Let Them Walk | 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. 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. But I'd like to start with something funny and I heard about this young man He was a huge football fan He bought two tickets to the super bowl months ahead of time not realizing It was going to be on the same day as his wedding He had paid a couple thousand dollars for each of the tickets So he put an ad on facebook seeing if anyone wanted to go in his place He said it will be at three o'clock first baptist church and her name is tiffany No, don't do that y'all. Here we go 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 let them walk We all have people that god brings across our path that are there for a lifetime Our spouse children friends that we cherish they're loyal stick with us through thick and thin But not every relationship is designed to last forever There are seasons and sometimes a good season will come to an end Who you needed to raise your children may not be the same ones you need when they're grown and gone Other times god has taken you higher You're growing the people that have been with you can't go where you're going. So doors will close One of the hardest things for us is to let people go You have to recognize when their part in your story is over Doesn't mean you can't still be friends, but it's not going to be the same If not, we try to hold on to things that god is finished with When that season is over, there's no grace for it. There's this tension They want to leave but we don't want them to go and now it's a struggle a strain trying to force it to work But when someone wants to walk away, you have to learn to let them walk We spend too much time trying to convince people to stay and we have to play up to them Manipulate Why aren't they calling? Am I not good enough? I hope they come by Do yourself a favor move on with your life Don't waste another minute trying to convince someone to love you call you come see you You are a gift You are a treasure a prized possession If someone doesn't recognize your value They don't treat you like the masterpiece that you are with respect with honor That's a sign that season has changed. You have to move forward God has already ordained divine connections for you People that can't live without you people that love being with you can't wait to see you And sometimes the reason we're not seeing these people is we're holding on to the wrong people Quit chasing someone that doesn't want to be with you Letting them control you Manipulate you Hoping that you'll gain their approval. Then they'll let you in their friend group. Here's the problem If you do convince them they become your friend How you started that relationship is how you're going to have to maintain it It's going to be a constant struggle to keep performing manipulating conniving Solomon said unless the lord builds the house we labor in vain If you'll let god bring your relationships and trust him with who comes into your life Then it's not a struggle You can be who you are You don't live trying to force people to like you lower your standards to be accepted Someone doesn't want to be in your life. It's no big deal. You let them go And it doesn't mean that they're a bad person. Something's wrong with them They're just not right for you at this time Maybe they were fine for a season, but this is a new season And the scripture talks about how god is our doorkeeper He opens and closes doors in our life When god closes a door, there's nothing you can do to keep that door open You can strive and strain try to talk people into staying perform better That's laboring in vain. All that's going to do is wear you out Frustrate you cause you to get bitter Try a new approach and let them go If people can walk away from you, they're not a part of your destiny Don't take it personally. Don't get offended be critical. God is ordering your steps The people he's ordained to be in your life cannot leave You can't get rid of them. They love you no matter what they accept you with no makeup no coffee They come when you don't call they show up when you didn't ask they laugh with you cry with you They don't judge you. You never have to think about performing Manipulating hoping they like you. They're a divine connection. God ordained them to be there Now just the opposite is true The people that are not supposed to be in your life cannot stay It's not up to them. God has closed that door No matter how hard you try How much you serve give play up to it's not going to change Take the pressure off Quit trying to win someone over. That's not supposed to be there We hear that phrase they ghosted me Man, they just disappeared. They didn't call they didn't respond They may have ghosted you but sometimes it's the holy ghost shutting that door They don't even know why It's because god is your doorkeeper He knows who's good for you and who's not Who has the right motives and who's just there for what you can do for them? He knows who will add value and move you further into your destiny and who is a distraction, a dead end, there to get you off course. Bottom line, if someone doesn't want to be your friend, don't waste another second trying to convince them. If you have to perform to stay in a relationship, it's always a struggle. You don't feel like you measure up. They're not for you. That's laboring in vain. Let God build your house. Trust him to bring the right people. And here's the key. You have to be at peace with who walks away And at peace with those who don't accept you Recognize when their part in your story is over You don't have to get bitter live offended God is the one behind the scenes opening and closing doors And that friend may have been great for 10 years then the season changed They not around Or that person walked out on you broke your heart I know that painful but you have to realize if they left you, you didn't need them. If you needed them for your purpose, for your assignment, they would still be there. The scripture says that God will never leave us or forsake us. If they walked out, ghosted you, betrayed you, and you needed them, that would mean God was forsaking you. You can draw the conclusion if they walked away, their part in your story was over. If they don't want to be your friend, you don't need them. If they don't value you, make you feel like you have something to offer, they're not for you. You have to move on. Quit trying to talk people into staying that don't want to stay. Let them walk. Jesus told his disciples, when you go into a city, if they don't accept the message of the good news, they're not for you and they don't want you to be there. He didn't say, man, you got to work harder, spend more time, try to convince them. No, he said, shake the dust off your feet and go on to the next city. He was saying, don't waste your time trying to win people over that are not a part of your destiny. Someone doesn't want to be with you. They don't like you. They don't validate you. Shake the dust off and move on. Accept that they're not a part of your story. If they can walk away, you have to let them walk If you try to convince them it's going to be a constant source of frustration And yes, god can change their mind if they're supposed to be there. He'll turn things around But you're not supposed to live Trying to talk people into liking you being your friend hoping they call God created you in his own image. You have royal blood flowing through your veins He's already lined up people that recognize your value people that love being with you There's a lady in the scripture named naomi Her husband passed away and she became a widow at a young age Ten years later both of her grown sons were killed She was so heartbroken. She decided to move back to her hometown of bethlehem She told her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, that they should move back to their homes as well and go on with their lives. The three of them packed up their belongings and headed out on the road toward Judah. They came to an intersection and stopped. Naomi said, this is where we part ways. You both go that way and I'm going to Bethlehem. The scripture says Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye and headed down the road. Orpah was a good person. She loved Naomi, but now she was leaving. Naomi could have been upset. Thought, man, after all I did for her, she's leaving me in my darkest time when I need her the most. No, Naomi understood this was a new season, that things had changed, that it was okay for her to walk away. She was at peace with who left. She accepted Orpah not being a part of her life in the same way without being critical and bitter toward her. We like to hold on to people and stay here, meet my needs, keep it the same. It's a mark of maturity to let people walk away. Takes trust. You're saying, God, I know you're my doorkeeper. You're opening and closing the doors of relationships in my life. The other daughter-in-law, Ruth, was just the opposite. Naomi tried to get her to leave. She said, Ruth, there's no future going with me. Nothing in Bethlehem for you. You deserve more for your life. She gave her best speech, every opportunity to leave with no guilt. But Ruth said in verse 16, Naomi, I can't leave. I will go wherever you go, live wherever you live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. May the Lord punish me if I allow anything to separate us. How could one daughter-in-law leaves so easily. The other want to stay. They both love their mother-in-law, but Ruth sensed that her destiny was tied to Naomi. She felt this connection that was stronger than her own family. She watched her sister-in-law, Orpah, walk away, but something in her said, you have to stay. In life, you'll have a lot of Orpahs, people that leave. They're good people, but the season is over. things change they're busy distracted you have to let them go be at peace with who left don't fault them don't get critical God is closing the door they're in Orpah they were instrumental in your life for a season they were necessary but now their part in your story is over The good news is God will always give you a Ruth, someone you can't get rid of. They stick with you through thick and thin. They know their destiny is tied to you. But sometimes we try to convince the Orpahs to stay, spending time and energy, got to manipulate, perform. Orpah loved Naomi, me, but she left. People can love you and leave. If they walk away, they're not a bad person. God shut the door. That season ended. But when it's a Ruth, there's nothing you can do to convince them to go. When you understand this, it takes the pressure off. You're not frustrated over who left, bitter over that person that ghosted you, striving to get that coworker to accept you. That's laboring in vain Let god bring your relationships Trust him with your open and closed doors If someone leaves do like naomi kiss them. Goodbye Not bitter angry man. They never call me back. Why won't they invite me to their group? You're not supposed to be there You can't open a door that god has closed and you can't close a door that god has opened They can't leave when god has purposed it If they walked away They were supposed to go If they didn't stay you didn't need them kiss them. Goodbye and move on The mistake we make sometimes is instead of kissing them. Goodbye. We kick them. Goodbye Good riddance get out of here. I didn't like you anyway Talk bad critical live offended They may have done you wrong betrayed you left you out. God is your vindicator He'll take care of who hurts you But if you let that bitterness get on the inside It's going to poison your next relationship You have to be at peace with who left you have to accept who walked away as a part of god's plan Yes, it was painful wasn't fair but God wouldn't have allowed it if it wasn't moving you toward your destiny. And sometimes he closes doors we don understand He takes the Orpahs out of our life people we were counting on friends we were used to but he always has a root He always has the right people destiny connections. The late 1950s, my father was pastoring a successful church. They just built a beautiful new sanctuary. The future looks so bright. My sister Lisa was born with something like cerebral palsy. The doctors told my parents that she'd probably never be able to walk or feed herself. My father went away for a few days to read the scripture like he had never read it before. He saw how Jesus went around healing people, doing miracles, and how when you believe all things are possible. He was taught in seminary back then that miracles only happen in Bible days. He came back to his church with a new fire He shared this message of faith and victory. He thought everyone would be excited, but it was just the opposite. It didn't fit into their tradition. Things got so contentious and so divisive that my parents were forced out of the church. They had to resign. My mother was 26 years old. She had lifelong friends that never spoke to her again. People she had known for years, gone to school with, raised children with done life together. Now they walked away. Wouldn't have anything to do with her. Mother is about to be 91 years old. I have never heard her say one negative thing about those people. Never heard her complain about them, belittle them. Sure it was hurtful. She felt the sting of rejection, being misunderstood. Some of them talked about her and my father. She could tried to defend herself, convince them to change their mind, keep them on her side. She understood this principle. If people can walk away, you have to let them walk. If they leave you, accept it as a part of your destiny. Don't spend your life trying to change people's minds and win them over, convince them to approve you. Like Naomi, you have to kiss them goodbye. Not bitter. I'll show you. I'm going to make you look bad. Leave it in God's hands. When you're at peace with who walked away, you're passing the test. That's when you'll see the new things God is doing. My parents went out and started Lakewood, Mother's Day, 1959, with 90 people. The critics said it would never last, but here we are today, 65 years later and still going strong. The fact is my parents couldn't have fulfilled their destiny at that church. It was a limited environment. Orpah had to walk away. Those people had to misunderstand my parents. They had to reject them. It was painful, but it was God closing the door. You're not always going to understand what God is doing and why this person treated you this way. You've been good to them, but they left you out and said things that weren't true. Leave it in God's hands. Don't spend all your energy trying to convince people to stay. They don't wanna stay. Some people, no matter what you do, how hard you try and how good you are to them, they're gonna find fault, misunderstand, wanna leave. Best thing you can do is let them go. There's something called the gift of goodbye We see it as a disappointment. Really. They're doing you a favor They had to leave so you can see the greater things the levels you couldn't reach with those same people It doesn't mean they're bad. It's just a new season God is doing a new thing. So orpah has to go but ruth will always be there God is controlling the doors in your life who comes in and out of relationships If ruth had walked away said like orpah i'm out of here I'm going to greener pastures. I'm not staying with this old woman If she had not stuck with naomi She would have never married boaz and become the great grandmother of king david Now we understand why she said I cannot leave Not maybe i'll come with you naomi Maybe i'll go home for a few months and then come back and see you the people god has ordained for you Cannot walk away Listen to ruth's language. May the lord punish me if I allow anything to separate us God will put such a strong desire in those who are supposed to stay that they can't leave Now quit worrying about the orpahs man. Why didn't they stay? or thinking you have to work harder, perform better, convince them to not leave. That's not your job. Take the pressure off. You have a doorkeeper, a God who opens and closes doors, a God who moves people out on purpose and a God who causes people to not be able to walk away. Your part, my part is to honor God, treat people with respect, be kind, be loving, but you don't have to beg people to stay. You don't have to play up to that friend hoping they'll give you the time of day. Let that coworker manipulate, talk down, belittle. If not, they won't accept you. You don't need them. The sooner you let them walk away, the better off you're going to be. And I'm not saying to be mean and rude and treat them the same way. I'm just saying, quit depending on them for your value. you, thinking you have to have them to reach your destiny. You don't need them to feel good about who you are. Let them walk away and God will bring people into your life that see you as a masterpiece, people that celebrate who you are, that love spending time with you. And I know when someone leaves, it's hard to be looked down on, betrayed, rejected. But what if you knew, like my parents, that it had to happen so you could see your Lakewood? What if you knew God closing the door was to take you to greater levels? It was a disappointment, but in fact, them walking away is a present. They gave you the gift of goodbye. It's very freeing when you realize God is your doorkeeper. He's going to have the right people for each season of your life. May not be who it's always been. I don't mean your spouse, your children. They're with you. I'm talking about friends, co-workers, people you grew up with. Yes, some are long-term, but some may walk away. You have to be at peace with who leaves. Some people, they've been playing up to people for years, letting them control them, manipulate, live under so much pressure, all because they're afraid If they don't perform this person may leave may not call may not approve This can save you a lot of heartache. Let them walk They don't want to be your friend. It's their loss not yours If they don't call shake the dust off and move on If they ghost you take it as the holy ghost shutting that door keeping you from that jerk. I mean that person A few years after my father passed the church was really growing and we needed a larger auditorium My father always said that he would never move the church I was young I didn want to rock the boat But when we got word that the compact center became available I knew it was supposed to be ours I didn announce it but it came out in the news 99% of the congregation was completely for it. Everyone's so excited, but there was this one man. He would find me after every service. Joel, you know, your dad said he wouldn't move the church. It's not right to go to that other location. And if you go i'm not gonna come Well, my personality Is to want everybody to be for and I said well, man, let's just pray. Let's just wait. Let's just see what happens Hoping to change his mind convince him to get on board But after about the 40th time of him telling me it wasn't right He wasn't gonna come something shifted in my spirit I didn't say it, but I thought to myself. I hope you don't come In fact, you're not even invited A stronghold was broken in my mind Thinking that if he leaves the world's gonna fall apart You can't accomplish your dreams worried about who's gonna walk away Who's gonna accept you and I got to perform play up to them make them like me That's no way to live And some people can't go where god has taken you They're good people. They're great for a season, but god has ordained you to go higher It's going to take greater commitment greater faith greater consecration So he'll remove certain people that would limit you so you can fulfill your purpose John chapter 6 jesus was teaching his disciples about commitment What it meant to be a follower of christ Some of them didn't understand Verse 66 says at that point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him Here jesus had given his life for them They'd seen him do great miracles traveled with him eaten together laughed together, but they walked away Jesus looked at the 12 disciples and said are you going to leave too? Peter said jesus where would we go? You have eternal life. We believe you're the son of god He couldn't get rid of the 12 What's interesting is you never read where jesus went chasing after the many disciples that left that day He chased after that one lost sheep that got off course But he didn't go chasing after people that didn't want to stay Your destiny is not tied to those that left you God doesn't need anything you lost to bless you Those that walked away didn't understand that betrayed. They didn't stop what god has for you Let it go Quit dwelling on it Reliving the hurt hoping that you can pay them back or trying to change their mind. God closed that door I'm asking you to be at peace with those who have walked away Quit trying to hold on to people that don't want to be there You're not supposed to chase people to love you and accept you and believe in you. You don't need them This takes the pressure off. No more striving straining trying to convince people to be for you That's labor in vain. Trust god to be your doorkeeper Trust him with your relationships. If you'll do this, I believe and declare god will bring you divine connections the right people for every season. Orpah may have left, but God has some roosts coming for you. People that cannot leave in Jesus' name. And 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 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