Joel Osteen Podcast - Walking In The Fullness Of The Blessing | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: August 31, 2023

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Dive in deeper at Bose.com forward slash eye heart. this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoyed 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. God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we're believing you're going to have a supernatural year. It's going to be your best year so far. If you're ever in our area, stop by and see us. I promise you, we'll make you feel right at home.

But thanks for tuning in. Thanks again for coming out. I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this college professor. He told his students he was going to prove that there is no God. He said, God, if you're real, knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes to do it. With every minute that went by, he kept taunting God saying, here I am, God, I'm still waiting.

About that time, a 300-pound football player walking down the hall overheard what he was saying. Put his shoulder down. He knocked that professor flying off that platform. The professor got up in a daze and said, what in the world did you do that for? The player replied, God said he was busy, so he sent me. 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. 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 walking in the fullness of the blessing. Every one of us, as God's children,

has what the scripture calls the blessing. It's an empowerment, a divine enablement to accomplish our God-given dreams. The blessing is really God's favor on your life. It's when he's breathing. It's. in your direction. When you walk in the blessing, you make good decisions. You see supernatural opportunities. The right people come across your path. And you realize it's not your own strength. It's not your own ability. It's the blessing of God on your life. And we've all experienced a measure of this blessing. We've seen a measure of God's favor. But there is a level of blessing God is going to release in your life like nothing you've ever seen before. The Apostle Paul said in Romans, I will come in the fullness of the blessing. That word fullness means to the highest degree, the greatest measure. You may say,

well, Joel, God has blessed me. I've got a good family. I've got a good job. I live in a nice house. That's great. But God is saying, you haven't seen anything yet. You haven't touched the surface of what God has in store. You've walked in a measure of that blessing. You've walked in a measure of that blessing, but God has a much greater measure. He has promotion lined up for you that if he showed you right now, it boggle your mind. God has opportunities in your future that are going to amaze you. He's going to bring people across your path to where you look back and say that had to be the hand of God. What am I saying? What you've seen in the past is a tiny fraction of what God is going to do in the future. If you would have told me when I was in my 20s, sitting here at the compact

center watching the Rockets play basketball, that one day this would be our facility, I would have said, what planet have you been living on? That was so much bigger, so far beyond anything I could even imagine. If you would have told me just 10 years ago when I was working behind the scenes here, never ministered before, quiet, and reserved that one day I would be a minister, one day I would be on television, I would write books, go all over the world.

I would have said, your elevator doesn't go all the way up. I didn't think this was in me. But one thing I've learned is God likes to outdo himself. God's dream for your life is so much bigger than your own.

God is going to take you places that you've never thought possible. He is going to open up doors that you've never imagined, he's going to bring talent out of you that you didn't even know you had. This is the time to get excited about your future. It's time to get your hopes up.

You are not here by accident. You have been chosen by the creator of the universe. Your destiny is not determined by the economy or how you were raised or your education. Your destiny is determined by Almighty God. And the good news is, God has already laid out a life of victory for every one of you. Whether you realize it or not, even right now, because you're honoring God, he is arranging things in your favor. He is lining up new ideas, new opportunities, promotion, increase.

In the days ahead, you're going to like stumble into it. You're going to look up like I did and think, how in the world did I end up here? I didn't have the experience, didn't have the connections, didn't have the funds. All I can say is look what the Lord has done in my life. What happened? You tapped in to a greater measure of that blessing. But some of you today, you're not releasing your faith for this fullness. It's easy to get satisfied and think, well, Joel, I am blessed.

I've got a roof over my head. I've got money to pay my bills. And that's good, but that's not God's best. God is a God of abundance. He wants you to not only have enough for your needs, but to have so much left over, you can be a blessing to somebody else. And we need to go beyond, I'm blessed

because I've got food on the table. I'm blessed because I've got peace. And that's good. Let's be grateful, but don't stop there. The fullness of the blessing is when you get up in the morning and say, wow, God, I'm amazed at where you brought me. I'm amazed at the family you've given me.

I'm amazed at this opportunity. I'm amazed at this beautiful house. When you stand in amazement of God's goodness, that's a sign you're tapping in to the fullness of the blessing. And you may not be there just yet, but my encouragement is don't settle where you are. You've got to keep your faith stirred up. Every morning, thank God for the fullness of his blessing.

When you go out, look for God's favor. You are a child of the most high. God. God is a God of overflow. He is not a barely get by God. He is a more than enough God. What he has laid out for your future is more than you can imagine. What he's got arranged for your family is more than you've ever even dreamed up. In the coming days, you're going to see supernatural doors begin to open. You're going to see promotion like you've not seen before. God is going to bring people across your path that for no apparent reason

will want to be good to you. People that will help you fulfill your dreams. You're going to have extraordinary wisdom. You're going to tap into ability that you didn't even know you had. You're going to walk in the fullness of this blessing. Well, you say, Joel, I don't believe that's going to happen for me.

I don't believe I'm going to rise any higher. Then this is not for you. This is for believers. This is for people that will let the sea. take root. No matter where you are, you need to dig your hills in and say with the Apostle Paul, I'm not settling

here. I'm going to become everything God's created me to be. I'm going to walk in the fullness of his blessing. The scripture talks about how God will give us houses that we didn't build. Vineyards that we didn't plant. That simply means

if you'll keep God first place and honor him with your life, God will give you favor that you didn't have to work for. God will give you a promotion even though you weren't the most qualified. He'll release extraordinary blessings simply because you're his child.

You need to get this down in your spirit. It is going to be a supernatural year. God is going to unleash his favor in unprecedented ways. You may have had victories in your past, but your greatest victories are still in your future. What God has done in the past is going to pale in comparison to what God is about to do.

You might as well get ready. There is going to be a great outpouring of God's goodness like nothing we've ever seen before. You and I are living at the right time. We are at the right place. We're in the right family. As long as we continue to be people of excellence and integrity, then nothing that's happened in the past,

nor nothing that will happen in the future can stop this blessing. from coming our way. Well, you see, Joel, I don't see how you can say that with the economy like it is. All the experts are saying it's going to get worse before it gets better. That may be true in general, but it

doesn't have to be true for you and me. We are connected to a supply line that will never run dry. God said your leaf will not wither and whatever you touch will prosper. Don't be talked into having a bad year.

The economy is not our source. God is our source. And God wants to bless you beyond your salary. He wants to bless you beyond your normal income. God likes to do unusual things. He can bless you with what

I call an explosive blessing. That means all the sudden, unexpectedly, out of the blue, you get an inheritance. Or a debt is canceled. A business takes off. A new client searches you out. An explosive

blessing takes you to a new level. It blast away old limitations and suddenly you find yourself further than you ever dreamed. Had a gentleman tell me just last week how he got a check in the mail and inheritance from someone he didn't even know he was related to. That one check put him and his family at a whole new level. What was it? An explosive blessing. I don't know about you, but I'm believing this year, I'm going to see more of these explosive blessings. We should pray, God blast me to a new level.

God blast me out of these limitations that are holding me back. I have some friends that own property out in the country. They've had it for years and years. Hardly paid anything for it. It's way out in the middle of nowhere. But several months ago, the state informed them that they're putting a new freeway in and it's going to go right through their property. They not only sold part of it

for a huge profit to the state, but now three or four developers are bidding over the rest of that property. Overnight, it went from being worth nothing to being extremely valuable. Think about it. God knew all along where the freeway was going to go. God had it all planned out,

then suddenly, unexpectedly, things fell into place. A single parent mom told how a local hospital forgave a $57,000 debt for her child's surgery an explosive blessing. A young man told how the college he wanted to attend

didn't have any more scholarships. He applied, but they turned him down. He was very discouraged. He didn't have the funds to go on his own. Three weeks before school started, he got a call back from the university saying something had changed. Instead of offering him

the two-year partial scholarship, that he'd applied for, they said, we've got a four-year total scholarship for you. Just one phone call, one touch of God's favor, one explosive blessing. Now, when he graduates, instead of having tens of thousands of dollars to pay back, he'll graduate totally debt-free.

Why don't you start believing for some of these explosive blessings, blessings that will thrust you to a new level? Paul said in Ephesians 2, in the ages to come, we would see the immeasurable, unlimited, surpassing greatness of God's favor. In other words, he's saying we will see far and beyond favor. Favor like people have never seen before. You think about what God's done in the past.

He parted the Red Sea. One time God stopped the sun for Joshua. You remember how Jesus fed thousands with just a little boy's lunch. all kinds of great miracles have taken place. Yet Paul is saying, in the ages to come, God would do things that far supersede anything he's ever done before. Think about this.

Paul wrote this ages ago. I believe the ages to come that he's talking about is the day we're living in today. We need to start believing for this far and beyond favor. Don't go year after year. expecting the same thing, the same way. God is a God of increase. He has greater levels. Where you are is not where you're supposed to stay. Well, God, you know what the economy's like. If you'll just help me scrape by these next two years. No, that is a limited mindset. God created you as the head

and not the tail. He said you would lend and not borrow. He is called El Shadai, the God who is more than enough. You have got to get rid of little dreams, little ideas, little plans. Keep a God-sized vision in front of you. God wants to show every one of you the surpassing greatness of his favor. He can give you one idea that will take you to a new level. He can cause you to meet one person that will change your life for the better forever. Dare to believe for this limitless favor. That's what a gentleman did by the name of Truitt Kathy in 1946. He and his brother opened a small restaurant in Atlanta. He noticed how everybody loved hamburgers.

Hamburgers were the rage. One day God gave him an idea. He thought if everyone likes hamburger so much, I wonder how they would like a chicken burger. So instead of putting the beef in there, he put chicken in there. 1967, he opened up his first fast food restaurant. He called it Chick-fil-A. God blessed him. It grew, it grew. Today, there are nearly 1,400 chick-fil-aes in 37 states. True at Kathy and his family, they give millions of dollars to help people around the world.

That's just one idea that God gave him, just a little insight. It says in proverbs that God will give his people witty inventions. Why don't you start believing for new ideas, new concepts, new discoveries? God has all kinds of inventions just waiting to be released. He has businesses just waiting to entrust people with, books just waiting to be written, new technology, new procedures, new medicines. We should pray, God give me unusual creativity. God help me to be able to see into the future inventions to bring you honor.

The scripture says, it is God who gives you the power to get well. God can give you one idea that if you will act on it, it will change the course of your family. You may not have it all figured out. That's okay. God does. You do your part and God will do his part. I want you to start believing that God is going to do something great through you. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

and if you have a desire like Truitt Kathy to not only use your resources to bless your family but to make a difference in the world around you, then there's no limit to what God will do. And in the coming days, there's going to be a transfer of wealth. There's going to be a major shifting

in finances and in large amounts of resources. And some of you think this could never happen for you. You don't come from the right family. You don't have the right connections. it seems very unlikely. But let me remind you, you have been faithful. You have honored God with your life. You have given, you have served, you have helped others.

All those seeds that you've sown down through the years did not go unnoticed. Every act of kindness, every gift, every offering, every word of encouragement, God has kept the records. Those seeds that you've sown have taken root. They've grown. they've developed. Now it's time for you to reap a harvest or for your years of faithfulness. Where is it going to come from? How is it going to happen? Proverbs 1322. The wealth of the ungodly will eventually find its way into the hands of the righteous for whom it's been laid up for.

I love that. It's been laid up for you. As long as you stay in faith, God has promised the abundance, the promotion, the funds that already have your name on it, they're eventually going to be transferred over. Just imagine, here's someone that doesn't honor God. They don't live a life of integrity. They don't think about others. God is saying, I'll let them make the money. I'll let them earn the funds, but then I'll turn it over to you. I'll deposit it into your accounts. Well, you say, Joel, this sounds kind of far out today. Yeah, but we serve a far out God. That's why we should get up every day expecting far and beyond favor. Don't go around thinking, oh, man, it's going to be a rough year. Business is slow,

prices are high. This will probably be the year I go under, Joel. Now listen, God said he will crown the year with a bountiful harvest. Notice, not to barely get by harvest, not a just let me survive harvest, but an overflow harvest. Our attitude should be this is going to be a great year, I can already sense it. Favor is coming my way. Blessings, good ideas, promotion, they already have my name on it. And I know as long as I stay faithful, eventually they're going to find their way into my hands. That's what it means when the scripture says, God's blessings will chase you down and overtake you. Those blessings, let me make it more practical. The funds to accomplish your God-given dreams, sooner or later, they're going to catch up to you.

Unexpectedly, a promotion, an idea, an invention, an inheritance, a new business, a supernatural contract. God is going to get into your hands everything that belongs to you. The wealth of the ungodly has been laid up for the godly. Here's the key. Make sure you're in the second group. Make sure you are honoring God with your life. Keep your heart pure. Let go of any weights or any sins that are holding you back. I've found most of the time, it's not the big things that keep us from God's best. It's just the small things.

If you're going to get in on this transfer, you've got to be a person of excellence and integrity. When you go to work, get there on time and give it 100%. treat the people in your life with respect and kindness. And don't just look out for yourself. Always be a blessing to somebody else. If you'll live a life like this, a life that pleases God, he promises honor, wealth, and abundance are coming your way. I love to meditate on that.

Right now, somewhere increase is looking for me. I don't know about you, but I've got big dreams. I need this far and beyond favor. Victoria and I have dreams of building orphanages and children's home, feeding hungry people. We've already committed to our first girls' home. We're in the ground stages of that. This costs millions and millions of dollars. But you know what?

I'm not the least bit worried. I know there are funds that are out there that already have my name on it. It's just a matter of time before they show up. The wealth of the ungodly is going to help furnish the dreams of the godly. You need to have big goals. We serve a big God. He has limitless favor. That means not just enough for me or you.

He has favor, promotion, funds for every one of his children. For some people in Africa, a new level of increase is to have clean drinking water or to own their own water well. For others, it's to pay off a house or to have funds to expand a business venture. Whatever your dreams are, know this. God wants to do more. He's going to supersize anything you're thinking about. You're not going to just accomplish what's in your heart.

God is going to help you supersede anything you've ever imagined. You're going to be amazed at where you end up. You don't know. God may bless you so much. Just your tithe could underwrite our whole budget. God is going to unleash a new wave of funds

upon his children. The next time you see somebody that's extremely successful, They epitomize wealth and abundance, yet they don't have anything to do with the things of God. You can just think to yourself, you know what? They may be working for me. They may be earning funds with my name on it. In the scripture, God is called the Lord of the Sabbath.

That means the God who puts his armor on and goes to war against those who hold his treasure from his purposes. In other words, just imagine God. his armor on and go into the forces of darkness and saying, okay, I'll take those funds. I need them for my children. I'll take these businesses, these ideas, these contract. They have my children's name on it. Friends, God is fighting your battles for you. He has immeasurable favor coming your way. This is not the time to get discouraged. It's not the time to say, just help me to make it through God the next two years. No, this is the time to say, God, I know you have honor and wealth laid up for me.

So I just want to thank you that the surpassing greatness of your favor is coming my way. It says in Isaiah that God will give us the hidden riches found in secret places. Think about God knows where all the hidden riches are. He knows where all the oil is, the minerals, the gold, the diamonds. He's the one that put them there. I know this couple, they recently discovered. that they have valuable minerals on their property. This company is not only paying them to drill,

but they're getting 90% of the profits. I mean, it's like they won the lottery. And what's so interesting is that same company had surveyed the land some 10 years ago, but there was no sign of any oil before that couple moved in. But this geologist said he had a desire to go back and check it again, and this time there was a little indication

that there might be oil on the property. They gave them the rights to drill. Sure enough, they struck oil. It looks like there's no end in sight. Well, what was it that caused that oil to all the sudden show up once that young couple moved in? What was it that caused the geologists

to want to go back and survey the property that was Almighty God uncovering the hidden riches found in secret places? You don't know what you're sitting on. You don't know where God is leading you. He has hidden treasures for every one of

his children. I read about a 29-year-old young man, plays minor league baseball. Three years ago, he bought a 50-acre tract of land from his great aunt just so she would have the funds to move into a senior citizen's home. He paid $50,000 for the property, $1,000 an acre. It wasn't really worth that much. He didn't really need the property. He just did it as an act of kindness toward his Anne. One day he was out clearing a couple of acres, digging around on the property, and he kept hitting this flat stone. Every where he went, right under the surface, there was this unusual looking rock. Long story short, he called an expert out. They discovered that his property is full of something called Goshen Stone. It's some of the most beautiful and most sought-after

landscaping stone around. It sells for $100 a ton. They estimate that he has 24 million tons on his property. If you calculate it out, it comes to right over $2 billion worth a stone. You think about how it all started when he did something good for somebody else. When you live a life to give and you go around sowing seeds of kindness, you never know what kind of harvest you're going to reap. No, you may not strike oil. You may not find expensive rock on your property,

but God can give you one idea that can lead to all kinds of funds. God can call you to be at the right place at the right time. He can bring talent out of you that you didn't even know you had. I want you to start believing for the fullness of this blessing. No matter where you are, God wants you to rise higher. He wants you to be more blessed so you can be a bigger blessing. Will you get a vision for it? Will you shake off a barely get by?

Let me just survive mentality? No, you go out each day knowing that God's going to show you the surpassing greatness of his favor. Remember, the wealth of the ungodly has already been laid up for you. It's just a matter of time before it finds its way into your hands.

If you'll keep your faith stirred up this year and believe for far and beyond favor, let me just declare it again. God is going to amaze you with his goodness. What you've seen in the past will pale in comparison to what God's going to do in the future. He is going to be going to

unleash explosive blessings to where suddenly you find yourself further than you even imagined. And instead of just dreaming your dreams, you'll be living your dreams. Walking in the fullness of the blessing, when you look back, all you'll be able to say is, wow, look what the Lord has done for me. Amen. Can you give the Lord a shout of praise 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. Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast

to keep you encouraged and inspired all through the week. Help us to continue to share the message of hope with those all around the world. Visit Joel Osteen.com or click the link in the description to partner with us today. We hope you'll share this message with a friend, and be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you next time.

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