Joel Osteen (0:00)

Sponsored by Novo Nordisk.

Victoria Osteen (0:01)

Hola.

Joel Osteen (0:02)

Hey, you speak Spanish, but do you speak liver?

Victoria Osteen (0:05)

Okay.

Joel Osteen (0:06)

People with conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure could be at risk for a potentially life threatening liver disease called mash, or metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis.

Victoria Osteen (0:18)

Whoa. I could be at risk? I'll ask my doctor.

Joel Osteen (0:20)

You're bilingual?

Victoria Osteen (0:22)

No, I speak liver now.

Katie Nolan (0:24)

I'm trilingual.

Joel Osteen (0:25)

Ask your doctor about your risk and if you should be screened for MASH. Learn more at speed speakliver.com I'm Katie.

Katie Nolan (0:32)

Nolan and I have a new podcast called Casuals. It's a podcast for people who like sports a normal amount. Casuals is a twice a week hang with me and my friends from across comedy, sports and entertainment where we talk about all the funny, weird, interesting stuff happening in and around the world of sports. So whether you're a die hard fan or just vaguely sports curious, Casuals is the podcast for you. You can find casuals on the SiriusXM app Pandora or wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode. Give it a try. What's the that could happen?

Victoria Osteen (1:03)

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's always a joy to come into your homes. 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. And I'd like to start with something funny each week. And I heard about this airplane. It was about to land and the flight attendant came over the loudspeaker and said, we'd like you to help welcome our new co pilot. He's about to make his first commercial landing, so when the plane stops, give him a big round of applause. A few minutes later, the plane made an extremely bumpy landing, bouncing up and down. She came back on and said, thanks for flying with us today and don't forget to tell our new co pilot which one of his three landings you like best. All right, 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 divine connections. I believe if you will stay in faith and be a person of excellence, God will always bring the right people into your life. Just as he's put the dreams and desires in your heart. God has already lined up the people you need to help bring those dreams to pass. God knows who you need to know. He knows who's going to need to give you a break ten years from now. You single people. God already has your mate lined up. He's already picked out the perfect person. One man received it. You don't have to struggle. You don't have to try to make things happen. All you have to do is stay in faith. If you'll keep being your best day in and day out, God will give you divine connections. Too often we try to make things happen in our own strength. How many people at the office play up to the boss, play politics to try to get that promotion? I've known people, they're friends with a person only because of the other people that person knows. They're using one person to get to another. Usually when that happens, we end up letting them control us. But there's a real freedom when you realize God wants to give you divine connections. That means you don't have to play up to someone to try to get them to like you. You don't have to worry because you haven't met the man or woman of your dreams. You don't have to live frustrated because you don't have all the connections you need right now. No, God has it all planned out. As long as you stay in faith, he'll bring the right people across your path. He'll give you divine connections. Now, divine connection is when you know it had to be God. He calls you to be at the right place at the right time. I remember a few years ago, Victoria and I were out of state, taking a few days off. I got up early one Sunday morning. I watched this minister on television. He was very good. I said, victoria, let's go to his church today. We called the front desk and they said it was over an hour away. We didn't have time to make it. And normally when we're on vacation, we may not typically go to church because we're in church all the time. But for some reason, I grabbed the phone book and I opened it up and I saw this other minister that I recognized. I'D never met him, but I'd seen him a few times before. We found out his church was just a few minutes down the road. And so we went to the service. And afterwards the pastor came up to say hello. I didn't talk to that man for 90 seconds before I knew this was a divine connection. Some people you just feel good about. You just know it's right down in here. I felt like I'd known that man for 10 years. When we left that day, I knew that was God directing my steps. We became close friends. Well, a few years later, I was going somewhere with him. And he introduced me almost in passing to a person that he knows that's very knowledgeable in the publishing industry. It was that connection that led to me writing my first book. What I want you to see is God has it all lined up. This door is going to close so you can meet this other man. He's going to introduce you to his friend who's going to give you a break. And on and on. God is in control of our lives. He's got the people you need to bring your dreams to pass. Why don't you quit worrying? Why don't you quit trying to make everything happen and instead just stay in faith when you do that, the scripture says God will give you the desires of your heart. Looking back over my life, I can see every major break that I've gotten. When I met a lifelong friend, or where I met Victoria, where somebody showed me favor and opened a door. Not one of those times did I have to struggle and try to make it happen. Not one time did I have to manipulate someone and try to talk them into giving me a break. No. Every time things just fell into place. What am I saying? Trust God to bring you divine connections. You don't have to play up to someone to try to make them like you. If someone doesn't want to be your friend, you know what? It's their loss, not yours. You don't need them to fulfill your destiny. God has the right people already lined up for you. If they don't want to be in relationship with you, of course you can be kind and respectful, but your attitude should be, I don't have to have you to get to where I need to be. I know God is in control of my life, and at the right time, he's going to bring the right people to help me fulfill my destiny. We all go through different seasons, even in friendships. Maybe for 10 or 15 years, you were best friends with a person. You enjoyed spending that time together. But now it's a new season. Of course you can still be friends, but maybe you can't spend as much time together. The kids aren't in the same school. You're going in different directions. Well, that season is over. Now God wants to bring you new friends. The scripture says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, Everything is beautiful in its time. You say, joel, this guy I was dating, the girl I was dating, she broke up with me and I'm so discouraged. No, that just means God has somebody better in store for you. Recognize that season is over. Be grateful for it now. Keep pressing forward. Well, I really wanted this promotion, but my supervisor didn't put any good word for me and I didn't get it. No, God's still in control. If you'll stay in faith when God wants you to be promoted, he'll make sure the right people come along to get you promoted. Instead of getting discouraged trying to force everything to happen, it's much better to just say, God, I'm trusting you to bring me divine connections, people that will further me in my dreams and not people that will distract and hold me back. We have to be sensitive with whom we get in relationship with. Just because someone is important or they have a circle of friends that we would like to know, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're right for us. There's this one door that I've been praying that God would open again and again. It involves a certain person, and in the natural it seems like a perfect fit. I can't see any reason why it wouldn't open. But I've learned that God knows what's best for us. And sometimes when a door's not opening, it's because God doesn't want it to open. It may be because it's going to do us more harm than good, or it's going to limit our growth. One of the main prayers I pray every day is God bring the right people into my life and weed out those that shouldn't be there. I believe the second part is just as important as the first part because God can bring the right people. But if we're still attached to the wrong people, it's going to hinder our progress. Stay sensitive and wait for God to bring you divine connections. Really, life is too short to get in relationship with the wrong people. They may be important or it may look impressive to be seen around them. But you have to get past all the surface and see what you're feeling right down in here. Listen to the still, small voice. I know this couple, they seem to be fine people. They come from good families and they've got a lot going for them. They're very influential. And in the natural, they would be good people for me to get to know. Maybe they could introduce me to some other influential people. And over the years, I've had numerous opportunities to get close to them. I've had friends that know them real well, and they want to set up dinner engagements so we can get better acquainted. But every time I just don't feel good about it. I can't quite put my finger on it. Doesn't mean that they're bad people, doesn't mean there's something wrong with them. But I'm sensitive enough to know down in here they're just not right for me. I've learned to wait for divine connections, for God to bring the right people into my life. Too often we'll just jump into something because somebody's influential or because they know the boss real well. All that time we can feel the alarm down in here. We can feel that unrest. Too many times we just ignore that. I found out several years later that couple had some questionable things concerning their integrity. They were bitter toward another person talking behind their back. I can see why now God closed that door. We can only see on the surface, but God looks at a person's heart. If you don't feel good about someone or something, it's not because God's trying to hold you back. It's because he's trying to keep you on his best path. And we have to realize that spirits are transferable. When you get in relationship with someone, you don't just get the natural or the physical. You get the spiritual as well. In other words, if you hang around someone that's jealous, that jealous spirit can get off on you. If you're around someone that has a lack of integrity, that spirit of compromise can affect you. Or maybe they don't treat people right. They're rude and disrespectful. Well, don't be surprised if before long you're the same way. We become just like the people we associate with. You have to pay attention to what you're feeling down in here. If it doesn't feel right. Sure, you can still be friends from a distance. You can still be kind and courteous. But you should not allow them to get close to you. Don't let them into your inner circle. God has the right people to bring into your life. But if you're spending all your time with the wrong people, you're not going to be where you should be. When the right people come across your path, you may be thinking, joel, where are all my divine connections? I'm not getting these breaks that you're talking about. Well, could it be that you're still hanging around the wrong people? Maybe you need to make some adjustments and just be honest and say, God, I know this friend is pulling me down. Or I know I got into this relationship for the wrong reason and I still don't feel good about it. So, God, I'm going to make some changes and start trusting you to bring the right people into my life. When you obey that still small voice, God's blessings will chase you down. You won't have to try to find new friends. You won't have to manipulate people into giving you a break. No, when you walk in obedience, you won't be able to outrun the good things of God. People will want to be good to you and they don't even know why. It's because you have the favor of God on your life. I was thinking about the apostle Paul. He spent years persecuting Christians. One day, God supernaturally turned his life around. And now he had a message to share with God's people. But the problem was nobody would have anything to do with Paul. They were all afraid of him. But the scripture says God brought Barnabas across Paul's path and they developed this friendship. Barnabas went back to the people and said, it's let Paul come. He's for real. In other words, he used his influence to open a door to Paul for a whole new group of people. Paul went on to write over half of the New Testament. But think about if Barnabas had not come along and put his stamp of approval on Paul, Paul may not have had the impact that he had. But no, God always has a plan. God already had Barnabas lined up. You may be thinking, joel, how can I fulfill my dreams? How can I get that promotion? Listen, all God has to do is send a Barnabas across your path. He did it for Paul. He can do it for you. Remember, all it takes is one touch of God's favor. One person putting in the right word for you at the right time. You'll go to a whole new level. One person introducing you to their friend. And all of a sudden you met the man or woman of your dreams. Just one Barnabas coming across your path to say, hey, let me use my influence. Now all these other doors open up. I don't know about you, but I'm believing for some Barnabas in my life. People that will want to help me, people that will open up doors that would not have normally been opened. When God gives you a Barnabas, when he gives you one touch of his favor, that'll do more in a split second than you could do in your whole lifetime. I was reading about Billy Graham back in 1949. He was a young minister traveling the country, holding meetings in large auditoriums. He was having good success, but he was not nationally known. And that summer he was conducting a crusade in Los Angeles. And it just so happened one night there was a gentleman in the audience by the name of William Randolph Hearst. Mr. Hearst was a newspaper magnate. He owned newspapers all across the country. And he was so impressed with Billy Graham that night he sent word to all of his newspapers to write favorable articles concerning Dr. Graham. The next week the whole country was talking about this young minister. Billy Graham came into national prominence practically overnight. All because of this one man. What happened? God sent a Barnabas across his path. That one favorable word did more for him to gain influence and credibility than he could have done on his own in his whole lifetime. Understand, our destiny is connected to other people. But the good news is God already has them lined up. You don't have to worry, you don't have to struggle. God has all the Barnabas's you're ever going to need. The key is to just stay in faith, keep believing, knowing that God has it all planned out. A few years after Victoria and I were married, we needed some tax advice. The person that had been doing our taxes lived out of state. He wasn't familiar with a certain law in Texas and it looked like we may owe some back taxes. We were so discouraged, we were a young couple. It was Christmas time and we didn't know what to do. Long story short, we came across this tax attorney and we just hit it off. He was a very good man, not only knowledgeable, but he was fun to be around. We ended up becoming close friends. He took care of that situation and it ended up working out to our favor. Over the next few years, we didn't talk to him that often, maybe once or twice a year. But every time we did it was like old times, like we'd been together forever. Well, several years after that, a once in a lifetime business opportunity came across our path and Victoria and I knew we wanted to pursue it. But we didn't even know where to start. So we just called our old friend, this tax attorney. And even though it wasn't in his field, he said, sure Joel, I'll help you. And he took that deal. He negotiated it, wrote the contracts, convinced all the different parties. Before long, it all came together. I know now, looking back, that man was a divine connection. God brought him into our lives several years earlier just so we could develop that relationship with him. Had we not been familiar with him, had we not known that we could trust him, I don't think this other deal would have ever come together. The truth is, God used the tax issue to get him into our life. If we had never had that problem, we would have never met that man. What I'm saying is sometimes when it looks negative, sometimes what looks like a disappointment is really God just getting you prepared for what he has in store. You may not see how it's going to work out right now, but if you'll stay in faith, I believe God will turn it around. He will still use that to your advantage. Now, I'm asking you today to believe that God is in control of your life. Believe that he's going to bring the right people at the right time. And even when it looks like a disappointment, even when your plans didn't work out, remember, God is still directing your steps. You don't know who you're going to meet like we did. That's going to help you years down the road. Just stay in faith. And I know some of you today are single and you have a desire to get married. Let me just encourage you again. God already has the right person picked out. You may be divorced or maybe you're a widow and you're tempted to think, oh, Joel, it's too late for me. I'll never meet anybody. No, God still has a plan. God is concerned about you. God's the one that said it's not good for a man or a woman to be alone. God doesn't want you to go through life lonely. You may have been divorced or maybe you even lost your spouse. But if you have a desire to meet someone, God put that in your heart and he wants to bring the right person into your life. You may not see how it's going to happen, but let me challenge you to just keep standing in faith. You've heard me tell how I met Victoria. I walked into her mother's jewelry store to buy a battery for my watch. Think of the chances of that. There are hundreds of jewelry stores in Houston. Man, Victoria must have really been praying. I'm trying to figure out, was I her divine connection or was she my divine connection? But seriously, I know that was not a coincidence. That was God directing my steps. When you Stay in faith. God will cause you to be at the right place at the right time. I think of the story of Ruth in the Bible. She was a widow. She lost her husband in a battle. I'm sure she was discouraged. I'm sure at times she didn't think she'd ever get married again. But do you know, God was concerned about Ruth. His plan for her did not end just because something unfortunate happened. God brought another man into Ruth's life. Wasn't just anybody. His name was Boaz. He was a leader in his community. He was kind and generous. He was wealthy and good looking. Some of you today, you may be a widow or maybe you've been through a divorce and you're thinking, oh, too bad for me. But let me tell you, God has another Boaz out there. You've got to get your hopes up and get up every morning and say, father, I want to thank you for bringing me divine connections just like you did for Ruth. I believe you can cause me to be at the right place at the right time. I was reading an article about a lady that lost her husband in the war. This was many years ago. She had a three year old son. Grieving and lonely, she moved back to her hometown and she was doing okay. But it was especially difficult during the holidays. This one particular Christmas, she saw an unusual ad in the newspaper. It said, would anyone with a small son be willing to come to Christmas dinner with my mother and me? That ad really touched the lady's heart. After debating it for several days, she finally called and accepted the invitation. This man and his mother were so good to her little boy. They gave him all kinds of gifts, treated him like a king. What this lady did not know was earlier that year, that man had lost his wife and his young son in an automobile accident. He too was a widower. The lady told how that was one of the most memorable Christmases she had ever spent together. That day, those two broken families came together and experienced a happiness they thought would never return. She said the best part was the joy was hers to keep. You see, a few months later, the man that wrote the ad became her husband. God brought the two families together. And no matter where you are, no matter what you've been through, God always has the right people for the right time in your life. Whether you need a spouse, whether you need a friend, whether you need a Barnabas, God is in control. Start believing. Thank him every day for divine connections. Thank him that he's going to cause you to be at the right place, right time. Second Kings, chapter five. There's the story of Naaman. He was a very well respected and influential man. He was a captain in the army. But Naaman had leprosy. He couldn't fulfill his dreams with that disease. Do you know who God used? Do you know who his divine connection was? One of his servants. Just a young maid that helped take care of his house. She said, naaman, if you'll go, let the prophet Elisha pray for you. I know you'll be healed. It was that one word that turned Naaman's life around. What's my point? Don't overlook the so called insignificant people in your life. The people you may kind of think are not that important. Oh, he's just a student. He just mows the lawn, she just cleans the house. Listen, anybody can be a divine connection. It doesn't matter their position, doesn't matter their social standing, color of their skin. God uses every person I know. The other day I was leaving the offices and it had been one of those days where everything that could go wrong did. And I was kind of tired and frustrated and even tempted to be a little discouraged. And where I park, I noticed a member of our maintenance staff, part of the cleaning crew. I don't think I'd ever seen this young man before, but he was wearing one of our uniforms. And I just said hello and smiled and walked on. A few seconds later I saw him coming toward the car and in the most sincere way you could imagine, he said, joel, I've been wanting to meet you. I just want to tell you how much I appreciate you helping to change my life. Had big tears coming down the side of his face. I thought that's exactly what I needed to hear that day. I knew that was a divine connection. Just like Naaman, God sent the right person at the right time to give me an encouraging word. You cannot let the seemingly insignificance of someone's position fool you because God can use anybody. If Naaman would have been too proud, he might have missed out on his miracle. If I'd been too busy, too high minded, I might have missed out on that encouraging word. That was a divine connection. Another important key is if you want God to give you divine connections, you have to be a divine connection. In other words, take time for people. Show them that you care. Be willing to meet a need. Put in a good word for someone whenever you can. I mentioned Ruth earlier. I believe one reason God showed his favor in Sip Boaz was because Ruth to her mother in law, Naomi, she too was A widow. And when Ruth's husband died, she could easily just bolt and move back home. But Ruth decided to stay there with Naomi and help take care of her. See, she sowed a seed by being a divine connection. And God used that seed to bring a divine connection into her own life. A few weeks ago, Victoria was calling a friend of ours named Shannon. She dialed the number, and this young lady answered the phone and seemed somewhat disturbed. Victoria said, shannon, is this you? And she said, kind of muffled, yes, it's me, and I'm going to be okay. You could tell she had been crying. Victoria was kind of confused. She said, is this Shannon so and so, and called her last name. The young lady said, no, this is a different Shannon. You must have the wrong number. And just as Victoria was about to hang up, something said to her, right down in here, you need to pray for this young lady here. Victoria didn't know her from Adam. She could have thought, I'm not going to get involved in her personal business. No. She followed that still small voice, and she said, shannon, I know you don't know me, but would you allow me to pray for you? The girl began to weep and weep. She said, oh, yes, please. My father just died and I'm so depressed, I don't know what I'm going to do. Victoria poured her heart of compassion into her, encouraged her, let her know that God was still in control. Just before the young lady hung up, she said, victoria, you're my angel. I know now God still has a divine plan for my life. There was another divine connection. See, God already has the people to encourage you, the people to keep you filled with hope. But what if Victoria would have been not sensitive and too busy and just hung up the phone? Pay attention to the people around you. Live with the attitude, who can I bless today? Who can I encourage? Where is a need I can meet? If you will sow a seed by being a divine connection, you can rest assured God will always bring you divine connections. No doubt, every one of you can look back over your life like I did and see things that had to be the hand of God. Somebody introduced you to your spouse. You met somebody and they opened a door, gave you a new position, gave you that job that had to be God working in your life. And if he did it for you in the past, he'll do it for you in the future. He's already got the people you need lined up. Stay in faith. Get up every morning and thank him for divine connections. And don't try to force things to Happen. Just believe he's going to bring the right people into your life. And know this, he's got a Barnabas when you need a good break. He's got a Boaz when you need a spouse or a friend. And he's got a servant girl when you need advice or a word of encouragement. Why don't you believe God's in control of your life if you'll just keep doing your best day in and day out. God's promise. He's going to give you divine connections. He'll bring the right people for the right time in your life. And I know you're going to live that life of victory he has in store. Amen. 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. When was the last time you asked God to do something that seemed impossible? If you only pray small ordinary prayers, you'll live a small, ordinary life. I have a new book called Pray Bold. I'll challenge you to stretch your faith and believe for the big things God puts in your heart. Victoria and I used to have season tickets to watch the Rockets play basketball here. We never dreamed it could be ours. But when they moved out, somehow we had the faith to pray a bold prayer. God made things happen that we could never make happen. It's the same for you. Who knows what God will do in your life? If you'll dare to pray bold, Ask him for your dreams. Ask for your healing. Ask for your freedom. That's when God will show up and do more than you could ever imagine.