Joel Osteen Podcast - You Are Very Powerful | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: June 16, 2025

What you’re up against may seem big, but God made you powerful enough to defeat it. His resurrection power lives inside you. 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 visitJoelOsteen.com/GiveHope.Experience the joy of beginning each day in peace, purpose, and faith. Our June offer will help you strengthen your morning routine. Request3-Minute Morningsand watch what happens when you give God the start of your day, https://bit.ly/3Yza9Ie! 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. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, and social media.

And you can come visit us in person. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. But I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this lady. Every day she saw this old man sitting on his front porch rocking in this rocking chair. He always seemed to be so happy. One day she got her nerve up and went over to him. He said, sir, I can't help but notice. You're always smiling and always in a good mood.

Tell me, what is your secret for such a long, happy life? He said, that's easy. I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day. I eat nothing but junk food. and I never exercise. She said, that's amazing. How old are you? He said, 26.

Don't live like that. Here we go, y'all. 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 very powerful. We all face situations that look too big, the opposition too strong, the dream too great, the sickness too bad. It's easy to live with a weak mentality, intimidated like we're at a disadvantage. This is the way Solomon probably felt. His father, David,

had just passed. David was an amazing leader. He had done great things. Now Solomon was in charge. He wasn't a warrior like his father. He didn't go around defeating giants and conquering armies. He was suddenly thrust into this position. What he was up against seemed daunting, overwhelming. I'm sure he was tempted to shrink back. This is too much. I can't lead these people. But the scripture says, Solomon took firm control of the kingdom, for the Lord His God was with him and made him very powerful. And sometimes we see ourselves as limited, not enough, less than. But like with Solomon, the Lord your God is with you. He has not just made you powerful, but very powerful.

What you're up against may be big, but it's no match for you. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you. It's a power so strong that it couldn't keep Jesus in the grave. A power so strong that a team. teenage shepherd boy defeated a giant. A power so strong that prison doors open for Paul and Silas. A power so strong that a fiery furnace couldn't burn three Hebrew teenagers. A power so strong that the Red Sea parted from Moses. That's the power that's in you. You are not ordinary. You are not common. You are very powerful. Now here's the key. How you see yourself will determine whether you see

this great power. If you think weak thoughts, insecure, intimidated, this problem is too big. I can't accomplish my dreams. I'll never break this addiction. Then you are canceling out the power. You have to get an agreement with God. I'm not looking at weak people. I'm not looking at average people. I'm looking at sons and daughters of the most high God. Strong, confident, anointed, favored, resurrection power is in you. Power to bring dead things back to life. You can accomplish your dreams. You can set new standards for your family.

You can defeat that cancer. You can break that addiction. You can end that dysfunction. It may stop some people, but not you. You are very powerful. In the scripture, the Syrian army was trying to overtake the Israelites. But every time the Syrian army, made a move, the Israelites knew exactly where they were going. They stayed one step ahead. This

happened again and again. The Syrian commander was so frustrated. He was convinced there was a spy in the camp, leaking all this inside information, called his men together and questioned them. One of the leaders spoke up and said, sir, it's none of us. There's a prophet in Israel named Elisha. Whatever you whisper in secret, he tells the Israelites. The commander was so furious, he decided to go get Elisha. You would think he would take four or five men, maybe a dozen at the most. Elisha wasn't any threat. He wasn't in the military, didn't have any weapons. But this commander was so afraid of Elisha that he got his whole army, thousands of troops, thousands of chariots, all to capture one man filled with the Spirit of God.

What am I saying? Even the enemy knows how powerful you are. He can see that you're not weak. You're not average. You're not lacking. How much further will you go? How much more will you accomplish? How many giants will you defeat

if you'll start seeing yourself for who you really are? Not just powerful, but very powerful. There is a force breathing in your direction greater than any force trying to stop you. There's not a giant you can't defeat, an obstacle you can't overcome, an addiction you can't break. No weapon formed against you is going to prosper. God has armed you with strength for every battle. He's surrounded you with favor. Goodness and mercy are following you. He's going before you making crooked places straight.

When the enemy comes against us one way, God said he would defeat them and cause them to flee. seven different ways. He said he holds victory in store for the upright. There is a power working in you that's not of your own ability. It's resurrection power. Now get rid of any weak thoughts, defeating thoughts. It's too much. I don't have the connections. I'll never meet the right person. This dream is out of reach. Have a new perspective. This problem may be big, but it's no match for me. I am well able. I am strong in the Lord. I can do all things through Christ. Though I am surrounded by trouble, I will not fear.

Though I am attacked on every side, I will not be afraid. For the Lord is my light and my salvation. The Lord is the strength of my life. If you're going to tap into this power, you have to think power thoughts. Fulation may be high. Stock market shaky. Banks having trouble. You could be worried.

instead, God, I thank you that you're Jehovah Gira, the Lord my provider. You said, even in famine, I would have more than enough. You said I would lend and not borrow that my cup would run over. Or the medical report may not look good. Experts say you're not going to get well. God, you said you would restore health back into me. You said I would live and not die, that with long life you would satisfy me. Maybe you have children that are off course. Doesn't look like they'll ever change. God, you said, as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord. You said my children will be mighty in the land that from generation to generation, we will tell of your goodness. Learn to think power thoughts. That's how you activate the power. When David went out to face Goliath, he didn't

have a chance in the natural, but David understood this principle that there was a force working for him that other people couldn't see. He knew that the Lord His God. He knew that the Lord, his God, had made him very powerful. See, our strength doesn't come from just our own ability, our own willpower, our own determination. That's all good, but you will face times where on your own, it's not enough. The giant is too big. The sickness is too strong, the trouble too great. That's when you're going to see the Lord your God empowering you, a supernatural force enabling you, causing you to go further. defeat giants to accomplish dreams that seem impossible. When David saw Goliath, he could have thought,

oh man, what was I thinking? He's twice my size. He has a full set of armor. All I have is this slingshot. No, David looked at Goliath and said, you come against me with a sword and a shield, but I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Israel. He was saying, Goliath, I may look small, but I'm not on my own. There's a force that you can't see, a power that's beyond my own ability. The Lord, my God, has breathed his power, his favor, his anointing on my life. Victory starts in our mind. You can't think weak and be powerful. You can't think limited and be strong.

You can't think fear and have courage. Is your thinking keeping you from being very powerful? a wrong mindset stopping the strength, the favor, the victory that belongs to you? Start thinking power thoughts. I am strong. I am well able. I am confident.

This challenge cannot hold me back. I am full of resurrection power. I can run through a troop and leap over a wall. If God be for me, who dare be against me? David went on to say, Goliath, this day I will defeat you and feed your head. the birds of the air. That's how you activate the power. Not by talking about how you feel,

but by talking about what God says about you. Not by thinking weak, defeated, can't do it thoughts, but by thinking power thoughts. And we hear these stories about David and stories about Elisha. Think, yes, they were powerful. They did amazing things, but man, Joel, they were in the Bible. They were called. They were chosen. They were anointed. Can I tell you, you are called. You are chosen. You are anointed. We see them as superheroes. And yes, we honor them. We respect who they are. But the truth is, they were people just like you and me. They seemed ordinary. They looked average. Yet they left their mark. They were chosen to live in their day. You've been chosen to live in this day. I am looking at modern day David's, Elishas, Ruth, Sarah's. Why don't you believe? that you are very powerful, that you were a giant killer, that you were a barrier breaker, that you were a history maker. Too often we see ourselves as average, limited. Joel, I'm not powerful. I'm just ordinary. The truth is, some of the things you've been through should have defeated you.

If you were average, the dysfunction, the trauma, the loss would have taken you out. The fact that you're still here tells me that you are very powerful. That sickness couldn't defeat you. Why? Because you are so powerful. That bad break, the person that walked away, the disappointment should have soured your life. But look at you, you're still standing. You're not bitter. You're blessed. You're moving forward. You're taking new ground. That didn't happen on your own. The Lord your God strengthened you when you were weak. He lifted you when you fell. He protected you in danger. He favored you when it didn't look good. He delivered you from greater enemies.

If you weren't very powerful, you wouldn't still be here. It wasn't just your own might, your own strength. It was the Lord your God breathing on your life. If you're going to reach your highest potential, you have to live with this mindset. I am very powerful. I have the favor of God. I can accomplish my dreams.

I can overcome this bad brain. I can raise my children to serve the Lord, I can leave my mark. There was a lady in the scripture named Deborah. She was living in a city that was overcome with violence and all kinds of wrongdoing. Gotten so bad you couldn't even travel on the main roads. There was no order. But God put a dream in Deborah's heart to do something about it. The scripture describes Deborah as a mother in Israel.

This is significant. it's telling us that she didn't have influence, the resources. She wasn't in the corporate world. She didn't have an impressive title, wasn't highly educated. Plus, back in those days, women weren't in leadership like they are today. They were pushed down and seen as secondary. God could have chosen the king to do something about it or the governor, city leader, a wealthy businessman. Instead, he chose this mother. And sometimes, God will ask you to do things that seem over your head. He'll put dreams in your heart that you can't accomplish on your own. You don't have the resources, the training, the connections, but God

wouldn't ask you to do it if you weren't well able. This is when you have to have the right mindset. Not weak, limited. I'm ordinary. I'm just a mother. No, turn it around. The Lord my God has made me very powerful. I'm anointed for this assignment. I'm favored. I'm favored. I'm favored. for this mission. I'm well able to accomplish this dream. A lot of times we discount ourselves. I'm just a mother. I'm just a student, just a teacher, a businessman, a doctor, a plumber. No, you're not just anything. You're a child of the most high God. He breathed his life into you. He put his DNA on the inside. He's crowned you with his favor. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. Resurrection power lives you. Keep your shoulders back and hold your head up high, step into that greatness that belongs to you.

But Deborah could have thought, God, I can't do this. I'm a mother. I'm not in government. I don't have anybody backing me up. Deep down, she understood this principle. I'm not on my own. The Lord my God has made me very powerful. The scripture says the highways were unoccupied. The city was shutting down until Deborah, a mother in Israel, arose. She stepped out in faith. God calls things to fall into place and everything turned around. How could this mother impact the whole city? Started in her thinking. She knew who she was. She knew the favor of God was on her life. She saw herself not as limited, but as very powerful. What can you change if you start seeing yourself as very powerful. What addictions can you break? What barriers can you overcome? What dreams can you accomplish

if you'll get rid of weak, defeated, I'm ordinary mentality, and start seeing yourself the way God made you to be as very powerful. A friend of mine struggled with an addiction for many years. He'd gone to rehab and support groups several times with no success. He's a good man. He loves the Lord, but he was always talking about how strong the addiction was and how he didn't have the willpower. He was constantly down on himself, feeling guilty. As long as you see the opposition as stronger, it's going to limit you. If you see the sickness, the debt, the trouble as more powerful, then your perception, how you're seeing it is going to hold you back. You have to make a switch in your thinking that greater is he that's in you than what's coming against you. I'm not asking you to deny the facts.

Just have a new perspective. This addiction may be powerful, but I know my God is all powerful. This sickness may be mighty, but I know my God is almighty. This obstacle may be high, but I know my God is the most high. The power in you is stronger than any power that's trying to stop you. My friend changed his perspective. Instead of seeing the addiction as being so strong, he started seeing himself as very powerful. Thoughts told him, come on, you're just wishing, you're just hoping, you know you're weak, you know you can't do this, you have to learn to talk back to yourself. Don't let the negative have the final say.

When thoughts tell you that you're weak, just answer back, no thanks, I am strong in the Lord. You can't break it, no thanks, I can do all things. not in my own strength, but through Christ who strengthens me. Well, this addiction is too powerful. No thanks, nothing can stand against my God. He always causes me to triumph. When you get in agreement with God, you see yourself as very powerful, that's what allows him to do great things.

Today, my friend, is not only free from the addiction, he's helping other people to get free. It was a 10-year-old boy that lived down the street from this big bully, and the bully was always bothering him and making his life miserable. He's trying to get his courage up to stand up against the bully, but he looked so big and so intimidating, he couldn't do it. Well, that Christmas, his father bought him a telescope. He was so excited, and one day he was out in the front yard playing with it,

but he was looking through the wrong end. He was looking through the big side. His father came out and said, no, son, you're doing it wrong, turn it around and it will make everything bigger like it was designed to do. The boy said, I know that, Dad, but right now I'm looking at this bully and it makes him so small that I'm not afraid of him anymore. Maybe you need to turn the telescope around. You've magnified your problems long enough.

You've magnified the bullies, the giants, the addiction, the debt. No wonder you feel weak, intimidated, not able. you have to make the switch. If you'll change your perspective and start seeing things from God's point of view, you'll realize what you're up against is no match for you. It looks like Goliath.

It looks daunting. The truth is, you're the one that's very powerful. You're the one that has God's favor. You're the one that can defeat giants. You're the one that can break the addiction. The forces that are for you are greater than any force that's trying to stop you.

But the way this is going to happen is if you keep your telescope turned around, you can't go around magnifying all the negative. You need to magnify what God put in you. He didn't just make you powerful. He made you very powerful. All through the day, that should be playing in our mind. I am very powerful.

I have the favor of God. I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord. No weapon formed against me will promise. prosper. I will defeat this giant. I will break this addiction. I will leave my family better than they were before. How many people go around thinking just the opposite? Man, this problem's too big. I'll never get well. I can't get out of this neighborhood. I'm at a disadvantage. You can be very powerful and cancel it out with a wrong mindset. This is what Gideon almost did. He was hiding in a wine press, afraid,

intimidated, thinking the opposition was too big. God sent an angel and said, mighty hero, the Lord is with you. You are to deliver the people of Israel from the Midianites. God called him a hero while he was hiding. God called him mighty when he felt weak. He called him a deliverer, a history maker when he saw himself as limited, not able. God has made you very powerful. the question is, how do you see yourself? Strong, confident, favored? Or do you see yourself like Gideon?

These giants are too big. Can't do it. At a disadvantage, you have to turn that telescope around. You're making everything else so powerful. You need to start seeing yourself as powerful. Well, Joel, you don't know how it's raised and what I've been through. This medical report doesn't look good. I don't have the funds to go to college. This giant is too big. One touch of God's favor can turn it around. One slingshot and that giant is defeated. One mother with the favor of God and the city has changed. You're looking at how big your problem is. You need to start looking at how big your God is. He said he's with you and he has made you very powerful. You are anointed. You are favored. You can defeat giants. You can change cities. You can take your family to a new level.

But even after the angel called Gideon a mighty hero, Gideon started making excuses. He said, how could this happen? I've come from the poorest family. I'm the least one in this camp. I don't have the training. I can't lead these people. His weak, defeated mentality almost kept him from his destiny. He finally did what I'm asking us to do. He made this switch and saw himself as powerful. He went out with the whole army, 32,000 men. He was feeling good, but God said, you have too many people. Tell everyone who's afraid that they can go home.

22,000 men left. Now he only had 10,000. He wasn't feeling quite as confident. God said it again, there's still too many. All of them left except 300 men. He was up against an army of, thousands looked impossible, but they went out and defeated the Midianites with just 300 people. God was showing us you don't need everything you think you need. You don't need all those people

to be for you. You don't need to come from a certain family. You don't need all that training. God has given you everything you need. He's breathed his favor on your life. He'll cause the stone to hit the giant at the right place. He'll heal you from the camp. answer. He'll break that addiction. He'll send the right people across your path. I know a man that was in a serious accident years ago and wasn't supposed to live. By the grace of God, he's alive, but he can't see very well. He's had to relearn how to speak and some of his other motor skills. Since he couldn't drive, he would take the bus to Lakewood every Sunday. I'd always see him so faithful. But when we moved from the other location, the bus route didn't run from his house to the compact center where we are now.

He was very concerned. He loved coming. I said, don't worry about it. We'll have somebody come pick you up. It's no big deal. He said, no, Joel, I'm going to get the bus route changed. I'm going to convince them to send buses by my house to the church. Being the great man of faith that I am, I thought to myself, there's no way. That's like an act of Congress. You need lobby. You. money, connections. He could have thought like me. Too bad. What can I do? I don't have the influence, the funds, I'm physically challenged. But he had a different mindset. He wasn't a Gideon looking at what he didn't have. He was like Deborah, a mother thinking, I can make a difference. He was like David. This giant is huge, but I will defeat it. Deep down, he knew the Lord his God had made him very

powerful. He went down week after week to the public transportation meetings, told them how he needed buses to run by Lakewood. It just so happened that someone that loved Lakewood was on the committee. God will always have the right people at the right place if you'll just have the boldness to take the step of faith. Two months later, he came in one Sunday morning smiling so big, I'll never forget it. He said, Joel, I just got off the bus. They changed the route and brought me this morning. I nearly passed out. So often, we don't realize who we are. We see ourselves as limited, ordinary, when in fact, we are powerful. One of the staff members at the transportation office told me that in 20 years that she worked there, she had never seen

anything change like that. And if you were to see this gentleman in the natural, you would think, hey, he didn't have the influence. He doesn't have the funds. He's physically challenged. But God loves to take those who are underestimated, those who others discount and cause them to shine brightly to make them very powerful. I'm asking you, get rid of excuses. Quit telling yourself why you're limited, at a disadvantage, not enough, been through too much. Don't go through life, not recognizing who you are. The Lord your God has made you very powerful. You are strong. You are anointed. You are favored. You can affect change. You can defeat giants. You can accomplish dreams. You can leave your mark. When thoughts come telling you you're weak, you're not enough.

You're at a disadvantage. Just say, no thanks. You have the wrong person. I know who I am. I am a child of the most high God, and I am very powerful. If you'll do this, I believe and declare you're going to see giants fall. You're going to accomplish dreams that amaze you. God's going to breathe on your life in a new way, favor, healing, breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen today? I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your moment.

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. We'd love to send you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. You can text the number on the screen or go to the website. I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. It's easy to let the day get away from us before the day even starts. The first few minutes of your morning are more powerful than you might think. Life moves really fast sometimes, and it can be easy to begin each day by zeroing in on your problems. But here's the truth.

How you start the day can determine what kind of day it's going to be. I'd love to send you my devotional three-minute mornings, start your day the blessed way. Three minutes doesn't seem like a lot of time. But when you put God first place and get your mind going in the right direction, is setting the tone for a blessed, productive day. It's filled with inspiration and encouragement to help you begin each day with a fresh attitude, grateful that you're alive. It's amazing what happens when you take three minutes and speak blessings over your life

and declaring God's favor. Three-minute mornings is our gift to you. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month, we would like to send you a copy of Joel's new devotional, Three Minute Mornings, Start Your Day in Faith. This powerful book will open the pathways to experience God's presence and peace in your life. And there, you will find renewed energy, assurance,

and wisdom to face your day. The Bible promises that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. So as you pause for only three minutes and take in his wonderful promises in this book, You'll be positioning yourself to receive all the amazing things that God has in store for you. Please request your copy today and watch anxiety turn to divine answers, weakness to strength, problems to renewed possibilities, frustrations to God's favor. Yes, only three minutes will transform your entire day.

From the time I was a little boy, my parents taught me the value of starting the day off in faith. Three minute mornings will help you do just. that. Victoria and I pray for you every day for God's very best. We want to thank you for your prayer and support. You're impacting people all over the world. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for your monthly support. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, listen on Sirius XM, watch our YouTube channel and the Joel Osteen network streaming on television 24 hours a day. Until we see you again, may the Lord bless you and

keep you. Be sure to request your copy of three-minute mornings. Start your day in faith. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel. For an additional donation this month, we are also offering the Faith and Freedom Bundle. You'll receive an additional devotional filled with daily wisdom to guide you in living with favor, focus, and freedom. Also available, our Morning Power and Peace Collection includes power, provision, and peace, beautifully bound in timeless elegance. This dynamic New Testament,

the Passion Translation, helps you walk in God's best. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567, Joel, or logging on to joelosteen.com today. Call or click anytime, 24 hours a day. Be inspired every morning. Request your copies today.