Let Them Walk | 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 our YouTube channel Social media and you can come visit us in person. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services But I like to start with something funny and I heard about this young man. He was a huge football fan He bought two tickets to the Super Bowl months ahead of time not realizing it was going to be on the same day as his wedding He had paid a couple thousand dollars for each of the tickets So he put an ad on Facebook seeing if anyone wanted to go in his place He said it will be at three o'clock First Baptist Church, and her name is Tiffany No, don't do that y'all. Here we go 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 let them walk We all have people that God brings across our path that are there for a lifetime our spouse Children friends that we cherish. They're loyal stick with us through thick and thin But not every relationship is designed to last forever There are seasons and sometimes a good season will come to an end Who you needed to raise your children may not be the same ones you need when they're grown and gone Other times God has taken you higher You're growing the people that have been with you can't go where you're going. So doors will close One of the hardest things for us is to let people go You have to recognize when their part in your story is over Doesn't mean you can't still be friends, but it's not going to be the same If not, we try to hold on to things that God is finished with When that season is over there's no grace for it. There's this tension They want to leave but we don't want them to go and how it's a struggle a strain trying to force it to work But when someone wants to walk away you have to learn to let them walk We spend too much time trying to convince people to stay and we have to play up to them

Manipulate why aren't they calling? Am I not good enough? I hope they come by Do yourself a favor move on with your life Don't waste another minute trying to convince someone to love you call you come see you You are a gift You are a treasure a prize possession if someone doesn't recognize your value They don't treat you like the masterpiece that you are with respect with honor That's a sign that season has changed you have to move forward God has already ordained divine connections for you People that can't live without you people that love being with you can't wait to see you And sometimes the reason we're not seeing these people is we're holding on to the wrong people Quit chasing someone that doesn't want to be with you letting them control you Manipulate you hoping that you'll gain their approval. Then they'll let you in their friend group Here's the problem if you do convince them they become your friend How you started that relationship is how are you going to have to maintain it? It's going to be a constant struggle to keep performing manipulating conniving Solomon said unless the Lord builds the house We labor in vain if you'll let God bring your relationships and trust him with who comes into your life Then it's not a struggle You can be who you are You don't live trying to force people to like you Lower your standards to be accepted Someone doesn't want to be in your life. It's no big deal. You let them go And it doesn't mean that they're a bad person Something's wrong with them. They're just not right for you at this time Maybe they were fine for a season, but this is a new season And the scripture talks about how God is our doorkeeper He opens and closes doors in our life When God closes a door, there's nothing you can do to keep that door open You can strive and strain

Try to talk people into staying perform better That's laboring in vain All that's going to do is wear you out front row Straight you cause you to get bitter Try a new approach and let them go if people can walk away from you. They're not a part of your destiny Don't take it personally. Don't get offended be critical. God is ordering your steps The people he's ordained to be in your life cannot leave you can't get rid of them They love you no matter what they accept you with no makeup. No coffee. They come when you don't call They show up when you didn't ask they laugh with you cry with you. They don't judge you. You never have to think about performing Manipulating hoping they like you. They're a divine connection. God ordained them to be there Now just the opposite is true. The people that are not supposed to be in your life cannot stay It's not up to them. God has closed that door No matter how hard you try How much you serve give play up to it's not going to change Take the pressure off Quit trying to win someone over that's not supposed to be there We hear that phrase they ghosted me man. They just disappeared. They didn't call they didn't respond They may have ghosted you but sometimes it's the Holy Ghost shutting that door They don't even know why It's because God is your doorkeeper He knows who's good for you. And who's not Who has the right motives and who's just there for what you can do for them? he knows who will add value and move you further into your destiny and who is a Distraction a dead end there to get you off course Bottom line if someone doesn't want to be your friend don't waste another second trying to convince them If you have to perform to stay in a relationship, it's always a struggle. You don't feel like you measure up They're not for you. That's laboring in vain Let God build your house

Trust him to bring the right people and here's the key you have to be at peace with who walks away Now at peace with those who don't accept you Recognize when their part in your story is over. You don't have to get bitter live offended God is the one behind the scenes opening and closing doors That friend may have been great for ten years. Then the season changed. They're not around Or that person walked out on you broke your heart I know that's painful But you have to realize if they left you you didn't need them If you needed them for your purpose for your assignment, they would still be there The scripture says that God will never leave us or forsake us if they walked out Ghosted you betrayed you and you needed them. That would mean God was forsaking you You can draw the conclusion if they walked away Their part in your story was over if they don't want to be your friend You don't need them if they don't value you make you feel like you have something to offer They're not for you. You have to move on Quit trying to talk people into staying they don't want to stay let them walk Jesus told his disciples when you go into a city if they don't accept the message of the good news They're not for you and they don't want you to be there. He didn't say man. You got to work harder Spend more time try to convince them. No, he said shake the dust off your feet and go on to the next city He was saying don't waste your time trying to win people over that are not a part of your destiny Someone doesn't want to be with you. They don't like you. They don't validate you shake the dust off and move on Except that they're not a part of your story if they can walk away You have to let them walk if you try to convince them. It's going to be a constant source of frustration And yes, God can change their mind if they're supposed to be there. He'll turn things around But you're not supposed to live trying to talk people into liking you being your friend hoping they call God created you in his own image. You have royal blood flowing through your veins He's already lined up people that recognize your value people that love being with you There's a lady in the scripture named Naomi Her husband passed away and she became a widow at a young age

Ten years later both of her grown sons were killed. She was so heartbroken. She decided to move back to her hometown of Bethlehem. She told her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, that they should move back to their homes as well and go on with their lives. The three of them packed up their belongings and headed out on the road toward Judah. They came to an intersection and stopped. Naomi said, this is where we part ways. You both go that way and I'm gonna go on to Bethlehem. The scripture says, Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye and headed down the road. Orpah was a good person. She loved Naomi, but now she was leaving. Naomi could have been upset. Thought, man, after all I did for her, she's leaving me in my darkest time when I need her the most? No, Naomi understood this was a new season, that things had changed, that it was okay for her to walk away. She was at peace with who left. She accepted Orpah not being a part of her life in the same way without being critical and bitter toward her. We like to hold on to people and stay here, meet my needs, keep it the same. It's a mark of maturity to let people walk away. Takes trust. You're saying, God, I know you're my doorkeeper.

You're opening and closing the doors of relationships in my life. The other daughter-in-law, Ruth, was just the opposite. Naomi tried to get her to leave. She said, Ruth, there's no future going with me. Nothing in Bethlehem for you. You deserve more for your life. She gave her best speech, every opportunity to leave with no guilt. But Ruth said in verse 16, Naomi, I can't leave. I will go wherever you go. Live wherever you live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. May the Lord punish me if I allow anything to separate us. How could one daughter-in-law leave so easily? The other wanna stay. They both loved their mother-in-law, but Ruth sensed that her destiny was tied to Naomi. She felt this connection that was stronger than her own family. She watched her sister-in-law, Orpah, walk away, but something in her said, you have to stay. In life, you'll have a lot of Orpahs, people that leave. They're good people, but the season is over. Things change. They're busy, distracted. You have to let them go. Be at peace with who left. Don't fault them.

Don't get critical. God is closing the door. They're an Orpah. They were instrumental in your life for a season. They were necessary, but now their part in your story is over. The good news is God will always give you a Ruth, someone you can't get rid of. They stick with you through thick and thin. They know their destiny is tied to you, but sometimes we try to convince the Orpahs to stay, spending time and energy, gotta manipulate, perform. Orpah loved Naomi, but she left. People can love you and leave. If they walk away, they're not a bad person. God shut the door. That season ended, but when it's a Ruth, there's nothing you can do to convince them to go. When you understand this, it takes the pressure off. You're not frustrated over who left, bitter over that person that ghosted you, striving to get that coworker to accept you. That's laboring in vain. Let God bring your relationships. Trust him with your open and closed doors. If someone leaves, do like Naomi, kiss them goodbye. Not bitter, angry, man, they never call me back. Why won't they invite me to their group? You're not supposed to be there.

You can't open a door that God has closed, and you can't close a door that God has opened. They can't leave when God has purposed it. If they walked away, they were supposed to go. If they didn't stay, you didn't need them. Kiss them goodbye and move on. The mistake we make sometimes is instead of kissing them goodbye, we kick them goodbye. Good riddance, get out of here, I didn't like you anyway. Talk bad, critical, live offended. They may have done you wrong, betrayed you, left you out. God is your vindicator. He'll take care of who hurts you, but if you let that bitterness get on the inside, it's going to poison your next relationship. You have to be at peace with who. Left you have to accept who walked away as a part of God's plan Yes, it was painful wasn't fair, but God wouldn't have allowed it if it wasn't moving you towards your destiny And sometimes he closes doors. We don't understand. He takes the orpahs out of our life People we were counting on friends. We were used to but he always has a Ruth He always has the right people destiny connections the late 1950s my father was pastoring a successful church. They just built a beautiful new sanctuary the future looks so bright My sister Lisa was born with something like cerebral palsy The doctors told my parents that she'd probably never be able to walk or feed herself My father went away for a few days to read the scripture like he had never read it before He saw how Jesus went around healing people doing miracles and how wouldn't you believe all things are possible He was taught in seminary back then that miracles only happen in Bible days He came back to his church with a new fire and he shared this message of faith and victory

He thought everyone would be excited, but it was just the opposite. It didn't fit into their tradition Things got so contentious and so divisive that my parents were forced out of the church. They had to resign My mother was 26 years old. She had lifelong friends that never spoke to her again People she had known for years gone to school with raised children with done life together now they walked away Wouldn't have anything to do with her Mother is about to be 91 years old I have never heard her say one negative thing about those people never heard her complain about them belittle them Sure, it was hurtful. She felt the sting of rejection being misunderstood. Some of them talked about her and my father She could have tried to defend herself Convinced them to change their mind keep them on her side She understood this principle if people can walk away you have to let them walk if they leave you Accept it as a part of your destiny Don't spend your life trying to change people's minds and win them over Convince them to approve you like Naomi you have to kiss them. Goodbye Not bitter. I'll show you I'm gonna make you look bad Leave it in God's hands When you're at peace with who walked away you're passing the test That's when you'll see the new things God is doing. My parents went out and started Lakewood Mother's Day 1959 with 90 people the critics said it would never last but here we are today 65 years later and still going strong The fact is my parents couldn't have fulfilled their destiny at that church It was a limited environment Orpah had to walk away Those people had to misunderstand my parents. They had to reject them. It was painful, but it was God closing the door You're not always going to understand what God is doing and why this person treated you this way You've been good to them, but they left you out said things that weren't true Leave it in God's hands Don't spend all your energy trying to convince people to stay they don't want to stay Some people no matter what you do how hard you tried how good you are to them. They're gonna find fault Misunderstand want to leave best thing you can do it. Let them go

There's something called the gift of goodbye We see it as a disappointment Really they're doing you a favor They had to leave so you can see the greater things the levels you couldn't reach with those same people It doesn't mean they're bad. It's just a new season God is doing a new thing. So Orpah has to go but Ruth will always be there God is controlling the doors in your life who comes in and out of relationships If Ruth had walked away said like Orpah, I'm out of here. I'm going to greener pastures I'm not saying with this old woman if she had not stuck with Naomi She would have never married Boaz and become the great-grandmother of King David Now we understand why she said I cannot leave Not maybe I'll come with you Naomi Maybe I'll go home for a few months and then come back and see you the people God has ordained for you cannot walk away Listen to Ruth's language. May the Lord punish me if I allow anything to separate us God will put such a strong desire in those who are supposed to stay that they can't leave. Now quit worrying about the orpahs. Man, why didn't they stay? Or thinking you have to work harder, perform better, convince them to not leave. That's not your job. Take the pressure off. You have a doorkeeper, a God who opens and closes doors, a God who moves people out on purpose, and a God who causes people to not be able to walk away. Your part, my part, is to honor God, treat people with respect, be kind, be loving, but you don't have to beg people to stay. You don't have to play up to that friend hoping they'll give you the time of day. Let that co-worker manipulate, talk down, belittle. If not, they won't accept you. You don't need them. The sooner you let them walk away, the better off you're gonna be. And I'm not saying to be mean and rude and treat them the same way. I'm just saying quit depending on them for your value, thinking you have to have them to reach your destiny. You don't need them to feel good about who you are. Let them walk away and God will bring people into your life that see you as a masterpiece, people that celebrate who you are, that love spending time with you. And I know when someone leaves, it's hard to be

looked down on, betrayed, rejected, but what if you knew, like my parents, that it had to happen so you could see your Lakewood? What if you knew God closing the door was to take you to greater levels? It was a disappointment, but in fact, them walking away is a present. They gave you the gift of goodbye. It's very freeing when you realize God is your doorkeeper. He's going to have the right people for each season of your life. May not be who it's always been. I don't mean your spouse, your children, they're with you. I'm talking about friends, co-workers, people you grew up with. Yes, some are long-term, but some may walk away. You have to be at peace with who leaves. Some people, they've been playing up to people for years, letting them control them, manipulate, live under so much pressure, all because they're afraid if they don't perform, this person may leave, may not call, may not approve. This can save you a lot of heartache. Let them walk. They don't want to be your friend. It's their loss, not yours. If they don't call, shake the dust off and move on. If they ghost you, take it as the Holy Ghost shutting that door, keeping you from that jerk, I mean that person. A few years after my father passed, the church was really growing and we needed a larger auditorium. My father always said that he would never move the church. I was young. I didn't want to rock the boat, but when we got word that the compact center became available, I knew it was supposed to be ours. I didn't announce it, but it came out in the news. 99% of the congregation was completely for it. Everyone's so excited, but there was this one man. He would find me after every service. Joel, you know, your dad said he wouldn't move the church. It's not right to go to that other location, and if you go, I'm not going to come. Well, my personality is to want everybody to be for it. I said, well, man, let's just pray. Let's just wait. Let's just see what happens, hoping to change his mind, convince him to get on board. But after about the 40th time of him telling me it wasn't right, he wasn't going to come, something shifted in my spirit. I didn't say it, but I thought to myself, I hope you don't come. In fact, you're not even invited. A stronghold was broken in my mind, thinking that if he leaves, the world's going to fall apart. You can't accomplish your dreams worried about

who's going to walk away, who's going to accept you, and I got to perform, play up to them, make them like me. That's no way to live. Some people can't go where God has taken you. They're good people. They're great for a season, but God has ordained you to go higher. It's going to take greater commitment, greater faith, greater consecration, so he'll remove certain people that would limit you so you can fulfill your purpose. John chapter 6, Jesus was teaching his disciples about commitment, what it meant to be a follower of Christ. Some of them didn't understand. Verse 66 says, at that point, many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Here Jesus had given his life. For them they'd seen him do great miracles traveled with him even together laughed together, but they walked away Jesus looked at the twelve disciples and said are you going to leave too? Peter said Jesus, where would we go? You have eternal life. We believe you're the Son of God He couldn't get rid of the twelve What's interesting is you never read where Jesus went chasing after the many disciples that left that day He chased after that one lost sheep that got off course, but he didn't go chasing after people that didn't want to stay Your destiny is not tied to those that left you God doesn't need anything you lost to bless you Those that walked away Didn't understand that betrayed they didn't stop what God has for you. Let it go Quit dwelling on it Reliving to her hoping that you can pay them back or trying to change their mind. God closed that door I'm asking you to be at peace with those who have walked away Quit trying to hold on to people that don't want to be there You're not supposed to chase people to love you and accept you and believe in you. You don't need them This takes the pressure off no more striving straining trying to convince people to be for you That's laboring in vain trust God to be your doorkeeper Trust him with your relationships. If you'll do this, I believe and declare God will bring you divine Connections the right people for every season or from may have left But God has some roots coming for you people that cannot leave in Jesus name And if you receive it, can you say amen?

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