Joel Osteen Podcast - God Is In Your Story | Victoria Osteen

Episode Date: January 10, 2026

Because of Jesus, you were made right with God. There's no mistake big enough to keep you from His mercy! Make God’s Word your priority this year with our 2026 Today’s Word Daily Devotional. Filled with Scripture, encouragement, and prayers, our January offer will help you stay rooted in the truth and strength of God’s promises.https://bit.ly/3KT1zAm Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of the Joel Osteen Podcast ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. Thank you, Father. We bless the name of Jesus. Amen. I was at the Wortham Center watching a theatrical play with about five of my friends. We decided to go kind of at the last minute, and our seats were way back in the

back. They weren't good seats at all. So there was five of us in bad seats with one pair of binoculars. Yeah, that's really interesting. One pair of binoculars among five people. Yeah. I can remember watching the play. And I felt so disconnected from the story because I really couldn't see the stage well enough. And I don't know if you're over 40 in here today, but you know, when you can't see, you feel like you can't hear. So I was waiting and waiting and waiting for those binoculars to make their way into my hands. And when they finally did, I was so excited. I pulled those binoculars up to my face and focused in on the stage and it was amazing. I could see the expression on the actor's faces. I could hear so well. In fact, I felt like I was on the stage with them and part of the story.

You see, my perspective had totally changed because the distance between my seat and the stage was closed. See, once which was far away became near to me. Ephesians 2.13 says this. In Christ, you who are once far away have been brought near by the blood of Jesus. You see, we've all been far away from God. We've all experienced bad seats, so to speak. But can I tell you this, that through the binoculars of Jesus Christ, God has drawn us near to him? He has closed the gap between God, the Father, and us, through the binoculars of Jesus Christ.

See, God is an up. close and personal God today. And he wants to draw you unto himself. He wants you to know that there doesn't have to be distance between you. He wants you to know today that there may be seven billion people on this planet. And it's easy to think, God, out of all these people, how do you see, little me. You've heard my prayers, God. I feel like things aren't changing quick enough. I'm still in this situation. God, have you forgotten? Or can you even see me? We've all had those thoughts. We've all felt that doubt. But that doesn't stop God. That doesn't chase God off. God is right there with us. He is in our story. He is on our stage.

we've just got to recognize that he's as close as the very breath that we breathe and that the distance between us has been closed through Jesus Christ. You see, some people think that they need to change their life before they can draw near to God. They need to clean up a few things. You know, sometimes just the way we live our life makes us feel distant from Almighty God. but can I tell you today that you can't clean your own life up, you can't bring the change that God wants to bring in your life until you realize he's right there with you and you accept him into your life and you go to him daily because it's God who works in us and through us. You see, the gap has been closed. there is nothing that God cannot do for you through Jesus Christ.

There's no mess that you made that he can't help you clean up. There's nothing on the inside of you that would make you distant from God. You see, he loves you just the way you are. In fact, the Bible says when we were still sinners, we were far away because that gap was full of sin. he came to us through Jesus Christ. He came to us. We didn't come to him. Today, he's with you. He's drawing you. Don't let anything stand between you and God the Father. He wants a relationship with you today. It's as easy as that every single day, no matter what we're carrying, no matter what we're,

what we feel, no matter what we did, he still wants a relationship with you. There's a beautiful story in John 4. Jesus was coming from Judea, heading to Galilee with his disciples. He said, I have need to go to Samaria. Now, Samaria was on the way to Galilee, but Jewish people never go through Samaria. In fact, they would take the long way around just to avoid going. through Samaria because Jews and Samaritans didn't like each other. They didn't mix. But he told his disciple, I have to break protocol. I have to break the rules. I need to go to

Samaria. He needed to go to Samaria because he had an appointment with a woman at the well. The woman came with her watering jar. That's where all the women came to collect water for their daily needs. She came with her watering jar. She thought it was just a normal day. She did not realize that she had an appointment with living water. She got there that day with an earthly perspective. Have you ever had an earthly perspective? I'm just going to work. I'm taking my kids to school. I'm doing the dishes. I'm running my errands. She came that day with an earthly perspective. she didn't realize she was going to leave with a heavenly perspective. You see, Jesus drew her unto himself.

She thought she was just drawing water, something that would be a temporary fix for the day. But he offered her something greater than that. He offered her living water. So she got a little closer to him. Now you have to realize this woman came to the well at noon, and the story is this. She wanted to avoid the other women that came in the morning at the cool of the day. So she said, I don't care if it's hot.

I want to get in and I want to get out. I want to avoid the women at the well. I want to stay to myself. I want to stay isolated. You see, the enemy wants us to be isolated. But Jesus said, you don't have to be isolated. I'm going to give you this gift of living water. And as they begin to have a conversation, he said to her, go get your husband.

She paused, and she said, I don't have a husband. And he said, that's the truth. He said, you've had five husbands, and the man that you're with now is not your husband. Well, that really got her attention. Because she's thinking, this guy knows all about me and he's still talking to me. Hey, there's people that think a lot of things about me and they won't talk to me. But this guy knows the truth and he still wants to have a conversation with me. He still wants to give me this living water.

Because, see, she thought he was going to say, oh, you don't have a husband? Mm-hmm, I know. Forget the living water. You don't deserve the living water. You're not living right. Only perfect people deserve the living water. But Jesus said, when you drink from this water, from this fountain, you'll never thirst again. You see, he was giving her a heavenly perspective.

She didn't understand all of what he was saying, but she certainly got to know him a little better and realize this man is different. This man is drawing me unto himself. This man is breaking protocol. This man is offering me living water. Do you know what I love about this man, Jesus? We can come to him just like we are. You see, he had a need to go to this woman,

and he broke protocol to get to her. Jesus has a need to get to you. He is offering you living water. But all we have to do is say yes and drink that water. You see, she came to the realization that this was the Messiah offering her salvation. Her people have talked about the Messiah for years. She literally left there and ran to the town square. she was trying to avoid, got right in the middle of them, and started saying, come meet a man that knows everything about me, and he still likes me. In fact, he loves me. You got to come see this man. Matt, he be the Messiah because he sure isn't like you. You see, the Bible goes on about Jesus talking about people who will be worshippers, worshippers, worshipers in spirit and in truth.

that's who God is seeking. What I want us to see today that God is looking at us through his binoculars of Jesus, the distance that was once there, he's brought us close. He hasn't brought us close because we're perfect, because we do everything right. He's looking for people who will worship him in spirit and in truth. When she spoke truth to him, he said that's right. and then she continued to worship him. She continued to get close to him because she didn't feel judgment.

She didn't feel condemned. And he said, these are the people I'm looking for. People that'll draw close to me in all of the truth of who they are. People who will take this living water and let it quench them every single day. See, the Bible says that we are to work out our salvation. See, when you say yes to Jesus, you may be saved, but you got some junk in you that needs to be worked out. And God is saying, this living water is available to you every single day. You don't have to run from me.

You can run to me. You don't have to try to quench your thirst by going to other people, by bad habits, by things of this world has to offer. come to me and let the living water which will bubble up out of you, be the pool of refreshing for you, for your thirsty soul. Listen, if you've been in this world long enough, you realize you can get thirsty mighty quick. Listen, there's a lot of thirst going on, but Jesus said, when you drink from this living water, it will be a continual spring. It will wash you It will wash away the desires that you really don't want anymore anyway. But you've got to be that person who is willing to worship him.

In spirit, his spirit, and in the truth of who you are, the truth of who you are becoming. You see, when you are one with him, which you are, the Bible says that he made the two out of one, Jesus and us became one. He is the binocular that God is looking at us through. He doesn't see your failures. He doesn't see your mistakes. He sees you in Jesus Christ. He sees you as righteous. He sees you as who you are. Listen, don't let your earthly perspective keep you from letting that refreshing come to you every day. Because within you is a heavenly. perspective. You've just got to latch on to it. You've got to take it, take hold of it, and you've got to know that God is working in you to will and to do his good pleasure. Listen, you don't need anything

but Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone is going to change your life. So I would encourage you, just like that woman, you need to come and drink. of the living water. Don't try to clean yourself up first. Let God do the work in you. Let him work out those things that you so desperately want to get rid of it. And you will enjoy that heavenly perspective and God will get you to everywhere that you need to be. Amen? He's an awesome God. It's a new year. Time to see the impossible become possible. It's a new year. Life setbacks are about to become God's setups for new opportunity. It's a new year. Cherished dreams will become unexpected reality. The start of the new year is the perfect time to reset your focus, release

disappointments of the past, and get ready for the new things God has in store. Every January, we create a new 365-day devotional calendar. I'd love to send it to you. Each day is filled with inspiration, scripture, and uplifting declarations to fuel your faith. When you begin the day thanking God for what He's done and speaking victory over your future, you're positioning yourself for a blessed favor-filled year. Amazing things happen when you keep God first place. 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 365-day 2026 devotional calendar

Do you want to overcome your most pressing challenges in 2026? Do you want to see your life take off in new directions of influence, favor, and provision in the year ahead? With this daily encouragement, you'll not only smile at your day, you'll be reminded that God is smiling on your entire life. Each day will be a fresh new day. Turn discouragement to encouragement, frustration to fulfillment, anxiety to overcoming. Start each morning knowing that it's God's desire to turn what seems like an ordinary life into extraordinary favor, strength, and opportunities. 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 writing, reflection. 2026 is going to be one of your best years ever. We're going to help you stay in faith so you can see the goodness of God in new ways. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day. We want to thank you 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 single. Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, watch on YouTube, or the new Joel Osteen Network, 24 hours a day. Of course, listen live on Sirius XM as well. But until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of the 2026 devotional calendar available this month by simply visiting us at joelowstein.com or calling

888-567 Joel. Also, no matter what season you're in, Joy, sorrow, waiting, growth. God wants to speak into each and every moment. God's Word for every season is a guided journal series designed to help you slow down, write out scripture, and reflect on its truth, one verse at a time. As you engage with His Word, you'll discover fresh strength, deeper peace,

and timely encouragement for every step of your journey. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567, Joel, or logging on to joelosteen.com today. Call or click anytime, 24 hours a day. Request these resources today.