Joel Osteen (0:00)

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Victoria Osteen (0:33)

Let'S say your small business has a problem. Like maybe one of your doggy daycare customers had an accident. You might say something like dog gone it.

Unknown Speaker 1 (0:44)

Hi Chihuahua.

Unknown Speaker 2 (0:45)

Holy schnauzers.

Victoria Osteen (0:46)

But if you need someone who can actually help, just say like a good.

Unknown Speaker 3 (0:50)

Neighbor, State Farm is there.

Victoria Osteen (0:52)

And get help filing a claim from your local State Farm agent for your small business insurance needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

Unknown Speaker 1 (1:02)

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Unknown Speaker 2 (1:32)

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. God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has good things in store. 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 for tuning in today and thanks again for coming out. I like to start with something funny each week. And I heard about this pastor. He was raising money for a new auditorium. He said to the congregation, anyone who will give $1,000 can pick out the next three hymns. A little old lady in the back stood up and said, pastor, I'll do it. He was so excited. He said, thank you. Now which three hymns would you like? She looked over the congregation, said, I'll take him. And him and him. Hold up your Bibles 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 knowing what to ignore. If you're going to live in victory, you have to be very selective as to what you give your time and attention to. You have to know what thoughts to ignore, what comments to ignore, and I say this respectfully, what people to ignore. Every battle that comes across our path is not a battle we're supposed to fight. Many battles are simply distractions to try to lure us off course. If that battle is not between you and your God given destiny, it's a battle you should ignore. That person at the office that's always getting on your nerves, making sarcastic comments. You can either get in there and try to fight that battle and straighten them out. If you do, you, you are wasting valuable time and energy that you should be using to pursue your dreams. It's a distraction. Ignore it. That family member that never gives you any credit, they celebrate everybody but you. You can either let that upset you and live frustrated, or you can dismiss it and say, no big deal, I don't need their approval. I have Almighty God's approval. It's very freeing when you realize you don't have to fight every battle. You don't have to straighten people out, you don't have to pay somebody back. You don't have to be offended because what they said, you could ignore it and live life happy. I'm convinced we would enjoy life a whole lot more if we would get good at knowing what to ignore. A reporter asked me not long ago what I thought about these two men. He called their name. I didn't know who they were. I'd never heard of them. I thought about it and I finally said, I'm sorry, I don't know. Then he began to laugh and laugh. He thought that was so funny. I thought I was missing out. And I said, well, who are they? He said, joel, they are your two most outspoken critics that are always talking about you. He couldn't believe that I'd never heard of them. But see, I've learned this principle. I don't waste time engaging in conflicts that don't matter. I've learned the critics cannot keep you from your destiny. What they say about you doesn't define who you are, what somebody does or doesn't give you doesn't determine your worth and value. You are a child of the most High. God, the Creator of the universe breathed life into you. You have seeds of greatness on the inside. You've been crowned with favor. God has already equipped and empowered you with everything that you need. Now, don't waste your valuable time trying to play up to people, trying to win over all your critics, trying to prove to someone that you're important. No, those are battles that you're probably never going to win. You have to accept the fact some people are never going to celebrate you. They're never going to recognize your gifts. That's okay. Don't get distracted. God has already lined up the right people that will celebrate you. The right people that will cheer you on and help you fulfill your destiny. One time, Jesus was in the temple. It was on the Sabbath, their day of rest, and he saw a man with a withered hand. Jesus simply said, stretch forth your hand, and immediately the man was healed. The religious leaders, the Pharisees, were there, and they didn't like Jesus. They didn't understand him. They got together and said, yes, Jesus did do something good. He did heal a man. But you know what? He did it on the wrong day. He shouldn't have been working on the Sabbath. Some people, no matter what you do, they're not going to be for you. Even if you changed and met all their demands and did everything they're asking, they'd still find something you're doing wrong. You could go buy them a brand new Cadillac. You could hand in the car keys. They say, you know what I really wanted, Alexis. They'll overlook the good and find some kind of fault. Let me give you a secret. Save you a lot of heartache and pain. Ignore it. You don't need their approval. You don't have to have them cheering you on. They may try to make you look bad. But if you'll stay on the high road and let God fight your battles, the more they talk, the more God will bless you. They may try to take you down. God will use it to take you up. The key is to not get distracted. It's very easy to want to fight every battle and pay every person back and think, well, Joel, what they said was wrong. I'm going to prove to them that I'm right. I'm going to get in there and defend myself. No, you have to ask yourself, if you get involved and you do win the battle, what is the prize? Is it going to advance you further? Is it toward you and your destiny or is it just a distraction to steal your time and energy? I think we'd be amazed at how many battles we get engaged in that really don't matter. Is it really worth ruining an evening with your spouse arguing over what channel to watch on the television? Or do like Victoria and I get two TVs. Is it really worth getting upset because somebody cut you off in traffic or because the boss was rude? Life would not only be much more enjoyable, but we would accomplish much more if we would learn what to ignore the energy we spend arguing about things that don't matter, trying to prove to someone we're important, trying to win over all of our critics. That's energy. We're not going to have to pursue our God given goals and dreams. I talked to a very well known minister a while back. He's really respected. Been in the ministry for a long, long time. I asked him, if you had to do it over again, what would you change? What would you do differently? Give me some advice. Without missing a beat, he said, I would ignore a lot more. I wouldn't respond to every critic. I wouldn't waste time arguing about things that didn't matter. I wouldn't spend so much energy trying to make everybody understand me and make make everybody accept me. And I believe many of us would see our life go to a new level if we would just start ignoring things that weren't important. In 1st Samuel, chapter 10, Saul was chosen to be the next king of Israel. The prophet Samuel anointed his head and called him up in front of all of the people and said, he's going to be our next king. Most of the people were very excited and they congratulated Saul. But when Saul got back home, the people that knew him the most, some of his longtime friends, they didn't like Samuel's choice. They began to laugh and mock and ridicule. They said, Saul is not our king. He's not a leader. He doesn't have what it takes. The truth be known, they were jealous of Saul. They were so insecure, so intimidated. They had to try to push Saul down so they would look bigger. Remember this phrase, when people belittle you, they are being little. Small minded people won't celebrate you. Small minded people will be jealous, be gossipers and try to make you look bad. Here's the key. Don't ever fight battles with small minded people. Your future is too big to get distracted by somebody this small. They're not going where God is taking you. Friends, you are called to be an eagle. You are called to soar, to do great things. But in life, we will all have some crows crowing at us, some chickens pecking at us, some hawks trying to fight with us, trying to bait us into conflict. No, don't get drawn into those battles. You have an advantage. You're an eagle. You can fly at heights that no other birds can fly. Eagles have been spotted as high as 20,000ft in the air. Now I read where a crow is known to try to pester the eagle. Even though the eagle is much larger, the crow is much more agile. It can turn and maneuver a lot quicker. And at times, the crow will come behind the eagle and just follow it, trying to pester it, annoy it, aggravate it. But the eagle knows this secret. And it can fly at altitudes that the crow cannot fly. And so instead of getting all upset and trying to pay that crow back, the eagle simply rises higher and higher and higher and eventually the crow falls off. So when someone is pestering you, when they're being jealous, when they're trying to make you look bad, don't be a crow. Get in there and fight with them, trying to pay them back. No, you're an eagle. Rise above it. Let it bother you. Don't respond to every criticism. Don't waste your valuable energy fighting battles that are not necessary. All you've got to do is come up higher. And the crows and the chickens and the turkeys, they can't soar where you're able to soar. I'm asking you today to ignore some things. Some of you have gotten all worked up over something insignificant. You're allowing small minded people to steal your joy and keep you from what's really important. Get your focus back. Well, you say, Joel, if he would quit talking about me, then I wouldn't be so stressed out. Now let me give you a news flash. If he quits talking, somebody else will start talking. Somebody's always talking about us. We just may not realize it. Don't let it bother you. After all, God hears what they're saying. And if you'll stay in faith, God will make it up to you. Quit being frustrated because somebody's not celebrating your gifts. Use your energy to improve your skills, to be the best that you can be. And as I said, God will bring the people across your path that will celebrate you. Saul could have easily lost his focus and said to those people that were making fun of him, what are you talking about? I am a good leader. I do have what it takes. He could have gotten distracted and spent all of his energy trying to prove to them who he was. It says in verse 27, they despised Saul and refused to bring him gifts. What did he do? But Saul ignored them. One translation says he paid them no mind. My message to you today is pay no mind to jealous people. Pay no mind to people that don't celebrate you. Pay no mind to people that try to make you look small. Ignore their comments, ignore their insults. Ignore the naysayers. They don't control your destiny, God does. They are simply distractions to try to keep you from God's best. And Saul understood this principle. He knew not everybody is going to be for me. But I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince them. If you're going to fulfill your destiny, you've got to do like Saul. Instead of playing up to people, trying to win over all your critics, trying to prove to everyone that you are important. No, the key is just ignore it. Don't lose any sleep over somebody that is not for you. Don't give your attention to somebody that doesn't value who you are. If Saul would have gotten engaged in this conflict of trying to win over his naysayers, he would have never been who God called him to be. And friends, your destiny is too great to get distracted by jealous, critical, small minded people. If you focus on what they're saying about you and how. Joel, they're doing me wrong. They're not giving me any respect. No, that poison will get on the inside. Before long. You'll end up fighting a battle that you were never supposed to fight. Ignore their comments. Pay no attention to their insults. Set your face like a flint and run your race. Don't look to the left, nor to the right. Just stay focused and do what God's called you to do. After all, when we come to the end of our lives, we're not going to have to give an account to the critic. We're not going to have to answer to the naysayer, to the jealous person, to the person that didn't believe in you. Or we're going to have to give an account to Almighty God, the creator of the universe, when we can stand before him with our head held high and say, God, I did my best. I ran my race. I finished my course. I became who you created me to be. That's true fulfillment. That's when you're going to receive your reward. And this was difficult for me because my personality type is to want everybody to like me. Now I used to do everything I could to convince people that I really am nice and you really should be my friend. But one day I realized that was keeping me from rising higher. I was spending all my time and energy trying to win over people, some of which were never going to be for me. I had to ask myself, Joel, are you going to live to please people, or are you going to live to please God? I had to accept the fact that not everybody is going to like me. Not everybody's going to understand me. But that's okay. They didn't understand Jesus. They didn't celebrate King Saul. I'm going to do what he did. I'm going to pay them no mind. I've become a professional ignorer. I've gotten good at it. And don't get me wrong, I'm all for treating every person with respect, being kind and considerate. But I'm saying, don't waste your valuable time trying to win over people that are never going to be won over. If somebody doesn't celebrate you, move on. If they're not for you. Be kind, be considerate, but shake the dust off your feet. Don't waste one ounce of your energy trying to convince them to like you. When my father went to be with the lord back in 1999 and I stepped up to pastor the church, I was very concerned because I didn't minister exactly like my father. My personality is more laid back, easygoing. If you knew my father, he was a little bit more fiery. My father had been at the church for 40 years and there was this underlying pressure to be like my dad. And at first I tried to minister like him and tried to run the church like he did and tried to do everything the same way. I realized I wearing myself out, trying to be something that I'm not. I'm not pursuing what God put in my heart. I'm too busy trying to keep everybody happy. After all, I didn't want to lose anybody. I finally decided I'm just going to be myself and do it the way God's leading me. 99.9% of the people were totally behind me, very loyal. But there were a few that I could tell were not for me anymore. They didn't like the way I ministered. Or maybe they didn't like the way I was leading the church. I felt this pressure so strongly to fit into their mold and become who they wanted me to be. But friends, there is an anointing on your life not to be somebody else. You are anointed to be you. When you let People squeeze you into their mold and bow down to their pressure and try to please all the critics. It takes away your power. It takes away your uniqueness. It lessens God's favor. And I stepped into my own anointing and I made those changes. And few of the people didn't like it. Some of them had been here a long time and they started talking. I did what I'm asking you to do. I ignored it. They didn't celebrate me, but I paid them no mind. I didn't lose any sleep. I didn't try to win them over. I didn't say, here, just hear my heart. No, I just ran my race with purpose, with focus, with integrity. I saw God give me his favor more and more. Eventually those people left. They didn't stick around. But can I tell you, God brought me a lot more people, some 40,000 more. When you do it God's way, you never lose out. When you stay focused, what God's put in your heart, you don't get distracted by the critics and the naysayers and you ignore the jealous, cynical, small minded people. Listen, all the forces of darkness cannot keep you from where God wants you to go. Some of you today, you need to break free. You're not anointed to keep everybody happy. You're anointed to run your race. Well, you say, joel, if I do this, they may not be my friend anymore. That's okay. God will bring you some new friends. And let me tell you, God will bring you true friends, not people that have to manipulate you and try to make you do it the way they want. God will bring you people that celebrate you. People that will let you be who he's called you to be. If you're going to do anything great in life, there will be critics. If you're going to be a great business person, a great coach, a great student, a great leader, there will be opposition and people that judge and people that get jealous. I've heard it said, if you get kicked in the rear, it means that you're out in front. In other words, when people come against you and they're jealous and critical, take it as a compliment, it's because you're making a difference. In a big race, nobody is focused on who's in 20th place and 21st and 22nd. All the eyes are on the front runners. Front, first place, second place, third place. The majority of the attention is on the winners. And I know today I am looking at a group of winners. I am looking at people that are making a difference. I'M looking at people that are pursuing their God given goals, doing great things in life. But here's a point. The more success you have, the more opportunities there will be for distractions. Here's why. The higher you go, the more haters will come out when you start stretching to a new level and pursuing what God's put in your heart. The jealous people, the critical people, the small minded people. They'll come out of the woodwork and start making negative comments, start judging you. That's when you've got to dig your heels in, set your face like a flint and say, I will not get distracted. I will not get drawn into battles that don't matter. I will not quit because somebody's talking about me. I will not give up because my good friend got jealous. I will not get discouraged because someone's not celebrating me. No, I'm not a people pleaser. I'm a God pleaser. I'm going to run my race. I'm going to finish my course. The more God promotes you, the better you have to become at ignoring. You've got to get to the point where you won't even think twice about getting involved in a conflict unless you know it's between you and your God given destiny. Your time is too valuable to waste it being distracted. Life is too short to be upset because somebody's talking about us or to be offended because a jealous co worker is trying to make us look bad or go around frustrated because a family member doesn't celebrate us. Don't get drawn into those battles. Do like King Saul. Ignore it. Pay it no mind. Run your own race. I don't know about you, but I don't have time to sit around and think about all the people that don't like me. I realize every day is a gift from God and our time is way too valuable to try to figure out how we can please everybody and how we can win over every critic. Get up in the morning. Search your own heart. Make sure you're doing what you know God wants you to do. Then go out during the day and be your best. And then let the chips fall where they may. But I know people. They think more about what other people are saying about them than they do pursuing their own goals and dreams. When I first started ministering I was very insecure and If I heard one negative comment I would get discouraged. I could have 200 people come up to me after the service and tell me, joel, that was a great message. I really got something out of it. But one person would say, Joel, I didn't understand that point. It just wasn't for me today. And I'd drive home all depressed. I so badly needed everyone's approval. Listen, I have come a long way, baby. People. People can say anything they want. And I drive home just as happy and free as can be. In fact, when I walk off the platform each week, I go in the back and look at myself in the mirror and say, joel, that was great. Today I've learned to encourage myself, quit dwelling on the negative things people have said about you. Don't get on the Internet and read something bad that somebody wrote about you. All that's going to do is poison you. And before long you're going to be defensive, trying to prove to everybody that you're really okay. No, you got to be so secure in who God made you to be that let those comments bounce off of you like water off of a duck's back. You got to be so confident in your calling that you don't have to have everybody cheering you on. You don't have to have everyone's approval. You have God's approval. I think about in the Scripture, when people criticized Jesus and they came against him. Many times it says Jesus answered them. Not a word. He didn't respond to his critics. He didn't try to convince them to change their minds. Jesus didn't get upset because somebody was talking about them. He just ignored it. When people come against you and jealous, try to make you look bad, remember, you're in good company. Jesus was probably criticized more than anyone else. I love the fact he didn't try to explain himself. He didn't try to make everyone understand him. He just stayed focused and ran his race. And some of you today, you could step into a new freedom. You could see your life go to a new level if you would just quit fighting battles that don't matter. So somebody's talking about you. Join the crowd. Ignore it. So somebody lied about you. Join the crowd. Ignore it. So somebody's not celebrating you. Ignore it. Let me make it more practical. So somebody parked in your parking spot. Ignore it. Friends, you don't have to fight every battle. You don't have to respond to every critic. You don't have to be offended because what they said, you can do like King Saul and ignore it. You're not a crow, you're an eagle. You can rise above it. You can soar at new heights. This is what Nehemiah did. God called him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He and his men got started, but he had Two main critics, Sanballat and Tobias, they were constantly criticizing him, spreading rumors, trying to make him look bad. They said, Nehemiah is not a builder. He doesn't know what he's doing. If a fox runs on this wall, it's going to fall down. The whole time, Nehemiah and his men had to listen to these two men, belittle them, ridicule them, making fun of them. What did Nehemiah do? He ignored them. He let it go in one ear and out the other. When that didn't work, they went to the city leaders and started spreading lies. They said, nehemiah is not building this wall for our good. He's just building a kingdom unto himself. They started questioning his motives. Don't you know? Nehemiah was tempted to come down off that wall and say, guys, I'm going to shut you up. I'm going to show you who I am. No. He was smart enough to realize they were a distraction. He chose to ignore it. And he went on to build that wall in record time. Anytime God puts a dream in your heart, you start pursuing your goals. You can be sure that the sand ballots and the Tobiases will show up. The mark of a true champion is knowing what battles to fight like. In this case, many battles should be ignored. Nehemiah knew if he came down off the wall, spent his time and energy, sure, he could have defeated those two men. Sure, that would have made him feel good. But that would have not advanced him toward his destiny. That would have not helped the wall get built any quicker. Bottom line, he chose to be an eagle. He chose to rise above it. I'm asking us to do the same thing. Be selective as to what you give your attention to. Don't get caught up in battles that don't matter. Let's learn to do like Nehemiah and ignore the sand ballasts and Tobias'do. Like King Saul. Ignore the people that are not celebrating you. Do like Jesus. Don't respond to your critics. Pay no mind to jealous, critical, small minded people. Friends, if you'll get good at knowing what to ignore and not get distracted by things that don't matter, let me tell you, God will fight your battles just like with Nehemiah. The more they talk, the more God will promote you. You'll accomplish your dreams in record time. You'll overcome every obstacle, defeat every enemy, and I believe and declare you will become everything God's created you to be. 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. When we face challenges, it's easy to feel like God has forgotten about us. We don't see anything happening. Thoughts tell us it's not going to work out. But God is not called the great I was or the great I will be. He's called the great I Am. In my new book He Is I Am. You'll discover that God is with you in every area of your life. I Am is always in the present, not at a later time. God is working in your life right now. I Am means I am your healer. I am your provider. I am your waymaker. Whether you're facing a challenge or pursuing your dreams, stay in faith. The great I Am is right there with you.