Joel Osteen Podcast - It's Not Too Late To Get Started | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: September 5, 2024

It's never too late to pursue the dream God put in your heart. There's no expiration date on God's promises for your life!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.God still works miraclestoday just as He did in Scripture! InMiracles Happen, you’ll find stories of 30 miracles from the Bible plus 5 modern-day miracles. Let our September offer stir your faith and increase your expectation—your miracle is on the way!Request your copy today,https://bit.ly/3SVZvsb.   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. Well, God bless you. Always a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great things in store. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll 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 today. And again, thank you for coming out. I'd like to start with something funny.

And I heard about this scientist that said to God, we've decided we no longer need you. We can clone people. We can transplant hearts and do all kinds of things once considered miraculous. God said that's fine. But to prove that you don't need me, let's have a man-making contest. The only rule is you have to make men out of dirt. The scientist agreed and quickly reached down to pick up a half. handful of dirt and God said, not so fast, go get your own dirt.

All right, let me tell you another one since his mother's day. This is from a viewer. Don't blame me. Good mothers let their children lick the mixer when they're making cookies. Great mothers turn the mixer off first. All right, hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess, my mind is alert, my heart is receptive, I will never be the same in Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you

today about how it's not too late to get started. Many times we put off what we know God wants us to do. Maybe down deep God's been dealing with you about forgiving a wrong, getting back in shape. having a better attitude, spending more time with your family. Or maybe it's a dream or goal that we know we should be pursuing, starting a new business, writing a book, joining the choir, learning a new hobby. We know God put it on the inside, but so often we make excuses that hold us back.

Things like, I'm too busy. I tried and failed. I'm not that talented. They hurt me too badly. It's easy to talk ourselves out of it. we end up settling for mediocrity. But the good news is, God never aborts a dream.

We may give up on them. We may quit pursuing new opportunities, quit believing to overcome an obstacle. But every dream, every promise God put in your heart, he still has every intention of bringing it to pass. You may have put it off a week, a year, or 25 years. But God is saying, it's not too late to get started.

You can still become everything God created you to be. But you've got to do you apart and get off dead center. You're not too old or too young. You haven't missed your window of opportunity. The dream is still alive on the inside. And you've got to rise up in faith and say, this is my time. This is my moment. I'm not going to settle where I am.

I've let excuses hold me back long enough. but today I'm going to start taking steps of faith to pursue new opportunities, to explore new hobbies, to break bad habits, to get rid of wrong mindsets. I know it's not too late to accomplish everything God's placed in my heart. If you have this kind of attitude, the rest of your life can be the best of your life. And Paul told Timothy, stir up the gift, fan the flame. He was saying Timothy, life is flying by. Get busy pursuing your destiny. And see, you have to stay passionate about what God put in your heart. Don't let one disappointment or even a series of disappointments convince you to give up and settle where you are. I've learned every setback means you're one

step closer to see in the dream come to pass. You have to come to your closed doors before you'll ever get to your open doors. You may have tried and failed a thousand times, but you don't know. Number 1001 may be the door that swings open wide. Get your fire back. Some of you have been through disappointments.

Things have not turned out like you'd hope. You've got to shake that off and get a fresh new vision for your life. Because when we get complacent and we're not pursuing new opportunities, taking on new challenges, life becomes stagnant. We lose

our passion, we end up just going through the motions, no zeal, no enthusiasm. Now, I know plenty of people that are living, but they're not really alive. They're breathing, but they can't feel their sense of purpose. And as long as you're not moving toward what God put in your heart, whether it's a dream, overcoming an obstacle, having a better attitude, if you're not actively pursuing that, you will not be as fulfilled as you should be. In other words, if you know, you know, you're You should be eating healthier, but you're not doing it. There's going to be a gnawing right down in here. That's God talking to you, trying to help you come up higher.

The good news is it's not too late to get started. If you know you're supposed to go back to college, but you're ignoring it, there'll be a sense of dissatisfaction. Or if you know you're supposed to take that management position that's been offered, but you're not doing it because you're afraid. You don't want to have to speak in front of people. You're letting your mind talk. out of it, there will be an unrest that will keep you from enjoying life to the full.

A lot of people think they're not happy because of their spouse or because of their circumstances, but the true source of the discontentment is they're not moving toward their God-given destiny. That dream that's on the inside is a part of your purpose. It's who you were created to be. That's why it's so important that we don't keep making excuses, that we don't keep putting it off. This means you may have to prune some things out of your life so you can go back to school at night and get the training that you know you need. You may have to get up early and go to the gym

so you can get back in shape and live a long, healthy life. You may have to stretch yourself to write that book, to start that business, to coach the ball team, to go on the missionary trip. Whatever it is, God is saying, now is the time to get started. now is the time to get out of your comfort zone and pursue those God-given goals. Let me encourage you to start taking steps toward them even if they're small steps.

If your dream is to be in ministry, don't wait for Billy Graham to call you. Go up to the prison and encourage the inmates or start a Bible study at the office, at your home. If your dream is to have your own business, you can't just sit back and expect God to hand it to you on a silver platter. Start researching it. Develop your business plan. Learn from others. Get good advice. The scripture says, give yourself to your gift. That means do whatever you can to make it happen. You may have tried and it not worked out. You say, Joel, I went to the support group. I went to celebrate recovery for a whole year, but I still didn't overcome this addiction. Listen, this is a new day. Every disappointment, everything that didn't work out, God didn't waste that. He used that to

deposit something on the inside. That's what's got you prepared for where you are right now. It may not have happened in the past, but the most important time of your life is the next 24 hours. What are you going to do with the time you have left? You and I can't afford to sit around, waste another year with no passion, thinking we don't have what it takes, in a career we don't enjoy, giving the best of our life to something that doesn't excite us. Make up your mind with me that you're going to make the changes and you're going to start moving toward your destiny. That means we're going to get out of our comfort zones. We're going to start stretching.

We're going to dream bigger. We're going to think better. We're going to act wiser. We're going to rise up and accomplish everything that God's placed in our life. heart. Friends, life is too short to live complacent. If you're not actively moving toward your purpose and taking steps to grow and improve, then that'll keep you from experiencing life to the full. The scripture says in proverbs, complacency kills. That means being stuck in a rut, not growing, not pursuing new opportunities. That'll kill your passion, kill your dreams, kill your sense of

purpose. On a regular basis, you need to reevaluate what you're doing, what your goals are, what are you pursuing, and be willing to make the necessary adjustments. Because there's nothing worse than going through life feeling dissatisfied, knowing that we're being less than what God's created us to be. I read something interesting about an eagle. When it's born, it has a liquid solution in its eyes. Over time, that hardens and becomes a setting that enables it to find its way home, even if it's thousands of miles away. Just like having a built-in compass. Somehow, when that liquid solution hardens, they discover the line between their home and the North Pole. That way, they always have a sense of reference. And if the eagle is going

the wrong direction, the way he knows it is he will have a low-level pain in his eyes. He'll feel a discomfort. And if you will turn and start going the right direction, the pain will go away. Many people today are living with a low-level pain because they're not pursuing their dreams. They're not following their passions. They keep putting things on hold, making excuses, and they live with this feeling of dissatisfaction. But I believe today is a new day. God is lighting a new fire on the inside. Dreams are coming back to life. Hope is being restored, vision is being reignited. As you start moving

toward your purpose, that low-level pain will go. That sense of the blas, no enthusiasm, that will leave, and you'll feel the spring come back into your step. You'll feel the sense of destiny, knowing that God is breathing in your direction. What I'm doing today is

what Paul told Timothy to do. I'm fanning your flame. I'm helping you to stir up your gifts. I'm letting you know you were made. for more. You are anointed, equipped, empowered. Don't you dare settle where you are. God has greater things in your future. It may not have happened in the past. You may have put it on hold for a long time. The good news is it's not too late to get started. You can begin right now. If you will make that decision to shake off the complacency and start pursuing what God placed in your heart,

you can still become everything God's created you to be. For many years, even way before my father went to be with the Lord, Victoria has always had a dream of writing books. She especially wanted to write children's books. She knew God birthed this on the inside. Year after year, she would tell me about them, give me her ideas. She was very passionate about it. But you know how life can be. We get busy, especially a mother raising small children. then when my father died in 1999 and we took over as pastors, our life even got much busier. I noticed Victoria wasn't talking about the books anymore. 2004, I wrote my first book and she began to get offers from different publishers.

Down deep, she wanted to do it. The opportunity was there. She had the desire, but every voice said, you're too busy. It's going to be too much work. You got too much going on. It's just not meant to be. she kept putting it off month after month year after year. One day she was in the kitchen with our son Jonathan.

He was about nine years old at the time and somehow this subject came up and she began explaining to him how she wanted to write these books but she didn't have the time and on and on listing all the excuses. Jonathan said one little phrase that lit a new fire on the inside. Instead of buying all of her excuses and saying, I understand mom, don't feel bad. about yourself, it's okay. No, he looked at her and said very passionately, Mother, you still should. Those three words rang out in her spirit, like Almighty God had spoke them to her. You still should. The scripture says, out of the mouth of babes, God can talk to us. Victoria knew right then and there

was the time to get started. While she was all fired up, I called our publisher and got a contract. I got her to sign it before she could change her mind. She went on to write her first book, Love Your Life, that made it to the top of the New York Times bestsellers list. Plus, she has written five children's books already and has a contract to write a dozen more. But I believe it all happened from those three words of a nine-year-old boy. You still should.

Today, a 29-year-old boy is telling you. All right, a 35-year-old boy. is telling you, you still should. Well, Joel, I wanted to go back and get my degree, but I've been out of school for a couple years. You still should. Well, I wanted to start my own business, but I've had all these setbacks.

You still should. I wanted to join the choir. I'm just so busy, you still should. Friends, God does not abort any dreams. And some of you, like Victoria, at one time, you were passionate about what was in your heart. But now you've thought of every reason why it can happen. Just like God

use little Jonathan's words to breathe new life into victorious dreams, if you'll receive them by faith, these words can breathe new life into your dreams. It is not too late to accomplish everything that God's placed in your heart. You have not missed your window of opportunity. God has moments of favor in your future. He's getting you prepared right now

because he is about to release a source. special grace to help you accomplish a dream, overcome an obstacle, birth what he's placed on the inside. This is your time. This is your moment. Dare to receive that. Dare to step into it. Not long ago, I met an 86-year-old woman after the service. She had something that she really wanted to show me, and she opened up this folder and handed me a certificate. It was her college degree that she had just received a few weeks earlier. She graduated from college at 86. I asked her what made her decide to go back to school. She said, I promised my mother as a young lady that I would get my college degree. I said, well, I'm sure your mom is up in heaven, smiling down on you, as proud of you as can be.

She said, yes, Joel, she's very proud of me, but she's not in heaven. She's right over there. I looked to my left, and there was this 104-year-old. old mother smiling from ear to ear, waving her cane at me. This daughter told how her whole life she had made excuses. Mom, I can't go back to college. I'm too busy. Her mom wouldn't hear it. You still should. Mom, I've got too many children to raise. You still should. Mom, I retired. I want to relax. You still should. She said it took till I was in my 80s, but my mother finally convinced me and I've never felt better about myself than right now. It may not be your mother, but your heavenly father is saying,

quit making excuses. That dream you stop pursuing, go after it again. Every voice may tell you, no way, impossible. Stay in your comfort zone. But God is saying, take a step of faith and write that book. Go back to school. Launch that new website, you still should. I read about this lady that had a great gift

of painting. It's a little girl. She used to paint very beautiful pictures. Her mother's favorite one was the painting of Jesus holding the world in his hands. The lady grew up and pursued a career in teaching, did that for many years. She loved helping the children, but deep down she was unsatisfied. She knew she had more in her. There was a gift that she wanted to share with the world, but she was comfortable where she was. One day she was riding on a back of the motorcycle, with her husband. They were on the freeway, and 18-wheeler right in front of them, all the sudden lost its load of large steel pipes. They started bouncing around the freeway like toothpicks, and they were right in the middle of it. Pipes were swooshing over their head right beside them.

Miraculously, the husband was able to maneuver the motorcycle out of that, and their life was spared. They knew it was the hand of God. That moment, more than ever, she realized every day is a gift. She decided to take up painting once again. And even she was amazed at her ability. She began to paint the most magnificent paintings you could ever imagine. It was just like God was breathing down on her work.

She felt this incredible sense of purpose. One day, a very well-respected and prestigious gallery saw her paintings and asked if they could display them right next to some of the most famous painters in the world. She made the statement later, if I would have died that day on the motorcycle, no one would have ever known what was on the inside of me. Let me ask you, if you went to heaven tomorrow,

would there be something we are missing out on? A gift that you're not sharing with the world? Are there things in your heart you're not pursuing because you're afraid? Or you think you're too old, you're too busy, you don't have what it takes. No, now is the time to get out of your comfort zone and pursue what God's put on the inside. This is what the disciple Peter did. When he saw Jesus walking on the water, he said, Lord, let me do that. Don't you know there were a thousand voices saying, Peter, are you

crazy? You can't walk on the water. In other words, you can't start your own business. You can't be in management. You can't write that book. You're going to get out there and sink. I can imagine there was another small voice whispering Peter, you still should. God's in control. You're well able. You've got what it takes. Peter got out and walked on the water.

Some of you today need to get out of your boat. Life is very short. In a few years we're all going to be gone. Make sure you're sharing your gift with the world. If you're not passionate about what you're doing, passionate about your

career, then you need to consider making changes. I realize that, you know, not every day we're jumping up and down with enthusiasm, but if you're going year after year, not enjoying your career, not fulfilled, not satisfied, it could be like this young lady, your main gift is lying dormant. And your gifting is a part of your purpose. No matter how successful you are, if you're not fulfilling your purpose, you will feel that sense of dissatisfaction. It's good to write down what you're passionate about. Write down what you're good at, what you excel in, and then evaluate it and see if it matches up to how you're spending your life. Are you in a field that

fits your gifts, your talent? If not, you're going to be frustrated. For instance, if you're great with people and you enjoy interacting with others, you should not be in our office alone all day. That's not using your main gifting. Some of you could sell ice to an Eskimo. You've got a gift of persuasion, a gift of communication. You ought to be in some kind of sales, some field like that. Some of you are great with your hands. You can fix anything.

You're mechanically minded. That's a part of your purpose. You're not meant to be out there selling insurance. Find your dominant gift. What you're good at, what you enjoy. If you're not in the right field, don't go your whole lot. lifetime there, start taking steps to make a change. I realize it may not happen overnight, but if you will do what you can, God will show up and do what you can. He has moments of favor

that will help you to get in to the best plan for your life. Another important thing to write down is a list of all the things you want to do before you go to heaven. It's commonly called a bucket list. What sites do you want to see? What plans do you want to see? What plans? places do you want to visit? What new hobbies do you want to learn? What excites and interest you? God has given us this big, beautiful world not only to enjoy, but to explore, to learn from, to help us grow and expand our vision. I've been going to India ever since I was in my early 20s, back with my father. I think about how seeing their culture and meeting people that were not just like me experiencing the beauty of their country, the genuineness of those people, that has impacted my life

and my thinking in an amazing way. And sometimes we can get so caught up in our own little world. If we're not careful, we'll go the next 50 years seeing the same kind of people, doing the same hobbies, going to the same places, and we'll miss the fullness of what God has in store. I'm asking you to dream big. Don't have a narrow vision. for your life. When you write down the places you want to visit, don't you dare put Walmart in Conroe. The outlet mall and Katie is not going to cut it. Get outside what you're used to. Think big, dream big, expand your vision. I've never seen the Grand Canyon. Some of my friends recently took the one-week trip where you raft down the canyon, camp out at night, stay in tents,

no electricity, no running water. As soon as I figure out how to power Victoria's 17 curling irons, we're going to take that trip. I want to enjoy the beauty of God's creation. I'm just kidding. She only has 16.

But some of you have been putting off living your life. You're working hard. You're being your best, but your life is too narrow. Try something new. Expand your vision. I met a young couple not long ago, and they were headed to Africa for two weeks. They were going to spend the first week helping in an orphanage and the second week hiking up a famous mountain.

They told when they got married several years ago, they made a list of 25 things they wanted to do in their lifetime. They prayed about it. They researched it. This was one of the 25. Friends life is to be enjoyed. Some of you, that vacation that you promised you would take 30 years ago. You know what God is saying? You still should. That new hobby you wanted to learn, but now you think you're too old, you still should. That missionary trip you wanted to go on, but you keep putting it off, you're too busy. You get too behind at the office. No, start taking steps to live life to the full. You still should take the vacation. Go on the missionary trip, hike the mountain, visit the orphanage. Tell you something funny. Ever since we got married,

Victoria has wanted to take ballroom dancing lessons. That is so odd to me. I could see break dancing, but not ballroom dancing. Every year or two, she'll bring it up and start asking me, come on, Joel, let's do something different. Let's take those lessons. She doesn't realize I have white man's disease. I have no sense of rhythm.

But I have to tell you, I love her so much that I have volunteered my brother Paul to take those lessons for me. I don't know that he's agreed, though, but what am I saying? The reason God gives us certain desires and different things are interesting to us is so that we can live a full life. Cultivate new interest, explore new hobbies. Bottom line is this. Don't die before you really live. Don't die without getting outside your same circle of friends, without experiencing people and cultures not just like you, without trying new hobbies

and without exploring the wonders of God's creation. Make your bucket list and start taking steps to live a full life. Friends, it's not too late to get started. Some of you have put your dreams on hold, but I believe today a new fire has been lit on the inside. God has birthed fresh new vision into your spirit. When those thoughts come saying, it's been too long, you missed your opportunity, remember those three words, you still should. Get rid of the excuses. Fan your flame. Stir up the gifts. God doesn't abort any dreams. He wants the rest of your life to be the best of your life. That's why he's already released moments of favor in your future to accomplish dreams, to overcome obstacles. I'm asking you to get in agreement with him,

shake off the complacency. If you'll start pursuing what he's, you'll start pursuing what placed in your heart. God will open doors that no man can shut. You'll discover talent that you didn't know you had. And I believe and declare you will become everything he created you to be. And you'll have everything he intended for you to have. Amen. How many of you received that today? Well, we never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you, my Lord and Savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again.

Get in a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place. He'll take your places you've never dreamed of.