Joel Osteen - Don't Ignore The Warnings (01/25/2026)
In this message, Joel Osteen teaches that God always warns us through an inner unrest or uneasiness before danger comes, because He sees what we cannot see. Drawing from Noah’s obedience to build the ark, the Titanic’s fatal pride, Herod’s hidden motives, Joseph’s immediate flight to Egypt, and personal stories, he shows that listening to these divine warnings with holy fear protects us and keeps us on God’s best path, while ignoring them leads to unnecessary heartache.
God’s Warnings Protect Us
I want to talk to you today about "Don't Ignore the Warnings". God can see things that we cannot see. He knows what is going to happen long before we do. There are traps the enemy has set to try to hinder us and cause us trouble. There are paths that look good to us, but they end in frustration. We look on the surface and think this person seems fine, but God knows what their motives are. He knows hidden agendas. This business deal seems exciting, this new door that opened, but God knows where the dead ends are, things that would waste our time.
Before we get off course, before we make a major mistake, God will always give us a warning. In your spirit there will be an unrest, an uneasiness, like an alarm is going off, saying do not do that. Something is not right. Stay away from that person. Do not take that deal. It may not make sense to us, but you have to trust that God has your best interest at heart. He would not be warning you if there was not danger up ahead. His warnings are not about limiting you, keeping you from your dreams, taking something away. It is about protection. It is about avoiding heartache and staying on the best path.
You have to be sensitive to what you are feeling on the inside. Do not override the unrest. Do not go against that uneasiness. That is God speaking to you. It is a still, small voice—not in your mind, but in your spirit.
Overriding the Still Small Voice
Sometimes we feel the uneasiness, the alarm is going off, but we keep overriding it. You hear that whisper: you need to treat your spouse better, quit saying condescending things. You need to take care of yourself, quit eating so much junk, quit staying up so late watching TV. You feel that unrest, that nudging that you need to change.
See, God said in Psalms, I will guide you along the best path for your life. That is the promise. God is going to guide you. But the next verse is the key. Do not be like a senseless mule and have to have a bit and bridle to stay under control. God is saying, I am going to guide you, but do not be stubborn. Do not ignore my warnings. Do not keep turning off the alarm.
You know what happens even in the natural. If you hear the alarm in the morning and you hit the snooze button, fall back asleep, it goes off in ten minutes and wakes you up. You hit snooze again, fall back asleep. If you do that long enough, you will get to where you do not hear the alarm. It does not wake you up anymore. You become desensitized to it.
Becoming Desensitized to God’s Alarm
It is not that the alarm stopped working. It is that you trained yourself to ignore it. In the same way, every time you override the unrest, you go against what you are feeling—like, oh, I can handle it, Joel. It is fine. I am going to be careful. I will deal with it later—you are hitting the snooze button. The alarm is becoming less and less effective. You can get to the point where you do not hear it at all.
It is not that God is not speaking. It is that you have ignored the warning so long the alarm does not have any effectiveness anymore. And there is a lot of unnecessary pain we go through, unnecessary hurt and disappointment, because we are not sensitive to what God is saying. We override what we are feeling.
And the beauty is God knows how to work all things for good. He can still turn it around, but it is much better to avoid it in the first place. Are there warnings God is giving you but you are ignoring? Are there things you know you need to change but you keep putting it off? God is not trying to punish you, delay you, limit you. It is to protect you. He can see things you cannot see. He knows what is coming. If we will pay attention, we can avoid a lot of heartache and trouble.
Noah Obeyed an Unseen Warning
This is what happened with Noah. Hebrews 11 says, by faith Noah, being warned by God of things not yet seen, moved with holy fear and built an ark. Noah was going along fine, had a great family, blessed in his business, but something was coming that he could not see. He had no way of knowing danger was up ahead, that there was going to be a flood.
It had never rained. They had no concept of water flooding and causing problems. No technology to forecast weather, predict storms. This was totally foreign, but God knows everything that is coming: the storms, the traps, the trouble, the people with wrong motives, the opportunities that look good but are dead ends. He is not going to let you walk into danger without giving you warnings. That alarm will go off—that uneasiness where you know you need to be careful.
Noah could have dismissed it. There was no visible evidence that rain was coming, no clouds, no thunder. I am sure he thought, man, I must have heard God wrong. This is far out. No, he moved with holy fear and built an ark. He had such a reverence for God, such a trust that he acted on what he heard.
What Is Holy Fear?
Holy fear is knowing that God is protecting you from something that could cause heartache, that could set you back. No one knew if he did not heed that warning that he and his family were in jeopardy. And this was not a light task. It took 120 years to build the ark. You can imagine the people that came by and made fun: there is that crazy guy building a boat in the middle of the desert.
But Noah had a secret. He had been warned of things not yet seen. People could not see it. The experts could not see it. The weathermen could not forecast it. But God saw it. He knows what is coming. Had Noah ignored that warning, we would not be talking about it. Because he obeyed, it saved him and his family.
Some warnings, if you will act on them, do what you know God is telling you to do, will not only save you but will save your children. It will impact your family and future generations. My prayer is that when we hear the alarm we do like Noah and move with holy fear.
Do Not Delay Obedience
We do not take it lightly. We do not dismiss it—maybe I will deal with it later. I do not see anything wrong, Joel. What is this hurting? No, we have such respect and such confidence in what God is keeping us from that we do not delay. We do not play around. We have a holy fear. It is a knowing that even though I may not understand this, God is keeping me from trouble and heartache.
He did not have to warn us. He could have let us do our own thing—thought, good luck, big flood is coming, sorry, it is going to be devastating. But in His mercy He is watching over us, guiding us down the best path, warning us of floods, famines, dead ends. Let us be Noahs. He listened to the warnings. He obeyed what God told him to do.
Here is the key: ignoring warnings does not make the danger disappear. It just means you are not prepared for it. Noah could have said I am not going to build a boat, life is good. That would not have stopped the flood. He just would not have had a way out.
Small Warnings Matter Too
When you feel these warnings it is for your own good to keep you from unnecessary trouble. It may not be something big. You just hear that still, small voice telling you do not go to lunch with that person. Do not text with them all day. Do not let them get close. Your mind, your reasoning says why not—I like them, they are fun.
Are you going to hit the snooze button? Ignore the warning? Do what you want? Or are you going to take heed? Obey what you are feeling? God is not trying to limit you. He is wanting to protect you. He can see what you cannot see. He knows people’s motives. Sometimes there are hidden agendas.
That person that wants to get close to you so they can take from you—they do not care about you, they care about what you can do for them. People are not always who they say they are. We see the outside and what they present, but God sees the motives. He knows what they are really up to. When you understand the alarms, the unrest, the warnings are for your good, that it is God protecting you, that it is not a negative thing, you are grateful. You want to obey. You know that is God watching over you and keeping you on the best path.
A Personal Story of Ignored Warnings
Years ago Victoria and I came across this business opportunity that seemed so great. It was like a once-in-a-lifetime chance. The man we would partner with was a good Christian man, loved God, loved the ministry. I was in my twenties and it fell into our lap and I knew it was the hand of God. We proceeded with great excitement and enthusiasm.
It was going to take a couple of years to get it all going. During the six months that we were drawing up the contracts I began to feel this uneasiness, this unrest, but I wanted it so badly I pushed it down. I thought that is just my nerves. When I saw facts and figures that did not look good I would discount it—I think that is not going to bother us, we will be the exception.
Over and over I would hear that still, small voice saying, Joel, this is not what it looks like. You do not know all the facts. I kept ignoring it. At one point even my father said, Joel, I do not know if I feel good about this. Are you sure it is a great idea? I said, Daddy, I am so sure. This is an amazing opportunity.
The Cost of Stubbornness
There were all these warnings, but if you get so set on having it your way, you are only going to be happy if you do what you want, then you will keep pushing that alarm down and keep ignoring the warnings. We ended up getting the business going, but it was never what it was promised to be. It never took off. There were things we did not know until we got it running that would limit us and cause it to not flourish.
Now God ended up making it all work out, but the fact is it was a lot of trouble, a lot of heartache that was unnecessary. I could have avoided that if I had simply listened to the still, small voice, if I had not been so stubborn. I thought what I was feeling would limit me, that it was keeping me from my dreams, but now I realize it was trying to protect me and keep me from wasting my time.
I have learned now to listen to the warnings. I do not go against what I feel on the inside. God has your best interest at heart. He is not trying to hold you back. He is guiding you down the best path for your life.
The Titanic Tragedy
You cannot see what is up ahead. You do not know what is coming—the dead ends, the detours, the floods. I did not know that was going to be a bust, that they were not telling me all the facts. But like with Noah, God will warn you of things you cannot see. He will whisper to your spirit: be careful, go slow, watch out—maybe a feeling, not even a voice, but an uneasiness where you know it is not right.
Instead of ignoring it, having to have our way, let us have that holy fear. We do not delay—I will do it later. We are not stubborn—I do not want to change. We do not take it lightly, play around with our destiny. Like Noah we obey when we do not understand. We trust when it does not make sense. We recognize God is protecting us and keeping us from unnecessary trouble and heartache.
On April 10th, 1912, the Titanic set off for its maiden voyage. It was the largest moving object ever built by humans. It was not just a ship, it was a statement—three football fields long, a swimming pool, grand staircases. Over 110 years ago it was described as the safest ship ever built, unsinkable, an engineering marvel.
Pride Ignored Multiple Warnings
Over 2,000 people on board, so many celebrities and world leaders there to be part of history. But four days into the journey the captain received multiple messages from other ships saying there was danger up ahead. There were icebergs—proceed with caution or take another route. Another large ship traveling that same path stopped and would not go any further.
But not the Titanic. The captain got warning after warning after warning, but he thought we are the Titanic. They have never seen a ship like us. We are too advanced, too strong, and too important to slow down. The whole world was watching all these celebrities and leaders. The captain thought I am not going to stop, and I am certainly not going to turn around. What would people think of me? Changing course would seem weak.
He was hearing the alarms. Other ships were sending messages, but he would not listen. When the ship hit these huge icebergs the unthinkable happened—it began to sink. 1,500 people lost their lives.
Lessons from the Titanic
One message of the Titanic is do not ignore warnings. Do not think you are too invincible to sink. Do not let pride and what people will think cause you to sail into icebergs and miss your destiny. Be willing to change. Be willing to stop and turn around. Listen to those warnings. They are not there to restrict you, to control you. They are there to keep you from sinking, from getting into things that are going to pull you down.
Had the captain had more humility, had he been willing to change course, to listen to others, this would have been a different outcome. Unlike the Titanic, it is not too late for us. There is still time for you to make a course correction, to heed the warnings, to listen to what God is saying to you.
Do not be too proud. Joel, I know I need to bite my tongue, not be condescending, not be argumentative. Those are icebergs. They can sink you. They can ruin relationships. That is why you feel that unrest. Now you may have pushed it down a long time. It is not as loud, but there is still danger up ahead. Why do you not heed that warning? Why do you not have some holy fear? Recognize that God is trying to protect you from trouble and heartache.
Herod’s Hidden Agenda
But sometimes we think we are like the Titanic. We are invincible. We are so strong, disciplined. We would never compromise or let our guard down. But the scripture says be careful when you stand lest you fall. You have to walk in humility. Do not be a know-it-all where you cannot take any advice. You do not have any weaknesses. It is always someone else that is the problem.
That was the captain of the Titanic—your boats are lesser, you do not have what I have, I am not impacted by the icebergs, I do not have to change course. In other words, I do not have to forgive. I do not have to deal with this temper, this addiction. Or it is okay for me to hang around this person that I do not feel good about. The problem is those things can sink your ship.
You would think the captain of the Titanic, with so many lives on board, would put down his pride and listen to the warnings. But he was careless. He was not responsible. I would like to think if I got that warning and there were icebergs up ahead and I had a ship full of people, I would have some holy fear. I would say to the other boats, thank you for letting me know. That is critical information that can keep us from tragedy. Sometimes we discount the warning. Like that captain we are careless. We do not take it seriously. We let pride blind us. When you hear that warning, that still small voice, be quick to obey. That is God keeping you from unnecessary trouble.
When Jesus was about to be born, King Herod heard the news that was prophesied that this baby would be the Messiah, the king of the Jews. Herod was jealous and afraid that he would lose power and respect among the people. These three wise men came from afar to bring gifts to Jesus. They stopped by Jerusalem looking for Him.
God Exposed the Deception
When Herod found out he called them into the palace and questioned what they knew about this baby, when they first saw the star. He told them in verse 8, go to Bethlehem, search for Jesus, and when you find Him come back and tell me so I can worship Him too. The truth is Herod did not want to worship Jesus. He wanted to kill Jesus. He was threatened by all the reports.
Well, the wise men did not know this. They had never met Herod, only heard of him. I am sure they thought yeah, as soon as we find Him we will come back and let you know. But God knows what people’s motives are. Herod was saying one thing, but his intentions were something else. He was trying to trick them into giving away Jesus’ location so he could put an end to Him.
Every voice that sounds sincere does not have your best interests at heart. God knows how to protect you. He will whisper to your spirit: beware, they sound good but they are not who they say they are. They are friendly, they say the right things, but they have hidden agendas. If you will listen to the warnings God will keep you from trouble.
The Wise Men Obeyed the Dream
These wise men went to Bethlehem and found baby Jesus. They presented their gifts and worshiped Him. They were about to go back and tell Herod the good news, but the scripture says they were warned in a dream to not go back to Jerusalem but to return to their country by another route.
Look at how God protects us and keeps us on the best path. Herod seemed like a friend. He was helpful, gracious. They did not know any better. But when they woke up from that dream, after hearing that warning, they had a holy fear. They acted on what God was telling them and went back a different route.
When Herod found out he was furious. His true intentions came out. He issued a decree that all the Hebrew male babies two years old and under would be killed. One moment Herod was saying I want to worship this child, wise men you are my friends; the next moment he is trying to kill them all.
More Examples of Divine Protection
There are dangers up ahead that we cannot see—people we meet that have hidden agendas, floods that are coming we do not know to prepare for. But like God did for these wise men, like He did for Noah, He is going to warn you of things up ahead that you do not know.
Now pay attention to what you are feeling. Do not override it. Do not reason it out—oh, this does not make sense. The wise men could have thought we do not want to go back the long way, it is not going to hurt to go through Jerusalem, Herod likes us. No, Herod was two-faced. He had hidden agendas.
God will protect you from two-faced people—people that act like they like you but really it is just the opposite. They say one thing with their words but in their heart is something different. Is God warning you about something you are not acting on? Do you hear that still small voice but you keep putting it off? There is danger up ahead that God is trying to keep you from. There is trouble and heartache you can avoid—icebergs that do not have to sink your ship, but you have to heed the warning.
Have that holy fear, that reverence, knowing that the creator of the universe cares so much about you that He is giving you this inside information, what you cannot see up ahead. He is going to protect you and keep you on the best path for your life.
A Friend’s Marriage Saved by a Dream
I have a friend that is very successful. He is married to a beautiful woman, two children. But at one point he and his wife were not getting along. They still loved each other, but there were petty things they were letting come between them—arguing, being short, unfriendly. In the big picture it was nothing.
But this man let it get down in him and it changed who he was. He quit treating her the way he knew he should—not giving her time, not being kind, respectful. This went on for several months, just contention and strife, and they started to grow apart.
One night he had a dream. In this dream he saw his wife with another man. They were laughing and having fun, so happy and friendly. It was as vivid and real as could be, and he woke up in a cold sweat. He said, Joel, I heard God saying to me if you do not change and start treating her right you are going to lose what I have given you.
It was like a holy fear came over him. He knew he was at a critical point. That day he started treating her better, being kind and respectful, having fun, doing things with the family. Today they are as happy and fulfilled as can be.
Joseph’s Immediate Obedience
God will always give us warnings. The question is, are we listening? Are we making changes, doing like Noah—building our ark—like the wise men going back a different way? Or are we stubborn, pushing it down, too busy?
Mary gave birth to Jesus there in the stable. And the shepherds came to worship and they left, and the wise men gave their gifts and went on their way. After all the excitement and celebration it seemed so peaceful and so calm—they could finally relax.
But the scripture says an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said get up, take the child and His mother and flee to Egypt, for Herod is going to try to kill Him. Joseph went out, did not see any soldiers, did not hear of any trouble, nothing looked wrong. He could have thought this does not make sense—we are tired, we just had a baby, we do not want to travel.
But the next verse says Joseph got up that same night and left for Egypt. He heard the warning and did not even wait till morning.
Be Quick to Obey
God, give us that kind of obedience. Help us to have that kind of holy fear that when we hear the still small voice, when we feel the unrest, that knowing to make a change, we do not question it. We do not debate it, negotiate, maybe later. No, just do it.
God is protecting you from what you cannot see. There is harm and trouble that you can avoid. Do not delay. Do not talk yourself out of it. Obedience brings protection. Ignoring warnings brings unnecessary trouble.
Maybe God is dealing with you about something that you keep putting off. You hear the alarm but you keep hitting the snooze button—not now, I do not feel like it. Be like Joseph. This is the time to take action, to make changes so God can keep you on the best path.
Do not be stubborn. I have learned God will always get His way. But sometimes we take the long route. We make it much more difficult. When He whispers stay away from that person, treat your spouse better, go to bed early, get more rest—do not be like the captain of the Titanic, hear the warnings and think it is not going to affect me, I can make it through these icebergs. Do not fool yourself.
God Keeps Us on the Best Path
God would not be warning you if there was not danger up ahead, if it was not going to bring trouble. Here is the good news. You can make a course correction. You can be a Joseph and do it now. You can be a Noah and have a holy fear to obey what God is telling you. This is how you avoid unnecessary difficulties.
Now do your part. Do not ignore the warnings. If you will do this I believe and declare God is going to protect you and keep you on the best path. You will have inside information to avoid unnecessary heartache and trouble. And you will live the life of victory that belongs to you. In Jesus’ name. If you receive it, can you say amen? Amen.