Joel Osteen Podcast - The Right Perspective | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: February 2, 2022

If we’re not careful, we’ll take for granted the good things God has done. The best foundation for a joy-filled life is a grateful heart.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 visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope 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.

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We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great things in store for each one of you. If you're ever in the Houston area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. Thanks for tuning in today, and thank you again for coming out. I'd like to start with something funny each week, and I heard about this Southern Baptist man named Bill. He liked to sneak off to the horse races and bet. One day, after spending almost all of his money, he saw a priest step out onto the tracks and bless a horse.

He watched very closely, and sure enough, the horse won first place. Next race, the priest blessed another horse. Again, that horse won. So Bill went to the ATM machine, got out all of the first place. of his money. This time the priest not only touched the horse's forehead, but he touched his eyes, his ears, and all of his hooves.

Feeling confident, Bill bet all of his money, but right in the middle of the race, the horse fell over and died. He couldn't believe it. He went to the priest and said, what in the world happened? The priest said, that's the problem with you, Protestants. You don't know the difference between a blessing and the last rights.

All right, hold up your Bible. Say it 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 having the right perspective. It's easy to get focused on what's wrong in life, what we don't have, and how big our obstacles are? If we're not careful, we'll lose sight of all the good things God has done. We'll take for granted our family, our friends, our health, the opportunity God blessed us with.

We'll get so busy and so stressed out that we don't appreciate the gift of today. What's happened? Our perspective has gotten off. Perspective is all about how we see a situation. business may be slow, the economy may be down. The wrong perspective is I'll never make it. It's just too much. The right perspective is God is supplying all of my needs.

He said he had prospered me even in a desert. You go through a disappointment. The wrong perspective is, I should have known this was going to happen. I never get any good breaks, just my luck. The right perspective is when one door closes, I know God's going to open up another door. What was meant for my harm, I know God will use to my advantage. You can take two people and put them in the exact same circumstances.

One will be negative, complaining, enduring life. The other will be happy, grateful, enjoying life. What's the difference? Their perspective. It's in how they're choosing to see the situation. And we all have things, if we focus on them, they can steal our joy and cause us to be sour. But if we're going to live life happy, the foundation is having a grateful spirit.

I've learned seeds of discouragement cannot take root in a grateful heart. And if you're not happy today, you've lost your enthusiasm for life, one of the quickest ways to see that turn around is to start being more grateful. Instead of looking at what's wrong, start thanking God for what's right. Instead of complaining about what you don't have, start thanking God for what you do have. Instead of dwelling on how far you've got to go, take a look back and thank God for how far he's already brought you. Now, I've talked to people that have gone through disappointments. They lost a job.

Maybe a relationship didn't work out or they're dealing with a health issue. They don't think they have any reason to be grateful. But really, it's all a matter of perspective. I heard about a man. He complained that he didn't have any shoes until he met a man that didn't have any feet. What happened, his perspective changed. He thought, you know what, maybe I don't have it so bad. The truth is, somebody would love to have your life.

Somebody would gladly trade places with you. Some people would love to be able to breathe freely like you can breathe, to walk like you can walk. Some people would give anything to be sitting in an air-conditioning building surrounded by believers. Have you thanked God lately for your family, for your friends, for your health, for the opportunities God's blessed you with. Here's a key.

If we complain about where we are, we will never get to where we want to be. Well, you say, Joel, if you were driving this old rattle trap of a car like I'm driving, doesn't even have any air conditioning. I'm burning up. You'd complain too. If you lived in this small apartment, Joel, or how about this? If you were married to my spouse, I guarantee you'd complain. No, remember this phrase.

If you complain, you're going to remain. But if you praise, you'll be raised. One thing I found that will help keep the right perspective is to make a list of all the things you have to be grateful for. Write down a dozen things God has blessed you with and put it up on your mirror in your bathroom. Every day before you leave the house, go over it two or three times. Before you go to bed, do the same thing.

Get that down in your spirit. Meditate on the good things God has done. Why don't you write down the time God showed up and made a way when it looked like there was no way? Write down the time that God had you at the right place and you got promoted. The time God protected you from the accident. The time the medical report said you weren't going to make it, but unexpectedly your health turned around. Why don't you write down the fact that you have healthy children? you have a roof over your head

you have loving parents when you meditate on the goodness of God it will not only help you have the right perspective but that's your faith being released when your faith is released it activates the power of the most high God you will see God

show up and give you something else to put on your list I read about this man he was very down and discouraged he went to his minister said nothing is going right in my life have no reason to be happy, no reason to be thankful. The minister said, all right, let's do

a little exam. He got out a legal pad and drew a line right down the center. He said, I'm going to write down all of your assets on this side, all of the things right in your life. On the other side, I'm going to write down all your challenges, all these problems that are bothering you.

The man laughed and said, I'm not going to have anything to put on the asset side. The minister said, that's fine, let's just go through the exercise, and the man kind of hung his head down. The minister said, I'm so sorry to hear that your wife passed away. He looked up abruptly. He said, what are you talking about?

My wife didn't pass away. She's alive. She's healthy. He said, oh, he wrote down. Has a healthy wife that's alive. He said, well, I'm really sorry to hear that your house burned down. He said, my house didn't burn down. I've got a nice house.

He said, oh, wrote it down. Has a nice house. He then said, I'm very sorry to hear that you got laid off. You lost your job. The man said, where are you getting all this nonsense? I didn't lose my job. I've got a good job. He said, oh, wrote it down. He's got a good job. The man finally caught on. He said, give me that list.

He wrote down another dozen good things. Before he got finished, he walked out of there with a whole new attitude. What happened? His perspective was all. When he began to focus on the good, he got his enthusiasm back. If you struggle with staying encouraged, you struggle with staying grateful, you too need to to make a list of all the things that God has blessed you with. If you have your health, write it down. I'm healthy.

If you can see, write it down. I can see. If you're good looking like me, write it down. I'm good looking. It's your list as long as you think so. That's all that matters. I've got a job. I've got health. I've got family. I've got friends.

Make that list. Then all through the day, in your mind, go over it again and again and again. You've got to get your mind going in the right direction, your life is going to follow your thoughts. If you're constantly meditating on God's goodness and thinking about what he's done and talking about how he's blessed you, then you're going to see God's favor in amazing ways. And we have to realize that every day is a gift from God.

We're not always going to be here. What a shame to live this day or any other day, negative, complaining, no entourage. enthusiasm. I realize we all have obstacles, we all have things to overcome, but our attitude should be, I know God is still on the throne, he's in complete control of my life. He said his plans for me are for good and not evil. So I'm not going to drag through this day, defeated, complaining, focused on what's wrong. I'm going to change my perspective. And thank God I'm alive. Thank God I'm healthy. And thank God I have family. Thank God I have opportunity. I'm going to make the most of this day. I'm going to live it to the full. Well, you say, Joel, I would do that, but I just found out I have to work late

this week. I have to mow the lawn later. I have to go to the grocery store. Or I have to take care of these children, clean up after their mess. Let me tell you, you don't have to do anything. You get to do it. God is the one that's given you breath to breathe. You couldn't mow the lawn if God didn't give you strength. You wouldn't have to work late if God didn't provide the opportunity. Change your perspective. Our attitude should be, I don't have to go to work this week. I get to go to work. I don't have to take care of these children. I get to take care of these children. Do you know how many people would love to have children? Some people have spent thousands of dollars and gone through all kinds of medical procedures. They would do anything to be able to take care of those children.

every day we should thank God that He's blessed us with children They are a gift from God When you're on your way to work Instead of complaining about the traffic Why not say, Father, thank you that I have a job When it's time to come to church Instead of complaining it's too far, it's too crowded, Why not say, Father, thank you that I have a great church to go to?

Thank you that I live in a great country where we have the freedom to worship. Well, Joel, business is really slow. That may be true, but the right perspective is, this two shall pass. A new season is coming. Well, I wrecked my car last week. It may be totaled. That's not good, but the right perspective is, at least I'm still alive.

Well, I'm living in this small apartment. If I just had a bigger house, if I just had more money, then I'd be happy. No, you may not have all the money you would like, but if you have your health, I tell you, you are very well off. That's worth a whole lot. I was reading about a gentleman. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world, worth billions and billions of dollars, but he doesn't have his health. He has a rare disease where for years he has gone from hospital to hospital trying all different kinds of treatments. Do you know how much he would give to have his health back? He would give it all. You may not have as much as you would like,

but keep it in perspective, if you have your health, you're extremely rich. If you can walk, you can talk, you can hear, you can think, you have something that billions of dollars cannot purchase. Don't take for granted the fact that you were able to get out of bed this morning by yourself without any health. When you opened your eyes, you could see. When you told your legs to walk, they obeyed. When your spouse said, I love you, you could hear it. when your child hugged you, you could feel their embrace.

When you went to the kitchen, you could taste the food. If we're going to have the right perspective, we've got to appreciate the simple things that God's blessed us with. I talked to a gentleman a few years ago. He's a very famous singer. He had a sister that was mentally and physically challenged. She couldn't walk, talk, feed herself.

She needed 24-hour constant attention. Growing up, he and his other family members took care of her. He explained how there were different cries that they understood. That's how she communicated with them. There was a certain cry for when she was hungry, a cry for when she was thirsty, a cry for when she wanted to go to bed.

But he said the most difficult cry was the cry for when she had an itch. See, she could not tell them where the itch was. So they'd have to scratch and scratch all over her body trying to get rid of that itch. He said, Joel, that helped me to up. appreciate the simple things that so many of us take for granted. We think scratching an itch, that's no big deal, but really it is a big deal. It's a big deal that we tell our arms to work and they work.

It's a big deal that we open our eyes and we can see. When you get up in the morning and you're tempted to focus on your problems and how bad life is treating you, why don't you turn it around and thank God that you can scratch your own itch? Why don't you thank God that when you got up this morning, morning, you didn't have any problem breathing. Why don't you thank God that when you looked out the window, you could see the sunrise. Learn to appreciate the simple things. Sometimes we lose perspective because life can be routine. We think, man, I'm just getting up and going to work, coming home. Nothing exciting is happening. I'm doing the same thing again and again. But I understand

there's nothing ordinary about getting up and going to work. There's nothing ordinary about being able to breathe, being able to see, being able to think. Those are gifts from Almighty God. But too often, we don't realize how great we have it until something is taken away. I have a friend I used to play basketball with a lot. He started having problems with his eyes. It was always very strong, healthy, active, a good ball player, but this went on month after month. Finally, he went to the doctors, and after many tests, they diagnosed him with cancer. of the eye. Looked like he was going to lose his vision. It was very distraught, very upset. He went in for the big operation. The problem was behind his eyes. Much to the doctor's surprise, they realized

it was not cancer after all. It was an unusual fungus, and they were able to remove it and save his vision. When he woke up from the operation and he got the good news, he said that was the greatest day of my life. Think about it. He didn't just win the lottery. He didn't just buy a new house. He didn't just get a big promotion. He simply got the news that he was going to be able to continue to see. He said, Joel, now every morning, I get up and I look at things on purpose. I stare at my children. I stare at my wife. I'll go out and look up at the trees. I'll pick up an acorn and just stare at it. Why is that? Because he almost lost his vision, now being able to see, has taken on a totally different meaning.

I dare say that most of us would never say the greatest day of our life was to wake up and be able to see. But how things change when we find out we may not have it anymore. I'm asking us today to not take for granted the good things that God has already blessed us with. If you can see, you can talk, you can walk, if you have friends, family, opportunity, learn to appreciate that. Don't go around complaining about what's wrong. Change your focus. If you have a hard time getting to sleep tonight, instead of lying there and complaining about it, why don't you think about all the people that don't even have a bed? That'll keep you from being frustrated. If you get stuck in traffic, instead of being upset, think about all the people that don't have a car. If you have a tough day at the office this week, instead of letting that ruin the rest of the week, think about it. You all the people that don't have a job. Well, Joel, I had to park three blocks away to get to church

today. I prayed for favor. I prayed for a good parking spot. It just never worked. No, instead of complaining, with every step you take, you should say, Father, thank you that I'm strong, think you that I'm healthy, think you that I'm able to walk. How about this? Instead of complaining

that your hair is turning gray, be grateful that it's not turning loose. Some of you, it's too late. But staying grateful is a key to living life happy. That's why David said in Psalm 34, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will continually be in my mouth. Notice how long?

Continually. All the time. David knew a secret. You can't praise and complain at the same time. If you're constantly thanking God for his goodness, meditating on what he's done, thinking about how he's blessed you, then you won't have any time to go around complaining about what's wrong in your life.

And every day, we're going to be tested in these areas. Somebody's rude to you at the office. You go through a disappointment. Your plans don't work out. You get a negative medical report. In those difficult times, we're either going to be saying, poor, oh, me, I can't believe it's happening. Or we're going to be saying, Father, I want to thank you that I am more than a conquer.

You said you always caused me to triumph. You said no weapon formed against me is going to prosper. So, Father, I want to thank you in advance that I'm not only coming out, I'm going to come out better off than I was before. We can either complain or praise. I'm asking you to choose to praise. First Thessalonians 518 says, In everything, give thanks.

Doesn't say to give thanks for everything. It says to give thanks in everything. In other words, we don't thank God for the trouble, thank him for the sickness, thank him for the accident. No, in the trouble, we thank him that we're coming out. In the difficulty, we thank him that he's turning it around. In the slow economy, we thank him that he's bringing favor, increased promotion. And any time you have an opportunity to complain, let that be a reminder to give God praise. Just turn it around and thank him that he's working in your life.

What do we have to be grateful for? I read where over a million people a week die. You can be grateful that you made it another week. This article talked about that if you have a roof over your head, you are better off than 75% of the world's population. If you have $15 to your name, you are in the top 8% of the world's wealthiest people. $15.

I know today I am looking at wealthy people right now. Now, keep the right perspective. I heard a poem that said, I am thankful for the taxes I have to pay each year because that means I have a job. I am thankful for the mess I have to clean up after the party because that means I've been surrounded by friends. I am thankful for the lawn that needs to be mowed,

the gutters that need repair, the windows that need to be cleaned because that means I have a home. I am thankful for sore muscles and weariness at the end of the day because that means I was able to work hard. I am thankful for the lady behind me at church that sings off key because that means I'm able to hear. I am thankful for the alarm that goes off early in the morning

because that means I'm still alive. Friends, it's all a matter of perspective how we choose to see it. My brother Paul, as you know, is a medical doctor. He spent 17 years as the chief of surgery at a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. At one point, he and his wife, Jennifer, had three children under the age of six. Paul was working 80 hours a week at the hospital. Then he would come home and have babies to deal with, diapers to change, children waking up in the middle of the night. Of course, Paul loved his family, but he was living very stressed out,

frustrated, not enjoying life, but enduring life. One day something happened that changed his perspective. One of his patients, an elderly woman named Ella, came in for a checkup. She'd had a minor operation. Paul had known Ella for many, many years. In fact, just a few months earlier, Ella's husband of over 50 years had gone to be with the Lord. As usual, Paul was in a big hurry. He was late for an operation.

plus he had another patient to see. Now, he found himself rushing through Ella's exam. As he finished up, Ella asked if she could talk to Paul about something for just a moment. Paul thought for sure it would be a medical question, a health concern. But she looked him in the eyes and said, Dr. Paul, you're so stressed out, I just want to know, how are you doing? Paul was kind of taken back. He apologized for being in such a hurry.

He began to explain how hectic. things were, busy at home with the babies, swamped at the office. He said, Ella, I'm just kind of frustrated right now. It's a very difficult season. I wish I had more time. I just can't wait to get through it. To be polite.

He said, oh, Ella, you're the one that lost your husband. How are you doing? Is there anything you wish for? Her eyes lit up. She said, Dr. Paul, I would give anything to be where you are as a young parent. I would give anything to hear the

pitter-patter of my children's feet running through the house. I would give anything to change a diaper, to make formula, to rock my children back to sleep. How I long for those days. Tears started coming down her cheeks. She said, Paul, one day you are going to look back and miss the very season that you're trying to hurry through. Paul left that day with a different perspective. He couldn't wait to get home to change his children's diapers. Jennifer thought he had lost his mind. He looked forward to his children waking up in the middle of the night so he could spend time putting them back to sleep. With a simple shift in perspective, Paul went from enduring his life to enjoying his life. Could it be that you're missing out on the best of life because your

perspective is all? You're focused on what's wrong, so busy, so stressed, you're missing the good things God's given you, taken for granted, family. friends, health opportunity. Friends, we are living in the good old days. 20 years from now, we're going to look back and say, you remember when our children were small? Remember when mother and daddy were here? Remember when we first moved into the compact center? These are the good old days. Let me challenge you, ignite the moment, make memories together, appreciate what God's put in your life. Look around at all the incredible blessings God has given you. David said in Psalm 90, God, teach us to number our days.

He was saying, God, help us to realize that every day is a gift. Help us to not get so focused on what's wrong and so stressed and so hectic that we don't appreciate the gift of today. I read a question, I'll ask you, if you only had an hour to live, who would you call, what would you say, and what are you waiting for? sometimes we live and act as if we're invincible like we're always going to be here but the scripture says our life is like a vapor

we're here one moment then we're gone heard somebody put it like this we forget how fragile life really is we wait for Thanksgiving to give thanks we wait for Christmas to give gifts we wait for Valentine's Day to show love to those that we hold dear we say to ourselves today

is just an ordinary day. And so we wait. And while we wait, the clock ticks. Precious moments pass by. But in reality, there's no such thing as an ordinary day. Every day is a gift, unique and irreplaceable. Its hours can be used or misused, invested or wasted. God teach us to number our days.

Friends, my prayer for each of us is that we will go out with the right perspective. focused on the good, not taking things for granted, recognizing that every day is unique and irreplaceable. Remember, life is extremely fragile. Slow down and appreciate what God's given you. Every day, hug your children. Take time for the people that God's put in your life. And learn to be thankful for the simple things, even the fact that you can scratch your own edge. Remember, seeds of discouragement can't take root in a grateful heart.

Why don't you make that list of all the things God's blessed you with, keep it in front of you, and go over it again and again, meditate on God's goodness. If you will keep the right perspective, like David, let his praise continually be in your mouth, then God says when you praise, you're going to be raised. That means God will pour out his blessings in favor. You'll accomplish dreams, overcome obstacles, and you'll live that life of victory he has in store. Amen. Do you

receive it today? 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. Thank you for listening to the Joel Osteen podcast. Help us continue to share the message of hope with those all over the world. Visit joelosteen.com slash give hope to give a gift today. Thanks so much for listening to today's message.

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