Joel Osteen Podcast - Secure In His Sovereignty | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: September 23, 2024

God has favor prepared for you that can’t be overridden. When it’s His sovereign will for you to be blessed, nothing can keep you from the blessings He has planned for you.Your best days are still ahead, and together we can make a difference in this world with the message of God's hope and love. To give visitJoelOsteen.com/GiveHope.God still works miraclestoday just as He did in Scripture! InMiracles Happen, you’ll find stories of 30 miracles from the Bible plus 5 modern-day miracles. Let our September offer stir your faith and increase your expectation—your miracle is on the way!Request your copy today,https://bit.ly/3SVZvsb. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of the Joel Osteen Podcast ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We believe you're going to have an awesome 2024, healthy, productive, and favor-filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. And I hope to stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired. But I'd like to start with something funny. and I heard about this couple that had been married for over 60 years and never had an argument, never had a cross word. They weren't at a church function and someone asked the secret of their success.

The man told how he always treated his wife with respect and how he took her on trips around the world. He said, in fact, for our 25th wedding anniversary, I took her to Beijing, China. Everyone politely applauded. Someone asked, what did you do for your 50th anniversary? He said, I went back and picked her. up. All right, y'all, that's not in your marriage class. 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 secure in his sovereignty. we all have our own free will. We can make decisions, do what we want, go where we want to go. It's easy to think that our life is based on what we're choosing. And to a point, of course that's true, but that's not the only factor. God has a conditional will. These are things he does based on whether or not we make good choices. We determine the course our life will take.

But God also has a sovereign will. these are things he's going to do regardless of our decisions. God has already planned ahead of time a purpose for you to fulfill. He's not making it up on the fly, watching how you're going to perform, how disciplined you'll be, then he's going to decide whether he does certain things. He's not watching to see what other people do, what bad breaks come your way, what disappointments, then he'll pivot, come up with another plan. It says in Ephesians, you were chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him

who works out everything according to his will. Long before you got here, God laid out the plan and purpose for your life. His sovereign will is unstoppable. There's nothing you can do or not do to keep his sovereign will from coming to pass. You can't make too many mistakes. you can't get so far off course that God's going to change his mind. Just ask Jonah. He did exactly opposite of what God told him to do.

Went his own way. He got in trouble, was thrown overboard into the sea. God didn't say too bad. You're on your own. You should have listened. God had a big fish waiting for him. It's like God called an Uber, swallowed him up, took him to the shore. God was saying, Jonah, you can't stop my sovereigns.

will. Where I want you to go, you're going to go. Not just in negative things. When it's his sovereign will for you to be blessed, it's not dependent on what family you come from, how much experience, talent, education you have. The blessing will overtake you. You'll see favor that you didn't have anything to do with. You didn't earn it. You weren't born into it. You can't explain it. It's the unstoppable God carrying out the plan that he decided long ago. When you go to a Broadway play, you don't show up and the actors are all there without a script. Play starts in 15 minutes. Let's decide what we're going to do.

What's the plot? What character will I play? How will the drama unfold? The script has already been written. Long before the actors ever arrived, the writer has already decided what's going to take place. When you walk in the theater, there's not an empty stage.

The carpenters don't show up. Say, okay, let's build some sets. What props are you going to need? The lighting director, tell me the scene so I can get some lights. Let me figure everything out. The stage has already been set. The props are already in place.

The script already finalized. In the same way, you didn't show up on planet Earth and God say, okay, let me figure out a script for them. Let me figure out what role they'll play. You weren't born into an empty stage. God didn't think, I have to decide what environment they'll be in, what family, what people should I use, what experiences. Long before you arrived, God wrote a script for you. The fact that you're here is a sign that the stage is set. All the props are in place,

all the people you need. Yes, there may be some drama. ups and downs, things you don't understand, but you can stay in peace knowing that it's all working according to His will. You're not at the mercy of fate, happenstance, hope you get some good breaks, hope this sickness doesn't take you out, there is a sovereign God who is in control of your life. His sovereign will cannot be overridden by bad choices, by other people, by how you were raised, by what you didn't get. Jeremiah said, God knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb. You didn't show up because your mother and father decided to have a baby. It wasn't a random coincidence that they got together.

Sometimes when a pregnancy is not planned, we say this baby was a surprise. You may have been a surprise to your parents, but you are not a surprise to our God. He's been thinking about you for generations. Jeremiah went on to say, God's plans for you are for good to give you a future and a hope. Part of his sovereign will is to be good to you. There are blessings coming that are unstoppable. There is favor in your future that is simply the goodness of God, something that he's already planned that cannot be overridden. You don't have to worry about how it can happen, how you can get ahead, how you can leave your mark, the sovereign God has already not only planned it, but he will make it happen. It's not up to you, it's up to him. Blessings that chase you down. Favor you didn't see

coming. Good breaks that you couldn't explain. It's already written in your script. The stage has already been set. How could I be up here today? This is not something that I chose, not something that I worked for, that I was hoping to attain. I didn't want to get up in front of people. I didn't think I could minister. For 17 years, I stayed behind the scenes. My choices were determining my future. I was comfortable.

I would have stayed there. But at one point, I came in to the sovereign will of God. His will is unstoppable. God will let you make decisions up to a point. He'll let you be in control of your destiny for periods of time. But at certain times, he will take complete control. He will override your decisions and thrust you into your destiny. When my father died, I not only knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church,

but suddenly I had the desire. I wanted to. I hadn't had that desire for 36 years. In fact, I was just the opposite. I dreaded getting up in front of people. But when you hit one of these sovereignty moments, when it's not God's conditional will where you have a part, you can decide, but God has already decided, it's already on the script. He's already planned to bless you, to favor you, to rescue

you, to turn that trouble around. There's nothing you can do except sit back and enjoy the ride. You stepped in to the unstoppable God, the part of his plan that is not negotiable. He's not looking for your opinion. He's not asking what you think. He will override every force trying to stop you. Every limitation, every disadvantage, every bad decision, and thrust you into your destiny. I think about my father. He grew up in a family that didn't have anything to do with God. They were good people, but they didn't know anything about faith. His grandparents, great grandparents, three or four generations back, there was no thought of God. There was no thought of God. No spiritual heritage. Look like that would continue on. But as 17 years old, my father was walking

home from a nightclub at 2 o'clock in the morning. Suddenly, he began to think about God. He looked up at the stars and wondered what he was going to do with his life. He felt this sense of destiny calling him. He walked in the house. There was a family Bible on the coffee table just there for decoration. He opened it up. It fell open to a page with a picture of Jesus standing at a door and knocking. The caption read, If you'll open the door, I'll come in. Nothing randomly happens.

That Bible was put there in the sovereignty of God. That was in the script that was written before my father was born. Fallen open to that particular page. Wasn't a coincidence. Wasn't a lucky break. It was the sovereign God. working out the plan that he had decided long ago. A father went to church the next morning with a friend and he gave his life to Christ.

That one moment broke the cycle of generations of no faith. Now my children, my grandchildren, we will come from generations that honor God. There are some things that you can't explain. It's just the sovereignty of God. Well, Joel, why didn't it happen sooner? I don't know. I'm not God. He's the one that's in control.

It says he lifts up some and sets down others. I do know that he's promised to be good to you. I do know that there are sovereign moments in your future where God is going to do things that you can't explain. There's no reason for it. You couldn't have made it happen, but suddenly a family member gets back on course. Suddenly a door opens.

Suddenly your health improves. Suddenly your thrust to a new level. When David was a team, teenager, he was working out in the fields, taking care of his father's sheep. It looked like that's what he'd do the rest of his life. Came from a low-income family. They weren't influential. Nobody knew them. But when God wrote your script, when he designed the plan for your life, on purpose, he put these moments of favor that don't make sense. The scripture says he chose the foolish to confound the wise. David was out in the fields, minding.

in his own business. Every circumstance said you're stuck. This is your lot in life. But one day the prophet Samuel showed up at his father's house to anoint one of Jesse's sons as the next king of Israel. David didn't go looking for

Samuel. Samuel came looking for David. David's purpose came tracking him down. David couldn't have made this happen. He didn't earn it. He didn't work for it. He didn't put out flowers. Hey, vote for me. This was the sovereignty of God. Samuel tried to anoint one of David's seven brothers as the next king.

They were in the house. David was still out in the shepherd's fields. Samuel went by them one by one. It's not him. It's not this one. It's not this one. What God has for you is not going to go to someone else. His sovereign will cannot be overridden. People can't manipulate the situation to where you don't get to where God wants you to go. nobody stole your blessing nobody stole your husband your promotion your house stay in peace

God is ordering your steps the stage is all set the script is all written he's in control David was anointed to be the next king but he didn't go to the palace he went back to the shepherd's fields

one morning his father asked him to take lunch to his brothers who were in the army the Israelites were in a standoff with the Philistines. They were on the verge of conflict. David left that day and thought he was just running an errand. No big deal. I told my dad, I deliver this lunch. But notice the sovereignty of God. When David arrived, it just so happened that Goliath came out and started taunting the Israelites. David heard all the insults, all the threats and something rose up in him. Look how strategic

God is. David thought it was another ordinary day just taking lunch to his brothers when in fact it was a destiny moment. David was at the right place at the right time. If he had been three hours later, he wouldn't have heard Goliath.

If he didn't say, Dad, no, I'm not an errand boy. Get somebody else to deliver this lunch. He would have missed his destiny. God is ordering your steps. When it's his sovereign will, you don't have a choice. Don't worry thinking you missed it. You're too late. You didn't obey. You should have done this.

You can't miss the sovereign will. It's not up to you. It's up to God. What he's already decided is going to happen. The good news is God has decided to favor you. He's decided to rescue you. He's decided to be good to you. Goliath was twice David's size. He was the champion of the Philistine Army. their most feared soldier, David was young, small, no military training, no armor. How could he have the courage to face Goliath? What gave him the passion, the fire, to even think he had a chance? When you come into these sovereign moments, it's not just you, it's the most high God backing you up. It's the one who's already written your script stepping in with you.

There will be a faith that you've never had. courage and boldness that will catapult you ahead. Like David, there are these times where you think you're just going to work, just taking care of these kids, just running and erring. What you don't realize is it's a sovereign moment, a moment that God has strategically orchestrated to put you at the right place, at the right time, to meet the right people, to hear the right thing. Faith is going to rise up in you.

You're going to see things happen that you could not. never make happen. When you defeat that giant, so to speak, you're going to look back and think, how did I do that? How did I get here? How did I meet this person? How did this sickness turn around? How did my family member get back on course? It's the sovereignty of God, something he planned that you couldn't stop. Take this in the right way, but you couldn't mess it up. You're not that powerful. He already decided long before you were born to make that happen. I'll never forget one Tuesday I was going to work just like another ordinary day. I was at the church.

A friend called I hadn't spoken to in years. He said, Joel, I want to take you to lunch today. He said, I'm sorry, I'm busy. Let's do it another day. He said, no, it's important. I want to do it today. I said, what's it about? He said, I'll tell you when you get there.

I thought, all great. He's going to have a project. He's going to need something from me. I canceled an appointment to go. Normally, I wouldn't have done that. I'm very routine, but for some reason I wanted to go. We got to the restaurant. He said, Joel, the Rockets basketball team is moving out of the compact center.

You should try to get that for your church. What he didn't know is we had been turned down twice trying to buy property to build an auditorium. I was discouraged, thinking that we were at a dead end. When he said that, it was like a bomb exploded on the inside. I knew this building was supposed to be ours. Looking back now, I don't know how I had the faith for it. I was oblivious to the fact that it was going to cost $100 million to renovate. Sometimes God will hide things from you on purpose.

I wasn't moved by critics telling us we didn't have a chance. I had this unshakable confidence knowing that God could make a way, even when I didn't see a way. there are these times that you don't have a choice, God will give you the faith. He'll bring the building to you, the idea, the right people, the favor. It's the sovereign Lord. See, the city built this building for the Rockets to play basketball in. They didn't realize long before they built it, God had already decided it was going to be ours.

It was already written in the script. At the right time, his sovereign will came to pass. I'm all for making good decisions, honoring God, being our best. But there are times we don't have the faith. We make mistakes. We get off course. We didn't do our best. But when it's his sovereign will, he will override your doubt, override your mistakes,

override what's trying to stop you, and you'll defeat the giant. You'll get your compact center. You'll meet the person of your dreams. You'll step into your greatness. I lay down at night and sleep in peace knowing that there is a sovereign God because if it was just up to me I'd be worried. I may make mistakes

I may not have the faith. I may think the giant is too big but because of the sovereignty of God there are these times where what we think, what we do how we perform does not change what God is already predestined for our life. David understood this principal. He said in Second Samuel, who am I, O sovereign Lord? And what is my family that you have brought me this far? He was looking back over his life thinking, how did I get here? I was a shepherd. Now I'm a

king. I'm respected. I have a lasting dynasty. He was saying, it could only be one thing, the sovereign God. Five times in the next few verses, he referred to God as sovereign. Verse 28, he said, said, oh sovereign Lord, you have promised good things to me. Can I tell you, the sovereign Lord has good things for you? It's not based on how well you perform, who likes you, what family you come from, what the economy does. These are blessings, favor, breakthroughs that God has already written in your script. Instead of worrying, thinking that's never going to happen, trying to earn it, why don't you do like David? and say, oh, sovereign Lord, thank you for the good things you have in store for me.

Thank you for choosing me before I could choose you. Thank you for not depending on my performance, my faith, my circumstances, but blessing me because of your goodness. Well, Joel, it sounds like you're saying that we can do whatever we want and God's still going to bless us. No, what I'm saying is you cannot change God's sovereign will. You may not perform perfectly all the time. You may not deserve his blessing, but when it's his sovereign will, it doesn't depend on what you do or don't do. God has decided to make it happen. What God decides is unstoppable.

In the scripture, Saul was the biggest enemy of the church. He got letters from the courts to have people arrested that were following Christ. He was like a terrorist. You would think he's too far gone. God wouldn't have anything to do with him. No, don't write. anybody off. You don't know what God has planned ahead of time.

His sovereign will cannot be stopped by our choices. Saul was on a horse traveling to Damascus to have people arrested. He's on a mission to cause more havoc. Suddenly a light shine down from heaven like a flash of lightning

knocked him to the ground. It was so powerful that he couldn't see. A voice boomed out. Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Saul answered back, who are you, Lord? All of a sudden, he's using the word Lord. That day was a turning point.

Saul eventually became the Apostle Paul who wrote almost half of the New Testament. If God based his will only on our decisions, Paul wouldn't have had a chance. The beauty is God has a sovereign will that overrides our choices. It's the goodness of God, loving us when we don't deserve it. showing us mercy when we should have judgment. You may have gotten off course, made decisions you're not proud of, you feel like you're washed up. Can I encourage you, the sovereign God is still in control of your life?

He's already planned ahead of time these moments of mercy, healing, favor, where he won't just restore you, but he'll thrust you into your purpose. Paul wrote in Galatians, before I was born, God called me to proclaim the good news to the Gentiles. He was saying, this is what God decided ahead of time. I couldn't see it. I was doing just the opposite, going the wrong way.

Then the sovereign God stepped in, the God who overrides our decisions and put me into my purpose. When you understand that he's sovereign, that he's not based in everything on our choices, our ability, our background, our family, then you can stay in peace. His sovereign will is unstoppable. Sometimes we get frustrated because we can't see the whole script. We don't know what God is up to. We go through disappointments, loss, bad breaks.

Doesn't make sense to us. It's a setback. But nothing is random. It's all working according to his plan, what he decided long ago. You have to trust him. when you don't understand. You have to believe that he's sovereign, that it's all serving a purpose. I believe one day you'll see what he was up to. This is what happened with a lady named Naomi. She lived with her husband and two sons in the city of Bethlehem. Life was good. Then a great famine

came. She had to move with her family to Moab so they could survive. In Moab, her sons met Ruth and Orpah. They fell in love and were married. Well, eventually, Naomi's husband died. Ten years later, both of her sons died. She was so heartbroken, she decided to move back home to Bethlehem. She urged her two daughters-in-law to go back to their hometowns as well. Orpah took her up on it.

She walked away. Bruce said, no, I'm not leaving you. She moved back to Bethlehem with Naomi. She met a man named Boaz there. they were married, had a son named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse. Jesse had a son named David. Look at how

strategic God is. The famine that caused Naomi to move wasn't random. It was a part of God's plan to get her to Moab so her son could marry Ruth. It was painful, but if she hadn't gone through that loss, she would have never moved back home. If Ruth wasn't single again,

she would have never married Boaz. they would have never had a child. Yet God decided ahead of time that David, the greatest king that ever lived, would come out of their family line. If someone would have told Naomi back then during the famine, during the loss, that God was working,

that it was all a part of his plan, he would have said, yeah, right. Nothing's good going to come out of this. But God is sovereign. We're looking at what's going on this week, this month, but God can be looking at, looking generations ahead. He can be using you to orchestrate something much bigger, much more significant than you could imagine. Think about Ruth. For some reason, she wanted to move to Naomi's

hometown. She didn't know anyone there. Why didn't she do like Orpra and go back to where she was from? This was the sovereignty of God. God gave her the desire because it was something he had already decided ahead of time. is not making it up as you go. He's working all things according to his plan. Now stay in faith while his plan unfolds. What if you're upset over a disappointment, living bitter over a loss when in fact Obed, so to speak, is coming? Now Ruth is in the family line of Jesus. What God is doing in our lives is not always going to make sense. He's been orchestrating things for you, generation back to bring you to where you are. Just like he brought Ruth out of heartache into great joy,

nothing you've been through has been random. It's not happenstance, bad luck, God is still in control. This is when you have to trust that he's sovereign, that the good things in your future are unstoppable. If you'll do this, I believe and declare you're about to come in to some of these sovereign moments, things that you couldn't make happen. like David, the right breaks are going to come looking for you. Like Ruth, favor that you've never imagined. Like Paul, God is going to override your mistakes and thrust you into 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 we'd love to send you some free information

on your new walk with the Lord you can text the number on the screen or go to the website I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place sometimes the difficulties of life can be so overwhelming

you feel like you're stumbling around in the dark things are so bad you would need a miracle to change your situation. But is a miracle even possible? We all face situations where we don't see a way out. It's easy to get discouraged and give up on what we're believing for. That's how we felt in 1981. My mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a few weeks to live. Nothing could be done medically speaking, but she chose to believe that God is a miracle worker. Today, 43 years later, By the grace of God, she's still healthy and strong.

I'm so grateful to be alive. I'm 90 years young. I thank God every day that he still does miracles. I'd love to send you my new book. It's called Miracles Happened. It's filled with powerful stories of miracles from the scripture and real life stories of people that have seen the hand of God. It'll help build your faith so you can believe what seems impossible.

God did it for my mother. He'll do it for you. As our way of saying thank you for your. gift of any amount to the ministry this month, Joel and Victoria would like to send you this powerful book, Miracles Happen, Your Journey to Supernatural Breakthrough. This new book details 30 different miracles from the Word of God, and each one comes with an encouragement and application to your own life. God has miracles stored up for you. Healing, freedom, favor, breakthroughs. Miracles still happen today, and faith is what activates God's power.

When you believe, all things are possible. That's when you'll see the hand of God do supernatural things in your life. Victoria and I are standing in faith with you. We pray for you every day. We appreciate your prayer and support. Your generosity is impacting so many lives. Remember, you can watch the services live online every Sunday morning. Download our daily podcast.

Watch on YouTube, the new Joel Osteen Network, listen on Sirius XM. Until we meet again, may the Lord bless you. and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Miracles Happen. Your journey to supernatural breakthrough today. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel.