Joel Osteen Podcast - You Are Enough

Episode Date: January 5, 2020

It’s easy to go through life thinking that you are lacking in some area. But when God laid out the plan for your life, He gave you the right personality, the right talent, the right background. Don���t be limited by what you think you're missing. You have everything you need to reach your destiny!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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See Terms and Conditions at UNS.com. See you. God doesn't make mistakes. When he created you, he wasn't having a bad day. He didn't accidentally leave something out. Now you're at a disadvantage. He calls you a masterpiece. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. He's crowned you with his favor. You're not lacking. You didn't get shortchanged. You have everything you need to fulfill your destiny. Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. We enjoy spending this time with you.

I know you're going to leave encouraged and inspired. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. And follow us on social media to stay connected. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. Enjoy the message. Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes.

And if you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. says, these are the finest people in all of Houston right here at Lakewood. We'd love to have you sometimes. I like to start with something funny. And I heard about this burglar that broke into a house one evening. Just as he was stealing the stereo, he heard a voice saying, Jesus is watching you. He froze in his tracks, shined his flashlight in the corner, and saw a parrot. He said, did you say that to me? The parrot said, yes, I'm just trying to warn you. burglar said, warn me, what are you talking about? Who are you? Parrots said, my name is Moses. The burglar laughs.

And what kind of crazy people would name a parrot Moses? The parent said, the same kind of people that would name a 150-pound Rottweiler, Jesus. All right, come on, 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 you are enough. It's easy to go through life thinking that we're lacking in some area.

If we had more talent, then we could do something great. If we had a better personality, if we were more confident, more attractive, then we could reach our dreams. But as long as you're discounting yourself, thinking you're at a disadvantage, it will keep you from rising higher. When God laid out the plan for your life, he carefully studied it. He thought about what you would need and what it would take to get you there. Then he matched you with your world.

He gave you the talent you need, the strength, the confidence, you are the right size, you have the right looks, you have the right personality, you come from the strength, the confidence, you are the right size, you have the right personality, you come from the right family. You are not lacking. You didn't get short-changed. You are good enough. You are talented enough. You are smart enough. You are attractive enough. You have been fearfully and wonderfully made. But life will try to push us down. Thoughts will whisper everything that we're not. You're not as talented as your friend. You're not as attractive as your co-worker. You're not as smart as your cousin. That's okay. You're not running. You're not running. You're not their race. You don't need what they have. If you needed it, God would have given it to you.

If you needed to be taller, you would be taller. If you needed a different personality, you would have one. If you needed to come from another family, that would have happened. God doesn't make mistakes. When he created you, he wasn't having a bad day. He didn't accidentally leave something out. Now you're at a disadvantage. He calls you a masterpiece. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. He's crowned you with his favor. You're not lacking. You didn't get shortchanged.

You have everything you need to fulfill your destiny. Now, quit comparing your looks, your gifts, your success with somebody else and be you. You are powerful. You are amazing. You are gifted. Nobody can do you like you can do you. Well, I wish I had her looks. I wish I had his talent.

I wish I came from their family. If you had what they have, it wouldn't help you. It would hinder you. It wouldn't be a blessing. It would be a burden. It wasn't designed for you. The reason it works for them is because it fits them. You don't want what doesn't fit you.

What fits you is what you have. Now quit wishing you were them and recognize you are. are enough. Yes, it's good to admire people. It's good to celebrate their gifts, but don't get so caught up in who they are that you forget who you are. You are gifted, you are talented, you are one of a kind. And if you don't recognize that you are enough, then you'll always be dependent on other people to make you feel good about who you are. If you live thinking you're at a deficit, you'll undersell yourself. You'll play up to people. you'll let them control you.

That's where you're getting your validation. But when you know you are enough by yourself, you won't rely on people to approve you. You'll get your approval from your Heavenly Father. And the problem with relying on people is people can change. One minute, people were saying to Jesus, Hosanna, blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. They were laying down palm branches, celebrating his arrival.

Three days later, those same things, people were saying crucify them. If you only feel good about yourself when people are telling you that you're great, then if they leave, you'll forget who you are. If you're relying on them to make you feel talented, valuable, attractive, you're letting them control your self-worth. But when you know you are enough all by yourself, when you don't live from a deficit mentality, then it doesn't matter what people do or don't do. You know you're a enough. You're a little. You're a masterpiece. You know you're made in the image of Almighty God. David said in Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need. It's very powerful when you can say,

I have the talent I need. I have the looks I need. I have the family I need. I have the personality that I need. David had plenty of opportunities to have this deficit mentality. We know him as the greatest king that ever lived, but before that, he was discounted by his father, left out in the shepherd's fields when the prophet was choosing the next king of Israel. His father made him feel like he was unqualified, not good enough, too small. When David took lunch to his brothers that were out on the battlefield, one of the brothers made fun of him, said, what did you do with those few sheep, your son? supposed to be taking care of. He was saying, David, you're not talented. You didn't get what we got.

If David would have relied on people to get his approval, he would have never stepped into his destiny. Now, maybe someone is trying to discount you, make you feel like you're not talented enough, attractive enough, not up to par. Let that go in one ear and out the other. They didn't breathe life into you. They didn't know you before you were formed in your mother's womb, they don't determine your destiny. Do like David. Father, thank you that I have everything I need. Thank you that I am enough all by myself. You don't need people's approval. You don't need their validation. The most high God has approved you. Now get rid of that deficit mentality and step up to who you were created to be. While back one afternoon, I was at home riding my stationary bike,

exercising. I had my earphones in, hooked up to my cell phone, and I was listening to a podcast. I put my phone on the front of the bike by the handlebars. At one point, I started riding really fast, and the bike began to shake, and my phone fell off. When it did, it jerked my earphones out. I stopped to pick them up, but the little white rubber tip came off of one of the earphones. I looked all around, couldn't find it anywhere. It was the strangest thing. I looked under the treadmill. I moved other equipment. I checked up on the windowsill. Maybe it popped up there. Looked all over the bike on and on. It was nowhere to be found. Later that evening, I was watching television. I reached up to scratch my ear, felt something odd, and it was the white rubber tip.

I had it the whole time, but I didn't realize it. I'm wondering if you're looking at, you're looking for something that you already have. You're looking around you. God is saying, look in you. You have the talent, you have the creativity, you have the confidence. Psalm 34 says, those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing. You need to see yourself as a no-lack person. You're not lacking the strength you need. You're not lacking the favor. Well, Joel, I never get any good breaks. I don't see how I can accomplish my dreams. I don't think I'll ever meet the right person. That's a deficit mentality.

That thinking will keep you from your destiny. You have to turn it around. Father, thank you that your favor surrounds me like a shield. Thank you that goodness and mercy are chasing me down. Thank you that divine connections, the right people, are headed my way. What you need is in you, but you have to stir it up. As long as you think you're at a disadvantage, you've been shortchanged, it will keep you from rising higher.

Second King's chapter four, there was a widow. Her husband was friends with the prophet Elisha. She came up to Elisha very discouraged and told him how her husband had died and how now she was in such debt the creditors were coming to take her two sons as payment. Elisha asked her, what do you have in your house? She didn't have to think twice. She said, Elisha, I have nothing at all except a small jar of oil. She was saying, I'm at a deficit. I don't have enough. I'm limited. Sometimes like this woman, we are discounting what God has given us. We have some talent, but Joel, it's not enough.

I have my degree, but I don't have enough education. This woman was about to miss her miracle because she didn't recognize what she had. She was looking outside the house, but Elisha said, what's in the house. God will always have what you need within reach. It's not something far off. It will be close to you. One time Samson was surrounded by the Philistine army. He didn't have any weapons, looked like he would be captured. He looked down and saw the jawbone of a donkey. just so happened to be right there. He picked it up and defeated a thousand men with it. Wasn't a coincidence.

It was the hand of God. What you need will be close to you. Elisha told this widow to go out and borrow as many large, empty containers as she could find. She went from neighbor to neighbor asking for them. She came back to the house. Elisha said, now I want you to pour that little bit of oil into one of those larger containers.

That doesn't make sense. What good was it going to do to transfer oil from one container to the other? The widow started pouring the oil and the oil kept flowing. It kept coming out. She filled the first container, then another and another. The oil never ran out until all of the containers were full. She took that oil and sold it and had plenty to pay her debt. when God asked you to do something that doesn't make sense, many times the act of obedience is what brings the miracle.

God could have caused those containers to be full of oil without her pouring it. He could have caused somebody to show up with a bunch of full containers, but the miracle was dependent on this woman doing her part. Is God asking you to do something that you don't want to do? to forgive that person that did you wrong? You think, God, that's not fair. They don't deserve it. They hurt me.

Is he asking you to take care of that elderly neighbor or to give that friend a ride to work each day? You think, God, I'm busy. That's out of my way. The blessing is in the obedience. There was a man in the scripture named Nehaman. He was a captain in the Syrian army, but he had leprosy. God told him to go wash in the Jordan River

and he would be healed. God could have healed him like Jesus healed people by speaking to them or by having someone lay hands on him. But God asked Neiman to do something unusual, something he didn't understand. At first, he wouldn't do it. Came up with all these excuses. He said, I'm not going to go wash in that river. The water's dirty. We have better rivers back at home. He almost talked himself out of it, finally decided to do it. When he came up the seventh time, his skin was perfectly healed. The healing wasn't in the water, or everyone that touched the water would have been healed. The healing was in the obedience. Don't miss your miracle because you won't do what God's asking you to do. What's interesting is Elisha didn't bring anything to the widow's house.

He didn't bring her funds. He didn't have a friend come plant a garden. He simply showed her what was in the house. The principle is you already have what you need. You're not waiting for it. Maybe one day it'll show up. There are miracles in your house. But sometimes we're looking on the outside. You have to look on the inside. God is saying, I've equipped you, I've empowered you, I've anointed you. You have seeds of greatness. Are you discounting what God is given you? Are you overlooking what you have may seem small. That gift may not seem like it's enough, but when you use what you have, God will multiply it. When you pour that little bit of oil, that act of obedience is what causes the oil to continue to flow. The woman said, Elisha, I have nothing except a small

jar of oil. God is going to use what comes after the accept. I have nothing except. I have nothing except a little training. I have nothing except a few connections. He's going to take what you think is insignificant and turn it into something extraordinary. When we come to the end of our ability, that's when God steps in. If you can accomplish your dreams all on your own, you don't really need God's help. If you can overcome that obstacle by yourself, it doesn't take any faith. Don't be discouraged when what you're up against looks too big. You don't have the resources. The obstacle, the opposition is too strong. You're in perfect position for God to show out in your life. It looks like a setback. Really, it is a set up. God is about to make things happen that you

couldn't make happen. When my father went to be with the Lord back in 1999, I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church, but I didn't think I was enough. I didn't have the training. I'd never been to seminary. I'm more quiet and reserved. I didn't want to get up in front of people. I told God all the things I couldn't do, all the things that I didn't have.

It was like God said, Joel, what else do you have in the house? I said, God, I don't have anything except a little faith, a little training, a little confidence, just this small jar of oil. God said that's all I need. Just use what you have and watch what I will do. I stepped up and God took that little bit of oil and turned it into something more than I ever imagined. What am I saying? Quit discounting yourself. Quit talking yourself out of your greatness. God is not limited by what family you come from, by your education, by what you think you don't have.

All he's asking you to do is use what's after the accept. I don't have anything except this high school diploma. How can I do something great? I don't have an extensive education. Neither did Bill Gates. Neither did Steve Jobs. They did okay. All I have is a little talent, a little confidence.

If you'll start using it, God will show up and do something extraordinary. In the scripture, Jesus had been out teaching the people all day long. He told his disciples he wanted them to feed the 5,000 people that had gathered. They said, Jesus, we can't do that. We're in the desert. We have no food except five loaves of bread and two fish. God will never ask you for something that you don't have. If he asks you, and you don't think you can do it, it's because you have it and don't know it. Go back and see what's in your house. What do you have after the except? Jesus prayed over the fish, over the loaves, and it multiplied. They were able to feed the 5,000 people, had 12 baskets full of food left over.

When you look at what you have, your resources, your training, your experience, it may not be enough. It's just five loaves. It's just a little cup of oil. What good could that do? No, get ready. God's about to multiply what you have. He's going to do something unusual. You didn't see it coming. Doors open that you couldn't open. Opportunity where you were not qualified. The right people coming to you.

He's going to take what looks insignificant and turn it into something extraordinary. He's going to multiply what comes after the accept. This is what happened with my father. He was raised very poor. His parents were farmers. They lost everything during the great business. depression. As a little boy barely had enough food to eat, he'd go to school with holes in his

clothes, had shoes so worn out he had to keep putting cardboard in the bottom. Didn't look like he had much of a future. Nobody in their family knew anything about God. They were good people. They just didn't have any kind of faith. But at 17, my father went to church with a friend of his that had been very persistent. That day, he gave his life to Christ. And that day, he gave his life to Christ, the first one in the family. He felt God calling him to become a pastor. He told his parents he was going to leave and go out and start ministering. They said, John, you better stay here with us. All you know how to do is work on the farm. He had no training, no funding, no experience, but somehow he recognized he had a little cup of oil. He had five loaves. It wasn't much, but he could feel those seeds of great

Every circumstance said he was unqualified, he was short change, he was at a disadvantage, but God doesn't create anyone without putting something significant on the inside. That's why the enemy works overtime to try to make you feel like you're not enough. You're not good enough. You've made too many mistakes. You're not talented enough. You're not important enough. Don't let those lies keep you from your destiny.

He wouldn't be trying to discourage you if he didn't know there was something amazing in you. It may not be much yet, but as you keep pouring that oil, as you keep taking those steps of faith, God is going to take you where you've never dreamed. As 17 years old, my father left the farm. He didn't have a car. He had to hitchhike. He went out and started ministering in the prisons and in the senior citizens' homes. God began to open door after door.

and eventually he started Lakewood and Daddy went on to impact the world. But I think about where I would be today if my father would have believed he was not enough. You can be the one like my father to affect generations to come for your family. You can be the one to set them on a new course. You wouldn't be hearing this if there weren't greater things in front of you. Quit looking at what you don't have, what you didn't get. what you can't do, you have everything you need. All David had was a slingshot in five smooth stones. It looked like it was not enough. Goliath was nearly twice his size. He was a skilled warrior.

He'd been trained in the military. We're in a full set of armor, very powerful. Here, David was a shepherd boy, a teenager. He had no formal training, no experience. He could have said, God, I have nothing except this slingshot. What you have after the accept is what God is going to use. When Goliath saw how small David was, he began to laugh. He said, am I a dog that you would come at me with a stick? I'm sure David was tempted to think, am I crazy? I'm going to fight this giant with only a slingshot. But the scripture says David ran toward Goliath. You would think he would try to sneak up on him, surprise him to get the maximum advantage. But when you know who you are, when you know you're equipped and empowered, when you know God being for you is more than the world being against you, you won't run from your

giants, you'll run to your giants. David slung the rock, hit Goliath in the forehead, knocked him unconscious. He went over and took Goliath's own sword and finished him off. What you have may not look like, it's enough. It's ordinary. But when God breathed, on it, it will become more than enough. A friend of mine's father pastored a large church. And as a young boy, he always looked forward to working there. During college, he got a job at this business where he would go into the different offices and clean and repair the equipment. So they gave him keys to all the offices in the building. He carried around this big key ring, made him feel very important.

This was years ago. After he graduated from college, he came back to work at his father's church. He was so excited, but his father only gave him one key, the key to his office. He said, Dad, I want all the keys. I want to be able to get in everywhere. His father said, now this is the key I want you to have. He was kind of disappointed. He thought, what, my dad doesn't trust me. A few years later, his dad became ill and wasn't expected to make it. This friend would go up to the church at night and pray for his father. He liked to pray in the main sanctuary. Since it was after hours,

he would always have to get somebody to let him in. He'd called the security guard or see someone through the glass doors and knock. But it bothered him that he didn't have a key. One night, he went up to pray for his father, and he was all locked up, and so he called the security guard. He said he was out and wouldn't be back for a couple of hours.

So my friend went around the building, checking all the doors to see if anything was open, but it's all locked up. He's so frustrated. Just when he was about to leave, he decided to put his key in the door and see if he could jiggle it around and somehow get it unlocked. The key went in so smoothly, he turned it and the door opened. He was puzzled. He walked through the lobby to the sanctuary door, put the key in, turned it and it opened.

Went to the choir room, put the key in, turned it and it opened. He didn't realize his father had given him. him the master key. All that time, he had what he needed. It wasn't that the father didn't trust him. It was the son didn't know what he had. Do you know what your father has given you? Do you know you have the key to unlock every door to your destiny? You didn't get shortchanged. Your father didn't say, I can't trust you. No, God has great confidence in you. He believes. He believes in you more than you believe in yourself. Why don't you start using that key, believing that you have what you need? Don't go through life thinking that you've been locked out. You can't

reach your dreams. You can't overcome the obstacle. You can't meet the right person. You have the key. Your Heavenly Father has given you everything you need to fulfill your purpose. Now do your part and get rid of a deficit mentality. Get up every morning and say, Father, thank you that I am enough. I am strong enough. I am talented enough. I am attractive enough. If you'll do this, I believe and declare like the widow woman, abundance is about to flow. God is about to multiply what you have. Your gifts are going to come out in greater ways. New doors are about to open, breakthroughs, promotion, the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name. And if you receive it today. Can you say amen? I'd like to give 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. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. Number one, New York. Times bestselling author, Joel Osteen, releases the power of favor. God's favor will take you where you can't go on your own. I'll show you how to tap into this favor so you can become all you were created to be. 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. 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

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