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Joel Osteen (0:47)

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Victoria Osteen (1:15)

Hosteen netsuite.com Osteen 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. I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard about this scientist. He said to God, we've decided we no longer need you. We can clone people, transplant hearts, and do all kinds of things once considered miraculous. God said, well that's fine, but to prove that you don't need me, let's have a man making contest. The only requirement is you have to make man out of dirt. The scientist said, great. He reached down quickly to get a handful of dirt. God said, not so quick. Go get your own dirt. 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 even now, faith. We all face situations that look like they're never going to work out. We don't see how we could get well or how we could get out of debt, how we could accomplish a dream. It's been too long, the odds are against us. Too often we settle where we are and just accept the fact that, hey, it wasn't meant to be. In the scripture. There's a lady named Martha that faced one of these impossible situations. Her brother Lazarus was extremely sick. Martha and her sister Mary were very close to Jesus. So they sent word for Jesus to come to their house and pray for Lazarus. Well, Jesus was in another city and he kept getting delayed. A day went by. Martha said to her assistant, did you tell Jesus it was me asking for him? The assistant said, yes, I told him it was you. Well, did you tell him it was an emergency? Yes, I told him it was urgent. Another day went by, and they're waiting and waiting. Night falls. Still no sign of Jesus. They wake up early the next morning looking out the windows, knowing that any moment Jesus would arrive. After all, it's been three days since they first asked for him. Every hour that goes by, they're getting more and more upset. Where is he? I can't understand what's taken him so long. Finally, their worst nightmare comes true. Lazarus died. They're distraught, upset. They've just lost their brother. To make matters worse, they knew that their good friend Jesus could have healed Lazarus. They had seen him open blind eyes, cure the lepers, turn water into wine. It would have been no big deal for Jesus to heal their brother. Four days after Lazarus had died, Jesus showed up, knocked on the front door, said, here I am. What can I do for you? Has it ever seemed like God showed up too late? You prayed, you believed, but the problem didn't turn around. The medical report wasn't good. The business didn't make it. Martha was crying. She went up to him and said, jesus, if you would have been here sooner, my brother wouldn't have died. She was saying, jesus, how could you do this to us? We're your friends. We hang out together. We have you over for dinner. The least you could do is show up when we have an emergency. Martha could have turned and walked away. Bitter, angry, complaining. That would be the end of the story. We wouldn't be talking about it today. But in that dark season, when it looked like it was too late, too far gone, Martha did something extremely significant. It's a key to seeing negative situations turn around. She said if you would have been here sooner, he wouldn't have died. But I know even now, whatever you ask, God will do it for you. Notice those two simple words. Even now it looks impossible. But even now you can turn it around. He's been dead for four days, but even now you can raise him back up. I don't see a way. But even now you can make a way. There will be times in life, like with Martha, you have to have even now, faith, God. The medical report doesn't look good. But I believe even now you can heal me. My business is hanging by a thread. But even now you can prosper me. My marriage looks like it's over, but even now you can restore me. When it looks impossible. The odds are against you. You don't see how it could work out. Don't complain, don't get bitter, Dig your heels in and have this. Even now, faith God, even now you can turn my child around. Had this addiction for years. But even now you can set me free. Been believing to have a baby. The medical report says it's not going to happen. But God, I'm bold enough to believe, like Martha, that even now, in spite of how long it's been, in spite of what I've been told, in spite of what I feel, I know you have the final say. You control the universe. Nothing's too hard for you. I may not see a way, but I know you have a way. When you have this even now, faith, God will move heaven and earth to do what he promised. And whatever you think is too far gone. The dreams you've given up on, the promises you've let go of, God is saying, I can still bring them to pass. I can still restore the relationship. I can still prosper you and put you into overflow. I can still give you the desires of your heart. I know a young lady named Vanessa. She's a medical doctor that attends here. And years back she started experiencing terrible pain in her joints. It got so bad she could hardly stand it. She ended up having surgery on her knees. But unfortunately, it didn't help. It continued to get worse. She got to the place where she was so crippled she had to walk with a cane. When she would come to church, it would take her 45 minutes to walk from the parking lot to her seat in the auditorium. During the week, she would get up at 3 o'clock in the morning to start getting her joints loosened up so she could be at work at 8. This was a gene that had been in her family line that kept getting passed down. Her father had the same illness in his early 20s. He died from complications of it at 43. Her grandmother was a paraplegic, had the same problem. It looked like this was Vanessa's destiny. She could have thought, hey, too bad for me, it's in my DNA. Can't do anything about this. No, Vanessa was like Martha. She had this even now faith. Her attitude was, even though it looks impossible, even though medical science says there's nothing they can do, even though Daddy had it and grandmother had it. This is a new day. The buck stops with me. God, I believe even now, in spite of what's been passed down, in spite of what the experts have told me, I know you made my body. You can correct what's wrong. You said you would restore health unto me and heal me of my wounds. It didn't happen overnight. But little by little, she kept getting better and better and better. Today she's perfectly healthy and whole. She can walk without pain. And without that cane, you don't have to learn to live with things that keep getting passed down. Well, Joel, everybody in my family is depressed. Maybe so, but you can be the turning point. Why don't you rise up and say, God, I believe even now you're freeing me from this depression. When you do that, the creator of the universe breathes in your direction. He dispatches angels. You'll feel a strength, a joy, a freedom that you didn't have before. Addictions may have been passed down to you. You can't do anything about that part, but you can put an end to it. God, I believe even right now, you are freeing me from these addictions. Well, Joel, my family, we're poor, defeated. We never get any good breaks. I come from the wrong side of the tracks. No, there's no such thing as the wrong side of the tracks. The most high God breathed his life into you. He's crowned you with his favorite. He put seeds of greatness on the inside. Don't accept lack and defeat as your destiny. It may have been that way in the past, but God raised you up to put an end to it. You're the difference maker. Your attitude should be God, I want to thank you that even now you're prospering me. Even now you're opening up new doors. Bringing opportunity, Divine connections increase across my path. He's an even now God. But you have to have this even now. Faith. Here's why God meets us at the level of our expectations. If you don't expect to get well, then you won't get well. If you don't expect to accomplish your dreams, you don't expect to overcome the addiction, to be free from that depression. Then you'll get stuck where you are. Why don't you take the limits off of God? Dare to say, like Martha, God. I don't see how this can happen in the natural. My brother's been dead for four days. He's already in the tomb. In other words, the medical report says I won't get well. Business is slow, My marriage is on the rock. But God, I believe even now, in spite of how bad it looks, in spite of the setbacks I've suffered, I know your power is greater than any power that's trying to stop me. You said what's meant for my harm you would use to my advantage. So, Lord, I want to thank you that I'm not only coming out, that I'm coming out better even now. Faith says, I still believe. Even though the medical report is not good. I still believe that my children will be mighty in the land. I still believe that I'll live debt free, pay off my house and be a blessing to others. I still believe that I'll accomplish my dreams, build that orphanage, start my business, step into the fullness of my destiny. This is what Moses did when he and the Israelites came to a dead end at the Red Sea. They had nowhere to go. Pharaoh and his army was quickly closing in. It looked like they would easily be captured and returned as slaves. But Moses didn't panic. He didn't complain. He understood this principle. He said, God, it looks impossible. But I know even now you can deliver us. He held up the rod. The Red Sea parted. They went through on dry ground. How about Abraham? God gave him the promise that he would have a baby. He and his wife Sarah were way too old, almost 80. This would defy the laws of nature. I can hear Abraham every morning. God, all the odds are against us. It's not possible in the natural. But God, I believe even now you can give us this baby. In spite of how old we are, in spite of what our natural reasoning is telling us. You can make a way. One day, when they were almost 100 years old, they had that baby. The promise came to pass. My sister Lisa was born with something like cerebral palsy. The Doctors told my parents that she would most likely never be able to walk or to talk, but she would need constant 24 hour care. And of course my parents were devastated. They never dreamed they'd be dealing with an unhealthy baby. But they didn't get bitter. They didn't start complaining. They did what I'm asking you to do. They said, God, this doesn't look possible in the natural. Medical science says that she will be disabled. But God, we know you can do what medicine cannot do. God, even now we believe you can heal our daughter. And again, like Vanessa, it didn't happen instantly. But Lisa kept getting better and better. And today she's as healthy as can be. One of the ministers here on staff, 77 years old, still going strong. So. But you know, I think about how different life would be if my parents would have just accepted it and thought, hey, too bad, this is our lot in life. No, if you want to step into the fullness of your destiny, if you're going to overcome these challenges, see the greatness of God's favor, you've got to have this even now. Faith. When it looks impossible, God, I know you can do the impossible. When you don't see a way, God, I know you still have a way. When your natural reasoning is telling you it's never going to work out, God, I know you're a supernatural God. It's significant that Jesus waited four days to go pray for Lazarus. He knew he was sick. In fact, Jesus knew he was going to die. He could have gone on the first day, healed Lazarus and saved them all of that trouble. Or at least he could have arrived on the second or third day. They wouldn't have had to go through so much. But there's always a reason for a delay. We may not understand it. Sometimes it's just a test of our faith. Are we going to get discouraged and give up? If Martha would have gotten bitter, complained, angry, she could have stopped the miracle. And this is where many people miss God's best. While you're waiting for the problem to turn around, waiting for your health to improve, waiting for a child to get on the right course, that's a very critical time. Can you pass the test of staying in faith when you don't see anything happening, can you keep a good attitude? When God is silent, you're calling out to him. Like Martha, you sent word, you're praying, but he's not coming. For some reason, he's delayed, he's not answering. The situation is not improving. This is when many people get discouraged and think, well, too bad it wasn't meant to be. Joel, I believed five years ago that I could get out of debt. But man, not now. I'm way over my head. Or I used to believe that I'd get healthy again, that I'd meet the right person, that I'd accomplished my dream. But it's been too long, had too many setbacks. No, how you wait will determine whether or not that situation changes. When Jesus arrived at Mary and Martha's house, he said to them, take me to the place where you buried Lazarus. Take me to the tomb. He was saying, in effect, take me to the place where you quit believing. Take me to the place where you gave up on your dreams and you decided that you wouldn't get well, that you wouldn't meet the right person. If you don't go back to that place and stir up your faith and get your passion back, it will tie the hands of Almighty God. You've got to go back to that place where you quit believing and ask yourself, is my God bigger than this problem? Is my God greater than this addiction? Is my God more powerful than this sickness? Is he still Jehovah? Jireh, the Lord, my provider? Is he still Jehovah? Rapha, the Lord, my healer? Is he still El Shaddai, the God who is more than enough? When you remind yourself who your God is, the all powerful creator of the universe, something comes alive on the inside. One angel in the old testament destroyed 180,000 of the enemies of God. He's all powerful. He can turn any situation around. He's got you in the palm of his hand. He knows how to get you to your destiny. When Jesus said, take me to the tomb, roll away the stone, I can imagine. Martha said, no, Jesus, I don't want to go there. It stinks. He's been dead for four days. Maybe something has died in your life. You went through a divorce, a bankruptcy, a friend betrayed you. And now, like with Lazarus, it stinks. It's a mess. But unless you're willing to deal with your stinky stuff, you probably won't get your miracle. We make excuses, Joel. They hurt me. He walked out of a relationship. It wasn't my fault. That's why I'm angry and bitter. Now. You've got to do your part and let go of the bitterness. You've got to forgive the people that have done you wrong. Deal with the stinky stuff. Or maybe my business didn't make it. I went through bankruptcy. I tried, but man, I'm a Failure? No. Failure is an event. It's not who you are. Don't put that label on you. You are a child of the Most High God. If one dream dies, you have to dream another dream. A young man I met a few years ago had taken the state bar for his law degree for the second time and failed. It'd been over a year and he was working as a legal assistant. You could tell he wasn't fulfilled. I asked him when he was going to take the state bar again. He kind of laughed. He said, oh, man, Joel, I'm done with that. I've already failed it twice. That just wasn't meant to be. I told him what I'm telling you. If God is going to resurrect that dream, if you're going to step into the fullness of your destiny, you've got to roll away the stone. Those two failures may stink. It may not be pretty, but that is not the end of your story. God didn't put the dream in you to lie dormant. He didn't give you the promise to just kind of tease you and take you halfway there. You may have had some setbacks, may not have happened on your timetable. The heavens may have been silent when you prayed. But don't take that as a sign that God is not there. He's closely watching you. This is a test. What are you going to do? Settle where you are? Get discouraged? Bitter? It wasn't meant to be. No, you got to do your part. Roll away the stone, Deal with the stinky stuff and get your passion back. God, I failed this test two times. All the odds are against me. But I know even now, you can help me to pass. Even now, you're changing things in my favor. Now. Three or four months ago, I saw that young man out in the lobby, had a big smile on his face, put his hand up for a high five, said Joel. I did it. The third time was a charm. I passed that test. God is law degree, friends. God knows how to resurrect dead dreams. Don't talk yourself out of it. We make excuses. Jesus, he's been dead for four days. They've already wrapped him up like a mummy. Or I've taken the test twice and failed. No use taking it again. Or like Vanessa. It's in my DNA. I'll never get well. No, get rid of the excuses. We serve a supernatural God. It may be taking a long time. The odds are against you. But keep passing the test. Keep doing the right thing. If you will do what you can, God will show up. And do what you can. What's interesting is back in those days, the Sadducees, these were the people that were against Jesus. They were always doubting him. They believed that the spirit left the body after the third day when a person had died. It's not a coincidence that Jesus waited till the fourth day to show up. He wanted to make sure that when he raised Lazarus from the dead, there would be no doubt about it. Sometimes God will delay in your life on purpose, not only so that you will know that it's his favor, but so that all of your critics, friends, relatives, co workers, they won't be able to deny the great thing God did in your life. Mary and Martha were upset at first that Jesus didn't get there in time to heal their brother. Their prayer didn't get answered the way they wanted. But all along God knew what he was doing. He wasn't planning a healing. He had something better in mind. A resurrection. If it hasn't worked out your way on your timetable, don't get upset. That doesn't mean that God has failed you. It's just the opposite. It means God is planning something even better. A few years after my father went to be with the Lord, the church was really growing and we needed a larger auditorium. My father told how he would never move the church. I was new, the young pastor. I wasn't about to rock the boat. And so I found a 100 acre tract of land about two miles from the other location, right on the freeway. I thought, this is perfect. We'll build a new sanctuary. The owner of the property told how that had been for sale for over 20 years and they'd never had one offer on the property. I knew God saved that property for us. He said, you don't even need to draw up a contract now. Just go ahead and do your preliminary drawings and soil studies and then we'll draw up the contract. Four months later, we went to close on the property. We had an 8 o'clock in the morning meeting. We showed up at 7:45 so excited about our new property. His secretary walked out and said, I'm sorry, he sold the property last night to someone else. I was so disappointed. I knew that was the devil stealing our property. Couple of months later, we found another large piece of property. We thought, this is even better. But do you know the same exact thing happened? They sold it out from under us. Thought God, what is going on? You know, we need a larger building. There weren't any more large pieces of property over in that area. And I Was tempted to get discouraged and quit believing. Think, well, I guess this is good enough. We tried. It just wasn't meant to be. About six months later, I could feel something stirring on the inside. I knew I had to get my passion back. And it's as if I went to that stinky place where the dream died. Been turned down two times, said God. It hasn't worked out my way, but I know you're still on the throne. I don't see any land available, but I know even now you have the right place for us. A few weeks later, I received a phone call that this place, the former compact center, was coming available. When I heard that, something leaped on the inside. I knew it was supposed to be ours. Three and a half years later, we moved into it. We didn't have to build a new sanctuary. God gave us an auditorium, already built, the premier facility in the fourth largest city in America. My point is, I was praying for a healing. But God had something better in mind. A resurrection. If it's not happening your way, on your timetable, don't get upset. Stay in faith. God knows what he's doing. He can see the big picture for your life. He always has your best interests at heart. I heard about this lady that was losing her home. She had been laid off. She prayed and prayed that she'd somehow be able to make her payments, but unfortunately she couldn't do it. Eventually her house was foreclosed on and the bank took it and put it up for auction. She had already accepted the fact that her house was gone and this chapter in her life was over. But deep down, she was heartbroken. This is where she had raised her children, a single parent mom. Just to get some kind of closure, she went to the auction where they were selling off these foreclosed homes, including her own. While she was there, she couldn't help but weep seeing her house up on the docket to be auctioned off. A lady nearby noticed that she was upset, came over and asked what was wrong. She explained how she had lost her job and now her home was about to be auctioned off. The lady asked which one it was and she pointed to the picture. When it came up to be auctioned, this lady started bidding on it. She kept bidding, bidding, bidding, eventually won the bid. Now she owned her house. She turned to her new friend, the one that was weeping that she just met. She said, I came buy a house for my son. But I know now God sent me here to buy your house and to give it back to you. She handed her the Deed. The lady couldn't believe it. She had been praying to make the payments for a healing. But God had a resurrection. Now she owns it, free and clear. No more payments. Is there something you've given up on? You think it's been too long? You don't see how it could ever work out. All it takes is one touch of God's favor. You've got to go back to that place where you quit believing. God is saying, even now I can turn it around. Even now I can restore your health. Even now I can help accomplish your dreams. Now pass the test of staying in faith. When God is silent, keep a good attitude. Even when it's not happening on your timetable, God knows what he's doing. You may be praying for a healing, but he has a resurrection coming your way. If you'll tap into this even now, faith Like Martha, I believe and declare God is about to resurrect what you thought was dead. He's going to breathe new life into your health, your dreams, your finances, your relationships. You're going to see problems turn around. Dreams fulfilled. A new level of your destiny. In Jesus name, if you receive it, can you say Amen 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'll 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. 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.