Joel Osteen - Your Destiny Outweighs Your History (06/14/2021)
Joel Osteen encourages us to weigh not only our painful history but also the greater destiny God has ordained, showing through Jesus, Naomi, his father, and Samuel how God tips the scales—turning losses, disappointments, and empty places into overwhelming favor, restoration, and fulfillment far beyond what we’ve endured.
Your Destiny Far Outweighs Your History!
I want to talk to you today about your destiny outweighs your history. If you add up the negative things in your past and put them on a scale, at times it would be way out of balance—the negative is much heavier: you are dealing with an illness; you went through a loss; you had a setback in your finances.
It is easy to look at what we have been through and get discouraged, lose our passion. The problem is you are only weighing your history; you are only looking at the negative things that have happened. What you cannot see is what God has in your future.
He would not have allowed the difficulty if it was going to leave you in a deficit. If you are going to get the proper assessment, you have to put not just your history on the scales—you have to put your destiny.
Faith Tips the Scales—Joy Is Coming!
There are things in your future God has already ordained for you: promotion, healing, divine connections. They are not just going to tip the scale, but they are going to far outweigh the disappointment, the pain, the loss.
This is where faith has to kick in: «I am at a deficit right now—gone through this struggle; I had a setback. I am not denying that—but I know this: God is still on the throne. What He has in my future is going to far surpass what I am dealing with now.»
The Scripture says (Hebrews 12:2), «Jesus endured the pain of the cross, looking forward to the joy that was coming.» When He was being mocked by the soldiers, beaten with whips, nailed on the cross, He was at a deficit. It looked like the enemy got the best of Him.
People thought, «If He is who He really said He is, He would come down off that cross. He would not be up there defeated.» All the circumstances said He was done—but God has the final say. He will not let you get in a problem that He cannot bring you out of. The odds may be against you, but the Most High God is for you.
On the cross Jesus said, «My God, why have you forsaken me?» There will be times where it feels like God has forgotten about you: «Why did this bad break happen? Why did this person leave? Why did the pandemic hit and slow my business down?»
If you judge your life by where you are right now, you will get discouraged, give up on dreams. It is because you are only putting your history on the scale. You are way out of balance; what you are missing is what is coming.
You have to endure some things, looking forward to the joy that is on the way. You have to know that God is still on the throne, that He is ordering your steps, that what He started He is going to finish. No bad break can stop Him—no person, no pandemic, no loss, no sickness.
He sees what is not fair; He sees what did not work out—the lonely nights, the times you feel forgotten. The Psalmist said, «Weeping may endure for a night, but joy is coming in the morning.»
From Defeat to Victory—God Tips the Scales!
Jesus died on the cross; the forces of darkness celebrated—thought they had finally won. But on the third day God said, «I do not think so. My Son is not going to end in a deficit—He arose and is alive with all power.»
The point is He had to go through some things to fulfill His purpose. «I would rather God make it easy—just float through life with all good breaks"—but that is not how it works.
You cannot become all you were created to be without opposition, things you do not understand, people that turn on you, times it looks like you are done.
The way to endure is to keep reminding yourself that what God has in your future is not just going to make up for what you have been through—not just bring you back to even—but God is going to bring you out better: increased, promoted, healthier, to new levels of your destiny.
He has designed your life to where the good things in your future will outweigh the negative things in your past.
From Glory to Glory—Your Path Gets Brighter!
The Scripture puts it this way: «God has taken you from glory to glory. The path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter.»
He already has a solution to the problem that is holding you back. He has already arranged restoration for that loss, a new beginning for that setback, promotion for that injustice. It is already on the schedule—it is just a matter of time before you see the scales tip in your favor.
And when those lies come saying, «God has forgotten about you; it is never going to work out. You have seen your best days"—just say, «No, thanks. I know a secret: this may be difficult; it is not fair—but this is not how my story ends. Favor is in my future; good breaks are headed my way; the right people are tracking me down.»
Naomi: From Bitter and Empty to Full Again!
There is a lady in the Scripture named Naomi. She was married with two sons. They left her hometown of Bethlehem because of a famine and moved to the city of Moab. They found food and a nice place to live. Life was good—then Naomi’s husband unexpectedly died; she became a widow.
If that was not hard enough, a few years later both of her sons died. She was so heartbroken; she decided to move back home. She told her two daughters-in-law, Oprah and Ruth, that she was leaving—they should move on, find someone else to marry. Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye and went her way, but Ruth said, «No, I am going wherever you go. I am going to stay with you and help take care of you.»
We all face these unexpected challenges—things we did not see coming—where our scales get way out of balance. If you do not understand this principle—that God is going to make your destiny outweigh your history, that He is going to make up for the unfair things, that the loss, the bad break, the disappointment is not going to stop your purpose—then you will get bitter; you will give up on dreams and live sour.
This is what Naomi did. When she got back home, people said, «Naomi, we are so glad to see you.» She said, «Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara.» Naomi means «My joy»; Mara means «Bitter.» She was saying, «There is nothing joyful about my life. Do you know what I have been through?»
She said in Ruth 1:21, «I left Bethlehem full, but I came home empty.»
God Fills Empty Places—Fullness Is Coming!
There are times that life deals us such a blow that we feel empty—we have nothing left to give. We started out good; we were passionate, pursuing dreams—but we lost a loved one; the business did not make it; an unexpected illness—now we feel empty.
The beauty of our God is He is not going to leave you empty. He knows when life has been unfair; He knows when you do not feel like you can go on. He comes to the empty places. He has strength for the weary, fresh vision, fresh anointing.
Even now God is breathing on your life. You are about to come out of that empty place; things are shifting in your favor. New doors are about to open; the right people are about to show up. You are going to see a sign of God’s goodness letting you know that He is about to tip the scales.
They may be out of balance now, but He is not finished—He has something coming that is going to far outweigh the loss, the heartache, the disappointment.
Naomi’s daughter-in-law Ruth would go out into the fields each morning and pick up the leftover wheat—that is how they survived. One day the owner of that field, a man named Boaz, told his workers to leave handfuls of wheat on the ground on purpose for Ruth.
Now she came back in a fraction of the time with more wheat than ever. I can hear Naomi saying, «Ruth, what happened? Where did you get all this wheat? How did you come back home so fast?» Ruth said, «I do not know. It was just laying there, waiting on the ground.»
Naomi had been through great heartache; she was at an empty place—but notice how God began to work: favoring her, causing people that she had never met to be good to her.
From Loss to Legacy—Naomi’s Scales Tipped!
Boaz ended up falling in love with Ruth; they got married. They had a baby that they named Obed. Naomi was so excited; when she saw that little boy, she felt this new sense of purpose.
The Scripture (Ruth 4:14–15) says, «The women of the town rejoiced and said to Naomi, 'God has given you another son. May this child restore your youth.'» Naomi took care of him like he was her own son.
A few years earlier she was empty; she was bitter; she thought she had seen her best days—she never dreamed she would be this happy, this fulfilled.
God knows how to tip the scales—how to make what was meant for harm and turn it to your advantage.
And you may be at an empty place; you do not see how you could ever be happy again. If Naomi were here, she would tell you, «That is not how your story ends. God has things in your future better than you have imagined.»
You may not understand it right now; it is not fair—trust Him; it is all a part of His plan. He is going to bring you to a blessed place where you are more fulfilled, more rewarded than you have ever been.
Naomi’s Pain Led to Jesus—Your Story Isn’t Over!
What is significant is this was not just any baby—Obed was the grandfather of David. Out of David’s family line came Jesus.
Naomi’s disappointments—having to move back home—that was all a part of God’s plan. She was instrumental in our Savior being born.
At the time she could not see it; she felt empty; she got bitter—but God was still in control. He was still ordering her steps: causing Boaz to see Ruth, having Naomi help raise that little boy.
Naomi never dreamed thousands of years later we would be talking about her.
When you go through disappointments, loss—if you could only see how God is going to make it up to you, if you only knew the doors He is going to open, the people He is going to bring—then in those times that you could stay bitter, instead you would stay in faith. You could give up on your dreams, but you will keep believing. You could live defeated, but you will live passionate, expecting God’s favor.
Don’t Defeat Yourself with Wrong Words!
One reason Naomi got bitter is she kept telling herself the wrong thing. She said, «I am empty. I have nothing to give. I have seen my best days.» She was focused on what she lost, what did not work out, how it was not fair. Her own thoughts were defeating her.
What you are telling yourself in difficult times will make you or break you.
You may feel empty, but do not go around announcing it—telling everyone you are broke, defeated, addicted, lonely. That is not helping you. Those words are going out of your mouth and right back into your own spirit. Every time you say it, it is becoming more of a reality.
That is why the Scripture says, «Let the weak say 'I am strong.' Let the poor say 'I am well off.' Let the addicted say 'I am free.' Let those who have gone through bad breaks say, 'Good things are in my future.'»
I am not saying to deny the facts—just do not let the facts have the last word. Say what God says about you: «I feel empty, but I believe fullness is coming—favor is coming; healing is coming.»
When you have the right perspective, you can stay in faith even when life is not fair. You can move forward even when you should be stuck.
And often it is not the storms that defeat us—it is how we respond to the storms. There is collateral damage we can avoid if we do not add to the storm by getting bitter, giving up on our dreams.
When difficulties come, you have to be careful what you are telling yourself. It is easy to get in agreement with the lies: «It is all downhill from here. You will never be happy. Look at what you have been through.»
Naomi kept repeating her pain: «I went out full, but man, now I am empty—lost my sons, lost my husband.» What she was saying was true—but this is where faith has to kick in: «Yes, I have been through loss, but I know God still has a purpose for me—that there are still good things in my future.»
Move Forward—Leave Moab for Bethlehem!
Pay attention to what you are telling yourself. One thing Naomi did right is she kept moving forward. When she lost her sons, she said, «I am going to move back home.» She was saying in effect, «I am not staying in this sorrow. I am letting go of the old and moving on to the new.»
Do not get stuck in what did not work out. You may not understand it—but God would not have allowed it if it was going to stop your purpose. Do not put a question mark where God put a period.
If you prayed, you believed, you did your best—and your loved one did not make it, the door closed, the friend walked away—accept it as God’s will and move forward.
The Scripture (Ruth 1:22) says, «Naomi returned to Bethlehem at the start of the barley harvest.» If she had stayed in Moab—in self-pity, thinking about what she had lost—she would have missed the harvest season.
It was not a coincidence that she was moving back home in a time of abundance.
Do not miss your harvest because you are stuck on who hurt you, what you did not get: «My scales are way out of balance, Joel—I do not understand it.» Move forward—there is a harvest waiting for you.
God has already ordained the good breaks. He has already spoken to the workers to leave you handfuls on purpose. Boaz is already watching for you—you just have to get there. It may not be physically, but in your mind.
You need to pack up and leave—no more dwelling on the heartache, living bitter: «Nothing good is in front of me.» The problem is you are still in Moab. Moab is the defeat. Moab is the things that were not fair, the things you do not understand.
You have to get to Bethlehem—that is where the harvest is; that is where God is not just going to make it up to you, not just tip the scales, but you are going to see Him show out in your life—do something that you have never seen.
My Father’s Empty Place Led to Lakewood!
This is what my father had to do. In the 1950s he had been pastoring a church for many years; everything was going great—was growing; they just built a beautiful new sanctuary. He was on the state board for his denomination; his future looked very bright.
My sister Lisa was born with something like cerebral palsy. The doctors told my parents that she would probably never be able to walk or feed herself. They were devastated.
My father went to a hotel downtown to get alone for a few days and pray. He read the Scripture like he was reading it for the first time. He saw how God is a healer and how He wants us to live an abundant, victorious life.
He came back and told his congregation—thought they would all be so excited—but they did not like his new message of faith and victory; it did not fit into their tradition. Long story short, he had to leave the church. Lifelong friends never spoke to him again.
My father was at an empty place—he came in full, passionate; things were growing—but now no job, little girl not well.
What do you do when you are empty—when life throws you a curve, when the scales are out of balance? Thoughts are telling you, «You have seen your best days.» God says, «When you are empty, come to Me. I am still in control. I am still ordering your steps. I am not going to leave you out of balance.»
The Psalmist said, «In His presence is fullness of joy.» You may be empty now, but fullness is coming.
From Rejection to Greater Favor!
My father did not do what Naomi did—he did not get bitter; he did not give up on his dreams. He was hurting, but he knew it was not a surprise to God.
He and my mother prayed for God to heal Lisa. Little by little she got better. At a year old she lifted her head for the first time—something the doctor said she would not be able to do. Today she is perfectly healthy and whole—still going strong.
My father did not sit around in self-pity. He and my mother found an old run-down feed store—this little building. On Mother’s Day 1959 they started Lakewood with 90 people.
The scales were way out of balance: rejected by his former church, years of hard work—nothing to show for it. But God knows how to make it up to you.
And some of the doors that close that we do not understand—people that do us wrong, challenges that come out of nowhere—we cannot see it at the time, but it is all a part of God’s plan.
Had my father not left that church, he would have never seen Lakewood; he would not have seen the favor and growth that he did.
Those scales that were way out of balance on the negative—on his history—they went way out of balance on the good: favor, promotion, influence like he had never dreamed.
Your destiny is going to outweigh your history. Keep moving forward; keep doing the right thing; keep honoring God—and you are going to come into your Bethlehem. The harvest season is already in progress. You are going to walk into blessings, restorations, new opportunities, healing that God has already prepared.
It is not at the place of sorrow, the place of loss, the place of heartache—leave that place and move on to the new things God has in store.
Samuel: From Mourning Saul to Anointing David!
In the Scripture the prophet Samuel chose a young man named Saul to be the next leader of Israel. Saul was tall, strong, good-looking—he looked like a king.
I can imagine how proud Samuel was of Saul—that he took time to mentor him, teach him to lead with wisdom and excellence. Saul started off good—he defeated armies, rescued the Israelites—but over time Saul got off course; he started compromising, not making good decisions.
Finally God told Samuel that He was rejecting Saul as the king. Samuel was so disappointed; the Scripture says he wept and wept. Like Naomi, he was at an empty place—he had poured his heart and soul into Saul. He had prayed for him, taken him under his wing—now it looked like it was all a waste of time.
Samuel was sitting around discouraged in self-pity. 1 Samuel 16:1, God said, «Samuel, how long are you going to mourn over Saul?»
God is asking us, «How long are you going to mourn over what you have lost? How long are you going to be discouraged over the relationship that did not work out, the position you did not get, the loved one that did not make it?»
The problem with continuing to mourn is it will keep you from going to Bethlehem—it will keep you from the harvest that is already in process, from the new things God has in store.
And yes, there is a time for mourning—but you cannot let a season of mourning turn into a lifetime of mourning.
Fill Your Horn with Oil—Anoint Your Future!
God told Samuel (1 Samuel 16:1), «Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. I am sending you to the house of Jesse; I have chosen one of his sons to be the next king.»
I can imagine Samuel thinking, «God, Saul is still on the throne. He is technically still in charge. You are telling me to anoint my future while my past is still on the throne? You are telling me to start a feed store with 90 people? You are telling me to choose David—he is not tall, not experienced—how can he lead people? You are telling me to go back to Bethlehem—I just want to stay here in Moab; I have been through too much.»
Are you waiting for God to change things while God is waiting for you to anoint your future? That means you are not seeing anything happening, but you are believing—you are declaring; you are walking by faith and not by sight.
«The medical report does not look good, but I know God is restoring health back unto me. Went through a loss, a bad break—I know what was meant for harm God is turning to my advantage. Had a setback in my finances; business went down—that is not the end; I know I will lend and not borrow—what I touch will prosper and succeed.»
You cannot wait for everything to change—then you will believe; then you will have a good attitude. No—even though your past is still on the throne, you need to start declaring favor, restoration, health, victory.
God told Samuel to fill your horn with oil. Oil signifies joy, praise, expectancy.
Do not drag around: «Look what I have been through, man—this pandemic was so hard. My back has been hurting for three years. My boss will not give me any credit.» Fill your horn with oil—not with complaints.
Get your praise back; put a smile on your face; have a report of victory.
If you will fill your horn with oil and be on your way, you are going to see God tip the scales—not a little bit, but He is going to open the windows of heaven: bring great opportunities, new people, turn mourning into dancing.
He is not going to equal it up—the good and the bad—no, your destiny is going to far outweigh your history.
Samuel was disappointed when Saul did not work out—but he filled his horn with oil and anointed David. David was the greatest king that ever lived.
God Replaces Pain with Something Greater!
Notice how God does things: He does not trade an «okay king» for another «okay king.» God was saying, «You lost something that was painful. You put time and energy into that relationship, that company, that dream—it did not last. Do not worry—I am about to send a David; I am about to bring someone or something so awesome, so out of the ordinary, that it is going to far outweigh what did not work out.»
There was a lady in the Scripture that was about to give birth. She was an Israelite; she had just heard that the Ark of the Covenant had been stolen—that is where God’s presence was. She was so upset, so distraught.
When she gave birth, she named her son «Ichabod.» Ichabod means «The glory has departed.» She named her future based on her past.
She could have just as easily named him «The glory will return.» She could have named him what Zechariah prophesied—double the glory.
But she was so caught up in what she had been through—the disappointment, the heartache—that it soured her future.
I wonder how many of us are doing the same thing? We are focused on what did not work out, who hurt us, what we lost—we do not think it is ever going to change.
Do not name your future based on your past. Get that Ichabod spirit off of you. This is a new day. God is doing a new thing. The enemies you have seen in the past you will see no more.
Name Your Future «Blessed» and «Victorious»!
Here is what you should name your future: «Blessed, prosperous, victorious, healthy, strong, wise, talented.»
Things may be rough right now—but your attitude should be, «This is only temporary. It is just a matter of time before things change in my favor. I am going to come out better off than I was before.»
This is what David did. He went through all kinds of heartache, disappointments, people coming against him—but he did not name his future based on his past.
He said (Psalm 27:13), «I am confident I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.»
That is my prayer for you—that you will be confident that your best days are still in front of you, that you will know down deep that your destiny will outweigh your history, that the negative things of the past are not how your story ends.
My question today is: are you weighing things too early? You have had disappointments; life has thrown you some curves—now you have accepted that you are limited, you had a disadvantage…
Can I encourage you? The best part of your life is still in front of you! You would not be breathing if there were not new victories and new opportunities!
God saw everything that happened: the loss, the bad breaks. Those weighed a lot—but there is favor coming that is going to tip the scale to where the blessing far outweighs the negative.
Now do your part: anoint your future—even though the past is still on the throne. Dare to believe; start expecting favor.
There is a harvest season God has already prepared—something already in the works that you are going to step into.
I believe and declare—even now things are shifting; the weight of the negative is going to pale in comparison to the weight of the glory.
Like with Samuel, the disappointment was painful—but David is about to show up: something better than you have imagined. Favor is coming; healing, restoration, promotion, breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny—in Jesus' name.
And if you receive it, can you say amen today?