Don't Look Back, Press Forward | Victoria Osteen

Summary

Joel Osteen Podcast Summary
Episode: "Don't Look Back, Press Forward | Victoria Osteen"
Release Date: March 22, 2025
Host: Joel Osteen
Guests: Victoria Osteen
Platform: SiriusXM

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Don't Look Back, Press Forward," Joel and Victoria Osteen delve into the transformative power of embracing God's promises with unwavering faith. The discussion emphasizes the importance of saying "yes" to God's plans, drawing parallels from biblical narratives and personal anecdotes to inspire listeners to move forward confidently in their spiritual and personal lives.

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Main Message: Embracing God's Promises with a "Yes"

Joel Osteen opens the episode by highlighting the significance of responding affirmatively to God's promises. He stresses that a wholehearted "yes" invites divine fulfillment and opens the door to blessings and abundance.

Key Themes:

• Affirmative Response to God: Saying "yes" to God's promises is crucial for their manifestation in one's life.
• Faith and Righteousness: Faith is presented as a simple "yes" to God, which is credited as righteousness, allowing access to God's grace.
• Perseverance in Faith: Persistence in faith, even when immediate results aren't visible, leads to eventual fulfillment of promises.
• Biblical Examples: Abraham's unwavering trust in God's promise serves as a foundational example of faith-driven "yes."

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Key Discussions and Insights

1. The Power of "Yes" to God’s Promises

Joel emphasizes that responding with "yes" to God is not just an affirmation but a powerful declaration that invites God to act. He cites 2 Corinthians 1:20, explaining that all of God's promises are affirmed in Christ, and our "amen" is our way of cooperating with those promises.

• Notable Quote:
  "Our yes gives God permission to bring forth his promises in our life. Our yes invites the promises into our life."
  [03:15] Joel Osteen

2. The RSVP Analogy

Joel uses the analogy of an RSVP to illustrate how God has already prepared blessings for us, but He requires our affirmative response to activate them.

• Notable Quote:
  "It's already prepared for you. You just have to show up and be a part of it."
  [06:45] Joel Osteen

3. Perseverance Through Delays

He shares a poignant story of a friend whose persistent "yes" to God eventually led to the fulfillment of his desires, illustrating that delays are often divine preparations.

• Notable Quote:
  "God's delay is not his denial. It's preparing you for what's to come."
  [08:20] Joel Osteen

4. Abraham: A Model of Faith

Joel delves into the story of Abraham, highlighting his decisive "yes" to God despite uncertainties and challenges. Abraham's faith is depicted as a blueprint for embracing God's promises today.

• Notable Quote:
  "Abraham showed great faith. He showed a great big yes. And through that yes, he gained access to the grace of God."
  [10:50] Joel Osteen

5. The Grace Account

Victoria Osteen introduces the concept of a "grace account," likening God's provision to a financial account that never depletes, ensuring continuous support when we affirmatively engage with God's promises.

• Notable Quote:
  "God has a heavenly father who is watching this grace account of yours and he is not going to let it get low."
  [12:30] Joel Osteen

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Practical Applications

• Daily Affirmations: Encouraging listeners to start each day by affirming their faith and saying "yes" to God's plans.
• Consistency in Faith Practices: Emphasizing the importance of regular prayer, attending church, and maintaining a positive, faith-driven mindset.
• Embracing Delays as Preparations: Viewing delays not as rejections but as periods of preparation and growth for greater blessings.

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Promotional Segments

Throughout the episode, Joel and Victoria promote their book, "The Abundance Mindset," and the accompanying Mindset Journal. They explain how these resources can help listeners reshape their internal visions to align with God's promises, fostering a life of abundance and fulfillment.

• Notable Promotion:
  "My new book, the Abundance Mindset, will help you see yourself the right way. If you'll change those negative pictures, start seeing yourself blessed, healthy, rising high, or accomplishing dreams, then things will begin to shift in your favor."
  [14:11] Joel Osteen

Victoria adds, highlighting a special offer for listeners to receive the book and journal as a token of appreciation for their support.

• Notable Quote:
  "As you make the book and journal a part of your daily walk, you'll be built up every day regarding how to tap into God's favor and blessing."
  [14:54] Victoria Osteen

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Conclusion

Joel and Victoria Osteen conclude the episode by reiterating their commitment to praying for listeners' best and encouraging them to embrace an abundant mindset as they move into 2025. They invite listeners to engage with their community through various platforms and extend blessings as they continue their ministry.

• Notable Closing Quote:
  "Let's go into 2025 with an abundant Mindset. I believe you're going to see the goodness of God in new ways."
  [15:44] Joel Osteen

Victoria emphasizes the importance of requesting the promotional materials to aid in personal spiritual growth.

• Notable Quote:
  "Be sure to request your copy of the Abundance Mindset Book and Mindset Journal today."
  [16:30] Victoria Osteen

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Takeaways

• Affirmative Faith: Actively saying "yes" to God is essential for receiving His promises.
• Persistent Faithfulness: Continual faith practices, even without immediate results, lead to divine fulfillment.
• Biblical Inspiration: Drawing inspiration from Abraham's story can strengthen one's own faith journey.
• Practical Tools: Utilizing resources like "The Abundance Mindset" and the Mindset Journal can facilitate a positive transformation in mindset and life.

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Final Thoughts

"Don't Look Back, Press Forward" serves as a motivational guide for listeners to reaffirm their faith and actively engage with God's promises. Through biblical examples, personal stories, and practical advice, Joel and Victoria Osteen inspire individuals to embrace an abundant life by maintaining a steadfast "yes" to divine guidance and blessings.

Transcript

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[Joel Osteen]

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry.

[Self-Conscience]

If you enjoyed today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it.

[Joel Osteen]

With a appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life.

[Self-Conscience]

We love you Lord, and we come into agreement with Jeremiah 29:11. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. It is good to have you here and I want to encourage every one of us this morning that we have to resound a great big yes to all of God's promises. And that should be our goal for 2016 is to say yes, God, to every promise you have in my life. Yes, God, for everything that you want to do in my life. See, our yes gives God permission to bring forth his promises in our life. Our yes invites the promises into our life. God wants us to respond with a yes in Christ. In Second Corinthians 1:20, it says, no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ. God's promises stand firm. They are yes as far as he's concerned. But listen to the rest of that. It says, and so through him, through Christ, the amen is spoken by us. God has already said yes. But God wants our response, which is amen. Now, the word amen in the Hebrew and the Greek both translate into so be it. The promises of God. Our response should be so be it. Now it's 2016 and usually we say yes, God. Yes, God. See, that should be our response. Every good thing. Yes, God. Every promise you have for me. Yes, God. Healing is mine. Joy is mine. Provision is mine. Everything I need is in you, in Christ. And I am going to resound a great big yes. You've received an invitation before to a wedding or some great grand celebration. And when you get that invitation, you open it up and it tells you who's inviting you and where it's going to be and what time it's going to occur. And then there's RSVP at the bottom of your invitation. That rsvp, as you know, means please respond. See, the host has already prepared a celebration. They've counted you in. They've already prepared for you to be there. But they want to know, are you going to show up? Are you going to take part in what they have already planned? So it's rsvp, Please respond. And in much the same way, there is a please respond attached to God's promises. See, God has already prepared some amazing things for you, but he needs your response. See, the amen is spoken by you. What is your response to God's promises? All God's promises are yes, but to receive those promises, we have to say Amen. We have to say, yes, God, we have to show up. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and he said I had this desire in my heart to do something and I just felt so excited about it, he said. I prayed about it, I went to God about it, I told some people about it. I was just so excited, he said. And years went by and nothing ever happened, he said, but it was still there. He said, but I'd show up to God every day and I'd do what I knew to do. I'd come to church, I'd pray, I'd praise, I'd tell God how amazing he is. But the years went by and it didn't happen. He said, I saw nothing happen, but I just kept showing up. You see, he kept coming with his yes, whatever it is, God, whenever God, I'm showing up. What you going to do in my life? I want to be a part of it, God. I want to join in. See, when you say yes, you know what you're doing. You're strengthening yourself. You're showing up with to God and you're strengthening yourself. You're developing yourself. You're growing. He told me later, he said, Victoria said what I was praying for. It did finally come to pass. And he said when it came to pass, he said I was amazed, he said. I was elated. I was so excited, he said, but I realize now, if that would have come to pass several years before, I wouldn't have been ready. He said I had some things that needed to be worked out of me, I wouldn't have been able to handle. But now it's so sweet, and now I know how to handle it. Listen, don't change your yes to a no because it's taken a long time, because you don't see how it's going to work out. God's delay is not his denial. It's preparing you for what's to come. God is working in you and working some things out of you so that you can take hold of the promises. In Genesis, it talks about Abraham. And we all know Abraham. He's the father of our faith. God used Abraham in mighty ways. But when Abraham was young, he was with his family. His father, his mother, all of his relatives. And God came to him. God sent him an invitation. And God said, abraham, there's an invitation, but you gotta go. You gotta leave your family. You've got to leave your surroundings, everything that you know, you've got to leave. And I'm going to take you somewhere. And in the midst of all that, I'm going to make a great nation through you. See, he got this invitation, this promise from God. But before Abraham could receive the promise, he had to say yes to God. Even when he didn't know what it was going to look like, he had to say yes to God. Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever thought, I don't know how this thing is going to work out? I can either stand here, or I can say yes to God. I can move forward with my yes. Well, that's exactly what Abraham had to do. And I believe that shows us that's what we have to do. He didn't know where he was going. God made some big declarations. He says, I'm going to make you into a mighty nation. Through you, you're going to see a nation that's mighty. Well, listen. As Abraham was wondering. Taking some twists and turns with God. Then God's speaking about this mighty nation. He's saying, I'm getting old. My wife's womb is like, really old. I mean, she can't even have a baby. God, I don't know, but I'm going to show up every day and I'm going to say yes. He'd come out of his tent, he'd look at the stars. He'd think, man, I can look at myself or I can look at my God. I can consider my circumstances and what's capable in my own abilities, what's natural, what can I do? Or I can step outside my tent and I can look up at the stars and I can say, God, if you flung those stars into existence, then you can do what you said. You can do God, if you've said it, I'm going to believe it. So I'm showing up and I'm going to get into your plan. And do you know he was able to receive the promises of God in his life. Now, Abraham is the father of our faith. He showed great faith. He showed a great big yes. And the scripture talks about this. And this is what I really want you to catch today. The scripture says that when Abraham said yes, that faith to say yes. See, faith is just a simple yes, yes to God. With that yes. The Bible says it was credited to him as righteousness. That means he was in right standing with God. That means when he came to God, he could partake of what God had for him. He didn't have to come guilty and condemned. He was the righteousness of God. And through that righteousness, through that yes, that gave him access. It gained him access to the grace of God. Now the grace is what kept Abraham on track. The grace is what kept Abraham, yes, strong. See, Abraham couldn't have done it in his own willpower. Only Abraham could have said yes. Then he showed up and in his account was the grace to bring God's promises to pass. Abraham couldn't have brought God's promises to pass in his own strength. And that's the thing. In his own body. He was old. He didn't know where he was going. But in the grace of God, the promises came to pass. And the Bible talks about because of Abraham's. Yes, it came down through the bloodline and Jesus showed up on the scene, which changed everything for you. And I see it says in Romans 4, through Jesus Christ, we have gained access by faith, by our yes into that grace of God. How are we going to keep this yes, strong by showing up by simply coming to God even when we don't understand it, even when we don't know what it looks like. But we believe. We believe that there is grace in our account to bring forth the promises of God. I have a friend and she has an amazing young son. He's in college and she adores him and he's a good guy and she's so funny because she has the financial means to help him. So she'll go check his account and when she sees his bank account getting a little low, she'll put money in it so that he'll have provision to pay his bills, to buy groceries, to buy his books. So she'll check that account often and she'll see, you know, the level of his finances and she'll add that so that he'll have what he needs to carry out his life. And do you know, in much the same way that is what you have. You have a heavenly father who is watching this grace account of yours and he is not going to let it get low. He's not going to let it run dry. Every time you go to that account, every time you show up and say, yes, God, there is grace in your account to draw from. There is provision. That's what we have to understand. It is grace that we are saved. It's not of ourselves. It is a simple gift my friend gives her son, a gift. God has given you the gift of grace. That's what's going to cause you to go through. That's what's going to strengthen your. Yes. That's why you're going to become everything God's called you to be. Because you are saying, I want to get in the plan of God. My rsvp God is yes. Yes. My response is yes. Listen, when you go to that party, that host doesn't expect, find the food, doesn't expect you to, you know, get your own decorations. No, it's already prepared for you. You just have to show up and be a part of it. See, God is saying, show up and be a part of what I want to do in you and what I want to do through you. But it's only going to take place. Those promises are only going to come to pass by my grace. Some of you need to just. Okay, I'm going to my grace account. Every single day I'm getting up, I'm coming right to that account. Man, I wouldn't even think about going out to get without getting my grace first. God, thank you, thank you, Father that I am here. I'm showing up. You've got provision, you've got everything I need. All I have to do is honor you, put you first place, give you the glory, God, and you'll do what I can't do. You'll give me the grace to see it through. Amen. Amen.

[Victoria Osteen]

We all carry a mental picture of what our life can be. Is yours limited? Do you picture yourself stuck, inadequate, defeated? Are you willing to change your mindset in order to experience a life of blessing and abundance.

[Joel Osteen]

We all have a picture in our mind of ourselves, our family, our future, and if that picture is negative, you see yourself at a disadvantage. Your problem's too big. It's gonna limit your life. My new book, the Abundance Mindset, will help you see yourself the right way. If you'll change those negative pictures, start seeing yourself blessed, healthy, rising high, or accomplishing dreams, then things will begin to shift in your favor. You have to see it on the inside before it'll come to pass on the outside. We'll send you the Mindset Journal too. These tools will help you get your inner vision in the right place so you can move into the favor and blessing that God has for you.

[Victoria Osteen]

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 book the Abundance Mindset and this inspiring Mindset Journal. Joel shares powerful scriptures and encouraging thoughts about how to move from barely enough to more more than enough, how to be someone else's miracle and experience miracles in your own life. As you make the book and journal a part of your daily walk, you'll be built up every day regarding how to tap into God's favor and blessing, how not to talk yourself out of the dreams and opportunities he has already prepared for you. How to experience life to the fullest. Request your copies today and begin to see a new mental picture of yourself that will lead to new measures of blessing, favor, promotion and abundance.

[Joel Osteen]

Let's go into 2025 with an abundant Mindset. I believe you're going to see the goodness of God in new ways. Victoria and I want you to know we pray for you and your family every day for God's very best. We want to thank you for your prayer and support. You are impacting people all over the world. A 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 on YouTube, also the new Joel Osteen network streaming on television 24 hours a day until we see you again. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

[Victoria Osteen]

Be sure to request your copy of the Abundance Mindset Book and Mindset Journal today. Visit Joel Osteen.com or call 888-567-JOEL for an additional donation. This month we are also offering his Goodness Abundance Bowl. You can request this inspiring resource by calling 888-567 Joel or logging on to Joel Osteen.com today.

[Joel Osteen]

If you've never been to Lakewood, we have a great opportunity. We call it Homecoming Weekend. We'd love to meet you and your family. You can see the building and attend one of the services. It's a great time to be a part of the Lakewood family. Looking forward to seeing you Homecoming weekend.

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[Self-Conscience]

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[Self-Conscience]

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[Self-Conscience]

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