Joel Osteen - Sleep On
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Drawing from Jesus' experience in Gethsemane where He told His sleeping disciples «Sleep on» after they failed to support Him, Joel Osteen encourages us not to live frustrated by uncontrollable people or circumstances but to release them to God, accept what He allows, and say «Sleep on» to disappointments, knowing that true victory comes in staying at peace while trusting God’s greater plan.
Releasing Frustration to God
I want to talk to you today about sleep on. It is easy to live frustrated because somebody is not doing what we want, or discouraged because of a disappointment, upset because a dream has not come to pass. But I have learned God does not remove every frustration. He does not change every person we do not like and take away everything that is bothering us.
The scripture says, «Be still and know that He is God.» This implies if we are not still, if we are upset, worried, frustrated, we are not going to know that He is God. Most of the times I am frustrated, I am trying to change things that only God can change. I am trying to be God and fix things that I cannot control.
You cannot make people do what is right. You cannot make yourself do well. If you are trying to control everything, you are going to be frustrated. You have to turn it over to God, do what you can, then let Him take care of the rest. Life is too short to live frustrated because we are not getting our way, frustrated because something unfair has happened.
God would not have allowed it if it was going to keep you from your purpose. It is a test. Are you going to let it steal your joy, live stressed out, or are you going to be still and know that He is God? If God is not changing it, you have to be mature enough to say, «God, I do not like it, but I know You have allowed it and until You change it, I am going to stay in peace and enjoy my life.»
The real victory is not when God does everything you want, removes all your frustrations—the real victory is when those things happen but it does not bother you anymore. You are at peace. You know God is still in control.
Jesus in Gethsemane
Matthew 26, Jesus was about to be betrayed and go to the cross. He went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He was so troubled and so overwhelmed, He asked His disciples to stay there and pray for Him. He went away by Himself, fell on the ground, said, «Father, if it is possible, take this cup from me.»
A little while later He went back to check on His disciples, hoping to gain some strength, some encouragement from them but when He showed up, He found that they were all sound asleep. He could not believe it. He woke them up and said, «Guys, could you not stay up and pray for me? This is the biggest challenge I have ever faced.»
He was kind of frustrated. He asked them again, even more emphatically, «Please, stay awake. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak—pray.» Jesus went away again by Himself to pray. He thought for sure this time they got the message. He came back a little later—same thing, still sleeping.
You can imagine how disappointed He was. He turned around, went back to pray some more. Then He thought, «I will go check on them one last time. This third time, I know they will be praying. After all I have done for them, I know they will be standing in faith with me.» He went back the third time but they were still sleeping.
This time He did not try to wake them up. He did not try to get them to be for Him. He looked at them and said, «Sleep on.» He came to the point where He did not let it bother Him anymore. He could have kept waking them up, trying to make it happen, being frustrated. Instead, He accepted He was not going to have their support.
He accepted it was not going to work out His way. He did not fight it. He did not let it frustrate Him anymore. He said, «Sleep on,» and moved forward. There are times in life when things do not work out the way we want. The people we were counting on were not there for us. The medical report was not good. The dream is not happening on our timetable.
We could be frustrated. We did the right thing. We stayed in faith but it is not working out. You have to do what Jesus did—tell the disappointment, tell the delay, tell the frustration, «Sleep on. You are not going to bother me anymore. I know God is still on the throne. I know He is fighting my battles and He will get me to where I am supposed to be.»
Letting Go of the Wrong People
Are there some things you need to tell sleep on? That person you have been trying to change—no matter how hard you try, they will not do what you want. It is time to say, sleep on. You cannot control people. You cannot make them do what is right. Pray for them, be respectful, but do not go the next 30 years letting them frustrate you.
Two simple words can change your life: sleep on. Jesus wanted His disciples' support. He deserved it. He had been good to them but sometimes God will pull back people’s support. He knows if they are there all the time, then you would become dependent on them. You would think they were your source, they were your Savior.
You do not need everyone you think you need. God has already lined up the right people to come into your life to help you reach your destiny. The right people, you do not have to play up to. You do not have to try to manipulate, convince them to be for you, convince them to stay awake.
They will be for you through thick and thin. They will show up when you did not ask. They will encourage you when nobody else is around. But sometimes we are being frustrated by people that are never going to be for us. We are spending all this energy trying to win them over.
No matter how good we are to them, every time we need them, they are asleep, they are busy, they are not interested. I have heard it said, quit swimming across an ocean to be good to someone that will not walk across a puddle to be good to you. And I am all for overcoming evil with good, blessing our enemies, but the scripture says, «Do not cast your pearls among swine.»
Your pearl is your gift—your personality, your anointing. It is who God made you to be. And some people will not value your pearl. They will not respect your gift. They will not recognize what you have to offer, the calling, the favor on your life. And your time is too valuable to waste it with people that discount your pearl.
Do not hang around people that try to lessen you where you feel like you have to prove to them who you are, prove to them why they should be your friend. You do not need their approval. You have Almighty God’s approval. He breathes His life into you. He crowns you with favor. You have royal blood flowing through your veins.
Hang around people that celebrate your pearl, people that polish your pearl, people that respect your pearl. Too often we are trying to drag someone along, convince them to like us, convince them to stay awake. Do yourself a favor—tell them, «Sleep on.» If you will let go of the wrong people, God will bring the right people.
He will send you divine connections—people that will love you for who you are and not for what you can do for them, people that will inspire you to go further, people that will bring out the best in you, people that will cause your pearl to shine.
Weaning Off Old Support
But Jesus was wise enough to recognize the disciples could not stop the plan of God for His life. Their lack of support could not keep Him from doing what His Father called Him to do. They were good people, they loved Him but sometimes good people will not be there for you. It is a test.
Are you going to get frustrated, keep trying to wake them up, or are you going to recognize it is a new season and say, «Sleep on»? Here is the key—if they did not wake up, you do not need them for this season. If they are not giving you what they used to give you, that means God is taking you to a higher level. He is weaning you off the support, the encouragement.
It is like a little baby—they love to have their bottle, makes them comfortable, makes them feel secure and that is fine as long as they are a year or two old but if they are 47 walking around with that bottle, that is a problem. But as parents, when we take the bottle away from our children, they do not like it. They are uncomfortable. But we do it so it will not limit their growth.
Sometimes God will make you uncomfortable. He will take something away that you were used to—a friend that always called and encouraged you, a co-worker that always helped you with the report, a neighbor you could always count on to go somewhere together. It is because God is weaning you off that bottle, so to speak.
As long as you are dependent on people, it will limit how high you can go. When God removes the support, when He takes away someone that you were used to, do not get mad at them. Do not keep trying to wake them up—God put them to sleep. You cannot open a door that God has closed.
And that friend that is not there anymore, the disappointment—you may not like it, it may be painful but it is ordained by God. You have to recognize that is a sign you are coming up higher. That discomfort means you are going to a new level, and everyone that is with you now may not be able to go where you are going.
Some people are like scaffolding—they come into your life for a season to help you reach a certain level but at some point, God is going to remove the scaffolding so you can shine. It is not that they are not good people, but their part in your story is over. God is taking you to a higher level.
Quit being frustrated by somebody that is not supporting you like they used to. «Why do they not call me anymore, Joel? Why do they not compliment me?» The right attitude is, «I love you, I respect you, but I do not have to have your support, your compliments, your encouragement—sleep on.»
Grace for Every Gethsemane
But in life, we all go through Gethsemane. We all have disappointments and things we do not understand, but I have learned God gives us grace for every Gethsemane, grace for every unfair situation. It is very freeing when you can look at the people that have left, you can look at the disappointment and say, «Sleep on.»
Amazing things are up ahead if you do not give up in Gethsemane. Yes, there will be crosses to bear, betrayals, setbacks, but can I encourage you? If you keep moving forward, there will be resurrections, there will be new beginnings, times where God pays you back for what was unfair, times where God catapults you years ahead.
Do not get stuck in Gethsemane. Do not let the sickness cause you to become bitter. You do not understand it. It is not fair. You could say, «God, why? This does not make sense,» or you can look at the frustration, the discouragement, the fear, and say, «Sleep on. I am not going to drag through this day defeated. I may be in Gethsemane but I know a resurrection is coming.»
Gethsemane does not have to stop you. God would not have allowed it if it was not going to somehow move you toward your purpose.
Feeding Your Destiny
The next time that co-worker is rude to you, instead of being upset, just smile and say, «Sleep on.» When that car cuts you off in traffic, instead of saying what you normally say, try a new approach—"Sleep on.» You are not approving their behavior. You are not enabling them—you are simply saying, «Your actions are not going to control my life. This traffic is not going to ruin my morning. This setback is not going to sour the rest of my future.»
Maybe you need to tell your past, «Sleep on.» You had a tough childhood. You went through a rough divorce. You lost a loved one. Tell the hurts, tell the questions, tell the failures, «Sleep on.» I have learned you are either feeding your history or you are feeding your destiny, but you cannot feed both.
You are either looking back, living in regrets, thinking of everything that went wrong or you are looking ahead saying, «God, I know what was meant for harm, You are turning to my advantage. I know You have beauty for these ashes. I know weeping endures for a night but joy is coming in the morning.»
If you are always feeding your history, you are going to be frustrated, guilty, angry, in self-pity. Do yourself a favor—tell your history, «Sleep on.» You cannot go forward if you are always looking backwards. You cannot see the new things on the horizon if you are focused on what is behind.
Start feeding your destiny. «Father, thank You that Your plans for me are for good. Thank You that the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter. Thank You that You hold victory in store for the upright.» If you will get your mind going in the right direction, your life will go in the right direction.
I talked to a gentleman last week—he had gone through a lot of disappointments. His marriage of many years had ended and a very successful career went downhill. Everything fell apart. He was so discouraged, he was going to end his life.
He got in his car and was driving to a remote place. He turned the radio on and just so happened to tune into our Sirius XM station. I was talking about not looking back, not reliving the hurts and failures, and how God has good things up ahead. He said when he heard that, it was like somebody breathed new life into his spirit.
Strongholds in his mind were broken. He turned around, went back home and today he is back on track living a life of victory. What happened? He quit feeding his history and he started feeding his destiny. If you feed your history long enough, it will pull you into depression.
And the enemy would love to keep you so focused on your hurts and what did not work out that you are too discouraged to move forward. Do not fall into that trap. You would not be alive unless God had something amazing in front of you. You may be in Gethsemane, a place of discouragement, frustration, but if you will say, «Sleep on» and start thinking some new thoughts, then you are headed for a resurrection. You are headed for a new beginning, a place of restoration.
God’s Protection in Frustrations
A few years ago, I was flying to an event with some of our staff and we were on a smaller plane that held a couple dozen people. After it took off, I wanted to open up my tray table so I could write some notes. The table was in the side of the plane right underneath the window, and I pulled and pulled but I could not get it open.
My friend was sitting across the aisle—his looked exactly the same and he pulled his straight out, no problem. I went back to mine and I pulled, I yanked, I struggled. I thought I am going to get this table open if it is the last thing I do. It was stuck.
My friend came over—he started pulling and pulling. Another staff member—they pulled and pulled, it would not budge. I sat across the aisle kind of frustrated. About that time, I looked up and over the window where we had been pulling, there was a sign with big, bold letters—it read, «Not a tray table, emergency exit only.»
Sometimes what we are frustrated about is God keeping us from real frustration. In my case, God keeping me alive. If God answered all of our prayers, opened every door we asked Him to open, brought every person we begged Him to bring, we would not reach our destiny.
The longer I live, the easier it is for me to say, «Sleep on.» I may not understand it. It may not make sense, but I have learned God is smarter than I am. He can see things I cannot see. He knows what He is doing. I wonder if what is frustrating you has an «Emergency exit only» sign on it and you cannot see it.
You do not understand why God will not answer the prayer, why the dream is taking so long, and why that guy at work you like so much has not even noticed you. You have worn your best clothes, your best perfume, given him your best moves. He acts like he is dead. Maybe it is because God can see something you cannot see. Maybe under his shirt is an «Emergency exit only» sign that is hidden from you.
God has your best interest at heart. If He is not giving you what you want, that means He has something better. He loves you too much to let you miss your destiny.
Closed Doors Leading to Greater Things
A couple of years after I took over for my father, the church started to grow and we needed a larger auditorium. We found a hundred-acre tract of land right by the other location a few miles away on the freeway. It seemed perfect.
The owner told us the property had been on the market for 20 years. We knew God had saved that property for us. He said we did not need to sign the contract right then. We could do some preliminary drawings and do some soil samples while the paperwork was getting taken care of.
Several months later, we went to close on the property. We had an 8 o’clock in the morning appointment. He showed up at 7:45—the secretary walked out, said, «I am sorry, the owner sold the property last night.» I could not believe it. He did not keep his word.
I went home so disappointed. I told Victoria what happened and how there was no more property and how now we were stuck. She looked at me and said, «Joel, this means God has something better. He closed this door for a reason.» She started preaching to me one of my own sermons.
I did not want to hear that. She was saying sleep on. I was saying no, no, wake up—this is bad. I had to do what I am asking you to do. I said, «God, I do not understand it. It does not seem fair but God, I trust You. I believe You know what is best.»
Several months later, we found another piece of property—it seemed better than the first one. We went to close on it—the same thing happened. They sold it out from under us. If you do not pass the test the first time, you get to take it again.
This time I said, «God, I am glad they sold the property. I did not want it in the first place.» God knew I was lying, but it felt good. But 6 months later, a friend called—said, «Joel, the Houston Rockets basketball team is moving out of the Compaq Center. That would be a perfect place for Lakewood.»
When he said that, something came alive on the inside. I knew that is why God had closed those doors. He had something bigger, better. I never dreamed we could have the Compaq Center. Things fell into place—here we are today.
What am I saying? The things you are tempted to be frustrated about today, if you will stay in faith, one day you will look back and say like me, «Wow God, You outdid Yourself. I never dreamed I would meet somebody this great. I never dreamed I would feel this healthy. I never dreamed You would take me this far.»
God’s plan for your life is so much bigger than your own. The real question is, what will you do in Gethsemane—your way—when your friends are not there for you, when the contract does not go through, when the medical report is not good?
Too many people do not see their resurrection because they get bitter in Gethsemane. «God, why did they fall asleep? Why did they sell it out from under us?» Gethsemane is the real test. We like when everything is going great but that is not when we grow the most. Gethsemane is where you can be promoted.
God is seeing what you are made of. He is seeing if you are ready. If you will stay in peace, if you will be still and know that He is God, then He will take you into your resurrection. The way you know you are ready to be promoted is not that God has removed all your difficulties but you do not let them frustrate you anymore.
You have learned this principle: two simple words, «Sleep on.» Maybe these two words could help you get your joy back. Two words could help you sleep through the night. Two words could bring you peace: «Sleep on.»
God’s Hand Behind the Scenes
I read about a lady that was complaining about everything that went wrong that day and she said, «God, why did You let so many bad things happen? My alarm did not go off, and I was late to work. At lunch they made the wrong sandwich and I had to send it back. Driving home, my cell phone dropped the call in the middle of the conversation. To top it off when I got home, I wanted to put my feet in the foot massager but it would not turn on.»
God said, «All right, let me go down the list. Your alarm did not go off because there was a drunk driver on the road. I delayed you on purpose so you would not be harmed. You had to send your sandwich back because the first person that made it was not feeling well. I did not want you to catch what they had so I had somebody else make you a new one.
The cell phone dropped the call because that person was about to fill you with gossip and I did not want you to be contaminated. And the foot massager—it had a short in it. If you would have turned it on, it would have knocked out the power and I did not think you wanted to sit around in the dark all night.»
Could it be what is frustrating you is really the hand of God? Could it be He is behind the scenes doing things you cannot see but it is for your good—protecting you, guiding you, positioning you? Nothing happens without God’s permission. We are not always going to understand it. This is when we have to trust Him.
You may be in Gethsemane today. You have a good reason to be upset, frustrated. I am asking you to do what Jesus did—tell the frustration, tell the past, tell the disappointment, «Sleep on.» It may not be fair but God sees what is happening. He has you in the palm of His hand. He is breathing in your direction right now.
Do not give up in Gethsemane—you are close to your breakthrough. You are close to a new level and if you will pass this test, I believe and declare you are going to come out of Gethsemane into your resurrection. You are going to see promotion, healing, restoration, vindication. God is going to turn the frustration into favor. You are going to rise higher, accomplish dreams, and become everything He has created you to be in Jesus' name.