Joel Osteen Podcast - Trust the Faithfulness of God

Episode Date: August 12, 2020

God is a faithful God. You can trust Him even when there’s disappointment. Continue to believe God is in control and He has something better in store. 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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Wow, thanks, Grandpa. The UNEST app makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give funds to a child's investment account for limited time. Download the UNEST app and use the code IHeart50 at sign up to receive a $50 bonus when you fund your account. That's code IHeart50 when you sign up at UNEST.co for a $50 bonus. See terms and conditions at UNES. Hi, this is Joel and Victoria.

Thanks for downloading our podcast. We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll leave inspired. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. Enjoy the message. Well, 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 for each one of you. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services. these are the finest people in all of Houston, Texas, right here at Lakewood. So come out and see us. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks for coming out again. I like to start with something funny each week. And I heard about this lady that surprised a burglar in her kitchen one night. She was alone and unarmed, didn't really know what to do. So she thought, I'll just quote a scripture. And she shouted out, Acts 238. Suddenly the burglar froze in his tracks. The police soon arrived.

and they were amazed at how a woman with no weapon could do this. They said to the burglar, what was it about that scripture that had such an effect on you? The burglar said scripture, what scripture? I thought she said she had an axe and 238s. All right, 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. 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 how you can trust the faithfulness of God. Every one of us has dreams and goals in our heart. There are promises that we're standing on. Maybe you're believing for a child to turn around or believing to get healthy again, believing to start a business. to get out of debt, to be in ministry.

Deep down, you know God has spoken that to your spirit. He's birthed it on the inside. But so often, because it's taking a long time and we've been through disappointments, we get negative and start thinking that it's not going to happen. The reason many people don't see God's promises come to pass is because they get discouraged and give up too soon. but just because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean that God is not working.

Just because it's taking a long time doesn't mean God ran out of options. Just because your mind is saying it's over, your emotions are saying no way, the circumstances look impossible, that doesn't mean that God is not going to do what he said. God is faithful to his word. All of his promises are yes and amen. that means if you will do your part and believe even though it looks impossible and not let your mind, your emotions or other people talk you out of it, then God promises in due season at the right time he will bring it to pass. It may not happen the way we expected or on our timetable, but God is a faithful

God. It will happen. He will not let you down. That's what he said in Hebrews 13. I will not in any way fail you or leave you without support. Therefore, we can say with confidence, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? You need to let that sink down on the inside. I will not fail you. God is saying everything is going to work out. I'm in complete control. I know what the medical report says. I know what the financial situation. I know what the financial situation looks like. I see the people that are coming against you. I know how big your dreams are and hear me clearly. I will not fail you. I will not let you down. I will not let that problem overtake you. I will cause you to be the overcomeer. God is saying if we will keep our trust in him,

he will always make a way even though it looks like there is no way. He will give you strength for every battle, wisdom for every decision, peace that passes understanding. God will vindicate you for the wrongs that have been done. He will pay you back for unfair situations. He promised he will not only bring your dreams to pass, but he will give you even the secret desires of your heart. Dare to trust him. Come back to that place of peace.

Quit living worried, stressed out, wondering if it's going to happen. No, God has. you in the palm of his hand. He has never once failed before, and the good news is he's not about to start now. I like the way the amplified version puts this passage. I will not, I will not, I will not ever fail you or release my hold on you. That's the only place in the scripture that I can find where God repeats something three times in a row. The reason God says it three times is because he knew how easy it would be to give up on his promises.

He knew when it was taken a long time and nothing was going our way, that many people would think, well, I don't guess I'm supposed to be blessed. I know God promised that I would lend and not borrow, but I can barely pay my own bills. Or I know God said he would do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond, but I don't see how I could have in Ephesians 320 decade. I never get any good breaks. God knew we would have every opportunity

to talk ourselves out of it and give up on his promises. That's why he said it three times. I will not. I will not. I will not ever fail you or let you down. Now, if God went to the trouble of saying it three times, this tells me we need to make sure we get it.

We need to develop an unshakable confidence that says, I know what you say is true. And I'm not going to be moved by what I see. I'm not going to be discouraged by what I don't see. I'm not going to give up because it's taken a long time. God, I trust you. I know you will never fail.

You will never let me down. So I boldly say, the Lord is my helper. All through the day, we should make that declaration. The Lord is my helper. When you're tempted to feel overwhelmed, like you're not going to make it. No, the Lord is my helper. He's making my crooked places straight. Well, it looks like you'll never get well. No, no. The Lord is my helper. He's restoring health back into me. Well, it seems like the economy is going to push your business under. No, the Lord is my helper. He's Jehovah Jira, the Lord my provider.

When you learn to magnify the promises, rather than magnifying the problems, then the Lord your God will show up and act as your helper and make sure that those promises come to pass. And understand, God is not necessarily obligated to bring to pass what we say, but he is obligated to bring to pass what he says. This is why it's so important to find the promises that apply to your situation and remind God what he said. In other words, God, you said, you are my helper and you are my helper. And you will never fail me or let me down. God is obligated to bring that promise to pass. That's his word that is forever true. Or God, I'm in this big problem. People are coming against me. But God, you said in Psalms, the strength of the wicked is being cut off and the power of the godly is being increased.

God, you said, the trap the enemy set for me, they would fall in themselves. See, instead of complaining about the situation, or instead of begging God, God, please help me. God get me out of this trouble. Know what causes God to act. What God responds to is his own word. Take those promises and remind God what he says. God, you said, you're close to the brokenhearted and I'm hurting. I've been through this disappointment, but God, you promised you would give me beauty for ashes. You said, weeping endures for a night, but joy is coming. Those are promises that God is obligated to bring to pass. And when I say obligated, I'm not saying that we're bossing God around,

telling him what to do. No, the principle is God is faithful to his word. He cannot lie. It goes against his very nature. He could never break a promise. And so when we bring his promises back to him and remind him what he said, that's what causes him to respond. I have a good friend named Jeff Hackleman. We grew up together and were roommates in college. Jeff pastors a church in Huntsfield, Texas right now. Jeff has always loved

to fish. One day when we were in high school, he went down to Texas City to go fishing there in the Gulf. He had done this many times before. He had a small boat that he had bought used. And this day, he and his friend Brent decided to try somewhere different to fish. At the dock there, Texas City, they asked the man in charge how to get back to that place from the Bolivar gas wells. That's where they decided to fish. The man said, it's no problem. We're directly north.

If you're anywhere around those gas wells, just head back due north and you'll get right back to this dock. And so Jeff and Brent traveled an hour or so in their little boat and got there, started fishing away, and the fish were biting left and right. In the midst of all the excitement of catching fish, what they didn't realize was a thick fog had set in to where you could barely see 20 feet in front of you happened so quickly that it caught him off guard. The sun had already set. It was about to get dark, and Jeff became alarmed, and he said, Brent, pull up the anchor. we've got to get out of here. Jeff stood up in the boat and looked around to try to

try to get his sense of direction. Of course, all he could see was fog. He thought about it. He studied it. He analyzed it. And everything in his logic said, you need to go this way. He asked Brent. Brent's father is a big fisherman. Brent looked around, analyzed it all. And he said, no, Jeff, it's not this way. I'm positive. It's this way. Just the opposite of what Jeff thought. Now Jeff was very confused. So he got his compass out and due north. like the man at the dock told him was not this way, not this way, but this way, a totally different direction. Jeff cranked up the motor and in spite of what he thought or his friend thought, he started heading due north, that way the man at the dock told him.

Jeff said everything within me was telling me you're going the wrong direction. My thoughts, my reasoning, my logic, my friend, my emotion, everything was saying, you're making a mistake. You better turn around. But Jeff just kept hearing the man at the dock say, if you'll go due north, you'll get back to this place. Because of the fog, they had to travel extremely slow. Only 10 miles an hour. You could not see anything. They crept along 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour, an hour and 15 minutes. the voice started coming to Jeff saying, if you were going right, you would have already been there by now.

How many times in life, as we're standing on God's promises, do we hear that same voice? If you were going to get well, you'd already feel better by now. If you were going to get married, you would have already surely met somebody by now. If you were going to get promoted,

it would have already happened by now. There will always be voices trying to convince us that it's too late, it's been too long, you're too old, you're going the wrong direction. Jeff began to get worried. His fuel was getting low. On top of that, to make matters worse, Brent began to panic. He started hollering and screaming at Jeff. Turn around, man. You're taking me out to sea on six gallons of gas. This is dangerous. There was an incredible battle taking place in Jeff's mind. Do I believe? what the man at the dock told me is true? Or do I go by what I feel, what I think, what my friend is

telling me? In spite of all those contradicting and confusing voices, Jeff just kept traveling due north, 15 more minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour. Just as he was about to give up and go a different direction, he began to faintly see the Texas City dock come into view. He made it back safely. And sometimes in life, the fog sets in. We don't know which direction to go. You know God has put the promise in your heart, but every voice is saying, it's not going to happen. It's been too long. It's impossible. No, the scripture says, let God be true and every man a liar. That means what God said to you, the promises in his word will override what other people say. It'll override what your own mind is telling you.

It will even override what the circumstances look like. God always has the final say. In the foggy seasons of life, if you will trust God's promises, they will bring you back home safely every time. May not look like it. Your logic may tell you no way. Why am I even believing that this will happen? You may not feel like it.

Your emotions may tell you get depressed. Get discouraged. Other voices may say, not a chance, impossible. That's when you have to dig your heels in and say, God, I'm going to believe what you say in spite of how I feel, in spite of what my logic is telling me, in spite of how long it's been, God, I'm just going to keep acting like what you said is true. I'm going to keep believing that you're in control, knowing that you're a faithful God, and you will never fail me or let me down. That's what our family had to do. In 1981, the fog set in.

My mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Every voice said, it's over. She'll never make it start planning her funeral. But we found another voice, a promise from God's word. It says, I will live and not die and declare the works of the Lord. We had to decide, are we going to believe what God says about her? and let his promise give us direction and hope and faith, or are we going to go in the direction that we feel discouraged, depressed, despair? It was extremely foggy. All these voices were competing,

telling us that their direction was the right way. The morning after my mother came home from the hospital, she'd been there 21 days and the doctors finally released her with nothing else that they could do. we gathered early that next morning in the den as a family. And we made a decision that we were going to stand on God's promises, knowing that he is our helper and he will never fail us or let us down. Day after day, we just kept moving in that direction, acting like God told us the truth. In the natural, it didn't look like it was working.

The first several months, my mother never got any better. There were times like Jeff. We thought if it was going to happen, we would already be there by now. We had to ignore those voices and keep pressing forward. God is faithful. One day, we begin to see the shore come into sight. And she didn't get well overnight, but little by little, month after month, she got better and better. And that was 29 years ago.

Today she's perfectly healthy and strong as can be. But some of you, right now the fog has set in. You know God has promised that you're going to get well, that you're going to get out of debt. A relationship's going to be restored. You're going to accomplish a dream. But every voice is saying, no way. If it was going to happen, it would have already happened. You're too old. Your situation is too bad. You don't have the resources. Just like Jeff, just like we did, you have to make the decision. Am I going to believe those negative voice? You're not. You're going to believe those negative voices. and go in that direction? Or am I going to believe what God says and go in his direction? Let me encourage you, go with God. See, our attitude should be, God, you said, I would lend and not borrow. I may not see how, but that's the direction that I'm headed. God, you said, my children will be mighty in the land. That's what I'm believing for. God, you said, what you started in me, you would bring to completion. So I am headed in the direction, God, of what you have promised. When you live, you live,

learn to magnify the promises rather than the problems, then in due season, you will see your shore begin to come into sight. God will get you to where he wants you to be. Well, you say, Joel, my situation didn't turn out like yours. We prayed, we believed, but my loved one didn't make it. I worked hard, but I didn't get the promotion. I stepped out in faith, but my business didn't make it. It looks like God has failed me. Now, you have to have the trust that God knows what's best for you. He has your best interest at heart. And just because your plan didn't work out or your loved one went on to heaven doesn't mean that God is not in control. You've got to come back to that place of peace and say, God, I know you're still on the throne.

And even though I don't understand this, even though I'm disappointed, I refuse to live my life negative, bitter, discouraged. I believe that you know what's best. for me. You know every dream, every promise, and here's the key, and I trust you enough to believe at the right time in my due season, you will bring every promise that you've spoken to me to pass, to fulfillment. That's what a young lady did by the name of Veneta Flowers from the time she was a little girl. Her dream was to compete in the Olympic Games. She's always been an incredibly fast runner. By the age of 22, she was a world-class athlete, ready to try out for the Olympics. She competed in the 100-meter dash and in the long jump, but her efforts were not quite good

enough. She missed making the team by a fraction of a second. Instead of giving up, she decided to put in four more years of grueling training, getting up early, running, lifting weights, working out, eating properly. In the year 2000, her big moment. came. At the age of 26, and in the best shape of her life, she tried out for the long jump. She knew this would be her last chance to make the Olympic team. But in spite of her training and all of her talent, she still didn't make it. She was so devastated. It looked like 17 years of training

had gone down the drain. It was definitely foggy in her life. Every voice said, it's over. you must have heard God wrong because it's definitely not going to happen now. One day her husband saw a sign in the gym that said continue your Olympic dream by trying out for the bobsled team. There were two requirements. You had to be a good sprinter and a good long jumper,

the very two things that she had worked on for over 17 years. She didn't even know what the bobsled was, but her husband talked her into trying out. Long story short, she not only made the Olympic team, but in 2002, she became the first African-American woman to ever win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics. Friends, God is a faithful God. You can trust him. What he promised will come to pass. And our attitude should be, God, I know you will never fail me or let me down.

And even though this looks like a disappointment, I believe that all things work together for my good. It may not be good right now, but I believe one day I will look back and see how in the overall plan for my life, you use this to my advantage. Friends, faith is all about trusting. You've got to know down deep that God has your best interest at heart. And just because you go through a disappointment does not mean it's not going to happen. I see too many people, if their plan doesn't work out, if they don't qualify for the new home, if they don't get the promotion, instead of believing that God's in control and he has something

better in store, they get all down and discouraged. And they never see the promise come to pass. But again, just because it doesn't happen our way on our timetable doesn't mean that it's not going to happen. The other day, when we were at Dodger Stadium doing our not. night of hope, at the end of the service, our 11-year-old daughter, Alexandra, comes up and sings. The sound at the big stadiums, where we were standing at second base, can be very confusing. When you say something, it's so big and there's so much delay and reverberation, you don't hear what you said for a second or two. You have to really concentrate and ignore

the sound coming back. Now, Alexandra was wearing little electronic, monitors in her ears, like you see the singers wearing to help take care of this problem. It would be almost impossible to sing without them. The only problem was when Alexandra got up to sing, there was a technical issue and her monitors were not working. She could not only not hear herself or the music electronically, but they act just like earplugs and she couldn't even hear herself naturally. Of course, this was all going out live.

on television. She got up and started singing, doing her best. She didn't know if the mic was on, if people could hear her, if she was in tune. All these voices were telling her, you might as well stop. Nobody's hearing you. You're wasting your time. It's not working. In the midst of all this confusion, she just happened to look over to her left and see her mother sitting in the bleachers. Victoria had a big smile on her face, nodding her head. Yes. She, She was saying, it's working. Keep going. You're doing good.

Alexandra sang for another 20 or 30 seconds, still not able to hear herself or the music. And all kinds of sounds are coming and going. These voices telling her to stop. She looks back over. And there's Victoria. Still smiling bigger than me, ear to ear, nodding her head saying, yes, yes, yes.

She ended up singing the whole song without ever being able to hear herself or the music, all because she could see her mother telling her you're doing good. It's okay. Keep going. Sometimes in life, when we get up, the mic is not working. In other words, we're doing our best, but it doesn't look like anything is happening. We've trained, we've sacrificed, we prayed, we believe, but it just doesn't look like it's worth it. We wonder, is it even worth it to keep going? is it worth it to keep treating this person right, even though they're treating me wrong? Is it worth it to keep pursuing my dreams when I've had so many closed doors?

Is it worth it to keep trying to overcome this addiction, even though I failed so many times? Now listen, if you will look up through your eyes of faith, just like Alexandra saw her mother, you will see your heavenly father with a big smile, nodding his head, saying, yes, it's worth. it. Keep going. You're doing good. I'm in control. I'm a faithful God. When those voices come and they come to all of us saying stop, give up, you're wasting your time. Don't dwell on it. Learn to look back up. Use your imagination. See your heavenly father smiling down on you, nodding his head, saying yes. When you realize the creator of the universe is saying you're doing good, you can make it.

When you realize the God that spoke the worlds into existence is saying, I'll never fail you, keep going. That's what will give you the strength, the confidence, the determination to ignore every negative voice, to shake off every disappointment, knowing that if God be for you, if God is saying yes, it doesn't matter who else is saying no, God has the final say.

friends we can trust the faithfulness of God what he promised he will bring to pass he's saying to you today I will not fail you I will not let you down I will not release my hold on you now we can boldly say the Lord is our helper I want you to have this confidence that God is in control and just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean that it's not going to happen

that means the promise is still in your future And in those foggy seasons of life, make up your mind that you're going to trust God's promises. Don't listen to that other voices. God's promises will get you home safely every time. Some of you are living worried, stressed, wondering if it's ever going to happen. No, God has you in the palm of his hand. He has never failed you in the past. And let me assure you, he will not fail you in the future. And if you will dare trust the faithfulness of God in me.

due season, he promises he's going to pour out his favor in new ways. You're going to overcome every obstacle, defeat every enemy, accomplish every dream. And I believe and declare every promise God put in your heart. You will see that come to fulfillment. 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 sin. I repent of my sin. come into my heart, wash me clean, 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'll 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. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you.

I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you next time. More than ever before, people are turning to the church for their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, the church has largely been ill-equipped to help. That is until now, join nearly 50,000 people just like you who've enrolled in the mental health coach training program and become equipped to help. For a limited time, apply for a full tuition scholarship

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