Joel Osteen - Eyes On The Source

0:00It's easy to look to people as our source or look to our job as our source. And yes, God uses people, He uses jobs, He uses contracts, but they are not the source. They are simply a resource that the source uses. If you're seeing other things than God as your source, the problem is, if something happens to them, you'll think, what am I going to do? The source has been cut off. No, the source is just fine. God is still on the throne. The scripture says that every good gift comes from our Father in heaven above. That good gift may come through people, but it came from God. Your salary may come through your company, but it came from your Heavenly Father. He's the one that calls them to hire you. He's the one that calls you to stand out. He's using them as a resource. Or that contract may come through a friend, through a connection, but it came from God.

1:04That's why you don't have to play up to people, compromise to get a good break. People are not your provider. God is your provider. That job is simply the resource God chose to bless you. And if you don't understand this, you can make people your God. Well, if this supervisor doesn't like me, if this contract doesn't last, if these clients are not good to me, how am I going to make it? Take people off the throne. People are not your source. God is your source. Yes, it's good when people are nice to you. It's nice when they recognize your value, but don't become so dependent on them that you start seeing them as your provider. Recognize behind the resource is the source. Behind the salary, behind the opportunity, behind the favor is the most God God causing people to be good to you, causing doors to open, causing clients to seek you out. Be grateful for the resource, but keep your eyes on the source.

2:09When Peter didn't have money to pay his taxes, Jesus told him to go to the lake and catch a fish. The first fish he caught had a gold coin in it, enough to pay his taxes. God was showing us how he can use different resources. If a contract at work comes to an end, looks like you're going to be set back. Don't be discouraged, God has another fish. He has ways that we've never thought of. As long as you're keeping him first place, you are connected to a supply line that will never run dry. You are not at the mercy of the economy, or your boss, or who likes you. God has all kinds of resources he can use. I talked to a man. After 32 years, the company he worked for was sold. He was without a job, and he was so discouraged. He never dreamed at his age he would have to be starting over. I told him what I'm telling you, that job was simply the resource that God chose to bless you.

3:11It is not the source, the source is fine. I saw him about six months later, he was so happy. He said, Joel, I not only got another job, I got my dream job. Had better benefits, better income, closer to his house? When a door closes, you go through a setback. You have to remind yourself it's not the resource blessing you, it's the source. The scripture says, you will prosper even in the desert. Your leaf will not wither. Even in famine you will have more than enough. It's showing us that even though the circumstances may change, the source never changes. Because you are connected to that source, you will be blessed in the famine. You will increase when others are decreasing. All through the day, Lord, I recognize you're the source of my life. Yes, this job gives me a paycheck, but you're the source of the income.

4:13Yes, this company gave me a good position, but you're the source of the favor. In the scripture, Ruth and her mother-in-law were both widows. They were very poor, struggling to survive. Ruth would go out into the fields each morning and pick up the leftover wheat that the workers had missed. One day, the owner of the field, a man named Boaz, noticed Ruth, and for some reason, he decided to be good to her. He told his workers to leave handfuls of wheat on purpose for Ruth. Eventually, Ruth found out it was him. I can hear her telling her mother-in-law, this man Boaz, this owner, he's being so good to me. He's leaving me so much wheat. Ruth thought it was Boaz being good to her. The truth is, it was God being good to her. Boaz was the resource, but God was the source. God was the one speaking to Boaz, giving him that desire to be good to her.

5:16How many times has God spoken to people to be good to us, and we didn't even know it? For no reason, they decided to help us. They opened the door. They gave us a position. They introduced us to a friend. They were a resource that the source was using. The longer I live, the more I recognize God's goodness in my life. Things that I thought were a coincidence. I thought were people just wanting to be good to me. I realized now it was the source. Doors that opened that you couldn't open. Somebody decided to give you a good break. You were at the right place at the right time, met that person and fell in love. That wasn't a coincidence. That was the source. That person that put in a good word for you. You got the promotion. You weren't lucky. That was God speaking to them like He spoke to Boaz. Every good thing comes from our Father above.

6:18They may not have even known it was God speaking to them. They just suddenly had a desire to be good to you, to stay late and introduce you to the client, to wave the policy and put the loan through. Are you recognizing the source? Are you thanking God for every good gift? Do you realize you wouldn't have waken up this morning without the source? You wouldn't have air to breathe without the source. Your eyes wouldn't see without the source. You wouldn't have that person to love without the source. Don't get so caught up in the resources that you forget it's the most high God working in your life. It's God protecting you from that accident. It was God healing you from the cancer. Not just the medicine, it was the source. When you look back over your life, nothing was a coincidence. There were no lucky breaks. What you thought was just Boaz being good to you. Leaving you handfuls on purpose,

7:19that was the hand of God. The source working behind the scenes, telling them to be good to you. When we were trying to acquire this facility, the former compact center, it was owned by the city. So we had to get the city council members to vote to approve it. I had never been involved in any kind of politics and convincing council members. This was way out of my expertise. Someone randomly introduced us to a man that had been in city politics his whole life. He'd worked for different mayors for many years. He wasn't the typical white color professional that you might envision. He was kind of rough. He liked the party, he liked the drink, didn't always use good language. But for some reason, he really liked us. He really wanted us to get the building. He went overboard to make things happen. He used his favor, his influence to sway people. Early on, there was a council member that was against us.

8:24He said, don't worry, he'll vote for us. He owes me. I didn't ask for any details. I just said, thank you, Jesus. Hear this man had not been in church his whole life, but he was doing all he could to help Lakewood get the building. I realize now that wasn't just him deciding to help us. He just decided to do a good deed. He was a resource that the source was using. He may not have even known that was God speaking to him. After we got the building, he came to a service. Years later, he was being interviewed about the process and about why he had helped us. He said, I don't go to church. I went to Lakewood one time and I don't like the circus. He referred to us as the circus. And yes, our services are fun and exciting. And in a few minutes, the elephants will be coming out. At the end, Victoria is going to walk the how-wire, followed by brother Paul being shot out of a

9:27cannon. So stay for that. None of that bothered me, but he went on to save. And I'm not telling you this to brag on me just to make the point. He said, I help them because I've never met anyone like Joel. I would walk through a fire for that man. I would love to think that I'm that charming, I'm that dynamic. Can I tell you, I'm not. I hardly even knew him. That was the source. That was God putting the right people in our path, causing them to want to be good to us. Second Kings, chapter four. There's a story about a lady. She and her husband were friends with the prophet Elisha, but the husband had died. Years had passed. Now this lady didn't have any money to pay her bills. It was so bad the creditors were coming to take her two sons as payment. You can imagine how distraught she was. The prophet Elisha came by and asked what she had in her house. Her first answer

10:28was nothing at all. She was saying Elisha, I'm done. It's too late. The odds are against me. Sometimes when we look at what we have compared to what we need, we think like her. I'll never accomplish my dreams. I don't have what I need. I'll never get well. I'll never get out of debt. We look at the circumstances, at the resources, the medical report, the bank account. Here's the key. The resource may have dried up, but the source is still alive and well. She finally said Elisha, I do have one thing in my house, but really it's nothing, just a little bottle of olive oil. She thought it's really not worth mentioning. I have this huge debt. All I have is something worth a few dollars. Don't discount the small things you have. Don't discount small opportunities, small gifts, small income. It may seem small to you, but God knows how to multiply.

11:30The scripture says, if you have faith, the size of a mustard seed, that's one of the smallest seeds. You could say to this mountain, be removed and it will move. God doesn't expect us to have great faith all the time. It's nice when we do, but God is so merciful. He knew there would be times like this lady. We would think this is impossible. If you'll just say, God, all I have is this little bit of oil. All I have is mustard seed faith. Watch what God will do. Elisha told her to go out and borrow as many large containers as she could find. I can see this lady knocking on door after door, carrying those empty containers back to her house. Don't you know God saw her faith? God saw her being obedient, doing what she could. When you're in difficult times, don't sit around in self-pity, do something where God can see your faith. Make plans to get well. Make plans

12:32to come out of debt. Are you gathering up any containers? Are you taking steps of faith to show God that you're ready for favor? Neighbors started asking, why do you even need these empty containers? You don't have anything to put in it. Just a little bit of olive oil. She answered, I may not have it yet, but I know it's on the way. I know the prophet wouldn't have asked me to do it if God wasn't up to something. Faith started to rise in her heart. All the circumstances were against her. Friends trying to talk her out of it. Her own thoughts telling her no way. Her attitude was, I may not see how this can happen, but I know a secret. God is my source. He's my provider. I'm connected to that supply line that won't run dry. Lysha said to her, poor the little bit of oil into the first container. That didn't make sense. What good was it going to do to transfer oil from one container to the other? What God asked us to do many times is more about the obedience

13:39than the actual thing that we're doing. It's a test. If you'll obey, you'll see God's favor. In the scripture, Nehman was an army captain, but he had leprosy. God told him to go wash in the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed. Nehman didn't want to do that. He came up with all these excuses. God, the water's too dirty. We have better rivers back at home, on and on. He almost talked himself out of it. The last moment he decided to do it. When he came up the seventh time, his skin was perfectly normal. The healing wasn't in the water. The healing was in the obedience. Are you doing what God is asking you to do? Are you gathering the containers? Are you pouring the oil? This lady could have said, Lysha, I'm not going to do that. It's going to be a waste of time. She would have missed her miracle. When she poured the little oil into the first container, the oil never stopped flowing. She filled the first one up, then the second, then the third. That doesn't make

14:43sense. Where was the oil coming from, the source? When you do what God asks you to do that doesn't make sense, God will do things for you that don't make sense. He'll show out in your life. This lady kept pouring oil until all the containers were full. Then she went out and sold it. She was able to pay all of her bills. She had plenty left over to live on. That little bit of oil should have run out, but God has supernatural provision. He knows how to not only sustain you, but to increase you to where you defy the odds.