Joel Osteen - From Limping to Leaping
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I want to talk to you today about From Limping to Leaping. All of us can find some reason to limp. We weren't raised in a good environment, relationship didn't work out, the boss doesn't give us credit, now we're at a disadvantage. Sometimes a limp is passed down. All we saw model growing up was anger, addictions, people not faithful. That feels normal to us, we don't realize we're limping. Too often we let the limp be an excuse to settle where we are, water down our dreams and not believe for greater things. "If I could have finished school then I could be successful" or "I hadn't made these mistakes and wasted years compromising, then I could be happy".
We're all going to have times where we have a limp, but here's the key: that limp was never supposed to be permanent. God didn't create you to live insecure, lonely, not having enough. Sure those things may come, but he knows how to heal, restore and turn things around. But as long as you're using the limp as an excuse, you'll get stuck. You may be limping now, things have happened that you don't understand, that limp is not how your story ends. That disappointment, the betrayal, the unhealthy childhood, God knows how to take what was for harm and turn it to your advantage.
Now you have to get in agreement with him: you can't go around accommodating the limp, making excuses to settle, "Joel I've been injured, I've been hurt, that's why I'm angry, that's why I compromise, that's why I can't be successful". Can I tell you? Everyone has been injured, everyone has had bad breaks, but the people who go on to do great things and fulfill their destinies are the people people that don't let the limp become an excuse to settle, the people that know the limp is only temporary, that God wouldn't have allowed it if he didn't have a purpose. It's the people that expect things to turn in their favor.
The right attitude is: "I may be limping now, I'm not denying that I'm disappointed, lonely, I've had a setback, but I know God is still on the throne. I wouldn't be alive unless he had something better coming". You have to know healing is coming, the right person is coming, abundance is coming. God said he would turn your mourning into dancing, your sorrow into joy, your limping into leaping. Well, you don't just come out of that trouble, you come out better, stronger, healthier, at a new level of your destiny.
When I was in the ninth grade, I was on the basketball team. And one day during practice the coach had us go to the track and run a mile. He walked into the fieldhouse, and I always like to have fun and make people laugh. And we were running in a big group together, but when I saw the coach was gone I cut across the 50 yard line to the other side of the track, so it looked like I was way ahead. And I was running full speed almost across, but there was this metal drain cover about 2x2 feet, a big grate that the water went through. I didn't want to step on that, so I stepped right before it. What I couldn't see is there was a big hole about a foot deep where the water had drained in from the side, it was covered with grass. I stepped in that hole, my knee hit the metal drain cover and I broke my kneecap. It didn't really hurt that bad.
I turned to somerSault, I got up I kept running, then I looked down at my knee and nearly passed out. But went to the hospital, had surgery, everything came out fine. But for 3 months I was on crutches, couldn't bend my leg. Every day after school I would go to basketball practice and sit on the sidelines and watch the team. I learned the plays, studied the offense. In my mind I was out there with them, like LeBron James, jumping, shooting, defending. I was injured, but I knew it was only temporary. I knew in 3 months I was going to be back on the court, in the game, better than ever. Didn't sit around at home depressed, "Man, I want to play, but I got this injury". Or down on myself, "I wouldn't have made that mistake, if I just stayed on the track like the rest of the guys, I wouldn't have this problem".
Sometimes we bring the limp on ourselves. We make choices that cause pain and disappointment. The good news is: God doesn't hold that against you. He has mercy for every mistake. When you're limping, you can't sit around defeated, listening to the accusing voices, making excuses, that's going to cause you to get stuck. You need to see yourself back on the court, successful, happy, productive, doing great things. And too many times we normalize the limp. "All my family's depressed, that's why I'm depressed. I can't get my decree, I'm not that smart. This person walked out on me, broke my heart, I'll never be happy again". You don't realize, that's a limp, you're learning to live with it, letting it be an excuse to not rise higher.
You have to know like I did with my knee, you're going to run again. You're injured now, but healing is coming. That person walked out on you, but God has someone better on the way, you're going to love again. Or you had a setback in your career, a door closed, God's about to open a better door. Don't let that limp cause you to settle where you are, and give up on dreams to where you start accepting mediocrity, dysfunction, learning to live with the anger, low self-esteem. That's not who you are, that's a limp. It's a temporary season. God created you to be free, healthy, confident, victorious.
I was on crutches, but it was only for 3 months. Those crutches were there for a season to help me get over the injury. Sometimes we get comfortable with the crutches. We were raised with the limp, instead of realizing it's only temporary, we think, "Man, I always have this temper. I always have to deal with this anxiety. I can't accomplish my dreams, I don't have the connections".
God is saying: those crutches are about to come off. What you've been using as an excuse is not going to limit you anymore. Chains are being broken, strongholds are coming down, you're about to step up to who you were created to be. Now, quit believing those lies that you're stuck, you don't have the talent, you're the wrong nationality, you've made too many mistakes. This is a new day. God is about to turn that limping into leaping. He's going to cause you to bloom, to blossom, greater confidence, greater resources, greater influence.
Acts chapter 3, there was a man who had been crippled since birth. Every day his family would carry him to the temple, so he could beg for money. They would put him at the gate called "Beautiful". This man had been doing this for years. Every morning same thing: getting out of bed, people helping him get dressed, packing a lunch, then sitting him at the same spot. When you've been in a limited situation for a long time, it can become normal. I'm sure the man didn't like to beg, he didn't like to be looked down on, be at the mercy of others, but he had accepted: this was his lot in life. It wasn't his fault, he was born crippled.
If you've always been lame you don't expect to walk. If you've never felt good about yourself and always felt insecure, unattractive, not worthy, even though it's not true, that becomes normal. If all you've seen is poverty, anger, addictions, you don't expect to have abundance, peace and freedom. Or when people have always carried you like this man, and made accommodations for those weaknesses, it can become who you are, to where you accept it. "Hey, Joel, it's not my fault, I was born with this disadvantage. I can't be successful, I have a limp. Yeah, I don't feel worthy, it's because of how I was raised. Nobody made me feel valuable". You may have a valid explanation as to why you are that way, but don't let it be an excuse to stay that way.
God came to take off of you what the enemy put on you. There may be negative traits that you inherited, things that were past down, it's made it more difficult, but God raised you up to break the negative cycle. You're the one to set a new standard. You wouldn't be hearing this if God wasn't about to do a new thing. Limping is not your destiny, addictions, low self-esteem, never able to get ahead, that's not who you are. As long as you're accepting it, you're giving it the right to stay. Victory starts in our thinking. Thoughts will whisper, "You'll always have this crutch. You'll always struggle and always be lonely. Always have bad breaks". Don't believe those lies, the limp is only temporary.
It's significant that this man was placed at a gate called "Beautiful". The fact is: there was nothing beautiful about his life. Crippled, poor, having to beg. I'm sure he was discouraged, felt not valuable, nothing good in his future. He could have been placed at other gates, the southwest gate, the freeway gate. But every day he was taken to this gate called "Beautiful", he didn't realize God was prophesying his future. Everything looked ugly in his life, but God was saying "Something beautiful is coming. I have beauty for the ashes, joy for the mourning, healing for the sickness. New beginnings for the loss".
You may be in an ugly situation, dealing with an illness, child that's off course, fighting an addiction. Like this man you getting up each day, making the most of a difficult situation, going to work, being good to people, keeping that song of praise. Nothing's changing, it's the same thing month after month. What you can't see is you're at a gate called "Beautiful". God has positioned you in his divine destiny, he's prophesying over you, "Things are not only about to change, but it's going to be better than you've imagined. You're going to come into a beautiful place. Abundance, healing, joy, laughter, love". Not just coming out, not just making it through, but God exceeding your expectations.
And don't let the ugliness of what you're going through fool you. God is still on the throne. He said, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy is coming in the morning". Another way to say it is "Limping may endure for a season, but leaping is on the way". It may be ugly now, but you're at the gate "Beautiful". Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "God will make all things beautiful in his time".
One day Peter and John go into the temple 3:00 in the afternoon for the daily prayer service. As they were about to enter, they saw this man. Acts 3:5 says, "The lame man looked at them eagerly expecting a gift". He'd been passed by hundreds of people that day going into the temple. Everyone said, "No", ignored him, but God ordained Peter and John to notice this man. There are seasons where you're being overlooked, nothing is changing, but God has already lined up the right people to notice you. Don't worry about those who pass you by, don't give you the time of day, God has divine connections in route. Your time to be noticed is coming.
Peter said to the man (Acts 3:6-7), "I don't have any silver or gold, but I have something better. In the name of Jesus rise and walk". Sure the man thought, "I'd love to, but I'm crippled. I've been lame since birth. I'll always have these crutches". Peter saw he wasn't moving, so he grabbed him by the hand and pulled the man up. When he did, strength went into his legs, and instantly he was healed. The scripture (Acts 3:8) says "He went walking and leaping and praising God". God knows how to take you from limping to leaping. He's a supernatural God. One touch of his favor, what looks impossible becomes possible. One slingshot and a giant comes down. One phone call and the Compaq Center opened up. One good break and your thrust into your destiny.
Now, some of these limitations that have been with us since birth, low self-esteem, anger, depression. We've learned to live with it, accepted it as who we are. Like God did for this man, he's about to turn around what looks permanent. He's about to reverse a curse, free you from things that you thought you'd always struggle with. No more limping, no more can't-get-ahead, you stepped into abundance. No more feeling unworthy, you put your shoulders back, you know you're a masterpiece, made in the image of God. No more lonely, "Everyone else getting married", a divine connection, somebody better than you imagined. No more being looked over, not getting the credit, God's going to take you from the background to the foreground, from being left out to being in charge.
This man went walking and leaping. If he had just been able to walk, that would have been a great miracle, lame since his birth, we would all be shouting about that. But notice how God does it: not just walking, but leaping, running, jumping. God knows how to exceed your expectations. You'd be happy to just see your child back on course, but God's going to cause him to become a leader, a person of honor, esteem, doing great things. You'd be happy if you could just pay your bills, get through a slow season, but God has abundance coming, overflow where you lend and not borrow, blessed in such a way you can be a blessing to others. Or maybe you've struggled with an addiction, and you've tried to get free, but no success. Now you're just functioning in the dysfunction.
That's not how your story ends, freedom is coming, wholeness is coming where it's not a struggle anymore. You're going to be unquestionably free, so you can help others get free. Not limping to just walking, God's way is limping to leaping. Every thought would say, "Yeah, this is not for you. You've always had this limitation, this disadvantage". The enemy doesn't want you to hear this today. He wants us to have a defeated, limited, poor-old-me mentality. Tune all that out. God is working in your life right now. He's about to do for you what he did for this man. Receive this into your spirit, take you from struggle to abundance, from brokenness to wholeness, from sickness to health, from insecurity to confidence, from mediocrity to success, from loneliness to great relationships, from no good breaks to blessings chasing you down.
When this man saw Peter and John, there was an expectancy, something on the inside said, "This is a new day, this is a destiny moment". Faith rose in his heart. The reason I know this is because Jesus had gone into this temple many times, he had no doubt passed by the man. Peter and John had gone to the temple through the same gate again and again, but this day something was different. The man looked eagerly expecting a gift. The expectancy is your faith being released. When I went to the gym on crutches when my knee was injured, I was expecting to be back on the court.
Sometimes we have a disappointment or we've been born into limitations, and there's no expectancy for things to improve. We're satisfied with less than what we were created for. "Joel, if my parents hadn't told me I was never going to amount to anything, then maybe I'd have a good self-image. My business partner hadn't cheated me and ruined my credit, then I'd believe for more". That's your explanation as to why you are that way, what I'm saying is don't use it as an excuse to stay that way. God is still on the throne. He's fighting your battles. He has amazing things in your future. When you have this attitude of expectancy, angels go to work, forces of darkness are broken, miracles are set into motion.
The scripture says, "This man went walking and leaping and he entered the temple with Peter and John". Think about all the years he sat at the gate. The gate is the entry to something better. He saw people going in year after year, but he was stuck outside wishing he could be on the inside. How many of us see other people who were successful, accomplish their dreams. We're happy for them, but we wonder "Why that can't be us"? We see couples laughing and enjoying each other, we wonder when we're going to meet someone. Others are healthy, playing ball, going on vacations, but we're dealing with this sickness, this depression. We're at the gate. We know there are great things inside, but we're stuck outside.
One thing I admire about this man is he went to the gate every day. He was faithful, took a lot of effort to get dressed, be carried by others, sit out there all day. He wasn't lazy, he wasn't complacent, he wanted more for his life. He took the hand he had been dealt and made the most of it. Like him many of you have done your best with what you have, you've watched others go in the beautiful gate while you're dealing with ugly things in your life: child that broke your heart, lonely marriage, feelings of unworthiness. Some of these things you didn't have anything to do with, it was passed down, yet you kept doing the right thing.
Let me tell you: your time is coming. Not just limping to leaping, but you're going to go in the gates. Not just see the beautiful, you're going to live in the beautiful, favor, healing, joy, great relationships. The limp is not your destiny. Sitting outside the gates looking in, dreaming that one day that could happen for you. Your one day is coming. God sees you at the gate, he sees what you struggle with. He knows who caused the limp, what you didn't get yet, who wasn't there for you, he's keeping all the records. He has you at the gate called "Beautiful" for a reason, he's prophesying what's coming.
I know sometimes we're limping because we've made mistakes, and thoughts will tell you, "Joel's not talking about you today, you brought this trouble on yourself. You chose to compromise, you weren't faithful". God knew every mistake you would ever make, every failure, he's full of mercy. He's not holding your mistakes against you. He's not going to keep you limping because you knew better, healing is coming, restoration is coming. "Well, Joel, you don't know my situation. I've been this way a long time". Think about how long this man had been at that same spot. Some commentaries said he had been there for 40 years. Everything said to him, "This is the way it's always going to be. Don't get your hopes up".
One reason this story is in the scripture is so that we would know that no matter how long you've been limping, and no matter how impossible it looks, it's not too late for God to turn it around. Limping is not your destiny, leaping is your destiny. Watching people go in the beautiful gate, accomplish their dreams, and never going in yourself is not what God has purposed for you. There are amazing things in your future. The limp didn't stop it, how you were raised didn't stop it, mistakes you made didn't stop it. You may have some crutches now, and you're dealing with an injury, the good news is God knows how to heal broken hearts, how to turn mourning into dancing, how to take the loss and give you a new beginning. Not just bring you back to normal where you're okay, but turn the limping into leaping, more than you can imagine.
There was a young boy born in a very rough environment, to a teenage mother. She had a lot of addictions, been through abuse, dysfunction. 5 years old the mother took him and his baby sister into town. She said she needed to run to the restroom and never came back, she abandoned them in the city square. They were taken to foster care. The young boy was so traumatized, he became very angry and insecure. And the age of 11 he ran away from home and started living on the streets, bitter toward his mother, even bitter toward God. And got involved in gangs, and started stealing, and his life was spiraling out of control. He had a good explanation as to why he was that way, abandoned as a child, that's not right, but you can't use it as an excuse to stay that way.
One day the was a minister coming through town and he was having an outdoor meeting. This young man was going to go to disrupt it, just caused trouble. He brought some fireworks and other gang members. As he stood in the back, waiting for the right time, he begin to feel this love that he had never felt before. He was captivated by what the minister was saying. These chains of bitterness, and anger, and unworthiness begin to break off a him. That night instead of disrupting the event, he walked down and gave his life to Christ: a destiny moment. Well, he went on to become a great minister, traveled the country and shared his story of how God can turn any situation around.
Years later, one night at the end of his service, he invited people to the front to receive Christ, just as he did as a young man. There was an older woman that came down and prayed the prayer. He looked over at her and suddenly realized, it was his mother. He hadn't seen her in over 60 years since that day she had abandoned him, but there she was, receiving a new beginning.
God knows how to make all things beautiful in its time. Even things we think are too far out, you don't know what God is up to. Are you limping today like this young man, dealing with things that were past down, no fault of your own? Or perhaps a disappointment, mistakes you've made. That's okay. There's no shame in having a limp. Life happens to us all, what I'm saying is: the limp is not permanent. You're not going to need those crutches your whole life. Someone may be carrying you now, but you're coming to a point where you're not going to need to be carried. From dependence to independence.
God created you to be free. He sees you like the man going to the temple each day, making the most of a difficult situation, being your best despite the limp, you've watched others go in that gate, celebrated them doing great things. Your time is coming. You're not just at any gate, you're at the gate called "Beautiful". That's the prophecy God has spoken over your life. He's going to take that ugly situation and make something beautiful out of it.
It's interesting how Peter told the crippled man to rise and walk, but he couldn't get up by himself, so Peter took him by the hand and pull the man up. You may have tried to get up by yourself, you want to be free, but you haven't been able to do it. God sent me today to help you pull you up. You're about to feel supernatural strength, supernatural healing, supernatural favor. You may be limping now, but I believe and declare: leaping is coming, restoration is coming, great relationships, freedom, abundance, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?