Joel Osteen Podcast: "Leave It Alone"

Host: Joel Osteen
Release Date: September 21, 2025
Main Theme:
How to handle situations in life where you feel pressured to act, fix, or control—learning the spiritual value and faith required to “leave it alone” and trust God with unresolved problems, difficult people, and uncontrollable circumstances.

Episode Overview

Joel Osteen delivers a powerful message on the importance of letting go, resisting the urge to force solutions, and having the faith to trust God with the parts of our lives we cannot control. Drawing from biblical parables, personal stories, and relatable modern examples, Joel offers encouragement for anyone struggling with anxiety over things they wish they could fix, but can’t.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Urge to Fix Everything—and the Trap of Striving

• Pressure to Solve: We often feel compelled to fix problems—whether it’s a wayward child, an unfair boss, or a closed door.
• Ineffectiveness of Forcing: Pushing harder may only add stress and worsen situations.
• Faith Sometimes Means Waiting:
  • "Sometimes it takes more faith to do nothing than it does to get it all stirred up." — Joel Osteen (04:32)

2. The Parable of the Weeds and Wheat (Matthew 13)

• Context: A farmer sows good seed, but an enemy plants weeds among the wheat.
• Workers’ Response: They want to pull up the weeds immediately.
• Farmer’s Wisdom:
  • "If you pull up the weeds, you’re going to damage the wheat. Let them grow together, and when the harvest is ready, then they’ll be separated." — Joel Osteen, paraphrasing Jesus (11:38)
• Lesson: You don’t have to fix every problem right now; premature action may damage the good in your life.
• Key Quote:
  • "You didn't sow the weed; you don't have to pull up the weed." (13:15)
• End Result: At the right time, God sorts out the weeds.

3. The Burden of Unnecessary Battles

• Laboring in Vain:
  • "Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain." — Quoting the Psalms, highlighting the futility of striving in your strength (07:28)
• Permission to Rest:
  • "Give yourself permission to rest, to not worry about it... Now take your hands off. It’s not going to happen just by your might, by your power, by your intellect. It’s going to be the hand of God."
• Spiritual Rest: Hebrews teaches “those who have believed enter into rest.”

4. Stories of Faith and Surrender

Joel’s Personal Experience with Criticism [22:00]

• Facing Opposition: As his ministry grew, Joel encountered public criticism.
• "You want to get in there and set the record straight... But deep down I could hear a still small voice saying, 'No, Joel, leave it alone. They don’t control your destiny. They’re just a weed.'"
• Long-Term Perspective: Critics eventually disappeared, while God’s plan for Joel moved forward.
• "If I had not done what I’m asking you to do and leave it alone, I wouldn’t be up here today."

The Story of a Friend’s Wayward Son [19:10]

• The Parent’s Dilemma: Tried everything to help his son, but only made things worse.
• Shift to Surrender:
  • "He finally did what this farmer had to do. He said, 'God, I’m going to leave it alone. I can’t change him. Only you can.'"
• Restoration: After years of prayer, his son turned back to God without being forced.

5. Old Testament Example: The Israelites at the Red Sea [16:17]

• Crisis Point: Israelites trapped by the Egyptian army, with nowhere to go.
• God’s Strategy (via Moses):
  • "Stand still, and you will see the salvation of the Lord. Hold your peace, remain at rest, for the Lord himself will fight for you." (16:47)
• Result: God intervened supernaturally, parting the Red Sea.

6. When To Let Go

• Discerning the Season:
  • "One of the greatest tests we’ll ever face is to be still and know that he is God, to leave things in his hands." (14:10)
• God’s Better Timing:
  • "If you’ll leave the weeds alone, then at the right time, you’re going to see some smoking weeds. Things that have hindered you are going to go up in smoke. God is going to turn things around."
• Don’t Respond to Every Critic: Not every battle is yours to fight; some “weeds” are distractions from your assignment.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. You don’t have to fix it today. Take all that pressure off." — Joel Osteen (15:18)
• "Pulling weeds is not your job. Making everything work out is not your assignment. You don’t have to force the favor; when your harvest is ready, all the forces of darkness cannot stop what God has for you." (25:40)
• On temptation to act: "It took more faith for the farmer to leave the weeds alone, trusting God with the outcome, than it did to try and fix the field himself." (13:30)
• On destiny: "The enemy wouldn’t have sown the weed if he didn’t know you were a world changer, a history maker, a giant killer." (22:30)
• Touch of humor:
  • "I didn’t say you’re going to smoke weed. Somebody got their word from the Lord–you’re going to see some smoking weeds!" (15:40)

Actionable Summary

How to Practice “Leaving it Alone” in Your Life:

• After prayer and doing all you can, release control.
• Trust God with your “weeds”—issues you can’t fix or people you can’t change.
• Resist the urgency to act on impulse—sometimes, the most faith-filled response is stillness.
• Don’t let criticism, opposition, or setbacks distract you from your purpose.
• Give yourself permission to rest and rely on divine timing.

Key Timestamps

• [03:30] — Introduction of the “Leave It Alone” theme
• [04:32] — When faith means doing nothing
• [07:28] — Psalmist on laboring in vain & permission to rest
• [11:38] — Parable of the weeds and wheat, interpretation
• [13:15] — "You didn’t sow the weed; you don’t have to pull it up"
• [14:10] — The test of being still
• [16:17] — Israelites at the Red Sea: standing still
• [19:10] — Story of a friend’s son & the power of surrender
• [22:00] — Joel’s experience with critics and learning to let go
• [25:40] — Summary advice: “pulling weeds is not your job”

Closing Thoughts

Joel encourages listeners to do all they can within their means, then have the faith to step back and trust that God can handle what they cannot. Opposition, setbacks, and “weeds” in our lives are not proof of failure—they may actually signal that a bigger harvest is ahead. The faithful choice, sometimes the hardest, is to leave it alone and rest in God’s hands.

Final Blessing (and Call to Faith)

At the end, Joel offers a prayer of salvation and a declaration of faith that God will bring restoration, healing, and abundance to those who choose to trust and rest instead of striving (26:30):

“If you’ll leave it alone, I believe and declare like with the Israelites, God is going to deliver you from powerful enemies, sickness, addictions, debt, people. He’s about to turn your child around, break strongholds that have held your family back. Freedom is coming.”

For more encouragement, resources, and to connect with Joel Osteen, visit joelosteen.com.