Loading summary
Transcript21 lines
- [00:01]
SimpliSafe Announcer
Traditional home security only alerts you after a break in and that's too late. Simplisafe is changing that.
- [00:07]
Joel Osteen
Stop. This is SimpliSafe. Police are on the way.
- [00:10]
SimpliSafe Announcer
We don't just alert, we stop crime before it starts. SimpliSafe plans starting around a dollar a day. Save 50% on your new system with professional monitoring at simplisafe.com sxm or with promo code sxm Outdoor deterrence requires a
- [00:24]
SimpliSafe and Monday.com Advertiser
SimpliSafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection Plan starting at $49.99 a month.
- [00:26]
Joel Osteen
Visit simplisafe.com licenses for alarm license information.
- [00:28]
SimpliSafe and Monday.com Advertiser
Tennessee 2012 Close your eyes. Listen to Monday.com feel the sensation of an AI work platform so flexible and intuitive it feels like it was built just for you. Now open your eyes, go to Monday.com, start for free and finally breathe.
- [00:45]
Apple Card Advertiser
This message is brought to you by Apple Card For a limited time, when you get a new Apple card and purchase AirPods Pro 3 at Apple, you can earn back the cost up to 250 daily cash new AirPods Pro and up to $250 bonus daily cash back. Now that's music to my ears. Subject to credit approval, limitations and spend requirements apply. Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs bank usa, Salt Lake City Branch Terms and more at Apple Co AirPods hi,
- [01:14]
Joel Osteen
this is Joel in Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry.
- [01:19]
SimpliSafe Announcer
If you enjoyed today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend?
- [01:24]
Joel Osteen
We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. God Bless. Great to be with you today and I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our Daily podcast, our YouTube channel, 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'd like to start with something funny. And I heard about this teenager that just got his driver's license and he asked his father about borrowing the car. His father said, son, I'll make a deal with you. If you'll bring your grades up, read your Bible every day, and cut your hair, I'll let you borrow it. He came back in a few weeks and asked about the car. The father said, son, you brought your grades up, you've been reading your Bible, but you still haven't cut your hair. The son said, dad, I've been thinking, Moses had long hair, Samson had long hair. Even Jesus had long hair. The dad said, yes son, and they walked everywhere they went 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 removing infected thinking. We all have to deal with thoughts of doubt, worry and insecurity. Thoughts that tell us you're not going to get well. You'll never break the addiction. You can't accomplish your dream. It's just a thought. Seems harmless. The truth is, negative thoughts are like infection. If you make the mistake of dwelling on them, letting it play over and over, it's like you're inviting it in. You're giving it permission to become a reality. What's holding many people back is is their thinking is infected. Studies show that 47% of adults cognitive time is spent ruminating on bad things that have happened in the past or worried about what might happen in the future. Nearly half of our time we have the negative dominating our thoughts. We wonder why we don't have joy, don't have peace, why we feel stuck. It's the infection. Well, Joel, I don't think I'll ever get well. That's an infected thought. Well, I've made too many mistakes. God could never bless me now. That infection is distorting your vision. I'm not attractive. I don't have a good personality. As long as the infection is there, it's going to limit your life. The scripture says to bring every thought into captivity, you have to lock up those negative thoughts. Don't give them free rein in your mind. They may seem harmless, but you need to see them in a new light. They're infectious. They will poison your attitude, contaminate your self image, cloud your vision. Has your thinking become infected? Are there areas in your life where you believed you're not talented enough or come from the wrong family? You could never live in that nice neighborhood. That's all infection. You were created to live happy, healthy, to rise higher. The good news is you can get rid of the infection. It may have held you back, but it's not permanent. Start locking up those thoughts. Quit dwelling on all the negative, discouraging, destructive. Start filling your mind with thoughts of hope, thoughts of faith, thoughts of victory. I have some friends that decided to resod their front yard. Their grass was never really healthy, so they dug it all up and had a truckload of grass delivered they spent several days laying it out, making sure it was level and had plenty of water. One night, the husband noticed a new mole on his wife's shoulder. Just a little bump, looked like a freckle. And wife looked at it and was surprised that it came up that fast. But she dismissed it, thought, no big deal. Couple of weeks went by and just to be safe, she went to the dermatologist. He looked at it and said, this isn't a mole, this is a tick. It had become embedded under her skin. He removed the tick and of course she was very relieved. Well, fast forward two years, she started having so much fatigue, she was tired, have to take a nap during the day. This is a very talented, high energy, successful woman. She never had to take a nap. Her muscles started aching. She was so sore it was hard to get out of bed in the morning. She started not being able to remember things. Foggy thinking, she went and took test after test, trying to find out what was wrong. They finally diagnosed her with Lyme disease. Lyme disease comes from a tick bite. When a tick is not removed within 24 hours, it can release infection into the bloodstream. These parasites that invade the organs and cells they live and grow and causing all these symptoms. Fatigue, joint pain, neurological problems. What's interesting is you don't feel a tick bite. It doesn't hurt. It's not like he got stung by a bee. And there's this pain and discomfort. You never knew it happened. A tick is the size of a poppy seed. Just a little tiny insect. You would think this is harmless. It could not stop me. Yet that little tick carries such powerful infection, it can become debilitating. It's the same principle in our thoughts. They can seem harmless. Just a little whisper, you're not valuable. You're not as smart as your cousin. You'll never overcome this problem. It's not some big announcement, some great offense where it's so obvious. The enemy is very subtle. Just like that tick. You don't feel the bite. You hardly even know it happened. It's just a suggestion. But if you let that thought stay and you start to dwell on it, maybe I'm not worthy. Maybe I have seen my best days. And maybe I don't have the talent that I need. Before long, that little lie is going to create major infection. It's going to poison your self image and contaminate your attitude, distort your vision. The scripture says it's the little foxes that spoil the vines with the tick. If you remove it within 24 hours, then it can't release the parasites that infect the organs and cause all that damage. It's important to deal with thoughts quickly. Don't let them linger in your mind. Thoughts create images, Then you start to see what you're thinking. If you dwell on that thought, you're never going to get well. You saw the medical report. Before long, you'll see yourself going downhill. You'll see yourself at your own funeral. Well, you'll never meet the right person. You'll always be single. If you let that infection take root, you'll see yourself 80 years old, still single, lonely, discouraged. Do yourself a favor. Remove that thought quickly. May seem harmless, just a little discouragement. No. Thoughts can carry infection. Thoughts can contaminate your future. That's why the scripture tells us to guard our mind. You can't stop the negative thoughts from coming, but you can stop them from staying. If my friends would have known that was a tick, they would have pulled it off immediately. They wouldn't have thought twice. That's the way we need to see discouraging thoughts. No, thanks. You're not welcome here. You got to go. The longer we wait, the more damage, the more infection. When I was 12 years old, one summer day I went to play baseball with my friends and we rode our bikes down to the fields. They were next to the boat docks. And after playing a couple of hours, we were so hot and sweaty, one of my friends said, let's go jump in the river and cool off. Well, my mother always told me not to get in that river. It was too dirty. But all my friends took off running and I followed right behind. We jumped off the docks and swam about 15 minutes and felt so good and refreshing. I waited a couple of hours before I went back home so my shorts would dry. Nobody would know what I did. Well, that night I took a shower and was about to go to bed. My mother said, joel, what is all over your back? I couldn't see anything. I had 24 ticks on my back. The next hour, she picked every one of them out. I learned my lesson. Even it's 150 degrees, I am not getting in that river. But what's funny is my brother Paul swam there many times. He never got one. I guess ticks even know what tastes good. But with a tick, it doesn't do any harm unless it attaches itself to what's called a host. It needs an animal or a person. By itself, the tick won't do any damage. But when it finds a host, it feeds off their blood. That's what causes it to grow. There are three stages of its development. When it first finds a host, it's too small to have any effect. But as long as it's receiving nourishment from the host, they call it a blood meal. Then it'll progress to the next stage. When it reaches that final stage, then it can release the infection into the bloodstream. Same way in our thinking, when negative thoughts come. The enemy needs a host. He needs someone that will welcome that thought, entertain it and make it feel comfortable. He brings thoughts of fear, worry, doubt, waiting to see, will you take it? Will you host it? He has that thought. You'll never rise any higher, man. You've seen your best days. Those thoughts won't do any harm if you don't welcome them. You don't dwell on it. The only power he has is when he finds someone to accept to host and to believe. This is the one time it's good to be a bad host. You have to say, hey, Tick. Hey, worry. Hey, defeat. You are not welcome here. You're not going to feed off of me. You're not getting my nutrients, my faith, my joy, my vision. You have to starve the negative thoughts. They have no effect if you don't feed them. But think about that, tick. Feeding off of your own blood, only to turn around and infect you. It's trying to develop into a stage where it can release the parasites. And if the host is not aware, if the host is passive and complacent, then, like with my friends, years later, they're dealing with very difficult issues. Could have been avoided if they had recognized it was a tick, not a mole. If they had removed it sooner, it wouldn't have caused this infection. I know a man that was told by his high school counselor that he wasn't smart enough to go to college, that he should pursue some kind of career that had to do with working with his hands. The counselor was basically telling him, you're not that talented. You're at a disadvantage. Don't expect much out of life. This young man was 17 years old. He didn't know any better. He believed that lie, that he was not up to par. Sometimes the enemy will use people to try to plant the infection, to try to discourage you. Speak defeat. Tell you what you can't do. Here's the key. Those thoughts don't have any power unless you give them power. They need a host. They need someone to welcome them, to feed them. They. Then they'll grow and become a reality. But what people say about you doesn't determine who you are. It's what you agree with, it's what you entertain, what you make comfortable. If you're comfortable with doubt, fear, insecurity, then it's going to stay. That's what this young man did. He became a great host. He lived feeling inadequate and inferior. And for years he worked at the local factory in town. The same position, never rising higher. His friends around him were being promoted. Going further, he was stuck at this same level. Thirty years later, the factory closed, went out of business. He went across town to another factory to apply for a job. Well, they had a requirement that you had to take an IQ test. He took the test and scored at a genius level. The person conducting it said he had scored the highest of anyone in their 63 year history. That day, a stronghold was broken in his mind. All those thoughts telling him he wasn't good enough, talented enough, smart enough. He realized they were lies. That was infection that was keeping him from who he was created to be. He had to remove the infection. That company hired him. Not at an entry level position, but as a manager over the whole department. He had hundreds of people under him. He eventually started his own company, went on to invent several products that are patented and very successful. It's amazing what will happen when you remove the infection. Yoel. I don't think I'll ever be successful. I'm limited by my lack of education, my background, by my talent. Can I tell you? Those are infected thoughts. You're hosting the wrong things. You're feeding that tick, the very one that's poisoning your future. Quit hosting defeat. Quit hosting mediocrity. You have greatness in you. You are made in the image of almighty God. He has crowned you with his favor. He has empowered you for your assignment. Now start hosting the right things. Faith. Favor. Confidence. Victory. This is what I had to do. When my father went to be with the Lord. I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church. But I didn't feel qualified. My father was so powerful, had so much experience. He was compelling, articulate, bigger than life. I bought into that lie that I could never be what my father is. I could never stand up and speak in front of people. I didn't know any better. I was feeding that infection. I was discounting myself, thinking I'm at a disadvantage. I didn't get what daddy got. I didn't get the courage, the charisma, the vision. The fact is, it was in me. But I was hosting the wrong thoughts. I was making fear comfortable. Intimidation. Welcome What I can't do. How? I don't have the talent. Nobody's going to listen to me. I would not be up here today if I had not gotten the infection out. I had to clear out all the toxins, all the. Can't do it. Not able. Not good enough thoughts. I started reprogramming my mind with what God says about me. I am strong in the Lord. I can do all things through Christ. I'm equipped, empowered, anointed. I started hosting Faith, Courage, Victory. When I changed what I was welcoming, that's when I stepped up to levels that I never imagined the enemy would love. To keep you from your greatness. Often it starts with little thoughts like that tick. You don't even feel the bite. Just something subtle. You're not as good as your father. The truth is, you're not competing with anyone else. You have what you need to fulfill your destiny. Quit comparing your life to others. Or your looks, your gifts, your personality. You are one of a kind. A designer's original. When God made you, he threw away the mold. You have everything you need to accomplish your assignment. This is what was holding Gideon back. In the scripture. He was hiding in the winepress, afraid of the enemy army that was around their city. An angel showed up and said, mighty hero, the Lord is with you. You are to deliver the people of Israel from the Midianites. Gideon was confused. He thought, who's this angel talking about? I'm not a mighty hero. I'm afraid I'm intimidated. He said to the angel, how can I lead the people? I come from the smallest tribe in all of Israel, and I'm the least one in my father's house. Notice what he's been hosting. Least. Smallest. Disadvantaged. Not enough. When the enemy plants his lies, if you welcome it, make it comfortable, it's going to become a reality. Gideon saw himself as limited, when in fact he was a mighty hero. One translation calls him a man of fearless courage. He had to do what I'm asking us to do to remove the infection. He had to lock up those thoughts, telling him everything he wasn't, and start believing who God said he was. He changed his mindset, and he went on to lead the Israelites to defeat armies much larger and to become one of the heroes of faith. This would have never happened if someone had not told him that. That his thinking was infected, like Gideon. Lies have come to us all to try to keep that mighty hero from coming out. You have to ask yourself, who told me I'm not smart enough to go to college? Who told me I don't deserve to be blessed? Who told me I'm not attractive? Who told me that I'll never break this addiction? I can assure you it was not God. That's infection. Like that tick that poisoned my friend. You have to remove it. Quit feeding your fears. Quit feeding the guilt. Feeding the doubt. Start feeding your faith. Feed what God says about you. That's why we start off every service saying, I am who God says I am. I am blessed. I am talented. I am healthy. I am valuable. I am strong. I am prosperous. I am. I am victorious. One of the best ways to clear up the infection is to declare who God says you are. Well, Joel, this sounds good. But I think I've been through too many hurts to be happy again. Somebody walked out on me or I had a rough childhood. It's easy to have a victim mentality. Think that we'll live a broken, wounded life. As long as you're hosting the hurts and hosting the brokenness, then you're feeding the infection. That tick, so to speak, is going to get stronger and release more poison. Now that thing has sucked enough life out of you. It's time to change what you're hosting. God. You said you have beauty for these ashes. That you would pay me back double for the unfair things that what was meant for harm. You're turning to my advantage. That's how you clear up the infection. Feed your faith and starve all the negative. And yes, a person may have walked away, but God didn't walk away. If they left you, you didn't need them. Their part in your story was over. God has someone better coming now. I know that hurt is real. It's not easy. But that's not how your story ends. The enemy would love for you to stay infected and hold. Hold onto the hurt, nurse the wounds. That's feeding the very thing that's poisoning you. Do yourself a favor. Get rid of that tick. Quit letting it contaminate your life. You have a destiny to fulfill. Numbers 13. Moses sent 12 men to spy out the promised land. And 10 of them came back and said, moses, we don't have a chance. The people are huge. We. We were in our own sights as grasshoppers. And so we were in their sights. They didn't say they called us grasshoppers. They insulted us. They said we were in our own sights as grasshoppers. They went in with a grasshopper mentality. Their thinking was infected. It wasn't that the people were too big. They had just seen God part the Red Sea and drown their enemies and change the Pharaoh's mind. They could look back and see the faithfulness of God. But when you let infection in and you start believing, doubt and fear, not able to too much. Even though like Gideon, God calls you a mighty hero, that infection is going to cloud your vision, weaken your faith. They never did make it into the promised land. Infected thinking will keep you from your destiny. Guilt, shame down on yourself. That's infection. Low self esteem, inferior, not good enough. Those are all lies. God calls you a masterpiece. Well, this giant's too big, Joel. The sickness too great, the addiction too strong. You're feeding the wrong thing. Quit hosting the doubt. No more welcoming the fear. Get rid of that grasshopper thinking and you'll make it into your promised land. There was a young boy raised by a single parent mother living in the hills of Tennessee. This was years ago and in this small community, children born to unwed mothers were really looked down on and almost seen as second class. When he was three years old, the neighbors wouldn't allow him to play with their children. He would hear things like what's he doing in our town? And wonder who his father is. They were treated with shame and disrespect. On Saturdays, he would go up with his mother to the local store and invariably people would make disparaging remarks loud enough that they could hear it. Things like, there they are again. Did you ever figure out who his father is? This little boy grew up feeling unworthy, always being ridiculed, thinking something was wrong with him. Sometimes our thinking is infected from things that were no fault of our own, how we were raised, or what people said. A hurtful situation that you had no control over. The good news is God is not going to leave you wounded. He's not going to let you stay infected like with Gideon. He's going to send someone or something to help you remove that infection. At 12 years old, a new minister moved into town to pastor the local church. He was a young minister, very gifted and passionate. Everyone was so excited. This young boy at 12, had never been to church. One Sunday, he decided to go hear this new minister everyone kept talking about. Got there late and snuck in the back so no one would notice. As he listened that day, he felt a love and an acceptance that he had never felt before. Like he was valuable and wanted. As he was leaving, the minister was at the door greeting everyone he saw. The young man. He'd never met him, didn't know anything about him, but he noticed that he wasn't with anyone. The minister greeted him very friendly. Then he said, young man, tell me, who. Whose child are you? Everyone froze. You could hear a pin drop. That was the question they'd all been wanting to ask. The boy didn't know what to say. He'd heard all the talk about how he was an outcast, the child with no father. So he just put his head down, stood there silently. The minister realized something was wrong that he knew nothing about. He pulled the young boy close and said, oh, I know who your father is. I can see the resemblance so strongly. You're a child of almighty God. That day, a stronghold was broken off of his life. All that infection that had clouded his future and damaged his sense of worth, that began to clear up. He started seeing himself as valuable, as worthy, as talented. Thirty years later, that young boy was elected governor of Tennessee. If you were to ask him, Ben Hooper would tell you the day he really got elected was the day that minister told him who his father was. I wonder if there's some kind of infection in your thinking. What people have said, what you've been through, lies the enemy has planted. You didn't know better. You let the tick stand. You've been feeding the infection, welcoming the insecurity, hosting the guilt, thinking that's the way it's always going to be. No. Today is your day to be free. That infection is about to clear up. Things that are poisoning your joy, your attitude, your creativity, they are being broken right now. Healing is coming. Wholeness, freedom and victory. Now do your part. No more feeding the negative. No more dwelling on the lies that you're at a disadvantage. You can't get well. You've seen your best days. Starve all that and start feeding your faith. Start hosting what God says about you. You're valuable, you're worthy. You're victorious. If you'll do this. I believe and declare. Every wrong mindset is being broken. Strongholds are coming down. Grasshopper mentalities are leaving. All that infection is clearing up. Like Gideon, you're going to rise higher, accomplish dreams and become the mighty hero you were created to be. In Jesus name, if you receive it, can you say Amen? 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. 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. But I hope you'll get into a good Bible based church and keep God first place.
- [28:42]
Joel Osteen Promotional Speaker
Every day we can live discouraged, angry, depressed, defeated. Is it possible to turn these negatives into an outlook filled with purpose, happiness and joy?
- [28:54]
Joel Osteen
Every day we make choices. How we see ourselves, how we respond to challenges, how we approach what's in front of us. I've written a devotional called Today I Choose Devotions for a Better Life. It's designed to help you make those choices on purpose, to choose faith over fear, peace over frustration, and kindness over offense. Each day is filled with scripture and practical encouragement to help you live with confidence and victory. You can't wait to see what kind of day it's going to be. You have to decide ahead of time. When you do, you can step into a more blessed, fulfilled life. I'd love to send you a copy
- [29:32]
Joel Osteen Promotional Speaker
as our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount, we would like to send you a copy of Today I Devotions for a Better Life. Every day begins with a choice and this inspiring book is packed with powerful devotional truths that will help you in the specific challenges you face in life, including Today. I choose to turn down the noise, to believe what I cannot see, to be happy, to trust God's timing. They will transform your attitude, your outlook, your entire day. As you embrace these biblical principles, you'll see problems dissolve, hope restored, mountains move. Choose the joy and happiness God has chosen for you. Be sure to request your copy of Today I Devotions for a Better Life available this month by simply visiting us at@jolostein.com or call 888-567-Joel, call or click anytime 24 hours a day.
- [30:33]
Joel Osteen
When you make choices based on what God says about you, you're going to live happier, have more peace and you'll be a bigger blessing to others. Thanks so much for being with us today. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day. We sure appreciate your prayer and support. Your generosity helps us take this message to people around the world. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. Until we meet again. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
- [31:04]
Joel Osteen Promotional Speaker
Be sure to request your copy of Today I Devotions for a Better Life available this month by simply visiting us@joelostein.com or call 888-567-JOEL Call or click anytime 24 hours a day. You can also receive the Today I Choose to Rejoice Signature Edition art print created to encourage faith and purpose filled Living. This beautifully framed 12 by 15 art piece features the powerful promise of Psalm 118:24 this is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Choose every morning to begin with a declaration of God's eternal promise. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567-JOEL or logging on to jolostein.com today. Call or click anytime 24 hours a day. Request your copies today.
- [32:05]
SimpliSafe Announcer
In the US there's a break in every 26 seconds, but when intruders step near SimpliSafe, home security steps up.
- [32:12]
Joel Osteen
Stop. This is Simplis. Police are on the way.
- [32:15]
SimpliSafe Announcer
Using AI alerts, US based live agents help deter break ins. SimpliSafe no long term contracts. Save 50% on your new system with professional monitoring at SimpliSafe.com sxm or with promo code sxm Outdoor deterrence requires a
- [32:28]
SimpliSafe and Monday.com Advertiser
SimpliSafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection Plan starting at $49.99 a month.
- [32:31]
Joel Osteen
Visit SimpliSafe.com licenses for alarm license information.
- [32:33]
SimpliSafe and Monday.com Advertiser
Tennessee 2012 Close your eyes. Focus. Listen to work getting done with Monday.com relax as AI does the manual work while your teams are aligned on a single source of truth. Feel the sensation of an AI work platform so flexible and intuitive it feels like it was built just for you. Notice you're limitless. Now open your eyes. Go to Monday.comstart for free and finally breathe.