No More Bad Days | 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. We have a 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'd like to start with something funny and I heard about these three pastors that were in a boat together fishing. One of them said, we never get to let our hair down, let's each tell the greatest area that we struggle in. Our greatest sin, so we can pray for each other. The first pastor said, I hate to admit it, but I have a problem with gambling. Some nights I sneak out and gamble. Second pastor said, I'm ashamed to admit this, but I have a problem with cheating. I hardly ever pay my taxes. The third pastor sat there silently. They waited and waited, he wouldn't budge. They said, we're not leaving till you tell us your greatest sin. He said, all right, my greatest sin is gossiping and I can't wait to get off this boat. 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 no more bad days. We all have opportunities to get upset, be offended, live worried. It can be small things like traffic or people who are rude, a co-worker leaves us out.

Sometimes it's bigger things, a contract didn't go through, the medical test wasn't good, our loved one's in trouble. No matter how good of a person you are, how much faith you have, you're going to have to deal with bad moments. It's easy to let them take our joy, steal our peace, or we go through the day frustrated, our feelings are hurt, we're down because of the disappointment, but life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond. You can't stop a bad moment from coming, but you don't have to let it turn into a bad day. Jesus said no man can take your joy. No circumstance can make you get sour, no delay, offense can force you to get discouraged. You're in control of your joy. Nobody can take it from you. You get to decide your attitude, what you're going to dwell on, your perspective. When a bad moment comes, you have to make the decision that you're not going to let that ruin the rest of the day. It's okay to acknowledge your feelings and this was hurtful. What they said was wrong. I'm disappointed the medical report wasn't better. That's valid. God made us with emotions. I'm not telling you to deny your feelings, push things down. That's fine for a moment, but don't let it linger. Don't keep dwelling on it, reliving it. The longer you do, the more it gets down in your spirit. You need to reframe it. That was hurtful. It was wrong, but God is still in control. He sees everything that's happened. He's your defender. Now, don't let that bad moment turn into a bad day.

Maybe you have a bad morning, a setback was very disappointing, or a bad afternoon. Your child didn't get that position you were hoping for. It's okay to take a moment to process it, but don't stay there. To where you go to bed disappointed and mad at your neighbor and offended at your spouse, discouraged over your finances. If you let a bad moment linger, it'll turn into a bad day, then a bad week, a bad month, a bad year. You look up and years have gone. You don't have your passion. You're not pursuing dreams, not enjoying your family. All started with a bad moment you didn't deal with properly. May turn into a bad hour. You have to process it. Even a bad morning. But don't let it turn into a bad day. You have to put your foot down, say, no, I'm not giving away my joy. I'm not gonna lose my peace. This is the day the Lord has made. I've made up my mind to enjoy it. The scripture says, don't let the sun go down while you're angry. It's a principle. If you go to bed with negative things, anger, offense, discouragement, guilt, that's letting the negativity take deeper root. It's getting more down in your spirit. You start the next day off a little more sour, a little more offended, a little more frustrated. The longer you go, the more difficult to deal with. That's why it's so important to not go to bed upset, frustrated, worried. You may have a good reason to feel that way. You've had some bad moments, things that weren't fair.

Plans that fell through the good news is that bad moment didn't stop your destiny It didn't override what God has for you. Why are you giving away your joy? The scripture tells us to hold our peace. Why are you letting go of your peace? It was a bad moment. You can't stop that but you can keep it from turning into a bad day They can lead to a bad year. They can go on to a bad life You have the power to decide how long the bad moment is going to last And I know some things are hurtful It's like they knocked the wind out of us. You have to regroup and reframe it Don't let your emotions decide you decide on July 30th last year my sister Lisa called and said my mother is not answering the phone And she thought something was wrong Of course I jumped in the car and headed toward her house and on the way there a police officer called and said Joel I'm sorry to tell you this but we found your mother deceased at home I didn't see that coming a bad moment losing a loved one I was having a good day then life happened and there's a time for weeping a time to grieve You have to process what's happened, but you can't let the sorrow linger You can't let the disappointment continue day after day you need to reframe it Look at it from a perspective of faith in a couple of hours after I got past the initial news Instead of being sad Overwhelmed. Can you believe what happened? I started thinking about what a great mother I had how she lived almost 92 years and how God healed her from terminal cancer She was at church two days before praying for people right here I talked to her the night before and told her how much I loved her. She was a bright light Inspiring so many people with her healing and faith and compassion I went to bed that night not thinking about what a bad day It was but thinking about how good God is how now my mother is in his hands I felt strength and peace Not in a weird way, but I had joy on the inside I knew God was still in control that she had fulfilled her purpose that we were stepping into new seasons My point is it was a choice that I made. This is a bad moment

I'm disappointed, but I'm not gonna let this turn into a bad week a bad month a bad year Every day is a gift from God Once you live this day, you can't get it back When you lay your head on the pillow each night, you need to be able to say this was a good day Even if you had bad things happen Even if it didn't work out the way you had planned there were unexpected challenges. You have to turn those hurts over to God He wouldn't have allowed it if it wasn't going to work to your advantage You need to remember the good things in your life, Lord I've had some setbacks But I want to thank you that I'm alive that I have breath to breathe That I have a place to live a family to love dreams to pursue. Yes. I had some trouble but all is well My boss did me wrong, but all is well My mother went to be with you all is well Let's make up our minds. No more bad days No more going to bed sour No more letting people steal our joy Frustrated over things we can't control no more letting the offense linger Deal with it quickly and move on Trust God to be your vindicator Trust him with the closed doors the things you don't understand the delays the people that walked away Those are bad moments, but they don't have to turn into a bad day This is what Habakkuk did a man in the scripture He said although the fig tree does not blossom and there be no fruit in the vine Though the olive crops have failed and the fields have produced no food. He was saying man. My business is not good My crops didn't make it. My storehouses are empty. He could have stopped there and just complained man It's been a bad day have had all these setbacks But he went on to say yet will I rejoice in the Lord and joy in the God of my salvation He was saying these are bad moments. I can't control all of that, but I'm not gonna let it take my joy I know salvation is coming Salvation means deliverance

Breakthroughs abundance. He was expecting God's goodness If we don't learn this principle and we let circumstances determine whether we have a good day or bad day The enemy will make sure there's always some reason to sour your day. A grouchy co-worker, you can't find your cell phone, it rains right after you wash your car, a friend is saying things that are not true. All these bad moments have the potential to ruin your day. If you dwell on them, you'll get upset, frustrated, but you have the potential to just let it be a moment, to just let it go and move on. No big deal. The offense came, but I didn't take the bait. I'm gonna stay in peace. I got delayed. My plans didn't work out. I'm not frustrated. I know God's ordering my steps. I didn't get the promotion. The scholarship didn't go through. Yes, I'm disappointed. It's a bad moment, but I know God has something better. I know that door wouldn't have closed if He didn't have greater things in my future. Life happens to us all. Bad moments are inevitable, but bad days are optional. You get to choose what it's going to be. When you wake up in the morning, you need to decide ahead of time that it's going to be a good day. You have to set the tone at the start of the day. Don't wait to see if it's going to be a good day. Decide it's going to be a good day. Make up your mind that no matter what happens, you're going to stay in peace. No matter what someone says, how bad the traffic is, if your children don't do what's right, you're not going to get upset and let that ruin the day. When you decide ahead of time, you're already prepared. Then if bad moments come, it's no big deal. I'm not giving away my joy. If you have a disappointment at 10 in the morning, something didn't work out, it's okay to take a couple hours to process it, to grieve the loss. That's normal. That bad moment may turn into a bad morning, but by noon, you need to make the decision, this is over. I am done dwelling on it. That's in my past. I'm going to enjoy the rest of this day. Don't let it linger to where it ruins the day. You go to bed upset. Someone offends you in the afternoon. A co-worker says something harsh and hurts your feelings. The gloom will come. Thoughts of resentment and payback, bitterness, we're all human. Those are natural feelings. You have to take

charge and rule over your emotions. That was a bad moment. It's supposed to be temporary. You can't keep thinking about it, dwelling on it, reliving it. If you do, it'll turn into a bad evening. You go to bed offended, wake up discouraged. Now it's another bad day. Before you know it, a bad week, a bad month. It's changing who you are, taking your joy, your peace, your passion. Deal with the bad moments quickly. Don't let them linger. Don't go to bed thinking about it. It's not taking your joy. It doesn't have that much power. You're giving away your joy. You're letting go of your peace. The good news is, you can get it back. You determine your attitude, what you think about, your perspective. I have a friend that's taken chemotherapy. It's been going on for three years and she's lost her hair. At one point lost her voice and had to take a leave from work. But every time I see her, she has a smile. I ask how she's doing. Jo, life is good. I'm blessed. I'm getting better. Are you back to work yet? Not yet. I don't have the stamina, but it's coming. I'm getting stronger every day. She had a bad moment, something she wasn't expecting, but she didn't let it turn into a bad day. She had every right to. Thoughts said, this is not fair. Look what you've been through. She could have lived discouraged, complaining. But she's saying like David, this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. This isn't a day to live defeated, offended. Look at what they did. This is a day the Lord has made. You're not here by accident. God chose you to be here. He woke you up this morning and gave you breath to breathe. He could have chosen anyone to be alive right now, but he handpicked you. Now don't let this day go by without enjoying it. Sure things are going to come against us, but you have to make the decision. I will rejoice. I will be glad. The right attitude is my neighbor's talking about me, spreading rumors. I can't control that. I'm going to enjoy this day. My loved one's dealing with an illness. Things are difficult, but I know I can do all things through Christ. I'm not going to endure the day. I'm going to enjoy the day. Had a setback in my business. My relationship came to an end. That was a bad moment Don't let it become a bad life When David wrote this song, this is the day he had all kinds of things coming against him armies attacking people slandering him spreading rumors

King Saul had chased him through the desert his father discounted him didn't think he was king material All these bad moments he could have easily let turn into bad days bad months bad years But look at David's attitude. This is the day the Lord has made He was saying this is not an ordinary day This is not something I take for granted just live. However, I feel God made this day He created me to be here. I have a responsibility to live this day to the full All these unfair circumstances But it didn't make him sour. He said I will rejoice. I will be glad He was saying in effect when I go to bed at night. I will say it's been a good day My father left me out in the fields didn't believe in me, but I let that offense go. It's been a good day King Saul was trying to kill me throwing spears and I did nothing wrong That was a bad moment, but I'm not dwelling on it. God's my vindicator. He'll get me to where I'm supposed to be It's been a good day We can't get away from the bad moments. My question is are you letting them turn into bad days? Are you holding on to them? Letting them linger Dwelling on what didn't work out Don't go to bed with negative moments turn into momentum What you dwell on gets stronger and becomes more powerful David could have been giving energy to all the bad things to hurt the injustice But notice what he's giving momentum to it's the day the Lord has made He was saying God is my provider my protector my defender. I will be glad and enjoy this day When I first started ministering I was invited to be on a news program on a local station here in town early one Monday morning Had to be there at 630 and I was already a little tired from the Sunday before and it was cold outside Raining they told me to park right up front next to the building in a reserved lot I drove up got out of my car and this lady came over a security guard You would think I had just robbed a bank she started screaming you cannot park here What do you think you're doing? Get back in your car. I looked at her in a fog still halfway away I said ma'am, this is where they told me to park. She said they did not tell you right you need to move it right now

I had to remind myself. I'm a pastor My church is across the street I'm here to be on the news. I don't want to be in the news I can see the headline security guard beat up by smiling pastor I had to park in the neighborhood a couple blocks away running through the rain Trying not to get my suit wet. I didn't like the way I was treated, but I made up my mind I'm not gonna give away my joy. I'm not gonna give her my peace Most people That are rude offensive harsh. They have issues of their own. They're angry. They're bitter. They don't like themselves Often they'll try to dump their poison on you If you're not disciplined, you'll take the bait get upset Argue try to straighten them out. That's a battle. You're not supposed to fight if you win. There's no benefit What did you prove This was at 630 in the morning that bad moment had the potential to sour the rest of my day But I had the potential to not let that happen Your emotions are either controlled by your circumstances or your character you get to choose Nobody can take your joy They can try to bait you into giving it to them. If you fall into that trap, the enemy will control your life He'll use people delays unfair things to keep you upset Offended worried how many of us are taking debate? Sure, there will be bad moments, but recognize what it is. Just a moment You have the power to let it stay a moment. You can dismiss it Forgive the wrong and move on now. It's in your past. It has no more power over you takes up no more energy But if you keep dwelling on it reliving it thinking about how wrong it was then you're feeding it creating momentum now how it becomes bigger and more hurtful. The problem is it's taking your emotional energy, energy that you need to enjoy your life, love your family, pursue your dreams. I went in and I did the program.

The security officer saw me on the screen. As I was leaving, she came running up, oh, Pastor Osteen, I didn't know that was you. I watch you every Sunday. I thought you don't ever listen. She said, do you have time to pray for me? I thought I would if I didn't have to walk so far. Let me challenge you, don't let the bad moments turn into bad days. You can't stop these things from coming. Sometimes it's little things that are taking our joy. We don't realize that life is flying by. What does it matter that the clerk was rude to you or that car cut you off in traffic? You're never gonna see them again. Why would you give them your joy? They're not that important to you. Or maybe it was something big, you lost a loved one or went through a breakup. I know that's painful, but it didn't stop your destiny. Take the right amount of time to grieve the loss, then move on. It's a moment, it's not supposed to be a lifetime. If you keep dwelling on it, you're feeding it and giving it momentum. The reason you can't get past it is because you're making it stronger. Let it go, learn to reframe it. I didn't like when my father suddenly passed in 1999, but I thought about the blessed life he had lived

and all the time that we had together. You can choose to see the positive or the negative, to focus on what you lost or on what you have left, to complain about what went wrong or to thank God for what's gone right. Bad moments are inevitable, but bad days are optional. You get to choose how do you respond. But sometimes we've learned wrong habits. What we've seen modeled growing up when things didn't go right was anger and offense and payback and get discouraged. Try a new approach. When negative things happen, remind yourself, this is just a bad moment. It's not the end of my story. It's not gonna determine my attitude, my joy. You're in control, process it, learn from it, then give it to God and move on. You can't control people or control circumstances, but you can control you. When that lady was rude, I chose to rise above it. I chose to stay in peace. When my brother Paul showed a picture of our dog with my face on it and called me Pastor Fifi, I chose to overlook the offense, to return good for evil. But the scripture says that's like putting coals of fire on them. If you haven't seen the picture, good. The apostle Paul said Philippians four, rejoice in the Lord always.

And again, I say rejoice. What's significant is Paul wrote this from a prison cell where he was chained and awaiting trial. Paul had been through all kinds of hardships. If anyone knew about bad moments, anyone had the right to be bitter and upset, it would have been Paul. He'd been falsely accused, betrayed, he was shipwrecked, spent the night on the open sea, bit by a poisonous snake. He sat down in this prison, thought about all he'd been through. What was the secret of him fulfilling his purpose and wrote these words, rejoice in the Lord always. In case we didn't get it the first time, he said, and again, I say rejoice. He was saying there will be times that you don't feel like it, but people do you wrong. It's not fair. That's when you have to dig down deep and say, I will rejoice. This is the day the Lord has made. I'm not gonna let this bad moment turn into a bad day. One time Paul and Silas had been out ministering and they were attacked and beaten by this angry mob. They arrested them and put them in the deepest dungeon. Never dreamed they would be there. All the circumstances said, this is a bad day. They were bruised and hurting, facing death. Surely they would be complaining. God, we were doing your will.

Why did this happen? Surely they would go to bed saying, I'm glad this day is over. It's been a nightmare. No, at midnight, the scripture says they were singing praises and thanking God. Despite being one of the worst days of their lives, before they laid their head down in the prison, they were saying in effect, it's been a good day. God, we know you're still on the throne. About that time. It was a great earthquake. The prison doors flung open. Chains fell off their feet. They walked out as free men. Never would have happened if they'd been focused on the hurt, angry at their enemies, reliving the disappointments. Let's be like Paul and Silas. Even on the hard days, when it's not fair, life throws us a curve, we reframe it. We remind ourselves God is still in control. We don't give away our joy. We don't let go of our peace. We rejoice always. Will you make that decision with me? No more bad days. Life's too short to let our circumstances control us or other people determine our moods. You can't control all that. Take control of you, your attitude, your thoughts. This is the day the Lord has made. Now make sure you're a good steward of it. Next time something negative happens, just remind yourself it's a bad moment. It doesn't have to turn into a bad day, a bad month. Don't let it linger. Let it go and move on. When you lay down at night, you need to be able to say this was a good day. God, I thank you that I'm alive. If you'll do this, you may have some bad moments, but I believe and declare no more bad days. You're going to rise above it. Enjoy your life. Have peace in the midst of the storm. Like Paul, God's going to fight your battles and take you to the fullness of your destiny. 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, 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.