Joel Osteen Podcast - Living The Resurrected Life | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: February 23, 2023

You are not defined by your past; you are prepared by your past. God can use everything you've been through to take you into a new level of His goodness.  Your best days are still ahead, and together we can make a difference in this world with the message of God's hope and love. To give visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope 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.

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We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your home. We love you and we're believing for God's very, very best for your life. If you're ever in our area, stop by and be a part of one of our services. We would love to have you. But thanks for tuning in today. day. Thanks for coming out. I like to get started each week with something kind of funny. And I heard about this husband and wife. They were driving down the road and they saw this sign that said Nacadoches 40 miles ahead. They begin to argue over how to correctly pronounce the name Nacadochus. The husband got so upset. He finally said, when we get there, I'm going to stop and

prove to you that I was right. They drove silently for the next 30 minutes. When he got to the town, he pulled into the first little fast food restaurant. They both marched up to the counter. He said to the young lady working behind it, my wife and I have been arguing for the last 30 minutes, would you please very slowly and very clearly tell us how to pronounce the name of this place? The young lady's eyes got real big. She leaned over the counter and said, Burger King. Hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am. 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 living a resurrected life. Every person goes through adversities. We've all had unfair things happen. We didn't get a promotion we deserve. We lose a loved one. A friend betrayed us. Or maybe a marriage didn't last. And it's easy to get negative and bitter and lose our enthusiasm for life. And so many people are living in the past, focused on who hurt them and how unfair it was. They go around with a victim mentality, always blaming somebody else. But understand, you are not defined by your past. You are prepared by your past. Every challenge you've been through, every adversity you've faced, God deposited something on the inside. Your character was being developed. Strength was being

increased. Vision was being enlarged. With every difficulty, you can experience a new level of God's goodness. You may have had unfair things happen. Somebody did you wrong. Or maybe you've made poor choices that's brought trouble on yourself. But, but if you can just see it the right way, you are not defined by your past. Your past is getting you prepared. One of the best things that I've ever learned is nothing in life happens to me, it happens for me. In other words, God would not have allowed me to go through it if he didn't have a purpose for it. He wouldn't have allowed that adversity to come if he didn't already have a plan to get good out of it. And even though it's difficult, even though it may be unfair,

If you'll keep the right attitude, it's not only going to help develop you into who you really are. It's going to get you to where you're supposed to be. It did not happen by accident. All things work together for good when you love the Lord. It doesn't say that all things are good. It may be uncomfortable. You may not like it. But if you'll stay in faith, God will use it to get some good out of it.

Maybe you've gone through a major setback in your health. in your marriage, in your finances. But don't let that setback become the central focus of your life. No, keep your new goals in front of you. Keep your dreams alive. Jesus endured the pain of the cross by focusing on the joy that was set before him.

What are you focusing on today? What didn't work out? Who hurts you? How unfair it was? Or are you focusing on your dreams, your goals, knowing that your best day? are still out in front of you. And those adversities, even though they may look like stumbling blocks, God can use them as stepping stones to take you to a higher level. Everything you've gone through in life, every adversity, every lonely time God was depositing something on the inside. He's getting you

prepared. And you wouldn't be who you are today. You wouldn't have the depth, the maturity, the insight, if it were not for those things. Keep it in the right, perspective. We are not defined by our past. You're not defined by how you were raised or by how somebody treated you or even by the mistakes you've made. You are prepared by your past. I'm asking us today to shake off any kind of self-pity, shake off bitterness, shake off going around offended. Life is too short to have a victim mentality. You may have seen one of your dreams died, you lost a loved one, lost a marriage, lost your enthusiasm in life. But here's how God works. You've been through the death, you've been through the burial, now it's the third day.

It's time for your resurrection. If you're going to live this resurrected life, you have to have a resurrected mentality. In other words, I may have been cheated in a business deal, but I'm not bitter. I'm not sour. I know that didn't happen to me, that happened for me. God said he would be my vindicator. He said he would pay me back double for every injustice. So I'm not going to drag around defeated. I am stayed in faith knowing that that just qualified me for double. Or in your health, maybe you're facing a sickness.

It's been that way a long time. The medical report doesn't look good. You should be down and discouraged. But no, I know this isn't happening to me. It's happening for me. God is in complete control. And I believe he's not. only going to turn it around, but he's going to bring me out better off than I was before.

Stay in faith. Or like I said, maybe you've made poor choices. You've made some mistakes that's opened the door to trouble. And now that condemning voice, the accuser keeps telling you, you blew it. It's your fault. You can't expect anything good. No, you've got to shake that off and say, I may have brought trouble on myself, but I know God's mercy is bigger than any mistake I've ever made. Now, I am not going to live my life guilty. I'm not giving up on my dreams. I know I'm growing, I'm learning, and in the end, God's going to use it all to my advantage. Have that resurrection mentality. You are a child of the most high God. Nothing can happen to you. It can only happen for you. It's all a part of God's plan. And even when it doesn't seem like it's fair, God said here in Isaiah 61,

verse three, he will give you beauty for your ashes, joy for your morning. Some of you may feel like today, all you have is a bunch of ashes. Nothing in life has turned out. None of your dreams have come to pass. That simply means you've been through the death, you've been through the burial, now it's time for your resurrection. And the good news is it's not over until God says it's over. He still has a way to bring your dreams to pass. Why don't you get in agreement it with him. Why don't you shake off that victim mentality? If we will have the right perspective, it takes away all the power of the enemy. When things come against us, in the natural, we should get down and discourage, go around complaining, defeated. But when we understand this

principle that eventually God is going to get some good out of it, and even though it's difficult, God's depositing something on the inside, then we can have a smile on our face, even when our plans don't work out. We can be in peace even when we should be stressed out. We can be good to people even when they're not being good to us. You may have a boss, a friend, a child that's kind of hard to get along with. Sometimes you have to look at them and just say it in faith, you are not happening to me, you are happening for me. They may not understand it, but don't bother explaining it to them. This may seem kind of funny, but some of my enemies, I need to thank them the most. Some of them, I to write them a check. They don't realize how God has used them to stretch me, to grow me up,

to help me have a greater confidence in him. I've told you how when we were trying to acquire this place, one of the main business leaders in the city told a friend of mine, it'll be a cold day in hell before Lakewood ever gets the compact center. That man doesn't know what he did for me. When I see him, I need to buy his dinner. McDonald's probably. I don't know if we'd be here today if it were not for him. God used him to light a new fire on the inside, to give me a new determination, a new passion. He didn't happen to me. He happened for me.

At first I was thinking, wow, we've got a lot of things coming against us. Looks like our opponents are very big, very powerful. But I had to shake that off and say, no, if God be for us, who dare be against us? The bigger they are, the harder they fall. We didn't have a victim mentality. We had a victor mentality. But too many times when it looks like one of our dreams has died, we just give up. We stop believing. I've seen people that miss God's best because they never get past the burial stage. They go through a disappointment. Something doesn't go their way. And instead of letting it go, knowing that God has another plan,

instead of getting a fresh vision for their life, they walla around in self-pity. But you'll never get to your resurrection. You'll never get to phase three if you don't get past the death and the burial. In other words, you've got to have the attitude. I did my best. I gave it my all. For some reason it didn't work out. Now, I am not going to sit around the rest of my life and mourn over something that I cannot change. That's over and done. So I'm going to regroup. I'm going to refocus. I know I've been through the death. I've been through the burial. I'm getting ready for my resurrection. I'm getting ready for the new thing God's going to do in my life. And most of the time, the reason God closes a door when we're walking in obedience and being our best

is because he has something better in store. But when we get sour, when we don't get our way, we live bitter, offended, negative, that stops God from bringing the new thing. We have to be able to say, God, even though I didn't get my way, I trust you. I know you know what's best for me. And I believe at the, right time, you will give me the desires of my heart. Several years after Victoria and I got married, we sold the house we were living in and moved to another place. And the people that bought the house several months later, they filed a lawsuit against us. They were having a problem with the outside sewers. They not only sued us, but they sued the builder, the architect, the realtor, the plumber,

like five or ten different people, everybody they could think of. And I knew that we didn't do anything wrong. We were not at fault. But I was so distraught over this lawsuit. It went on month after month. I remember I had to go downtown and give my deposition. I was so stressed out and so nervous, thinking this is the worst thing in the world that's ever happened to me. And at that deposition, it took me like two hours. After I got finished, I was so nauseated, I couldn't even drive home. I had allowed it to upset me that much. Well, about six months later, it was all thrown out, and we were totally cleared. But during that whole time,

I was thinking of how bad it was and just how this is not fair and God, this is just wasting our time on and on. I saw myself as a victim. But about three years later, I began to see what God was doing. When we signed the lease for this place, a company filed a lawsuit

to try to keep us from moving in. I realize now, God was getting me prepared back then. When I went to give my deposition, concerning this place, I was as calm as I could be. Now I know if I had not gone through that other lawsuit and seen how it all was going to work out, I wouldn't have been as confident. I wouldn't have been as ready when it came to something that really mattered. What I'm saying is when you go through tough times, you don't know what God's getting you prepared for. Don't be short-sighted and

think, oh, God, why is this happening? This is not fair. No, God would not have allowed it if he wasn't going to get some kind of good out of it. It may be 10 years down the road, you look up and think, wow, if I hadn't had that adversity, I wouldn't have met this person that introduced me to this person and on and on. God has it all figured out. And some of you right now, the thing that you're fighting against, the thing that's got you so stressed out, if God were to take it away, you wouldn't be prepared for what he has in store. It would keep you from going to the level he's trying to get you to keep it all in perspective. That co-worker you don't like, that job you dread going to, it's not happening to you, it's happening for you. God's getting you prepared for greater levels.

What has a great impact on whether or not it happens or how long we stay there is our attitude. When we go around sour, complaining, God, why am I always getting these bad breaks? No, stay in faith. Just say, God, I know you're in complete control of my life. And no matter how tempted I am to be disappointed, I am not going to be a victim. I am not going to go around negative blaming other people. I know you've got me in the palm of your hand. And I believe one day I'm going to look out and see how this is all turned out for my good. Stay in faith.

I know this pastor friend, he had a man in his congregation that was always having a problem. This man was always complaining to him about something and just always in need. and he finally got tired of it. He was praying, he said, God, would you just move this man to another church? He is draining all my strength, draining all my energy, taking all my time. He said he heard God speak to him right down in here,

and God said, no, I'm not going to do that. That man has kept you on your knees like nothing I've ever seen before. It's not happening to you, it's happening for you. Thank God we don't have anybody like that around here. Okay, maybe one person, but they're not here today. But the fact is, we grow in the difficult times. That's when our character is being developed.

Yeah, it's fun being on the mountaintop where it's easy, but we're not being stretched. It's when we have to dig our heels in and overlook an insult and forgive a wrong and do the right thing, even when people aren't treating us right. That's when we're growing. And I'm not saying to believe for tough times, but when they come, I've already made up my mind.

I'm not going to get sour. I'm not going to get bitter. I'm going to get better. I know God's trying to deposit something on the inside. We've got to go through the valley in faith, knowing that it's taken us to a higher mountain. I love what David said, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

He didn't say, though I live in the valley, though I'm stuck in the valley, though I'll probably die in the valley. No, he said this valley is temporary. I'm not going to die with these problems. This too shall pass. The fact is, every one of us is going through something, a health issue, financial difficulty, a struggle at work. We all have something in the natural that could steal our joy and cause us to be worried. But we got to keep the perspective like David and say, no, I'm going through this. This didn't come to stay. It came to pass.

all through the day you need to remind yourself this is temporary this is just a season i may be lonely right now but i'm not going to stay lonely i know god's going to bring the right person into my life or i may be wounded emotionally i may be hurting on the inside but i'm not going to stay wounded i know god is the restore of my soul he's going to bring healing and give me beauty for these ashes you have to keep yourself encouraged. Don't settle in the valley. That is not your permanent address. It says in Psalm 84, passing through the valley of weeping, you will find pools of blessings. What does that mean? When you go through the valley, when you go through difficult times, if you will stay in faith, God will take those tears and turn them into pools that will actually refresh you.

You look up and think, man, I should be down. I should be stressed. I should be strength. out. I've got so much coming against me, but I'm happy. I'm at peace. I'm expecting good things. Why is that? It's because you're tapping into those pools of blessings and God is refreshing you. I know sometimes when we go through loss, it's easy to feel like we've been robbed, like something's been stolen from us. You lose a loved one, loss of a marriage, even the loss of a childhood. If you weren't raised in a good environment. And when we go through a loss, we can have one of two attitudes. We can say, God, this isn't fair. Why did this happen?

It doesn't make any sense. We can get bitter, negative, live life, angry and offended. But a much better approach is to take that loss and sow it as a seed. And just say, God, I don't really know why this has happened to me. I don't know why this has been taken away. But God, I'm not going to allow anyone or anything to steal from me. I'm giving it to you as a seed trusting that you will bring me a harvest.

Don't have a victim mentality. Maybe you didn't get the promotion you deserved. Just say, God, nobody stole this promotion from me. I know you control the whole universe. And even though it wasn't right, God, I'm giving it to you as a seed trusting that you will bring me an even better promotion. Or how about a relationship that didn't work out?

God, I'm not going to sit around bitter for the rest of my life thinking about the months and the years that I've wasted, I'm giving this relationship to you as a seed, believing that you will bring me divine connections, the right people into my life. You cannot have a victim mentality. Well, I lost my loved one. I've been robbed. No, just turn it over to God. Give it to him, and you'll be amazed at what kind of harvest he can bring. I think about Jesus. Before he came to the resurrection, he had to go through the Garden of Gassimony. I the road to Galgotha and the cross.

Those were his biggest challenges. The enemy always fights us the hardest when he knows we are closest to our victory. And many times, on the way to our resurrection, on the way to our dreams being fulfilled, we'll go through these same type of things. And it's interesting, when Jesus prayed for Peter, he didn't pray that he would never have to go through anything difficult.

He prayed that his faith would remain strong. And in the Garden of Gisemone, Jesus was so distraught over what he was about to face. He was in such agony in his spirit that he sweat great drops of blood. He said, Father, if you're willing, take this cup from me, nevertheless not my will, yours be done. It was there in the garden that he made a decision to hold on to the promise that God had put in his heart. In fact, there was a war going on on the inside. everything in him was telling him you're not going to make it there's no way it's too tough but when he made the decision to stay in faith god sent an angel that begin to strengthen him you may feel like you're in the garden right now everything has come against you

you don't see in the natural how you could make it but god is saying hold on to that promise keep believing keep hoping keep praying you are close to your victory on the road to be crucified. They made Jesus carry his own cross, but he had been so beaten down, so mistreated, he couldn't carry it the whole way. He fell down under the weight of his cross. The message is, you don't have to be strong 100% of the time. Sometimes the cross we're carrying can be extremely heavy. The accusing voice will tell you if every day is not a perfect day. If you don't stay in faith every minute, keep your joy and keep your peace, and you're just not strong enough. But it's always encouraging to remember that even Jesus fell down under the weight of his cross.

A man by the name of Simon came and helped him to carry it. God will always send somebody across your path to be there for you in the time of your greatest need. Maybe today it's my voice telling you you can make it. There are better days up ahead. But the enemy will tell you this. He'll tell you, you lost your victory. You had a bad day.

You had a pity party. You lost your temper. You yelled at your kids. Oh, God's saying, that's okay. You're human. I know what it feels like to fall down. I've been there. Just get back up again.

You've got a resurrection coming. They nailed Jesus to the cross. And as he hung there, he felt so lonely, so dejected, he cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He asked a question, but he didn't hear any kind of answer. Sometimes heaven can be silent. You pray, you believe, you're doing your best, but you don't see anything happening. You're hurting on the inside.

It looks like it's over. But in those silent times, something powerful is happening down in here. God is stretching you. You're developing a greater confidence in him. Your mind will tell you it's over. It's never going to happen, but something will rise up in your spirit that says, no, God is still on the throne. This is not happening to me. It's happening for me. And even though it's not fair, even though I'm discouraged, deep down, I know that I know I've got a resurrection coming. I know God can still turn this around. As Jesus hung on the cross in all that pain, the soldiers made fun of him, locked him, ridiculed him.

yet in spite of all that suffering, in spite of the disrespect, he looked up to heaven and said, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. He forgave his enemies. Then he committed his spirit into his father's hands. They put him in the grave. I'm sure the forces of darkness were celebrating, rejoicing, thinking they had finally won the victory. But they didn't realize it's not over until God says it's over. God always has the fire. God always has the say, he controls the whole universe. That was on Friday, but three days later, on Sunday morning, Jesus came up out of that grave. He said, I am he that lives. I was dead, but I am alive forevermore. He went on to say, because I live, you can live also. God has an abundant life in store for each one of us.

But many times on the way to our victories, just like Jesus, we'll experience some of these setbacks, some of these difficult times. You have to remind yourself, it's not happening to me, it's happening for me. God's getting me prepared. On the inside, he's depositing strength, courage, and ability. Keep your eyes focused on your goals. It says in Hebrews, now faith is. You have to have a now mentality.

not one day I'm gonna be happy. One day God's gonna work in my life. No, now is the time to release your faith. The fact is right now God is working in your life. Right now, God's arranging things in your favor. Right now God's trying to fill you with his strength. Stay in the now. That's what activates God's power. You remember when Mary and Martha were at the tomb of their brother Lazarus. He'd been dead for four days and they were there crying so distraught. Jesus finally showed up and said, I am the resurrection and the life. They said, yes, Jesus, we know in the last days you'll raise our brother Lazarus from the dead when we all go to heaven. Jesus said in effect, no Mary, no Martha. I'm not talking about in the last days. I'm talking about today. If you'll roll away the stone, I'll raise your brother right now. He was saying,

I am a right now God. A lot of times like these, ladies, we're believing one day God's going to do something great in my life. One day God's going to resurrect my dead dreams. No, we have to get out of that one day mentality. And let's start believing that today God's going to do something great. Today, God's going to open up supernatural doors. Have a now mentality. And I know some of you have been through the death, so to speak. You've been through the burial. You've had people lie about you, lost friends, gone through disappointments, face sicknesses. But God didn't take you through everything he took you through just so you could come out beaten down, bedraggled,

half dead. Well, how you doing, brother? All pretty good under the circumstances. No, it's time for your resurrection. It's time for you to rise up and take everything that belongs to you. If you've been crucified with Christ, you can be raised with Christ. The enemy may have done his best, but his best will never be enough. You've got to shake off the past, shake off every disappointment, shake off every injustice, shake off every failure. Let today be a new beginning. You may feel like you're in the garden, down and discouraged, but take heart. You've got a resurrection coming. You may have fallen down under the weight of your cross. God is saying, get back up again. You're close to your victory. You may even feel like you're on the cross. Your dreams have died. Everything's coming against you. You've got to get a new perspective. Nothing in life has happened to you. It has happened for you. you. God has you in the palm of his hand. He is going to take what was meant to destroy you and use it to thrust you into your divine destiny. Remember, you are not defined by your past. You are prepared by your past. Every adversity, every obstacle, God's depositing something on the inside.

If you'll live this resurrected life, you won't have a victim mentality. You will have a victor mentality. And even when things come against you, you'll still have a smile on your face. You'll know God's not only going to turn it around, but he's going to give you beauty for ashes, joy for mourning. In the end, you're going to come out stronger, happier, healthier, better off than you were before. Amen. Do you receive it today? 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's going to take you places you've never dreamed up. Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you encouraged and inspired all through the week.

Help us to continue to share the message of hope with those all around the world. Visit Joel Osteen.com or click the last. link in the description to partner with us today. We hope you'll share this message with a friend and be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you next time. More than ever before, people are turning to the church for their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, the church has largely been ill-equipped to help. That is until now, join nearly 50,000 people just like you who've enrolled in the mental health coach training program and become equipped to help.

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