Joel Osteen Podcast - Your Life Is Divinely Orchestrated | Joel Osteen

Episode Date: February 6, 2025

God has already written all of our days in His book. Nothing you've been through can keep you from the incredible plan He has for your life.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.God wants to give you a fresh vision for the abundant life He's called you to! Joel's brand-new book will show you how to stop living an ordinary life and start trusting God for His promises. Request our February offer and dare to Pray Bold, https://bit.ly/4aDY5Kl! 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 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. Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great things in store for each one of you. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services.

I promise you, we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks so much for tuning in. Thank you again for coming out today. I like to start with something funny each week. And I heard about this new police recruit. He was taking his final exam. He was in front of this large classroom. The sergeant said to him,

what would you do if you had to arrest your own mother-in-law? Without missing a beat, he said, call for backup. Hold up your Bible and 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 how your life is divinely orchestrated. The

scripture talks about how God has already written all of our days in his book. He, He promised that his plans for us are for good and not evil. And that doesn't mean that we won't go through negative situations. It means that God will use everything we go through to move us toward that good plan. We all have things happen that we don't understand. And it's easy to think, why did this friend betray me? Why did this company lay me off? Why didn't I get that promotion?

Why weren't my prayers answered? We have to understand just because it seems unfair, just because it looks like a bad break, doesn't mean it's not a part of God's plan. Just as God uses promotion, breakthroughs, loyal people, encouragement, God also uses disappointments, closed doors, betrayals, persecution to move us toward His Divine Plan. one of the best things I've ever learned is nothing in life happens to me, it happens for me. In other words, God would not have allowed it unless he had a purpose for it. That friend that walked out of a relationship, that person that hurt you, God could have stopped it. He's God. He could have kept it from happening. But since he didn't, you have to accept the fact this disappointment, this betrayal, this bad break, I may not

like it. It may be painful right now, but I know ultimately it is not going to work against me, it's going to work for me. I know God has already written a good plan for my life. And as long as I stay in faith, what was meant for my harm, God will use to my advantage. When you know your life is divinely orchestrated, takes all the pressure off. You go through a disappointment. You don't get upset. your attitude is no big deal. I know this is a part of God's plan. This is not happening to me. It's happening for me. You get laid off. Yes, I'm disappointed, but I'm not going to live with the chip on my shoulder. I know this is not a surprise to God. And when one door closes, I know God will always open up a bigger and a better door. Somebody lies about you. Does you wrong? That's okay. I'm not going to try to pay them back.

I know nothing can happen without God's permission. So I'm going to stay on the high road and pass this test and let God take me to a new level of my destiny. What if Jesus would have gotten upset when Judas betrayed him? What if he would have said, come on, God, I'm your son. How could you let this happen? He's my disciple. This is not fair.

No, Jesus even knew beforehand that Judas was going to betray him, but he still didn't try to stop him. In one sense, God used Judas more than he used the other disciples. Because if Judas had not betrayed Jesus, there would have never been a crucifixion. Without a crucifixion, there wouldn't have been a resurrection. Without a resurrection, we wouldn't have redemption.

What am I saying? The person that betrayed Jesus played a critical role in Jesus fulfilling his divine destiny. quit complaining about someone that walked out on you. If they betrayed you, they didn't set you back. They set you up. If they had not done you wrong, you wouldn't see the amazing future God has in store. You may not have liked it, but God was using that to get you to where he wanted you to be.

Anytime we go to a new level, we have to pass the test of a new level of obedience, where we shake off the wrongs, we keep a good attitude, even when we feel like being discouraged. We believe it's going to get better, even though our mind is telling us is never going to work out. Deep down, you've got to know that you know that you know, my life is divinely orchestrated.

This is not happening to me. This is happening for me. God's going to use it to my advantage. I remember when I was in college, there was a gentleman that was in charge of the television facility. The university had a big television studio, a big production center.

It was known all over the world. And that was my passion. I loved cameras and editing, anything that had to do with production. And I had met this gentleman several years earlier. And when I first got to college, he invited me to come over and see the studios. He was showing me around. It was so amazing. The beautiful sets, the control room, the editing suites was so exciting.

My dream was to work there. He said, Joel, no big deal. just fill out an application and I'll make sure that it happens. I applied for the job and a couple of weeks went by and I didn't hear anything so I called him back but he was too busy to talk. I called him again and again and again. Day after day, week after week, he was always either too busy out of the office some reason he couldn't talk. I even went back to the studio in person three or four times. Still, he would not see me. After several months of constant trying to get in touch with him, I finally accepted the fact, hey, this just isn't meant to be.

I was very disappointed. I couldn't understand it then. But looking back now, I know that that closed door was God's plan. The man was a good man, but I believe God caused him to not call me back. Because if I had gotten that position, I would have been so excited. I know my personality. I would have been so caught up, I would have never come back here to Lakewood to start the television outreach like I did. Without that closed door, I don't believe I would be standing here today. What am I saying? The closed doors have been orchestrated by Almighty God. The person that wouldn't call you back, the friend that ignored you, the coworker that betrayed you, don't sit around in self-pity, shake the dust off your feet and move forward with your life. If God,

wanted you to have that job, he would have given you that job. No person can stand against our God. If God wanted you to marry that man, marry that woman, you would have married them. Quit sulking. God has somebody better in store. If God wanted them to call you back, they would have called you back. Now put on a new attitude. Their rejection is going to lead to God's promotion. They didn't happen to you. They happened for you. It may have looked like a setback, but really it was a setback. It was a set up for God to do something amazing in your life. You may not be able to see it right now. You may not understand it. Does it make any sense? But one day you will understand it. One day you will see God's wisdom and be glad that he didn't open the door. It may be in a month,

in a year, or in 30 years, but one day you'll look back like I did and say, it was good that he didn't call me back. It was good that the friend walked away. Or I I'd have never met my spouse. It was good that God didn't answer my prayers my way, or I wouldn't see the amazing opportunity that God's given me now. My challenge to us is to trust him. Don't live upset because a friend betrayed you. That's not a surprise to God. Don't be bitter because your prayers didn't get answered the way you wanted. God has something better. Don't have a chip on your shoulder because you went through a disappointment, a bad break. God is so. God is. still on the throne. He would not have allowed that unless he was going to use it to your advantage.

A few years ago, myself and some of our staff were on a plane flying to another city. And it was a smaller plane that held about 12 people. There was one seat on each side of the island. After we took off, I wanted to open up my tray table so I could write some notes. And the table was on the side right underneath my window. Now, I pulled and pulled and pulled, but it was still. It was still. And stuck. My friend Johnny was sitting next to me and he pulled his out just as easily as could be. I went back to mine and I jerked and I yanked and I finagled and I struggled but still couldn't get it out. So Johnny came over and he started pulling on it. Another staff member came and we were all pulling on it. About that time I looked up right over the window where we were pulling. There was a

big sign that had bold letters. It said not a tray table emergency exit only. I said, thank you, Lord, for not answering that prayer. Friends, God has our best interest at heart. I wonder how many times we're frustrated because it's not happening our way on our timetable and God's up in the heavens with a big smile on his face thinking to himself, if you only knew what you were asking for. I love you way too much to answer those prayers.

But when you know, when you know your life, is divinely orchestrated. You don't get frustrated and force things to happen. You trust God to do it his way. You don't get upset when somebody does you wrong. You know that God can use even your enemies to keep you moving forward. I was out running not long ago. I have this two-mile path that I run through my neighborhood. This particular day, it had been extremely difficult. I had been traveling a lot and I'd just eaten dinner and didn't really let my food settle. And while I was running, my side started hurting and kind of cramping up. And I was very winded. And with every step, I heard that voice saying, stop, stop, you're too tired. It's too painful. Just walk the rest of the way.

I'm a very determined person. I don't like to stop. But this day, I just didn't think that I could finish. And I was planning to run up to the corner and walk the last quarter of a mile or so to my house. But about that time, this little white poodle with pink bows in her hair came barking out toward me, 90 miles an hour barking up a storm. I thought to myself, that dog is so cute, seemed so happy, so friendly. But when she got up to me while I was still running, all of a sudden that dog bit my sock and tore part of it away. Do you know, I forgot all about my side hurting. I forgot all about being tired. I took off running with a new passion

trying to get away from this part poodle, part pit bull. The whole time she was chasing me darting in and out around my feet trying to bite me again. Neighbor drove by and I just smiled like everything was okay, but on the inside, my heart was racing.

The adrenaline was flowing. I was so concerned. assume trying to not let that little dog bite me, I ended up running right past my house. I was planning on stopping a quarter of a mile earlier. I went further than I normally would have, all because this little dog distracted me, caused me to forget about my pain, forget about my suffering. Friends, God works in mysterious ways. Don't complain about your enemies. God can use your enemies to keep you going further when you would have given up. Sometimes your enemies will do more to catapult you to success than your friends.

A few years ago, when word got out that we wanted to move our church to this place, one of my good friends was at a business luncheon here in town. There were several hundred business leaders there. There was a gentleman at his table, an older man, very well known, very influential. When he heard that my friend went to Lakewood, he laughed and he said to the whole table, it'll be a cold day in hell before Lakewood ever gets the compact center. And up to that point, I really wanted to get the facility. But when I heard that, my determination went up to a whole new level.

I had a new fire, a new resolve, a new passion. Anytime I even thought about wanting to give up, God would let me hear those words. it'll be a cold day in hell. That man doesn't know how much he helped us. If I ever see him, I need to buy him dinner. McDonald's probably. But in the Old Testament, God used a donkey to speak, and let me tell you, God used him.

He didn't happen to us. He happened for us. I didn't call him a donkey. In the book of Exodus, when the people of Israel were trying to leave Egypt, God said, I'm going to harden Pharaoh's heart and cause him to chase after you. I have planned this so I will receive great glory at Pharaoh's expense. Notice, God was the one that hardened Pharaoh's heart.

God had already planned for him to cause them trouble. Why? So God could show his power in a greater way. This tells me two things. Number one, God is in control of our enemies. And number two, if we'll keep the right attitude, God will take the opposition and use it to show us his favor in a new way. God had a great plan for David's life. He was a shepherd boy, a teenager, nobody had ever heard of him.

What did God do? Sent him an enemy. Sent him Goliath. Goliath in David's life was there for one purpose to promote David. In the same way, every adversity, every challenge, every enemy is. there for one reason to promote you, to make you stronger, to develop your character, not to defeat you, but to make you better. I think about Joseph. God gave him a big dream that one day he would rule a nation. What happened? His brothers betrayed him, sold him into slavery. Potipers

wife lied about him. His cellmate in prison, when he got out of prison, forgot all about Joseph. But Joseph understood this principle. He didn't get bitter. He didn't complain. He just kept being his best. He knew his life was divinely orchestrated. When it was all said and done, Joseph saw the dream come to pass. But too many people get stuck somewhere along the way because they don't understand why something happened. Why this person left me, why this company laid me off, why this coworker betrayed me. No, quit dwelling on the wise of life. we will never understand all of God's plan. Our mind is much too small to comprehend God's infinite wisdom.

I can't explain every bad thing that's happened, but I can tell you this, God is still on the throne. He's still got a great plan for your life. What was meant for your harm, God wants to use it to your advantage. But you've got to do your part and shake off the self-pity, the blame, the discouragement, the disappointment. No enemy is powerful enough to keep you from your destiny.

No injustice, no betrayal, no disappointment. We serve the most high God. He controls the whole universe. If you'll get in agreement with him, he'll not only bring you through the trouble, he'll bring you out better off than you were before. In the scripture, Philip was living in Jerusalem. That's where he and 120 other believers had been in the upper room.

and they had heard the sound of a rushing mighty wind and experienced the day of Pentecost, God's power and freshness in a new way. Philip had seen God do many amazing things there in Jerusalem. He loved being there. But the scripture says persecution arose in Jerusalem. Notice people came against Philip. He had trouble, opposition, so much so that Philip got run out of Jerusalem. He had to leave and go to Samaritan.

Think about this. God could have stopped the persecution. God could have quieted the people that were opposing them. After all, earlier, God had shut the mouths of lines. Why didn't God do it? It was because God wanted Philip to go to Samaria. He wanted him there, but God didn't send an angel to tell him. He didn't send a prophet. This time, God used people coming against Philip to get him to Samaria where God wanted him to be. It was in Samaria that Philip saw his greatest days of ministry. That's where he saw his life really blossom. What's my point? The persecution was for a purpose. God used it to get Philip to his place of blessing. Don't fight against every closed door. Don't be depressed when people come against you.

You don't know. God may be using that to get you to your Samaria, to your new place of blessing. This is what happened to my father back in the 1950s. He was a successful pastor and everything was going great. But one day, some of his main leaders turned on him. People that had been with him for many years. They didn't like his new message of faith and hope and victory.

Long story short, they pressured him into leaving that church. My father had just built a beautiful new sanctuary. He had poured his heart and soul into those people. people. He could not understand how these lifelong friends could all the sudden be so against him. Didn't make sense to my father. But the truth is that was all a part of God's divine plan. My father left that church, but he didn't sit around, depressed and defeated. He went out and found an abandoned feed store and started Lakewood Church on Mother's Day in 1959 with 90 people. Do you know for the next 40 years my father saw God do more than he could even ask or think?

Here we are now still going strong. But here's my point. Had it not been for the opposition, had it not been for the people coming against him, he would have stayed in his boat and missed the fullness of what God had in store. Sometimes God will use difficult people to push you out of your comfort zone. sometimes God will allow opposition in Jerusalem, so to speak, so he can get you to Samaria where you'll see a new level of his favor and his increase. Don't fight against closed doors.

Don't be discouraged because a friend walked away. God knows what he's doing. He's directing your steps. Learn to just flow with it. See, it's easy to have a good attitude when we get a promotion, when we see a breakthrough, when our prayers are being answered. We know God is in control. But what I want us to see today is when our prayers aren't being answered.

When people come against us, when plans don't work out, God is still in complete control. Your life is divinely orchestrated, not just the good seasons, but even the rough seasons. Now, don't complain about what went wrong. Well, hell, Joel, these people at the office played politics. They cheated me out of my promotions. They pushed me out of my position. No, if you'll stay in faith, you'll discover they didn't push you out, they pushed you up.

God will use the persecution to promote you. He'll use the opposition to make you stronger. That closed door will lead to a bigger and a better open door. One day you'll look back and say like my father, Lord, thank you for letting them push me out. Thank you for letting them come against me so I could get out of that narrow, limited environment out here into the deep water. where I could see the surpassing greatness of your favor. See, I used to just thank God only for my open doors, but now I've learned to thank God for my closed doors.

Because that closed door means God has something better in store. The opposition means a new level is coming. The persecution is a sign God is about to release his favor in a greater way. Now, the key is to stay in faith. if we get bitter and say, God, why is this happening? We try to pay people back and get revenge, then we'll get stuck right where we are. The way you pass the test is to say, God, I trust you. I believe my life is in your hands. I know you know what's best for me. Now, I may not understand this. It may not make sense, but I believe it's a part of your plan. You have a purpose for it.

So I'm going to let go of the self-pity, the blame, the discouragement. And I'm going to get a fresh new vision for my life, knowing that you promised all things are going to work together for my good. When you show God, you trust him like that, that your faith will allow God to do amazing things in your life. In the early 1900s, Alabama cotton farmers were facing a major challenge. A tiny insect called the bull weevil had migrated from South America. It was quickly destroying their crops. They tried everything they could to get rid of it. They exterminated with different pesticides, chemicals. They even came up with their own special formula, still to no avail. Eventually, all they could do was just sit back and watch their livelihood be eaten away.

It was very discouraging. Look like it was over. But as they were sitting around, kind of depressed and defeated, one of the farmers had an idea. He said, instead of planting, are normal cotton crops, which we know the bull weevils will destroy. Why don't we try peanuts instead? those other farmers looked at him like a cow at a new gate. He said, peanuts. Can't make a living off of peanuts. What are you talking about? He finally convinced them.

They went to work. What they discovered was the bowl weevil did not like to taste of peanuts. Those crops took off like nothing they had ever seen. The farmers made more money in three months off of peanuts than they'd normally make in a year off their normal cotton crops. even when the bull weevils left the region, they never did go back to cotton. They stuck with peanuts. They went on to produce more peanuts than any other country in the world. But a lot of times, we complain about the bull weevils of life.

God, why did you let this person hurt me? God, why did you let me lose my main client? God, why did these people treat me so badly? We don't realize the bull weevil is not there to destroy us, but to simply show us the new thing God wants to do. Just like God caused Pharaoh to harden his heart so he could show his power in a greater way, God will allow bowl weevils so he can show us

his favor in a greater way. You may be dealing with some bowl weevils right now, maybe at the office. Listen, here's my encouragement to you. Stay in faith. Peanuts are headed you away. It may look like a setback, but really it is a setback.

up for God to do something new. Now don't you dare drag around, depressed, complaining about how bad they treated you, about how wrong it was. You know what that is? That's a bow-weeval. It looks like it's there to destroy you when in fact, God allowed it so he could take you to a new level. At the office, that person that's always giving you a hard time, trying to ruin your reputation. When you see him tomorrow, just think to yourself, he's just a bull-weavele. He's trying to take me down, but I know the truth, God's going to use him to take me up. That's what the scripture says. God will cause your enemies to become your footstools.

In other words, when people come against you, opposition, persecution, betrayal, that's not going to be a stumbling block to take you down. If you'll stay in faith, God will use it as a stepping stone to take you higher. Friends, your life is divinely orchestrated. Not just all the good breaks. God has even lined up the right enemies, the right Goliaths, the Judas's, the bull-weevels,

nothing that happens is a coincidence. You may not understand it. It may not make sense, but don't get sour, don't start complaining. Stay in faith. God wouldn't have allowed it unless he had a purpose. One day you will look back

and see what God is doing. I'm asking you to dare to trust him, believe that he's got your best interest at heart. If you will shake off the disappointment, the self-pity, the blame, then you'll discover nothing in life happened to you. It happened for you. Now, I believe and declare you will overcome every obstacle, defeat every enemy, and you will accomplish every God-given dream.

If you receive it, can you give the Lord one more 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 out. When was the last time you asked God to do something that seemed impossible? If you only pray small, ordinary prayers, you'll live a small, ordinary life.

I have a new book called Pray Bold. I'll challenge you to stretch your face, and believe for the big things God puts in your heart. Victoria and I used to have season tickets to watch the Rockets play basketball here. We never dreamed it could be ours. When they moved out, somehow we had the faith to pray a bold prayer. God made things happen that we could never make happen. It's the same for you.

Who knows what God will do in your life if you'll dare to pray bold? Ask him for your dreams. Ask for your healing. Ask for your freedom. That's when God will show up and do more. than you could ever imagine. 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 brand new book. Pray bold, dare to ask, and believe big. Joel shares that when we pray, we can tap into God's creative, awesome power, something bigger than we have ever imagined. God doesn't want us to just pray in our comfort zones. No, God loves when we pray big, Believe big. Expect him to do the unexpected. There are inspiring stories from the Bible,

from history, and personal testimonies of people who dared to believe God in extraordinary ways. You'll learn how to practically expand your prayers and watch your life move from the common to the extraordinary, from less than to overflowing. Be sure to request your copy of Pray Bold Today. Visit Joel Lohsteen.com or call us toll-free. God has put dreams in your heart and things he's whispered in the night that seem impossible. But as you pray these bold prayers, you're going to see the goodness of God in ways you've never seen. Victoria and I believe, and you're going to have a great 20-25. We pray for you and your family every day for God's very best.

We want to thank you for your prayer and your support. You're impacting people all over the world. Be sure to request your copy of Pray Bold Today. visit joel lowsteen.com or call us toll-free finally elevate your personal time with god by requesting the my time with god collection this beautiful collection contains the pray bold new release plus the new living translation one year chronological study bible and a beautiful glass mug and throw blanket based around the inspiring scripture from psalm 4610 be still and know that i am god You can learn more about this unique new gift collection by calling 888-567, Joel, or logging on to joelosteen.com today. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, listen on Sirius XM, watch on YouTube, and now the new Joel Osteen Network streaming on television 24 hours a day.

If you've never been to Lakewood, we have a great opportunity. We call it Homecoming Weekend. We'd love to meet you and your family. You can see the building and attend one of the services. It's a great time to be a part of the Lakewood family. Looking forward to seeing you homecoming weekend.