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Nature's Bounty / Gabby Winde (0:28)

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Angie / Dr. Horton Announcer (1:00)

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Joel Osteen (1:33)

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 always a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we're believing that this is going to be your best year so far. And if you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services. These are the finest people in all of Houston right here at Lakewood, and we'd love to have you come out sometime. But thanks for tuning in today. I like to start with something funny. And I heard about this new pastor. He was in town going from house to house inviting people to come to church. He knocked on this one door and he could tell somebody was home, but nobody would answer. So he took his business card out and he wrote the scripture reference Revelation 3:20 and left it there in the door. The next Sunday after service, an usher handed him the same card. And under that reference was Genesis 3:10. Here's what they say, the pastor's words, Revelation 3:20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone answers, I will come in. The Reply was Genesis 3:10. It says, I heard your voice, but I was afraid because I was naked. 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 thriving and not just surviving. It's easy to get into a survival mode. When times get tough and things aren't going our way, it's tempting to just hunker down and settle where we are. Not believe for increase, not believe to go any further. If you watch the news reports long enough about the economy and the price of gas and how groceries are going up, it's tempting to think it's, if I can just hold on, if I can just make it through another year, and if we're not careful, we'll develop this survival mentality to where we're not releasing our faith. We're not believing to rise any higher. We're just hoping to maintain. We'd be satisfied if we could just break even. But we're not supposed to break even. We're supposed to break through to a new level to more of God's favor, to increase to promotion. I've known people that have been through tough times. Maybe a relationship didn't work out, some kind of disappointment, and they never get rid of that survival thinking. I saw somebody wearing a T shirt that said, I survived Hurricane Katrina, and I know what they mean. But you can't stay in that survival mode to where you kind of feel like you're a victim and the future is going to be so tough. You just got to hold on. No, you're not a survivor. You. You are more than a conqueror. And I realize some seasons are more difficult. Not every season is harvest. And sometimes we go through trying times where it seems like things are drying up and getting a little more challenging. But there's a scripture in Jeremiah that says, if we'll keep the Lord our trust and confidence, God will prosper us even in the desert, prosper us even in difficult times. That means when others are going under, God says you'll go over. When other people are losing clients, business is slow. God's bringing you new clients. When companies are laying people off, God's opening up supernatural doors for you. When other people are pulling back, worried, afraid. We're pushing forward in faith, believing, expecting good things. That's what it means to have a thriving mentality. Deep down we know even when we're in the desert, even when things are slow financially, even when we get a negative report, God is still on the throne. Our job is not our source. The economy is not our source. We know God is our source. And in one sense, it doesn't really matter what the stock market does or doesn't do, doesn't matter how high the price of gas goes. God always has the final say. If gas goes to $10 a gallon, that just means God's going to bless us in a greater way. David said, I've never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread. But some of you have been talked into having this survival thinking. You've watched so many news reports, it's so bad, how am I ever going to make it? No, I want to talk you into thriving and not just surviving. Now I realize we need to be wise and use wisdom with what God has given us. But I don't believe we're supposed to pull back to where we're not pursuing our dreams anymore. We're not expecting increase. We're not believing for favor. We're just trying to hold on. We're just trying to maintain. No, that's a survival mentality. It may be difficult and at times you wonder how it's all going to work out. But just remember this. As God took the five loaves and the two fish and and multiplied it to feed thousands of people. God can multiply what you have. He can multiply your time and help you to get more done. He can multiply your wisdom and help you to make better decisions. God can multiply our finances and cause them to go further. This may sound kind of far out, but God can cause your car to get better gas mileage. He can cause you to stay out of those traffic jams. God can help you find the best deals at the stores, to find things that are on sale, that are usually never on sale. God is in complete control. When times get tough, don't hunker down. Think, oh, it's so bad. If I can just hold on and make it through another year. No. Dig your heels in and say, I'm not Going to just survive. I'm going to thrive. I'm going to prosper. In spite of this difficulty. I was talking to a young lady the other day and she told how she had struggled in her marriage for a long time. She had done her best to keep it together, but it just didn't work out. She said, joel, well, at least I survived. And she was happy that she had made it through, but I could tell that had taken the wind out of her sails. She was a beautiful girl, but she had lost her fire, lost that sparkle in her eyes. I told her what I'm telling you. You made it through, but you can't keep that survival mentality. God has new seasons in front of you. He has new doors he wants to open. He wants the next part of your life to be better than the first part. But you can't make the mistake of just settling where you are and thinking, oh, I've been through so much, I'm just glad to be where I am. No, that's a survival mentality that'll keep you from God's best. You've got to shake that survival mentality off and say, God, you. You promised what was meant for my harm you would use to my advantage. Now, I may have been through the fire, through the famine, through the flood, but I know it's my time for favor. It's my time to see more of your goodness in my life. We have to have a made up mind that no matter what comes our way, no matter how difficult, no matter how unfair, we are not going to just survive it. We're going to thrive in spite of it. Well, Joel, I've been through so much. You're exactly right. You've been through it. You didn't stay there. This is a new day. You're not a survivor. You are an overcomer. Well, Joel, what about the economy? Well, let me ask you, what about our God? He's still on the throne. The good news is there is not a recession in heaven. God has not had to cut back because of high gas prices. He's not having a shortage of food and supplies. I'm happy to report that all is well. Here's the key. As long as our source is okay, we're going to be okay. If we'll just stay connected to the vine, keeping God first, believing and expecting for his favor, then as his branches. We're not going to just survive, we're going to thrive. But you have to keep your faith out there. There are so many negative voices trying to steal our dreams and Talk us into settling where we are. If you let those words take root, you'll start acting on them. When you act on them, that's your faith at work. You can bring it to pass. In other words, if you expect to have less and expect to barely get by and expect to have a tough year, your faith can draw that in. I want you to start expecting God to increase you in a greater way. Start expecting this to be your best year so far. Really, it's not that impressive for us to be blessed and promoted. When the economy is strong and business is great and everybody around us is being blessed, people can say, that's just the benefit of good times. That's just the benefit of a strong economy. They can make excuses for it. But when times are tough and every other news report talks about how bad it is and how we're not supposed to make it, and yet God shows up and does something unusual and extraordinary. That's a greater testimony to the faithfulness of our God. When God prospers you in the desert and people see you increasing, even though they're stuck, that's when they'll know it makes a difference to serve the most high God. Growing up, we knew this man. He was a very successful business person. He owned hundreds and hundreds of acres of orange crops. And during this one particular winter, it was predicted to be a hard freeze. That was very unusual. It never froze in that part of the country. And he knew if that happened, it would destroy all of his crops, cost him thousands and thousands of dollars. And this man was kind of far out. He believed that God could do anything. So he went out and marched around his orange trees and he said, God, I'm asking you to protect my crops and keep them from freezing. Well, when his friends heard about it, they thought he was so strange, that that was so odd. The next morning, the big freeze came in. Lasted a little over 24 hours. Those other farmers were so discouraged, trying to figure out how they were going to survive, knowing that their crops were going to be destroyed. This other man, he just kept thanking God that he was protecting his crops. Several days later, it was the most unusual sight. His property, hundreds and hundreds of acres, had the most beautiful, healthy orange trees. But the properties around him, on all four sides, their trees were just as dead as could be. It looked like somebody put a big blanket over his property. Those other farmers were amazed. Instead of making fun of him, they said, next time, do us a favor. Pray over our crops as well. Friends. God is well able to take care of us. He can prosper us even in the desert, if we'll just be bold enough to believe. It says, no weapon formed against you will prosper. That means things may come, disappointments, setbacks, bad reports. But we don't have to get all down and go into that survival mode. No, let's stay in faith and believe that God will supernaturally protect us, that we'll see his unprecedented favor. Maybe you're trying to sell your house. No other houses in the neighborhood are really selling. Why don't you be bold like this man and believe for favor? Why don't you be bold and march around your property and say, God, I know I'm not supposed to survive. I'm supposed to thrive. So I'm asking that your favor would cause my house to stand out. Maybe business is slow. Other people in your same field are really struggling. Well, you've got to start thanking God that he's bringing you new clients, that he's giving you new ideas, that he's opening up supernatural doors. I was reading a report the other day, and it told how giving nonprofit organizations and different charities is down nearly 25% this year. And when I read that, instead of getting discouraged and thinking, oh, man, it's probably coming our way, we're probably going to be down. No, I said, father, I want to thank you that we're going to have our best year so far. I want to thank you that every person that gives will see your supernatural favor, supernatural increase. You might as well get ready for promotion, for divine connections, for supernatural breaks. To have your best year so far to thrive, not just survive. I was thinking about my sister Lisa and her husband Kevin, years ago. They wanted to sell their house, and they asked God that it would sell quickly. Most houses in that neighborhood were taking anywhere from three months to a year to sell. They couldn't really close on their new house unless they sold this other house. So they prayed and asked God that it would sell fast and that they would get close to what they were asking for. The first day the house went on the market that morning a lady came over and said, I'll buy it, and if you'll take it off the market, I'll pay you more than you have it listed for. That's unprecedented favor. God is not limited to the economy. He's not limited to what's going on around us. He's only limited by our own thinking. That's why it's so important that we don't get into this survival mode Thinking my business can't expand the economy's too slow. I'll never sell my house. No houses are selling. I'll never get a promotion this year, Joel, of all years. Nobody is spending. Everybody's cutting back. No, that's when God especially likes to show up and show out. God likes to do the extraordinary. That way it brings him more honor when we go around saying, look what the Lord has done. I sold my house when no other houses were selling. My crops were protected when everybody else's were freezing. I had my best year when people were trying to tell me it's going to be my slowest year. There's nothing that brings God any more honor than we go around bragging on his goodness. And I want you to get ready for God to show up and show out in your life in a greater way. God wants to do the extraordinary. He wants to make you an example of his goodness. I remember how for years my father tried to build a new sanctuary at our other location. But he just couldn't get peace about it. Every time he got excited and he thought about starting, he would pull back knowing that it wasn't the right time. And in 1986, the City of Houston was in one of the greatest recessions it's ever seen. All kinds of businesses were going bankrupt. People were really struggling. My father had just gotten out of the hospital after having open heart surgery just a few weeks before Christmas. It looked like the worst time in the world to start a new project, the worst time to try to raise funds. My father wasn't even totally recovered. He was still weak from that surgery. But down in here, he believed it was the right time. He felt good about it. He told how he even argued with God, said God, this doesn't make sense. People are struggling. It's close to Christmas, they're spending money on their own families. How are we ever going to raise these finances? God spoke back to him, not out loud, but right down in here and said, son, I want you to start now so people will know it's me and not anybody else. They started the project that year. And a little less than two years later, we dedicated Debt Free, a brand new 8,000 seat sanctuary. God prospered us. Even in the desert. Nobody could doubt that had to be the hand of Almighty God. If he did it for us back then, he can do it for us today. But my father could have easily got into that survival mode, listened to the news reports. We better pull back this at the right time. If he'd have done that, he would have missed out on God's goodness. If you believe to barely get by. You're going to barely get by. If you believe to have a tough year, you're going to have a tough year. Your faith is going to draw that in. I want you to start believing that you are blessed. Not that you're going to be blessed, but that you are already blessed. Start believing that God's favor is surrounding you in a greater way. Well, you say, joel, I don't really feel blessed. I don't feel like I have favor. I never get any good breaks. This is what faith is all about. You've got to believe it before you see it. You need to start acting like you're blessed. Start talking like you're blessed. Start thinking like you're blessed. Start dressing like you're blessed. Start walking like you're blessed. Start being good to people like you're blessed. That's your faith at work. You're going to draw in the goodness and favor of God. That's a whole lot better than going around thinking, oh, man, I hope I make it. Barrel of oil went up $5 last night while I was sleeping. How could that be? Have you seen the price of groceries? No. Quit talking about the problem. If you have a poor mouth, you're going to have a poor life. Gas may be high, but the good news is we're still connected to the vine. Insurance may have gone up, but God is still on the throne. Your dreams may require more resources than you have right now, but God owns it all. Let's stay in faith and make a decision. We're going to thrive, not just survive. I talked to this lady that lived in another state. She's in the real estate business. She told how the housing market there is really depressed and her co workers are really struggling. Everybody's worried, but she said, joy, it's the most unusual thing. My sales this year are three times what they were last year. And it seems like every time I turn around, I sell another house. I grabbed her hand and said, give me some of that favor. That's what God said. He would prosper us even in the desert. He would cause us to go over even when others are stuck in a rut. Too many people have this survival mentality. Well, I survived another month. Thank God, I survived another year. No, that's good. But surviving is not God's best. You need to switch over from a surviving mentality to a thriving mentality. It's a mindset. I met this couple that had gone through Hurricane Katrina not long ago. They had lost everything. Their home. They'd Moved here to town and found some temporary housing. And I could tell they were still in this survival mode. They weren't believing to get a nice new place to live. They weren't believing to rise any higher. They were just grateful that they had made it through another month. I knew I had to jump start their faith. And I reminded them, God has promised that he will pay you back double for every unfair thing that's happened. God said he will bring you out better off than you were before. But you've got to shake off that survival mentality, get in agreement with God. You may have been through disappointments, you may be in a tough time right now, but you need to dig your heels in and say, it's payback time. I know my God is a God of restoration. And I believe it's my time for favor. I may be in the desert right now, but I know God can prosper me. Even in the desert, all the odds may be against me, but I know if God be for me, who dare be against me? You got to understand, as a child of the most high God, as long as you are walking in his ways, then you have the blessing of God on your life. That means wherever you go, the blessing goes. You can be out in the desert and God's going to cause you to be blessed. You can be working at an office with negative people, with people that complain, but when you get there, the blessing gets there. Really, that company should be glad to have you because you bring the blessing. You bring God's favor. This is what happened to Abraham. He and his nephew Lot had moved with all of their family and all their flocks and herds to a new land. But they soon realized the land was not able to support them both. And so Abraham, being the bigger person, told lot, you choose wherever you want to live, and I'll go in a different direction. Well, Lot chose the best part of the land. The land that had the lush green pastures, beautiful ponds, rolling hills. It looked like a postcard. All Abraham had left over was the desert. It was rocks and sand, dry and desolate. I'm sure at first, Abraham was tempted to think, man, if I can just survive out here, God, how am I ever going to make it? There's not enough water, not enough supplies. How is this ever going to work out? No, Abraham understood this principle. He knew as long as he was being his best, as long as he was honoring God, then wherever he went, the blessing of God went. He knew even if he was in the desert, even if there were not enough supplies in the natural God could still cause him not to just get by, not to just survive, but to prosper and to have more than enough. It wasn't long before that desert turned into an oasis. In fact, his crops and his herds multiplied so much, the scripture says Abraham was the wealthiest man in all the East. What's interesting is Lot wasn't walking in God's ways he didn't have. God's favorite land began to dry up. Abraham eventually had to go rescue Lot. And that tells me that when people do us wrong, when somebody cheats you out of a promotion, somebody plays politics to get the position you should have had. Don't worry about it. Where you are is where the blessing is. You can be stranded on a deserted, remote island, and let me tell you, you're going to be blessed with. Because when you got there, the blessing got there. This is what happened to Joseph. Everywhere they put him, he just kept rising to the top. His brothers threw him into the pit. He rose up out of the pit. He was sold into slavery to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar put him in charge of his whole household. He was falsely accused and put in prison. The officials put him in charge of the whole prison. He stood before Pharaoh and was able to interpret his dreams. And Pharaoh put him in charge of the whole country. You cannot keep a good person down. It's because when you honor God with your life, when you're a person of excellence and integrity, you have the blessing of God. And wherever you go, just like cream, you're going to rise to the top. You need to put your shoulders back, hold your head up high. Not in arrogance, but in confidence, knowing that wherever you go, you're taking something very special. When you go to work next week, you go to the grocery store, go to the ballpark. Just remind yourself, when I got here, the blessing got here. God wants us to be so blessed that when other people see us, they want what we have. Back in those days, they prayed to the God of Abraham. Their attitude was, abraham has so much favor. He's so kind, so generous, so peaceful, so blessed. If we can just get to his God, we know that everything will be all right. That's what I want people to say about us. If we can just get to the God of those people at Lakewood, if we can just get to the God of Jim, the God of Susan, the God of Jeremy, everything's going to work out like Abraham. You may not be at a perfect place today. You may not have a perfect marriage, a perfect job, be in A perfect neighborhood. But remember, your location doesn't determine the blessing. Other people don't determine your favor. God does. And the fact is, when you got there, the blessing got there. You may not always feel like it. That's why it's so important that you continually remind yourself that I am blessed. Goodness and mercy are following me right now. God's favor is surrounding me like a shield. He prospers me even in the desert. And some of you have been in this survival mode too long. But I believe today can be a turning point. If you'll get in agreement with God, I'll just declare it, your days of survival are over, and your days of thriving have begun. I want you to go out of here in faith, knowing that God has great things in your future. You may have been through disappointments. You may be in a tough time right now, but deep down, you've got to know you were never created to survive. You were created to thrive. Get up every morning and remind yourself, wherever I go, the blessing of God goes. I'm blessed on the freeways, and I'm blessed on the side streets. I'm blessed at home and I'm blessed in my office. I'm blessed in the city and I'm blessed in the country. I'm blessed in the projects, and I'm blessed in the nice neighborhoods. I'm even blessed in the desert. Blessed in the hospital. Blessed when people do me wrong. I just can't get away from the blessing of God. If you have that kind of attitude, nothing will hold you back. God will amaze you with his goodness. I talked to somebody last week. I knew he was having tough times and asked how it was going. I love the way he answered. He said, joel, I'm too blessed to be stressed. I like that. That's the way we need to be. I'm too blessed to be worried. I'm too blessed to be negative. I'm too blessed to be upset. I've seen God do too many great things. It says there in Psalm 1:3, if we'll keep God first, we'll be like a tree planted by the waters, and our leaf will not wither. The message translation says, you will be a person that is always in blossom. I believe that's who I'm looking at today. People that are continually in blossom. That means you're always happy. You've always got a good report. You've got a smile even when you should be complaining. You've got a song of praise even when times are tough. You are prospering. Even in the desert. Why is that? Because deep down you know everywhere you go you have the blessing of God. Why don't you make that decision with me today? You're going to shake off a survival mentality. You're not going to pull back, hunker down, just try to hold on. No, let's dig our heels in and say, I am not going to just survive. This is my year to thrive. If you'll do that, God's going to prosper you in the desert. He'll amaze you. He'll make you an example of his goodness. And I believe every one of us are going to be able to look back and say, wow, God has done great things in my life. Amen. Do you receive that today? Amen. I know you do. Many people believe that God can heal, but when nothing is improving, our prayers are not being answered. It's easy to think, will God heal me? The truth is, God still loves to heal. I've witnessed God's healing power firsthand in my own family. When situations seemed impossible and medically speaking, there were no options, God stepped in and made a way. I'd love to send you our new devotional God Still Loves to Heal. It's filled with scripture and encouragement designed to strengthen your faith and help you believe for healing. Even when you can't see it, God is still working. As you stand firm and declare his promises, healing is on the way. The same God who healed in the Bible is still healing today.