Joel Osteen - Don't Get Side-Tracked
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I want to talk to you today about Not Getting Side-Tracked. God has a best path for all of our lives, a path that leads to our divine purpose. It's filled with opportunity, favor and protection, but along the way there will be forces trying to get us off course through compromise, hanging around the wrong people, living offended. These are all distractions to keep us from our destiny. The enemy cannot stop your purpose, but if he can get you sidetracked, entangled, fighting battles that don't matter, busy doing good things, but not the best, then he can keep you from your purpose.
Proverbs 4:26-27 says, "Look straight ahead. Stick to the path and stay safe. Do not get sidetracked". God knew there'd be all these opportunities to get off course. If you're going to reach your highest potential, you have to recognize what's a distraction and what's important, what you should spend your time with, what's valuable, what's making you better, causing you to grow, and what's dragging you down and causing you to compromise. Paul said in Ephesians 5:15-16 to "Make the most of your time". Not living vague, but with purpose in every step. Time is one of the most valuable things that you have. Once we live this day, you can never get it back. Just like you spend your money, you are spending your time, but your time is more valuable than money. You can make more money, but you can't make more time.
Are you investing your time living with purpose, on course, pursuing your dreams? Or are you wasting your time, living vague, distracted, playing on social media, taking the easy way out? This day is a gift from God. We have a responsibility to live focused, wisely, making the most of it. On a regular basis you need to evaluate how you're spending your time: are you on that best path, honoring God, doing what he put in your heart? Or have you gotten sidetracked, holding a grudge, mad at that family member, jealous of that co-worker, trying to outperform them, hanging around friends that bring out the worst in you?
The fact is: we've all gotten off course at times, made mistakes, been distracted. The good news is: you can get back on course. It's not too late, you haven't gotten too far off, you can still become who you were created to be. Now you have to do your part and make a course correction. Recognize what's a distraction, an entanglement, what's got you busy, spinning wheels, but not going anywhere. Make the necessary adjustments, you have a destiny to fulfill. There's a calling on your life, an assignment for you to accomplish. How you spend your time will determine whether you fulfill that best plan and see God do more than you can imagine, or whether you get stuck and have to settle for a life of mediocrity.
In the scripture, Samson's birth was prophesied by the prophets. His mother was barren, and an angel appeared and said she would bear a son, and he would lead the Israelites, and that his hair was never to be cut. The long hair was a sign that he was dedicated to God. She gave birth to Samson, I can imagine as a little boy she told him, "Samson, there's a calling on your life. Angel appeared to me, you're going to do something great". He'd heard this since he was a child. One time when he was a young man, he was walking down a road and this lion attacked him. The scripture (Judges 14:6) says, "The spirit of the Lord powerfully took control of him, he ripped the lion apart with his bare hands".
That was the first time he recognized there was something different about him, this strength rose up out of nowhere. He knew he had this incredible calling, that God had raised him up to save his people. But whenever you have a great assignment, the enemy will always come with distractions, with temptations, opportunities to compromise. He'll bring people to try to bait you into conflict. That's not a part of your destiny. His goal is to get you sidetracked, off course, where you're not focusing on what you're called to do. You're entangled in things that don't matter. You may wonder why people come against you, and you struggle with that same temptation, you don't feel like being disciplined? It's because there's a great calling on your life.
The enemy would leave you alone if he didn't know you were a threat. He's not fighting you for where you are are, he's fighting you for where you're going. He knows there's greatness in you. And sometimes he can see our potential better than we can. He knows you're a giant killer, a history maker, you're destined to take your family to new levels. So what's his strategy? Get you distracted, jealous, compromising, busy-doing things that are not a part of your destiny.
You would think Samson, since he had this supernatural strength, and he' heard about the angel prophesied his birth, he'd go out of his way to make good decisions and be responsible with what God had given him. But he let his guard down, started hanging around the wrong people. He married a girl from the city of Timnah, she was a Philistine. Well, the Philistines were the ones oppressing the Israelites. He was supposed to deliver them from the Philistines, instead he's sleeping with the Philistines. He had this incredible gift, all this power. What does he do? He starts telling riddles to the enemy. He made a bet, "If you can figure out my riddle, I'll give you 60 white robes. If not, you give me 60 robes", playing games, not focused on the destiny he was called to.
This led to all kinds of conflict: he killed a thousand Philistines, he tore the gates of the city and Carried them off, they couldn't figure out how stop him. He fell in love with another Philistine woman named Delilah. She kept asking him about where his power came from, and he'd make up things and tease her, but would never tell her the secret was his long hair. And she nagged him, nagged him, and nagged him. Man can only take so much nagging, he finally gave in. The Philistines cut his hair while he was sleeping. They came to capture him, he stood up ready to fight like he always did, but this time there was no supernatural strength, no power to overcome. He had lost what God had given him.
I can imagine many times along the way he heard a still small voice saying, "Come on, Samson, get back on course. Quit playing around with your destiny. Be responsible for what I've been trusted you with". God will always give us opportunities to have a course correction. Doesn't hold our faults against us, he doesn't say, "Man, you're done, you made too many mistakes", but there will come a time where that window of grace will close, where if you're not going to be responsible with the gifts, the favor, the opportunity, God will force things to change. Doesn't mean you're not going to have another chance, but he's not going to let you stay off course and be comfortable. Just ask Jonah sitting in the belly of a well.
Samson could always count on this supernatural strength, thinking, "I can tell riddles, I can compromise, I can hang out with the enemy, no big deal. I've got a secret weapon". But Paul said in Galatians 2:21, "I do not frustrate the grace of God". God will never run out of grace, never run out of mercy, but if you take it for granted, it may not be there in the same way. And Samson's story is not in the scripture to depress us, it actually has a good ending. It's there to chAllenge us to make course corrections. Pay attention to that still small voice, that thing that's bothering your conscience.
You know that friend's not good for you, you need to spend more time with your children, less on the computer. Or you need to ignore that coworker that gets on your nerves, and not let it upset you every day. That's the enemy trying to get you sidetracked. You don't have time for that. The angel may not have prophesied your birth like Samson, but before you were formed in your mother's womb, the Most High God knew you and planned out your days. He's given you gifts, talents, opportunities. Are you making the most of each day, spending your time wisely? Or have you gotten sidetracked, like Samson playing with the enemy, compromising, not serious about your gifts? This is time for course correction, to get focused, to be on purpose, to make decisions and honor God.
Life is going by so fast. Seems like just yesterday I graduated from high school, look up now I'm 39 years old. We don't have time to be distracted. We have a purpose to fulfill. It's interesting in the parable Jesus told about the talents. One man had one, another had two, and the third had five. They all went out and doubled what they had, except the man with one. He was afraid and hid his talent. The owner said, "Take from him the one, and give it to the one who has five". The scripture says, "The man who has used well what was given him". The point is: if you don't use well what's been given to you, eventually it will be taken away.
That's what happened to Samson: he didn't fulfill the best plan, having his eyes gouged out, grinding at the mill, the enemy making fun of him, that was not God's best. Now, I don't want us to come to the end of life and be like Samson, "Man, I made it, but we're beat up: broke, addicted, lonely". That's not your destiny. Samson would have had a different story if he had not gotten sidetracked. This should stir us up to stay focused, to stay on course, to deal with things that we know are not right. There's no shame in getting off course, we're human, we make mistakes, but there is shame in staying off course. No matter what you've done, how much time you've wasted, you can still get back on course. You are in a window of grace today. You have not missed your chance. You would not be hearing this if God wasn't giving you the mercy, the grace and the power to make changes.
Let's don't be a Samson, have all this talent, favor, anointing, and then get sidetracked, back waste our time rather than invest it. If you will use well what God has given you, you know what'll happen? God will give you more. When he can trust you to be a good steward of your gifts, your time, you stay focused, you get rid of distractions, he'll take you further than you've ever dreamed.
But sometimes it's not the major things, not like we got way off course like Samson, it's just little things that are taking our time and energy. Jealous of a coworker, competing with him, trying to prove your worth, and prove your talent. If you live with that proving mentality, it's like you're on a treadmill that's never going to stop, because there always will be someone more talented, more attractive, more successful. That's a distraction. You're not running their race. The only person you should compete with is yourself. Have a goal to be better next year than you are right now: to be healthier, smarter, kinder, more generous, to be closer to God.
You'll never reach your potential if you're competing with others, basing your worth and value on how you measure up to them. Successful people are so focused on what they're doing, they don't have time to look around at others. One translation of Proverbs 4:26 says, "Don't look to the left or to the right, stay focused on the goal". Quit competing, quit comparing and run your race.
I talked to a gentleman after service, and he told how a relationship he was in didn't last. He'd given it his best, but the woman had other ideas and walked away, and broke his heart. So angry and bitter. I realize that's very painful, and things happen in life we don't understand, there's a time where we have to heal and give ourselves grace to get strong again, but you can't let a season of mourning turn into a lifetime of mourning. If you don't let it go, it will poison your life. And he was so raw and so upset, I thought it happened a month ago. I asked: when it took place? He said, "This happened in 1997". I didn't say anything, but I calculated in my mind, "2007... 2017...2007... that was 27 years ago".
And yes we all have hurts, disappointments, bad breaks, but at some point you have to move on with your life. The enemy would love to use that hurt to get you sidetracked, to where you live bitter, chip on your shoulder, never expecting anything good. The problem with not letting it go is it's going to poison the next relationship. God said he would give you beauty for those ashes, but I've learned: you have to let go of the ashes before you'll see the beauty. You're not making the most of each day if you're holding on to unforgiveness, trying to pay people back. They hurt you once, don't let them continue to hurt you by holding on to it.
See, it takes a lot of emotional energy to think about what they did, and how that wasn't right. You need that energy to love the people God has given you now, to play with your children, to pursue your dreams. Maybe the course-correction for you is to forgive the person that did you wrong, forgive your parents for what they didn't give you, forgive the business partner that cheated you. Life's too short to carry around the bitterness, the hurt. Sure we're all going to have these offenses, and people saying things aren't true, somebody walks away. You can't stop that from coming, but you don't have to let it stop you. You don't have to get sidetracked, you can stay on the best path and trust God to make it up to you.
Years ago I was driving with a friend of mine to his house, after we came from the gym. We had just played some basketball, and he invited some of us over, and I jumped in the car to ride with him. He had a real nice sports car and he kept it super clean. On the way to his house I noticed he took the long way, 3 or four miles out of the way, winding through this neighborhood. And I asked him "Why"? He said, "My ex-girlfriend lives on this street, and I always drive by to make sure she sees what she missed out on". They had been broken up for years, but he was still driving by every chance he got, trying to prove he was worthy, and prove he successful, prove he could make it without her.
He couldn't see it, but he was distracted, spending time and energy on something that didn't matter. Don't let that be you. Are you using well what God has given you or have you gotten sidetracked, trying to prove to people who you are, jealous of that friend, offended by that coworker? Your time is too valuable for that. The funny thing about my friend is he found out later that his ex-girlfriend had moved to another state. He had been driving by that house 2 years, and she wasn't even there. God has a sense of humor. My prayer is, "God show us any areas where we need to have a course-correction, where we don't realize that we're distracted".
1st Samuel 25, David and his 600 men were living out in the countryside. This is when Saul was chasing David. And there was a wealthy man named Nabal that lived right next door. He had thousands of sheep and cattle, and David and his army had been protecting Nabal by just being in that area. When bandits came and they saw David's forces, they would naturally back down. Well, it was time for shearing the sheep, the harvest season, so David sent messengers to Nabal asking for food since they had watched over his property. But Nabal was very rude and harsh, his name means "Fool", and he lived up to it. He said, "Who is this man David? I don't even know him. You tell him I'm not going to give him a penny". He insulted David.
When the then came back with that report, David was furious. He told his men to pack up their belongings, they were going to go take care of Nabal. But here's the key: you're not supposed to fight every battle. Many of the things that come against us are simply distractions. If that battle is not between you and your destiny, you need to ignore it. That's the enemy trying to get you sidetracked, involved in conflict that doesn't matter. You have to ask yourself: are there any spoils? If you win: is it going to move you towards your purpose or is it just going to feed your ego, make you feel better?
You don't have time to respond to every credit, to try to straighten out every coworker, make that friend stop saying things that aren't true. One of the enemy's favorite tools is to bate you into conflict, get you stirred up. Don't fall into that trap. Your time is valuable. Your energy, your emotions, you have to be selective what you give that to. If you make the mistake of fighting every battle, you're not going to have the time or the emotional energy to reach your purpose. The scripture says, "God will silence the lying lips". If you'll ignore it, God will take care of your enemies.
David headed toward Nabal's house so upset, full speed ahead, about to make a mistake that would affect his destiny. Here's how good God is: Nabal's wife met David on the road with all kinds of food and provision. She bowed down before him, in verse 24 she said, "David, you are called to be the king of Israel, why would you even fight with this fool? Don't let this needless battle be a blemish on your record". Notice, she called it a needless battle. She knew it was a distraction. David came to his senses. He said (1 Samuel 25:32), "Abigail, the Lord God of Israel has sent you to me today. For if you had not kept me from carrying out vengeance, not one of your family members would be alive".
In life we're all going to encounter Nabals. What is that? Nabals, people that are rude, hard to get along with, that stir up trouble. I'll ask you what Abigail asked David, "Why are you fighting with a fool? Why are you in conflict with someone that's not between you and your destiny? They're a distraction, trying to get you off course, wasting valuable time and energy that you need for your dreams".
Had Abigail not intervened and kept David out of that conflict, we might not be talking about David. God will always send you an Abigail to warn you when you're about to get sidetracked. Maybe today I'm that Abigail, God sent me to remind you not to get baited into conflict. You could be upset, offended, trying to pay them back. All that's going to do is get you off course, and keep you from the great things God has in store. What they say can't stop your purpose. They may be loud, jealous, noisy, they're just a Nabal. You keep running your race, focused on what God's called you to do, and God will take care of the Nabals in your life.
Elijah in the scripture had an assistant named Elisha. He left his family business as a young man to take care of Elijah. He served him faithfully through the years. When Elijah was about to pass, he asked Elisha what he wanted. Elisha said a double portion of his spirit, that's what he received. There are twice as many miracles recorded for Elisha than Elijah. Well, Elisha had an assistant named Gehazi. He served Elisha year after year. Everything was going great, he was next in line to do amazing things, being mentored by this great prophet.
One day a captain of the Syrian army came to Elisha, he had leprosy. Elisha told him to go wash in the Jordan river seven times, he would be healed. When he did, his skin was perfectly normal. He came back to Elisha so grateful, so happy, he tried to pay him, do something to show his gratitude, but Elisha wouldn't take it. He knew it was God that healed him and not him. The captain pleaded with him, said "Please, let me leave you some gold or silver, something to help you". Again, Elisha refused.
Well Gehazi was there overhearing all this. The captain and his entourage headed back home, Gehazi snuck out of the camp without Elisha knowing, he caught up with them. They were surprised, asked what was wrong. They said, "Nothing's wrong, but we had some unexpected guests show up. Elisha changed his mind, it would like some of those gifts that you offered". He got the money and came back to the house, thinking nobody knew anything, but God sees everything, he's the one that controls the universe. Promotion doesn't come from people, it comes from God.
Elisha called him in said, "Gehazi, where you been"? He said, "Nowhere. I've just been here hanging out". The scripture says "Immediately gehazI's skin was filled with leprosy". What's interesting is you never read anything more about Gehazi in the scripture. We hear all about Elijah, how great he was. Elisha or the miracles he performed. Gehazi was next in line. He should have had four times the anointing of Elijah, but distractions can keep you from your purpose. Being sidetrack can stop your destiny. Gehazi thought, "Man, if I can just get a few of these gifts underhand, nobody know and that'll put me way ahead", he didn't realize God would have blessed him in much greater ways by being a person of honor, staying on that high road.
My father had a message about Gehazi called "The Man You Could Have Been". Don't miss the greatness God put in you cause you got sidetracked. Listen to the still small voice. Pay attention when your conscience is bothered, and learn to deal with those things God brings to light. We're not going to be here forever, let's make the most of each day.
"Well, Joel, I think it's too late for me. I'm like Gehazi, I think I missed my chance". Let me show you the beauty of our God: Samson made mistakes year after year, wasn't a good steward with what God gave him, ended up blind, in captivity, but the scripture says "The Spirit of God came on Samson one more time". Samson defeated more Philistines in his death then he did his whole life. That's what happens when you get back on course. God doesn't hold your mistakes against you.
Is there any area you need to make a course-correction? Hold it on to unforgiveness, trying to prove your worth? Or like Samson, playing around with your gift? Don't go another week like that. If you put it off a week, it'll turn into a year. A year into 20 years. You can get back on course today. God's mercy, his grace is available, you just have to tap into it. If you'll do this, I believe and declare: God's going to help you get back on the best path for your life. The favor, the ability, the blessing. You will fulfill your purpose, and become all you were created to be, in Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?