Joel Osteen Podcast - Ignore The Roar | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: March 4, 2024

If you want to see God’s promises fulfilled in your life, you have to learn to ignore the voice of fear. Negative thoughts may come, but you can choose not to listen to them. When you stay in faith, God will make sure you have everything you need to reach your destiny. Believe big! Believe for more! Our March offer,This Time Next Year: Believe Big Journal, combines faith-building stories from Scripture with space to record your own reflections of the amazing things God is doing in your life. Be reminded each day that the God who breathed life into you is a more-than-enough God! Request your copy now,https://bit.ly/3IebX0B. 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.

Victoria and I are always honored to have you on the podcast. We're praying blessings in favor over you and your family. We appreciate your support and just being a part of the ministry. We love you. You know we're praying for you and we believe God's best in your life. Well, God bless you. It's great to have you with us today. And if you're ever in our area, please stop by.

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I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this senior citizen. He was driving down the freeway in his brand new corvette with the top down going 80 miles an hour when he saw flashing red lights in his rear view mirror from a state trooper. Without thinking about it, he floored it. took it up to a hundred miles an hour. He heard the sirens behind him and finally came to his senses and pulled over. He said, officer, I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. The trooper said, listen, it's Friday, four o'clock. My shift is over in 30 minutes. If you'll tell me a reason you're speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go. The man thought about it, said, officer,

years ago, my wife ran off with a state trooper, and I thought you were bringing her back. The officer said, have a great weekend. 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 ignore the roar. Anytime we try to move forward, thoughts will come, telling us what we can't do and how it's not

going to work out, how the problem is too big. We know what God promised. We believe it in our heart, but all these doubts start to bombard our mind. The scripture says the enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The purpose of a lion's roar is to intimidate their opponents, to strike fear and terror, so much so that it will paralyze the other animal. There are animals that are larger, an elephant, a hippopotamus. They're much bigger, stronger.

But when the lion roars, it's so powerful, so intimidating, they back down. In the same way, our enemy loves to roar. Not out loud, but in our thoughts. He uses intimidation, fear, doubt to try to paralyze us. thoughts like you'll never get well you saw the medical report you'll never break the addiction everyone in your family struggles you can't accomplish that dream you don't have the talent how you handle the roar will determine whether or not you reach your destiny if you believe the lies let the fear take root it will keep you from seeing the promise you have to learn to

ignore the roar don't pay attention to the threats the enemy is all bark and no bite. He goes about as a roaring lion. He's not a lion. He doesn't have any power over you. The only power he has is the power you give him by believing the roar. When those thoughts of worry come, fear, anxiety, recognize what's happening. It's simply the enemy roaring. That's what he does. You can't stop the roar. You can't pray away the negative thoughts. Get so determined that you're never going to feel fear, not going to allow the threats in. You're going to hear the roar, but you don't have to be intimidated. You don't have to live worried. The roar doesn't mean you're not in faith. Doesn't mean you'll never see the dream. The roar is a sign that what God promised is on the

way. The enemy wouldn't be warring if he didn't sense there were great things in your future. He wouldn't be shouting those threats if he didn't know you were a giant killer. He wouldn't be telling you those lies if healing, freedom, abundance wasn't around the corner. The scripture says, the enemy is a liar and there is no truth in him. When he roars, you can take the opposite of what he's saying. You'll never meet the right person. You've been single so long. Lord, thank you.

Now I know the right person is on the way. I believe they're already headed my direction. You hear that roar. Your child will never get back on course. You raised him right, but look at where he is now. Take the opposite. Father, thank you. Now I know that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

That my child will fulfill his purpose, that he will do great things. The reason the enemy is roaring is because you're closer than you think. He's trying to threaten you with intimidation, fear. The truth is, the roar means you're a threat to him. Start ignoring the roar. Quit living worried. your health, your finances, how you can accomplish that dream, God has not brought you this far to leave you. He's taken care of you in the past. He's going to take care of you in the future.

Says the enemy goes about seeking whom he may devour. That means he can't devour everyone. What determines whether or not you can be devoured is what do you do with the roar. If you believe the roar, then you'll be defeated. If you dwell on the lies, live work. worried, intimidated, afraid, you won't see the promises come to pass. When my mother was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer back in 1981, the medical report didn't look good, but she believed what God promised, that he would restore health back into her, that she would live and not die. But just because she believed, that didn't stop the roar. Just because you have faith, you're declaring promises, doesn't mean you're not

going to hear lies, threats, thoughts of fear. It's not going to work out. Just give up. It's over. You can't stop the roar, but you can't ignore it. You don't have to dwell on all the negative thoughts telling you that it's not going to work out. You're not going to get well, not going to see your family restored. Those thoughts will be loud. The enemy can be compelling, persuasive, intimidating. Don't pay it any attention. He would, wouldn't be roaring if victory wasn't in your future. My mother would be lying in bed in the middle of the night and the thought would come saying, you can wear that new pink dress you bought to your funeral. You can be buried in that outfit. She had plenty of opportunities to listen to the roar,

live worried, depressed. If she had done that, she wouldn't be here today. How you handle the roar determines whether or not you can be devoured. Don't let the negative thoughts play. The threats, the fear, the intimidation, start ignoring the roar. Keep your mind positive, hopeful, faith-filled. I read where lions are territorial. One reason they roar is to keep other animals off their territory. If a leopard, a cheetah, a giraffe starts to get close, then they get loud.

It's to try to intimidate them, invoke fear. That roar is saying, stay off my tongue. territory. If you come closer, there's going to be a fight. The same principle is true with our enemy. When you start to take new ground, you go after your healing, your freedom, your abundance, the enemy thinks that's his territory. He thinks that belongs to him, so you'll hear that roar louder than ever. He's hoping to intimidate you to where you turn back and don't go after what God put in your heart. How many people hear the roar and give up on their dream, quit believing for their healing, think they could never get out

of debt. Have a new perspective. The roar is a sign that you're moving toward what God promised. You wouldn't hear the roar if you weren't about to go where you've never been. See favor, influence like you've never seen. When my father went to be with the Lord, I had never ministered, but I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church. Thoughts started bombarding my mind. You can't minister Joel. Nobody's going to listen to you. You don't have the training, the experience. You're going to get up there and look like a fool. The enemy started roaring, trying to keep me from stepping into my purpose. And those thoughts were loud, intimidating, compelling. In one sense, everything they were saying was true. But God will put things in your

spirit that don't make sense to your mind. You don't have to figure it all out. All you have to do is believe. Get an agreement with God and not the fear and doubt. The enemy didn't want me to go further. He didn't want to give up that ground. That's why he roared so loud. In the same way, he's sitting on your promised land. Don't be surprised if you hear all kinds of doubt. Fear, you can't do it. You're not that talented. You've had that problem too long. Nobody in your family is successful. You're at a disadvantage, tune that all out. What God put in your spirit belongs to you. Now go after it. You have to get an agreement with your heart and not your head. If I would have listened to the roar, I would have turned around and never made it into my promised land. If I would have let the fear,

intimidation take root, I wouldn't be up here. I wouldn't have seen the books. Wouldn't have seen the compact center. Wouldn't have seen serious radio. Are you missing out on something because you're listening to the roar? Are you watering down dreams, playing it safe, stuck in your comfort zone, not believing you can beat the cancer, accepting the addiction? My prayer is you'll recognize it's only a roar. Those thoughts that are limiting, defeated, intimidating, they are lies to try to keep you from the greatness that's in you. Do yourself a favor, start ignoring the roar. yes, it's loud, yes, it's convincing.

This is where faith has to kick in. I'm going to believe what God says about me. I am who he says I am. I can do what he says I can do. I was afraid. I was intimidated, didn't know if I could do it, but I started speaking victory. I started declaring the promises over my life.

I am strong in the Lord. I can do all things through Christ. I've been raised up for such a time as this. I'm equipped, empowered, anointed. Sometimes you need to ignore the roar. Other times, you need to roar back. When those lies say that you'll never get well, instead of accepting it, roar back.

No thanks. God is restoring health back into me. I will live and not die. The enemy is good at roaring. You need to get good at roaring. Well, you've seen your best days, man. It's all downhill from here. No, thanks.

You must have the wrong. person. My latter days will be better than my former days. God has taken me from glory to glory. Well, your family's never going to get back on course. Look how long it's been. Just accept it. Instead of letting that discourage you, why don't you roar back? No thanks. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. My children will be mighty in the land. What God started, he will finish. Quit letting the roar dominate your life. Take control of your thought life. The battle is taking place in our mind. The enemy knows if he can control your thoughts, he can control your life.

You can't keep him from roaring, but when you recognize his tactics, when you know he goes about as a roaring lion, then you can deal with them properly. You won't let the roar keep you from your purpose. It may be intimidating, but it cannot stop what God has ordained for you. Ignore the roar. Keep moving forward and God will get you to your destiny. 2 Chronicles 32, the king of Syria had his army surround the city of Judah. They were camped around the walls about to break through and take the city.

His plan was to go to Jerusalem next and attack it. King Hezekiah told the Israelites not to worry that God was going to take care of them. The Syrian king sent a letter to Hezekiah saying, What makes you think we're not going to defeat you like we're defeating all these other cities? their gods didn't save them. Your God is not going to save you. He sent this letter trying to intimidate them. Then he sent some of his men to Jerusalem.

They came to the walls. Verse 18 says, they shouted threats trying to terrify the people so it would make them easier to capture. They knew if they could defeat them in their thinking, if they could get the Israelites fearful, intimidated, then they could defeat them in real life. And the Israelites heard all the threats, the insults, mocking their God, making fun of them.

The Syrians thought they would panic, fall apart. But King Hezekiah knew how to ignore the roar. He said to the people, do not be afraid of the king of Syria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side. He may have a great army, but they are just men. We have the Lord our God to fight for us. the Syrians shouted the threats, but they fell on deaf ears. They tried to intimidate, but the Israelites didn't take the bait. The enemy has no new tricks.

He's not creative. He uses the same tactics, the roaring lion, loud threats, loud thoughts. It's not going to work out. This problem's too big. Give up, surrender, quit believing. He's expecting these negative thoughts to make it easier to defeat you. what he doesn't realize is you're like Hezekiah. You know his tactics.

You're aware of his schemes. He's all bark and no bite. When you call his hand on it, when you say no thanks, I'm not afraid. I'm not intimidated. The problem may be big, but I know my God is bigger. The medical report may not look good, but God can do what medicine cannot do. He has the final say. Or these people against me may be powerful.

I'll admit that, but my medical. God is all powerful. He flung stars into space. He spoke worlds into existence. Him being for me is more than the world being against me. God won't let you get in a problem that he can't get you out of. He won't give you a dream that you can't accomplish. Tune out all the negative, the threats, the doubt, the fear, intimidation. That's to be expected. That's the roaring lion doing what he does to try to stop you. Now do your part, ignore the roar. Hezekiah went and found the prophet Isaiah and they started praying. When you feel bombarded by doubt, fear, opposition, find someone full of faith that will stand in agreement with you. The scripture says one can chase a thousand, but two can put

10,000 to fly. In these times when the lion is roaring, you don't need people that will agree with the lion. Well, I'll pray, but my grandmother died of that same illness. Joel, I don't see how you can get the compact center. That other company is so much bigger. No, find an Isaiah. Find someone that says, if you believe you're going to get well, you believe you're going to see overflow in a pandemic, you believe you're going to do great things, count me in.

I'm a believer. I'm in agreement with God. All things are possible. Isaiah in Hezekiah, they ignored the threats. They started praying faith-filled prayers. What you're saying when the enemy is roaring is very important. If you're speaking defeat, giving life to the negative, you're going to get stuck. You're drawing in what you're saying.

I can't believe this happened. I'm so afraid. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't see a way out. Don't get in agreement with the roar. Speak victory in the face of defeat. As this enemy was shouting threats, Hezekiah said to the people, be strong and of good courage, for our God will deliver us.

When he could have been complaining, he was prophesying victory. When he could have been panicked, he was declaring God's favor. Verse 21 says, the Lord sent an angel that destroyed the whole Syrian army, all of its commanders and all of its officers. The Israelites didn't have to fight. They didn't have to defend themselves. the threats were loud, they were intimidating, but they weren't real. And what's playing so loud in your mind, telling you that the sickness is permanent? The depression will hinder you your whole life.

Your business will never go to a new level. That roar is to try to convince you to give up on what God promised. The reason it's loud, the reason it's consistent is because the enemy knows he's on your territory. He's threatening you hoping you'll shrink. back, believe the lies, and settled for mediocrity. Why don't you start ignoring the roars and go after what God put in your heart? See, the enemy is a bully. Bullies are loud. Bullies are intimidating. Bullies will try to threaten you to control you and keep you down. My father told about this bully when he was in the third grade. This bully was bigger than everyone, always throwing his weight around,

being tough, mean, mistreating people. One day they were on the playground at school. This bully had a piece of paper. He was writing down names on it. He had a couple dozen people written down. This one student, he was a very small boy. They were in the same grade, but he was little, wiry, didn't weigh much, but he would fight a tiger.

He had no fear. He asked the bully what he was doing. The bully said, I'm making a list of all the people that I can whoop. That little boy looked at him kind of perplexed, a little concerned. In a few seconds, he said, let me see that list.

He took the list, went down it, and saw his name on it. He was so bent out of shape. He put his shoulders back, got up in the bully's face and said, you have my name on here. You know you can't whoop me. How dare you put my name on it? The bully shrunk back and said,

oh, I'll take your name off. You have to stand. up to a bully. You have to stand up to your enemy. Your threats don't phase me. Your intimidation doesn't move me. I know who I am and I know whose I am. You may have a loud roar. You may seem big, but I know me and God are a majority. What is destined for my life will come to pass. Don't be intimidated by a bully that has no power over you. Ignore the roar. Quit believe in the threats, living worried, letting all the negative play in your mind. I know it's loud, but the way you turn it down is by playing what God says about you. When the enemy roars,

you'll never get any good breaks. You'll never rise any higher. Father, you said the path of the righteous. My path gets brighter and brighter. Thank you that my greatest victories are still in front of me. Well, you'll never break the addiction. You've had it too long. Tell the enemy, name off your list. You can't defeat me. You can't limit my destiny. You can roar. You can threaten. You can be loud. But that doesn't intimidate me. I know a secret. You're all bark and no bite. I am free. I am whole. I will become who I was created to be. I was in Africa one time visiting my brother Paul. And we went on a safari and saw all these wild animals. The guide was telling us what they had learned about the animals. He said, if you're ever approached by a lion, never to turn your back,

but to stand your ground. The instinct will be to turn and run, but lions can run up to 50 miles an hour. He said, if you run, you'll just die tired. A great thought, right? He explained that even if the lion is a couple hundred yards away charging towards you, the best thing you can do is stand your ground and keep looking the lion in the eye. He said something fascinating. 90% of charges are mock charges. The lion is seeing what you're going to do. If you run, they're going to have a steak dinner. If you stand your ground, they're going to back off. It's going to be a mock charge. It's not a coincidence that our enemy is called a roaring lion. He roars to see what you're going to do. are you going to run, be intimidated, give up on your dreams, turn your back on what God's promise you,

then he can defeat you. But if you'll stand your ground, like Hezekiah, like my mother, and say, I'm not moved by these threats, not letting this fear, this intimidation caused me to shrink back, live worried, then you'll find it was a mock charge. It was a lot of bark, but there was no bite. And see, I've learned. I've learned. the enemy will never quit roaring. I've seen God take me places that I've never dreamed. It's opened up big doors, defeated great enemies. You would think he'd say, okay, Joel, he's not going to listen. God's been good to him. But even now, I still hear the roar. You've made it this far, but you can't keep this up. You've seen your best days. The opposition is too

much. The roar still comes, but I've trained myself to not pay any attention to it. My attitude is, is someone saying something? Do I hear some noise? You can get to the point where you don't give it the time of day. My sister, Lisa, used to live in an apartment by a train track, just a couple hundred feet away. At night, the train would come by and shape the whole place. You could feel the rumble of the cars going by, the roar of the engine. She would wake up every time. But after a couple of months, she started getting used to it. There's something in the brain called a reticular activating system that can tune out certain things that are routine. She got to the point where the train never woke her up at night. The train was just as loud, just as powerful, but it never affected her.

It can be the same way with the enemy's roar. They will come. Threats of intimidation, thoughts of fear, you're not going to get well. You never get out of debt. what if your child gets off course? Roars of doubt, roars of worry. But if you'll just keep ignoring them, not giving them credibility, keeping your mind on the promises, positive, hopeful, knowing that God's in control, knowing that He's ordering your steps, you're going to get to the point where you don't notice it anymore. Yes, it's still there, but it's not a big deal.

Those thoughts come, but it doesn't affect you. Now, sometimes, the roar is subtle. It's not loud and strong. It's just a whisper of doubt. Just enough to make you think, maybe it won't work out. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. God told them that they could eat any of the fruit, except the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they ate that fruit, they would surely die. The serpent came to Eve and said in chapter three, really? Did God really say you can't eat that fruit? This time the roar wasn't loud. It wasn't overwhelming. It was just a question. Really? A whisper of doubt. When God puts the promise in your heart that you're going to get well, don't be surprised if you

hear the whisper, you really think so. Did you hear the medical report? You really think you're going to have a good year during the pandemic? You really think you're going to get that scholarship? Do you know how many other students there are? Be aware of these subtle roars, just hints of doubt. He's hoping that it will grow and get bigger to where you defeat yourself. He knows if he roared real loud, you would recognize what he was doing. These whispers of doubt can be just as harmful. The scripture tells us to be aware of his schemes, to be knowledgeable of his strategies. Recognize this roaring, loud or small, is not the truth. It's trying to create doubt, fear, confusion, so you'll miss who you were created to be. My question is, how are you

handling the roar? Comes to all of us. Are you letting these negative thoughts discourage you, intimidate you, convince you that it's not going to work out? Your child's not going to get better? You can't accomplish that dream? The reason he's roaring is you're close to your promised land. You're about to step into a new level of your destiny. Now, don't let the enemy bully you. Tell him to take your name off his list. Stand up and you'll discover it was a marked charge. What he's worrying about is not the truth. If you'll start ignoring the roar, I believe and declare, like Hezekiah, God's about to defeat enemies full. You're not. You're not, you, you're going to see him show out in your life, breakthroughs, freedom, healing, abundance,

the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen today? I'd like to give 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. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love to send you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. Just text the number on the screen or go to the website. I hope you'll get involved in a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place.

It starts with just a tiny seed. From it, tender bud sprout. The miracle of new life blooms and thrives. But how do you experience the same miraculous and extraordinary growth in your own life? Sometimes our life is limited because we're believing too small. Faith is like a seed. When you believe, all things are possible. That's when you'll see new growth, opportunity, and healing.

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