Joel Osteen - The Weight of Glory (11/23/2020)
Joel Osteen explains that glory—honor, favor, and influence—comes with a weight that requires preparation through tests of character, using stories of David, Joseph, and his own father to show how difficulties and «winter seasons» strengthen us. He declares that passing these tests positions believers to handle greater blessings, influence, and destiny from God.
Glory Comes with a Weight
I want to talk to you today about «The Weight of Glory.» Glory means honor, favor, influence. We like those things, but we do not always realize there is a weight that comes with favor, a weight that comes with influence. If you are not prepared for it, the favor will not be a blessing; it will be a burden.
We have to pass some tests before God will trust us with the weight of glory. Nothing happens by accident; your steps are being ordered by the Lord. The delays, the disappointments, the bad breaks—those are tests. Will you be good to people that are not being good to you? Will you stay in faith when things happen that you do not understand?
You come down with an illness, you are overlooked for a promotion, the pandemic slows your dreams—these are all opportunities to prove to God that you can handle the weight of glory.
Tests Prepare You for Greater Things
When you understand that God uses difficulties and things we do not like to get us prepared, then you do not complain when things do not go your way. You realize it is serving a purpose. When you do the right thing when the wrong thing is happening, you are getting stronger; your roots are going down deeper.
That is why God does not remove everything instantly. We pray, «God, take this trouble away. Change this person. Make me comfortable.» But if you are always comfortable, you will not be prepared. We grow in the difficult times. We grow when we have to stretch our faith, believe when we do not see things changing, stay in faith when we did not get the contract. Those are very important times.
If what you are praying about is not changing, then God is using that situation to change you.
A Purpose in the Discomfort
Now, I am not saying to accept everything, live with defeat—I am saying God has a purpose for it. If you will keep the right attitude, then it is preparing you for new levels; it is getting you ready to carry the weight of glory, to go where you have never gone, to see favor that you have never seen.
The reason it is taking so long is because what God has in store is much bigger than you can imagine. Now do not fight the seasons where you are not comfortable: «Why is this not changing? I have been doing the right things; it seems like the more I pray, the worse it gets.» God knows what He is doing. Everything serves His plan.
You cannot see it, but every day you stay in faith, every day you do your best at work, you have a smile on your face, a song of praise in your heart—you are passing the test. You cannot see it, but your spiritual muscles are getting stronger; your character is being developed; you are showing God that He can trust you.
Resistance Builds Strength
I like to lift weights, but the weights do not do me any good if they are always easy. If I get a ten-pound dumbbell, I can lift that for three days. It is only when the weight is heavy enough to where there is resistance, it is uncomfortable, I do not like it, I prefer not to have to strain and stretch—but that is the only way the muscle grows.
You may be in a situation where you are uncomfortable: «God, why will these people not treat me right? Why will my business not increase? Why have I not met anyone?» You are in training; this is an opportunity to get stronger. If God changed it overnight, you would not be prepared to carry the weight of glory.
God has something awesome in your future. Do not get discouraged by what is not working out, by how long it is taking, by who is not changing—it seems like it is all negative, but what you cannot see is you are growing; you are getting stronger; you are developing a greater trust, greater confidence, greater endurance. These challenges are all opportunities to come up higher.
Passing Tests of Character
But there will be people in your life—you are treating them right, but they are doing you wrong, leaving you out; they are jealous. The time will come where you can get even; you can pay them back; you can leave them out—that is a test. Will you do to them what they did to you? Or will you be the bigger person? Take the high road and be good to them despite what they did.
That is not just being nice; that is passing the test; that is showing God that you can carry the weight of glory, the weight of influence, the weight of leadership. God will not put you in a higher position if you are going to use that influence to mistreat people.
He will test you with small things. How do you treat that clerk that is hard to get along with? How do you respond to that lady on the phone that does not give you the time of day?
Small Things Matter to God
«Joel, she was rude to me—that is why I was rude back to her; besides, she does not even know who I am.» She may not, but God does. He is the one keeping the records.
Well, everyone at work slacks off; everyone comes in late; everyone wastes time—here is the difference: you are not everyone. You are called to set a new standard. God wants to take you to levels that others cannot go. They do not have the character, the integrity; they do not want to live disciplined and focused. That is fine for them, but that is not who you are. You are exceptional. You have a calling on your life. There is an assignment for you to fulfill.
You were not created to just get by like others; you have greatness in you; you were created to stand out, to rise higher, to leave your mark. What you do in these seemingly small areas where nobody will know will determine whether God can trust you with big things.
This is more relevant today than ever because you can get on social media and be negative toward people, condescending, say hurtful things—all under a different name; nobody knew it was me. God is the one that matters. Promotion does not come from people; it comes from the Lord. The scripture says He lifts up one and sets down another. Can you handle the weight of glory? Can God trust you with more favor, more resources? Are you passing these tests?
Strengthening Your Branches
I have some lemon trees in our backyard, and one of them had so many lemons on it that a couple of the branches started to touch the ground. There were five or six big lemons on the end of this small branch, about a half an inch in diameter. Because the branches could not carry the weight, the lemons did not develop properly.
And sometimes we are wondering why we are not seeing more fruit: «Why will God not give me more influence, more favor, more opportunity?» It may be because our branches cannot carry the weight right now. If God gives you ten lemons but your branch can only sustain three, it is not a blessing; it is a burden.
Instead of focusing on the fruit, if you will focus on developing your branches—getting stronger, being a person of excellence, having integrity, doing the right thing when nobody is watching, treating people with respect, giving God praise when you could be complaining—because your character is getting stronger, your roots are going down deeper, you will be able to handle the weight of the fruit.
Fruit in Its Season
David said in Psalm 1:3, when you keep God first place, «You will be like a tree planted by the waters that brings forth fruit in its season.» It does not say it is going to bring forth fruit year-round. It is not healthy for that lemon tree to bear fruit all the time; it cannot sustain that.
Yes, we love harvest season; we love when we are seeing favor, prayers answered, new opportunities—that is great, but every season is not harvest. We may not like it, but winter is a blessing. Winter is necessary. Without the leaves coming off, the tree would never develop new buds.
In the winter season it looks like the tree is dead: no fruit, no leaves, branches are bare. You could think this tree is done; it has seen its best days. The truth is in the winter something is happening that you cannot see; the tree is gathering up sap; the roots are going down deeper; it is being prepared to handle more fruit in the spring. If there were not these different seasons, the tree would not reach its full potential.
Embracing Winter Seasons
Do not complain about the winter seasons in your life—the times you do not see any growth, you are stuck at the same level at work, nothing changing in your relationship, you are still single, your health is not improving. «Well, what is wrong? Where is all the fruit?» Nothing is wrong—you are in winter.
You cannot see it, but your branches are getting bigger. The fruit you have seen in the past—the success, the favor, the influence—if that is all there was, then you would have kept producing at the same level. The fact that you are in winter is a sign that God has more in store; He has bigger opportunities, more favor, greater honor.
Now keep a good attitude in winter when you are not being recognized, not getting the credit, not seeing growth—something is happening on the inside. God is getting you prepared.
All Seasons Through Christ
Paul said, «I can do all things through Christ.» One translation says, «I can do all seasons through Christ.» You may be in a winter season, not seeing the favor you have seen in the past. Instead of complaining, try a different approach: «Lord, I thank You that I can do all seasons. I can do spring, and I can do winter. I can do harvest, and I can do planting. I can do this pandemic season; I can do this season taking care of my elderly parents; I can do this season where I am not being treated right, where I am dealing with this illness.»
In those winter seasons, like a tree, you are gathering up sap; you are getting stronger; your character is being developed. You are learning to trust God in a greater way. All that is getting you prepared to carry the weight of glory, the weight of blessing, the weight of influence.
You would not be in winter, you would not be in this pandemic, you would not be facing this difficulty if God did not have something bigger coming. If you were going to keep producing the same amount of fruit, God would have left you alone. The fact that your branches are bare, the fruit is gone, there are no leaves—that is a sure sign that increase is coming.
David’s Hidden Preparation
David said, «You are going to bear fruit in your season.» And it may be winter in your life, but I sense in my spirit—you are on the verge of a new season. You passed that test; you have done the right thing when it was hard; you stayed in faith when life did not make sense; now you are ready to carry the weight of glory.
God is about to do a new thing; this next season is going to be something you have never seen: favor, opportunity, influence—greater than you have imagined. None of us like difficulties, but when you understand that without the winter seasons you cannot see growth, greater fruit, then you do not complain. You realize God is getting you prepared to handle greater weight.
Now thoughts will tell you, «Winter is permanent. You will never meet the right person; it has been too long. You will never get well, never come out of debt.» Do not believe those lies; winter always gives way to spring. Your harvest season is coming.
God is watching you. He sees you going the extra mile; He sees you working hard, making sacrifices, nobody thanking you. He sees you fighting that illness, the lonely nights, praising when you could be complaining, giving when you are not seeing increase.
You are going to come out of that lonely season, that unfair season, that barren season into a season of great joy, great favor, great health, great relationships, great opportunities. Because you pass these tests, you prove to God you can handle the weight of glory; you are going to see Him show out in your life.
Excellence in the Shepherds' Fields
This is what happened with David. At seventeen years old he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but he did not go to the palace; he went back to the shepherds' fields to take care of sheep. He was hidden; nobody paid attention to him; it was lonely, boring—taking care of sheep when he knew he had big things in him.
He could have slacked off, taken the easy way out, thought nobody is watching: «If I lose a couple sheep, big deal; nobody will know about it.» No, David was a person of excellence. He did the right thing when no one was watching.
What you do in private will determine how high you will go in public. If you cut corners, slack off, do things half-heartedly, that is going to keep you from carrying the weight of what God has for you. You do not get stronger by taking the easy way out. You grow when you do things you do not like—the right thing when no one is watching, have a good attitude when you are not getting your way, when it is not fair.
Your confidence will not be the limit of how high you go—your character will determine how high you go. There are a lot of talented, smart, capable people—talent may take you somewhere, but character is what will keep you there. Your character is more important than your confidence. What you do in private when no one is watching will determine how high God will take you.
David’s Integrity in Testing
David did not like being in the shepherds' fields; you know, he was looked down on by his family, rejected by his father, but you never read where he complained, where he got bitter. He kept doing the right thing year after year.
He had to prove to God that he would take care of those sheep before God would trust him to take care of His people, the Israelites. Every day David was in the shepherds' fields—nothing exciting, no sign of things changing—but something was happening on the inside: David was growing, getting stronger, developing character. He was proving to God that he could be trusted.
He did not like that winter season where he was hidden, but it was necessary. Without that time of proving, he would not have been able to carry the weight of glory, the weight of favor that God was going to give him.
If God is going to trust you with favor, influence, authority, you have to be a good steward of it. You do not prove that when you have it; you prove it in small things, in your private life—in how you treat people that cannot do anything for you, how respectful you are to your spouse, your family.
If you are harsh and condescending with the people you love, how can God trust you with greater influence?
From Hidden to Hero Overnight
After years in the shepherds' fields, David defeated Goliath and overnight became a national hero. When God can trust you, He will do things suddenly. It may look like you are falling behind; you have been doing the right thing a long time; nothing is changing. It seems like it is going to take years to get to where you need to be—the one touch of God’s favor will put you fifty years down the road.
When you come into your season, when winter changes to spring, God can suddenly thrust you to a new level.
David was working for King Saul, but Saul was jealous. He tried to kill David. David had to flee for his life; he lived on the run in the desert, hiding in caves—Saul was making his life miserable.
At one point David saw Saul and his men sleeping—this was his big chance to get even; he could finally pay Saul back for doing him wrong, put an end to all this trouble. But David would not do it. He knew Saul was the king, and you were to touch not God’s anointed.
Even though Saul was doing him wrong, David had so much integrity, so much character that he would not harm Saul. When Saul found out about it, he wept. He said, «David, you are a much better man than I am.» Not long after that, Saul was killed in battle, and David took the throne.
Lessons from My Father’s Winter
I wonder if this would have happened if David had not passed all these tests along the way—not just big things, but small things: doing the right thing in the lonely shepherds' fields, keeping a good attitude when his family did him wrong, being kind to Saul, not getting revenge. He did not like it, but these things prepared him to carry the weight of glory, the weight of influence, the weight of favor.
I learned much of this from my father. He was a man of great integrity and great character. In the late 1950s the church he was pastoring was going along fine—growing, seeing increase. But when my sister Lisa was born with a birth injury, he began to search the scriptures in a new way.
He saw God as a healer and a God that wants us to live an abundant, victorious life. Unfortunately, his congregation did not like his new message of faith and victory; it did not fit into their tradition. They ended up asking him to leave.
He was devastated; he had seen great success there. They had just built a new sanctuary; he was on the state board for his denomination. In that season he saw great fruit, but now it was winter—no fruit, no church, no favor.
Faithful in the Feed Store
He could have been bitter, given up on his dream, but he and my mother went out and started Lakewood with ninety people in an old run-down feed store. Here my father had just come from a beautiful new building, stained glass. This feed store had holes in the floor; it was dirty, no windows. They cleaned it up, put folding chairs, and had church.
My father preached to those ninety people just as strongly and passionately as he did to the thousand at his previous church. But for thirteen years Lakewood did not grow. He was giving it his all, but nothing was improving—still had less than two hundred people.
He could have been discouraged: «God, I do not understand it.» But he just kept doing the right thing year after year.
In 1972 there was a shift. Suddenly people started coming from all over the city; Lakewood grew to a church of thousands that would impact the world. But those years where he was not seeing growth, years where there was no fruit, he was doing the right thing but the wrong thing was happening—those were very important years.
Without the winter season where he proved to God he would be faithful, he proved to do the right thing when it was hard, he proved he would not get bitter and try to get revenge—that is what prepared him to carry the weight of glory.
Every Difficulty Has a Purpose
And everything that happens in life—the difficulties, the delays, the things that are not fair—they are not random. God has given you the opportunity to grow, to come up higher. He is getting you prepared to handle the weight of favor, the weight of influence.
Now quit telling yourself, «It is too hard. They did me wrong; it has been so long.» No, turn it around: «I can handle every season through Christ. It is winter; I do not like it; I am uncomfortable, but I can handle winter. I know God is still on the throne; I know I have been armed with strength for this battle.»
I do not like this loneliness, but I am not going to fall apart; I can handle a lonely season. I can handle this season fighting a sickness. I can handle this season where I am not seeing any fruit. I am not going to drag through it complaining—I am going to keep a song of praise; I am going to keep being good to people. I know all seasons are working for my good.
Prepared for Greater Harvest
You do that; you are not just passing the test; you are getting prepared. Your character is coming up higher; your spiritual muscles are getting stronger. At the right time you will come out of winter into your harvest season. You will see greater favor, greater influence, greater opportunities. It is because you can handle the weight of glory.
Some of the difficulties that we complain about—the challenges that we do not like—without them we would not be prepared. Instead of trying to pray away all the things that make you uncomfortable, pray away the people that get on your nerves, pray away the delays—why do you not try a different approach and say, «God, help me to keep a good attitude in the midst of these challenges. Help me to stay in faith when people are not treating me right. Help me to resist the temptation to compromise, to take the easy way out, so my character can develop, so my branches can get stronger, so I can handle the weight of what You have in store.»
If God is not removing the difficulty, if He is not changing what you do not like, He is getting you prepared to carry a lot of weight. The longer it has taken, the greater the harvest. The glory that is coming—the favor, the influence, the resources—it is going to be something that you have never seen.
Joseph’s Character Tested
The scripture says (Psalm 105:19), «Until the time came to bring Joseph’s dream to pass, God tested Joseph’s character.» Before your dream comes to pass, God will test your character. You have to prove that you can handle what He has entrusted you with.
God gave Joseph a dream as a teenager that he would be in leadership, but he was betrayed by his brothers. They took his coat of many colors that his father had given him—it represented favor. They threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery; he was falsely accused, put in prison—these were not just random bad breaks; God was testing his character.
It was not fair, but Joseph did not get bitter; he kept passing the test. His brothers took his robe, but they could not take his favor. They took his freedom, but they could not take his anointing. They took him from his home, but they could not take his dream.
All these steps were necessary; they were preparing him for the weight of glory. If you have a small destiny, you would have small challenges. If you were going to have little influence, little resources, then you would have little opposition. The reason you have big giants is you have a big destiny. The reason you are in winter so long is because your harvest is so big.
From Prison to Prime Minister
Thirteen years later Joseph was brought out of prison and made the prime minister of Egypt. His brothers—the same ones that sold him into slavery—traveled to the palace looking for food; there was a famine in the land.
They did not know Joseph was still alive. They pulled up to the palace; Joseph was in charge of the food supply. When he saw his brothers, he could have thought, «Okay, great—now it is payback time.» This was his big chance to get even, but he would not do it. He treated them with kindness. He had them go get their father and come back and live with him at the palace.
God is not going to give you influence so you can get even. If you are waiting to get that promotion, that favor so you can show your enemies who you are, let them have it—you are not going to see the increase that you should.
There is a responsibility that comes with favor. You have to have the character that will handle the influence the right way. You have to bless your enemies, not talk bad about them. «When they are criticizing me, I am going to criticize them"—you will get stuck where you are. God is testing your character.
Are you going to complain in the winter seasons? Live discouraged, try to pay people back?
A Shift Is Coming
I am asking you to be a Joseph—do the right thing when it is hard. That difficulty is not there to stop you; it is there to prepare you. God is about to release a new level of favor, influence, resources, but He is looking for people He can trust to carry the weight of glory.
I believe you are one of those people. You would not be hearing this if God was not about to do something new. Do not get discouraged by how long winter is taking—that is a sign something is on the way bigger than you have imagined.
God is getting you prepared; keep passing that test. Every morning remind yourself, «I can do all seasons through Christ.» If you will do this, I believe and declare a shift is coming; winter is about to end. Suddenly you are going to come into spring; suddenly you will see opportunity, healing, promotion, breakthroughs—a harvest like you have never seen, in Jesus' name.