I'm Still Standing
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01:10The UNEST app makes it easy for grandparents and family friendsto 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 $50bonus when you fund your account.That's code IHeart50 when you sign up at UNEST.co for a $50 bonus.See terms and conditions at UNES.See you. 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.
02:00Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes. And 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 you feel right at home. But thanks so much for tuning in.and thank you again for coming out.I like to start with something funny each week.And one day, Adam said to God,God, why did you make Eve so beautiful?God said, so you would love her.He said, well, God, why did you give her such long, flowing hair?God said the same thing, so you would love her.
02:30Well, God, why did you give her such a good figure?God said it again, so you would love her.Adam said, all right, God, you made her so beautiful, so attractive.Why did you make her so dumb?God said, Adam, that's easy.So she would love you.Come on, say it like you mean it.This is my Bible.
02:49I 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.
03:07I want to talk to you today about I'm still standing.We all go through difficulties and things we don't understand.stand. It's easy to get discouraged and think, why am I having these problems? But being a person offaith doesn't exempt us from difficulties. The scripture says rain falls on the just and the unjust.No matter how good of a person you are, no matter how much you honor God, you're going to have some rain.A man said to me last week in the lobby, Joel, I'm having more problems than my neighbor down the street that doesn't have anything to do with God.Jesus told a parable about thiswhere a wise man built his house upon the rock
03:49he honored Godanother man built his house on the sandhe didn'tthe winds blew the rains descendedand beat upon the houseswhat's interesting is the same stormcame to both peoplethe just and the unjust
04:05if the story ended right thereyou would think doesn't make a differenceto honor Godsame thing happens to methat happens to everybody else. Built my house on the rock, yet I'm on this storm. Got a bad medicalreport. Child got off course. Lost my biggest client. No, that's not the end of the story. If you judge it toosoon, it may seem like it doesn't make a difference. Jesus went on to tell the man that built hishouse upon the rock, when the storm was over, his house was still standing. The man that built on
04:38the sand, his house had washed away. Here's the difference.When you honor God, the storms may come, but you have a promise that others don't have.When it's all said and done, you'll still be standing.And in difficult times, you have to remind yourself, this is not the end.My house is built upon the rock.The enemy doesn't have the final say.God does.And he says when it's all over, I'll still be standing.
05:07You may get knocked down, but you won't get knocked out.You may suffer a setback.Have to go through a few things, but don't get discouraged.Don't get bitter.It's just life.It reigns on all of us.The promise God gives us is if you'll stay in faith, when the smoke clears and the dust settles,you will not be the victim.
05:28You will be the victor.You will still be standing.All of us can look back at things that should have defeated us.That divorce, that bad break, should have given you a nervous breakdown.But look at you, you're still standing.happy, hold, restored. That addiction, that party and lifestyle should have killed you, but because ofyour praying mother, you're still standing. Clean, sober, free. That sickness should have been the end.The medical report said you were done, but God said, I've got another report. It's not over. You're still
06:03standing. Or maybe you lost a loved one. Didn't think you could go on. Thought you had seen your best days.but God breathed new life into you, lifted you out of the pit, put a new song in your heart,here you are today, still standing.When you go through some things, you see the goodness of God, you see him lift you, restore you,promote you, heal you.When you have this history with God, remembering what he's done, you don't get discouragedby every difficulty.You don't fall apart because of a disappointment.
06:38You don't get upset because people.are talking about you. You know God brought you through in the past and he's going to bring youthrough in the future. About a year after I took over from my father as pastor of the church back in1999, I got word that one of our longtime members was going to leave the church. These were peoplethat I'd grown up with. I was young and doing my best. And last thing I wanted was to lose people.When I heard this, my first thought was, oh man, can't believe this is happening.It's tempted to get down and discouraged.But then something rose up in me.
07:15I thought to myself, I made it through the death of my father.I made it through one of my darkest hours.I can make it through them leaving.I thought, I made it through my mother having terminal cancer.I made it through a three and a half year lawsuit to get this facility.I made it through critics and naysayers telling me I couldn't minister.I made it through my own thoughts telling me I wasn't quite.qualified. If I can make it through that, I can make it without them being here. I heard God say right down in here, Joel, don't worry, they may leave, but I'm not going to leave.
07:53When it's all said and done, just like all those other times, you'll still be standing strong. You may be in a difficult time right now. You need to look back and remember what God has done for you.remember how he's made a waywhen you didn't see a way.Remember how he's opened doorsthat should have never opened.Remember how he put you at the right place,at the right time, promoted you,healed you, restored you.
08:18If he did it for you once,he can do it for you again.Your house is built upon the rock.You have this promisethat no matter what comes you awaywhen the storm is over,when the trouble has passed,when the opposition has ceased,
08:35One thing you can count on, you'll still be standing.You have the DNA of Almighty God.The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives on the inside of you.You may get knocked down, but you're not going to stay down.There's something in your DNA that says, get back up again.That's not where you belong.You're a child of the most high God.We had a hurricane here in Houston a few years ago,
09:01and there were all kinds of trees blown down,huge oak trees, four or five feet in diameter.They were no match for the 100-mile-an-hour winds.Pine trees, well over 100 feet tall, lay in yard after yard.Big trees, small trees, pines, oaks, magnolias, elms, none of them could withstand the hurricane force winds.There was only one type of tree that I noticed wasn't blown down.It was the palm tree.it's because God designed the palm to withstand the storm.
09:38Unlike most other trees, the palm is able to bend so it doesn't break.There's a certain kind of palm that can bend over to where it's almost touching the ground.During a hurricane, it may stay that way for five or six hours.Looks like it's over.Looks like it's done.I can imagine the hurricane huffing, puffing, saying, I may not be able to break you likethe oaks or the pines, but at least I can keep you all bent over. At least I can keep you from everstanding up again. The hurricane thinks it's winning the battle. But in a few hours when it runs out
10:13of strength, when the winds die back down, you know what happens? The palm tree stands right backup to where it was again. Why is that? Because God put bounce back in the palm tree. It may getpushed over, but it's only temporary, just a matter of time.before it stands right back up.Psalm 9212 saysthe righteous will flourish like a palm tree.It could have said we had flourished like an oak tree,be big and strong and have wide branches.
10:46Could have said we'd flourish like a pine tree,be tall and impressive and be able to see for miles.But the reason God said we would flourish like a palmis because God knew we would face difficulties.He knew there would be things in lifeto try to push us down and keep us from our destinies.So God said, I'm going to make you like a palm.I'm going to put bounce back on the inside.
11:11You may go through a season where the winds are blowing,a season of loss, of disappointment,a season of dealing with an illness.But don't get discouraged.It's only temporary.At some point, those winds will stop blowingand the bounce back putting you by your creatorwill cause you to straighten right back up.
11:31to where you were before.Don't believe the lives that is permanent.You'll never get well.You'll never overcome that addiction.You'll never get out of that legal problem.No, your house is built upon the rock.You may be a little bit over now.You may have some difficulties,
11:48but when that storm passes,be encouraged.You're going to stand right back upto where you were before.What's interesting is when the palm treeis bent over because of the hurricane,you would think that's damagethe tree and making it weaker. But research shows it's just the opposite. When the tree is being
12:08pushed and stretched by the strong winds, it's strengthening its root system and giving it opportunitiesfor new growth. After the storm, when the palm tree stands right back up, it's actually strongerthan it was before. When you get through that storm, when you straighten back up, you're not going to bethe same. You're going to be stronger, healthy.wiser, better off, ready for new growth. God never brings you out the same. He makes the enemy pay forbringing the trouble. What's meant for your harm, God will use to your advantage. That difficulty is notgoing to defeat you. It's going to promote you. It's not going to break you. It's going tostrengthen you. You're not only going to still be standing. You're going to be standing stronger
12:57than ever. I have a friend that's had cancer three times.It's been going on the last 10 years.And a couple of times, it looked like he was done.But I've never once seen him down.I've never heard him complain.He knows God has him in the palm of his hand.He knows the number of his days God will fulfill.In other words, he's got his house built upon the rock.
13:21And every time it looks like he's done,somehow like that palm tree, he bounces back.Last time the cancer came back,the doctors told him they were going to harvest his white blood,cells before he took chemotherapy. He asked him how many they needed. They gave him a number.He said, doctor, I'm going to give you twice what you're asking for. Every day, he would thankGod that he was getting better. He saw himself healthy and whole, went out and exercise, did everythingthat he could. Two months later, went back to the hospital. The doctor said, you're a man of your
13:55word. You've given us more than twice what we asked for. Today, he's totally cancer free. Beat the cancerthe third time.Here's what I'm saying.No matter how hard thosewinds blow, they cannot uprootyou, they cannot topple you,they cannot break you.Sickness doesn't determine your
14:15destiny. God does.He's the one that breathe lifeinto you. He made yourbody. If it's not your time to go,you're not going to go. God hasthe final say, and he saidno weapon formed against youwill prosper. He said,
14:31are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers us out of them all. He said,A good man may fall seven times, but the Lord will raise him up. There's the bounce back.Now, you've got to get an agreement with God. Don't have a weak, defeated mentality. Oh, Joel,why did this happen to me? I don't understand it. I can tell you why it happened, because you're alive.It reigns on everyone. The good news is, because you're the righteous, you have something in youthat the unrighteous doesn't have.Like that palm tree, there's bounce back in your spirit.No matter how hard those winds blow, they cannot defeat you.
15:12If you'll stay in faith, you'll be able to say like my friend, I'm still standing.Sickness had me down for a little while, but I came right back up, still standing.Went through a slow season at work, had a bad break, but it didn't defeat me.It promoted me.I came out stronger.I'm still standing.or maybe I had a breakup in a relationship.Somebody walked out on me, broke my heart,
15:35didn't think I'd ever be happy again,but look what the Lord has done,brought somebody better into my life.I'm still standing stronger than ever.Met a young couple that moved here from New Orleans.They lost everything during Hurricane Katrina.The house that they had worked so hard for was washed away.Lost their possessions, their furniture, their car.
15:58They made it out only.with the clothes on their back.A bus dropped them off at the Houston Astrodome.When I met them here at Lakewood,it's like they were numb.Their whole world had fallen apart.The man's company, the people he worked forhad closed down.
16:13He no longer had a job.I told them what I'm telling you.You may be down, but it's temporary.There's bounce back in your spirit.When it's all said and done,you'll still be standing strong.Week after week, they kept coming to Lake,would, hearing about how we are victors and not victims, and about how God will pay you back
16:35for the unfair things that have happened. A couple of years later, they brought me pictures in thelobby of the new home they just moved into. In New Orleans, they had an older home, but herethey have a brand new home. The man told how he has a better job with better benefits. His kidsare in better school, on and on. That's what happens when your house is built upon theIt doesn't prevent difficulties.You may have some storms.You may go through some bad breaks,but because of the bounce back
17:07in your spirit, when it's allover, you'll still be standing,not the same, but increased,promoted, better offthan you were before.Isaiah said, when theenemy comes in like a flood,that means when you feel overwhelmed,
17:24you lost your house in the hurricane.You got a bad medical report.A friend did you,you wrong in a business deal. What does God do? Sit back and think too bad. Told you is going to rain. Toldyour life was going to be difficult. No, when the enemy comes in like a flood, God raises up a barrier.In other words, that injustice, that bad break, that sickness, it gets God's attention. He doesn'tsit back. He goes to work. It's like as a parent. If you see anything bothering your child,if someone or something is giving them a hard time, you don't think twice.
18:01You stop what you're doing and immediately go to hell.One time when our son Jonathan was a little boy, maybe about two years old, we were at the grocery store together and I had walked down to the end of the aisle to get something.He stayed there at the cart.And I could still see him, but he was about 40 feet away.He started pulling things off the bottom shelf.A few boxes of cereal, no big deal.I was going to clean it up.But this lady came around the corner that worked there and got very upset that he was making a mess.
18:33She started jumping down his throat, saying, listen to here, young man, you need to learn to keep your hands to yourself.And you cannot make this mess in my store on and on.And when I heard that, something rose up on the inside of me.I don't know if it was God or the devil, but it felt good.I'm the nicest guy you'll ever meet.I'll do anything in the world for you.But if you mess with my children, you've got to fight on your hands.That's the way it is with our Heavenly Father.
19:05When the enemy comes in like a flood, God steps up and says,hey, wait a minute, you're messing with the wrong person.That's my son.That's my daughter.If you're going to mess with them, you're going to have to first mess with me.Who am I?I am the all-powerful creator.of the universe. When God said let there be light, light came at 186,000 miles a second.
19:32God says to your enemies, you want some of this. Go ahead and make my dad. You've got to realizein the tough times, you're not alone. You've got somebody fighting for you. The most high Godhas got your back. Now, you've got to get your fire back. You can't go through life focused on whohurt you and what didn't work out and how unfair it is, that's going to keep you down.Shake off that weak, defeated mentality and have a warrior mentality.A warrior doesn't complain about opposition.On the contrary, a warrior likes a good fight.It fires him up.
20:10This is what David did in the scripture.He suffered a major setback while he and his men were out protecting the borders of Israel,doing the right thing, fulfilling their purpose.begin to rain. These bandits came in and attacked their home city of Zieg, burned down their houses,stole their possessions, kidnapped their wives and children. When he and his 600 men returned homeand saw the smoke billowing in the distance, finally realized that was their home city,the scripture says they wept until they could not weep anymore. It was the worst day of theirlives. It looked like it was over. Look like they were done. It would have stayed that way if it had not
20:55been for David. He did something that we all must do if we're going to see the bounce back.Instead of staying in the ashes, focusing on how bad life had treated him, that warrior's spiritbegin to rise up. He thought, hey, I may be down. This may be my worst defeat so far, but this is notthe end of my story. I am the righteous. I've got bounced back inmy spirit. My house is built upon the rock. I have the promise. When it's all over, I'll still be standing.He started encouraging himself, reminding him who he was and whose he was. He told his men,get up, dry your tears, get your equipment. We're going to go get what belongs to us. They went out,not only attacked and defeated the enemy, but they got all their possessions back. They got their
21:47wives and children back.The scripture says they recovered all.David's greatest defeat turned into one of his greatest victories.We all face unfair situations, things that seem like they're going to bury us.But if you will have this warrior mentality and go after what belongs to you,the enemy won't have the last laugh.You will.He may hit you with his best shot, but his best will never be enough.
22:16the forces that are for you are greater than the forces that are against you.Like David, you may be down right now.It may be raining in your life.But because your house is built upon the rock, because you are the righteous,there's bounce back in your spirit.When it's all said and done, you're still going to be standing.A few weeks ago, I was at home lifting weights by myself.I was lying on a bench doing the bench press.
22:45I was using a barbell, free weights.It wasn't a machine.This was my last set.I was going to do five repetitions.It was a very heavy weight for me.I did number one, two, three, everything fine, just like normal.But on rep number four, it was very hard.Could barely get it up.
23:05I thought, okay, I'm going to go ahead and try number five,but I don't know if I could do it.I pushed number five and got about halfway up and got stuck.I pushed and pushed and pushed, gave it every.everything I had, but it wouldn't budge. I couldn't do it. I went to set the weight down on the safetyrails I have on each side so I could get out from under it. The only problem was Jonathan was home fromcollege and he had moved the safety rails lower when he was working out. I forgot to check then.Now I've got all this weight on my chest and I'm totally out of energy. I couldn't shake it off
23:41to one side or the other. There were clamps on the end of the barbells. At times before, I wasI've rolled it down my chest to my stomach, but I couldn't do it with this heavy weight.My first thought was, how long can I keep this weight off of me before it crushes me?I thought probably about a minute or two.My next thought was, you've already wasted 30 seconds.As I sat there contemplating what I should do, something rose up in me and said, Joel, you are not going to let this weight crush you.you are not going to let your family come in here and find you squashed.This is not the end of your story.
24:21You're too young to die.You got too much in you to die.You're too good looking to die.Crazy thoughts come when you're about to die.I pushed on this right side with all of my might.The left side caught the lower safety rail and I scooted about an inch.I rested a few seconds and pushed again on the,that right side scooted another inch and another and another. Eventually I was able to get my
24:49shoulder out from the bench, then my chest out and finally I fell to the ground and that barbellwas caught by the lower rail. Here's my point. When you're in a tough time, you can't sit aroundthinking about the bad break and how unfair it was and I can't believe I got this sickness.Can't believe they left me. Can't believe this weight is on me. You can either let that sicknesscrush you. You can let that defeat, that bad break, that disappoint. That. That disappoint.finish you off,die under the weight of it,or you can have this warrior mentality
25:20and do what you've got to do.Push, scoot,stretch, squirm, wiggle,refocus,get your second wind and beat it.I got up off the ground.My chest was a little scrapedand my back was a little bruised
25:36but at least I was still alive.I looked at that weight and said,you didn't defeat me. I'm still standing.The scripture puts itthis way. God has armed you with strength for every battle. I've found the more difficult the battle,the more strength you'll have. Your strength will always match what you're up against. When I think abouthow I got out from under that weight, I don't know how I did it. I was totally out of energy. I'd usedall my strength for that fifth rep. I could have said, God, please just take this off of me. It's going to
26:09kill me. God said, no, Joel, push one more time and watch what will happen.I pushed and discovered strength that I didn't know I had.Are you letting something defeat you because you don't think you have the strength to overcome,the strength to deal with that financial problem, that sickness, that child that's off course?If you'll have this warrior mentality and do what you can do, God will help you do what you cannot do.I saw on the news.Just last week, this man came up to a car on the freeway that had crashed.There was a person trapped on the inside.
26:47The car caught on fire.This man about my size went over to the door frameand somehow ripped the door away from the carso the person could get out.They showed a picture of this bit steel frame.It looked like something you'd see in the moviesfrom a superhero.They asked the man how he did it.
27:06He said, I don't know.I just pulled as hard as I could.When you do what you've got to do,you'll discover a strength that you'll discover a strengththat you didn't know you had.Friends, you are not weak, you're not defeated, you're a warrior.You've got resurrection power on the inside.You may be down right now.
27:26Those winds may be blowing, but like that palm tree, you're about to come back up again.You're not going to stay down.You're not going to be the same.You're going to be stronger, healthier, better off.This is a new day.Things are changing in your favor.God's done it in the past.He's going to do it again.
27:44in the future. You need to get ready. A bounce back is coming. You're going to bounce back from sickness,bounce back from loss, bounce back from bad breaks, bounce back from debt. Those wins cannotuproot you. They don't have the final say, God does. Because your house is built upon the rock,no matter what comes against you, I believe and declare, when it's all said and done,you will not be the victim, you will be the victor. You will still be standing.In Jesus' name.If you receive it, can you say amen today?We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life.
28:26Would 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.
28:48Thank you for listening to the Joel Osteen podcast.Help us continue to share the message of hope with those all over the world.Visit Joel Osteen.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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