Joel Osteen Podcast - It's Payback Time | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: February 4, 2025

God is a God of justice. He knows how to make up for the unfair situations in 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 wants to give you a fresh vision for the abundant life He's called you to! Joel's brand-new book will show you how to stop living an ordinary life and start trusting God for His promises. Request our February offer and dare to Pray Bold, https://bit.ly/4aDY5Kl! 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 enjoyed 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. Well, God bless you. It's 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.

I like to start with something funny. It's just a joke. please don't be offended, but I heard about this blonde lady. She was driving down the freeway when she was pulled over by a female police officer who also happened to be blonde. The officer asked to see her driver's license. The lady dug and dug in her purse getting more and more agitated, couldn't find it. Finally asked the officer what it looked like. The officer said it's a little square that has your picture on it. The lady pulled out a mirror and saw herself and said, oh, handed it to the officer. The officer. The officer said,

looked at the mirror and saw herself, handed it back, and said, okay, you can go. I didn't realize you were a police officer. All right, I'm going to need a ride home, but here we go. 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 it's payback time. We all go through unfair situations. We were overlooked for a promotion or came down with an illness or somebody walked out of a relationship.

It's easy to get discouraged and think, that's just life, a bad break, nothing I can do about it. You may not be able to, but God can. He's a God of justice. He has seen everything you've been through, every person that did you wrong, every lonely night, every tear. He said in Hebrews, I will repay the exact compensation owed you. It may not have been fair, but don't worry, payback is coming. God is going to make up for the wrongs that were done to you. Those people that put you at a disadvantage, don't live bitter, thinking you have to get even. It's not your battle. The battle is the Lord's. He knows what you're owed.

He's keeping the records. He'll not own. He'll not own. take care of the opposition, he'll make it up to you. You may have been raised in an unhealthy environment. Nobody was there to make you feel encouraged, loved, and valuable. It seems like that set you back, but people don't determine your destiny. What you didn't get, who wasn't there for you, is not going to keep you from your purpose. God sees how you were treated, and he's saying, payback is coming. He's going to show you favor because of of what happened. The enemy minute to stop you, God's going to use it to increase you. He's going to open new doors, bring opportunity, joy, fulfillment that you wouldn't have seen

if that had not happened. Instead of being discouraged, turn it around. Father, thank you that payback is coming. I know you're on the throne. You're fighting my battles. You're my vindicator. Because you honor God, because you're keeping him first place, you have an advantage. you're on his payroll. Now quit living worried, thinking you're falling behind. Those people at work left you out. Now you could never get to where you want to be. God is in control. One touch of his favor will catapult you ahead. He knows how to move the wrong people out of the way. They may be stopping you now, but they're not going to stop you your whole life. Why? Payback is coming. Keep doing the right thing when the wrong thing is happening.

You are not working under people. You are working under God. When you know you're on his payroll, you don't get upset when unfair things happen or discouraged because somebody is treating you badly or give up on a dream because you had a disappointment. You know payback is coming. Here's what I've learned.

Nobody can pay you back like God can pay you back. Just ask the Israelites, they had been in slavery for 430 years, one generation after another, mistreated, forced to work long hours, given quotas that were impossible to meet. I'm sure they thought that was their destiny. That's the way it'd be for their children, their grandchildren. It was just bad luck. They were born at the wrong time, born into hardship. Things may not change overnight, but if you'll stay in faith, there will come a point where God will say, enough,

is enough is payback time. He's going to turn things around, not just bring you out, he'll pay you back for the injustice. He's going to pay you back for an unfair childhood. He's going to pay you back for the promotion that should have been yours or pay you back from those people that tried to damage your reputation. God said, I have seen the afflictions of my people. I have heard their cries and I am coming down to the deliver them. You may have been in a difficulty for a long time. God is saying to you what he said to them, I am coming down to do something about it. This is a new day. What has hindered you in the past, the sickness, the betrayal, the people that did you wrong, that is not permanent. Payback is coming.

Healing is coming. Vindication is coming. Promotion is coming. New relationships are coming. You were not created to go through life lonely. And that person that left you, that didn't recognize your value, that maybe told you you're not smart enough, good enough, attractive enough, don't believe those lies. You've been made in the image of Almighty God. He calls you a masterpiece. He's crowned you with favor. He moved that person away so he could bring someone that recognizes who you are, someone that celebrates you, that cherries you, that cherishes you that can't wait to be with you. When God pays you back, it's going to exceed your expectations. You're going to think, I never dreamed life could be this great. Never dreamed I could

feel this good. Never dreamed I'd be this blessed, this happy, this fulfilled. That's the God who pays you back. Now, I believe you are closer than you think. Things are about to shift in your favor. People that are against you. are suddenly going to shift and be for you. They don't even understand why. They can't explain it. They didn't have a choice. It's God causing them to be good to you.

That sickness looks permanent. The medical report says learn to live with it. No, get ready. It's about to shift. Healing is coming. Wholeness is coming. That struggle, the lack, not able to get ahead. Maybe you can look back.

It's been in your family line for generations. generations. Nobody's been able to break out. Get ready. You're the one. A shift is coming. Ideas, creativity, promotion, contracts, real estate, it's going to come into your hands. That's God paying you back. Some of this payback is from what your forefathers worked for and didn't receive. They weren't treated right. They weren't respected, given what they deserved. But God has all the records. He knows what your family is owed. You're going to come into generational payback. Blessings that have been accruing in your family's account. God has not forgotten about your great grandparents that honored him. People in your family line that did the right thing but didn't get what they

deserve. Part of this payback is houses that you didn't build, favor that you didn't work for, promotions when you didn't have the qualifications. He's a God of justice. He's going to pay you back. Moses went to the Pharaoh and told him that God said to let the Israelites go. But he wouldn't listen to Moses. So God sent plague after plague on Pharaoh and his people. He finally changed his mind.

As the Israelites left, some 2 million people, I'm sure they were excited, singing, dancing. this was a dream come true. After generations, they weren't going to have to work these long hours, live oppressed and burden. This was a great miracle in itself just to be free. They were satisfied, but God wasn't satisfied. He said in Exodus 3, I will see to it that the Egyptians treat you well. They will load you down with gifts so you will not leave empty handed. On their way, way out, the Israelites asked their captors for their gold, their silver, their jewelry, their clothing. God gave them favor, and they freely gave it to the Israelites. For generations,

they had been loaded down with burdens, loaded down with injustice. Now they were loaded down with blessings, loaded down with valuables. They left pushing wheelbarrows full of treasures. What was that? God paying them back. for 430 years of injustice. God saw what was unfair. Not only to them, but to the generations before them. God is keeping the records. You may be satisfied if God would just turn it around.

You'd be happy if God just brought you out of the difficulty, but God is not satisfied. He's going to make the enemy pay. You are not going to come out empty-handed. You are going to come out loaded, better than you were, promoted, stronger, healthier at a new level. I can imagine a mother

taking a gold necklace putting it on her daughter. The little girl has never worn a necklace. Now she feels so valuable, so special. Everywhere she goes, when people see it, it's a reminder that God not only brought them

out, but he paid them back. You may be in an unfair situation. You don't understand why it happened. Why you came down with an illness, while you went through a loss, why those people at work are against you, don't worry, God sees it. You are not going to come out empty-handed. He is going to pay you back in such a way that other people are going to see the favor on your life. The scripture says, the Israelites went into Egypt in great distress, but they came out with great abundance. How you go in

doesn't determine how you're going to come out. You may go in addicted, you're going to come out free. You may go in sick, you're going to come out healthy. You may go in mistreated, injustice, you're going to come out vindicated, paid back. You may go in struggling in debt, but you're going to come out with great abundance. I talked to a lady. She owns her own business. For years, she'd rented space in this shopping mall. She's always been a great tenant, always paid her bills on time. One day she received an email from the landlord saying that they were going to double her rent. This came out of the blue for no reasoning. She knew she couldn't make a profit paying that much. They were basically forcing her out. It was unfair. She was concerned,

didn't know what she was going to do. She turned the television on and there I was. I was talking about how trouble can be transportation, how sometimes God will allow difficulties to move us ahead, how we can trust that he's in control, that he will make these wrongs right. Deep down, she knew everything was going to be all right. She came back to a place of peace. A couple of days later, another landlord that had space two doors down contacted her. She didn't go looking for him. He came looking for her. He offered her twice the amount of space that she currently had for half the amount of rent. She couldn't believe it.

She gladly moved to the new location. God knows how to pay you back. He knows what's not fair. He sees every sparrow that falls to the ground, every little bird. How much more does God see everything that happens with you? You don't have to live worried. thinking the disappointment, the bad break is the end. That setback is really a set-up for God to show out in your life.

Isaiah said, God will give you a two-fold recompense for the unfair things that have happened. That means God will pay you back double. It's not a coincidence that that lady got twice the space for half the rent. It's not a coincidence in the scripture after all the heartache and pain Job came out with twice the cattle, twice the sheep, twice what he had. It's not a coincidence. When property was sold out from under us, we acquired the compact center, this place. We went from an 8,000-seat auditorium to a 16,000-seat auditorium, exactly double. When you go through unfair situations, somebody does you wrong, instead of being sour,

have a new perspective, they just qualified you for double. You may not like it. It may not have been fair. Stay in fame. When God pays you back, you're not going to come out the same. Like the Israelites, you're going to come out loaded down with blessings. This is what happened to Jacob. He made an agreement to work for his uncle Laban for seven years. In return, Laban would give him his daughter Rachel to marry. Jacob worked faithfully these seven years, increasing Laban's flocks many times over. He made Laban a very wealthy man, but Laban changed his mind.

He said, Jacob, you can marry my daughter Leah, but if you want to marry Rachel, you're going to have to work another seven years. That wasn't what they agreed to. It was unfair. He was dishonest. Jacob went ahead and did it. At the end of the 14 years, he told Laban that he was going to move back to his hometown

with Rachel and his family. Well, Laban felt kind of guilty because he'd hardly paid Jacob anything. He asked Jacob what he could do for him. Jacob said, I'll work for you a little longer. I don't want any money. Just let me have the sheep

and goats that are spotted and street. You can have all the solid colored animals. That way when I leave, you'll know I'm not taking anything that belongs to you. Well, there were very few street and spotted animals so Laban quickly

agreed. He thought this is a great deal. He was so dishonest. He snuck out in the middle of the night and removed all the spotted and streaked animals and put them in a different pasture. That way, the solid-colored animals couldn't mate with the other ones and Jacob wouldn't have as much. What Laban didn't realize is God controls the universe. When he is ready to pay you back, unfair people can't stop him. Bad breaks can't stop him. All the forces of darkness cannot keep him from bringing justice into your life. When those solid colored animals mated, you know what color their offspring was? Streaked and spotted. God has the final say. He's not limited by the laws of nature,

by an unfair boss, by what somebody says. Laban was over there shaking his head, thinking how in the world did that happen? He was so frustrated. He said, Jacob, I want to change the agreement. From now on, you only get the spotted colored animals. Jacob said, fine. Now all the animals that were born were spotted colored. Laban said, I want to change the agreement again. Now, I want the spotted colored animals. Now all the animals that were born were solid colored. The blessing followed Jacob. He left there with more flocks than his uncle Laban. What was that? God paying him back.

Maybe someone is not keeping their word with you. They've changed the agreement. They're not being honest. Don't worry, God is keeping the records. He's going to make things happen that not only they can't stop, but they can't explain. They're going to be scratching their heads thinking, how did you get so blessed? The more they tried to push you down, the more you rose up. The more they tried to discredit you, leave you out, ignore you, the more God causes you to shine.

they're doing their best to limit you. They don't realize you're not on people's payroll. You're on God's payroll. Jacob said Genesis 31. Laban, you would have sent me out without one penny. But God has seen how unfair you've been to me. That's why he's vindicated me and given me an abundance. Like with Jacob, God sees what's unfair.

He's not going to just bring you out. He's going to bring you out. with abundance. He has not brought you this far to leave you. The disappointments, the bad breaks, the people that did you wrong, that is not the end. The enemy would love to convince you to live discouraged, give up on dreams, settle where you are. Don't believe those lies. Those setbacks are setting you up for a new level of your destiny. In the scripture, Abraham's nephew, lot was captured by an enemy army. They raided his prime. They raided his prime. property and took Lot and all of his children, his family, everything that he owed. One of his men

escaped and went and told Abraham what happened. Abraham called his men together, said Lott's in trouble. We have to go rescue him. They snuck up on the enemy armies at night and attacked them from all different sides. The scripture says Abraham recovered all that was stolen. Lot with all of his possessions, all of his family, all of his children. What's interesting is Lot wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. God told Abraham to leave his relatives and go to a new land. But Abraham decided to take Lot with him. God could have said Abraham, Lot's in trouble, but too bad.

It's your fault. I told you not to bring him. But God is so merciful. Even when we make mistakes, even when it's our fault, he says, I'm still going to help you. Abraham recovered all. Maybe you've made mistakes. You're thinking, Joel, God's not going to pay me back.

I can understand if it was unfair, if somebody did me wrong, but this was my fault. I brought the trouble on myself. God is saying to you what he said to Abraham, I'm going to help you recover all. Maybe you didn't raise your children right. Now they're off course. You're going to recover all your children.

You spent money that you didn't have. Now you're over your head. You're going to recover all your finances. You didn't take care of your body. Maybe you gave into addictions. You're going to recover all your health. Not partial recovery. Partial freedom.

Fully recovered. Fully healthy. Fully blessed. God is saying you're going to get it all back. All your finances, all your children, all your health, all your dreams, everything that has been stolen. Luke chapter 17, 10 lepers saw. Jesus walking through their village. Leprosy was a dreaded disease, would cause the skin to become so infected, getting so bad that sometimes raw flesh would start showing. Parts of the body would become dismembered.

A finger, a toe would rot and eventually fall off. Or hands or ears curl up and become useless. These lepers called out for mercy asking Jesus to come heal them. But Jesus didn't go pray for them. He didn't hands on them? He didn't even speak healing. He told them to go show themselves to the priest. That's what you would normally do after you were healed. They could have thought, I'm not healed yet. That'd be a waste of time. Once I see my healing, I'll go. They didn't realize their healing was dependent on their obedience. When God asks you to do something, don't debate it, don't try to figure it out. Don't call 10 friends and get their opinion. Just do it. When you obey, a blessing always follows.

The scripture says, as they went, they were healed. I can imagine as they were walking to the priest, hands that had been gnarled for years suddenly begin to open up. Maybe a finger begins to grow out. A toe that was missing begins to reform. An ear that all curled up begins to straighten out. Like a movie, parts of their bodies that were dismembered, disfigured, begin to morph back to normal. By the time they got to the priest, they were perfectly well. These were unusual miracles, things that seemed impossible. Rotting flesh, a finger missing, can't do anything about that, but nothing is too difficult

for our God. Like these lepers, you may have a situation that looks too far gone, like it could never work out. but God has some of these unusual miracles for you. Unusual healing, unusual favor, unusual promotion. It's something that you haven't seen out of the ordinary. It's never happened in your life. Get ready. Payback is coming.

The enemy may have done his best, but his best was not enough. God has the final say. He said in the book of Joel, I will repay you for the years, the locust have eaten. That was talking about crops they had lost, insects that had wiped out their harvest. They had struggled for years. They thought that was their destiny. But the next verse says, you will eat in plenty and be satisfied. God is saying this to you, I'm going to repay you for the years the enemy has stolen. Years you were mistreated. Years you were lonely. Years you were

sick, addicted, depressed. God is about to repay you. You're going to have plenty of joy, plenty of health, plenty of friends, plenty of opportunities, plenty of resources. You're not only going to be satisfied, you're going to be amazed. That's the most high God paying you back. I know this lady, she got off to a rough start in life. She dropped out of high school at 15 and had her first baby at 16. She didn't have any guidance. She ended up spending three years in prison with a felony offense for writing $2,000 worth of bad checks. Because she had a felony, she lost her right to vote. This really bothered her. When she got out of prison, the only job she could find was working as a bartender. There was a man that lived by the bar

that was constantly encouraging her, telling her, this bar is not where you belong. God has something better for you. One day, you're going to own your own business. One day, you're going to get your voting rights back. She would weep and weep. This sounded too good to be true. She thought that's impossible. I have a felony.

How could that happen? All the circumstances said she was stuck. The odds were against her, but God has unlawful. unusual favor, unusual opportunities. There was a lady close by that had a restaurant for sale. This young lady wanted to buy it, but she didn't have the funds. She went to the lady and told her her story. The lady said there was a man in the restaurant business that really wanted to purchase it, but there's something special about you, something that I really like. I don't need your money. I'm going to give you my restaurant. She has

been in business now there, 11 years. Plus recently, she opened up a second restaurant. A while back, the governor's office called and informed her that the governor was giving her a pardon. She got her voting rights back. Is there anything too hard for our God? You may have made mistakes, but God is full of mercy. May look impossible, but God has all power. He knows what you've been through. He knows what wasn't fair. He's saying today, payback is coming. Not partial, not halfway, not 90%, you're going to get it all back. I believe and declare, God is going to restore the years that the enemy has stolen.

You're not going to come out empty-handed like the Israelites. You're going to come out loaded down. Unusual favor, unusual healing, unusual breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny. In Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen today? But 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. Well, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. When was the last time you asked God to do something that seemed impossible? If you only pray small, ordinary prayers, you live a small, ordinary life. I have a new book called Pray Bold. I'll challenge you to stretch your faith and believe for the big things God puts in your heart.

Victoria and I used to have season tickets to watch the Rockets play basketball here. We never dreamed it could be ours. When they moved out, somehow we had the faith to pray a bold prayer. God made things happen that we could never make happen. It's the same for you. Who knows what God will do in your life if you'll dare to pray bold. Ask him for your dreams. Ask for your healing.

Ask for your freedom. That's when God will show up and do more than you could ever imagine. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month, we would like to send you a copy of Joel's brand new book. Pray Bold. Dare to ask and believe big. Joel shares that when we pray, we can tap into God's creative, awesome power, something bigger than we have ever imagined. God doesn't want us to just pray in our comfort zones. No, God loves when we pray big, believe big, expect him to do the unexpected.

There are inspiring stories from the Bible, from history, and personal testimonies of people who dared to believe God in extraordinary ways. You'll learn how to practically expand your prayers and watch your life move from the common to the extraordinary, from less than to overflowing. Be sure to request your copy of Pray Bold Today. Visit joelowstein.com or call us toll free. God has put dreams in your heart and things he's whispered in the night that seem impossible. But as you pray these bold prayers, you're going to see the goodness of God in ways you've never seen. Victoria and I believe, and you're going to have a great 2025.

We pray for you and your family every day for God's very best. We want to thank you for your prayer and your support. You're impacting people all over the world. Be sure to request your copy of Pray Bold Today. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call us toll-free. Finally, elevate your personal time with God by requesting the My Time with God collection. This beautiful collection contains the Pray Bold new release, plus the new living translation, one-year chronological study Bible, and a beautiful

glass mug and throw blanket based around the inspiring scripture from Psalm 4610. Be still and know that I am God. You can learn more about this unique new gift collection by calling 888-567 Joel or logging on to Joel Osteen.com today. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, listen on Sirius XM, watch on YouTube, and now the new Joel Osteen Network streaming on television 24 hours a day. If you've never been to Lakewood, we have a great opportunity. We call it Homecoming Weekend. We'd love to meet you and your family. You can see the building and attend one of the services. It's a great time to be a part of the Lakewood family. Looking forward to seeing you homecoming weekend.