Best selling author of 6 #1 New York Times books
His latest, Break Out!, (2013)
Co-pastor with wife Victoria, Lakewood Church, +43,000 in attendance
Forbes magazine cited as America’s largest church
Host of weekly podcast which is downloaded nearly 5 million times each month
Named by New York Times as one of the most influential personalities on Twitter
Has 5 million Facebook fans
His weekly TV show is viewed by more than 10 million households
Hosts of “Night of Hope” worship events drawing more than 1 million attendees in 100 Countries World Wide
GUEST
Joel Osteen: Overcoming Life's Obstacles
By
The 700 Club
CBN.com
–BREAK OUT
In 2003, Joel signed a 60-year lease with the city of Houston to rent the Compaq Center, a stadium that seats over 16,000 people. “We always wanted to own it,” says Joel. “But the lease was the best thing to make it happen at the time.” Deep down, Joel felt that during that 60-year period, God would give them the ability to purchase the building. “I was 40-years old. I would be 100-years old at the end of the lease,” says Joel. He prayed, “God I want to purchase this building in my lifetime. I don’t want to leave it up in the air for the next generation.”
Seven years later, the city of Houston was running low on funds and decided to sell off some of their excess properties to fix a shortfall in their budget. The mayor’s office called and asked if Joel wanted to buy the building. Normally commercial property like the Compaq Center would cost $400 million to build. The city completed an appraisal which came back at $7.5 million! Today, the church owns their building free and clear with no lease. Joel says, “What could have taken 60 years, God did 53 years sooner. He took us further faster.”
Joel reminds us to dare to believe. If we think “trickle,” we will receive a trickle of God’s blessings. If we learn to think “a flood is coming,” then a wave of God’s favor will cause us to overcome obstacles we thought were insurmountable. We should wake up every morning saying, “Thank you, Father, for this flood of favor in my life.”
FIVE KEYS
- Believe Bigger. Joel says God has amazing things for our future but He is limited by our capacity to receive. God has the ability and resources to help us but our container is too small.
- Consider God, Not Consequences. We all face situations that seem impossible. Joes reminds us that the Scripture says God is going before us to make our crooked places straight. Switch over into faith. Get in agreement with God and turn negative thoughts into positive ones.
- Pray God-sized Prayers. One of the most powerful ways for us to pray is to find a promise in the Scripture and remind God what He said about us. Isaiah 62:6 says, “Put God in rememberance of His promises.” Joel says it doesn’t say “Put God in rememberance of our problems.”
- Keep the Right Perspective. Worrying weighs us down and keeps us from enjoying life. Joel says, “The real battle takes place in our minds.” Don’t grow weary. Keep believing and keep expecting. “If you stay on track and do what’s right, you will see the end come to pass,” he says.
- Don’t Settle For Good Enough. Joel reminds us we were never created to be average. “When God breathed His life into you, He put a part of Himself in you. You have the DNA of Almighty God,” says Joel.
Joel says that God will complete all of our incompletions. “You haven’t made too many mistakes. Get your fire back. Get your passion back. Things have shifted in your favor,” he says.
Joel and Victoria will hold their 6th “America’s Night of Hope” at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, June 7, 2014. For more information visit www.JoelOsteen.com.
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