Joel Osteen - Keeping The Right Identity (07/16/2023)
Joel Osteen urges believers to hold fast to their God-given identity despite contradictory circumstances, using Joseph’s story from pit to palace where he remained a prince in adversity, David’s anointing as king while still shepherding, and modern examples of overcoming limited environments. He concludes that environments and setbacks do not define us—only God’s word does—and maintaining the right identity through faith will lead to fulfilling our destiny.
Your Environment Doesn’t Define You!
I want to talk to you today about keeping the right identity. We all face situations that contradict who God made us to be. He has put dreams in our heart; we are standing on his promises, knowing that we are blessed, strong, healthy, favored. But sometimes the circumstances say just the opposite.
It is easy to let our environment change our identity. We know God calls us a masterpiece—valuable, fearfully and wonderfully made—but when we go through unfair situations, we are not treated right, people walk away, we can lose who we are. We let those circumstances change how we see ourselves and how we feel: inferior, not attractive, nothing special. We are adapting to the environment.
Or God puts a dream in our heart to take our family to a new level, to set a new standard. We know we are a difference maker; we are well able. But the doors have not opened; the dream did not work out; nobody supported us. Now, instead of seeing ourselves as victorious, successful, we let the environment determine our identity. We see ourselves as limited, at a disadvantage, too many disappointments.
The Key to Rising Higher
Here is the key: your environment does not change who God created you to be. God says, «You are blessed; you are favored, healthy; you are free.» Everything around you may say just the opposite—this is what faith is all about. You have to dig down deep and say, «I am not going to let my environment define who I am. I am who God says I am.»
See, maybe you are struggling in your finances; you cannot seem to get ahead, stuck at that same level. If you take on that defeated, not-enough mindset—if you let lack and struggle become your identity—it will keep you from rising higher. Lack may be all around you, but do not let it get in you.
Do not start talking defeat: «I will never get ahead. Nobody in my family is successful. My business is not going to make it.» No, in the midst of that struggle your attitude should be, «I am blessed. I am the head and not the tail. My cup runs over. What I touch will prosper and succeed.» Do not let the environment define who you are. The fact is: you are blessed whether you are in a great environment or whether you are in a limited environment.
Where You Are Isn’t Who You Are
«Well, Joel, I would be further along. I thought I would be in management by now, but I am still in the background. I thought I would have met someone; I am still single. I thought I would be free from this illness, but I am still dealing with it; I guess I will always struggle.» No, do not take that as your identity. Where you are is not who you are.
The environment can change. One touch of God’s favor can turn things around. The real question is: are you letting the environment change you? Are you taking on the identity of what is around you? The enemy would love for you to lose who you really are—to where you see yourself as limited, not attractive, a victim. That wrong identity will keep you from becoming who you were created to be.
You’re Facing a Test Right Now
You may be in an environment right now that contradicts what God promised you. The circumstances look just the opposite of the dream he put in your heart. That is a test. You can let it change you—adapt to the environment, water down your dream—or you can say, «No, thanks; my environment does not dictate my identity. I know who I am: I am blessed; I am valuable; I am strong; I am victorious; I am a child of the Most High God.»
Joseph: A Prince in the Pit
This is what Joseph had to do. He was 17 years old when God gave him a dream that he would be in leadership. And he knew he was going to do great things. He shared that dream with his brothers; they did not like it too much—they were already jealous. Joseph was the youngest child and their father’s favorite.
These brothers had traveled to a different city with their flocks to find food and pasture. After a few weeks Joseph’s father was concerned and sent Joseph to go check on them. When they saw Joseph coming, they thought this was their big chance to get rid of him. They threw him into a deep pit—a well without any water—and they were going to leave him there to die. When they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming, instead they sold him as a slave in Egypt.
He worked for a ranking military officer—running his household, cleaning the rooms, mowing the lawn, doing repairs.
The Enemy Wants Your Identity
Here he had this prophecy spoken over his life—this dream that he would lead a nation—but the environment contradicted what God promised him. The circumstances were the opposite of what he saw in his dream. He is not leading a nation; he is a slave. He is not telling people what to do; he is in captivity—no freedom, in a foreign land.
He could have become bitter, seen himself as a victim—“God, I do not understand”—but you never read where he complained; you never read where he slacked off. He did not let the environment change his identity. All the circumstances said he was limited, at a disadvantage, would never see his dream—but he kept seeing himself as who God said he would be: as a leader, as a difference maker.
When you face difficulties and things that are not fair, the enemy is not just trying to hinder your destiny; he is trying to steal your identity. If he can deceive you into letting your environment dictate who you are—how people treat you, disappointments, delays—if they cause you to see yourself the wrong way—limited, not valuable, unworthy—that will keep you from your purpose.
He’s After Your Identity, Not Just Your Dream
He is not after your possessions; he is after your identity. If he can control how you see yourself, then he will limit your future. When you are in a negative environment do like Joseph: do not let the environment get in you. You are not defined by your environment.
Sometimes it is God leading you into difficulties; sometimes God allows situations where people do you wrong. You have a great dream for your life; you know God has spoken to you, but you find yourself in a pit. How you see yourself in the pit will determine whether you stay in that pit or whether you come out better.
God would not have allowed it if he was not going to use it to move you into greater levels of your destiny. In that pit do not take on a victim mentality; do not let that bad break change your identity. You are a victor; you are an overcomer; you are more than a conqueror; you can do all things through Christ.
A Prince in the Pit, Prison, and Palace
Here is the key: the pit did not change who you are; the environment did not stop God’s purpose for your life. Joseph was called to be the prince of Egypt. The fact is he was a prince in a pit. That pit did not change his calling.
He was later put in prison for something he did not do. He could have lost his identity: «Oh man, I will never leave now. I am not only a slave; I am a prisoner.» No, the environment did not dictate his identity. He was a prince in the prison. He knew he was who God said he was—whether he was in the pit, in the prison, or in the palace.
Your Time Is Coming!
You may have circumstances that you do not understand. You can feel like a victim: the medical report is not good; people did you wrong; a door closed on your dream. Can I tell you? You are a prince in the prison; you are a prince in the pit—and the good news is you are going to be a prince in the palace. Your time is coming. What God promised you is on the way.
From Prisoner to Second-in-Command
When the Pharaoh—the leader of the nation—had a dream he did not understand, he was told that Joseph—this prisoner—could interpret dreams. The scripture says Joseph was brought quickly to the palace. God knows how to suddenly turn things around.
He interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream; he made Joseph second in command of the whole nation; he became the prince of Egypt. But look at all the opportunities Joseph had to lose his identity: lied about, betrayed, mistreated. When the butler got out of prison he forgot all about Joseph.
If he would have let his environment determine who he was, we would not be talking about him.
Don’t Lose Who You Really Are
Like Joseph, we all have opportunities to lose who we really are. Go through a breakup, a divorce—thoughts will start telling you, «You are not valuable; you are not attractive; nobody wants to be around you.» Do not take on that defeated identity. That is not who you are.
You are a masterpiece. You are made in the image of God. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. God has crowned you with his favor. People do not determine who you are. They do not decide your worth and value.
When your circumstances are saying just the opposite, you have to do like Joseph and say, «No, this pit did not change who I am; I am a prince in the pit. This prison did not lessen my value; I am a prince in the prison. My circumstances do not determine my identity; my God determines my identity. I am who God says I am.»
Shake Off the Wrong Identity
But sometimes we can take on the wrong identity: we let what has happened to us, what someone said, mistakes we have made, how we were raised cause us to feel like a victim—not valuable. You used to have passion and believe for big things, but doors closed and you went through setbacks; now you have lost who you are.
The good news is: you can get your identity back. You need to shake off all those lies, break all those strongholds, and start seeing yourself how God sees you. You are a prince; you are a history maker; you are a barrier breaker; you are successful; you are talented; you are valuable. The dream God put in your heart is still on the way.
Nothing that has happened to you has changed what God promised: the disappointments, the betrayals, the mistakes—you are still a prince; you are still victorious; you are still favored—and you are still going to become who God created you to be.
From Cafeteria Worker to Principal
I know a young woman that was raised in a very limited environment. She came from a dysfunctional family; her father was never around, and her mother had addictions. All she had known growing up was poverty, defeat, compromise. That became her identity. She did not know any better; she saw herself as limited, not talented, not valuable.
Often we adapt to the environment, and we do not even realize it. So what we have seen modeled growing up—how our friends and neighbors live—that becomes how we see ourselves.
At 16 years old this young woman became pregnant. She had to drop out of school, and it looked like that negative cycle would continue. She was living on welfare, in government housing, raising her son—no future to speak of.
She Took On a New Identity
But one day someone invited her to Lakewood. She started attending week after week, and she would hear us talking about how you have seeds of greatness, how you were created to live a victorious life. When you see yourself as God sees you, you can break barriers of the past; you can rise to new levels.
As she reprogrammed her thinking, she began to take on a new identity. Instead of letting her environment dictate who she was, she started believing she was who God said she was: blessed, talented, valuable, with a bright future.
She got a job at the school cafeteria—cleaning dishes, making minimum wage. While she was grateful, something on the inside said she was made for more. She could hear her destiny calling her.
She Was a Principal Washing Dishes
She did not settle for the status quo; she went back to school and got her GED. She was not satisfied; she decided to go to college. She would work during the day and go to school at night. In four years she graduated with honors.
She still was not satisfied; she went back to school and got her master’s degree. Today she is the principal at the same school where she used to work in the cafeteria.
What am I saying? Do not let your environment dictate your identity. The truth is: she was a principal when she was washing dishes. She was a leader when she was in that dysfunctional home. She just did not know it yet.
There Are Things You Haven’t Discovered Yet
On the way to your destiny there will be environments that contradict what God has for you—circumstances that are just the opposite of what you know are in your heart. You know God is restoring health back to you, but the report says you are not going to get well. You know you are going to start that business, but no doors are opening. You know you are going to meet the right person, but there is no sign of it.
It is tempting to let what is not happening define who you are: «I guess I will always be lonely. I will never get healthy again. I will never be successful.» Do not let that environment determine your identity. Those circumstances do not define you.
Like this young woman, there are things in you that you have not discovered yet: your time is coming. The Pharaoh is going to call; the doors are going to open. What God promised you is still on the schedule.
The Enemy Senses Your Greatness
Now do not get talked out of who you know you are. Do not let how long it is taking, what you did not get, who left you convince you to lower your standard, give up on your dream, and see yourself as limited, ordinary, not good enough.
God’s favor is on your life. He has called you for such a time as this. And sure you have opposition—that is because the enemy can sense the greatness in you. He knows you are a person of destiny. He knows you are called to break barriers, to set new standards.
He will use adversity, bad breaks, dysfunction to try to steal your identity. You may get thrown into a pit, but you have to remind yourself, «This pit did not change who I am; I am a prince in the pit; I am a prince in the prison—and I am a prince in the palace.»
Will You Keep Your Identity?
The question is: will you keep your identity through the pit and through the prison? Will you not let the environment convince you that you must have heard God wrong? «Man, this opposition is too big. I am not that talented; I cannot reach my dreams. It would have happened by now.»
Tune all that out and keep your mind stayed on what God says about you: «I am blessed; I am talented. My future is bright. God is breathing in my direction. I will become all I was created to be.»
David: A King in the Shepherd’s Fields
Think about David. The prophet Samuel came to his father’s house to choose the next king of Israel. He saw David’s seven older brothers, but he passed over all of them, and he chose David. It was an amazing moment: David, the least likely one. His brothers were bigger, stronger, more experienced—but Samuel poured the oil on David. He was anointed the next king.
What is interesting is David did not go to the palace; he went back to the shepherd’s fields. He was out there week after week, month after month. He knew he was a king; he felt the oil running down his head; he heard the prophet declare it—but his circumstances said just the opposite. He was still out taking care of sheep, shoveling their waste, finding their food.
I can imagine him at night—alone, no one to talk to—thinking, «Maybe I am not a king? Maybe Samuel was wrong? God is going to do great things; why am I still stuck out here?»
If He Steals Your Identity, He Limits You
The enemy knows: if he can steal your identity—convince you that you are not who God says you are—then he can keep you from your destiny. David’s environment did not line up with the prophecy spoken over him. He had no one to lead, no one that looked up to him, no influence—but David understood this principle: «My environment does not define who I am. My God defines who I am. God says I am a king, so I am going to have a king mentality.»
David led those sheep with excellence. He used his slingshot to protect those animals like he was protecting God’s people. Others passing by did not pay any attention: «It is just that shepherd boy—no big deal.» What they did not know was he was a king in the shepherd’s fields. His time was coming.
One day he defeated Goliath, and he was thrust into favor and influence that he had never seen. He became who God said he was.
Don’t Let Temporary Seasons Change You
Do not let your environment talk you out of what God promised you. Keep seeing yourself as a king even though you are in the shepherd’s fields right now. That is just a season.
Keep seeing yourself as a principal even though you may be washing dishes. See yourself as a prince even though you find yourself in a pit. Where you are is not who you are.
Do not get bitter over a temporary season. Do not lose your identity over something that is going to change.
Many Miss God’s Best Here
This is where some people miss God’s best: they get discouraged and they allow it to change who they are. «I will never step into leadership; I will never expand my business; I will never see my family restored—I am in a pit.» You are right where Joseph was.
«I am stuck at the same position”—you are right where David was. „I was raised in dysfunction; I have had bad breaks”—you are right where that young woman was.
You are letting a temporary season—something that contradicts what God put in you—change who you are. You need to dig down deep and say, „No, I am not moved by the circumstances. I am not bitter over the delay. I am not upset with these brothers that threw me into the pit. None of these things are going to change who I know God made me to be.“
Little Stevie’s Dream
A friend of mine told me how when he was six years old the teacher gave the class an assignment. They had to write down what they wanted to be when they grew up. He had seen a man on television that was very funny; that was his dream as a little boy—he knew he wanted to be on television making people laugh—so he wrote it down.
Well, he came from a low-income family; they did not have much—plus he had a problem with stuttering. The teacher started calling the kids’ names out and reading what they had written. When she came to his name she stopped and said, „Little Stevie, please come up to the front.“
He started walking to the front of the class—so proud—thinking she was going to congratulate him. It was just the opposite. She said, „Stevie, what did you write?“ He said, „I wrote that I want to be on television making people laugh.“ She said, „Now, Stevie, do you know anyone on television?“ He said, „No, ma’am.“ She said, „Has anyone in your family ever been on television?“ He said, „No, ma’am.“ She said, „Then you need to take this back and write down something more realistic.“
Don’t Let Others Limit Your Identity
As a little boy he was confused. Nobody had ever told him what he could not become. That night he told his father what happened. He showed him the piece of paper where he had written down that he wanted to be on television. His father said, „Listen here, Stevie: you put this in your top drawer, and every morning before you go to school and every night before you go to bed, you look at that paper and thank God that one day you are going to be on television.“
He was telling him: do not let this environment determine your identity.
He had no money, no connections—no way in the natural—but God is supernatural. He will not put a dream in your heart that he cannot bring to pass.
But there will be these times of testing where circumstances seem just the opposite—people telling you, „It is not going to happen. Do not get your hopes up; you saw the medical report. You do not come from the right family. You are not king material; you are just a shepherd boy.“
People Can’t See What God Put in You
Let that go in one ear and out the other. People do not determine your destiny. They cannot see what God put in you. They did not hear what God whispered to you in the night.
Do not expect everyone to cheer you on. David’s own father did not even call him in when Samuel first came to the house. Do not be surprised if the environment—people around you—contradicts what God has spoken to you. That does not mean it is not going to happen; that is a sign that it is on the way.
From Homeless to Steve Harvey
Now you have to do your part and not let it change how you see yourself. If you take on a limiting identity—“Not able; this giant is too big; I am not qualified”—you are defeating yourself.
You have to come into agreement with what God has spoken over your life. Get your identity from him—not from people, not from circumstances, not from your feelings. If you are relying on those things, you will take on the wrong identity.
Well, this little boy grew up with that dream God put in his heart. All the circumstances said it would never happen. In his late 20s for three years he was homeless and had to live out of his car. His environment said, „You will never get out of this pit”—but deep down, like Joseph, he knew he was a prince in a pit, that the favor of God was on his life.
He kept seeing himself as successful—lifting people up, making a difference with his life. God began to open doors, bring the right people. Today that young boy Stevie is Steve Harvey. He is on television all the time making people laugh. He gives God all the credit.
Are You Letting Circumstances Define You?
Are you letting your environment define who you are? Are your circumstances dictating your identity?
You need to go back to who God says you are. Do not let the negative circumstances talk you out of what you know God has spoken over your life.
The Grasshopper Mistake
This is what the ten spies did in the scripture. Moses sent them in to spy out the Promised Land, and after 40 days they came back and said, „Moses, we do not have a chance. The people are huge. We felt like grasshoppers compared to them.“
Notice how they saw themselves: „We are just grasshoppers. We are weak; we are defeated.“ Of all the analogies they could have come up with, they used a little insect—a little bug that hops around. They could have at least said, „We are like a gerbil; we are like a rabbit; we are like a goat.“
What is amazing is these ten spies were the cream of the crop; they were warriors; they were skilled and strong. On top of that they had seen God part the Red Sea, bring water out of a rock, send manna each morning.
The mistake they made was letting their environment determine their identity. Because they saw themselves as a grasshopper—weak, defeated, not able—they never did go into the Promised Land.
There’s a King in You!
Do not let that be you. What you are up against may look impossible: the sickness, the dream, the family trouble. It is easy to take on grasshopper mentality—water down your dreams: „It is not meant to be.“
God would not have allowed it if you were not well able. There is a king in you. There is a prince in you. There is a principal in you.
On your own you may not be able to defeat it, but you are not on your own. The Most High God is breathing on your life. At the appointed time Pharaoh will call. At the appointed time the giant will fall; the door will open; healing will come; a child will turn around.
You’re Right Where You’re Supposed to Be
„Well, Joel, my circumstances look just the opposite”—you are right where you are supposed to be. The environment is trying to convince you to change who you are. Do not fall into that trap.
You are blessed; you are favored; you are healthy; you are valuable; you are strong; you are victorious. I believe and declare: like Joseph, you are coming out of any pit, any defeat, any sickness, any addiction—into the palace, into freedom, abundance, wholeness.
Like David, out of the shepherd’s fields into leadership, influence, resources. Chains are breaking right now. Strongholds are coming down. New doors are opening. The fullness of your destiny, in Jesus’ name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?