Joel Osteen Podcast - Grace for Every Season of Life

Episode Date: August 26, 2020

You may be facing a difficulty, but that’s not a surprise to God. He’s already lined up favor and grace. You’re not only going to get through it, you’re going to soar through it.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.

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to give funds to a child's investment account for limited time. Download the UNEST app and use the code IHeart50 at Sign Up to receive a $50 bonus when you fund your account. That's code IHeart50 when you sign up at UNEST.C for a $50 bonus. See terms and conditions at UNES.com. Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll leave inspired. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. Enjoy the message. Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great things in store.

If you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you, we'll make. make you feel right at home. These are the finest people in all of Houston, Texas, right here at Lakewood. So come on out and see you sometime. Thank you for being a part of our services today. And I like to start with something funny each week. And I heard about this 85-year-old woman that went on a blind date with a 90-year-old man. She returned to our daughter's home later that evening and seemed upset. The daughter said, Mom, what's wrong? She said, I had to slap him three times. She said, you mean he tried to get fresh? She said, no, I thought he was dead.

Hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess, my mind is alert, my heart is receptive.

I will never be the same. In Jesus' name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about how God has grace for every season of our life. Too many people worry about their future. They live stressed out, wondering what's going to happen if I get laid off. How am I going to handle it if my loved one doesn't make it? Or my parents are getting older, how can I take care of them and my own family as well?

Here's the answer. God's grace is going to be there at every. stage of your life to help you do what you need to do. His grace is not just to save us. It's an enabling power. God's grace will give you the strength, the wisdom, the favor to accomplish what you could not normally accomplish on your own. If you're in a difficult marriage, if you're raising a child that's hard, if you're facing a sickness, one thing you can count on is the grace of God will be there. Some of you, when you, when you're, you look up ahead into your future, there are very difficult things. In the natural, you don't see

how you're going to make it. Business is slow. Somebody walked out of a relationship. People are talking about you. It'd be easy to get discouraged and let that overwhelm you. But I want you to have a new perspective. Nothing that you're facing is a surprise to God. It didn't catch him off guard. God is already lined up the grace, the favor. He's already set into motion everything you need, not to just endure it, barely make it through, defeated, depressed, in self-pity. No, you're going to feel a supernatural force breathing in your direction. That's the grace of Almighty God.

It's going to cause you to rise up with eagle's wings, and you're not going to just get through it. You're going to soar through it coming out better off than you were before. one day you're going to look back in amazement of what God has done. You'll be able to say with the Apostle Paul, I am who I am today and I am where I am because of the grace of God. Well, you say, Joel, I'm very worried. My company is downsizing. I might get laid off. I don't know what I'm going to do. Listen, I hope that doesn't happen. But can I speak faith over you? Can I declare something into your future? Because you're a child, of the Most High God, because you know who you are in Christ, even if it did happen, you're not

going to fall apart. You're not going to be depressed. You're not going to have a chip on your shoulder. You're going to feel a power that you've never felt before. You're going to have a strength, a resolve, a determination like you've never known. That's the creator of the universe releasing his grace in a greater way. That's why we don't have to be worried about our future. God's got us covered. He has promised he will not allow a situation to come without giving us the grace to make it through victoriously. Well, what if the economy goes down even more?

Then God's grace will be poured out even stronger. Well, what if my loved one that I'm praying for doesn't make it? Then God's peace is going to show up in a greater way. What if this lawsuit drags on another five years, then God's grace is going to give you the strength to keep you. Keep on, keeping on. That's what the scripture says. Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. Notice the principle. Grace always supersedes the opposition. That means if you have a big problem, then you need to get ready because grace is coming in a big way. If people are talking about you at the office,

playing politics, trying to make you look bad, don't get worried. Get ready. Vindication is coming in a great way. Or maybe you have a major opportunity. God has opened a new door to start a business, to purchase a new home, to go on that mission's trip. Get ready. God's about to release his favor in a major way. When the opportunity abounds, God's grace will much more abound. When the problems abound, his solutions will much more abound. His grace always supersedes what you're up against. I can look back in my own life and see the times when God's grace showed up and empowered me far beyond my natural ability. 1999, when my father went to be with the Lord, I had never ministered before. I didn't know how to prepare a sermon, never been to seminary, never spoken in public.

But all of a sudden, somehow I was able to come up with these messages. Week after week, I was speaking in front of thousands of people. looking back now, I realized that was God's grace coming on my life in a greater way for that season that I was in. When the opportunity abounds, God doesn't sit back and say, okay, show me what you're made of. Let's see what you can do. No, when you stay in faith, when you say, God, I'm trusting you, he says, all right, here's my grace, here's my favor, here's my wisdom, here's my ideas. Some of you today have a major opportunity in front of you. front of you, but you don't feel qualified. All those thoughts are telling you, you don't have what it

takes. You better play it safe. You better just stay in the boat. No, just like with me, you're going to feel a power that you've never felt before. God's grace is going to cause you to go further, to accomplish more, to overcome what you thought was impossible. You need to get ready because new opportunities are coming your way. New doors are about to open, new businesses, new businesses, new friendships, new ideas. Here's the good news. With the new opportunities comes a new level of God's grace,

a new level of his favor. He is going to equip you and empower you to go through those new doors and become all he's created you to be. Another time, when we were trying to acquire this facility, the former Compact Center, you remember how we needed 10 votes from the Houston City Council members.

I had never done anything in, city government or didn't have any kind of political experience. My personality is not to try to win people over and convince them to do something for us. I'm much more quiet and reserved. But for that year or two that we were trying to get this building, practically every other week I was down at City Hall visiting with the council members making our case. When I look back, that doesn't even seem like me. Once again, I can see that was God's grace coming on me for the season I was in. What I want you to see

is what every stage of your life, God's grace, is going to be there to help you make it through victoriously. And some of you today, when you look out into your future, you don't really feel like you have what you need to accomplish what God's put

in your heart. But don't worry about that because when you get to that season, you will have it. When you're faced with a task that you don't feel like you're very good at, like I was. You will discover on the inside talent and ability that you didn't know you had. When you find yourself up over your head, yet you know it's where you're supposed to be, you can rest assured the power of the most high God is going to come on you to accomplish

what he wants you to accomplish. That means there's going to be a favor that causes you to stand out in the crowd, a strength when you should have given up, a peace when you should have been overwhelmed. What is that? That's God's grace showing up at every season in your life. I read recently about this man and his friend. They were working on an automobile. All of a sudden, the jacks slipped, and his friend was pinned underneath the car. This man went over, just an average size person, and he was able to lift a 2,000 pound car off of his friend, and it saved his life. That was God's grace showing up in his time of need. When I was eight years old, one time I was in my backyard playing baseball with my friends.

At one point, the ball went over the fence into our neighbor's yard. And our neighbors had a great big German shepherd. He was as mean as can be. As children, we were scared to death of that dog. And even though their yard was fenced in, they normally kept him on a leash anyway. I was very small, and we had a six-foot fence, so I got this ladder, and I leaned it up against our fence. And I looked over, and I could see my ball about. 40 feet away. And their yard was very big. Way on the other side, maybe about 150 feet, I could see

the German Shepherd. Look like he had his chain. And so I very quietly snuck over the fence and went out there and got my ball. Everything was going great. All of a sudden that dog saw me and started running toward me 90 miles per hour. He hit the end of that chain so hard, he pulled the chain off of the pole that was holding him. So now he was coming toward me. Chain. and all. Let me tell you, my heart sunk. I prayed the sinner's prayer. I asked for forgiveness for all those mean things I said about Paul. I took off running. And when I got to our fence, I promise you, you have never seen a white boy jump like this white boy jump. I didn't need a ladder. I didn't need a boost. I didn't need anybody to encourage me. I was only about half the side.

somehow I got over that six-foot fence. And it's funny, I've played basketball my whole life. I've still never jumped that high. That was God's grace showing up in my time of need. What am I saying? Quit worrying about your future. Quit worrying about how you're going to overcome that obstacle. God knows how to get you over the fence.

Quit worrying about the changes that are in your future. God is in complete control. He said there in 2nd Corinthians, 12, 9, my grace is sufficient for you. That means my grace will not only always be there, but it will always be more than enough for the challenge or for the opportunity that's in front of you. Now it's up to you and I to learn how to receive that grace. How do we do it? Get up every morning and say, Father, I want to thank you that your grace is bigger than anything that I'll face today. If somebody does me wrong, I know I have the grace to forgive them.

If I get stuck in traffic, I have the grace to keep a good attitude. If my marriage gets difficult, if my child acts up, I know that's not a surprise to you. You've already empowered me, so I refuse to worry. I take hold of your strength. I receive your favor. I know I have the grace to live this day in victory. See, you have to get your mind going in the right direction. and I've discovered it's best to do it the very first thing in the morning.

And then all through the day, it's very empowering to go around in your thoughts saying, Father, I receive your grace. I receive your favor. I receive your strength. When you do that, you'll not only feel stronger and more confident, but your faith is what allows God to release his goodness in a greater way. The scripture says, take hold of his strength. in the same way we have to take hold of his grace.

From time to time, Victoria will say, Joel, I don't know what I'm going to do when Jonathan leaves home and goes off to college. That's going to be so hard to handle. Our son Jonathan is 15 now, so he's got several more years at home. But Victoria could easily dread that day and think, oh, I'm just not going to be able to handle it. Whenever I see her start to get worried or discouraged,

I remind her of this principle, I'm sharing with you. Victoria, when you come to that season, God will not only give you the grace to make it through, but there'll be a peace. You'll feel good on the inside. You'll know it's the right thing. Some of you too, when you look up ahead,

there's a thousand things you could worry about. A thousand things you could wonder how you're going to handle. What if I did get laid off? What am I going to do when my loved one goes to be with the Lord? What about when my child leaves for college? Listen, here's the key. You don't have grace for five years from now or next year or next month or even tomorrow. You have grace for today.

And if you will stay in faith today, then when you get to tomorrow, there will be grace for that day. But as long as you're looking ahead, living worried, wondering, then you're going to be frustrated. You've got to learn to live one day at a time. this is the only day that we have grace for. Maybe you're in a marriage that's difficult or you're raising a child that's harder. Perhaps you're unemployed and you really need a job. It's easy to think, I just can't do this for another year. It's just too hard.

Listen, God's not asking you to do it another year, another month, another week. He's asking you to do it one more day. Can you stand strong 24 more hours? Can you keep a smile, a good attitude, one more? afternoon? If you can make it one more day, then when you wake up in the morning, God will have a fresh new supply of grace waiting on you. This is the principle we see all through the scripture when the people of Israel were in the wilderness headed toward the promised land. God gave them manna each morning to eat. It would appear on the ground. But he specifically instructed them to gather

up only enough for one day's supply. In fact, if they got more, it's, it wouldn't last. It would spoil. In the same way, God doesn't give us grace for a year at a time, a month at a time. No, every 24 hours, God has a fresh new supply of grace, of favor, of wisdom, of forgiveness. How are you going to make it through the slow season at work one day at a time? How are you going to raise that child that's hard one day at a time? I heard Corey Ten Boom tell something very interesting. She was the lady that during World War II, hid the Jews from the Nazis and spared many of their lives. Eventually, she was caught and put in prison. In the concentration camp, she saw all kinds of atrocities. She even witnessed the death of her own father

and her own sister. Through a series of unusual events, she was accidentally released and her life was spared. And in spite of seeing all the senseless killings, she never really got bitter. In fact, she even forgave the man that killed. her family. Somebody asked her how she could make it through those dark days of seeing such terrible acts of hatred and still be loving and kind and forgiving. She answered back with a story. She told how when she was a little girl, her father would take her on train rides throughout Europe. He would always purchase the tickets several weeks in advance, but he would never give her the ticket until right before they were going to get on board. Of course,

she was a small girl and he was concerned she might lose it, leave it at home, something like that. But whenever he saw the headlights of the train pulling into the station, he would hand his little daughter the ticket and they would step on board together. She said to the person that asked, the reason you can't fathom how I could forgive the person that killed my family, how I could not be filled with bitterness and hatred, is because just like my father and the tickets. God doesn't give us the grace we need until we're about to step on board. But if you were to ever go through something like I went through, I can assure you God's grace will be there to help you make it through the dark valleys and still keep your head held high and your heart filled

with love. And maybe today, when you look out, you don't see how you could overcome an obstacle, how you could accomplish a dream, how you could forgive somebody. that hurt you. But understand, when you get there, God will hand you the ticket. He already purchased it 2,000 years ago on a cross at Calvary. Now, when you come to a dark valley, a difficult season, a sickness, don't worry about it. Your heavenly father will hand you the ticket. He'll give you the grace, the strength, the favor, the forgiveness to do what you need to do. I think about Mary, the mother of Jesus. When the angel appeared into her and said she was going to have a child without knowing a man, she dared to believe, said, yes, let it happen. But think about this. Mary didn't ask

to have this baby. Yes, it was a great blessing. Of course, she went down in history, but in a sense, it was a great burden. Here Mary was planning her wedding. No doubt she had already invited the bridesmaids. She had already made arrangements for. She had already made arrangements for, for the reception. Now her plans are interrupted. Imagine she's got to go tell her friends and family for some reason the wedding is called off. Joseph, her fiance, the man she greatly loves. She doesn't know, is he going to stay or is he going to leave? Instead of having this big wedding, a great celebration, she has to quietly move off to another city. Mary never planned on having her first baby in a manger. She never planned on having to hide the child for two years. And some of you today

are not where you plan to be in life. You never planned on raising a child with special needs. You never planned on being alone and single after many years of marriage. Or you never planned on dealing with that sickness or taking care of a loved one that's ill. You could say, like Mary, God, I didn't ask for this. This is not what I planned. but just like with her God has given you the grace to do what he is put before you. He will never give you an assignment

without giving you the ability the strength to make it through victoriously. Some of you are even dealing with the situation that wasn't your fault. Other people did you wrong, but now you're having to bear the brunt of it. It wasn't fair. It may be a heavy load to carry

but know this. With every right choice you make, there will be a reward. It may not seem like it. You're taking the high road. You're doing all the work, not getting any of the credit. It may be tempted to be discouraged, even embarrassed. You think this is not what I asked for. It's not what I had planned. Somebody else messed up my life. Let me challenge you. If you can just shake off the self-pity, shake off the bitterness, you will discover that God is a God of justice. He will pay you back for every unfair thing that has happened to you, there will be a reward for carrying out his assignment.

I have a friend that was married to a professional football player, big strong man that has served in the military. Later in life, he developed diabetes. He ended up losing both of his legs. My friend, his wife, she took care of this man like he was a king. She would get up at four o'clock in the morning before she had to go to work and make sure that he was bathed. and dressed and ready for a new day. She's a large woman, and she would actually physically pick him up out of the bed and carry him around the house month after month, year after year. She could have thought, God, I didn't ask for this.

This is not what I had planned. Why me, God? No, she understood this principle, and she tapped into that supernatural grace. She knew she was equipped. She was empowered. She didn't go around thinking, oh, man, I can't do this for another third. years. No, she took it one day at a time. Eventually,

her husband went to be with the Lord, but I still see her today. She's beautiful. She's strong. She's healthy. She's blessed. She's enjoying the reward. You too may be required to do a hard thing, but God has given you the grace for the season that you're in.

And that difficulty is not going to last forever. In the hard times, you have to keep reminding yourself that a reward is coming. God is promised he will give you beauty for your ashes. He will pay you back for the sacrifices that you've made. And some of you are very close to your payday. You have done the right thing month after month, year after year. You are just around the corner from seeing God turn that situation around. He is going to pour out his favor in ways that you've never seen. He is going

to make sure you are well compensated. Part of receiving God's grace is programming our mind with the right thoughts. Maybe you have elderly parents that you're going to have to take care of soon. Well, don't start telling yourself, this is going to be so hard. It's just not fair. Soon as I get my children raised, now look what I have to do. No, take the ticket. You are well able. Have the attitude, I can do what I need to do. God, just like Mary, I may not have asked for this, but I know. I know. you've given me the grace for the season that I'm in. Now, I believe you will multiply my time, multiply my strength. You have to make sure you're thinking the right thoughts. Because as long as you're dwelling on things like, it's too hard, it's not fair, I can't take this any longer,

then your own thoughts will defeat you. You would see a major change in your life if you could just get up in the morning and instead of saying, I can't do this another day, I can't change another dirty diaper. I can't deal with another grouchy customer at the office. Now get rid of that and say with the Apostle Paul, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God, I know you've given me the grace for the season I'm in. So I'm making the decision to take the ticket that you've provided. I know a man that has chronic leukemia. Every two years, he has to go in the hospital and take six months worth of chemo. I saw him the other day and invited him to come see us. He mentioned how he couldn't anytime soon

because he was about to start on his third batch of chemo. Well, I didn't know anything was wrong with him. But before I could respond, he said, Now, Joel, don't feel sorry for me. I'm getting to encourage so many people at the hospital. I have never felt so rewarded. Even the chaplain has me go by different rooms and pray for people. You know what he's doing?

He's taking the ticket. He could be sitting at home saying, Poor old me. God, this is not what I had planned. I didn't ask for this. No, sometimes we're asked to carry a cross that's heavier. Sometimes life gets interrupted with disappointments and adversities. But the good news is with the disappointments, with the things we didn't plan, we didn't ask for comes a new level of God's grace, a new level of his favor, not to just sustain us, but to help us overcome, to be victorious even in the midst of the difficulty. And some of you, I know, just like him, you have gone through things that the average

person would have given up and gone under. Betrayals that should have caused you to be bitter. But what happened? Like Corey 10 Boone, you took the ticket and instead forgave the person anyway. And God not only brought you out, but look at you today. You're better than ever. Some of you like my mother, you went through a sickness, a difficult season that should have ended your life. But instead, you took the ticket. One day at a time, you fought the good fight of faith, and now you're a living example of God's goodness. Some of you got off to a rough start in life. People tried to push you down, tell you what you couldn't become. You've been lied about, you've been through disappointments, but instead you took the ticket, and now you're having the last laugh. You're enjoying God's

blessings and favor as never before. That's my prayer today that on a daily basis, this, we will all learn to take the ticket. We'll get up in the morning and say, Father, I receive your grace for today. I know I'm equipped and empowered for anything that comes my way. I'm asking you to quit worrying about tomorrow. When you get to that day, God will have a fresh new supply of grace waiting on you. Learn to live one day at a time. And remember this, nothing that you're facing now and nothing that you're going to face in the future is a surprise to God. His grace will always be sufficient in every season of your life. If you will learn to receive that grace and not get bitter and discouraged when your cross gets heavy,

then God promises he's not going to just bring you through, but he's going to give you a set of eagle's wings so you can soar higher and higher, overcome your obstacles, defeat your enemies, accomplish your dreams, and I believe and declare you will live that life of victory he has in store. Amen. Do you receive that today? Well, 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 of.

Thank you for listening to the Joel Osteen podcast. Help us continue to share the message of hope with those all over the world. Visit Joelosteen.com slash give hope to give a gift today. Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you next time.

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