Joel Osteen - Prepared Blessings (04/15/2018)
Joel Osteen teaches that God has already prepared specific blessings—opportunities, relationships, provision, and abundance—with our names on them, just as He prepared the Garden of Eden for Adam. Using stories from Scripture like David’s anointing, Ruth’s faithfulness, and Elijah’s obedience, plus personal examples, he concludes that staying faithful, honoring God, and stepping out when He asks will lead us into these finished, surpassing blessings at the perfect time.
I want to talk to you today about Prepared Blessings. When God laid out the plan for your life, He lined up the right people, the right breaks, the right opportunities. He has blessings that have your name on them. There is promotion, contracts, a business, a spouse. He has already destined them to be yours. If you will stay in faith and keep honoring God, one day you will come into what already belongs to you.
This is what happened way back with Adam and Eve. In the book of Genesis, it talks about how the first five days God created the heavens, the earth, the sky, the land, the water. When He finished the big things, He did not stop there—He started on the small things, the details.
The Garden Prepared for Adam
God planted a garden. He put beautiful flowers in it, luscious fruit. He designed these rivers to flow through it. He put precious treasures in the ground: onyx, gold, silver. He went to great lengths like He wanted it, down to the smallest details. When He got finished with it, He put the last touches on this magnificent garden.
The Scripture says He took Adam, whom He had just breathed life into—notice Adam came into a prepared blessing, something that God had already finished for him. He did not get there and have to work night and day, constantly struggle, and think, «How am I going to survive?» There were fruit trees all around, crystal clear streams flowing right before him, provision everywhere he looked.
He did not have to live worried, thinking, «Well, I have food and water, but how am I going to provide for my family? How am I going to make a living?» There were resources at his disposal: onyx, gold, silver. Everything he needed to live a victorious, abundant life was right there in the garden. God had put it there specifically prepared for him.
In the same way, God has some prepared blessings in store for you. He is working behind the scenes, arranging things in your favor, getting it all perfectly in place. At the right time, He is going to bring you into your garden, into what He has already finished. You could not make it happen on your own. You did not deserve it, you did not earn it—it is just the goodness of God bringing you into a prepared blessing.
Personal Prepared Blessings
I walked into a jewelry store and met Victoria for the first time. You know what she was? A prepared blessing. I looked up and said, «God, You did good.» There are hundreds of jewelry stores in a big city like Houston that I could have gone into, but God controls the universe. He knows how to bring things together.
God said in effect, «Joel, I have got something finished for you. You have been faithful, you have honored Me—now I have got a prepared blessing that I am ready to bring you into.» God directed my steps, and I met Victoria that day. My life and my checkbook have never been the same.
«But Joel, I have been single so long—I do not think I will ever meet the right person.» No—God has a husband, a wife that has your name on it. God is getting it all prepared. At the right time God will say, «Okay, I am done—here is what I have been working on.» You will meet the person of your dreams and you will say like I did, «God, this was worth waiting for. You outdid Yourself.»
Do not get discouraged—you may not see anything happening, but God is working, getting your garden prepared. When it is finished, He is going to bring you into it.
You know what this building is—the former Compaq Center? A prepared blessing. We could not make this happen on our own. God had been working on it for over 30 years. When we needed it, God said, «All right, Lakewood—I am going to bring you into what I have already finished for you.» We came into this beautiful garden: the premiere facility in the fourth largest city in America, on the main freeway, 9,000 covered parking spaces. We showed up and said, «Wow, God—You have done more than we can ask or think.»
What God has in store for you will boggle your mind. Right now God is getting your garden prepared, putting in the right provision, lining up the right people. When it is fully in bloom, when God gets it exactly like He wants it, He is going to bring you into it. Suddenly you will be promoted. Suddenly you get the contract. Suddenly your health improves. Suddenly the problem turns around. When you come into your garden, it is going to be bigger, better, more rewarding than before.
A Land of No Shortage
This is what God said in Deuteronomy chapter 8: «I am bringing you into a good land, a land where you will eat bread without scarceness, a land with no shortage, where you will not lack any good thing.»
God has prepared for you a place where there is no shortage: no shortage of resources, no shortage of opportunities, no shortage of creativity, of friendships, of joy and peace. In your garden you will not lack any good thing.
When you are tempted to get down or look at what you do not have, no—turn it around: «Lord, I want to thank You that You are bringing me into my garden, a land of no shortage, a land where my gifts and talents will come out to the full, a good land where I will fulfill my destiny, a good land where I will live healthy, happy, and whole.»
From Minimum Wage to Business Owner
A friend of mine comes from a large family. They immigrated here from another country. They were very poor people and had not made much out of their lives. They had a defeated mindset. He started coming out to Lakewood and hearing about how we are victors and not victims.
One day a friend told him about a job opportunity at the medical center. He went and interviewed and got the position. He was working the graveyard shift overnight, making minimum wage, barely getting by. Every once in a while they would have procedures there at the hospital using equipment that he cleaned. He would watch very closely and study how the technicians did it.
At one point one of the technicians took another job. His supervisor had seen how dedicated and committed he was. Even though he did not have the formal training, they promoted him and gave him that position. He kept being faithful year after year. A couple of years later the main technician left—they put him in charge of the whole department.
A few years after that he started thinking, «If I could purchase this piece of equipment, I could travel from hospital to hospital.» One afternoon playing basketball with some friends, he met this man that was a banker. He shared his story—how he wanted to start his own business.
Out of nowhere the banker said, «Hey, I really like you. Come by my bank tomorrow and we will loan you the money.» Things kept falling into place. Today my friend has an extremely successful large company. What was that? He came into a prepared blessing. God had been getting his garden ready, working at it, lining up the right people, putting him at the right place, causing him to get good breaks.
After years of being faithful, God said, «All right—your garden is done. I am going to bring you into what I have already prepared, into a good land—not where you are cleaning the equipment, but where you own the equipment; not where you are working for the company, but where you run the company.» That is God’s dream for your life: to bring you into a garden of abundance, a garden filled with favor, with opportunity, with good health.
You may not be there yet, but do not worry—your garden is on the way.
Blessings Stored Up
David said in Psalm 31, «God has blessings stored up for those that love the Lord.» There are businesses stored up for you that God is about to release. There is promotion stored up that has your name on it, good health stored up, a new house stored up. Because you love the Lord, God is going to bring you into what He has already prepared.
Like my friend, you have honored God, you have been faithful. Now you are not going to have to go find the blessings—the blessings are going to find you. Something is looking for you right now: not defeat, not lack, not bad breaks. Favor is looking for you. Contracts are looking for you. Good health is looking for you. You are going to come into your garden, a prepared blessing, something like you have never seen.
A pastor I know was about to build a new sanctuary. They were starting to draw the plans and raise the funds. One day out of the blue the mayor of his city called and told how there was a group that built a large building for a casino, but before they could move in it went bankrupt. It had 40 acres of parking—the building you could put four football fields inside. It was just a few miles from his church.
The mayor asked if he would be interested in purchasing the facility. The pastor thought it would cost $40 or $50 million—it was brand new, state of the art. The mayor said, «No—you can purchase it for under $2 million.» A man that owned a production company heard that the pastor was interested. He called and said, «I have got a big video screen 150 feet wide, used for sports and concerts. I paid $3 million new, but I will sell it to you for $50,000.»
Things kept falling into place. Instead of having to build a new sanctuary, God dropped a much bigger, better property into their hands. That was a blessing stored up—God had already prepared it. At the right time God released it.
If you could see what God has stored up for you—the people you are going to meet, the places you are going to go, the good breaks that are going to find you—you would be amazed. It is going to be the surpassing greatness of God’s favor.
No Excuses—God Overrides Limitations
Too often we make excuses and come up with reasons why this is not going to happen for us: «Well, Joel, it sounds good today but I do not have the training, the talent, the connections.» Or «I come from the wrong family. I am the wrong nationality. I am too short. I will never come into my garden.»
No—God is not limited by your circumstances, by your family, by who is against you. When God breathed His life into you, He put a blessing on you that overrides anything that comes against you. The blessings God has stored up for you cannot be stopped by people, by bad breaks, by injustice. God has the final say. The garden He has prepared for you—He has every intention of bringing you into it.
David’s Anointing
We see David in the Scripture as a powerful king, a great leader, one of the heroes of faith. But David was not raised in a wealthy family, influential family. He was not trained to take the throne—just the opposite. He came from a very poor family. He was the eighth son of a man named Jesse. His brothers were involved in the military. They had somewhat significant positions. David’s job was to take care of his father’s sheep. He was looked down on, seen as secondary. His family thought, «Oh, that is just David. Let us stick him out in the shepherds' fields. He is never going to amount to much.»
In the natural it did not look like David had much of a future: came from a low-income family, no education. His own father overlooked him. But just because people write you off does not mean God writes you off. Circumstances may look like you are stuck—too bad, you will never rise higher—but that does not change what God has prepared for you.
The blessing God put on you will override any curse. The blessing will make up for what you did not get, for who was against you, for any disadvantage. What God has prepared is not affected by people or circumstances. His blessing will cause you to step into the fullness of your destiny.
One day the prophet Samuel came to Jesse’s house to anoint one of his sons as the next king of Israel. Seven of these sons were lined up in the house. Samuel had his bottle of oil. He went down the row one by one. Got to the first son—Samuel turned the oil over, but the oil would not flow. He knew that was not the right one.
He went to the next son, turned the bottle over, but again the oil would not come out. He went down the row again and again and again—seven sons. Samuel was kind of confused. He thought, «I know God said it is one of Jesse’s sons, but the oil just will not come out.»
He said, «Jesse, I do not know—maybe I missed it, but I know it is not any of these sons.» Jesse said, «Well, Samuel, I do have one other son. His name is David. He is out in the shepherds' fields, but I know it is not him—he is the youngest, he is small. He is never going to amount to much.»
When David stood before him, Samuel turned the bottle over and the oil began to flow and flow and flow. He knew right then David was the next king.
Here is my point: you do not have to worry about somebody else getting your blessing. The oil that has been prepared for you will not flow to anyone else. When Samuel tried to anoint those other sons, the oil defied gravity. I can see Samuel turning the bottle over, even hitting the end trying to make it come out. It would not flow until it recognized the person that was supposed to be blessed.
When it is your time to be blessed, do not worry—nobody can take your blessing.
Your Blessing Cannot Be Taken
«Well, Joel—my coworker got the promotion I deserved. I worked harder, but my supervisor overlooked me.» No—if you did not get it, it was not supposed to be yours. Your oil will not flow for anyone else. The blessing that belongs to you will be your blessing—nobody can take it.
Three years before this facility became available, the Houston Rockets basketball team tried to move out. There was a vote for the whole city to approve building a new basketball arena. It seemed like a sure thing. The Rockets had won championships—there was a new site for a downtown location. Most people thought it would pass. But when the citizens voted, much to everyone’s surprise, they voted no.
Looking back now, I believe it is because God knew this building was supposed to be for Lakewood and we were not ready at that time. If that vote would have passed, the Rockets would have moved out, they would have sold it to someone else, and we would not be here today. We needed a few more years—so God made sure the oil would not flow until we were ready.
What is destined to be yours, nobody else can have. That house that has your name on it that you are supposed to have—the oil is not going to flow to someone else. That promotion, that contract, that husband—they have your name on them exclusively.
That is why you do not have to worry, you do not have to get all upset—God has got you covered. Nobody is going to get what belongs to you.
When you see somebody being blessed—they get a big contract, they have a baby, they move into a new house—do not get jealous: «Oh man, I wish that happened for me. I go to church more than they do.» No—that does not have your name on it. If it was supposed to be yours, the oil would not have flowed.
You can be happy for them knowing that what God has for you will be better because it is prepared specifically for you. If God were to give you what should not have been yours, it would not be a blessing—it would be a burden. You are not anointed for it.
Do Not Covet Others’ Blessings
Our prayer should be, «God, give me the blessings You have prepared—not for my neighbor, not for my cousin, not for my coworker—but God, bring me what You have for me.»
In the Scripture the prophet Elijah was living in a certain city. God said to him, «Leave this place and go down to the brook Cherith, for I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.» When he got to the brook, every morning just like clockwork the ravens brought him food. He had his provision—a prepared blessing.
Here is the key: Elijah did not have to try to find the ravens. He just had to get to where God wanted him to be and the ravens found him. In the same way, there is a place where God has commanded you to be blessed. The ravens are already there—your provision, favor, abundance. The real question today is: will you do what is required to get to your place of blessing?
Get to Your Place of Blessing
Elijah could have said, «God, I do not want to leave. I am comfortable—I like it here. My friends are here.» But if he would have stayed, he would have missed where he was commanded to be blessed. Sure he could have survived, he could have endured—but if you want to see God’s best, you have got to be willing to do what God is asking you to do.
Maybe down deep you know you are supposed to get away from some friends that are dragging you down, a bad influence causing you to compromise. As long as you stay there, you are going to miss your prepared blessing.
«Well, Joel—if I make these changes, I will not have any friends. I will be lonely.» You may be lonely for a season, but God will always bring you new friends. It may be difficult for a period of time, but before long you will come into that commanded blessing where the ravens are: greater opportunities, greater fulfillment.
It may not be leaving a friend or moving physically—it may just be in your mind. You need to leave the negative thoughts: leave the worry, leave the fear, leave the doubt, leave the anger, the resentment. God has a place of abundance, but you have got to be willing to leave what He is asking you to leave.
Or perhaps for you, you need to leave your comfort zone and take a step of faith. You cannot play it safe your whole life and expect to reach your highest potential. Is there something God is asking you to leave?
Step Out of Comfort
When my father went to be with the Lord back in 1999, I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church, but I was comfortable behind the scenes. I did not want to get out in front of people. I did not think I knew how to minister. It was much easier to just stay where I was.
The truth is that was my place of blessing for 17 years, but I have learned God likes to do new things. At one point the ravens quit coming to the brook and God told Elijah, «Leave the brook and go to the city of Zarephath. I have a widow that is going to take care of you.» His place of blessing changed.
He could have thought, «I know God sent me to this brook. These ravens have fed me for years—I am not leaving.» He would have missed the new thing God wanted to do.
Your place of blessing can change. For those 17 years behind the scenes I was happy, fulfilled, seeing God’s favor. But when Daddy died, I could hear God whispering in my spirit saying, «Joel, I am moving you from behind the scenes to out in front of the people.» It was uncomfortable—I did not like it. But I stepped into a prepared blessing: abundance, favor, influence.
Do not hold onto the old when you know God is leading you somewhere new. Be willing to take a step of faith, get out of that comfort zone. Do not stay stuck in a position where you have not grown in years and years. God has some greater things in front of you—prepared blessings—but you have got to be willing to step into it.
Ruth’s Faithfulness
This is what a lady did in the Scripture. After her husband and his brother were killed, her mother-in-law Naomi decided to move back to her original hometown. She did not have any connections now that both of her sons had died. She told Ruth and the other daughter-in-law, «Do not worry about me. Do your own thing—but I am going to go back.»
The other daughter-in-law left, but Ruth knew deep down she was supposed to go with Naomi and help take care of her. Naomi was an older woman, so Ruth moved to Naomi’s hometown—they lived together.
Every morning Ruth would go out into the fields and pick up the leftover wheat that the workers had missed. One day the owner of the field saw Ruth. He did not know who she was, but he told his workers to leave wheat on the ground on purpose for Ruth. Now when she went out, the wheat was already there waiting for her. Later that owner ended up marrying Ruth. Now Ruth did not have to work in the field anymore—she owned the field.
Here is what I am saying: when you do what God asks you to do, you move when He asks you to move, you are willing to get out of your comfort zone—when you get to your place of blessing, God will speak to people to be good to you that have never even met you. He will command His ravens to feed you. In other words, good breaks will find you: provision, divine connections, supply.
When you are in that place where you are commanded to be blessed, you will not be able to outrun the good things of God.
Friends, there is a garden God has prepared specifically for you. Just like with Adam, He has put resources in it: provision, opportunity, the right friends. You need to get ready—God is about to bring you into what He has already finished for you. It has your name on it. It is going to be bigger, better, more rewarding than you ever imagined.
Stay in faith, keep doing what God is asking you to do. Be willing to leave when He asks you to leave. If you will do this, I believe and declare you are coming into your garden: favor that you did not deserve, good breaks that you did not earn, provision, abundance, healing, restoration, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus' name.