Joel Osteen - Use It Or Lose It
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Joel Osteen warns that God has placed unique gifts and talents in each person as a time-release investment, expecting a return—use them faithfully to grow and receive more, as illustrated in the Parable of the Talents where the unfaithful servant loses even what he has. Drawing from stories like Esau losing his birthright through indifference, David honing his slingshot skill, and Moses overcoming fear, he urges believers to stir up dormant gifts, avoid excuses and comparison, and passionately develop what God has given before it’s too late.
I want to talk to you today about «Use It or Lose It.» God has placed gifts and talents on the inside of each one of us. There is potential in you that you have not yet tapped into. It was not designed so you become everything you were created to be overnight. These gifts were put in you on a time release. They are destined to open up at certain points throughout your life.
You will come into seasons of new growth, seasons of new opportunity, seasons where you discover talent and ability that you did not know you had. We were not created to reach one level and get stuck. You may have finished your education, but you have not finished learning. You may have that position you have always dreamed of. You are satisfied, but that is not your final step.
God is not satisfied. He has put more in you. He has new talents, new abilities, even new levels. But too often, we have gifts lying dormant because we are not taking time to develop them. We are not being disciplined to study, to grow, to become better. We have talent that is being underutilized because we are comfortable. We do not want to have to stretch and do something out of our routine.
Overcoming Fear and Excuses
We think, «Oh, man, I am doing good enough.» But good enough is not enough. Sometimes we are stuck because we are intimidated. We let thoughts of fear and doubt talk us out of it—things like, «You cannot take that management position,» «You cannot write that book,» «You cannot lead that class,» «You are not qualified,» «You come from the wrong family.»
All the what-if thoughts come: «What if you try and fail?» «What if it does not work out?» «What if you get up there and you are embarrassed?» Well, what if you get up there and you succeed? What if you go to a new level? What if you set a new standard for your family? Do not let fear keep you from your destiny.
That is a time-release gift trying to come out. Do not miss your season. You look up, and another year is gone. Life is flying by. You do not have time to waste being unfocused, intimidated, letting opportunities pass you by.
You have to draw that line in the sand and say, «That is it. I am going to get focused. I am going to be intentional. I am not going to play it safe my whole life. I am going to start stretching, taking steps of faith to release these gifts.» Paul said in Romans, «God has given each person the ability to do certain things well.»
You have a gift. There is something you are good at. Find out what it is, and do it well. Maybe you can sing, and you have never had a lesson. You can figure out how things work technically. You can stand up in front of people, lead that class. You do not even think twice about it. It is just who you are. Those are gifts that God has invested in you.
God’s Expectation of Return
Here is the key: God is expecting a return on His investment. Do you have gifts that are being underutilized? You are not taking time to develop them. You are too busy to put forth the extra effort to stretch, to learn, to become better. Or perhaps you can feel that stirring on the inside. You can feel that desire in your spirit. You know you should, but you keep talking yourself out of it, letting it intimidate you.
Jesus said in Matthew 25, «Those who use well what they have been given, even more will be given to them… But to those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.» If you do not use well what you have been given, if you are not taking time to develop your talents, to maximize your potential, then it can be taken away.
But when you use well—you are responsible, you are focused, you are passionate, you study, you grow, you get better—because you are using well, even more will come. This Scripture came from the parable that Jesus told about the talents.
There was a man that went on a long journey. He left three of his employees different amounts of talents to take care of while he was gone. A talent back in those days was about $1,000. To one man he left five talents; to another, two talents; and to the third man, he left one talent.
The man with the five immediately went out and invested those talents. Over time, he gained five more. The man with the two invested those and gained two more. But this third man was afraid. He went out and dug a hole in the ground and buried his talent.
The Parable of the Talents
Months later, when the owner returned, the man with the five talents came and said, «Sir, here are your five talents that you gave me plus five more that I gained.» The owner said, «Well done. You have been faithful over a little. Now I am going to put you over much.»
The second man said, «Sir, here are the two talents you gave me, plus two more that I gained.» The owner said the same thing, «Well done. You have been faithful with what I have given you. Now I am going to give you more.»
This third man came up and said, «Sir, I was afraid. I did not want to lose what you gave me. I did not want to take any risks. Here is the one talent that you gave me.» This owner, who represents God, could have said, «I understand. You played it safe. At least you did not lose what I gave you.»
Instead, the owner was furious. He was so angry, he said, «You lazy man. You should have at least put my money in the bank so I could have earned some interest. Now take from him who has one and give it to the man who has ten.»
You would think, since God is so loving, so merciful, He would have said, «Look at this poor guy. He only has one talent. He is afraid, insecure. Go get a few talents from that man that had ten, and give it to him.» It was just the opposite. God was showing us this principle: if you do not use it, you will lose it.
If you are always making excuses, waiting for the perfect time to take a step of faith—"Joel, one day I will get out of my comfort zone,» «One day I will step up and teach that class,» «One day I will hone my skills"—your one day may never come.
Friends, today is your day. Do not put it off another year. Do not live life in neutral, not passionate, not intentional, not focused. Stir up what God has given you. Dare to take those steps of faith.
Stirring Up Your Gifts
God is expecting a return for what He has invested in you. I do not know about you, but I do not want anyone getting what should have been mine. I am not greedy. I love to give, but I do not want God to have to say, «Joel, you are not using that talent, that gift. You are not staying passionate. You are not taking steps to move forward, so I am going to take what should have been yours and give it to someone that is being a good steward over what I have given them.»
No, make this decision with me: I am going to stretch, I am going to grow, I am going to pray bold prayers, I am going to dream big dreams. I am not going to live intimidated, letting thoughts of defeat talk me out of it: «Well, you cannot do it. You do not have what it takes. This is as good as it gets.» No, let that go in one ear and out the other.
Keep using what you have, and God will give you more. I want to light a new fire under us today because we are not always going to be here. The Psalmist said our life is like a mist. We are here one moment, and then we are gone.
When you are tempted to be indifferent, to not pursue what you know is in you, you have to remind yourself this principle: «If I do not use it, I am going to lose it. If I am not giving God a return on His investment, if I am not being a good steward, then He is going to take what should have been mine and give it to someone else.»
This is not so that you will live pressured, but so that you will live passionate, so that you will stir up gifts that are being underutilized, so that you will take steps of faith to become all you were created to be.
Faithful with What You Have
Here is the key: it is not important how many talents you have. What is important is, are you using what you have? I may have four, she has nine, he has three. God has given to every person different talents, different amounts.
He is not going to judge us based on how many talents we have. «Did you have as many as your neighbor? Were you as smart as your coworker? Were you as talented as your cousin?» None of that matters to God.
He did not say to the man that brought Him two extra talents, «Boy, I am disappointed in you. Why did you not bring me five like the first man?» No, He told him, «Well done,» just like the first man.
What is the point? Do not compare your talents with somebody else. You may have received three, and they received six. That is not up for you to decide. You do not have to keep up with them. Just run your race. Be the best you can be with what God has given you.
If you will be faithful with the three, God will increase you. But when we compare our talents to somebody else, we will end up competing with them, trying to outperform them, out-dress them, out-drive them, out-build them, competing in a race we were never designed to be in.
When we compare, we end up discouraged because there is always somebody more beautiful, more talented, more successful. Take the talent that you have, and hone that skill, develop it, grow, learn, study, and God will give you more.
Joel’s Early Ministry Journey
When I first started ministering back in 1999, I did not really know what I was doing. I had only ministered one time before. Then that same week, my dad died, and two weeks later, I found myself up again in front of 6,000 people.
The first few months, I could not even watch myself on video. I was so embarrassed. I talked so high and so fast, and you could tell I was very nervous as a minister’s son. I have seen some of the most experienced, articulate, incredible ministers of our day. I have seen them firsthand.
If I would have made the mistake of comparing my talent to theirs, trying to compete and outperform them, I would have given up and quit right there at the very beginning. Instead, I simply took what God had given me.
I took that one talent, and I kept honing it, kept working on it, kept studying. When I would see these other ministers that are incredibly experienced, incredibly talented, instead of being intimidated by them, I would be inspired by them.
Little by little, God gave me more insight, more ability, more influence, more favor. I could have looked at what I did not have. Instead, I focused on what I did have.
I have learned you do not have to have a great gift for God to use you greatly. If you will be faithful with what God has given you, He will entrust you with more.
Are you using well what you have, or are you comparing what you have, being discouraged, competing with someone that is not even in your race? Are you hiding your gifts, burying your talents, too busy to invest in what God has given you?
Friends, developing your gifts is not an option. If you do not use it, you will lose it.
Esau and the Lost Birthright
We see this principle in the book of Genesis. Isaac said to his son Esau, «Your brother has carried away your blessing.» That does not seem fair. Surely God would not let someone take his blessing. But there is a reason: his twin brother, Jacob, was born right after him.
In fact, the Scripture says during childbirth, Jacob was grabbing at Esau’s heels, trying to get ahead from the very beginning. Jacob made a lot of mistakes. He did not have integrity. He cheated people. But despite all these weaknesses, he had a boldness to become who he was created to be.
One time, he even wrestled with an angel. He told the angel, «I am not letting you leave until you bless me.» The angel blessed him. He went about it the wrong way, especially at first, but he was passionate about fulfilling his destiny.
On the other hand, his brother Esau knew he had the blessing that came from being the firstborn son. He knew he would get double the inheritance from their father. Back in those days, that birthright was extremely valuable.
But one day, Esau had been out hunting, trying to find something to eat, and he could not kill anything. He felt like he was going to starve. He smelled some stew that Jacob had made. He went over and asked his brother if he could have some.
Well, Jacob, being the schemer that he was, said, «Hey, Esau, I will make a deal with you. I will trade you my pot of stew for your birthright.» It was a ridiculous offer. Today, it would be like saying, «I will give you my house and my car for one meal.»
He should not have even entertained it, but Esau was so indifferent about what he had, so nonchalant. He thought, «Hey, what good is this birthright going to do me anyway if I starve to death?» He traded something extremely valuable for a pot of stew.
Now, God could have stopped it. God controls the universe. He did not have to let his brother carry away his blessing. When God sees someone that has the blessing and does not value it, they are not passionate about what God has given them, they take it for granted—"This birthright, no big deal,» «These gifts, these talents, I will develop them later"—if we are nonchalant like Esau, not disciplined, not focused, then someone can carry away our blessing.
God is saying, «I would rather have someone like Jacob that has weaknesses, but at least they are passionate about serving Me. At least they recognize their gifts. They will go wrestle with an angel if they have to, to become who I have created them to be. I would rather have someone like that than someone like Esau that has the blessing and does not value it.»
Valuing What God Has Given
The Scripture says God hated Esau. I cannot find anyone else in the Scripture where it says God hated him. What did Esau do that was so bad? Kill someone? Lie, cheat, steal? What made God so displeased was that he had the blessing, and he did not value it. He was not focused. He was not disciplined. He was not passionate.
That is why the apostle Paul told Timothy, «Timothy, stir up your gifts. Fan your flame.» When I look back over my life, God has been too good to me to live indifferent, nonchalant, not passionate. I have too much respect and awe for God to take things for granted.
«Well, if I have time, I will develop this gift, God.» «One day, I will be more focused, more intentional, more disciplined.» Do not be an Esau. Do not let someone carry away your blessing. If you do not value and use it, it can be taken away.
Well, you say, «Joel, I have missed a lot of opportunities, made a lot of mistakes. I guess it is too late for me.» No, just the fact that you are here today, just the fact that you are listening is a sign you have a heart after God.
What has happened in the past is not important. What is important is right now. You can do like Timothy and start stirring up your gifts, start using well what God has given you. If you do this, you do not have to worry.
Nobody can carry away your blessing. God has a hedge around you and your future that cannot be penetrated without God’s permission. The only reason Esau lost his blessing is because God pulled back that hedge. He said, «All right, Esau, you are not going to use it, so I am going to give it to somebody that will use well what I have given them.»
David’s Small Talent Leading to Greatness
When the prophet Samuel came to Jesse’s house to anoint one of his sons as the next king, Jesse did not even bring his youngest son, David, into the house. When Samuel tried to pour the oil on the other sons, it would not flow. David eventually came into the house. When Samuel poured the oil, it freely flowed on David.
What am I saying? You do not have to live worried, thinking, «Oh, man, I am falling behind. Other people are getting my blessing. I will never get the break I need.» No, as long as you keep honoring God, stirring up your gifts, developing your talents, the oil that belongs to you will not flow to anybody else. God will get you to where you are supposed to be.
When David was out in those shepherds' fields as a young man, he was lonely. His father did not believe in him. He had big dreams, but all he did, day in and day out, was take care of sheep.
But instead of sitting around complaining, he would get his slingshot out, and he would sling rocks. He became an expert. He could hit a bull’s-eye 100 feet away. Compared to his dream, it was a small talent, no big deal.
But because he developed the small, one day that small talent led him to defeat a big giant. That took him to the throne of Israel.
What if he had been out in the shepherds' fields, saying, «God, it is boring out here. How come I did not get a big gift, God? I do not want to mess with this slingshot. I want to lead an army.» If he would have been indifferent like Esau, not valued what God had given him, that oil could have flowed to somebody else.
This is where many people miss it. You have to be productive right where you are. Whatever God has given you, even if it is small, develop that gift. God invests the most in people who are productive. If you will show God increase, God will increase you more.
Moses and Overcoming Inadequacy
When the Israelites were in slavery, God said to Moses, «Go tell Pharaoh to let My people go.» Moses said, «God, I cannot do that. I do not speak well. I stutter.» He was saying, «God, I did not get a big gift. I just got one talent.»
He kept making excuse after excuse, so much so, the Scripture says God became angry with Moses. He was not angry because he stuttered. He was not angry because he had flaws. He was angry because he did not see his gift as being enough. He was like the man with the one talent, hiding it, afraid, thinking he did not have what it takes.
God is not displeased with us because we still have weaknesses, we have shortcomings. He is displeased when we are not using what He has given us, when we are making excuses, discounting our gifts.
Listen, God would not have asked you to do it if He had not already given you exactly what you need. Quit discounting yourself: «Well, Joel, if I had his talents, if I had her looks, if I had their gifts, then I could do something great.» No, take the talent that you have, whether it is five, two, or one, and make the most of that. If you will use what God has given you, He will give you more.
Moses kept complaining. He kept making excuses. Finally, God said to him, «Moses, who made your tongue? Who makes the deaf to hear? Who makes the blind to see?» He was saying, «Moses, I created the universe. I flung stars into space. I spoke worlds into existence. Moses, I know what I am doing. You did not get shortchanged. You are not lacking. I have given you exactly what you need.»
Moses still did not believe. He still would not do it. He was holding a staff in his hand, a rod, and God told him to throw it down. When he did, it turned into a snake. Moses, this mighty man of faith, the one who eventually parted the Red Sea and delivered the Israelites from slavery—when he saw that snake, you know what he did? The Scripture says he was terrified and turned and ran away.
Sometimes we see these heroes of faith in the Scripture as being superhuman. It is good to know they were just like us. He was talking with God, saw a snake, and took off running. That means there is hope for you and me.
God told him to do something interesting. He said, «Moses, go back and pick up that snake.» Cannot you hear him? «God, I am not about to touch that snake. I will go speak to Pharaoh now, but I am not going to touch that snake.»
Doing It Afraid
Sometimes God will ask us to do things that we are afraid of. When my father died, I thought, «God, I cannot step up and pastor the church. I have only ministered one time.» But just because you feel fear does not mean you are not supposed to do it.
If you have all the confidence, courage, strength to do it on your own, it does not take any faith. Faith says, «God, I am afraid. I do not know if I can step up and speak in front of these people, God. I do not know if this new business I am starting is going to make it. But, God, I believe You put it in my heart, so I am going to take a step of faith, knowing that You are with me each step of the way and that You will get me to where I am supposed to be.»
You have to get out of your comfort zone and do it afraid. If you play it safe your whole life, you will never reach your full potential.
Jesus gave an illustration in Luke chapter 13 about a man that had a fig tree in his garden. He went out month after month, checking on it, but it never had any fruit. He was so frustrated, he finally said to his gardener, «I have waited three years. This tree has never produced one fig. Cut it down. It is taking up space that we could be using for something else.»
The gardener said, «Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year. I will give it special attention. If it does not produce fruit in a year, then we can cut it down.»
The owner of the tree represents the justice of God. He was saying, «This tree should be further along for its age. At three years old, it should be producing fruit.» Justice says, «Cut it down. It is taking up valuable space. Something could be put there that would make better use of the soil, the nutrients, the sunshine.»
The gardener represents the mercy of God. He said, «Sir, give it one more chance. Yes, it is barren, but I still believe it can produce fruit. I still see some potential in it. It is not as far along as it should be, but I know it can catch up. Leave it one more year.»
One More Chance Through Mercy
If God came to take a look at your fig tree, when He looks at your life, will He see any fruit? Are you producing any figs, developing what He has given you, or would that tree be barren?
«Well, Joel, you said, 'use it or you will lose it.' I can tell you, I have lost it. I have made mistakes. It is too late for me.» Justice says, «You are right. You should be further along. Too bad, you are done.»
The good news is, the God of mercy says, «I am going to give you another chance. I am going to work with you another year. I am going to give you special attention, the grace, the favor, the wisdom, the strength, the breakthroughs to step up to become who you were created to be.»
My challenge is, do your part and get focused. Be intentional. Do not waste another moment making excuses. Do not be like Esau and not value what God has given you, live indifferent, nonchalant.
No, stir up those gifts. Be passionate about your dreams. Dare to take some steps of faith, getting out of your comfort zone. If you will use well what God has given you, I believe and declare, God is about to increase you with more.
You are about to step up to a new level. You are going to see new gifts, new talents, new opportunities, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus' name.