Joel Osteen Podcast - God Is In Control | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: October 18, 2024

Even when things don’t make sense, we can trust that God is still in control. Behind the scenes, He is working to arrange things in your favor!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.Good things are en route to you! But if you’re holding on to the old, there’s no room for the new. Our October offer will teach you how to make room for God to bless you in ways you never thought possible! It's time to Empty Out the Negative and be filled with blessings! https://bit.ly/3XE45Nf 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. God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. We love you. Appreciate being able to spend the next half hour or so with you. And if you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and see us. I promise you, we'll make you feel right at home. But we'd love to have you. a part of one of our services. But thanks for tuning in today. I like to get started each week with

something kind of funny. I heard about this minister that was driving down the road. He looked down and accidentally veered off. He went through a ditch and ended up crashing into a telephone pole. The man behind him pulled over and ran up to him. Said, sir, are you okay? The minister said, yes, I'm fine. The angel of the Lord was with me. The man shook his head and said, you better let him ride with me. You're about to kill him. All right, hold up your Bibles. 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 believing that God is in control. of your life. Too many people go around worried and upset. They're always trying to figure everything out. How am I going to get out of this problem? How can I change my child? When am I ever going to get married?

Why won't my dreams come to pass? Their mind is constantly going 90 miles an hour. But that's not the way God wants us to live. When we're really trusting him, when we really believe that he's in control, we're at rest. there's a peace. Deep down on the inside, we know that everything is going to be all right. Many times, the reason we lose our peace, the reason we worry is because we don't see anything happening. Everything is looking the same month after month, year after year. But we have to understand God is working behind the scenes in our lives. He's already prearranged a bright future for each one of us. And if the curtain were pulled back to where you could see in this unseen realm, you would see God fighting your battles for you, getting everything arranged in your favor.

You'd see how God was going to open this door and bring this opportunity across your path and solve this other problem. I'm convinced if we could really see how God is orchestrating everything behind the scenes, we wouldn't worry. We wouldn't live stressed out anymore. And the fact is, we all have difficulty. We all have things in life that can still our joy, still our peace. But we have to learn to turn it over to God and say, God, I'm trusting you.

I believe that you're in control. And even though I may not see anything happening, I believe you're working in my life. I believe even right now, you're going before me making my crooked places straight. I believe you're going to cause me to be at the right place at the right time. Some of you are living so uptight, trying to figure everything out, trying to solve every problem, but this would take so much pressure off of you. You would enjoy your life so much more if you could just learn to relinquish control and start believing that God really is directing your steps. And the scripture says here in Philippians 2 verse 13, for it is God who is all

the while at work in you. Notice God doesn't work sometimes and then go take a two or three year break and come back and work a little more, God is constantly at work in your life. That means even right now, you may not be able to see it, but God is arranging things in your favor. He's getting the right people lined up to come across your path. He's even looking years down the road and getting everything perfectly in order, lining up solutions to problems you haven't even had. He's already got the right spouse lined up for you, the right spouse for your children. He's got the right opportunities, the right doors

he's going to open. God is constantly working behind the scenes in our lives. Well, you say, Joel, I've been praying for my child for two years, but I don't see anything happening. I've been believing for my finances to change, but they're just the same. I've been praying

for the right person to come into my life, but it's been four years. No, you don't know what God is doing behind the scenes. Don't get discouraged just because you don't see anything happening, that doesn't mean that God is not working. In fact, many times, God works the most when we see it the least. And when we're in one of those dry seasons, when we don't see anything happening, that is simply a test of our faith. We have to dig our heels in and show God what we're made of. A lot of people get negative and discouraged.

Well, I never get any good breaks. I knew nothing good would ever happen to me, Joel. I knew I knew I'd never get out of this problem. No, you've got to zip that up. If you want to pass the test, you got to put a smile on your face and say, you know what, I may not see anything happening, but I know God is working in my life. My child may not be doing right, but I know it's only a matter of time. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. My finances may look just the same, but I'm not worried about it. I know I am blessed. I cannot be cursed. I know. I know, in my due season at the exact right time, things are going to change in my favor. When we have this attitude of faith, we're going to see God do great things in our lives.

And I found a lot of times God is working. We just don't recognize it. We need to be more aware of God's goodness. Really, there's no such thing as a coincidence. When you get a good break, when things change in your favor, when you find yourself at the right place, at the right time, recognize that's God directing your steps. That's God at work in your life. And if you'll be aware, it will encourage you.

It will build your faith. And every one of us can look back in our lives and see the critical moments that had to be the hand of God. It's almost like we can connect the dots. We can see how I met this person over here and I got this break and it caused me to get this job and that's where I met my spouse. If I had not been at this exact place, I'd never gotten this other promotion.

On and on. That's not a lucky break. That's God's hand of favor. All the while, God is working behind the scenes. I think about in my own life, in my 20s, I walked into a jewelry store here in Houston to buy a battery for my watch. That's where I met Victoria. Think about how many jewelry stores there are here in town. I could have gone into a different one.

She might not have been there that day. What if the battery to my watch had not had died? That was God directing my steps. I remember as a young couple, Victoria and I found this home that we really liked. It was a run-down house, but it was on a nice piece of property. We knew it was for us.

And in the natural, it didn't make a lot of sense. We were leaving a very beautiful townhome, but we knew that's what God wanted us to do. So we took that step of faith, and we bought it. And the day we closed on it, we were standing out in the front yard and a realtor stopped by and offered us much more than we had paid. We thought, what's going on? We didn't understand it. Come to find out, they were in the process of changing the deed restrictions in that neighborhood. Several years later, we sold that property for twice as much as we paid for it.

That was God causing us to be at the right place, at the right time. And when you really understand that the creator of the universe, Almighty God, is working in your life. When you understand that even right now, behind the scenes, you may not feel anything special. You may just be doing the same thing you've done month after month, year after year,

but then all the sudden, you bump into one person that offers you a new position. You get one idea that takes you to a new level. Or you're at the right place at the right time. And you meet the man or woman of your dreams. God could have been working on that 10 years, getting everything lined up. Then suddenly it all comes together. Suddenly your due season shows up. Here years and years before,

you could have thought, well, nothing's happening in my life. I'll probably never get out of this problem. I'll probably never get married. Yet the whole time, God was at work. Things were happening behind the scenes. And I'm asking you today to not fall into that trap. I've dragging through life with no joy, no enthusiasm, thinking nothing good is happening. No, you got to shake that off and start believing that right now, not two weeks from now, but right now God is working in your life. Right now, God's arranging things in your favor. Right now God's fighting your battles for you. Right now, God is making your crooked places straight. You may not see it come to pass today. But here's the key. Every day you live with faith and expectancy, that means

you're one day closer to seeing it come into pass. If it doesn't happen today, your attitude should be no big deal. I know it may happen tomorrow. Doesn't happen tomorrow. It may happen the next day. But whenever it does or doesn't happen, it's not going to steal my joy. I'm not going to live frustrated. I know God is in control. And at the exact right time, it's going to come to pass. And in the meantime, I'm going to relax and just enjoy my life. See, you've got to believe God is in control. believe God is working behind the scenes in your life. The scripture says in 1st Thessalonians 2.13, God is affectionately at work in those who believe. Notice, his power is activated only when we believe. God can work in your behalf, your whole

lifetime, and you never really get the full benefit of it because you didn't believe. And sure, you may get a break here or there, but when you really believe, When you really get up every day expecting good things, you're going to see more of God's favor. You're going to see what he's been doing behind the scenes. And even when we have problems, even when things come against us, we have to believe that God already has the answer. In other words, that problem is no surprise to God. That child that won't do right, that financial difficulty, being lonely, that doesn't have God baffled. God already has the answer.

He knows the end from the beginning. God knows every trial we're ever going to face in the future. He knows every difficulty we're ever going to go through. And the good news is, God already has the solution. He has already made a way of escape. And that tells me we don't have to live life worried. We don't have to go around all stressed out. God has it all under control.

and we're tempted to get negative and go around complaining, we need to just turn it around. Our attitude should be, I know God is working on this problem. I know he's in the process of changing things, getting the right people lined up, softening the right hearts. And I believe God's not only going to bring me out, but he's going to bring me out better off than I was before. When we have this kind of attitude, it takes all the pressure off of us.

We can relax and enjoy our lives. know God is in control. We know as long as we believe, God is all the while working for our good. It's good to look back over your life and see the things that had to be God. I know a young lady that met her husband on the side of the road. She had a flat tire one day out here on the freeway during rush hour, and he stopped to help change it. And they got to talking, they ended up dating, and today they're happily married. Think about the chance. of all that coming together, that had to be the hand of God. God was saying to that young lady, it's your due season.

You've been faithful, you passed the test. Now let me show you what I've been doing behind the scenes all these years. Had that young man moved from another city, gave him the right job, had him coming down the freeway at the exact right time. Only God can orchestrate that. Let's learn to trust him. Let's take the pressure off of ourselves and start believing that God is, is in control of our lives. I remember when we were negotiating to get this facility, the compact

center, we needed 10 votes from the city council members. We had worked for two years and gone through several other votes. And when it came down to the last and final vote, we had exactly 10 votes, just what we needed. But unfortunately, just a few days before this vote, we got word that one of the council members had changed his mind and he wasn't going to show up. Well, that was just as good as being a vote against us. We needed his vote. And man, we were so discouraged. It looked like it was all over. It looked like we'd done all that work for nothing. But we decided to go back and meet with another council member to just see maybe if we could get him to change his mind. He's a young Jewish man, a very fine gentleman. But he had been

against us the whole time over two years. We thought, what can it hurt to ask? Long story short, at the last moment he changed his mind. And it was his vote that gave us this facility. And I was talking to him later and I asked him, what was it that really changed your mind? And he said, Joel, I got a call out of the blue from an old friend of mine. She's an elderly Jewish lady, hadn't talked to her in years and years. And I really respect her. But she told me in no uncertain terms that I was to vote for your church. And he said, even though thousands of your members

called, even though you and your team were very persuasive, it was that lady that changed my mind. What I found interesting is I've never seen that lady. I never asked her to call. To this day, I don't know who she is. All I know is that God

all the while was working behind the scenes. And what we couldn't do in our own ability, what we couldn't do, couldn't do in our own strength, God calls somebody else to do for us. What I'm saying is, God knows who to influence in your life. God knows who should put in a good word for you. You may not ever even know why it happened, why somebody was good to you, why you got that break.

But the truth is, God had four or five things he'd been working on for years and all of a sudden it came together. Why don't you believe today that God is working behind the scenes in your own life? Why don't you believe that he's in complete control? Our faith is what activates his power. Don't you dare go through the day thinking, man, Joel, my situation's probably never going to change. I don't think I'll ever get out of dead. I don't think I'll ever get married.

No, when you do that, you are tying the hands of Almighty God. When we're tempted to get negative and discouraged, we've got to learn to just turn it around and say, no, I know God is working in my life. I know my due season is on its way. I know suddenly I'm going to see all that God's doing behind the scenes. And then go out each day expecting good things, knowing that the creator of the universe is directing your steps. A while back, I talked to a gentleman that had designed the freeway

entry and exit ramps for this building over 35 years ago. And he told how he made the exit ramp at the exact perfect distance so people could pull into these parking lots with ease. Same thing with the entry ramp. He said he even worked with the city. to time all the lights around here to make it the most beneficial for people coming to this building. And I thought, that's just another sign of God's goodness. Here, over 35 years ago, God was working behind the scenes, having people make this facility be the best that it could be, just so you and I could enjoy it today.

And as we were talking, I kind of laughed and I told him, I would have thanked you back then, but I was only three years old. And yes, I know this has been used for basketball and other things, but I believe those were all secondary. I believe God had it planned out a long time ago that you and I would be sitting here today. And in the same way, I believe God is working behind the scenes in your life, doing things that are going to thrust you to a whole new level. You may not see the culmination of it for years and years, but you've got to trust him. Quit worrying. quit living frustrated because it's not happening as fast as you would like.

In God's perfect timing, it's all going to come to pass. And even in small things, about six months ago, I got some disappointing news about a certain situation. It was going to be a pain to deal with, and I didn't know how it was going to turn out. And like a lot of us, at first I was tempted to worry and try to figure it all out. And if we're not careful, our mind will show us all the worst possible scenarios. If you have a problem, your mind will show you with it your whole lifetime.

Business gets slow. That old negative voice will tell you, man, you're going to go under. You're not going to be able to pay your bills. You may lose your house. Got a pain in your side? Man, that's serious. You better get to the doctor. Now, we've got to control our thought life.

We've got to believe God is still working. And earlier that day, I'd gotten this disappointing news. And I was here at the office about to get on the elevator, but just then off-stepped a lady that I've known since I was. was a little boy. And one thing I know about this lady is she has always loved me and she has always prayed for me. I probably haven't bumped into her in four or five years, but we gave each other a hug and I knew what she was going to say. She said, Joel, you remember, I still pray for you every single day. And I thought that wasn't a coincidence. That was God having me be at the right place

just so he could encourage me. That was God's way of saying, Joel, everything, is under control. Everything's going to be all right. Just stay at peace. Stay at rest. Just these little things in our everyday lives. If we will pay attention, we'll see that's God talking to us. That's God directing our steps. In the house my parents used to live in. In the den, there were these big windows that looked out to the courtyard. It's actually a townhome. And every day for months, this beautiful little cardinal, a little red bird would come by and sit on one of the branches right by the window. And my mother so enjoyed having it there. She got to the point where she looked forward to it coming by each day. This went on for five or six months. Like clockwork,

the little bird showed up and spent the afternoon in the courtyard. Eventually, he quit coming by. I tried to give my mother my pet hamster, but she didn't want that. About a year after this, my father went to be with the Lord. And of course, now my mother was at home by herself. She had to make some adjustments. And I'm sure at times she was tempted to be lonely, tempted to get down and discouraged. But you know what happened? The little bird started coming back by once again. That was God saying, I still have a plan.

I'm still in control. And you know, throughout life, if we'll be sensitive, if we'll be aware, we will see the hand of God even in little things. That's God letting us know he's still working behind the scenes. a friend of mine has what the doctors say is terminal cancer. They're not giving him any hope. But the other day, his little boy came in with his Bible. He's only four years old, but he'd opened it up.

And he said, Daddy, I want you to read this scripture right here. He can't read yet. He didn't know what he was pointing to. The father read the scripture. It was John 114. It says, this sickness shall not end in death, but it is for the glory of God. That was God saying to my friend.

I know what you're going through. I've seen every tear you've shed. It may not look possible to you. You may not see any way out, but just remember, I'm the God of the impossible. I made your body. There's nothing I can't do. Just keep believing.

Just keep trusting. I'm still in control. The doctors only gave him three months to live, but he's coming up on his one-year anniversary. I saw him about a month ago, and he looks as healthy as can be. and I reminded him, God always has the final say. If God be for you, who dare be against you.

But these little signs are simply glimpses that God gives us to build our faith. There are glimpses that He gives us to let us know. He's working behind the scenes. Be sensitive. Most of the time, you don't just bump into somebody. You didn't just get a lucky break. You don't just happen to be at the right place, at the right time. That's God directing your steps.

I'll never forget the last Saturday that we were meeting at our old location, the northeast location. I had been there practically my whole life. I'd grown up there. And although I was very excited about coming over here, in a way, it was kind of sad leaving that place, all the memories, all the great things that had happened. Now, as I was driving to the final Saturday evening service, I was just reflecting on all that God had done. And I looked up in the sky and I saw the most beautiful rainbow you could ever imagine. I mean, from the freeway, it looked like one end of it was literally touching the church on the northeast side. The other was reaching out over here. It's almost as if God was putting his stamp of approval on it, saying, I'm pleased. Your work here is done.

It's time to enter into your new beginning. That's God, all the while at work in those who believe. Well, you said, Joe, I saw that rainbow. It didn't mean that to me. No. This is for believing. is your old hardheaded thing. You got to believe God's at work in your life. You got to be on the lookout. It may just be a scripture that jumps out at you one day while you're reading. A friend that calls you, a bird in your courtyard, a rainbow in the sky. God gives us these little glimpses to build our faith,

to let us know that he is still in control. He's still working behind the scenes. And even in our dark times, God is still working. in our lives. These young parents told me the other day about their daughter. She's in heaven today. But when she was three years old, she had a very serious illness. She was bedridden and near death. As you can imagine, these parents were so distraught in so much pain. They would never leave her side there at the hospital. And toward the end, the little girl was going in and out of a coma. They knew they were about to lose her. But just before she died, she smiled real big. And with the

most peaceful look on her face, she said, look, mommy, look daddy. Jesus is saying, it's okay to come. She closed her eyes and breathed her final breath. But even in the difficult times, even when we don't think that we'll ever smile again, God is there. The friend that sticks closer than a brother, he's got a new beginning. The scripture says, weeping may endure for a night, but joy is coming in the morning. Why don't you dare today to trust him, dare to believe that even in your disappointments, even in life's heartaches and pains, God is still right there with you. He said he would never leave you nor forsake you. You may not be able to see anything happening right now, but please know God is still working in your life. He is directing your steps. You don't have to

figure everything out. You don't have to figure everything out. may not know what your future holds, but as long as you know who holds your future, you're going to be okay. And God has you in the palm of his hand. You don't know how God's been working behind the scenes in your life over the years. 35 years ago, God was making a way for us to be here today. 20 years ago, he had me walk into that jewelry store and meet Victoria. I don't know what he has in store for my future, but I know this. I'm excited about it. Because when I think about the God who created it all, the God who flung the stars into space cares so much about you and so much about me that he is constantly working for our good,

that puts a spring in my step. To know that God is bigger than anything will ever face. To know that he's already lining up answers for problems that we may have 10, 20 years from now. And everything may not be perfect in our lives today, but we don't have to live upset and stress. out. We can be assured that God is in control, and at the right time, he's going to change things in our favor. And I don't know what's going on in your life, but you need to know God not only knows about it, but he is working behind the scenes. He's arranging things in your favor. Learn to trust him.

Quit worrying about it. Quit living frustrated when you believe you activate his power. And always remember, just because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean God's not working. God is all the while at work in your life. And if you could just learn to relinquish control and say, all right, God, I'm going to trust you. I know you've got a great plan for my life. I'm going to quit trying to figure it all out. And I'm just going to start believing

that you are in complete control. When you do that, you'll feel a weight lift off of you. You'll not only enjoy your life more, but you're going to see more of God's blessings in favor. And I believe you'll live the life of victory God has in store. Amen. Do you receive it 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. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place. He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed out. Sometimes the circumstances of life can be overwhelmingly negative. What should we do when we experience these kinds of negative reports and realities? Our life is like a container. It can only hold so much. When we allow negative things in like worry, guilt, and unforgiveness, that's taking up space for the good things that belong to you. That's why I wrote my book, Empty Out the Negative.

I'll show you how to get rid of what's limiting you so you can live a victorious, fulfilled life. When you make room for joy, peace, and faith, God will feel you a fresh and anew. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount to the ministry this month, Joel and Victoria would like to send you this powerful book, Empty Out the Negative, empty out fear, and replace it with faith. My doctor, he said, I went in there and there is no cancer in your body. empty out a hurt-filled childhood and replace it with confidence. So I took what Joel said, and I physically replaced them with I am strong, I am worthy.

I started saying those over and over and over. Empty out broken relationships and find renewed love. In a world that's just so full of so much noise and negativity and hatred and just to come and have so much encouragement filled into you, you know, is something I've never had my whole life. Are you holding on to things that are weighing you down? It's time to empty that out so you can live a positive, faith-filled life. Joel and I pray for you every day. We're believing for God's very best for you and your family. You know, we appreciate your prayers and your support. Your generosity is impacting so many lives. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday

morning. Download our daily podcast. Listen on Sirius XM. Watch the new Joel Osteen. network streaming on television. But until we see you next week, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Empty Out the Negative today. Visit Joelosteen.com or call 888-567 Joel.