Joel Osteen (0:01)

When work gets crazy, I like to.

Victoria Osteen (0:02)

Stop by the bar after have a few cold ones.

Unknown (0:05)

I don't drink at all until 4 o'.

Joel Osteen (0:08)

Clock. We limit ourselves to one bottle of wine a night.

Victoria Osteen (0:12)

Excessive drinking has a way of sneaking up on us. A few drinks, a few nights a week, it can add up and suddenly we're at greater risk for long term problems like heart disease, cancer and depression. Reason enough to rethink to Drink more@rethinkthedrink.com.

Unknown (0:28)

Noha Initiative Dreaming of a Modern Oasis At Allmodern we offer the best of modern furniture and decor all in one place, hand vetted for quality and delivered for free in days. Discover outdoor dining, sets, sofas and more in every style of modern from Scandi to mid century. That's modern made simple. Shop now@allmodern.com Tariff and Trade policies are dynamic.

Victoria Osteen (0:47)

Your business needs to know how to pivot fast. Get total visibility with NetSuite by Oracle. The number one cloud ERP, accounting, financial management, inventory and HR all in one source of truth with with real time forecasting and AI to automate everyday tasks, keeping your team strategic. If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, download the free ebook Navigating Global 3 Insights for Leaders at netsuite.com Osteen that's netsuite.com Osteen.

Joel Osteen (1:16)

Victoria and I are believing you're going to have a blessed summer. Praying for you guys every day and.

Unknown (1:21)

Thanks for being with us today.

Joel Osteen (1:23)

Hey, I'm excited. Victoria's got a new book out. It's called Grace to Go and I know it's going to bless you.

Unknown (1:29)

I'm excited because in this book you will see how you are strengthened, that you are prepared and you are ready for anything that's in front of you. You are Grace to Go Enjoy today's message.

Joel Osteen (1:42)

Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes each week and we love you. We know God has great things in store. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services because we would love to have you. I like to get started with something funny. Each week I heard about these three men, a Hindu priest, a Jewish rabbi and a televangelist. They were traveling together and they stopped at this small farmhouse for lodging. The farmer said, I only have room for two. One of you will have to stay out in the barn. The Hindu priest said, I'll do it a few minutes. There was a knock on the door. He said, I can't stay out there. There's a cow and cows are sacred in our religion. The Jewish rabbi said, okay, I'll do it. Few minutes. There was a knock on the door. He said, I can't stay there. There's a pig and that wouldn't be kosher. The televangelist said, alright, I'll do it in a few minutes. There was a knock on the door. It was the cow and the pig. 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 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 new seasons of increase. It's easy to get stuck in a rut to where we're not expecting anything better. We're not growing. We're not pressing forward. And that's when those negative thoughts come telling us we've reached our limits. We're never going to accomplish our goals. It's all downhill from here. But don't ever believe those lies. God is a God of increase, not decrease. He never wants us to go backwards, only forward. Well, you say, Joel, God said to Job, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. And yes, that's true. But when it was all said and done, Job ended up with twice what he had before God restored back to him double. And sure, there are seasons where we're not seeing a lot of growth. Seasons where we have to dig our heels in and fight the good fight of faith. But I can sense in my spirit that we were entering into new seasons of increase, new seasons of favor. You have to do your part and let this seed take root. You have to believe that no matter what's come against you, no matter how unfair it was, things are shifting in your favor. Every setback is simply a setup for a comeback. God not only wants to bring you out, he wants to bring you out better off than you were before. In fact, God said he would make your enemies your footstools. That means the obstacles in your path, instead of being a stumbling block to hold you back, God will use them as a stepping stone to take you to a higher level. It's like somebody stuck out their foot to trip you, but God caused you to step right on top of it. And instead of going down, you went up. You may be facing a sickness today. It was meant to harm you. It was meant to bring you down. But let me speak faith into you. That sickness is not going to defeat you. You have been armed with strength for every battle. The forces that are for you are greater than the forces that are against you. I want to declare over you a new season in your health. The winds are shifting. It may have held you down for a little while, but it's not going to last forever. When it's all said and done, you're not going to be decreased, you're going to be increased. You're going to step on top of it and come out stronger, more determined, with a greater faith than you've ever had before. Get a vision for it. Let these seeds take root. New seasons in your health. New seasons in your pocketbook. New seasons in your relationships. Oh, Joel, my business is so slow. The economy's really hurting me. No, God's not limited by the economy. God's not limited by our education or our lack of it. God's not limited by the environment we were raised in. God's limited by our thinking. And I'm asking you today to start believing that things are shifting in your favor. It says in Psalm 102, verse 13 how there was a set time for favor. There was a set time people would receive increase, a set time they would see blessings. It's the same way today. God has seasons where supernatural doors will open, seasons where you'll accomplish things you never thought possible, seasons where you'll get breaks you didn't deserve. What I'm saying is, I believe we've entered into one of those seasons, a set time for God's favor. Well, you say, joel, I don't believe that. You're just getting everybody's hopes up. Then this is not for you. This is for believers. This is for people that will rise up and say, you know what? That bears witness with my spirit. This is my season, and I'm going to take hold of it. Jesus said, the spirit of the Lord is on me to help the poor, to comfort the hurting, and to announce the acceptable year of the Lord. One translation says, to declare the year of God's favor. Up to that point, there had been years of famine, years of fighting, years of judgment. But God was saying, this is your season of favor. He announced it to people just like I'm announcing it to you. But do you know, not everyone took it. Some people thought, oh, I've been through too much. I'll never get well, I'll never get out of debt. I'll never accomplish my dreams. You know what happened? They missed their season of favor. Don't let that be you. Some of you feel like you've been rowing upstream. Life's been a constant struggle, all kinds of things coming against you. But God is saying things are about to start shifting in your favor. You're about to enter into an anointing of ease. You may have had disappointments in the past, but God's going to turn it around and open up new doors. And for the unfair things that have happened, people talking about you at work, trying to bring you down. Don't get discouraged. This is your season of vindication. The scripture says, the trap the enemy set for you, they will fall in themselves. You don't have to worry. You don't have to fight. Stay on the high road. This is your season of increase. Well, you say, joel, when I look out into my future, I don't see any of this. I don't see how I could ever get well or. I've had this addiction my whole life. I don't know how I could overcome it. No, the problem is you're only looking in the natural. We serve a supernatural God. The scripture says we walk by faith and not by sight. That means you have to believe it before you see it. Doesn't take any faith if you can already see it. Now, I dare say every one of you, when I announce it's your season down in here, something resonates down inside. Something says, yes, this is for me. I know there are good things in store and that's your spirit person agreeing with God. But too often we allow our mind, our natural reasoning, to talk us out of it. But we've got to learn to listen to what we're hearing down in here. That's God talking to us. I read something interesting about a certain kind of spider. It has eight eyes all over its body. But in spite of all these eyes, it has very poor vision. It can't see far off, and even up close it's not clear and sharp. But this spider is a very precise hunter. He's known for his ability to attack and kill other insects. Well, how can he be so precise and so accurate with that poor vision? The way God made it is its legs are filled with hairy follicles that are extremely sensitive. And even though it can't sees something coming, it can sense it long before it gets there. It's an extremely perceptive little insect. That's the way we have to be sometimes when we look out into our future, we don't see anything good. We don't see how we could ever get out of debt. We don't see how our child could ever get back on the right track. In the natural, it looks impossible. But deep down in here we can sense that somehow, someway, it's going to work out. Doesn't make sense to my mind. Business is slow, sales are down. But I can sense increase is on its way. I can sense this is my season of favor. I can sense my best days are still out in front of me. Growing up, we used to sing a song. It says, I've got a feeling everything is going to be alright. That means my health may not look good, but I've got a feeling I'm coming back strong. I got passed over for that promotion. I should be discouraged, but I've got a feeling God has something better in store. I don't see how I could ever get out of debt. On paper, it doesn't look possible, but I've got a feeling. Seasons of increase, seasons of promotion. Supernatural opportunities, they're coming my way. Well, you say, Joel, that's just a feeling. You know, that's God talking to your spirit person. And like that little spider, you've got to sense it long before it gets here. When you look out into your future, don't just look at what you can see. In the natural. Don't just look at what you don't have and how impossible it is. All that's going to do is talk you out of it. Listen to what you're hearing down in here. Learn to walk by faith and not by sight. I love what Elijah did. There had been a drought in the land for three and a half years and people were in desperate need of water. He went to King Ahab and said, ahab, I hear the sound of the abundance of rain. The fact is, there wasn't a cloud in the sky when he said that. There wasn't rain in the distance. It wasn't thundering, but Elijah could sense what was coming here. I can imagine Ahab looking at him and thinking, what's wrong with him? There's no rain. It's not thundering. The heat must be getting to him. No, Elijah didn't hear it physically. He heard it down in his spirit. And he was bold enough to announce it. When you sense it's your season, you need to declare it. Words have creative power. You not only need to hear it, but the enemy needs to hear it. You may not feel well, but it's good to just announce, health is coming my way. I will live and not die. People May look at you like Ahab looked at Elijah and think, what's wrong with them? They don't look well, they look sick. But they can't hear the sound. They can't sense what you're sensing. They're just looking in the natural. But like that little spider, you can sense what's coming long before it gets here. And don't be surprised if your mind tells you things like you're just kidding yourself. You're never going to get well. Just answer back, oh, yes, I will. I can hear it down in here. You'll never get out of debt. Oh yeah, I can hear the sound of abundance. You're never going to get married. Sure I will. I can hear the sound of God's favor. I may not be able to see it, but I can sense victory, promotion, divine connection, supernatural opportunities. They're coming my way. Well, you say, joel, I don't see how this could happen for me. Well, that's the problem. You're sensing the wrong things. You're sensing defeat, failure, mediocrity. All that's going to do is draw it in. It's just like you're inviting that into your life. You need to listen to these new sounds I can hear over every one of you an abundance of favor, an abundance of good breaks, an abundance of health, an abundance in your finances, an abundance of victory. Friends, God is a God of abundance. He's saying, today, this is your season. This is your set time for favor. Why don't you let that seed of hope take root in your heart? My father had a sister by the name of Mary. For years, Aunt Mary struggled with epilepsy. She'd have convulsions and terrible headaches. It was literally crippling her life. It had gotten so bad. At one point she had an infection and it was causing her to hallucinate. And her mind wasn't clear. She'd been in the hospital for a long time and now she was at home, bedridden, in some kind of coma. She couldn't recognize people, she couldn't feed herself. She had to have 24 hour care. And my father living in another city and traveling so often, he didn't really know how sick Mary was. And one day his mother, grandmother called to tell him of Mary's condition. Daddy was scheduled to go out of town for a week or so. But that next morning, while he was praying, he heard God speak to him. Not out loud, but right down in here. This very distinct phrase, the hour of Mary's deliverance has come. Notice there's a set time for favor, a set time for increase, even a set time for deliverance. After my father got through praying that morning, he opened his Bible and he just flipped through it and randomly pointed to a scripture, hoping that God would give him a sign. We've all done this before, and it certainly doesn't always work, but this day. He pointed to Luke 1, verse 30. It says, Fear not Mary, for you have found favor with God. He knew God was saying, this is Mary's season. He drove that morning 240 miles from Houston to Dallas. When he went in Mary's room, it was dark. The lights were off, the shades were pulled, and Mary didn't even recognize him. Her hair was all matted, her eyes were glossy. My father told how holy anger came over him. He went over to the window shades and opened them and said, God is light. Let light in this room. He looked at Mary and said sternly, don't tell me God did this to my sister. He began to pray and pray, and then he just kind of whispered, mary, I want you to get up out of this bed. She immediately sat up. She hadn't walked in months. But that moment she got up out of the bed and walked around the house, her mind became clear. She was able to talk with my father that day. She sat at the dinner table and fed herself. That day, she no longer needed her medicine. She didn't need the 24 hour care. What happened? God shifted things in Mary's favor. Her set time for deliverance had come. My father asked, mary, why did you get up out of bed so quickly? She said, because I heard God tell me to get up. He said, no, Mary, I told you to get up. She said, no. I heard God tell me to get up. Daddy said, no, Mary, I was standing over you. I said, mary, get up. She said, listen here, John. I heard the creator of the universe. I heard almighty God. He told me to get up out of that bed. And when I heard his voice, every fiber of my being came alive. It was God's voice. What's my point? When you stay in faith, God will cause you to hear what you need to hear. Later, Mary told she wrote it in a book, how even though her mind was unclear for months and even though she was going in and out of consciousness, deep down in here, she could sense something good was coming. Like that little spider, she could sense that one day she would be totally free. One day she would live a normal, healthy life. And if you will listen way down on the inside, even in your dark hours, you will hear God whispering, something better is on the horizon. Even when it looks impossible. You'll hear that still small voice telling you, I can turn it around. I can do what men can't do when everybody else is saying, you're done, it's over, it's never going to get better. Down in your spirit, God will be saying things like, I've got a new beginning. I can resurrect those dead dreams. Your best days are still out in front of you. Mary sensed what was coming long before it got here. She heard the abundance of rain even when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She was walking by faith and not by sight. And I believe it's these little rays of hope, it's these little thoughts of faith that allow God to work in our lives. You don't have to have great faith. You don't have to understand all the theology and have all the answers. If you will just let a little seed of God's hope take root in your heart. Jesus said, if you have faith the size of the grain of mustard seed, that's one of the smallest seeds. But that's all God needs to work with. I got a letter a while back from a lady that had been in an automobile accident and broken her neck. She had had several surgeries, hoping that it would get better, but it continued to just get worse. She was in constant pain. Her husband had stayed home with her for months and months to take care of her. She felt bad that he'd been home that long, and she finally talked him into going back to work. He reluctantly agreed. One day, while she was at home alone, she was feeling so depressed and she was in so much pain, she decided to end her life. She couldn't walk on her own, but she thought she could scoot out of the chair and crawl over to the gun cabinet. Her husband was a big hunter and he had all these firearms. But when she got out of the chair, she lost her balance and fell. She knocked over the end table and lying flat on her back, not able to move, the remote control for the television she was watching, fell over and hit the ground and the batteries came out. When they did, it just so happened. It changed channels and it flipped to a station where I was ministering. And that lady told how at one point she believed she was going to get well. At one point she had that seed of hope. But it had been so long and she had been through so many setbacks, she felt like she had lost her faith. I love the fact that God never gives up on us. We may write him off, but he never writes us off. And even when she didn't think God was working, her set time for deliverance was on its way. Her set time for favor was coming. She was lying flat on her back, not able to move. Her first thought was, oh, great, I'm dying here. And now I got to listen to this TV preacher to add to my misery. But God works in mysterious ways. That day I was talking about how God can turn any situation around and how he can take your darkest hour, turn it into your brightest hour, and how nothing's too hard when we believe. And she began to feel a peace that she'd never felt before. She said, I couldn't move my body, couldn't open my eyes, but I could feel tears of joy running down my cheeks. Later, her husband came home and found her in a deep, deep sleep. After he got her up and checked her out, he made the comment, it looks like you had an accident with the remote control. She smiled and said, no, it was no accident. That day was a turning point. That day, she began to get better. A new hope filled her heart. Friends, God has your set times for deliverance. He has your set times for favor. You set times for increase. You may not have seen it in the past, but don't get discouraged. It's on its way. God's already lined up the right people, the right opportunities, the right breaks that you need. He's got it all planned out. And when those negative thoughts come telling you that, it's never going to change. You're never going to get well. Never get out of that mess. Just do like Elijah and learn to announce it. No. I can hear the sound of abundance. I can hear the sound of health. I can hear the sound of restoration. I can hear the sound of promotion. I may not be able to see it, but that's okay. I can sense it down in here. I know my set time for favor is coming. I know my hour of deliverance is on its way. I may have a lot of turmoil, but bottom line is, I got a feeling everything's going to be all right. I think about a man in the Old Testament. His name was Hezekiah. He had been very sick. He had something like we'd call shingles today. They didn't have the medicines and antibiotics that we do now. His health was going downhill in a hurry. He asked Isaiah the prophet to come in and tell him what was going to happen. And Isaiah said, hezekiah, here's the word of the Lord to you. Set your house in order. You will not live. You will die. That's not exactly the word he was hoping for. But I love the fact that Hezekiah give up and accept defeat. He could have thought God's God, and he said, I'm going to die. I guess it's over for me. But no, the scripture says. He turned his face toward the wall and he began to remind God of everything good he had done. He said, God, my father didn't serve you, my grandfather didn't serve you. But God, I tore down their altars, I destroyed their idols, and I haven't lived perfect. But God, I've always done my best to please you. He began to plead his case. When you're in difficult times, it's good to remind God what you've done. God, I kept my family in church. God, I've gone the extra mile to help others. I've given, I've served, I've been faithful. In your time of need, that's when you can call in all those seeds that you've sown. If you have other family members, parents, grandparents that loved God, just remind God. God, you know, my mother, she was a praying woman. You know that lady honored you. God, you know, my grandparents, they had a heart after you. What you're saying is, God, we have a history with youh. That's why in the Old Testament they would pray to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. They were reminding God, here's how we've honored you. And every time you come to church, every time you watch, you are storing up mercy for you and your family. Even today, every one of you can look back and remind God. At this particular weekend I was at Lakewood. I was busy, had a lot to do, worked hard all week. But God, I brought my family to church, spent the gas money, took time to honor you. It makes a difference when you put God first in your life. This is what Hezekiah was doing. He turned his face toward the wall and he began to ask God for his mercy. And before Isaiah left the temple, before he even left the building, God spoke to him again and said, I want you to go back to Hezekiah and tell him I've changed my mind. Now. I'm not going to give him another year. I'm not going to give him five years. I'm not going to give him 10 years. You tell him I'm going to add 15 years to his life. Friends, God's in to increase, not decrease. This tells me with our faith, we can change God's mind. Think about it. One moment Hezekiah has a death sentence not from a doctor, but from Almighty God. Then five minutes later, things have shifted. God made an adjustment. Now all of a sudden he's got 15 more years. What happened? He entered into a new season, season of increase. When did it happen? When did his set time for favor come? When he believed. When he started expecting God's goodness. The scripture tells how when he got the good news Hezekiah took off his grave clothes and he put on his praise clothes. He began to thank God that health was on his way and thank God that he was entering into a new season. And I'm sure people looked at him, said, hezekiah, you sure look happy, but you don't look any different to us. You still look sick. You still look weak and pale. He said, no, I may not look any different, I may not feel any different. But I can sense it down in here. I've got a promise from Almighty God. And I know the winds have shifted in my favor. I can imagine him walking through the temple singing that old song. I've got a feeling everything's going to be alright. People are thinking, why is he singing? Doesn't he know he's about to die? No, he's got a different report. He knows God has made an adjustment. The winds have changed direction. His set time for favor has come. Isn't it interesting? God could have added a year, that'd been nice. God could have added five years, that'd been great. But God is a God of abundance. He said, hezekiah, I'm going to give you 15 more years. I'm going to do more than you can even ask or think. And some of you today, you thought it was over. You've been through the fire, you've been through the flood. But God is saying favor is coming your way. He's making adjustments. Things are shifting. You may not see how it can happen in the natural. You may not be able to explain it. But deep down in here the seed has taken root. Like that little spider. You can sense something good is coming. You know everything's going to be all right. Let me declare it over you. New seasons of increase. New seasons in your health, new seasons in your finances, new seasons in your relationships. God is saying, this is your set time for favor. You may have been rejected in the past, but you're going to be accepted in the future. You may have been pushed down in days gone by but you're going to be lifted up. God's going to make your enemies your footstools. You may have struggled for years, but you are about to enter into that anointing of ease. Why? This is your season. The winds have changed direction. Now why don't you do like Hezekiah, Take off those grave clothes. Take off that negative defeated not going to happen mentality and put on an attitude of faith expectancy, Praise thanksgiving all through the day. Thank God that new seasons are on their way. Thank him that your set time for favor is here. Thank him that your hour of deliverance has come. If you do this, you will see the wind of God's blessings and favor blow in your life in a greater way. You'll rise out of mediocrity. You'll defeat every enemy, overcome every obstacle and you'll live that life of victory God has in store. Amen. Do you receive it today? We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus. Thank you Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 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.