← Joel Osteen Podcast
Joel Osteen Podcast
You Have The Cure | Joel Osteen
00:30:31
You're not at the mercy of what's coming against you!
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Joel Osteen
Hi, this is Joel in Victoria.
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Thanks for listening to our podcast and
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thanks for supporting the ministry.
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If you enjoyed today 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. God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. We are praying for you and your family for God's very best. I'd like to start with something funny and I heard about this minister. He was driving down the road when he got pulled over by a policeman. The officer came up to the window and smelled alcohol. He saw a thermos and said, sir, what are you drinking? The minister said, just water, officer. He asked to see the thermos. He took one sniff and said, it smells like wine to me. The minister said, what do you know? Jesus did it again. Come on, 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 you have the cure. One of the challenges we face with this coronavirus is there are no antibodies. We've never seen this strain of virus, so there is no remedy. Yet researchers are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine. Most reports say it's going to take about a year or more. Without a cure, we're at the mercy of the virus. A friend of mine is a physician that specializes in infectious disease. He said there are diseases that he treated 30 years ago that he doesn't see today. Because we found the antidote, because vaccines and antibodies were developed. What used to harm us doesn't harm us anymore. Once you have the cure, you don't have to be afraid of the disease. But what about these viruses that you can't see with a microscope? Guilt, fear, depression, addictions. Some viruses you can't treat with a physical vaccine. There are poisons that can infect our thinking, our self esteem. If we only had an antidote to deal with the guilt from our past mistakes. The times we failed didn't make good decisions. Now we go around in regrets, down on ourselves. If we only had the cure for the hurts, the disappointments, the unfair childhood. Now we're tempted to live bitter, insecure, no passion. The good news is, 2,000 years ago, the antidote was developed for everything that will come against you. Not by leading scientists, not by a team of researchers, but by the Son of the living God. When Jesus went to the cross, he took on our guilt, our shame, our failures. He not only bore our sins, but he took our sicknesses. Before he was crucified, he was beaten with 39 stripes on his back. Studies tell us there are 39 major categories of disease. He took one stripe for each one. That's why it says by his stripes you were healed. We are not at the mercy of fear, depression, addictions. We have the cure. The most high God is breathing in our direction. Him being for you is more than the world being against you. Don't let the fear, the guilt, the depression hold you down. Take the antidote. Father, thank you that I am forgiven. I am redeemed. I am free. I am healthy and whole. When thoughts tell you you're just average. There's nothing special about you. If you dwell on that poison, it will infect your thinking. You have to take your medicine. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I'm wearing a crown of favor. I have royal blood flowing through my veins. Proverbs says, God's word is like a medicine. When you meditate on it, it brings healing and wholeness. When thoughts whisper you'll always struggle in your finances. This slowdown is going to ruin your business. Don't let that virus take root. Father, thank you that the economy is not my source. But you are my source. You said you would prosper me even in the desert. You have the cure. Now make sure that you're taking your medicine. One time, the Israelites had turned against God and they started worshiping idols. They ended up exiled from their own land and brought into captivity in Babylon. It was their own fault. They had brought the trouble on themselves. The prophet Jeremiah was very discouraged. He asked, is there no bomb in Gilead? Is there no physician that can help us? He was saying, God, is there no cure? Is there no remedy from this virus that we've let infect us? He likened it to being bit by poisonous snakes. The truth is, we've all been bitten by something. Bitten by guilt, bitten by fear, bitten by rejection. How do we deal with the venom? How do we get rid of the poison and not let it stop our destiny? I read about how they developed antivenom for snake bites years ago. After much research, scientists took some of the poisonous venom from the snake and injected it into horses. The horse would naturally develop antibodies that they could then remove and use it as serum for someone that was bitten by a snake. But over time, they realized the anti venom from the blood of horses wasn't working fast enough in people. Many were losing their lives. They needed an anti venom that was more powerful, more effective. They tested many animals and finally discovered that the blood of a lamb produced the most effective anti venom. Unlike the blood of a horse, when the sheep was injected with the poisonous venom, the antibodies it created worked much faster in people and produced a much stronger and more powerful anti venom. A few years ago, they discovered that sheep in South Australia produce some of the most effective antibody than anywhere in the world. It's because those sheep are in a pristine environment where they are free from disease that typically affect other sheep. And the fact that these sheep are so healthy and have such pure blood. That's why they create the most powerful anti venom. Think back to the Garden of Eden. That's the first time we see a poisonous snake. The enemy is called a serpent. He bit Adam and Eve, not physically, but in their thinking. He deceived them and they became poisoned. They ate the forbidden fruit. They did wrong and opened the door to trouble. All of a sudden they were afraid. They realized they were naked. They ran and hid. Fear came in. Guilt, you, shame, heartache. God had to come up with a plan to Deal with the venom that had poisoned mankind. He needed to create an anti venom. But it had to be something incredibly powerful. That meant it had to come from the purest blood, the most effective source. God didn't choose the blood of a horse. He didn't choose the blood of a goat. He didn't choose the blood of another animal. This time he chose the blood of his only son. The first time John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus wasn't just any lamb. He was the sinless, spotless lamb of God. That's why his anti venom is more powerful than any poison that comes against you. The enemy will try to poison you with doubt. It's never going to work out. Poison you with fear. What if you catch that virus? Poison you with insecurity. You're not good enough. Nobody wants to be around you. That poison cannot keep you from your destiny. It is no match for the anti venom created by the most high God. Now quit telling yourself you've made too many mistakes. Living, guilty, condemned. Take your antibody. Father, thank you that your mercy is bigger than my mistakes. Thank you that what you started in my life, you will finish. You have to receive God's mercy and move forward. You can't reach your destiny if you're always looking back. Nothing you've done is a surprise to God. He knew every mistake you would make, every failure. You can still get where you're supposed to be. But you have to shake off the guilt and move ahead. When you're dealing with fear, depression, anxiety. Don't just accept it. Think I'll always struggle in this area. Take your medicine. Father, thank you that I am free. I have the mind of Christ. I have peace that passes understanding. Lies will tell you what you're dealing with is permanent. There's no solution. You'll never get well. Never break the addiction. Just say no thanks. I know the blood of the lamb is more powerful than the venom of any snake. Yes, there are times that we get bit. Things happen we didn't see coming. But you have to remind yourself God is not up in heaven looking for a cure. Hoping that virus doesn't defeat you. Trying to figure out what he's going to do. He's already created the cure. Two thousand years ago, he defeated the enemy once and for all. The scripture says he rendered him powerless. One version says he brought him to naught. Naught means zero. The enemy has no power over you. He can't keep you from your purpose. The only way he can stop you is if you start believing his lies. God's not going to bless you. Look at the mistakes you've made. You'll never accomplish your dreams. You've had too many bad breaks. Don't let that poison keep you from the awesome future God has in store. Start taking the anti venom. God hasn't brought you this far to leave you. Just because you don't see a way doesn't mean God doesn't have a way. Right now, he's working behind the scenes in your life. You wouldn't be alive if you if he didn't have something amazing in front of you. Why do you think the enemy's trying to stop you? He doesn't bother people that are not a threat. He wouldn't waste his time on you if he didn't know you were a world changer, a history maker. That you have seeds of greatness. He knows God is about to open doors bigger than you've dreamed. You're about to step into new levels of your destiny. Now don't be surprised if you get a few snake bites, so to speak. A friend walks away. The company doesn't need you anymore. An unexpected illness that poison can cause you to get infected. Live worried. Give up on your dreams. Or you can take the anti venom. God, I know you're still on the throne. I know no weapon formed against me is going to prosper. I'm not going to just come out. I'm going to come out better than I was before. There was a young lady that lost her father to an illness. They were very close and spent a lot of time together. She was so devastated and so heartbroken. She had been bit, so to speak, by something she never saw coming. She could have become bitter, sour, let that poison the rest of her life. But she believed God was still in control. It wasn't easy, but. But she kept moving forward. When you go through loss and things that kind of knock the wind out of you, it's tempting to give up on life. Think you've seen your best days. That's when you have to dig down deep and say, father, thank you that you have beauty for these ashes. You said weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Lord, thank you that there are good days up ahead. Every day you make this choice to stay in faith, to have a good attitude when it's not fair to believe. When nothing is improving, you can't see it. But God is working behind the scenes. He's making things happen that you couldn't make Happen as a part of the healing process every day. This young lady texted her father's number and told what went on that day and what she was feeling. It was her way of staying close to her father. She told him how she had overcome cancer, how she had finished college and graduated with honors. Not just the good things she texted about the boyfriend that broke her heart. Some of the other challenges she had faced. All the while, she thought she was doing this just to help her heal, to help her move forward. But on the fourth anniversary of her father's death, the young lady received a response from the number she had been texting. She thought it was no longer working, but the text said, my name is Brad. Three years ago, I lost my daughter in a car accident. Your texts every day have been what's keeping me going. He went on to tell her how proud he was of her, how proud her father would be. The young lady said that was her sign that everything was okay, that she could let her father rest in peace. Today she's moving forward and doing great things. When life throws us a curve, it's easy to take the venom, go around poisoned with a chip on our shoulder. If you'll keep moving forward, God will give you beauty for those ashes. He didn't bring you this far to leave you. That loss, the disappointment, the bad break didn't stop his plan. He has you in the palm of his hand. There are great days up ahead. Let that poison stay in you. Take the anti venom. Believe that God is in control and that your latter days will be better than your former days. In Numbers 21, the Israelites were in the desert, headed toward the promised land. God had given them victory over different armies, parted the Red Sea, freed them from slavery. But they got tired of traveling through the desert. They begin to complain and be disgruntled. They said, moses, there's nothing good to eat out here. We can't stand this manna anymore. Why did you bring us to the desert to die? Let's just go back to Egypt and be slaves again. They started talking bad about Moses stirring up trouble. The scripture says poisonous snakes came into their camp and many of them were bitten and died. After all God has done for us, when we're tempted to complain, be discontent. That's shaky ground here. God was giving them manna each morning, supernaturally providing food in the desert. But they were finding fault. The next verse says they came running back to Moses and said, moses, we have sinned. It's funny how quickly their attitude changed. Trouble has a way of helping Us have the right perspective. They went on to say, moses, please pray that God will take away these snakes. One moment they were talking bad about Moses, the next moment they were asking him to pray for them. If you're going to be a leader, if God's going to trust you with influence, sometimes you have to pray for people who were criticizing you the day before. You have to be good to someone that doesn't deserve your goodness. I'm sure Moses was tempted to say, yeah, I would love to pray for you. God, send more snakes. God, get rid of the rest of them. But if you're going to pass this test, you have to swallow your pride and do the right thing, even though they don't deserve it. It's interesting what God told Moses to do. He said, make a bronze snake, put it up on a pole, and everyone that looks up at that snake will be healed. Why would he choose a snake? That's what they were trying to get rid of. You would think God would say, make a bronze dove or make a bronze ark of the covenant. But God took the very thing that was the problem and turned it into the solution. That's what the scripture says. What the enemy meant for harm, God turns to your advantage. The snakes didn't stop biting them. They weren't free from trouble. But from then on, anyone who looked up at that bronze snake was healed. Years later, Jesus was talking to Nicodemus. He said in John chapter three, just as Moses lifted up the snake on a pole in the wilderness, so I, the Son of man, will be lifted up on a pole, and everyone that looks up and believes in me will have eternal life. Moses having the bronze snake on a pole was foreshadowing Jesus dying on the cross. But the snake represents evil. Jesus represents good. How could that be? Paul said in second Corinthians, jesus became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God. He became what he wasn't so we could become who we were created to be on that cross. Jesus took all of our failures, all of our shame, our guilt. And now whoever looks up to the Son and believes in him will live. My question is, what are you looking at? Your circumstances, how big the problem is? This virus has me so worried. You need to look up. There's healing when you look up. There's freedom when you look up. There's victory when you look up. There's salvation when you look up. Don't go through life looking down, thinking this problem is too big. It's never going to work out. I've been through too much. Get a new perspective. The forces that are for you are greater than the forces that are against you. You may have been bitten by mistakes, bitten by divorce, bitten by hurts, but that is not how your story ends. That poison doesn't have the final say. God is saying, look up, you haven't seen your best days. Healing is coming, promotion is coming. The right people are coming. Well, Joel, sounds good, but I've made a lot of mistakes. Join the crowd. We all have. Look up, there's forgiveness. Look up, there's mercy. Look up, there's another chance. Look up, there's a God that doesn't give up on you. The scripture says the calling on your life is is irrevocable. Well, I've gone through loss. I've had bad breaks. My relationship didn't work out. Look up, there are new beginnings. Look up, there are divine connections. Look up, there is beauty for those ashes. After Jesus was crucified, two women went to the tomb early Easter morning to anoint his body. They noticed the huge stone to the entrance was rolled away. They were puzzled. They went in and saw a young man wearing a bright white robe sitting next to where the body should be. They didn't realize he was an angel. They stood there in awe, knowing something special was happening. The angel said, don't be amazed. You're looking for Jesus. He's not here. He has risen. The angel was saying, in effect, you have good intentions, but you're looking too low. You're looking from a natural point of view. You need to look up. What God is going to do in your life is not going to be ordinary. It's not going to happen like it happened for your relatives, those that you grew up with. You're going to stand out. You're going to break molds. You're going to set new standards where God has taken you. No one in your family has gone. Now, don't have a small vision. Don't go around looking low, thinking you've reached your limits. God is about to do a new thing, something that you haven't seen. He's going to open doors you never dreamed would open, take you places that you couldn't go on your own. In Acts chapter 28, the apostle Paul was a prisoner en route to Rome to stand before Caesar. The boat he was sailing on encountered a huge storm and broke apart. He and the crew grabbed pieces of the boat and swam to the shore. They were on a small island named Malta. When Paul went to gather wood to build a fire, a poisonous snake Bit his arm here. Paul had just survived a shipwreck, justified the odds. Now the first thing that happened was this venomous viper latched to his arm and released the poison. Paul didn't panic, he didn't fall apart. He simply shook the snake off and went about his business. Well, the local people knew exactly what was going to happen. They had seen this again and again. Paul was going to swell up, get sick and suddenly die. They thought, too bad, he'll be gone in a little while. An hour went by, he was fine. Two hours, nothing wrong. Eight hours, still healthy. Verse 6 says. When they waited a long time and saw that no harm came to him, they decided Paul was a God. They weren't far off. He was a son of God. Yes, there will be times. We get bit in life. Bit by sickness, bit by a divorce, bit by a loss. Things happen we didn't see coming. But like with Paul, that poison is not going to have any effect on you. You have the anti venom. What stops others is not going to stop you. The most high God is pushing back forces of darkness. He's ordering your steps, making crooked places straight. What he's purpose for your life will come to pass. The scripture says God destroyed the works of the enemy. That word destroyed in the original language means to not have its intended purpose. When the snake bites and releases that venom, its purpose is to take you out. You should swell up, get sick and die like everyone else. But because God destroyed the works of the enemy, it's not going to have its intended purpose. The sickness came to my mother in 1981. Its purpose was to end her life. But it didn't have its intended purpose. God has the final say. Nothing can snatch you out of his hands. When my father went to be with the Lord in 1999, the enemy intended for Lakewood to go down, fade away, have no more impact. But that loss didn't have its intended purpose. God had another plan. That we would expand, reach more people, help, have greater influence. Don't get discouraged when negative things come. We can't pray away all the difficulties. But when you realize it's not going to have its intended purpose, then you can stay in faith. The divorce, that betrayal, that slowdown in the economy should sour your life. But it's not going to be what it looks like. People are going to look at you like they did Paul and think how are they thriving when they should be surviving? How is she so blessed after going through that rough childhood? How is he still so strong, happy, successful? After that bad break in his business. It's because what the enemy sent to stop you is not going to have its intended purpose. When that snake bites, don't panic. Don't fall apart. Just shake it off and keep moving forward. Keep thanking God that he's fighting your battles. Keep thanking him that what was meant for harm, he's turning to your advantage. I read something interesting about a honeybee. It's one of the few bees that when it stings, it leaves its stinger. It just has one sting and then it's done. The next time it goes to sting, there's nothing there. It's like having a gun with one bullet, a boxer with one punch. You, you better make it count because that's your only chance. Two thousand years ago, the enemy came against Jesus. What he didn't realize is, like that honeybee, he only had one chance. He did his best to defeat Jesus. He was crucified on the cross. Jesus breathed his last breath and died. It looked like the sting was successful. Satan was rejoicing, thinking he had won. But on the third day, Jesus came out of the grave. He said, I was dead, but I'm alive forevermore and I have the keys to death and hell. The good news is the enemy doesn't have his stinger anymore. He tried his best, but his best was not enough. That's why Paul said, O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? We can live from a place of faith knowing that God has removed the stinger from the enemy. He has rendered him powerless. What he brings against you is not going to have its intended purpose. The blood of the Lamb is greater than any poison that's trying to stop you. Now put your shoulders back. Hold your head up high. The most powerful force in the universe is breathing in your direction. Friends, you have the cure. Now get up every morning, take your medicine. Dwell on what God says about you. If you'll do this, I believe and declare. Chains that have held you back are being broken. Favor is coming. Healing is coming. Promotion is coming. The fullness of your destiny in Jesus name. Well, I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Let me challenge you. Get into a good Bible based church and keep God first place.
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We all go through disappointments and things
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that are not fair.
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But God sees every hurt, every injustice,
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and he's promised to pay you back
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for the unfair things. I'd love to send you my new resource, Double for your Trouble. It's filled with inspiration to help you stay in faith and not get bitter
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and think, why me?
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That setback may have been painful, but the fact is it sets you up for Double. God will make the enemy pay and bring you out better than you were before.
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Ministry Announcer
This ministry is reaching people around the world with the message of hope and as our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount, we would like to send you A copy of Double for your Trouble A Daily Guide for Restoration. This 31 day spiral bound resource is an invitation into healing, restoration and the abundant life God has promised. Whether you're walking through a season of loss, believing for a breakthrough or simply looking for a deeper connection with God, this guide is designed to help you reflect, realign and rebuild day by day. Receive your copy and know that whatever you're facing today, grief, loss, uncertainty, it doesn't define your future. Choose to trust God. He sees you, he cares deeply and he is the God who restores Double.
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Joel Osteen
None of us like difficulties, but if you'll stay in faith, you won't come out the same. You'll come out with Double. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day. Thank you for your prayers and support. Your donations are bringing hope to people around the world. Special thank you to our Champion of
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Hope partners for all you do to
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make the ministry possible. Until we see you again next week, May the Lord bless you and keep you.
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Ministry Announcer
Be sure to request your copy of Double for your Trouble, available this month by simply visiting us@joellostein.com or call 888-567 Joel. You can also receive God's Got yout Restoration Duo. This book is a powerful reminder that no matter what you face, you are not alone. God's got you and he will never let you go. In addition to these two inspiration books, you can also receive the Double Portion Restoration Bible Collection. This beautifully curated collection brings together the restoring of hope of Double for your Trouble and the comforting reassurance of God's Got you. Paired with a stunning CSB Thinline Bible Digital Study Edition in Camel Suede Soft Leather touch, this elegant Bible offers a rich, immersive study experience, an enduring companion as you lean into God's promises of renewal and restoration. Let these resources strengthen your faith, steady your heart and remind you each day that God is restoring, leading and working Double on your behalf. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567 Joel or logging on to jolostein.com today.
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Joel Osteen
If you've never been to Lakewood, we have a great opportunity to come. We call it Homecoming Weekend.
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We'd love to meet you and your family.
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You can see the building and attend
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one of the services and it's a
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great time to be a part of the Lakewood family. Looking forward to seeing you at Homecoming weekend.