An Atmosphere of Praise - 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. You can also 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 cat and mouse that died on the same day and went to heaven. After a few weeks, Peter saw the mouse and asked how he liked it. The mouse said, “Oh, it's great, but it's so big. I wish I could get a pair of roller skates.” Peter said, “No problem,” and got him some skates. A few weeks later, Peter saw the cat and asked him how he liked it. The cat said, “Oh, it's fantastic, and just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I discovered the meals on wheels.”

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 an atmosphere of praise. We're all creating an atmosphere around us—by what we're thinking, what we're saying, and our attitude. It's easy to go around being negative: “Look at this doctor's report, this traffic is bad, these people did me wrong.” Whatever you're sending out, you're going to draw in. If you're creating a negative atmosphere, that's going to attract discouragement, defeat, and bad breaks.

But when you create an atmosphere of praise, when you're always thanking God for what He's done, you shift things. You get up in the morning and say, “Lord, thank You that I'm alive today. Thank You for my beautiful children. Thank You that goodness and mercy are following me. Thank You that I'm surrounded by Your favor. Lord, thank You that You've made me invisible to the enemy.”

That faith-filled atmosphere is going to draw in favor, good breaks, and peace. Pay attention to what kind of atmosphere you're creating. You can't complain and see breakthroughs. You can't go around talking about problems, how it's not going to work out, or how this challenge is too big, and still reach your potential. That negative atmosphere is stopping your victory.

The scripture says, “God inhabits the praises of His people.” He doesn't inhabit complaints. He doesn't inhabit worry or frustration: “Why is this taking so long? These children are getting on my nerves.” That doesn't get God's attention. But when He hears you talking about His greatness, praising when you could be complaining, declaring His promises when you're up against giants, and thanking Him that He's working when nothing is changing, that's when God says, Let me step in. Let me fight this battle. Let me make a way, bring promotion, healing, and favor.

One version says, “God is enthroned when we praise Him.” When you're full of praise, you're building a throne for God to sit on. When you go through the day grateful, focused on what's right, with a spring in your step, a smile on your face, and being good to people—that's not just having a positive attitude. You're inviting God into your life, into your circumstances, and into your emotions.

When you're up against challenges that seem too big or dreams that look impossible, you'll be tempted to worry, live stressed, or complain. But the best thing you can do is give God praise. It may be too much for you, but it's not too much for Him.

David said, “Magnify the Lord with me.” Don't magnify your problem—magnify your God. Thank Him for who He is: “Lord, I thank You that You're the all-powerful Creator of the universe. I thank You that You're the great I Am. Lord, You're my provider, my healer, my protector, my deliverer, my way maker.”

That's what causes God to show up—not begging Him, “God, You've got to do something.” Not complaining, “God, it's not fair.” Not worrying, “What am I going to do?” That attracts the wrong things. Switch over into praise. That's what attracts the most powerful force in the universe.

Victoria and I were at a nursery recently. It was this huge place with several acres of all kinds of plants, flowers, and shrubs. We had been looking for half an hour or so, going up and down the rows. We came to this type of flower, and there were hundreds of bees around them—everywhere you looked. You could barely see the individual flower; it had so many bees on it.

I asked the man working there what was different about this flower compared to the ones right next to it that had no bees. He explained that this flower puts off a sweet smell that attracts the bees. There's something called nectar that the flower produces, which creates this aroma that draws the bees in.

We saw hundreds of different types of flowers that day, row after row, but these were the only flowers that had bees on them. There were other flowers that looked just the same—just as beautiful and colorful. They had smells, but they didn't have any bees. The bees were looking for this specific sweet smell of nectar, so they passed over all the other flowers until they came to these.

The scripture says our praise goes up as a sweet-smelling aroma before God. When you give God praise, you're putting off that aroma that attracts God. God can smell praise. He'll pass over person after person after person, and then He comes to you. He smells that sweet-smelling aroma. He hears you thanking Him, going around grateful, talking about how blessed you are, and declaring His promises: “This is another day the Lord has made. I'm going to live this day happy. Father, thank You that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Yes, I have some problems, but God, I thank You that You're bigger than anything I'm facing.”

I can imagine God saying to the angels, “I smell something. Do you smell it? There's a sweet-smelling aroma coming up. I'm going to go find where it's coming from.”

Your praise will attract God. He'll pass over all these other people and find the praiser. He'll find the one that has a report of victory, the one that's talking about how big their God is and not how big their problem is.

I wonder if what you're putting off is attracting God or causing Him to pass by. “Joel, this inflation is so bad. My back's been hurting. These people at work get on my nerves. I can't stand driving in that traffic.”

Instead of a sweet-smelling aroma, that's putting out an odor. That attitude stinks. I can hear God saying, “Go get me some air fresheners. Go pick up some odor eaters.” That stink pushes God away.

We've all met people—we're not around them fifteen minutes before we can tell they're bitter, a worrier, a complainer, or angry. Instead of a sweet-smelling aroma—grateful, joyful, and good-natured—they're putting out an odor. Their attitude stinks, their words are negative, they're focused on what's wrong, and they're expecting the worst.

Don't let what you're putting out keep you from your potential. Other people can't stop you. The enemy can't stop you. The only one that can stop you is you.

If you live negative, bitter, jealous, worried, or angry, none of those things attract God. You need God to reach the fullness of your destiny. You can't do it on your own. When you create an atmosphere of praise, you're going to attract favor, the right people, healing, freedom, and abundance.

It's interesting how smells work. We had an animal that died behind our fence in our backyard—a raccoon or squirrel, something—but the smell was so bad, the stench so strong, that I didn't want to go out in the yard. Sometimes we'd eat on the back porch, but it was so powerful, so offensive, that it drove me away.

Victoria used to make this chocolate cake. It was so good, homemade, right out of the box. It was amazing. When I walked in from the garage at the back door—the kitchen is two rooms away, not even close—I could smell the aroma of that cake. She didn't have to tell me she made one. She didn't have to come announce, “Joel, I cooked something for you.” My nose knew exactly what she'd done. That smell drew me to it. I couldn't help it—I was attracted to it. That's how powerful smells are.

I was pushed away from the stench in the backyard, and I was drawn to this sweet-smelling chocolate cake in the oven.

What is your life putting off? What is your attitude putting off? What are your words putting off? Sweet-smelling aromas, or are you creating odors, stinky attitudes, or negative talk? Are you worried all the time?

That's pushing God away.

If you want to attract favor, joy, peace, and creativity, start sending up some praise. Start thanking God for what He's done. Start bragging on His goodness. Start declaring His victory over your life. See, you can't be neutral and think, “Well, I'm not going to be negative; I'm not going to complain.” That's good—you’re not putting out any odors—but you need to send up some aromas.

“Lord, thank You for waking me up this morning. Thank You for giving me breath to breathe. Thank You that I'm healthy. Thank You for my family, for opportunity, for protection, for Your favor.” That's creating an atmosphere of praise. That's what attracts the Most High God.

The scripture talks about “making melody in your heart.” We're all making something. Some people are making sadness—thinking about what they've been through, what wasn’t fair, or what they lost. That's drawing in more sadness and more discouragement. Other people are making worry, playing negative thoughts over and over: “What if it doesn’t work out? What if I don’t get well? What if I don’t get past this problem?” That’s drawing in more stress and more heaviness.

Why don’t you start making melody? Start having a song of praise in your heart. Instead of, “These children are so much trouble,” say, “Lord, thank You for blessing me with children.” Instead of, “It’s a pain to go to work,” say, “Lord, thank You that I have a job.” Instead of, “Business is slow, I’ll never get ahead,” say, “Lord, thank You that You’re my provider. You make streams in the desert.” Instead of, “This medical report is so bad; I don’t think I’ll get well,” say, “Lord, thank You that You’re restoring health back unto me.”

What are you sending up—odors or aromas? What are you creating—an atmosphere of doubt, worry, and mediocrity, or an atmosphere of praise, victory, and abundance?

I was watching something funny on YouTube the other day. This man dresses up like a bush—he's covered with green leaves all over his face and his whole body. He crouches on a busy sidewalk. When people walk by, they think it's just a bush, and then he stands up and scares them. It’s all just for fun. About half of the people, when he stands up, the first thing they do is let out a curse word—“Oh, blank!” It just comes out without them even thinking about it.

The scripture says, “Out of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Whatever is in you is eventually going to come out of your mouth, especially when you're under pressure. About ten percent of the people, when they were scared, instead of cursing, the first thing they screamed was “Jesus.” Same situation, but one’s cursing and one’s praising. What’s the difference? It depends on what you’re full of.

You’re going to be full of something—either doubt, worry, bitterness, and complaints, or you can be full of praise, thanksgiving, faith, hope, and victory. I want us to be so filled with praise that even in unexpected difficulties, the first thing we do is call on the name of the Lord. We declare His goodness. We talk about how great He is.

In my early twenties, I was driving home from work on the freeway. It had been raining really hard. I went to change lanes, and I hit this big puddle of water and lost control of my car. I started spinning around, across three lanes of traffic. I hit the inside barrier, and that catapulted me, spinning back across those lanes.

I looked up at one point, and this eighteen-wheeler was right in front of me. I was facing the wrong direction; it looked like I could reach out and touch the front of his grill. I didn’t have time to pray. I didn’t have time to think about it. But I heard myself say, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” It came out of my mouth three times.

The next thing I knew, I was over on the shoulder. Somehow, that truck had missed me. The driver pulled over; he came up to my window. The first thing he said was, “Boy, you must be living right, because right when I braced to hit you, this big gust of wind blew my truck into another lane.”

I’m so glad I said “Jesus” and not “blankety blank.” If I had said something else, I don’t know if I’d be here today. When you stay full of praise, it will come out when you need it.

In the scripture, God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh, but Jonah didn’t want to go there. He got on a boat headed in the other direction. They encountered a huge storm and thought they were all going to die. Jonah finally admitted he was the problem. The crew said, “Thank you so much for telling us.” Then they threw him overboard.

It should have been the end, but God, in His mercy, had a big fish waiting for Jonah. It swallowed him. Jonah was sitting in the belly of this whale. You can imagine how it smelled inside a whale's digestive system—gases, fluids, food. It would have reeked—so stinky, almost unbearable.

In Jonah chapter 2, for eight verses, Jonah talked about how bad his life was, how he was in the depths of despair, how he was surrounded by vast waters, and how he didn’t see a way out. All that was true, but complaining doesn’t get God’s attention. Sending up odors like, “God, this isn’t fair. Why did these people do me wrong? Why did this happen?” doesn’t cause God to respond. What attracts Him are sweet-smelling aromas.

You may be in a stinky situation today. Like Jonah, you could describe everything wrong—how you weren’t treated right, how you’re never going to get well. That’s creating an atmosphere of doubt, defeat, and negativity. That’s going to keep you where you are.

After complaining for eight verses, Jonah had a change of heart. He must have tuned in to Lakewood. He said in verse 9, “God, in spite of my difficulties, I’m going to offer up the sacrifice of praise with the voice of thanksgiving.”

In the middle of the whale, he started saying, “Lord, thank You that You’re still in control. Thank You that Your mercy is bigger than my mistakes. Thank You that You didn’t bring me this far to leave me, that what You started in my life, You will finish.”

I can hear God saying, “I smell an aroma coming from inside a whale. It should be stinky. It should smell offensive, an odor—but it’s a sweet-smelling aroma. It’s a song of praise. It’s a song of victory.”

The next verse says, “God commanded the whale, and it spit Jonah up on dry land.”

When you praise in the midst of trouble, when you talk about God’s goodness when you don’t see how it can work out, when you send up sweet-smelling aromas even when you're surrounded by things that stink, that’s when the Most High God will go to work.

If God will cause a whale to take Jonah to the shore so he can fulfill his destiny—even after he made mistakes—God will cause your child to get back on course. God will cause that medical report to turn around. God will cause you to break that addiction, to meet the right person, to have that baby.

The question is: What are you sending up? Complaints, doubts, worry? No, be a Jonah. In the middle of the stink, in the middle of the challenge, send up an aroma of praise. Send up faith. Send up hope.

“Lord, thank You that there’s nothing too hard for You. Thank You that what You have purposed for my life will come to pass. That there’s no person, no bad break, no sickness, no addiction, no force of darkness that can stop Your plan.”

The psalmist said, “Praise Him for His unequaled greatness. Praise Him for His mighty works. Praise Him for His majestic power.”

You may be limited, but He’s unlimited. We’re natural, but He’s supernatural. When you don’t see a way, you’ll be tempted to complain. No—turn it around and praise Him for who He is:

“Lord, I praise You that You’re bigger than this sickness. I praise You that You’re stronger than this addiction. I praise You that You’re greater than this trouble. I praise You that You’re more powerful than these people.”

You could be sending up doubt, defeat, and complaints. Instead, you’re sending up sweet-smelling aromas, bragging on the goodness of God. Those aromas set miracles into motion. That’s when God will show up and do what you cannot do.

Sometimes we're waiting for the circumstances to change, and then we'll give God praise. But that's backwards—you have to give God praise first. You have to have that song in your heart when nothing is changing. It looks like it's never going to work out, but you're still thanking God that He's making ways where you don't see a way.

The Israelites were in slavery for four hundred and thirty years. It was very unfair. Psalm 137 says, “They wept at the thought of Jerusalem.” They were so discouraged, so disheartened. They used to be joyful. They used to talk about the greatness of Jehovah, how He had done amazing things. They were filled with praise, but now they were in captivity, and things hadn't worked out. They didn't just lose their freedom—they lost their praise.

They made the mistake, in captivity, of quitting sending up the sweet-smelling aromas. It's easy to do. When we're in difficult times and life throws us a curve, we can look back at how it used to be, how great it was, and how far we are from that now. It's tempting to be negative, discouraged, and to talk about how it used to be.

They sat by the rivers of Babylon, and when they could have been thanking God that He was going to bring them out, instead, they spent that time weeping, discouraged over what they had lost. Verse 2 says, “They put away their harps and hung them on willow trees.” Their captors asked them to sing the songs of Israel. They had heard about the joy, the dancing, and all those happy, uplifting songs. But the Israelites answered back, “How can we sing the songs of the Lord while we're in a foreign land?”

Their attitude was, “Once God delivers us, then we'll sing. Once I get well, Joel, once my child gets back on course, once this inflation goes down, then I'll get my joy back. Then I'll go get my harp.” No—praise is what’s going to cause it to turn around.

While you're waiting for things to change, believing for breakthroughs, the enemy would love for you to hang up your harp—to get discouraged, start complaining, and sit around talking about your problems. No, that's when, more than ever, you need to give God praise.

Praise activates His power. Praise causes angels to go to work. Praise opens prison doors. Praise will break chains. Praise will defeat giants.

Don’t hang up your harp. You can praise your way out. If you'll start sending sweet-smelling aromas, you'll be amazed at what God will do.

When my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a few weeks to live, she was tempted to hang up her harp. She’d been so healthy, so energetic. Now she weighed eighty-nine pounds. Like the Israelites, she didn’t see a way out. That sickness had her in captivity. It looked like that would be the end.

But she didn’t make the mistake they made. She kept her harp. In the middle of that challenge, when every voice said she would never make it—when, medically speaking, it wasn’t possible—she kept sending up praises:

“Father, thank You that You can do the impossible. Thank You that the number of my days You will fulfill. Thank You that I will live and not die and declare the works of the Lord.”

The more defeat that came against her mind, the more praises she sent up. You have to be more determined than the enemy. When the going gets tough, the tough have to get going.

Maybe you need to get your harp back. You let that setback, that breakup, that loss—not just steal your joy, but take your praise. You're wondering when God is going to do something, but God is waiting for you to send up some aromas. If you'll start putting out the right things—like those bees are drawn to the nectar in the flower—your praise will draw in the Most High God.

He doesn’t inhabit our fears, our doubts, our complaints, or our worries. Praise is what causes God to go to work.

I would hear my mother going through the house thanking God for His goodness, talking about how He was turning things around. In the midst of the difficulty, she was making melody in her heart. She could have been making worry, making discouragement, or making fear, but she chose to create an atmosphere of praise. She knew that God can smell praise, that He's drawn to praise, so she kept her harp out and kept sending up praises.

It didn’t happen overnight, but she started getting better and better. That was December 1981. Here we are forty-one years later, and she's still going strong—eighty-nine years young, still healthy and whole.

What kind of atmosphere are you creating? What are you sending up all through the day? “I’ll never get well. I’ll never meet the right person. I can’t accomplish my dreams. I don’t have the connections.”

Do yourself a favor: go get your harp. Get your song back. Get your praise back. Get your vision back. Get your dream back. God is still on the throne. He still has a destiny for you to fulfill. What’s in your future is greater than anything you’ve seen in the past.

You and God are a majority. There’s not an obstacle you’re facing that He can’t turn around, not a dream He’s put in your heart that He can’t bring to pass.

In 2 Kings 3, the Israelites, along with two other armies, had been traveling through the desert for seven days. They were going to sneak up and attack the Moabites. They thought there would be streams or wells along the way, but they couldn’t find any water. They didn’t know if they should continue on.

King Jehoshaphat asked the other kings if there was any prophet, so they could ask God what they should do. They said Elisha is nearby.

Well, Elisha didn’t want to have anything to do with those two other kings. They didn’t honor God. He was annoyed by it all, but because of his friend King Jehoshaphat, he agreed to do it. He said in verse 15, “Bring me someone that can play the harp.”

Elisha knew he couldn’t hear from God in that setting. He was irritated, upset. He had to change the atmosphere. The scripture says, “While the harp was being played, the power of the Lord came on Elisha, and he began to prophesy.”

It’s amazing what God will do if you’ll create the right atmosphere. When there’s worry, doubt, and frustration, that’s keeping us from seeing the goodness of God. Like Elisha did, bring in the harp. Turn up the praise. Create an atmosphere of faith, hope, and expectancy. That’s what causes God to show up.

This shouldn’t be something we do every once in a while—it should be a lifestyle. David said, “His praise should continually be in our mouth.”

All through the day, under our breath, we’re making melody in our heart. Thanking God for His goodness, grateful for what He’s done, talking about His greatness.

Just like that bee is attracted to the smell of the flower, God is attracted to the smell of praise.

My question: what kind of atmosphere are you creating? Worry, doubt, complaining—that’s sending out an odor. That’s pushing away good things.

God is looking for a sweet-smelling aroma. You may be in a difficult situation, with things coming against you. Don’t hang up your harp. The enemy would love for you to start complaining and live bitter. No—keep the praises going up. Keep thanking God that He’s working. Keep declaring that you’re coming out.

One thing I’ve learned is this: you can’t keep a praiser down.

If you’ll stay full of praise, I believe and declare, like Jonah, negative situations are about to turn around. You’re about to see favor like you’ve never seen. New doors are going to open—healing, freedom, the right people, 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.”

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I encourage you to get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place.