Joel Osteen (0:00)

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Victoria Osteen (0:21)

A rapid fire round of questions.

Joel Osteen (0:22)

Ready?

Victoria Osteen (0:23)

Yes.

Joel Osteen (0:24)

My gift. Can you pack it? Yep.

Victoria Osteen (0:25)

Ship it? Yes.

Joel Osteen (0:27)

Guarantee it?

Victoria Osteen (0:28)

Of course.

Joel Osteen (0:28)

Oh, send gift baskets for sure. Protect electronics. Dog proof it. Return it if they hate it.

Victoria Osteen (0:34)

Yes, no and yeah.

Joel Osteen (0:36)

Are you the UPS store?

Victoria Osteen (0:38)

Hey. Hey. We have a winner.

Joel Osteen (0:40)

Visit theupsstore.com guaranty for full details. Most locations are independently owned. Products, services, prices and hours of operation may vary. See center for details. The UPS Store. Visit us store today. Race the rudders.

Victoria Osteen (0:53)

Race the sails.

Joel Osteen (0:54)

Race the sails.

Victoria Osteen (0:56)

Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching. Over.

Joel Osteen (0:59)

Roger. Wait, is that an enterprise sailor?

Victoria Osteen (1:03)

Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors. With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title and more. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Get started today at LinkedIn.com results, terms and conditions apply. 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. Always a joy to come into your homes. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll 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 thanks again for coming out today. I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard about this elderly minister. He was dying. He sent for two of his members, an IRS agent and a lawyer to come to his house. When they got there, he motioned for them to sit on each side of the bed. The men were very moved to be with him during his final moments. At one point, the lawyer said very sincerely, sir, why did you choose both of us? The minister mustered up some strength and said, jesus died between two sinners. And that's how I want to go. 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 displaying your joy. Our joy is not supposed to be hidden. It's supposed to be seen 53 times. In the scripture, God talks about our countenance. We hear the word rejoice again and again. Rejoice doesn't just mean to sing. The word rejoice also means to brighten up, to put a smile on your face, to be cheerful. When you go through the day with a smile, you're rejoicing. When you have a cheerful countenance, when you're friendly, you're giving God praise. But too many people drag around with a long sour face. They haven't smiled in six months yet they'll tell you, I've got the joy of the Lord. Now if you've got joy, you need to notify your face. The scripture says to be sober minded, not sober faced. The fact is, you're going to receive what you put out. If you're sour, grumpy, unfriendly, then people are going to be sour, grumpy, unfriendly, back to you. Misery loves company. You'll draw in defeat, negativity, doom, gloom, discouragement. But when you go around with a smile and put out joy, kindness, friendliness, you're going to get back joy, kindness, friendliness. You're going to attract happy people. If you're not happy with what you're getting back, you need to check up on what you're sending out. Let me tell you, no happy person wants to be around an old stick in the mud. No person that's going places, that has dreams, that knows every day is a gift from God, is going to constantly be dragged down by somebody that's always in the pits and always has a sad song. They may pull them out a few times of the pit, but once they realize that they're not taking responsibility for their own joy, like we all have to do, then they'll go find some other people to spend time with. And you may have a lot coming against you. Not making light of any circumstances, but Jesus said, in life you will have difficulty. Here's the answer. But be of good cheer. This means we have to brighten up even when we don't feel like it. Sometimes we have to smile by faith. Everything says I should be depressed, I should be discouraged, I should be worried. But no, I'm not moved by what I see. I move by what I know. And I know this is another day the Lord has made. I'm going to choose to live this day happy. When we smile, it sends a message to our body that everything is all right. Here's the key. You cannot wait to see how you feel. To decide whether or not you're going to express your joy, you have to smile first, and then the joy will come. When you smile, chemicals are released in your body to help you feel better. It's hard to smile and think negative thoughts at the same time. It's hard to be cheerful and go around friendly and stay in a bad mood. One expert said smiling tricks the body into feeling well. That's the way God created us. When we smile, it helps to determine our mood. I meet people every week that are here in town for cancer treatment at MD Anderson. About half are depressed, gloomy, worried. The other half have a smile. They're in peace. They still have their joy. Why is that? They understand this principle that when you brighten up, when you have a cheerful countenance, it's telling your body everything is okay. You're going to have more joy, more strength, more energy, a better attitude, plus you'll get well quicker. But when we go around with a sour face, we're sad, we're depressed. It's telling our body something is wrong. We're going to be tired, run down, not feel as well. My sister Lisa went through a difficult period in her life. For months, she had no joy. She was depressed. She didn't even want to leave the house. She was praying for things to get better. People were encouraging her, of course, as her family. We were doing our best to cheer her up, but nothing was working. What was the problem? She was waiting for the feelings to come. Then she was going to cheer up. Then she was going to get her joy back. One day she realized she had it backwards. You can't wait till you feel happy to decide to cheer up. She felt depressed. She felt like staying in bed. But right in the middle of the battle, she told how she started smiling by faith, on purpose. She chose to brighten up, to have a cheerful countenance. Do you know that was the turning point? It was that step of faith that broke the bondages of depression. She could still be praying to get better. We could still be encouraging her. 5 years, 10 years, 20 years. She would still be there, discouraged, depressed, if she had not put her foot down and said, I may not feel happy, I may not feel like cheering up, but I'm going to smile by faith. I'm going to cheer up by Faith, you've heard the saying, you got to fake it till you make may be a fake smile, but if you keep at it, God will turn it into a real smile. Lisa not only got her joy back, but God paid her back double for that trouble. She came out better off than she was before. But it all started when she chose to start smiling. By faith, we can all find some reason to be unhappy. Joel, I'm sour because the gas prices are so high. I'm depressed because my team didn't even make it to the final four. I'm upset because my boss is getting on my nerves so bad. I'm just trying to hold on till Jesus comes. No. Can I tell you, we're not supposed to be holding on. We're supposed to be the most joyful people around. When somebody. When somebody asks you how you're doing, don't tell them how you feel. I'm tired, I'm worried, I'm run down, I'm swamped, I'm busy, I'm under the weather. No, our report should be, I'm too blessed to be stressed. My future is so bright, I need sunglasses. One man told me, joel, if I was doing any better, I'd be twins around people that are sour, grumpy, discouraged. Don't let their negative attitude rub off on you. God wants us to be so full of joy. Instead of them affecting us, we infect them. We help to brighten their day. Hebrews 1:9 says, when you honor God with your life, when you do your best each day, then God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than anyone else. Notice we're supposed to be happier than the average person. God has anointed us with the oil of joy. When you see somebody that's grumpy, somebody that is sour, you know what their problem is? They need an oil job. If they would brighten up, if they would have a cheerful countenance because they honored God, he would anoint them with the oil of joy. Now, when you're tempted to be discouraged, tempted to lose your enthusiasm, you got to dig your heels in and say, God, I'm doing my best to honor you. So I know you've anointed me with the oil of joy. I may not feel like it, but I'm going to put a smile on my face. I'm going to have a spring in my step. I'm going to brighten up and enjoy this day. When you make that decision to cheer up, to have a happy countenance, you'll feel the oil of joy kick in. You won't have to smile by faith anymore. You'll be smiling because of God's goodness. You'll smile because God's turning things in your favor. The other day I went through a drive through at a barbecue place. I started to order my food there at the little speaker, but the lady on the other end was so grumpy. She said, I'm not ready for your order. Would you wait until I ask you? Just very rude. When I finally did order, I didn't realize that the meal came with two side items. I couldn't find the items on the menu, and when I asked her what they were, you would have thought I'd ask for her firstborn child. She was so upset, she practically screamed that back to me. Listen, this lady, her oil wasn't low. She didn't even have an oil pan. She was completely dry. And I had to keep reminding myself, joel, stay calm. You're the pastor of a church. Keep your joy. Don't let her affect you. You infect her. See, in the heat of the battle, you gotta talk to yourself. It's easy to think, let me just give her a piece of my mind and I'll repent on Sunday. No. Use those tough times to develop your character. I ordered as nice as I could be, and I said, please and thank you and have a nice day. When I drove up to the window where she was, I smiled the most fake smile you could ever imagine. I said so pleasantly, good to see you. I was thinking, I can't stand you. She looked at me, did a double take and very excitedly said, hey, Pastor Joel, I watch you every week. I wanted to say, hey, do you ever listen? She had my book, and she handed it to me through the window there and asked me to sign it. And I thought about underlining all the chapters on joy. What am I saying? Don't let someone's sour attitude rub off on you. You can't control other people's face, but you can control your face. And God knew we'd have to deal with sour, grumpy, rude people. That's why he said, I've anointed you with the oil of joy so you can be happier than those that are around you. Now we've got to start tapping into that joy. Get in a habit of smiling. It takes 62 muscles to frown, only 26 muscles to smile. The scripture says, in God's presence is fullness of joy. If you don't have any joy, you've disconnected yourself from God's. Presence. If you go around sour, grumpy, discouraged, you've gotten cut off from your supply line, you're disconnected from increase, promotion, favor, health, healing, victory. Every one of us has joy down in here. If we could just get it up to here and learn to express that joy and start smiling on purpose, we would see things change in our favor. Professors at Yale University did a study on how attitude, appearance and personality influenced others. After weeks of extensive research, they concluded the single most powerful force of influence each one of us has is not our personality, not our looks, not our height. It's simply our smile. I've heard it said, if you're not smiling, you're like a person with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook. Studies say people that smile frequently get promoted more often and have higher paying jobs. Why is that? People like people that are happy, people that are friendly, people that are good natured. I have the personality type that smiles all the time. In my earliest baby pictures, I had a smile on my face. It comes naturally to me. You may not be that way, but that's okay. You can retrain yourself. How do you do it? Start smiling on purpose. When you see the parking attendant at the office, instead of just paying the bill, smile. The receptionist at work, smile. The stranger in the elevator, smile. The lady at the grocery store, smile. You've got an incredible asset right here. Make sure you're using it. Years ago, I was in the mall with Victoria. She had this outfit that she was going to buy and I said, let me have it and I'll run up there and pay for it for you. I went to the counter and saw the lady and just naturally smiled and said, hello, how you doing? No big deal, just being friendly, just letting my joy be seen. The lady smiled back at me and she was about to ring up the outfit and all of a sudden she stopped and said, hang on just a minute. She went into the sales office and came back and said, this is going to go on sale this weekend. I just got permission to give you the sale price right now. I smiled even bigger. I said, thank you so much. And as she was folding it, about to put it in the bag, she noticed a little part of the lining of the inside of the coat had come out. She said, this is a problem. Do you see this? I said, oh yeah, that looks bad. She went back to the sales office and she came back and she said, well, I got permission to cut it in half of the sale price. I thought, man, if I keep smiling, I'm Going to get this thing for free. I got it for like 75% off. But it all started from a smile. If I'd gone up there discouraged, grumpy, sour, I don't believe she would have gone out of her way to help me. A smile causes people to want to be good to you. It communicates friendliness, kindness, caring, warmth, respect. Every one of us has a smile. My question today is, are you using yours? Are you expressing your joy? I wonder how much more of God's favor we would experience if we would start smiling more often. I read how the Holiday Inn hotel chain was looking to fill 500 new jobs. They interviewed 5,000 people. They automatically disqualified any candidate smiled less than four times during the interview. People that smile frequently, people that have a pleasant demeanor, they get better breaks than people that are solemn and serious. When our daughter Alexandra was born 12 years ago, three months later, my father went to be with the Lord. We stepped up to pastor the church. We needed somebody to help take care of Alexandra. We interviewed a half a dozen people and some of them were very qualified, had good credentials, good referrals. But the lady we ended up hiring was a 60 year old woman that wasn't the most skilled, she wasn't the best cook. On paper, she should not have gotten the job. But what we liked about her so much is she smiled all the time. She was full of joy over the years, everything Alexandra did, she thought that was funny. Our home was filled with laughter and joy. I don't think we realize the power of a smile. One study says the smile of a friend has a more positive impact than receiving a $5,000 raise. Think about it. That saying, when you smile at people, it's like you're investing thousands of dollars in them. When I heard that, I started going through our office smiling at the staff, saying, there's your raise, there's your raise, there's your. For some reason, they preferred the cash. But I can still remember the first time Victoria ever smiled at me. I was in her mother's jewelry store looking at watches and I looked up and when she saw this incredible specimen of a man, she smiled so friendly. And she's been keeping me smiling for 25 years. You think about the times you've dealt with the stranger. Maybe you needed some help. And it was very intense. And all of a sudden they smiled. That communicated, I'm for you. It's all going to work out. Took the pressure off. You could relax. One time I was overseas in an airport going through customs and had a whole lot of television equipment with me. And I had registered it and done everything I was supposed to. But the customs officials didn't seem to be happy and didn't look like they were going to let me in pressured. And they went and got their supervisor and he came back and he was this big, gruff man, looked as solemn and serious as can be. And I was just very intense. But right in the middle of all that, that manager looked up and smiled the most genuine smile at me you could imagine. I could feel my blood pressure go back down to normal. It changed the whole atmosphere. That's the power of a smile. It can communicate volumes without a word ever being spoken. Friends, we are called to be the light of the world. I believe the switch that turns the light on is a smile. Many people are not listening to what we say. They're watching how we live. We're supposed to be living epistles read by all men. That means they may not read the Bible, but they're reading our lives. Heard it said, preach at all times. Use words only when necessary. Let me ask you, when people see you, what kind of message are they getting? Are you happy, friendly, good natured? Do they want what you have? Or are you stressed, grumpy, sour, discouraged? When we live like that, it's going to push people away. The other day I was in a sporting goods store and I went up to the counter to pay, and there were three registers open. And I just happened to go to the one in the center and I gave the man working there my product. And he seemed like he was perturbed that I chose him. And I'm just happy. Go lucky. It didn't bother me. I smiled anyway. Said, how you doing? He never said a word. He acted like I was bothering him. I gave him my credit card, and when he saw my name, he looked up and he said, are you that minister that's on television? By the way he said it, I didn't know if it was going to be a good thing or not, but I smiled and I said, yes, I am. He too said that he watches the program with his family each week and they enjoy it. And I thanked him for that. And as I was leaving, just in passing, I said, hey, come out and see us at Lakewood whenever you can. He said, no, Joel, I can't do that. I'm in charge of the greeting committee at my church. I gotta be there every Sunday. Thought, my goodness, I wouldn't go to that church without a bulletproof vest on. He didn't realize it, but he was preaching A sermon. I hate to say it, but it wasn't a very good one. Sometimes when people say they love God and go out and treat people like that, it's doing more damage than it is good. If you're hard, grumpy, hard to get along with, do me a favor. Don't put a honk if you love Jesus bumper sticker on your car. That's going to make it harder on the rest of us. We need to pay attention to what messages that we're sending out. I love what one of our members told me. She was out shopping and went up to the counter to pay. And the girl working the register saw how happy she was. She had a big smile and radiated joy and peace and victory, just like she had a glow about her. That clerk asked her how she was doing. She said, I'm doing great, I'm blessed, and I'm expecting to have a fantastic year. The clerk looked at her and said, let me ask you, do you go to Lakewood? She said, I sure do. The clerk said, I should have known it. Everybody that comes in here like you is from Lakewood. I thought, what a great testimony. To be happy, to be full of joy, to have a smile on our face. It's funny, some people give me a hard time for smiling so much. You would think they'd be happy because you're happy. One reporter said to me, very sarcastically, joel, do you get offended because people call you the smiling preacher? I said, not at all. I take it as a compliment. I'm guilty of being happy. I'm guilty of enjoying my life. I'm guilty of living with enthusiasm. Friends, the world needs more joy. When you express your joy, when you have a cheerful countenance, don't be surprised if people think, what's wrong with them? Why are they so happy? They must be high. Our attitude should be, yes, we're guilty. We're on the most high. We're excited, we're happy, we're full of joy, full of faith, full of victory, excited about our future. This came easy for me because I was raised by people that were happy. I cannot ever remember walking into a room and seeing my grandmother and not having her smile at me. Didn't matter. If I went into the room 50 times during the day, she would smile every single time. She was full of joy. My father was the same way. He would go through the house whistling all day long. My mother used to get kind of tired of him. She'd say, john, would you quit whistling for a little while? He'd say, Dodie, I'm just happy. I'm just giving God praise. She'd say, john, you're not giving God praise. You're whistling the tune to the Andy Griffith Show. Didn't matter. He kept his joy on display. It's interesting. Studies tell us that people only remember about 10% of what we say, but what they always remember is how they felt. You can say the right thing with the wrong attitude and they'll still remember the negative. But when you're happy, friendly, you got a smile. That's what makes a positive impact on people. 1983, I started the television outreach here at Lakewood for my father. The first year, we had a very experienced consultant that worked with us. He taught me something that I never forgot. We were watching my dad's sermon in the control room and he had me turn down the volume. He said, now, Joel, the key to good communication is to see what kind of feelings you get without the sound by just watching the facial expressions, the body language. We looked at several different ministers, and some of them were very passionate, but without the sound, they came off angry and hard and mean. It subconsciously pushed you away. The ones that had a smile and a pleasant demeanor, they were much more effective, much more likely to draw you in. It's the same principle in life. When you have a smile, when you're friendly, you're kind, that's going to cause you to be much more effective at what you do. I have people write all the time and say, joel, I don't remember what the message was about, but what impacted me was the joy I saw on your face, the love that I felt coming from the screen. The scripture talks about how we are Christ ambassadors. That means we represent God down here on this earth. If we're going to represent God properly, we should do it with a smile, with joy, with enthusiasm. One time, Victoria and I were in Galveston and we were walking down the street, going into the different shops, and Victoria went in this one place, and I decided to wait outside and just watch the people. A few moments, this lady about two or three blocks away started waving and waving at me. I didn't know who she was, but I started waving and waving back like she was my long lost friend. A few minutes later, she had walked a little bit closer, and I looked up and she started waving at me once again. I thought, well, we've done it once, but we'll do it again. I smiled and waved and waved just like I hadn't seen her in years. Put my hand down. A few minutes later, she was just 40 or 50ft away, about where the cameras were. And I looked up. I couldn't believe it. She started waving more enthusiastically than ever. I thought, well, I'll join the fun. I put up both hands, started waving. Hey, how you doing? She walked over to me and she said, sir, do I know you? I said, I don't know. I'm waving at you because you're waving at me. She said, I'm not waving at you. I'm waving at my sister that's standing behind you. She patted me on the back and said, but you sure are a friendly young man. I'm asking you today to let your joy be seen. Quit laughing at me. You've done dumb things too. I'm gonna get you up here. If we're going to be the light of the world, we got to turn the switch on by being friendly. Get in a habit of smiling on purpose. Smile at the police officers when you leave instead of saying something else. Smile at the neighbors walking down the street. Smile at the lady at the grocery store when things get difficult. Learn to smile by faith. Don't wait for the feelings to come. Smile and the feelings will follow. Friends, you've been anointed with the oil of joy. You can live happier than those that are around you. Some of you, your oil has gotten low. I believe today is going to be a turning point. If you'll make that decision with me to brighten up, to put on a cheerful countenance. You'll feel the joy kick in. You'll step into a new level of God's favor. You'll not only be healthier, but you'll get better breaks. You'll see increase in promotion. And I believe and declare you will become everything God's created you to be. Amen. Do you receive it today? We never 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'll take you places that you've never dreamed. 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.