Joel Osteen - It's Going to Happen Quickly
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In this sermon, Joel Osteen encourages believers not to lose hope when facing long delays, drawing from Isaiah 60 where God promises to act quickly at the appointed time, and illustrates through biblical stories and modern examples that breakthroughs, healings, and victories can happen suddenly and rapidly when God’s destined moment arrives.
God’s Promise of a Quick Work
I want to talk to you today about «It’s Going to Happen Quickly.» We all have things that we are believing for. We have been waiting patiently, praying, thanking God, but we do not see anything improving. It is easy to get discouraged and accept that it is going to be this way for a long time, that we just have to endure it.
But God said in Isaiah 60, «I am the Lord; when the time comes, I will do it quickly.» God has ordained certain moments in your life where He is going to do a quick work. It is going to happen much faster than you thought. You may not see anything changing. Does it look like you are any closer to what you were believing for than you were at this time last year?
But when you come into your time, God is going to do it quickly. It is not going to be a long drawn-out process. You are going to see a rapid turnaround, a sudden breakthrough, a speedy recovery. It may look like it is going to take a long time for you to get well, to break the addiction, to meet the right person.
Get Ready for the Unusual
Now get ready; it is going to happen sooner than it looks. It is going to be unusual, out of the ordinary—you are going to know it was the hand of God. It should take years to get out of debt, years to accomplish that dream. In the natural, that is true, but when you come into one of these destiny moments, it is going to happen in a fraction of the time.
Every thought may tell you, «It is permanent; it is never going to change.» Now God is saying to you today, «I am going to do it quickly; it is going to happen suddenly.» Now get in agreement with God. Instead of thinking of all the reasons it is not going to work out, turn it around: «Father, thank You for a quick work. Thank You for a sudden breakthrough. Thank You for a rapid recovery.»
The Red Sea: Enemies Hurry Out of the Way
When God brought the Israelites out of slavery, they headed toward the Promised Land. Then the Pharaoh who had just let them go changed his mind and decided he wanted them back. So he sent 600 of his fastest chariots and some of his strongest warriors to try to recapture them.
The Israelites—these two million people—were at a dead end at the Red Sea. They had nowhere to go. It looked like they would be recaptured until Moses held up his rod and the waters parted. The Israelites went through on dry ground. When Pharaoh’s men came chasing, the waters closed up and they all drowned.
Psalm 114 gives us insight into what happened. Verse 3 says, «The Red Sea saw the Israelites coming and hurried out of their way.» When it is your time, do not worry—enemies are going to hurry out of your way. That addiction, that depression, the anxiety—it is not permanent. It is about to hurry out of your way.
It is going to happen quickly. You did not see any sign of things changing; nothing looked any different. Then suddenly the waters part, suddenly your health turns around, suddenly the door opens. God knows how to take things that look permanent and quickly change them.
Beyond Normal Timetables
When God told Moses to hold up the rod and those waters would part, I am sure Moses was tempted to reason it out: «God, what do You mean? These waters have been like this for years.» You would think if the Israelites were going to somehow get across, it would take months for the waters to slowly recede, become less and less—maybe God would send a big drought.
But when God spoke to Moses, nothing looked any different. Everything in his mind said, «It is impossible. It would take months, maybe years of a drought. God, we only have a few hours before we are going to be recaptured.» But God does not always do things on a normal timetable. He specializes in doing a quick work. He knows how to speed things up.
What could have taken years, in one moment God caused the wind to blow the waters back. They hurried out of the Israelites' way. Maybe you have obstacles in your path that look permanent. God is about to have them hurry out of your way.
Obstacles That Seem Permanent
It is not going to happen gradually, on a normal schedule like you were expecting. It is going to happen quickly; you did not see it coming. Things you have been struggling with—fear, anxiety, a challenge in your health, that child that is off course—like Moses, those waters do not look any different.
You know God is telling you a breakthrough is coming, but you do not see any sign of it. You want to believe, but your mind is telling you, «There is no way.» But just like those waters hurried out of the Israelites' way, those obstacles are about to hurry out of your way.
You may have had that sickness a long time; the prognosis does not look good. Receive this into your spirit: it is about to hurry out of your way. That legal situation looks permanent, the trouble at work, the financial difficulty—it seems like there is no end in sight.
No, get ready; God is about to do a quick work. Lack, struggle, debt is about to hurry out of your way. It is going to happen suddenly; it is going to be a rapid turnaround.
Lakewood’s Compaq Center Story
That is what happened for us here at Lakewood when we acquired the Compaq Center. A company filed a lawsuit to try to keep us from moving in. They said that we violated the deed restrictions. Our attorneys told us it could be tied up in the courts for many years.
When we looked at the waters, like with Moses, it did not look any different. A year had gone by; the other side was not about to budge. They had no contact with us. It looked like it could be that way for another ten years. But one day, out of the blue, the other side contacted us and said they wanted to meet.
Our attorneys said it was probably a ploy, just to distract us. We met with them, and in a couple of hours they agreed to drop the lawsuit and let us have the building. When it is your time, God knows how to have enemies hurry out of your way.
God Hastens His Word
It is one thing if we would have won the lawsuit after ten years—we would have been grateful—but God is not one to let the opposition delay you from your destiny. He has already scheduled these destiny moments for you.
It may feel like you are falling behind, the opposition is holding you back—stay encouraged. At the right time, that adversity is going to hurry out of your way. Red Seas cannot stop your purpose; God knows how to part the waters. Legal situations, companies that are bigger and stronger cannot stop God’s plan for your life.
It may feel like you are stuck; you do not see anything improving—do not worry. God knows how to do a quick work; it can happen suddenly. The scripture says in Jeremiah 1:12, «God hastens His word to perform it.» That word «hasten» means quickly, speedily, in a hurry.
I am not saying that we do not have to wait; there are things that take time. What I am saying is: when you do not see anything happening, it looks like what you are up against is never going to change. When you step into this destiny moment, God will do it speedily, quicker than you think. You will accomplish a dream in a fraction of the time.
The Syrian Army Flees
In 2 Kings chapter 7, the Israelites were surrounded by the Syrian army. They had cut off the Israelites' food supply; now the people were starving. It was just a matter of time before they would die. Every circumstance said it was permanent. The enemy army was much bigger; they had more weapons.
All the odds were against the Israelites, but there were four lepers sitting outside the city gates. They thought, «We have nothing to lose; we are going to die anyway. Let us go down to the Syrians' camp and see what they are doing.» While they were walking toward the enemy, the scripture says God caused the Syrians to hear the sound of speeding chariots, galloping horses, and the footsteps of a vast army approaching.
The Syrian king thought that the Israelites had hired several armies to come attack them. Verse 7 says the Syrians panicked and fled into the night, leaving their horses, tents, and all of their belongings. What was that? God causing their enemies to hurry out of their way.
Supernatural Intervention Behind the Scenes
It looked impossible; the Israelites did not have a chance. They did not have the food, the experience, the strength, the weapons—but God is not limited by what you do not have. He is not intimidated by how big the opposition is, by how bad that medical report looks, by what the financial statement says.
God multiplied the sound of these lepers' footsteps, caused this huge army to flee for their lives. They left in such a hurry they did not even get their belongings; they did not even stop and grab their tents. God knows how to quickly get rid of the opposition.
Now do not be discouraged by how permanent the obstacle looks or by how much bigger than you it seems. You have an advantage: the Most High God is on your side. He knows how to cause your enemies to hurry out of your way—not gradually, not over some months. You are going to see some things quickly turn around, problems suddenly resolve, enemies rapidly defeated.
What is interesting is while the lepers were walking, they did not know what God was doing. They could not hear what the enemy was hearing. Everything seemed normal to them, but God was doing something supernatural.
Agreeing with God’s Promise
You do not know what God is up to right now. While you are believing, while you are doing the right thing, everything may seem the same, but God is talking to your enemies. He is causing them to hear what He wants them to hear.
The Syrians did not say to the lepers, «Okay, we will leave—just give us a few months to pack up our belongings. Give us some time to relocate; we need to go find some more property.» They left suddenly in a panic; they were so afraid they fled for their lives.
Some of the obstacles that you are up against may seem like they have the upper hand. That sickness feels bigger; you have had the addiction a long time; the trouble at work feels like it has you surrounded. But when it is your time, like with them, it is not going to leave gradually. It is not going to improve a little here, a little there. It is going to leave suddenly, like it is in a panic, like it is fleeing for its life.
«Well, Joel, this is encouraging today, but I do not believe that it is going to happen quickly for me. I have been dealing with this a long time.» Then you are right; it will not happen for you. This is for believers, for people that will let the seed take root, people that will dare say, «God, I agree with what You said, that You will hasten Your word to perform it. Lord, I believe for a quick work. I believe enemies are hurrying out of my way. I believe I am going to see a rapid turnaround.»
Stories of Sudden Change
A friend of mine worked for this company where his supervisor was not treating him right; he was jealous of him. My friend had a great attitude—never heard him complain. He kept doing the right thing even though this supervisor would try to discredit him and make him look bad.
This went on for several years. The supervisor was in his early 40s and had been with the company for almost 20 years. It looked like my friend would always have to deal with this, but one Monday he went to work. The owner of the company called him in and said that the supervisor was leaving and the owner wanted him to have the position.
My friend asked when it was going to happen, when the man was going to leave. The owner said, «He left last Friday; you are the supervisor starting right now.» God knows how to cause people to hurry out of your way, to do things quickly, things you did not see coming.
That supervisor could have been there another 30 years, but he suddenly left. Quit worrying about who is in front of you, how it is not going to work out. God can quickly change things, quickly promote you, quickly heal you, quickly free you.
Joseph’s Rapid Rise
And yes, there are times we have to wait; we have to outlast what is coming against us. But you are going to come into these moments where God is going to do a quick work. Instead of complaining, «Joel, it is taking so long for me. I do not think I will ever get well. I will never meet the right person,» turn it around: «Father, thank You that my health is about to suddenly improve. Thank You that this addiction is not permanent, that it is about to quickly turn around. Thank You that this depression is not how my story ends; it is about to hurry out of my way.»
That is not just being positive; that is releasing your faith. That is what allows God to speed things up. This is what Joseph did in the scripture. He spent 13 years being mistreated, betrayed by his brothers, sold as a slave, put in prison for something that he did not do.
It was not easy, but he kept the right attitude, kept being his best. One morning, sitting in prison, it seemed like another ordinary day. The guard came in and said, «Joseph, the Pharaoh wants to see you.» I can imagine Joseph thought, «He wants to see me? I have never met him; I do not have an appointment. I am a slave, a foreigner. I am in prison, and the Pharaoh is calling for me?»
God knows how to have the right people come looking for you. You may feel like you had a disadvantage; people tried to discredit you; it seems like you are overlooked. No, the One who matters has His eyes on you. The One who controls the universe, the Most High God, is watching after you. He is working out His plan for your life.
Quickly Conquering the Impossible
Joseph walked in; he was standing in the presence of one of the most powerful people of that day. Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream. He was so impressed that he made Joseph the prime minister of Egypt, second in command. It happened quickly. Joseph did not have to run for office; the king or the Pharaoh did not hold a vote; he did not interview people for six months—right on the spot he made Joseph prime minister.
God knows how to do a quick work. The trouble, the injustice, the betrayal hurried out of Joseph’s way. He woke up that morning a slave in prison; he went to bed that night the prime minister—promoted, vindicated.
Now do not be discouraged by what is not changing. Maybe like Joseph you are doing the right thing, but the wrong thing is happening—your time is coming. God has these destiny moments where He is going to suddenly catapult you to a new level. It is not going to be a long process; it is going to happen quickly, out of the ordinary.
The right people are going to come looking for you; the promotion, the opportunity, the vindication is going to track you down. After the Israelites came through the Red Sea, they wandered in the desert for forty years. They thought their enemies were too big, their obstacles too great—that kept them from ever going into the Promised Land.
Conquering the Land
Now years later, their children and grandchildren were about to cross the Jordan River and go into the land that God promised. The problem was the land was occupied with these incredibly strong, powerful people called the Anakites; they were descendants of giants.
You can imagine how intimidated the Israelites must have felt, standing at the Jordan, no doubt contemplating whether or not they should go in. God gave them a promise that helped push them over. He said in Deuteronomy 9, «Today you are about to face people that are much stronger and more powerful. But the Lord your God will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will subdue them so you can quickly conquer.»
Unlike their parents that talked themselves out of it, this new generation had the boldness to go in. Just like God promised, they quickly conquered the land. Now you may be facing a situation like them that seems impossible in your health, your finances, a relationship.
God is saying to you what He said to them: «I am going to cross over ahead of you and take care of those enemies so you can quickly conquer them.» You are not fighting those battles on your own; the Most High God is going before you.
Testimonies and Encouragement
You are going to come out of that difficulty quicker than you think. Now get this down in your spirit: you are going to quickly conquer the sickness, quickly conquer the addiction, quickly conquer the trouble at work. Behind the scenes right now, God is changing things in your favor. He is crossing over ahead of you to take care of the sickness, to take care of that trouble.
If you will stay in faith, it is going to happen sooner than it looks. You did not see any sign of it; everything looked permanent—then suddenly it changed. God is going to hasten His word; He is going to speed things up.
I talked to a man that had had a stroke. He was in his early fifties; he attends Lakewood, and his family brought him up for prayer after a service. He was now in a wheelchair; he had lost control over the left side of his body, and his face was all drawn.
He was told that with therapy in three to five years he might regain some control of his left arm and leg. They specifically said he would never be able to lift his arm above his head again. I told him what I am telling you: that God can do things quickly. In the natural it should take years, but we serve a supernatural God; He knows how to speed things up.
A Rapid Recovery
This man was a fighter; I could tell he was not going to take that stroke lying down. I saw him six months later—this time he was not in a wheelchair; he was walking through the lobby, had a big smile on his face. When our eyes met, the first thing he did was lift his arm way up in the air.
I said I thought that was going to take three to five years. He said, «That is what I was told, but it happened for me in three months.» His therapist said that in 30 years that she had been helping people, she had never seen anyone recover as fast as him.
God knows how to do a quick work. Quit believing those lies that it is going to take you a long time to get well, that you heard the experts say a long time to accomplish your dream, a long time to get free from that anxiety. No, God is crossing ahead of you right now so you can quickly conquer.
You are going to see a rapid recovery; you are going to defy the odds. God is going to accelerate things. Dreams come to pass in record time; things fall into place. That addiction is not permanent; that depression is not going to last. It is about to hurry out of your way. It is going to happen quickly; you did not see it coming.
Keep Thanking God
Now when thoughts tell you, «It is going to take you years to get well, years to meet the right person,» keep this phrase down in your spirit: «Quickly conquer.» You have to answer the doubt back with faith. Do not let that thought continue to play: «It is permanent; it is never going to change.»
No, all through the day: «Father, thank You that it is going to happen quickly. Thank You that enemies are hurrying out of my way. Thank You that I am going to see a rapid turnaround.» «Well, Joel, what if I do that for a month and nothing is happening?» Then keep doing it. You have to stay on the offensive.
If you live with that lie that «I am stuck; it is permanent; it is never going to change,» that will limit your life. In Luke chapter 18, Jesus told a story about a judge that was not fair. He did not have integrity; he did not care for people.
This widow kept coming to him day after day, asking him to do something about this person that had done her wrong. The judge kept ignoring her, did not pay any attention, but the widow would not quit coming. Finally, the judge said to the lady, «I am going to give you what you are asking for—not because I want to, but because you are wearing me out with your constant requests.»
God Rushes to Your Defense
Jesus said to His disciples, if this judge who is not fair will make the right decision because the lady kept asking, do you think God who is fair will keep putting off those that come to Him? Jesus went on to say, «I can assure you, God will grant him justice quickly.»
When you are in a difficult time, things are not turning around—if you will just keep thanking God that He is working, thanking Him that He is fighting your battles, thanking Him that He is bigger than what you are facing—not begging Him, but reminding Him what He promised—notice what God said: «He will give you justice quickly.»
It is going to happen faster than it looks. One translation says, «He will rush to your defense; He will come to you in haste.» It may not have happened yet, but you need to know God is in a hurry to help you. You are going to see some of these sudden turnarounds.
Now the key is to keep thanking God, keep talking like it is going to happen, keep believing that it is on the way. When you consistently thank God, you are going to see some quick works. God is going to quickly turn your child around, quickly bring the healing, quickly cause a dream to come to pass.
Maybe like this widow you have been doing this, but you do not see anything changing; every circumstance looks just the same—stay encouraged. Your time is coming; God is crossing over ahead of you right now. I believe and declare you are about to quickly conquer. Problems that have hindered you are about to suddenly resolve; enemies that have come against you are about to hurry out of your way. You are going to see a rapid turnaround, a sudden breakthrough. It is going to happen quickly, in Jesus' name.