Read Textual Sermon from Joel Osteen
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, and social media. And you can come visit us in person—we'd love to have you be a part of one of our services.
I like to start with something funny. I heard about this minister who was driving down the road when he got pulled over by a policeman. The officer came to the window and smelled alcohol. He saw a thermos and said, “Sir, what are you drinking?”
The minister said, “Just water, officer.”
The officer asked to see the thermos. He took one sniff and said, “This smells like wine to me.”
The minister said, “What do you know—Jesus did it again.”
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 a receiving mindset. God has great things in store for all of us, but too often, we don't think we deserve it. We've made too many mistakes. We don't see how it could happen.
Instead of receiving the mercy, receiving the approval, receiving the abundance, we come up with excuses:
"I can't get well—you saw the report."
"I can't be blessed—I've had a rough past."
"I'll never have abundance—I don't have the training."
We don't realize we're self-sabotaging our future. We want to be blessed. We're praying for favor. But because of how we feel about ourselves, we're pushing away the very things we want.
Paul said in Romans, “The gift of righteousness is for all who will receive it.”
God has gifts for you. He has mercy, wisdom, and favor. You don't earn it. You don't work for it. It's not based on your education or your background—it's a gift. But these gifts won't do you any good if you don't receive them.
The enemy will work overtime to try to keep you condemned—feeling unworthy, not good enough, not smart enough, not attractive enough. Instead of believing those lies, try a different approach.
Have a receiving mindset.
"God, I've made a lot of mistakes, but I receive your forgiveness."
"My dream looks impossible, but I receive your favor."
"I've been fighting this sickness a long time, but I receive your healing."
Quit rejecting the good things God has for you and learn to receive the gift. You don't have to force it. You don't have to talk God into it or perform well enough—just be a receiver.
"God, you promised that whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Lord, I receive your freedom right now."
"Lord, you said my latter days would be better than my former days, so I receive a bright future."
Now, thoughts will whisper, “Not for you. You've had too many bad breaks. You'll always struggle. No one in your family is successful.”
You have a choice. You can let the gift sit there and say, “Yeah, you're probably right. I want to be blessed, but it's never going to happen.”
That's self-sabotaging. Do yourself a favor and take the gift.
"Lord, I receive your abundance. I receive your favor. I receive your blessing on my life."
When our children were small—six years old and three—I would take them up to the toy store. No special occasion, just during the week, because I loved being good to them.
I'd say, “Hey guys, you want to go to the toy store?”
Do you know, they never once said, “No, Dad, we don't deserve it. We're not worthy. We didn't clean our room last week. I bit my brother. I threw food at my sister.”
Children know how to receive. They didn't start debating whether or not they deserved it. They didn't question me as their father—was I telling them the truth? Did I really mean it?
They just received the gift.
The Scripture says, “You have to have faith as a little child.”
Children have no problem receiving. They haven’t been contaminated with all the inferiority and lies about how they don’t measure up or what they can’t become. But as adults, we start reasoning things out:
"I didn't perform up to par—God's not going to bless me."
"All my family struggles—I'm sure I'll struggle too."
"I'm not attractive. I don't feel valuable. There's nothing special about me."
Why don’t you start receiving the gift?
God said you are fearfully and wonderfully made. He calls you a masterpiece. He knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb, and He approved you.
He approved you before you could do anything good. He didn’t approve you based on your performance—He approved you based on the fact that you’re His child, created in His image, crowned with His favor.
Now, you have to receive that approval. Receive that validation. Not ordinary, but a child of the Most High God, handpicked by the Creator of the universe.
You may not get this from people, but your Heavenly Father says you are one of a kind, a prized possession.
Don’t go through life feeling inferior or not up to par. Have a receiving mindset.
"God, I receive your approval. I receive your love. I thank you that you have accepted me. I am worthy. I am valuable. I am a masterpiece."
The Scripture says, “It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
That means it makes God happy—it gives Him great joy to bless you, to forgive you, to show you favor.
But there's a condition: Will you receive the gift?
Will you believe you're worthy, you're approved, you're valuable, you're blessed, you're favored?
Or are you pushing away all the gifts—the love, the mercy—thinking you don't deserve it?
"I could never get well. I'll never have abundance. I'll never feel attractive."
If you want to bring God joy—if you want to make Him smile—have a receiving mindset.
Start accepting the gifts. Start believing the promises. He said, “You haven’t seen, heard, or imagined what He has in store for you.”
Your mind will tell you just the opposite:
"You've seen your best days. Nothing good is in your future."
Tune that out.
"Father, I receive a future greater than I can imagine. I receive your far-and-beyond favor."
Thoughts will tell you that your children will never get back on course, that they’ll never fulfill their purpose.
But God says your children will be mighty in the land. He said the seed of the righteous is blessed.
Instead of receiving the doubt, how about receiving the faith? Receiving the promises?
"Father, I thank you that my children will become all you’ve created them to be. I see them serving you, doing great things, leaving their mark."
What you’re receiving is what’s going to come to pass.
If you’re receiving doubt and negativity—“I can't get well. I can't break this addiction. I'll always be lonely.”—you're receiving the wrong things.
Start receiving the gifts. Receive the promises. Receive the abundance. Receive great relationships. Receive a long, healthy life. Receive a bountiful, productive, abundant year.
One time, Jesus was in Galilee teaching the people. So many had gathered that He asked Peter if He could borrow his boat.
Peter had never met Jesus, but he agreed and let Him use it.
Jesus pushed out from the shore and taught the people.
When He finished, He wanted to thank Peter.
He told him to launch out into the deep and catch a great haul of fish.
Peter had fished all night and caught nothing. He was tired—he didn’t feel like it. But he said to Jesus, “Nevertheless, at your word, I will do it.”
He went out and caught so many fish that his nets began to break. He had to call another boat over to help.
When they loaded up all the fish, both boats began to sink.
It was a net-breaking, boat-sinking blessing—something Peter had never experienced.
When he got to the shore, the Scripture says, “He fell down at Jesus' feet and said, ‘Lord, please depart from me. I'm too big of a sinner to be around you.’”
He was saying, “I don't deserve this blessing. I'm not worthy of this favor. I've lived a rough life. I have a problem with my temper. I use bad language.”
He came up with all these reasons why this shouldn't have happened.
But God was showing us that His blessing is not based on our performance. His favor, His healing, His freedom, His mercy—it's the gift of God. It's something we don't deserve. We don't earn it. We couldn't work for it. We can't make it happen in our own strength.
It's His goodness.
Like Peter, it's easy to find all the reasons not to accept it. But I love what Jesus did. He didn’t say,
"Peter, you're right. I made a mistake. I chose the wrong person. I didn't realize how unworthy you were, how you have all these weaknesses and shortcomings."
No, He said, “Peter, don't be afraid. From now on, you're going to be fishing for people. I'm going to make you one of my disciples. You're going to impact the world. Upon this rock, upon you, Peter, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
I can imagine Peter standing there in amazement, looking around, thinking, “Does He know who I am? I'm not a history maker—I'm a fisherman. He can't build anything on me. I'm not a leader. I don't have any influence.”
All these excuses flooded his mind, telling him what he was not, how he didn't deserve it.
But something rose up in Peter. Despite all the doubt, all the fear, all the insecurity, the Scripture says, “Peter left everything and followed Jesus.”
His attitude was:
"I may be a little crazy, but I'm going to accept this gift. It seems far out, more than I can imagine. I don't have the training. I've made mistakes. But I believe that I'm forgiven. I believe that I'm worthy. I believe I'm a history maker, a world changer, a barrier breaker."
Peter had every reason to reject the gift, to push away the blessing, the abundance, the purpose.
But by the grace of God, he had that childlike faith that went beyond natural reasoning, and he accepted the gift.
The Scripture says, “Peter was awestruck at the size of his catch.”
He could have gone out and caught a few fish—he would have been grateful.
He could have caught a net full of fish—that would have been amazing. He would have been so impressed.
But God, on purpose, did something out of the ordinary, something that boggled his mind.
He was awestruck.
He didn’t know what to think. No wonder he fell down and thought, “I'm not worthy. This gift is something I can't comprehend. This blessing is bigger, greater, more than I've ever imagined.”
Like Peter, God is going to bring some gifts across your path that you've never seen—things that are going to leave you awestruck.
Net-breaking, boat-sinking blessings.
You'll be tempted to dismiss it:
"I'm not worthy. I don't deserve it. How could this be possible?"
Dare to receive the gift.
Let that seed take root. Let that promise get down in your spirit—abundance, overflow, healing, freedom.
"Joel, I don't deserve it."
None of us deserve it. It's the gift of God.
He wants to show out in your life. He wants to trust you with more resources, more influence, more favor.
When these moments come across your path, don't push away the gift.
Don't talk yourself out of it:
"I'm not qualified. It's never happened in my family. That's way over my head."
God will, on purpose, put you in those situations so you have to trust Him.
It may be over your head, but it's not over His head.
When we were trying to find property to build a new auditorium, twice the doors closed.
I was discouraged, thinking we were stuck. There was no way we could keep growing at the other location—we didn't have room.
Then a friend called, someone I hadn't spoken to in a long time. He said, “Joel, I want to take you to lunch. It’s important.”
We went the next week.
He said, “I know you're looking for land to build an auditorium, but there's something better. The Rockets basketball team is moving out of the Compaq Center. You should get that building for your church.”
When he said that, something came alive on the inside. It was like an explosion went off in my spirit.
I was awestruck at the thought of it. I couldn't even imagine something that amazing.
But like Peter, my mind started coming up with excuses:
"That's impossible. They're never going to let a church have it."
"Even if they do, Joel, it will be too expensive. You're not going to have the funds to buy it."
I had to make a decision:
Was I going to receive the gift, let the promise take root, and believe that God could do exceedingly, abundantly above what I could imagine?
Or was I going to push it away?
"This is too good to be true. I don't deserve it. I've only been ministering three years. I haven't been to seminary. How could I handle that favor, that influence?"
On one hand, I was praying for God to do something awesome—to let me help people all over the world.
Then, when the opportunity came, I was tempted to push it away.
No!
Don't self-sabotage the greatness God has for your life.
Don’t let fear, unworthiness, or doubt keep you from stepping into levels you’ve never dreamed of.
Peter didn’t feel qualified. He felt unworthy. He had weaknesses. He was inconsistent.
Yet God said, “You're going to become a rock. I'm going to build my church on you.”
God wouldn’t have given you the gift if you couldn’t handle it.
You may not feel qualified, but He’s going to train you.
You’re not a finished product. He’s making you, molding you, bringing out talent you didn’t know you had.
Now you have to do your part:
Receive the approval.
Receive the confidence.
Receive the favor.
We had some big obstacles, but God fought our battles, brought down the giants, and gave us the Compaq Center.
Here’s my point:
None of this would have happened if I hadn't had a receiving mindset.
You have to receive it in your spirit before it will come to pass.
Too often, we’re good at receiving the negative:
"You'll never get well. You'll never pay off your house. Your child will never get back on course. You've seen your best days."
We think, “Yeah, you're probably right. It looks impossible. I've made so many mistakes. Inflation is so bad.”
You’re receiving the wrong things.
Start receiving what God says about you:
"You will lend and not borrow." “I receive the abundance.”
"You can do all things through Christ." “I receive that strength.”
"A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you." “I receive that protection.”
"You have the mind of Christ. You know the right decision every time." “I receive that wisdom.”
"God will make you the happy mother of children. He will give you the desires of your heart." “I receive that baby we've been believing for.”
God will do exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond what you could ever ask or imagine.
“I receive the favor. I receive my Compaq Centers. I receive the business. I receive the influence. I receive the victory.”
I have a receiving mindset.
They meant it for harm, but they don’t realize God is going to use it for good.
My attitude is, “God, let it happen. Show out in my life.”
See, I have everything I need, but I’ll use it to build the kingdom—to get the message of hope out, to build orphanages, to build hospitals.
Why don’t you have a receiving mindset?
Don’t push away all the good things you’re believing for. Dare to receive it.
You may not see how—it looks unlikely.
You don’t have to figure it out. All you have to do is believe.
When you believe, all things are possible.
When you believe, angels go to work, chains are broken, favor is released, good breaks are set in motion.
The Scripture says, “God has blessings stored up for the righteous.” There are blessings that have your name on them. Businesses, houses, ministries, inventions, healing, freedom, children, spouses. They already belong to you.
At the right time, God’s going to release them. The question is: Will you receive those blessings?
You can't have an “I'm unworthy” mindset.
"I don’t deserve it. It’s too big. I couldn’t handle it."
That’s pushing away what’s stored up.
Live with a receiving mentality. Every morning:
"Lord, I receive your love today. I'm going to love myself, and I'm going to love others."
"Lord, I receive your peace. I'm not going to live stressed and worried."
"God, I receive your mercy, fresh and new every morning. Thank you that you've approved me, accepted me, and anointed me."
"God, I receive your healing. Thank you that I'm healthy, whole, full of vitality, that my youth is being renewed like the eagle’s."
"Or, God, I receive your favor. Thank you that blessings are chasing me down, that goodness and mercy are following me, that my latter days will be better than my former days."
A friend of mine is very good at encouraging people.
You can’t be around him for five minutes without him complimenting you and telling you how great you are. He always makes you feel so blessed, so uplifted. But what’s interesting is, for years, he could never receive a compliment. He always had some reason to downplay it.
It was like he had trained himself not to feel good about who he was, to push away any kind of thoughts that would build him up. He would speak in front of people, and I would call him afterward:
"Man, that was great today. That was so strong."
"Yeah, but I got distracted. I should have said this. I left this part out."
He didn’t realize he was self-sabotaging. He was letting this inner recording keep playing: "You're not worthy. You're not good enough. You don’t deserve to be happy."
You have to turn that recording off and start:
Receiving the approval.
Receiving the honor.
Receiving the blessing.
You can’t love others the way you should without loving yourself.
You’re supposed to feel good about who you are.
You compliment others—why don’t you receive the compliments?
It’s not honoring God to go around down on yourself, feeling unworthy, like you don’t measure up.
The Scripture says, “God has crowned you with His favor.” You want to honor God? Put your crown on. Put your shoulders back, hold your head up high, and receive the honor.
This friend went with me to an interview I was doing on television. It was a big deal—a national program, live—and I was kind of nervous about it. When we finished, we got in the car, and the first thing I said was, “I did really good.” I felt relieved. I thought I did great.
I didn’t think anything about saying it. But he said that moment changed his life. He realized he had never complimented himself. He had never once said, “I did good.”
That’s not how he was raised. He was taught: "To show your humility, you need to be down on yourself. Feel like you’re less than. Don’t think too good about who you are." But you can’t reach your destiny feeling inferior and inadequate.
You have enough people in life against you—don’t be against yourself. You’re supposed to feel good about who you are. You’re supposed to not only receive compliments but learn to compliment yourself. You build others up—build yourself up.
You tell your friends how great they are—tell yourself how great you are. That’s not being selfish—that’s:
Receiving the approval.
Receiving the honor.
When God was creating the universe, at the end of each day, He stopped and said, “That was good.” He complimented Himself.
Nobody else was around, but He said, “You know what? I did good today.” He was showing us a principle.
Have you ever said to yourself:
"I did good today."
"I worked hard today."
"I look good today."
"I was good to others today."
Some people only find the negative:
"I didn't get enough done."
"I didn't stay on my diet."
"I should have spent more time with my children."
"I shouldn’t have said that to my coworker."
They focus on their faults and their weaknesses. But beating yourself up doesn’t do anything productive. Being critical toward yourself won’t help you do better. You’re receiving the wrong things—guilt, condemnation. Do yourself a favor—start being for yourself, not against yourself.
The Scripture says, “Our faith is made effective when we acknowledge everything good.”
Your faith is not effective when you’re pointing out your flaws, focused on your shortcomings, down on yourself. Peter would have never left his mark if he had kept that unworthy, “I don’t deserve it” mentality. He had to learn to receive the approval, the honor, that came from his Heavenly Father. When the church was first starting, back in the book of Acts, they needed someone to speak at the inaugural service—a very prestigious position.
They could have chosen one of the apostles, a religious leader, an esteemed scholar. But out of all the people, they chose Peter. Look at how his mentality had shifted— From “I’m unworthy. Go away from me, Jesus.” To “Let me step up and start the church. I am well able. I am strong in the Lord. I am anointed.” It all depends on what you’re receiving.
Start receiving God’s approval: "Lord, thank you that I am a masterpiece."
Receive His mercy: "Father, thank you that your mercy is bigger than my mistakes. Thank you that I am redeemed, restored, and forgiven."
Receive His favor: "Lord, thank you that you’re shining down on my life, taking me where I’ve never dreamed."
How about receiving those net-breaking blessings—blessings that leave you awestruck?
"Lord, this seems too good to be true, but I'm a believer and not a doubter. Show out in my life."
If you’ll do this, I believe and declare— Like Peter, God is going to do things that leave you awestruck. New doors are about to open. The right people are tracking you down. Promotion is coming. Healing is coming. Freedom is coming. The fullness of your destiny, 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.
Get in a good Bible-based church and keep God first place.
