Staying Full of Hope | Joel Osteen

Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoyed today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend? We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you. Always a joy to come into your homes. We love you and we know God has great things in store. We pray for you every single day. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services. We'd love to have you. I promise you we'll make you feel right at home, but thanks so much for tuning in today and thank you again for coming out. I like to start with something funny each week and I heard about this new police recruit. He was taking his final exam, was in the front of this big classroom, and the sergeant asked him, what would you do if you had to arrest your own mother-in-law? Without missing a beat, he said, call for backup. 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 staying full of hope. God has put dreams and desires in every one of our hearts. We all have goals we want to accomplish, situations we're believing to turn around. But so often when it's taken a long time and things are not working out, it's easy to lose our enthusiasm. And that's when the negative thoughts come saying it's never going to change. You're never going to get well. You're never going to get out of debt. That child is never going to straighten up. And if we're not careful, we'll get discouraged and we end up just settling where we are. Many times we miss out on God's best because we gave up too soon. We didn't realize how close we were to our victory. Just another few days of believing, another few weeks of doing the right thing, or another few months of staying in faith and we would see that promise come to pass. Some of you right now, you're on the verge of seeing a major victory. You are so close to seeing that situation turn around. That answer you've been praying about is just right around the corner. You can't afford to get discouraged. You can't afford to give up now. That's what the scripture says in Hebrews 10 35. Do not cast away your confidence for it will be richly rewarded. That's saying, if we will stay in faith, if we will keep believing, keep hoping, keep doing the right thing, God promises there will be a reward. One translation says, don't get discouraged. Payday is coming. When you're tempted to get down, things are not going your way. You need to keep telling yourself, this may be hard. It may be taken a long time, but I know God is a faithful God. I'm going to keep believing knowing that my payday is on its way. One thing I've learned is whenever it gets difficult and it seems like the intensity has been turned up, that's a sign you are close to your victory. When those lies are bombarding your mind, you're tempted to get discouraged. You feel like throwing in the towel. No, that's not the time to give up. That's not the time to back down. That's the time to dig your heels in. Put on a new attitude. You are close to your victory. And I know some of you have had a lot of things come against you. It seems like the more you pray, the worse it gets. You're doing the right thing, but the wrong thing's happening. Maybe you're treating somebody kind and respectful, but they're being kind of discourteous back to you. The easy thing is to say, forget it. I don't have to put up with this. This marriage is never going to work. I'll never be able to raise this child or I don't like this job. No, instead of getting discouraged, instead of going around all sour, you need to have the attitude, I've come too far to stop now. I've been through too much to back down. I realize the reason the intensity has been turned up is because I'm about to give birth to my dreams. I talked to a couple just last week and they told how their son had gotten on the wrong course. He was running with the wrong crowd and had some addictions he needed to overcome. And they were doing everything they could to help him. They found him a new place to live, away from his old friends. They got him involved in a support group. They were praying more than ever. But they said, Joel, it seems like the more we pray, the more we try, the more we believe, the worse he gets. They were so concerned. But I told them what I'm telling you. The reason the intensity has been turned up is because you're close to your victory. The enemy would not be fighting him so hard if he didn't already know he was about to lose his grip on him. If you will keep believing, keep hoping, keep doing the right thing, before long, you'll give it that final push and you'll see the situation turn around. You'll see that promise come to pass. It's just like a woman that's having a baby. The first month or two is not that difficult. It's no big deal. She looks and feels just the same. But then in a few months, she starts to gain the weight. She has to carry around the extra pounds. Her feet may swell up. Her back may hurt. She may have some nausea, some morning sickness. By the eighth or the ninth month, husbands, you know, you better give that woman some space. Don't mess with mama. Don't back talk her. just do what she says and nobody will get hurt. It gets more and more uncomfortable. But then when her water breaks and she goes into labor, all those other challenges seem insignificant compared to the difficulty of giving birth. I remember when Victoria was in labor with our first child, our son, Jonathan, she was holding onto my arm right here so tight. And when she'd have a contraction, she would squeeze my arm and she would scream and I would scream. I wanted to mention to her that it was hurting me, but I feared for my life. But the truth be known, when a woman is in labor, if she had a choice, she'd probably say, I don't want to do this anymore. It's too difficult. I can't stand it. But no, she doesn't have a choice. The doctor, the nurse, the husband keeps saying, push, push, push. Before long, she pushes that baby out. And in a few minutes, she forgets all about the pain because she's holding the promise. She's holding that little child. And really, it's the same principle in life. The same principle in life. The greatest difficulty is always right before the birth. Before we see a new level of God's favor, don't be surprised if things come against you to try to discourage you. People try to talk you out of your dreams to convince you to just settle where you are Some of you right now you don't realize it, but you're in labor You're about to give birth to what god's put in your heart. That's why it's such a struggle. You're in that final push Maybe at work. You're doing the right thing going the extra mile, but you got passed over for that promotion It wasn fair What was that a labor pain just pushed through it Maybe you wanted to start that new business but your partner backed out The financing didn come through What was that Another labor pain. If you'll keep pushing, keep believing, keep hoping before long, like that woman, you're going to push that promise out. I know some of you today, you feel like you've never had such a struggle, maybe in your finances or your health or your relationships, you could say, Joel, this is the greatest attack that I've ever faced. But instead of getting down and thinking, poor old me, learn to turn it around and say, yes, this is the greatest attack that I've ever been through, but I know that means I'm headed for the greatest victory that I've ever seen. Remember, it's always darkest right before the dawn. You're about to give birth to that promise. Not long ago, I was in Colorado. I got up early one morning to go for a hike. There was this mountain trail that was about three miles up. And at the base, there was a sign that said it should take about three hours to get to the top. And when I looked at the mountain, it was kind of intimidating. It was not only extremely steep, but the altitude, even at the base, was 8,000 feet above sea level. And it went up to nearly 11,000 feet. and just walking up the stairs, I could feel myself breathing heavier than normal. And I wasn't real sure that I could make it to the top, but I started out with just my cell phone and a bottle of water. I had a pretty good pace going. First 15 minutes seemed fairly easy. The next 15 minutes got a little more difficult. I was breathing heavier and had to stop every so often to catch my breath. And about 45 minutes in, the trail got extremely steep, almost like I was climbing straight up. And I'm in shape. I'm a runner, but my legs were burning. My chest was pounding. And I thought to myself, if there's another two hours like this, I don't know if I'm going to make it. And I'd just come over this big ridge and I had to stop to catch my breath. I could feel that sweat pouring off of my body. And the whole time, all morning, I had not seen anyone else on the path. But about that time, this older gentleman came around the curve coming down the mountain. He said one little phrase to me that totally changed my perspective. He didn't know where I was headed. He didn't know what I was thinking. But as he passed me, he smiled and said in a real calm voice, you are closer than you think. When he said that, it was like new life was breathed into my lungs. I could feel strength going into my legs, energy coming into my body, I had that second wind. And from then on out, with every stride, I kept telling myself, I'm closer than I think. Even though it was difficult, even though it was hurting, I kept saying, I'm almost to the top. I know I'm going to make it. And sure enough, just 10 minutes later, I came over these big boulders and I could see the top. I made it in just under an hour. But what's my message? Without his words, I might have turned around. Without his encouragement, without his insight, I might have talked myself out of it. After all, I thought I had two more hours to go, but all I really had was 10 more minutes. Now, I believe God is saying the same thing to every one of you. You are closer than you think. I don't know where you're headed, what your dreams are, how many obstacles you have to overcome. But let these words sink deep down into your spirit. Receive them by faith. You are closer than you think. That means now is not the time to talk yourself out of it. Now is not the time to get discouraged. You may think like I did, that you're not even halfway there. You got so far to go, but you don't know. it may just be up around the corner. You may think it's going to be another two years, but if you stay in faith, who knows? It may just be two more months. You may have struggled with that addiction since you were a teenager, but you don't know how close you are to breaking it. God is wanting to breathe new life into your dreams. He's wanting to breathe new hope into your heart. Some of you are about to give up on a marriage, on a child, on a goal, but God is saying if you'll get your second wind, if you'll put on a new attitude and press forward like you're headed down the final stretch, you'll see God begin to do amazing things. You may be tired. You may be tempted to get discouraged, but you've got to shake that off and start talking to yourself. Instead of saying things like, man, I'm never going to get there. I'm never going to break this addiction. I'm never going to get out of this problem. No, your declaration should be, I am closer than I think. I know I can raise this child. I can overcome this sickness. I can make this business work. Weeping may endure for a night, but I know joy is coming in the morning. You got to get up each day knowing this could be the day you get the break you need. This could be the day you see your health start to turn around. This could be the day your child comes back home. You single people, this could be the day you meet the man or woman of your dreams. Zechariah 9 verse 12 says that we should be prisoners of hope. It's easy to give up. It's easy to get discouraged. But God wants us to be so full of hope, so full of expectancy, that we just can't help believing for the best. When you're a prisoner of something, it's like you're chained to it. In other words, you can't get away from it. I know people that are prisoners of fear, prisoners of worry, prisoners of doubt. You've heard them. Nothing good ever happens to me. It's never going to change, Joel. It's just been too long. No, you're chained to the wrong thing. You need to break those chains and become a prisoner of hope. That means no matter how long it's taken, no matter how impossible it looks, our attitude should be, I just can't help it. I know it's going to work out. I know I'm going to overcome. It may be taking a long time, but I know this too shall pass. It may be difficult, but I know that means I'm close to my victory. Somebody says to you, what is it with you? You think everything's going to work out? You think you're always going to succeed? Just tell them, I don't think so. I know so. I'm a prisoner of hope. I can't get away from it. I just can't make myself get negative. I just can't make myself start complaining. I've got this hope that's feeding my faith. This hope that's constantly lifting my spirits. They may say, well, I don't know why. I saw the medical report doesn't look good for you. Yes, but I've got another report. It says God is restoring health back into me. Well, I saw your child. I don't think he'll ever do what's right. No, I've got another report. It says, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And understand, you may not see any of this in the natural. It may not look like it's going to come to pass, but that's okay. The scripture says we walk by faith and not by sight. That means we don't have to see it to believe it. It's just the opposite. If we'll believe it, then we'll start to see it. You need to take those dreams those promises God put in your heart and every day declare that they are going to come to pass Just say something like Father I want to thank you that my payday is coming You said no good thing will you withhold because I walk uprightly. And I believe even right now you're arranging things in my favor. Let me ask you, what are you a prisoner of? Fear, worry, self-pity, negativity. No, break those chains and become a prisoner of hope. Expect God's favor. Believe that he's working in your life, even right now. I read about this experiment that was done with these rats. The researchers wanted to see how their attitude affected their will to live. And so they took this rat and put him in a large tub of water with high sides that he could not get out. And they put that tub in a totally dark room and they timed how long the rat would keep swimming before he gave up. The rat lasted a little over three minutes. They then put another rat in the same tub, but this time they allowed a bright ray of light to shine into the room. That rat swam over 36 hours, 700 times more than the rat with no light. Why was that? The rat with no light had no hope. When he looked into his future, he didn't see anything. There wasn't any reason worth living for. And that's what happens when we don't get up expecting God's favor, knowing that we can overcome our obstacles, believing that God's in control. We lose our passion. We lose our enthusiasm. And that's why it's so important, especially in times of difficulty, to keep reminding yourself that the creator of the universe is directing my steps. He has me in the palm of his hands. And even though this is difficult, thought. I know it's just a matter of time before it turns around. I know my payday is coming. Some of you are just about to give up on a dream. You think it's been too long. It's never going to change. It's never going to work out. You've got to get your fire back. Fan that flame. That dream is still alive. Even though it's taken a long time, the good news is God still has a way to bring it to pass. Several years ago, Victoria lost a ring that her mother had given her. It was a diamond band that had been in the family for several generations. And although it was valuable, it had even more sentimental value to us. And sometimes when we go on trips, Victoria would hide the ring different places in our house. And so we looked and looked and looked in every drawer, in every cabinet. I looked behind couches and in between chairs. I mean, I found things that I hadn't seen in 10 years, but never the ring. After a couple of months of looking on and off, I finally had given up. That ring was nowhere to be found. But every few days I would hear Victoria saying, father, thank you that I'm going to find my ring. Thank you that you're leading me and guiding me. And I didn't say anything out loud, but inside being the great man of faith that I am, I thought, Victoria, you are wasting your time. We have turned this house upside down. That ring is just not here. It's funny. Even her mom noticed that she wasn't wearing it much anymore. And she asked her about it. Victoria said, Oh mom, I've got it put away in a really safe place. I thought, yes, so safe that we can't even find it. As the months went by, I probably heard Victoria talking about how she was going to find that ring 500 times. I never once heard her say, it's gone. I've lost it. What am I going to do? She had the attitude, I'm closer than I think. I know any day that ring is going to show up. Three years later, we were driving home from Victoria, Texas, two hours south of Houston. We had just ministered for my brother-in-law, Jim, and my sister, Tamara. Driving on the freeway, 11 o'clock at night, Victoria said, Joel, you better slow down. You're going to get a ticket. I said, I'm not going to get a ticket. I'm only going 70. The speed limit's 65. She said, no, the speed limit's 60 at night. I said, no, it's 65. She said, Joel, I'm telling you, you need to slow down. I kind of laughed and said, Victoria, I've got the favor of God. I'm not going to get a ticket. But God has a sense of humor because just about that time, I looked in my rear view mirror and I saw the red flashing lights. I looked at Victoria and said, you made me get this ticket. The officer came up. He was a real nice, polite young man. He said, I need to see your driver's license. I gave it to him. He said, are you the minister? I said, I am. He said, did you speak at Faith Family Church tonight? I said, I did. That's my sister's church. He said, I know my father was there. He's the head usher. I said, oh man, that's great. He was so nice to me. I had to repent later. I didn't know him from Adam. He kind of laughed and said, well, I need to see your insurance card. And so Victoria started digging and digging through the glove compartment. You know, it was dark and we're a little uptight about being pulled over. Seemed like we could find every card except the right one. And so Victoria started taking all the stuff out and moving it around. And at one point she reached way back in there with her little finger in the crack of the glove compartment. In the dark, she felt something sharp. She kept digging and digging. Sure enough, she pulled it out. Lo and behold, it was her ring. She was so excited. She was so thrilled. she forgot all about looking for the insurance card. I thought, girl, you're rejoicing and I'm about to go to jail. We got to find that card. We finally found it and gave it to the officer. He said, Joel, I'm going to let you go. I just have one request. When I come visit your church, will you save me a seat? I said, officer, I'll save you a whole section. We drove off that night thinking, God, you are so good. I didn't get a ticket and Victoria found her ring. But God works in mysterious ways. I thought about it later and God caused her to find her ring at my expense. But the truth is, Victoria stayed in faith. She had that attitude. I'm closer than I think. I know this young couple, they wanted to sell their house and several people had looked at it, but they didn't really have any good leads. And at that time, the market was kind of low and people were telling them it may take six months, a year, maybe even two years to sell. But this couple had that attitude of faith. They were prisoners of hope. And even though it didn't look good, they kept reminding themselves, we are closer than we think. It could happen any day. This man came back to look at the house a second time. He wanted to spend a couple of hours and really study it and see if it was right for him. And this young couple debated as to whether they should take down their personal pictures, pictures of themselves and their children, just so they could remain more private. But after they thought about it, they just felt good about leaving those pictures where they were. The man came over and looked at the house. A couple hours later, they got a call from the realtor saying the man wanted to purchase the house. And what's interesting is this young couple are faithful members here at Lakewood. And a while back, we took a picture together in the lobby. And they framed it and put it on the bookshelves at their house And this man that purchased the house he told how he and his wife were trying to decide between two different houses going back and forth But he said, when we saw that picture of you and your pastor, we thought these people love God, they go to Lakewood, this must be the house for us. That young man told me later, he said, Joel, did you hear? You helped me sell my house. I said, I heard, now let's talk about commission. But friends, God has all kinds of ways to bring your dreams to pass. He can cause a simple picture to be at the right place at the right time to help you sell a piece of property. He can cause a police officer to pull you over in the middle of the night and help you find something you've been looking for. God is in complete control. I'm asking you to be a prisoner of hope. Get up each day expecting his favor. When those negative thoughts come and it looks impossible, you feel like getting discouraged, just keep telling yourself, I'm closer than I think. Right now, the creator of the universe is lining up things in my favor. The right people, the right breaks, the right opportunities. You say, Joel, I've been through a lot of tough times. You're exactly right. You've been through it. Don't stay there. Put on a new attitude. Disappointments are for a season, but God's favor is for a lifetime. I heard about this man that had a picture up in his office. It was of a large rowboat that had washed up on the beach. The two oars were resting gently in the sand. You could see the ocean off in the distance, 20 or 30 feet away. The boat was too heavy to drag, too big to move. It was just sitting there stuck. It had washed up during the high tide and now it was stranded. The picture wasn't very beautiful, wasn't even inspiring. In fact, it was very depressing. Here this boat that was created to live in the water, to dance on top of the ocean, it was sitting there lifeless, no energy stuck in the sand. But at the very bottom of the picture, there was a small caption. If you didn't look at it carefully, you might miss it. The caption read, the tide always comes back. What's the message? When the tide comes back, the seemingly helpless, lifeless boat will get a new beginning. It comes back to life. A friend saw the picture and said, why did you put this up in your office? It's so depressing. The man told how he'd gone through a great disappointment. He didn't think he'd ever be happy again. He saw the painting at a small antique store and bought it for just a few dollars. Nobody else wanted it. It was too discouraging looking. But he said, every time I looked at it, I said to myself, the tide is coming back. What was he doing? Speaking faith into his heart. He was saying, I'm closer than I think. Things are changing in my favor. You may be here kind of like that man, stuck, stranded. Things aren't going your way. You don't have the energy and enthusiasm that you used to have. But you need to hear these words. The tide is coming back. God is breathing new life into your dreams. You're going to feel the wind of his spirit lift you to where you begin to sail once again. Not just endure life, barely get by, but to even dance on top of the waves. That means to live the abundant life that you were created to live. You need to start telling yourself every day, my tide is coming back. I am closer than I think. It may be difficult, but the good news is that difficulty means you're close to your victory. Don't give up on that dream. Don't give up on that marriage. Don't give up on living a healthy life. It may be difficult, but remember there's a reward for staying in faith. God promises your payday is on its way. And if you'll learn to be this prisoner of hope and get up every day expecting God's favor, you'll see God begin to do amazing things. You'll overcome every obstacle. You'll defeat every enemy. And I believe and declare, you'll see every dream, every promise God's put in your heart. It will come to pass. Amen. If you receive it, can you give the Lord a shout of praise today? We all go through disappointments and things that are not fair, but God sees every hurt, every injustice, and he's promised to pay you back 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 and think, why me? 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. This ministry is reaching people around the world with a 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. 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 Hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. Until we see you again next week, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Double for Your Trouble, available this month by simply visiting us at joelostein.com or call 888-567-JOEL. You can also receive God's Got You 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 in to God's promises of renewal and restoration. Let these resources strengthen your faith, study 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 joelostein.com today. If you've never been to Lakewood, we have a great opportunity to come. We call it Homecoming Weekend. We'd love to meet you and your family. You can see the building and attend one of the services. It's a great time to be a part of the Lakewood family. Looking forward to seeing you at Homecoming Weekend. you