Joel Osteen (3:47)
This is supernatural power. Supernatural favor that causes you to do what you couldn't do and overcome what should have stopped you. You're not at a disadvantage. The odds may be against you. You may be outnumbered. But you have a secret weapon. The spirit of God will empower you to defeat giants, to break addictions, to accomplish dreams. Now quit focusing on what you don't have. How this problem's too big and it's never going to resolve. No. Your time is coming. Your destiny moments are already scheduled to where you're going to feel power, strength, ability that you've never felt. To step into the purpose that God has ordained for you. We see this in the life of Samson. An angel appeared to his mother and said she's going to have a baby. That he would deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. It was a divine calling on his life. Something God ordained him to do. As he got older, he saw this young woman that he really liked. He told his parents he wanted to marry her. Those days, the parents arranged the wedding. They weren't for it because she was a Philistine. One day, while he was walking to her city, a lion jumped out of the woods and attacked Samson. One verse says it took him by surprise. Suddenly, he's in this crisis that should have been the end of Samson had A bad break. Wrong place, wrong time. Attacked by a lion. But what God has purposed for your life. Cannot be stopped by bad breaks, by unexpected trouble. By obstacles that you didn't see coming. Verse 6 says, at that moment, the spirit of God powerfully took control of Samson. And he ripped the lion apart with his bare hands. All of a sudden, he had this supernatural strength. Strength he had never felt before. It wasn't like he decided to be brave, decided to have this courage. The spirit of God took control of him. He didn't have a choice. He was just minding his own business. But what God has purposed for your life, he will empower you to do. You may face some unexpected challenges, things you didn't see coming. Your health, your finances. With a child like that lion, it suddenly attacks. All the facts say, man, you're done. It's too big. This is too much. No. Like with Samson, the spirit of God is going to come on you in a powerful way. It's going to take control and help you do what you couldn't do by yourself. The scripture says when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of God will raise up a barrier. You're not fighting on your own. You're not at the mercy of fate and people of sickness. You have a defender, a protector. He's going before you. He's ordering your steps. He's planned your days. He knows where the lions are hiding. He knows where the bad breaks, the unexpected trouble is. It was a surprise to Samson, but it wasn't a surprise to God. You don't have to live worried about what might happen. Man. Joel. What if I get laid off? Or what if the medical report's not good? Or what if this relationship doesn't work out? God knows everything that's going to happen. He already has solutions to problems you haven't even had. He's already lined up your destiny. Moments where his spirit rises up in you in a powerful way. You defeat the giant. You tear the lion apart. You break the addiction. See, God didn't send an angel to defeat the lion. He didn't send another person, an army, a game warden. That would all have been fine. But you don't have to rely on other people. The spirit of God lives in you. You are powerful. You are equipped. You are anointed. It's significant that a lion came out of nowhere and attacked him. This is symbolic. The scripture says the enemy goes about as a roaring lion. Seeking whom he may devour. The good news is he can't devour everyone. You Are God's property when you made Jesus the lord of your life? Yes. The lion may attack. It seems bigger, stronger. He thinks you're easy game. But what he doesn't realize is you belong to the most high God. You are not doing life on your own. When the enemy attacks, God doesn't sit back, watch what happens. He sends his spirit to rise up in you. There's not a lion you face that you can't tear apart. Not a problem you can't overcome. Not an addiction, a sickness, a bad break that can keep you from your purpose. The lion attacking Samson was not only an unexpected attack, but it happened in private. No one was around. No one saw the attack. No one saw what he struggled with. This could have happened like with David when he defeated Goliath. The whole army was cheering and celebrating. God was showing us what you struggle with in private. He's going to help you defeat those habits that you're not proud of. You tried to get free, tried to stay disciplined. But you keep falling back. This is your year for freedom. This is your year for victory. God has seen you doing everything you can. He's seen your effort. But now he's about to step in and give you his power to break free. Defeating that lion was the first time Samson saw God's spirit come on him with that kind of power. The principle is you have to win your private battles before you can be trusted with public victories. And if you don't deal with things, just keep putting it off, that's going to keep you stuck. You're hearing this because God is about to have his power rise up in you in a greater way to defeat the lion, to break the bad habit. Joel, I tried. I couldn't do it before. This is a new day. God is doing a new thing. You couldn't do it before. Neither could Samson. He couldn't defeat a lion. He was a teenager. He'd never had that kind of strength, that kind of ability. But it says the spirit of God took control of him. As believers, we all have God's spirit on the inside. But there will be these destiny moments where his spirit will take control of you. You'll have a power you've never had to break things that you could never break. And what's significant is Samson's power. This supernatural ability. It was not just about him. It was about delivering the Israelites. He was part of a bigger plan to free God's people. He wasn't just fighting for himself. He was fighting for his family and for all of Israel. They had been oppressed so long and lived so defeated. They said, samson, don't bother the Philistines. Don't you know they rule over us? They had this limited mindset. We're victims. That's the way we've always been, Joel. My family's always struggled, always been angry, always been depressed. God has raised you up to break those barriers, to set new standards. He wouldn't have let you face that lion if it was going to stop you. And even when Samson made mistakes, got off course. The power kept coming on him. Because God's purpose for your life will override bad breaks. People that do you wrong. Even failures and habits that should stop you. God used Samson. Despite his flaws and weaknesses. Despite the opposition being stronger like Samson. There's a destiny for you to fulfill. An angel may not announce to your mother your birth. But God chose you. Before you were formed in your mother's womb. He handpicked you. He's given you an assignment and something to accomplish. Not to just wander through life defeated, worried. There's a calling on your life. It's not just about you. You're a piece to the puzzle. You're a strategic part in the plan of God. That's why the enemy comes against you. And that's why you're going to have these times, like Samson. Where the spirit of God comes on you powerfully. You can't explain it. You have an unexpected challenge. And you discover favor and ability that you've never had. That surprise attack, that lion catches you off guard. But the real surprise is what happens to the lion. You rise up in power with favor, defeat. What should have defeated you? Samson's parents made the arrangements to marry the Philistine girl. Samson decided to have a bachelor party. 30 men were there. He said to them, I'm going to tell you a riddle. If you'll figure it out, I'll give you 30 nice, expensive robes. But if you can't, you have to give me 30 robes. They tried and tried, but couldn't figure it out. So they began to pressure his fiance. They'd been friends for years. They said to her, you have to find out. Or we're going to go broke buying these nice robes. All this pressure. Well, she kept asking Samson, please tell me. Please. Day after day after day after. After seven days of nagging. A man can only take so much. Samson finally gave in and told the answer. Well, she went and told all the men. They came to Samson so happy, so relieved. And told him what the riddle meant. Samson said to them in verse, 18. If you hadn't plowed with my heifer. You wouldn't have found the answer to my riddle. Now, if you're referring to your fiance as a heifer. You're going to need God's power. Samson owed these 30 nice ropes. The scripture says the spirit of the Lord powerfully took control of Samson. He went to a neighboring city, killed 30 men and took their robes. This wasn't about Samson doing right, making good choices. He had a supernatural calling. But he was unfocused, undisciplined. Despite his failures, despite his shortcomings. God's spirit came on him to fulfill his purpose. You would think God would say, fine, Samson, I'll find someone else. But what God purposed for your life will come to pass. Your mistakes didn't stop it. You may not be where you should be in life. You got off course, distracted, playing games. The good news is, God is not finished with you. What he's assigned for you is still on the schedule. I don't know, Joel. I think I stopped my destiny. I'm too far off course. Can I tell you? You're not that powerful. You can't cancel what God has planned. You may delay it. You may make it harder. But what God has purposed will come to fulfillment. Samson called off the wedding and didn't marry the girl. Later, he changed his mind and went back. But the lady had married someone else. He was so upset, he caught 300 foxes, set their tails on fire. They ran through the fields and burned all the grain. When the Philistines found out who did it, they were furious. Samson was hiding in a cave. And the Philistines came with full force. The Israelites asked what they were doing there, and they said, we're here to capture Samson. If you don't give him to us, we're going to attack your city. So 3,000 men from Israel went to the cave and told Samson they were going to give him to the Philistines so they wouldn't be harmed. Samson agreed. Verse 13 says they tied Samson up with two new ropes and took him to the Philistines. When they saw Samson, they were so excited, started celebrating. We finally got him here. Samson is bound, outnumbered, surrounded by a huge army. Most of it is his own fault. He didn't make good choices. Looks like he's done. But the scripture says the spirit of God powerfully took control of Samson. And he snapped the ropes as if they were strings. All these times when he should have been captured, defeated, injured from the line, stuck because of mistakes. But look at how the purpose of God prevails. The spirit of the Lord kept coming on him powerfully. To overcome what should have stopped him. To break chains that should have held him back. Like Samson, you may be struggling with things that have you bound. Addictions or bad habits, wrong mindsets, been that way a long time. You tried and couldn't break it. The enemy may have tied you up. Or you may have tied yourself up. Samson's own people bound him. But being bound is not how your story ends. You can't do it on your own. But the spirit of God is going to come powerfully on you. To break addictions, Break chains of depression. How about chains of sickness, Chains of lack and struggle? Our God is a chain breaker, a yoke destroyer, A burden lifter. He's going to take control. And you're going to feel a strength that you've never felt. And to break what you couldn't break. Maybe it was someone else that sort of tied you up. They put you at a disadvantage. What you saw growing up was bad habits. People modeled addictions. And anger wasn't necessarily your choice. You just kind of fell into it. God knew what you would face. He knew the things that wouldn't be fair. The times that no fault of your own. You got tied up. Thoughts now whisper. That's the way it's always going to be. What God did for Samson, he's about to do for you. Get ready to snap some chains. What should be permanent going to feel like a piece of thread. When the most high empowers you. It's not natural, it's supernatural. Samson broke those chains. And he picked up the jawbone of a donkey and defeated 1000 Philistines. God is showing us who. Even when you're surrounded by enemies, Even when things have you bound, it looks impossible. There's a force coming that you can't explain. A power that overcomes any opposition. A favor to defeat what should have defeated you. It's the spirit of God empowering you to fulfill your purpose. When Samson was attacked by that lion, he tore it apart. One version says. Though he had nothing in his hands. Sometimes we don't think we have what we need. Joel, I would believe this if I had more talent. Or if I was more disciplined, had more connections, more resources. Then I could accomplish my dreams. When God called you, he knew everything you didn't have. He knew who would leave you out the doors that would close, the family you would come from. None of that is going to stop who you were created to be. God chose a Young man named Saul as the first king of Israel didn't seem like a logical choice. Saul came from the smallest tribe, the least significant family. When Samuel came to announce Saul and present him in front of the people, Saul was hiding in a storeroom. He wouldn't come out. He was afraid, intimidated, thinking of everything he was, not how he didn't have what it takes. But God doesn't make mistakes. He didn't choose Saul and then think, oh, man. I didn't know he was weak. I didn't know he'd be afraid or insecure or with Samson. I didn't know he'd play around, make poor choices. I didn't know his own family, his own people would tie him up. No. God knew everything about you. He's the one that created you. He sees potential in you that you can't see. He knows the greatness, that there's a mighty hero, a giant killer, a barrier breaker in you. He's already lined up your destiny. Moments where his spirit will rise up powerfully in you to do what you couldn't do. Samuel finally got Saul to come out. He was standing there, afraid and intimidated. Samuel looked at him and said, in verse six, the spirit of the Lord will come on you with power and you will be changed into a different person. And sometimes the reason we don't think we can accomplish a dream or overcome an obstacle is we can't see what God is about to do. It's natural to have doubts and think, joel, how could this happen? There's a Goliath, there's a lion. It's too big. Those are normal thoughts. But when God's spirit comes on you powerfully, you'll be changed into a different person. This is not something that you have to make happen. Strive. Just dare to believe God. This obstacle looks too big. I feel bound by these chains. I'm hiding because I'm afraid. But, God, I believe your spirit is coming. Something that I've never seen. Supernatural healing strength. Doors opening, chains breaking. Turning me into a different person. What does that mean? From afraid to confident. From sick to healthy. From addicted to free. From struggling to abundance. From defeat into victory. My father went to be with the Lord on a Saturday in 1999, and that was unexpected. He had a heart attack and suddenly passed. For the first couple of days, I was kind of in a fog. I couldn't believe my father was gone. My best friend outside of Victoria. I'd been behind the scenes at Lakewood 17 years doing the production, and I never wanted to get up in Front of people, I'm more quiet and reserved. And my father tried to get me up to help him pastor, but I didn't feel qualified. He was so strong, and he had a big personality. And I thought, that's not me. I didn't get any of that. Well, four days after he passed, that next Wednesday, we were at the memorial service. I was standing on the platform with Victoria and the rest of my siblings and their spouses. My mother was up speaking. When she finished, she turned around and looked at all of us and said, does anyone want to say anything? Normally, I would be the last one. I would do my best to get out of it. But for some reason, I started walking to the podium. In my mind, I was thinking, what are you doing, Joel? You are crazy. Doubt. But in my spirit, I could feel something rising up. It was like something took control of me, and I felt this boldness, this confidence to step up and say something. I don't know what. I said, I hope it's good. But I was just in awe that I got up there. I had never ministered in 17 years, but that day, it was like I was turned into a different person. Suddenly, I had the desire to pastor the church. I didn't dread it. I wanted to do it. I had this knowing that I'd been raised up for this. I didn't know if I'd be any good. I didn't know if people would listen or if they'd continue to come. But I thought, we're about to find out. If they don't, I'll go work at Whataburger. But who would have ever thought we would be here? I never dreamed that in my future was the compact center where I used to watch the Rockets play basketball, that I'd have books and serious radio media. You don't know what God has planned for you. All we can see is right here. But God knows what he's put in you. You'll compact sinners, the Goliaths you'll defeat the lions, you'll tear apart the chains you'll break, the dreams you'll accomplish that'll catapult your family ahead. How's this going to happen? When you feel limited, when the obstacles look too big, when you're hiding instead of shining, here's how. The spirit of the most high, the God who created you, the God who planned your days, the God who's ordered your steps, the God who numbers your hair, the God who fights your battles, the God who makes crooked places straight, the God who lines up the right People, the God who comes into the fire with you, the God who causes you to stand out. His spirit is going to come on you powerfully to accomplish what he's already purposed for your life. Not by might, not by power, but by the spirit of God. The life of Samson is both inspiring and a little bit sad. He started with this supernatural birth, had all this potential. But he played around with his destiny. He compromised and gave in to temptation. He ended up captured. They gouged his eyes out. And he was grinding at the mill. And the Philistines had this big party. And someone suggested to bring Samson out so they could make fun of him. Samson asked the young man that was leading him to place his hands on the pillars of the building where he was chained. While they were all laughing and mocking, the scripture says the spirit of God came on Samson one more time. He pushed the pillars over the building, came crashing down. He defeated more enemies in his death than he did his whole life. Look at the mercy of God. When we make mistakes, get off course. God doesn't say, all right, you're done. No. God has a one more time for you. It's not too late. You haven't missed your chance. You wouldn't be hearing this if God wasn't about to do something new in your life. One thing about Samson is all the pictures I've ever seen of him. Those renderings in Sunday school. And growing up, always this huge man. Big muscles, looked like a bodybuilder. You could tell he was so strong and a force to be reckoned with. But the scripture never describes his physical size. It says that Saul was tall and David was handsome. Goliath was huge. But when the Philistines were trying to trick Samson, they asked Delilah to find out where his strength comes from. If he was big and impressive, it'd be obvious. We know where it comes from. His biceps, his legs. Look at him, man. He's a beast. The truth is, Samson looked ordinary, like a normal person. The message is, you don't have to look powerful to be powerful. Your strength doesn't come from what you have. It comes from what God has. Not natural, but supernatural. Like Samson. You may face some unexpected challenges. That lion surprises you. Don't worry. It's not a surprise to God. Just like that, difficulty suddenly came. His power will suddenly come on you to overcome. Now let's win the private battles. Let's deal with what's holding us back. Don't be like the Israelites. Ah. They've always ruled over us. No, this is your Time to rule. Those obstacles are not permanent. You're about to feel supernatural power. To break chains that dream that seems impossible. You're outnumbered. Over your head. Like God did for Saul, like he did for me. You're going to be changed into a different person. Get ready for favor. Get ready for breakthroughs. I believe declare this is your year to rise higher. To set new standards. To break barriers that have held you back. To defeat giants. To accomplish dreams. To see new levels of your destiny. In Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say Amen today? I'd like to give 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. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love to send you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. You can text the number on the screen or go to the website, but I hope you'll get into a good Bible based church and keep God first place. We all go through disappointments and things that are not fair. But God sees every hurt, every injustice and he's promised to pay you back for the unfair things. I'd love to send you my new resource, Double for your Trouble. It's filled with inspiration to help you stay in faith and not get bitter and think, why me? That setback may have been painful, but the fact is it sets you up for Double. God will make the enemy pay and bring you out better than you were before.
