← Joel Osteen Podcast
Joel Osteen Podcast
Receive Your Inheritance | Joel Osteen
00:31:01
God’s promises are your inheritance, but you have to be willing to receive them.
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- [00:01]
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Joel Osteen
Hi, this is Joel and 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 a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great 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 it will make you feel right at home. Thanks so much though for tuning in today and thanks again for coming out. I like to start with something funny each week and I heard about this college professor. He was going to prove to his class that there is no God. He said, God, if you're real, knock me off this platform and I'll give you 15 minutes to do it. With every minute that went by, he taunted God. God, I'm still here. God, I'm still waiting. The Last minute, a 300 pound football player out in the hall overheard what he was saying. He took off toward him, put his shoulders down full force and he hit that professor, sending him flying off the platform. The professor got up in a daze and said, what in the world did you do that for? Football player replied, God said he was busy, so he sent me. 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 receiving your inheritance. I read where there are billions of dollars worth of unclaimed inheritances in the United States alone. People have loved ones that have died and left them houses and property, jewelry, stocks, bonds, cash, all kinds of assets. The only problem is the relatives didn't know anything about it. The authorities, the people in charge, weren't able to track them down. Now, these billions and billions of dollars that rightfully belong to these people that clearly have their name on it because they don't know anything about it, it's not doing them any good. You've heard the saying, what you don't know won't hurt you. That's not necessarily true. Sometimes what we don't know will keep us from living an abundant life. Here's the key. It's not up to the authorities to make sure you get what belongs to you. It's up to you. Even though it has your name on it, if you don't rise up and claim it, if you don't say, yes, that's me, here's my identification. If you don't take action, you'll miss out on what belongs to you. The good news today is you have been named in a will. Two thousand years ago, your older brother died and he's left a whole lot that belongs to you. This Bible is the will. It's full of promises after promises, after that have your name on it. They are rightfully yours. But unless you rise up and act, it's not going to do any good. You have to receive your inheritance. It says in Ephesians that God has blessed us. Past tense. He's already done it. Now, you may not feel blessed, may not look blessed. All the circumstances may tell you that you're not Blessed. But you've got to be bold enough to say no. I see it right here in the will. This is a part of my inheritance. I am blessed. It says in Colossians that God has made us worthy again, past tense. He's already done it. You may not feel worthy. You may have made a lot of mistakes. Guilt and condemnation is trying to weigh you down, telling you how bad you are, how you'll never be happy. The choice is up to you. Are you going to receive your inheritance, shake off the guilt and condemnation, knowing that you're forgiven, redeemed, restored, knowing that the past is the past? Or are you going to let that package, that inheritance, sit up on a shelf and go around defeated, depressed, guilty, condemned? No. Go get what belongs to you. It has your name on it. Second Timothy 1:7 says, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Notice God has already given us a sound mind. Every day we should say, father, thank you that I have your wisdom to make good decisions. Thank you that I have clear direction, that you're opening the right doors. Lord, thank you for peace in my mind. You don't have to live confused, frustrated, anxious, worried. The price has been paid for you to have a sound mind. That means for you to live in peace. When those negative thoughts come, negative forces, right, then you need to say, father, I want to thank you that I am free from a spirit of fear, a spirit of depression, a spirit of confusion. You promised me a sound mind, and I believe I have it right now by faith. That's how you receive what already belongs to you. This will says that God has crowned you with favor. Favor is a part of our inheritance. It's a part of what God has left us. The problem is, some people never go pick up their crown. They go through life thinking, nothing good ever happens to me. I'll never get promoted. I'll never get well, I'll never get married. No, you need to go pick up what already belongs to you. You need to start declaring, I have the favor of God. Blessings are chasing me down. Goodness and mercy are following me. 2011 is going to be my year. No eye has seen, heard or imagined. Blessings are coming my way. When you do that, you are putting on your crown of favor. You're receiving your inheritance. I was headed to the airport last week. We were in New York, coming home, and we were in a big hurry, running very late. There was a snowstorm coming in that night. We were trying to catch the last flight out and if we missed that one, we would have gotten stuck there for a day or two. And I really needed to get back. Now, I've taken this flight many times before. The line for security usually takes at least 30 minutes to get through. It can easily have a couple hundred people in it. We weren't even at the airport yet. Our plane was about to start boarding. In the car, under my breath, I started saying, father, thank you for your favor. Thank you that you're going before me, making crooked places straight. Father, thank you that you'll have the right people to help us. When we pulled up at the curb of the airport, it just so happened the man that always helps with our baggage was standing right there like he was waiting for us. He said, let me take the bags. Go on. And we took off toward the gate. When I got around the corner, the line for security that normally has a couple hundred people, there weren't 10 people in it. Never seen it that short in five years. We went straight through, got on the plane right before they closed the door. That was the favor of God clearing a path. That was God making a way. When it looked like there was no way, I sat down on the plane next to Victoria, said, hey, let me straighten my crown of favor. Friends, favor is a part of your inheritance. You don't have to beg God for it. He's already put it on you. The way you activate it is by saying, father, thank you for your favor today. Thank you that your favor is causing me to be at the right place, the right time. Thank you that your favor is causing people to want to be good to me. See, you don't have to pray about something that you already have. You just thank God for it. Before I come up here each week, I never say, God, please give me your anointing. God, please give me something to say. No, I simply say, God, thank you that I am anointed. Thank you that you've already equipped me, empowered me. See, I know it's a part of my inheritance, so I just act like it's true. Now, you may not feel blessed or confident or healthy or favored, but don't you dare drag around with that weak, defeated mentality. Joel, I just don't have what it takes. No, this will says, you are blessed, you are favored, you are forgiven, you are redeemed. Not going to be someday in the sweet by and by. No, God has already blessed you. He's already made you worthy. He's already given you that crown of favor. Now start acting like it, talking like it, thinking like it this is what Abraham did. Twenty years before he ever had a child. God said to him, Romans 4:17. Abraham, I have made you a father of many nations. Notice again, God said it in the past tense, like it had already happened. I'm sure Abraham thought, God, you must have made a mistake. I'm not a father. I don't even have one child. In other words, Joel, I'm not blessed. I'm not confident. I'm not healthy. I'm not favored. Abraham could have talked himself out of it, but instead he chose to believe. When God says you're blessed, don't try to figure it out. Just agree with God. I am blessed. God calls you prosperous. Don't go check your bank account. Don't go look at the stock report. Just agree with God. I am prosperous. Some of you don't feel well today. But God says he's restoring health unto you. You will live and not die. With long life, God's going to satisfy you. That's a part of your inheritance. And don't try to figure it all out and talk yourself out of it. Well, the medical report may not look like it. It may say impossible. No way. That's all right. That's the way Abraham felt. Just say, God, I agree with you. I'm healthy. I'm strong. I'm getting better. When you agree with God, you're receiving your inheritance. The scripture says that God calls the things that are not as if they already were. And I've learned God doesn't call you what you are. He calls you the way he sees you. When I stepped up to pastor the church 11 years ago, after my father went to be with the Lord and never ministered before, I was afraid. I felt unqualified, inexperienced, intimidated. But the whole time on the inside, I could hear that still small voice saying, joel, you are well able. You can do all things. You have what it takes. You are strong in the Lord. God was calling me something that I was not. I was not strong and bold and confident. I was weak, insecure, intimidated. Somehow I had the faith to believe what God said about me. It didn't happen overnight. But little by little, I became what God called me. In the scripture, God called Gideon a mighty man of fearless courage. Gideon looked around, said God couldn't be talking about me. I come from the poorest family. I'm the least one in my father's house. Gideon saw himself as weak, defeated, not able to. But God saw him as strong, confident, being more than a conqueror. The question is, are we going to believe what God says about us? Or are we going to believe what we feel, what we think, what the circumstances look like? You may feel weak, but let me tell you, God calls you strong. You may feel like a victum, but God's calling you a victor. You may be childless like Abraham, but God calls you a parent. You may be afraid like I was, but God calls you confident. You may be in debt. God calls you prosperous. You may be sick. God calls you well. You may be addicted. God calls you free. You may feel inadequate, but God calls you well able. Now get in agreement with God. The circumstances may not look like it may tell you it's never going to work out. It's never going to get better. No, let God be true in every circumstance. Be a lie. You got to dig your heels in and say God. If you say it, I agree. I'm blessed, I'm prosperous, I'm redeemed, I'm forgiven, I'm talented, I'm creative. Got that crown of favor on my head. When you agree with God, you will see what God says about you become a reality. Twenty years later, when Abraham was around 100 years old, that's when they had the baby. But it didn't happen just because God said it. It happened because Abraham came into agreement. He believed, he acted like it was true. That's what allows God to release the blessings that already have your name on it. The scripture talks about how God has blessings stored up that he keeps ready for those that love him. For some of you, God has a business stored up with your name on it that's a part of your inheritance. For some of you, there's a spouse that has your name on them. Some of you, there's healing with your name on it. There's a new home with your name on it.
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Amica Insurance
There's.
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Joel Osteen
There's promotion with your name on it. There's a ministry with your name on it. There's vindication with your name on it. You have no idea the amazing things God has already stored up for you in your future. I can imagine when we get to heaven, there are these huge warehouses. You walk in and see acres and acres of boxes up on shelves. Everywhere you look, as far as you can see, there are rows and rows of boxes. You walk over closer and notice that each box has an individual name on it. Out of curiosity, you say to St. Peter, what are all these boxes? What does this mean? Peter says, these are all the unclaimed blessings that God's people never came and picked up. There's a box of favor. It Has Bill's name on it. It belonged to him, part of his inheritance. But he never believed, never came by and got it. Here's a box of forgiveness that has Sharon's name on it. But she never received it. She went through life guilty, condemned, feeling unworthy. And see that box? That's the business Carlos dreamed about, but he never thought he had what it took. And that box is the promotion that Julie wanted. But she let her friends talk her out of it. That box represents the husband that Deborah was praying about, but she gave up. Friends. There are boxes right now that have your name on it. The good news is it's not too late to claim what belongs to you. I was talking to a young couple after the service last week. And they've been trying to have a baby for a long time. And they're very discouraged. I told them what I'm telling you. There's a baby that has your name on it, that's a part of your inheritance. And here's the key. Instead of complaining, instead of getting discouraged, remind God what he said. Remind God of what's in the will. God, you said in Psalms you would give the barren woman a child and make her the happy mother of children. God, that you said, the fruit of my womb is blessed. Father, you said, children are a gift from the Lord. So I want to thank you that that baby that already has my name on it is coming in. Some of you, there's vindication in your warehouse. That legal trouble you're in looks like it's never going to work out. Looks like it's going to bury you. No, don't quit believing. Father, you said, the strength of the wicked is being cut off and the power of the godly is being increased. Lord, you said when the enemy comes against me one way you would defeat them and cause them to flee seven ways. So, Father, I want to thank you that the vindication that already has my name on it is coming in. How about this for some of you. In that warehouse is the husband, the wife you've been dreaming to meet. Don't give up. Don't quit believing. Father, you said, he that finds a wife finds a good thing and finds favor from the Lord. So, Lord, I want to thank you that my good thing, that husband, that wife, the right person is coming into my life, you say, joel, I don't know if this works. I've been believing a long time now. When you're tempted to get discouraged and give up, close your eyes and in your imagination, see that warehouse with those boxes that have your name on them. Your dreams, your goals, your victories, your health, your husband, your wife, your children. They've been stored up for you. Don't believe those lies that are telling you. It's not going to happen. You stay in faith. And just like with Abraham, God will release what he's already stored up for you. A couple of years ago, I was talking along these same lines about the year of jubilee and how everything that has your name on it is coming in. I mentioned the property, the real estate, the health, and I specifically said the baby that has your name on it is coming in. There was a couple here that attend all the time and they'd been trying to have a child for six years. No success. Gone through all the treatments and nothing had helped. They were just about to give up and accept the fact that it wasn't meant to be. But when I said, there's a baby that has your name on it, something leaped on the inside. Instead of saying, this is not for us. We've been through too much, it's never going to work out, they let the seed take root. They left that day with a new fire birthed in their spirit. They knew this was a part of their inheritance. Four hours later they got a call from their business manager asking if they would be interested in adopting a baby that was about to be born. Years earlier, they had a dream that they had this blond haired, blue eyed baby boy. Eight weeks later, they were in the delivery room when their little baby was born. It just so happened he was blond haired, blue eyed. Just like they had seen in the dream. That baby had their name on it. It was a part of their inheritance. I don't know about you, but I'm going to make sure I don't leave anything up in that warehouse. I'm not selfish, I'm not greedy. I simply want everything that has my name on it. I know the price has already been paid. I'm going to receive my inheritance. I'm encouraging you to do the same thing. I read a story about this man over in Europe. All of his money to come to America. This was years ago, before they had airplanes. And he saved and saved month after month. He finally had just enough to purchase the ticket. It was going to take two or three weeks to cross the ocean. So he got this big suitcase and he filled it full of cheese and crackers. That's all he could afford. And when the other people went into the big banquet hall to enjoy their fancy meals, he would go over in the corner and eat his cheese and Crackers. He could smell that other food. He wanted to join them so badly, but he just didn't have any extra money. Toward the very end of the trip, a gentleman came over and said, I can't help but notice you're always over here eating cheese and crackers. Why don't you come into the banquet hall and enjoy meals with all of us? The man was kind of embarrassed. He said, well, I saved up all the money that I possibly could, but I only had enough for the ticket. Didn't have anything left over for the meals. This other man shook his head and said, didn't you realize the meals are included in the price of the ticket? Your meals have already been paid for. How many people today like that man? They are missing out on God's best because they don't know what's already been paid for. They don't know what's been included in the price of their ticket. Some of you today, you've made mistakes. You've asked God to forgive you a thousand times, but you're still going around guilty, condemned, feeling unworthy. You know what you're doing. Eating more cheese and crackers. The price has already been paid. The first time you ask God to forgive you, he forgave you. Now step up to the dinner table. Start acting like you're forgiven. No mistake is too much for the mercy of our God. Sometimes we think that it pleases God to go around depressed, defeated, no joy to show God that we're really sorry for what we've done. But no, what really pleases God is when you step up to the table and say, God, I receive your forgiveness. I receive your mercy. I know the price was paid 2,000 years ago. After all, how would I feel as a parent if we had this big family dinner planned? Victoria worked hard, went to the grocery store, bought all these TV dinners and came home and microwaved them. And we had all this food on the table. But then one of our children comes up and says, daddy, I don't deserve to sit at the table tonight. Let me just sit over here and eat some crackers. I've made mistakes. I'm so unworthy. I would say, what are you talking about? Put that down. Come up here to the table. You're our child. That's how God feels when we go around thinking that we don't measure up, we're not good enough, made too many mistakes. We're just a weak worm of the dust. No, put down the crackers. Christ has already made you worthy. The price has already been paid. Part of our inheritance is rise up and say, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I may have made mistakes. I may have blown it more than a few times, but I am not a weak worm of the dust. I am a child of the Most High God, forgiven, redeemed, restored. I was asked to pray at a big event several years ago. And there were several other ministers there to pray as well. The gentleman that prayed before me, a very fine man, respected leader in the community. But he prayed the most depressing prayer I think I've ever heard. He said, God, I am so unworthy to even stand before you. God, I don't know how you could even listen to somebody like me. There's nothing good in me. I'm just a poor, wicked, undeserving sinner. On and on. By the time he got finished, I felt like I needed to repent. I felt about that big, you know? He meant well, but you know what he was doing? Eating more cheese and crackers. I wanted to ask him afterwards, do you really believe what you said about yourself? You said you were weak, defeated, depressed, unworthy, a loser, a sinner. Listen, I'm not going to declare that over my life I'm going to step up to the table. I may not always feel worthy, but I know God has made me worthy. Going to put on my robe of righteousness. One translation says, put on the robe of God's approval. No, I'm not perfect, but I know this. God approves me. God accepts me. God is pleased with me. Well, you say, Joel, we're just all sinners, saved by grace. No, the truth is we used to be sinners, but once we came to know Christ, we're not sinners anymore. We are sons and daughters of the most high God. And sure, sure, we may sin every once in a while, but we've been born into a new family. We've been changed. You are a new creation. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. Put down the crackers and come into the banquet hall. Get rid of that weak, defeated, unworthy mentality and start acting like the royalty God created you to be. In our bedroom at home, we have these two big La Z boy chairs that are very comfortable. Sometimes when I want to watch a ball game, I'll go in there and shut the door and just relax and be by myself. It's a great place that I can be alone, just kind of get refreshed. Years ago, when our son Jonathan was just a little boy, probably four years old or so. He's 15 now. One day I came home and I couldn't find Jonathan anywhere. And I knew he was at home. But I looked in his bedroom, he wasn't there. And checked the playroom and kitchen. Even went outside and looked in the backyard, looked in the garage. Still couldn't find him. Finally, I went toward the back of the house, and I noticed that the bedroom door was closed. And that was funny, because it's never closed during the day. I opened it up and there was Jonathan laying back in. My big Lazy Boy. He had his feet propped up, the remote control in one hand, popcorn in the other hand. He looked at me and said, daddy, this is the life. Do you know, as a father, that made me feel good? I was glad he felt confident to go right into our room. I was glad that he knows he's a part of the family and everything we have belongs to him. You know what he was doing? Receiving his inheritance. He's good at that. You want to make your heavenly father happy? Start stepping up to the table. Start enjoying his blessings. Put down the crackers and come on into the banquet hall. The price has already been paid. It's included in your ticket. Now start receiving your inheritance. Friends, this will says that you are blessed, you are prosperous, you are redeemed, you are forgiven. You have a sound mind. You're more than a conqueror. You've got a crown of favor. All these blessings already belong to you. My challenge to us today is don't leave them sitting up on a shelf. Don't let your inheritance go unclaimed. Dare to be bold and say God. If you say it, then I agree with you. God, you say I'm blessed. I believe I'm blessed. God, you say I'm forgiven. I may not feel like it, but I believe I'm forgiven. God, you say I've got a crown of favor. Then I believe I'm highly favored. If you do this, then all these blessings that already have your name on it, the promotion, the increase, the healing, the good breaks, the spouse, the baby, they won't stay up on the shelf. Just like with Abraham, God will release them to you. I believe and declare you will become everything God's created you to be. And you will have everything God's created you to have. 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 was the last time you asked God to do something that seemed impossible? If you only pray small ordinary prayers, you'll live a small, ordinary life. I have a new book called Pray Bold. I'll challenge you to stretch your faith and believe for the big things God puts in your heart. Victoria and I used to have season tickets to watch the Rockets play basketball here. We never dreamed it could be ours. When they moved out, somehow we had the faith to pray a bold prayer. God made things happen that we could never make happen. It's the same for you. Who knows what God will do in your life if you'll dare to pray bold? Ask him for your dreams. Ask for your healing. Ask for your freedom. That's when God will show up and do more than you could ever imagine.
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Victoria Osteen
As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month we would like to send you a copy of Joel's brand new book Pray Bold. Dare to Ask and Believe Big. Joel shares that when we pray, we can tap into God's creative awesome power. Something bigger than we have ever imagined. God doesn't want us to just pray in our comfort zones. No. God loves when we pray big. Believe big. Expect him to do the unexpected. There are inspiring stories from the Bible, from history, and personal testimonies of people who dared to believe God in extraordinary ways. You'll learn how to practically expand your prayers and watch your life move from the common to the extraordinary, from less than to overflowing. Be sure to request your copy of Pray bold today. Visit joelowstein.com or call us toll free.
- [31:23]
Joel Osteen
God has put dreams in your heart, things he's whispered in the night that seem impossible. But as you pray these bold prayers, you're going to see the goodness of God in ways you've never seen. Victoria and I are believing you're going to have a great 2025. We pray for you and your family every day for God's very best. We want to thank you for your prayer and your support. You're impacting people all over the world.
- [31:47]
Victoria Osteen
Be sure to request your copy of Pray bold today. Visit joelostein.com or call us toll free. Finally, elevate your personal time with God by requesting the My Time With God collection. This beautiful collection contains the Prey Bold new release plus the new living translation, one year chronological study Bible and a beautiful glass mug and throw blanket based around the inspiring scripture from Psalm 4610 Be still and know that I am God. You can learn more about this unique new gift collection by calling 888-567-JOEL or logging on to joellostein.com today.
- [32:29]
Joel Osteen
Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning. Download our daily podcast, listen on Sirius XM, watch on YouTube, and now the new Joel Osteen Network, streaming on television 24 hours a day. If you've never been to Lakewood, we have a great opportunity. We call it Homecoming Weekend. We'd love to meet you and your family. You can see the building and attend one of the services. It's a great time to be a part of the Lakewood family. Looking forward to seeing you Homecoming Weekend.
- [33:04]
Katie Nolan
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