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Joel Osteen (1:08)

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Joel Osteen (1:15)

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 great to be with you today and I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our Daily podcast, our YouTube channel. And you can come visit us in person. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard about this kindergarten teacher. She was trying to explain to her students about self esteem. She said to her class, anyone who feels like you're dumb, please stand up. She didn't think anybody would stand. She'd make the point how no one is dumb. But about that time little Joni stood up, she thought, oh no, now what am I going to do? She said, now Joni, do you really feel like you're dumb? He said, no ma'. Am. I just hate to see you standing there all by yourself. All right guys, 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. Let the party begin. We all have times of waiting where we don't see anything happening. And the medical report hadn't improved and our child is still off course. Well, we've made mistakes and missed opportunities and all the circumstances say it's too late now. It's never going to happen. But God has not forgotten about you. What he promised is already on the schedule. Just because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean God is not working behind the scenes. God is arranging things in your favor, lining up the brakes you need the doors to open. He's moving the wrong people out of the way. If you'll stay in faith, you'll come into a destiny moment, something God has already prepared, where you will see breakthroughs, healing, promotion. Don't believe those lies, that the problem's too big, the sickness too great, the mistake stopped your destiny. God knew everything that would happen to you. Nothing has caught him off guard. You had a setback. He's already planned your comeback. You made a mistake. His mercy is new every morning. That contract fell through, he has a coin in the fish's mouth like he did for Peter. A way to make up for it. You're not going to just come out barely making it. There's going to be a celebration. God has a party planned for you where he turns mourning into dancing, sickness into hell, lack into abundance, loss into new beginnings. You may be struggling now, but God is faithful. There will be a time where he says, let the party begin. Jesus told a parable about a young man that asked his father for his inheritance early and took the money. Left home and went out living wildland, wasting it, making poor decisions. Wasn't long till the money ran out. Couldn't pay his rent, didn't have money for food. The only job he could find was working in a hog pen, taking care of hogs. He got so desperate he had to eat the hog food to survive. Wasn't anybody's fault except his own. He could have stayed at home, worked in the family business, had a nice place to live, a family that loved him. But he let his carnal nature, his flesh, rule him. And now he was ashamed, down on himself. Dirty and smelly. Sitting in the hog pen. Every thought said, you have no future now. You've blown it. No one will ever respect you again. When you make mistakes, the enemy will work overtime trying to push you down. He's called the accuser. He'll Remind you how you should have done better and you blew that relationship. You're so undisciplined. If you're going to see God restore you, you have to tune out all the condemning thoughts. God's mercy is bigger than any mistake you've made. What you did did not cancel your destiny. It did not stop your purpose. You have to get back in the game. You wouldn't be hearing this if God didn't have another chance. Don't stay in that hog pen because you think you're unworthy. You've blown it. God is ready to restore you, but you have to make a move. When you take a step toward God, he'll come running towards you. After months of sitting in the hog pen, guilty and ashamed, the scripture says, this young man came to himself and said, I will arise and go to my father's house. You have to come to yourself. That means you have to come back to who God says you are. Not all the lies. Unworthy. Inferior. Not good enough. No. Come to your true self. Worthy, forgiven. Valuable. Talented. A masterpiece. What's a masterpiece doing in a hog pen? What's a child of the most high doing? Living. Defeated. Compromise. Feeding the flesh. That's not who you are. He came to himself, said, I'm arise and go to my father's house. That's the decision that changed his destiny. Without him making a move, we wouldn't be reading about him. Without him saying, I'm better than this. I'm not made to live in a hog pen. Defeated, dirty. Nothing would have changed. Maybe you're where he was, off course not making good decisions, trying to hide things that are pulling you down. Don't stay in the hog pen. Make that decision. I'm going to arise. I'm going to go back to my father's house. I'm going to get back in church. I'm going to be faithful in my relationships. I'm going to be my best at work. I'm going to start pursuing my dreams again. Get your fire back. When you arise, supernatural things begin to happen. The son started back on his journey home. And the whole time he was nervous. And he was sure his father's going to be angry and upset. Probably. Tell him, stay off the property. I don't want to see you again. You've embarrassed our family name. He already had his speech prepared. Dad, I know I'm unworthy. I don't deserve to be called your son anymore. Just let me live here as a hired servant with the other employees. The closer he got, the more Uptight he was. Finally made it to the neighborhood. And he looked way off in the distance, and he could see someone at the edge of his property. Got a little closer and realized it was his father. The father took off running toward the son. He grabbed him and hugged him and kissed him, so excited that his son was back home. Every day he'd been out on the driveway, hoping and believing. Finally, it came to pass. Well, the son started into his big speech, dad, I've blown it. I'm ashamed. I'm not worthy. The father wouldn't hear it. He interrupted him, said to the staff, quick, go get the best robe and put it on my son. Get the family ring for his finger, the shoes for his feet, and kill the calf that we've been fattening. We must celebrate, for my son was lost, but now he's found. The next verse says, so the party began. There was music, dancing, great joy, laughter. But this son, sitting in the hog pen, he never imagined that one day there would be a party for him. He never dreamed one day he'd be restored and be with his family and have his position of honor back. Every thought told them, they're done with you. You blew it. You'll never be happy. It was just the opposite. That whole time, the father was planning a party. Every day he had them feed the calf because he knew one day his son would be home. Every day, they polished the ring, they shined the shoes, they ironed the robe. This father didn't just throw the party together all of a sudden. He had been preparing long before, knowing that his son would return. The promises you're standing on, the healing, the freedom, the restoration may look like it'll never happen. All the circumstances say just the opposite. But what you can't see is God is already planning your party. He's fattening the calf, he's polishing the ring, he's ironing the robe. He sees you standing in faith, believing when you could be doubting, praising when you could be complaining, arising when you could be sitting in defeat. You're going to come into that moment where God says, let the party begin. There's going to be a celebration like this sun that you didn't see coming. That's better than you thought. Not just come out of the difficulty, but how about come out better? Not just survive the sickness, but come out healthier, stronger than before. Not just outlast the trouble, but see double where God pays you back. Friends, God knows how to throw a party. He knows how to celebrate. See, the father could have just received the young man back home. Alright, I'm going to forgive him. Let him back in. That would be good. But look at how God works. We're going to celebrate. I need the best robe. I need the family ring that represents authority. I need the fatted calf, the calf we've been feeding in preparation for this moment. I need those shoes we've been polishing. I need the ring I've set aside for my son's return. What am I saying? The things that you're concerned about now, God is already working on. He doesn't just suddenly decide, oh, yeah, man, I got to help them. No, he's been working behind the scenes, doing things that you can't see. He's already scheduled your party. What he has planned is going to be better than you think, Bigger than you expect, more fulfilling than you've imagined. Many of you, you've been faithful. I've seen you stand strong against the sickness. You fought that addiction the best you could. You've endured trouble with a good attitude or prayed for that wayward child year after year. You're about to see a breakthrough, a turnaround. The healing, the freedom. The provision where God says, let the party begin. Open the floodgates of heaven. Release the favor, the abundance, the connections that I've already prepared. Hey, go get that calf that I've been fattening for my son's return. Get that spouse that I've been preparing for my child. Get that business that I've been polishing. That house that I've been shining. Get that freedom that I've been saving. Yes, it's been hard. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy is coming in the morning. There's a party time where mourning is turned to joy. From barren to having a baby, from not enough to overflow. From lonely to great relationships. From defeat to dancing. You may be in a difficult place now. And you know those thoughts will tell you it's always going to be this way. No. Keep this down in your spirit. Your party is coming. Your breakthrough is scheduled. Your robe is ready. Your ring is waiting. The Father is watching down the road. He sees you doing the right thing. When it's hard. Going the extra mile, when nobody gives you credit. Enduring the disrespect. And you don't try to get even. Doors have closed. You've had delays. But you're still believing. You're still hoping. God sees you standing strong. He's about to say, let your party begin. Your time is coming. You're closer than you think. You're going to come into a destiny moment where God supersedes what you have in mind, where there will be great joy, great laughter celebrating the goodness of God. When we were trying to acquire this place, the former Compact center, the company that owned all the property around here, 13 high rises, they wanted it. They were the largest taxpayer in Texas, had a lot of clout and influence. Was David versus Goliath. We met with council members and tried to convince them to be for us. It was owned by the city. We needed 10 votes for it to pass. We worked tirelessly trying to persuade them that we'd be good for the city. And here's why you should do it. After a year and a half, we finally had the 10 we needed. I was so relieved. But two days before the vote, one of the council members changed their mind. He had so much pressure from the other side, he decided to be out of town. Him not being here meant that we wouldn't have enough votes and wouldn't get the building. We were so discouraged. After all that work and all the struggle, it seemed like it was all for naught. Well, the day before the vote, I went and met with a council member that had been against us the whole time. I had already given him my best speech, my biggest smile, all my charm, again and again. None of that worked. I walked in that day not knowing what I was going to say. But before I said a word, he said, joel, you don't need to convince me. I've already changed my mind. I'm going to vote for you. I thought, man, am I hearing things? Am I dreaming? He went on to explain how he received a phone call the night before from an older Jewish woman, a friend of his family that he greatly respected, but he hadn't spoken to in over 20 years. She told him in no uncertain terms that he was to vote for Lakewood, having the Compact Center. It was her call that changed his mind. I'd never met the woman. I didn't ask her to call. But God is behind the scenes preparing your party. He's fattening the calf that you've never seen. He's polishing the ring, and you haven't even met the person of your dreams yet. He's shining those shoes, getting that healing ready for the right time. There will be a destiny moment where you see what God was up to, where he says, let the party begin. The next day, we were at City hall for the main vote, myself and our team attorneys. There were about 200 people from Lakewood in the audience, and they started to vote. My heart was beating so fast. There was a yes, a yes, a no, a no, a yes. It came down to the last council member. We had five votes against us and nine votes for us. Down to this last person. They called on him. He looked down and paused for about 15 seconds. It felt like 15 hours. You could hear a pin drop. He finally looked up and said, yes, I'm for it. There was a great shout, great cheer. I walked out on the steps of city hall and there were all the Lakewood people singing, shouting, celebration. It was like God saying, let the party begin. I've been planning this for you. I've already scheduled this victory. You couldn't see it, but I've been fattening the calf. I've been polishing the ring. God was behind the scenes, moving on that lady to call the council member, changing a mind that I couldn't change. That vote was on a Wednesday. That night, thousands of people came to Lakewood. We celebrated that victory.