← Joel Osteen Podcast
Joel Osteen Podcast
Blessing People With Your Words | Joel Osteen
00:31:03
Our words have the power to lift people up.
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Now more than ever, Lowes knows you don't just want a low price, you want the lowest price. And with our lowest price guarantee, you can count on us for competitive prices on all your home improvement projects. If you find a qualifying lower price somewhere else on the same item, we'll match it. Lowe's we help you save price Match applies to same item current price at qualifying retailers. Exclusions and terms apply. Learn how we'll match price@lowe's.com lowest price guarantee 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 know God has great things in store for each one of you and if you're ever in our area, please 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 and thank you again for coming out today. I like to start with something funny. I heard about this elderly couple. They were having a terrible time with their memory. They went to the doctor and he instructed them to start writing down everything they'd been forgetting. The next night they were watching television. The wife said, I sure would like a bowl of ice cream. The husband said, I'll go get it for you. She said, honey, you remember what the doctor said. You better write it down. He said, I'm just going to the kitchen. I'm not going to forget it. He came back a few minutes later and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs. She shook her head and said, I should have known it. You forgot My toast. Hold up your Bible. 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 blessing people with your words. Our words have the power to lift people up or to push people down. We can say something to make them feel better about themselves or. Or to make them feel worse. It's amazing what a simple compliment will do when you tell someone, you look nice today, or great job on that presentation at the office, or I really enjoy working with you. Those simple words will put a spring in their step. It will brighten their day. It didn't take much time. It didn't cost you anything. Yet with your words, you just blessed their life. That's the power God has given each one of us every day. We should have a goal of finding at least one person that we can encourage. Be free with your compliments. Point out what somebody's doing right, not what they're doing wrong. There's already enough pushing people down. Let's make it our business to lift people up, to brighten their day, to make them feel better about themselves. I met a young lady in Nashville. She used to attend church when she lived here. She told how she was going through a very difficult time. Her marriage was breaking apart. She was very depressed. She felt so unattractive. At one of her lowest moments. She was leaving church on a Sunday, walking down the corridor with hundreds of other people. It just so happened Victoria came walking the other direction. Victoria had never seen her, never met her before. But as she passed by, Victoria stopped her, looked her in the eyes and said, you are so beautiful. Just five seconds. She moved on to Victoria. It was no big deal. She was just being friendly, being free with her compliments. But that young lady told me, Victoria will never know what she did for me that day when I felt the most unattractive, when the most unwanted. She breathed new life back into my spirit. Week after week, all through the day, she would play that phrase over and over. You're so beautiful. That's what helped her to stay. Encouraged. Proverbs 18:4 says, Your words can be like life giving water. Friends, people are thirsty. Everywhere we go, people are lonely. People are. They're hurting. They've been through disappointments. They've suffered heartache and pain. God has given us something to offer them. We have life giving water. With our words, we can bring healing. With our words, we can lift them out of depression. With our words, we can tell them, you're beautiful, you're amazing, you're talented. God's got a bright future in front of you. Those life giving words, we will break the chains of depression. They'll break the chains of low self esteem. When you go through the day speaking encouragement, telling people what they can become, giving compliments, you are living life as a healer. Your kind words are like pouring warm oil on the wounds. You may not know all that's happening, but God can take one compliment, one encouraging word and use that to begin the healing process and set that person on a brand new course. When I was in my early 20s, a young man came up to the gym that we didn't know and started playing basketball with us. He was a loner. You couldn't get to know him. He never talked. Even during the games, he would not interact. Most of the guys just ignored him because he was so unfriendly. But something down in here told me to reach out to him and make sure that he felt welcome. I found out that his name was Bo. When he would come in to the gym, I would always go over and say, hey Bo, great to see you today. He'd never respond. Very cold, very stoic. All he would do was hit his chest twice and walk away. I didn't really know what that meant, but I hit my chest twice and walked away too. This went on for a couple of years. I saw him four or five times a week. Hey Bo, great to see you today. Eventually, I stopped playing ball at that gym and didn't see him for over 25 years. About six months ago, Bo walked into church. When I saw him, I thought, where do I know him from? He looked so familiar, I just couldn't place him. He came up afterwards and said, my name is Bo. We used to play basketball together. That's the most I'd ever heard him speak his whole lifetime. He went on to tell how he was raised in the projects. At 14 years old, he started living on his own. Nobody wanted him. He felt no love, no acceptance. He said something that I'll never forget. He said the main reason I would come to the gym, Joel, was to hear you say, great to see you. Because nobody had ever told me they were glad to see me. What was Beau's problem?
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He was thirsty. Those words were like life giving water and every one of you can bring healing with Your kind words you can restore with a compliment. You can lift somebody up by just taking time to say, hey, great to see you. You don't know that could be the spark that pushes the person forward. But what a shame to have this healing power and never use it. But be free with your compliments. Take time to encourage people at every opportunity, build somebody up. Tell them, I'm praying for you. I believe in you. You've got a bright future. They may seem like small, insignificant words. You could easily talk yourself out of it and think, I'm not going to go out of my way to say hello. They're so unfriendly. No, you don't know what that person's going through. You don't know why God has brought them across your path. When you feel that prompting to be kind to someone, or the thought comes into your mind to give a compliment, those are not just random thoughts. That's God leading you. That's God wanting to use your words to bring hope, healing, restoration. Friends, the only voice God has on this earth is our voice. The only words God can use to bring healing and life giving water is our words. When you reach out to someone, you're kind. You speak encouragement. You tell them that their best days are up ahead. God's voice is blended with your voice. Your words become his words. The natural takes on a supernatural. That's why you can say something ordinary, something simple, like you're beautiful. And to the other person, it's life changing. You can say, great to see you today. And to to you it's nothing. But when God takes your natural and puts his super with it, it can impact that person's destiny. A few years ago, Victoria and I were going through a difficult time. Some circumstances and people had come against us. We knew we had not done anything wrong. We were in the process of getting it straightened out. It was going to take a couple of weeks. It was happening downtown and every day I would walk to lunch with some of the people that were helping us out. It was very stressful, very tempting to get discouraged. But as I was walking, person after person, people I didn't even know would come up and encourage me. I'll never forget a city bus driver pulled his bus over with all these people in it, rolled down the window and said, joel, I'm praying for you. Another car honked our horn. We love you, Joel. I walked by, a homeless man, had his big grocery cart. He gave me a high five and said, joel, you got the victory. Sounded like he'd been coming to Lakewood. Everywhere I went, people spoke faith into me. They didn't really know what they were doing. They didn't realize they were breathing new life into my spirit. On the outside I had a smile, I didn't show it, but on the inside I was dry. It was stressful, tension, pressure. And here I'm usually the one giving encouragement. Now people I didn't even know complete strangers were pouring life giving water into a dry, thirsty soul. Two points. Number one, what you sow, you will always reap. If you sow encouragement, God will have the right people there to keep you encouraged. If you give compliments, you'll receive compliments. If you help lift people up in your time of need, somebody will be there to help lift you up. Number two, you can be the right person for somebody else. You don't know what they're going through. They may look fine on the outside, but. But on the inside they're discouraged. When you tell them, I'm praying for you, I'm standing with you. You've got what it takes. Keep on keeping on. Those simple words of encouragement are like life giving water. Every opportunity we can find, we should use our words to lift, to bless, to heal, to restore. I've learned in difficult times the power of a compliment, the power of an encouraging word is greatly magnified. I've heard many times, Joel, we love you. We're praying for you. And I appreciate that. That means a lot. But in the heat of the battle, those words took on a whole new meaning. I'm sure that young lady had heard you're beautiful plenty of times before. But in the middle of a divorce, to hear you're beautiful, those words carried much more weight. When you see somebody that's struggling, a co worker that's discouraged, a friend that's not up to par, more than ever, you need to let the encouragement flow. Tell them how much you love them, how you value them, how they're talented, how they're beautiful, how they're creative. Your words can be what keeps them going. Your compliment can put the spring back in their step. You pulling the bus over, so to speak. You honking the horn and saying, hey, I love you, I'm praying for you, I believe in you. That can be what keeps them from sinking into depression. Friends, we carry life giving water. We carry hope, healing, encouragement, new beginnings. It's in our words. And I'm asking you to pour out that water everywhere you go. Speak encouragement. Speak victory, Speak faith. Don't tell people what they're doing wrong. Don't be critical and point out all their faults. There are already enough critical, judgmental people in the world. Let's be lifters, be a healer, be a restorer. Let's make people feel better about themselves. Proverbs 12:25 says. A word of encouragement does wonders. When my mom was a child, she had polio and she had to wear a brace on her leg. Today, one of her legs is much smaller than the other one. When she buys shoes, she has to buy two pair of the same shoe because her feet are different sizes. For many years, my mother was very self conscious about her legs. She would always try to hide them and buy clothes that would cover them up. But when she was in her early 30s, not long after she had married my father, a minister friend came to speak for the church. His name is T.L. osborn. He's a great evangelist that's known all over the world. And Brother Osborne's always building people up and speaking faith into them. He and my dad were walking side by side. My mother was a few feet in front of them. And Brother Osborne said loud enough so my mother could hear it, john, look at Dodie. She walks like a princess. Up to that point, nobody had ever said anything good about how my mother walked. They had told her, you're beautiful, you're kind, you're friendly, you got a good looking son. But never. I actually wasn't even born, but they would have if I would have been. But they never said anything about how she walked. The truth is, she has a limp. She doesn't walk perfectly. But to Brother Osborne, he saw it in a whole new light. To him, she. She walked like she was royalty. And here's the key. He was bold enough to tell her. When my mother heard that, it changed her whole attitude. Instead of being embarrassed by it, she put her shoulders back, she held her head up high and started walking like a princess. Today she doesn't try to cover her legs anymore. In fact, she tries to show them off. We have to keep her under control. The amazing thing is he said that over 40 years ago, but she still remembers it like it was yesterday. What's my point? One compliment can affect a whole lifetime. Simple words. You're beautiful. That young lady changed her life. Great to see you. That young man rose out of defeat. You walk like a princess. And here, more than 40 years later, my mom still carrying herself like royalty. All because people were willing to speak life giving words. Friend, somebody needs you to tell them they walk like a princess or they're beautiful, or they're talented, or they've got what it takes. When you speak encouragement, it does wonders. One of our staff members asked me to sign a book for a friend of theirs that watches by television. This young couple had been trying to have a baby for many years. She'd gotten pregnant several times but wasn't able to carry the baby, had gone through all the fertility treatments and they had spent a lot of time and money. But the doctors told them that they could try one last time and she was able to get pregnant. They were so excited. Everything was going great. The first month, the second month, the third month, and they were doing their best to stay in faith. But in the back of their mind, those thoughts of fear and doubt would try to creep in, telling them that this pregnancy is going to end like the other ones, the child's never going to be born. They got far enough along to where they knew it was going to be a baby girl. They had already chosen the name Abigail. When Craig, our staff member, asked me to sign the book, he didn't give me any details. He just said, this is for a young couple's new baby named Abigail. So I signed it to Abigail, we love you. If I had known the baby was not born yet, I probably wouldn't have signed it that way. I would have probably made it out to the parents. But God knows what he's doing. And when this mother to be got the book that said we love you Abigail, faith leaped in her heart at that moment. Right then and there, she knew that her baby would be born. And sure enough, a few months later, little Abigail showed up. Beautiful, strong, healthy. They're with us today, right here on the front. Their dreams came to pass. Beautiful. She told Craig and Samantha. That book was the greatest gift that I'd ever received. Now I would like to think that my books are really that great. But I know what made it so special was the words of faith that I spoke over their daughter. That's what the scripture means. A word of encouragement works wonders. When she saw we love you Abigail, something ignited on the inside. Friends, you have this same ability to speak life giving words. The message is not complicated. You don't have to be deep, theological. You don't have to figure it all out. Just tell somebody you walk like a princess. We love you Abigail. Great to see you today. When you speak words of faith, God's voice is mixed with your voice. That's when supernatural things begin to happen. A while back my brother in law Don came came over after the service. He told me it was a great message and made Some other comments. Then he said, but, Joel, I still remember your very first sermon. You were great from the very beginning. When he said that, something ignited on the inside. It was like a stronghold was broken in my mind. See, I used to look back when I first started ministering, when I didn't know how I thought, man, those were some bad messages. I wish I would have said that differently. I could have said that so much better. We tend to remember the negative and we go around feeling wrong on the inside. But God can use your words to break strongholds and set people free. Now, when that condemnation tries to come back, I just shake it off. And I hear Don's voice saying, you were great from the very beginning. That was God's voice being mixed with Don's voice. That's what happens when you speak faith, you speak encouragement. You give compliments. You tell people what they're doing right, not what they're doing wrong. Listen, most people feel badly enough already about themselves. They're already beaten down enough by life. Let's be healers, be restorers. Let's push people forward. That's why I speak faith over you every week. I know when I tell you that you're anointed, you're talented, you're creative, you're blessed, you're strong, you're confident, you're secure. I know when I speak that God's words are mixed with my words. And strongholds are broken, chains are broken. God will cause the right phrase to jump out and break negative mindsets. That's what happened when Victoria told that young lady, you're beautiful. She didn't really hear Victoria's voice. She heard God's voice. And that's what broke that depression back in the 1960s. My father's sister, my Aunt Mary, became very sick. She got so bad, she couldn't even get out of bed. She couldn't walk, couldn't talk, didn't recognize people. She was basically sent home, given up to die. When my father heard how bad she was, he drove to Fort Worth where they lived. He walked in Mary's room. It was dark and depressing. And he said hello to her. And Mary was not coherent. Even recognize her own brother now holy anger came over my father. He went to the window and opened up the curtains and said, God is light. Let light in this room. He said to the man with him, don't tell me God did this to my sister. Then he went over to Mary and he took her by the hand and he said very strongly, mary, rise up and walk. It was like something catapulted Mary up out of that bed. She didn't get up slowly.
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She basically leaped up out of the bed. Her mind was clear that day. She walked that day. She talked. She fed herself. It was an amazing miracle. My father asked her later, mary, why did you jump out of the bed so suddenly? She said, john, I heard God tell me to rise up and walk. My dad said, no, Mary, that wasn't God, that was me. She said, no, John, I heard God tell me, mary, rise up and walk. And daddy said, no, Mary, it was me. I was standing right there. I'm the one that said it. She got in his face and said, listen here, John. I heard the creator of the universe. I heard the most high God tell me to rise up and walk. And when he said it, life shot into my body. Strength came back into me. My mind became clear. I could see again. I was perfectly well. Friends, when you speak life giving words, you. You may say them, but God will cause other people to hear his voice. When that bus driver told me he was praying for me, I felt the seed of the ever living God breathe faith into my spirit. They may be simple, ordinary words, but when God's voice is mixed with your voice, they carry supernatural power. You don't know what it means when you tell somebody, I'm praying for you. I believe in you. You, you've got what it takes. Great days are up ahead. God's voice becomes intermingled with your voice. And dreams come back to life. Healing springs forth. Strongholds are broken. I know this young lady, she's very creative. She puts on big programs for different organizations to empower women. She's known for being very innovative and always being on the cutting edge. But she told how for many years she never thought that she was creative. She worked as a secretary and she thought that's what she would do the rest of her life. But one day the management asked her to head up the Christmas program that they'd put on for the company. And she did that. It was very successful. Everyone loved it. Afterwards, a longtime friend came up and said, you are so creative. You are amazing at what you do. Later she told that friend, you were the first person to ever tell me that I was creative. And when you said that, something ignited on the inside. To the friend, it was a simple compliment. But to this young lady, it was a supernatural moment. That was God calling out those seeds of greatness. But it all started when somebody was willing to speak life giving words. I'm asking you to be free with Your compliments. When you see someone doing a good job, don't just think, wow, they're really talented. No, your thoughts? Don't bless anybody. If that friend would have just thought, wow, she's creative, it wouldn't have done her any good. Here's the key. A blessing is not a blessing until it's spoken all around you. People are thirsty. People need encouragement. People need approval. They need to hear you say, I believe in you. You've got an amazing gift. You are great at what you do. I'm proud of you. When people know you believe in them and you go around speaking faith into their destiny, it does something on the inside. It's amazing how sometimes just one compliment, one encouraging word, one, hey, you're so creative. That can be the spark that will push that person toward their divine destiny. The other day, I was driving home, about to turn left under the freeway. There was a homeless man at the intersection asking for money. And I really wanted to make the light because I never carry any cash, and I didn't want him to come up to me and not have anything to give him. But, you know, as it worked out, I not only didn't make the light, but I was the very first one that meant he was right next to me. So I got my cell phone, started acting like I was on the phone trying to be preoccupied. It didn't matter. He came right up to me and was staring at me. It was very awkward. Finally it dawned on me. I don't have any money to give him, but I have something better. I can give him a word of encouragement. I felt like in the scripture when somebody asked Peter for money. He said, silver and gold have I none. But here's what I'm going to give you, and I'll roll down that window. And he was a young man, looked very depressed, very dejected. I told him, I'm sorry, but I don't have any money. But can I tell you, God has an amazing future in front of you. He's got you in the palm of his hand. You've got a destiny to fulfill. He lit up. It's like he came back to life. He said, wow. My grandfather was a minister. He used to tell me that same thing all the time. I asked him if he'd come to church if we sent somebody by to pick him up. Agreed. Every week, a couple from Lakewood would go to the shelter and bring him by, and we would speak faith into him. Victory and favor and new beginnings. Today he not only has his own place to live, not only has a great job, but he's excited about his future. He's on his way to fulfilling his destiny. See, I had more. I had something better to give him than money. I gave him words of life. I spoke faith into his destiny. Didn't take long. Didn't cost me anything. Every one of us can be healers, restorers, dream releasers. As you go through the week, be on the lookout for who you can bless with your words. Call out people's seeds of greatness. Be free with your compliments. You're carrying life giving water. You have the ability to put somebody back on their feet this week. You can make them feel better about themselves. Who knows, you could even be the spark that pushes them into their divine destiny. When you develop this habit of blessing people with your words, let me tell you, God will always bless you. Because when you help others come up higher, God will make sure you come up higher. You will overcome your obstacles. You'll accomplish your dreams and I believe and declare you will become everything that God's created you to be. Amen. Do you receive it 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, prayer. We believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's going to take you places that you've never dreamed of. Each week I stand on this stage and remind you of what God says about you. Because it's easy to be defined by who people say we are or by our own negative thoughts that we're not talented or problems too big. The key is to go back to who God says you are. Now I'd love to send you my new book 101 Great Things that God says about yout. I'll help you discover your true identity. God says you're blessed, you're chosen, you're forgiven, you have seeds of greatness. Your future is bright. When you get in agreement with God and declare his promises, you'll rise higher and become all you were created to be.
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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 resource 101 Things God says about yout Faith Reminders when you need them most. As you read and reflect the story of your life, the way you see yourself will radically change it. Will become a reflection of God Himself and what he says about you. Use this resource to encourage your heart and remind you of who you are in Him. You are everything God says about you within these pages. So read it, experience it and believe it. As an added bonus, you can detach the beautiful poster at the back of the book to read and declare these reminders every day. Yes, you are who God says you are. Now is your time to start believing it. Be sure to request your copy of 101 Things God says about you, visit Jho Low's or call 888-567-JOEL.
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As you dwell on what God says about you, you're going to see yourself for who you really are. Strong, talented, valuable, a victor, never a victim. Victoria and I want you to know that we love you and we pray for you every day. Thanks so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity is helping people around the world. Special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for your monthly support. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, Download our daily podcast, listen on Sirius XM, watch our YouTube channel and the new Joel Osteen network streaming 24 hours a day until we meet again. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
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Be sure to request your copy of 101,000 Things God says about you, visit jolosteen.com or call 888-567-Joel for an additional donation. This month we are also offering 101 Great Things God says About you card set. These cards can serve as daily reminders of who God says you are. Additionally, you can request the beautiful copy of the Passion translation Power Provision. This book brings fresh insight and deeper understanding to the early church's journey, Paul's teachings and the practical application of faith in daily life. You can request these unique resources by calling 888-567-JOEL or logging on to jolostein.com today. Call or click anytime 24 hours a day. Discover your true identity in Christ. Request your copies today. Busy work weeks can leave you feeling drained. Prolon's five day nutrition program rejuvenates you at the cellular level with boxes labeled by day so you know exactly what to eat. Developed at USC's Longevity Institute, Prolon supports biological age reduction, metabolism, skin health and fat loss when combined with proper exercise and nutrition. Get 15% off plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe@prolonlife.com PandoraProMo these statements been evaluated by the FDA. Products are not intended to diagnose treat or prevent disease. See site for details.
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