Investing In Your Future | Victoria Osteen

Summary

Podcast Summary: Joel Osteen Podcast – "Investing In Your Future | Victoria Osteen"

Release Date: December 21, 2024

In this empowering episode of the Joel Osteen Daily Podcast, host Victoria Osteen explores the transformative concept of investing in one’s future by releasing the burdens of the past. Through heartfelt anecdotes, practical advice, and spiritual insights, Victoria provides listeners with a roadmap to achieve a more fulfilling and purpose-driven life.

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1. Embracing the Present by Letting Go of the Past

Victoria begins by addressing the common tendency to dwell on past hurts, disappointments, and regrets. She emphasizes that investing time and energy in past negative experiences is a futile endeavor that hinders personal growth and future success.

"Investing in the past is when you relive your hurts, your pains, your disappointments." [01:48]

2. The Burden of Emotional Baggage

Highlighting the weight of emotional baggage, Victoria explains how carrying unresolved bitterness and resentment can obscure one’s vision and impede progress towards future goals.

"When you are weighed down with all of this junk, it's hard to see where you're going. It's hard to even be ready to get there." [05:12]

3. Personal Story: Refreshing Emotional Baggage

Victoria shares a personal story illustrating the necessity of shedding unnecessary burdens. She recounts an experience where refreshing her suitcase symbolized the act of letting go of past anxieties and preparing for new opportunities.

"I became refreshed... I was prepared to go on my next trip because I had exchanged that dirty clothes with fresh new clothes." [07:35]

4. The Trap of Holding Onto the Past

Using a vivid metaphor, Victoria compares holding onto past pains to a monkey being trapped by bananas in a barrel. This analogy underscores how clinging to negative emotions can trap individuals, preventing them from moving forward.

"Because he was holding on to the barrel, he was trapped... we cannot be trapped in the past when God has a bright future." [09:20]

5. Practical Steps to Let Go and Invest in the Future

Victoria outlines actionable steps for listeners to release their past and invest in their future:

• Forgive Others and Yourself: Letting go of grudges and self-blame frees one from negative emotions.
• Focus on Today: Concentrating on present actions and opportunities rather than past mistakes.
• Embrace Fresh Mercies: Accepting new blessings and opportunities with an open heart.

"God wants to give you beauty for ashes, but you cannot receive the beauty if you don't give God your ashes." [10:15]

6. Biblical Foundations and Encouragement

Integrating scripture, Victoria reinforces the importance of focusing on positive and trustworthy things. She encourages listeners to align their thoughts with God’s promises to cultivate a mindset conducive to future success.

"Think on these things. Things that are good, things that are pure, things that are trustworthy of a good report." [10:45]

7. Guided Prayer: Release and Renewal

Concluding her message, Victoria leads a heartfelt prayer inviting listeners to release their hurts and embrace God’s blessings. This prayer serves as a communal affirmation of the commitment to invest in a brighter future.

"Father, we want to close the door to our past... we are receiving your beauty." [11:15]

8. Final Encouragement: Focus on the Future

Victoria wraps up by reiterating the central theme that where one is heading is more important than where one has been. She urges listeners to maintain a positive outlook and trust in God’s plan for their future.

"Where you're going is far more important than where you've been." [11:40]

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Key Takeaways

• Release the Past: Letting go of past hurts and resentments is crucial for personal growth and future success.
• Focus on the Present: Investing in today's opportunities rather than dwelling on yesterday enhances one’s capacity to achieve dreams.
• Forgiveness: Forgiving others and oneself is essential to free up emotional space for new blessings.
• Faith and Positive Thinking: Aligning thoughts with positive and trustworthy things, as encouraged by scripture, fosters a mindset geared towards prosperity.
• Prayer and Spiritual Support: Engaging in prayer and spiritual practices can bolster the process of releasing the past and embracing the future.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Investing in the past is when you relive your hurts, your pains, your disappointments." – Victoria Osteen [01:48]
• "When you are weighed down with all of this junk, it's hard to see where you're going." – Victoria Osteen [05:12]
• "God wants to give you beauty for ashes, but you cannot receive the beauty if you don't give God your ashes." – Victoria Osteen [10:15]
• "Where you're going is far more important than where you've been." – Victoria Osteen [11:40]

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This episode serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of letting go of the past to fully invest in and embrace the future. Victoria Osteen’s blend of personal experience, practical advice, and spiritual wisdom offers listeners actionable steps to achieve a more hopeful and prosperous life.

Transcript

[Joel Osteen]

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[Victoria Osteen]

That'S netsuite.com osteen twas the nights before Christmas. Despite last minute stress, few were delivering except Walmart.

[Unknown Speaker]

Express stockings were hung by the fireplace of care, knowing in about an hour.

[Victoria Osteen]

Stuffers would soon be there onto the road. Walmart Express Delivery went chock full of wondrous things in the Saint Nick of Time scent.

[Unknown Speaker]

Let's go get Express Delivery in as fast as an hour, even on Christmas Eve. Orders must be placed by 4pm local time on 1224, subject to availability. Fees and restrictions apply.

[Victoria Osteen]

Express Delivery to y'all and to all a good night. Welcome to your Walmart.

[Unknown Speaker]

From the makers of Rice a Roni comes Macaroni, a creamy, delicious boxed Mac and cheese that's not just good, it's cheesy. Good macaroni will please even the pickiest eaters with two magnificent flavors that will melt your Creamy Cheddar and Creamy White Cheddar. If you love cheese, you'll love Macaroni by the makers of Rice a Roni. If you don't love cheese, well that's just unbelievable. Try macaroni. It's cheesy. Good Mac a'roni the San Francisco Treat.

[Joel Osteen]

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We believe you're going to have an awesome 2024 healthy, productive and favor filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message.

[Unknown Speaker]

Listen, I want to remind us to spend our time investing our future. Don't invest in the past. Investing in the past is when you relive your hurts, your pains, your disappointments. See, it's easy to focus on who hurt you, what didn't work out, what mistake you've made. But you know what that is. It's a big waste of time and energy. We can't do anything other about what happened in our past. It's done, it's over with, it's finished. But we can do something about today. And when you begin to focus on what you can change and not what you can't change, that is a good investment in the future. You know we weren't designed to carry around a lot of unnecessary negative baggage. And sometimes we fill our bags with bitterness, resentment, heartache. But can I tell you that you've got to get up every day and let that stuff go. Forgive the people who offended you. Release them. Forgive yourself. You see, when you are weighed down with all of this junk, it's hard to see where you're going. It's hard to even be ready to get there. One time, Joel and I, we had scheduled back to back work trips. We really don't ever do this, but this just happened to be an instance that we did this. We had come home from a week out and we came back in and we only had like two hours to be at home. And then we'd have to turn around, head back to the airport. Well, on the way home, all I could think about was those dirty clothes in my suitcase. There was a week's worth of dirty clothes in my suitcase. When I got home, I dumped all those dirty clothes and I began to refresh my suitcase. Something amazing happened where I was tired and anxious on my way home. Just thinking about all that in my suitcase. I became refreshed. And you know what? I was prepared to go on my next trip because I had exchanged that dirty clothes with fresh new clothes. And do you know, a lot of times we get so weighed down with this emotional baggage of clutter that's full of pain and heartache that we lose our passion and excitement for living. In fact, we're not even prepared where God wants us to go. We're just too weighed down and anxious. Can I tell you that you need to refresh your emotional baggage every single day. You need to learn to travel light. Because I can tell you this, where you're going is far more important than where you've been. But you can't be weighed down from the past. You know, too often people don't even enjoy what they're doing today. They can't enjoy the opportunities that they're living in today because they're too focused on yesterday. There was a woman who had been divorced for a couple of years. And one day she met this man. And he was a very nice man. He seemed to be very happy. He was successful, he went to church. She was excited about the possibilities. But she made a mistake. When she went into that relationship, she began to constantly talk about her hurts and pains of the past. She would describe why she acted certain ways or why she said certain things. It was because she was so hurt by her first husband. You know, after A while, that man told one of her friends. He said, you know, she's so focused on what happened to her, she can't move forward. We're not making any kind of connection here. And I really don't feel like the relationship is right. So he decided that he was just going to quit seeing her because she made the mistake of living in the past. She failed at an opportunity that she had for her future. See, when you carry negative baggage into your relationships, you can ruin many relationships. See, we've got to decide that it's time to let it go. It's time to put it in the past, to shut the door to it. One time, Joel and I were going to this, like, highly secure government building. And so there was two sets of double doors. So we stood in front of the first set of doors, and it opened up, and we began to walk past those doors to go through the second set. But we noticed the second set would not open until the first set closed. And do you know, in life, you're not gonna be able to walk through open doors until you close the doors that are behind you. When you're holding on to bitterness, regret the mistakes you've made, it'll get you stuck. It's like a trap you can't get out of. Years ago, the way hunters used to trap monkeys was they would take a big barrel and they would fill it full of bananas. And at the end of that barrel, they would cut a very small hole, just big enough for the monkey to get its hand and arm through. Now, the monkey, unaware that this was a trap, would stick his hand in there and grab a fistful of bananas. But the problem was, as long as he was holding on to those bananas, he couldn't get his hand out of the barrel. You see, he could have just simply let the bananas go, taken his hand out of the barrel and gone on his way. But, see, because he was holding on to the barrel, he was trapped, and he couldn't get away. See, we can't let yesterday trap us. We cannot be trapped in the past when God has a bright future. Unfair things happen to all of us. We experience loss. We all make mistakes. People hurt us. We become offended. But we have to make a decision that we're not going to invest in those things. You see, we'll have negative seasons. The Bible says that trouble will come. We will have seasons of disappointment, seasons that we don't always care for. But we can't allow that season to define our life. We can't wear the labels of that season. You see, we've got to put our foot down and say, no more. God wants to give you beauty for ashes, the scripture says. But you cannot receive the beauty if you don't give God your ashes. The best way is to give God your hurts, your pains, and then open up wide so that you can receive the beauty that he has in store for you. The scripture says this. Think on these things. Things that are good, things that are pure, things that are trustworthy of a good report. See, these are the things we are supposed to set our mind on. When we set our mind on the good things that God has for us. When we begin to set our mind on what God says about us, when we begin to count our blessings, that is investing in our future. That is the best investment that we can make. I want to say it one more time. Let it go. Just let it go. If there's anything holding you back today, it's too high of a price to pay. Let it go. Because God's got bigger and greater things in your future. And where you're going is way more important than where you've been. Amen. I just want to take an opportunity right now for every one of us to let go of the ashes, to release them to God. You know, we can hear a sermon and we can say we're going to do it, but I just want to take this time right now because how important it is for. For us to just give God these hurts and pains, to release them so we can receive our bright future. So right now, just through your eyes of faith, let's just pray. Father, I thank you right now. We've heard this message. We know it to be true. God, we've experienced this phenomenon of living in our past and how it holds us back. And, Father, we don't want that anymore. We want to close the door to our past. So, Father, you can open the door to fresh, new opportunity. God, you said that your mercies are fresh and new every single day. So, Father, we want to pick up those fresh, new mercies. We want to unload that emotional baggage, those things that didn't work out. And God, we want to refresh our mental aspect and our mental life. Father, we want to know that you are for us and not against us. So we declare right now, Father, as we let go of the ashes, we are receiving your beauty. Thank you, Father, for good opportunity. Thank you for great families, wonderful relationships. Thank you, Father, that everything we put our hand to will prosper and succeed. Because, God, we've got a fresh new mental attitude. Thank you Father that your blessing far outseats anything we've ever done in the past. Thank you for everything that you're doing and everything that you're going to do. In Jesus name, Amen. And everyone said Amen.

What if what you imagine came to pass? What if what you asked for turned out greater than what you can see? What if you could plan for God's best in your life?

[Joel Osteen]

We all have hopes and dreams and things we're believing for, but what God has in store for you is more than you can imagine. When you start the year off in faith believing for greater things, that's when God will exceed your expectations. We'd love to send you our 2025 more to imagine planner. You can write down your dreams and goals plus use it for your everyday activity and reminders.

[Unknown Speaker]

It is so important to feed yourself hope and faith on a daily basis. This planner is not only a calendar, but it's filled with inspiration and scripture to help you stay encouraged and and keep believing for what God has put in your heart.

[Joel Osteen]

He sees your faithfulness, how you're being your best each day. You're going to see the goodness of God in new ways in 2025 as.

[Unknown Speaker]

You support the ministry this month with a special year end gift of any amount. We would like to bless you with the more to imagine 2025 planner. With the new planner, you can start each day writing down the fresh vision God gives you. Whether it's appointments, daily tasks or long term desires in your heart, let each note be a testament to your faith. Included are handpicked scriptures and uplifting reflections to empower you as you walk this faith journey with Jesus one day at a time.

Joel and I are standing in faith with you that 2025 will be a year of far and beyond favor for you and your family.

[Joel Osteen]

We pray for you every day for God's very best and we we want to thank you for your prayer and support, especially your year end gifts. You are impacting people all over the world. Remember you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, listen on SiriusXM or watch our YouTube channel and the new Joel Osteen streaming television network 24 hours a day. Until we see you next time. Have a very Merry Christmas.

[Unknown Speaker]

Peace. Be sure to request your copy of the more to imagine 2025 planner today. Visit jolostein.com or call us toll free.

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[Victoria Osteen]

Twas the nights before Christmas. Despite last minute stress, few were delivering except Walmart Express Stockings were hung by.

[Unknown Speaker]

The fireplace of care, knowing in about.

[Victoria Osteen]

An hour stuffers would soon be there onto the road. Walmart Express Delivery went chock full of wondrous things in the Saint Nick of time. Scent.

[Unknown Speaker]

Let's go get Express Delivery in as fast as an hour, even on Christmas Eve. Orders must be placed by 4pm local time on 1224, subject to availability. Fees and restrictions apply.

[Victoria Osteen]

Express Delivery to y'all and to all a good night. Welcome to your Walmart.

[Unknown Speaker]

From the makers of Rice a Roni comes Macaroni, a creamy, delicious boxed Mac and cheese that's not just good, it's cheesy. Good macaroni will please even the pickiest eaters with two magnificent flavors that will melt your Creamy Cheddar and Creamy White Cheddar. If you love cheese, you'll love Macaroni by the makers of Rice a Roni. If you don't love cheese, well, that's just unbelievable. Try Macaroni. It's cheesy. Good Mac a Roni the San Francisco treatment.