You Lack Nothing | 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 I heard about this pastor He was finishing up a fiery sermon on self-control And he said with great passion if I had all the beer in the world I'd throw it in the river with greater fervor. I had all the wine in the world I'd throw it in the river almost at the top of his lungs. I had all the whiskey in the world I'd throw it in the river. He sat down song leader came up said for a closing song. Let's sing him 365 Shall we gather at the river? No, we shall not. Here we go. Y'all. 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 how you lack nothing Sometimes we see ourselves at a disadvantage if we had more talent Then we could do something greater We had more personality more height more attractive Then we could accomplish our dreams or if we had more funds more resources more opportunity Then we could overcome this obstacle But as long as you see yourself as lacking at a deficit You'll make excuses to settle where you are and be less than your best Psalm 34 says those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing God has given you everything you need for your destiny He's already put in you the wisdom the confidence the strength He's already lined up the right people the good breaks the resources. It's already there The question is do you recognize what you have? Are you using what God is giving you or are you overlooking it because it seems common? Ordinary are you discounting yourself? Because you feel shortchanged too small wrong nationality not up to par

You have to change your mindset It's not enough to just have faith in God That's important, but you have to take it one step further and have faith in what God has given you You have to believe that you're equipped that you're empowered that your steps are being ordered Here's the key you don't have to have great talent to do something great if you'll use what you have God will breathe on it and you'll accomplish more than you thought possible It's not necessarily the amount of education the amount of resources the amount of friends who you know What makes the difference is the anointing on your life? You can have average talent, but when God favors you you'll go further than people with great talent You can have an extraordinary problem. You're outnumbered Surrounded but God can take an ordinary solution Something that seems common and cause you to be victorious Don't discount what you have Don't overlook what God has given you the enemy would love for us to get stuck thinking we're at a deficit When I get more funds more training more good breaks, then I could move forward We're waiting for more when in fact everything we need is already there Look around at what God has given you Recognize what you have Moses felt like he was at a disadvantage He'd been out in the desert for 40 years hiding because of a mistake God came to him in a burning bush and told him to go tell the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go They'd been in slavery for many years Moses said God he's not gonna listen to me. I don't have any influence the right credentials. I'm not a good speaker I stutter he went on and on making all these excuses God said to him Moses. What do you have in your hand? Moses said God, it's nothing. It's just a stick just piece of wood I got off a tree. I've been using as a staff for my animals. God said throw it on the ground He threw it down and it turned into a snake God took something Moses had that seemed common

Ordinary nothing special but God breathed on it and it became extraordinary There are things that God has put in your life that seem common Normal town normal neighborhood normal job. It's ordinary to us But when God steps in supernatural things happen When Moses saw that snake verse 3 says he was so terrified that he took off running You would think he'd be so amazed and so inspired that he'd be full of faith. It's just the opposite God told him to pick the snake up by the tail Took a lot more faith to pick it up than to throw it down When he did it turned back into his staff God was showing him that he had what he needed. It looked ordinary Insignificant just a stick but if it needs to be a key to open a door God will turn it into a key if it needs to be a shield to protect you God will turn it into a shield if it needs to be provision to fund your dream God will turn it into a bank if it needs to be an auditorium to expand your church. God will turn it into a compact Center Anytime you tell God that you're stuck you're at a deficit you're lacking God asked the question What's in your hand? What are you discounting? What are you overlooking? Joel I don't have the talent the training the connections. I'm limited in my career I'll just keep being faithful Using what you have God will take the ordinary and do something extraordinary You do the natural and God will do the supernatural Jesus told his disciples to roll away the stone and I'll raise Lazarus Jesus could have rolled away the stone. He's God. He spoke to the storm and calmed the winds Why did he tell his disciples to do it? It's this principle if you'll do the ordinary God will do the extraordinary if you'll do what's common God will do what's uncommon if you'll throw down the staff So to speak he'll turn it into what you need When my father went to be with the Lord I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church, but I didn't feel qualified I didn't have the training never ministered before

On top of that. My father was such a great minister. He was strong Dynamic had a big personality and I was just the opposite all those thoughts told me joy. You're not enough You're not like your father Here's the key you don't need what someone else has you're not running their race you have what you need for your race Don't compare yourself to other people if you're focused on what they have their gifts their looks their resources You're gonna start discounting yourself Thinking man, I can't speak like my father Where I'm not as attractive as my cousin or my co-worker is so much more talented If you needed what they have God would have given it to you You're not lacking anything you need to fulfill your purpose And I was tempted to shrink back and feel less than because my father was such a gifted leader I had to do what I'm asking you to do I said God, I don't have what my father had but I believe I have what I need for my destiny Now I'm not going to compare myself to him I'm gonna take what you put in my hands my gifts my personality my smile and Use it to the best of my ability. I Started speaking week after week. I didn't really know how to write a message. I didn't have deep theology I just talked about the goodness of God and how to live a life of victory People started telling me Joel you have a gift You have such a good way of explaining the scripture and making it relevant That always puzzled me. I would think what are they talking about having a gift? I'm just up there talking What felt ordinary to me God breathed on and it became something much greater Never dreamed I'd be a pastor and speaking to people around the world When you look at what you have your skills talents personality It's easy to think this is ordinary. It's just a walking stick. That's what God uses There's something he's given you that's going to take you to new levels. It's not spectacular. It's ordinary Don't discount it. Don't go around with a Disadvantaged mentality use what you have and he'll take the natural and do something supernatural Moses spoke to the Pharaoh and eventually he let the Israelites go But as they were leaving he changed his mind

He sent 600 of his most skilled warriors and all these chariots to capture them and bring them back Moses and the Israelites came to a dead end at the Red Sea. They had nowhere to go The people started complaining Moses. Why did you bring us out here in the desert to die? We'd rather stayed in Egypt as slaves and come out here and be killed Moses was praying God do something supernatural send an army to rescue us rain down hail upon them God said in verse 16 Moses why are you crying out to me lift up your rod stretch forth your hand and part the sea I can hear Moses saying God you mean you want me to do something ordinary you're gonna use this stick again this common thing you want me to lift it up when he did the waters begin to push back the Red Sea parted the people went through on dry ground we're looking for the spectacular but often it starts with something ordinary something we could easily discount think it's common what do you have in your hand I'm just a business person I'm just a student I'm just an architect I'm just a stay-at-home mom I'll never do anything significant that's how Moses felt out there in the desert 40 years but God has put something in your hand something that seems ordinary if you'll dare lift up your rod do what he's asking you to do you're going to come into these destiny moments where you see Red Sea's part deliverance from enemies gifts come out that you never knew you had it's in you God put it there before you were born he marked you for greatness he already set the time for you to break out to levels you've never dreamed now you have to get in agreement with him this is not going to happen if we have a lack mentality I don't have the talent it's too big Joel I got a Red Sea in front of me right now a dead end what do you expect me to do lift up your rod do the natural and God will do the supernatural he'll breathe on your life in a new way this is what happened with Samson he was surrounded by the Philistines a huge army he had no weapons no protection all the odds were against him he looked around to try to find something to defend himself all he could find was the jawbone of a donkey some dead bones I'm sure he thought oh great God I need a sword I need a shield I need some troops to come rescue me but all I have is this jawbone was common a lot of dead

animals out in the desert he could ignored it and thought well that's of no use but he was smart enough to realize it was a part of his destiny what you need to accomplish your assignment will always be within reach it won't be far off where you can't attain it it will be close to you pay attention to what God brings across your path and who he brings across your path it's not there by accident it's easy to discount they call that's common that person that opportunity this idea it's just a stick Joel it's just the jawbone of a donkey God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary if you'll recognize what you have and be a good steward then you'll see what God was up to Samson picked up that jawbone the scripture says the Spirit of God came upon him and he defeated a thousand Philistines one man not with a rifle not with an army not with fire coming down from heaven but with something ordinary a jawbone of a donkey what God is going to do in your life won't always happen through spectacular ways maybe some of that but most of the time God is going to use something ordinary something within reach something close to you God asked Moses what do you have in your hand not what do you wish you had Moses what does your neighbor have what are you hoping for this far off there is something close to you it's easy to overlook it's easy to discount but God put it there it's instrumental in you reaching your destiny there was a young woman named Mary Bethune born in South Carolina in the late 1800s she was the youngest of 17 children her parents were slaves despite the odds being against her she was able to get a good education even attend college from the time she was a little girl she always had a dream to teach young people after getting her degree she sent her application to different schools hoping to get a teaching position she was a straight-a student you couldn't meet a finer young woman she waited month after month unfortunately no one would hire her she was Disappointed, but she knew that God still had a plan that when one door closes that God will always open another door Other than sitting around defeated. She decided to start her own schools She didn't have any desk, but she did have some cardboard boxes. She set them up as desk

She didn't have any pens, but she did have some red berries out in the field Every night she would drain the juice so the students could use that for ink in their pens After several years the local college saw what was happening They asked her to join her school with theirs. It became the Bethune Cookman College she went on to become the first african-american college president now in the natural Mary was at a deficit She was lacking a poor family turned down for the position. No equipment. No funding that didn't stop her What she needed was within reach if it's out of reach You don't need it. If you can't attain it. It wasn't meant to be Don't sit around in self-pity. God has something better. He said because you trust him you will not lack If you needed it for your destiny and it was out of reach God wouldn't be a just God Let go of what didn't work out and who didn't stay in your life the promotion you didn't get how you weren't raised, right? None of that has stopped your purpose Nothing, you've been through has canceled your assignment. No bad break has lessened your greatness What you need is close to you Recognize what you have may seem common just some cardboard boxes Just the jawbone of a donkey just this stick this rod Yes, but when you use it Red Sea's part enemies are defeated doors will open Opportunity that thrusts you into your destiny What's in your hand? There's something you're overlooking it seems ordinary But when you do the natural God will do the supernatural When you set up the cardboard desk when you drain the ink God will bring the college president position more than you can imagine John chapter 6 a great crowd had followed Jesus to a remote area to hear him teach and getting late in the day almost dark Jesus said to his disciples you need to feed the people. They're too tired to go home hungry They said in effect, are you kidding Jesus? There are 15,000 people here

We're out in the desert the nearest Walmart's 300 miles. It's Sunday. Chick-fil-a is not even open They came up with all these good reasons why it was impossible Jesus asked him. What do you have? They went out in the crowd Came back in a few minutes and all we could find was this little boys lunch just five loaves of bread two fish But what is that among so many? It was a logical question. What good is this one lunch going to do when we need lunch for 15,000 people? But God doesn't ask you to figure out how it's going to happen He just asked you to use what he's given you to not discount to not live thinking you had a deficit But to believe that he can take what seems small and make something great out of it Same thing when I stepped up my mind said what is this among so many? God all I have is five loaves and two fish. We need something much greater more talent more wisdom more training God is not asking you for what you don't have. He's asking you to trust him with what you do have with what's in reach Joel all I have is a little lunch. God can take the little and multiply I just have a little faith a little faith can move a mountain. I just have a walking stick You can part of Red Sea. I just have the jawbone of a donkey something I found close you can defeat an army you can beat the cancer. You can break the addiction You're not lacking you have exactly what you need and sometimes on purpose God will let you be outnumbered He'll let the door close let you not feel qualified for the position he takes that small and breeze on it Jesus prayed over the five loaves and two fish and they multiplied and they fed all 15,000 people plus they had 12 baskets full left over But the disciples almost talked themselves out of it thought they were at a too big of a deficit But the deficit is a sign that God's about to do something amazing many of you have been faithful with What God has given you go into church doing more than you have to go into work serving giving believing You're going to come in to some of these destiny moments where you see God breathe on your talent You rise to a new level Breathe on your finances and you come into overflow breathe on your health that cancer is gone Breathe on your children. They're back on track fulfilling their purpose Don't be fooled by the facts

Every circumstance may say you're at a deficit You just have five loaves and two fish. You're lacking talent lacking funds lacking confidence No, your time is coming. You keep doing the natural Using what you have God's going to step in and do the supernatural Take you where you can't go on your own. I Talked to a man. He's an attorney and he always had a desire to be in the sports industry but he didn't know anyone in that field and he was living in a small town where he was raised and working there and Several times a week. He'd go up to the gym to play basketball He played with this same group of men for a few years One day this older gentleman asked him what he did for a living and he told how he was an attorney doing corporate law But he said my dream is to be a sports agent. I just don't have any connections The man said that's interesting my nephew is the number one college football player in the nation He was just asking me about who I knew that could represent him. I'm gonna have him call you That was his first sports client. His business grew and grew today He's one of the top sports agents in the world. He said Joel. I never dreamed I would be where I am Seemed like he was lacking Didn't know anyone in a small town then that one good break that one connection You don't know what God is up to You don't know the doors. He's about to open the people you're about to meet the favor. You're about to see It may seem like you're at a deficit What's in your heart is much bigger than you think could ever happen. Just stay faithful where you are Keeping God first place being your best with what he's given you you're gonna come into your destiny moments We're suddenly the Red Sea parts. You're doing the ordinary and God steps in and does the extraordinary You're gathering the five loaves and two fish not complaining not discounting it then God multiplies it Gives you a supernatural increase Supernatural provision the right people show up favor that you can't explain Second Kings chapter 4 there was a widow that was trying to survive Her husband had served with the Prophet Elisha But he had passed and he left her some funds to live off on but she'd used all that up Now she didn't know how she was going to make it in those days if you couldn't pay your debts

They would take your family members and they would have to work for the payment Well, these creditors were coming for her two sons She was so distraught. She went to the Prophet Elisha to explain what was happening Elisha said to her. What do you have in your house? Verse 2 she answered nothing at all She was saying we're done. It's over. There's nothing here Then she thought about it and said wait a minute Nothing except a small jar of oil Elisha said that's all we need just a little oil He told her to go out and borrow as many large empty containers as she could find She and her sons went out and knocked on the neighbor's door and they brought back all these containers Elisha said now take the little oil that you have and pour it into the empty containers That didn't make sense But she obeyed as she did the oil never ran out God multiplied it She kept pouring and pouring until all the containers were filled She went out and sold the oil paid off all her debts and had plenty to live on But when Elisha asked her what she had in her house at first she said nothing at all She discounted the oil was too small not significant But the truth is that's all God needed She was looking on the outside Hoping Elisha would save her but what she needed was on the inside It was within reach in her house, but it was common Ordinary just a little oil. This can't do any good. I've got a big problem But when you use what you have God will breathe on it And some of us are like this woman. What do you have in your house? I don't Have anything Joel? I'm not that talented. I don't have a good personality. I got an okay job It's it's nothing if you only knew what God can do with a little a little Jar of oil a little boy's lunch a little faith a little talent God asked Moses what's in your hand? He said something ordinary He asked this woman what's in your house? She said nothing at all

Both times they had what they needed. They just didn't recognize it Moses had a rod that would part a sea a stick that we'd be talking about thousands of years later This widow had a little jar of oil oil that would sustain her for years until the famine was over What's in your hand? What's in your house? What you need is close to you. It's within reach. You are not lacking. You are not at a deficit You are in position to see the hand of God do something supernatural Now do your part and give him the five loaves and two fish even though it seems insignificant Pour the little jar of oil lift up your rod small acts of obedience lead to great miracles No more thinking I'm at a disadvantage I'm lacking turn it around I have everything I need I'm equipped Empowered and anointed if you'll do this I believe and declare like Moses red seas are going to part in your life Doors are going to open Problems turn around like this widow. God's going to multiply what you have and pour out abundance Breakthroughs healing 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 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