Joel Osteen Podcast - Right On Time | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: February 6, 2024

You don’t have to live anxious or worried while you wait for God’s promises to come to pass. Learn to trust His timing. It’s just a matter of time before you see His promises fulfilled 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.You are not average, not ordinary. You Are a Masterpiece created in God’s image. Our February offer has extraordinary promises of God to give you mental, physical, and spiritual strength. Grow stronger each day seeing yourself the way God sees you!Request your copy now, https://bit.ly/490TjEF. 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. 2024 is going to be an amazing year for you and your family. Know that we're praying for you. So get ready. Keep your expectations up. It's going to be a great year. Hope you enjoy today's message. 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'll promise you we'll make you feel right at home. I'd like to start with something funny. and I heard about this pastor. He was walking down the street

when he came upon this group of young boys that were surrounding a small dog. He asked what they were doing. They explained they were having a contest. Whoever could tell the biggest lie would get to keep the dog. He launched into a 10-minute sermon, starting with, don't you know lying is a sin?

And ending with, when I was your age, I never told a lie. There was complete silence and just when he thought he'd gotten through to them, The youngest boy spoke up and said, all right, give him the dog. 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 right on time.

we all have things we're waiting on, waiting for a dream to come to pass, waiting for our health to improve, waiting to meet the right person. We know God put the promise in our heart, but we wonder why it's taking so long. But the scripture talks about how there is an appointed time for the promise to be fulfilled. If there's a right time, that means any other time is the wrong time. If you don't understand that God will always be right on time, then the delays, the detours, the waiting periods will cause you to be frustrated. It's not enough to just trust God. You have to trust his timing. He knows when you're ready. He knows when it's the right person, when to open the door, when to turn it around. If it's not happening yet, you have to be mature enough

to accept that it's not the right time. Instead of living upset, why don't you do like David and say, God, my times are in your hands. You know when to bless me, when to promote me, when to deliver me. God, I trust your timing. Hebrew says, through faith and patience, we inherit the promises. It's easy to have faith. It's easy to believe for your dreams, but faith without patience can get you into trouble. Just ask Moses. As a young man, he knew he was supposed to deliver the Israelites. He had the promise, but he didn't have the patience. He got in a hurry and killed a man that was mistreating a Hebrew slave. His heart was right, but his timing was off. He had to flee for his life. He spent 40 years in the desert all because he got out of God's timing.

Psalm 106 says, they did not wait for God's plan to unfold. And what you're believing for may be taken longer than you thought. You're not making progress, not seeing a dream come to pass, but God knows what he's doing. Don't try to force things to happen. You don't have to promote yourself, manipulate yourself, manipulative, people, convince them to like you. Yes, we should be determined, but you don't have to beat down a door. At the right time, things will fall into place. At the right time, the right people will show up. Now, do your part and wait for the promise to unfold. You're not falling behind. You're not being left out.

You're right on schedule. God is working behind the scenes. You may not be able to, to see it, but he's lining up the right people. He's arranging the right breaks. He's ordering your steps. Be patient and you'll see his plan unfold. Matthew 11 in the message translation, it talks about the unforced rhythms of grace. Unforced means you don't have to struggle, fight against everything, make it happen. You can relax and live at rest knowing that God is unfolding his plan. May not be happening on your time table, but God knows when the right time is. If you don't understand this, you'll wonder, why isn't it happening faster? Why am I not making more progress? What's wrong? Nothing is wrong. It's just not the right time. Why don't you come

into the unforced rhythms of grace, quit worrying, quit being frustrated. Your times are in his hands. that created the universe is going to unfold his plan for your life. The scripture says, when you delight yourself in the Lord, he will give you the desires of your heart. Doesn't say you have to work for it. You have to earn it, make it happen. God is going to give it to you. It's going to happen without the struggle, without the frustration, without all the experience. It's going to be easier than you think. You'll know it was the hand of God. You'll know it was the hand to God because you didn't have to force the door to open. You didn't have to manipulate people. You came into your time and God made things happen that you couldn't make happen.

Now, I know you trust God, but I'm asking you to trust his timing. Quit being frustrated because it's not happening as fast as you would like. Every season is not a growing season. Every season is not harvest. There are seasons of planting, seasons of watering, fertilizing, pulling up the weeds. Those are important seasons. They are times of testing where we're showing God what we're made of. Are we going to keep a good attitude when we're not seeing growth, not making progress? Are we going to have faith and patience?

Psalm 1 tells us to meditate on God's word day and night. That means we're not worried. we're not upset, wondering why it's taken so long, we're at peace. We know God's in control. When you do this, it says you will be like a tree planted by the waters that brings forth fruit in its season. It doesn't say it will bring forth fruit 365 days a year. It says in its season. It implies there will be waiting periods, periods of no growth, periods where we don't see anything happening. We have some lemon trees in our backyard at home. They don't produce lemons all year long. They have a season where they're full of lemons,

all kinds of growth. But at certain times of year, when there's no growth, no blossoms, if those lemon trees could talk, they wouldn't be worried, thinking what's wrong, we don't have any lemons, we've lost our touch, God has forgotten about us, They would be as calm and peaceful as can be. Why? They know there's nothing wrong. They're just not in season. Maybe you're not seeing any growth.

You feel stuck. But like those lemon trees, there's nothing wrong. It's just timing. You're in a waiting period or perhaps a development period. But when you come into your season, you're going to bear much fruit. Now, the question is, when you're not in a growing season, a harvest season, are you going to get discouraged and think it'll never change? Are you going to lose your passion and give up on what God promised you?

If you'll keep meditating on God's word, keep your mind filled with thoughts of faith and hope, then without even trying, you're going to come in to your season. Those lemon trees don't have to work to produce lemons. They don't have to struggle and put forth all this effort. when they're in season, it happens automatically. It's just who they are. When you come into your season, you're not going to struggle. You're not going to make things happen. You're going to naturally bear fruit. That means God's going to cause the right people to find you. Gifts and talents are going to come out that you didn't know you had. Good breaks are going to chase you down.

You may have been waiting for a long time. You're tempted to get discouraged. but get ready, your season is coming. You're about to see new growth, unexpected favor, blessings that catapult you to the next level. You couldn't have made it happen on your own, but because you were faithful in the waiting periods, because you did the right thing when it was slow, God's going to bring you into harvest season, into a season of abundance. But the truth is, none of us like to go through the waiting periods. It's easy to get frustrated and say, God, if I'm going to come into my season in six months or my season in two years, why don't you just do it now?

Save me the frustration. Bring the right person now. Give me the promotion now. God knows what he's doing. If he promoted you before you were ready, it wouldn't be a blessing. It would be a burden. You wouldn't be able to handle it. He has to get you prepared for what he has in store.

He loves you too much to do it too soon. And you may have a promise in your heart. You know God's giving it to you, but you don't see anything happening. That's a season of waiting. God's using that to do a work in you. If you will pass the test, if you will have faith and patience, then you're growing, your spiritual muscles are getting stronger. Your character is being developed.

Well, Joe, my friends, they're all being promoted. voted, but not me. I don't understand it. I come to church every Sunday. They only come on Easter. No, don't compare your situation to somebody else's. You're not running their race. God may be going to take you to a higher level. It's going to require more character, more commitment, more discipline. Keep doing the right thing. Your season is coming when our son Jonathan was 10 years old. I didn't give him the car keys. Say, Jonathan, go take a drive. I want you to have everything I have stored up for you.

I didn't let him have the car. Not because I wanted to keep something good from him, push him down, make his life miserable. I didn't do it because I loved him. I knew him having a car at 10 wouldn't be a blessing. It would be a curse. Sometimes God shows his love for us, not by what he gives us.

us, but by what he withholds. If God would have let you marry that first person you really wanted to marry, you probably wouldn't be here today, at least in your right mind. If he would have let you have that baby, that promotion, that new house, before you were ready, it would have limited your future. God knows what we can handle. So sometimes in order to protect us, he says, not now. Don't fight it. trust his timing. No, does it mean never? It means it's not the right time. Jonathan has a car now. He just had to grow up. It's all a part of the process. A good father may have a good gift, but he won't give it at the wrong time. God is not a good father. He's a great father. He has great gifts in store for you. He has more than you can ask or think. What am I saying? Don't

be frustrated if he's not giving it to you yet. Keep growing. Keep being good to people. Keep passing the test. God can see the big picture. He knows what you're going to need. You may think you're ready, but you can't see how high God is going to take you, how much influence and resources he's going to entrust you with. God not only knows what you need, he knows who you're going to need. Sometimes God is saying not now because somebody else that's going to be involved is not ready. He's still working on them. They're going to be instrumental in your life. They're going to open a door.

Be a close friend. They're going to be a spouse. Be patient and go through the waiting periods with a good attitude. After college, I came back to Lakewood and started the television ministry. I love doing production, editing, putting my father's messages on. television. Plus, we would do big concerts and live television specials. My father was very supportive. He let us buy the best equipment and put on these exciting events. But toward the end of his life, he didn't want to do that anymore. And one time, I lined up all these radio stations to carry

my father's broadcast. And I told my dad, if you'll come down once a month, for less than an hour, we can make the openings and closes, and the radio program will go out all over the world. I'll never forget what he said. He said, Joel, I don't want to do that. I'm 75 years old. I'm not looking for any more work. I just want to relax and pastor the church. I was so disappointed. I thought, God, I'm young. You put big dreams in my heart. I don't want to do less. I want to do more. I didn't understand it. I thought maybe it was time to be. I'm young. I thought maybe it was time to move on and had had an offer to go work for another large ministry. But when I prayed about it, when I got quiet, I could hear the still small voice saying, Joel, not yet. Be patient. You're in

a waiting period, but your season is coming. I told Victoria, this is my father's vision. He's been here for nearly 40 years and I'm not going to get sour because I'm not getting my way. I'm going to honor my father and do what he would like me to do. I made the decision to be my best in the waiting period, to do the right thing when I didn't feel like it. I never dreamed two years later. My father would go to be with the Lord and I would become the pastor. I realize now God put those dreams in my heart from my own ministry.

It just wasn't the right time. Had I not passed the test and been faithful in the waiting periods, I don't believe I'd be standing here today. God knows what he's doing. If he's asking you to wait, that means what he has in store is going to be bigger than what you've imagined. Is God saying to you not now in some area? You're praying for something to change, believing for a dream, a breakthrough. It's not happening. That's a test. You're in a waiting period, keep doing the right thing. The scripture says the steps of a good person are ordered by the Lord. We're grateful that God is directing our steps, but the truth is he's ordering our steps.

When your steps are ordered, you don't have a choice. And yes, we have free will, but God will put us in situations on purpose that we can't get out of. You can be there sour, complaining, fighting it, or you can say, God, I know you've ordered my steps. You have me here for a reason. I may be uncomfortable. It may be taken longer than I'd like. But God, I not only trust you, I trust your timing. I know when I'm ready, you will bring me into my season of much fruit. This is what Joseph did. He kept passing the test in the waiting periods when it was unfair, when he was betrayed, when he was falsely accused. Had he not gone through those tests with the right attitude,

developing his character, showing God what he was made of, he would have never taken the throne. You can have great faith. You can believe for big things, but without patience, you'll get stuck. Without going through the waiting periods, with a good attitude, it will limit your destiny. Joseph wasn't in a hurry.

He knew he had. had to wait for God's plan to unfold. Now along the way, it didn't always look like his steps were ordered, being thrown into a pit by his family, being put in prison for something that he didn't do. Could have said, God, it's not fair. Look at what they're doing to me. But you're not going to understand everything that happens. You may be in a difficult place. Doesn't look like it's ever going to change. Stay encouraged. Your steps are ordered. You're right on. You're right on. You. schedule, the delay, the detour, the disappointment, it's all a part of God's plan. If you'll be patient and wait for that plan to unfold, then like Joseph, you'll see God

vindicate you, promote you, and take you to a new level of your destiny. When God did something significant in the scripture, many times it says it happened suddenly or immediately or at once the prison doors were open. They were in a waiting period. They didn't see anything changing, no sign of it happening, then all the sudden it happened. God was showing us he can turn things around without any warning. He can increase you unexpectedly out of the ordinary. You didn't see it coming. You were just doing the right thing, going through the difficulty with faith and patience, and suddenly you came into your season. suddenly your business took off, suddenly your health improved, one touch of God's favor can catapult

you to the next level. When you know God has some suddenlies, even when it's taken a long time, you'll still have an expectancy knowing that any moment you suddenly could show up. One good break, one phone call, meeting one right person, you'll come out of your waiting period into a season of blessing. See, just as God order steps into times of testing, times of proving, he order steps into seasons of increase, seasons of promotion. You may have been in a waiting period a long time, doing the right thing, being patient. God is saying, get ready, you're about to see some suddenlies. You're going to come into a season of much fruit, a season of new growth, where God thrust you

to the next level. He's going to put you at the right. place at the right time. When it says God orders our steps, that doesn't mean God does it vaguely. Go over here in this general area. Do it in the next week or two. God is not vague. He's precise. He's detailed. He's specific down to the split second. One Sunday, when my father was alive, I was up in the television control area at the other facility. The service was about to start. I remembered, needed to tell my father something, so I ran downstairs. The stairs were curved to where at one point for four or five seconds, when you were walking, you would look out over the front lobby. Then they

turned back toward the offices. As I was running down the stairs, as fast as I could, in a big hurry, I came around that curve. There was a man walking through the lobby right in position to where our eyes met. He stopped me and said, my cousin has a construction permit for a full-powered television station here in Houston. We'd like to talk to you about it. He handed me his number. Ten-second conversation. Long story short, we bought that construction permit and put the station on the air. Few years later, we sold it for a significant profit. Those funds were very instrumental in us renovating this place, the former compact center. But notice how precise God is. If I had been running down the stairs five seconds later, I would have missed him. If he would have left his house a

minute earlier, got caught by another stoplight, our paths wouldn't have crossed. God ordered our steps down to the second. You be at this place, you be at that place. Suddenly we came into our season. God made things happen. We couldn't. make happen. Right now, God is not only ordering your steps, he's ordering the steps of the people you need. He's going to cause them to come across your path where opportunity finds you, where good breaks track you down. What you're believing for may be taken a long time. You don't see how it's ever going to change, but stay encouraged. God has some suddenlies lined up for you. Things you didn't see coming, where he had you at the right place, at the right time, and unexpectedly, you met the right person.

Or like with me, the business fell into your lap. The problem turned around. Don't be frustrated because it's not happening as fast as you would like. You're right on schedule. Your steps are being ordered. Any moment you're going to come in to your season. In March 5, a leader in the synagogue came up to Jesus. He fell at his feet, and he fell at his feet. said, my little girl is so sick. She's close to death. Please come to my house and pray for her. Jesus agreed.

He said he would come and they started walking that way. I can imagine this father was so excited. He knew he was going to get his miracle. But as they were traveling in the middle of a big crowd, this lady that had been sick for 12 years fought her way through the crowd, touched the edge of Jesus robe, and instantly she was healed. Jesus stopped and asked who touched him, spent time visiting with this lady. While it was a great miracle, it delayed Jesus from getting to the little girl's house.

I'm sure the father was happy this lady got healed, but because of the delay, his little girl died. His friends came and said, hey, don't bother Jesus anymore. It's too late, your daughter has passed. He had to watch somebody else get healed while his daughter. didn't get healed. Will you keep a good attitude when you see other people being blessed, but you're still waiting? Your friend got engaged, but you're still single, waiting for the right person. Your co-worker moved into that new house. You're still in the apartment waiting for increase. In the middle of the commotion, the middle of all this excitement, this man felt like Jesus had

forgotten about him. It's too late. He turned. He turned. He turned. He turned. He turned. He turned. He turned. He turned. He turned. He to walk away. Jesus stopped him and said, don't be afraid, only believe. Jesus was saying, in effect, it's not too late. I haven't forgotten about you. You're right on schedule. Your steps are being ordered. This delay didn't stop my plan. I'm still going to do what I promised. Jesus showed up at the little girl's house where she had already died. He spoke to her and told her to wake up. She woke back up and was perfectly normal. The scripture says the people were completely astonished. Here's the principle. This man came to Jesus asking for a healing, but because of the delay, he received a greater miracle, a resurrection. When it's taken longer than you thought,

don't get discouraged. That means God has something bigger, something better, something that you weren't expecting. Like this man, he's going to do something where not only you, but the people around you are astonished, amazed, overwhelmed at his goodness. Friends, God has not forgotten about you. He knows how long it's been. He's heard all your prayers. He's seen all the times you've done the right thing. And circumstances may tell you it's never going to happen. It's too late. God is saying you're right on schedule. You're about to come into your season. It's not going to be a healing. It's going to be something better, a resurrection. Now do your part and pass the test in the waiting periods. Keep a good attitude. If you'll do this, because you have faith and patience, I believe and declare you're going to see God's plan unfold for your life. Promises come to pass, dreams fulfilled. problems turn around, 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 today?

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. Get in a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place. Breathaking, that's what you feel when you look out at majestic mountain peaks. Yes, God's creation truly is a masterpiece. But even as you consider his handiwork, you might also feel less that, not good enough or not valuable.

The image before you is incredible, but the confidence inside is lacking. How do you overcome this? The opinion you have of yourself is your most important opinion. Too often we see ourselves as ordinary, not talented, unattractive. That wrong self-image is setting the limits for our life. The key is to get an agreement with who God says you are. He calls you a masterpiece, strong, talented, valuable. If you'll have the right image of your life,

yourself, you'll rise higher and become who you were created to be. We have a new resource that will help you do just that. It's called You Are a Masterpiece. It's filled with inspiration and encouragement that will remind you who you really are. Gifted, chosen, approved. It will help you get rid of the wrong self-image and start seeing yourself as the masterpiece God created you to be. Azar thank you for your gift of any amount to the ministry this month. We want to send you Joel's inspiring new book, You are a masterpiece. God made you unique

with a divine purpose and a bright future. As these truths sink down in your spirit, the majesty of God's glory will arise within you. Yes, God has breathed his life into you. He approved you, equipped you, empowered you. Stop believing the lies about you and start hearing what God says about you. Thanks so much for being a part of you.

the ministry. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day, believing it's going to be a favor-filled 2024. We appreciate your prayer and support. Your generosity is impacting people around the world. Remember, you can watch the services live online Sunday mornings, see all the music and ministry. Download our daily podcast. Until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you.

Be sure to request your copy of the You Were a Masterpiece Today. Visit joelowstein.com.