Dare to Believe | Joel Osteen

God bless you. It's great to be with you today. And I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast or YouTube channel and social media. And you can come visit us in person. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. I like to start with something funny. And someone sent me this interesting observation from the book of Genesis goes like this. In the beginning, God created the earth, then rested. Then God created man and rested next. God created women. And since then, neither God nor man has rested. All right, y'all 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 dare to believe. There are times in life when our faith is high and we're filled with great expectation and we're pursuing dreams and seeing doors open, making progress. Then life happens. Person walks away. Contract falls through. The medical report isn't good. We were so close. It's like we could grasp it, but now it doesn't seem possible. All of us face these moments when life doesn't make sense or what we were hoping for didn't happen. Our prayers weren't answered. It's easy to get discouraged. That's when doubt comes, whispers, you must have heard God wrong. You'll never get well. You'll never see your family restored. It's too late to accomplish your dreams. No, God wouldn't have put that dream in your heart. He wouldn't have given you that promise if He wasn't going to fulfill it. You're not going to understand the plan of God in real time. We look at what's happening now, but God knows what's coming later on. His ways are not our ways. His plans are better and bigger than our plans. And if you try to understand everything that's happening in that one season, you're going to be frustrated because God is doing things now that are setting you up for something much better later on. He may have to close a door or move a person out of the way or take you through this detour, this difficulty. I don't understand this, God. Where are you? Why did this happen? Faith is all about trusting when you don't understand, doing the right thing when you have unanswered questions, when it doesn't make sense. All your emotions will say, be disappointed, live in self-pity, give up on your dream. No, come back to that place of peace, that place of trust. God is ordering your steps. He is the author of your story. He has planned your days for good and not

for harm. And yes, there may be some seasons you don't understand and seasons of struggle where what was working is not working anymore. Seasons of silence, you're praying, doing the right thing, nothing's changing. Seasons of closed doors, disappointments, where it looks like it's canceled your dream. But God wouldn't have allowed it if it was going to stop your purpose. It looks like a setback. The truth is, it's setting you up for something you've never seen. Dare to believe. Dare to trust Him when it doesn't make sense, when you don't understand, when doubt comes bombarding your mind, telling you it's too late, it's over, it's never going to happen. No, what God started, He's going to finish. What He promised you is still on the schedule. No disappointment can stop Him, no sickness, no bad break. God has the final say. He has you in the palm of His hand. He sees you doing the right thing when it's hard. He sees you praising when you could be complaining. Stay in in faith when all the circumstances say you should be discouraged. Your time is coming. You're going to see God show out in your life. Jesus told Peter, you don't realize what I'm doing now, but later on you will understand. We get frustrated because we're trying to figure out now, why did that door close? Why'd they do me wrong? Why am I in this trouble? Stay in faith, your later on is coming. You're going to see it was all a part of God's plan. What you thought was a disappointment was necessary for you to step in to who you were created to be. This is what Thomas had to deal with. He left everything to follow Jesus and became one of the twelve disciples. For three years, he saw Jesus walking in power, favor, huge crowds gathering. He was there. when Jesus healed the blind, cured the lepers, multiplied the food. He knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Chosen One. He'd seen it firsthand. But the Jewish people in that day believed the Messiah would overthrow the Roman government, free them from oppression and restore Israel back to the glory days from when David sat on the throne. They expected Jesus to rule and to reign and to defeat the enemies. Things didn't turn out the way they thought. Instead of overthrowing Rome, Jesus was crucified by the Romans. Instead of sitting on a throne, he hung on a cross. Instead of this huge victory, they saw this great defeat. Their world was shattered. They were confused. They had questions. Thomas thought, man, did I waste my time? Did I spend three years believing a lie? Was I fooled? Was he not who he said he was? You can imagine how heartbroken and disappointed. But what

Thomas couldn't see right then was this was all the plan of God. It had to happen. If it had worked out the way Thomas wanted, we wouldn't have salvation. We wouldn't have redemption, eternal life. Thomas wanted Jesus to change the government. God wanted Jesus to change the world. Thomas wanted freedom from Rome. God wanted freedom from sin. Thomas wanted a temporary kingdom. God wanted an eternal kingdom. Thomas wanted a throne in Jerusalem. God wanted a throne on our hearts. What looked like a setback, them crucifying Jesus was really a setup for us to have an abundant, victorious life. What am I saying? You can't always see the plan of God in the present. It's not always going to make sense. God is doing things we can't comprehend that are much better than we can imagine. We get discouraged and think, man, Joel, this is not what I thought would happen. This company didn't treat me right after all these years. This friend betrayed me. My loved one didn't make it. You don't know what God is up to. Things are happening behind the scenes that you can't see right now. They crucified Jesus on that Friday and put him in the tomb. They thought it was over. All the forces of darkness were celebrating, having a big party, but on Sunday morning, it was a different story. They got the surprise of their life. Jesus came up out of the grave and he said, I am he that lives. I was dead, but I'm alive forevermore. By the way, I have the keys of death and hell. He rose in great victory, but the truth is Jesus didn't like going through that suffering season when he was mocked, betrayed, and beaten. He sweat great drops of blood. He said, Father, if you will, take this cup from me. He knew it was going to be painful, but he trusted the plan of God. He understood that it had to happen. There are some levels you can only get to by going through difficult seasons. The key is don't focus on your crucifixion, so to speak. You have to believe that your resurrection is coming. It may be Friday in your life today. Things you don't understand, you could be discouraged. Why is this happening? God is up to something. Your Sunday is coming. Something that you can't see right now is going to launch you into a new level of your destiny. When my father went to be with the Lord, 77 years old, he had a heart attack and suddenly passed. I didn't understand that. I thought Daddy would live another 20 years. We were best friends and now he was gone. It felt like everything was upside down, like this was the end. But I soon realized it was all a part of God's plan. I never had ministered before. I had been behind the scenes for 17 years. My father tried to get me up

here again and again. I always told him no. But when he passed, I suddenly had the desire to step up and pastor the church. I didn't know any of this was in me. I didn't think I could minister, but there are gifts and talents God has put in you, and sometimes He has to push you into your destiny. The struggle, the disappointment, things you don't understand, it's going to launch you into a new level of your purpose. We see the moment, but God sees the whole story. We don't like Friday, but say in faith, Sunday is coming. The scripture says to lean not to your own understanding. Things are going to happen that we don't understand. It's because our understanding is limited. We are natural. God is supernatural. He said we haven't seen, heard, or imagined what He has in store. What He's planning, you You can't see right now where he's taking you. It may not happen by traditional, ordinary ways. He's going to do things uncommon that you haven't thought of, bigger than you had planned. Had Jesus done what the disciples wanted, become that political messiah, overthrown the government, we wouldn't have a Savior. His ways are better than our ways. Trust him when it doesn't make sense. On that Sunday evening, after they crucified Jesus, the disciples were in a room locked behind closed doors. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders and what would happen after the crucifixion. Would they be next? When Jesus suddenly appeared to them, standing right in the middle, and talked with them. You can imagine how they were in awe. Well, Thomas wasn't there that night. They rushed out to find him. Couldn't wait to tell him the good news.

They said, Thomas, we've seen the Lord. He's alive. They thought, of course, he'd be excited. But Thomas was a little more analytical. He was logical, practical. He had questions. This didn't make sense. He was crucified. How could he be alive? That's not possible. He answered them back, unless I see the nail prints in his hands, unless I touch the wounds in his side, I'm not going to believe. It wasn't so much that Thomas was lacking faith or he wasn't committed enough. It's that he didn't want to be hurt again. That disappointment, that loss was so painful. He couldn't deal with anything more. Sometimes when we've been through hurts, plans haven't worked out, it's tempting to lower our expectations. Don't get our hopes up. It's easier to not believe and just accept it. Joel, I doubt that I can get well now, but man, I can live with this sickness. I doubt I'll ever be free from this addiction. This be so long, but I can handle it. I doubt that I'll meet the right person. I doubt I'll ever see abundance, the open windows of heaven.

That's right where Thomas was. He thought, man, I've grieved this loss. I've accepted it's not going to happen and I'm okay with the disappointment. You may be okay, but God's not okay. He loves you too much to let you miss your destiny. You may have given up on a dream, but God has not given up. When you won't go to him, he'll come to you. A week later, the disciples were in a room again. This time, Thomas was there. The door was locked, dead bolted. All of a sudden, Jesus came walking through the door. They were standing there in astonishment. Jesus walked right past Peter, past John, Matthew, James, and he went straight to Thomas. He bypassed all the people who had faith and went to the one person that had doubt. He didn't speak to the believers. He went to the one man that didn't believe. He reached out his hands, said, Thomas, touch my nail prints. He turned his body. Thomas, touch the wounds in my side. God was showing us that doubt doesn't disqualify you. Jesus could have said, oh, fine, Thomas, I don't need you anymore. I'll find somebody else that'll believe, good riddance. But God doesn't write you off because you don't have enough faith.

You have questions, things you don't understand. The enemy will try to bring condemnation. You're not strong enough. You're not committed enough. Why are you doubting? You're doubting because you're human. It doesn't mean that you're gonna miss God's plan. You're not gonna see his goodness. God knows your heart. There may be doubt in your head, but in your heart, you love God. You wanna believe. You're trying to stay in faith. God will come to you even in your doubt. He knows the struggles are real. Disappointments can weigh us down. People that do us wrong, doors closed, that can be discouragement, bring questions. I must've heard God wrong. He's not saying if you're Superman, if you never doubt, you never have a down moment, then I'll help you. Then I'll show you favor. No, even in the doubts, God is looking for you. He's coming your way. When my mother was fighting terminal cancer, she told how she would wake up in the middle of the night and so worried and fearful, all these thoughts telling her that it was over and there was no way to get well.

And she would get a little discouraged and even confused trying to stay in faith, but doubt was so real and so strong. She told my father, John, I feel bad that I'm doubting, trying my best, but these negative thoughts keep weighing me down. My father told her, Dodie, you're doubting in yourself. mind, but in your heart, you believe God. In your spirit, you know that healing is coming. We all know that God works when we have faith, but what I want you to see is God is so good, he'll meet you in your doubt, when you have questions, when you feel confused, when things happen that you don't understand. Now, I love how Jesus walked through a closed door. He didn't knock. He didn't go to the window. He didn't try to push the door open. He simply walked through the door. You may have doors that are locked in your life, so to speak, things that seem impossible in your health, your finances, your dream, no way in the natural. The good news is, there's not a door that God can't walk through. Not a sickness he can't heal, not an addiction he can't break, not a child he can't turn around. You have the most powerful force in the universe on your side. But maybe today, you're like Thomas. Things haven't turned out the way you thought. You're looking at it in real time, and it doesn't make sense. The medical report is not good, and now you're doubting whether you'll get well. You had that breakup, and now you're doubting if you'll ever meet anyone, or you lost that client. You're doubting if your business can make it. You're right where Thomas was. The door is locked, deadbolted, odds are against you. What you can't see is God is about to walk through that door. It's going to be supernatural. You couldn't make it happen. It's the hand of God doing what only He can do. You see, Resurrection Sunday is not just about Jesus rising from the dead. That's the most important thing. But if Jesus can walk out of a tomb, He can walk into your doubt. Dare to trust Him. Dare to believe. It may not make sense right now, but He's working behind the scenes. His plan is better than your plan. It may be Friday in your life, but Sunday is coming, something that launches you into your destiny.

Jesus told the disciples in John chapter 16, it's better for you if I go away, that way the Holy Spirit can come. Well, they couldn't understand that in real time. Nothing could be positive about Jesus leaving. He was their leader, their teacher, their Messiah. They'd seen all the miracles, all the good that He had done. This made no sense that it would be better if He left. It's because they couldn't see the plan of God. They didn't know what was coming. See, before Jesus rose again, the Holy Spirit only lived in certain people, prophets and priests. In the Old Testament, David would tell his men, go to the prophet and ask him what God wants us to do. When you made mistakes, you had to go find a priest to make a sacrifice for your sins. They were dependent on other people for guidance and protection. Everything in the disciples' reasoning said Jesus leaving is a bad thing. This is not what we expected. With Him not here, we'll be less effective, but it was just the opposite. When Jesus left, He sent the Holy Spirit to live on the inside of each one of us. Now, we don't have to go to a prophet. We don't have to find a priest, a minister, a pastor. We are temples of the Most High God. The Holy Spirit is in you right now, leading you, guiding you. He's called your counselor, your advocate, your helper. That's why Jesus said, it's better for you that I go away. Sometimes God will remove things we don't understand. He'll close doors or move someone out of our life. We don't like it. Nothing in our logic can see how it's a good thing. You don't understand it now, but later on you will. God is doing things you can't see. He's going to take you where you've never been. Trust Him when it doesn't make sense. Don't fight everything you don't like. God is smarter than we are. If He's closing a door or doing something you don't understand, be mature enough to say, God, I trust you. You know what's best for me. I may not like this. I may be in a crucifixion right now, but I believe my resurrection is coming. Thomas became known as Doubting Thomas. We were taught in Sunday school, don't be like Thomas. He didn't have enough faith. He had to have proof. But do you know how long Thomas doubted? Was it for a year, five years, 30 years? He's got this nickname that's lasted 2,000 years. No, Thomas doubted for eight days. It was eight days from the time they told him Jesus had risen into the moment Jesus walked in the room. Eight days and thousands of years later, people are still calling him Doubting Thomas. What's my point? People will try to label you by one bad moment, by one failure, one tough season, one breakup. Do yourself a favor,

take off those labels. Weak Thomas, Addicted Thomas, Divorced Thomas, Compromising Thomas, that's not who you are. That was one moment of your life. You may have failed, but you are not a failure. That's what you did. That's not who you are. You may have doubted, but you're not a doubter. Don't let that label become permanent. You may struggle with an addiction, but you are not an addict. You are a child of the Most High God. Don't let people label you. Let God label you. We call him Doubting Thomas. You know what God calls him? Believing Thomas, Forgiving Thomas, Blessed Thomas. Now you may need to take off some labels today, Unattractive, Damaged, Hurt, Compromiser. Don't let that define your future. Every person has had a moment of doubt, a moment of compromise that we wish we could undo. If we could go back, we'd do better. If Thomas had another chance, he would have believed right at first, but it happened. You can't change the past, but you don't have to let it define you. Now the enemy is an expert with labels. He'd love to deceive you into wearing that doubting label, inferior, shame, washed up, unworthy. Take off those labels. You are who God says you are, blessed, valuable, worthy, a masterpiece. See, people may define you by what you did, but God defines you by what Jesus did. He made you worthy. He made you righteous. He calls his own child his prized possession. And this is really a good lesson for all of us. Don't judge people by one event. Don't label them by one bad season. I can't believe they did that. If it wasn't for the grace of God, you could have done it too. It wasn't just your discipline, your focus. It was the mercy of God helping you. Don't be self-righteous, holier than thou. I've never done that. No, our righteousness comes from God. Walk humbly. Recognize it's his mercy and his grace keeping us on course. The mercy you show others is the mercy God is going to show you. This is what Lakewood is all about. People walk in here, shortcomings, addictions, compromise, doubt, but we don't call you by what you've done. We call you by who God says you are. Not doubting Thomas. That was eight days. But believing Thomas. Not addicted Thomas, but free Thomas. Not ashamed Thomas, but worthy Thomas. Not failing Thomas, but victorious Thomas. Well, Thomas is probably most known for his doubt, but that wasn't the end of the story. That eight days got a lot of attention, but what we don't hear a lot about is Thomas took the gospel further than any other disciple. Peter, James, John, they went to Rome, Greece, Judea. Thomas went to India to another continent, 3000 miles away. The man who doubted, God used to go

the furthest. I've been to India many times with my father and everywhere you go, you meet a Thomas. Churches are named after Thomas. Parents named their sons Thomas. There are groups called St. Thomas Christians that trace their faith back to Thomas 2000 years ago. Yes, Thomas had a season of doubt, but he didn't let it define him. He went on to live a lifetime of faith. Because of that, millions of people in India, generations later are still hearing about the goodness of God. The enemy loved to convince you that your doubts, your failures, what's happened in the past, that's tainted your future. Man, just sit on the sidelines. Don't believe those lies. God is coming to you with love, with mercy, with forgiveness, not to just make it through, but like with Thomas, to go further, to leave your mark. The best part of your life is still in front of you. Jesus said to Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed, but blessed are those who have not seen, yet will believe. That's you and me. We haven't seen. We weren't there in person. We weren't able to touch, to feel, yet you're here. You're honoring God. You're putting Him first place. You are blessed because you believe and you haven't seen. seen. Maybe like Thomas, you've had some seasons of doubt, wondering, questions. That didn't disqualify you. If God can use Thomas, He can use you. Maybe you're in a situation now, it doesn't make sense. It feels like you're going backwards. God is up to something behind the scenes. You don't understand it now. Trust Him. Later on, you will. His plan will unfold into something better than you've ever imagined. If Thomas were here today, he would tell you, take off the negative labels. Don't be defined by one event, by one bad season. Don't let that sour the rest of your life. Move forward in faith. Your destiny is waiting. Your children are counting on you. Relatives in heaven, those that have gone before you, they are cheering you on right now. This is your moment. This is your time to shine. Dare to believe. If you'll do this, I believe and declare, like Thomas, doubt is not going to stop you. It's going to launch you further and higher. It may be Friday in your life, but get ready. Sunday is coming. Healing, favor, breakthroughs, 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 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.