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Joel Osteen Podcast
Sowing A Seed In Your Time Of Need | Joel Osteen
00:30:18
The seeds you sow in the lives of others will always produce a harvest in your own life.
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- [00:00]
Joel Osteen
Join a mission of unity and respect. Wreaths Across America's mission brings communities together in December to place veterans wreaths on the headstones of hometown heroes. Remember, Honor, Teach. Wreaths Across America Volunteers say their names so they're never forgotten and teach the next generation the value of freedom. Join the mission now. Sponsor a fresh handmade balsam fir wreath for National Wreaths Across America Day Saturday, December 14th Wreathsacross America.org this Christmas season, Pastor Joel Osteen and Netflix invite you and your family to watch Mary journey back in time to experience the story of the Nativity through the eyes of Mary of Nazareth. Starring newcomer Noah Cohen and executive produced by Pastor Joel Osteen, Mary is an uplifting biblical epic that follows Mary, Joseph and their newborn son Jesus as they flee the relentless pursuit of King Herod, portrayed by two time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins. Watch Mary Only on Netflix December 6th.
- [01:01]
Verizon Representative
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Victoria Osteen
Hi, this is Joel in Victoria. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry.
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Unknown Speaker
We believe you're going to have an.
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Victoria Osteen
Awesome 2024 healthy, productive and favor filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message.
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Unknown Speaker
God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great things in store for each one of you. He rewards people that seek after him. And if you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and see us. We give you a personal invitation. I promise you we'll make you feel right at home, but come by and be a part of one of our services. I like to get started each week with something kind of funny. And I heard about this mother. She was cooking pancakes for her two young sons. Ryan was five and Kevin was three. They began to argue over who should get the first pancake and she saw this as an opportunity to teach them a lesson. She said, boys, boys, if Jesus were here, he would say Let my brother have the first pancake. Ryan turned to his younger brother and said, okay, Kevin, you be Jesus, 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 being seed oriented rather than need oriented. Too often when we have a need, we get focused on it. That's all we talk about, all we think about. My problems, my bills, my health, my hurt, my pains. But as long as we are ingrown, as long as we're only focused on ourselves, we're going to live a very miserable life. God created us to be givers. And in our time of need, we have to learn to sow a seed. Rather than turning inward, we need to turn outward. If you're in tough times today, don't sit around depressed, go help somebody else. If you want God to solve your problems, go help solve somebody else's problems. Sow that seed I've found. If we'll make somebody else's day, God will always make our own day. And the way to really get what you want is by giving away what you need. If you need happiness, go make somebody else happy. If you need friends, go be a friend to someone that's lonely. If you're struggling in your finances, it's not enough to just pray, to just believe. You've got to sow that seed. Buy somebody's dinner, help somebody pay their rent, give a little extra in the offering. When you reach out to others, that's the seed God will use to bring a harvest into your own life. We need to learn to be more seed minded rather than need minded. How many times do we go before God and give him our long list of needs? God, I need healing for my back. I need my child to straighten up. And God, I need more money. And God, I need some more friends. I'm lonely. No, God already knows our needs. He's waiting on us to sow a seed so he can begin to do something. Well, Joel, as soon as I get out of these problems, I'll go help somebody else. Soon as I get more money, I'll be a giver. As soon as I get a better car, I'll go give somebody a ride. Soon as my teenager straightens up, then I'll go Mentor these other young people? No, you've got it backwards. You've got to help somebody else first. Then God will begin to turn your situation around. Something supernatural happens when we turn our attention away from our own needs to the needs of those around us. When we're in difficult times, first thing we should think about is, what kind of seed can I sow? Who can I bless? Who can I encourage? Where is a need that I can meet today? This is what the people did back in the Book of Corinthians. They were in tough times. The scripture says they were in deep poverty and in great trouble. In other words, they were struggling financially, had all kinds of things coming against them. But what did they do in their time of need? Did they complain? God, why is this happening? Did they sit back and wait for somebody to come rescue them? No. The scripture goes on to say, in the midst of their great trouble, they stayed full of joy and they gave generously to others notice. They sowed a seed in their time of need. They knew if they would meet other people's needs, then God would meet their own needs. We need to learn to do the same thing in difficult times. Number one, let's stay full of joy. And number two, go out and be a blessing to somebody else. If you lost your job, don't sit at home all day feeling sorry for yourself. Go volunteer someplace while you're waiting for the next thing to open up. If you're believing for a better car, instead of complaining about the one you've got, go sow a seed by giving somebody a ride. If you want your business to increase, then sow a seed by helping somebody else's business increase. And some of you today, you have major needs. You have big obstacles in your path. The best thing you could do is get your mind off yourself and go do something good for somebody else. What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you. If you want to see your dreams come to pass, I challenge you. Sow a seed by helping somebody else's dreams come to pass. For instance, maybe you're skilled in a certain profession. Well, take time to mentor another young person that's trying to get to where you are. Share your talents, share your time. Share what you know. Well, Joel, I'm so busy and I've got so many problems of my own. I can't waste my time helping everybody else. No, you're not wasting your time. You're sowing a seed. And the scripture says here in Ecclesiastes 11, verse 1, give generously for your Gifts will come back to you when you give of your time, your energy, your talents, your resources. Someday, in some way, shape or form, your gifts will come back to you. You will reap what you sow. When you need wisdom, when you need a good break, when you need God's favor because of the gifts you've given, God will make sure you have everything that you need. Your gifts will come back to you. I know when we were in the first stages of raising funds to renovate this place, at times it seemed kind of overwhelming. It was a $100 million project. We had a huge need. We were praying, believing, doing everything that we could. And one day we got a call from another ministry. They were good friends of ours, and they told how they were trying to close on this piece of property and this building that they were buying. This was their dream come true. They had been working on it for over two years, and they had done very well, raised a lot of funds. But at the last moment, something that they were counting on didn't come together. And now it looked like they were not going to be able to close. They were still a significant amount short, and somebody was standing in line waiting to take that property if they didn't get it. As you can imagine, they were just devastated. Well, when we heard that, I knew deep down in here we were supposed to help them. But in the natural, I thought, God, we need the money more than they do. We have a bigger project. God, I don't see how we can do this. But down in here, I could not get away from it. Something kept telling me, joel, if you'll take this step of faith, if you'll help make their dreams come to pass, I'll make sure your dreams come to pass. So we sacrificed and we sowed that seed into their ministry, and they were able to close on that property and they got their new facility. Well, two years later, when we were trying to acquire this place, it came down to the final city council vote. Most of you know how we needed 10 votes, but the night before, we only had nine. It looked like it was all over. But one of the council members, he had been against us for two years, but for some reason, he changed his mind. And it was his vote that gave us this facility. Leaving City hall that day, after we had just won the victory, I was so excited. I was on cloud nine. And I began to reflect on all the great things God had done. And my mind immediately went back to that gift that we'd given that other ministry. God reminded me how at the Last minute, we helped make their dreams come to pass. And it was as if God was saying, joel, because you sowed in your time of need, because you sacrificed accomplish their dreams, now you're reaping this harvest. That's why I caused that council member to change his mind. See, when you make other people's dreams come to pass, God will make sure your own dreams come to pass. Really, we never know what we're sowing a seed for. You don't know what you're going to need in the future. But when you're a giver, when you take time to care, when you help others accomplish their dreams, then when you need God's favor, he'll make sure you have plenty of it. Your gifts will come back to you. Now I've learned. Now, anytime I can use my influence, my favor to help someone else come up higher, I gladly do it. I realize I'm sowing a seed. And I know in the future I'm going to need a good break. I'm going to need God's favorite. So I want to make sure I have plenty of seed in the ground. I want to have an abundant harvest that God can draw from. A couple of years ago, I was talking to a young couple, and they were having terrible tax problems. Somebody had given them poor advice, and now they were in a big mess. They were so discouraged, they didn't know what to do. As we were praying, I remembered a man that owed me a big favor. He was in the tax business, very knowledgeable, very experienced. And I knew if they called him as a favor to me, he would help them out. But while we were praying, I kind of thought to myself, do I want to use my favor this way? After all, I don't even know this couple. And what if I need this man in the future? This battle was going on in my thoughts, but thank God I've learned anytime I can be a blessing, anytime you can do good for somebody, you are sowing a seed, and your gifts will come back to you. So I said, hey, you call this man, and I know he's going to help you out. See, you know how to get favor by giving favor. When you can do good for someone, and you extend your hand of kindness, when you need favor, God will make sure that you have it. A friend is about to move. Hey, you want to borrow my truck? How about I help you next weekend? Somebody's going on a trip. Hey, let me give you a ride to the airport. Let me save you those parking fees. Just little things, you know? What you're doing, sowing seeds of favor. But too many people have this attitude, I've got enough problems of my own, don't bother me with yours. But what a miserable way to live. Life is all about giving some of you the reason you're not as happy as you should be. The reason you're not as fulfilled as you should be is because you've gotten self centered. You got to get your mind off your own needs and start sowing some seeds. If you want God to solve your problems, I challenge you, go help solve somebody else's problems. I was talking to a father the other day and he told how for years he had struggled with his teenage son. Seemed like they were on different wavelengths, but this whole time he was the coach of their baseball team. And there was this other young man. He just happened to come from a single parent family. He was having a lot of trouble in school. So many times after practice or a ballgame, this father would bring this other young man home with his son and he would help him do his schoolwork. He tutored him, he mentored him. He actually became the father figure in his life. And this single parent mom was so grateful, so appreciative. And do you know, as this father reached out to this other young man, his relationship with his own son began to improve, Got better and better. Today it is totally turned around. They are the best of friends, he told me, Joel, I know God honored me because I sowed into this other young man. I've found sometimes God will enable us to solve somebody else's problem even when we're not able to solve our own. You have the answer that somebody needs. Don't live in groan. A lot of times I know I've got wisdom. I know just what to tell somebody to do. But then I thank God. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. The whole key is to keep sowing those seeds. As long as you're reaching out to others. Then when you need wisdom in your time of need, God will make sure somebody will be there for you. I think about Job. He had all kinds of problems. He lost his health, lost his business. And I'm sure he was tempted like we are, to sit around and have a pity party. God, it's not fair. Why did this happen to me? I'm a good person now. Do you know what Job did in the middle of his greatest adversity? The scripture says he went out and prayed for his friends. Think about that. He needed prayer more than any of them. What was he doing? Sowing a seed in his time of need. And that's when his situation began to turn around. Well, what do you need today if you need encouragement rather than saying, God, I need some joy. God, I need you to cheer me up. I can't go on like this. No, you're waiting on God, but God is waiting on you. If you need to be encouraged, sow a seed. Pick up the phone when you leave and cheer somebody else up. If you need healing, why don't you go pray for somebody else that's not feeling well? That's what my mother did back in 1981 when she was diagnosed with cancer. Instead of just sitting at home feeling sorry for herself all day, she would go out and pray for other people that were sick. And God used that seed to bring healing into her own life. When you get your mind off of yourself and you begin to reach out to others, it's that act of faith. That's the seed God will use to meet your own needs. I hear a lot of people saying, well, Joel, why isn't God doing anything in my life? Why don't I see his blessings in favor? My question to you would be, are you sowing any seeds? Are you doing anything good for anybody else? We cannot live ingrown, focused on my wants and my needs, and expect to live a happy, fulfilled life. And I believe one of the main reasons people don't have joy today is because they become self centered. They've fallen into this trap of me, me, me. And this is so easy to do, especially when we're having difficulties. I've known people that have gone through hurts in life. They've had disappointments and had unfair things happen to them. And the problem is they never really get over these hurts. Ten years later, they're still talking about it, still thinking about it. And it's because they're ingrown. They don't have the joy and the victory that they should have. If you've been through tough times today, I'm not making light of that. But one of the main ways to overcome a hurt, the way to get the healing process started, is to go out and help somebody else that's hurting. This is what my sister Lisa did years ago. She went through an unwanted divorce. She was in her early 20s and she was devastated. She never dreamed her life would turn out like that. And for months she just sat in her room at home discouraged and depressed. She didn't think it would ever get any better. In fact, she thought she was having a nervous breakdown and we, as her family tried to cheer up, we tried to encourage her. But at some point, every person has to stand on their own two feet. Nobody can make you be happy. You have to decide. You gotta draw the line in the sand. Say, you know what, enough is enough. I'm not living my life like this anymore. And this is what Lisa began to do. She started realizing sitting in that self pity wasn't going to make anything better. So one day she rose up and began to shake that off. She shook off the defeat and discouragement. And you know what she did? She sowed a seed. She started a class every week for people that were struggling in their marriages, people just like her. Every week she would give them hope, she would encourage them, she would share the scriptures. She needed that that whole time, probably just as much or more than they did. What was she doing sowing a seed in her time of need? She stayed faithful year after year. And Lisa not only came out of that healthy and whole, but one day God brought another fine man into her life. And today she and Kevin have been happily married for many, many years. And I know sometimes difficult, sometimes it's not fair, but don't fall into that trap of staying focused on yourself. That's when you have to dig your heels in and say, you know what, I'm hurting. This isn't fair. But I'm not going to live my life in self pity. If it takes every ounce of strength I've got, I'm going to go out and encourage somebody else. I may be having a bad day, but I'm going to go make somebody else's day. My future may not look too bright for me, but I'm going to go give somebody else hope. Sow those seeds. It says in the book of Isaiah, chapter 58, when you feed the hungry, when you clothe the poor, then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly come. In other words, when you meet other people's needs, God will always meet your own needs. And we all have difficult times. But you can let your testimony become your testimony. The way you do that is by reaching out to others right where you are. In Lisa's darkest hour, she reached out to other people in her same situation. When you do that, God will not only turn your situation around, but he'll use you to be a blessing to others as well. I love the story of my friend Dan. They're faithful members of our church. In fact, he was one of my high school baseball coaches. And a while back he lost his wife of Many, many years. And as you can imagine, he was just devastated in the natural. He didn't see much of a future for his life. He could have easily just kind of given up on life and going around depressed and discouraged. But no, he decided to sow a seed in his time of need. Rather than staying focused on his own hurts and pains, he decided to go help other people that were hurting. He didn't know exactly what he could do. He's not a minister. He's retired from the phone company. But he said, joel, all I really knew that I could do was comfort other people that had been through some kind of loss. His attitude was, I've been there. I know what they're going through. And so he started showing up at the funerals where my dad was doing the ceremony. Nobody asked him to. He wasn't invited. He just showed up and he would minister to the people, show them compassion, be a friend that they could talk to. After a while, my dad started seeing him there all the time, and he invited him to join the volunteer ministry team. Long story short, a few years back, we put Daniel on staff, and today he's in charge of our comfort ministry that takes care of all of our funerals. The point I want you to see is that Daniel didn't sit around focused problems. He didn't stay ingrown with that attitude, who's going to come make my life better? Who's going to come cheer me up today? No, he was on the offensive. And as he began to help other people in need, that's when his own situation began to turn around. And God not only brought him through that difficult time, but several years back, God brought another beautiful lady into his life. And today, he and Shirley are happily married. And they still go around showing God's goodness everywhere they go. Now, I love the fact that Daniel let his test become his testimony. The very thing that could have destroyed him, the thing that could have brought him down because he reached out to others. That's the very area God's using him in to make such a difference. When you're hurting, one of the most powerful things you can ever do is go out and be a blessing to somebody else. Don't sit in that little box and think about me, me, me. No. Rise up and say, who can I encourage today? Where is a need that I can meet? Yes, I'm hurting, but I'm going to go cheer somebody else up. Yes, I'm lonely, but I'm not sitting here. I'm going up to the retirement home. I'm going to be a friend to some seniors. Yes, I feel kind of discouraged today, Joel, but I'm going to shake it off and do something good anyway. I'm going to bake a cake and take it to my neighbor this afternoon. See, in our tough times we have to be aggressive. We have to dig our heels in and make a decision. No, I'm not going to stay in this self pity. I'm going to go out and be a blessing to somebody anyway. And I know sometimes life is not fair. Sometimes people do us wrong. But the way to overcome a hurt, the way to overcome evil is by doing good. You don't overcome a hurt by staying hurt and nursing your wounds. You don't overcome an injustice by trying to pay people back and trying to get even. The way to really overcome is to go out and be a blessing to somebody else. The scripture says this in Psalm 37. In our times of trouble, trust in the Lord and do good. Notice it's not enough to just trust in the Lord. Of course that's important, but we need to take it one step further and do good. That means go help somebody else. Well, Joel, I'm kind of lonely today. I'm kind of depressed. I want somebody to cheer me up. No, sow a seed. As you help others, then God will help you. It's a powerful thing to have an attitude that no matter what comes against me, I'm going to keep being a giver. My child may not be doing right, but I'm going to keep serving in the children's ministry. My teenager may be off course, but I'm going to keep sowing into these other teenagers or my finances have gone down a little bit, Joel, But I'm going to keep on giving. I'm going to keep being a blessing everywhere I go. When you do that, you're sowing seeds. When you meet other people's needs, God will meet your needs. He'll make sure that your gifts come back to you. I remember back in the early 1960s, Lakewood was just a few years old. In fact, I wasn't even born yet and they were in need of renovating their little building. My parents started the church in 1959 in an abandoned feed store. Was very run down, had holes in the floor, really needed repair. And so they were saving up money to make these renovations. One day a young couple came through visiting. They were missionaries in Mexico. My father called them up on the platform and had them share a few words like he did so often at the end of the service. Daddy Said, I think we should take an offering for this young missionary couple in the natural Lakewood needed the money more than they did. But my father understood this principle of sowing a seed in your time of need. And that little congregation, probably not more than a hundred of them, took up an offering of $600 that was huge back then. And they gave it to this missionary couple. They were so excited, they took it back to Mexico and used that money to start a Bible school. Well, some 40 years later, a young man came across our path. He was going to hold a concert in Spanish on a Sunday night at our other location. His name was Marcos Witt. We had. We had never met before, but I knew he was well known throughout Latin America and how he filled up stadiums everywhere he went down there. And I got to meet him that night and we invited he and his wife Miriam out to dinner A few nights later. We were talking. I didn't even plan on saying it. Just out of the blue, I said, marcos, why don't you come back to Lakewood and start a Spanish speaking service? I never dreamed he would. He was busy traveling all over the world. But things began to fall into place. Long story short, a few years back we started the Spanish service. And today, every Sunday afternoon, we have thousands of Spanish speaking people that come out and enjoy that service. But what I didn't know until just maybe a year or two ago was that young missionary couple that my parents in the first little Congregation gave that $600 to. Do you know who that was? That was Marcos Witt's parents. See, when you give, your gifts will always come back to you. That little congregation sowed a seed in their time of need. And I believe Marcus is with us here today because of their active faith. And sometimes when you do good for people, your children are going to reap the harvest. But I know I'm reaping a lot of benefits today because of the seeds that my parents have sown. I'm reaping rewards of the seeds first. Little congregations has sown sometimes. Maybe your grandchildren are going to see the harvest that you've sown. But your acts of kindness do not go unnoticed. God is keeping the records. When you sow, he'll always make sure that harvest comes back to you. I was thinking about how God has taken care of us here at Lakewood. We not only renovated the little feed store, but now we've renovated the compact center. We've come a long way, haven't we? So my challenge to you today is to be more seed minded. Rather than need minded. When you have difficulties, don't be ingrown. Get your mind off yourself and go do something good for somebody else. As you meet their needs. God's going to meet your needs. Remember the way you get favor is by giving away favor. Be good to people. Live generously. Look for ways you can be a blessing, especially in your times of need. If you do this, God promises your gifts will come back to you. He'll not only meet your needs, but he'll fight your battles for you. And I found God will take you places that you've never even dreamed of. Amen. Do you receive it today? I know you do. 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? 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. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do.
- [29:32]
Victoria Osteen
This is the first Bible that my parents gave me. I was six years old. They taught me the importance of believing what God says about you and letting that determine your self image and how through the scripture you can learn to handle challenges and pursue your dreams. Some people tell me that the Bible.
- [29:50]
Unknown Speaker
Is not practical for them.
- [29:52]
Victoria Osteen
How they don't understand it.
- [29:53]
Unknown Speaker
We've created a new resource called how.
- [29:55]
Victoria Osteen
To read your Bible and enjoy it. It provides 12 distinct lenses that will help you see the Bible with fresh eyes so you can discover the hidden treasures that increase your faith. Practical truths that will help you in your everyday life. When you tap into the power of God's Word, there's no limit to where he'll take you.
- [30:15]
Unknown Speaker
As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any size to the ministry this month, Joel would like to send you this inspiring new resource. Sometimes reading the Bible can feel confusing, out of touch, or even produce more fear than faith. But now with this new resource, how to read your Bible and enjoy it, it will make the word of God come alive in new ways. You'll discover fresh inspiration on every page of your Bible. The 12 lenses give you the power to see the Scripture in a whole new light. When you experience the right way to approach God's Word, it will ignite renewed passion in your life.
- [30:55]
Victoria Osteen
When you get God's Word down in you, it brings life and victory. This has a great Bible reading plan plus introductions to each book. It'll help you enjoy reading the Bible. Thanks so much for being a part of the ministry. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day and we appreciate your prayers and support. Remember, you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, watch on YouTube, or we have a new Joel Osteen television network 24 hours a day, and of course SiriusXM as well.
- [31:28]
Unknown Speaker
Until we see you next time.
- [31:29]
Victoria Osteen
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
- [31:32]
Unknown Speaker
Be sure to request your copy of how to read your Bible and enjoy it today, visit joelosteen.com or call 888-567-Joel, call or click anytime 24 hours a day. Looking for toys that'll get the biggest reactions?
- [31:54]
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Walmart has Jaw dropping toys like for real, Daisy, Yoga, Goat Awesome, Razor Crazy Cart Shuffle, Whoa, hot wheels, Bluey, 3 in 1, airplane playset, and more. Aren't you gonna say cool?
- [32:12]
I'm saving it for the holidays.
- [32:14]
Smart. Welcome to your Walmart.
- [32:22]
Joel Osteen
This Christmas season, Pastor Joel Osteen and Netflix invite you and your family to watch Mary journey back in time to experience the story of the Nativity through the eyes of Mary of Nazareth. Starring newcomer Noah Cohen and executive produced by Pastor Joel. Ostensibly, Scene Mary is an uplifting biblical epic that follows Mary, Joseph and their newborn son Jesus as they flee the relentless pursuit of King Herod, portrayed by two time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins. Watch Mary Only on Netflix December 6th.
- [32:52]
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