Joel Osteen Podcast - Having Confidence In Yourself | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: October 4, 2024

Don't let negative thoughts limit your potential. Reprogram your mind to dwell on the good things God says about 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 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. We know God has good things in store for you. And we just appreciate you tuning in. And if you're ever in our area, I hope you stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you, we'll make you. make you feel right at home. But thanks for being with us today. Thanks for all of you for coming out as well. I like to get started each week with something funny. And I heard about this man. He was quietly reading his newspaper. His wife snuck up behind him and hit him on the head with a frying pan. He said,

what was that for? She said, that was for the note I found in your pocket with the name Mary Lou on it. He said, oh, honey, that was just one of the horses that I bet on at the racetrack last week. She apologized and went about her business. Three days later, she snuck up and hit him on the head with a bigger frying pan. When he came to, he said, what in the world was that for? She said, your horse just called. 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 your self-esteem and how important it is to think the right thoughts about ourselves. Every one of us has a conversation going on with ourselves throughout the day. It's called our internal dialogue. In fact, we talk more to ourselves than we do anybody else. And sometimes we've been doing it for so long, it's like a record that plays over and over. This can either be good or bad. It depends on how we're talking to ourselves. What do you meditate on? Positive thoughts, empowering thoughts, affirming thoughts, or do you go around like a lot of people thinking negative, defeated thoughts? I'm unattractive. I'm not talented. I've made a lot of mistakes, Joel. I'm sure God's not pleased with me. It's this kind of negative.

self-talk that keeps so many people from rising higher. And when I say we talk to ourselves, sometimes it's even subconsciously. You're not even really thinking about it, but in the back of your mind, you have these reoccurring thoughts. And for most people, it's always negative. I'm clumsy. I'll never overcome my past. I don't have what it takes. All through the day, they allow this defeated voice to talk to them. They see somebody that's successful, somebody that's successful, somebody that's achieving. That voice tells them, that'll never happen for me. I don't have what they have. I'm not that talented. Or they see somebody that's in shape, somebody that looks good, healthy. That voice tells them, I'm just not that discipline. I'll never get back in shape. There's something on the inside

that's constantly telling them something is wrong with them. You're not a good mother. You didn't work hard enough last week. You got too many weaknesses. And if we make the mistake of dwelling, on these lies, and we allow this negative self-talk to take root. It not only saddens our spirit, but it limits how high we can go in life. And too many people are in mediocrity because they're constantly playing that negative record day after day over and over again. And I've found that some of these wrong thinking patterns has started way back from childhood. The people that should have been nurturing us and telling us what we could become. building our confidence, they did just the opposite.

I know people that are stuck in a rut, all because growing up, somebody mistreated them, somebody rejected them, a parent, a spouse, spoke negative words over them. They didn't know any better. They just let it take root. And now those wrong thinking patterns are what's keeping them from becoming

all God's created them to be. It starts right here. We have to reprogram our computer. Please don't lie in bed every morning. morning thinking about everything that's wrong with you. Don't lie there and rehearse all your mistakes. Thinking about what you can't do and how you don't have what it takes. Doesn't matter who may have told you that. Doesn't matter who has rejected you. Doesn't matter how many times you've tried and failed. You've got to shake that off and put on the new record. You should be dwelling on things like

I am a child of the most high God. I have a bright future. God is pleased with me. I am talented. I am creative. I have what it takes. I will fulfill my destiny. That's the way we should be talking to ourselves. Not in arrogance, but in a quiet confidence. Deep down on the inside, all through the day, we should hear things like, I am annoyed it. I am called. I am chosen. I am equipped. This is my season. Our internal dialogue should always be positive and hopeful. We should always talk to ourselves with these empowering, affirming thoughts. We have to get out of the habit of thinking negative thoughts toward ourselves. Don't go around ever saying, I'm so slow. I'm unattractive. I'll never overcome my past. Now get those phrases out of your vocabulary. If you make the mistake

of dwelling on that junk, it will set the limits for your life. And you may have gone through a lot in the past. You may have had some unfair things happen. But don't allow that to continue to pull you down by constantly playing the negative record about yourself. You believe what you say about yourself more than you believe what anybody else says. And I can tell you all day long that God's got a great plan for your life. He has a bright future in store for you. But until you get it down on the inside and start replaying it over and over throughout the day, it's not going to do you any good.

And I'm asking you today to pay attention to how you talk. to yourself. And I never want to come off as being arrogant, but you know what plays in my mind all day long? Joy, you have what it takes. You can do what God's called you to do. You're talented, you're creative, you're strong in the Lord, you're well able to fulfill your destiny. If you too will talk to yourself in the right way, you'll not only enjoy your life more, but you'll rise higher to a new level of confidence, a new level of boldness, and you'll become all that God's created you to be. I read a study where they took a group of college students, and they gave them special

eyeglasses that turned everything upside down, totally opposite of what it should be. In the first few days, it was total confusion. They were stumbling over everything. They couldn't read or write. They had to be led to class. I mean, they could barely even function. But day after day, little by little, they started getting used to it. By the end of the first week, they were able to go to class on their own.

They didn't need any help to get around. And these researchers were so intrigued by it, they decided to keep the experiment going. After one month, those students had totally adapted to it. Their mind had compensated for it, and now they could read without any problem. They could write, do their homework, type on the computer, all upside down. And this is exactly what can happen to us. If we go around with these wrong mindsets long enough, telling ourselves, well, I'm not a good parent. I've made too many mistakes. Nothing good ever happens to me.

Just like those college students, even though it's totally backwards, even though it's not the way God created us, our mind will eventually adapt and adjust and will end up living at that level. And some of you today, your world is kind of upside down. In other words, you're living far below your potential, feeling wrong about yourself, without the confidence, the self-esteem. And it's all because of what you're constantly telling yourself. Your internal dialogue is negative. You have to change that before anything else will change. I saw a lady on television last week. She had lost 175 pounds. She had surgery to remove the excess skin and everything went great. They showed the before and after picture and she looked fantastic, night and day difference. But several months later,

they went back to interview her, and she was so depressed. She would hardly eat anything, no joy, no victory. And they said, hey, what's wrong? You look great. You look fantastic. She said, yeah, that's what everybody's telling me. But I guess in my mind, I'll always be a fat, unattractive lady. I thought you hit the nail on the head.

It's in your mind. She had changed on the outside, but she had not changed on the inside. She was still playing that old negative record. I'm fat. I'm unattractive. I'll never be happy. She could have gotten down to 90 pounds. She still wouldn't have been happy. You've got to quit listening to all the voices that are pulling you down. You may not look like you stepped out of a fashion magazine, but I can tell you this, you were made in the image of Almighty God. God formed you with his own hands. Quit allowing those negative voices to put you down. Don't ever say to yourself, I'm fat, I'm

unattractive. I'll never lose this way. I don't like my hair. No, as long as you're rejecting yourself, you will never be happy. And you will be amazed at how much more you'll enjoy your life and how much better you will feel if you'll learn to talk to yourself in the right way, in a positive manner. And even when we make mistakes, even when we do wrong, don't go around saying, well, I can't do anything right. I'm so clumsy. I'm so slow. I've played sports with people and they make a mistake. And they just beat themselves up. They'll call themselves by name. Bill, you can't make a shot. You sorry thing. Don't ever talk to yourself like that. That's just going to keep you right where you are. And I know people that have gone through setbacks in life, disappointments, failures, maybe some

kind of divorce. And they go around so defeated, focused on what went wrong. And they especially allow that negative record to just continually play. Man, you blew it. You had your chance. You messed your life up, but you've got to learn to put on that new record. You need to be telling yourself things like, I am forgiven, I am restored. God has a new plan. Good things are in store. And I'm not saying to just take the easy way out and blow everything off, but what I am saying is it does not do us any good to go around feeling wrong about ourselves. And I know people that just live with that black cloud falling them around, a vague feeling. They can't even put their finger on it, but something's always telling them you're not right. You've been through too much.

You're never going to be happy. Listen, you cannot just sit back and accept that. You've got to rise up in your authority and start talking to yourself in a new way. All through the day, you should be telling yourself things like something good is going to happen to me. God is pleased with me. I have a bright future. The best is still yet to come. You've got a change on the inside before it's ever going to happen on the outside. Pay attention to how you're talking to yourself. What kind of record is playing in your mind throughout the day? It would do us all good to lie in bed in the morning and before we get up on purpose, think good thoughts about ourselves. I'm a good parent. I'm a good leader. I'm a good husband. I have a bright future. God is pleased with me. We need to learn to think these thoughts

on purpose. I was blessed to be raised by parents that instilled this kind of confidence and self-esteem in me. Growing up, my parents always told me what I could do and how proud they were of me. And having these nurturing people in our lives, especially at a young age, when we're forming so many of our thought patterns, is very important. Parents, I would encourage you to make sure that you instill these qualities into your children. They need your love. your encouragement, your approval, your affirmation. Don't ever put your children down. Don't ever say things like,

why can't you make good grades like your brother? You're just not very smart. If you keep that up, you're not going to mount to anything. No, those words are like seeds. They can take root and still be playing in their mind years and years from now. And especially when our children are small and we have to correct them.

Don't make the mistake of saying things like, Well, you're just a bad boy. You're a bad girl. No, they're not a bad person. They may have done something wrong, but they are good. They're made in the image of Almighty God. God didn't make any jump. And parents, we have a responsibility to instill confidence, self-esteem, security into our children. I wonder how many adults today struggle in those same areas, all because they didn't get what they should have from their children. parents or from the people that raise them. Instead of empowering them and affirming them, they just beat them down. Or maybe they only corrected them without showing them this other side, the approval side. Parents, let's not make this mistake. I love the story. My brother Paul told

about their son Jackson. He and his wife, Jennifer, have the cutest little boy. It's always happy. So much fun to be around. And every night when Jennifer takes Jackson to bed, she'll tell him a story and pray with him. And then just before she leaves, she'll say, now Jackson, let me remind you who you are. And she'll go through this long list of superheroes. Jackson, you're my Superman. You're my Power Ranger. You're my Buzz Lightyear. You're my rescue hero. You're my Lightning McQueen. You're my cowboy. You're my baseball player. Little Jackson, he just lies there with the big smile on his face, taking it all in. You know what she's doing? she's given him fuel for his internal dialogue.

Even though he's only three years old, Jennifer, in her own unique way, is saying to him, Jackson, you're special, you're valuable. You're going to do great things in life. Then she goes through this same routine when she puts my brother Paul to bed. I couldn't resist. But instead of using Buzz Light here, she uses Elvis.

Something funny happened the other day. They got home late and Jennifer took Jackson to bed in a hurry. And she couldn't go through the long list of superheroes. And a few minutes later, she heard this little voice calling out from upstairs. Mama, Mama. Jennifer ran over there and said, yes, Jackson, what's wrong? He said, Mama, you forgot to tell me who I am. And really, there's a deeper truth to that simple statement.

I found if we don't tell our children who they are, somebody else will. I don't know about you, but. I'm going to tell my children, you've got what it takes. There's nothing you can't do. Mother and daddy are behind you. We're proud of you. We believe in you. You are destined to do great things.

Speak the blessing over your children. Speak victory over their lives. They need your encouragement. They need your approval. Help them to have a big vision for their lives. I think about Moses. When he was born, the king put out a decree that all the children, two years of age and

would be killed. And so Moses' mother hid him away. Eventually she put him in a basket and sent him down the Nile River. And one of Pharaoh's daughters found him and raised him. But Moses never knew his earthly father. He didn't have that person speaking the blessing into his life. And many years later, God came to Moses and says, Moses, I'm choosing you to deliver the people of Israel. And it's interesting, the first words out of Moses' mouth were, God, who am I? See, when we don't tell our children who they are, when we don't instill the confidence and self-esteem in them, it causes them to struggle with their identity, with who they are, with what they can do. God said, Moses, don't say, who am I? You're the one that I've chosen. Then Moses asked another question. He said, but God, who will listen to me?

You know, God, I'm not a good speaker. You know I stutter. Notice his lack of confidence. He too, was playing the wrong record in his mind. No doubt in part because he didn't have a father, a mother, or people speaking the right things into his life. Like Moses, maybe you didn't have that either, but the good news is that does not have to hold you back in life. Your earthly father may not have told you who you are, but allow me to help you out. You are a child of the most high God. You have been crowned with God's glory. You have been crowned with God's glory. and honor. You can do all things through Christ. You

are full of potential. You are overflowing with creativity. There's nothing in your heart that you cannot accomplish. You have courage, strength, and ability. The favor of God surrounds you wherever you go. Whatever you touch is going to prosper and

succeed. You are blessed and you cannot be cursed. That's who you really are. You've got to put your shoulders back. Hold your head up high and don't do like Moses say, who am I? You need to start telling yourself, I am victorious, I am well able, I am more than a conquer, I am the head and not the tail. You've got to get your thoughts going in the right direction toward yourself. All through the day, you should be thinking these things. And when the old negative

record comes back, well, I'm not a very good parent. I've made a lot of mistakes. I'm sure God's not pleased with me. No, just let that be a reminder to put on the new record. I'm anointed. I am well label, good things are in store. We have to make sure we keep the right record, the right thoughts playing in our mind. The other day I talked to a young lady here in the lobby. She was a beautiful girl. On the outside, she seemed so happy like she was on top of the world, but on the inside, she had a war going on. She didn't like herself. She thought she was unattractive. She thought she she was overweight. She had this long list of everything wrong with her. Come to find out, she was raised by a father that always put her down. Her father was constantly telling her what was wrong with

her, what she couldn't do, what she was never going to be. And the sad thing is, this young lady had gone through one marriage, gone through a second marriage, and now she was about to end her third marriage in her late 20s. And I told her what I'm telling you, you got the wrong record playing. You're constantly telling yourself, I'm fat, I'm unattractive, I have nothing to offer, I'm unlovable. And as long as you're dwelling on those lives, there's going to be a war on the inside. The reason why is because you are not created to live that way. God created you to feel good about yourself. He created you to feel complete, to feel whole, to be confident, to be secure,

not to constantly be against yourself. And if you cannot get along with yourself, you'll never be able to get along with other people. It'll spread over into every other relationship. And some of you today, there's no peace in your home, and the problem is not the other person. You need to get at peace with who you are. You need to quit allowing the negative voice to play in your mind. Many times, like this young lady, the root cause was something that happened way back in life. What her father didn't give her, the negative record that he started. And like many people, she didn't know how to turn it off.

She thought it was normal to go around feeling wrong about herself, unattractive, unlovable. Listen, you've got to draw the line in the sand. You may not have gotten everything you should have from your parents, from the people that raised you. But always remember this. It's not how we start that counts. It's how we finish.

It may have been unfair, but don't use that as an excuse to stay where you are. You've got to put on the new record. You should be telling yourself every day, I am the apple of God's eye. I'm his most prized possession. I am crowned with glory and honor. I'm valuable. I'm attractive.

I have a bright future in front of me. We have to understand the negative voices always cry out the loudest. You can have 20 people encouraging you, and one person will come up and say something negative, and that's what you'll tend to remember. That's what will want to play in your mind again and again. You can do 100 things right, and you make one mistake,

and you'll have to fight being guilty and condemned. The negative voices will come at you, the strongest. And you may have gone through some unfair, hurtful things in life, but you've got to learn to let those go. Don't keep playing that record. As long as you stay focused on it, you're going to have a war on the inside. You're not going to feel good about yourself. The only way to change this is to get your internal dialogue going in the right direction. You've got to put the new record on, start thinking the right thoughts toward yourself. I think about the children of Israel. They had been through a lot of unfair things. They'd been mistreated and forced to work night and day,

spent years and years in slavery. But God supernaturally brought them out, and now they were about to go into their promised land. And God said there in Joshua 5 verse 9, this day, have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you? And a lot of people today are living with a reproach. In other words, they don't feel good about themselves. They too have been hurt and mistreated. They allowed the negative record to play again and again. And now they go around with a chip on their shoulder, down, discouraged, in self-pity. This is what was happening to the people of Israel. But God came along and said, hey, stop doing that. I am rolling away the reproach from you. And I believe the reproach had to be rolled away before they could go into the promised land.

It's the same thing with us. Some of you today, you're trying to live in victory, trying to be successful, trying to have a good marriage. But the problem is, you are negative towards yourself. You don't feel good about who you are. You're constantly dwelling on your past hurts and pains. And until you're willing to let go of that and start focusing on your new possibilities, then it's going to keep you right where you are. You cannot have a bad attitude toward yourself and expect to have God's best. Quit focusing on what you've done wrong. Quit having a pity party because of what you've been through. God has already rolled away your reproach.

The reproach is the shame, the embarrassment, the failures, the setbacks. God has done his part. Now, you've got to do your part and let it go before you can go into your promised land before these new doors will open up. The scripture says in Philemon 1 verse 6, our faith is made effectual when we acknowledge everything good in us. Think about this. Our faith is not effective when we acknowledge all our hurts and pains.

It's not effective when we stay focused on our shortcomings, our weaknesses. Our faith is only effective when we acknowledge the good things that are in us. Things like I have a bright future. I am gifted. I am talented. People like me. I have the favor of God. That's when our faith comes alive when we believe in ourselves. When we believe in ourselves, when we believe, we have what it takes when we focus on our possibilities. But I've found today, unfortunately, most people do just the opposite. They acknowledge everything wrong with them. Even subconsciously, they've constantly got that negative record playing, the back of their mind. This causes them to have a low opinion of themselves. We have to change that record. I know I'm kind of naive,

but I expect people to like me. I expect people to be friendly to me. I expect people to be friendly to me. I expect people to want to help me out. I have a positive opinion about who I am. What I'm saying is, don't walk into a room, timid and insecure, thinking nobody's going to like me in here. Look at them, they're probably talking about me already. I knew I shouldn't have worn this suit. I knew I should have stayed at home.

No, quit expecting the worst. Quit being negative towards yourself. You've got to get your dialogue going in a different direction. Your faith is only effective when you acknowledge, the good things that are in you. You need to develop a habit of being positive towards yourself. You need to have a good opinion about who you are. Well, Joel, I'm just a housewife. I'm just a business person. I'm just a schoolteacher. No, listen, you're not just anything. You're a child of the Most High God. You are fulfilling your purpose. Your steps are ordered by the Lord. Goodness and

mercy are following you, you are a person of destiny. Why don't you shake off the defeated voices and start talking to yourself in the right way? Change starts on the inside. And I'm asking you today to get your internal dialogue going in the right direction. Don't go around defeating yourself with your own words. Get up every morning and say to yourself, I am blessed, I am equipped. I have the favor of God. This is going to be a great day. And then all, All through the day, play that over and over again. Keep the right record on. Only dwell on positive, empowering thoughts toward yourself. That's when your faith is energized. And remember, the reproach has been rolled away. You've got to let go of what didn't work out in your life.

You've got to let go of all the negative voices from your past. Do not make the mistake of acknowledging what's wrong with you. Acknowledge what's right with you. Have a good opinion of who you are. If you'll get in this habit of talking to yourself the right way with these positive empowering thoughts. You'll not only have more confidence, you'll not only rise higher, but you'll see God's blessings and favor in a greater way. And I know you'll live the life of victory he 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? Say Lord Jesus, I repent of my sin. I repent of my 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 you places that you've never dreamed of