Joel Osteen - A Flood Is Coming
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Just as a flash flood warning signals overwhelming water, God is announcing a spiritual flash flood of His goodness, favor, healing, and opportunity for those who honor Him and stay faithful. Drawing from David’s description in 1 Chronicles 14 of God breaking through like a raging flood and promises of awesome, unprecedented favor in Exodus 34, the preacher declares that believers should expect a surpassing flood of God’s power to overcome obstacles and thrust them into overflow.
A Flash Flood Warning from God
I want to talk to you today about how a flood is coming. Sometimes on the news the weather person will announce that we are under a flash flood warning. That means conditions are right for possible flooding. Water could get out of its normal boundaries. It could overflow and increase in such a way that drainage and bayous are overwhelmed.
Just like that weather person, I am here to announce to you today you are under a flash flood warning. Conditions are just right. You have honored God. You have been faithful. You passed the test. Now God is saying there is about to be a flood, but not with water. You are going to see a flood of my goodness, a flood of opportunity, a flood of healing, a flood of good breaks to where you are overwhelmed with God’s favor.
It is beyond your expectations, puts you into overflow. Now you may have experienced a lot of negative things in the past—bad breaks, disappointments, heartache. It is easy to get discouraged and let that overwhelm you. The negative thoughts will tell you you will never get well. You saw the medical report. You will never rise any higher and accomplish your dreams. You have gone as far as you can go.
You need to get ready. Things have shifted. You are about to come into this flash flood where suddenly you meet the right person. You qualify for that new home. You get accepted in that college. You are chosen as the lead role in that new program. Your song hits the radio and your career takes off.
You are going to see the surpassing greatness of God’s favor. It is going to take you beyond your normal boundaries. It is going to supersede what the medical report says. It is going to supersede your talent, your education, your experience. It is going to thrust you to a level that you could have never gotten to on your own.
It is not going to be a little drizzle, a little sprinkle. It is going to be a flood of favor, a flood of talent, a flood of ideas, a flood of opportunity. Why do you not get this down in your spirit—a flood of God’s goodness.
This Message Is for Believers
You say, «Joel, you are just trying to get people’s hopes up. I do not believe I am going to see this flood. I do not believe that anything good is going to happen to me just because you are saying this.» Then this is not for you. This is for believers. This is for people who know things have shifted in their favor. People who know God can do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond.
This is for people who get up in the morning and say, «Father, thank you for a flood of your favor today. Lord, thank you for a flood of wisdom, a flood of healing, a flood of your goodness in my life.»
This is what David did. First Chronicles chapter 14, he was facing an impossible situation. He and his men were up against a huge army, the Philistines. They were greatly outnumbered. In the natural, they did not have a chance. But God gave David the promise that He would go with them and they would defeat this army.
David went out and did just that. God gave them the victory. David was so overwhelmed with God’s goodness, he tried to describe it in verse 11. He said, «God has broken through to my enemies like the breaking forth of water.» One translation says, «Like a raging flood.»
Notice David likened God’s power to a flood. He was saying when God shows up, it is going to be like a flood of favor, a flood of strength, a flood of good grace. Think about how powerful water is. Three or four feet of water can pick up a car that weighs thousands of pounds and move it all around.
You have seen on these news reports during a huge flood, whole houses being swept away. Nothing can stop the force of that water. In the same way, you may have obstacles that look insurmountable, dreams that look unattainable. Let me encourage you. When God releases a flood of His power, nothing will be able to stop you.
Nothing Can Stop God’s Flood
That sickness may look big, but when God releases a flood of healing, it does not stand a chance. Your opposition may be stronger, better financed, better equipped, but when God opens up the floodgates, there will be no match for you.
How about in your dreams? You may not have the connections. You do not know the right people. You do not have the funding, but when God releases a flood of favor, people will come out of the woodwork to help you out. You will not have to look for them—good breaks, opportunity. The right people will search you out.
You need to get ready, not for a trickle, not a stream, not a river, but a flood of God’s favor, a tidal wave of God’s goodness, a tsunami of His increase. God is going to take you to a level that you have never been before. It is going to be unprecedented. You are going to go further, quicker than you ever dreamed of.
Exodus 34:10 talks about it. God said, «I am going to do great things that I have never done before anywhere on earth. People will see what great things I can do because I am going to do something awesome for you.»
Now when God uses the word awesome, He is not talking about a trickle, a stream, a river. He is talking about a flood of favor, a flood of ideas, a flood of healing. It may not look like it in the natural right now, but remember, you are under a flash flood warning. Any moment, the heavens could open up. Any moment, you could meet the right person. Any moment, God could do something awesome, something that you have never seen before in your life.
Now the real question is, will you let this seed take root? Every voice will tell you why this is not for you. «I was just flipping through the channels, turned this guy on. I do not even know who he is. He is not talking to me. I did not even really plan on coming today, Joel. I just showed up.»
No, God has you here at the right place at the right time because He wants to do something amazing in your life. You have got to get in agreement and say, «God, this is for me today. I am raising my expectations. I am shaking off doubt, negativity, disappointments, self-pity, little dreams, little goals. God, I am going to make room for a flood of your goodness.»
A Flood of Healing
I met a lady a couple of years ago after the service, and she was in town for treatment at MD Anderson, our cancer hospital. She was going to have a tumor removed, and then she was going to have to take chemotherapy. All of her medical records, blood work, x-rays, were shipped from her hospital back at home.
The doctor she was using here wanted her to retake all the tests and redo all the x-rays just to double-check and verify everything. She was already scheduled for surgery when the doctor called her in. He could not find the tumor anymore. It was very clear on one x-ray, but on this new one he could not see anything.
He said, «I have been doing this for 26 years. I have never seen anything like this before.» What was that? A flood of healing, a flood of restoration. Friends, God can do what medicine cannot do. God made your body. He has you in the palm of His hand. The good news is God has the final say.
He said, «The number of your days I will fulfill.» That means sickness does not determine how long you are going to live. God does. Nothing can snatch you out of His hand. If it is not your time to go, then you are not going to go.
You may be facing a major illness. It does not look good in the natural, but you are under a flash flood warning. Any moment you can see a flood of healing, any moment God could turn that around.
God’s Response to the Enemy
Isaiah said, «When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God will raise up a barrier.» Several commentaries believe that the comma was misplaced during translation. Instead of reading, «When the enemy comes in like a flood,» comma, they believe the comma should have been placed after the word «in». It would say, «When the enemy comes in, like a flood God’s Spirit will raise up a barrier.»
In other words, the emphasis on the flood is on God’s power and not the enemy’s. Now, I have learned when the enemy attacks, God reacts. God does not just sit back and think, «Well, I wonder what is going to happen. Wonder what they are going to do.» No, God goes to work.
You are His most prized possession. It says in Psalms, «God is close to those that are hurting. God is close to the brokenhearted.» God knows when you have got a bad medical report. He knows when you are struggling in your finances. He knows when you are being mistreated.
You may not see anything happening, but you can be assured Almighty God not only is aware, but He is at work. He already has the solution. If you will stay in faith at the right time, He will release a flood of His power, a flood of healing, a flood of restoration—not only bring you out, He will bring you out better off than you were before.
But one of the keys is we have to keep the right perspective. It is easy to focus on how big the problem is—"never going to get well, Joel, it is impossible. I am never going to get out of debt. This setback, this loss of income, this unexpected bill, it is going to be the end of me.»
No, that problem may feel overwhelming, but it is not the flood. The debt, the sickness, the opposition is like a trickle, water barely even flowing. But God’s power, the promotion, the healing, the breakthrough, the restoration is like a flood. That is the tidal wave that is headed towards you.
It is just a matter of time before it shows up. And when it does, it will not be any contest. It is like a drop of water compared to the whole ocean. Now, all through the day, when you are tempted to worry, tempted to be frustrated, switch over into faith.
«Lord, thank you for a flood of your favor. God, I know you have got me in the palm of your hand. And Lord, I just want to thank you in advance that you are releasing a flood of your power that will suddenly turn this around.»
That is what David did. Psalm 112, «When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in.» Notice, it is not going to trickle in, not going to just barely get there—no, like a flood, like the breaking forth of waters, it is going to come bursting in.
That simply means suddenly you are going to get well. Suddenly, you meet the right person. Suddenly, you are able to pay your house off. Our attitude should be: my child may be off course, making poor decisions, but I am expecting a flood of God’s mercy to bring him back.
Or my house may have been on the market for a year, still has not sold, but I am expecting a flood of favor to cause it to stand out and sell. Business may be slow, but I am expecting a flood of new clients, a flood of sales, a flood of promotion.
In the midst of that difficulty, do not get discouraged. You are in prime position to see a flood of God’s goodness.
Stories of Overwhelming Favor
Lady came up to me a while back and she was very excited. She had a family member that needed a series of surgeries. It was vital for this person to live a productive life, but it was going to cost $400,000. It was not covered by their insurance. This family did not have that kind of extra money.
This lady, month after month, she kept praying, believing. She did not focus on the size of her problem. She focused on the size of her God. She did not need a trickle, a stream, a river. She needed a flood of God’s goodness.
One day, her employer called her in. She had worked for this company for over 30 years. She did not even know they knew about the problem, but they said, «You have been so good to us, so faithful to this company. We have decided that we are going to underwrite the series of surgeries for your family member, $400,000.»
What was that? A tidal wave of God’s goodness. Like a flood, God’s favor overtook her.
«Well,» you say, «Joel, that never happened for me. I never get any good breaks. $400,000, my boss does not even like me.» Listen, it does not matter who likes you or who does not like you. The main thing is Almighty God likes you. He has accepted you. He has approved you. He has already surrounded you with His favor like a shield.
Promotion does not come from people. It comes from God. If you will be bold enough to believe, God has tidal waves of blessings. He has floods of favor in your future.
That is what happened to one of our staff members. Craig and his wife, Samantha, have a nine-year-old son named Connor. Connor is a very handsome, fun young man. He has autism. When he was five years old, he had never spoken a full paragraph before. In fact, he did not really speak in complete sentences. He would speak a phrase or two here or there, maybe two or three words together, but not much more than that.
Day after day, Craig, Samantha, the other children, they would speak faith over Connor, telling him, «You can do all things through Christ. You are more than a conqueror.» They were expecting a flood of God’s favor.
Every night before bedtime, either Craig or Samantha would go up and read a couple of books with Connor and pray together and then put him to bed. One night, Samantha had just finished reading and praying and was about to leave the room. She heard Connor start to speak. She listened carefully, and he was speaking so clearly and so fluently.
She ran and got the video camera and recorded the first full paragraph that Connor had ever spoken. He was saying, «This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have.» He quoted word for word that confession we make at the start of every service.
What was that? Like a flood, God’s favor overtook Connor. Craig told me how they would take DVDs of my messages home every week, and Connor would watch them again and again. When he turned on cartoons, he would normally only watch five or 10 minutes, but he would watch my whole 30-minute message over and over.
I told Craig, «When a five-year-old chooses me over Barney, that makes me feel really good.» But Connor still has a way to go, but we know what God started, He will finish. Friends, God wants to release a flood of His power—not a trickle, not a stream, not a river, but a flood of increase, a flood of healing, a flood of ideas.
Believe Big for a Big Flood
Some of you are believing too small. You have settled where you are, thinking that you have reached your limits. Your child could never get better, and you could never overcome that obstacle. No, you need to get ready. I can see something in your future. Through my eyes of faith, I can see a tidal wave coming your way.
It is not a wave of defeat, a wave of bad breaks, a wave of more of the same. No, things have shifted. It is a wave of increase, a wave of favor, a wave of healing. It is God releasing His goodness like a flood. It is going to help you to overcome that obstacle. It is going to cause you to accomplish your dreams.
Why do you not dare to believe? If you think trickle, you are going to receive trickle. If you think the problem is too big, it is going to keep you defeated. But if you could just switch over into faith and start thinking flood, then God could show you a flood.
If you will think overflow, God can bring you into overflow. If you will dare to think tidal wave, then God can release a tidal wave of His goodness in your life.
A few years ago, we were at dinner at a restaurant, and our son, Jonathan, was with us. He is 17 years old now, and he was about 11 or 12 at the time. And when we went to order, Jonathan told the waiter, «I would like a steak.» The waiter asked, «Do you want a 6-ounce, a 10-ounce, or a 14-ounce?»
Jonathan did not think twice. He did not look at the menu to check the price. He did not ask me if it is okay. He immediately said, «I will take the 14-ounce.» When it comes to food, Jonathan is not expecting a trickle, a stream, a river, but a flood.
Jonathan not only has a big appetite, but he knows who his father is. He knows, «I want to be good to him.» That is the way we need to be with our heavenly Father. Do not have a small-minded mentality. Do not have a narrow, limited vision.
Too many people think that they are bothering God. They should not expect too much. «God, I am not expecting to get out of this problem. If you could just help me endure it. God, I do not think I will ever meet anybody great, and fall in love, and get married. If you can just help me, God, not to be too lonely in life.»
No, you are thinking trickle when God has a flood. You are thinking barely get by when God has abundance. You are thinking 6-ounce when God has 14-ounce. If you will believe bigger, God will act bigger.
You have got to do like Jonathan. Step up to the plate and say, «God, I know you control the whole universe, yet I am the apple of your eye. I am your most prized possession. God, you said you are longing to be good to me. So, Lord, I just want to thank you for a flood of your favor in my life.»
When you release your faith in a big way like that, in a 14-ounce way, God does not look down and think, «What are they talking about? Who do they think they are? They do not deserve it.» The nerve of those people—you know, that brings a smile to God’s face.
He says, «I am going to open the windows of heaven and pour out not a stream, not a trickle, not a river, but a flood of my favor, a flood of my goodness, a flood of my mercy.»
Profuse Favor Abounding
Isaiah said, «The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to announce a day when the free favor of God profusely abounds.» Notice the word he used to describe God’s favor—profusely. That means overwhelming, out of the norm, exceeding. He was talking about this flood of favor.
The people were in a drought. No water. Isaiah came along with this great news. A shift has come. The drought is coming to an end. The favor is coming like a flood.
But I am sure there were some people that thought, «What is Isaiah talking about? Nothing is happening. There is not a cloud in the sky. It is just as clear and blue and dry and hot as it was the last three months.» They missed their opportunity to see the free favor of God profusely abound.
Do not let that be you. Like Isaiah, I have announced today a flood of God’s power is coming. Favor like you have never seen before. Instead of being overwhelmed by burdens, you are going to be overwhelmed by God’s blessings.
But the real key is can you receive this into your spirit? It is easy to think, «This is not for me, Joel. I do not see anything different happening. I tried before and it did not work out. I have been through too much.» That kind of negative thinking will stop the flood.
God works where there is an attitude of faith—when you believe all things are possible. The enemy cannot stop this flood. He does not have that much power. Other people cannot stop it. The only one that can stop it is you. You control your own destiny.
God is for you. The enemy is against you. You get to cast the deciding vote. I am asking you to take the limits off of God. He wants to do something new, something amazing in your life.
But the real battle is taking place in our thought life. Those thoughts that say, «It is not going to happen. You are too old. You have made too many mistakes. You will never get well. You will never accomplish your dreams.» No, this is the day that you are going to see the free favor of God profusely abound.
God has floods of blessings in your future. He has tidal waves of increase and joy and healing and mercy. Make room for this flood. Get in agreement with God.
Paul prayed in Ephesians that the eyes of our understanding would be flooded with light so that we would know the amazing future God has in store. It is interesting that Paul used that phrase «flooded with light.»
See, Paul had experienced a portion of this flood, but we are living in a better day than Paul. This is the day where Paul declared we would see the surpassing greatness of God’s favor. Paul was saying, in effect, «I have seen one level of God’s goodness, but the day we are in, we would see God’s goodness like no generation has seen it before.»
I can tell you firsthand, Victoria and I have experienced this flood of God’s favor. God has overwhelmed us with His goodness. I am not bragging on us. I am bragging on God. God has taken us beyond our education, beyond our talent, beyond our training, and He has unleashed His abundance, His wisdom, His favor in our lives.
I was thinking about a couple of main keys. You have got to keep God first place in your life. Honor God. Deal with the issues that He is bringing to light. Stay open and be willing to always change. We do not have to be perfect. We all have flaws and weaknesses, but we should be growing. We should be making progress, improving.
The second thing, we have learned to take the limits off of God. Like Jonathan, we ask for the 14-ounce. We believe big, we pray bold prayers, and we live with this expectancy that God has floods of favor, floods of wisdom, floods of goodness in our future.
My prayer for you today is that the eyes of your understanding would be flooded with light, that you would know how much God loves you, how much He is for you, and what an amazing future He has in store.
My prayer is that faith would fill your hearts, that you would raise your level of expectancy, and that you would see God’s goodness like never before. Like Isaiah, I have announced to you, you are under a flash flood warning.
Now, you need to get ready. You are about to see the favor of God profusely abound in your life. Because you have honored God, because you have been faithful and given and served and been good to others, I believe things have shifted in your favor.
Suddenly, dreams are going to come to pass. You are going to see the surpassing greatness of God’s goodness. Now, my encouragement: get up every morning and say, «Father, thank you for this flood of favor in my life,» then go out expecting it.
If you do that, I believe and declare you are going to see God’s goodness overwhelm you. You are coming into floods of favor, floods of healing, floods of wisdom, floods of good breaks, floods of mercy. Get ready for it. It is headed your way. If you receive it, can you say amen today?