Read Textual Sermon from Joel Osteen
Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes, and if you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you we will make you feel right at home. I like to start with something funny, and I heard about this little girl. She asked her mother how the human race got started. Her mother explained how God created Adam and Eve, and they had children, and on and on, here we are today. A few days later, she asked her father the same question. He explained how many years ago there were monkeys, and little by little they became more like people, and now here we are. Confused, she went back to her mother and said, "Mom, you said God created people. Dad said we came from monkeys. How can that be?" She said, "Oh, honey, that's easy. I told you about my side of the family; Dad told you about his."
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 being positioned for increase. We all have to deal with things that come to an end. We lost our main client, a friend we could always count on is moving away, or a loved one went to be with the Lord. We've seen God's blessing in the past, we know we have His favor, but it seems like that favor has been taken away. But God will never remove something unless He has something better coming. If He didn't stop certain things, we would never get out of our comfort zone; we would stay with what's familiar. So sometimes God will put an end to what doesn't make sense to us. We don't understand why the friend walked away, why the business pushed us out, why sales aren't what they used to be. God is not doing that to make your life more difficult. He's getting you in position for increase. He had to stop what was working to force you to stretch so you could come into greater provision, greater opportunity.
This is what happened with the Israelites. They had been in slavery for many years when God supernaturally brought them out. These two million people headed into the desert with nothing to eat, no way to survive, so every morning God gave them something called manna. It was like bread that formed on the ground. For 40 years, as they traveled the desert, one thing they could always count on was the manna. They had enemies to fight, they had to overcome the heat, there were snakes and scorpions, but every day like clockwork there was the manna. They knew that was the hand of God taking care of them. What they didn't realize was the manna was only temporary provision. They were satisfied; they had something to eat, but God wasn't satisfied. He was taking them into a land flowing with milk and honey, a land filled with resources, with plenty of food.
When the Israelites got close to the promised land, something interesting happened. The scripture says the manna ceased and they never saw the manna again. Imagine what the people thought. After 40 years of having manna, over 14,000 mornings they got up and had breakfast at their tent, now it was nowhere to be found. I can hear them panicking: "God, what's happening? Why won't you provide for us anymore?" They would have lived off of manna the rest of their lives, so God, on purpose, stopped the manna. He said, "From now on, I want you to cook your own food. There's provision all around you. You don't need this manna to sustain you. I'm bringing you into abundance." It's not a coincidence that the manna stopped when they were about to go into the promised land. When something ceases in your life, that's an indication that increase is coming. God will never stop something unless He has greater provision on the way.
Maybe a friend walked away, a contract fell through, you had a setback in your family. It's not as easy as it used to be. The manna is not coming; you're having to cook your own food. It's because you're about to step into a new level. The manna drying up is a sign you are close to your promised land. What you were satisfied with was only temporary provision. You were blessed, life was good, but God has so much more in store for you. He had to cease the friendship, He had to move that person away, not because they're not good, but they were limiting you. They can't go where you're going. God had to close the door so He can bring people into your life that will push you into your purpose.
Or maybe that position you were counting on didn't work out. You were hoping it would last, but it was not permanent. It's because it was only temporary. God is about to take you into your promised land. He ceased it for one reason: to increase you, to take you where you couldn't go on your own. But when things cease, it's easy to think, "God, where are you? Where is the manna? What's happening? It's been this way for years; I'm counting on it." It's tempting to live worried, think we're doing something wrong, we must have stepped out of God's favor. God wouldn't have ceased it if He didn't have something better coming.
When that manna quits appearing, instead of being discouraged, have a new perspective: you're on the verge of a new level. That's an indication that walls are about to come down, giants are about to be defeated, you're about to take new ground, see new levels, new opportunities.
My friend Tony Dungy played professional football for many years. After a successful career, in 1996, he landed his first job as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team. It was a dream come true. He knew it was the hand of God opening that door. For six years, everything went great. They were winning more games, making more progress. The manna was there every morning, the favor, the provision. But one day he was unexpectedly let go; they fired him. He thought, "God, I know you gave me this position." When the manna stops, that means God is up to something.
The question is, will you get negative, "God, I can't believe this happened. This is not fair," or will you say, "God, I know you wouldn't have closed this door unless you were about to open a better door. So Lord, I thank you that you're in control, that your plans for me are for good, that what you started in my life you will finish." The manna ceasing is a test. Many people get bitter, give up on their dreams. You have to understand the reason the manna stops, the reason doors close, the reason people walk away, is you are close to your promised land. That's God taking away the temporary provision. It may look permanent to us, we were satisfied, but God's dream for your life is much bigger than your own.
Coach Dungy was disappointed, but he didn't sit around in self-pity, thinking about how bad life was. He knew the same God that opened the door in Tampa Bay had now closed the door. It wasn't long after he was let go that he received a phone call from the Indianapolis Colts football team. They said, "We're looking for a coach. Are you interested?" Coach Dungy took the job. He went on to win the Super Bowl with the Colts. What looked like a great disappointment—getting pushed out, the manna stopping—was really a setup for something great.
You may have gone through a disappointment, a door closed, a person walked away. It's more difficult than it used to be. The manna is not there every morning. God is saying, "Get ready. I'm about to do something that you've never seen." He didn't cease the provision because He's through with you; He stopped it because it's only temporary. He's about to launch you into a new level.
Now don't let it sour you: "Why did this company do me wrong? Why did these people leave me out?" It wasn't their choice; it was God closing the door.
God was moving them away. It was God stopping the manna. God told the Israelites, "You don't need this manna anymore; there's provision all around you." They were so close to the promised land. There was all kinds of food available, but if God had kept giving them manna, they would have missed the abundance that belonged to them. When the manna ceases in your life, like with them, you're so close to your promised land. The provision is already there. Now you have to cook your own food. God's not going to do this for you. You can't stay where it's familiar, what you're used to, or what's easy. You have to stretch, get out of your comfort zone, and take some steps of faith. There is greatness in you. You weren't created to live off of manna. Don't have a manna mentality. Don't complain when something ceases in your life. If it stopped, it wasn't supposed to be permanent; it's just a step on the way to your destiny.
The Israelites had to accept that not having any manna meant that it was a new day and God was doing a new thing. If they had been sour because the manna ceased, they would have never seen the walls of Jericho come down. They would have never conquered city after city and lived in the land of abundance.
Have you let what ceased in your life cause you to be sour, or do you see it as a sign that you're about to go into your promised land? When the manna ceases, you have to dig down deep. This business may have slowed down, but Lord, I want to thank you that new doors are about to open. This person walked away, Lord, thank you, you have somebody better coming. This marriage is difficult, but Lord, thank you, peace, joy, and restoration are on the way.
The closer the Israelites got to the promised land, the less God did for them. When they were in slavery, God sent plagues on Pharaoh. The Israelites didn't have to do anything; they just sat back and watched God change Pharaoh's mind. God parted the Red Sea, God drowned their enemies in the desert, God gave them water out of a rock, and God gave them quail to eat. On and on, they saw the hand of God. But as they entered the promised land, God said, "Now I want you to cook your own food. I'll bring the walls down, but you have to march around them seven times. I'll defeat your enemies, but you have to go in and possess the land."
As they got closer, they had to grow up. God expected them to stand on their own two feet, to encourage themselves, to fight off the fear. He was saying, "The day is over when I'm going to bring you the manna. The provision is all around. I brought you this far, I fought all your battles, I gave you breakfast every morning, but for this new level, to enter into this place of abundance, you have to step up."
With the promised land comes a new level of responsibility. Maybe in the past, you've relied on other people to keep you encouraged, cheered up. God is going to begin to wean those people away. At some point, that manna is going to cease, not because God doesn't love you, but because He wants you to stand on your own. You can't become who you were created to be always depending on somebody else. You don't need that crutch. Start encouraging yourself all through the day. "I am strong in the Lord. Something good is going to happen to me. God being for me is more than the world being against me." To enter your promised land, you have to cook your own food.
Some of the things God has done for you in the past, having people there to encourage you, causing everything to fall into place, that's not going to continue. If God kept doing everything for us, we wouldn't see the abundance all around. You may wonder why certain things seem more difficult. Raising your children is not as easy, work is more complicated, and in your finances, you're working harder for the same income. Stay encouraged; you're cooking your own food. You're about to enter into your promised land. That's when things will shift in your favor. That's when you'll see increase, promotion, and favor like you've never seen. But we have to pass this test of not falling apart when the manna ceases, when things are not coming as easy as they used to. Take it as a compliment. You're growing. God is saying, "I don't have to keep feeding you manna. I don't have to sustain you off this temporary provision. You're getting stronger to where you can handle the fullness of what I have in store."
Before the Israelites could enter the promised land, they had to say goodbye to the familiar, goodbye to the manna that they had had for 40 years. Imagine when it stopped coming. They could have been discouraged, lost their passion. Instead, they said, "Fine, we'll go get our own food." But some people never succeed because they're not willing to say goodbye to the familiar. Goodbye to a friendship that's holding them back, goodbye to a job where they're not fulfilled, or goodbye to old mindsets, to limited thinking.
When the manna ceases, that friendship is not feeding you anymore. It's just pulling you down, making you more negative. If you're not willing to say goodbye, you'll miss your promised land. When you know you're supposed to take a step of faith and teach that class, start your business, write that book, move into that new neighborhood, don't stay where it's comfortable. You can't play it safe your whole life and become who you were created to be. God is the one who put the desires in you. God is the one that caused the manna to cease. It was good for a season, but you weren't made to live off of manna. You have to say goodbye to the familiar if you're going to keep moving forward.
It doesn't mean that people are bad, but everyone is not supposed to be in your life forever. When God closes a door, the longer we hold on, the more miserable we're going to be. When the manna stops for that certain position, you know you're supposed to step up. You've got bigger things in you, but you're afraid. The problem is the grace for that old position is not going to be there. God has moved on. The favor is waiting for you at your next assignment. You have to stretch, get out of your comfort zone. If you'll say goodbye to the familiar, you'll see the new things that God has in store.
This is what I did. I worked behind the scenes here at Lakewood for 17 years. I thought that's what I'd do the rest of my life. I was happy and fulfilled, but in 1999, my father went to be with the Lord, and everything changed for me. I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church, but I liked being behind the scenes. I was comfortable and didn't want to have to get out in front of people. When my father was alive, it was easy. Like with the children of Israel, the manna came to me every morning. But when Daddy passed, it was like the manna ceased. He was gone; nothing I could do to bring him back.
Sometimes God will close a door. No matter how much we don't like it, it's not going to reopen. The good news is God never ceases the manna unless He has greater provision coming. He never closes the door if He's not going to open up another door. But too often, we're trying to hold on to old manna, old friendships, old attitudes, old positions. When God ceases that manna, it means He's about to do a new thing. You have to let go of the old.
For one day, they could gather up enough for three or four days, but in 24 hours, it would spoil; it wouldn't last. When we try to hold on to old manna, what God used to do, a friendship that was good for a season but not now, a job where we're not fulfilled, all that manna is spoiled. You're not growing; it's not feeding you anymore.
Maybe in your career, what used to challenge you doesn't challenge you anymore. You hear God telling you to stretch, to take steps of faith. You wonder why you're not fulfilled, why you're not growing. It's because that manna is old. God has freshness in store for you.
He's a God of new beginnings. Yes, the manna was fine for a season. It brought you to the promised land; it sustained you while you were learning, but at some point, the manna is going to cease. That's when you have to prepare your own food. You have to step up to who you were created to be. When my father passed, I was afraid, but I did what I'm asking you to do. I got out of my comfort zone. I said goodbye to the familiar. I stepped up to pastor the church. God has taken me further than I ever imagined, but had my father not gone to be with the Lord, had that manna not ceased, I would have never made it into my promised land. You don't have to lose a loved one, but there will be times that God ceases good things in your life. You don't feel like you have the favor that you used to. Stay encouraged; that means you're about to step up to a new level. God is taking you from glory to glory. What you were satisfied with was one level of glory. It was just temporary provision. God is about to take you to a new level of glory where you see favor and increase like you've never seen.
God told the Prophet Elijah to go down to the brook Cherith; the ravens would feed him there. Elijah arrived at the brook, and he had provision week after week. He didn't have to go get the food. Every day, like clockwork, the ravens came to him. He had home delivery before Domino's. I'm sure he thought, "It doesn't get any better than this. God, you treat me so good." For months, the ravens kept coming. He was blessed. He knew God's favor was on him. He was comfortable, but one day the brook dried up, and the ravens quit coming. God said, "Elijah, now I want you to go to the city of Zarephath. I have a widow that's going to take care of you." Elijah could have thought, "That couldn't be God. He's blessed me here. I've seen His favor. I'm going to stay where I am." He could have held on to the old. The problem is the brook dried up, and the ravens quit coming. Why? Because God was getting him in position for increase.
When Elijah got to the widow's house, that's when his ministry began. He saw some of the greatest miracles ever recorded in the scripture. It's not a coincidence that it happened after the brook dried up, after the manna ceased when it looked like he didn't have God's favor and blessing like he used to. Actually, that was a sign he was about to step into a new level of his destiny.
Are you discouraged because the brook dried up? Are you frustrated because the manna ceased? Things are not happening like they used to. What you don't realize is God is positioning you for increase. It looks like a setback, but really it's a setup. He's about to do something that you've never seen. The brook drying up is not the end. It's a sign that greater provision is coming, greater opportunity, greater influence. Don't complain about the brook. Get ready for the new things God is about to do. Thank Him when you don't see any sign of water. Keep believing even when the door's closed. Keep stretching, doing the right thing. The brook may have dried up, but what you can't see is a flood of God's favor is headed your way.
In 2006, a friend of mine had a dream to put the Bible on a computer. He developed a website where the Bible was available, and you could write notes out to the side like a traditional print Bible. You could pull out passages and send them to other people, a lot of features that had not been available. He thought it was a good idea, but the first month, only 20,000 people visited the site, and that was fine, but they were hoping for a lot more. There was very little engagement. He and his team had spent a lot of time and money. After a year, they were ready to shut it down; it wasn't worth the effort. Two weeks before they pulled the plug, he had another idea. What if instead of making a website with the Bible, they made the Bible available on a mobile phone? That way, everybody would have the Bible wherever they went. He was a little concerned about how such a big book could fit on a tiny screen, but something on the inside felt right.
In 2008, he and his team designed and built a mobile website for the Bible. Not long after that, Apple announced the opportunity to develop what we now know as apps for our phones. My friend submitted his app; it was approved and available the first day the App Store launched on Apple. They were hoping for 80,000 downloads the first year, but in 3 days they had 83,000 downloads. Today, the YouVersion Bible app, developed by my friend Bobby Grunwald, has been downloaded over half a billion times. What's interesting is the success came after the brook dried up, after the manna ceased when Bobby was tempted to give up.
Sometimes God will shut the door to push us into our promised land. He ceases the manna because it's only temporary provision. Yes, it could sustain us, but what God has in mind is much bigger, much better. Now maybe the manna has ceased in some area of your life. You're tempted to give up on a dream, lose your passion. Like with him, it means greater provision is coming. The brook drying up is God getting you in position for something that you've never seen. Now this is not the time to get discouraged; this is the time to get ready. Stir your faith up. You are close to your promised land.
If you will do this, I believe and declare, like Elijah, like with Bobby, doors are about to open that no man can shut. New opportunities, favor, promotion, healing, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say Amen?
Today, 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.
