Victoria Osteen (2:03)
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 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 is always a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we're believing that this year is going to be your best Year so far. I hope you'll get in agreement with it as well. If you're ever in our area, stop by and be a part of one of our services. We'd love to have you, but thanks for tuning in today. I like to start with something funny each week. And I heard about this minister that was out bear hunting. He searched and searched all through the woods, but didn't see any sign of a bear. Finally, in frustration, he threw his gun down and and went down to the stream to cool off. About that time, he saw this huge grizzly bear racing toward him. He fell on his knees and said, God, please protect me. I'm asking you, God, to convert this bear into a Christian. Miraculously, the bear froze in its tracks, put up both paws toward the heavens and said, thank you, Lord, for this food I'm about to eat. All right, hold up your Bibles. Let's say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what 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 the importance of getting rid of negative mindsets. Every one of us has what I call our anchor thoughts. These are the core thoughts that we believe about ourselves has to do with our self image and how we approach life. These thoughts come without even really having to think about them. We believe them so long, it's just like we're on autopilot. But the problem with some people is their anchor thoughts are negative. When they're on cruise control, so to speak, they go around thinking, I'm unattractive, undisciplined. I'll never get out of these problems. You can't trust anybody. They don't realize it's their own thinking that's keeping them in mediocrity. You cannot have negative anchor thoughts and expect to live a positive life. All through the day, the thoughts that should be coming up in us are, I am blessed, I am victorious, I am valuable, I am talented. People like me, I have the favor of God. If we're going to live in victory, our anchor thoughts have to be positive. I want you to pay more attention to what comes up in you naturally. What do you expect each day? Do you go out with enthusiasm, excited about the day? Or do you just drag around thinking, oh, another day, I've got to go to work. How do you feel about yourself down deep? Are you pleased with who you are? Do you know that you're valuable? Are you proud of your accomplishments? Or is that thought constantly playing? You've blown it too many times. You're not where you should be. You haven't used your potential. No, those are the wrong anchor thoughts. If we don't get rid of them, they will set the limits for our life. The good news is we can develop new anchor thoughts. The way we do it is when the negative thought comes back telling us that we've blown it too many times. It's going to be a lousy day. You don't have anything to look forward to. Instead of dwelling on that and letting it take root, you've got to turn it around. Get on the offensive and start declaring. This is going to be a great day. I have a bright future. I am forgiven. I am valuable. God is pleased with me. Speak words of faith over your life. That's one of the best ways to get rid of a negative anchor thought and form a new one. Even if you do it under your breath, when that negative thought comes, you can interrupt it by speaking out just the opposite. But so many people today are stuck in a rut. They don't realize it's not normal to go around feeling wrong about themselves, not expecting anything good. But they've done it so long, that's what comes up naturally. The only way we will change is by changing our thinking. We have to reprogram ourselves with the right information. See, our mind is just like a computer. You can go out and buy the most expensive, powerful computer you can find. It can have the most memory, it can be the fastest, have all the latest gadgets. But if you program that computer with the wrong software, it's not going to function properly. We've all heard about these computer viruses. They can get into a perfectly good computer and start to contaminate the software. Before long, your computer's slow. You can't access your files. All these problems occur not because it's not a good computer, not because it's defective or it was made improperly. No, it all happens because somebody reprogrammed the software. Somebody messed with the insides and filled it with a bunch of junk. Well, in the same way you and I were made in the image of Almighty God. He's our manufacturer. When God created us, he made us to be victorious. From the very beginning, you have been programmed for success, for joy, for peace, for victory. But the problem sometimes is we've allowed the enemy to get in and Reprogram our software. We've made the mistake of believing his lies. Like, I'll never be successful, Joel. I don't have the education. I'll never be happy. I've got so many problems or I don't feel good about myself because I've had so many unfair things happen. All this junk is contaminating our software. Now, we're not expecting good things. We have low self esteem. We feel inferior. But understand there is nothing wrong with you. Just like that computer. You are not defective. You are not a mistake. When God made you, he said you were good. The problem is not the hardware, it's the software. You have to change your thinking. You have to know deep down in here you have worth, you have value. And no matter what's come against you, you are a victor and not a victim. Now, I know people that have. I know people that have been through rejection and unfair things. And they allow that negative recording to play over and over. You're not good enough. You don't have what it takes. It's your fault. They go around with low self worth, low self esteem. Now, you may have been through unfair things. People may have rejected you. But don't allow anyone or anything to keep you from knowing who you really are. You are a child of the most high God. God has breathed his very life into you. You have his royal blood flowing through your veins. And people may have tried to push you down. You may have been in an abusive relationship where somebody was always telling you what you couldn't do and what you weren't going to become. But understand that didn't change who you are. You are still the apple of God's eye. You are still his most prized possession. It doesn't matter how unfair it was. God still has a great plan for your life. He still has you in the palm of his hand. And he's promised if we will stay in faith, if we'll get rid of the negative anchor thoughts, he will take what was meant for our harm and and he will use it to our advantage. I talked to a young man a while back. He was so insecure and felt so inferior. And it stemmed from the fact when he was born, his parents really wanted a little girl. He was the youngest of five brothers. And of course his parents loved him. But deep down, he felt like he was a mistake. His parents weren't planning on having any more children. All of a sudden he showed up. He said, joel, I don't even know if I'm supposed to be here. I was an accident to Begin with, and my parents wanted a little girl. On and on, all these thoughts were playing in his mind. You're a mistake. You're not valuable. You don't have anything to offer. No, please don't believe those lies. The scripture says in Jeremiah, God saw you before you were ever formed in your mother's womb. He knew you and planned out your life ever showed up on planet Earth. You are not a mistake. You're not an accident. You are a person of divine destiny. You have an assignment. There is something you can accomplish that nobody else can. That's why your fingerprints are not like anyone else's. You are an original. And people may have rejected you, but know this. God has already accepted and approved you. And just because something unfair happened that didn't change God's plan, you're still wearing your crown of favor. You've still got on your robe of righteousness. And I love what David said. Even if my mother and my father forsake me, God will adopt me as his very own child. What am I saying today? Don't let what's happened in your past contaminate your software. When those lies come telling you you're not valuable, God doesn't care about you. Why would he allow that to happen? No, just turn it around, God. I know you are good. You promised in Isaiah you would pay me back double for every unfair thing that's happened. So, God, I want to thank you that I'm coming out with twice the joy, twice the peace, twice the victory. God, I believe my future is so bright, I need sunglasses to look at it. Let's reprogram our computers. Let's get rid of all the viruses. I heard a story about a lady that constantly struggled with her self worth. She didn't feel like she was good enough, like she ever fit in. And she went around with no sense of purpose, wondering why she was here. Come to find out. These insecurities came from the fact of being born out of wedlock. Her mother and father were not married. And one day she saw on her birth certificate that little box that was checked Legitimate. Those words became ingrained in her thinking as a child and a teenager. Even when she got married, she told how she felt so insecure. Every time she tried to move forward, those words would ring out in her mind. You're a mistake. You weren't wanted. You're not legitimate. You're not valuable. She didn't know any better. She believed it. Year after year, it was keeping her in bondage, affecting her personality, affecting her marriage. One day she heard me talking about what I'm telling you today. That you don't have to believe those lies. Your worth and value doesn't come from people. It comes from Almighty God. And she said on the inside it was like something exploded. The scripture says when you know the truth, it will make you free. That day she recognized that one thought holding her captive. She decided to do something about it. When that lie came back telling her that she had no value, she was a mistake, had no future. Instead of dwelling on it and letting it depress her, she started talking back to the enemy. She said, no, I am not a mistake. I am not an accident. God chose me before the foundation of the world. I am valuable. I am accepted. I am approved. I am. I know I have a bright future. She started speaking these words of faith over her life. She told how she never left the house in the morning without saying, no weapon formed against me will prosper. I have royal blood flowing through my veins. And no matter what my birth certificate says, I know I am legitimate. I am a child of the most high God. You know what happened? A new self image began to form. She began to see herself as God saw her. Accepted, approved, valuable. More than a conqueror. It didn't happen overnight, but little by little she got more and more confident. Today she's totally free. The fact is she could still be back where she was. Low self esteem, low self worth. If she had not made this decision to rise up and shake off the negative destructive thoughts. You can do the same thing. Some of you have been through unfair situations and now you're just sitting back in mediocrity. You don't really feel good about yourself. But listen, today is a new day. Why don't you do what she did? Draw that line in the sand, shake off the destructive thoughts and start declaring every day, I am the apple of God's eye. I have a future and a destiny. I know good things are in store. You've got to get your anchor thoughts up if you want to come up higher. I read where these researchers tested children ages 2 to 4 and they found that 95% of them were highly creative and capable of abstract thought and imagination. They were amazed at the high percentage of bright, intelligent, innovative children. But what's interesting is they tested those same children at 7 years of age and they found that only 5% were still highly creative. Their conclusion was simple. The children had been beaten down by life. They had been told what they couldn't do and what they weren't going to become. And now they had developed these negative anchor thoughts. The fact is, the same thing can happen to every one of us if we don't stay on the offensive. Life has a way of trying to push us down through rejection, disappointments, setbacks. If we're not careful, we look up and we're not expecting good things. We don't feel good about who we are. We've given up on our dreams. Now we've got to learn to get back to our original setting. I know one time with my computer, I got it so far out of whack, I tweaked it here and tweaked it there, and I got into areas that I knew nothing about, made some adjustments, and after about six months, I had to have somebody come over and put my computer back to the original factory settings. After all, nobody knows more than the manufacturer about how that computer is supposed to function. Well, that's what I want to help you do today. Get you back to your original factory settings. They're found right here in God's word. Our creator, our manufacturer, says this about you. You are blessed. You are anointed. You are equipped. You are valuable. You are talented. You are creative. You have the favor of God. Whatever you touch will prosper and succeed. You are strong in the Lord. You are well able to do what God's called you to do. That's getting you back to your original factory settings. Well, you say, joel, I don't feel like that. I've got a lot of problems. I've had a lot of unfair things happen to me. No, this is what faith is all about. You may not feel it, but you need to start believing it, start talking like it, start walking like it, start thinking like it. Then God can bring that to pass. But too often, like these children, we've allowed the pressures of life to push us down. We go through a disappointment and we think it's never going to get any better. I've reached my limits. Or maybe somebody mistreats us, Somebody lies about us. We go around down thinking life's just not fair. All these things, little by little, are trying to contaminate our software. We look up and we're not expecting good things. We lose our sense of worth and value. The good news today is you're getting a tune up. We're getting you back to your original settings. But you've got to do your part and quit dwelling on the negative lies and start dwelling on what God says about you. It says in psalms, all day long, we should meditate on God's word. That means we should go around thinking, I am blessed, I am valuable, I am victorious. God always causes me to triumph. What are we doing? Reprogramming our computer? When that lie comes telling you you're not going to be blessed, don't listen to him. You don't deserve it. You've made so many mistakes. No talk back to the enemy. I am forgiven, I am redeemed. I'm the righteousness of God. He has made me worthy. You've got to replace the negative thoughts with thoughts of hope, thoughts of faith, thoughts of victory. When we get up in the morning, the first thing we should do is set our minds in the right direction. Just like you reboot your computer every once in a while to get rid of all the junk we should get up and declare, this is going to be a great day. I am strong, I am anointed. I'm ready for anything that comes my way. That's what the scripture says in Colossians 3, verse 2. Set your mind and keep it set on the higher things. I found if you don't set your mind the first part of the day, the enemy will set it for you. That's why we have so many viruses and so many negative anchor thoughts. I mean, how many times have we waken up and the thought comes to us, it's God, going to be a lousy day. You got so many problems, you lost your temper last week. Your boss doesn't even like you. If you don't stay on the offensive and set your mind in the right direction, you'll go out and have a lousy day. Many people don't realize you don't have to dwell on every thought that comes to your mind. You can choose what you're going to think about. If the thought is negative and discouraging, you should immediately get rid of it and then replace it with a positive faith filled thought. If you're not disciplined in your thought life, you will never live a life of victory. That's why the scripture says we have to guard our minds. We have to know how to cast down these strongholds. Because what happens is when we dwell on a negative thought long enough, it gets ahold of us and it'll keep us from God's best. I know people that have had a parent or another authority figure in their life speak negative things over them. They didn't know any better. They believed it. They went around dwelling on it and today it's setting the limits for their life. Just the other day a man came up to me and he told how his Father was very negative toward him. The father never encouraged him, never said anything good about him. But he's always putting him down, telling him what he wasn't going to become. And those words are like seeds. When we speak them out, they take root. And whether or not they come to pass depends on if we water them by continually thinking about them and constantly dwelling on it. But just because somebody has spoken something negative over you mean it's going to come to fulfillment? It depends on what you do with it. You have the final say. Nobody can keep you from your destiny except you. And if someone has spoken negative words over your life, a parent, a coach, a spouse, a teacher, don't allow it to take root. By constantly dwelling on it. This gentleman let his father's words keep him in mediocrity. They became a stronghold in his mind. He told how even on his father's deathbed, the father looked at him and said, you're never going to amount to anything. Look at your brother. He didn't. And you won't either. Those words cut like a knife. For years he was angry, bitter, insecure, afraid to step out and take a new position. He had all these bondages because of those negative words. And we know how a father's words, or parents words carry incredible weight in a child's life. But the good news is God's word supersedes man's word. Now, a couple of years ago, he heard me speaking the blessing over people's lives, kind of like I'm doing today, telling you that you're equipped, you're anointed, you're well able. And he said something broke loose on the inside. All of a sudden, he realized he didn't have to be bound by those words. He did what we're talking about. He said, today, Joel, I am free. I'm not angry, I'm not bitter, I'm blessed, I'm happy, and I'm rising to new heights. What did he do? He reprogrammed his computer. He got rid of the viruses. Friends, don't let other people keep you from fulfilling your destiny. It's not up to them. It's up to you. It's great when we have other people encourage us and cheer us on. I was blessed to be raised by parents that loved me and spoke good things over my life. But if you didn't get that, it doesn't have to keep you from becoming all God's created you to be. Your earthly father may not have spoken positive things over you. You may not have received the love, the Affection, the affirmation you needed. But let me tell you what your heavenly Father says. He says he's proud of you. He says you can do all things through Christ. He says your best days are not behind you, but they're still out in front of you. Why don't you get in agreement with God and start declaring every day, I am blessed. I am valuable. I do have a bright future. We've got to get back to our original factory settings. I'm asking you to not let other people let time. Don't let unfair circumstances cause you to forget who you really are. Now, I know this gentleman was in his 50s and he felt like he had wasted all these years. Now he was on the right track, but he had these other dreams that he thought he was too old to pursue. I told him about an article I had read. These researchers dug up a bag of seeds that they found enclosed in an airtight capsule. These seeds were over 2,500 years old. They were amazed at how well preserved the seeds were. And in their curiosity, they decided to plant one to see if it could still be alive. And much to their amazement, that little seed, over 2,500 years old in a few days took root and over time blossomed into a full, beautiful plant that tells me the dreams God has put in your heart. The seeds of hope, the seeds of victory. They may have laid dormant year after year, but you've got to know the seed is still alive. It's just waiting for someone to believe, for someone to put the right actions behind it. Some of you think you've blown it too many times. Life hasn't treated you fair. And you think you've got to sit back and settle for mediocrity. God is saying it's never too late. The seed may have been pushed down by people that didn't believe in you. It may have been delayed by unfair circumstances. Maybe it didn't take root because of your own poor choices. But the good news is, just like that little seed came to fruition after 2,500 years, God still has a way to bring your dreams to pass. Now I'm asking you to get your hopes up. Quit listening to the negative voices. If you'll get your thoughts going in the right direction, you can still become everything God's created you to be. I heard the story about a young African American boy. He grew up extremely poor. In the projects, in the natural, he had no chance. No education, no money, no future. He was being raised by a single parent mom. As a young child, his father was never there. And the mom had to work two or three jobs to try to make ends meet. So nobody was in the home to give him guidance and direction. He got off into some wrong areas, breaking into cars, stealing, running with the wrong crowd. One time as a young man, early in the morning, he was sneaking out of his room so he wouldn't have to go to school. And one of his cousins that lived there with him said, oh, go ahead, skip school. I won't tell anybody. After all, you're never going to make anything out of your life. Nobody in this family has. He told how that hit him the wrong way. That made him mad. He thought to himself, I'm going to prove him wrong. That day, something new was birthed on the inside. Instead of getting bitter and letting those negative words take root, he saw it as a challenge. As a young man, he joined the job corps. One thing they offered was boxing. He went to the gym and told the head coach that he wanted to box. The coach asked him if he had any experience. He said, no, I've never boxed before. The coach was very rude to him. He said, well, don't waste my time, kid. I've got all these experienced boxers to train. Leaving the gym that day, feeling dejected and discouraged, an assistant coach pulled him over to the side and he said, hey, you come back tomorrow and I'll be your trainer. He gave him a brand new pair of boxing shoes, the first gift he had ever received. Long story short, one year later, George Foreman won the Olympic gold medal. He went on to become the heavyweight champion of the world. And today, among other things, George Foreman is the pastor of a church. He gives all the credit to the Lord. You know what's funny? When that cousin that told him he would never amount to anything saw him win the gold medal, he came up to him and said, I always knew you could do it. What am I saying today? Don't let people talk you out of your dreams. Don't let rejection and disappointments steal your sense of value, cause you to go around feeling inferior. No. Put your shoulders back. You are children of the most high God. The seeds that have been planted in your heart, the dreams on the inside, they are indeed alive and well. If you'll do your part and water these seeds by speaking good things over your life and develop these positive anchor thoughts, then God can bring them to pass. I want you to take inventory of your thought life. Some of you have had negative thought patterns for years, keeping you from God's best. Make a decision that you're going to do something about it today. Think bigger, think better. Get back to your original setting. Remember, you've been programmed for victory. If you'll get rid of the viruses and all day long meditate on what God says about you and you'll come up higher and higher and God will pour out his blessings and favor. You'll live the life of victory he has in store. 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, 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. I'd love to send you my new book, 101 Great Things that God says about you. 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.
