Remember What God Said | 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 have you with us today. I know God has amazing things in your future. Now, hope you'll stay connected with us all through the week. You can download our podcast, listen to the messages anytime, or you can go to our YouTube channel. But thanks for tuning in today. I like to start with something funny. I heard about this pastor. He was in the lobby after service greeting people. He saw a man that he hadn't seen in a long, long time. He pulled him aside, said, Sir, you need to join the army of the Lord. The man said, what are you talking about? I'm in the army of the Lord. The pastor said, well, how come I only see you on Easter and Christmas? The man whispered back, I'm in the secret service. All right, 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 remember what God said. We all have promises that God has put in our heart. Things we know he's spoken to us. How we're going to accomplish a dream, see a problem turn around, beat the addiction, meet the right person. At one time, we knew it was going to happen. We were praying, believing, passionate, but when it's taking longer than we thought, when we've gone through disappointments, people didn't come through, the medical report isn't improving. Negative thoughts start to play louder and louder. You're never going to work out. You're never going to get well. You'll never see your family restored. Too often, we let those thoughts drown out what God has spoken to us. But if you're going to stay in faith, you have to remember what God said. Go back to the promises. Go back to that time he whispered to you in the night. Start thanking him for what he told you. Start declaring favor, victory, healing. You have to keep your faith stirred up. Keep those promises on the forefront of your mind. God is faithful. He doesn't tell you something and then not do it. The scripture says all of his promises are yes and amen. It may not happen on our timetable or the way we think, but what God promised is on the way. It's easy to believe when things are going our way, but most of the time, the promise won't come to pass without a test. When you're under pressure, you don't understand why it's taking so long and why those people didn't keep their word. You'll be tempted to live frustrated, live worried, afraid, recognize that's a test. The enemy would love for you to forget what God promised. He'd love for you to get so caught up in what's not happening, so focused on how your child isn't doing right, right when you thought you were going to get ahead. The pandemic hit. Now there's no way you can have a good year. No, remember what God said. Even in famine, you will have more than enough. Whatever you touch will prosper and succeed. The economy is not your source. God is your source. You're connected to a supply line that will never run dry. But there's always something trying to steal the seed of God's word out of your heart, because when you keep that seed watered, you keep thanking God for what he promised. You keep talking like it's on the way. You're constantly meditating on what he said. Then you're going to see the faithfulness of God. He's going to make things happen that you couldn't make happen. Jesus said in John 11, Did not I tell you if you believe you will see the glory of God? You may be facing a sickness. You're so worried, stressed out. God is saying, did not I tell you I will restore health unto you? Did not I tell you by my stripes you are healed? Did not I tell you the number of your days I will fulfill? Why don't you start thanking God for what he told you instead of letting the negative thoughts play? The reason we're discouraged many times is we've forgotten what God said. It's not complicated. Go back to his promises. Go back to what he whispered to you in the night. Start remembering what he's spoken over you, replaying that over and over. As you dwell on those promises, fear has to leave. Doubt, worry, cannot stay. Faith will rise in your heart. Maybe your child is off course and running with the wrong crowd and you're frustrated thinking they're never going to change. God is saying, did not I tell you that as for you and your house, you will serve the Lord? Did not I tell you that your children will be mighty in the land? When you wake up in the middle of the night, tempted to worry, turn it around. Lord, thank you for what you said that my children will fulfill their destiny. There's a battle taking place in our mind. The enemy comes against us with thoughts, thoughts of doubt, fear, worry. His goal is to keep your mind so filled with all the negative that you're so preoccupied with what's not going to work out. How you can't break the addiction, how you'll never meet the right person, that you never think about what God promised you. You have to take control of your thought line. When worry comes, don't go on autopilot. Don't just let it play. Stay on the offensive. On purpose, remember what God said. Thank him that he's making a way where you don't see a way. Thank him that he always causes you to triumph. Thank him that what was meant for harm, he's turning for your advantage. Thank him that he's taking you from glory to glory, from victory to victory. A young lady I know went through a breakup in a relationship. She thought this would be the person she would marry. She was so discouraged, so down on life, down on herself. We all go through disappointments, loss, things that are not fair. If we stay focused on the hurts, God, why did this happen? I don't understand it. That's going to keep us weighed down. We'll miss the new things God has in store. I know it's not easy, but you have to make this shift in your thinking. Quit dwelling on the hurts and start dwelling on what God promised you. God is saying, did not I tell you I will give you beauty for those ashes? Did not I tell you weeping indoors for a night, but joy comes in the morning? Did not I tell you that I will pay you back double for the unfair things that have happened? God has you in the palm of his hand. He has not brought you this far to leave you. That loss, the breakup, yes, it's painful, but it didn't stop your destiny. God has a new beginning. He's about to open new doors, bring new relationships. You haven't seen your best days. The reason the enemy is fighting you is he knows there's something amazing in your future. You're on the verge of seeing blessing, favor, influence like you've never seen. Now don't let those negative thoughts keep you where you are. Start remembering what God said in the scripture when Job was in the middle of all this loss and heartache. It looked like he'd seen his best days. Everything had gone wrong. God said to him, I will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. This was in chapter eight. Things didn't turn around until chapter 42. I can imagine Job sitting in the ashes, discouraged, thinking about all that had gone wrong. He was tempted to feel sorry for himself, give up on life, but then he remembered what God promised. He's going to fill my mouth with laughter. I can hear him say, Lord, thank you that I'm going to dream again. I'm going to laugh again. I'm going to love again. When he could have been complaining right in the middle of the difficulty, he looked up and said, I know my Redeemer lives. He was saying, I know God is still on the throne. I know he's bigger than this adversity. I know my latter days will be better than my former days. He kept remembering what God said. Not what the circumstances said. Not what his emotions said. Not what the negative thoughts said. When you keep your mind on what God promised, you're going to see him show out in your life. When that test was over, Job came out with twice what he had before. You may have gone through loss, disappointments. That is not how your story ends. It may be painful now. You're hurting. God sees it. He's not only going to help you through, but he's going to fill your mouth with laughter. There is great joy in your future. The right people are already headed your way. New relationships favor like you've never seen. Now don't fall into the trap of complaining, living in self-pity, thinking it's all downhill from here. You're remembering the wrong things. Start remembering what God said. God, that there is beauty for those ashes. That double is coming. Double the joy, double the peace, double the resources. You're not going to just come out. God says you're going to come out better, stronger, healthier, happier, more fulfilled. Now do like Job and keep thanking God for what he said. Keep declaring my Redeemer lives all through the day in your thoughts. Father, thank you that your plans for me are for good. Thank you that you will fill my mouth with laughter again. When you're under pressure, it's so important what you're allowing to play in your mind. Thoughts will tell you all the reasons it's not going to work out. Sometimes people will tell you how you'll never break the addiction. You can't start that business. You have to go back to what God said, not what people said. No disrespect. Not what the expert said. Not what your mind says. Not how you feel, but to what God promised. Maybe you're discouraged over how long your dream is taking, how impossible it looks. God is saying, did not I tell you what I started, I will finish. Did not I tell you if you delight yourself in me, I will give you the desires of your heart. The medical report wasn't good. Now you're upset. Did not I tell you no weapon formed against you will prosper. People at the office are playing politics, trying to push you down. They have more influence, more seniority. Did not I tell you when the enemy comes in like a flood, I will raise up a barrier. Did not I tell you I will fight your battles for you. Did not I tell you I'm preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies. When you remember what God said, you won't be worried. You'll have peace in the midst of the storm. You'll have faith to believe for the impossible. You'll have the courage to defeat giants, the endurance to outlast opposition, the favor to accomplish more than you thought possible. It was early Sunday morning. Jesus had just been crucified and risen from the dead. Three women went to the tomb to care for Jesus' body. When they arrived, they noticed something was wrong. The stone was rolled away. They looked in and Jesus' body was gone. They were so distraught as they sat there weeping, not knowing what to do. Suddenly two men appeared to them. They were angels. They were wearing bright robes, so brilliant. Radiating with such light, these women could hardly look at them. They were terrified. The angel said, why are you looking in a tomb for someone that's alive? Jesus is not here. He has risen from the dead. I can imagine how these ladies were sitting there in awe, trying to take it all in. The angel went on to say, don't you remember what he told you in Galilee? That he would be betrayed, crucified. Then on the third day, he would rise from the dead. The next verse says, they remembered what Jesus said. They rushed back to tell the disciples. These women came to the tomb discouraged, depressed, defeated. They went back home excited, passionate, full of faith, full of hope. They couldn't wait to tell the other disciples. When you remember what God says, it will change your perspective. As long as you're dwelling on the negative, what didn't work out, how impossible it is, that's going to keep you discouraged. God is saying to you what the angel said to them. Don't you remember what I told you? Don't you remember I said you will lend and not borrow? Don't you remember I said my mercy is bigger than your mistakes? God has you hearing this for one reason. So you'll remember what he's promised you. You need to go back to what God has spoken to you. Go back to that dream he gave you in the night. Go back to that promise that he whispered in your spirit. You have to stir it up. Get your passion back. Get your hopes up. Start talking like it's on the way. Start thanking God that it's coming. The Scripture says these ladies were perplexed, overwhelmed, confused. Their world had been turned upside down under all the pressure, with all the stress of losing their friend. They forgot what Jesus had told them. What's interesting is he told them what was going to happen not 20 years earlier. That makes sense. It's been a long time. They forgot. Jesus told them just a few days before, but when they came under the pressure, when they felt overwhelmed, they forgot what he said. That's the time you have to be on guard. When life is stressful, you have a setback in your finances, you're struggling with depression. Don't let those negative thoughts drown out what God promised. Maybe you're under pressure now. This pandemic has left many people anxious, worried, thinking what's going to happen with my finances. What about my children? Things are put on hold. It's easy to forget what God promised. Like that angel, I'm saying, remember what God told you. You may feel alone, but he said, I'll never leave you. I'll stick closer than a brother. Your business slowed down. You don't know how you're going to make ends meet. He said, I'll make streams in the desert. I'll supply your needs according to my riches. That anxiety, the depression, the addiction seems permanent. He said, the enemies you see today, you will see no more. He said, greater is he that's in you than what's trying to stop you. He said, whom the sun sets free is free indeed. Are you remembering what he said? Or have you let the circumstances, the trouble, the stress, cause you to dwell on the negative and think about how it's not going to work out? When we're under pressure, the mistake we make many times is we go by what we see instead of by what God said. When Joel, look at this medical report, look at my finances. Look how big these obstacles are. As long as you go by what you see, you're going to be worried, stressed. You have to start going by what God said. Here's the good news. What he said will override what you see. When my father passed and I stepped up to pastor the church, what I saw when I looked in the mirror was someone that was inexperienced, intimidated, unqualified. Thoughts told me that nobody would listen to me. I was going to get up here and fail. I was tempted to live worried, shrink back, but I did what I'm asking you to do. I didn't go by what I saw. I went by what God said. I felt weak, but I remembered that God said, I am strong in the Lord. I didn't think I could do it, but I remembered what God said. I can do all things through Christ. I had some people that didn't want me to succeed. Some critics that had large followings looked like they would discredit me, hold me down, but I remembered what God said, that promotion doesn't come from people. It comes from the Lord. People don't determine your destiny. They cannot stop the calling on your life. They may look bigger, more powerful, more influential. Don't go by what you see. Go by what God says. He says you're a giant killer. He says you're more than a conqueror. He says to trap the enemy set for you, they will fall in themselves. Matthew chapter 14, Jesus told the disciples to get in a boat and go to the other side of the lake. He was going to meet them there. The disciples started rowing that way. Everything was going fine until the winds picked up. The waves got rough. Now they were struggling to make it hour after hour. At three in the morning, they looked up and this figure came walking on the water. They thought it was a ghost. They were so afraid the scripture says they screamed in terror. They had never seen anything like this. Jesus told them it was him. Peter was not only astonished, he was inspired. He said, Lord, if that's really you, tell me to come to you by walking on the water. Jesus said, all right, Peter, you can come. You too can walk on the water. Peter climbed over the side of the boat, stepped into the water, but his feet didn't go down. He started walking on top of the water, defying the odds. I can imagine how amazed he was, how in awe. He took step after step, looking at Jesus, marveling at what was happening. But then he began to look around at the waves. He looked at how strong the wind was, how the boat was rocking, how he was out in the middle of the water. Suddenly he began to sink. He cried out, Lord, please save me. Jesus reached down and helped him back into the boat. As long as Peter was focused on what Jesus said, walk on the water. Come here with me. He was fine. But when he started focusing on what he saw, the winds, the waves, he began to doubt. Be afraid. Think, I can't do this. It's the same principle in life. If you stay focused on what you see, you can get talked out of your dreams. If you're focused on how big the obstacles are, how the medical report is not good, how you'll never get out of debt, then you'll be limited. You have to stay focused on what God said. When you focus on what he promised, you'll walk on water. You'll go places you couldn't go on your own. You'll overcome obstacles that are much bigger. The winds, the waves are a test. Are you going to get distracted and start focusing on the negative? This problem is too big. This addiction seems permanent. I don't have the finances to go to college. I'll never get out of this neighborhood. That's going to cause you to sink. You have to change your focus from what you see to what God said. You have to walk by faith and not by sight. What you're up against may seem impossible, but God created you to walk on water. He created you to defy the odds. He created you to go further than people say you can go. He created you to defeat giants. He created you to beat the cancer. He created you to acquire compact centers. Yes, it seems unlikely. Yes, you may not feel like you have the talent. You may be afraid. That's okay. The key is don't focus on what you see. Focus on what God said. That's what's going to fuel your faith. That's when you're going to see far and beyond favor, favor that catapult you ahead. God told Nehemiah he was to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but Nehemiah wasn't a builder. He was a cup bearer to the king, living a thousand miles away. He didn't have the resources, the staff, the influence, but God never asked you to do something and then doesn't give you the ability to do it. God was saying to Nehemiah, you're going to walk on water. You're going to do something over your head, something that you're not qualified for, something where you don't have the connections, the experience. Nehemiah could have looked at the circumstances, thought, God, you have the wrong person. I'll never accomplish this dream. But Nehemiah understood this principle. He didn't go by what he saw. He went by what God said. When you step out in faith, God will open doors that no person can shut. He'll bring the right people. He'll make things happen that you couldn't make happen. God gave Nehemiah favor with the king. The king not only let him have the time off, which was unprecedented, but the king gave him a letter requiring people to give him the materials and resources he needed. It should have taken years, but Nehemiah rebuilt the wall in just 52 days. God has some things in your future where you're going to walk on water. You're going to accomplish what seems impossible. You're going to overcome what looks insurmountable. Now do your part. Don't focus on the winds, the waves, the impossibilities. That's going to talk you out of it. Focus on what God said. Let His promises play in your mind over and over. That dream He put in your heart every day, thank Him for it. Those secret things He whispered to you in the night, dare to believe that they're on the way. A friend of mine knew an older gentleman that was a fighter pilot in World War II. He not only flew missions, but he was a flight trainer. He would train these young men, many of them only 18 years old, how to fly planes. Before he ever took them up in the air, they spent hours going over the instruments, learning what they did and what caused the plane to function. He stressed the importance of always flying the plane by the instruments, not by what they saw. They spent months and months on the ground in flight simulators, flying planes strictly by the instruments. After one young pilot completed the program, he took them up in the air. The pilot was doing great. Everything running smoothly, just like his training. A few minutes later, a storm suddenly arose. They found themselves in bad weather, dark clouds, the plane started bouncing around. It got to the point they couldn't see anything. This young pilot panicked. Instead of going by his instruments, following his training, he looked around at all the clouds, the rain. He felt the plane shaking. He became disoriented and confused. He couldn't tell if he was gaining altitude or losing altitude. He kept straining out the window to try to get some kind of visual sign as of which direction to go. Finally, the flight instructor took a blanket that was used to cover the windshield when the plane was stored, and he clipped it in place. Now the young pilot couldn't see anything. He had no choice except to go by the instruments. In a few minutes, they came out of the storm and eventually landed the plane safely. Sometimes, like this young pilot, we know what God promised us. We have the instruments. We do good on the ground. We quote the Scripture. We believe. But when the storm hits, we start looking at the clouds. The winds. It's bumpy. We don't see a way. Too often, we panic, live worried. But you have to come back to the instruments. You can't go by what you see or you'll get discouraged. You may not see anything except dark clouds. Everywhere you look, there's no visibility, no sign of how it's going to work out. Go back to your instruments. Remember what God promised you. There's not a storm you're facing that's a surprise to God. There's not a problem you're in that he can't get you out of. But when we're under pressure, when life gets stressful, it's easy to focus on the wrong things. Are you looking out the window, focused on the storm, or are you focused on what God promised you? He's spoken dreams to your heart. He's whispered things to you in the night. The enemy has tried to drown them out with negative thoughts, negative circumstances, but they are still alive. What God started, he's going to finish. Now do your part and remember what he said. Keep declaring what he promised. Keep thanking him for it. If you'll do this, I believe and declare, like Peter, you're going to walk on water. You're going to defy the odds. Like Nehemiah, you're going to accomplish dreams bigger than you thought. And like this pilot, you're going to come through every storm safely. I speak strength over you. I speak victory. I speak healing breakthroughs, favor, abundance, the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name. 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. Get in a good Bible-based church, keep God first place. It's easy to feel stuck in life, wondering why things aren't changing and worrying if it'll ever happen. But there's a better way to wait. I'd love to send you my new resource called Pray It Forward. This book is a collection of prayers and promises from the Scripture to help you pray boldly to strengthen your faith. And while you're waiting, it's important to keep your mind filled with hope and expectancy. When you pray in faith, believe in what God promised, that's what moves the hands of God, and that's when you'll see doors open. Healing begins to come, breakthroughs in your family. Don't let doubt hold you back. Pray it forward. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount, we'd love to send you a copy of Pray It Forward, guided prayers for faith and breakthrough. Inspired by real-life answered prayers, Pray It Forward will help you speak God's promises over your life and over the people you love, trusting that when you ask in faith, God is already at work preparing victory ahead of you. You can take these prayers and scriptures and pray them forward. They'll build a momentum of faith that carries you past obstacles and into the promises God has spoken over your life. As you meditate on these truths, you won't be tossed back and forth by finances, health challenges, or relationship struggles. Instead, you'll be able to boldly pray with faith that is immovable and strong, and you'll be filled with peace, assurance, and joy. Don't let circumstances control your future. Pray the truth of God's word forward in faith and watch the mountains in your life begin to move. When you pray the promises, what God has spoken over your life, those are powerful prayers, and that's when God shows up and does what only he can do. Thanks so much for being with us. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day, and we appreciate your prayer and support. Your generosity helps us take this message of hope to people around the world. A special thank you to our champion of hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. But until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Pray It Forward, guided prayers for faith and breakthrough, available this month by simply visiting us at www.julllostein.com or call 888-567-JUL. You can also receive the Pray It Forward companion prayer journal designed to help you engage in Scripture, personalize faith-filled prayers, and put God's promises into action. With an additional gift, you can receive the Pray It Forward prayers essential collection that centers around a prayer bowl with Scripture cards designed to help you physically release what's been weighing on your heart. This collection creates a powerful prayer rhythm for your life, helping you focus your thoughts, speak God's word boldly, and stay anchored in hope when circumstances try to shake you. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567-JUL. Or logging on to julllostein.com today. 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