Joel Osteen (0:00)

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

Victoria Osteen (0:06)

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Joel Osteen (0:10)

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Victoria Osteen (0:12)

Very best in your life.

Joel Osteen (0:16)

Well, God bless you. It's 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 thank you so much for tuning in and thank you again for coming out today. I like to start with something funny each week. And don't get mad at me. These are just little jokes, y'all. But I heard about this Sunday morning church service. It was going just fine. All of a sudden, this lightning bolt hit. When the smoke cleared, Satan himself was standing behind the podium. People panicked and ran out of the building as fast as they could. Satan stood there with glee. But suddenly his mood changed. When he noticed a woman sitting on the front row. Just as calm as can be. He said, lady, do you know who I am? She said, I sure do. He said, aren't you afraid of me? She said, no, I'm not. He said, why not? She said, why should I be? For 30 years, I've been married to your brother. 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. 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 fulfilling God's best plan for your life. You are a person of destiny. You didn't just happen to show up here on planet Earth. God ordained before the foundation of the world that you would be here. At this particular time, there's no such thing as a mistake. Sometimes we hear parents say, we weren't expecting this child. They were an accident. They were a surprise. Well, they may have been a surprise to you, but they were not a surprise to Almighty God. No child can be born without God breathing his life into that child. You may think, well, Joel, I wasn't planned. My mother wasn't married. I was an unwanted pregnancy. No, you wouldn't be here if God didn't give life to that seed. In God's eyes, there's no such thing as being illegitimate. You didn't just happen to show up unannounced. God had a plan for you long before you ever got here. Even before you were a thought in your father or mother's mind. God knew you, and he already planned out good things for your life. That's what it says here in Jeremiah 29:11. These are the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future notice. God has already planned out ways to prosper you. He's already prearranged for you to live a good life. But if these plans are going to come to pass, we have to do our part and know that we are people of destiny. We have to believe that we have a bright future and that God has great things in store. You may not have been raised by loving parents. In the back of your mind, you kind of think, well, Joel, I was a mistake. Nobody wanted me. I was passed from home to home. No. How you were raised, what somebody did or didn't give you did not change God's plan for your life. And God said to Jeremiah, before you were formed in your mother's womb, I knew you and already planned for you to be a prophet to the nations. Notice God had an assignment for him. Before he ever got here. God was saying, in effect, jeremiah, you didn't just start when your mother gave birth to you. Before you were in her womb, you were with me. In other words, my past didn't start with my family. It started with my God. And I didn't come from my mother. Of course I love and respect my mother, but I didn't come from her. I came through her. I came from Almighty God. He gave me life. He gave me breath. And certainly God used our mothers to get us here. But we came from God. That means our assignment, our destiny, our purpose cannot be messed up by who we came through. Because we came from Almighty God. He has the final say. Nothing that happens to us, God can't turn around and use for us. He already has a plan. He knows the end from the beginning. Now all through the scripture, we can see how God planned out each person's life. He told Elizabeth, you're going to have a baby. You're to call him John. He'll be a forerunner of Christ. That was his assignment. An angel appeared to Samson's mother and told her she was going to have a baby. He would be a deliverer. The angel told how he was to be raised and how his hair was never to be cut. On and on a specific plan. 374 years before King Josiah was born. It was prophesied that one day he would arrive. And it told how he would help put an end to the wrong things that were happening. Sure enough, 374 years later, he showed up at 8 years old. They made him king. One night he couldn't sleep. He was reading the ancient passages of scripture and he came across that place that mentioned his name. When he read that, he came alive. All of a sudden, he knew he was a person of destiny. God had something for him to do. He went out and did exactly that. I believe in the same way, hundreds of years ago, God was thinking about you. He was planning out good things for your life. Where you would be, what assignment you would have, and what opportunities to bring across your path. See, you didn't just start 30, 40, 50, 60 years ago when your mother gave you birth. Long before that, God knew you. And the good news is, he's already planned out your days to prosper you, to be good to you, to give you breaks. Friends, you have a bright future in store. Well, you say, Joel, if this is true, why am I not seeing more of this happen? One reason is the moment you were born, the enemy targets you to try to pull you off of God's best path. Through discouragement, through temptation, through wrong people. There's nothing he would love any more than for you to go through life, fulfill your God given destiny. You have to stay focused and fight the good fight of faith. You may have been raised in a negative environment, but know this. Nothing that you've been through can keep you from becoming all God's created you to be. Believe that you can overcome your past. Believe that God has great things in store. You have to know that. You know that you are a person of destiny. Now, I hope you had loving parents like I did. But unfortunately, I realize not everybody did. I was talking to a young man and he told how he was one of these little cocaine babies. His mother had all these addictions. When he was born, he was addicted as well. She left him at an early age. Now he struggles with other addictions. He's insecure in who he is. And one day I was able to tell him what I'm telling you. You came through your mother. Love her, respect her. But you did not come from her. You came from almighty God. You are a person of destiny. Don't you dare just sit back and settle for mediocrity. God has not only chosen you, he's not only called you, but he has equipped you. He has Empowered you. You may have gotten off to a rough start in life, but it's not how we start that counts. It's how we finish. And today is a new day. If you'll start pressing forward, making good choices, believing God has good things in store, then you will see more of God's goodness in your life. Understand, nobody can keep you from your destiny except yourself. Your parents can't. How you were raised, negative circumstances. God has put into you everything you need to fulfill his best path. Be a believer. Keep pressing forward and you'll see that come to pass. I love the story of Nikki Cruz. He was raised in a home with 18 brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico. His parents were heavily involved in witchcraft. At the age of three, his mother was in a trance and she declared over Nicky that he was the son of Satan. Here he wasn't even old enough to know what was going on. Imagine having that spoken over you. That seems unfair. Seems like a terrible disadvantage. But no, God still has a plan. He'll always give you opportunities to rise out of mediocrity. At the age of 15, Nikki moved to New York City with one of his brothers. Soon after that, they were living on the streets. About six months later, Nikki was the leader of one of the most feared and violent gangs in the area. Fighting and killing were a part of his everyday life. At 16 years of age, his best friend was beaten and stabbed and died in Nicky's arms. That got his attention. One night, a young minister bravely came up to Nicky and invited him to come to church where he was having a meeting. Nicky mocked him and threatened to beat him up. The minister left there dejected, feeling like he had not done any good. Little did he realize later that night, not only Nicky, but the whole gang showed up at the service. They were there mainly to disrupt it and to cause trouble. But as Nicky heard about the love and forgiveness found in Christ Jesus, his heart melted. Something happened on the inside. He had never felt that before. All of a sudden, he realized God had a purpose for his life. He realized he was a person of destiny. He was made for more than just drifting around in defeat and failure. That night was a turning point he recognized. Although he loved his mother, he came through her and not from her. Her poor choices didn't have to stop God's plan for his life. He left there with a new beginning. Today, Nicky Cruz goes around the world sharing that message of hope, fulfilling his destiny. No matter how you were raised, no matter what somebody did or didn't give you, that cannot stop God's plan from coming to pass. Rise up and keep pressing forward. Don't settle for mediocrity. Don't blame your parents. Blame the past. Blame how you were raised. Just shake that off and start making good choices today. And you too can fulfill God's best plan for your life. In 1943, a teenager here in Houston became pregnant from a forced, violent act. The young lady was so distraught and so upset, she had planned to abort the child. But some friends talked her into having the little baby and putting it up for adoption. Not long after that, a little boy was born in the charity ward of St. Joseph's Hospital. He grew up in extreme poverty. His father was an alcoholic. More than once, this father threatened to kill his mother. Didn't look like the little boy had much of a future. Look like God had a plan for his life. But God will not give life to a person without giving that person a divine destiny. With the help of some loving foster parents, this little boy grew up to become one of the great ministers of our time. Today, more than 60 years later, James Robinson has touched people's lives around the world. What's my point? What looked like a mistake was mistake at all. Only God can give life to that seed. If you're alive today, you are not an accident. Doesn't matter how dysfunctional or functional your family is. God has a plan to prosper you, to give you hope, to give you a bright future. Friends, you are a person of destiny. God has handpicked you to be here. No matter how many setbacks you've faced in the past, God is saying, this is a new day, and I've still got a bright future in store for you. Why don't you let that seed take root? Why don't you receive that down in here? You may have had a negative past, but you don't have to have a negative future. God has already planned for you to be a victor and not a victim. But you've got to do your part and get a vision for it. You've got to stay filled with hope. I found many times, if we're not blaming the past, then we're blaming ourselves. We go around thinking, man, I blew it. I've made so many poor choices, ruined my relationship, failed over here. No, understand that does not change God's plan for your life. God didn't say, as long as you never make any mistakes, then I've got a great plan for you. God knew we weren't going to be perfect. You may have missed plan A for your Life. But the good news is God has a plan B, a plan C, a plan D, a plan E. God knows how to get you to your final destination. And just because you missed plan A doesn't mean you can't still have God's best plan. God has a way of working it all out. A lot of times we think, well, I'll just survive. I've made so many mistakes. I know I'll never really be happy. But somehow, someway, God can still cause his original plan for your life to come to pass. This is what he did for Abraham. You remember how God promised him that he was going to be the father of many nations and he was going to have a child in the natural. This was impossible. He and his wife Sarah were much too old. And they made mistake after mistake. They tried to come up with a plan to help God out. Sarah told Abraham to sleep with one of her maids. First mistake, Abraham agreed. Second mistake. They had this little child. And Sarah and the maid started arguing. They let strife come in. Another mistake. And sometimes we think we have dysfunctional families. But with all due respect, some of the great people in the Bible were about as dysfunctional as they come. But here's the whole key. Their heart was right. Abraham and Sarah had a desire to please God. They knew they were people of destiny. They just made some poor choices. We all do. Sometimes God doesn't bless us because we're perfect. He. He blesses us because our heart is right. In the end, after making mistake after mistake, some 20 years later, God called Sarah to conceive. And they gave birth to that promised child. The original plan. They named him Isaac. What I want you to see is even though they blew it time and time again, God didn't say, too bad. Now my original plan is not going to come to pass. Just settle for second best. No, God is so good. Even when we make mistakes, even when we blow it over and over, if we'll keep our heart pure, God can still cause his original plan to come to pass. I don't know about you, but that's good news for me. That gives me hope because I know I've made mistakes. I know I've blown it. But I love the scripture that says God is not holding anything against us. One version says, God will not hold a grudge when we repent and go a new way. God doesn't even remember our mistakes. The problem most people have today is they don't know how to receive God's mercy. They go around dwelling on their failures. I've been Divorced, I went through bankruptcy. I gave into this temptation over here. No, you've got to get out of that negative frame of mind. You may have made mistakes, but if you'll keep pressing forward, keep doing your best, keep your heart pure, God can still get you to your final destination. I want you to get your fire back. Today. Some of you are just coasting, feeling like you're washed up. You don't have the enthusiasm and excitement that you should for your life. And it's because you keep dwelling on these lies, going around, condemned. Well, Joel, I blew it. Messed up this relationship, or I've made so many poor choices, I'll probably never get out of debt. Now let me give you some good news. Your poor choices are not too much for our God. He didn't bring you here with just one plan. He has unlimited ways to get you to your final destination. But you've got to do your part and believe. Get up every morning and say, father, I want to thank you that you have a bright future for me. And even though I've made mistakes, I believe because my heart is right, you'll do for me what you did for Abraham and cause me to still fulfill your original plan, the best plan that you have for my life. Well, you say, joel, that's kind of bold to believe that you're going to be blessed even when you've made mistakes. Yes, that's true. But that's what faith is all about. You've got to come boldly to the throne of grace. You've got to believe that God has mercy for every mistake you've ever made. So easy to live, guilty and condemned. It's easy to go around feeling like you're washed up, you have no future. But you have to shake that off. You are a child of the most high God. And hundreds of years ago, just like with Josiah, just like with Samson, just like with John the Baptist, God planned for you to be here, and he did not plan for you to be dragging through life in mediocrity, feeling like a failure, negative, defeated. No. Let these words sink deep down on the inside. God says, my plans for you are to prosper you, to give you joy, to give you peace, to make you a victor and not a victim. But if this is going to happen, you have to press through past mistakes, press through disappointments, press through things that didn't work out, living in regrets, focusing on the negative, beating yourself up for mistakes you've made. All that's going to do is keep you from God's best. Why don't you let that go. Every morning, receive God's mercy. Start each day with a fresh new attitude. Then go out expecting the good things of God. I have some friends that started a church several years ago and in just a few years time it grew to four or five hundred people. They were so excited. They were fulfilling their destiny. But one day they had a misunderstanding with some people and they didn't handle it very well. They allowed Strife to get in. To make a long story short, the church started going down and down and eventually it folded. This couple was devastated. They felt like total failures here. Their dream had died and now they were just sitting on the sidelines of life feeling washed up. No joy, no enthusiasm. They felt like they were too old to start something new. One day I told them what I'm telling you, that God has another plan. Just because one door closes doesn't mean it's the end. God has a new beginning. The truth is, like Abraham and Sarah, these people, their heart was right. They wanted to please God. They admitted they handled it wrong. They admitted they made poor choices. But God doesn't see us as failures. He sees us as learners. He is full of mercy. And finally they got their fire back and they went out and started another work. And little by little it began to grow. God began to bless them. They had favor with the city they were in. And just recently they opened up a new facility. And today they are reaching almost twice as many people as they were before. It says in Zechariah 9:12 if you will be a prisoner of hope, God will restore back to you double what you've lost. And some of you today, you need to just get your hopes up. You may have been through disappointments and it may have even been your fault. But why don't you believe God has another plan? Why don't you believe that your best days are still out in front of you? If you will be a prisoner of hope, there's no limit to what God will do. I love what it says in Psalm 37:23 the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Though he falls, he will not be destroyed, for the Lord grasps his hands and holds him. Notice what it's saying is sometimes even when God's directing our steps, we may fall, we may make a mistake. But thank goodness it doesn't end there. God will be right there to pick us up and put us back on our feet. But too many people today go around being hard on themselves. They live guilty and condemned. Got that nagging feeling on the Inside, I've blown it. I'm never going to be blessed. No, those are lies that will keep you from God's best. You need to shake that off. All through the day, you should have this scripture playing in your mind. I have a bright future. God has plans to prosper me. Good things are in store. The best is still yet to come. If you will stay in that positive, hopeful frame of mind, you'll not only enjoy life more, but you will see more of God's blessings and favor. I think about Jonah. God told him to go to a certain city to minister to the people. But he didn't want to. He knew what was right. He just didn't obey. He wanted to do his own thing. And of course, at times, we've all done something like that. We've known down in here what we should do. We just ignored it. We did our own thing. But the great thing about God is He always gives you another chance. You don't just get one opportunity and then you're done. Throughout life, God will constantly give you opportunities onto his best path. God never gives up on you. His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. And so Jonah went against what he knew he should do. And he had all these negative consequences. Ended up in the belly of the well. Looked like he was all washed up. And even if he did survive, surely God would be done with him. Surely God would say, jonah, just sit on the sidelines of life. No, the scripture says, and the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. That's just the way God is. He always gives you another chance. Even if you've blown it, you're still not washed up. You may be thinking, joel, if I could just do it over again, I'd make better choices. I'd invest in my relationships. I'd be more disciplined in my thought life if I just had another chance. No. God is saying to you, today, you have another chance. Start right where you are. You may not be able to undo the past, but you can start making good choices today. Be that prisoner of hope. Know that God can turn any situation around. It may look like your dreams have died, but God can resurrect those dead dreams. He knows how to get you to your final destination. And sometimes, like Jonah, because of the choices we've made, it may take a little longer. It may be a little more difficult. But if you'll keep your heart pure and keep pressing forward, God will get you to exactly where he wants you to be. That's what he did for Jonah. He ended up in the right city. But think about it. God could have said, Jonah. Fine. If you don't want to go, I'll find somebody else. I'm God. But thank goodness God is not like that. He never gives up on you. You can turn away from him a thousand times. You can ignore his call year after year. But God will never leave you alone. He's always going to give you one more chance. He is full of mercy. Friends, God wants you to fulfill your destiny. He wants you to prosper. When you succeed and you see the dreams he's put in your heart come to pass. That puts a smile on God's face. It honors him when you live his life of victory. I love the story of Samson. He had a supernatural birth. God gave him strength and wisdom. Had so much going for him. But Samson made poor choices. He gave in to temptation. Little by little, he got off of God's best plan. Of course, the secret of his strength was in his hair. He was told to never tell that. But one day, in a moment of weakness, he let his guard down. That was the beginning of his demise. And where he was once a strong, powerful man. He ended up chained by his enemies. They were so afraid of him, they not only shaved his hair, but they gouged out his eyes. Now he was spending his days as a slave, grinding at the mill. But I love what the scripture says. It shows us the goodness of God. After making wrong choices his whole life. After wasting the anointing and the strength God had given him. You would think God would be done with him. And that he would just die. And that would be the end of his story. But no, I love what the scripture says. God's so good. It says Samson's hair began to grow one more time. In other words, in spite of all those wrong choices. God was saying, Samson, I'm not going to let you end your life in defeat. I've got one more victory. I'm going to let you finish your race with one more big bang. The enemy had him in the temple. He was there so they could make fun of him. Mock him, ridicule him. Samson asked one of the little boys if he would help him to put his arms on the columns of the temple so he can rest. The Bible says the spirit of the Lord came on Samson one more time. He was able to push those columns over. And the whole building came tumbling down. Do you know Samson destroyed more enemies in his death. Did in his whole lifetime. God let him go out in a blaze of glory. Maybe like Samson You've blown some good opportunities. You've made a mess of your life. Well, God is saying it's not too late. I've still got another victory. I've still got another dream for you to accomplish. I've got other mountains for you to climb. I've still got great things in store. Why don't you put your shoulders back, dig your heels in and say, God, if you did it for Samson, I know you can do it for me. I refuse to live my life washed up, negative, condemned, defeated. I'm going to believe like Samson, my end is going to be better than my beginning. And that my best days are not behind me. But you've got great victories in front of me. Friends, God still has a plan. If you're alive, you're a person of destiny. Why don't you be a prisoner of hope? Get your dreams back today over. Until God says it's over. Remember, no person, no obstacle, no circumstance can keep you from your call. If you fall down, don't stay down. Get back up again. God has another plan. If you'll keep pressing forward, keep believing, keep your heart pure. You're going to see God's blessings and favor in a greater way. And I believe you will fulfill the best plan that God has for your life. Amen. Do you receive it 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 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.