Joel Osteen Podcast - Unshakeable Faith | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: April 16, 2026

Sometimes we have to pass through a season of waiting before we can see the breakthrough. It's only a matter of time until you see His promises fulfilled in your life.  Take back what life tried to steal. Rediscovering the Forgotten You will help you reignite your passion and step confidently into the life God created you to live. Request our April offer and rediscover your dreams today! https://bit.ly/4aCX4D0   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 for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend. 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.

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. Thank you again for coming out. I'd like to start with something funny. heard about this man. He was out taking a walk through the woods with a friend. When all of a sudden, they encountered a huge grizzly bear, about 20 yards in front of them. They froze in their tracks.

As the bear intently stared them down, they contemplated what they should do. Finally, the man whispered to his friend, I think we should run. His friend said, are you crazy? We can't outrun a grizzly bear. The man said, I know that. I don't have to outrun him. I just have to outrun you. Hold up your Bibles. 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 unshakable faith. When God puts a promise in your heart, You have to come to the place where you believe it's going to happen so strongly, nothing can talk you out of it. It may seem impossible. The medical report may say there's no way you're going to get well.

The financial situation says business is so slow. You're not going to make it. All the circumstances may tell you you'll never accomplish your dreams, never meet the right person, never see your family restored. But deep down, you have to be. to have this confidence, this knowing that God is still on the throne. He's bigger than any obstacle. He already has a way. And at the exact time, what he promised will come to pass. You have this unshakable confidence. You know that God is fighting your battles, arranging things in your favor,

making a way even when you don't see a way. And instead of being discouraged, you get up in the morning thanking God that the answer is on the way. Instead of talking about how big the problem is, you go through the day talking about how big your God is. When the negative thoughts come, saying it's impossible. It's been too long. You let that go in one ear and out the other. Your mind is set in one direction, victory, favor, healing, restoration. You know the moment you prayed, God set the miracle into motion. It may be taken a long time, but God

didn't bring you this far to leave you. You've seen him do it in the past and you know he will do it again in the future. You are fully persuaded. That's unshakable faith. And the fact is, some promises do take a long time. If God

made everything happen when we wanted it to happen, it wouldn't take any faith. We grow in the difficult times. We grow in the difficult times. We grow when our faith is being stretched. When we have to believe, when we don't see any reason to believe. When we stay in faith, when our mind is telling us we're wasting our time. When we give God praise, but we really feel like complaining, that's passing the test. Every day you do that, your faith is not only increasing, your character is

not only being developed, but you are one day closer to seeing the promise come to pass. And some of you were about to give up on a promise, but God has you here for a reason. You need to dig your heels in, put on a new attitude. God is saying every promise I've spoken over you, every dream I've placed in your spirit, even the secret petitions of your heart, the dreams you haven't told anyone about, I still have every intention of bringing them to pass. Friends, God is a faithful God. It may not have happened on your timetable,

but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen. God has the final say. Now, don't you dare give up on that promise. Don't let discouragement, negative thoughts, talk you out of it. Get your fire back. Get your passion back. If God said it, he will do it.

If God spoke it, he will bring it to pass. Now do you apart and have unshakable faith. This is what the Apostle Paul did. He said, none of these things moved me. What were these things, circumstances that looked impossible, people trying to talk him out of it, negative, discouraging thoughts? His attitude was, that doesn't change my mind. I'm not moved by what I see. I'm moved by what I know.

And I know if God be for me, who dare be against me. I know all of God's promises are yes and amen. I know God has the final say. That's the attitude we should have. I'm not moved by this medical report. I respect and honor people that are trying to help me get well, but I know God can do what medical science cannot do. God made my body. Doctors can treat me, but only God can heal me. I'm not moved by the economy, the stock market, my job situation, I know God supplies all of my needs. He promised he would prosper me even in a recession. I'm not moved by how my children are acting, not stressed

out because they're off course, making poor choices. I know it's only a matter of time. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Or for some of you, I'm not moved by the fact that I'm single and I haven't met anyone. I know God

has already picked out the right person. He's already ordained him to come across my path. I am fully persuaded they are in my future. That's unshakable faith. You're not moved by your circumstances. Up when something good has happened, down

when you don't see anything happening. No, you know that you know that you know. Everything God promised you is already in your future. This is what Abraham did. God gave him promise that he would have a child. In the natural, it was impossible. He and his wife Sarah were nearly a hundred years old. But it says in Romans four, Abraham did not waver in faith,

but he was fully persuaded God would do what he promised. How could Abraham have this unwavering faith when all the odds were against him? I could see how he could have a glimmer of hope, but it says he was fully persuaded. Verse 19 gives us a secret. He considered not the weakness of his own body, nor the deadness of Sarah's womb. The key to having unshakable faith is don't consider your circumstances,

consider your God. Your circumstances like Sarah's womb may look dead. The financial situation may look impossible. The medical report may say it's holy, All the experts may tell you you could never accomplish your dreams. If you only consider that, you'll get discouraged. Before long, doubt will creep in. That will keep you from God's best.

You've got to do like Abraham. Say, I'm not going to consider just what my mind, my thoughts are telling me. Not going to consider just what the experts are saying. I'm not going to consider the size of my problem. I'm going to consider the size of my God. He spoke the worlds into existence. He flung the stars into space. He's not limited by the natural.

He has supernatural power. When you consider God, instead of your circumstances, amazing things can happen. I have a friend named Courtney. She attends here, and she applied for a scholarship to a major university. She's going to study theater and the arts and acting. 2,600 other people applied, but there were only 12 scholarships available.

She could have thought, oh, great. What's the use to even try? Those odds are less than one half of 1%, 0.5%. But she didn't consider the odds she considered her God. Her attitude was, God, you control the whole universe. And if you want me in this university, I know you can cause me to stand out. I'm not moved by what I see. I'm moved by what I know.

And I know your plans for me are for good. I know you have far and beyond favor. I know you reward those that honor you. A few months ago, Courtney received notice in the mail that out of the 2,600 applications, she was one of the 12 that were chosen. She's right here on the front row. Courtney, very proud of you.

Some of you are spending too much time analyzing your situation. You have so many facts and figures, it's talking you out of what God can do. If you would spend more time considering God, thinking about his greatness, the times he's made a way in the past, meditating on his promises, speak in faith and victory over your life, then like Courtney, like Abraham, you'd see God show up and do supernatural things. I remember when we first acquired this new facility, the former compact center, I was told by our architects that it would cost approximately $100 million to renovate. My first thought was, how in the world will we ever be able to pay for this? Our team ran the numbers. They projected future giving. If we sold some property and

things fell into place, we calculated we would still be significantly short. I studied those numbers again and again. So much so, I'd wake up in the middle of the night dreaming about those numbers. I had analyzed them a thousand different ways. No matter how I looked at them, we always came up short. On paper, it just wouldn't work out. One day, I did what I'm asking you to do. I said, God, I've considered the numbers, I've considered the facts, I've had very intelligent people Give me projections and analysis. And God, it doesn't look good. But now I'm going to change my focus and start considering you.

God, I know you parted the Red Sea for Moses. You stopped the sun for Joshua. You protected Daniel from hungry lions. You took five lobes and fed 5,000. You turned water into wine. That was back in Bible days. But God, in my own life, I've seen you heal. my mother of terminal cancer.

You brought my father out of defeat and poverty into a life of abundance and purpose. You spared my life on the freeway when my car was spinning around an 18 wheeler right in front of me. You caused Victoria and I to stumble on

to a house that doubled in value overnight. You've given us this beautiful facility. And God, you said, what you started, you will finish. You said, God, we would see this surpassing greatness of your favor. You said

you would supply our needs according to your riches. When I changed my focus, instead of considering my circumstances, started considering my God. Doubt, fear, anxiety, negativity didn't have a chance. Faith rose up.

Expectancy rose up. Hope rose up. I became fully persuaded. I knew that I knew, that I knew, that I knew God would make a way, even though I didn't see a way. That's exactly what happened. Here we are today, not just believing for the promise, but enjoying the promise.

Not just dreaming the dream, but living the dream. Friends, it's so important what you consider. What are you focusing on? The size of your obstacle or the size of your God. If you go through the day, just thinking about your problems, worried, negative, playing out all the scenarios that could happen, that's going to draw in defeat. You're using your faith, but you're using it in the wrong direction. It takes just as much energy to be negative as it does to be positive. It takes just as much energy to be worried as it does to believe. I'm asking us to use

our energy for the right purposes. Most people have considered their circumstances long enough. they've considered the bank account, the medical report, the odds that are against them. It's time to make the switch and start considering our God. Why don't you take the same time that you would normally spend worrying and use that time to thank God that the answer is on the way? Thank him that he's fighting your battles. Thank him that breakthroughs are coming. Instead of over-analizing the situation, spend that same time meditating on the scriptures. I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord. God always causes me to try out.

Instead of reading the medical report for the 1200th time, instead of getting on the internet for four hours, Googling that disease and finding everybody that's ever died from it, why don't you take that same time to go walk in the park and with every step, say, Lord, thank you that healing is flowing through me. Thank you that I'm getting stronger, better, healthier. With every breath, Lord, thank you. You have me in the palm of your hand. Thank you, Lord, that nothing can snatch me away. Here's the key.

When you make God bigger, your problems become smaller. When you magnify God instead of your circumstances, faith rises in your hearts. That's what's going to keep you fully persuaded. Now, pay attention to what you're focusing on. Be aware of what's playing in your mind always. day. Are you considering your circumstances or are you considering your God? Mark chapter 5, Jesus was traveling through a town on his way to pray for a sick person,

but he kept getting stopped along the way, one delay after another. Finally, these people came up and said to his disciples, tell Jesus he doesn't need to come any longer. It's too late. The person has died. The scripture says, Jesus over and hearing, but ignoring. Sometimes in order to stay in faith, you have to ignore a negative report. Doesn't mean you deny the facts, act like they're not there. No, like Jesus, you may hear the facts.

The odds may be against you, but you choose not to dwell on them. You don't go around defeated, thinking, oh, great, I knew I wouldn't get well. Look at this doctor's report. Now, that may be one report, but God has another report. The medical report may say, according to medical science, you'll never get well. But God's report says, I'm restoring health under you and healing you of your wounds. The question is, whose report are you going to believe? The financial report may say, you'll never get out of debt. You'll never be able to take that mission's trip. You'll never

afford the house you really want. That's one report. Don't deny it, but choose to believe the report of the Lord. God says you will lend and not borrow. Whatever you touch will prosper and succeed. His favor surrounds you like a shield. If you're going to have unshakable faith, you've got to learn to ignore the negative reports and choose to believe the report of the Lord. One time Jesus saw some men on a beach. They were putting away their fishing nets and all of their equipment. They'd been out fishing that night. Jesus asked if he could borrow their boat so he could push away from the shore and teach the people that had gathered. They'd never met before, but the men agreed.

When Jesus finished, as a way to say thank you, he told the men, launch out into the deep, and you will catch a great haul of fish. These fishermen begin to reason in their mind. They thought, he's a teacher. We're professional fishermen. This is how we make a living. We know when the fish are biting. and when they're not biting.

We've been doing this for years. We are experts, and now is not the time to go fishing. For some people, the problem is they know too much. Our intellect can talk us out of what God wants to do. I told a story once about a lady that overcame cancer three times. After the service, another lady came up. Said, Joel, I like that story, but the type of cancer I have is very rare.

Less than 1% of all cancer. There's no treatment for it. The average life expectancy is this long. On and on. In great detail, she told me all the reasons why she couldn't get well. And story after story of people that had not made it. And how there was no medicine that could affect this type of cancer. When she got finished, she had convinced me.

I was depressed too. I wasn't even sick. I was ready to plan my funeral. What was her problem? She knows too much. She has analyzed it and reanalyzed it and studied it and researched it. No wonder she doesn't have any faith. And it's good to have information.

I'm not saying to live with our head in the sand, but there comes a point where you have to say, I am not going to put any more doubt and unbelief into my mind. Yes, I want to know the facts, but I don't need to know all the details. of why I'm not going to get well, why I'm not going to get out of debt, why I can't accomplish my dreams.

Take this in the right sense. Sometimes you have to turn your mind off. If you listen long enough, the experts, they can talk you out of God's best. With the facts, the figures, the details, the statistics, they can convince you into live in a defeated, mediocre life. It's like this guy I heard about.

He was standing on the side of a bridge about to jump. So depressed, so discouraged. A man ran up. Said, please, please don't jump. Let me help. Tell me about your problems. For the next three hours, in great detail, he told the man all of his problems. When he got finished, they both jumped. I want to know the facts, but I don't want to know too much. If you don't cut that off, it's going to depress you. You've got to get out of the natural and say this may be impossible with men. But with God, all things are possible.

Those fishermen said to Jesus, we've been out fishing all night and caught nothing. Thank you for your advice. Thank you for your suggestion. But we're the experts. We know the facts. We got the latest fishing report emailed to us earlier this morning. Nothing is biting.

Jesus said, in effect, the promise I've given you may not make sense in the natural, but I have supernatural power. Your report may say that there are no fish out there, but you have to understand, I control the fish. There may not have been fish last night, last week, or last year, but I can assure you there are fish out there right now. Jesus finally convinced them,

and they went out sort of thinking that they were wasting their time. But they said, nevertheless, Jesus, at your word, we will do it. They turned their mind off. They ignored their logic, their reasoning, their experience what that was telling then. I've learned, God is not always logical. God's ways are not always our ways. They went out and caught so many fish that their boat began to seek. Now, don't talk yourself out of what God wants to do in your life.

It may not seem logical. Your reasoning may tell you there's no way. You're too young or too old. all the odds are against you, it looks impossible, dare to do like these fishermen. Say, God, this promise you've given me doesn't make sense. I don't see how it could ever happen. I don't know why I should even get my hopes up. Nevertheless, God, if you say so, I'm going to believe so.

That's what Mary did, the mother of Christ. She was a teenager living in Nazareth. An angel appeared under her and said, Mary, you are highly faithful. favored of God. You will give birth to a child without knowing a man. He will be the son of God. God spoke this incredible promise to her. You can imagine the thoughts of defeat and doubt that were bombarding her mind saying, you can't have a child without a man. That's impossible. That defies the laws of nature. If she would have looked at it just in the natural, she would have talked herself out of it. But Mary understood this principle. She didn't,

consider her circumstances, she considered her God. I love the way she answered back. She didn't say that sounds so far out. I just don't see how it could happen. No, she was bold. She told the angel, be it unto me, even as you have said. In other words, let it happen. I'm in agreement. If God says I'm highly favored, I believe I'm highly favored. If God says the impossible is going to happen, I believe the impossible will happen. That's the thing. That's the thing. the way we need to be when God puts a promise in our heart. We may not see how it could work out in the natural, but we don't try to reason it out. We don't make excuses. We do like Abraham and become fully persuaded. You may be facing an illness. God gives you the promise with long life he will

satisfy you. You can either say, well, I don't know, Joel, the report doesn't look good. I've had this for five years. My great grandmother died of the same thing. you can talk yourself out of it or you can say like Mary, God, if you say I'm going to be well, I believe I'm going to be well. Maybe you're struggling in your finances. You've run all the numbers. It doesn't look like you'll ever get out of debt. But because you're a giver, God gives you the promise.

He's going to open the windows of heaven, pour out blessings that you cannot contain. Now, don't make excuses. God, do you know where I work? God, do you know what the cost of living is? God, have you seen the stock market? No, zip that up and do like Mary. God let it happen. I'm in agreement. Be it under me, even as you have said. Mary asked the angel something interesting. She said, how can this be seeing that I know not a man? She was asking, of course, about the physical, but I believe there's a deeper meaning. God is saying, my promises are not dependent on man. You don't have to know certain people in order to fulfill your destiny. Sometimes we think if I could just get my boss to like me, then he'd give me that promotion.

If I could just get to that expert, then I'd have the training. If I just had some important influential friends, maybe I could get a good break. No, God's promises are not dependent on who you know or who you don't know. The main thing is you know him and he controls it all. The scripture says, promotion doesn't come from people. It comes from Almighty God. When it's your time to be promoted, to be healed, to be restored, God doesn't go check with your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers.

He says, like Mary, I'll make it happen without a man. If God can do it without a man, he can do it without a bank. He can do it without a loan. He can do it without the treatment. He can do it without the treatment. Some of you have considered your circumstances long enough. It's time to start considering your God. He is the all-powerful creator of the universe. The promise, the dream he's placed in your heart may seem impossible, may look too big. When you run the numbers, so to speak, doesn't seem logical. But don't do like the fishermen and overanalyze it and try to reason it all out.

you'll just talk yourself out of it. Do like Mary. Dare to say, God, I don't see a way, but I know you have a way. Let it happen. When the negative reports, the negative thoughts come, saying it's too late, it's impossible. Learn to ignore it.

That's one report, but remember God has another report. He's saying today, every promise I've spoken over you. Every dream I've placed in your heart, I will bring it to pass. I am bringing you out. a debt into abundance.

You will live healthy and whole. Your children will be mighty in the land. You will overcome that addiction. That problem will not defeat you. You will meet the right people. You will accomplish dreams greater than you ever imagined. Because you have unshakable faith. Because you are fully persuaded.

Like Abraham, you are going to see the surpassing greatness of God's favor. I believe it and declare it in Jesus' name. If you receive it, can you say amen 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. Amen. Well, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a Bible-based church, keep God first place. He's going to take your places you've never dreamed up. Life throws so much at us, disappointments, failures, challenges. We can feel so out of touch that we no longer recognize ourselves. Life has a way of changing us. At one time we were

outgoing and excited about our dreams, but when we go through disappointments and people do us wrong, it's easy to lose that positive, passionate person that we used to be. In my new book, Rediscovering the Forgotten You, I'll help you get back to who you really are. The joyful you, the confident you, the talented you. It's not too late. You haven't been through too much. You may have lost part of yourself, but you can find yourself. God is in the business of restoring what was lost, healing what was broken.

You haven't seen the best version of you yet. It's still in front of you. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount, we would like to send you a copy of Joel's brand new book, Rediscovering the Forgotten You. Take back your passion, re-ignite your dreams, and embrace the life you were created to live.

This book shares uplifting scripture and personal stories that will help you release bitterness, silence self-defeating thoughts, and embrace, by faith, the vision of the life God designed for you. Life's challenges might have distorted the true you, but now you can reclaim, revitalize and restore the version of yourself that you once knew, or the version that you know God has made you to be,

filled with hopes and dreams, optimism, and confidence. Request your copy today and discover the best version of you yet. God is about to breathe new life, new passion, new dreams into your heart. What he started, he's going to finish. Thanks so much for being with us today. Victoria and I are praying for you and your family for God's very best. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity helps people all over the world.

A special thank you to our champion of hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider the coming one. Until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Rediscovering the Forgotten You. Available this month by simply visiting us at joel Osteen.com or call 888-566. Joel. You can also receive the God's Got You Rediscovery Duo. You'll receive Rediscovering the

Forgotten You and God's Got You promises for overcoming fear. It's the perfect combination to help you rekindle your purpose while standing firm in God's promises. In addition to these two inspiration books, you can also receive the beautifully crafted CSB thin line study Bible in Camel Swade Soft Leather Touch, an elegant Bible that offers a rich, immersive study experience and brings God's Word beautifully into your everyday life. This collection is more than encouragement. It is a foundation for lasting renewal, rooted in God's Word, strengthened by faith, and anchored in His promises. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567 Joel or logging on to Joelosteen.com today.