Victoria Osteen (11:27)

Now.

Joel Osteen (11:27)

Don't be intimidated by the size of the problem, the size of your dream. Don't let that convince you to stop believing. Well, Joel, I got laid off. And you just don't know my financial situation. No, but I do know Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our provider, he's still on the throne. One touch of God's favor and you'll go from barely making it to having more than enough. Well, you just don't know. My medical situation doesn't look good. No, but I do know Jehovah. Rapha, the Lord our healer has not lost his power. He has done it in the past, he can do it in the future. Well, Joel, I've got big dreams, but I don't know the right people. I don't have the connections. That's okay. God does. You have friends in high places. When you believe God will bring the right people across your path. Don't be intimidated by the size of what you're facing. Here's what I've learned. The bigger the problem, the bigger your destiny. The enemy would not be fighting you so hard unless he knew God had something amazing in your future. On the other side of that challenge is a new level of your destiny. The good news is, when you believe, God promises he will bring it to pass. Let me assure you, nothing can stand against our God. No disappointment, no setback, no injustice, no person, no hater, no jealousy. When you believe, all the forces of darkness cannot stop God from taking you where he wants you to go. Be a believer and not a doubter. It says in the book of Hebrews, when we come to God, we must believe that he is. It's interesting, it doesn't really finish the scripture. Believe that he is what? It leaves it open ended. This is saying when you believe, God becomes whatever you need him to be. He is strength. When you're weak, he is healing. When you're sick, he is favor. When you need a good break, he is a waymaker. When you don't see a way, he is restoration. When something's been stolen, he is vindication. When you've been falsely accused, he is whatever you need him to be. Many of you know God by one name. You know him as a savior. And that's great. That's the most important way. But you need to find out what else he is. Do you know him as a resurrection God? A God that can bring back to life what you thought was dead? Do you know him as an Ephesians 3:20 God? A God who can do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond? Do you know him as a healer, a restorer, A God who gives beauty for ashes? You may have gone through hurts and disappointments and people did you wrong. But you don't have to live defeated, depressed in self pity. No, God wants to heal the hurts, give you a new beginning, bring you out better off than you were before. But you've got to know him as a God who gives beauty for ashes. Friends, there's so much more to our God. Don't keep him in a little box. Discover what else he is. I know this couple that attends Lakewood. And for the last year and a half or so, they've heard me talking about believing for Ephesians 3:20 and how God wants to show us his unprecedented favor. And they dared to believe. They let that seed take root. And for the last 10 years they've been working very hard, saving their funds so they could hopefully purchase their first home. And at one point, everything came together. They found the house they liked. It was a good price. They knew it was God's favor. They had the money for the down payment. They were so excited. But when they went to close on the home, the young lady was at the realtor's office finalizing the details. She got a call from her husband saying that he had just been let go from his job. He had worked for that company for over six years, always did his best, had a good attitude. But his supervisor never particularly liked him. Over the years, his wife just kept encouraging him, you're not working unto people, you're working unto God. He did his best to stay on the high road. But it seemed like at the worst possible time, he got let go. To make matters worse, this all happened on his birthday. He lost his job and the house of their dreams on the same day. Naturally, they were disappointed. But the good news is this young couple didn't just know God as a savior. They knew him as a God of restoration. They knew him as a God of justice. A God who will make your wrongs right. They could have easily gotten bitter, dropped out of church, but they understood this principle. And if you only believe, you will see the goodness of God. Instead of sitting at home every day depressed in self pity anytime he wasn't out looking for a new job. He would come up to the church and volunteer. Week after week, month after month, as faithful as can be in the natural. Didn't look like anything was happening. But they weren't discouraged by the size of their problem. They knew as long as they believed the Lord their God was that they were taken care of. Five months later, he got a call from his old company. Hadn't talked to them since he had been let go. It was an executive from the corporate headquarters. He explained how he had let go of the whole management team. And this executive wanted him to come back and work for the company. He not only restored his job, but he restored all of his benefits, all of his retirement, all of his seniority. House, they wanted to buy. It already sold. But they went out looking and found a better house in a better neighborhood for a better price. Today he not only has his job back, but they're living in their dream home. God's a faithful God. Isaiah 3:10 says, say to the righteous, it shall be well with you. You may go through some difficulties, people may do you wrong, but because you're a believer, you. It shall be well with you. You lost your job. Yes, but another job is coming. It shall be well with you. The medical report doesn't look good. Yes, but we have another report. It shall be well with you. You say. Joel, I've been praying, believing for this situation to change for a long time. But I don't see anything happening. No, just like with this couple, God is working behind the scenes right now, arranging things in your favor. The answer is already on the way. It's just a matter of time before it shows up. It shall be well with you. I like to think of it like setting the temperature on a thermostat. You set the temperature to 72 degrees. Now, it may be 96 degrees in the room, far off from where you set it. You could go to the thermostat and think, this isn't working. It's not matching up. No, you don't worry about it. You know, it's just a matter of time before the temperature in the room matches the temperature that you set in the same way we should set our thermostats on what God says about us. God says, you will lend and not borrow. I'm setting my thermostat right there. That's what I'm choosing to believe now. Right now. I may be far from that. I may be far in debt. But that's okay. I'm not worried. As long as I've got my thermostat set. As long as I keep believing, keep honoring God, keep being my best, I know it's just a matter of time before the conditions in my life match up to the conditions in my thinking. God is a faithful God now. We should set our thermostats. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. You may have a child that's 32 degrees, a son that's 140 degrees out there, living wild matter. As long as your thermostat is set, you're not worried, you're not frustrated. You don't have to live wondering if it's going to change. You know God is in complete control when he sees you have a made up mind, that your thermostat, your thinking is set on his promises, on faith, on restoration, on healing, on victory. That's when God goes to work. It may not happen overnight, but. But God is faithful. He will do what he promised. And some of you today, you need to readjust your thermostat. At one time, you believed to do something great. You believed to start that business. You believed you'd beat that addiction. But it didn't happen on your timetable and you got discouraged and you ended up giving up. God is saying reset the thermostat. Start believing once again. Believe you can live free from pain. Believe you can move into that nicer home. Believe God's bringing the right people across your path. Keep the thermostat set. Have a made up mind when it gets cold, when it gets hot. Stay in faith. This is what God says about me. I am blessed. I will live and not die. My children will be mighty in the land. My latter days will be greater than my former days. Now you may not see anything happening week after week, month after month, maybe even year after year. Does it matter? Our attitude is my thermostat is set. I'm not moved by what I see, by what I feel, by what people tell me. I'm moved by what I know. And I know when I believe. The incredible greatness of God's power is activated. I know when I believe. Strongholds are broken. Favor healing, promotion, restoration. They're coming my way. In the scripture, a man by the name of Ezekiel was facing an impossible situation. There were these dead bones in a valley that God had promised would come back to life. Dead bones represent dreams and goals that we don't think will come to pass. God had the power to bring these dead bones to life. But God needed a person who believed so he could work through them. God said to Ezekiel, do you believe that these dead bones can live? Isn't it interesting? God wanted to know what Ezekiel believed. Ezekiel could have reasoned it out and said, God, the bones are dead. I don't see how that's going to happen. In other words, the medical report doesn't look good. God, business is slow. This is a big problem. I can imagine. God, said Ezekiel, I'm not asking you all of that. All I want to know is, do you believe? All at once, Ezekiel shook off the doubt, and he said, in effect, lord, I believe the spirit of God came on him. He started prophesying, and somehow, someway, those dead bones came back to life. But God is asking us what? He asked, Ezekiel, do you believe you can live a blessed, prosperous, successful life? I've got the power. I'm just looking for someone who believes. Do you believe God can turn that situation around? Do you believe you can overcome mistakes of the past? Friends, when you get in agreement with God and believe, that allows God to release the incredible greatness of his power. When Lazarus was very sick, his two sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word for Jesus to come to their hometown and pray for Lazarus. But Jesus waited too long. He waited four days. Lazarus had already died. When Jesus finally showed up, Martha was very upset. She said, jesus, if you would have been here sooner, my brother would still be alive. Have you ever felt like God showed up too late? You prayed, you believed, but you still didn't get the promotion. You worked hard, you had a good attitude, like the young man I talked about, but the company still let you go. You stood on God's promises, you quoted the scriptures, but your prayers didn't get answered. That's the way Mary and Martha felt. They were discouraged, depressed, probably a little bit bitter. Jesus looked at them and said, take me to the place where you have laid in. In other words, take me to the place where you stopped believing. Take me to the place where you decided it was over. You got to go to that place and ask yourself, is my God still on the throne? Is my God still all powerful? Is my God still El Shaddai, the God who is more than enough? You got to stir your faith up. God said Mary, Martha, it looks bad when, but it's not over. If you'll start believing once again, I'll show you my power in a greater way. Faith began to rise in their hearts. Martha said, jesus, if you'd have been here, my brother would still be alive. But I believe even now, you can raise him from the dead. Sometimes you have to have Even now, faith, where you say God, it looks impossible. It looks like it's over and done. But I know you're a supernatural God. And I believe even now you can turn my finances around. Even now, you can heal my body. Even now, you can restore this relationship. Mary and Martha shook off the doubt, and they started believing once again. You know the story. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. And what's interesting is back in those days, the Sadducees, these were some of the people that were against Jesus. They believed that the spirit left the body on the third day after a person died. It wasn't a coincidence that God waited for the fourth day to show up. Jesus waited on purpose so that when he raised Lazarus, there wouldn't be any doubt about it. They would know that it was a great miracle. Sometimes God will wait on purpose, not only so you will know that it's his power, but so your doubters, so your naysayers, so your unbelieving relatives won't be able to deny that God has done something amazing in your life. At first, Mary and Martha were disappointed because Jesus didn't show up in time to heal Lazarus. They were disappointed that their prayers didn't get answered in the way they wanted. But all along, God knew what he was doing. God wasn't planning a healing. He was planning something better. He was planning a resurrection. And just because you believed and it didn't work out your way on your timetable doesn't mean that it's over. It means just the opposite. God's planning something better. You believed and you didn't get the promotion. You believed and you didn't qualify for the new home. Keep believing. God has something better coming. You believe, but your child hasn't turned around. Keep believing. God's going to use your child in a great way. You believe. But 2011 hadn't been that great so far. Keep believing. It's not over. God's still on the throne. Even now, God can still turn it around. After Jesus raised Lazarus, he said to Mary and Martha, did I not tell you? If you would believe, you would see the glory of God. You may have plenty of reasons to be discouraged, depressed, negative. But God is saying, if you will only believe, you will see my power in new ways. Make up your mind. You're going to be a believer and not a doubter. Keep the thermostat set. You may not see how it can happen, but that's not your job. Your job is to believe. Know this. Right now, behind the scenes, God's working in your life, arranging Things in your favor. Don't be intimidated by the size of what you're facing. Stay in faith and the Lord your God will make sure that it comes to pass. Get this down in your spirit because you're a believer. All will be well with you. All will be well with your family. All will be well with your finances. All will be well in your health. All will be well with your career. You need to get ready because God's promises are about to come to pass in your life. It may not have happened in the past on your timetable. That's because God's not planning a healing. He's planning a resurrection. It's going to be better. Bigger. Greater than you've ever imagined. Be a believer. Take the limits off of God. Keep your faith stirred up and I believe and declare you're going to see God's goodness in amazing ways. Amen. Come on. Give the Lord one more shout of praise today. Amen. 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 you've never dreamed of. Sometimes in life people don't choose us. We've all felt overlooked, like we're not good enough. It's easy to live inferior thinking we don't measure up. People may have left you out. The good news is God has chosen you. He's the one that matters. And in my new book, life is marked for distinction. You'll discover. Before you were born, God not only knew you, but he handpicked you and placed a calling on your life. You are equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny. When you understand that you're chosen, fear and doubt can't stay. You'll live with a boldness to step into the greatness God put in you. I'd love to send you my new book Chosen plus the chosen T shirt from our friends at Copperfit as our.

Victoria Osteen (30:04)

Way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount. This month we would like to send you a copy of Joel's book Chosen. Your life is marked for distinction. In the scriptures, Jesus encouraged us by saying, you didn't choose me, I chose you. This powerful guide will help you discover the abundant life you were designed to live as a child of God. You have a calling, a purpose, a destiny still to be fulfilled when you request your copy. We also want to send you our exclusive chosen T shirt from Copperfit that will remind you that you've been chosen by Almighty God every time you wear it. Please request these gifts today and discover that God is moving on your behalf. Your next days are going to be your best days.

Joel Osteen (30:54)

You're not average, you're not ordinary. You've been chosen by Almighty God. Victoria and I want you to know how much we love you. We pray for you and your family every day and thanks so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity is helping people all over the world. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for your monthly gifts. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember, you can watch the services online live every Sunday morning. Download our daily podcast watch on YouTube, the new Joel Osteen network social media listen on SiriusXM. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired until we see you next time. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Victoria Osteen (31:38)

Be sure to request your copy of Chosen. Your life is marked for distinction plus our exclusive Chosen T shirt from CopperFit. Visit jolostein.com or call 888-567 JOEL for an additional donation. This month we are also offering the NLT Large Print Thin Line Reference Bible. This bible also enables you to connect through your smartphone or tablet to a vast power packed array of study notes, devotionals, interactive maps, videos and worship music. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567 Joel or logging on to jolostein.com today. Call or click anytime 24 hours a day. Yes, God has chosen you for a reason, for a purpose. Request your copies today.

Happy Mammoth (32:35)

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Designer Shoe Warehouse (33:05)

Pull off the season's freshest trends? You just need the right shoes. That's where Designer Shoe Warehouse comes in. Loving wide leg jeans. Pair them with sleek low profile sneakers. Obsessed with the sheer trend? Try it with mesh flats. Feeling Boho comfy sandals. Nail the whole free spirited thing. Find on trend shoes from the brands you love like Birkenstock, Nike, Adidas and more at DSW.