Don't Ignore The Warnings | Joel Osteen

Hi, this is Joel in 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. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media, and you can come visit us in person. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. Now I'd like to start with something funny. I heard about these three aspiring psychiatrists, William, Julie, and Bubba. They were taking their first test on emotional extremes. The professor asked William, what is the opposite of sadness? He replied, happiness. The professor asked Julie, what is the opposite of depression? She replied, joy. The professor asked Bubba, what is the opposite of woe? W-O-E. Bubba looked kind of puzzled, and after a long pause, he replied, giddy up. All right, y'all, 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 don't ignore the warnings. God can see things that we can't see. He knows what's going to happen long before we do. There are traps the enemy has set to try to hinder us and cause us trouble. There are paths that look good to us, but they end in frustration. We look on the surface and think, this person seems fine, but God knows what their motives are. He knows hidden agendas. The business deal seems exciting. This new door that opened, but God knows where the dead ends are, things that would waste our time. Before we get off course, before we make a major mistake, God will always give us a warning. In your spirit, there will be an unrest, an uneasiness, like an alarm is going off. Saying, don't do that. Something is not right. Stay away from that person. Don't take that deal. Don't do that to us, but you have to trust that God has your best interest at heart. He wouldn't be warning you if there was not danger up ahead. His warnings are not about limiting you, keeping you from your dreams, taking something away. It's about protection. It's about avoiding heartache and staying on the best path. You have to be sensitive to what you're feeling on the inside. Don't override the unrest. Don't go against that uneasiness. It's not God speaking to you. It's a still, small voice, not in your mind, but in your spirit. Sometimes we feel the uneasiness. The alarm is going off, but we keep overriding it. You hear that whisper, you need to treat your spouse better. Quit saying condescending things. You need to take care of yourself. Quit eating so much junk. Quit staying up so late, watching TV. You feel that unrest, that nudging that you need to change. God said in Psalms, I will guide you along the best path for your life. That's the promise. God is going to guide you, but the next verse is the key. Don't be like a senseless mule and have to have a bit and bridle to stay under control. God is saying, I'm going to guide you, but don't be stubborn. Don't ignore my warnings. Don't keep turning off the alarm. You know what happens, even in the natural, you wake up in the morning and you hit the snooze button, fall back asleep, goes off in 10 minutes and wakes you up. You hit snooze again, fall back asleep. If you do that long enough, you'll get to where you don't hear the alarm. It doesn't wake you up anymore. You become desynthesized to it. It's not that the alarm stopped working, it's that you train yourself to ignore it in the same way. Every time you override the unrest, you go against what you're feeling. They go, I can handle it, Joel. It's fine, I'm going to be careful. I'll deal with it later. You're hitting the snooze button. The alarm is becoming less and less effective. You can get to the point where you don't hear it at all. It's not that God is not speaking, it's that you've ignored the warning so long, the alarm doesn't have any effectiveness. There's a lot of unnecessary pain we go through, unnecessary hurt and disappointment, because we're not going to be able to get hurt and disappointment, because we're not sensitive to what God is saying. We override what we're feeling. Now the beauty is God knows how to work all things for good. He can still turn it around, but it's much better to avoid it in the first place. Are there warnings God is giving you but you're ignoring? Are there things you know you need to change but you keep putting it off? God is not trying to punish you, delay you, limit you. It's to protect you. He can see things you can't see. He knows what's coming. If we'll pay attention, we can avoid a lot of heartache and trouble. This is what happened with Noah. Hebrews 11 says, By faith, Noah being warned by God of things not yet seen, moved with holy fear and built an ark. Noah was going along fine, had a great family, blessed in his business, but something was coming that he couldn't see. He had no way of knowing danger was up ahead. That there was going to be a flood. It had never rained. They had no concept of water flooding and causing problems. No technology to forecast weather, predict storms. This was totally foreign, but God knows everything that's coming. The storms, the traps, the trouble, the people with wrong motives, the opportunities that look good, but are dead ends. He's not going to let you walk into danger without giving you warnings. That alarm will go off. That uneasiness, where you know you need to be careful. Noah could have dismissed it. There was no visible evidence that rain was coming. No clouds, no thunder. I'm sure he thought, man, I must have heard God wrong. This is far out. No, he moved with holy fear and built an ark. He had such a reverence for God, such a trust that he acted on what he heard. Holy fear is knowing that God is protecting you from something that could cause heartache, that could set you back. Noah knew if he didn't heed that warning that he and his family were in jeopardy. This wasn't a light task. It took 120 years to build the ark. You could imagine the people that came by and made fun. There's that crazy guy who was in the middle of a boat in the middle of the desert, but Noah had a secret. He had been warned of things not yet seen. People couldn't see it. The experts couldn't see it. The weathermen couldn't forecast it. But God saw it. He knows what's coming. Had Noah ignored that warning, we wouldn't be talking about him. Because he obeyed, it saved him and his family. Some warnings, if you'll act on them and do what you know God's telling you to do, it'll not only save you, but it'll save your children. It'll impact your family and future generations. My prayer is that when we hear the alarm, we do like Noah and move with holy fear. We don't take it lightly. We don't dismiss it. Maybe I'll deal with it later. I don't see anything wrong, Joel. What's this hurting? We have such respect and such confidence in what God is keeping us from that we don't delay. We don't play around. We have a holy fear. It's a knowing that even though I may not understand this, God is keeping me from trouble and heartache. He didn't have to warn us. He could have let us do our own thing. Good luck. Big floods coming. Sorry. It's going to be devastating. But in his mercy, he's watching over us. Guiding us down the best path. Warning us of floods, famines, dead-ends. Let's be Noah's. He listened to the warnings. He obeyed what God told him to do. Here's the key. Ignoring warnings doesn't make the danger disappear. It just means you're not prepared for it. Noah could have said, I'm not going to build a boat. Life is good. That wouldn't have stopped the flood. He just wouldn't have had a way out. When you feel these warnings, it's for your own good to keep you from unnecessary trouble. It may not be something big. You just hear that still, small voice telling you, don't go to lunch with that person. Don't text with them all day. Don't let them get close. Your mind, your reasoning says, why not? I like them. They're fun. Are you going to hit the snooze button? Ignore the warning? Do what you want? Or are you going to take heed and obey what you're feeling? God is not trying to limit you. He's wanting to protect you. He can see what you can't see. He knows people's motives. Sometimes there are hidden agendas. That person that wants to get close to you, so they can take from you. They don't care about you. They care about what you can do for them. People are not always who they say they are. We see the outside and what they present, but God sees the motives. He knows what they're really up to. When you understand the alarms, the unrest, the warnings are for your good. That it's God protecting you. That it's not a negative thing. You're grateful. You want to obey. You know that's God watching over you and keeping you on the best path. Years ago, Victoria and I came across this business opportunity that seems so great. It's like a once in a lifetime chance. The man we would partner with was a good Christian man. Love God. We loved the ministry. I was in my 20s and it fell into our laugh and I knew it was the hand of God. We proceeded with great excitement and enthusiasm. We were just going to take a couple of years to get it all going. During the six months that we were drawing up the contracts, I began to feel this uneasiness, this unrest, but I wanted it so badly I pushed it down. I thought that's just my nerves. When I saw facts and figures I would discount it. I think that's not going to bother us. We'll be the exception. Over and over, I'd hear that still small voice saying, Joel, this is not what it looks like. You don't know all the facts. I kept ignoring it. At one point, even my father said, Joel, I don't know if I feel good about this. Are you sure? It's a great idea. I said, Daddy, I am so sure. This is an amazing opportunity. There were all these warnings, but if you get it your way, you're only going to be happy. If you do what you want, then you'll keep pushing that alarm down and keep ignoring the warnings. We ended up getting the business going, but it was never what it was promised to be. Never took off. There were things we didn't know until we got it running that would limit us and cause it to not flourish. Now God ended up making it all work out, but the fact is that it was a heartache that was unnecessary. I could have avoided that if I had simply listened to the still small voice, if I had not been so stubborn. I thought what I was feeling would limit me. That it was keeping me from my dreams, but now I realize it was trying to protect me and keep me from wasting my time. I've learned now to listen to the warnings. I don't go against what I feel on the inside. God has your best interest at heart. He's not trying to hold you back. He's guiding you down the best path for your life. You can't see what's up ahead. You don't know what's coming, the dead ends, the detours, the floods. I didn't know that was going to be a bust, that they weren't telling me all the facts, but like with Noah, God will warn you of things you can't see. He'll whisper to your spirit, be careful. Go slow. Watch out. Maybe a feeling. Not even a voice, but an uneasiness. Well, you know it's not right. Instead of ignoring it, having to have our way, let's have that holy fear. We don't delay. I'll do it later. We're not stubborn. I don't want to change. We don't take it lightly, play around with our destiny. Like Noah, we obey when we don't understand. We trust when it doesn't make sense. We recognize God is protecting us and keeping us from unnecessary trouble and heartache. On April 10th, 1912, the Titanic set off for its maiden voyage. It was the largest moving object ever built by humans. It wasn't just a ship, it was a statement. Three football fields long, a swimming pool, grand staircases, over 110 years ago. It was described as the safest ship ever built. Unsinkable and engineering marvel. Over 2,000 people on board and so many celebrities and world leaders. They're to be a part of history. But four days into the journey, the captain of the Titanic received multiple messages from other ships, saying there was danger up ahead. There were icebergs to proceed with caution and the captain of the Titanic was on the other route. Another large ship traveling that same path stopped and wouldn't go any further. But not the Titanic. The captain got the warning after warning after warning, but he thought, we're the Titanic. They've never seen a ship like us. We're too advanced, too strong and too important to slow down. The whole world was watching all these celebrities and leaders. And I'm certainly not going to turn around. What would people think of me? Changing course would seem weak. He was hearing the alarms. Other ships were sending messages, but he wouldn't listen. When the ship hit these huge icebergs, the unthinkable happened. It began to sink. 1,500 people lost their lives. One message of the Titanic is don't ignore warnings. Don't think you're too invincible to sink. Don't let pride and what people will think cause you to sail into icebergs and miss your destiny. Be willing to change. Be willing to stop and turn around. Listen to those warnings. They're not there to restrict you, to control you. They're there to keep you from sinking. From getting into things that are going to pull you down. Had the captain had more humility, had he been willing to change course, to listen to others, this would have been a different outcome. Unlike the Titanic it's not too late for us. There's still time for you to make a course correction. To heed the warnings. To listen to what God is saying to you. Don't be too proud. With you all I know I need to bite my tongue. Not be condescending. Not be argumentated. Those are icebergs. They can sink you. They can ruin relationships. They can feel that unrest. Now you may have pushed it down a long time. It's not as loud, but there's still danger up ahead. Why don't you heed that warning? Why don't you have some holy fear? Recognize that God is trying to protect you from trouble and heartache. But sometimes we think we're like the Titanic. We're invincible. We're so strong, disciplined. We'd never compromise or let our guard down. The Scripture says, be careful when you stand lest you fall. You have to walk in humility. Don't be a know-it-all where you can't take any advice. You don't have any weaknesses. It's always someone else that's a problem. That was the captain of the Titanic. Your boats are lesser. You don't have what I have. I'm not impacted by the icebergs. I don't have to change course. In other words, I don't have to forgive. I don't have to deal with this temper, this addiction. Or it's okay for me to hang around this person that I don't feel good about. The problem is those things can sink your ship. You would think the captain of the Titanic with so many lives on board would put down his pride and listen to the warnings. But he was careless. He wasn't responsible. I would like to think if I got that warning and there were icebergs up ahead and I had a ship full of people, I would have some holy fear. I would say to the other boats thank you for letting me know. That's critical information that can keep us from tragedy. Sometimes we discount the warning. Like that captain, we're careless. We don't take it seriously. We let pride blind us. When you hear that warning, that still small voice, be quick to obey. That's God keeping you from unnecessary trouble. When Jesus was about to be born King Herod heard the news that was prophesied that this baby would be the Messiah the king of the Jews. Herod was jealous and afraid that he would lose power and respect among the people. These three wise men came from afar to bring gifts to Jesus. They stopped by Jerusalem looking for him. When Herod found out, he called them into the palace and questioned what they knew about this baby and when they first saw the star. He told them in verse 8 go to Bethlehem, search for Jesus, and when you find him, come back and tell me so I can worship him too. The truth is Herod didn't want to worship Jesus. He wanted to kill Jesus. He was threatened by all the reports. Well, the wise men didn't know this. They never met Herod. Only heard of him. I'm sure they thought, yeah, as soon as we find him, we'll come back and let you know. But God knows what people's motives are. Herod was saying one thing but his intentions were something else. He was trying to trick them into giving away Jesus' location so he could put an end to him. Every voice that sounds sincere doesn't have your best interest at heart. God knows how to protect you. He'll whisper to your spirit, beware. They sound good, but they're not who they say they are. They're friendly. They say the right things, but they have hidden agendas. If you'll listen to the warnings, God will keep you from trouble. These wise men went to Bethlehem and found baby Jesus. They presented their gifts and worshiped him. They were about to go back and tell Herod the good news. But the Scripture says they were warned in a dream to not go back to Jerusalem but to return to their country by another route. Look at how God protects us and keeps us on the best path. Herod seemed like a friend. He was helpful, gracious. They didn't know any better. But when they woke up from that dream after hearing that warning, they had a holy fear. They acted on what God was telling them and went back a different route. When Herod found out, he was furious. His true intentions came out. He issued a decree that all the Hebrew male babies, two years old and under, would be killed. One moment Herod was saying, I want to worship this child. Wise men, you're my friends. The next moment, he's trying to kill them all. There are dangers up ahead that we can't see. People we meet that have hidden agendas, floods that are coming we don't know to prepare for. But like God did for these wise men, like he did for Noah, he's going to warn you of things up ahead that you don't know. Now, pay attention to what you're feeling. Don't override it. Don't reason it out. This doesn't make sense. The wise men could have thought, we don't want to go back the long way. It's not going to hurt to go through Jerusalem. Herod likes us. No, Herod was too faced. He had hidden agendas. God will protect you from too faced people. People that act like they like you, but really it's just the opposite. They say one thing with their words, but in their heart is something different. Is God warning you about something you're not acting on? Do you hear that still small voice but you keep putting it off? There's danger up ahead that God's trying to keep you from. There's trouble and heartache you can avoid. Icebergs that don't have to sink your ship, but you have to heed the warning. Have that holy fear, that reverence knowing that the creator of the universe cares so much about you that he's giving you this inside information, what you can't see up ahead. He's going to protect you and keep you on the best path for your life. I have a friend that's very successful and he's married to a beautiful woman, two children, but at one point he and his wife weren't getting along. They still loved each other, but there were petty things. They were letting come between them, arguing, being short and unfriendly. In the big picture it was nothing, but this man let it get down in him and it changed who he was. He quit treating her the way he knew he should, not giving her time, not being kind, respectful. This went on for several months, just contention and strife and they started to grow apart. One night he had a dream and in this dream he saw his wife with another man. They were laughing and having fun, so happy and friendly. It was as vivid and real as could be and he woke up in a cold sweat. He said, Joel, I heard God saying to me, if you don't change and start treating her right, you're going to lose what I've given you. It was like a holy fear came over him. He knew he was at a critical point. That day he started treating her better, being kind and respectful, having fun, doing things with the family. Today they're as happy and fulfilled as can be. God will always give us warnings. The question is, are we listening? Are we making changes? Doing like Noah, building our ark? Like the wise men going back a different way? Or are we stubborn, pushing it down too busy? Mary gave birth to Jesus. They're in this stable. The shepherds came to worship and they left. The wise men gave their gifts and they went on their way. After all the excitement and celebration seemed so peaceful and so calm, they could finally relax. But the Scripture says, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, get up, take your child and his mother and flee to Egypt, for Herod is going to try to kill him. Joseph went out, didn't see any soldiers, didn't hear of any trouble, nothing looked wrong. He could have thought this doesn't make sense. We're tired, we just had a baby. We don't want to travel. But the next verse says, Joseph got up that same night and left for Egypt. He heard the warning and didn't even wait till morning. God give us that kind of obedience. Help us to have that kind of holy fear that when we hear the still small voice, when we feel the unrest, that knowing to make a change, we don't question it, we don't debate it, negotiate, maybe later, no, just do it. God is protecting you from what you can't see. There's harm and trouble that you can avoid. Don't delay, don't talk yourself out of it. But obedience brings protection. Ignoring warnings bring unnecessary trouble. Maybe God is dealing with you about something that you keep putting off. You hear the alarm, but you keep hitting the snooze button. Not now, I don't feel like it. Don't be a Joseph. This is the time to take action, to make changes so God can keep you on the best path. Don't be stubborn. I've learned God will always get his way, but sometimes we take the long route. We make it much more difficult. When he whispers, stay away from that person. Treat your spouse better. Go to bed early, get more rest. Don't be like the captain of the Titanic. Hear the warnings and think, it's not going to affect me. I can make it through these icebergs. Don't fool yourself. God wouldn't be warning you if there wasn't danger up ahead, if it wasn't going to bring trouble. Here's the good news. You can make a course correction. You can be a Joseph and do it now. You can be a Noah and have a holy fear to obey what God's telling you. This is how you avoid unnecessary difficulties. Now do your part. Don't ignore the warnings. If you'll do this, I believe and declare God is going to protect you and keep you on the best path. You will have inside information to avoid unnecessary heartache and trouble, and you will live the life of victory that belongs to you in Jesus' name. If you receive it, can you say amen? 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. We'd love to send you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. You can text the number on the screen or go to the website. But I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. 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's set 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 is 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. Victor and I pray for you and your family today. 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 www.jolosteen.com or call 888-567-JOL. 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 Thistle. Digital Study Edition in Camelswade 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, 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 joelosteen.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. www.homecomingweekend.com