Always in Blossom | Joel Osteen

We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. I'd like to start with something funny, and I heard about these three sons that went out and prospered them. They got back together to talk about the gifts they'd gotten their elderly mother. The first son said, "I built mom a big house." The second son said, "I bought her a fancy car." The third one said, "Since mom loves to read the Bible, but she can barely see, I got her a specially trained parrot that can quote the entire Bible." A few weeks after that, they received the letter from their mother, said, "Milton, the house she built me is way too big." Gerald, the car you got me is way too small, but my dearest Donald, your simple gift is my favorite. The chicken was delicious. All right, guys, 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 always in blossoms. We all go through different seasons in life, and it's easy to let our circumstances determine our joy. If things are going our way and we're getting good breaks, people are treating us right, then we're happy. But what about when things aren't going our way? We didn't get the promotion, the medical report wasn't good. Our dream is taken longer than we thought. Too often, we let these external things steal what God put on the inside. We become discouraged, offended, upset. Before long, we're only as happy as our circumstances allow. But God never intended for us to live dependent on outside conditions. That's putting our joy in things we can't control. David gives us a secret in Psalm chapter 1. He said, "If we will meditate on God's word day and night, we will be like a tree planted by the riverbank, bearing fresh fruit in every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom." That's God's dream that you will always be in blossom.

That's not natural. Most trees have a season when they're full of fruit and a season when the leaves fall off. But David said, "You will have fresh fruit every month." He's describing a person that's not controlled by the seasons. Thinking, "I'll have joy when things improve. I'll get my peace back when this trouble goes away." "I'll have a good attitude, Joel, when my boss starts giving me credit." No, the blessing is not in the season changing. The blessing is knowing God's favor is on you in every season. He's designed you to flourish regardless of what's going on around you. It's significant that David described a tree planted by the river. This tree is not worried about a drought, a dry season, why its roots go down deep into the ground. It draws water from the river. It doesn't wake up in the morning and have to check the weather. I hope it's going to rain. I hope I'll get some water so I can survive. It's not dependent on surface things. It's not waiting for conditions to be favorable, then it can bloom. It has a source that trees not planted by the river don't have. If you're going to always be in blossom, you have to be like this tree by the river with roots that go down deep. How do you get deep roots? David told us by meditating on God's word, "day and night." You're always thinking about his promises and thanking him for his goodness and speaking victory over your life. The more you do that, the deeper your roots are going. This is why the enemy works over time in our mind, trying to keep us worried, offended, frustrated. That's going to keep your roots shallow where you're dependent on the outside. Circumstances have to go your way.

But when you keep your mind on what God promised because you have deep roots, you are drawing from a source that's not dependent on the weather. You're not affected by droughts, delays, people's opinion, the medical report. You're connected to a supply line that causes you to bloom, to blossom, to flourish when you should be discouraged. You should be shrinking up, but your leaf will not wither. In the good times and in the tough times, you still have a smile. When it's hot, it's dry, there's no rain, but you still have a song of praise. your best at work, you're still expecting that breakthrough. How can that be? Because God puts something in you that if you will tap into it, you will always be in blossom. You will produce fresh fruit every month. Sometimes the fruit is joy, you're seeing the breakthrough. Sometimes that fruit is endurance, you're outlasting opposition. Sometimes the fruit is courage, you're standing strong in the face of adversity. Bottom line, in every season, you can be producing fresh fruit. I know people that are producing other things, bitterness, why did this happen, doubt is never going to change, frustration, I never get any good breaks. They wonder why they don't blossom, their roots need to go down deeper. If you're letting the weather, the conditions, the circumstances, determine your joy, your peace, then those surface things are going to dictate your life. And often we pray, "God, get me out of this famine, then I'll be happy, change my husband, then I'll blossom, turn this financial trouble around, then I'll be my best, no, you want to give the enemy a nervous breakdown, learn the bloom right where you are." There is power in you to blossom despite what's trying to hold you down. Circumstances are not your source, God is your source. You don't need good weather to flourish, you're planted by the riverbank. There's a supply line underneath you deeper than anyone can see. It's a source of strength, peace, favor, abundance. Make sure your roots go down deep, you're meditating on what God promised you.

God, you said, even in famine, I would have more than enough. God, these people may be against me, but I know you're my defender, you are for me. God, I had this bad break, but God, you promised that you'd give me beauty for these ashes. When you have deep roots, you will flourish even in a famine. David wrote this passage because he lived it. He wasn't just telling us what to do. He saw firsthand how he could bloom despite the opposition. As a teenager, his father left him out in the shepherds fields when Samuel came to choose one of the sons as the next king of Israel. David was overlooked, rejected, made to think he wasn't good enough. He could have lived bitter, offended, but out there in the lonely shepherds fields is where he wrote some of the great songs. Maybe Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need." Maybe Psalm 27, "Though my father and mother forsake me, God would adopt me as his very own child, producing fresh fruit in a season where he was rejected and left out." David went to the palace and served as King Saul's armor bearer, but Saul could see the favor on David. He was jealous. He tried to kill David. He chased him through the desert. On the surface, David had a good reason to be upset, but he understood this principle that you can blossom in every season. The Scripture says he encouraged himself in the Lord his God. He kept his mind staved on the right things, not the betrayal, not the offense, not the loneliness, but on the promises of God. He wrote, "I am confident of this. I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living." His roots went down deep. It's one thing to blossom when things are going your way. We're getting good breaks.

People are loving and kind. That doesn't take much faith. The test comes when Saul shows up. You're being good to someone, but they're jealous, trying to make you look bad. Or when David's father shows up, that family member that overlooks you, tries to make you feel small and insignificant. Or perhaps you're stuck out in a shepherd's field, so to speak. You know the promise God put in you, but nothing's changing. It's a slow season. It's tempting to get discouraged and put your joy on hold. When I get out of this trouble, Joel, when Saul quits chasing me, when my father starts respecting me, then I'll have a good attitude. No, don't put your joy in someone else's hands. Don't put your peace, your value, your self-worth in other people's control. That's like you giving them your thermostat and say, "You determine how I'm going to feel, my self-worth, my attitude. You set my temperature, you know, get your thermostat back. You don't need their approval to feel good about yourself. Almighty God has already approved you." They think about you. God says, "You're a masterpiece, one of a kind, fearfully and wonderfully made." When you're dwelling on that, what God says about you, your roots are going down deeper. You're not going to be moved by what people say. You're not affected by the negative chatter, the rejection, the jealousy, those surface things don't determine your mood, you blossom despite who's trying to pull you down. This is what Jeremiah said. In chapter 17, he talks about two kinds of people. First he said, "Those who put their trust in people are like stunted shrubs in the desert." Notice no growth, no blooms, no fruit. But the next verse says, "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and make Him their hope.

They are like a tree planted by the river banks with roots reaching deep into the water. These trees are not bothered by the heat or worried about long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit. If you put your hope in people, in circumstances, in surface things, you're going to be stunted, limited, frustrated. But when you put your hope in the Lord, when you know He's on the throne and He's ordering your steps and He's planned out your days, He's fighting your battles, He's your provider, your protector, your way maker, when you know that, then you're like a tree planted by the river banks. Because your roots go down deep, Jeremiah said, "You won't be bothered by the heat." God didn't say that heat won't come. You won't have pressure, jealous people, bad breaks. Life happens to us all. But because you're connected to that hidden source, the heat doesn't bother you. You don't fall apart because you had a setback. You don't live offended because somebody did you wrong. You're like those three Hebrew teenagers that got thrown into the fiery furnace. They should have been killed, but the heat didn't affect them. They came out without the smell of smoke. You may be in a lot of heat right now, a lot of pressure, things coming against you. How can you still have a smile? How can you still be at peace? How can you sleep well at night? How can you keep showing up at church, being your best? It's because your roots go down deep. That heat should wither you. That medical issue should overwhelm you. That trouble at work should depress you, but look at you. You're still going strong. You're still thinking God.

You're still excelling. You're still prospering. You're exactly who David talked about. Your leaf shall not wither. You're who Jeremiah described, you're not bothered by the heat. He went on to say, "You're not worried by long months of drought." David defeated Goliath in an instant. It happened quickly, but his real battle wasn't Goliath. It was Saul. Saul lasted for years. He chased David through the desert. David would barely escape, change his hiding place, then Saul would show up again, time after time. When you're in one of these long battles, fighting an illness, believing for a child to turn around, maybe dealing with an addiction, you've done all you can, but nothing's changing. It's tempting to get discouraged, thought starts whispering, it's never going to happen, but if you'll stay planted by that river, dwelling on what God promised, keeping your mind positive, faith filled, you won't be worried by long months of drought. You will feel this peace when you could be upset. You'll have this strength pushing you forward. This favor causing you to excel despite the opposition. God should have withered you, but God says your leaves will stay green and you will never stop producing fruit. Think about all the things you've been through that should have withered you. That unfair childhood, that illness, that loss, but here you are today still shining, still crazy, still favored, still loving your family, still taking new ground. That's not normal. Most people would have given up, shrunk back, lived bitter, but there's something God put in you that causes you to bloom even in the desert, to flourish even in a famine, to excel even in long months of drought.

See, we can all handle a bad day, that's just life, bad week, we can endure even a bad But there are times we go through long months of drought where the struggle is not changing. The problem isn't improving. Most people look to the sky and think, man, I need some rain. I'm looking for some clouds. This drought's gonna defeat me. You and I, we don't have to look for rain. We have a hidden source. Our roots go down deep. We're drawing water from that river of life, strength, peace and favor. It says, we will never stop producing fruit. What a promise. Not fruitful when conditions are favorable. Fruitful when the drought comes to an end, Joel. Fruitful when the economy is better. No, how about fruitful in every season? God says you will always be in blossom. There is a supply line you are connected to that's not dependent on circumstances. How people treat you, how you were raised, what the experts say. It's a supernatural source that causes you to flourish where your leaf will not wither. Now, here's a key. Quit telling yourself, I can't handle this, Joel. The heat, the drought, the sickness, the people at work. It's just too much. You're defeating yourself. You have to change your mindset. Father, I want to thank you that I will always be in blossom.

That I've been armed with strength for every battle. That greater is heat that's in me than what's trying to stop me. When I stepped up to pastor the church back in 1999, things started growing and I had this new exposure. Instead of being behind the scenes, more visibility. Well, with more influence comes more heat. People that don't like you and don't understand you and want to discredit you. It's tempting to try to defend yourself, prove to people you're okay, win them over. But if you convince one person, three more are going to pop up. It's a never ending battle. Those are battles we're not supposed to fight. I wanted everyone to like me and accept me. That's my personality type. But I'll realize you will never fulfill your destiny with everyone liking you. There are people that misunderstand you on purpose. Even if you changed and did what they wanted, they still find fault. The heat is a test. We pray, God, take this heat away. God changed them. Move them out of my past so I can go forward. But God doesn't always remove the heat. There may be pressure, opposition, negative chatter that doesn't go away. The question is, are you going to live on the surface, let the conditions, what people think, what they're saying, determine your joy, your self-worth?

No, let your roots go down deeper. You can live not bothered by the heat. That's what I've learned to do. When you keep your mind on the goodness of God, and you go through the day, not focused on the opposition, the problems, how can I pay them back? No, your attitude is God. Thank you for another beautiful day. Thank you for waking me up this morning. Thank you that you're fighting my battles. That's not just being positive. You're tapping into that hidden source. Strength, peace, and favor. That's how your leap will not wither even though you're in a drought. We had some bamboo trees in our backyard all along the back fence so we couldn't see the neighbor's houses. They were these thick, green, tall plants that provided a perfect screen. Well, a few years ago, you remember that real cold freeze, that major winter storm where the temperature got down to 15 degrees. A month later, every one of those bamboo trees were dead, not a leaf on them. Just looked like poles sticking up in the ground. Well, a few months later, during spring, the man that helps me with landscaping came over. I told him I wanted to plant some more bamboo. He advised me not to do it because the same thing could happen again. We have other trees in the yard, oaks, pine trees, a magnolia, appointed at them, said, "What about these?" He said, "The problem with those is they lose their leaves in the winter, it's going to be there."

Then he said something that stuck with me. He said, "Joel, you need an evergreen tree." And evergreen is different. It keeps its leaves in every season through summer and winter, through drought and rain, it stays green. The conditions may change, but unlike other trees, it doesn't lose its leaves. That's who God has called us to be, evergreen people. Through every season, when it's sunny and when it's raining, when we're getting good breaks, when we're going through disappointment. making progress and when we feel stagnant, we don't lose our joy, we don't lose our praise, we don't give up on our dreams, start complaining, no being evergreen believer. That's what David was. Listen to his attitude, "My father may have rejected me, but God has accepted me. I will rejoice and be glad that day the Lord has made. So may be doing me wrong, but God, I know you will make it up to me. You are my life and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?" Evergreen means you don't let the seasons determine your joy, your peace, your grateful in summer, and your grateful in winter. You thank God for His goodness when you're getting good breaks and you thank Him when things are coming against you. You do your best at work when you're getting credit and you do it when people are overlooking you. See, anybody can bloom and scream when we're getting lots of rain, lots of sunshine, but God is looking for people who will bloom in winter, in dry seasons. When you're left out, you're facing that illness, that unexpected challenge, be an evergreen believer. Let's be like David, "I will bless the Lord at all times. In every season you can bear fruit, your lead shall not wither. We have some roses at home and they bloom for a season, then they're done. We have begonias in pots, these flowers. They're great for a few months, but in this heat you can hardly water them enough to keep them alive. We have azaleas, every spring for about three weeks they're amazing, so colorful, but the other 49 weeks they don't bloom. That's how God designed them, but God designed us to always be in blossom, to

not be bothered by the heat, to not worry about long months of drought. Joel, I must be missing it because I'm not in blossom. I've got things coming against me. These people at work aren't fair and have this health issue. I lost a big contract. Your ability to bloom is not dependent on what's happening on the surface. What are your roots doing? What are you meditating on? If you're focusing on the season, the drought, the wind, the storms, you're going to live worrying. Your roots have to go down deeper. Get your mind on what God promised you. Father, you said that no weapon formed against me will ever prosper, that all things are working together for my good. Lord, I thank you that what you have purpose for my life will come to pass. You can blossom in the desert. You can flourish despite what's coming against you. Friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's a very joyful, inspiring person, and for several years she was in and out of the hospital taking chemo, and I'd see her here at the church, and you would never know anything was wrong with her. She was the same happy, confident person, friendly to everyone, praying for people during the prayer time, where there was an older patient at the hospital that had cancer as well. Every time my friend went to take treatment, she was stopped by her room for a few seconds, tell her that she was praying for him how she was going to make it. Weeks went by and the older patient took a turn for the worse. She asked the nurse where that young girl was that stopped by from time to time. The nurse said she's not taking treatment now. Why do you ask? The lady said her smile is what keeps me going. When I see her, I believe that I can make it. That's what it means to produce fruit in every season. My friend was fighting cancer. She could have been discouraged, bitter, but her roots went down deep. Even in a tough season, she not only kept her joy, but she was being a blessing to others. My prayer is God help us to be evergreen people, not letting the heat, the pressure, the opposition to keep us from being a blessing. That we wouldn't produce fruit only when the conditions were good, but we would shine in even difficult seasons. That we'd be good to people that weren't good to us, that we'd stay in peace when we could be worried. I was walking up my driveway the other day and I noticed this

little weed about three inches tall right in the middle of the concrete. There was a tiny crack in this weed that had sprung up. All around it was this hard surface, not good soil, not a flower bed, no fertilizer, no miracle grow. It was the least likely place for this weed to be blooming. Cars drive on concrete, the hot sun bakes it. All the conditions said there's no chance for it to survive. That's the way God made us. You may have some hard things around you today. All the statistics say you can't be successful. You never get well, never be happy. Look at what you're surrounded by. Can I encourage you? The life God put in you is more powerful than anything that's trying to hold you down? (audience applauding) If that little weed could somehow push back the concrete, find that little sliver of soil to break through something many times more powerful? How much more can the life of Almighty God cause you to break through what should hold you back and blossom in spite of that difficulty? Nothing can stand against our God. There is a power in you that cannot be stopped. Now do your part and tap into that hidden source all through the day, meditating on his promises. Thanking him for his goodness, declaring his favor. Stay planted by the river, close to God. When you live like this, you will be an evergreen person. You will produce fruit in every season. You won't be bothered by the heat, worried by the drought. I believe in declare.

You will always be in blossom with the grace, the strength, the purpose to become all that you were created to be in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen? (congregation applauding) 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 Him my Lord and Savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again, and we'd love to send you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. You can text the number on the screen or go to the website. But I hope you'll get into a good Bible based church and keep God first place.