Joel Osteen Podcast - Walk In Your Heavenly Father's Shoes

Episode Date: June 30, 2020

Whatever you’re facing today, know that God has all the strength you need. You don’t have to shrink back in fear or give up. When you grab hold of His strength, He will take you to places you’ve never dreamed.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.

No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if you could unlock insights about your finances in less than five minutes with a clear picture of where you stand today and where your money can work harder? Now you can.

Visit facet.com to take the free quiz and get your financial wellness score today. That's facet.com. This ad is sponsored by Facet Wealth Incorporated is an SEC registered investment advisor. This is not an offer to buy or sell securities, nor is an investment, legal, or tax advice. Are you ready to move your career forward? Make your comeback with Purdue Global and get college credit for your work, school, life, or military experiences. With these credits, you may have already completed up to 75% of your undergraduate degree.

You've worked hard to get where you are. It's time to get the recognition you deserve and earn a degree you'll be proud of, one that employers will trust and respect. When you take the next step in your life and career, make it count with Purdue Global. Purdue's online university for working adults. Start your comeback at PurdueGlobal. He'll forget about the video game you gave him on his birthday.

Wow, thanks, Grandpa. But he'll never forget how you invested in his future with the UNEST app. Wow, thanks, Grandpa. The UNST 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 IHart50 at Sign Up to receive a $50 bonus when you fund your account. That's code IHart50 when you sign up at UNEST.C for a $50 bonus.

See terms and conditions at UNS dot. See you. Hi, this is Victoria. Thank you so much for downloading this podcast. I believe God has amazing things in your future. I hope you enjoy this message. Have you ever felt like you didn't have the strength to go on? Or maybe you feel like that the task at hand is just so difficult.

And why in the world are you doing it? You know, sometimes we don't think we can do what we're facing. We don't think we can overcome the challenge. Or maybe you've been asked to do something. maybe you've been put in a job or a promotion where it looks like, wow, I don't know if I have the talent and ability to be able to handle what I need to handle. But can I tell you today that in 2 Corinthians it says that God's strength is made perfect in your weakness?

So anything that you don't have, God has the strength for. So whatever you're facing today, God has all the strength you ever need. And that's comforting to know because sometimes we want to look at the end result. And we want to see how in the world we'll ever get there. But God is just saying, look at today. My grace is sufficient for today. Everything you need is here today. I think the trouble we get into is we start working on tomorrow's grace today. We say, but what about tomorrow, God? When God is saying, don't worry about tomorrow, just work on today. I got tomorrow handled. You know, and then when we start doing these kind of things, we start questioning

ourselves. Then we start having these doubts and we have fears and maybe I'm not enough, maybe I'm not adequate, maybe I don't have what it takes. And then we start going down the wrong road. But God said, before the foundation of the world, he already knew you. And he's already equipped you to do whatever he's going to call you to do. But you know what I've noticed about God? He puts things in us that we don't know that's in us. It's a mystery. Have you ever done something? And you thought, how did that happen?

How did I think about that? That's incredible. Well, that's God. Because God is smarter than we are. But he puts things on the inside of us so that we can mine the gold out of us. And we can't be fearful of that. We can't shrink back and think we don't have the ability

because the ability's in there. If you're facing something, whatever it is today, whatever it is today, even if it's a dream and you want that dream, but you're scared to attach yourself to that dream because you're thinking maybe it's just a wish and maybe it's not really what God wants. I want to tell you something, grab hold of that thing. Grab hold of it and believe you have what it takes. Draw strength from God. All you have to do is grab hold of his strength because when you are weak, when you are in doubt, it's no surprise to God because God said, I've already made provision for your weakness. Guess what? When you

you're weak, you're setting me up to be strong. If you handle it the right way, you're setting me up to let my power work through you. Don't close yourself off, but open yourself up to God. And you know what? I think about this. I think I'm up here today, and the truth of the matter is, there's probably a lot of you that could do a better job than me. So I could really stay in that seat, and I'll tell you, sometimes I want to. But the truth is, God put me up here. So I've got to embrace the place that I'm at. I've got to just say, God. God, you know what? When I'm weak, you're strong. Hey, it's not what I say. It's what you do, God. It's what the people here, God. It's what you want to get across to them. Now, I'm going to study.

I'm going to show myself approved. I'm going to fight through. I'm going to be determined. I'm going to try to pick myself up every day. Because, listen, there is no temptation that is not known to all of us. There's no struggle that we don't all face. Let me tell you something. No one's exempt. We all face the same thing. We all face the same challenges. But how do we deal with those challenges? How do we break through those barriers and those limitations? We got to grab hold of the strength of God.

It's great when people encourage you. It's wonderful when people say, man, that's a good job, or they tell you about your talents, they tell you about your gifts. But how about when you look up and there's no one there to encourage you? And you're facing something. That's when you have to say, God, I can't depend on people because people can do the best they can do, but they can't do what God can do. And so there's a point that we can't depend on other people.

We can't let them be our crutch. We've got to say, God, it's you and me. It's us, God. And you know what? We're a majority. We can do this together. I think too often we just sit back and say, you know what, it's too difficult for me, so I'm not going to do it.

Because that's the comfortable thing to do. And we let things pass that we shouldn't. And that's when we get unhappy, because there's something on the inside of us that's saying there's more in store. You can do this. You can do this. It's always pushing us. It's always pushing us. Now, it's a matter of, are we going to take the step of faith and do it?

I've heard Joel say this a thousand times, and you probably have to. He stands up here and he says, I never knew this was in me. He said, I'll work behind the scenes for 17 years. I like being behind the scenes. I never knew this was in me. and he'll tell you when he got up here the first time. You're talking about weak. He was weak.

He was so weak. He said, I had to hold on to the podium. He said, what are you all you guys doing looking at me? You know, I'll never forget that first sermon. I looked down at Joel, and I saw him wearing his father's shoes. Now, listen, these shoes were shoes that he and I had bought years ago in Italy for his father. We wanted to give him something really special. So we bought him a pair of alligator shoes, something he wouldn't buy for himself.

We used all the money we had so we couldn't buy anything for ourselves. But we brought those shoes home and we presented to his father and his father loved the shoes. They were beautiful shoes. But when I looked up there and I saw him wearing his dad's shoes, of course a thousand things went through my mind. I was always sitting on the edge of my seat just saying, God, give him everything I have and everything you have too. But the truth of the matter is, he wasn't wearing his father's shoes to fill his father's shoes. He was wearing his father's shoes to draw strength from his father's shoes. And I just hope that you could get an image of the picture of someone who was standing on a platform,

never dreaming in their life that they were going to be in the position that they were in, but found a strength in their father's shoes. whether you're facing a difficult child, whether you're facing a promotion that you need to have at work, whatever it is. Maybe it's a sickness. Maybe it's an illness of financial trouble. Whatever you're facing, I just want you to get the picture of Joel standing in his father's shoes. And I want you to translate that to yourself of you standing in your heavenly father's shoes,

knowing that there's nothing that can defeat you, nothing you can't do, that it will happen if you'll stand. If you'll put that strength, the strength of those shoes on, your father, shoes. Listen, we all need to borrow God's shoes. We all need to walk in that place because that's where we're going to find our strength. You know, I truly believe God asked us to do things that are way over our head for the very reason that he knows it's over our head. He knows it's going to be difficult for us. And I honestly believe he does that to keep us on our knees.

to keep us dependent on him. Because, see, you're never going to achieve what he's called you to do unless you're dependent on him. Because if you can do it in your own strength, I can tell you this, it's not God. Because God wants you to go beyond your ability and tap into his ability. He wants you to go beyond what you think you can do and get into what only you can do when you do it with God. Walk in your father's shoes. Whenever you feel fear and whenever you feel fear and whenever you're, you feel doubt, just slip those shoes on and say, God, I don't need to worry about tomorrow.

All I need is to have enough strength for today. And God, I know that when I am walking in your shoes and in your strength, your grace is sufficient. You'll add the people to me that I need. You'll open the right doors for me. You'll give me the ideas. But I'm going to wait upon you. The Bible talks a lot about pulling down God's strength. It says, wait upon the Lord and he'll renew your strength.

That means stay in those shoes. Don't get out of those shoes. Don't give up. Don't release what you have in your hands because you're afraid. Stay in those shoes. God will bring that strength to you, but he wants to see our determination. I can tell you this. I saw my husband's determination.

I saw what it took to get to where he is today. I am so glad he didn't let his weakness be an excuse because we wouldn't enjoy the hope of the gospel that we have coming from this place today. People's lives wouldn't be changed if he would have said it's easy to stay in the background. That's the comfortable place. In fact, he likes the background. But I can tell you, he's saying I'm determined because it's my call. And if God's call me, it's going to be bigger than me. And if it's bigger than me, the only way I can accomplish it is by the strength of Almighty God. Walk in your father's shoes. He's going to call you to great things. Don't shrink back.

Don't put limitations on yourself. You've got exactly what you need. There is gold on the inside of you, but the only way it's going to come out is if you stand strong and you find it and you make it come out because God is your confidence and He is your God, and He's going to take you

to the places you need to be. Amen. Amen. We love him so much today. He's a faithful God. Faithful God. Thank you for listening to the Joel O'S-Deen 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 for listening to the podcast. Be sure to subscribe so you can get all of the latest messages. Know that we pray for you. God bless you. 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 and only pay a one-time tech fee of $54 if accepted. Apply now at mental healthcoach.org. Again, that's mental healthcoach.org.

Be a barbecue hero with delicious ultra-low-net carb, hero bread, buns, and tortillas. Soft and fluffy, high in fiber, and with zero grams of sugar and up to 10 grams of protein, coming in at under 100 calories per serving. Oh, and did I mention, they taste like their mouth-watering traditional versions. It's enough to have the neighbors asking for seconds. Use code IHM-10 for 10% off your first hero bread purchase at hero.co.

That's code IHM-10 for 10% off at hero.com. Summer is here and our sleep is just as important as our weekend plans. So get the sleep you deserve with Lisa. For a limited time, save up to $700 off select mattresses plus two free pillows during our summer sale. Check out our hybrid mattress designed to keep you cool during those hot summer nights. Lisa also offers free shipping and a risk-free 100-night trial. Get the sleep you deserve. Shop our summer sale now and save up to $700 off select mattresses, plus two free pillows

at Lisa.com. That's L-E-E-E-S-A.com. Exclusions apply, visit Lisa.com for details.