Empty Out The Negative | Joel Osteen

Well, God bless you it's a joy to come into your homes if you're ever in our area Please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you will make you feel right at home I like to start with something funny and I heard about this lady that died She was at the pearly gates and st. Peter said you can't come in yet. You have to correctly spell a word She said what word he said any word so she spelled the word love L-o-v-e He said welcome to heaven then Peter asked her if she would take his place for just a moment He instructed her if anybody came up just to follow the same procedure a few minutes She sees her ex-husband walking up. She can't believe it says what are you doing here? He said I just had a heart attack. Did I really make it to heaven? She said not yet. You have to spell a word correctly. He said what word there was a long pause and she said Czechoslovakia I Want to talk to you today about emptying out the negative It's easy to go through life holding on to things that are weighing us down guilt resentment doubt worry The problem is when we allow these things in they're taking up space for the good things that should be there Imagine your life is like a container You were created to be filled with joy peace Confidence creativity, but if you allow worry in it pushes out the peace There's not space for both. You can't go above a hundred percent You have a limited amount of room if you allow guilt to take up space That's space that you don't have for the confidence you need And the reason some people don't enjoy their lives is because their container their heart is Contaminated with so many things they have 10% worried stressed out over their job 12% bitterness mad at their neighbor 20% guilt beating themselves up for past mistakes 9% jealousy. Their co-worker is more beautiful. They don't realize 70% of their container is negative. They wonder why they don't have joy creativity passion They only have room for 30% of what they should have And the scripture says give no place to the enemy. It's not just talking about forces of darkness That means give no place to guilt

Give no place to worry give no place to bitterness. It can't come in and automatically take over You control what's in your container you control what you think about what you choose to allow in And we all have negative emotions negative feelings. Do you have to make the choice? I'm not going to give this jealousy this bitterness this anger Valuable space and let it poison my life I'm going to protect what I allow in me and every morning when we wake up We need to empty out anything negative from the day before Somebody offended you at work. They didn't treat you, right? It's easy to let that offense stay feels good to carry around a grudge Do you have to be disciplined say no, I am NOT giving this offense any room. I am NOT going to let it sour my day They hurt you once don't let them continue to hurt you by holding on to the offense Being offended is not harming them. It's harming you It's taking up space you need for the good things that move you toward your destiny Or you wake up in the morning and thoughts of worry come. How are you gonna pay your bills? What if the medical reports not good? You'll never get out of this problem. Don't allow that in Don't make the mistake of dwelling on it. Just say no. Thanks. I know God's in control He's got me in the palm of his hand. He'll get me to where I'm supposed to be Take inventory of what you're giving space to Life is too short to go through it with negative things holding us down David said in Psalm 103 God fills my life with good things So I stay young and strong Now I've learned if you'll empty out the negative if you'll make room God will fill you with good things You empty out the worry God will fill you with peace you empty out the insecurity Negative things people have said about you. God will fill you with confidence My question today is is God trying to fill you with good things, but there's no room Your container is full of worry regret bitterness jealousy Why don't you start emptying that out? Somebody did you wrong you could hold on to that bitterness instead God. I forgive them I let it go. You didn't just forgive you made room for God to fill you with good things That's when he'll give you beauty for ashes joy for morning

You're in a tough season. The medical report wasn't good. You should be stressed worried instead God I trust you you said you would restore health back into me You just made room for God to fill you with healing you empty out the worry God will give you peace in the midst of the storm Perhaps a co-worker got the promotion that you worked so hard for Envy jealousy will come. I wish that was me. I'm smarter than they are. I don't understand that Instead of letting that stay God. I know you're no respecter of persons. You did it for them I know you can do it for me. The good news is God doesn't run out of favor He doesn't have a limited supply If you will empty out the jealousy then when it's your time to be promoted God will open doors that no man can shout if somebody got what you wanted That simply means it wasn't supposed to be yours If they got the promotion be happy for them. God has something better for you If they got the man you wanted to date Let's make it real if they got the girl you were interested in don't be upset God knows what he's doing if it worked out your way It would be second best bottom line what has your name on it is not going to go to anyone else Don't go around bitter with jealousy in self-pity that will poison your life Empty it out God is in control. He's directing your steps at the right time. What has your name on it will show up God promises if we will make room he will not only fill us with good things, but he will keep us young and strong And the reason some people are not young and strong and I don't mean just young physically but young in their spirit Vibrant passionate about life is because they're filled with the negative Worry will make you weak Living stressed out will make you old give you wrinkles. Take your passion Being bitter angry resentful will shorten your life Proverbs says a relaxed attitude lengthens life You can be 80 years old and young at heart your spirit never ages I met a woman in the lobby a while back. It was her 100th birthday

She was standing there dressed impeccably Beautiful hardly had any wrinkles full of joy. Her mind was as sharp as can be I asked her what her secret was so I could tell Victoria She said I Don't worry. I let things go and I laugh a lot She's lived by this principle, you know in a hundred years. She's had trouble people have hurt her She's made mistakes Life has happened Offensives have come but she hasn't held on to them She's kept emptying them out and like God promised he's filled her life with good things kept her young and strong I don't want to get old grouchy grumpy fall apart I want to stay young strong good-looking full of faith and joy and energy the way this happens is Give no place to the negative Get in a habit of emptying out the offenses Empty out the worry you make a mistake empty out the guilt You didn't do your best empty out the regret do better next time Nobody gave you credit empty out the self-pity you had a bad break You don't understand it empty out the questions if you'll get good at emptying out the negative You'll be like this lady strong young vibrant full of faith and full of joy Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart. They will see God That word pure in the original language is where we get our word Cathartic it means cleansing Releasing if you have surgery, sometimes the doctor will put in a catheter same root word It's a tube that drains out the impurities of the body. You can't get up to use the facility that catheter Automatically takes what's not beneficial the toxins the infections the waste and flushes them out of the body The doctor knows there will be contaminants. He's not alarmed that the body has waste and infection He's only alarmed when it's not being released when we're holding on to things that should be flushed out When God says blessed are the pure in heart He's saying you're going to be blessed when you learn how to release the impurities of life

When you get in a habit like this catheter of empty out things that will infect you. You know what bitterness is to our spirit? It's infection. Guilt is infection. Worry, doubt, self-pity, these things are not unusual. Impurities come. You have to push them out. It's when we hold on to them that it contaminates our spirit and causes us problems. You weren't created to carry around guilt, regret, bitterness, anger, that poisons your life. Well, Joel, I'm bitter because I had a bad break. I'm sour because somebody walked out on me. I say this respectfully, that's simply an impurity. Why don't you release it so it doesn't infect the rest of your life? Don't let a disappointment, a divorce, a layoff, a loss poison your future. Well, Joel, I'm worried about my health, worried about my finances, worried about my children. Worry is a part of life. Those thoughts come to us all. The key is to not hold on to them. Recognize they're not beneficial. They're not moving you forward. That's an impurity that wasn't meant to stay. You have to release it. God, I don't see a way, but I know you're still on the throne. I know you're bigger than this problem. I know you're supplying all of my needs. You just released the toxin. Are you holding on to infection, to impurities, angry, jealous, worried, discouraged? Maybe you had a disappointment. Something didn't work out. Imagine there's an angel that has a delivery with your name on it. It says, beauty for ashes, new beginning, new opportunities, new friendships. He's in route with one of those good things. The problem is if you're holding on to the old, there's no place for him to deliver it. I wonder how many things are in route right now. The angel is standing by with our joy, our peace, our confidence, our creativity, our spouse, but because there's no room, because we're not releasing the toxins, the anger, the bitterness, the jealousy, the worry, then he can't deliver those good things. Instead of living blessed, excited about our future, we become infected. The good news is you can get rid of that infection. It is not permanent. If you'll start releasing the regret, the worry, the bitterness, the anger, then it's just a matter of time before that angel shows up with your delivery. When you make room, God promises he will fill your life with good things. This is what David did.

He was an expert at emptying out the negative. His family looked down on him, treated him like he was second-class. He could have let that infection take root, lived insecure. Instead, he let it go in one ear and out the other. He knew if he held on to it, it would keep him from his destiny. David went to the palace, served faithfully King Saul. He would play the harp when Saul was sick to make him feel better. In return, Saul tried to kill him. Saul was jealous of David and chased him through the desert, made his life miserable. David could have become bitter, thought, what's the use? Everybody's against me. Life is not fair. Instead, he kept his heart pure and emptied out the self-pity. Like David, we all have impurities, infections that come. People come against us. Our plans don't always work out. It's easy to think, why is this happening? It's just life. The scripture says offenses will come. They're not a problem unless you don't know what to do with them. Too many people make the mistake of hold on to them. They get bitter, live guilty with a chip on their shoulder. That's going to poison your future. You have to release the toxins of life. You may not be able to keep them from coming, but you can keep them from staying. David had a pure heart. That means he kept the infections out. It doesn't mean that he was perfect. David made mistakes. One time he committed adultery, had the lady's husband killed. For one year, he tried to cover it up, swept it under a rug. He was so overwhelmed with guilt, condemnation, that he became sick and weak. That poison started to infect his life. He finally admitted his mistake. He repented, asked God to forgive him, and things began to turn around. Once he got the infection out, then his health was restored. When you make a mistake, and we all Do don't run away from God. Don't try to hide it go to God Repent that means don't keep doing the same thing and then ask for forgiveness And here's the key you have to receive God's mercy The enemy is called the accuser of the brethren. He'll remind you of every mistake you've made for the last 30 years It's easy to live life in regrets Thinking about what you should have done differently, and I should have raised my children better should have been more faithful in my marriage I should have finished college

Don't go through life looking in the rearview mirror Down on yourself living in regrets. You can't do anything about the past, but you can do something about right now Being against yourself doesn't help you do better. It pushes you down The moment you ask God to forgive you he forgave you why don't you forgive yourself? Why don't you empty out the guilt? Why don't you turn off the accusing voices? God doesn't remember your mistakes anymore. If someone is bringing up the negative things of your past It's not God. That's the accuser trying to deceive you into living condemned How much space are you given to guilt to shame to regret to being against yourself Whatever it is. It's too much You need that space for the good things God has to move you toward your destiny If you're giving space to guilt, you will not have the confidence you need to move forward That will cause you to fail again It's a negative cycle. The only way you can break it is to rise up and say that's it I am done living in the past Focused on my mistakes reliving my failures beating myself up. This is a new day I'm emptying out all that infection. I'm gonna receive God's mercy You have to do this by faith Because every voice will tell you you're a hypocrite God's not gonna forgive you. Look what you've done Doesn't have anything to do with what you have or haven't done. It has to do with what Jesus has already done But Joel I made a lot of mistakes. I don't deserve to be blessed None of us deserve it. This is what mercy is all about. That's why it's called the good news Your sins have already been forgiven. You don't have to pay God back for your mistakes. The price has already been paid When you fall down don't stay down get back up again When the accused or whispers look at you you blew it again. You'll never get it, right? Just answer back Yes, I know. I'm not perfect, but I am forgiven. I may not be where I should be, but I'm making progress I'm moving forward. I'm not where I used to be Don't let guilt poison your future empty it out Sometimes it's hard to empty out the negative when a person does us wrong Human nature wants to hold on to the hurt become bitter carry around a grudge who we think I'm not gonna forgive them

They don't deserve it You're not forgiving for their sake you're forgiving for your sake As long as you hold on to the hurt the anger the bitterness, it's not affecting them It's infecting you Unforgiveness is like a poisonous toxin May feel good to hold on to it, but it will contaminate your life Now a lot of times the reason we don't forgive is because what the other person does was wrong They were clearly at fault But when you forgive you're not excusing their behavior. You're not lessening the offense You're simply getting the poison out of you. You have to forgive so you can be free Quit looking at it like you're doing them a favor. You're doing yourself a favor See, it takes a lot of emotional energy to hold a grudge to live with unforgiveness You wake up. It's always on your mind thinking about how they did you wrong You may not realize you are spending emotional energy that you need for your dreams For your goals for your children You won't become all you were created to be if you are wasting emotional energy on things that don't matter That unforgiveness is an impurity. Yes, what they did was wrong But you have to let it pass you have to release it when you do You'll not only feel a new freedom not only have more energy But God will be your vindicator. He will make your wrongs, right? You don't have to pay people back you're not the judge God is leave it up to him and he'll vindicate you better than you could vindicate yourself This is what a lady did named Mary Johnson. She was a single mother of one One son when he was 20 years old. He was out late one night at a party This young man came up that he had never met. His name was Oshie He was 16 years old and had been drinking There was an altercation in the heat of the moment Oh, she pulled out a gun and shot Mary's only son. He was instantly killed Mary was so filled with anger and hatred She told the judge that 16 year old boy was an animal and he needed to be caged

When he was only charged with second-degree murder Mary was even more angry. She became a recluse Stayed in her house wouldn't look at her son's picture ten years passed She knew it was time to forgive she could hear the still small voice telling her to let it go She contacted the prison to see if she could visit Oshie they said yes, but Oshie said no He wouldn't do it. She kept asking and asking finally he agreed She showed up at the prison When she saw Oshie he came around and gave her a big hug and held on to her They wept and wept Mary said as I was embracing Oshie I could feel hatred and bitterness Rising up out of me and leaving my body It was so strong that she fell over. Oh, she had to hold her up that day Mary not only emptied out the unforgiveness, but she found a new son Seven years later. Oh, she was released on parole didn't have any place to live Mary said you can live next door to me. She calls him her spiritual son Mary started an organization called from death to life To help mothers who have lost children to violence now She and Oshie go out and speak at conferences and schools about unforgiveness and overcoming loss Mary said what really helped her decide to forgive was a poem She heard about two mothers in heaven that had just become friends One mother asked the other who is your son? She said my son is Jesus. I'm Mary Mary asked. Who is your son? She said my son is Judas when Mary Johnson heard how in this poem Mary the mother of Christ had befriended the mother of Judas She knew she had to reach out to that other family now She helps other mothers do the same thing out of your pain can come your purpose I saw a lady on television recently several years earlier Her son had been killed in an accident. They asked her how she was doing him

She made the statement you never really get over it, but you can get past it She was saying yes, it's difficult Yes, there was a season of mourning, but you don't have to stay in mourning. You don't have to live bitter You don't have to get stuck in grief in depression. You can move forward When you go through a loss things happen, you don't understand. It's easy to think I just need to get over this But sometimes that's too strong. It can put more pressure on us. We think why do I feel this way? I must be doing something wrong. Take the pressure off. You don't have to get over it. Just get past it Just keep moving forward taking it one day at a time God said he will never give you something that you cannot handle You may not understand why it happened But the scripture says God will give us a peace that passes understanding You're not going to figure everything out if you'll let go of the questions of life You will have a peace that goes beyond what you can understand Toward the end of Jesus life He'd been betrayed by a disciple mocked by the soldiers falsely accused now He was hanging on the cross wearing a crown of thorns about to breathe his last breath He did something significant. He could have just died and went on to heaven. That was it, but he said father Before I go I need to take care of one last thing Forgive them for they know not what they do They didn't ask for forgiveness. They didn't deserve it Jesus was saying in effect. I'm not going to leave this earth with anything negative in me He was showing us by example how we should release the toxins release the impurities. I Read where Leonardo da Vinci was painting a portrait of Christ He let some small children in the room to watch him paint one of them accidentally knocked over the easel He became very upset and ushered them out of the room he sat back down down to finish, but he said he could not paint the face of Christ with anger in his heart. That's what happens when we hold on to the negative. It stifles our creativity. We don't do our best work. It's because there's infection that's slowing us down. Are you allowing negative things in your container? To reach the fullness of your destiny, you need to operate at your maximum potential. If you have a little bitterness, a little guilt, a little jealousy, a little

worry, if you add up all the space the little is taking, you're only operating at a fraction of what you could. I'm asking you to empty all that out. God is ready to fill your life with good things. He wants to keep you young and strong. Do your part and make room for Him. Every morning, empty out the guilt. Empty out the worry. Empty out the discouragement. And when the impurities come, when the infection comes, don't let it stay. Let it pass on through. Keep your heart pure. If you do this, I believe and declare you're going to step up to a new level with more joy, more peace, more favor, healing, wholeness, the fullness of your destiny. In Jesus' name, 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. Get in a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. Victoria and I'll be right back to speak a blessing over you.