Joel Osteen - Stir It Up
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Joel Osteen encourages us to «stir up» the embers of dreams, gifts, passion, and faith that remain alive beneath life’s ashes of disappointment, delays, and setbacks—using the fireplace analogy, David’s passionate praise amid trouble, his own calling to ministry, a homeless teen becoming a university VP, and Sarah’s late-life miracle birth. He declares that fervent, stirred-up living and bold prayers ignite God’s power for overflow, new levels, healing, promotion, and destiny.
Stir It Up
When I was growing up we had a fireplace at home, and I would go get the logs to make the fire. My father showed me how if I would put the logs just right, going a little bit vertical, the fire would burn so strong and last a long time. Overnight we would close the metal grate and the fire would wind down. When I got up the next morning, all that was left were some ashes and a few remnants of the logs; I would go get more wood.
But I discovered something: I did not have to get a new match to relight the fire. Underneath those ashes there were embers that were still burning. All I had to do was get the poker and stir it up, and the fire would come back to life. In a few minutes it would be burning as strong as can be.
It may look like some things have gone out in your life—dreams that did not work out, promises you were believing for that did not come to pass. You think it is never going to happen; it has been too long. Can I encourage you? Underneath those ashes there are embers that are still alive. You may not be able to see it; they are buried under disappointments, under delays, people that did you wrong, mistakes that you have made. But somewhere under all those ashes a flame is still burning. All you have to do is stir it up.
Stir up your dreams, stir up your creativity, stir up your gifts. What God put in you did not go out. Jeremiah said, «Your word, O Lord, is like fire shut up in my bones.» That fire may be a little flicker right now, but it is still in you. The good news is the enemy cannot put your fire out; depression cannot put your fire out; loss, loneliness, bad breaks cannot put it out.
You may have gone through things that were unfair, that kind of knocked the wind out of you, but you have to know that did not stop God’s plan for your life. What He started He is going to finish. Now you have to do your part and stir it up.
Stay Passionate
You cannot live with no passion, no zeal—just get up, go to work, come home, do it again. That fire is not going to grow without you stirring it. Start dreaming again; start looking for new opportunities; start praying bold prayers. There is greatness shut up in you; there are dreams shut up in you; there are new levels—all they need is to be stirred up.
The scripture says (Jeremiah 29:13), «You will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.» Not with half your heart. God is talking about passionate people—people that are full of praise, people that are talking like it is going to happen, people that are expecting His favor. But if you are passive, lethargic, indifferent, you are not going to reach your potential; you have to have some fire in you.
Do not let what has not worked out in the past—the disappointments, the bad breaks—cause you to become half-hearted: half-hearted in your praise, half-hearted in your marriage, half-hearted at work. What you are believing for may be taking longer than you thought; that is why every day you have to stir yourself up. This is not going to happen automatically; you are not going to wake up every morning excited about your dreams, passionate about life.
Some mornings you are going to wake up and feel the blahs; thoughts will tell you, «Just endure the day. Nothing good is in your future. Nothing ever works out for you.» You can either believe those lies and drag through the day—a day will turn into a month, a month will turn into a year—or you can make a decision like David: when you get out of bed, «This is another day that the Lord has made. I am going to rejoice; I am going to be glad; I am going to enjoy this day.»
David Stirred Himself Up
You know what David was doing? Stirring himself up. He was fanning those flames, making sure the fire kept burning. No wonder he was able to outlast all kinds of opposition; no wonder he could overcome the rejection of his family, the betrayal of King Saul, and become one of the heroes of faith. You know who sees dreams come to pass? Stirred-up people. You know who goes further than they could imagine? People that are passionate—people that do like David and make this decision to stay full of zeal.
What is interesting is when David wrote that passage he was not in a good place: he had armies coming against him; people were slandering him, trying to ruin his reputation. He could have gotten up complaining, «God, it is not fair. I am doing the right thing; why are these people treating me so badly? I thought You said I would be the king?»
No, David understood this principle that people cannot put your fire out. Disappointments, bad breaks cannot stop what God has ordained for you. And the more things that come against you, the more you need to stir yourself up. The more opposition, the more you need to give God praise. The longer it is taking, the more you need to talk like it is on the way. The worse the medical report, the more you need to keep that spring in your step, that passion in your spirit, declaring God’s favor is on your life.
Embers Waiting to Ignite
There are embers in you right now just waiting to catch fire like never before: embers of healing—that sickness looks permanent? Start stirring up the healing: «Father, thank You that You are restoring health back unto me. Thank You that the number of my days You will fulfill.»
Maybe you are struggling in your finances; business is slow—it is easy to get discouraged and think that is your lot in life. There are embers of increase, embers of abundance, embers of opportunity just waiting to be stirred up. How do you do it? «Father, thank You that whatever I touch will prosper and succeed. Thank You that I will lend and not borrow, that I am coming into overflow, into more than enough.»
When David went out to face Goliath, the scripture says he ran quickly toward Goliath. That is a passionate person—somebody that is stirred up. You would think he would be very cautious, go out there kind of slowly, a little afraid, intimidated, thinking, «God, I am going to do this, but it will probably be the end of me.» No, David ran out boldly; his attitude was, «I cannot wait to get to Goliath because the sooner I get there, the sooner I am going to defeat him.»
When you live stirred up you will not run from your enemies; you will run to your enemies. You will not let that cancer intimidate you; your attitude is, «Cancer, you may be big, but you are no match for me—the Most High God is on my side.»
Joel’s Personal Story
You will not run from that trouble at work—those people that are trying to make you look bad. You know God being for you is more than the world being against you. You have everything you need to live an abundant, victorious life. It is on the inside, but it has to be stirred up.
That courage may be a little ember right now; you feel intimidated—what you are up against looks much bigger. That is the way I felt when my father went to be with the Lord. I stepped up to pastor the church; every thought told me that I could not do it, that nobody was going to listen, that I did not have the talent. But instead of believing those lies, I started stirring up the courage: «Father, thank You that I am strong in the Lord. Thank You that I can do all things through Christ. Thank You that Your favor surrounds me like a shield.»
I started fanning that ember of courage, that ember of confidence, that ember of talent. I did not know I could get up and speak in front of people. When my father would ask me to minister years ago, I used to think that is so odd—he does not know me very well; I would not know what to say. This ember was in me all that time, but for seventeen years I never fanned the flame.
When my father went to be with the Lord it made it worse—now there were ashes on top of the ember. I did not know how things were going to work out, but down in my spirit I could hear a voice telling me to step up. This time instead of shrinking back I started fanning the flame, started telling myself that I was well able, and I discovered there was fire shut up in my bones—there were gifts and talents. Just a little flame, but as I started believing I could do it, taking steps of faith, tuning out the doubt, the naysayers, that fire came alive. God is taking me further than I dreamed.
Stir Up What’s in You
But I wonder what is shut up in you that you have not tapped into? What dreams, what gifts, what abundance, what healing? It is still burning. It is a little ember; now it just needs you to add your passion to it—to start believing, to start acting like it is going to happen, to step up with boldness.
It is easy to make excuses: «Joel, I tried and it did not work out.» Try again. That did not put out your fire. The scripture says, «A good man falls seven times, and the Lord raises him up.» Maybe it just was not the right time. «Well, these people did me wrong. My company pushed me out. I lost my spouse. I have all these ashes.» I know that is painful; I know it is not easy, but underneath those ashes there are embers that are still burning.
You may have gone through loss, but your life is not over. Like God did for me, He has beauty for those ashes; new doors are going to open; new relationships will develop; new talents are going to come out. That person that walked out on you—yes, that is hurtful, but do not give up on life. They did not put out your flame; they cannot stop your destiny. You are going to love again; you are going to laugh again; you are going to dream again. God has someone coming for you much better than who left. Your latter days will be better than your former days.
Now get your fire back; get your passion back. Those dreams you have given up on—you need to get that poker out and start stirring them up, start pursuing them again. Those promises you have let go of—it seems like it is too late; the experts said you cannot have a baby, you will never get well, that child will never get back on course—those are lies to try to discourage you, to keep those embers from ever catching fire.
Never Lag in Zeal
The enemy knows he cannot put out your flame, but if he can deceive you into living with no passion, no enthusiasm, dragging through the day, that will keep you from God’s best. That is why Paul said in Romans 12:11, «Never lag in zeal. Be aglow, constantly burning with the spirit.» It is interesting he did not say never lag in faith, never lag in confidence, never lag in experience. He said never lag in zeal.
He was saying if you will stay passionate about your dreams, passionate about what God promised—you do not lag in zeal—then whatever area you lag in will eventually turn around. You may lag in resources, lag in good health, lag in friendships, but if you will stay aglow, burning with the spirit, God promises healing is coming; the right people are coming; abundance is coming. Paul said the key is to stay fired up.
Keep that passion in your spirit because we all go through disappointments; we all have things we do not understand. You may be dealing with an illness, an addiction, or a situation that looks like it is never going to turn around. You could easily drag around discouraged—you have to put your foot down and say, «I am not going to let the enemy have my joy, my praise, my enthusiasm. I know this day is a gift from God; I am going to stay on fire, aglow, burning with the spirit.»
A Stirred-Up Praise
David said (Psalm 103:1), «Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me.» Not halfway, not partial—he was saying, «God, I am giving You a stirred-up praise, a passionate praise. Not a praise when everything turns around, not a praise that is dependent on the circumstances.»
«Well, Joel, I will have a good attitude when my boss starts treating me better. I will get my joy back when the Texans win again. I will be more enthusiastic when my finances improve.» No, you have it backwards; the stirred-up praise is what causes things to turn around. Being on fire, aglow, is what causes those embers to ignite.
What would happen if you would start blessing the Lord with all that is within you? Getting up in the morning thanking Him for the day, going out with enthusiasm, pursuing your dreams, expecting His favor, passionate about your life. And everything may not be perfect—we can all find a reason to be sour. This is a decision that we have to make: «I will bless the Lord. I will have a good attitude. I will be good to others. I will enjoy this day.» You cannot wait till you feel like it; you have to decide—that is what it means to stir it up.
Stir Up the Gift
Timothy was a young man that was being mentored by the apostle Paul. Paul must have seen him start to get discouraged and lose his passion because he said to him in 2 Timothy 1, «Timothy, stir up the gift of God that is within you.» One translation says, «Fan the flame.» Maybe Timothy would not have gone on to do great things and make such an impact if Paul had not reminded him to stir it up.
That is why God has you hearing this—there are gifts and talents in you right now that you have not tapped into. There are dreams, favor, promotion just waiting to be stirred up. You have not reached your final destiny, but too often we want to settle. We do not like to stretch, get out of our comfort zones—especially when we tried and it did not work out. But God is saying to you what He said to Timothy: «Stir up the gifts that are in you. Stir up the dreams you have given up on. Stir up that healing, that freedom that you quit believing for.»
Do not let what has not happened yet talk you out of what God has in your future. You may have some big obstacles, but the forces that are for you are greater than the forces that are against you. You and God are a majority; He is breathing in your direction right now.
From Homeless to Vice President
I talked to a young lady; she was raised in a very unhealthy environment—her father was an alcoholic; her mother was never around. At 12 years old she ended up homeless, living on the streets by herself. At 16 she had a baby; she and her child lived in a shelter. Not long after that she was diagnosed with leukemia—no insurance, nobody to help her. Did it look like she had any future, no gift in her?
But God does not create anyone without putting something significant on the inside; every person has seeds of greatness. That is why the enemy will work overtime to try to push down your gifts, bury them under abuse, neglect, sicknesses, divorce. The good news is the enemy cannot put your fire out. What God started no person can stop.
You may have had some bad breaks, but the forces of darkness cannot keep you from your destiny. They are not more powerful than our God. The only one that can stop you is you—if you give up on your dreams, if you live bitter, no passion, thinking you have reached your limits—then you will not see the beauty for ashes; you will not see God pay you back for the unfair situations.
At 19 years old she gave her life to Christ. For the first time she felt a sense of purpose and destiny. She decided to go back to school; she got her GED; she went on to college and got her bachelor’s degree, then she got her master’s degree, then she got her doctorate. Today she is not only cancer-free but she is the vice president of a university.
But back when she was a homeless teenager most people would have never believed that she had those gifts; they would not have seen a college vice president in her. What am I saying? Do not judge your future based on where you are right now; do not let the circumstances convince you that you have seen your best days. You would not be alive unless God has something amazing in front of you.
Sarah’s Miracle
In the scripture Abraham and Sarah were very old. Sarah had never had any children. I am sure she was disappointed because in those days when the wife did not give the husband a child they were looked down on and felt a sense of shame. Now Sarah was 80 years old; she had already accepted that she would never have children.
But in Genesis 17:16 God said to Abraham, «I am going to give Sarah a child. She will be the mother of nations. Kings of people will come out of her.» Sarah thought she would be barren her whole life, that her womb would always be empty. But God said, «Sarah, you have something in you that you cannot see right now—something much bigger than you have imagined. Yes, you have been through disappointments; you could not have children, but that is not how your story ends. There are kings in you; there are nations in your womb.»
A year later against all odds she gave birth to a son that they named Isaac. There may be areas in your life like Sarah where you feel barren: you have tried; you did your best, but it did not work out—the business did not take off, the marriage did not make it, you were not able to break the addiction. No reason for you to be passionate—that is not how your story ends.
God is saying to you what He said to her: «There are kings in you—there are things that you do not see coming: promotion, opportunity, children, businesses, new levels.» It is not too late; you have not missed your chance. God has already planted those seeds in your spirit. If you will start stirring them up, living passionately, you are going to see God show out in your life.
Stay Around Stirred-Up People
The enemy would not be fighting you if he did not know something awesome was in you. He would not be trying to discourage you and convince you to settle if he did not know you are destined to rise higher—you are destined to leave your mark.
When Sarah first heard that she was going to have a baby she laughed; she thought, «That is impossible. I cannot have a child; there are not kings in me.» God was talking about her seed—how her children and grandchildren would do great things. You do not know what God is up to; the scripture says no person has seen, heard, or imagined what God has in store.
God is going to bring out of you that you did not even know was in you. He is going to take you places you have never imagined; you are going to see overflow, abundance, the surpassing greatness of His favor.
Now if you are going to stay stirred up you need to get around other stirred-up people. Do not hang around people that drain your energy, take all your enthusiasm, try to talk you out of what you are believing for: «Well, I do not see how you can get well—my grandmother died of that same thing. I would not try to start that business—what if it does not work out? You still think you are going to meet someone? You have been single a long time.»
There will always be people that try to throw water on your fire, tell you what you cannot do, how it is not going to work out, how you should just settle where you are. They may mean well; they may even be good people, but the enemy uses people to try to discourage us, to keep us from our destiny. Do yourself a favor: distance yourself from them. Your time is too valuable to spend it with negative people—people that have no vision, no passion. You need to be around people that help you stay stirred up.
Fervent Prayer
That is why so many come out to Lakewood and so many listen—not because I am the greatest minister, but I can promise you this: I am going to stir you up; I am going to challenge you to reach for your dreams, to believe for God’s favor, to believe for the impossible, to stretch. I am going to remind you that you are a child of the Most High God, that you have seeds of greatness, that God did not bring you this far to leave you, that what has happened in your past does not have to stop your future—that God has the final say.
And my question is: are you living stirred up? Are you excited about your future? Are you passionate about your dreams? Friends, life is flying by; do not waste another minute dragging through the day focused on what is wrong, thinking you have reached your limits. The truth is you are on the launching pad; God is about to do new things; you are about to see unprecedented favor—get ready for overflow, get ready for new levels, get ready for something that you have never seen.
James chapter 5:16 says, «The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous person makes tremendous power available.» That word fervent in the original language is where we get our word for «energy.» It suggests the idea of energizing like electricity energizes a circuit. You can plug a lamp into an outlet, but if the power is not on it is not going to do any good.
This says the effectual fervent prayer—not a passive prayer, not a weak, lethargic prayer when you just say the same thing over and over, no passion. But when you pray a stirred-up prayer, a passionate prayer, a bold prayer—that makes tremendous power available.
Stir It Up Today
«Well, God, I know I do not deserve much; I have made a lot of mistakes, but if You want to help me You can"—that is not energizing the circuit so to speak. Depressed prayers do not bring any power. The prayer that is effective is a fervent, passionate, bold, faith-filled prayer: «Father, thank You that You are opening doors no man can shut. Thank You that You are taking me where I cannot go on my own. Thank You that I am coming into an overflow year.»
Do not pray depressing prayers: «God, my back has been really hurting. These children are getting on my nerves; I do not think I can take it anymore"—that is not activating any power. Turn it around: «Father, thank You that You are fighting my battles, that no weapon formed against me will prosper, that as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.»
You have to show God that you want what you are praying about. There has to be some fervor, some zeal, some enthusiasm. If you are not passionate about it, it is not an effective prayer. I am asking you to stir it up: stir up what you are praying about, stir up your dreams, stir up your gifts. God has put incredible potential on the inside. It may just be a little ember right now, but as you keep stirring it up, I believe and declare like Sarah, greatness is going to come out of you. New doors are about to open; negative situations are turning around—breakthroughs, healing, promotion, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus' name.