Joel Osteen Podcast

Episode Summary: "Abraham Was A God-Made Man" | Victoria Osteen

Date: September 6, 2025
Host: Victoria Osteen (with Joel Osteen intro & close)
Podcast Theme:
In this episode, Victoria Osteen explores the idea of being a "God-made" person, using the story of Abraham as a blueprint. She encourages listeners to embrace God's mentoring and transformative hand in their lives, highlighting faith, progress, and the assurance that imperfections do not disqualify anyone from God’s promises.

Main Theme & Purpose

Victoria Osteen presents Abraham not as a “self-made man” but as a “God-made man”—someone who became great, wealthy, and impactful not by his own strength, but because he allowed God to direct, shape, and mentor him. This message is an encouragement to listeners to open themselves up to God’s transformational process, even amidst imperfections, challenges, and uncertainty.

Main Message:
"God’s pattern is to take us and make us…God is your greatest mentor."
(Victoria Osteen, 06:20)

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Nature of a "God-Made Man" (02:10)

• Self-Made vs. God-Made: While “self-made” people rely on their own power, Abraham is presented as someone who trusted God to take him somewhere new and make him able for his calling.
• Genesis 12:2 Context: God tells Abraham to leave his land, promising to make him great and a blessing—“I want to take you, and I want to make you.”

"His label read: God-made man. Because he willingly trusted God to take him somewhere he didn’t know...and to make him able to do what God told him to do."
(Victoria Osteen, 02:40)

2. Abraham’s Lasting Impact (04:10)

• Inheritance through Faith: Christians are "seeds of Abraham" thanks to Jesus’s lineage—meaning God’s promises to Abraham also apply to believers.
• Desire for God's Blessing: Victoria encourages listeners to yearn for the "God-made" label, as it ties into favor, influence, and being a blessing to others.

"I want to say to you what God said to Abraham: I want to bless you. I want to take you. I want to make you."
(Victoria Osteen, 05:10)

3. God’s Promises of Vindication and Blessing (05:45)

• Protection and Justice: God promised Abraham He’d bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him—modernized as God promising justification and vindication for His people.
• God’s Desire for Us to Thrive: God wants believers to be "over," not "beneath"; the head, not the tail.

4. God’s Pattern of Transformation (06:25)

• He Takes and Makes: God’s process is to “take us and make us,” as seen when Jesus called the disciples (“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”).
• Requirement: Not perfection, but willingness.
• Abraham's Journey: Abraham’s faith was imperfect and developed over time; God strengthened him, even in moments of weakness or misdirection.

"Abraham was not called by God because he had complete faith...he was called by God because he was willing."
(Victoria Osteen, 07:15)

5. God as Ultimate Mentor (09:10)

• Divine Mentorship vs. Human Mentorship: While leadership books and mentors help, God is the ultimate mentor—He shapes and equips people for their unique callings.
• Application: This applies to every area—parenting, leadership, and personal growth.

"God is your greatest mentor. Jesus Christ is your greatest mentor. He is the one that wants to take you and make you."
(Victoria Osteen, 09:25)

6. Under Construction—Progress Not Perfection (10:20)

• Analogy of Construction: Life’s messy, just as roadwork or home construction is messy before completion.
• Encouragement: If you can say "I’m not what I used to be," you are on the right path, even if things seem incomplete or imperfect.
• Abraham’s Imperfections: Despite mistakes, God kept guiding and fulfilling promises.

"Sometimes we don’t like what we see in ourselves...but we are under construction. We’re in phases of being completed."
(Victoria Osteen, 11:20)

7. Encouragement from Scripture (12:00)

• Philippians 1:6: Be confident that “He who began a good work in you will complete it.”
• God’s Persistent Care: Challenges are not punishments but part of the transformation process—God never leaves or forsakes, always working for completion.

"Be confident in those difficult times that God is doing a work in you."
(Victoria Osteen, 12:14)

8. God's Active Mentorship—Not Just Comfort (12:50)

• Mentorship Defined: A good mentor doesn’t just comfort, but also challenges—to "get up, keep going, stay the course."
• Endurance Through Challenges: God pushes, sharpens, and strengthens, preparing us for His promises.

"He’s a loving and kind and gentle [mentor]. But He is saying: get up, I am with you, I am for you. I’ll never leave you or forsake you."
(Victoria Osteen, 13:18)

9. Final Encouragement (13:45)

• Completion Is Certain: God will fulfill His promises—believers are "men and women in the making," progressing to completion.
• Affirmation: "Remind yourself: if God be for you, who can be against you?"
• Prayerful Finish: Affirmation of God’s faithfulness and the challenge to trust the process.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I'd rather wear a God-made man label any day, wouldn't you? That sounds good to me, doesn't it?"
  (Victoria Osteen, 03:35)

• "God strengthened him in his faith. So you can see, he was a man in the making."
  (Victoria Osteen, 07:44)

• "We are all under construction...we're in the phases of being completed. We're in progress. And so was Abraham. But God still fulfilled His promises to Abraham."
  (Victoria Osteen, 11:39)

• "Be confident in this...that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
  (Victoria Osteen quoting Philippians 1:6, 12:07)

• "God is a faithful God. He pushes you. He sharpens you. That's what God does to us in difficult times."
  (Victoria Osteen, 13:27)

• "You are my man. You are my woman of faith. You are God's man in the making. Be confident of this. Remind yourself, if God be for you, who dare be against you."
  (Victoria Osteen, 13:55)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:44] — Introduction of "God-made man" Concept
• [03:00] — Abraham’s Story and Calling (Genesis 12:2)
• [05:10] — Blessings and Promises Passed to Believers
• [06:25] — God’s Pattern: “I Will Make You”
• [07:44] — Abraham’s Growth and Imperfections
• [09:10] — God as Mentor vs. Human Mentors
• [10:20] — “Under Construction” Analogy
• [12:00] — Philippians 1:6 and Confidence in God's Process
• [12:50] — Mentorship: Comfort and Challenge
• [13:55] — Final Affirmations and Encouragement

Tone and Takeaway

Victoria Osteen speaks in a warm, affirming, and rallying tone—mixing gentle encouragement with motivating challenge. The heart of her message is both comforting and empowering: even when faith or circumstances seem inadequate or messy, God’s mentorship is unwavering, and His promises will be realized in those who allow themselves to be “God-made.”

For Listeners:
If you’re feeling imperfect, in progress, or under construction, this episode assures you that God’s process is at work. You don’t have to be perfect—just willing—and God, your ultimate mentor, will see you through to completion.