Joel Osteen Podcast - I Am What God Says I Am | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

God is the great architect of the universe. He put in you exactly what you need to live a victorious life. Get in agreement with God and say what He 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 visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope.God’s grace is the key for you to step fully into the future He has prepared for you. Our August offer will help you overcome your past, let go of fear, and rise in bold faith. Request Victoria’s new book and know with confidence that you are Graced to Go, https://bit.ly/4jYrsdS! 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. God bless you. We love you and we know God has great things in store.

We pray for you every single day. We're believing that this year will be your best year so far. If you're ever in our area, come out and see us. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. But thanks for tuning in. coming out today. I like to start with something funny. And I heard about this housework challenged husband. He decided he was going to wash his new sweatshirt. He went to the laundry room and wasn't there five seconds before he hollered out to his wife. What setting do I put the washing machine on?

She said it depends. What does it say on your shirt? After a long pause, he hollered back, Dallas Cowboys. All right, hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is a 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 not letting negative voices talk you out of your dreams. Too often we settle for less than what God's put in our hearts. We hear so many voices telling us what we can't do and how impossible it is, and we end up just settling where we are. But deep down on the inside, if we'd really be honest

with ourselves, we know we are watering down our dreams. What happened? We let people discourage us and talk us out of pressing forward. But one of the most important things that I've ever learned is other people don't set the limits for my life. Other people don't have to believe in me for my dreams to come to pass. There will always be critics and naysayers. There will always be people telling us what we can't do. You're too short. You're not talented enough. You've made too many mistakes. You come from the wrong family. The negative voices come to us all. But understand, other people don't determine your destiny, you do. And you have to accept the fact that not everyone is going to believe in you.

Not everyone is going to cheer you on. It would be great if all your friends and family members stood in faith and encouraged you. But a lot of times that's not the case. There will always be people that say things like, you really think you're going to get well. My grandmother died from that same disease. You really think you're going to get married. You really think your family.

is going to be restored. Sometimes you have to have a faith that stands alone. A faith that says, God, I know you put this promise in me. And even though no one is encouraging me, even though all the voices are negative, I'm not going to allow them to steal this seed out of my heart. I love what the Apostle Paul said there in Romans 3.3. What if they don't believe? Will their lack of faith make the faith of God of no effect. What he was saying was, it doesn't matter if other people don't believe. Their unbelief is not going to keep me

from believing in my dreams. And when God puts a promise in you, it is not dependent on other people. You don't need everyone to validate you. You don't need to try to get confirmation from all your friends. The truth is, some people are never going to give you their approval.

They may clap a few times and smile on the outside, but unfortunately, human nature tends to be jealous. When you have a big dream and you're determined to do something great with your life, very often others are envious. This is what happened to Joseph. His brothers didn't celebrate his dream. They did just the opposite. They sold him into slavery. And when somebody doesn't believe in you, when somebody says, you really think you're qualified for that new position, I don't think you're qualified for that new position, I don't think. think so. You really think you're going to get out of debt? I don't see how. When those negative voices

come, you have to remind yourself, the promise is in me, not in them, and they don't have to believe in me for my dream to come to pass. And at times, you may feel like nobody believes in you. Your own family's not behind you. Your friends are trying to discourage you. But the good news is you and God are a majority, and he's put in you everything you need to fulfill your destiny. This is what David had to do. When the prophet Samuel came to his house, he asked David's father, Jesse, to bring in his sons so he could choose the next king. And Jesse rounded up all of his sons except David. David was the youngest. He was out in the fields, taking care of the sheep. Jesse thought, I don't need to get David.

He's so young. He'll never amount to much. I haven't seen the same talent in him that I've seen in my other sons. I'm sure Jesse thought about how David was small in stature. David had red hair. No doubt his other sons were tall,

dark, and handsome. Kind of like me. But seriously, you can imagine how David must have felt, knowing that his own father didn't believe, in him enough to have the courtesy to bring him in so the prophet Samuel could see him. He could have easily let that rejection create a stronghold to where he thought, man, I'm not talented. I'm not creative. I'll never do anything great. No, David had the attitude. It doesn't

matter who doesn't believe in me. I know if God be for me, who dare even be against me. even after Samuel chose David to be the next king, his brother still didn't believe in him. When he went out to face Goliath, they said, David, what are you doing out here? Why don't you go back to those few sheep that you're supposed to be taken care of? They tried to make him feel small.

Once again, David could have gotten discouraged, gone around with low self-esteem, feeling inferior, but David understood this principle. He knew other people, even his own father, even his brothers, they didn't have to believe in him for him to become everything God created him to be. And sometimes we think we have to manipulate things to try to win people's favor, try to talk them in to believe in in us. We think, I'll just play up to this person. Maybe they'll put in a good word for me. I'll try to get on their good side. Maybe they'll give me a break.

No, you do not have to manipulate people in order to get you away. Stay true to your heart. And if you will be good to people for the right reasons and not play politics and try to win people over, God will cause you to have favor with who you need to have favor with. But too often I found we put too much emphasis on one person. We think they're the whole key to my success. Without them, it's not going to happen. But some people, no matter how hard you try, they are not going to believe in you. And you have to recognize you don't have to have them to fulfill your.

destiny. I remember when we were trying to acquire this place, the former compact center, there was this one man that I really wanted to win over. He was very influential. He knew a lot of other people. I thought, boy, if we could just get his support, that would put us a long way down the road. So I did everything I could. I called and called, but I couldn't get an appointment. I had a friend that knew him well and he put in a good word for us, but still nothing happened. Month after month went by and I was still doing. doing my best to try to make contact so I could win him over. And it just so happened one day.

We ended up at an event together. And I had a few minutes to share my vision for the compact center. But after a couple of sentences, I could tell he was not for us. He was very cold and unfriendly, almost like I was bothering him. He made the comment, I just don't think your organization is the best use for that facility. And I'm not going to support it. I left there so discouraged. I thought, man, I spent all this time trying to get in contact, and now I find out not only is he not for us, but he's against us. Later that night,

when I was thinking about it, I began to realize what I'm telling you. I was putting too much faith in him. I thought he was going to solve all our problems. He was going to win over all of our critics. It finally dawned on me. He doesn't have to believe in me for my dream to come to pass. After all, God didn't put the promise in him. He put the promise in me. So I shook that off. We stayed in faith, and we saw God bring it to fulfillment. It's funny, a couple of years later, right after we had moved into this new facility,

I saw him at another event, and it was a night and day difference. You would have thought it was his idea. He was bragging to his friend about how great it was. He said, Joel, one day I'm going to come visit you during one of your services. I thought to myself, great, I'll save you a seat on the very top row. What am I saying? You don't have to try to talk people in to believe in in you. You just stay in faith, and God will cause the right people to come into your life.

When you come across one of those naysayers, people that discourage you and try to tell you how it's not going to happen, you've got to do what the Apostle Paul did and just shake it off, have the attitude. So what, if they don't believe? I know my destiny is not tied to them. Do not allow the negative voices to take root. Words are like seeds. When something's spoken over us, they get planted in the soil of our heart. And whether they take root and grow depends totally up to us. The way those words become a reality is what we constantly dwell on. In other words, what you go around meditating on is what you are watering. It's very important to pay attention to what's playing in your mind. Some people have had

negative things spoken over them from childhood. They didn't know any better. They believed it. They played it over and over. And now it's setting the limits for their life. But if you're going to live in victory, you have to be disciplined in your thought life. When those voices come, like in David's case, saying you're not talented, you're not creative, you'll never do anything great. you have to immediately get rid of those lies. The longer you dwell on them, the more it will affect your personality, your confidence, your self-esteem,

and the more difficult it is to get rid of later on. I watched a report on the news the other day about children that had been bullied at school. It talked about how years later those negative words were still impacting many of them. They interviewed this one man, He was in his 40s. He seemed to be a very bright, talented man,

but he had not been able to hold down a job. He had struggled in his relationships. He told how as a child he was overweight. And the other children, they made fun of him and called him names, slow poke, dumbo, fat so. He made the mistake of letting those words take root. And now they were keeping him in mediocrity. It's very important what you're meditating on.

Young people at school. Other people may try to make you feel unattractive and inferior. They may call you names, but you need to let that bounce off of you like water off of a duck's back. Understand you are not what they call you. You are what you answer to. They can call you failure, loser, slow poke. Don't answer to that. Just ignore it and keep pressing forward.

And recognize you don't have a problem. They have the problem. They are so insecure. they have to try to push you down in order to feel good about themselves. And people can call you all kinds of derogatory things, but you've got to rise up and say, I am not who

they say I am. I am who God says I am. I am smart. I am talented. I am creative. I am well able to fulfill my destiny. I heard somebody say, faith begins with stuffing your ears full of cotton.

In other words, don't listen to the negative comments. People will try to talk you out of your dreams. When I first started ministering, I overheard people saying, he can't preach. He's too young. He's not as good as his father.

I just found some cotton balls and put them in my ears. I've learned these days I've got to keep a fresh supply on hand. When my father started Lakewood in 1959, in a little rundown feed store, people told him, nobody will come to church out here. You're on the wrong side of town.

It's too far. You're just wasting your time. What did my dad do? Get down, discouraged, give up. No, he just simply put the cotton balls in his ears. He kept praying, kept believing, kept being his best. For 40 years, he saw thousands of people come out every weekend. I love the scene in the movie,

The Pursuit of Happiness was based on a true story. The father was homeless, and he was raising his small son on the streets. One day they were shooting. baskets. The dad had just bought his son a new ball. As they were playing, he said to his son, I don't want you to stay out here and play all day long because you'll probably just be an average player. After all, that's all I was. You're usually just as good as your dad. We have the same genes. So I don't want you to waste a lot of time every day thinking that you'll ever really be good. And you could see that just took the wind out of his cells. The little boy put his ball up

and he walked away, feeling so dejected. Then this father felt convicted about it. He went back over to him, got down, looked him in the eyes, said, listen here, son, don't you ever let anyone tell you can't be something great, not even me. And it's interesting. When other people can't do something, very often, they try to put their limitations on us. In other words, that's as high as I went. That's probably as high as you'll go.

No, God wants you to go further. don't let anyone convince you you cannot accomplish your God-given dreams. Not a family member, not a coach, not a friend. Certainly be respectful, certainly listen to wise counsel. But remember, when it's all said and done, the promise is in you. It's not in them. This is what David had to do. He had to rise above that rejection and say,

even though my father doesn't believe in me, even though my family just thinks I'm average, I love them, but what they think about me doesn't determine my destiny. They may think I'm mediocre, but I know I have seeds of greatness. I know I'm equipped. I'm anointed. I'm going to become everything God's created me to be. But many people have these strongholds in their mind.

Something was spoken over them. They believed it. They watered it. And now it's holding them back. But you need to get to the root and find out what it is. Was it a family member that told you you'd never be successful? successful? Was it a chemistry teacher that told you all you could make was C's and not A's? Was it a friend that said you'll never break your addiction? No, just because they couldn't do it

doesn't mean you can't do it. You need to reprogram your thinking. You need to get rid of those strongholds. A study came out the other day and these researchers supposedly found that one race was less intelligent than another race. They measured these brain waves and came up with this conclusion. And a reporter asked me what I thought about it. And I said, I think that's ridiculous because I know God didn't make one group less than another. We're all equipped. We're all talented. We're all creative. Every one of us has exactly what we need. God would not have put the dream in you if he had not already given you the talent, the creativity, the determination to see it come to pass. but some of you are stuck in a rut

and it's because of the negative words that have been spoken over you. You need to ask yourself, who told me I'm not tall enough? Who told me I'm just an average student? Who told me that I'm not that talented? If you'll get rid of the wrong voices, it'll take the limits off of your life.

That's why we start off every service by saying, I am who God says I am. What we're saying in effect is, I am not who my chemistry teacher says I am. I am not who my ex-husband or ex-wife says I am. I am not who my critics say I am. Nowadays, I am not who the bloggers say I am. I am who God says I am.

That means we are anointed, we are equipped, we are talented, we are redeemed, we are blessed, we have the favor of God. I like to take it one step further. Not only I am who God says, I am, but I can do what God says I can do. We can accomplish our dreams. We can overcome every obstacle. We can have joy in the midst of tough times. We can live God's abundant life. But you have to make sure you have the right recording playing in your mind. You have to guard your thoughts.

Because throughout life, these voices come that are constantly trying to tell us you don't have what it takes. You heard the study. You come from the wrong family. You're not talented enough. You're not attractive enough. No, God put in you everything you need to accomplish your goals. God is the great architect of the universe. Before you were born, he laid out a plan for your life. He carefully studied what you would need.

He didn't just randomly put something in you. He put in you exactly what you needed to live a victorious life. Don't ever let anyone convince you that you're not tall enough. You're not talented enough. You don't have the right personality. No, that is an insult to our God. God has equipped you with exactly what you need. Years ago, there was a young lady by the name of Helen Hayes.

She had a dream to become an actress. But everyone told her that she would never really be successful because she was too small. She stood just under five feet tall. And so she went through all these stretching exercises, had coaches put her on different programs to try to increase her height, but none of that worked. She didn't get any taller. But instead of getting discouraged and listening to the naysayers, she focused on being the best that she could be.

She took what God had given her and made the most of it. And even though the so-called experts told her she was too small, down deep she started thinking about how she was equipped. She was anointed, and other people did not determine her destiny. In other words, she quit dwelling on what critics were saying and she started dwelling on what God said about her. She ended up becoming one of the greatest actresses of her day. In fact, later in her career, she was chosen to play a very acclaimed role as Mary Queen of Scotland, who was one of the tallest queens that had ever lived. What am I saying? God has put in you everything you need. Quit allowing other people to tell you what you don't have and what you can't do. You need to keep a fresh supply of cotton balls on hand.

When those negative voices come telling you, you're not going to accomplish your dreams, you're not going to be successful, you don't have to get discouraged. Don't get upset. Just smile and say, you may not think so, but the good news is you don't have to believe in me for my dreams to come to pass. And I'm not going to let your lack of faith cause me to give up. I know God's promises are on their way. Sometimes in the natural, we don't see how we can accomplish our dreams. Seems like there's so many obstacles to overcome. But the scripture talks about how God's word is like a seed. When it's planted in our heart, and we water it by thinking the right thoughts and expecting good things, the little seed begins to grow. Jesus told a parable in

Mark chapter four. He said God's word is like a tiny mustard seed. When it is sown, it is less than all the other seeds, one of the smallest. But when it grows up, it becomes greater than all. Notice, it goes from being less than all to being greater than all. And some of you are in situations right now, in your health, in your finances, in your relationships, where God's promises seem so small in comparison to what you're facing. You could easily let that overwhelm you and think, man, it's never going to get any better. it's never going to change. But if you will stay in faith and keep believing, something amazing

is going to happen. That little seed has supernatural power in it, and it's going to take root and begin to grow. Think about an ordinary seed. When you plant it in the ground, the dirt that's on top of it is hundreds of times heavier and more powerful than that little seed. In the natural, it doesn't have a chance. No way it can push the dirt out of the way. I can imagine. I can imagine, Imagine the dirt saying little seed, I'm never going to let you go. You're just a tiny little nothing compared to me, and you are never going to get out. I can see the seed smile and say, listen here, Mr. Dirt, it doesn't matter what you say. I've got the life of Almighty God in me, and one day I am coming out.

That infuriates the dirt. He says, what are you talking about? You don't have a chance. I'm hundreds of times more powerful than you. The seed just ignores him, goes around saying, I'm coming up, I'm coming up. I'm coming up. Sure enough, one day the seed burst open, and the life of Almighty God empowers that little seed to push the dirt that's hundreds of times heavier and more powerful right out of the way. Eventually, the seed breaks the surface of the earth. It looks back and says,

I told you I was coming out. God breathed his life into men. But here's the whole key. It depends on what voices we are feeding. You cannot go around watering. what the naysayers have spoken over you. Don't go around thinking about how your parents didn't believe in you. Don't dwell on what the medical report says. Feed your inner man what God says about you.

I am strong. I am blessed. I walk in divine health. I am more than a conquer. My best days are still out in front of me. As you dwell on these positive, faith-filled promises, they will take root, and over time become a reality.

That's what the scripture says. so mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. When I first started ministering, the voices of the critics rang out so loudly. I could hear them booming in my ear. You're not qualified. You don't have what it takes. It's never going to work out. Those voices sounded like thunder.

But at the same time, I could hear this little voice whispering back, I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord. Those other voices would boom back. No, no, no. You're not qualified. It's not going to work out. Little by little, I kept watering the right seeds,

thanking God that he was in control. Believing that I could do it, expecting good things, that little seed begin to grow. The promises got louder and louder. One day, it got to where it was exactly the opposite. The negative voices were barely a whisper. You're not qualified.

You don't have what it takes. The new voice boomed out, I can do all things through Christ. I am a victor and not a victim. If you will meditate on the right thoughts, go around dwelling on what God says about you, over time it's going to drown out all the negative voices. And those faith-filled promises will take root and become a reality. I am who I am today because of the seeds I've allowed to take root down through the years. The fact is, we all have voices coming our way.

The key is to learn to water the right voices. Get up every morning and remind yourself, I am who God says I am. You are not what other people call you. You are what you answer to. When those negative comments come, just make a decision. I'm not dwelling on that. I know who I am. I am a child of the Most High God.

I believe today, God's going to begin to bring out of you hidden treasures that you've had buried on the inside for years. Things you once knew you could do. You once had a dream, but you let other people or even your own thoughts talk you out of it. But those dreams, those promises are still alive on the inside. They may have laid dormant for years, but they are still full of the life of Almighty God. And as you stir your faith up and water those seeds, they're going to take root. And you're going to accomplish things that you've never even thought possible. And I know some of you have had a lot of negative things spoken over you. Down through the years, people told you

how you didn't have what it takes and how you're not going to be successful. It's almost like they cursed your future. But the good news is, the blessing is greater than the curse. They may have spoken negative things over you, but I'm going to speak some new words of faith in victory. And if you'll get rid of those other strongholds

and let these new words take root, it can become a turning point in your life. I declare over every one of you, you are strong and courageous. You are full of talent, creativity, and wisdom. You can accomplish every one of your God-given dreams. You walk in divine health. You have favor with every person you meet. Everything you touch is going to prosper and succeed.

Those seeds of greatness on the inside of you are growing stronger and stronger. That hidden treasure is about to burst forth, and you're going to come into new seasons of increase, new seasons of favor, new seasons of God's blessings. You are who God says you are. You have what God says you have, and I declare you can do everything God says you can do. If you receive it, can you say amen. Amen. 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. come into my heart.

I repent of my sins. 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 you've never dreamed of. It's easy to get stuck in life because of fear

and lack of confidence, or we've been through disappointments. But I'm excited about Victoria's new book, Grace to Go. It'll help you move past. what's holding your back and step into new levels of your destiny. My heart for this book is that you will discover the courage, the gifts, and the faith that God has put in you so that you can see your dreams come to pass. It's not too late. The obstacles are not

too big. The grace of God equips you to go beyond your comfort zone and overcome what looks impossible. You are stronger than you think. You are not alone. You are graced to go. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month, we'll send you Victoria Osteen's brand new book, Graced to Go. Step onto the bigger, bolder life that belongs to you. This inspiring resource will help you break through fear, insecurity or regret, and activate the faith to move forward.

Each chapter will stir your spirit, renew your perspective, and empower you to live boldly. You don't have to wait for perfect condition. God's grace meets you where you are and propels you into a future full of purpose and peace. With an additional gift, we'll send you the Grace to Go Bold bundle, featuring Grace to Go by Victoria Osteen, and Pray Bold by Joel Osteen. These two powerful books will stir your faith, break hesitation, and help you believe big again. Grace is power. When you receive it by faith, it enables you to take the next step. so you can become all you are created to be.

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