Joel Osteen - You Will Defy The Odds
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I want to talk to you today about You Will Defy The Odds. We all face situations where we don't see how they can work out: we don't have the funds to accomplish our dreams, a sickness looks like we'll never get well, our child is off course. A student told me how he wanted to go to medical school and finished his undergraduate work, and done very well. He needs a scholarship, but he's been turned down by over 40 schools. He was so discouraged, thinking it could never happen.
But God loves to take people who are the underdogs, where there are no good options, and do something supernatural in their lives. The odds may be against you, but the Most High God is for you. You and God are a majority. What you're up against may seem bigger, the opposition stronger. God will put you in situations on purpose where the odds are against you, so he can show out in your life. It's not there to stop you, it's a setup for God to make you an example of his goodness. But voices will whisper, "You're outnumbered. You'll never defeat this giant, it's too big. Never get out of this trouble. Never overcome this illness". No, you were created to defy the odds. You have the most powerful force in the universe breathing in your direction.
God is not limited by what you don't have, by what family you come from, by your connections, your education, your talent. "I can't accomplish my dream, Joel, I don't know the right people". That's okay, you have friends in high places. God controls the universe. "I can't get out of debt, everyone in my family struggles", you're the reception. You're the difference maker. God raised you up to defy the odds, to set a new standard. Now, get in agreement with him. Not an underdog mentality, "Look what I'm up against, I don't have a chance, I'm at a disadvantage". No, turn it around, "The odds may be against me, but God, I know you being for me is more than anything trying to stop me".
Our son Jonathan got me playing fantasy football this year. You choose players from different NFL teams to make up your team, depending on how they do each week, that determines your score. There are 10 different teams in our league, friends of ours, each week you play against one team. On the app it gives you the percentage of winning and the percentage of losing. It calculates all your players, their statistics, how they've been performing. The other Saturday I checked my game, I had a 60% chance of winning 40% of of losing. I felt pretty good. Sunday after church, I get home around 4, and about half of the football games are finished, and I checked my phone. Some of my players hadn't done well, I went down to a 20% chance of winning 80% of losing.
We watch the Sunday evening games, you can see it in real time on your phone, what your players are doing, the percentages are constantly changing. The last game of the week is on Monday night. I went to bed Sunday with a 99% chance of losing 1% chance of winning. It was basically saying "You're a loser, but we can't say it until the official last game is played". Well, I watched Monday night, I had one player in that game and he wasn't doing anything. I'd already given up, figured I'd lost that week, but with 30 seconds left he got the ball on a fluke play and scored a touchdown. I grabbed my phone, it went from 99 % chance of losing to 99% chance of winning. In a split second all the odds changed in my favor, I won that game. But for days all the stats said "No way". The analytics, the computers, the odds maker, all said I would lose, but then this unforeseen good break and I defied the odds.
That's the way it is with God: all the facts can say "You'll never get well, never get out of debt, never break the addiction, it's 99 to 1". I mean "You took the fertility treatments, you can't have the baby. You don't have the resources to start your business. You'll never be free from this depression, that's just who you are". Can I encourage you? One touch of God's favor, and you will defy the odds. One good break, one healing, one phone call, you'll go from 99% "No way" to "Here it is". Nobody saw it coming, the baby is dreamed of, the healing, the business, the breakthrough. What am I saying? Don't let the odds discourage you. We look at things in the natural: here are the facts, the experts, the calculations, but God is supernatural. He's not limited by what limits us.
One time the prophet Elijah came up against 450 false prophets that worship the God Baal. You would think Elijah would have 450 of his followers to go up against the opposition, so it would be equal, a fair fight, that makes more sense. But God will let you be the underdog on purpose, so he can show his favor in a greater way. Don't be surprised when the odds are against you. Elijah could have checked his phone, "99% chance you're going to lose, dude. Go home, turn around, you're outnumbered". All the facts said he didn't have a chance. He could have panic, "God, please send me more people". He could have complained, "This is not fair", but he understood this principle that he was created to defy the odds, that the God we serve has power, favor, breakthroughs, healing that cannot be calculated, that supersedes the natural, the logical, the predictable.
After the 450 false prophets couldn't get their God to work, Elijah called out to Yahweh, to Jehovah. Suddenly fire came down from heaven and destroyed those 450 false prophets. He went from 99% chance of losing to immediately winning. God is going to do some things in your life that defy the odds. You can't explain it, you didn't have the training, but you got the promotion. You're supposed to live with that sickness, but you're healthier than ever. Or you came from a dysfunctional family, that should be you, but you're blessed, happy, strong, beautiful. What happened? You defied the odds. God breathed on your life, opened doors you couldn't open, gave you ability, influence, favor that catapulted you ahead.
You may be in a situation now where the odds are against you. When you look at the facts, every voice says "There's no way. You're outnumbered, it's too late". Don't believe those lies, God is about to show out in your life. That difficulty is setting you up for God to do something you've never seen. It's going to happen quickly. You couldn't plan it, you didn't have the experience, but like that fire came down from heaven, suddenly the problem is going to turn around, the right people will show up, your business takes off, your child comes back home. You'll be able to say with Elijah, "The odds were against me, but the Most High God was for me. That's what matters".
Exodus 14, God had delivered the Israelites out of 400 years of slavery. He sent plague after plague on the Pharaoh, and he finally let the people go. And they were so excited, was a moment they had been dreaming of. As they were leaving, God said in verse 2 "Tell the people to March toward the Red Sea. Then Pharaoh will think they're trapped between the Red Sea and the wilderness". God sent them into a situation where there was no way out. Wasn't like Moses made a mistake and went the wrong way, God told them to go this way. You would think after the years of slavery, mistreatment, God would take them an easy way, no obstacles, no opposition. But God on purpose sent them down a path where the odds would be against them.
God knew Pharaoh would change his mind. He knew the army would come chasing the Israelites. God said in verse 4, "I have planned all this so I will receive great glory at the expense of Pharaoh". The odds being against them wasn't random, wasn't just a bad break, it was a setup so God could demonstrate his power on the Israelites. But when they saw that army coming in the distance, Pharaoh's fastest chariots and most skilled warriors, they begin to panic, complain, "Moses, why you bring us out here to die? We'd have rather stayed as slaves in Egypt". But Moses understood: when the odds are against you, God is up to something. He's positioning you to see his favor in a greater way.
Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still and you will see the Lord rescue you". I can imagine the people trying to stay in faith, but the chariots were getting closer. They could see the dust in the air 30 miles away, now they're 20 miles, another few hours they're going to be here. But God kept letting them get closer and closer, the odds getting more and more against them. Went from 60% chance to lose to 80%, now they're at 99%, the army a few miles away. Just when it looked like it was too late, God sent a dark cloud like a thick fog that came on Pharaoh and his army. They couldn't see, they had to stop. God has ways to deliver you that you've never thought of.
God told Moses to lift up his rod. When he did, a strong east wind blew back the Red Sea, cleared a path for the people to walk through with these huge walls of water on each side. They didn't see that coming, they never dreamed the sea would open up, but God is supernatural. He's going to do things in your life that you can't calculate, you can't explain, you can't plan. His ways are not our ways. When the odds are against you, it's easy to panic, worried, can't sleep at night. You have to remind yourself: God is still in control. You may not see a way, but that doesn't mean God doesn't have a way. He created you to defy the odds, now be still and see that he is God.
After the last Israelites made it through to dry land, right on queue the cloud lifted off of Pharaoh's army, now they could see again. They came chasing through the Red Sea, thinking they were about to capture them, then the wind stopped blowing, the walls of water came crashing down, they were all drowned. God had to let the enemy get that close so he could get rid of them. Looking back now we can see coming to a dead end wasn't a bad break. Pharaoh changing his mind, his army quickly closing in wasn't a coincidence. The odds being against them was a setup. It was all a part of a strategic plan to deliver the Israelites from their enemies.
What if you knew the odds being against you was all a part of God's plan? What you could be worried about, the enemy closing in, people at work trying to discredit you, not feeling qualified, that God allowed owed all that to happen. Not to just make you miserable, but so he can show his power in your life. Trust him when the odds are against you, things happen you don't understand. You were doing the right thing, but you came to a dead end, your health problem, financial setback, a friend turned on you. God wouldn't have allowed it if he wasn't going to use it for your good. I'm sure you'll be tempted to worry, "Why did this happen"? God is saying to you what he said to the Israelites, "Stand still and you will see my deliverance, you will see my favor, you will see my healing, you will see the victory".
When I look back over my life, I see these times that the odds were against me, and times I was outnumbered, but that's what God used to get me to where I am. When my father passed, I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church, but I didn't feel qualified, I didn't have the training, I'd never been to seminary. My father had pastored for 40 years, he'd been in the ministry over 50 years. Well, I'd been in the ministry zero years. I had spoken one message the week before my dad pass. All the odds were against me, but when you're weak God will show himself strong. When you don't feel qualified, God will breathe on your life, and give you ability, wisdom, favor. I discovered things in me I didn't know I had.
But if you let the odds being against you talk you out of your dreams, cause you to get discouraged, where you never take steps of faith, then you'll miss the greatness that God put in you. You're not always going to feel confident, feel strong, feel passion. You may feel weak, feel doubt, feel uncertainty, but you have to override that and say, "God, I know you being for me is more than what's trying to stop me".
This is what David did. He was 17 years old when he heard Goliath taunting the Israelites. The other men in the army, they were afraid, they would run and hide. Something rose up in David, a fire, a passion. He knew he was supposed to fight him. But if someone was calculating the odds, this would have been 10,000 to 1. Goliath was the champion of the Philistine army, he was their most experienced, skilled warrior, stood over 9ft tall, had the latest armor, the sharpest sword. David was a shepherd, he had no training, no military experience, he was small, young, he looked like a kid. Even when Goliath first saw him, he laughed and said (1 Samuel 17:43), "Am I a dog that you'd come at me with a stick"? He was saying, "You mean you got this little twig that's going to fight me"? Even king Saul tried to talk David out of it. He said, "David, you're just a boy, you don't have a chance".
It's interesting that God could have chosen someone that matched up much better with Goliath, the soldier that was the most skilled, most trained, biggest, strongest, that would have been a much fairer fight, two champions competing. But notice how God works: David had all the odds against him, didn't make sense. If David would have only looked at it from a logical point of view, we wouldn't be talking about it. But David understood that he was created to defy the odds.
There are levels of your destiny you cannot reach without being outnumbered, over your head. The odds being against you is a sign that God is up to something. He's positioned you there for a purpose. It's not a coincidence that there's a giant between you and your destiny. Yeah, it's easy to shrink back, "Can't fight this giant, Joel. I can't lead my department, I'm not qualified. I can't write that book. I'll never break this addiction. All I have is a slingshot and a few stones", that's all you need. Your slingshot with the favor of God will bring down the Goliath in your life.
The scripture says, "David ran quickly toward Goliath". All the other men ran quickly away from Goliath. Look at how David is defying the odds. He was saying, "God, I'm not moved by what it looks like in the natural, I know you're supernatural". He picked up a stone and put it in his sling. The whole time Goliath was laughing, David slung that rock and the laughter stopped. Goliath tumbled to the ground. David, a shepherd boy, defeated this Philistine giant.
Are there giants in your life waiting to be defeated? You're thinking about how big it is and "Man, I don't have the experience. They said this sickness is permanent". Have a new perspective: the odds being against you is a setup. God allowed that so he can show out in your life. Don't be intimidated, thinking you're lacking, you don't have the experience. You have everything you need. When you make a move, God will breathe on what you have. You'll discover ability, favor, healing that will cause you to defy the odds.
A man called my sirius xm program, and told how how as a young man he got off course selling drugs. And it got bigger and bigger, he was controlling a large area of the illegal substances in his city, making so much money. But at 27 years old it all came crashing down. He was arrested and received a 40-year prison sentence. He was so distraught, and so down on himself. He started watching our services in prison, and he gave his life to Christ. And he would make these declarations with say "I'm forgiven. I'm restored. I have a bright future". This begin to change the way he saw himself: from a victim to a victor.
He'd been there six years, he started telling his cell-mates that he was going to get out that year. They looked at him like he had lost his mind, he had 34 more years left. Even with good behavior he would have to serve another 20 years. They gave him a hard time, told him he was dreaming. He just kept thanking God that he was making ways and opening doors, doing what only he could do. He knew it wasn't possible in the natural, but he dared to believe that he could defy the odds, that God could do the impossible. Six months later the warden came to his cell and said, "We just received orders to release you today". He was placed on parole for 10 years, but he was free to go home that day. His cell-mate said, "Will you pray for us before you leave"?
The odds may have be against you today, maybe not in prison but in your health, your dream, your marriage. All the facts say "It's not going to happen, you can't get well, you never reach your goal, that giant is too big". Can I encourage you? God specializes in defying the odds. You wouldn't be hearing this if God wasn't about to do something unusual, uncommon, that causes you to stand out, where people can see his favor on your life. Now, give him something to work with. I don't think that man would have his freedom if he had not dared to believe, to declare and to release his faith. That's what causes the Creator of the universe to go to work.
John chapter 11, Lazarus had become very sick. His sisters were close friends with Jesus, and they were in another city, and they sent word asking Jesus to come and pray for Lazarus. Well, Jesus heard their request, but he waited two days and Lazarus died. When he arrived, he's already in the tomb, wrapped up in burial clothes. Jesus said to his disciples (John 11:4), "This sickness is not going to end in death. It is so the Son of God will be glorified". Jesus knew he was going to heal Lazarus, but he waited on purpose. He could have spoken to him from another city when the messengers first arrived and healed him. He could have traveled the next day and touched him while he was alive and made him well. But this delay wasn't random. Jesus was saying in effect, "I'm going to let the odds be against him in a greater way, so I can show my power in ways you've never seen".
Same thing with David: he chose a giant for him to face. Elijah, outnumbered 450 to 1. It's because God loves loves to defy the odds, to do things that seem impossible. Jesus spoke to Lazarus, he came back to life out of that tomb. From then on, everywhere Lazarus went he was a testimony of the favor of God. See, it's one thing to have a healing, but God wanted something better, a resurrection. And sometimes God will let the odds be against you in a greater way. Doesn't make sense, but God is up to something. Trust him when you don't understand, stay in faith when he doesn't show up in time. He has something coming better than you've imagined.
Friend of mine was born with no ears. His parents had other healthy children, they were of course hoping for the same, but they were told this child would never be able to hear, and therefore never be able to speak. They were devastated, there was no explanation. The father and mother were weeping, holding their baby son. The grandmother came in, she said to her son and daughter-in-law, "I know why you're crying and how disappointed you are, but God is going to use your son to do amazing things. This is not going to stop his destiny, he's going to impact people all over the world".
That didn't make any sense, he had this limitation, this disadvantage. But this grandmother knew that God specializes in defying the odds. That what looks impossible for us is possible with God. They didn't see any sign of it, no way in the natural, but they just kept declaring, staying in faith, declaring what God promised, that their son would fulfill his destiny. At two years old he was in his crib, a door slammed, he turned to look. They thought "If he can't hear, how did he know the door slam"? They took him to the doctor and discovered that portions of his inner ear were forming, there was more there than they ever knew. After several surgeries his hearing was perfectly normal. He can not only hear, not only talk, but now he can sing. You all here Romero, here's here up here on our worship team, just about every week, just like his grandmother said, impacting people all over the world.
Is there anything too hard for our God? The scripture says, "Against all odds, Abraham believed", and his wife Sarah had a baby at 90 years old. Are the odds against you? All the facts, the experts say "It's not going to happen". Can I remind you? God is for you. His power is greater than anything trying to stop you. One touch of his favor, like Romero, you'll go from 99% chance of losing to winning. Friends, you were created to defy the odds. That giant is in your path on purpose, so God can display his power through you, to set up for him to do something you've never seen.
Don't be intimidated, "Why me? This is impossible". You and God are a majority. He has not brought you this far to leave you. It may feel like you're outnumbered, but if you could see into the unseen realm, you would realize the enemy is outnumbered. There are more for you than there are against you. Now, stand still and you will see the salvation of the Lord. If you'll do this, I believe and declare: like David you will defy the odds in your life, and defeat every giant. Like Elijah, you will overcome when outnumbered. Like the Israelites, those dead ends will turn into doorways that thrust you into your destiny, in Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?