Joel Osteen - No More Distractions

Joel Osteen urges us to recognize the limited time we have and eliminate distractions to fulfill our God-given purpose, using Jesus setting His face toward Jerusalem, David’s choice of battles against Goliath but not his brother, and Abraham separating from Lot as examples. He concludes that by refusing to please everyone, fight unnecessary battles, or fear disapproval, we position ourselves for unprecedented favor, breakthroughs, and the fullness of our destiny.

No More Distractions

The older we get, the more we realize we are not going to be here forever. Life is flying by. It seems like just the other day I was in high school; now that I am 35. I think, «Where has this time gone?» I am kidding y’all, I am 39. But when you realize how fast time is going, it should bring a sense of urgency, a sense of focus. Your assignment has an expiration date; your time on this earth is not unlimited.

When Jesus was about to be crucified, the scripture says (Luke 9:51), «He set His face toward Jerusalem» because His hour had come. No more going to the desert, feeding the 5000, no more waiting for the woman at the well, no more stopping by Zacchaeus' house for dinner. Those things were fine for a season, but now He did not have time for distractions; His hour had come.

God is saying to you: your hour has come. If you are going to reach your highest potential, you have to do like Jesus and set your face. You cannot be distracted by things that are keeping you from your purpose. You do not have time to waste worried about what people think about you. Your time is too valuable to respond to every critic, every negative comment, try to convince people that you really are okay—those are distractions.

Everyone is not going to like you; everyone is not going to accept you. Quit trying to convince someone to understand you that is determined to misunderstand you. Some people do not want to be for you, and that is okay; you do not need them to fulfill your destiny.

Let Go of Unnecessary Approval

But the enemy would love for us to spend time and energy trying to win someone over that is never going to be won over. You have to set your face; the people that need to be for you will be for you. God has already lined up the right people—people that will celebrate you, people that will cheer you on, people that stick with you through thick and thin.

But too often we are trying to convince people to be our friend, convince them to spend time with us. But if someone does not see the gift you are, if they do not recognize your talents, value your friendship, do yourself a favor and move on. No offense, but they are not a part of your destiny.

You do not have to play up to people, let them manipulate you, hope that they call, maybe they will include you in their group. No, the people God has for you do not have to be talked into liking you. You will not be able to keep them away; they will light up when you walk in the room; they cannot wait to spend time with you; they will go out of their way to do you favors.

Now do not waste another minute trying to convince someone to like you, to call you, to come see you. If you have to talk them into it, they are not for you; they are a distraction.

Choose Your Battles Wisely

«Well, Joel, these people at work are saying negative things about me; they are trying to make me look bad.» It is not your job to straighten them out; let God fight your battles; let God be your vindicator. You are not supposed to engage in every conflict. Do not fight battles that are not between you and your destiny. Most of the things that come against us are simply distractions.

You have to keep your face set; it takes focus, it takes discipline to say, «I am not going to respond; I am not going to waste my valuable time. I have a destiny to fulfill. My hour has come.» Proverbs 20:3 says, «Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor.» It is easy to get in conflict, upset, offended, want to pay people back—that does not take any discipline.

Avoiding a fight, not taking the bait, not being drawn into conflict—that takes your face being set. The next time something comes against you, ask yourself, «Is this a battle worth fighting, or is it simply a distraction?» That person that cut you off in traffic—is it worth getting upset over when you are never going to see them again?

That co-worker that leaves you out, does not give you credit—do you think they can stop your destiny, that somehow they are more powerful than what God has ordained for you? They are distractions. The only way they can hinder you is if you get baited into conflict. The best thing you can do—ignore it; do not give it the time of day.

David and Goliath

When David heard Goliath taunting the Israelites, he asked what the reward was for killing the giant. He did not just run out and fight him because he was saying negative things. Sure David did not like that, but he understood this principle. He did not get involved in battles that were not between him and his destiny.

They told him whoever killed the giant would get the king’s daughter as his wife, and their family would be exempt from taxes. With that one victory David’s whole family line would change; they would go from a low-income family of shepherds to royalty. They would be in the king’s family. David thought, «This is a battle worth engaging; this is worth spending my time and energy.»

I am not saying to be passive and do not fight any battles; I am saying to look at what the spoils are. Will it just feed your ego—"You paid them back; you made them look bad"—or will it propel you into your destiny? We fight too many battles that do not matter: «They are talking about me; I am going to go straighten them out.» After you straighten them out, someone else will start talking.

Here is what I have learned: nobody talks about people that are not doing anything. Nobody tries to discredit someone that does not have any influence. The reason they are talking about you is because you are a difference maker; you are a world changer; they can see the gifts, the influence, the favor on your life. And the brighter the light, the more the heat. The higher God takes you, the more people are going to see you.

Ignore the Critics

And sometimes instead of celebrating you, people will get jealous, try to pull you down, get you into conflict. Do not take the bait—it is a distraction. Keep your face set; stay focused on your purpose.

Before David faced Goliath, his father asked him to take lunch to his brothers that were in another city on the battlefield. David arrived and gave the lunch to his oldest brother. He was jealous of David; he said in front of everyone, «What are you doing here, David? What did you do with those few sheep you are supposed to be taking care of?»

Instead of thanking David for traveling several days, he insulted him, tried to belittle him. Now David had killed a lion and a bear with his own hands; he was young, but he was not a weakling. I have no doubt he could have taken care of his brother. But David thought, «What are the spoils? What good is it going to do me if I embarrass my brother in front of his peers like he did me?» He realized all that would do was feed his ego; there was no reward.

The scripture says David turned and walked away. He ignored it. One reason we are talking about him is he knew which battles to fight; he did not engage in every conflict.

Live at Peace

And Paul said in Romans 12:18, «As far as you can, live at peace with everyone.» It does not say that you are always going to have peace with every person; some people do not want to have peace with you. David’s brother did not want peace; he was jealous; he was small-minded; he wanted to stir things up. David had to accept that his brother was not going to be at peace with him.

«Well, Joel, should we not go the extra mile? Should we not be the bigger person?» Yes, but if you do all that and they still do not want peace, you need to move on. You have a destiny to fulfill; your assignment is waiting on you. You cannot worry about people that do not want to have peace with you.

And I am all for being nice, but at some point you have to put your foot down and say, «You may have a problem with me—no disrespect—but I do not have time to have a problem with you. I do not have time to play petty games, to try to convince you that I am okay.» Life is too short to try to have peace with people that do not want to have peace with you.

And some of your relatives—you love them, but you have to love them from a distance. Do not frustrate yourself trying to make things happen that they do not want to happen. And that is not being disrespectful; that is being responsible with the gifts God has given you.

Avoid High-Maintenance Relationships

My nature is to be a peacemaker. I want everybody to be happy; I will go out of my way; I will go the extra mile four hundred times to make peace. But some people have their own issues; they do not get along with themselves—how are they going to get along with you? They do not like who they are—how are they going to like who you are?

And no matter what you do, it is not going to be enough. They are going to find faults, be critical, try to make you feel guilty. If you keep trying to appease them, keep bending over backwards, spending all your time and energy—all that is doing is letting them control you. Be nice, but do not get distracted trying to have peace with someone that does not want peace.

We all have people in our life like David’s brother. They do not like seeing you happy, rising higher, going new places. It is not about you; it is about the favor on your life; it is about the blessing God put on you. Do not take it personally; keep your face set. You will not fulfill your destiny if you are trying to keep everyone happy.

And some people that make the most withdrawals put in the least deposits—there are high-maintenance people. They expect you to always be there to help them, to encourage them, to meet their every demand, but when you need something they are never around; they are too busy. If that friendship is one-sided—they are doing all the taking and none of the giving—you need to make a change.

Don’t Carry the Donkey

I have heard it said, «Quit swimming across an ocean to be good to someone that will not jump across a puddle to be good to you.» And if they get offended because you do not meet every expectation, they were not a true friend; they just wanted you for what you can do for them. Those are distractions. You need to gradually break away from people like that.

You are not created to be controlled, to never have any time to pursue what God put in your heart. «Well, Joel, what if they get upset? What if I hurt their feelings?» I would rather disappoint a few people than to disappoint God. Because when you come to the end of life, you will not give an account to people of what you did with your time, your talents, your resources—you will give an account to God.

Romans 13 says, «Owe no person anything except to love them.» The only thing you really owe people is to love them. But if you think you have to keep everyone happy—"I have got to keep this one cheered up; I have got to call this one every day or they will get upset; I have got to play up to my co-worker or they will not be my friend"—you are carrying a debt that you do not owe.

Do not go through life trying to please everyone. If you try to keep every person happy, the one person that will not be happy is you. Come out from under that debt; be nice; go the extra mile, but do not be a people pleaser.

Freedom from People-Pleasing

This was hard for me because I want people to like me; I will go out of my way, do everything I can. But some people, as said, no matter what you do is not going to be enough. It is very freeing when you realize you are not responsible to keep other people happy; you are responsible for your own happiness.

Now I do not mean to live selfish and only think about you, but do not take that false sense of responsibility thinking that other people’s happiness depends on you.

There was this couple I knew years ago; I went out of my way to be good to them. They moved to another city, and I helped them move; I gave them money; I would call and check on them if they needed anything—I was always available. But the feeling I got from them is I was never doing enough; they were never satisfied; they always had a complaint.

Here I was going overboard to be kind and generous, but they were constantly finding fault, trying to make me feel guilty. I was concerned that they would get upset and they were not going to be my friend. One day I realized what I am telling you—they were only making withdrawals, never any deposits. I was nice, but I quit letting them control me.

When I stopped, you would have thought I had taken their firstborn child. They tried to make me feel so guilty, so ashamed, but my attitude was, «I love you, but I do not owe you.» If someone is controlling you, it is not their fault; it is yours. You have to put your foot down, make a change. This is your hour.

Run Your Own Race

You cannot reach your destiny dragging people along, trying to keep everyone happy. I know people that spend more time worried about what other people think about them than they do pursuing their own dreams and goals. And it is great to get free from addictions, free from depression, but one of the greatest freedoms is to get free from people because everyone has an opinion.

These days with social media it is easier to express than ever. People will tell you what to wear, how to raise your kids, what you are doing wrong, what to drive. They are quick to tell you how to run their life—sometimes they cannot even run their own life.

And it is good to take advice; it is good to listen to wise counsel, but nobody can hear what you hear on the inside. Other people may mean well, but they do not know what God put in you; they do not know the gifts, the dreams, the calling. Now have that boldness in you to become who God created you to be.

You cannot worry about what everybody else thinks. «Well, Joel, what if they get upset? What if they do not agree?» If someone gets offended because you are not taking their advice, that is not your problem. If you live by the opinion of others, you will never become who you were created to be because people will try to keep you in their box, in who they want you to be.

The Grandfather and the Donkey

There was this grandfather; he and his small grandson were taking a trip into town. He started off letting the grandson ride the donkey; he was walking alongside. Someone passed by and said, «Look at that selfish little boy making that old man walk.» He took the boy off and put him on the ground; he got on the donkey; the boy was walking alongside.

Somebody passed by and said, «Look at that man making that little boy walk while he rides.» He picked the boy up and put him on the donkey with him. A few minutes later someone passed and said, «How cruel of the two of you to place that heavy load on the donkey.» By the time they got to town, the grandfather and grandson were carrying the donkey.

Everybody has a right to have their opinion, and you have the right not to take it. No matter what you do, someone is not going to understand. Are you carrying the donkey? Are you being pressured into doing what people want you to do, not wanting to disappoint anyone? It is time to put the donkey down; the donkey does not look good on you. Start running your own race; start following what God put in your heart.

Following God’s Direction

My father went to be with the Lord 21 years ago this week. When I stepped up to pastor the church, I had a lot of people giving me advice, telling me how to run the church, how to minister, which direction we should go. One minister that we had known a long time and very prominent—he called me and told me what I should do.

He is a good man; I respect him, but nothing he said bore witness on the inside. I felt pressured to be who he wanted me to be, pressured to be who someone else wanted me to be. All these good opinions from good people, but deep down I knew which direction I was supposed to go. I did not know if it was going to work out, but I was not going to be squeezed into somebody else’s mold.

And I told that minister, «That is not what I feel on the inside,» and he did not agree; he thought I was making a mistake. But I knew when I came to the end he would not be on the throne; I would not have to answer to him. I followed what God put in my heart, and God has taken me further than I ever dreamed.

Do not let people squeeze you into their mold. God is doing a new thing; He is going to take you further than your parents, further than those that have gone before you. Listen to their advice, but be strong to follow that still small voice on the inside. Nobody can hear God’s direction for your life like you. God will not give someone else more insight into your destiny than He does you.

The Compaq Center Decision

Sure some people may see things, but God speaks directly to your spirit. Some people will not understand you; they will get upset when you break out of the box. Someone told me, «Joel, I like the old days. You have forgotten where we have come from.» I thought, «I have not forgotten; I just did not want to stay there.»

God is a progressive God; do not get stuck in the past; do not get stuck in tradition. «What are they going to think? What if they do not accept me? What if they do not approve me?» You do not need their approval; the Most High God has approved you; the Creator of the universe has already accepted you.

Now you have to set your face. This is your hour; there is greatness in you. God is calling you out of the ordinary, out of what you are used to. He has things in your future that are going to break barriers; you are going to go where no one in your family has gone. It is going to be unusual, out of the ordinary.

Sure there will be people that find fault, try to discredit, think that you are missing it. That is okay; nobody has ever done anything great without opposition, without critics, without people thinking they were missing it. Keep your face set.

My father had always said that he would never move Lakewood from the original location. When I became pastor I was not about to move it either. I was new and young, and I was not going to rock the boat. We needed a bigger place to meet; we looked for land in that area, but nothing worked out. Then the Compaq Center—this place—became available. It is about 20 minutes from the original location.

Hearing God’s New Thing

I knew it was supposed to be ours; I felt it so strongly in my spirit, but I did not know what other people would think. They had heard my father say for many years that he would never move the location. My thoughts whispered in my mind, «Joel, this is not right; they are not going to understand; you better stay in your box.»

I felt something so strongly in my spirit, but my mind was telling me just the opposite. One day I heard something down in here say, «Your father said he would never move it, but I never said you would not move it"—that is all I needed to hear. I announced that we were going to pursue the Compaq Center. 99.99 percent of the people were for it, but there will always be that one jerk—I mean that one person.

This man came up all bent out of shape: «Joel, your dad said he would not move it. This is a mistake. If you move it, I am not going to come.» I wanted to say, «You promised.» Some people will not accept the new thing God puts in your heart; they are stuck in what was while God is telling you what is. It is much bigger; it is new levels; it is greater influence; it is uncommon favor; it is something that you have never seen.

Do not let the fear of what people are going to think keep you in your box.

Saul and Abraham

This is one reason King Saul lost the throne. God told him to do certain things; he did them partially. When Samuel confronted him, Saul admitted, «I disobeyed the Lord’s instructions because I was afraid of the people, so I did what they asked.» God had greatness in Saul; He was going to take him amazing places, but Saul did not want to disappoint the people; he did not want to rock the boat.

You cannot be a people pleaser and reach your potential because people will try to squeeze you into who they want you to be. You may have to disappoint a few people in order to reach your destiny.

Genesis 12, God told Abraham to leave his country, his relatives, and his father’s house and go to the land of Canaan. Abraham gathered up his belongings, got his flocks and herds, and he left—but he took his nephew Lot with him. God had just told him to leave his relatives. I do not know; maybe he thought, «Lot will get his feelings hurt; he may be offended.»

He knew the right thing to do, but he was afraid someone would not understand. When they arrived, the land would not sustain both he and Lot—all their flocks and herds. Their shepherds started arguing; there was strife and division—all because Lot was not supposed to be there in the first place.

Finally Lot moved to a different part of the country. The scripture says after Lot left, God said to Abraham: look around; all the land you see I will give it to you. It is interesting that God did not speak until after Lot left. When Abraham finally did what he knew he was supposed to do—when Lot moved away—that is when Abraham stepped into the fullness of the blessing.

Your Hour Has Come

Do you have some Lots in your life? Are you letting the fear of what people think keep you from hearing the new thing God has for you? «What if we move the church? What if they get upset? What if people do not understand?» Why do you not get rid of the Lots? Quit being afraid of the people; quit letting them squeeze you into their mold.

Do not get stuck in tradition; God has blessings you have never seen—increase that you have never imagined. I am asking you to get rid of any distractions: no more living to please people, no more worrying about what others think, no more fighting battles that do not matter.

This is your hour; this is your time. Make up your mind you are going to set your face; you are going to become who God created you to be. If you will do this, I believe and declare, like with Abraham, you are about to see unprecedented favor. New doors are about to open—divine connections, breakthroughs, the right people, healing, favor, victory, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus' name.

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