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Commercial Narrator 1
Can you grab one more thing?
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Joel Osteen
I'll come back up for you.
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Amica Insurance Announcer
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- [00:46]
Commercial Narrator 1
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Joel Osteen
Hi, this is Joel in Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoyed today's message, why don't
- [01:19]
Promotional Announcer
you be a blessing and share it with a friend?
- [01:21]
Joel Osteen
We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. God bless you. It's great to be with you today and I hope you'll stay connected with during the week through our daily podcast, 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. I'd like to start with something funny and I heard about this elderly woman. She came to church one Sunday morning and a friendly usher met her at the back door and asked where she wanted to sit. She said, I want to sit on the very front row. He said, oh, no, ma', am, you don't want to do that. Our pastor is very boring. He'll put you to sleep. Let me seat you somewhere else. She looked appalled. She said, sir, do you know who I am? He said, no, ma'.
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GM Genuine Parts Announcer
Am.
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Joel Osteen
She said, I am the pastor's mother. He hung his head in shame, embarrassment. He finally looked up and said, ma', am, do you know who I am? She said, no. He said, thank God. 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 Breakthrough is coming. There are times that God does things gradually through a process. You stay faithful and keep doing the right thing. And you begin to see improvement. A door opens and your health gets better. The scripture says God brought the Israelites out little by little. That's one way God works. But God also does things suddenly where there's no sign of it. Nothing is improving. Every thought tells you you're stuck, the obstacle's too big, it's never going to work out. Then God steps in and suddenly the door opens. Suddenly your health turns around. Suddenly that right person shows up. Suddenly you come out of death. What was that? A lucky break? No, that's the God of the breakthrough showing out in your life. A breakthrough is a sudden burst of God's favor. It's a flood of his goodness that thrust you ahead for where God is taking you. And the dreams he's put in your heart, the giants that will be in your path. It's not going to all be gradual and little by little a process that you can see. He has some of these breakthrough moments that you can't explain that will catapult you into your destiny. Now don't be discouraged by what's not happening. You're doing the right thing and not seeing any improvement. Working hard in your career, but the doors aren't opening. And praying for your child, but he's not doing better. You feel this pressure, this worry trying to weigh you down. But God knows what's not working out. He sees you being your best. When things aren't fair, you feel overlooked. You've done all you can, but the giant is still there. You haven't even budged the obstacle. What you can't see is the God of the breakthrough is about to show up. He's already scheduled these moments where it's not going to be a gradual turnaround, not going to be little by little. It's going to be a flood of his favor. A flood of healing, a flood of finances, a flood of peace. Instead of being overwhelmed by the problem, you're going to be overwhelmed by the goodness of God. He has the final say. He has not brought you this far to leave you. No matter how long it's been or how impossible it looks. You have to know deep down in your spirit, the God of the breakthrough is on the way. Maybe you're dealing with an illness. Nothing's getting better. Stay in faith. The God of the breakthrough is about to breathe healing on your life. You're struggling in your finances, can't seem to get ahead. The God of the breakthrough is about to shift things to where abundance finds you. That child had family members been off track. The more you pray, the worse he gets. Their time is coming. The God of the breakthrough is about to visit them. He knows how to suddenly change things. This is what happened with David. First Chronicles, chapter 14. He had just been anointed king over all of Israel. This was a destiny moment. After years of being in the shepherd's fields, overlooked and being chased by King Saul, all this opposition, he was finally stepping into the fullness of what God promised him. I'm sure he was so grateful and excited, a dream coming to pass. But before he could even celebrate, before he could enjoy what God had done, the Philistines rose up against him and were about to attack. This wasn't random timing. They didn't want him to take this new position. They could have opposed him a year earlier, but they left him alone. Anytime you're about to step into a new level, the enemy will attack. He doesn't want you to fulfill your purpose. He's okay if you stay where you are. But when you start to move forward and take new ground, break out of limitations, don't be surprised if you face resistance. Some of the opposition that's coming against you, you don't like it. But have a new perspective. That's a sign you're about to step into a greater level, greater favor, greater influence, greater opportunity. The enemy is not fighting you for where you are. He's fighting you for where you're going. He knows you were made in the image of Almighty God, that you have seeds of greatness, that you're a barrier breaker, a history maker. He wouldn't bother you if you weren't a threat. If you didn't have something valuable, something to impact this world, he'd leave you alone. The Philistines surrounded David in the valley of Rephaim. That means the Valley of Giants. He was outnumbered. The opposition was bigger, stronger. They had more equipment. Verse 10 says David inquired of the Lord, should I go fight the Philistines? God, will you give me this victory? David didn't just fight because there was opposition. He didn't react emotionally. You're not going to stop me. He asked God what to do. He had this dependency on him. He was putting God first place, saying, not my will, but Let your will be done. You're not supposed to fight every battle. If you let your emotions rule and you get upset, I'm going to pay them back. That's not right. Then you're doing it all in your own strength. There's no grace for it. But if you'll start inquiring of the Lord God, what do you want me to do? God, I need your wisdom, your strength, your power. When you show your dependency on God, he knows you're relying on him. Then he'll help you fight those battles. He'll empower you to defeat the giants, to break addictions, and to overcome what should have stopped you. Verse 10 goes on to say, the Lord said to David, yes, go ahead and fight, for I will give you the victory. David went into this battle with the blessing of God on his life. When God says you'll be victorious, the opposition doesn't have a chance. Nothing can stand against our God. David went in with his men. All the odds are against him and they defeated this mighty army. David was so amazed at what God had done. He said in verse 11, God has broken through to my enemies like the bursting forth of waters. He named the place BAAL Purism. BAAL Purism means the God of the breakthrough. David likened this breakthrough to the bursting forth of water. Well, water is one of the most powerful forces. When there's flooding, you hear that phrase, turn around, don't drown. It's because water can pick up a 2 ton car and carry it away like it's nothing I've seen in a tsunami. Water take houses off their foundation and they're floating down the river, a whole house. We've seen when a dam breaks, that water washes out roadways, bridges, bends the steel, moves anything in its path. David could have used the analogy God has broken through like a fire, like a hurricane, like a wind. That would have been impressive. But he used water to show us how nothing can stop it. You may have things that look immovable in your life today. A sickness, an addiction, trouble with a child, it seems permanent. But when the God of the breakthrough shows up, those things don't stand a chance. Like a dam breaking like a flood. God's power will move anything in its path. Cancer can't stop it. Injustice can't stop it. Depression can't stop it. Jealous people can't stop it. David said, like the bursting forth of waters. Not going to be something gradual, not a trickle, not a stream, not a river, but a flood of God's favor, a tidal wave of his Blessing a tsunami of his power. When you're tempted to get discouraged and think your situation could never change. Turn it around, Father. I know you're the God of the breakthrough, like you did for David. You will burst through. What's trying to stop me? The bursting forth implies something that was held back is suddenly released, like a dam bursting or a flood breaking through its barriers. We all have these seasons in life where we're doing the right thing, but nothing is changing. No good breaks. Our health's not improving, the problem's not turning around. We feel this pressure. We're tempted to worry if it's ever going to change. But that pressure is a sign something is happening. When water builds behind a dam, you don't see anything on the outside. There's no shaking, no movement, no cracks in the concrete. But all this energy and all this force is being stored up. The higher the water, the more the pressure. Sometimes the dam can get so full and have so much pressure they have to open the floodgates. There have been times when the dam burst and all this water suddenly comes flooding out. So much force and so much power. The pressure you feel is not because God is not working. The silence, things not improving doesn't mean it's never going to change. The water is building up. Things are being stored up that you can't see. The pressure is the sign that the dam is weakening, that things are shifting, momentum is building, energy is being stored. When it's the right time, it's going to be suddenly released like a flood. Not a trickle, not a couple good breaks, not one problem turned around. No, like David, the whole army was wiped out. God burst through with favor, with promotion, with power that they had never seen. Don't let the pressure fool you. It's not a sign that God has forgotten about you, that it's never going to work out. It's a sign that the water is building up, that God's about to come breaking through. Think about Paul and Silas. They were put in prison for sharing their faith. And they had been beaten and were bruised and bloody. And now they were in the dungeon in chains, awaiting trial the next day. Well, Stephen, an apostle, had already been killed by the opposition. Looked like they were next. Imagine the pressure they felt, not just physically from their wounds and being injured, but emotionally, thinking that was it. There was no way out. They could have been bitter. God, why'd this happen? We were doing the right thing. But in the middle of the prison, they were singing praises and thanking God. They were showing us a key turn Your pressure into praise, turn your worry into worship. Instead of complaining about what didn't work out, feeling overwhelmed by what's not changing, why don't you do like them and thank God that he's fighting your battles, that nothing can stand against him, that what he started, he will finish in your life. And they felt all this pressure, but they understood it was a sign that something was building up, that the water, so to speak, was rising and creating momentum, that God was working. At midnight, while they were singing praises, suddenly there was a great earthquake. Prison doors flung open, chains came off their feet. They walked out as free men. What happened? The dam broke. The water came bursting through. How are you handling the pressure in your life? What are you saying in the seasons when nothing is changing? Feels like God has forgotten about you. Like David, the Philistines had you surrounded. Maybe it's the sickness, the debt, the trouble. If you complain, live discouraged, you're going to miss what God has for you. Try a different approach. The pressure is a sign. The dam is about to break. The water is about to burst forth. David felt his greatest pressure, his greatest opposition, right before he saw the God of the breakthrough show up. You may be under great pressure now. Raising children, dealing with issues at work, struggling in your finances. God sees what you're up against. He knows how much pressure you can handle. He wouldn't have allowed it if it wasn't going to work for your good. And that pressure that feels so strong against you, that's an indication of the favor and blessing that's going to be unleashed in your life. It is building up like the bursting forth of waters. You're going to see the goodness of God. It's because you've been like Paul and Silas in that midnight hour when it wasn't fair. The pressure could have easily overwhelmed you. But you're still singing praises. You still have an attitude of faith. You're still coming to church and being your best at work. Can I encourage you? Your time is coming. The psalmist put it this way. When darkness overtakes, the righteous light will come bursting in. This is not a gradual process. This is not something that improves a little over time. This is talking about the God of the breakthrough, when suddenly things shift. Suddenly the problem turns around. Suddenly your business takes off. Suddenly you're free from that addiction. Suddenly your child comes back home. Get ready for some suddenlies, like a dam breaking. God's about to unleash what's been stored up. See, you can't reach your destiny just by ordinary means. The philistines were too strong for David. Goliath was too big. Saul was too powerful. David's father overlooked him. David felt this pressure again and again. And he could have complained, thought it's never going to work out. But listen to his attitude. He said, oh, magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name together. He was saying, I'm not going to magnify my problems. I know I serve the God of the breakthrough. I'm going to magnify him another place. He wrote, a thousand may fall at my side, 10,000 at my right hand, but it won't come near me. For the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? He felt the pressure, but he turned it into praise. The pressure in your life is not there to defeat you. It's there to propel you. You're feeling the weight, the worry forces trying to stop you. That pressure is a sign something is shifting. Favor is building. Healing is being stored up. Vindication, open doors. At the right time, like the bursting forth of waters, you're going to see the goodness of God. Something that you could have never made happen, that propels you into your purpose. You may be in a difficult season now. You don't see how it could ever work out. But don't ever rule out the God of the breakthrough. One touch of his favor, one good break, one contract. One Goliath. You defeat and you're catapulted to a new level. Now, I need to give you a special weather alert. This is just in. You are under a flash flood warning. At any moment, you could see a flood of God's favor, a flood of healing, a flood of abundance. Not a trickle, not a little mist here and there, not a light rain. We're grateful for all that. We thank God for sustaining us. But I'm talking today about something uncommon, unusual that you never saw coming. This happens when you're under pressure. When thoughts tell you it's too much, you can't take it. It's never going to change. No. That pressure means the dam is about to break. What God has stored up is about to come bursting forth like a flood. Like a tidal wave, like a tsunami. Everything that's in your path trying to stop you is going to be washed away. His power is greater than anything that comes against you. But there's a lot in life that we cannot overcome by ourselves. And if we're just trying to do it all in our own strengths, our intellect, our. Our connections, our resources, we're going to be frustrated because the Philistines will show up. People bigger and stronger. Could be an illness or dysfunction that was passed down, trouble in the home. These obstacles are going to take supernatural power. God has already scheduled these breakthrough moments. He's already lined up these times where his power will come, like the bursting forth of waters. While you're waiting, feeling that pressure. This is a very important time because thoughts will try to get you discouraged, worried. No. You know the secret? The pressure is a sign that the water is rising. The momentum is building. Things are shifting that you can't see at the right time. You're going to see God show out in your life. Well, David was so amazed at what God had done and so grateful that they had defeated the Philistines. The scripture says he named the place Baalperism, the God of the breakthrough. Every time David and his men would come by that city, they'd say, remember that place? That's where the God of the breakthrough showed up. Even generations later, when David's grandchildren, great grandchildren, would pass by, they'd say, oh, yeah, we remember this place. Granddaddy told us about the God of the breakthrough, how he helped them defeat an army twice that size. Every one of us should have some bowel parithiums where we can look back and say, that's where the God of the breakthrough showed out in my life. That's where God healed me. That's where he protected me. That's where he opened a door I couldn't open. That's where he turned my child around. Every time I drive up to this building, I realize it's a bowel parism. When all the odds were against us, the experts said we didn't have a chance. But the God of the breakthrough stepped in like a flood. He moved the wrong people out of the way. He made a path where we didn't see a path. Here we are now, Lakewood, 67 years old. Today on Mother's Day. I remember when we were trying to acquire this building. I felt all this pressure, and I'm sure my team did, too. But the other side had more finances, more resources, more connections. There were nights I couldn't really sleep. I tried, but thoughts whispered. You're wasting your time, Joel. The night before the main city council vote, we were one vote shy. We'd worked a year and a half, and one of the council members, that was for us, decided to be out of town. And that meant we wouldn't have enough votes. But people cannot stop what God has purposed for your life, what he has intended for you. Is not going to go to someone else. There will be these times where it's out of your control. You've done all you can. We did our best. We worked hard, prayed and believed, but we were still lacking one vote. But the night before the main vote, the God of the breakthrough showed up. A lady I had never met called a council member that had been against us the whole time. Her call changed the council members mind and he voted for us. We got the building. What I couldn't do in a year and a half of trying to persuade him, she did in a five minute phone call. What was that? A flood of God's favor. All that pressure I felt, it was like water building behind a dam about to break. At the right time. What God has for you is going to come bursting forth. And I know you've seen his goodness in the past, but you haven't seen anything yet. He has some new bowel porisms in store for you. I think about my mother. She lived 44 years after she was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. She was a valparism. Every time we saw her, that's the God of the breakthrough. In my early 20s I was driving on the freeway and it was raining really bad. When I went to change lanes, I lost control of my car and I hit the guardrail in the middle and started spinning back across five lanes of traffic. At one point I looked up and I could see the front grill of this 18 wheeler. I was facing the wrong direction. It was like 10ft in front of me. I felt like I could touch it. I braced myself. All I had time to say was Jesus, sometimes you can't pray long. But when you call on the name of Jesus, angels go to work. Forces of darkness are pushed back. The next thing I knew I was over on the shoulder parked, kind of in a daze. Well, the driver of the 18 wheeler, he pulled over, he came up to my car. I'll never forget. He said, boy, you must be living right. Because right when I was about to hit you, this big burst of wind blew my truck into another lane and somehow I missed you. That's the God of the breakthrough. I named that place Valparism. Every time I drive by I can say, look what the Lord has done. When my father was a young minister, he would drive to different cities to preach. And he took his own sound equipment with him. And one place he showed up and went and looked at the venue, this little county auditorium and met with a few men that had asked him to come. He went back to his car to get the sound system out of his trunk. But somehow the trunk closed with his keys in it. They started jiggling the trunk and trying to open it. They got some coat hangers and tried with no success. There's about a dozen people gathered around, everybody trying to help. After about 30 minutes of doing everything they could, my father said, I'm going to pray and ask God to open this trunk. They looked at him like he is from another planet. But my father would pray about anything. He. He believed in the God of the breakthrough. He said, lord God, you know I need this equipment. I know there's nothing too hard for you, so I'm asking you to open this trunk for me. Those other men were snickering and laughing, kind of making fun. They thought he was far out. He tried it and pulled it again, finagled it. Still nothing. They all turned around and started to walk inside. And we're going to come up with another plan. When they heard something click. They looked back and saw the trunk all on its own accord. It began to open up. My father said it went real slow, like it was saying hallelujah. Those other men said to my dad, will you pray for me next? But what was that? The God of the breakthrough. Suddenly things shift. You couldn't make it happen. You did all you could. That's when God will step in and do what you can. Isaiah said, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of God will raise up a barrier. The comma is placed after the word flood, making the emphasis on the enemy coming like a flood. But in the original Hebrew language, there were no commas. Many scholars believe the comma was put in the wrong place. It should read, when the enemy comes in, comma, like a flood, the spirit of God will rise up. The emphasis should have been on God's power and not the enemy's power. When Isaiah wrote this, the people were facing injustice, oppression, armies attacking. Isaiah was saying, in effect, don't let the pressure fool you. A flood of God's favor is coming. You may have things trying to stop you now. You don't see anything changing. You have to remember you're under a flash flood warning. Any moment, the God of the breakthrough could show up in your life suddenly like the bursting forth of waters. Now turn that pressure into praise. Keep thanking God that he's working all through the day. Live breakthrough minded God. You did it for David. I know you'll do it for me if you'll do this. I believe and declare, breakthrough is coming in your life. You're about to see a flood of God's healing, promotion freedom that will catapult you into new levels of your purpose in Jesus name. And if you receive it, 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. 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
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place 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?
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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 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
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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 Joel osteen.com or call 888-567 Joel call or click anytime 24 hours a day.
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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.
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Promotional Announcer
Be sure to request your copy of Today I Devotions for a Better Life, available this month by simply visiting us at 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 12x15 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.
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