Joel Osteen Podcast - Signs of God's Favor | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: October 24, 2024

When God puts a dream in your heart, He will always confirm it with signs that what He promised will come to pass. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed—His promise is still on the way. 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.Good things are en route to you! But if you’re holding on to the old, there’s no room for the new. Our October offer will teach you how to make room for God to bless you in ways you never thought possible! It's time to Empty Out the Negative and be filled with blessings! https://bit.ly/3XE45Nf  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 always a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great things in store. If you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you, we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks so much for tuning in today, and thank you again for coming out. I like to start with something funny each week, and I heard about this old country farmer. He was taking his nephew camping for the first time.

His nephew had five degrees and was one of the smartest men alive. They set up their tent and quickly fell asleep. In the middle of the night, the farmer woke up his nephew and said, look up. What do you see? The nephew said, I see millions of stars. He said, I know that, but what does it tell you? you. He said, astronomically, it tells me there are billions of galaxies. Meteorologically, it tells me it's going to be a beautiful day. Theologically, it tells me God is a great

creator. What does it tell you? The old farmer shook his head, said it tells me, somebody stole our tent. All right, hold up your Bible and 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 signs of God's favor. When God puts a promise in our heart, he will always give us some kind of sign that the promise is going to come to pass. Something to boost our faith, to encourage us.

It may be something small. A friend makes one comment. They don't even realize it, but it's exactly what you needed to hear. Something lights up on the inside. That's a sign from God. I've had people tell me after the service, Joel, when you mention this in your message, it's just what I needed.

I think to myself, I didn't even talk about that. You know what that is? God causing them to hear what they needed to hear. Or maybe you're reading the scripture, and all of a sudden a verse, jumps out at you, you feel 10 feet tall, you know God's in control, you know he's fighting your battles. That's a sign from God. A couple of months after my father went to be with the Lord and I stepped up to pastor the church, there were so many changes taking place, things that were

going on. At times, I was tempted to feel overwhelmed like I wasn't able to do it. One day when it seemed like it was the worst ever and it wasn't going to work out, I went to bed. so concerned, but when I woke up the next morning, I could hear myself singing a song of praise. Not out loud, but on the inside, I was singing it over and over. That song we used to sing, you, O Lord, are a shield unto me, the glory and the lifter of my head. I woke up refreshed, re-energized, knowing that I was well able. That was a sign from Almighty God. The scripture talks about how God will confirm his word with signs following.

We often think that just means when someone ministers that there'll be salvation and healing and miracles. And yes, that's true. But it also means when God puts a promise in your heart, he will confirm that promise by showing you some kind of sign. It may be through a dream, through another person, through nature, through his word. or through something that seems like a coincidence. It looks insignificant to others, but to you, you know it's God saying, I'm in control.

I'm directing your steps. And it's important that we recognize these signs. That's what's going to help keep us encouraged while we're waiting for the promises to come to pass. When we're tempted to get down, we can go back and say, no, I've got this sign. God confirmed it through a phrase that was spoken to me. through a dream that I had, through the time I woke up singing.

If you can remember not just the promise, but the time God confirmed it with the sign, that's going to give you the faith to stand strong and see the promise come to fulfillment. At the house where my parents used to live, they had large windows in the den that looked out to a courtyard. It was actually a townhome.

Every day, for months, this little redbird, a cardinal would come in. into the courtyard, sit on a branch right by the window in the den. My mother loves birds. She would sit there and watch that little bird and enjoy it so much. She got to where she looked forward to that bird coming by each day. This went on for five or six months, just like clockwork. Every afternoon, the little cardinal would show up and spend three or four hours in the courtyard. Well, eventually, he quit coming there. About a year later, my father, my father. My father, my father, my father went to be with the Lord and now my mom was living at home by herself and after being married

for nearly 50 years she was having to make some adjustments I'm sure there were times that she was tempted to feel lonely to get down and discouraged do you know what happened that little cardinal started coming back to the courtyard once again every day singing chirping having a good time that wasn't a coincidence that wasn't a lucky break that was a sign for from the creator of the universe. That was Almighty God saying to my mother, I'm still in control. I still have a plan.

Everything's going to work out. See, God controls the whole universe. He controls nature. He controls animals. If you'll be sensitive, you will see the hand of God at work even in small things. That's God talking to you,

showing you a sign, letting you know he's going to bring those promises to pass. David understood this principle. He said in Psalm 8617, God, send me a sign of your favor. Notice David was on the offensive. He wasn't waiting around to see if there was going to be a sign. His attitude was, God, I know you promised you would give me a sign. So I'm asking you to confirm what you put in my heart. I wonder what would happen if we would be as bold as David. and say, God, give me a sign that this property is going to sell. Give me a sign that my child's going to come back home. Give me a sign that I'm going to meet the right person. If you'll be bold enough to ask,

God promises he will confirm that word by showing you some kind of sign. That means he'll do something out of the ordinary, something unusual to where you know beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was the hand of God confirming what he's already put in your heart. This is what King Hezekiah did. He was very sick and close to death.

The prophet Isaiah showed up at the palace and said, Hezekiah, sorry, but God says you're about to die. Your time here on earth is done. Of course, that wasn't the news Hezekiah was hoping for. He began to pray and plead with God. Before Isaiah could leave the palace grounds,

God spoke to him and said, Isaiah, go back and tell Hezekiah, I'm going to extend his life by 15 more years. When Hezekiah got the news, of course, he was thrilled, but he wanted confirmation. I can hear him saying, Isaiah, I'm very grateful, very happy, but I need a sign. God promised he would confirm this word, I need something to encourage my faith. Isaiah didn't say Hezekiah, would you leave God alone? He gave you a promise, man, just stand on it. No, he said in 2nd Kings

20 verse 9, this is the sign from the Lord to prove he will do what he promised. The sun will go backwards 10 degrees. They went outside and looked at the shadows on the sundial

and sure enough, instead of going forward, those shadows begin to go backwards. Now, every time, Hezekiah was tempted to get discouraged and think that he wouldn't get well, he would not only thank God for the promise, but he would remember the time God confirmed it by showing him a sign. He would think if God can cause the son to go backwards, then he can heal my body. If God can cause me to wake up singing, he can cause me to stand up here in minister. If God can cause a little cardinal to come into my mom's courtyard to cheer her

up, surely God can take care of my mother and give her a new beginning. God gave Hezekiah this sign to encourage his faith. God wants to do the same thing for us. God knows that when we're standing on his promises, believing to accomplish a dream, to overcome an illness, to get out of debt, at times it can seem impossible. Every voice tells us it's not going to happen. You're too old, it's been too long, you've made too many mistakes, it's easy to get discouraged and give up on these promises. But if we can just learn to do like David and say, God, give me a sign of your favor.

Give me a sign that my health is going to improve. Give me a sign that this relationship has your blessing. It's scriptural to ask for a sign of God's favor. That's your faith being released. And faith is what allows God to do amazing things. I received a letter from a young lady. She lost her husband at 29 years old. He was killed in a motorcycle accident.

They had two beautiful daughters. Of course, her world was turned upside down. It was difficult, but she stood on the promise that God would give her beauty for ashes, joy for mourning. Several years later, she met a young man and fell in love, and they decided to get married. And although she was happy, down deep, she felt a little bit guilty. She believed that her first husband would want her to go on with her life and remarry,

but she was constantly dealing with these lingering thoughts of doubt. A week before she left for Hawaii to get remarried, she got down on her knees and said, God, I'm asking you to give me a sign so I'll know that I have your blessing and my first husband's blessing. She said, Joel, I'm not too good at seeing signs, so I asked for something obvious. They were going to get married outdoors on the beach there in Hawaii. She asked God to give her a rainbow in the sky.

After she thought about it, she felt like that was too far out, too extreme. Those thoughts came saying, who do you think you are? God's not going to give you a rainbow. Talked her out of it. She finally thought, well, maybe I'll just see a butterfly at the ceremony, or maybe be a beautiful sunset. That'll let me know that I'm making the right decision. Didn't think anything more about it.

The day of the wedding, just as the ceremony started, out of nowhere, there appeared not only one beautiful rainbow, but there were two beautiful rainbows lighting up the sky. The lady that was coordinating the wedding said she had done weddings

there for over 20 years and never seen that happen once before. soon as they got through taking their wedding pictures, the rainbows quietly disappeared. She said, Joel, I know one rainbow was God saying, you have my approval, and the second rainbow was God saying you have your first husband's blessing as well. She closed the letter by saying, who would have ever thought you could ask God to give you a rainbow, and he'd not only give you one, but he'd give you two. Friends, that's the kind of God we serve.

He likes to outdo himself. But here's my point. I don't believe she would have seen those rainbows if she had not been bold enough to ask. Some of you never see any signs, but it's because you're not asking. God wants to do something amazing in your life. He wants to do things to strengthen your faith,

to uplift your spirits, but he's waiting for us to take the first step. we have not because we ask not. Those promises that you're standing on today, the dreams in your heart, the situations you're believing to turn around, dare to say, God, give me a sign of your favor. Give me a sign that I'm going the right direction. If you'll release your faith by asking, then be on the lookout, expecting God's goodness. He promises he will confirm that word by showing you some kind of sign.

I'm not saying that God's going to give us everything we ask for. And if we say we need a rainbow, there'll be a rainbow. No, we don't tell God what to do. We simply need to ask in faith and then trust God to do it his way. He's God. He knows how to confirm what he's saying to you. But what I love about this young lady is her boldness. That took a lot of nerve to say, God give me a rainbow.

She could have thought, God's not that concerned about me. He's got bigger things to deal with. I can't bother God. No, understand. You are God's biggest deal. You are the apple of God's eye. You are his most prized possession. God knows when you get up and when you sit down.

He knows when you feel lonely, discouraged, when you're overwhelmed. If you're going to see these signs of God's favor, to build your faith, to help you overcome obstacles, and you've got to do like this young lady, rise up with a boldness understanding who you are

a child of the most high God valuable chosen set apart crowned with favor now you got to put your shoulders back hold your head up high and dare to say like David God give me a sign that promotion is coming give me a sign that this depression is leaving

give me a sign that my child is going to break this addiction when you ask you're released your faith. You're saying, God, I believe you can do what you promised. God, I believe you're bigger than what the medical report says. I believe you're

greater than what my bank account looks like. I believe you're stronger than what the critics are telling me. I may not see a way, but God, I know you have a way and you will bring these promises to pass. I remember when my mother

was so sick in 1981 with terminal cancer, didn't look like she was going to make it. We had been praying and believing week after week, but she wasn't getting any better. My father had this attitude we're talking about, saying, God, send me a sign of your favor. One night, we got home from church,

and my father went to his bedroom to change clothes, and he put his Bible on the bed, and it just so happened to fall open in the middle. He didn't think anything about it. But as he was hanging his coat up on the hanger, For some reason, he felt drawn to the Bible. As he was watching it, the pages began to flip and flip and flip, just like someone was intentionally turning them.

He thought, that's odd. The air conditioner wasn't on. There wasn't a fan. He went over there, and one of the pages is sort of halfway flipped up on the other. The first verse that he saw, the one that totally stuck out, was Psalm 105-37. It says, God brought them out with silver and gold, and there was not one sickly person among them. When he read that, it was like electricity shot through his whole body.

He knew God was saying, my mother was going to come out healthy and whole. Month after month went by. We didn't see any signs of improvement. But instead of getting discouraged, we would always go back and remember that night, that God turned the pages in the Bible. That was a sign from God to my father confirming those promises that we were standing on. And I don't know if it was the air conditioner or maybe just a

natural gust of air, but whatever caused it, ultimately we knew it was the hand of God speaking faith to our heart. We chose to believe that it was God confirming his word. That was nearly 30 years ago, and today my mother is still healthy and strong, going 90 miles an hour every single day. But I wonder how many times we miss the signs God is giving us. We think, oh, wow, the pages on the Bible flip. That's a good scripture. Oh, wow, there was a rainbow in the sky. No, be sensitive to what God is doing. There's no such thing as a coincidence. No such thing as a lucky break. That's the hand of God at work in your life. It could very well be God confirming a promise that he's placed in your heart.

A few years ago, I was out running. I'd had a long day, and there were some situations I was hoping would turn around, and I was wondering why it was taking so long, and when it was ever going to get any better, just kind of frustrated and stressed out trying to make things happen. While I was running, it was very windy. The leaves were blowing off the trees. One thing I've always liked to do is to try to catch leaves.

So while I was running, I was grabbing here and grabbing there, but I couldn't catch these leaves. They were very small. They were darting all around. But at one point there was this huge burst of air. There must have been a thousand leaves falling all around me. And I thought, wow, this is my chance. And I started grabbing and grabbing and grabbing, grabbing,

but I could not catch one single leaf. I couldn't believe it. And here I was out running to try to relieve stress. I was getting more stressed out because I couldn't catch a leaf. And finally I just said, forget about it, kept on running. About 15 minutes later, while I was still running, as this arm went up into the air, just a natural motion, I felt something hit the palm of my hand.

I opened it up, and it was this leaf. I couldn't believe it. I've been running practically my whole life and never had a leaf fall into my hand. that was God saying to me, Joel, you don't have to grab. You don't have to try to make things happen. You don't have to live frustrated. He was saying, just trust me and I'll give you the desires of your heart. Now, every time something is not happening as fast as I would like or I'm tempted to worry if it's going to work out, I'll go back and get my leaf out and look at it. This leaf reminds me that the creator of the universe, is in control of my life. It reminds me that the most high God

is directing my steps, making my crooked places straight, surrounding me with his favor. If God can cause a leaf to blow out of a tree at the exact right time to hit the palm of my hand while I'm running in motion,

then surely God can get us to where we're supposed to be and no person can stop us, No economy can stop us. No sickness can stop you. No bad break can stop you. If God be for you, who dare be against you? You need to go back and remember the great things as God has done.

Go back and get your leaf. I'm convinced every one of us has things we know had to be the hand of God. Somebody you bumped into introduced you to your spouse. a co-worker unexpectedly resigned and all of a sudden you were promoted. A stranger came by to help. They spoke one phrase that spoke volumes to your heart. Those are signs of God's favor. Just like my leaf, when you're tempted to get down,

think it's not going to work out, go get your leaf out and say, no, I remember when God opened up that door. I remember when God made away. I remember when God spared my life. I remember when God healed my child. remembering the great things God has done is going to give you the strength to keep fighting that good fight of faith. Because you'll know if God did it for you once, he'll do it for you again. And it's good to keep something in front of you that reminds you of God's goodness. That's why I keep

this leaf in my desk. Every time I see it, it reminds me that God is in complete control. I remember when we were trying to acquire this new facility, there was a council member that I could not get in touch with. I'd called and called, but he was either always too busy or out of the office. There was some excuse, and he would never call me back. After doing this for several months, I finally decided to quit trying. I knew that he was avoiding us. I'd already been told by his staff very clearly that he was not for us. I thought, well, I'll just write him off.

No use wasting our time and energy. And during the process of trying to get this facility, there were plenty of opportunities like that to where we could have gotten discouraged. But I did just what I'm asking you to do. Every morning I got up and said, God, give me a sign of your favor, something to encourage my heart.

One evening, I was in a sporting good store trying on some tennis shoes. It was very late. The store was just about to close. It was cold and rainy outside. It was hardly anybody else in the store. But at one point, when I looked up from trying on those shoes, that council member was standing just a few feet in front of me.

And I thought, God, you are so good, because he is caught and he has nowhere to run. Friends, God has a way of having you at the right place at the right time. He came right up to me very friendly and said, Oh, Pastor Osteen, I've been. meaning to get back to you. I'd just been so busy and I stepped back in case the lightning struck. He went on to say, I want you to know I'm a hundred percent for you. You can definitely count on my vote. I was amazed. I had been told very clearly that he was totally against us and he

would never vote for us. It says in proverbs, God can turn the heart of a king. That means the people that are so against you, God can suddenly cause them to be totally for you. See, God is not just in control of your life. He's even in control of your enemies. And those people that are so against you right now, trying to hold you back and keep you from your dreams, don't waste your time worrying about it. They can't stop your destiny. God controls your destiny. If you need them to be for you so you can get to where you're supposed to be, then God will either change their heart or he'll simply move them out of the way. But no person can keep you from your God-given destiny. That one encounter of unexpectedly meeting the council member, finding out he was for us, that was a sign of God's favor.

More than the one vote, that was God saying to me, Joel, I've got you back. Don't worry if somebody's not for you. I'll turn the hearts that need to be turned. I'll fight your battles. I'll direct your steps. My favor will get you to where you're supposed to be. And that's exactly what happened. Here we are today.

In joy in God's blessings, we saw the promises come to pass. Many of you have been standing on promises for a long time, believing for something to change, but you don't see anything happening. You could easily get discouraged. But understand, just like in my situation, God is in complete control of your life. People may have tried to stop you. Circumstances may have tried to talk you out of it.

Your own thoughts may be telling you that it's all over. But the good news is God has the final say, and he has every intention of getting you to where you're supposed to be. Now, you've got to dare say like David, God, give me a sign of your favor. Give me a sign that that promotion is coming. Give me a sign that this situation is going to turn around. Then when you're tempted to get discouraged, you can go back and say, no, I remember the rainbow in the sky.

I remember the pages the Bible flipping on their own. I remember catching the leaf. I remember bumping into the council member. I remember when I woke up singing. If you can remember the signs God gave you, it'll breathe new life into your dreams. And it won't matter if the promise takes a week, a year, or 20 years deep down, you'll know that you know God is still going to bring that promise to

pass. I believe that many of you this week, you're going to see a sign of God's favor. Something is going to happen to where you say, I know that was the hand of God showing me that he's in control of my life. Be expecting God's goodness. Keep looking for God's favor. If you do that, God will not only confirm the word with, some kind of sign, but you're going to see Ephesians 320 at work. God is going to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond. I believe it. I declare it over each one of you in the name of Jesus. And if you receive it, can you say amen and amen?

Amen. 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 your places that you've never dreamed out. Sometimes the circumstances of life can be overwhelmingly negative. What should we do when we experience these kinds of negative reports and realities? Our life is like a container. It can only hold so much. allow negative things in like worry, guilt, and unforgiveness, that's taking up space for the good things that belong to you. That's why I wrote my book, Empty Out the Negative. I'll show you how to get rid of what's limiting you so you can live a victorious, fulfilled life. When you make room

for joy, peace, and faith, God will feel you afresh and anew. 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, Empty Out the Negative, Empty Out Fear, and Replace It with Faith. My doctor, he said, I went in there, and there is no cancer in your body. Empty out a hurt-filled childhood and replace it with confidence. So I took what Joel said, and I physically replaced them with I am strong, I am worthy. I started saying those over and over and over. Empty out broken relationships and find renewed love.

In a world that's just so full of so much noise and negativity and hatred and just to come and have so much encouragement filled into you, you know, is something I've never had my whole life. Are you holding on to things that are weighing you down? It's time to empty that out so you can live a positive, faith-filled life. Joel and I pray for you every day. We're believing for God's very best. for you and your family.

You know, we appreciate your prayers and your support. Your generosity is impacting so many lives. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning. Download our daily podcast. Listen on Sirius XM. Watch the new Joel Osteen Network streaming on television. But until we see you next week, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Empty Out the Negative today.

Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567, Joel.