Joel Osteen - Don't Faint In Your Mind

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'll make you feel right at home I like to start with something funny and I heard about this archaeologist in New York he dug down ten feet and found traces of copper wiring dating back a hundred years he concluded New Yorkers had a telephone network over a hundred years ago not to be outdone an archaeologist from California dug down 20 feet found copper wiring dating back 200 years he concluded Californians had a massive communication network a hundred years earlier than New Yorkers upon hearing this Bubba from Texas dug down 30 feet on his farm and found absolutely nothing he concluded 300 years ago Texans had already gone Wireless 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 not fainting in your mind we all face opposition and things that come against us it's easy to get discouraged and give up on what we're believing for sometimes we feel alone like nobody knows what we're going through nobody is supporting us we get weary and faint in our mind but in the book of Hebrews it talks about the heroes of faith and all the amazing things they accomplished it wasn't easy they endured hardships they were mistreated they had plenty of opportunities to give up but they stayed faithful and fulfilled their purpose chapter 12 says seeing that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witness says let us run the race that's set before us this passage paints the picture of a huge stadium up in heaven with a race taking place the people in the grandstands are the Saints of old the great cloud of witnesses these heroes of faith are looking down at us cheering us on you are not running alone all of heaven is rooting for you not just the heroes of faith but your loved ones that have gone before you relatives that you've never met great-great-great grandmother's grandfathers they're watching you right now saying you go boy you go girl life may be tough but you've got what it takes we believe in you when you're tempted to faint in your mind you need to by faith look up and see them cheering you on I can see David saying that giant may look big that obstacle may look impossible I know how you feel but can I tell you God can do the impossible you may not think you have what you need all I had was a slingshot and a few stones people told me I wasn't qualified I didn't have the experience my family tried to talk me out of it my brothers made fun of me but despite all the opposition God breathed on me and I became a giant killer stay encouraged you can defeat your Giants David is cheering you on he's saying the giant may be big but our God is bigger don't faint in your mind maybe you're facing an illness you don't see how you can get well it's been years you're tempted to settle where you are and think that's your lot in life I hear a young lady in the grandstands saying don't lose hope I was sick for 18 years I couldn't stand up I was bent over with pain the doctors couldn't help me I tried everything but it didn't work out and just when I thought it was permanent I went to the temple one day out of a huge crowd of people Jesus called my name he said woman you are free from this sickness immediately I could stand up all the pain left from that day forward I could walk I could run I was perfectly well now nobody else may be encouraging you every other voice may be negative telling you how you're not going to get better you feel alone isolated look up this lady is saying God did it for me he can do it for you she's cheering you on Moses is up in those grandstands right now rooting for us he's saying you may have made mistakes you may have blown it so did I I thought I missed my destiny I thought I was done but at 80 years old God showed up in a burning bush he said Moses it's not too late I haven't forgotten about you it's time to deliver the Israelites after all those years where I felt like a failure guilty condemned God still used me to fulfill my purpose you may be sitting on the sidelines of life feeling disqualified guilty Moses is saying get back in the game God's mercy is bigger than those mistakes you can still become who you were created to be people may write you off but God never writes you off you hear those voices telling you you blown it you missed your chance that means you're listening to the wrong voices you have to understand you have home-field advantage in the grandstands of heaven where you're running everyone is for you the Saints of old your loved ones understands your relatives they're not condemning you thinking boy I knew they couldn't get it right they'd never do anything good that means you're in the wrong Stadium the enemy has a stadium filled with accusers condemned errs discourage errs don't go there that's the opposed Stadium your game is being played on the home field everyone in these stands is pulling for you the scripture says look up for your redemption draws nigh when you're tempted to get discouraged look up and hear the cheers from the heavenly Saints when you know someone is cheering for you it gives you an edge you can run a little faster jump a little higher withstand a little more pressure statistics even show in basketball having the home court advantage results in 15 extra points for the home team the court is the same size the rules are the same technically nothing is different but there's something intangible that gives you an advantage if you played sports when you know your parents are in the stands or you have friends they're cheering you on that gives you an extra boost my father traveled a lot when I was growing up and he couldn't attend many of my basketball games but I'll remember this one game I was in the seventh grade the game was about to start and I saw my father come walking in the gym I didn't know he was coming I was pleasantly surprised for some reason that day my father decided to wear shorts he had not worn shorts his whole life his legs were wider than the glory of God they were blinded people not only that he didn't have any tennis shoes so he wore his black dress shoes with black socks I didn't tell anyone we were related but knowing my father was there I played harder I scored more points they say white men can't jump that day I got in the air I did things that even surprised me all because I knew someone was watching me someone was cheering for me I wanted to make them proud even now when I'm tempted to get discouraged tempted to think an obstacle is too big I just imagined that my father is still watching me he's in the grandstands of heaven saying come on Joel I lived in my day this is your day show them what you have be strong take big steps pray bold prayers shine brightly there are people in heaven right now cheering you on relatives that have gone before you they're rooting for you saying do something great make us proud run with purpose when those voices whisper you're alone it doesn't matter just settle where you are by faith you need to hear your loved ones cheering you on my grandfather on my mother's side of the family had a rough childhood his mother died when he was five three years later his father came home from working out in the woods with the terrible pain in his side they took him by horse and buggy to a hospital four hours away the middle of the night my grandfather received a telegram saying that his father had died the next day he and his uncle went to the train station to pick up his body I can imagine what was going through my grandfather's mind is an eight-year-old little boy riding a horse with his father in a casket behind him wondering who would take care of him where we would live so uncertain of his future nobody really wanted my grandfather he was passed from house to house his uncle made him live out in the barn didn't treat him like his own child when Daddy left home at 16 and joined a bridge game eventually he got a job at a refinery he worked for Humble Oil now Exxon for 40 years he never missed a day of work he was faithful he endured hardships he overcame injustice at Exxon they had a program where you could take part of your salary in stock all of his friends took their whole salary in cash spin it each week but granddaddy took the stock option and never touched it the most he ever made was $14,000 a year but when he retired the dividends from his stock each year were four times more than he ever made he would come up to the old church and do odd jobs I would see him under the portable buildings fixing the plumbing he built his own house for $2,600 and lived there for 60 years I think about how my grandfather made it with so much less than I have he didn't have a good childhood didn't have parents to guide him he didn't have an education yet he overcame all these obstacles and still went on to fulfill his purpose and leave our family better than it was before if my grandfather could make it through all that he went through surely I can make it through what comes against me our ancestors our relatives they made it without electricity without automobiles without medical treatments that we have without Netflix if they didn't fade in their mind if they made sacrifices to put us ahead surely we can do it well I'm irritated because my cell phone dropped a call they would ask what's a cell phone you mean you can talk to people like that traffic was bad I got stuck sitting in my car they had to ask what's a car you mean you can travel in comfort are you complaining about things that they would have dreamed to have in comparison to what they've been through most of what we face are light afflictions some of you had relatives that suffered great injustice because of their nationality because of the color of their skin they were mistreated and seen as second-class not valued not respected they endured all that hardship without getting bitter working in the fields with no pay they didn't complain while they suffered they sang hymns they didn't have freedom but it didn't stop their praise they didn't live defeated they kept thinking God knowing that he was in control and that justice was coming we are living in the day they dreamed about they went through too much for you to settle where you are they sacrificed too greatly for you to give up or what God put in your heart they're up in those grandstands watching you saying run baby run that's why we worked so that you could excel so that you could write that book so that you could teach that class so that you could start that business so that you could own your company so you could go further if you don't do it for yourself do it for those that went before you they handed you the baton all the sacrifices they've made have put us further down the road the way we honor their legacies is to go further to dream bigger to take new ground ensure life can be difficult but it's nothing compared to what they endured with what my grandfather went through with what I've seen my parents sacrifice I feel too responsible to settle where I am to just rest in what they accomplished to just go as far as they did we're supposed to leave our families better off than they were before Hebrews 11 says all these heroes of faith the Saints of old even though they did their best none of them receive all that God promised they didn't see the fullness of what God had in store but since Jesus has come we are the generation under the new covenant we're living in a better we are seeing the fulfillment of what they only dreamed about how this should stir us up to stay passionate to believe big to take new ground it's easy to let these light afflictions discourage us somebody's talking about us trouble at work we didn't get the contract quit letting those light things keep you from running with purpose when life gets tough look up and listen up you'll hear your loved ones cheering you on you'll hear the Saints of old saying this is your day stay strong you are well able my father was raised during the Great Depression he grew up with no money no opportunity he didn't have a car he had to hitchhike he kept taking steps of faith and God opened bigger doors one church where he pastored after years of building it so went into the people some of them didn't like his new message of faith and victory and they asked him to leave he was heartbroken it wasn't fair but he didn't complain he and my mother went out and started Lakewood they didn't have a big building they didn't have a formal compact Center they found an old run-down feed store had holes in the floor dirty smelly compared to my father compared to my grandfather I have it so much easier yes I faced opposition but nobody's asked me to leave the church if you're thinking about it forget it my father worked too hard my grandfather sacrificed too much for me to get discouraged and settle where I am the last 10 years of my father's life he didn't feel healthy many Sundays he would come to church dizzy from the blood pressure medicine that he took he hadn't slept the night before and I would always go see him before the service daddy do you want to break today we can find somebody else to minister that never entered his and he preached whether he felt like it or not when he went to be with the Lord and I took over he put me 40 years down the road he left us that eight thousand seat auditorium debt-free when we needed to make an initial payment to secure the compact Center the money was in the bank I thought thank you daddy if he could do it in his day not feeling well not having resources growing up not having people support him how much more should I be able to do in the same way your relatives have sacrificed greatly for you to be where you are they endured hardships worked when they didn't feel like it overcame things that should have stopped them they paid a high price now do your part and honor them by taking new ground our attitude should be I am NOT going to let these light affliction stop me I am NOT going to live passive and just coast on what's been passed down to me I'm all stretched to new levels I'm gonna make my loved ones proud well Joel I don't come from a godly heritage my relatives my parents they didn't believe you wouldn't be where you are if somebody in your family line didn't honor God none of us got to where we are on our own somebody prayed for you somebody made sacrifices somebody lived a life of integrity it may have been a great great great grandfather you never met but he gave he served he helped others he mentored young men or a grandmother that lived a hundred years ago you never heard her name but she prayed for her family line she taught Sunday School she was an example to those young ladies now you're reaping from the seeds they've sown you didn't get here by accident in the scripture God showed favor to one of David's relatives 305 years after David was gone his relative made a mistake he was in trouble God said in effect I'm gonna show you mercy I'm going to turn this around not for your sake but for your relative David's sake I realize I'm reaping a harvest from seeds that I didn't plan I'm blessed because my grandfather honored God I'm where I am in part because my parents kept God first place there are people that you've never met that have made your life easier they put you further down the road now they're cheering you on the way you honor them is by going further but taking new ground think of these heroes of faith they didn't have a Bible like we do today they didn't have promises in writing to stand on like we can they didn't know how it was all going to turn out yet they chose to believe they made it through the desert without a podcast encouraging them without a grocery store they made it to the promised land without GPS without Siri without airplanes they did it without the conveniences that we have imagine what you and I can do this is our day to set a new standard here's the key the heroes of faith are not just in the Bible I am looking at heroes of faith if the Bible was written today your name could be in there you've overcome obstacles that look too big like David you've defeated giants like the lady that was healed after 18 years some of you God has healed you and given you your life back my mother would be in the heroes of faith cancer said that she was done in 1981 medical science that she didn't have a chance but God said I have the final say you will live and not die she's a living sample of God's goodness my challenge to you is become a hero of faith do something great leave your mark let your talent shine overcome what seems impossible you may not see how it can happen but you have generations cheering you on you have Saints that you've read about thought how amazing they are how faithful how dedicated those same Saints are calling your name saying dream big keep stretch and keep believing we want to read about you imagine every morning if you received a personal text from Abraham from David for Moses Ruth Esther Noah when you woke up there was a message from them saying how they believe in you how you were well able that would do something to you it put a spring in your step it would cause you to have more confidence those people carry some weight I've received a few texts from some influential people but if Abraham were to text me I would run tell Victoria you're not gonna believe it I just got a text from Abraham what'd he say he said he believes in me that he's cheering me on that would help me to do better that day I wouldn't get discouraged because I had opposition I wouldn't give up because I had a setback can I tell you it's not just Abraham all of heaven is cheering for you the grandstands are packed with people who believe in you people that have been where you are and made it through you may feel like you're surrounded by opposition everything has come against you I see Elijah step out of the grandstands and say been there done that one night this enemy army surrounded me and my assistant tens of thousands of horses and chariots my assistant panicked he thought we were done but when I looked out through my eyes of faith I could see a vast host of the heavenly armies surrounding all those enemy forces Elijah would tell you stay in faith that addiction may look like it has you surrounded the truth is God has it surrounded that sickness the debt the depression maybe surrounding you but Elijah is cheering you on saying don't worry God is surrounding what's surrounding you maybe you pray for God to turn a situation around but it didn't happen thought to tell you it's too late it's never going to work out why didn't God answer your prayers I see three men step out of the grandstands of heaven their names are Shadrach Meshach and Abednego they say we know how you feel we wouldn't bow down to the king's golden idol he told us he was going to throw us into a fiery furnace we prayed we ask God to deliver us we didn't want to go into the furnace but God didn't answer our prayer the way we wanted we were tempted to get upset to complain instead we decided to trust him we told the king even if God doesn't deliver us we're still not going to bow down when he threw us into the furnace the funny thing is the fire didn't burn us it only burned off the cords that were holding us back in the middle of the fire out of nowhere the Son of the Living God showed up their encouragement is you may be in the fire stay in faith you are fire proof that fire is not going to harm you God is right there with you keep believing keep doing the right thing like them you're going to come out without the smell of smoke are you feeling in your mind giving up on a dream talking yourself out of doing something great God is saying get your passion back your relatives the Saints of old they've gone through too much for you to settle where you are when you're tempted to get discouraged look up and listen up all of heaven is cheering for you in that stadium there are signs with your picture on them people calling your name run baby run make your loved ones proud God has ordained that every generation increase they did great things with what they had but let's honor them by going further let's leave this generation better than it was before if you'll do this I believe and declare you're not going to just be cheered on by heroes of faith you're going to become a hero of faith you're going to rise higher accomplish dreams and leave your mark on this generation in Jesus name and if you receive it can you save me today I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord if you're live would you pray with me just say Lord Jesus I'll repent of my sins come into my heart I'll make you my Lord and Savior if you prayed that simple prayer we believe you got born again getting a good Bible based church and keep God first place your partnership makes this ministry possible your faithful and consistent monthly support makes you a champion of hope the vision of Joel Osteen ministries is to use every avenue available to present the hope of Jesus Christ to people everywhere we know it is this hope and the transforming power of the gospel that makes an eternal difference in people's lives to partner with Joel Osteen ministries visit Joel Osteen / partner today you

Channel: Joel Osteen

Views: 745,415

Rating: 4.8458252 out of 5

Keywords: Joel Osteen, Victoria Osteen, Dreams, Forgiveness, Hope, Life, Patience, Peace, Relationships, Faith, Grace, Love

Id: Yo1QBnxLrL0

Length: 27min 33sec (1653 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 12 2018