Joel Osteen - Keep Speaking Victory (12/07/2020)
Joel Osteen teaches that our words act as a rudder steering our lives, based on the principle that we eat the fruit of our tongue and prophesy our future through what we speak. Encouraging listeners to declare victory, health, favor, and abundance daily, he promises that consistent faith-filled words will lead to breakthroughs, healing, and the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Your Words Are Steering Your Life
I want to talk to you today about «Keep Speaking Victory.» Our words are setting the direction for our lives. If you want to know what you are going to be like five years from now, listen to what you are saying about yourself. «I will never get well. I will never break this addiction. I will never meet the right person"—you are prophesying your future.
You cannot speak defeat and have victory. You cannot talk sickness and have health. You cannot speak lack and struggle and have abundance. The scripture says, «You will eat the fruit of your words.»
Pay attention to what you are saying about yourself, about your family, your finances, your health—you are going to become what you are continually saying. That is why it is so important to get in a habit of speaking victory over your life.
Declare Victory All Day Long
All through the day: «I am blessed. I am strong. I am healthy. I am surrounded by favor. Something good is going to happen to me.» The fruit of those words are blessings, favor, abundance. It is not enough to just think it—we give life to our faith by speaking it out.
When you are in tough times, you can complain, talk about the problem, «I cannot believe this happened,» or you can say, «Father, thank You that You are fighting my battles. Thank You that what was meant for harm You are turning to my advantage. Thank You that You always cause me to triumph, that I am coming out of this better than I was before"—that is prophesying victory; that is prophesying a breakthrough.
Do not use your words to describe the situation—use your words to change the situation. «Well, I will never get out of this problem"—you are inviting defeat. «I am not that talented"—you are inviting limitations. «I will never accomplish my dreams. I do not have the connections"—you are inviting mediocrity.
Send Out New Invitations
You need to send out some new invitations. You may be struggling with depression; your report should be, «This is only temporary. This is not who I am. I am free; I am happy; I have a bright future.» That dream may look too big, but «I know with God all things are possible. New doors are about to open; good breaks are looking for me; divine connections, the right people are headed my way.»
Paul said in Ephesians 4:29, «Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those that hear them.» One person that hears your words is you—they go out of your mouth and back into your own ears. If you hear them long enough, they will take root in your spirit.
You believe what you say about yourself more than what anyone else says. There is nothing more powerful than you speaking victory over your own life.
Joel’s Personal Turning Point
When my father went to be with the Lord and I stepped up to pastor, every thought told me that I could not minister: «Joel, you do not have the experience. You are not talented. You are not qualified.» One thing I have learned is to not verbalize the negative. Do not give those thoughts life by speaking them out.
Instead of talking about how I felt—insecure, unqualified, intimidated—I said what God said about me: «I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord. I am equipped, empowered, anointed. People like me; people are drawn to me. I have been raised up for such a time as this.»
The whole time I was saying that, I did not feel confident; I did not feel qualified; I felt just the opposite. But as I kept speaking victory, as I kept calling myself who God says I am, it took root on the inside.
Over time I started to feel strong, confident, well able. I started to see favor, new doors opening, God taking me where I never imagined. What happened? I ate the fruit of my words.
It Takes Time—Keep Speaking
It may not happen overnight; you have to keep speaking victory, keep calling yourself healthy, keep declaring your children mighty in the land, keep declaring your dreams are coming to pass.
James chapter 3 compares the tongue to the rudder of a ship. Verse 4 says, «Although a ship is large and driven by strong winds, it is steered by a small rudder wherever the pilot wants it to go.» It is the same way with the tongue—even though it is a small part of the body, it is steering your life.
What you are saying is determining which direction you go. The good news is you have control over the rudder; you control your tongue. Are you sending your words out in the direction you want your life to go?
Wrong Direction or Right?
«I do not think I am going to get well; the medical report does not look good"—that is the wrong direction. Why do you not say what God says about you? «God is restoring health back unto me. By His stripes I am healed. I will live and not die.»
«My child has been off course for so long; I do not think he will ever make good decisions"—change your rudder; you are headed the wrong direction. «Father, thank You that my children are mighty in the land. You said the seed of the righteous—my seed is blessed. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.»
«Well, I do not see how I can get ahead; nobody in my family has been successful. This pandemic is going to put my business under"—when you talk defeat, you are headed toward defeat. When you talk failure, lack, mediocrity—you are headed that way.
Are You in Agreement with God?
«Well, I am praying that God will help me"—He will help you, but you control the rudder; you are setting the direction with your words. Are you in agreement with God? He said you are blessed—are you saying something else? He said you are fearfully and wonderfully made, a masterpiece, crowned with favor. Are you calling yourself inferior, weak, not attractive?
Start declaring what He promised: «Father, You said even in famine the righteous will have more than enough. You said whatever I put my hands to will prosper and succeed. You said because I am a giver, You would open the windows of heaven, pour out blessings that I cannot contain.»
When someone asks you how you are doing, do not go into all your troubles, how bad it is—keep your ship going in the right direction: «I am strong; I am blessed; I am valuable; I am favored.»
Valuable Cargo at Stake
Think about a ship: it can be carrying very valuable cargo—oil, minerals, equipment—but all that valuable cargo is at the mercy of the small rudder of the ship. If the captain did not steer the ship the proper way, if the rudder was not in the right position, the ship would never make it to the intended destination; the cargo would all go to waste.
In the same way, you are carrying valuable cargo. When God breathed His life into you, He put gifts, talents, potential; you have seeds of greatness; you are destined to leave your mark, to take your family to a new level.
The question is not: are you equipped? Are you favored? Do you have what it takes? Your ship is fully loaded. The question is: are you going to keep your rudder going in the right direction? Are you going to keep speaking victory, abundance, favor, new levels? Or are you going to talk like you are average: «I cannot get ahead. I never get any good breaks. This addiction has been in my family line for years»?
Limited by Words, Not Circumstances
You are not being limited by your circumstances; you are being limited by your words. Your rudder is going in the wrong direction. What you speak, you are moving toward. When you speak victory, you are moving toward victory. When you speak health, you are moving toward health. When you speak abundance, overflow, more than enough, you are moving toward abundance.
Here is the key: you have to speak it before you see it—this is what faith is all about. The scripture says, «Let the weak say 'I am strong.'» You may not feel strong, but when you say «I am strong,» you are moving toward strength.
You may be fighting an illness, but when you say «I am healthy"—you are moving toward health.
Speak Before You See the Change
Perhaps you feel stuck in your career; it seems like you have reached your limits, but when you say, «New doors are about to open. Something good is going to happen to me. God is taking me from glory to glory"—you are moving toward new levels, favor, something that you have never seen.
Are you steering your ship in the direction you want your life to go? Is your rudder, your tongue, taking you toward blessing, increase, abundance? Or are you talking about what is not working out, how you do not feel talented, how the obstacles are too big? That is going to keep you from your destiny.
Jeremiah: «Say Not You’re Too Young»
In the scripture, God told Jeremiah that he was going to become a great prophet and speak to nations. Jeremiah was young and afraid—he did not feel qualified; he did not come from an influential family. The first thing he said was, «God, I cannot speak to nations; I am too young. I would not know what to say.»
God could have said, «Jeremiah, I understand this seems over your head. Do not worry; I am going to help you.» No, God said, «Jeremiah, 'say not that you are too young.'» God told him to zip it up. He knew if Jeremiah kept speaking those negative words, telling himself that he was too young, not qualified, did not have what it takes, he would never become who he was created to be.
Your tongue is the rudder for your life; it is determining the direction. Next time you are tempted to say something negative about yourself, negative about your future, your children, your finances—zip it up. Do not steer toward defeat. Say not you are too young; say not you cannot get well; say not you will never meet the right person; say not you cannot accomplish that dream. God would not have given it to you if you were not well able.
God Puts His Words in Your Mouth
Verse 9 says, «God reached out His hands and touched Jeremiah’s lips and said, 'I have put My words in your mouth.'» God was saying in effect, «Jeremiah, say what I say about you. Do not say what you feel; do not say what the experts say; do not say what it looks like—start saying what God says about you.»
God said in Psalm 65:11, «He will crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard places will overflow with abundance.» You can go around saying, «This is such a tough year; I cannot wait till it is over,» or you can say, «Father, thank You that even in hard times I will have more than enough. Thank You that You are an overflow God, that You are not limited by my circumstances, You are not limited by the economy. Lord, I thank You that I am blessed in a down year, I am favored in a famine, I am prosperous in a pandemic, I overflow with joy, overflow with peace, overflow with strength.» That is steering your ship toward increase, steering your ship toward overflow.
Overflow in Uncertain Times
I talked to a young lady; she was very successful in her career, but when the pandemic hit, things started to slow down, and she was very concerned about how it was going to work out. She heard me talking about how this was going to be an overflow year, how the economy is not our source but God is our source.
Something came alive on the inside. She started saying that phrase all through the day, repeating it under her breath again and again: «Lord, thank You that the economy is not my source, but You are my source. Thank You for an overflow year.»
It looked just the opposite: things were going down, decreasing, yet she was declaring increase, declaring favor, talking about the greatness of God. What was she doing? Steering her ship in the right direction.
In difficult times it is easy to talk about the problem, complain, be negative—that is when you have to dig down deep and say, «No, I am going to keep speaking victory. God, You are my provider, You are my healer. I may not see a way, but Lord, I know You are still on the throne.»
From Slowdown to New Business
She and her husband decided to start their own business. Against all odds, it took off more than they imagined. They just closed on their first house; their business continues to increase. She said, «In the midst of all this uncertainty, with people afraid, struggling, we have seen favor in ways we have never dreamed.»
That is what the scripture says: «Even in hard times the righteous will have more than enough.» But I do not think this would have happened if she would have gone around negative, complaining.
Pay attention to which way you are steering your ship—what you are constantly talking about, you are drawing in. When you are always bragging on the greatness of our God, talking about what He can do, declaring what He promised—you are going to draw in favor, blessings, increase.
Continually Magnify the Lord
Psalm 35:27 says, «Let them say continually: let the Lord be magnified, who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His children.» It is interesting that they were supposed to continually say this. You would think they could say it once or twice; that would be enough, but there is something powerful when you go through the day not talking about how big the problem is, how your back will probably never stop hurting, how you do not see how that child is going to turn around.
Instead, you are saying, «Let God be magnified, who takes pleasure in prospering me, who takes pleasure in healing me, who takes pleasure in favoring me.»
Are you taking time to declare God’s goodness over your life? Are you speaking victory over your future? It is not enough to do it every once in a while; it needs to become a habit where all through the day we are declaring that we are blessed, we are strong, we are healthy.
Start Your Day with Victory
When you wake up in the morning: «Lord, thank You for another beautiful day. And Father, thank You that something good is going to happen to me today. Thank You that You are surrounding me with favor, that blessings are chasing me down, that angels are watching over me, that You being for me is more than the world being against me"—that is setting your rudder in the right direction.
You cannot be silent and reach your potential; nothing happens until you speak. Your words give life to your faith.
Joshua 1:8 said, «This book of the law, these promises shall not depart out of your mouth. You shall meditate on them day and night; then you will prosper and have good success.» It does not say they should not depart out of your mind—if you think positive, you will be fine—not depart out of your eyes, if you read it enough. It says they should not depart out of your mouth. If you will keep speaking what God says about you, then you will have good success.
The Woman Who Kept Saying
Mark chapter five, there was a lady who had been sick for twelve years. She had spent all of her money trying to get well, going to the best doctors, but nothing helped. One day she heard that Jesus was coming through town.
The scripture says in the Amplified version, «She kept saying to herself, when I get to Jesus, I will be made whole.» In the midst of the sickness, she was prophesying health. All through the day—not just one time, but over and over—she kept saying, «Healing is coming; restoration is coming; a breakthrough is coming.»
She saw Jesus, but it was very crowded; people were packed all around Him. She could have been discouraged, complained; instead she kept saying, «This is my time. Things are about to change in my favor.»
As she kept speaking it, she got closer and closer. She finally reached out and touched Jesus' robe, and instantly she was healed. But notice the principle: whatever you are constantly saying, you are moving toward.
What Direction Are You Moving?
If you are always saying, «I will never get out of debt,» then you are moving toward struggle and lack. If you are saying, «My marriage is not going to make it; we do not get along"—you are moving toward separation, a breakup.
If you are saying, «I will never get well; this sickness will be the end of me"—you are moving toward defeat and mediocrity. But if you will send your words out in a different direction, your life will go in a different direction.
When you say, «I am blessed"—you are moving toward blessing. When you say, «I have the favor of God"—you are moving toward increase. When you say, «I am excited about my future; something good is going to happen to me"—you are moving toward new opportunities, divine connections.
When you say, «I am going to break this addiction. I am not going to live bound by this alcohol, this anger, this bad habit"—when you say that, you are moving toward freedom, breakthroughs, victory. Pay attention to what you are saying—your life is going in that direction.
Abraham and Sarah: Names of Promise
God gave Abraham the promise that his wife Sarah was going to have a baby. The problem was they were both way too old. Abraham was eighty; Sarah was barren, never able to have children—she had already gone through the change of life.
Sometimes God will give you a promise that seems impossible—you are too old, too young, you do not have the connections, medical report not good—you do not have to figure out how it is going to happen; just get in agreement with God: «Father, You said that I am going to have a baby, so Lord, thank You that my baby is on the way.»
The mistake we make too often is we send our words out in the wrong direction: «I cannot have a baby. I cannot get well. I will never start my business"—negative words can stop what God has for you.
God told the Israelites that they would live in the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey, but negative words kept them from going in. The ten spies said, «The people are too big; there are giants in the land.» The opposition did not defeat them; their negative words defeated them. They said, «We are not able; we do not have what it takes"—they became what they said; they prophesied their future. They turned around and wandered in the desert for over forty years.
When God puts something in your heart, do not start talking about how it is not going to happen, what you do not have, how big the opposition is.
Speaking the Promise Daily
Abraham had this promise that seemed impossible, but God did something interesting: He changed his name from Abram to Abraham. Abraham means «father of many nations.» He did not feel like a father, but every time someone said, «Hello, Abraham,» they were saying, «Hello, father of many nations.»
He could have thought, «They have the wrong person; I do not have any children.» When he met someone new, he would say, «Hello, I am Abraham"—he was saying, «I am the father of many nations.» He said that over and over, month after month. It began to get down in his spirit. He had to see himself a new way before that promise could come to pass.
And the way God changed his self-image was through his words—that is why it is so important all through the day, under your breath, you need to be saying, «I am blessed; I am healthy; I am strong; I am talented; I am successful; I am attractive"—that is helping to determine how you see yourself.
God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. Sarah means «princess.» She did not feel like a princess; she was barren. Women in that day that did not have children were looked down on. She could have felt inferior, ashamed, but when someone said, «Hello, Sarah,» they were saying, «Hello, princess.» «Good morning, Sarah» — «Good morning, princess.»
When she told people her name, she was saying in effect, «I am chosen. I am favored. I am blessed.» She said all this while she was still barren.
From Impossible to Miracle Baby
Your tongue is the rudder; it is deciding which direction your life is going to go. Every time Abraham and Sarah said their names, their rudder was pointed toward the promise. They kept declaring it year after year. When Sarah was ninety years old, she gave birth to a son—God did the impossible.
What are you saying about your dreams, your finances, your children? «I am too old; I have made too many mistakes; I do not have the talent»? That is going to keep you from giving birth. You cannot speak defeat and reach your potential.
Why do you not start saying what God says about you? He calls you what you are before it happens. «I do not feel blessed, healthy, favored"—that is okay; just get in agreement with God; He will make things happen that you could not make happen.
From Bench to NFL Kicker
I talked to a young man that came from a small town in Mississippi. He got a scholarship to play soccer at a major university, but his dream was to play football. His junior year he talked to the coaches about it; they allowed him to switch from soccer, and he joined the football team. He was a kicker.
He was thrilled to be on the team, but the coaches never gave him a chance. For two years he sat on the bench, never kicked a single field goal. At the end of his last college season, there was a scout day where coaches from professional teams would come and look at different players and ask them to work out so they could evaluate them.
He was hoping he would get some good leads, but no one was interested. It looked like his football days were over. Driving home from college, he turned on the radio, came across our SiriusXM channel. He heard me talking about how a shift is coming, how you are just one phone call away from your destiny, how one touch of God’s favor can catapult you to a new level.
When he heard that, something ignited in his spirit—he knew that was for him. He got his phone out and made a three-minute video telling everyone that that year he was going to be in the NFL. Most people thought he had lost his mind; he had never kicked one field goal, no track record, and now he was going to play professional football—that did not make sense.
Speaking Victory Opens Doors
He let it go in one ear and out the other; he started speaking victory: «Father, thank You that opportunity is coming. Thank You that Your favor is causing me to stand out. Thank You that no good thing will You withhold because I walk uprightly.» He was setting his rudder in the right direction, prophesying his future.
Four hours after he made the video, he received a phone call from the kicking coach of the Cincinnati Bengals football team, inviting him to come try out for the team. He could not believe it. He had never spoken to the coach, never met him.
He went to the rookie camp; against all odds he made the team. He became the only African-American football kicker in the NFL at that time.
When you speak victory over your life, God will open doors that no person can shut. He will take you where you cannot go on your own.
Keep Declaring—It’s a Lifestyle
The dreams He has put in your heart, the promises you are standing on—it is not enough to just believe them. That is important, but something happens when you speak. Angels go to work; forces of darkness are broken; good breaks come looking for you.
What you are up against may seem permanent—just keep speaking victory. When the medical report is not good, keep speaking health. When business is slow, keep speaking abundance. When the addiction seems like it will never change, keep speaking freedom. When your family member is off course, keep speaking breakthroughs.
If you will keep declaring what God promised—not, «Joel, I tried this three days and it did not work"—I am talking about a lifestyle where you have developed this habit of speaking health, speaking favor, speaking abundance—when you continually do this, God said you will have good success.
Eat the Fruit You Want
Friends, you are going to eat the fruit of your words. Make sure you are sending out words that you want to eat. If it is not positive, hopeful, faith-filled—zip it up.
Say not you cannot get well—our God is a healer. Say not you cannot accomplish your dream—our God is a waymaker. Say not that you will always struggle—our God is a provider.
Now get in agreement with Him; start sending your words out in the right direction. If you will keep speaking victory, I believe and declare—like this football player, good breaks are coming. Like that woman, healing is coming. Like Abraham, promises that look impossible are about to come to pass.
Problems that seem permanent are about to turn around. Favor is coming, breakthroughs, divine connections, restoration, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus' name.