Joel Osteen - Your Time To Shine

Joel Osteen proclaims that God has destined us to shine and perform awe-inspiring deeds as mighty warriors, drawing from Psalm 45 where God blesses and anoints us for glorious victories, and stories like David’s defeat of Goliath and modern examples of bold faith. He urges us to arise in faith, reject mediocrity, and step out to accomplish mighty exploits that leave us and others awestruck, trusting that God’s glory is already upon us.

Your Time to Shine Has Come!

I want to talk to you today about your time to shine. God created you to leave your mark. You are not supposed to live and die, and nobody knew you were here. You have greatness in you. But often we do not recognize who we are. We see ourselves as ordinary. «I cannot do anything significant. I am not that talented. I cannot accomplish my dream. I do not have the education. I cannot defeat this giant; it is too big.»

We can all find an excuse to shrink back and settle for mediocrity. But Psalm 45:2-4 says, «God himself has blessed you, oh mighty warrior, you are glorious. Go out and perform awe-inspiring deeds. Your God has anointed you.»

You’re Not Average—You’re Glorious!

The Psalmist is saying, «Do you not realize who you are? You are not average; you are glorious. You are not weak; you are a mighty warrior. You are not supposed to just make it through life and survive another year. There are awe-inspiring deeds in you—things God has destined you to accomplish that will boggle your mind. Victories that will catapult your family forward. Promotion that will thrust you to a new level. Giants you will defeat that will give you greater influence, greater respect.»

He is saying, «What are you doing shrinking back, living with an ordinary mindset, when God says you are glorious, you are a mighty warrior, you were created to do awe-inspiring deeds?»

See, we know God is glorious, we know he is all-powerful, but do you realize you are glorious? You were created in the image of God. When he made you, he put a part of himself in you. You have the DNA of Almighty God. You are powerful, you are favored, you are blessed. You can do awe-inspiring deeds. You can part Red Seas. You can defeat Goliath.

The Faith That Unlocks Mighty Exploits

You can bring healing to the sick. You can start your business. You can be the first one in your family to get your degree. Do not go through life thinking you are average when in fact there is greatness in you. It takes faith to say, «I believe I am glorious. I believe I am a mighty warrior. I believe God himself has blessed me.»

See, the scripture (Daniel 11:32) says, «The people who know their God will be strong and do mighty exploits.» That is God’s dream for you: not an average life, mighty exploits, awe-inspiring deeds. No more living intimidated, «I cannot do it; it is too big.» No, when you know who you are, you will not run from the giant; you will run to the giant.

God did not say, «You will do exploits»; he said, «Mighty exploits.» That means it is going to be bigger than you can accomplish on your own. You cannot do this just in your power, your ability, but God himself has anointed you. The Most High is backing you up.

Why God Lets the Odds Stack Against You

And sometimes he will let the odds be against you in a great way, so it will be a mighty exploit—not just a deed, but an awe-inspiring deed where people will say, «How did you accomplish that dream? I know your background. How did you build that business? You did not have the training. How did you get well? I saw the medical report.» It is one of those mighty exploits, one of those awe-inspiring deeds.

It is because you know your God, and you know who he has created you to be. You know you are glorious. You know you are a mighty warrior. You know you are full of can-do power. You know his favor surrounds you like a shield.

The Catch That Left Them Awestruck

After Jesus borrowed Peter’s boat, he told him to go back in the lake and throw his nets out. Well, they had fished all night, had not caught anything, but this time they caught so many fish that his nets began to break. He had to call another boat over to help. They were both so loaded down, they began to sink. The scripture (Luke 5:9) says, «They were awestruck at the size of their catch.»

God is going to do some things that leave you awestruck. He is going to take you further than you have imagined. You are going to overcome obstacles that seem permanent. This is not the time to shrink back, think, «Oh, I am just ordinary.» No, stir your faith up.

That Dream Whispering «Yes» Inside You

What is God calling you to do that would be an awe-inspiring deed? What is that dream he has placed in your heart that would be a mighty exploit? You do not see how in the natural; every voice says there is no way, but something on the inside says, «Yes, this is for you.» That is your destiny calling.

Do not let fear hold you back, intimidation, how you do not have the experience, you do not know where the resources would come from. Have a new attitude: you are glorious, you are a mighty warrior. God himself has blessed you. He has raised you up for such a time as this.

He would not have given you that dream, he would not have whispered that to you in the night if he was not going to bring it to pass. Now get in agreement with him: do not talk yourself out of it; talk yourself into it. Pray bold prayers. Ask God for what you are dreaming about. Dare to take steps of faith. Go out and perform awe-inspiring deeds.

How David Heard His Destiny Calling

This is what David did. He was out in the shepherd’s fields, 17 years old, taking care of his father’s sheep. He came from a low-income family; they did not have any influence, connections to speak of. All the circumstances said he was ordinary. No way he would ever do something significant.

Thoughts would tell him, «You are stuck out here. You are limited; nothing good is in your future.» But I can imagine out there at night, alone, sometimes he would look up at the stars and he would hear something whisper, «David, you are a mighty warrior. There is greatness in you. You are destined to leave your mark.»

These two voices were vying for his attention: the voice of doubt and the voice of faith. You get to choose which voice becomes a reality. The voice you dwell on, the thoughts you believe—that is going to determine who you are.

Choose the Voice That Says You’re Glorious

Do not let the voice of doubt take root, telling you that you are weak, not able to, come from the wrong family. Believe what God says about you. Listen to his voice: you are glorious! You are anointed! You are favored! You are a mighty warrior!

One day David took lunch to his brothers; they were in another city. He saw Goliath, the champion of the Philistine army, taunting the Israelites. They all ran and hid, but something rose up in David. He said, «Who is this man that he would defy the armies of the living God?»

Well, Goliath was twice David’s size; he was an experienced soldier wearing a full set of armor. David had none of that; he was a shepherd. When he told King Saul he wanted to face Goliath, Saul said, «Are you kidding? You are just a boy.» All the odds were against David. Logically speaking he did not have a chance.

Your Giant Is a Setup for a Mighty Exploit

But God will put you in situations where you are up against a giant; it looks impossible: the sickness too bad, the problem too great, the dream too big. It is easy to let fear and intimidation talk us out of it. This is where you have to remind yourself that you were called to perform awe-inspiring deeds. That giant is a setup; it is a mighty exploit waiting to happen.

David went out with nothing but a slingshot and a few smooth stones. While Goliath was laughing, making fun of him, David slung that rock; it hit him in the forehead, knocked him to the ground. David went over, took Goliath’s sword, and cut his head off.

That one victory catapulted David into favor and influence that he had never imagined. God has some of these awe-inspiring deeds in your future. There are mighty exploits lined up for you, but you have to have this boldness, this confidence, knowing who you are: you are anointed, you are favored, you are glorious, you are a mighty warrior.

Don’t Let Fear Steal Your Greatness

Do not let fear keep you from your greatness. Do not let how you were raised, what others in your family will not do, cause you to shrink back.

David’s brothers would not fight Goliath; they were too afraid. David’s father did not believe in him; he did not think David had what it takes. To be a giant killer, to perform awe-inspiring deeds, sometimes you have to do it alone. You have to ignore the naysayers. Tune out family members that are telling you what you cannot do. They may not be able to see it, but you are a mighty warrior; you are surrounded by favor. God himself has blessed you.

Arise and Shine—The Glory Is on You Now

Isaiah 60:1 said, «Arise and shine, for the glory of the Lord is upon you.» It does not say, «The glory is going to be there one day. Sometime in the future you are going to be blessed, you are going to be favored, anointed.» No, the glory of God is on you right now. If you are going to see it, you have to arise.

You will not shine like you should if you play it safe all the time. David was destined to defeat Goliath. He could have reasoned it out, «I am too small. I do not have the training. The odds are against me.» If he did not know the glory of God was on him, if he did not realize he was a mighty warrior, favored, anointed, he would have never left the shepherd’s fields. He would have missed his destiny.

Are you missing awe-inspiring deeds, favor, victory, promotion because of fear? «I am not sure, Joel; this giant is so big.» If you will arise, you will discover the glory of God is on you.

The Slingshot Anointing That Defies Odds

His favor will cause doors to open. You will defeat giants that are much bigger. Accomplish dreams that seem impossible. What you have may be less than what you are up against, but the anointing on your slingshot will bring down giants; it will defy the odds. You are not just a warrior; you are a mighty warrior. You are not just called to do exploits, but mighty exploits—not just deeds, but how about some awe-inspiring deeds?

When my father passed and I stepped up to pastor the church, I had never ministered before. By the grace of God the church was growing, and we needed a larger auditorium. A friend called and told me that the Rockets basketball team were moving out of the Compaq Center—this place. The city was going to sell the building, and how we should try to get that as our church.

When he said that, something came alive on the inside. I felt it so strongly, but I did not have any experience buying a building, convincing city council members to vote for us, raising funds. In my mind it did not make sense, but in my spirit there was this faith that I cannot explain, this knowing that it was going to happen.

When God Puts Supernatural Faith in You

The scripture talks about the faith of God. Sometimes it is not your faith; God puts the faith in you. He lights a fire in your spirit for something you could not normally believe in. That is setting you up for an awe-inspiring deed.

There were people that did not want us to have the building. One of the largest companies in Texas—they own all the land around the property—wanted it, so of course they were full force against us. Business leaders, influential people telling us it would never happen.

Despite all that negative chatter, people trying to push us down, talk us out of it, deep down I could hear God saying, «Joel, I have got this. I am fighting this battle. I myself have blessed you. You are glorious, you are favored, you are a mighty warrior.»

I felt this courage, this boldness to take steps of faith, to do things where I did not feel qualified, where the odds were against us, where I knew I was over my head. But what I have found is: it may be over your head, but it is not over God’s head.

God Sees Your Steps of Faith

He is moved by your faith. He sees you stepping into the unknown, believing for what looks impossible, standing in faith when all the voices are telling you, «It is never going to happen.»

God told the Israelites that he was giving them the Promised Land, but he said, «You have to go possess the land.» Just because God gives you a dream, gives you a promise, does not mean you can sit back and be passive. You have to go possess it; you have to take steps of faith. That is when you are going to see God step in and do things that you could never do.

Well, we needed 10 votes from the city council members, and after a year and a half we had all ten, but two days before the vote, one of the council members decided to be out of town. He got so much pressure from the other side, and him not being there meant that we could not get the building.

The Phone Call That Changed Everything

The day before the vote I went to see a council member that had been against us the whole time, a young Jewish man. I had given him my best speeches; I tried everything to persuade him, but nothing had worked. I did not know what I was going to say this time, and I sat down in his office, so nervous, knowing that everything was on the line.

Before I could say a word, he said, «Joel, I have changed my mind; I am going to vote for you.» He told how an older Jewish woman had called him the day before. He had not talked with her in over 20 years. She was a friend of his family; he always had great respect for her. He said, «She told me in no uncertain terms that I was to vote for Lakewood having the Compaq Center.» It was that phone call that changed his mind.

What is interesting: I do not know the lady, never met her, never asked her to call, but God controls the universe. When you believe, angels go to work.

When You Believe, God Arranges Favor

When you take steps of faith, the Creator of the universe arranges things in your favor, changes people’s minds, breaks chains that are limiting you, opens doors that no person can shut. You are sitting in an awe-inspiring deed. You are sitting in the glory of God.

He is looking for people right now to show himself strong in their lives. He is looking for some Davids—people that will run to the giants. He is looking for some Nehemiahs. He was a cupbearer to the king, in an ordinary position, when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and the city was open for attack. God gave him a dream to go rebuild those walls.

He was living a thousand miles away; he had no money, no supplies, no way in the natural, but he knew the favor of God was on his life. He arose, and in just 52 days he rebuilt those walls—an awe-inspiring deed.

Esther’s Risk That Saved a Nation

God is looking for some Esthers. She was an orphan, no parents to guide her—what could she do? Her uncle entered her into a beauty contest: whoever won would get to meet the king. Out of all the young women she won and became the queen.

When the Israelites were on the verge of being annihilated—the king had already written a decree that on a certain date they would all be wiped out—Esther, against protocol, went into the king’s chambers unannounced. She could have not only lost her position but lost her life. Her attitude was, «I have been raised up for such a time as this. I am not going to shrink back, think about all the what-ifs.»

If it is going to be a mighty exploit, it is going to take faith. You are going to have to take some risk. Where there are no risks, there will not be awe-inspiring deeds.

Mighty Exploits Require Bold Risks

If you can do it in your own strength, your own talent, convince the people, make it happen—that is fine, but that is not awe-inspiring. God has some things that only he can do. The way you activate that faith is by arising, by stepping out, by knowing that you are glorious, that you are a mighty warrior, that the Most High God is backing you up.

Because of Esther, the king changed his mind; the Israelites were saved.

God is looking for some Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—teenagers that would not bow down to the king’s golden idol. They refused to compromise and fit into a culture that did not honor God. They could have conformed, played it safe, did what everyone else was doing. After all, it was dangerous; their life was on the line.

Fireproof Faith That Changes Kings

But they said to the king, «Even if you throw us into that furnace, we are still not going to bow down.» They knew this was not a surprise to God. He is the one that caused the king to harden his heart. They threw these teenagers into the furnace, thinking they were done, but God has the final say.

When you refuse to compromise, you stay on the high road, honor God with your life, you may get thrown into the fire. The good news is: God comes into the fire with you. He does not always deliver you from the fire; sometimes he will make you fireproof and bring you through the fire.

This king came back to check on the teenagers; he looked through the furnace window and said, «Did we not throw three men in bound? I see four men loosed; one looks like the son of the living God.» Those teenagers walked out of the furnace; not a hair on their head was singed. They did not even have the smell of smoke—an awe-inspiring deed.

Shine Brightest When It’s Darkest

The king said, «From now on we are all going to worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.» God has some of these awe-inspiring deeds in your future. He is going to show out, do things that you have never dreamed. Like these teenagers, because you honor him, he is going to make you an example of his goodness.

Do not live in fear, shrinking back, thinking the odds are too big, the opposition too strong, I cannot accomplish my dream. No, arise and shine. The glory of God is on you. You are a mighty warrior. Go out and perform these awe-inspiring deeds. «Go out» is the key. «Arise» is the first step. You cannot sit back and think it is going to happen; you have to activate your faith.

Isaiah 60:2 went on to say, «Darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the people, but upon you the glory of the Lord will arise.» It is not a coincidence that he said, «In the middle of the darkness.» When people do not honor God, when there is strife, division, all kinds of evil—that is when you need to arise and shine. That is when you will see the glory of God.

Greater Glory in Greater Darkness

That is when he will bring you through the fire without the smell of smoke. That is when you will rebuild the walls, accomplish great dreams when the odds are against you. That is when God will change the king’s mind, turn the decree around, because you are an Esther—you had the boldness, the faith to believe that you are glorious, to know that God himself has blessed you, that he is fighting your battles, that he is making ways where you do not see a way.

We are coming into a time where God is going to show out in greater ways; there are going to be mighty exploits. The scripture (Mark 16:17) says these signs will follow them that believe. There are going to be some signs following you—not ordinary things, not what you have seen in the past, but awe-inspiring deeds.

You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet

The apostle Paul said, «You have not seen, heard, or imagined what God has in store for you.» He is going to put you in situations like David—you face a Goliath. Like Nehemiah—a dream that seems impossible. Like Esther—a problem with huge consequences. You will be tempted to shrink back, let fear, intimidation convince you to play it safe, think that you are stuck.

God is saying, «If you will arise, I will cause you to shine. If you will take steps of faith, I will defeat your enemies, I will open the right doors, I will bring the right people, I will give you the wisdom, the creativity, the abundance.» There are awe-inspiring deeds in your future. There are mighty exploits coming your way.

You would not be hearing this if God was not about to do something unusual, uncommon, something that causes people to be awestruck, that puts you at a new level of favor, influence, and honor.

From Impoverished Village to Million-Patient Hospital

There was a young man that grew up in Africa, in the Congo, one of the poorest nations. He was one of seven children. Not only his family, but his cousins and relatives all lived in the same small home. And in their village there was so much sickness, all kinds of disease, but there was no place to get care—not a hospital, not a clinic within hundreds of miles. People were dying from things that were easily treatable.

As a young boy he could not stand seeing the sadness and suffering of his people. God put a dream in his heart to build a hospital in his village. In the natural it was impossible; he was just as poor and underprivileged as the others in his village, but there was something different about this young boy. He believed the favor of God was on his life. He did not see himself as limited, as disadvantaged; he saw himself as glorious, as a mighty warrior, destined to do great things.

You may be in a limited environment, but do not let that environment get in you. See yourself as a world changer, a history maker. God is not limited by what you do not have.

God Turns Limited Beginnings Into Legends

He said, «You are going to do mighty exploits; you are going to perform awe-inspiring deeds.» Well, this little boy started to grow and grow, unusually tall, and he ended up seven feet two inches tall. Graduated from the local school, and against all odds he received an academic scholarship to Georgetown University here in the States.

He went there to become a doctor so he could come back and help his people, but during his second year the basketball coach noticed him and asked him to try out for the team. He not only made the team but became a star player. He was later drafted to play professional basketball.

Our friend Dikembe Mutombo became one of the greatest players of our day. When he played for the Rockets, I would see him at our services. In 2007 he opened a new 30-million-dollar hospital that he and other players funded in his small village in the Congo. Since then, they have treated over a million patients.

Who would have ever thought that little boy in the impoverished village would do such a mighty exploit, such an awe-inspiring deed? That is what God has in your future.

You Are Marked for Greatness—No Limits!

You are not limited by your surroundings, how you were raised, what you do not have. God controls the universe; he is just looking for people that recognize who they are: mighty warriors, glorious, favored, anointed, influential, powerful—that is who you are. God himself has blessed you.

People may come against you, but God himself has favored you. The opposition may be stronger, but God himself has empowered you. The giant looks too big; God himself is fighting for you.

If you will arise, you are going to shine; you are going to see the glory of God in greater ways. But when we look back over our lives, we should see some of these times where there are mighty exploits, something that we have done that is out of the ordinary, that is beyond our natural ability.

Get Ready—Your Awe-Inspiring Deeds Are Coming

«But Joel, I do not see any of that for me; it must not work.» No, get ready; it is coming. You are marked for greatness. God is going to show out in your life. In these coming days, as it gets darker around you, you are going to shine brighter and brighter. You are destined to perform awe-inspiring deeds.

Now rise up, mighty warrior, and possess the land. If you will do this, I believe and declare: you are going to do mighty exploits. God is about to do something you have never seen. Like Peter, you are going to be awestruck—new doors opening, abundance, healing, breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus’ name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?