Joel Osteen - Windows Of Grace

Joel Osteen explains in this sermon that God opens temporary «windows of grace"—Kairos moments—when we suddenly feel strong faith and urging to forgive, break addictions, or pursue dreams, providing divine empowerment to succeed. Using Hebrews 3:15, the Israelites' failure, Jonah in Nineveh, and personal stories like his own calling to ministry, he urges us not to delay obedience, as these limited seasons of favor can close, but stepping into them thrusts us into greater destiny.

Windows of Grace

There are times where we are going along, minding our own business, and suddenly we know we are supposed to do something. We feel it so strongly in our spirit—this urging telling us to forgive the person that hurt us. Or we have struggled with an addiction for years, but suddenly we have a new desire to be free. We have dreamed about starting our business, writing that book; all of a sudden we know it is our time. Those are not just nice thoughts; that is God speaking to us.

God does not ask us to do something and not give us the ability to do it. With that urging, you will feel faith rising up; you will have the faith, the determination, the strength, the favor to do what you could not do before. But here is the key: it is a window of grace; it is not going to last forever. Too often we hear the still small voice, but we put it off. «I know I need to forgive, but I will do it later. I know I need to get in shape, take care of my health; I will do it soon.»

«I feel this new passion, this confidence to step up and lead my department; I am going to do it one day.» The problem is that window is going to close. Do not take the grace for granted; that is a destiny moment where God is making a way where you can come up higher. When you feel that faith, you have to step into it. That is God saying, «This is your time; this is your moment.»

Obey Today

The scripture says (Hebrews 3:15), «Today if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.» That is not just talking about salvation. When you hear His voice telling you to have a better attitude, to treat your spouse more respectfully, to tithe your income—the reason it is so strong is God is opening a window of grace. That is the time to obey: not tomorrow, not next week, but right then.

When that window opens, you will feel a divine empowerment, God breathing in your direction in a new way. You will have the grace to forgive, the confidence to step up, the power to succeed. A friend of mine struggled with smoking since high school; he was in his forties. He did not like to smoke; he tried to quit many times but was not able to. He finally accepted it, that that was his lot in life.

One morning he woke up and felt so strongly that it was his time to stop smoking. He had a new determination, a new passion; he said, «I have never felt faith like this; I knew I was going to break it.» The problem is he kept putting it off, saying, «Tomorrow I am going to start.» Tomorrow would come; he felt it just as strongly. «Later I will get serious about it.» The next week he did not feel it quite as much.

Missing the Season

A month went by; he still had not done anything. Now he barely had the desire to stop. A couple of months later he was back to thinking he could never break it. He said, «Joel, I know I could have stopped. I know that was God talking to me, but I missed my season.» That window does not stay open forever; there is a time limitation where God gives you this opportunity to come up higher.

When you have the faith for it, that is the time to act. Do not talk yourself out of it; do not make excuses. «Later I will get serious.» You are not always going to feel what you feel. That grace is on you for that season to do what God is asking you to do. Today when you hear His voice—obey, step into that grace, take advantage of what God is offering you.

And if the window closes, yes, God will open another window; He is merciful, but you do not know how long that is going to be. You do not have time to go around the mountain again and again like the Israelites—they turned an eleven-day journey to the Promised Land into 40 years because they kept complaining, talking about how big their obstacles were.

Step Into the Conviction

When God brings something to light that you need to deal with—a bad attitude, jealousy, saying hurtful things—you would not feel that conviction unless the window was opening to change, but you have to step into it. Dig your heels in and be more disciplined, bite your tongue when you could be disrespectful, have a smile when you should be discouraged: the grace is there.

As you tap into it, you will feel a force enabling you, empowering you. What is that? You are in a window of grace. In the scripture there are two Greek words used for time: one is chronos; that is where we get our word chronological. It deals with ordinary time: minutes, hours, and days. The second Greek word is kairos: it is defined as an opportune moment, a passing instant where an opening appears.

It has to do with an appointed time, with a season of favor. Now, God has already ordained these kairos moments for you. You are going to come into opportunities that seem over your head; you are going to be tempted to shrink back. God would not have put you there if you could not do it. It is a kairos moment; it is a season of favor.

Kairos Moments Ahead

All of a sudden you know you can beat that depression; you know lack and struggle is not your destiny; you feel faith rising up. Those are not just encouraging feelings; you are coming into a kairos moment, a special season of favor that God has strategically designed for you. If you will step into it, doors will open that you could not open; bad habits, addictions that have held you back will be broken.

Get ready for some kairos moments, moments that thrust you ahead. And when they come, do not be intimidated; that obstacle may be big, but our God is much bigger. He would not have opened that door if you did not have the favor to go through it. But it is a window of grace; it is not going to last forever. You cannot keep putting it off and expect it to be there in a year.

When you feel it, you have to stir your faith up: «Father, thank You that this is a new day; I am stepping into new levels of favor, wisdom, determination, discipline, creativity, anointing, and every force that is trying to stop me is being broken.» Get in agreement with God: He will open the window, but you have to take advantage of it.

The Israelites' Missed Opportunity

This is where the Israelites missed it. They had been in slavery many years; God brought them out, and they were headed toward the Promised Land. They made it through the desert, fought off enemies along the way, finally came to the land flowing with milk and honey. They were camped next door to the Promised Land. This is what they had been dreaming about; all they had to do was go in and take the land. God had already promised them the victory.

This was one of their kairos moments; an incredible door was about to open, an opportunity of a lifetime. With that kairos moment comes the favor to accomplish, the power to overcome, the strength to defeat the opposition. The problem is the Israelites did not recognize that they were in a window of grace. They said, «Moses, these people are too big; we will never defeat them. We felt like grasshoppers compared to them; let us go back to Egypt.»

Even though God promised to take them into the land, even though they were in a kairos moment where they had the favor, the strength, the power, they turned around and went back into the desert. They did not understand: God will not give you the opportunity and then not give you the grace to do it. You may be up against some big giants, but the favor on your life is bigger than anything that is trying to hold you back.

The Closed Window

And God was so put out with the Israelites; He told Moses that they were never going to enter the Promised Land. Moses told the people what God said, how they were limiting their destiny, being weak and intimidated. The scripture says they turned and went back toward the Promised Land. They said, «Moses, we have done wrong; now we are ready to enter the land God promised.»

You would not think Moses would say, «Great, I am glad you changed your mind; let us go in.» Moses said to them, «Do not enter the land now or you will be crushed by your enemies.» What happened? That window of grace closed; that kairos moment passed. Moses knew if they tried to go in out of God’s timing, when the window of favor was not open, they would be defeated.

That is why it is so important to not put off what you know God is telling you to do. When you feel that urging, that knowing—whether it is to break a bad habit or to step into something that seems over your head—if you keep delaying, the window is going to close. And your mind may tell you all the reasons why it is not going to work out: you cannot accomplish that dream, you do not have the connections, you cannot forgive that person—they hurt you too badly.

Step Into Your Season of Favor

You have always been negative, bitter, jealous—that is just who you are. That is not who you are; that is why you are hearing this. There is a kairos moment coming your way; there is a window of grace about to open. Now do not do like them: put your shoulders back, hold your head up high, and step into it. God is about to take you to a new level; things that have held you back are being broken.

New doors are about to open; giants are about to be defeated; talent is about to come out of you that you did not know you had. You are coming into a season of special favor. Yes, you always have favor, but there are moments where that favor will show out; you are going to see an opportune time where God thrusts you ahead. Now do your part: start believing for favor, start praying bold prayers, start speaking victory over your life.

Do not go around talking about how big the giants are and how you could never get well, never meet the right person, never start your own business: zip that up. Start declaring, «This is my time; God’s favor is on my life in a new way. I have the grace to rise higher, the grace to forgive that person, the grace to break this addiction, the grace to accomplish my dream.» Be bold; be strong; the Lord your God is with you.

Joel’s Personal Kairos Moment

This is what I had to do. When my father was 77 years old, he was at my sister Lisa’s house one Monday evening to eat dinner with Lisa and my mother. Lisa had just finished cooking her favorite dish; right before she put those TV dinners on the table, my father said to them, «I am going to call Joel and see if he will speak for me this Sunday.» My mother laughed and said, «John, you are wasting your time; Joel is not a minister.»

I had worked behind the scenes here at Lakewood for 17 years doing the television production. My father tried to get me up to speak many times, but I always told him no. I did not have any desire to get up in front of people; plus my dad was a great pastor. I thought, who would want to listen to me? You know, I have not been trained to do this. Well, that Monday evening I was eating dinner at my house as well. My dad called and said, «Joel, I just wanted to see if you would speak for me this Sunday.»

I had told him no dozens of times before; I kind of laughed and said, «Daddy, I am always honored that you ask, that you had that much confidence in me, but I am just not a minister.» He never pressured me; he encouraged us kids to follow our own dreams. We hung up the phone, and I sat down to finish eating dinner. A couple of minutes later I felt something so strongly on the inside telling me that I needed to do it.

Recognizing God’s Voice

I do not know how to explain it; I just knew that I knew I was supposed to do it. It did not make sense to my mind, but God does not speak to our mind; He speaks to our spirit. Not out loud, but down in here you will feel an urging, a knowing. You do not have to hear words; you just know it. Many times we do not recognize that is God talking to us.

All of a sudden you know you are supposed to get your finances in order; you know you are supposed to break away from a friend that is holding you back; you know you are supposed to go back to school, improve your skills. We think, «Oh, that is just me; I will think about it. Maybe I will; maybe I will not—no big deal.» No, that is not just you; that is God talking to you; that is God opening a window of grace.

You are coming into a kairos moment, a special season of favor to do what you could not do, to go where you could not go. The question is: will you step into it, or will you put it off and let the window close? Time is of the essence; the longer you wait, the less passion you will feel and the less likely you will be to do it. Do not put it off; it is an opportune moment. It is not months; it is not years—it is a passing opportunity.

One Act of Obedience

Unless you grab hold of it, stretch your faith, make the changes, then you will miss your moment. Five minutes later I called my father back and told him that I had changed my mind and that I would speak for him that Sunday. Lisa and my mother nearly passed out; I was going to speak my first sermon in 36 years. I did not want to do it, but I knew I was supposed to do it.

The truth is that was the most miserable week of my life. I so dreaded having to get up in front of people—no offense, but y’all were very scary. I told Victoria, «Please do not talk to me until Sunday afternoon at one o’clock. I am going to do this one time, make my father proud, and then I am done.» You have heard that saying, «If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.»

I spoke that Sunday, never dreaming that would be the last Sunday of my father’s life. Now I often think about where would I be if I would have said no, if I would have ignored that feeling. That was a kairos moment, something God ordained to thrust me into my destiny. It is not like I could have done it a month later; my father would have been gone; it would not have had the same impact.

Domino Effect of Faith

And one reason I was able to step up and pastor the church is I thought, «What are the chances of me speaking the last Sunday of his life? I had told him no for 36 years, but it just so happened that last time I said yes.» That is why I felt it so strongly; I knew I was supposed to do it. But here is my point: I could have said no; I could have ignored it; I could have said, «I will do it later; I do not feel qualified; ask me again at the same time next year.»

But by the grace of God I stepped into it. Do not miss your kairos moments; you do not know where they are taking you; you do not know what doors are going to open; you do not know what one good decision, one step of faith, one getting out of your comfort zone and obeying that still small voice—how that is going to cause a domino effect of awesome things in your life.

If I had not said yes to that one speaking invitation, I do not believe that I would be a pastor today. We would not have probably the Compaq Center, the books, Sirius XM, Nights of Hope—those all followed that one act of obedience. «Well, Joel, that is exciting for you, but it is kind of depressing for me because I think I have already missed my window.» You would not be hearing this if God was not about to open another window.

New Windows Are Coming

There is a kairos moment coming your way, something that is going to thrust you ahead, a power that is going to free you from every addiction, break every chain that has held you back, and release you into a future greater than you have ever imagined. Now when it comes, step into it: stretch your faith, pursue that dream, make the necessary changes. Do not let it pass you by.

In Acts chapter 24 the apostle Paul was brought to Caesarea to go on trial for sharing his faith. He was standing before the governor, a man named Felix, presenting his case. Felix was very intrigued by Paul; the main trial was going to take place later, so he had Paul taken into custody. In a few days Felix and his wife sent for Paul to come visit with them.

Paul discussed his faith, the importance of living a godly life and having self-control. Felix felt convicted; he had lived compromising, giving in to carnal desires; he knew he needed to change. This was one of his kairos moments, a window of grace. But Felix said to Paul in verse 25, «Go away for now. When a more convenient time comes, I will call for you.»

Felix’s Convenient Time

He put it off; he did not want to deal with the conviction. Two years later he was out of office; we never read about Felix again. I do not know if that more convenient time ever came. That is why the scripture says, «Today, when you hear His voice, obey.» Are you waiting for a more convenient time, ignoring the still small voice, talking yourself out of taking that step of faith? You do not know how long that window is going to be open.

Do not do like Felix and keep making excuses; this is an opportunity to come up higher, to see God’s favor in a greater way. My friend DeVon Franklin is a movie producer in Hollywood. When he was a young man, he had a dream to own his own company making films. He went to Los Angeles to be an intern at this big movie studio. Instead of producing films, he was running errands: taking the executives coffee, bringing their lunches—but he stayed faithful, and one door after another opened.

He got a position helping produce Will Smith’s movies; he ended up as a vice president at Sony Pictures—a great position, but his dream was to own his own company. He produced the movie «Heaven Is for Real»; opening weekend it made 30 million dollars, a huge success. Nobody predicted those kinds of numbers. His boss called and congratulated him and said she was going to give him a promotion and increase his salary.

DeVon Franklin’s Leap

As he was going to meet with her, he heard God saying to him, «This is the time to leave Sony and start your own company.» He said, «God, that could not make sense. These people love me; I am about to get this huge promotion.» Deep down he could not get away from it; he knew he was supposed to make a change. He told his boss that he was going to leave and that he wanted Sony to fund his new company.

She looked at him and said, «Yes, we can do that.» He nearly passed out; this was more than he could imagine. He would not only have his company, but his old company would fund it. They signed all the paperwork; several weeks later this boss that liked him so much was involved in an email controversy and she suddenly lost her job. If he would have waited a couple of months to start the company, he would have never had the funding.

That was a kairos moment, a window of grace. You can do the right thing at the wrong time and miss your destiny. Timing is critical. When God says to do something, you need to do it. It may not make sense now, but God knows things that we do not know. When He says «Forgive,» you may think of a thousand reasons not to—just do it; God knows what is best for you.

Faith Requires Risk

When He says, «Take that step of faith,» your mind may tell you, «What if it does not work? What if the contract does not go through? What if the economy slows down?» If there is no risk, it does not take any faith. If there is no chance you can fail, then you do not need God’s help. But where God has taken you, you cannot go there on your own.

You may be talented, but your talent alone is not enough. You may be connected, but you do not have enough connections. God has a future for you that is much greater than you can imagine; you are going to need these windows of grace, these kairos moments. When we acquired this building, the former Compaq Center, I was told that it was going to cost a hundred million dollars to renovate.

Three years earlier I was running camera, editing my father’s sermons, doing the production. Do you know how much fundraising experience I had at that time? Zero. I thought, «God, I am so far over my head, but Lord, thank You that this is not over Your head.» I had the faith, the boldness, the confidence to do something that did not even make sense. That was one of my kairos moments.

God’s Faith in Us

What am I saying? When God asks you to do something, He is going to give you the faith and the favor to do it. The scripture talks about having the faith of God. Sometimes it is not even our faith; it is God putting His faith in us. But you have to stay in this window; you cannot think about it for six years and get 47 different opinions.

First, you are going to be confused because people cannot hear what God is telling you; they cannot feel what you are feeling on the inside, and secondly that window is not going to last forever. If you keep putting it off, eventually it is going to close. In the scripture God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people they had 40 days to repent or God was going to destroy the city.

It is interesting that God put a time period on it. He did not just say repent sometime, whenever you feel like it—no big deal, just as long as you do it. He said, «You have 40 days to make things right.» When Jonah told the people, the first thing they did was fall on their knees; the king took off his royal robe, put ashes on his head, and declared a citywide fast.

Your 40 Days

They did not wait a week; they did not wait 20 days—immediately they said, «God, we are sorry for the way we have been living,» and God spared the city. I wonder if there is something you could change in the next 40 days and you would see God’s favor in a new way. Maybe God is saying to you: you have 40 days to get your priorities in order, 40 days to forgive that person, 40 days to pursue your dreams, or 40 days to get serious in your relationship with God.

There is a window of grace. It was 40 days for the people of Nineveh; I do not know what it is for you, but I do know when these kairos moments come, there is a time limitation; they do not last forever. Do not miss your moment; listen to that still small voice, that knowing on the inside. That is when you are going to have a divine empowerment, the favor to do what God is asking you to do.

If you will do this, I believe and declare you are about to come into some of these kairos moments: new doors are about to open, freedom from addictions, restoration in relationships, healing, promotion, breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus' name.

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