Quotes by Joel Osteen

Encouragement to others is something everyone can give. Somebody needs what you have to give. It may not be your money; it may be your time. It may be your listening ear. It may be your arms to encourage. It may be your smile to uplift. Who knows?

There may be times when you just have to love people from a distance.

If you can see the invisible, God will do the impossible.

Make up your mind that no matter what comes your way, no matter how difficult, no matter how unfair, you will do more than simply survive. You will thrive in spite of it.

Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you're doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you.

Don't miss a great season of your life wishing you had more, complaining about what you can't do. The real joy in life is in the simple things.

You were created to excel. There's no limit to how high you can go in life. Keep stretching to the next level.

No matter how many times you get knocked down, keep getting back up. God sees your resolve. He sees your determination. And when you do everything you can do, that's when God will step in and do what you can't do.

Faith is all about trusting God even when you don't understand His plan.

Don't use your energy to worry. Use your energy to believe.

If you want to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. When you wake up, you just can't wait to see what kind of day you'll have. You have to decide what kind of day you'll have.

Yes, I know some days are more difficult than others. But if you program your mind in a positive way, you won't have to drag through certain days just hoping to get to Friday so you can finally enjoy life.

They make up their minds on Fridays to enjoy their lives more.

Other people's opinions do not determine your potential.

The bigger your obstacle, the bigger your future. Don't get discouraged, keep moving forward.

When you release your faith in uncommon ways, you'll see God do uncommon things.

You can't hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.

You have greatness in you. The key is to get it out.

Stay the course. keep believing. You may be tired discouraged and tempted tobe frustrated but don't give up on your future.

You will never go beyond the barriers in your own mind. If you think you can't do something, then you never will.

Winning is in your DNA. The most high God breathed His life into you. You've got what it takes. This is your time. This is your moment. Shake off doubts, shake off fear and insecurity, and get ready for favor, get ready for increase, get ready for the fullness of your destiny. You can, you will!

When God puts love and compassion in your heart toward someone, He's offering you an opportunity to make a difference in that person's life. You must learn to follow that love. Don't ignore it. Act on it. Somebody needs what you have.

Don't use your words to describe the situation. Use your words to change the situation.

Don't let where you are be an excuse not to grow.

There's a lot of negative things trying to pull people down, and I think people respond when you tell them that hey, there are good things up ahead.

You will become what you believe. The truth is, I am what I am today because of what I believed about myself yesterday. And I will be tomorrow what I believe about myself right now.

I just want to continue to grow and be open to what God wants to do. I guess my main goal is just to continue to reach people the best I can, hopefully help impact their lives and just change culture for better.

Your job is not to judge. Your job is not to figure out if someone deserves something. Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, and to heal the hurting.

When Christmas doesn't fit your expectations of what the perfect holiday should be, think about how Joseph and Mary probably didn't think that manger was the perfect place for their child to be born. but look at what a perfect Christmas that turned out to be.

If you're going to do anything great in life, there will be opposition, setbacks, delays and critics. When you have big dreams, you're going to have big challenges.

God loves to use ordinary people just like you and me, faults and all, to do extraordinary things.

God honors obedience, and He has distinct plans for us. I think the dreams that God puts in our hearts, we can fulfill. He's equipped us for that.

God's dream is that you have an abundance, that you be totally out of debt, pay your house off, pay your credit cards off, and have so much overflow that you can be a blessing to everyone around you!

I think faith is incredible important because you will become overwhelmed with what's happening and you will have waves of grief, but when you turn to your faith, I believe God will give you waves of grace to get through it.

Some things you can only learn in the struggle. When it's easy, when everything is going your way, that doesn't take any faith.

If it's not meeting a need, turn it into a seed. Remember, we will reap what we sow. When you do good for other people, that's when God is going to make sure that His abundant blessings overtake you.

You will never rise above the image you have of yourself in your own mind.

If you can be a blessing to somebody else, you're sowing a seed for God to help you.

Wake up every morning with a thankful attitude. Expect something good to happen in your life today.

When you believe, it activates God's power.

I am the sum total of what I have been confessing through the years.

Bad habits are easy to develop but difficult to live with. Good habits are difficult to develop, but easy to live with. If you are willing to be uncomfortable for little while, so you can press past the initial pain of change, in the long run, your life will be much better.

God's way is better than your way. His plan is bigger than your plan. His dream for your life is more rewarding, more fulfilling, better than you've ever dreamed of. Now stay open and let God do it His way.

One study says that 90 percent of our everyday behavior is based on our habits... That means how we treat people, how we spend our money, what we watch, what we listen to -- 90 percent of the time, we're on autopilot. We do what we've always done.

Some of you had big dreams, but you had some disappointments and now you think it's over. But God is saying, Begin again.

My daddy tried to get me up to speak for the 17 years that I worked behind the scenes, but I never had the desire. Naturally, I was nervous and kind of shy. I just didn't want to do it.

If you'll dare to take your mind off your troubles, get your mind off your own needs and, instead, seek to be a blessing to other people, God will do more for you than you could even ask or think.

Quit worrying about people that are trying to hold you back. God knows how to move the wrong people out of your life and bring the right people in. He knows how to prepare you to Break Out.

We have to remember, when we forgive we're not doing it just for the other person, we're doing it for our own good. When we hold on to unforgiveness and we live with grudges in our hearts, all we're doing is building walls of separation.

No matter what's happening, choose to be happy. Don't focus on what's wrong. Find something positive in your life. Thank God for the small things.

No matter how long it's been, no matter how impossible it looks, if you'll stay in faith, your time is coming.

Too often we make the mistake of remembering what we should forget-our hurts, failures and disappointments -and we forget what we should remember-our victories, accomplishments and the times we have made it through.

Nothing in life has happened to you. It's happened for you. Every disappointment. Every wrong. Even every closed door has helped make you into who you are.

Too often we judge people based on our own backgrounds and experiences, but when you understand people's stories, it's easier to understand their demeanor.

It's always darkest before the dawn. The bigger your challenge, the closer you are to your victory.

At the start of each new day, remind yourself: I am talented. I am creative. I am greatly favored by God. I am equipped. I am well able. I will see my dreams come to pass.

Slow down and enjoy the journey right now. Take time for the people in your life. They won't always be there.

It's vital that you accept yourself and learn to be happy with who God made you to be. If you want to truly enjoy your life, you must be at peace with yourself.

You only have so much emotional energy each day. Don't fight battles that don't matter.

This is not the time to shrink back in fear. Move forward in faith. Get up every morning knowing you are gifted.

Your situation may look impossible, but don't ever rule out the favor of God.

I don't know what can be so dangerous about giving people hope. Causing people to have better relationships. I'm not leading them to some false God or something like that.

We deal with people that are going through divorces and that are facing life-threatening illnesses, and I'm giving them hope. And to me, I don't think there's anything lite about that.

Check your spiritual birth certificate, you were made in the mighty image of God.

Let's start affecting our whole city, and maybe we can affect the whole nation, the whole world. I'd like to affect it with the fact that God is a good God and He's on your side and He's got a good plan for you and when you put your hand in His, great things can happen.

God is a good God, and that he's on our side, and that he has great things in store and I believe that as we receive the forgiveness that Christ came and was born and died to give us, then we can live a great life.

You've got to believe that God is in control of your life. It may be a tough time but you've got to believe that God has a reason for it and he's going to make everything good.

There is a place that God has specifically designed for you where all your needs will be supplied, where you'll be happy and fulfilled, and where you'll be using your gifts and talents to the full.

Jesus didn't go around condemning people. The Bible says it's the goodness of God that leads people to repentance.

You don't have to have a great gift for God to use it in a great way.

Put your shoulders back, hold your head up high knowing that the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives on the inside of you.

At times we're going to get angry. Anger is an emotion God built into us. But we don't have to blow up and say hurtful things that are going to damage our relationships. Learn to take a step back, collect your thoughts, and think about what you want to say.

I'm not perfect, but I think that I've done good to stay focused on what I'm called to do.

God wants to increase you financially, by giving you promotions, fresh ideas and creativity.

Father, I desire to please You in everything I do. I declare that You are good and faithful. I trust You with my whole heart and believe that You are a rewarder of those who diligently seek You. I bless You and honor You today in Jesus' name. Amen.

Sometimes you face difficulties not because you're doing something wrong, but because you're doing something right.

You may have failed, but you are not a failure. That's what you did. That's not who you are.

Our goal should be that we're going to live life to the fullest, pursuing our passions and dreams, and when it comes our time to go, we will have used as much of our potential as possible.

The creator of the universe is lining up things in my favour.

When nobody else celebrates you, learn to celebrate yourself. When nobody else compliments you, then compliment yourself. It's not up to other people to keep you encouraged. It's up to you. Encouragement should come from the inside.

You can become all God created you to be even if you've had difficulties, even if you weren't born into a good, loving family, God still has a plan for your life.

We're going to bring our core message of hope and how God is a good God who's on our side.

I'm for everybody. You may not agree with me, but to me it's not my job to try to straighten everybody out. The Gospel is called the good news. My message is a message of hope, that's God's message for you. You can live a good life no matter what's happened to you.

You don't need everyone to help you. You just need one touch of favor, and you will accomplish in a split second what could have taken your whole lifetime.

Your life may have taken a detour, but God is still on the throne. He has brought you this far, and sooner or later, your peace will be restored.

If you will focus on meeting other people's needs, God will always make sure your needs are supplied. God will take care of your problems for you.

I think sometimes you just lose your focus, and I think that's easy to do when you start getting more fame, more money, more power.

Seeds of discouragement cannot take root in a grateful heart.

If they left you, you didn't need them. If they walked away, they weren't part of your destiny.

I guess no matter how hard you try, you can't escape your past.

Your past does not determine who you are. Your past prepares you for who you are to become.

God has put people in your life on purpose, Don't live to get, live to give.

God has already lined up the right people for you, people that will inspire you, challenge you and motivate you. If you'll let go of the wrong people, then the right people will show up.

Don't just look for your miracle. Become someone else's miracle.

You don't know why God has put that person in your path. It's not a coincidence. He's strategically lined up every person, every detail and every step of your life. Now do your part -- don't miss an opportunity to do good for others.

You're not really free until you're free from trying to please everybody.

Don't think small when you pray. God has a way to bring your dreams to pass if you'll dare to be bold enough to ask.

I know what's in my future is greater than what's in my past so I am pressing forward in life.

Understand that the enemy always fights the hardest when he knows you are closest to your breakthrough. He'd leave you alone if he thought you were going to live in mediocrity. If you keep pressing on toward your promise, through faith and patience, you will get there.

I just wanted to get the message that God had put into my heart into another form, because I knew the print media would reach a different group of people.

I believe there's a heaven you know. Afterwards, there's, you know, a place called hell. And I believe it's when we have a relationship with God and his son Jesus and that's what the Bible teaches us. I believe it.

Associate with people of vision. Be around those who inspire you and motivate you to reach your dreams.

That's it. I'm going to start making the right choices.

When God puts something in your heart and deep down you know it's a destiny moment, don't wait for ten confirmations. Do what God is asking you to do now.

Nobody owes me anything. I am not at a disadvantage. I am equipped, empowered, and anointed.

If you have your health, if you have people in your life to love, you are blessed. Slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.

Program your mind with what God says about you and a transformation will take place.

If you will transform your mind, God will transform your life.

When you face difficult times, know that challenges are not sent to destroy you. They're sent to promote, increase and strengthen you.

Hold on to that new, enlarge vision of victory that God has given you. Start expecting things to change in your favor. Dare to boldly declare that you are standing strong against the forces of darkness.

I DECLARE God is going before me making crooked places straight. He has already lined up the right people, the right opportunities and solutions to problems I haven't had. No person, no sickness, no disappointment, can stop His plan. What he promised will come to pass.

Believe that God is in control. There is no need to be stressed out or worried.

Take time to make a difference. Don't just obsess about how you can make your life better. Think about how you can make somebody else's life better as well.

When you are committed to doing what's right, you are sowing seeds for God's blessings. You will never go wrong by taking the high road and doing more that is required.

Start calling yourself healed, happy, whole, blessed, and prosperous. Stop talking to God about how big your mountains are, and start talking to your mountains about how big your God is!

Your best days are still out in front of you.

You can't talk mediocrity and expect to have victory. You are prophesying your future. If you want a shift to occur, you've got to think positive.

Your thoughts about your circumstances have you down. On the other hand, you can be in one of the biggest battles of your life, and still be filled with joy and peace and victory -- if you simply learn how to choose the right thought. It's time to think about what you're thinking about.

When you have a spirit of excellence, you do the right thing not because somebody is watching or making you do it; you do it because it's the right thing to do.

When you acknowledge God, He will go before you and make the crooked places straight.

If you start praising your wife, if you start telling her how beautiful she is, and how glad you are to have her in your life, when you talk about the good, you will draw out the good. If you talk about the negative, you'll draw out the negative. It's up to you.

You were never created to live depressed, defeated, guilty, condemned, ashamed or unworthy. You were created to be victorious.

The main message of it is to not get stagnant and that God wants us to continue to grow and become a better person.

A victor's mentality becomes a victor's reality.

The Scripture says that God blesses where men walk in unity, so we just thought it's good for us to come together as Democrats, Republicans; believers, nonbelievers, all different walks of life and say hey, we are here to celebrate the goodness of God.

Certainly there are times in all of our lives when bad things happen, or things don't turn out as we had hoped. But that's when we we must a decision that we're going to be happy inspite of our circumstances.

Don't get stuck where you are, keep growing. It's a decision you have to make because it is easy to get stuck. Make a decision to develop better habits, to have better relationships and just to keep the enthusiasm for life.

Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going to accelerate your times and lead you into the life of victory He has for you.

You are not defined by your past. You are prepared by your past.

I like to start my day off every morning, take the first half hour and just search my own heart, see if I'm on the right course, try to be honest with myself -- am I doing this for the right reasons?

When you have big dreams, you're going to have big challenges. If you were an average person you would have average problems.

When you get knocked down, don't stay down; get back up again. Nothing good is going to happen as long as you're down on yourself.

You have a destiny to fulfill, something greater than you've ever even imagined. But if you're going to become all you were created to be, you've got to take off the average label.

You didn't accidentally get your personality, looks and gifts. You were designed on purpose to be the way you are. You have what you need to fulfill your destiny.

I want to be blessed so I can build orphanages. Blessed so I can build hospitals and do other things with our finances.

Your life will follow your expectations. What you expect is what you will get. If you dwell on positive thoughts, you will move in that direction; if you continually think negative thoughts, you will live a negative life.

We minister the Word of God. The proclamation of the Gospel comes after individuals have opened their hearts to God and turned from themselves to others. Only then are they truly ready to hear and benefit fully from the Word of the Lord.

The moment God put a dream in your heart, the moment the promise took root, God not only started it, but He set a completion date.

You were created to make somebody else's life better. Somebody needs your smile. They need your love, your encouragement and your gifts.

You didn't just show up on planet Earth by accident.. You were handpicked by Almighty God.

It is your choice to be happy. Make up your mind to enjoy this day, to have a blessed, prosperous, victorious year. You may have some setbacks and your circumstances may change, but don't let that change your mind. Keep it set on happiness.

Shake off the self-pity, shake off the defeat and get ready for God to do something new. He is going to pay you back for every injustice.

Look for ways to be a blessing.
Simple words of encouragement can brighten somebody's day.

When I took over from my father, he came from the Southern Baptist background, and back 40-50 years ago, there was a lot more of that.I don't believe -- maybe it was for a time. But I don't have it in my heart to condemn people. I'm there to encourage them.

Sustaining faith is what sets you through those dark nights of the soul when you don't know where to go or what to do, and it seems that you can't last another day…but because of your faith in God, you do.

We're not always going to understand why something happens.True faith is trusting even when it doesn't make sense.

God never said that we wouldn't have unfair situations, that we wouldn't experience loss. But He promised if we would stay in faith, He would restore everything that was stolen.

You need to associate with people who inspire you,
people that challenge you to raise higher,
people that make you better.
Don't waste your valuable time with people that are not adding to your growth.
Your destiny is too important.

When you go through a loss, a disappointment or a bad break up, don't expect to come out the same. Expect to come out better off than you were before.

Learn to trust His timing. Don't get in a hurry; don't grow impatient; don't try to force doors open. Don't try to make things happen in your own strength. Let God do it His way.

You may not be where you want to be, but you can look back and be thankful you're not where you used to be.

Every day, set your mind in the right direction. Find something to be grateful for.

I'm blessed to be a blessing to someone else.

When you come to a dark valley, a difficult season or a sickness, don't worry about it, God will give you the grace and strength you need.

Be sensitive to the needs of those around you. Live as a healer. Lift the fallen, restore the broken, and encourage the discouraged.

Truth is, no two people are completely compatible. We have to learn to become one. That means we may have to make sacrifices; we may have to overlook some things. We must be willing to compromise for the good of the relationship.

God doesn't care what you're not. He cares who you are. You are His, you come from the Master, and when He adds His extra to your ordinary and His super to your natural, nothing is impossible for you.

Your destiny is too great, your assignment too important, your time too valuable. Don't let fear intimidate you.

The power to see change in your life can be found in the words you speak. You have the power to set the destiny for your life by what comes out of your mouth.

God will not pour fresh, creative ideas and blessing into old attitudes.

There are times you will be given intuition, you just know something, and you can't explain it. Don't override it. Don't talk yourself out of it. That's the Creator giving you inside information.

It's easy to see the negative, but every person has something great about them. Develop a habit of looking for the good.

Don't focus on the good old days, look forward towards the good new days.

No matter what may be happening today, God has good things in store for your future! It may not be easy to see now, but God has already lined up a new beginning, new friendships and new opportunities for you.

I want to challenge you today to get out of your comfort zone. You have so much incredible potential on the inside. God has put gifts and talents in you that you probably don't know anything about.

Change the way you speak about yourself and you can change your life.

Today could be the start of something amazing.

Don't just go through it; grow through it.

Instead of telling God how big your problems are, tell your problem how BIG your God is.

Be a victor, not a victim.

You may think there is a lot wrong with you, but there is also a lot right with you.

When you keep God in first place, He will take you to places you've never dreamed of.

Be the one to stand out in the crowd.

I'm getting better every day in every way.

Where is the love that will overlook a person's faults?

One touch of His (God's) favor can put you fifty years ahead of where you thought you'd be.

Because you have honored God, He will put you in a position you never could have attained on your own. It's not just your education, not just your talent, or the family you come from. It's the hand of God shifting you to a new level of your destiny.

Don't live worried, frustrated or upset because of what somebody did or what didn't work out. Come back to a place of peace. It's not going to work against you; it's going to work for you.

Your enemies, your critics, the people that are trying to push you down-God can use them to push you up.

Quit dwelling on the negative things people have said about you. You don't have to have everyone's approval. You have God's approval.

People will try to label you not good enough, too slow, too old, too many mistakes. You can't stop negative comments or prevent negative labels, but you can choose to not let them hold you back.

A grateful heart is like a sponge that soaks up God's goodness.

The greatest gift you can give someone is your time, your attention, your love, your concern.

One of the main reasons that we lose our enthusiasm in life is because we become ungrateful..we let what was once a miracle become common to us. We get so accustomed to his goodness it becomes a routine.