Stay Thirsty | Joel Osteen 29:36

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Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We believe you're going to have an awesome 2024, healthy, productive, and favor-filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired.

But I like to start with something funny each week and I heard about this lady She just got out of choir practice. She was so fired up She put a honk if you love jesus bumper sticker on her car At the intersection she was digging in her purse and didn't notice the light had changed She said I was so excited to find out the guy behind me loved jesus He started honking. So I rolled my window down waved real big and said I love jesus, too

She said, I found out a whole lot of people love Jesus. Everyone started honking. One man even screamed, Jesus Christ. She said, after we shared all that love together, I was the only one that made it through the intersection.

Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same in Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about stay thirsty.

Our body is made up of 70% water. It's essential to our cells, our organs, our skin. So God put in us a natural instinct to drink water. There's a mechanism that sends a signal to our brain that tells us when we're thirsty. If we drink water, we get hydrated, everything's fine.

But sometimes we ignore that signal. We get busy, we're distracted. If it's suppressed long enough, the body will quit sending the signal, goes into a different mode, thinking that water is scarce. It adapts to the environment and begins to conserve water. A leading expert said that most of the clients he sees are chronically dehydrated. When he asked why they don't drink water, the common response is, I'm not thirsty.

I believe the natural parallels the spiritual. God created us to be thirsty. He put dreams in our hearts. He's given us goals to pursue. Even when we're in difficulties, there's something telling us that we're supposed to overcome. When we've gone through disappointments, taken longer than we thought, we didn't get the promotion, pandemic hit, threw things off, it's easy to lose our thirst.

We used to be passionate about getting in shape Starting our business meeting the right person, but we've had setbacks the door didn't open Now we've settled where we are thinking it's not meant to be but god didn't create you to live in mediocrity Just go through the motions of life. No passion You have to get thirsty again just because the dream hasn't come to pass doesn't mean it's not going to happen

Just because you haven't met the right person yet doesn't mean they're not on the way. Just because the medical report hasn't improved doesn't mean that healing is not on route. But there is a condition. Psalm 107 says, God satisfies the thirsty soul with good things. If you're going to see good things, healing, breakthroughs, favor, you have to stay thirsty. Keep believing for your dreams.

Keep expecting new doors to open. Keep declaring favor over your children. Keep speaking promises over your health. God didn't put a dream in your heart that he can't bring to pass. There's not a problem that you're in that he can't bring you out of. The question is, are you thirsty? Isaiah said, God is longing to be good to the people who are looking for his goodness.

Are you looking for God's goodness? Are you expecting favor? Believing to rise higher to accomplish what he put in your heart God meets you at the level of your expectations If you expect nothing you're going to receive nothing But when you're thirsty when you say god, I don't see how but I know you can do exceedingly abundantly above all I can ask or think

The medical report doesn't look good, but I know you're Jehovah Rapha, the Lord, my healer. My business is slow, but I'm not going to give up on my dreams. I know you're my provider. You make rivers in the desert. You don't have to figure out how it's going to happen. All you have to do is believe. God satisfies not the doubting soul, the negative soul, the passive soul. He satisfies the thirsty soul with good things.

But I wonder how many of us are chronically dehydrated. We've suppressed that thirst so long it's gone away. Now our thinking has adapted to our environment. We've lowered our expectations, watered down our dreams, thinking this is not what I wanted, Joel, but I guess it's good enough. I guess I'm making it. Good enough is not your destiny. God put greatness in you.

He has an awesome future in store. But one of the enemy's favorite tricks is to try to numb your thirst, to try to deceive you into not wanting more, not believing to get well, not pursuing your dream, not expecting to meet the right person. And if he can deceive you into going through life with no thirst, no passion, no zeal, thinking you've seen your best days, he can keep you from your purpose.

Don't fall into that trap. Get thirsty again. Start dreaming again. Start believing again. Start hoping again. Joel, I tried this once and it didn't work out. Try again. The medical report says I'm not going to get well. That's one report, but there's another report. It says God is restoring health back into you. This is what Marissa and Ruben did. I love their story.

Their young son, Christian, diagnosed with stage four cancer, spread throughout his whole body. They were devastated. Reuben said when he first heard the report, it was like all the air had been taken out of the room, like he could barely breathe. Medically speaking, it didn't look good. They could have fallen apart, been depressed. There were plenty of opportunities to suppress what they believed, but they understood this principle. They stayed thirsty.

When they could have been complaining, talking about how bad it was, they were singing songs of praise. We're going to see a victory. The weapon may be formed, but we have good news. It's not going to prosper. They weren't talking about how big the problem was. They're talking about how big our God is. When you're thirsty, angels go to work. When you're thirsty, miracles are set in motion. When you're thirsty, God will make things happen that you can't make happen.

Christian took the treatment. 10 weeks later, the doctors told them they can't explain it. They don't understand it, but there's no cancer in Christian's body. God has the final say. My question is, are you thirsty or have you let the circumstances suppress your faith? Who told you you can't get well? Who told you your business can't be successful? Who told you you've reached your limits, that this is as good as it gets?

Don't let other people numb your thirst. Don't let what you see talk you out of what god promised Don't let time cause you to give up on the dream He put in your heart and don't let mistakes you've made convince you to live condemned with no passion Get your thirst back get your fire back. God is still on the throne He didn't change his mind about what he promised you God doesn't abort dreams

It may not have happened on your timetable. There may have been disappointments, setbacks, but that didn't stop the promise. The enemy would love to convince you to live dehydrated, not expecting, not hoping. Don't believe those lies. I may not be the most interesting man in the world, but I am telling you, stay thirsty, my friends. 2 Kings chapter three.

The people of Judah headed out into the desert to fight this enemy army. They didn't realize that all the streams had dried up. Day after day, they had no water for themselves or their animals. They were so thirsty. On the seventh day, they were camped in a valley where it never rained. It was the worst place to run out of water. Looked like they would be an easy target for the enemy that was approaching.

The prophet Elijah showed up and told them to dig ditches all through the valley to prepare for the water that was coming. You would think they would be excited. This is great news. Elijah said, water is on the way. But I can imagine by this time, they were all dehydrated. They had suppressed their thirst so long, they were beyond being thirsty.

They were so tired, so worn out. They thought, Elijah, we don't want to dig ditches. That doesn't make sense. It never rains out here. Sometimes God will ask you to do things that you don't understand so you'll get your thirst back. When we've been dehydrated a long time, we haven't stretched our faith, believed for favor, healing, breakthroughs. God will ask you to do something out of the ordinary. Don't talk yourself out of it. Dare to trust him.

If you'll do what he's asking, you'll see water increase abundance like you've never seen The people finally decided to dig these ditches thoughts were telling them it's a waste of time What good is this going to do? But they just kept on digging jesus said he that hungers and thirst after righteousness Will be filled notice the principle you have to be thirsty before god will fill you

They had to dig ditches in faith before any water would come. They were saying by their actions, God, we're thirsty. Yes, we're in a desert, but we believe you can bring water. We don't see a way, but God, we know you still have a way. Now, God could have brought them water without digging ditches. He could have done it despite them being dehydrated, doubting, negative. How can this happen?

But God says, if you're thirsty, I'll show you good things. If you're thirsty, I'll fill you with water, with health, with abundance. When we've been without water for days, like these people, difficulties aren't turning around, dreams aren't coming to pass. It's easy to let that numb your thirst to where you become chronically dehydrated. We're in a valley, we need water, healing, restoration, but we're not digging any ditches.

We're not believing for our dreams, declaring favor over our finances, speaking health over our bodies, taking steps to accomplish that goal. You have to get thirsty again. Here's a key. How many ditches you dig is how much God is going to fill. The only thing that limits God is our capacity to receive. If you have a little vision, you're going to see little favors.

If you believe to just make it through this year, then you're going to just struggle through it. Why don't you dig some more ditches? Why don't you get more thirsty? God, I'm not just believing to survive this year, but I'm believing for overflow, to have a blessed, favor-filled, productive year. I'm not learning to live with this sickness. God, I'm believing for total health, for complete victory, that I'll run and not be weary.

Or yes, i've had setbacks life has thrown me some curves, but i'm not living dehydrated. I'm still thirsty I'm believing what was meant for harm god's turned into my advantage that my latter days will be better than my former days Don't dig one little trench You need to get a bulldozer and dig some big ditches make room for god to do big things in your life What he has in store for you is more than you can imagine

Elijah told the people if you'll dig the ditches If you'll get thirsty again, you will see neither wind nor rain But this valley will be filled with water. God was saying what i'm about to do Is not going to happen a normal way. It's going to be uncommon Unusual out of the ordinary That's why when you look at this situation, you may not see a way

All the circumstances say you'll never get well. You saw the medical report. You can't accomplish your dream. Man, you don't have the funds. You'll never break that addiction. It's been in your family for years. In the natural, that's true, but God is supernatural.

He can bring water without rain. That means you may not see any sign of it. No clouds, no lightning, no thunder. These people were in the desert, blue skies, sunshine. But the next morning, water started flowing into the valley supernaturally, filled all the ditches. The scripture says, soon there was water everywhere. God has some soons in your future.

It looked like it'd take a long time, but soon you get well. Soon your business turns around. Soon the right person shows up. One touch of God's favor and soon your ditches are filled. Now this doesn't happen for people that are passive, complacent. Joel, why should I dig ditches? Why should I get my hopes up? Look what I've been through. Look what I didn't get. Look how big this obstacle is. That's the enemy trying to numb your thirst.

Convince you to settle for less than what god has for you You have to stir your faith up god I believe that what you started in my life you will finish that I haven't seen my best days That the path of the righteous my path is getting brighter and brighter. See it's easy to coast in life It's easy to think you know god's been good to me. I'm grateful. I'm content That's good, but god is not finished with you

You've seen his blessing, his favor on your life, but you haven't seen anything yet. God never performs his greatest victories in your past. They are always in your future. It's important to live content. I'm content where God has me. I'm grateful for his blessing, for his favor. I thank him every day, but I'm not satisfied to stay where I am.

You weren't created to reach one level and get stuck there in your attitude your career in your relationships in your walk with god Stay thirsty. God has new mountains for you to climb new friendships new levels of influence favor leadership It's good to be grateful for what god has done, but you can't put your faith on hold. You need to be stretching growing pursuing knowing that there's more in store

Frank Lloyd Wright was a world-renowned architect. He designed some of the most beautiful buildings and most magnificent structures. Toward the end of his life, a reporter asked him out of all of his buildings, which one was his favorite? Without missing a beat, he said, my next one. He had had all the success in the world, but he was still thirsty. He knew that his best designs were still in front of him.

Don't let the success you've seen in the past keep you from stretching to the fullness of your destiny. There was a little frog that lived in the bottom of a well. He was so happy. Every day he would play in the water, splash and have fun. He thought he had all the water in the world. Life was good.

One day he looked up and saw light at the top of the well. He decided to go check it out. Very cautiously, he peered over the edge of the well. Much to his surprise, he saw a pond. He couldn't believe it. He had never seen so much water. He hopped a little further and saw a lake. He couldn't fathom that much water. He went a little more and came to the ocean. He looked out as far as he could see and saw miles and miles of water.

Here he thought he had all the water in the world, but what he had was only a drop in the bucket compared to what God had for him.

Like that little frog, it's easy to get satisfied in our well. We're happy. God's been good to us. We have no complaints. But can I tell you, there is so much more. God has oceans of favor, oceans of good breaks, oceans of new opportunities. How are you going to step into it? Stay thirsty. Be grateful for where you are. And at the same time, release your faith for the new things that are in your future.

But many times our thinking is limited to our environment, how we were raised, what our parents had, friends we hang around. We can get comfortable with a small vision, with lack, addictions, dysfunction. It's all we've seen. But how about getting out of that well? How about looking over the edge and seeing some of the new things that God wants to do? What if you found out like that little frog that you were too easily satisfied?

That you lost your thirst because you quit stretching your faith You quit believing to rise higher to overcome what's holding you back. My prayer is God make us thirsty again thirsty to know you in a greater way thirsty to rise out of addictions defeat mediocrity Thirsty to set new levels to go where no one in our family has gone to become all that you've created us to be

My father was pastoring a church in the 1950s and everything was going great. The church was growing They just built a new sanctuary on the surface life was good. He was satisfied but deep down Something told him there was more he was preaching what he had learned in seminary giving good messages But he had this longing on the inside that something was missing and

In the scripture, Gideon said to the angel, if God is for us, where are all the miracles? My father felt this way. If God is with us, where is the power? Where is the favor? Where is the victory? There was this stirring in his spirit, a thirst for something greater than what he was seeing. He could have pushed it down, thought, man, I'm satisfied. I'm successful. God's been good to me.

But when you feel something stirring in your spirit and unrest, that's God talking to you. That's God saying that there's more in store. There's something greater to accomplish. Don't push it down. Don't ignore it and think, I don't want to stretch. I'm comfortable. If you do that long enough, you'll numb that thirst. It'll go away. That's why some people are living below their potential.

My sister Lisa was born during this time with something like cerebral palsy. My father was taught that healing had passed away, that it only happened back in Bible days. He went to a hotel downtown for several days to be alone. He told how he took off his denominational glasses and he read the scripture like he was reading it for the first time.

He saw how Jesus went about healing people, how he experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, how there was never a day of miracles, but there is a God of miracles. They prayed for Lisa, didn't happen overnight, but she got better and better. Today, she's perfectly normal. But not everyone understood my father's new message of faith and victory. It didn't fit into their denominational mold. My father had to leave that church.

He was very discouraged. He'd spent years there pouring his life into the people. Now he felt the sting of rejection. And sometimes God has to close a door so he can open a bigger door. He has to get you out of a place you would never leave on your own. So he'll shut that door. It looks like a setback, but really it's a setup for a new level of your destiny.

My mother and father started Lakewood 1959 with 90 people. It grew and grew to impact people all over the world. My father pastored here for almost 40 years. He would have never reached his destiny if he had stayed in that limited environment. What God put in him was bigger than the denomination he was in. Had he thought, I'm satisfied, life is good, I've got plenty of water at the bottom of this well,

Had he not stayed thirsty, he would have missed his purpose. When you take steps of faith, some people won't understand. They may find fault, try to talk you out of it. I don't think that's right. But God didn't put the thirst in them. Don't let that keep you from pursuing what God put in your heart.

When you're thirsty, it may ruffle some feathers. When you're thirsty, doors may close before they open. When you're thirsty, you may have to dig ditches when there's no water. Do things that don't make sense. But when you're thirsty, you'll see God show out in your life. He'll bring water without rain. He'll open doors you never dreamed would open. He'll take you further than you've imagined.

Are you thirsty or have you gotten complacent? Put dreams on hold living passive. Maybe one day you'll get your fire back The problem is you're dehydrated not physically but spiritually Your thirst has been numbed when you push those dreams down so long you lose your natural inclination to drink I believe today thirst is coming back

Dreams are waking up. What God promised you is still alive on the inside. Now do your part. Start believing again. Get your fire back. Get your passion back. If you'll stay thirsty, God will satisfy you with good things. Even dreams you've let go of. You think it's too late. God can still bring them to pass.

I met a 106 year old man after the service a while back. He was so likable. He looked like he was 70 years old. He didn't have one wrinkle on his face. I commented on how good he looked. He's African-American. He touched his face and said, Joel, black don't crack.

He was so funny and so good natured. I asked him how long he was planning on living. I'll never forget what he told me. He said, I have seven children. One of my sons is not serving God. He's off track, not making good decisions. God promised that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I'm not going to die until I see him back on course. 106 years old and he's still thirsty.

He's still expecting God to bring promises to pass. He could have thought, oh man, six out of seven children doing good, that's not bad. I've lived a long, healthy life. That's good enough. No, don't water down what God promised you. Stay passionate. Keep believing for the fullness of your destiny.

This is what Caleb did in the scripture. He was 40 years old when he and Joshua spied out the promised land. They were the only two out of 12 spies that had a positive report. They said, we can take the land. Let us go in at once.

The other spies told Moses, the people are too big. There are giants in the land. That word spread throughout the camp. Before long, all two million of the Israelites were discouraged. They never did make it into the promised land. Caleb could have lived bitter. Wasn't his fault. He had faith. Other people kept him from going in.

But 45 years later, Caleb was 85 years old. The children of the Israelites were about to go into the promised land. You would think Caleb would be retired, old and frail. But Caleb said, Joshua, I'm still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out 45 years ago. He looked at the mountain, the same place they had spied out with the giants in the land. He said, I want that mountain.

Joshua could have said, Caleb, there are still giants on that land. You're too old. Let me give you this other place. Caleb said, no, Joshua, I'm still thirsty. I'm still believing for what God promised me that it will come to pass. Yes, he had had delays, bad breaks, people that didn't believe, but that didn't stop him from becoming all he was created to be. At 85, he defeated three giants and went into the promised land.

Like Caleb, many of you have stayed thirsty. You've kept believing when the odds were against you. You kept thanking God when there was no sign of it. You kept digging ditches when there were no clouds, praising when you could have been complaining. That hasn't gone unnoticed. God saw your faith. He saw your dedication. What he promised you is still going to come to pass.

It's not too late. You're not too old. The obstacle is not too big. You're about to see a soon moment, something unusual, uncommon that you didn't see coming. Water without rain, rivers in the desert. Because you're thirsty, I believe and declare God is going to satisfy your life with good things. Promotion, healing, restoration, the right people.

the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen today? I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior.

If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love to send you some information on your new walk with the Lord. Just text the number on the screen or go to the website. I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. God has put a specific dream in your heart. Maybe it's a dream for a better career, a blessing that enables you to bless others, to be in a healthy, loving relationship.

to launch your own business or ministry endeavor. We all have dreams, but sometimes setbacks and opposition can rob us of our dreams. So how do you make your dreams a reality?

One way you know it's a God-given dream is you can't accomplish it on your own. We never thought we'd be having church in a former basketball arena, but this is what can happen when you take the limits off of God. When you believe what God put in your heart, that's when He steps in and makes ways where you never saw ways. I'd love to send you my newest book, It's Time to Dream Again. It'll help you to hold on to what God promised and not get discouraged by how impossible it looks or how long it's taking.

You are closer than you think. God's working behind the scenes right now. Stay in faith. You're going to see the greatness of God bring your dreams to pass.

God bless you.

God's plan for you is significant. His dreams for you are beyond what you could imagine. Don't wait another day. It's time to dream again. This book will help you gain a fresh perspective for your dreams and to believe for everything God has put in your heart. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity is making a difference around the world.

Remember, you can watch the services live online every Sunday. Download the daily podcast or our YouTube channel. Listen on Sirius XM. We will keep you encouraged and inspired. But until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of It's Time to Dream Again today. Visit joelostein.com or call 888-567-JOEL.