Joel Osteen Podcast – "Encourage Yourself" (January 23, 2026)
Host: Joel Osteen
Theme: Empowering listeners to become their own source of encouragement, drawing on faith, personal victories, and intentional positivity to overcome discouragement and adversity.
Episode Overview
In this message, Joel Osteen discusses the importance of learning how to encourage yourself, especially during times of discouragement or setback. He unpacks biblical examples—particularly King David’s ability to self-encourage—and shares practical strategies for fostering an inner reservoir of hope and strength. The episode is filled with motivational stories, actionable tips, and Joel’s signature warmth and humor, motivating listeners to change their mental channel from negativity to gratitude and victory.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Necessity of Self-Encouragement
- [03:00] Joel introduces the concept: While support from others is valuable, lasting encouragement must come from within.
- “Other people may give us a boost...But if you’re really going to live in victory, that encouragement has to come from the inside. You’ve got to learn to encourage yourself.” – Joel Osteen
2. David’s Blueprint for Overcoming Discouragement
- [05:30] Joel recounts the biblical story of David at Ziklag, who faced devastating loss and betrayal yet “encouraged himself in the Lord.”
- “David encouraged himself in the Lord, his God...He knew how to draw strength and encouragement from within.”
- [07:00] Strategy: Replay your victories; remember past blessings and rescues to reignite trust and hope for future challenges.
- “As he [David] rehearsed over and over the goodness and faithfulness of God, strength began to fill his heart.”
3. Switching the Mental Channel
- [09:10] Joel suggests actively choosing what thoughts to dwell on—intentionally “changing the channel” from negativity to positive memories, blessings, and faith.
- “Some of you today, you’d get your joy back if you just changed the channel...God has done something great for every one of us.”
- Practical Example: Each time Joel sees his church’s new facility, he thanks God—creating positive, reinforcing habits.
- “Every time I...‘Thank you, Lord, for our beautiful new building.’...I’m encouraging myself. My faith is increasing.”
4. Don’t Settle for Discouragement—Fight for Your Dream
- [13:50] Joel addresses the tendency to let setbacks or disappointments make us give up.
- “Deep down in your spirit...every promise that God’s put in your heart, every dream...is well worth the fight. Your child is worth it. Your marriage is worth it. Your health is worth it.”
- [15:00] Notable saying:
- “Every setback is a setup for a comeback.”
5. The Value of Remembering God’s Goodness
- [16:30] Reflect on moments when, by all rights, things should have turned out worse, but didn’t, as evidence of God’s favor and resilience.
- “You cannot get down and defeated as long as you’re meditating on the goodness of God.”
6. Create an Encouragement File
- [19:30] Joel recommends keeping a physical or digital file of encouraging notes, compliments, and positive feedback for times when motivation wanes.
- “Whenever someone sends you a kind note...put it in that file. And then when you’re tempted to be down, go get those letters out and reread them again.”
- Personal anecdotes: Even small gestures or humorous notes made it into Joel’s early file, exemplifying the intentional collection of positive moments.
7. Celebrate Yourself When Others Don’t
- [23:00] If external affirmation is absent, affirm yourself. Write yourself letters, list your strengths and achievements, and learn to genuinely approve of who you are.
- “When nobody else is celebrating you, you’ve got to learn to celebrate yourself.”
- Biblical tie-in: Even God in Genesis declared His own creation “good”—modeling self-recognition.
- “God praised himself...He created the fish and the animals, and he stepped back and said, that was good. He created you and me and said, that was really good.”
8. Cultivate Positive Self-Talk and Perspective
- [25:30] Joel encourages “catching yourself doing something right,” in contrast to negative self-criticism.
- “Quit catching yourself doing something wrong and start catching yourself doing something right.”
- [27:00] He models personal affirmations:
- “One of the recordings that’s always playing in my mind all through the day is, ‘Joel, you’re a good father, you’re a good husband. You’re talented, you’re creative, you’re kind, you’re fun to be around.’”
9. Inspirational Story: The Carnations
- [28:00] Joel tells of a girl who bought herself carnations for Valentine’s Day—illustrating the power (and fun) in celebrating yourself when no one else does.
- “You gotta have the attitude, if nobody else is celebrating me right now, going to celebrate myself.”
10. Tune into the Voice of Victory
- [29:40] Replace internal negative dialogue with scriptural truths and affirmations of victory over adversity.
- “There’s another voice. It’s called the voice of victory. And it says, no weapon formed against you is ever going to prosper...”
- Affirm God’s promise to perfect all that concerns you.
11. Final Charge: It’s Up to You
- [31:10] The call to action: Don’t depend on others for lasting encouragement—draw from God and from within. Doing so is “faith at work” and key to overcoming obstacles and realizing your dreams.
- “It’s up to you to keep yourself encouraged...As you learn to encourage yourself, that’s your faith at work. Not only are you going to enjoy your life more, but you’re going to overcome every obstacle.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Other people cannot keep us encouraged... that encouragement has to come from the inside.” – Joel Osteen [03:15]
- “David encouraged himself in the Lord, his God.” – Joel Osteen [05:35]
- “Every setback is a setup for a comeback.” – Joel Osteen [15:01]
- “You cannot get down and defeated as long as you’re meditating on the goodness of God.” – Joel Osteen [16:40]
- “If you’re not able to compliment yourself, you’ll never become everything God’s created you to be.” – Joel Osteen [23:55]
- “Quit catching yourself doing something wrong and start catching yourself doing something right.” – Joel Osteen [25:45]
- “You’ve got to have the attitude, if nobody else is celebrating me right now, going to celebrate myself.” – Joel Osteen [28:10]
- “There’s another voice...the voice of victory. And it says, no weapon formed against you is ever going to prosper.” – Joel Osteen [29:40]
- “As you learn to encourage yourself, that’s your faith at work.” – Joel Osteen [31:15]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- [03:00] – The necessity of self-encouragement
- [05:30] – David’s example: How to encourage yourself in tough times
- [09:10] – Changing the mental channel and creating positive habits
- [13:50] – Refusing to settle for discouragement
- [16:30] – Remembering God’s goodness as fuel for faith
- [19:30] – Starting and using an encouragement file
- [23:00] – Celebrating yourself—learning from God’s approval of His own work
- [25:30] – The power of positive self-talk and breaking the habit of self-criticism
- [28:00] – Story of the carnations: Celebrating yourself when no one else does
- [29:40] – Tuning into the “voice of victory” and affirming God’s promises
- [31:10] – Final charge: Encouragement must come from within
Practical Takeaways
- Replay the victories: When discouraged, recall the times you’ve overcome—big or small.
- Change the channel: Move your attention away from negative thoughts to gratitude and faith.
- Start an encouragement file: Tangible evidence of your impact and worth can lift you when you’re down.
- Affirm and celebrate yourself: When others don’t, pat yourself on the back and recognize your strengths.
- Cultivate positive self-talk: Find things you did right each day and be intentional in affirming yourself.
- Tune into faith-filled thoughts: Choose to believe in God’s promises and expect forward movement, no matter the setback.
This episode is a quintessential Joel Osteen encouragement session, filled with relatable stories, faith-based strategies, and practical encouragement to anchor your hope “on the inside.” It’s a call to take responsibility for your own mindset and to let faith and gratitude light the way forward—no matter what you face.