Joel Osteen - You Are Very Powerful

Watch
Audio
Donate
Contact Us

I want to talk to you today аbout: You Are Very Powerful. We all face situations that look too big, the opposition too strong, the dream too great, the sickness too bad. It's easy to live with a weak mentality, intimidated, like we're at a disadvantage. This is the way Solomon probably felt. His father David had just passed, and David was an amazing leader, he'd done all these great things, and now Solomon was in charge. Well, he wasn't a warrior like his father, he didn't go around defeating giants, conquering armies, but he was suddenly thrust into this position. What he was up against seeing Dawning, and overwhelming. I'm sure he was tempted to shrink back, think, "This is too much, I can't lead these people". But the scripture (2 Chronicles 1:1) says, "Solomon took firm control of the kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him very powerful".

And sometimes we see ourselves as limited, not enough, less than. But like with Solomon, the Lord your God is with you. And he has made you not just powerful, but very powerful. What you're up against may be big, but it's no match for you. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you. It's a power so strong, that it couldn't keep Jesus in the grave. A power so strong, that a teenage shepherd boy defeated a giant. A power so strong, that prison doors open for Paul and Silas. A power so strong, that a fiery furnace couldn't burn three Hebrew teenagers. A power so strong, that the Red Sea parted from Moses. That's the power that's in you. You're not ordinary, you're not common, you are very powerful.

Now, here's the key: how you see yourself will determine whether you see this great power. If you think weak thoughts, insecure, intimidated, "This problem's too big. I can't accomplish my dreams. I'll never break this addiction", then you are canceling out that power. You have to get in agreement with God. I'm not looking at weak people, I'm not looking at average people, I'm looking at sons and daughters of the Most High God: strong, confident, anointed, favored. Resurrection power is in you, power to bring dead things back to life. You can accomplish your dreams, you can set new standards for your family, you can defeat that cancer, you can break that addiction, you can put an end to that dysfunction. It may have stopped some people, but not you. You are very powerful.

In the scripture, the Syrian army was trying to overtake the Israelites, but every time the Syrians made a move, the Israelites knew exactly where they were going. They stayed one step ahead, and this happened again and again. Well, the Syrian commander was so frustrated. He was convinced that there was a spy in his camp, leaking all this inside information. He called his men together and questioned them. One of the leaders spoke up and said, "No, sir, it's none of us. There's a prophet in Israel, named Elisha. What you whisper in secret, he tells the Israelites". The commander was furious, he decided to go get Elisha. You would think he would take four or five men, maybe a dozen at the most. Elijah wasn't any threat, wasn't in the military, didn't have any weapons. But this commander was so afraid of Elisha that he got his whole army, thousands of troops, thousands of chariots, all to capture one man filled with the Spirit of God.

What am I saying? Even the enemy knows how powerful you are. He can see that you're not weak, you're not average, you're not lacking. How much further will you go, how much more will you accomplish, how many giants will you defeat, if you'll start seeing yourself for who you really are? Not just powerful, but very powerful. There is a force breathing in your direction, greater than any force trying to stop you. There's not a giant you can't defeat, an obstacle you can't overcome, an addiction you can't break. No weapon formed against you will prosper. God has armed you with strength for every battle. He surrounded you with favor. Goodness and mercy are following you. He's going before you making crooked places straight. When the enemy comes against us one way, God said he will defeat them and cause them to flee seven different ways. He said he holds victory in store for the upright.

There is a power working in you that's not of your own ability: it's resurrection power. Now, get rid of weak thoughts, defeating thoughts, "It's too much. I don't have the connections. I'll never meet the right people. This dream is so out of reach". No, have a new perspective, "This problem may be big, but it's no match for me. I am well able. I am strong in the Lord. I can do all things through Christ. Though I am surrounded by trouble, I will not fear. Though they attack me on every side, I will not be afraid, for the Lord is my light and my salvation, the Lord is the strength of my life". If you're going to tap into this power, you have to think power thoughts. Inflation may be high, the stock market's shaky, banks having trouble. You could be worried and said, "God, I thank you that your Jehovah Jireh, the Lord my provider. You said even in famine I would have more than enough. You said I would lend and not borrow. You said that you will satisfy me with a long line".

The medical report may not look good, experts say you're not going to get well, "God, you said you would restore health back into me. You said that I would live and not die". Maybe your children are off course, it doesn't look like they'll ever change, "God, you said as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. You said my children will be mighty in the land. You said that from generation to generation we will tell of your goodness". Learn to think power thoughts, that's how you activate this power.

When David went out to face Goliath, he didn't have a chance in the natural, but David understood this principle, that there was a force working for him that other people couldn't see. He knew that the Lord his God had made him very powerful. See, our strength doesn't come from just our own ability, our own willpower, our own determination. That's all good, but you will face times where on your own it's not enough: the giant is too big, the sickness too strong, the trouble too great. That's when you're going to see the Lord your God empowering you, a supernatural force enabling you, causing you to go further, to defeat giants, to accomplish dreams that seem impossible.

When David saw Goliath, he could have thought, "Oh, man, what was I thinking? He's twice my size. He has a full set of armor, all I have is this slingshot". No, David looked at Goliath and said (1 Samuel 17:45), "You come against me with a sword and a shield, but I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Israel". He was saying, "Goliath, I may look small, but I'm not on my own. There's a force that you cannot see, a power that's beyond my own ability. The Lord my God has breathed his power, his favor, his anointing on my life". Victory starts in our mind. You can't think weak and be powerful. You can't think limited and be strong. You can't think fear and have courage. Is your thinking keeping you from being very powerful? Or wrong mindset stopping the strength, the favor, the victory that belongs to you? Start thinking these power thoughts, "I am strong. I am well able. I am confident. I am favored. This challenge cannot hold me back. I am full of resurrection power. I can run through a troop, and leave over a wall. If God before me, who dare be against me?"

David went on to say (1 Samuel 17:46), "Goliath, this day I will defeat you and feed your head to the birds of the air". That's how you activate the power: not by talking about how you feel, but by talking about what God says about you. Not by thinking weak, defeated thoughts, can't do it, but by thinking power thoughts. We hear these stories about David, and stories about Elisha, and think, "Yes, they were powerful, they did amazing things, but man, Joel, they were in the Bible, they were called, they were chosen, they were anointed". Can I tell you? You are called, you are chosen, you are anointed. We see them as these superheroes. And yes, we honor them, we respect who they are, but the truth is: they were people just like you and me. They seemed ordinary, they looked average, yet they left their mark. They were chosen to live in their day, you've been chosen to live in this day. I am looking at modern day David's, Elisha's, Ruth's, Sarah's. Why don't you believe that you are very powerful, that you are a giant killer, that you are a barrier breaker, that you too are a history maker?

So often we see ourselves as limited, average, "Joel, I'm not powerful, I'm just ordinary". The truth is: some of the things that you've been through should have defeated you. If you were average, the dysfunction, the trauma, the loss would have taken you out. The fact that you're still here tells me that you are very powerful. That sickness couldn't defeat you. Why? Because you were so powerful. That bad break, the person that walked away, the disappointment should have soured your life, but look at you - you're still standing. You're not bitter, you're blessed. You're moving forward, you're taking new ground. That didn't take it happen on your own, the Lord your God strengthened you when you were weak. He lifted you when you fell. He protected you in danger. He favored you when it didn't look good. He delivered you from greater enemies. If you weren't very powerful, you wouldn't still be here. Wasn't your own mind, your own strength, it was the Lord your God breathing on your life. If you're going to reach your highest potential, you have to live with this mindset, "I am very powerful. I have the favor of God. I can accomplish my dreams. I can overcome this bad break. I can raise my children to serve the Lord. I can leave my mark".

There was a lady in the scripture named Deborah. She was in a city that was overcome with violence, and all kinds of wrongdoing. It had gotten so bad that you couldn't travel on the main roads, there was no order. But God put a dream in Deborah's heart to do something about it. The scriptures describes Deborah as a mother in Israel. This is significant, it's telling us that she didn't have the influence, the resources, she wasn't in the corporate world, didn't have an impressive title, wasn't highly educated. Plus back in those days women weren't in leadership like they are today, they were pushed down and seen as secondary. God could have chosen the king to do something about it, or the governor, a city leader, a wealthy businessman. Instead he chose this mother.

And sometimes God will ask you to do things that seem over your head. He'll put dreams in your heart that you can accomplish on your own. You don't have the resources, the training, the connections. But God wouldn't have asked you to do it, if you weren't well able. This is when you have to have the right mindset. Not, "I'm weak. I'm limited. I'm ordinary. I'm just a mother", no turn it around, "The Lord my God has made me very powerful. I'm anointed for this assignment. I'm favored for this mission. I'm well able to accomplish this dream". A lot of times we discount ourselves, "I'm just a mother. I'm just a student. I'm just a business person, a teacher, a doctor, a plumber". No, you're not just anything, you're a child of the Most High God. He breathed his life into you. He put his DNA on the inside. He crowned you with his favor. You have a royal blood flowing through your veins. Resurrection power lives in you. Put your shoulders back, and hold your head up high, and step into the greatness that belongs to you.

But Deborah could have thought, "God, I can't do it. I'm just a mother. Not in government, I don't have anyone backing me up". Deep down she understood this principle, "I'm not on my own. The Lord my God has made me very powerful". The scripture (judges 5:7) says, "The highways were unoccupied, the city was shutting down until Deborah, a mother in Israel arose". She stepped out in faith and God calls things to fall into place, everything turned around. How could this mother impact the whole city? It started in her thinking. She knew who she was. She knew the favor of God was on her life. And she saw herself not as limited, but as very powerful. What can you change if you'll start seeing yourself as very powerful? What addictions can you break? What barriers can you overcome? What dreams can you accomplish if you'll get rid of a weak, defeating, I'm-ordinary mentality, and start seeing yourself the way God made you to be, as very powerful?

A friend of mine struggled with an addiction for many years. He'd gone to rehab, and support groups, and several times with no success. And he had good intentions, he loves the Lord, but he always talked about how strong the addiction was, how he didn't have the willpower. He was constantly down on himself, feeling guilty. As long as you see the opposition stronger, it's going to limit you. If you see the sickness, the debt, the trouble is more powerful than your perception, how you're seeing it is going to hold you back. You have to make that switch in your thinking, that greater is he that's in you than what's coming against you. I'm not asking you to deny the facts, just have a new perspective, "This addiction may be powerful, but I know my God is all-powerful. This sickness may be mighty, but I know my God is Almighty. The obstacle may be high, but I know my God is the Most High". The power in you is stronger than any power that's trying to stop you.

My friend changed his perspective. Instead of seeing the addiction so strong, he started seeing himself as very powerful. You know, those thoughts told him, "Come on, you're just wishing. You're just hoping. You know you're weak, you know you can't do this". You have to learn to talk back to yourself. Don't let the negative have the final say. When thoughts tell you, "You're weak", just answer back, "No, thanks, I am strong in the Lord". "Well, you can't break it" - "No, thanks, I can do all things. Not in my own strength, but through Christ who strengthens me". "This addiction is too powerful" - "No, thanks, nothing can stand against my God. He always causes me to triumph". When you get in agreement with God and you see yourself as very powerful, that's what allows him to do great things. Today my friend is not only free from that addiction, but he's helping other people to get free as well. It's easy to see everything else is so powerful, turn it around and start seeing yourself as more powerful.

There was a 10 year old boy that lived down the street from this bully. The bully was always bothering him, and making his life miserable. And he was trying to get his courage up to stand up to the bully, but he looked so big, and so intimidating, he couldn't do it. Well, that Christmas his father bought him a telescope. He was so excited, and one day he was out in the front yard playing with it, but he was looking through the wrong end. He was looking through the big side. His father came out and said, "No, son you're doing it backwards. Turn it around, and it will make everything bigger like it was designed to do". The boy said, "I know that, dad, but right now I'm looking at this bully, and it makes him so small that I'm not afraid of him anymore".

Maybe you need to turn the telescope around. You've magnified your problems long enough. You've magnified the bullies, the giants, the addictions, the debt. No wonder you feel weak, intimidated, not able to. You need to make the switch. If you'll change your perspective, and see things from God's point of view, you'll realize: what you're up against is no match for you. It looks like Goliath, it looks Dawning, the truth is: you're the one that's very powerful, you're the one that has God's favor, you're the one that can defeat giants, you're the one that can break the addictions. The forces that are for you are greater than any force that are against you.

But the way this is going to happen is if you keep your telescope turned around. You can't go around magnifying all the negative. You need to magnify what God put in you. He didn't just make you powerful, he made you very powerful. All through the day this should be played in our mind, "I am very powerful. I have the favor of God. I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord. No weapon formed against me will prosper. I will defeat this giant. I will break this addiction. I will leave my family better than they were before". But how many people go around just the opposite? "This problem's too big. I'll never get well. I can't get out of this neighborhood". You can be very powerful, and cancel it out with the wrong mindset.

This is what Gideon did. He was hiding in a wine press, afraid, intimidated, thinking that the opposition was too big. God sent an angel and said (judges 6:12,14), "Mighty hero, the Lord is with you. You are to deliver the people of Israel from the Midianites". God called him a hero while he was hiding. He called him mighty when he felt weak. He called him a deliverer, a history maker, when he saw himself limited, not able. God has made you very powerful, the question is: how do you see yourself? Strong, confident, favored? Or do you see yourself like Gideon, "These giants are too big", inferior, can't do it, at a disadvantage? You have to turn the telescope around. You're making everything else so powerful, you need to start seeing yourself as powerful.

"Well, Joel, you don't know what I've been through, how I was raised. This medical report's not good. I don't have funds to go to college. This giant is too big". One touch of God's favor can turn it around. One slingshot and that giant is defeated. One mother with the favor of God and the city has changed. You're looking at how big your problem is, you need to start looking at how big your God is. He said he's with you, and he's made you very powerful. You are anointed, you are favored. You can defeat giants. You can change cities. You can take your family to a new level.

But even after the angel called Gideon a mighty hero, even after he told him, said "The Lord is with you, you will deliver these people", Gideon started making excuses. He said, "How could that happen? I come from the poorest family. We're the least one in this camp. I don't have the training, I can't lead these people". His weak, defeated mentality almost kept him from his destiny. He finally did what I'm asking us to do: he made the switch, and saw himself as powerful. He went out with the whole army, 32.000 men. He was feeling good, but God said, "Gideon, you have too many people. Tell everyone who's afraid that they could go home". 22.000 men left, now he only had 10.000 soldiers. He wasn't feeling quite as well. God said it again, "Gideon, there's still too many". All of them left, except 300 men. He was up against an army of thousands, it looked impossible, but they went out and defeated the Midianites with just 300 people.

God was showing us: you don't need everything you think you need. You don't need all those people to be for you. You don't need to come from a certain family. You don't need all the training. God has given you everything you need. He's breathed his favor on your life. He'll cause the stone to hit the giant in the right place. He'll heal you from the cancer. He'll break that addiction. He'll send the right people across your path.

I know a man that was in a serious accident years ago, and wasn't supposed to live. By the grace of God he's alive, but he can't see very well. He's had to relearn his speaking ability, and some of his other motor skills. Since he couldn't drive, he would take the bus to Lakewood every Sunday. I'd always see him so faithful. But when we move from the other location, the bus route didn't run from his house to the Compaq Center where we are now. He was very concerned, he loved coming. And I told him "Don't worry about it, we'll have someone come pick you up. It's not a big deal". He said, "No, Joel, I'm going to get the bus route changed. I'm going to convince them to send buses from my house to the church". Well, being the great man of faith that I am, I thought to myself, "There's no way". That's like an act of congress: you need money, and lobbyists, and connections. He could have thought like me, "Too bad. What can I do? I don't have the influence, the connections, I'm physically challenged".

But he had a different mindset. He wasn't like Gideon looking at what he didn't have, he was like Deborah, a mother thinking, "I can make a difference". He was like David, "This giant is huge, but I will defeat it". Deep down he knew: the Lord his God had made him very powerful. He went down week after week to the public transportation meetings, told them how he needed buses to run to Lakewood. It just so happened someone that loved Lakewood was on the committee. God will always have the right people at the right place, if you'll just have the faith, the boldness to step out. Two months later he came in the lobby one Sunday morning, smiling so big. I'll never forget it. He said, "Joel, I just got off the bus. They changed the route and brought me this morning". I nearly passed out.

So often we don't realize who we are. We see ourselves as limited, ordinary, when in fact we are powerful. One of the staff members at the transportation office said: she had never seen a change like that in the 20 years that she had worked there. When you look at this gentleman, in the natural you could think he didn't have the influence, he doesn't have the funds, he's physically challenged. But God loves to take those who are underestimated, those who others discount, and cause them to shine brightly, to make them very powerful.

I'm asking you to get rid of excuses. Quit telling yourself why you're limited, at a disadvantage, not enough, been through too much. Don't go through life not recognizing who you are. The Lord your God has made you very powerful. You are strong, you are anointed, you are favored. You can affect change, you can defeat giants, you can accomplish your dreams, you can leave your mark. And those thoughts that's come telling you the opposite, that you're weak, not enough, at a disadvantage, just say "No, thanks, you have the wrong person. I know who I am: I'm a child of the Most High God, and I am very powerful". If you'll do this, I believe and declare: you're going to see giants fall. You're going to accomplish dreams that amaze you. God is going to breathe on your life in a new way: healing, favor, breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say amen today? Amen!