Your Greater is Coming – Joel Osteen
“But what God promised you doesn’t have an expiration date. Just because you’ve given up on it doesn’t mean God has given up. You may have done things that should keep your dream from coming to pass. Perhaps you got off course and made mistakes. You don’t deserve for it to happen, but God is so merciful that He’s already taken your mistakes into account. They may delay it from happening, but they’re not going to deny it from happening. The promise is still coming. Despite the mistakes, despite the failures, despite the delays, God is saying, “I’m still going to bless you. I’m still going to heal you. I’m still going to bring that dream to pass.” Too often we disqualify ourselves. We think it would have happened if we had made better choices. If we’d finished school, if we’d not got involved with the wrong people, not wasted time compromising, then God could bless us, then He would open new doors. That would make sense if God was like us. That would make sense if He judged us based on our performance and gave us what we deserve. But God is not like that. He’s full of mercy. He doesn’t hold our mistakes against us. He doesn’t cancel our destiny because we got off course. He knew every wrong we would take, every mess we would make, every failure, every weakness. Nothing you’ve done is a surprise to God. Nothing that’s happened to you has caught Him off guard. The good news is that He has mercy for every mistake, restoration for every failure, new beginnings for every loss, a comeback for every setback. What He promised you is still on the way. You didn’t miss your chance. You haven’t failed too many times. The disappointment didn’t stop God’s plan. He is still going to show you favor. The circumstances may look impossible. The medical report tells you to learn to live with the sickness. It’s permanent. But God says, “Healing is coming. Wholeness is coming. The number of your days I will fulfill.” You may not see how you can evert get out of debt. Nobody in your family has excelled, but it can start with you. God says “increase is coming. Abundance is coming. You will lend and not borrow. What you touch will prosper and succeed.” You may say, “Joel, I got myself into this mess. It’s my own fault.” But God is the one who’s going to get you out of that mess. Quit believing the lies that it’s too late, that the problem is too big, that you’ve made too many mistakes. God is called “the author and the finisher of your faith.” What He started, He’s going to finish. The delay doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. The mistakes you’ve made haven’t caused God to change His mind. The circumstances may look impossible, but God hasn’t run out of options. You may not see a way in the natural, but God is supernatural. He has ways you’ve never thought of. He’s not limited by your job, by your salary, by a medical report, by what family you come from, or by what you didn’t get. One touch of His favor will catapult you to a new level. One good break and what He promised you will come to pass. Instead of thinking all the reasons why it’s not going to work out, all through the day you have to say , “Father, thank You that what You promised is on the way. Thank You that healing is on the way. Thank You that promotion is on the way. Thank You that the right person, breakthroughs, freedom, and new levels are on the way.”
You may have delayed the promise, but that didn’t deny it. God didn’t change His mind. Will you trust Him in the sesons of silence? Every thought may tell you, It’s never going to happen. It’s your own fault. You knew better. You may not see anything happening, but God is still working. What He promised you is still on the way. After thirteen years of silence, when Abraham was ninety-nine, it says in Genesis 17, “God said to Abraham,”I am God Almighty. You will become the father of many nations.” After all the mistakes, all the failures, and all the dysfunction, the first thing God said was, “Abraham, you will become a father with Sarah.” He reminded Abraham of the promise. He was saying, “Even though you blew it, even though you made a mess, that didn’t stop My plan. I didn’t change My mind. I’m still going to do what I promised.” You would think the first thing God would say was, “Abraham, I’m disappointed in you. What were you thinking? I’m going to find somebody else to accomplish your destiny.” God never gives up on you. He never disqualifies you. Quit disqualifying yourself. You blew it? Join the crowd. We all have. You made a mess? Come on in. You’re in good company. The enemy is called “the accuser of the brethren.” He’ll remind you of everything you’ve done wrong , all the mistakes you’ve made. He’d love to convince you to live down on yourself and drag through life with no passion, no expectancy. Don’t fall into that trap. At ninety years old, Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son they named Isaac, the promised child. The Scripture says, “It happened at the exact time God said it would.” That tells me that God already knew they were going to make those mistakes. He knew they would be impatient and have the first son and get into strife. Isaac came right on schedule, right when God has planned. Are you believing the lies that you’ve missed your chance, that it’s too late? Are you believing that if you would have made better choices, if you would have been more disciplined, if you had no run around with the people who pulled you down, the the promise would have been yours? What happened in the past is not a surprise to God. What He promised is right on schedule. You didn’t miss it; it’s still in your future.
You may have failed but you are not a failure. Failure is an event: it’s not who you are. You may have an addiction, but you are not an addict. What you struggle with is not who you are. What you do may not be good, but you are good. The Creator of the universe breathed life into you. As with this man, you may have gotten off course and brought the trouble on yourself, but God is saying, “I’m still going to bless you. I’m still going to free you. I’m still going to use you to help others. I’m still going to show you My favor.”
“You are blessed when you are at the end of your rope. With less of you, there’s more of God.” You may be facing a medical situation that doesn’t look good, or something in your finances, something in a relationship, or something in your business is at the end of the rope. You don’t know how it’s going to work, how it’s going to make it. Have a new perspective. When you’re at the end, it’s a blessing in disguise. You’re in prime position for God to show out in your life. Instead of being down on yourself, going around discouraged, turn it around and say, ” Father, thank You that You are the Almighty God. Your mercy is bigger than my mistakes. You are greater than this sickness. You are more powerful than this addiction. Even though I’m in a season of silence, even though I don’t see anything happening , I know You’re working behind the scenes and what You promised me is right on schedule. It’s easy to get in a hurry and try to make things happen, to force doors to open, to manipulate people and circumstances. If you push hard enough, sometimes God will let you open a door that He hasn’t ordained. He’ll let you walk down a road that’s not His best path. I’m all for taking risks and getting out of our comfort zone, but it’s important to stay in God’s timing. You have to listen to that small voice inside. An opportunity may be right for you, but if you feel an unrest about it, it might not be the right timing. When we don’t deserve it, we made mistakes, we got in a hurry, God says, “I’m still going to bless you. I’m still going to favor you. I’m still going to get you where you’re supposed to be.” Quit beating yourself up. Quit believing the lies that you’ve seen your best days, that it’s too late to accomplish your dreams, that you can never get out of debt, that you’ve made too many bad choices. What God promised you is still on the way. You may have delayed it, but you didn’t deny it. It’s still on the schedule. Start believing again. Start dreaming again. Start making plans for what you’ve given up on. “Weep may endure for a night, but joy is coming in the morning.” Your morning is coming. Your baby is coming. Your healing is coming. Your spouse is coming. Your breakthrough is coming. When it happens, it’s going to be more rewarding, more fulfilling than you ever imagined.”