Joel Osteen Podcast - Stretching To The Next Level | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: September 27, 2024

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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. Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. We love you. 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 we'd love to have you join us. But thanks so much for tuning in today. thank you all for coming out. I like to start each week with something kind of funny. And of course, these jokes are not necessarily doctrinally correct. They're just to make us laugh. But I heard about

this husband and wife. They were celebrating their 60th birthdays together. Suddenly an angel appeared and said God was going to grant them each one special request. They were so excited. The lady said my request is that I would be able to travel all over the world. And poof, when the smoke cleared, she had tickets in her hand. The man kind of hung his head and he said, my request is that I'd be married to a woman 30 years younger than me. And poof, when the smoke cleared, he was 90 years old. Hold up your Bible. 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 stretching into the next level. Too many people are living far below their potential. They have so many gifts and talents, so much to offer. But the problem is they've gotten comfortable, and now they just sit back and settle where they are. They're too easily satisfied. I hear people make excuses.

I've achieved as much as most, done pretty well in my career, gone as far as my parents. No, God wants you to go further. He's a progressive God. Every generation should be increasing. No matter where we are in life, God has more in store. He never wants us to quit growing. We should always be reaching for new heights. In our abilities, in our spiritual walk, in our finances, in our marriage.

We all have areas we can come up. up higher end. We may have achieved a certain level of success, but there are new mountains to climb. There are new dreams and goals that we should be pursuing. Maybe God has done a lot in your past. He's opened up doors, caused you to get promoted, giving you good breaks. And it's easy to kind of get satisfied and think, yeah, Joel, God's been good to me. Can't complain. I've reached my limits. But understand, God never performs his greatest feats in your yesterday. He may have done a lot in the past, but let me tell you, you haven't seen anything yet. The best is still yet to come.

Don't get complacent. I was reading about Frank Lloyd Wright. He was a famous architect. He had designed many beautiful buildings, many magnificent structures. Toward the end of his career, a reporter asked him, of all the many beautiful designs, which one was his favorite? Without missing a beat, he said, my next one. He understood this principle. He understood God had more in store. Don't live in your past. God may have done great things for you,

but I found God likes to outdo himself. He wants to show his favor in your life in a greater way. That means if you're a teacher, you haven't taught your best lesson yet. If you're a builder, you haven't built your best home yet. If you're a business person, you haven't cut your best deal yet. You need to get your hopes up. You may have had some dreams come to pass. But we have to enlarge our vision and get ready for the new things that God has on the horizon. And the scripture says here in 1st Corinthians 2 verse 9, no person has ever seen, heard, or imagined the wonderful things God has in store for those that love the Lord. That's basically saying, don't get complacent.

Your best days are not behind you. They're in front of you. But if this is going to happen, we have to keep pressing forward. we have to keep stretching ourselves. Get rid of low expectations. Don't make little plans for your life. Don't have little dreams. Don't go around thinking, everybody gets good breaks except me. Joel, I've reached my limits. Probably never get this promotion. I don't know why I'm not talented. No, get rid of that defeated mindset. You are a child of the most high God. God has breathed his very life into you. He's planted seeds. of greatness on the inside. You have everything you need to fulfill your God-given destiny.

God has already put in you the talent, the creativity, the discipline, the wisdom, the determination. It's all in you. You are full of potential, but you've got to do your part and start tapping into it. You've got to start stretching yourself. See, the scripture tells us that we have a treasure on the inside. That means there is something valuable in every one of us. You have a gift. You have something to offer that nobody else has. You didn't just show up on planet Earth by accident. You were handpicked by Almighty God.

He saw you before you were formed in your mother's womb. And you are here for a reason. You have an assignment. There's something that God wants you to accomplish. Somebody needs your gift. somebody needs what you have. And I'm asking you today to not die with the treasure still in you. Press forward, give birth to the dreams and desires that God has placed in your heart.

I read where the average person uses less than 10% of their mind. That means more than 90% of the mind's capability lies dormant. Never gets tapped into. But if we could just understand what we have, God has deposited a part of himself into you. When it came time for you to be born, God said, let me give them some of this gift, some of this talent, some of this creativity.

You have the seed of Almighty God on the inside. You were never created to be average. You were never created to reach a certain level and then stop. You were created to continue to excel. And there's no limit to how high you can go in life. There's no limit to what you can accomplish if you will just learn to shake off complacency and keep stretching into the next level. But it all starts right here.

We have to believe that we do have what it takes. We have to believe that we have a gift, a treasure on the inside. People may have tried to push us down. Circumstances may have soured your outlook on life. I don't know. Maybe you've tried and hit a brick wall again and again. But you know what? you need to get back up and try another time.

Somebody may have told you no, a thousand times, but you've got to go back and ask one more time. You've got to keep pressing. Too many people are satisfied. They're comfortable. They're not stretching anymore. And one reason is they don't really understand what they have on the inside. They don't understand their God-given potential. Years ago, a friend of mine was in Europe driving on the Autobahn.

And unlike our freeways here in the States, there's no sense. speed limit on the auto bond, he can go as fast as you want. He was so excited. He took the car up to 80 miles an hour, then 90, then 100, 110. I mean, he was moving. He told how he felt like he was the king of the road, zooming past people left and right, driving like Victoria. A few minutes later, though, this car came flying down the freeway. The exact same model, it blew by him like he was standing still. It must have been going 160, 170 miles an hour. The friend sitting next

to him kind of laughed. He said, see, you're not going as fast as you can. You're just going as fast as you will. You think about it, the car had all kinds of potential. It too was capable of going 180 miles per hour.

The potential was put in it by the manufacturer. How fast he drove didn't have anything to do with the car's capability. In other words, the potential was not lessened just because he chose not to use it. It's the same way with us. Our potential has been put in us by our manufacture. It's been put in us by our creator, Almighty God.

Whether we use it or not does not lessen our potential. What's happened in your past doesn't reduce it. How somebody has treated you. What they said about you doesn't change that potential. Maybe you've been through some disappointments, had some unfavorings, had some unfilful. things happen in life, but what I want you to see is none of this affects your potential. It has been put in you permanently by the creator of the universe. And when we believe, when we stir ourselves up and take a step of faith and stretch ourselves,

that's when we tap into it. That's when we'll rise higher. We have incredible capability. There is no obstacle that you cannot overcome. There's no challenge that you can't meet. you can accomplish more than you ever dreamed possible. The capability is in you. But the real question is,

are we willing to break free from these self-imposed limitations and start stretching to the next level? Too often we allow our experiences from the past, maybe how we were raised, or maybe what somebody has said to us, keep us from pressing forward. How many people were about to take a step of faith? They were about to stretch to that next next,

level. But then a business partner, a coach, a relative, a friend said, hey, you really think you can do that? I don't know if that would be right for you. What if you try and fail? What if it doesn't work out? Now all these negative words have kept them from pressing forward. We have to understand none of this changes the potential on the inside. It's still in you. We should not allow other people to talk us out of doing what we know God wants us to do. And it's really ashamed today how many people have had negative things spoken over them. Things like, you don't have what it takes. You're not very talented.

I don't think you'll ever be successful. And if we're not careful, we'll allow those negative words to play over and over in our mind. They can create a stronghold. And that's why it's so important, parents, leaders, that we never speak discouraging words over our children, or for that matter over anyone that we have authority over. Those words can do so much damage. They can take root. And if that person doesn't know how to cast them down and not dwell on them,

it'll keep them from rising any higher. I was talking to a young lady the other day. She had just come out of a very abusive relationship. And she told how for years she was told things like, you can't do anything right. You're so slow. You're not attractive. And after hearing that junk for so long, it had totally beaten her down.

Physically, emotionally, spiritually, she had no joy, no confidence, no self-esteem. And I told her what I'm telling you today, your value, your gifts, your talents, they have been put in you by Almighty God. And it doesn't matter what anyone else has spoken over you. The good news is God has the final authority. And he says, you have a treasure on the inside. He says you have a gift. He says you are valuable. You've got to quit playing that other junk. You need to put on a new record. You need to be dwelling on things like, I am creative, I am talented, I am valuable. I have a bright future. My best days are still out in front of me.

You've got to get your mind going in this new direction. Because as long as you're dwelling on negative thoughts towards yourself, it'll keep you from becoming all God's created you. to be. And it doesn't matter who has spoken them. A parent, a spouse, a coach, a teacher, you've got to cast those words down. Words are powerful. They can create strongholds. And sometimes even one little phrase, if we make the mistake of dwelling on it, it can hold us back for years. A friend of mine used to travel with a well-known minister. This was years ago. And one day somebody came to the hotel and wanted this well-known minister to pray for them. And my friend, his associate, told him, I'm sorry, but he can't be disturbed. He's resting, getting prepared for the meeting tonight.

But this man would not take no for an answer. It was very aggressive, very determined. My friend was very kind and courteous. And finally, he said, hey, how about this? I'll pray for you. I'll work with the man every day. That man turned his nosed up. He said, I don't think so.

You won't do. My friend told how those words rang out in his mind day after day. You won't do. lying in bed at night, you don't have what it takes. You're not anointed like him. Nobody's going to ever listen to you. He already struggled with his confidence, but now he was allowing these negative words to just play again and again. Listen, you've got to learn to shake that junk off. Too many people today are in mediocrity. They don't have the confidence and the self-esteem they should because they're constantly dwelling on negative thoughts about themselves.

I don't say this arrogantly, but do you know what plays in my mind all day long? I am anointed. I am creative. I am talented. I am successful. I have the favor of God. People like me. I'm a victor and not a victim.

You go around thinking those kind of thoughts and low self-esteem, lack of confidence, inferiority, they won't have a chance with you. You'll have your shoulders back, a smile on your face, and you'll be looking for opportunities to stretch. into that next level. Now, I know when my father went to be with the Lord, if I had listened to what everybody was saying about me, I would have never gotten off the ground.

Well, I don't think he's as good as his father. He's so young, you really think he knows what he's talking about? I overheard one lady say, well, I went last week, and I didn't get anything out of it. I thought I can't help it if there's something wrong with you, lady. Somebody told me the other day. Seriously, they came up and said, Joel, I have to admit, when you first started, I just didn't think you had what it takes, but you're doing all right now.

I thought you could have gone ahead and kept that to yourself, mister. But you've got to learn to shake that junk off, especially if you struggle with your confidence and your self-esteem. You need to let that bounce off of you like water off of a duck's back. Put on the new record. I am anointed. I am well able. I have what it takes. I am the hit. I am not the tell. I think about back in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. They went and hid. God came along and said, Adam, Eve, where are you? And they said, God, we're hiding because we are naked. I love the way God answered them back. He said, Adam, who told you you were naked? In other words, who told you something was wrong with you?

God immediately knew the enemy had been talking to them. And God is saying to you today, who told you you don't have what it takes? Who told you? You don't have what it takes. Who told you, all you could make in school was seize and not ask. Who told you you're not talented enough? Who told you your marriage was never going to last? Those are lies from the enemy. You need to go back to what God says about you. Well, I don't think I could ever get this promotion, Joel.

Who told you that? God said, no good thing will he withhold when you walk up rightly. Well, I don't think I'll ever get married, Joel. I hadn't had a date in so long. Who told you that? God said when you delight yourself in him, he will give you the desires of your heart. But I don't think I could ever be in management. I don't think I could ever be in leadership.

Who told you that? God says you can do all things through Christ. What I want you to see is the potential is on the inside of you. Doesn't change just because you don't believe it or just because you've been through a negative past. It has been put in you permanently by the creator of the universe. And the scripture says God's gifts and his callings. are irrevocable. That means God's never going to take them back. He's

never going to say, man, I'm tired of dealing with you. You've tried and failed so many times. You've made so many mistakes. Let me just have them back. No, those gifts, the calling on your life, will be with you till the day you leave this earth. But it's totally up to you as to whether you tap into them or not. The thing that keeps most people back is wrong mindsets. It's limited thinking, dwelling on what we can't do rather than what we can do.

Many times these things have started way back in life, how we were raised, what somebody has said to us, cause low self-esteem. Now we go around without the confidence, stuck in a rut, thinking that we've reached our limits. I remember a young man growing up. He loved playing baseball. That was his passion. But when he went to try out for the team, the coach didn't even give him the time a day. Didn't give him a chance. He said, I'm sorry, son, you're just too small. You will never be able to play on this team. I mean, he was devastated. His heart was set on playing baseball. His mom came and picked him up from the school and his best friend was riding in the back seat. He was doing all he could to keep his composure and to not cry. Then his friend who was much bigger than him said, hey, did you tell your mom you didn't make the team because you're too little? That just pierced his heart. He couldn't stand being small. He went home feeling so low and so dejected. But later that week, they announced that since so many boys, had tried out for the team, they were going to create a second team, a B team, and they put this young man on it. Long story short, those two teams ended up in a playoff for the championship, and the second

team, the B team beat the A team, and on top of that, this young man was the winning pitcher. They won because of him. What I'm telling you is, other people don't determine your potential. What they said about you, what they think about you, does not change what God. is placed on the inside. Don't allow those negative words to take root and keep you from pressing forward. God is asking some of you today, who told you you were too small? Who told you weren't educated enough? Who told you you didn't have the talent? God would have not put the dream in your heart if he had not already given you everything you need to fulfill your destiny. That means if I have a dream, if I have a desire, and I know it's from God, then I don't have to worry whether or not I have

have what it takes. I know God doesn't make mistakes. I know God doesn't call us to do something without first giving us the ability to do it. Why don't you shake off the low self-esteem? Shake off the negative voices. Shake off the disappointments and keep pressing forward in life. Too often when we suffer some kind of rejection like that or some kind of disappointment, we get all discouraged and we just settle right where we are. Well, I guess it wasn't meant to be. Thought I could play on the ball team, but maybe I am too small. small. Maybe I don't have the talent. Thought I could get the promotion, Joel, but I tried and failed, didn't work out. Listen, you've got to get back up and go again. We give up too easily on our

dreams these days. We need to understand just as God supernaturally opens doors, sometimes God supernaturally closes doors. And it's always because he has something better in store. So just because you come to a dead end, just because you tried and it didn't work out, just because you tried, you had some rejection, some persecution, that's not the time to give up. Keep pressing. I heard somebody say, out of our greatest rejection comes our greatest direction. In other words, when you come to a closed door, when something doesn't work out in your life, instead of seeing that as the end, you need to see that as God leading you and guiding you into his best path. And yes, sometimes it's uncomfortable. Sometimes we may not like it, but we cannot make the mistake of just,

just sitting back and settling where we are. This is what happened to my father. Back in 1959, he was the pastor of a successful church. Things were going great. But about that time, my sister Lisa was born with something like cerebral palsy. And so my dad went away for a little while, and he got alone, and he searched the scriptures in a new way.

He began to see how God was a good God, a healing God, how God still did miracles today. And he came back to his church and he preached with a new fire, a new enthusiasm. And he thought everybody would be thrilled. But it was just the opposite. They didn't like his new message. It didn't fit in with their tradition. And after much persecution, after much heartache and pain, my father knew the best thing for him to do was to leave that church.

Here they had just built a beautiful new sanctuary. They had a bright future in store. And in the natural, my dad was disappointed. He didn't understand it. But remember, out of rejection comes direction. When one door closes, God's about to open up a bigger and a better door. And so my father, he went down the street to an abandoned, beat-up feed store. He and 90 other people formed Lakewood Church on Mother's Day in 1959.

The critics said it would never last, but here we are today, nearly 50 years later, still going strong. that I don't believe that my father would have had the ministry he had. I don't believe he would have become all God created him to be if he would have stayed in that limited environment. And sometimes God will stir you out of a comfortable situation. When you go through persecution, you go through rejection, it's not always just because somebody has it in for you. Sometimes that's God trying to push you into his perfect will.

He's trying to get you to stretch to the next level. and he knows you're not going to go without a push, so he'll make it uncomfortable. The mistake we make at times is we get negative and sourn, we focus on what didn't work out. And all this does is prolong the new doors from opening up. I remember just a few years ago, we were trying to buy some property to build a new sanctuary on. We looked for months, finally found this 100-acre tract of land. We were so excited. But the day we were to close, the people sold the land right out from under us.

And I had to tell myself what I'm telling you. Joel, God has closed this door for a reason. He has something better in store. And then that's where I was down. I was a little discouraged. But I had to shake that off and say, no, I'm not settling here. I'm going to keep pressing forward. A few months later, we found another nice piece of property.

It would have worked as well. But the same thing, the man refused to sell it to us. Another disappointment. I didn't understand it. But I said, God, I'm trusting you. I know your ways are. are not my ways. This doesn't seem right, doesn't seem fair, but I'm going to stay in an attitude of faith and just keep expecting good things. It wasn't long after that that the door to the

compact center opened up. Then it became clear why God had closed the other doors. That would have kept us from his very best. And throughout life, we're not always going to understand everything that happens along the way. But we've got to learn to trust God. We've got to believe that he has us in the palm of his hand, that he is leading us and guiding us, that he always has our best interest at heart. I know people, they've gone through a lot of rejection in relationships. Their marriage didn't work out. Here they put all these years into it. Now they're hurting, dejected, going around kind of defeated, not expecting anything good. And of course, we're not for divorce. We don't believe that's God's best. But you know as well as I do, sometimes that happens. And you have to understand,

God still has another plan for your life. Just because somebody may have rejected you, just because they walked out of your life and left you hurt, that doesn't mean you should retreat and just settle where you are. That rejection did not change what God has put on the inside of you. It doesn't mean that you still cannot be happy. When one door closes, if you will keep the right attitude, God will open up another door.

But you have to do your part and keep pressing forward. too many people in life get bitter. They get angry and they start to blame God. You got to let that go. You may not understand it, but trust God and move on with your life. Don't look at it as the end. Look at it as a new beginning. Somebody may have rejected you,

but you can hold your head up high knowing this. God accepts you. God approves you and he has something better in store. Friends, don't die with the treasure still on the inside. keep pressing forward, keep reaching for new heights, give birth to what God has placed in your heart. Don't let other people talk you out of your dreams. Listen to what God says about you, not all the negative voices. When you face rejection and disappointment, and we all do at times, don't stay there, don't get comfortable. Know that God has another plan. That closed door simply means God has

something better in store. You may not have seen it in the past, but listen, this is a new day. You have not seen, heard, or imagined the wonderful things God has in store for you. If you will keep pressing forward and not get weighed down by the distractions and disappointments in life, but instead you keep stretching to the next level, reaching for your highest potential. If you do that, I can tell you with confidence, your best days are not behind you. They're in front of you. God is going to show you more of his blessings in favor, and I believe you'll live that life of victory he has in store. 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 of. 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 by 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 SiriusXM. 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 Joelosteen.com or call 888-567 Joel.