Joel Osteen - A Receiving Mindset (05/07/2023)
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Joel Osteen encourages us in this message to develop a receiving mindset, based on Romans 5:17, where Paul says the gift of righteousness is for all who receive it—reminding us that God's mercy, favor, abundance, and blessings are free gifts we must choose to accept rather than push away due to feelings of unworthiness, ultimately leading to the fulfillment of His amazing promises in our lives.
Stop Sabotaging Your Own Future
I want to talk to today about A Receiving Mindset. God has great things in store for all of us, but too often we do not think we deserve it. We have made too many mistakes, and we do not see how it can happen. Instead of receiving the mercy, receiving the approval, receiving the abundance, we come up with excuses: "I cannot get well; you saw the medical report. I cannot be blessed; I have had a rough past. I will never have abundance; I do not have the training."
You're Pushing Away What You Pray For
We do not realize we are self-sabotaging our future. We want to be blessed; we are praying for favor, but because of how we feel about ourselves, we are pushing away the very thing that we want. Paul said in Romans 5:17, "The gift of righteousness is for all who will receive it." God has gifts for you. He has mercy, wisdom, favor, abundance. You do not earn it; you do not work for it. It is not based on your education, your background—it is a gift.
Gifts Are Useless If You Don't Receive Them
But these gifts will not do you any good if you do not receive them. The enemy will work overtime to try to keep you condemned, feeling unworthy, not good enough, smart enough, attractive enough. Instead of believing those lies, try a different approach: have a receiving mindset. "God, I have made a lot of mistakes, but I receive your forgiveness. My dream looks impossible, but I receive your favor."
Declare It: I Receive Your Healing!
"I do not see how I will ever get out of debt, but I receive your abundance. I have been fighting this sickness a long time; Lord, I receive your healing." Quit rejecting the good things God has for you, and learn to receive the gift. You do not have to force it; you do not have to talk God into it; you do not have to perform good enough—just be a receiver.
Childlike Faith Receives Without Question
"God, you promised whom the Son sets free is free indeed. So, Lord, I receive your freedom today. Lord, you said my latter days would be better than my former days, so Lord, I receive a bright future." Thoughts whisper, "Not you; you have had too many bad breaks. You will always struggle. No one in your family is successful." You have a choice: you can let the gift sit there, "Yeah, you are probably right. I want to be blessed, but it is never going to happen." That is self-sabotaging.
Kids Know How to Receive—We Forgot
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, three years old and six, I would take them up to the toy store. No special occasion, just during the week—I love being good to them. I say, "Hey, guys, you want to go to the toy store?" Do you know, they never once said, "No, Dad, we do not deserve it. We are not worthy. We did not clean our room. I bit my brother; I threw food at my sister."
Why Adults Struggle to Receive
As children they knew how to receive. They did not start debating whether or not they deserved it; they did not 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 have not been contaminated with all the inferiority, lies about how they do not measure up, what they cannot become.
You're Already Approved by God
But as adults we can start reasoning things out: "I did not perform up to par; God is not going to bless me. My family all struggles; I am sure I will struggle too. I am not attractive; I do not feel valuable; there is nothing special about me." But why do you not receive 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 approved you.
God's Approval Isn't Performance-Based
He approved you before you could do anything good. He did not approve you based on your performance; he approved you based on the fact that you are 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. Now, you may not get this from people, but your Heavenly Father says, "You are one of a kind. A prize possession."
Stop Feeling Inferior—Receive His Love
Do not go through life feeling inferior, not up to par, not attractive. Have a receiving mindset: "God, I receive your approval. I receive your love. I thank you that you have accepted me, that I am worthy, I am valuable, I am a masterpiece." The scripture in Luke 12:32 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.
It Makes God Smile When You Receive
But there is a condition: will you receive the gift? Will you believe that you are worthy, you are approved, you are valuable, you are blessed, you are favored? Or are you pushing away all the gifts, the love, the mercy, thinking you do not deserve it, you could never get well, never have abundance, never feel attractive? No, if you want to bring God great joy, if you want to make him smile, have a receiving mindset.
Tune Out the Lies—Receive the Promises
Start accepting the gifts. Start accepting those promises. He said you have not seen, heard, or imagined what he has in store for you. Your mind will tell you just the opposite: "You have seen your best days; nothing good is in your future." No, tune that out: "Father, I receive a future greater than I have imagined. I receive your far and beyond favor."
Receive Faith for Your Children's Future
Your thoughts will tell you, "Your children will never get back on course. They will 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, discouragement, how about receiving the faith, receiving the promises? "Father, I thank you that my children will become all you have created them to be. I see them serving you, doing great things, leaving their mark."
What You Receive Comes to Pass
What you are receiving is what is going to come to pass. If you are receiving doubt, negativity, "I cannot get well, never break this addiction, always be lonely," you are receiving the wrong things. Start receiving the gifts, the promises—receive the abundance, receive great relationships, receive a long healthy life, receive a productive, bountiful, abundant year.
Peter's Net-Breaking Miracle
One time Jesus was in Galilee, teaching the people. There were so many gathered that he asked Peter if he could borrow his boat. He had never met Peter, but Peter agreed and let him use it. And 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 he would catch a great haul of fish.
From Empty Nets to Overflow
Well, Peter had fished all night and caught nothing. He was tired; he did not 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.
Peter Felt Unworthy of the Blessing
But when Peter got to the shore, the scripture says, "He fell down at Jesus' feet and said, 'Lord, please depart from me; I am too big of a sinner to be around you.'" He was saying, "I do not deserve this blessing. I am not worthy of this favor. I have lived a rough life, have a problem with my temper, I use bad language." He came up with all these reasons why this should not have happened.
Blessings Aren't Earned—They're Gifts
But God's blessings are not based on our performance. His favor, his healing, his freedom, his mercy—it is the gift of God, something that we do not deserve. We do not earn it; we could not work for it; we could not make it happen in our own strength—it is simply his goodness. Like Peter, it is easy to find all the reasons not to accept it.
Jesus Saw Peter's Potential Anyway
But I love what Jesus did. He did not say, "Peter, you are right. I made a mistake. I chose the wrong person. I did not realize how unworthy you are, how you have all these weaknesses and shortcomings." No, he said in Luke 5:10, "Peter, do not be afraid. From now on, you are going to be fishing for people." I am going to make you one of my disciples. You are 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.
Peter Chose to Receive the Call
Can you imagine Peter standing there in amazement, looking around, thinking, "Does he know who I am? I am not a history maker; I am a fisherman. He cannot build anything on me; I am not a leader; I do not have any influence"? All these excuses flooded his mind, telling him what he was not, how he did not deserve it, how it would never happen. Something rose up in Peter. Despite all the doubt, all the fear, all the insecurity, the scripture in Luke 5:11 says, "Peter left everything and followed Jesus."
Childlike Faith Overcomes Doubt
His attitude was, "I may be a little crazy, but I am going to accept this gift. Seems far out, more than I can imagine—I do not have the training, the background, I have made mistakes, but I believe that I am forgiven. I believe that I am worthy. I believe I am a history maker, a barrier breaker, a world changer." Peter had every reason to push away the gift, not receive the blessing, the abundance, the purpose.
Awestruck by God's Extravagance
By the grace of God he had this childlike faith—faith that went beyond the natural reasoning—and accepted the gift. The scripture in Luke 5:9 says that "Peter was awestruck at the size of his catch." He could have gone out and caught a few fish, and 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.
God Wants to Leave You Awestruck
He did not know what to think. No wonder he fell down and said, "I am not worthy. This gift is something that I cannot comprehend. This blessing is bigger, greater than I have ever imagined." Like Peter, God is going to bring gifts across your path that you have never seen—things that are going to leave you awestruck, net-breaking, boat-sinking blessings.
Don't Talk Yourself Out of It
You will be tempted to dismiss it: "I am not worthy; I do not deserve it; how could this be possible?" No, dare to receive the gift. Let that seed take root. Let that promise get down in your spirit: abundance, overflow, healing, freedom. "Well, Joel, I do not deserve it." None of us deserve it; it is 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 God Puts Big Dreams in Front of You
When these moments come across your path, do not push away the gift; do not talk yourself out of it: "I am not qualified; it has never happened in my family; that is 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 is not over his head.
My Compaq Center Miracle Story
When we were trying to buy land to build a new auditorium, twice the doors closed. I was discouraged and kind of thinking that we were stuck. There was no way that we could keep growing at the other location; we did not have the room. A friend called that I had not spoken to in a long time; he said, "I want to take you to lunch; it is important."
From Discouraged to Awestruck
We met the next week, and he said, "Joel, I know you are looking for land to build an auditorium, but there is 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 could not even imagine something that amazing.
Excuses Almost Stopped the Blessing
But like Peter my mind started coming up with all the excuses: "That is impossible. They are never going to let a church have it. Even if they did, Joel, it would be too expensive; you will not have the funds to buy it." I had to make a decision: was I going to receive the gift, let the promise take root, believe that God could do exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond what I could imagine? Or was I going to push it away?
Receive It in Your Spirit First
"This is too good to be true; I do not deserve it; I have only been ministering for three years; never been to cemetery—I mean seminary. How could I handle that favor, that influence?" On one hand I was praying, "God, do something awesome; let me impact the world," then when the opportunity comes, we are tempted to push it away. Now do not self-sabotage the greatness God has for your life.
God Qualifies the Called
Do not let fear, unworthiness, doubt, not feeling qualified keep you from stepping into levels you have never dreamed. Peter did not feel qualified; he felt unworthy; he had weaknesses; he was unstable, inconsistent, yet God said, "You are going to become a rock. I am going to build my church on you." God would not have given you the gift if you could not handle it.
You're Not Finished—God's Shaping You
You may not feel qualified, but he is going to train you. You are not a finished product; he is making you, molding you, bringing out talent that you did not know you had. Now you have to do your part and receive the approval, receive the confidence, receive the abundance. Yes, we had some big obstacles, but God fought our battles, brought down the giants, and gave us the Compaq Center.
It Starts with a Receiving Mindset
But here is what I want you to see: this would have never happened had I not had a receiving mindset. You have to receive it in your spirit before it will come to pass. But too often we are good at receiving the negative, receiving the discouragement: "You will never get well, never pay your house off, never get back on course; you have seen your best days."
Stop Receiving the Wrong Things
We think, "Yeah, you are right; looks impossible; I have made so many mistakes; inflation is so bad." You are 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 will not come near you"—I receive that protection.
Declare God's Promises Over Your Life
"You have the mind of Christ; you know the right decision every time"—I receive the wisdom. "God will make you the happy mother of children; he will give you the desires of your heart"—I receive that baby we have been believing for. "God will do exceedingly 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 that victory.
Turn Lies into Prophecies of Good
It is interesting how people can put things on the internet that are not true. A staff member sent me this screenshot that talked about my net worth; it was like a zillion dollars, many many times exaggerated. I was just trying to stir things up, and this friend says, "Does that bother you? Should we try to have them take it down?" I said, "No, leave it up. I receive it. They are prophesying my future. They mean it for harm; they do not realize God is going to use it for good."
Blessings Stored Up with Your Name
My attitude is, "God, let it happen. Show out in my life." See, I have everything I need, but I will use it to build the kingdom, to get the message of hope out, to build orphanages, to feed the hungry. Why do you not have that receiving mindset? Do not push away all the good things you are believing for. Dare to receive it. You may not see how; it looks unlikely. You do not have to figure it out; all you have to do is believe.
Stored-Up Blessings Waiting for You
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 in Psalm 31:19 says, "God has blessings stored up for the righteous." There are blessings stored up for you—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 is going to release them.
Daily Declarations to Receive
Now, the question is: will you receive those blessings? You cannot have an I-am-unworthy mindset: I do not deserve it; it is too big; I could not handle it. That is pushing away what is stored up. Live with a receiving mentality. Every morning: "Lord, I receive your love today. I am going to love myself and I am going to love others. Lord, I receive your peace. I am not going to live worried and stressed out."
Receive Mercy, Healing, and Favor Daily
"God, I receive your mercy fresh and new every morning. Lord, thank you that you have approved me, accepted me, and anointed me. God, I receive your healing. Thank you that I am healthy, whole, full of vitality—that my youth is being renewed like the eagle." Or how about, "God, I receive your favor. Thank you that blessings are chasing me down. Goodness and mercy are following me, that my latter days will be better than my former days."
Learn to Receive Compliments Too
A friend of mine is really great at encouraging people. You cannot be around him five minutes without him complimenting you and telling you how great you are. He always makes you feel so blessed and so uplifted. But what is interesting is for years he could never receive a compliment. He always had some reason to downplay it; it is like he had trained himself to not feel good about who he was, to push away any kind of thoughts that would build him up.
Self-Criticism Is Self-Sabotage
He would speak in front of people, and I would call and say, "Man, you did great today; that was so strong." "Yeah, but I got distracted, and I should have said this, and I left this part out." He did not realize he was self-sabotaging. He was letting this inner recording keep playing: "You are not worthy. You are not good enough. You do not deserve to be happy." You have to turn that recording off and start receiving the approval, receive the honor, receive the blessing.
You Can't Love Others Without Loving Yourself
You cannot love others the way you should without loving yourself. You are supposed to feel good about who you are. You compliment others; why do you not receive the compliments? Why do you not receive that love? It is not honoring God to go around down on yourself, being unworthy like you do not 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.
Compliment Yourself—God Did!
This friend went with me to an interview I was doing on television; it was a big deal—an hour-long live program nationwide. And I was kind of nervous. When I got 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 did not think anything about saying that, but he said that moment changed his life. He realized he had never complimented himself. He never once said, "I did good."
God Said "That Was Good" Every Day
That was not how he was raised; he was taught, you know, to show humility you need to be kind of down on yourself, feeling like you are less than, do not think too good about who you are. But you cannot reach your destiny feeling inferior, inadequate. You have enough people in life against you; do not be against yourself. You are supposed to feel good about who you are. You are supposed to not only receive compliments but how about learning to compliment yourself?
Acknowledge the Good—Activate Your Faith
You build others up; build yourself up. You tell your friends how great they are; tell yourself how great you are. That is not being selfish; that is receiving the approval, receiving the honor. Think about this: when God created the universe, during creation, at the end of each day God 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.
Stop Beating Yourself Up
Have you ever said to yourself, "I did good today. I look good today. I worked hard today. I was good to others today?" Some people, all they do is find the negative: "Did not get enough done, did not stay on the diet, should have spent more time with my children, should not have said that to my coworker." They focus on all their faults, their weaknesses. It is not doing anything productive to beat yourself up. Being critical toward yourself is not going to help you do better.
Be For Yourself, Not Against
You are receiving the wrong things: the guilt, condemnation, discouragement. Do yourself a favor and start being for yourself and not against yourself. The scripture in Philemon 1:6 says, "Our faith is made effective when we acknowledge everything good." Your faith is not effective when you are pointing out your flaws, focused on your shortcomings, down on yourself.
Peter's Transformation Through Receiving
Peter would have never left his mark if he had kept that unworthy, do-not-deserve-it mentality. He learned to receive the approval, receive the mercy, receive 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 address, the inaugural service—a very prestigious position.
From Unworthy Fisherman to Church Founder
They could have chosen one of the apostles, the religious leaders, an esteemed scholar. But out of all the people they chose Peter. Look at how his mentality had shifted from, "I am 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 are receiving.
Mary's "Let It Happen" Faith
Start receiving God's approval: "Lord, I thank you 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 are shining down on my life, taking me where I have never dreamed." How about receiving those net-breaking blessings, blessings that will leave you awestruck—your Compaq Centers?
Dare to Say "Let It Happen"
"Lord, this seems too good to be true, but I am a believer and not a doubter. God, show out in my life." That is what a teenage girl named Mary did. An angel appeared to her and said she was going to have a baby without knowing a man, that he would be the Messiah. You can imagine what went through her mind: "That is impossible. That defies the laws of nature." She could have dismissed it, walked away.
[h3]From Impossible to "Be It Unto Me"