Joel Osteen Podcast - Nothing Missing | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: April 22, 2024

What has limited you in the past doesn't have to limit you in the future. When God is finished restoring what you've lost, nothing in your life will be missing.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.Your words have the power to change your life. When youSpeak the Blessing,you wake up dreams and unleash divine favor. Our April offer will show you the keys to speaking faith-filled words that invite the transformation you are looking for. Request your copy today, https://bit.ly/3TSkDQU. 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.

Always great to have you with us on the podcast and have a new book out called Speak the Blessing, talking about speaking words of faith and hope and victory over your life. I know you'll enjoy it, but blessings to you today and enjoy the podcast. Well, God bless you. It's great to have you with us today. And if you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I'll promise you it will make you feel right at home. I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week. We have a daily podcast you can download. Our YouTube channel, watch the messages anytime, follow us on social media.

We'll keep you encouraged and inspired. I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this group of school children. They were in the cafeteria line at their Catholic elementary school. At the start of the line, there was a big bowl of apples. A nun had written a note that said, take only one, God is watching. At the end of the line, there was a big bowl of chocolate chip cookies. One of the children had written a note. It said, take all you want. God is watching the apples. 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. never be the same in Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about nothing missing. We all go through disappointments and things we didn't see coming. It's easy to accept it

and think that's the way it's always going to be. We went through a breakup. We'll always be lonely. Had a set back in our business. We'll always struggle. Came down with an illness. We'll always have to deal with it. But God didn't say

we wouldn't go through challenges. We'd never experience loss, but he did promise when he's finished, nothing will be missing. He's a God of restoration. You may have lost your health, lost your joy, lost a position, but that's not how your story ends. Don't judge your situation too soon. The loss is only temporary. It's just a season.

You're going to get it all back. Your health is coming back. Your confidence is coming back. your child is coming back. Your strength is coming back. Nothing will be missing. Someone may have left you, walked out of her relationship. You think you'll always be alone. The right person is going to find you. Someone better than you've imagined. You tried to accomplish your dream. The doors didn't open. God's going to open a better door. He didn't give you the dream and not have a way to bring it to pass. maybe you didn't have a good childhood.

Nobody was there to encourage you. You feel short change. Don't worry. God saw what happened. He's going to make up for who did you wrong. He's going to pay you back for what you didn't get. Instead of living discouraged, thinking you've seen your best days, turn it around.

Father, thank you that nothing will be missing in my life. The joy, the peace, the health, the strength, the family, the dreams. Lord, thank you that you are restoring everything that I've lost. See, instead of having a poor-all-mey mentality, look what I've been through, have a nothing-missing mentality. I'm going to get it all back. This is what happened with Job. He was a good man, had a good family, successful business.

One thing after another came against him. Lost his health, lost his business, lost his children. He was so discouraged that scripture says he sat. down among the ashes. He thought, I'll never recover from this. It's all downhill from here. His wife even said, Job, just curse God and die. Couraging wife. Just when he was about to give up, a friend came along said in Job chapter 5, Job, if you'll look to God, he will rescue you. He will save you from death. You will not be taken before your time. When you look in your pastures, nothing will be missing. Here he's just lost all of his flocks, lost his health, his family,

it's all gone. God showed up and said, Job, stay in faith. This loss is temporary. When I get through, nothing will be missing. I can see Job stand up out of the ashes, dust his clothes off. He looked up to the heavens and said, I know my Redeemer lives. In the midst of all the trouble, all the heartache, when he could have been complaining, bitter, he started declaring that God was on the throne, that what he started, he would finish. There was a shift in his thinking. From this loss is permanent. I've seen my best days to restoration is coming.

Health is coming. Victory is coming. I can hear him saying, Father, it doesn't look good. The odds are against me, but I believe what you promised, that nothing will be missing in my life. I don't have joy now, but thank you that joy is coming. I don't feel well, but thank you that health is coming. My flocks are all gone, but thank you that abundance is on the way. When you go through setbacks, you can complain, talk about what you've lost,

or you can get in agreement with God and talk about restoration. Father, thank you that what was meant for my harm, you're turning to my advantage. You said that no weapon formed against me will ever prosper. Thank you that I will recover everything that I've lost. This is what God did for Job. He not only restored what he'd lost, but God gave him twice what he had before. He was more blessed after the challenge than he was before.

God makes the enemy pay for bringing the difficulty. Verse 16 says, Job went on to live another 140 years after the challenge and saw his children and grandchildren. He died an old man who had lived a long, good life. He didn't die bitter, lonely, discouraged, just like God promised, nothing was missing. He had his health, his family, his business, peace, abundance. He didn't look like what he had been through. If you would have told him in the middle of the difficulty when he had boils all over his body, sitting in the ashes, that one day he was going to be happy, healthy, living an abundant life,

he would have thought, how could that be possible? That's the way our God is. Don't judge the rest of your life by what's come against you now. God is saying to you what he said to Job, nothing is going to be missing. You may be missing joy, missing children, missing health. Life has thrown you a curve. You don't see how it could ever work. out, God has it already figured out. Like Job, you're not going to look like what you've been

through. When God gets finished, nobody will be able to tell you went through the cancer, through the breakup, through the pandemic, through the loss. You're going to come out stronger, healthier, more fulfilled. The good family, blessed, prosperous. Get that down in your spirit. Yes, something may be wrong now, but God is not finished. You're time is coming. The scripture says, God said an end to Job's difficulty. Just like there was a start to that problem, there was an end to that problem, an end to the sickness, an end to the addiction, and into the limitations. When God says it's time to restore all the forces of darkness cannot stop him. Whatever you've lost, whatever looks permanent, whatever you think has limited your life,

there's about to be a shift. God is going to suddenly thrust you into healing. Bring the right people. Turn the business around. Give you joy, peace, victory like you've never seen. I talked to a young lady.

She and her husband had been trying to have a baby for many years with no success. Her dream from the time she was a little girl was to have a child. Her mother had a hard time conceiving and her grandmother. It ran in the family.

after taking all the fertility treatments, doing everything medically speaking that she could, the doctor told her that it wasn't going to be possible. There was nothing more they could do. For months, she would get up in the morning, weeping, so heartbroken. One day she was driving to work and she flipped on our serious XM channel. I was talking about how God has the final saying, how he can do what medicine can't do. She said something came alive on the inside. she wasn't raised in church.

She believed in God, but she'd never heard anything like this. She started reminding God what he promised, that children are a gift from the Lord. All through the day, instead of getting discouraged, she would thank God that her baby was on the way.

When she was tempted to get down, she would go out in the car and listen to another message to help her faith stay built up. Two weeks ago, she called Weeping. this time they weren't tears of sadness, there were tears of joy. She had just found out she was 10 weeks pregnant, not with one baby, but with twins.

The doctor said, I don't know how it happened. He had no explanation. That's what God promised that nothing is going to be missing in your life. Thoughts will tell you, never going to happen. Man, you'll always be barren, always be lonely, always be addicted, always struggle. don't believe those lies. God sees what you've lost. He knows what wasn't fair, what's holding you back. It's not permanent. The baby is coming. The freedom is coming. The dream is coming. The abundance is coming. In the scripture, David was 29 years old. He was living in the city of Ziglag with

600 of his men. He had worked in the palace, but had to leave because King Saul was jealous and trying to kill him. The prophet Samuel had anointed him to be the next king of Israel when he was 17. He wasn't in Jerusalem where it was prophesied. He would lead the nation. He wasn't in Bethlehem where he was raised. Zyglag was a temporary place. He was in between prophecy and destiny. It wasn't where he was from and it wasn't where he was going.

It was a place of waiting. We all encounter some ziglags. We know what God promised. We know the dream he's placed in our heart, but we're not seeing it happen. No doors are opening. We're not able to conceive. Our health isn't improving. When you're in Zig-Lag in between places, it's very important that you keep being faithful.

Keep doing the right thing. Keep reminding God of his promises. Zyg-Lag is a test. Are you going to get discouraged? Think that you're stuck. Give up on your dreams. No. in faith, Zyglag is only temporary.

David and his men had been out on a three-day journey to fight with the Philistines. They were returning home when they noticed smoke billowing in the distance. It was in the direction of their city. I can imagine they started walking faster, wondering what was going on. When they got closer, their worst fears came true. The Amalekites, these bandits, had come in and raided the city. They captured all their wives and children. They took all their possessions, burned down their homes.

Here David had been out doing God's will, protecting the people and his own city was destroyed. His wife and children had been kidnapped. The scripture says David and his men wept until they could not weep anymore. Now David was a warrior. He'd gone through great challenges. He had defeated Goliath, which stood all kinds of trouble. but this blow knocked the wind out of him. He didn't see it coming.

On the way to our destiny, there will be some ziglags. We're doing the right thing, but the wrong thing happens. We're being our best, but business goes down. We lose a loved one. We're fighting anxiety or maybe dealing with a child that's off course. David's men were so upset, so distraught, they talked about stoning David. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse,

own men turned on him. David was at a very pivotal moment. He could have gotten bitter, blame God, given up on his dream. This could be the last time we ever read about David. He could have faded off into the sunset, missed his destiny. But David made a decision that we all have to make when we encounter a zig lag. The scripture says he encouraged himself in the Lord His God. Sitting in the ashes, looking at home still smoldering, men all around him, angry, ready to take him out.

Instead of complaining, instead of being depressed, he started reminding himself that God was still on the throne. God, what you've spoken over my life is still going to come to pass. I believe that you're a God of restoration, that this is not how my story ends.

David dried his tears. God up out of the ashes went alone to pray. He asked God if he should go after the Amalekites. God said, yes, go after them, for you will surely recover everything that was stolen. God is saying that to you. You may have lost some things. Don't sit around in self-pity.

It's time to dry your tears and go after what belongs to you. You will surely recover your health. You will surely recover your children. You will surely recover your peace. You will surely recover that dream. God is a surely God. He's not hoping it'll work out. He controls the universe.

He's breathing in your direction right now. You and God are a majority. Him being for you is more than the world being against you. David set out toward the Amalekites. When he arrived, they were having a big party, dancing, drinking, celebrating the victory. Sometimes the enemy celebrates too soon. He thinks you're done.

you've given up, you've settled. What he doesn't realize is you know what God promised, that if you pursue, if you believe, get your hopes up, you will recover all. Nothing will be missing. When you pursue, God starts fighting for you. Angels go to work. Forces of darkness are broken.

The wrong people are moved out of the way. You'll see favor, healing, victory. David and his men attacked the, Malachites. They not only defeated them, but they got back everything that was stolen. They got their wives and children back. The scripture says nothing was missing, small or great, son or daughter, or anything else that had been taken. David got everything back. Now, you may be in Zieg lack. You've lost some things. It wasn't fair. If you'll get your passion back, start believing again. Like with David, you're going to to get it all back. Nothing is going to be missing. The healing is coming back. The business, the children,

the joy, it's coming back. God is not going to leave you at a deficit. He's keeping the records. He knows what belongs to you. David not only got all of his possessions back, but his men gathered up all that belonged to the Amalekites. They came out with more than they had before. What's interesting is Three days later, King Saul was killed in a battle. David was made king. This was 13 years after Samuel had anointed him. It's significant that after his greatest challenge, David was only 72 hours away from taking the throne. When you're in Ziglag, stay in courage.

You don't know what God is up to. You're not only going to get it all back, but God is about to promote you. Zieglag is a sign that a new level of your destiny, is on the way, that you're about to see what God promised, that you're going to come out of the interim place, that place of waiting into a place of destiny. But we all have to go through a few ziglags on the way to our purpose, difficulties that come out of nowhere, things we don't understand, loss of a loved one, fighting depression, people trying to discredit us. You have to remind yourself that zig lag is only temporary.

Voices will whisper, you'll never get out of this. Never have that baby. Never meet the right person. Just live among these ashes. The reason those lies are coming is the enemy doesn't want you to rise up and leave Ziglag. He doesn't want you to have a recover all mentality. He wants you to have a poor old me mentality. You have to say, no thanks.

Zyglag is not my home. This is not how my story ends. I know what God promised. will be missing, large or small. There was a lady that was diagnosed with stage four cancer, didn't look good. She had spent most of her childhood in the hospital. She had a sickle cell gene that had caused her many problems. Years later, the thought of having to go back to the hospital, deal with this illness, take the treatment was very discouraging. She sunk into deep depression, didn't want to leave the house, didn't want to get out of bed.

On Sunday, her husband would turn our program on. She would weep the whole time I was speaking. She said it was just like you were talking to me. She started believing that God was bigger than the cancer, that her life was not over. For two years, as she took the treatment, had the surgery, she felt a strength that she had never felt. Today, she's not only cancer-free. She not only defied the odds, but she doesn't have the sickle cell gene anymore. She told how she used to be so quiet, so reserved, but now she's written a book.

She speaks at different events, telling how God helped her overcome. She says, when people see me, they always comment on how I don't look like what I've been through. She's happier and more fulfilled than she's ever been. What am I saying? Zyg lag is not your home. It's a temporary place. When you're in Zyglaug, you have to remind yourself what God is. promised that you're going to recover all, that nothing is going to be missing. It may be gone now,

but God is not finished. Instead of dwelling on what you lost, what didn't work out, those negative reports, you need to switch over to this nothing missing mentality. You may not see how it can happen. God has ways we've never thought of. He's not limited by what limits us. Like with this lady, he's going to do something unusual, uncommon, out of the ordinary. Not just restore, but bring you out better than you were before. I believe it's going to happen sooner than you think. There's about to be a shift, a suddenly, out of nowhere, you're on the verge of a breakthrough, a healing, a promotion.

You're going to be able to say, like this lady, nothing is missing in my life. A few years ago, we had a night of hope. in Las Vegas, and I was able to visit with a gentleman named Steve Wynn. He's built many of the large hotels there, very successful and influential. He's an avid art collector, has masterpieces from all over the world. As he was showing us some of the paintings in his home, he told us about a famous Picasso painting that he purchased in 2001. At that time, it was valued at $60 million. It's one of his favorite paintings. He had a friend, really loved it as well.

Mr. Wynn agreed to sell it to this friend. The price was $139 million. The night before the cell, he was showing the painting to some friends. He has an eye disease that affects his peripheral vision. As he was pointing to the painting, he didn't realize he was so close. He poked a hole in it with his elbow.

They could all hear the canvas ripping. He turned around and saw a two-inch tear. That was his zig lag. The cell was off. The other man didn't want it. The painting was now valued at $85 million. That one tear resulted in a $54 million loss. God give us problems like that.

Mr. Wend found, he found what he called an art surgeon, someone that would sew the individual fibers back together. It took two months, and you couldn't tell the painting had ever been torn. Six years later, he sold the painting to the same man for $155 million, $16 million more than before the tear. The painting was worth more after it had been torn. When we've been through disappointments, bad breaks, sometimes it feels like we've been torn. We lost our value, made mistakes, should have been more focused. What I love about God is when he puts you back together like this painting,

you come out more valuable. He knows how to restore in such a way. Nobody can tell what you've been through. You're not going to live with a tear, so to speak. What didn't work out is not going to affect the rest of your life. That sickness, the divorce, the loss, the bankruptcy doesn't lessen your value. Quit believe in those lives that you've been through too much. Don't expect anything good.

Don't believe for your dreams. You've been torn. Someone did you wrong. You've had setbacks. Just stay in Zieg. That is not your destiny. When God gets finished restoring, nothing will be missing. The beauty of our God is even when we make mistakes, we bring the trouble on ourselves. God doesn't say too bad. I would restore if you'd perform better. I would help you. If you were more committed, God is full of mercy. When we get off course, the moment we turn back to him, he comes running toward us. Not in judgment.

but in mercy. Remember when the prodigal son left home, wasted all of his money, partying, making poor decisions. He ended up working in a hog pen, feeding the hogs. He got so desperate he had to eat the hog food to survive. It was his own fault.

He should have listened to his father, made better decisions. Now he was dirty, smelly, hair not combed. He decided to go back home. The father saw him a long way off, and came running toward him. He didn't berate his son. He didn't tell him you should have known better. The father never brought up his past. One of the first things he said was, go get the best robe and put it on my son.

Not any robe. Bring the best robe. Get some new shoes for him to wear. Put the family ring on his finger. Like that painting, this young man was torn. He thought his value had gone down. He said, Dad, I don't deserve to be your son. Just let me live out in the barn, work as one of your staff. But the father who represents God said in effect, that terror is nothing for me. When I restore you, nobody will know what you've been through. A few hours later, after the young man had showered, put on the best robe, new shoes, no one would have ever known that he'd been torn. This parable is showing us that when God restores, you're not going to come out almost as good. Grateful that at least you survived, you're going to come out with nothing missing, fully restored, full of joy, gifts coming out,

healthy, blessed, prosperous. Get rid of those lives. Say you'll always be a disadvantage. Look at the mistakes you've made. That's the enemy trying to keep you from putting on the best row. He'd love for you to go through life, feeling condemned, unworthy. Don't take that bait. There's a best robe waiting for you. There's a ring of authority with your name on it. Or maybe someone else puts you at a disadvantage. They caused you to tear.

It wasn't even your fault. They didn't lessen your value. You know why? God is the master surgeon. He knows how to restore where no one can tell. There's a famous poem that talks about a bird with a broken wing how even though it's created to fly and created to soar, because its wing is injured, it will never get back off the ground. It's a very sad, depressing thought. Someone took the poem and put a new ending on it.

They talked about how when God takes the bird, he begins to heal, restored, breathe new life into it. It ends by saying the bird with a broken wing will fly twice as high again. What's come against you has not limited your future. You're not tainted. When God restores, you're going to fly twice as high. You're going to go further. The enemy minute for harm, but God is turning it to your advantage. Now get rid of a defeated mindset and switch over to this nothing missing mentality. God sees everything you've lost. He hasn't forgotten about you. You may be in zig lag. Things aren't fair. God is saying to you what he said to David, you will surely recover everything that was stolen. Zig lag is not permanent.

That's a sign you're about to see restoration that God's about to show out in your life. I believe and declare nothing is going to be missing for you, large or small. Your health is coming back. Your family is coming back. Dreams are coming back. Confidence, breakthroughs, abundance, the fullness of your destiny. in Jesus name. If you receive it, can you say amen today?

I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. If you prayed that simple prayer,

we believe you got born again. Love to send you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. Just text the number on the screen, or you can go to the website. I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place. When God created the world, he did it specifically with you in mind. He used his words.

He spoke everything into existence. Light. Oceans and dry land. Plants. Sun and stars. Animals. Man and woman. Your words have that same creative power.

If you want to know what you're going to be like five years from now, listen to what you're saying about yourself. You are prophesying your future. Too often, we don't realize we're defeating ourselves with our words. I'll never get healthy. I'm not attractive. This dream's impossible. Instead of limiting your future,

why don't you start blessing your future? If you'll change your words, you can change your world. I have a new book called Speak the Blessing. It will help you to speak positive, faith-filled words. There are declarations in it that you can make over your family, your health, your finances, and your future. When you get your words aligned with what God says, you'll see his favor in greater ways. Azar, thank you for your gift of any amount to the ministry this month. We want to send you, speak the blessing.

Send your words in the direction you want your life to go. begin to enjoy a life filled with freedom, joy, health, success, and creativity as you discover the authority and power of speaking God's word. Yes, speak the blessing will unlock life-changing possibilities that are unlimited. When you declare what God says about you, I'm strong, I'm healthy, I'm favored, you are blessing your life. I hope you'll request your copy today. Remember, you can watch the services live online every Sunday, download our daily podcast, watch on YouTube, listen on SiriusXM. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired.

Be sure to request your copy of Speak the Blessing today. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel.