Joel Osteen Podcast - God's Hand Is Outstretched Toward You | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: September 28, 2023

You don’t have to go through life depending on your own strength and ability. All through the day, remember that God’s hand is outstretched toward you. His power is greater than any force that might come against you!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 visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope 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 enjoyed 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. Well, God bless you. It is always a joy to come into your homes.

We love you, and we're believing that you're going to have a blessed, prosperous year, that you're going to see God's goodness in new ways. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and see us. I promise you will make you feel right at home. but thank you for tuning in. Thanks again for coming out today. I like to start with something funny each week. And I heard about this lady. She was on an airplane reading her Bible and the man sitting next to her said, you don't believe all that stuff in there, do you? She said, of course I do. It's the Bible. He said, well, what about that God that got swallowed by a well? She said, you mean Jonah? Yes, I believe that too.

He said, well, how could he possibly live all that time inside of a well? She thought about it a moment, I don't know. When I get to heaven, I'll have to ask him. He kind of said sarcastically, well, what if he's not in heaven? She smiled and said, then you're going to have to ask him. All right, 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 receipts, I will never be the same. In Jesus' name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about the outstretched hand of God. As believers, you and I have an advantage. We don't have to go through life just depending on our own talent, our own ability, our own strength.

The scripture talks about how God's hand is outstretched toward us. That means there is a supernatural power behind every believer. God's outstretched hand will help you accomplish dreams that you thought were impossible. His outstretched hand will cause you to get well, even when the medical report says there's no way. The outstretched hand of God will help us to prosper even when the economy is down. Now, all through the day, you need to imagine, not that God is mad at me. I've made so many mistakes. I'll probably never get out of this problem. No, get a new perspective.

Imagine God's hand is outstretched towards you. It is a hand of healing, a hand of favor, a hand of restoration. You may have some obstacles in your path. Maybe you're facing a sickness, an addiction. Perhaps another person is trying to hold you back. But you have to realize there is a force that is for you that is greater than any force that will ever be against you. your attitude should be, I am not settling where I am. I know I have an advantage.

As a child of the most high, I know God's hand is outstretched toward me. You're saying, I know favor is on its way. I know healing is coming. I know God is fighting my battles for me. When we release our faith like that, the creator of the universe breathes in our direction. And the scripture says here in Isaiah 1427, the Lord of host has purposed and who can annul it. I love that. It's saying God has a purpose for your life. He has already planned out your days for victory. He's got a comeback already lined up for every setback.

He's got a solution for every problem. The right people, the right breaks, the right opportunities. All your days have been written in God's book. Notice it says, who can annul it? God is saying, who can stop my plan? Sickness can't stop it. The economy can't stop it. A bad break can't stop it. An accident can't stop it. God has preordained you to be victorious.

You need to get this on the inside. Doesn't matter what it looks like in the natural. No matter how many setbacks you've been through or how many obstacles are in your path right now, the most high God has destined you to live a life of victory. And some of you today, you need to get a new vision. At one time, you were excited about your future. You had big goals, big dreams, but you went through some disappointments. Life didn't turn out like you'd hoped. And now you've

just settled. You're not expecting God's favor. But understand, God's plan for your life didn't go away just because you had some disappointments, just because somebody treated you unfairly. God didn't ride us off just because we made some poor decisions. God knew every mistake we'd ever make. He knew every person that would do us wrong. And the good news is none of that stopped God's purpose for your life. Nothing can annul it. No matter what has happened in your past, God still has a bright future in store for every one of you. And if you will get your hopes back and get your vision in line with God's, then the rest of your life is going to be the best of your life. It goes on to say, my hand is outstretched and who can stop it?

it. God is saying, as long as my hand is outstretched, you are headed for victory. As long as I've got my hand stretched out, then I have favor that nobody can stop. I have promotion. I have increased. I have supernatural breaks that cannot be held back. If you will get in agreement with God and get up each day knowing that his hand is outstretched towards you, then you might as well get ready. It's just a matter of time before you see explosive blessings, blessings that thrust you to a new level. It's just a matter of time before you get the break you need, the right person comes across your path, just a matter a time before your health turns around, that sickness leaves, your strength is restored.

How could this happen? God's hand is outstretched toward you, and nothing can stop it. In other words, when God gets ready to bless you, no obstacle, no sickness, no person, no government, all the forces of darkness cannot stop it from happening. We should have the attitude. The economy may be down, but I'm not worried about it. I know I have an advantage. God's hand is outstretched toward me. He is supplying all of my needs. He's prospering me even in a recession. I am blessed in the city and blessed in the country. Why? The hand of God. A friend of mine told about this man he knows, business associate. He was living a perfect. He was living a perfect healthy life. Everything was going great. But one day he started having these

unusual headaches. He began to get a little disoriented. Finally, he had to go to the doctor. They checked him in the hospital and ran some test. Long story short, they discovered that he had a large tumor in his brain. And this top neurosurgeon, one of the best in the country, said all we can do is operate. All we can do is try to remove it. They didn't give him a lot of hope. He got that bad news on a Friday. And they scheduled the operation for first thing Monday morning. And they wanted him to stay in the hospital and just relax and not take any chances. But this man was very determined to go home over the weekend. They tried and tried to talk him out of it. He said, no, I've got to go

home because I watch a young minister on television and I need to make sure I watch him this week. They said, well, we have televisions here. That wasn't good enough. He wanted to watch in his own home. Well, that week on the program, I made the statement, it doesn't matter what the medical report says. God can turn the situation around. When he heard that, something leaped on the inside. He said, I know at that moment God had touched me. He went back on Monday and had the operation. When he woke up, the first thing the surgeon said to him was, I want to know whose prayer list are you on?

He went on to tell how he didn't have this. massive tumor, it was just a little bit of blood. He said, listen, I've been doing this long enough to know the difference between what I see on the x-rays and what I saw in person. What is that? God's outstretched hand, releasing healing, doing what medical science cannot do. You may be facing a sickness today. Maybe it's something you've had for a long time, but you need to imagine right now, God's hand is outstretched towards you, releasing healing. health, wholeness, restoration. When you believe, nothing can stop it. If it's not your time to go, you're not going to go. If you have not fulfilled your purpose, nothing can annul it. You need to start

talking to yourself all through the day over and over in your mind. Healing is flowing into me. I'm getting stronger. I'm getting healthier. My youth is being renewed. My strength is being restored. This sickness didn't come to stay. It came to pass. When we release our faith like that, it's just like we're reaching up our hand connecting to God's hand. The good news is there is healing in his hand. There is restoration. There is supernatural power in God's outstretched hand. I think about how when Moses was leading the people of Israel, he came to a dead end at the Red Sea.

They had nowhere to go. It looked like it was over. We all faced situations in life where we come to the end of our own ability. in the natural we don't see any way out, like that man with the medical report, or maybe a dream has died, some kind of setback. But if we can just remember, God's hand is still outstretched toward us. And God told Moses, do what I'm doing. Moses, stretch forth your hand. Hold out that rod. As an act of faith, Moses stretched out his hand, representing God's outstretched hand. And that's when the waters parted and the people went through on dry ground.

What am I saying? When we stretch out our hand, when we release our faith, that's when supernatural things are going to happen. I can't tell you how many times Victoria and I, when we were trying to acquire this facility, we would walk around the building at night when nobody could see us. In the natural, we didn't have a chance. All the odds were against us. It was David versus Goliath, but we'd go around with our hands outstretched. saying, Father, thank you that you are turning things in our favor. Thank you that you are fighting our battles for us.

Thank you that you are giving us the breaks that we need. What happened? Our outstretched hands connected with God's outstretched hand, and he made a way when it looked like there was no way. You may be struggling in your finances. You need to stretch out your hand toward that business. Stretch out your hand toward that house you're trying to sell. or maybe just stretch out your hand

toward your checkbook and say, Father, as an act of my faith, I am stretching out my hand, believing that I'm connecting with your outstretched hand, knowing that right now you're releasing supernatural increase, supernatural promotion. You need to go around talking to yourself.

Father, thank you that your blessings are chasing me down and overtaking me. Thank you that whatever I touch prospers and succeeds. I know God you're causing me to be at the right place, at the right time. When you do that, that allows God to release what's in his hand. Maybe you have a child that's not doing right.

Just stretch out your hand toward his room. Or maybe he lives in another city. We'll stretch out your hand toward his home. God, you said, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And as an act of faith with my hand outstretched, I believe right now you are breaking every negative influence, breaking every addiction, breaking every wrong habit, and you're releasing your favor, your increase, your increase,

your promotion, your restoration. Sometimes you just need to look in the mirror and stretch out your hand toward yourself. Just say, Father, as an act of faith, I'm stretching out my hand, declaring that I am blessed, I am prosperous, I am anointed, I am appointed, I am approved, I am forgiven, I am redeemed, I am well able.

When we release our faith like that, we can just imagine God's outstretched hand is releasing favor, healing, restoration, whatever we need. This is especially important when we're tempted to get discouraged. When things aren't going your way and those never lies come, telling you that you're never going to get well, never accomplish your dreams.

Don't drag around with your head down. No, that's when more than ever you need to look up and through your eyes of faith, see God's outstretched hand. If you get a negative medical report, don't dwell on it. Look up and see that healing flowing into you. If you face a red sea, an impossible situation, don't sink into self-pity. Oh, I'll never get out of this. No, look up and get a vision of God turning it around.

Whatever you need, it's in God's hand. And the good news is, his hand is outstretched toward you. This is what the mother of Moses did. She was facing an impossible situation. When Moses was born, the king ordered that all the male babies be killed. She could have easily thought, oh, just my luck. Wouldn't you know it? I have a baby and look what happens.

No, she understood this principle. She knew God's hand was outstretched toward her. And if she would release her faith and connect with his hand, supernatural things would happen. She hid Moses as long as she could. But when he got too big, she put him in that basket and sent him down the Nile River. And it just so happened that Pharaoh's daughter

went down to the river to take a bath. God caused her to be at the right place at the right time. That's what happens when we believe God releases favor. She heard the little baby crying in the basket and she opened it up. She thought, wow, what a beautiful little child. I'm going to take him as my own. She said to her assistant, we need to find somebody that can nurse this baby. The assistant said, I know just who to find.

She went and got Moses' mother. And would you believe it, Moses' mother was able to not only raise her own child, but on top of that, she got paid for doing it. Only God could orchestrate that. That was his outstretched hand, releasing protection, favor, increase. Psalm 118 says, there are shouts of joy and victory in the home of the godly. The strong arm of the Lord has done amazing things. I believe God is saying that to each one of us. In the coming days, you're going to see the strong arm of the Lord do amazing things. That means God is going to turn around situations that you thought were impossible.

God is going to help you break addictions that have held you back for years. God is going to bring people across your path, supernatural opportunities that will thrust you to the next level. You're going to discover talent on the inside that you didn't even know you had. There are going to be shouts of joy and victory in your home. Why? Because of the outstretched arm of the Lord. Let that seed take root today. Remember a few years ago, I was doing a book signing in another state. There were a few hundred people in the line and this lady at one point came up. Looked to be in her mid-50s. There was a young lady next to her, maybe in her 30s. And they were both crying and crying. Of course, I didn't know what was going on. The lady began to explain how this was her daughter. And they had been estranged for 12 years. years. They had gotten at odds with each other. They wanted to make

things right, but there was just too much water under the bridge. They had not spoken to one another in over 12 years. But what they didn't realize was they both had been watching our program on television. And independently, they decided to come to the book signing

that night. When they saw each other, it was like God melted away. All the unforgiveness. A healing began to take place. That relationship begin to be restored. The mother said with big tears coming down her cheeks, Joel,

this is the happiest day of my life. God has brought my daughter back to me. What was she saying? The strong arm of the Lord has done amazing things. Now there are shouts of joy and victory in her home. That's what God is going to do

for each one of us. Says in Psalm 138, though I am surrounded by trouble, you will bring me safely through. your fist is clenched against my enemies. Think about this. God's hand is open and outstretched towards you, but his fist is clenched against your enemies. That's not just talking about people. Sickness is an enemy. Depression is an enemy. Poverty is an enemy. You may be struggling with an illness, but you need to imagine right now God's fist is clenched against that cancer. It's clenched against that

heart disease, but his hand of healing is open toward you. God's fist is clenched against that depression. It's clenced against that poverty, but his hand of abundance, his hand of joy, his hand of peace is open towards you. Or maybe somebody is treating you unfairly, doing you wrong. Stay on the high road. Be the bigger person. You don't have to get even. God's fist is clenced against them, but his hand of favor is open

towards you. I had this lady tell how her supervisor at the office was so insecure that she was jealous and just intimidated by her. She wouldn't give her any credit. She was always trying to put her down, make her look bad, doing something that annoyed her. This went on

month after month. I told the lady what I'm telling you, you've got to stay on the high road and let God fight your battles for you. This supervisor was a relatively young lady, lady. She was in a good position, a fortune 500 company. It looked like this lady would be under her forever. But one day, the CEO of the company, the man that ran the whole business, came to this lady that I was talking to. And he said, we've been watching you and we are very impressed. We want to offer you one of our positions as a senior vice president. That was like five positions over

her old supervisor. Friends, God knows how to get you to where you're supposed to be. Nothing can stop it. If somebody is trying to hold you back, don't worry about it. God can go over their head. If they're trying to make you look bad, just keep doing your best. God is keeping the records. He's the one that brings promotion. He can either go over their head. He can move them out of the way, or he can even change their heart and cause them to be good to you. That's what happened to this one man. He was trying to get his family over to the states. He's an American citizen, but his wife is not.

He was working on the visas and the proper paperwork. He told how he went to the government office, but this man there was very rude to him, not helpful at all. He just made it very confusing, very difficult. After a few weeks, he got his paperwork done, got it all notarized. He went back, and that man was just as rude to him. And some other authorities had already told him, It should take about six months for the paperwork to go through.

But this man said, no, no, no, we're all backed up. It'll be at least five years. We're not going to get to your paperwork for a long time. This man was just disheartened, so discouraged. He's tempted to get a little bit upset. But he just kept his cool. He understood this principle that God's fist is clenched against our enemies. He blessed him and moved on.

Well, about three weeks later, he got a call back from that same man, said, come on in, your paperwork. has all gone through. He was so excited. It was a miracle. He went back and said to the man, I thought you said it was going to take five years to go through. The man said, well, it should have, but ever since

I met you, I can't get you off my mind. I go to bed thinking about you. I get up thinking about you. I eat lunch thinking about you. He said, I am so tired of seeing you. You are making me miserable. Take your paperwork

and leave. What is that? That's God's fist, clenced against our enemies. You don't have to fight your battles. God knows how to apply pressure to people. He knows how to make someone uncomfortable. You just stay in peace. When somebody's doing you wrong,

you can think to yourself, boy, you are messing with the wrong person. God has his hand outstretched toward me, but his fist is clenched toward you. It says in Exodus 6, I will bring you out from your burdens. I will free you from your bondage. I will rescue you with my outstretched arm and by my mighty acts of power.

No matter how somebody is treating you, no matter what's going on in your life, if you'll stay in faith, then you're going to see God's mighty acts of power. What is that? Explosive blessings. Supernatural turn around, supernatural breakthroughs, supernatural promotion,

Supernatural Deliverance. God is saying, I'm going to free you from the bondage of poverty and lack. I'm going to free you from the burden of depression and discouragement. I'm going to free you from those people that are holding you back. Or how about this? I'm going to free you from every addiction, every bad habit. How is this going to happen by God's mighty acts of power? Had a young lady tell me last week how she was a cocaine addict for 14 years.

She'd tried everything she could to stop. She knew it was destroying her life, destroying her health, her family. She was about to lose a job again. She wanted to quit but didn't seem to have the power. But she said, Joel, one day after I'd tried everything on my own, I got down on my knees and said, God, please help me. She was not a religious person. She didn't come to church.

But just like a little child, she looked up and called out to God and said, I need you. when she did all the sudden she felt a warmness come over her like she had never felt before. It was a supernatural peace. As she sat there and wept and wept, it was like a cleansing was taken place, a healing on the inside.

From that day forward, she had no desire for cocaine. She was totally set free. She began to gain her weight back, her skin cleared up, her hair got thick. She looked like a different person, a beautiful young lady. What was that? God's outstretched arm, breaking every bondage, destroy in every yoke. No matter how long you may have struggled with some kind of addiction, you need to get a new vision today. The most high God has his fist clenched, not against you,

but against that addiction. You don't have to live in bondage. God's arm is outstretched toward you. It is an arm of deliverance. And if you'll dare do like that young lady and just call out to God, then when your faith meets God's power, supernatural things are going to happen. Isaiah 59 says, surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save. Isaiah was saying, make sure you understand this. Don't have a doubt in your mind. There is no addiction that God cannot turn around.

There is no sickness too big, no problem too great. It may look impossible to us, but with God, all things are possible. I remember this gentleman growing up. He was an executive, had a very good job, very successful, but alcohol was destroying his life. It was tearing his family apart. He and his wife got divorced. He got so low, so distraught, he contemplated ending his life. One day he was in a closet, on the floor, and he said, God, I can't take it anymore.

please help me. That was the first time he could ever remember acknowledging God. But our God is full of mercy. He is a present help in our times of trouble. Just like that young lady, he began to feel this warmness come all over him. It was a healing taking place on the inside. That moment was a turning point. He never had another drop of alcohol. Several years later, he got back together with his ex-wife. They eventually remarried. Not long after that, he resigned his position as that executive, and he

started a small church. It began to grow and grow. Today, he's a successful pastor. His family is in the ministry. He goes all over the world, telling others about God's outstretched hand. Friends, what God did for him, he wants to do

for you. He can break any bondage. A bondage of addiction, a bondage of depression, a bondage of poverty, a bondage of sickness. All it takes is one mighty act of God's power. I believe in the coming days, there are going to be shouts of joy in your home. You're going to have some new shouts of victory. God is going to do amazing things. His outstretched arm is going to bring supernatural opportunities. It's going to free you from every bondage. God is going to turn around situations

that you've been praying about for years. Like that young lady, God is, going to restore relationships that you thought were impossible. He is going to bring health and wholeness back into your body. And those dreams, those promises that are on the inside, they may look too big. You may not think it's going to happen, but know this, God still has a way. And all through the day, you need to imagine God's hand is outstretched toward you. It is a hand of favor, a hand of healing, a hand of restoration. And when it looks impossible, don't stay down. Look up and see that hand. And if you'll do your part and release your faith,

then your outstretched hand is going to connect with God's open hand. And that's when you're going to see amazing things begin to happen. You're going to overcome every obstacle. You're going to defeat every enemy. And God is going to take you places that you've never even dreamed of. 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. Friends, 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 up. Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you encouraged and inspired all through the week. Help us to continue to share the message of hope with those all around the world. Visit joel osteen.com or click the link in the description to partner with us today. We hope you'll share this message with a friend and be sure to follow us on social media.

We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you next time.