about to blossom. You're going to discover talent, potential, favor that you've never seen. Don't believe the lies that the fire is out of control. You'll never get well. you'll never meet the right person, never get out of this trouble.

That fire is coming to an end. Before the fire ever started, God set the boundaries. He planned how long, how much, how hot, the strategy. That's not a random fire. That's a control fire. The enemy is not in charge of your life. He cannot do whatever he wants. You are God's property.

You belong to the most high. He created you. He breathed life into you. He planned your days for good. And yes, we all go through the fire, but God has a comeback for every setback. Healing for every hurt. Mercy for every mistake.

You're not doing life on your own. In the scripture, Satan wanted to test Job, but God had a hedge of protection around him. He couldn't just go and put Job into fire. He had to ask God for permission. This shows us that everything, is a controlled burn. The enemy can't touch you without God's permission. And Job was a good man. He honored God, but he went through all this trouble.

Lost his business, lost his health, lost his family. He got so discouraged, he sat down among the ashes. His wife said, Job, just curse God and die. She was very encouraging. At one point, Job got his passion back. He looked up to the heavens and said, I know. my Redeemer lives. He was saying, God, I trust you. I don't understand it. It doesn't seem fair, but I know you're still in control. God not only restored Job, gave him his health back, but he brought him out with double. Job had twice the sheep, twice the cattle, twice the joy. The scripture says Job went on to live 140 years and enjoyed his children and grandchildren. children. Maybe like Joe, you're sitting in the ashes, looking at what you lost, what didn't work

out, what you're up against. You could easily live discouraged. Feels like a wildfire. The truth is, it's a controlled burn. God wouldn't have allowed it if you weren't going to come out better. There are seeds of increase, seeds of healing, seeds of destiny that are about to open. Yes, it was unfair, but when you come out on the other side like Job, stronger, healthier, more confident, you're going to say, look what the Lord has done. There was freedom in the fire. There were new levels in that fire. David said, we went through the fire and you brought us to a place of great abundance. Notice the abundance is on the other side of the fire. On the other side of the trouble, the breakup, the loss is an abundance of joy.

an abundance of strength, an abundance of resources. The fire is necessary to see the fullness of your destiny. When my father went to be with the Lord back in 1999, I was thrown in the fire. I didn't like it. My whole world was turned upside down. My father and I were best friends. I'd worked with him for 17 years. Now he was gone.

Everything felt like it was out of control. But looking back now, I realized. it was a controlled burn. I was uncomfortable. I was disappointed. What I couldn't see is there were seeds of my destiny opening up in that fire. Seeds that had been locked up in that cone, gifts, talents that would have lied dormant without the heat.

I didn't think I could get up in front of people. I'd never ministered before, but I discovered ability that I never knew I had. When my father passed, I suddenly had the design. desire to step up and pastor the church. I never wanted to before. For 36 years, he tried to get me up here. Then overnight, it changed. Some things can only be released in the fire. I wish I could tell you that you'll reach your destiny with just good breaks, good education, doors opening, people being for you. But that's not reality. God uses closed doors, disappointments, betrayals, even loss. and in one sense we all been in the fire.

The pandemic, people have lost loved ones, couldn't be together, business struggled, loneliness. But God wouldn't have allowed us to go in the fire if he didn't have something better coming. Don't water down your dreams. Don't quit believing this fire is a sign that new growth is coming. You're about to bloom to see favor you haven't seen.

Doors open that you could never open. to go places that you've never dreamed. Julie, it didn't happen for me. I've been in the fire a long time. Nothing has worked out. Don't judge your situation too soon. Your time is coming. God has not forgotten about you.

He sees you doing the right thing when it's hard. He sees you being good to people that are not good to you. He sees you taking the treatment, not complaining, raising those children, nobody thanking you. There's about to be a shift. a turnaround. You've been faithful in the fire. Now you're about to see favor in the fire. You'll come in into great abundance, great opportunities, great relationships, great fulfillment. I was eight years old playing baseball with some friends in my backyard. The ball accidentally went

over the fence into the neighbor's yard. They owned this German shepherd that was huge. He was the meanest dog ever created. If you looked at him, he was. He was the meanest dog ever created. If you looked at him, start to growl, show his teeth like he's going to tear into you. We were terrified of him. Fortunately, they kept him in a fenced-in area in their backyard, a 20-foot square chain-length fence. Had my friends give me a boost and I looked over the fence. I could see the dog was in his cage looking the other way. He was about 50, 60 feet away. I very quietly climbed over the fence and I walked to the ball as gently as I could. Right when I got to it, the dog was turned and saw me. He jumped on his feet, growling ferociously. He ran toward the gate,

bumped up against it, and it opened. Somebody didn't close it properly. I nearly passed out. He took off running to me 90 miles an hour. I took off toward that fence the whole time praying the sinner's prayer. God, forgive me of my sins. I'm about to come see you. I got to the fence. I was small, about four feet tall. It was a six-foot wood fence. I grabbed the top with one hand, all in one motion. I jumped as high as I could. Somehow I jumped over that six-foot fence right before the dog got to me. It's amazing what you can do when you're put under pressure.

When the fire is turned up, seeds you've never tapped into begin to open up. They say white men can't jump. That day I got off the ground, y'all. You'll discover potential, courage. strength, creativity, that only comes out in the fire. Now, you may not have an angry dog chasing you. Maybe it's a boss that's hard to get along with, or you're dealing with a sickness, a setback in your finances. What you do in the fire matters. How you respond in the pressure will determine whether you come out better or whether you get stuck. You're not going to understand everything

that happens. Life's not always fair. Sometimes it feels like a wildfire, nothing's working out. You have to remind yourself, it's a controlled burn. God allowed that fire not to defeat you, but to promote you. In the scripture, three Hebrew teenagers wouldn't bow down to the king's golden idol and he was furious. He told them if they didn't bow, he was going to have them thrown into a fiery furnace. They still wouldn't bow. They could have been a upset. God, we're doing the right thing. Now we're about to be thrown into a fire. Why is this happening? No, they understood this principle that it was a controlled burn. It looked like the king was in charge. The truth is, he was a pawn in the hands of God. God is not just in control of your life. He's in

control of your enemies. The guards tied the hands and feet of the teenagers up and threw them into the furnace. that fire was so hot the guards were killed. That should have been the end, but God won't let you go in a fire that he can't bring you out of. If it's not your time to go, you're not going to go. The king looked in the furnace window and said, didn't we throw three men inbound? I see four men loosed, and one looks like the son of God.

What's interesting is the teenagers couldn't see the fourth man. The only ones that could see it were on the outside. When you're in the fire, you may not see what God is doing. You don't think anything's changing, nothing's improving, but you can be sure the fourth man is in there with you. The beauty of our God is he never let you go in the fire alone. The king couldn't believe it. He had been brought out.

The first thing he said is from now on, we're all going to worship the God of Shadrach, Nishak and Abindigo. Sometimes you go through the fire so, other people will see the hand of God on your life. They'll see the cancer couldn't take you out. The bad break didn't defeat you. The betrayal didn't stop your destiny. The scripture says the king promoted Shadrach, Nishak, and Abindigo to much higher positions in Babylon. The enemy sent the fire to destroy them, but notice how God works. He turned it around and used it to promote them. Now you may be in the fire now. Odds are again.

you seems like the sickness, the trouble, the bad break is going to limit your life? What you can't see is there's a fourth man in there with you. When you come out, people are going to see you in a new light. Seeds that have been locked up for years are opening up. Seeds of promotion, seeds of influence, seeds of honor. We pray, God, keep us out of the fire. It's hot, it's uncomfortable, but you can't reach your full potential without the fire. The late 1950s, my father was pastoring a growing church.

They just built a beautiful new sanctuary, held a thousand people. He was on the state board for his denomination. Life was good. My sister Lisa was born with something like cerebral palsy. The doctors told my parents she would probably never be able to walk or feed herself. They were devastated. My father went to a hotel downtown to pray and read the scripture. He saw how Jesus went around healing people, how when you believe all things are possible.

He came back to his church with this new message of faith and victory. He thought they'd be so excited, but it was just the opposite. Didn't fit into their tradition, their denomination. There was so much opposition, contention. He had to lead the church. And for years, he had poured his heart and soul into those people. my mother had lifelong friends that never spoke to her again. He never dreamed he would be put out of his own church.

He could have been upset. God, why did this happen? But I've learned, don't put a question mark where God put a period. Some things we're not going to understand right now. The scripture says, God makes all things beautiful in its time. Give it some time. My mother and father went out and started Lakewood with 90 people, on Mother's Day in

1959. Instead of the beautiful new sanctuary, they had an old rundown feed store that someone let them borrow. People said it would never last, but 63 years later, here we are still going strong. But my father

was very disappointed at the time. Felt like a huge step backwards. But what looks like a setback is really God's setting you up. When you get in the fire, it's because, new seeds are going to come to life, new talents, new opportunities. My father couldn't see it at the time.

Going through the rejection was painful, but if he would have stayed in that limited environment, he would have never blossomed. That fire was necessary so he could step up to who he was created to be. Don't fight the fire. There's favor in the fire. You may not be able to see it yet, but the fourth man is in there with you. today my sister Lisa is perfectly normal God healed her she's lived a healthy life

but think about this if Lisa had not been born with that negative diagnosis my father would have never read the scripture in a new light which is why they ask him to leave that's how he stepped into his destiny what am I saying we're not going to understand everything God does sometimes you get thrown in the fire it doesn't make sense

you have to trust that God knows what he's doing. He's strategic. He can see things we can't see. There are seeds in you right now, potential that you haven't tapped into. Gifts, talents, courage that can only come out with the heat, the pressure, the closed doors, the loss. It's uncomfortable. We don't like it, but the fire is not working against you is working for you. Moses was living on the back side of the desert in hiding. 40 years earlier, he killed an Egyptian foreman that was mistreating a Hebrew slave. He knew he was called to deliver the Israelites, but he got out of God's timing and had to flee for his life. He was discouraged, felt like he'd missed his destiny. But one day out in the desert, God came to him in a burning bush. He could have come to him in a cloud, very peaceful.

peaceful, at a lake, very serene. But God came to him in a fire. Moses went over to this bush that wouldn't burn up. What did God say? Moses, you blew it. You made too many mistakes. You missed your destiny. No, God said, I haven't forgotten what I promised you. You're still going to deliver the Israelites. You're still going to lead my people. That fire was saying, Moses, you're about to blossom. You're about to see new gifts, new opportunities. Like Moses, you may think you've missed your chance. If you'd only made better decisions, been more disciplined. It's been too long now.

Those seeds are still in you. You may have given up, but God is not given up. Didn't work out the first time. God sent me as your burning bush. It's going to work out the next time. You haven't seen the best part of you. There are seeds, our creation. to put in you that he's been waiting to open. Blessings, favor, promotion. The enemy tried to use the

fire to stop you. Failures, mistakes, but he miscalculated. He thought it was a wildfire, that he was in charge. The truth is, it was a control burn. God is going to take that fire and use it to propel you into new levels of your destiny. A friend of mine was raised in a very rough environment in South America. Eight years old, he saw his grandfather get into a fight and stabs someone to death. That spirit of violence and anger came on him. As a teenager living in the Bronx, he was always in trouble. He ended up in prison facing a life sentence.

He had 18 counts against him. Everything you can imagine, drug trafficking, violent crimes, theft. It looked like that was his destiny. And sometimes we're thrown into the fire, and it's not our fault. We didn't choose the fire. It's what we were born into. It's how we were raised. He called his mother and said he needed a book on spirits.

He thought someone had put a curse on him. His mother called this lady that was involved in the occult, and she sent her son a book. He opened it, much to his surprise, it was the Bible. He was furious. He didn't want to have anything to do with God. The next morning, he picked it up. and begin to read it. Couldn't put it down. He read the whole New Testament in three days. That night, he got down on his knees, said, God, if you're alive, like you say you are in the Bible,

then come into my cell and save me, and I'll serve you the rest of my life. He went to sleep. 5.30 in the morning, he heard a voice calling his name, Salvador. He woke up, looked around, nobody was there, thought he was dreaming, went back to bed, heard it again so clearly, Salvador. He said, I'd taken so many drugs in my life. I knew I was going crazy. The third time he heard the voice, he realized it was God calling his name.

His life was forever changed. By the grace of God, he only served four and a half years. Today, he's pastor, Salvador Sabina, a great pastor in the Bronx. He went through the fire. Now he's on fire. He goes all over the world, telling his story. The scripture says you'll go through the fire, but you won't be burned.

There are things that have come against you that should have stopped your destiny, but the fourth man was in the fire with you. Even when you couldn't see him, even when you weren't making good choices, even when you were running, he didn't let the fire take you out. The enemy meant it for harm. He thought it would stop your purpose. He didn't realize you are God's property. You belong to your creator. He's been watching over you your whole life. Friends, the fire comes to us all, things we didn't ask for. I can't promise you that you'll never have fire, but I can promise you that you're in a controlled burn, that God knows what he's doing. That pressure, that heat is causing your seeds of greatness to open up. Don't fight the

fire. There's freedom in the fire. There's new growth in the fire. When you're under pressure, recognize God's up to something. You may be dealing with things now that you don't understand. God said he's going to bring you through the fire without the smell of smoke. You're not going to look like what you've been through. When the teenagers came out, not a hair on their head was burned. He may not keep you from the fire, but he will make you fireproof. My challenge is stay faithful in the fire. God hasn't failed you in the past. He's not going to start now. I believe and declare, like Job, you're going to come out of the fire with double. Like David said, into great abundance, new doors are about to open. Negative situations

are turning around. Healing is coming. Breakthroughs, promotion, the fullness of your destiny. In Jesus name, and if you receive it, can you say amen? I'd like to give 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. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love to give you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. You can text the number on the screen or go to the website. I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. It's a new year, an opportunity for a fresh start.

It's a new year. Time to forget the struggles of the past and make room for new blessings. It's a new year, the perfect time to build expectation and faith for an amazing new season. The beginning of the year is a great time to start a fresh and anew, to let go of negative things of the past, and to get ready for the new things God has in store. Every January, we create a new thing. devotional calendar. When you start off each day in faith, grateful for what God has done, making positive declarations over your future, you're setting the tone for a blessed day and a

victorious year. This devotional calendar will help you get your mind going in the right direction so you can live in faith expecting the goodness of God. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this first month of the year, we would like to send you a copy of our brand new 2025 365-day devotional calendar. Using this devotional calendar is as easy as one, two, three. One, wake up with an expectancy in your heart. Two, reflect on the daily scripture verse and devotional from Joel. Three, capture the Lord's promises to you on journaling lines for writing and reflection.

This is going to be one of your best years. Our 2025 devotional calendar is going to help you stay in faith and see the goodness of God in ways you've never seen. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day, and thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity is impacting lives around the world. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope Partners for your monthly gifts.

If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember, you can watch the services online live every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, watch on YouTube. Now the new Joel Osteen Network, 24 hours a day and of course listen live on serious xm as well but until we meet again may the Lord bless you and keep you may you show you his favor and watch over you be sure to request your copy of the 2025 devotional calendar today visit joel osteen.com or call us toll-free