No More Bad Days | Joel Osteen | Lakewood Church Service

((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) You fight the battle. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Woo! Hey! ((music playing)) Hey! ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I won't be silent for the Lord is in this place. Oh, I can't be quiet cuz he's worthy of all praise. He has been good. He has been kind. He has been faithful all the time. Now with everything within me, I will say.

Come on church, we declare. Oh, praise the Lord of all creation. Oh, praise his name forever more. Oh, ((music playing)) from the earth unto the heavens. Let everything be with breath come praise the Lord. Come on, we declare. Praise the Lord. ((music playing)) Praise the Lord of all creation. ((music playing)) Let everything with breath.

Let everything with breath come praise the Lord. Hey, welcome everyone. Thanks for coming out today. How many of you are ready to worship the Lord this morning? And we are so excited to have you here starting off the new year, right? And I love what we were singing.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. That's you and me. But uh thanks for coming out and we just tell you that we're believing 2026 going to be an amazing year in your life. The scripture talks about when you put God first place, he'll crown your efforts with success.

And here you are at Lakewood today watching and listening as well. So just believe, you know, like I talked about last week, making some room for God to do some new things in our lives. Just taking the limits off of him. Can I tell you, you wouldn't be alive unless God had greater things in front of you.

And so, let's stir up our faith today. Go into the new year. Not, you know, not dragging old baggage, but letting all that go, what didn't work out, but let's make some room for God. We thank you for a new year, fresh anointing, fresh favor, and I like to pray for fresh momentum, and fresh growth, not getting stagnant, but being ready for God to do new things.

So, know that we love you. If there's anything trying to hold you back today, it's a perfect time to just, you know, turn it over to God. Don't start the new week off just, you know, kind of with that negative mindset, discourage, or man, Joel, I got this big challenge I'm facing.

Let me tell you, God's bigger than anything that you're facing. He knows right where you are today. So, use this energy now to to thank God for what he's done. To believe, to raise your expectancy, not not to be here worried, I don't know, and all that. takes the same amount of energy to believe as it does to worry.

Let's use it to believe. Let's use it to stir up our faith. Let me tell you, you do that, I believe. Declare, not one of us are going to go out of here the same way we came in. You're going to go out with more joy, more faith, more victory in Jesus name.

Yes. Good morning, church. I love what the scripture says. It says, "Today, today is the day the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it." Today. You know, sometimes it's easy to get up in the morning and think about tomorrow or next week or next month or something that's happening.

But the scripture says today, today God's going to do something in you. Today is a special day. Today is an important day. So I just want to encourage you if there's things that are trying to weigh you down for tomorrow or the next day, let's release those things to God.

And let's say, God, I'm going to be in this moment today. I'm gonna align myself with you today. Because see, the better we do today, the better our tomorrow will be. So, I just encourage all of us to let God do something in you today. Know that today is an important day for you.

And as we enter into his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise, he's doing something in you. See, when you're in the presence of God, you'll never leave the same. You may not know what he's done. You may not feel what he's done, but if you have faith, you know he has been there and he has done something.

So today, we're going to enjoy this moment, this day. Align ourselves with this great God that we have and enjoy his presence. Amen. Father, thank you for today. Father, we are not going to let today get by without knowing that you are doing something in us. We're going to extract everything we can out of today and give you everything that we can today.

Lead us and guide us, Father. Make us and mold us. God, we thank you that we are lining oursel up with you today with your word, with your guidance. And Father, we will follow after you always. And we want you to know how much we love you. And I hope that our lives bless you this morning as we lift up our praise in Jesus' name.

And everyone said, "Amen!" ((music playing)) No, we won't be silent. For the Lord is in this room. Oh, we can't be quiet cuz his power is breaking through. Great is the name that conquered the grave above every kingdom his will reign. Now with everything God's people will proclaim. We declare!

((music playing)) Praise the Lord of all creation. ((music playing)) Praise his name ((music playing)) praise the Lord ((music playing)) We praise the Lord. ((music playing)) Come on. We're going to lift the name of Jesus this morning. We say there's no one higher. There's no one greater. Come on, my soul. Bless the Lord. There's no one higher. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Bless the Lord.

Oh my soul ((music playing)) praise the Lord of all creation. Oh, praise his name forever more. Oh, praise the Lord of all creation. ((music playing)) Praise his name forever more. Oh, ((music playing)) let everything with breath. Let everything with breath. Let everything with breath come praise the Lord. Come on church. ((music playing)) This is my story.

Oh, I'll testify the blessings on blessings you've poured on my life. When I start remembering how good you've been. Fear turns to worship. Tears turn to praise. Chains of depression broken by grace. I start remembering how good you've been. Here we go. Oh, you've been so so so so so good to me.

You've been so so so so so good to me. ((music playing)) The enemies ((music playing)) armies of heaven always around. When I start remembering how you carried my cross ((music playing)) ((music playing)) so so so so so ((music playing)) You've been so so so so good to me. From morning to night. From morning to night the lows and the highs.

I look back on my life and all that I see you've so so so so good to me. When I say God is good, you say all the time. When I say all the time, come on. You say God is good. When I say God is good, you say all the time.

When I say all the time, oh, you say "God is good." When I say God is good, you say, "all the time." When I say all the time, oh, you say "God is good." When I say God is good, you say "all the time." When I say all the time, oh, you say God is so so so good.

Oh, has he been good to you? ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I see is you've been so so so so good to me. Come on Church, if that's your testimony, would you lift up a shout of praise in this place? Yes. God is good all the time and all the time he is good.

Amen. Let's sing this together. I love you, Lord. Oh, your mercy never fails me. All my days, I've been held in your hands. From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head. Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. ((music playing)) All my life you have been faithful.

All my life you have been so so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God. We sing all of your goodness, God. Sing I love your voice. I love your voice. You have lead me through the fire and darkest nights.

You are close like no other. I've known you as a father. I've known you as a friend. And I have lived in the goodness of God. ((music playing)) All my life you have been faithful. All my life you have been so so good. With every breath that I am able.

I will sing of the goodness of God. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Singing of your goodness, God. Over and over. Your goodness is running after, running after me. Your goodness is running after, running after me. With my life laid down, I surrender now. I give you everything. Your goodness is running after, it's running aft—sing it again.

Your goodness is running after, it's running after me. Your goodness is running after, it's running after me. With my life laid down, I surrender now. I give you everything. Your goodness is running after, it's running after me. ((music playing)) Yes. Come on, church. With your hands stretched high, can we sing this one more time?

Yes. Cuz all my life you have been faithful. ((music playing)) All my life you have been so so good. With every breath that I am able ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Singing all my life—all my life you have been faithful. ((music playing)) All my life you've been so good ((music playing)) With every breath we'll sing ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I give you everything.

Your goodness is running after ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Yes, God is good. Amen. God is faithful. Amen. Can we sing this one more time? Knowing that our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's been faithful then, and we know he'll be faithful now. All my life you have been faithful.

Yes. All my life you have been so so good. With every breath that I am, ((music playing)) I will sing ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I will sing of the goodness of God. I will sing of the goodness of God. ((music playing)) ((applause)) Oh Lord my God, ((music playing)) when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made.

I see the stars. I hear the rolling thunder. Thy power throughout the universe displayed. ((music playing)) Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee. ((music playing)) How great thou art. ((music playing)) How great thou art. Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee. Oh, how great thou art. How great thou art.

Oh, then sings my soul, my savior God to thee. How great thou art. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) God to thee How great thou art. How great thou art. Oh, how great thou art. How great ((music playing)) thou art. ((applause)) ((music playing)) Oh, you're great. Said you're great. You're great. You're great. You're great. And we worship you.

Yes, we do, Lord. ((music playing)) You're a great God. ((applause)) ((music playing)) Lord, you're greatly, greatly to be praised. ((music playing)) All my words fall short. I've got nothing new. How could I express all my gratitude? I could sing these songs as I often do, but these songs must end. And you never do. So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again.

Cuz all that I have is an Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And I know it's not much, but I've nothing else fit for a king except for a heart singing hallelujah. Hallelujah. ((music playing)) I've got one response. I've got just one move. With my arms stretched wide. I will worship you. So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again.

((music playing)) All that I have is ((music playing)) I know it's not much, but I've nothing else ((music playing)) except for a heart singing hallelujah. Hallelujah. ((music playing)) Sing hallelujah. You're worthy. You're worthy Lord. Come on my soul. Don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song. You got a lion inside of those lungs.

Get up and praise the Lord. Come on my soul. Don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song cuz you got a lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord. Come on my soul. ((music playing)) Don't you shy on me. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I know it's not much ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Lord God, we love you today.

Lord, we thank you that you've got each one of us in the palm of your hand. And Lord, we're not here with a sad song. We're here to thank you for all that you've done. Lord, you we recognize you brought us into another year. Lord, here we are today redeemed and forgiven, strong and healthy, handpicked by you, our creator.

Lord, we don't take it for granted that we didn't get here by ourselves, but Lord, it was your mercy and your protection and your favor. And Lord, we just say thank you for all that you've done. And we thank you, Lord, for what's happened in the past. And Lord, we thank you for what you're about to do.

Lord, we commit the new year into your hands. Thank you that 2026 will be a blessed year in our lives. Lord, we just commit our family and finances and decisions, our health, our careers. Lord, we commit that all into your hands. I thank you that you're leading and guiding us.

That we have clear direction for our lives. Lord, you said you've given us the power to obey. That we have wisdom, discernment, Lord, that we make decisions that honor you, that move us toward our God-given destiny. Lord, we're leaving all the negative in the past. All the disappointments, mistakes we've made, guilt, what somebody said.

Lord, we leave that all in 2025. And Lord, we go into this new year with faith and expectancy, knowing that you're pleased with us, that you're shining down on each one of us right now. now. And Lord, that you can get us to where we're supposed to be.

That nothing's too hard for nothing's too much for you. And Lord, I thank you that even as we're worshiping you this morning, that every force that's tried to stop us has been broken in the name of Jesus. Depression, anxiety, mental issues, maybe it's sicknesses, addictions, trouble at work, in the family, in the home, or in the finances.

Lord, I thank you that today is a breakthrough day. Lord, that behind the scenes things are changing in our favor. Lord, that you are releasing us into new levels of of our destinies. Lord, I just thank you for fresh strength, fresh momentum, fresh attitudes, fresh ideas, freshs. Lord, I thank you that we'll never get stuck, but we're growing.

Lord, we take the limits off today. Our trust, our confidence is in you, Lord God. And Father, I thank you for healing the sick bodies today. Those that are fighting illnesses, those that couldn't make it, watching in hospitals. Lord, we know you're the Lord God, our healer. So, I thank you that healing is flowing into all those that need it.

Lord, even maybe what the medicine cannot do, Lord, we know you can do that you have the final say. So I speak healing, wholeness, strength, energy, vitality. Lord, I thank you that with long life, you will satisfy us, that we will run and not be weary. And Lord, not just physically, but I lift up those that have gone through loss, those that are in tough times.

Father, you said you're close to the brokenhearted. Let them feel your presence right now. I I thank you, Lord, that you're comforting them, giving them that peace that only you can give. Lord, even though it seems like may seem like it's an end, that you really have a new beginning, that you are still in control, that you have beauty for ashes, that somehow you know how to work all things to our advantage.

Lord, we trust you even when we don't understand. We know you're still in control. You're still on the throne. You said weeping endures for a night, but joy is coming in the morning. So Lord, I thank you for the joy that's on the way. Lord, you've been good to us in the past, but we believe, declare 2026 will be a blessed, favorfilled, productive, healthy year that we are victors and never victims in Jesus' name.

And if you receive it, can you say amen today? ((applause)) So good to have you in the house of the Lord. Starting the new year off right. Honored to have you here. Let's make our declaration of faith. Are you ready? I am blessed, prosperous, redeemed, forgiven, healthy, whole, talented, creative, confident, secure, disciplined, focused, prepared, qualified, motivated, valuable, free, determined, equipped, empowered, anointed, accepted, and approved.

Not average, not mediocre. I am a child of the most high God. I will become all I was created to be in Jesus name. Amen and amen. I love this scripture in Isaiah. I think we all know it. But it says, "No weapon formed against you will ever prosper."

And I I think it's it's it's it's got great insight because God doesn't say nothing will ever come against us. you know, you be a person of faith. You're not going to have difficulties. No, the weapon may form, but here's the promise. It's never going to prosper against you.

And so, maybe today, you know, you have some things Joel, I don't know, I got this health issue in my finance. I got something with the child. Well, you know, things come against us. We have an enemy that's trying to stop us. But you got to know forces that are for you are greater than what's coming against you.

And sure, the, you know, the the weapon, the the sickness, the the issue may form, but you got to stay in faith and just go all through the day. Lord, I thank you that it's not going to prosper. That you are fighting my battles. That God, you are doing what I can't do on my own.

Let me tell you, God's got you in the palm of his hand. And he sees the things that come against us. And you know, sometimes it's just a test. God is ready to take us to a new level. You ever heard that new level? New devils, you know, there'll be new things come against you.

So sometimes it's just a test. You got to make up your mind. You know what? I'm going to keep a song of praise in my heart. I'm going to keep believing. I'm going to keep expecting 2026 to things to turn in my favor. You keep doing the right thing and God sees that.

And let me tell you, you're going to come into some destiny moments where things suddenly change in your favor. Things that you thought would take another year, two, three years, but you know what? God can do it in a fraction of the time. It may have formed, but get this down in your spirit.

It's not going to prosper against you. You're a child of the most high God. The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives on the inside of you. Come on, let's go into 2026 as believers and not doubters. Taking the limits off of God, making room for God to show you his goodness in greater ways so you can be a greater blessing in Jesus' name.

Well, we'll take a moment to pray individually here in the building. If there are things you would like for us to agree with you in prayer about, we'd we'd love to do that. During this next song, anyone's welcome to come to the front of your section. There'll be prayer partners there that'd love to pray for you.

You're welcome to be seated if you'd like, but if if you need prayer, please come down. We'd love to pray for you. My beautiful wife Victoria is there to pray for our online family and listening live on SiriusXM. Thanks for being a part. We love you. We pray for you every day.

It is such an honor and a privilege to be able to spend this time with you in prayer. We want to join our faith with you and we want to believe today that God will move in our lives. You know, the Bible says that his eyes are on the righteous and his ear is attentive to their call.

You see, sometimes we think God's eyes are on us, but he's not looking at what we're doing right. He's looking at what we're doing wrong. And we wonder, God, do you hear us? But I want to encourage you today that God not only hears you, he sees you.

He hears your heart. He knows what your heart is saying. I love that when we pray, we may not always be able to articulate exactly what we want. But God, he hears our heart. He knows us. We don't have to pray some eloquent prayer, some prayer that maybe we've heard other people pray.

All we have to do is open our heart to God and tell him what we need. You know, God wants to hear from us today. He wants to hear our needs, but he also wants to hear our gratitude for what he's already done. So, we always want to combine our prayers with thankfulness and then uh speak to God for what we need, you know.

So, I always go, "Father, thank you for everything that you've done, but God, I want you I need you to do this in my life." I will speak a scripture like Romans 8:28 that says, "God, I know that in all things and all this stuff that I am concerned about, all these situations that seem to be maybe coming against me or overwhelming and all of these things, you're in the middle of it.

And you're working it all together for good. You're going to get good out of it. And you because you're going to do it because you know that I love you and you've called me and I have purpose. I have a purpose and I have a destiny. And that's exactly what God is saying to you.

He's like, in all these things, all these health issues, all these financial issues, all of these things with your family, I'm going to I'm going to be in the middle of it. Put me in the middle of it, and I'm going to work it all together. So, that's what we're going to pray about today.

If you have a prayer request, what you're doing is you're saying, "God, I'm putting you in the middle of it." We've already had a few people, Denise, and she said her sister had a stroke and she's praying for her sister's healing. She's putting God in the middle of all that that looks chaotic.

All those things that you wonder, God, how is this going to work out? Denise, I'm glad you're putting God in the middle of it. Clyde, he he's believing for healing for his wife. She's had kidney failure. Thank you, Father, that you can heal Denise. You can heal Clyde's wife.

You can heal, Father. We're putting you in the middle of it. Do you have a healing that you need today? Maybe there's someone in your family. We're going to put him in the middle of it. Veronica, she's praying for salvation for her children. Stella, for more doors to open, for divine favor and connections for her and and her family members, putting a putting God in the middle of it.

So when we bring God in the middle, he promises to work all these things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. So today, know that you're called, that God hears you, he sees you, and he's attentive to what you're saying.

Let's pray right now. If there's any situation, maybe it's finances. I mean, Joy, she's she's believing for financial freedom. And Maria, she's bre believing for a financial breakthrough for a car. See, God can do things that we might not be able to do. Yes, we do our part, but God will do what we can't do.

Well, what is our part, Victoria? I mean, I've tried. I'm doing everything I can. Put God in the middle of it. Put God in the middle of it. God is the one who works the miracles. We just serve him. We just love him. We do our best, but God does the rest.

Let's just pray right now. Father, I thank you for every need out there. Father, you see their hearts. You read their hearts. You hear their voices. Just like you said to blind Barnameus, what do you need? He knew you knew, Father, that he was blind. But he wanted you wanted to hear him.

You wanted him to say it in faith. I need my sight. Father, I thank you that you hear your people saying, "I need I need you, Lord. I need healing in Jesus name. Father, thank you that you're making them ever withhold. You're reversing symptoms and situations, God. You're correcting things in their body right now.

Father, I pray for Denise and Clyde, Father, that they're that that his wife would be healed and her sister, Father, would recover fully from that stroke. Father, if there's diabetes out there, heart trouble, any conditions in their head, and their mind, and their heart, Father, you're the healer.

And we speak reversal into those things. It's by the stripes of Jesus that we pray. We don't pray in our own strength, Lord. We pray in the authority of Jesus Christ and we call on the name of Jesus. That name that is the ladder between heaven and earth.

God, we climb that ladder today. And we thank you, Jesus, that your healing virtue is going through even the airways, Father, because there's no distance in prayer. And that God, you will heal and you will restore. You'll restore families, Father. You'll restore finances. Whatever it is your people need today, we speak restoration.

Open doors, Father. Just like Stella said, open doors. We pray for open doors for all those who need them, Father, for their families, Lord. Get them to where they need to be. Shut the wrong doors and open the right doors. Father, we thank you that you're saving our family.

You said those who far who are far off, you're going to bring them near. We call them in in Jesus' name. We break any kind of voices of discouragement, any kind of situations, any dividing walls that would separate them right now in the authority of Jesus. We we say those dividing walls have to go and that Father, you've got the you've got the strength of their heart.

Pull them in, Father. Pull them in in Jesus' name. Lord, we give you all the glory. We give you all the honor. We know that it is by your name and by your stripes and by your power that we ask all of these things. And we thank you, Lord. in advance in Jesus' name.

Amen. And amen. We love you guys. We're going to stand in faith with you and we're not going to break our agreement. Let's keep pressing on in Jesus' name. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) You were always always on time. Yes, you were. You are always you're always ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Amen. He's always on time, isn't he?

You know, one of the powerful key verses we quote at the beginning of each year is Habach 2:2. And it says, "Write down the vision. Make it plain on tablets so that he may run who reads it." If you just spoke the vision at the beginning of the year, it might be forgotten later, not carried on. especially when you go through challenges through the course of a year.

But when you write something down, it can later be referenced and passed on. Your written word is also a reminder to God that you took the extra step of faith to write it down. Once it's written, it's always in front of him. This is the power of the written word.

As you go out today and write your prayers on the vision walls, it's a constant reminder to God of what you're believing for. 1 John 5:14 says, "Now this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."

See, the power of writing it down is that God sees what you wrote and it constantly reminds God of your petitions. The written word brings weight, especially when you write down your request and you use scripture. You know, when the devil kept challenging and tempting Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus could have spoken back with his own powerful words, but instead, every time the enemy would challenge him, Jesus would come back with, "It is written."

It was the power of God's written word. You know, there was one time in the Bible where Jesus actually wrote something. It must have been important for him to write it because it's the only time recorded in the Bible that he actually wrote something down. You see, religious leaders brought a woman accused of adultery to Jesus and tain to trap him and shame her.

Mosaic law prescribed stoning for such an offense. Yet before that moment, Jesus stooped down and wrote something on the ground. Now, no one knows what he wrote, but theories suggest he listed the accuser's sins or he wrote down the law, drawing a line in the sand about hypocrisy and judgment.

But I have another theory that would carry more weight at that moment. It sounds a little more like Jesus. What if when he stooped down, what he wrote was not for the woman's accusers, but for the woman. He said what he wanted to say to the accusers when he said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."

But when the woman was being shamed and facing her accusers, because of her unworthiness, she was probably not looking up at them. She was probably looking down. And I can imagine when she looked down at what Jesus wrote, she might have saw. You are valuable. ((applause)) You are chosen.

You are forgiven. You are my daughter. My point is there's so much power when you write it down, make it plain, and it carries to the one who reads it. Revelation Revelation 21:5 when talking about new beginnings, declared, "And the one who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new.

Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And you know, when I think of that scripture, I think of the Omeda family and their new beginning. Renee Omea Jr., the son of Elsa and Renee Senior, were born in Miami after his parents had just accepted the Lord in a local church.

When Renee Jr. was 6 months old, the family had to move back to Venezuela because they could no longer remain in the United States. Mama Elsa first came in contact with Lakewood when one of her friends gave her the Spanish version of Pastor Joel's book Ka Dia Espian Every Day is a Friday.

Something changed in her. She became happier, a new light in her face. It led to her entire family learning to stand on God's promises. And when Renee Jr. graduated from high school, living in Venezuela became too difficult. His parents wanted a bare future for him. So, they made the hard decision for Renee Jr. and his mom to leave while his dad stayed in South America as they continued vetting his visa.

That's when nine and a half years of separation began. Despite all the trials and tribulations, they continued to listen to Pastor Joel and holding on to God. In February 2025, Renee Jr. wrote on the vision wall to be able to finally see his dad enter the United States so his family could be reunited.

Well, that's not the good part. Well, that is a good part. On November 26th, just one day before Thanksgiving, his dad's visa was finally issued. ((applause)) ((music playing)) On December 3rd, just 28 days before the end of the year, his mom and dad hugged again on US soil. and they said nine and a half years now feels like nothing.

And today, you know, I think back at this. Here's in this picture Renee Junior's dad in the same place that he wrote his visions his vision down back in February next to section 335. And today, here are Elsa and Renee Senior on the front row together again. Would you stand, please? together again because they took the faith to write it down.

We're so proud, man, as you're going out today or anytime that you have. There are vision walls all throughout this church. Can you take the step of faith like he did and write down your vision? Can you believe that if it can happen for them, it can happen for you?

And oh, we're not we're not done. We're here to lift your faith a little more. Is that okay? Can you handle one more story of the power of writing it down? Amen. I want you to watch this. ((music playing)) My name is Glenn Bone. And I'm Carla Bone. In 2002, we planted a ministry in Chicago, which kind of shifted me from being full-time in financial services to being full-time and planting a church in inner city Chicago in one of the toughest communities in Chicago.

The church continued to grow. I knew God was calling me outside of that and I was praying about it. So God hands down said to me, Carla Houston, you know, I'm used to if God says one transition is up, what's the next one? Well, this door closes and he hasn't said anything.

Days became weeks and weeks became months. In one part of my mind, I'm seeing the account go down, but in the other part of the mind, Pastor Joel saying, "It's going to be all right. Trust God." And every time I would work that spreadsheet, it kept coming up negative.

I know for a fact in many cases for God to answer a lot of things, obedience and trust is important. And I'm driving home from the leadership class and he says, "That's where you going to go." I look over and it's the 7-Eleven. I said, "E-leven? I'm going to work at the 7-Eleven."

And I could hear him say, "Yeah, that's where you're going to go. You're going to go and work at the 7-Eleven." So, I knew if he told me to go to 7-Eleven, there's something at 7-Eleven. It just didn't make sense. He was getting paid barely put food on the table.

It wouldn't pay one of my credit alone paid any bills. And during that time, that 3 and 1/2 months, it was like me and God had our private time. Everything was hitting us within this small window of time. And I laid in the bed and I looked up at the ceiling and I just started crying.

As usual, I'm up in the floor and I can literally hear God talking. He says, "The season is up here at 7-Eleven. Put in my two weeks notice." The spirit told me plain as day, "Why don't you get back into the industry again? Those same people that you helped 25 years ago and now in a new season in their lives, you can help them in the area where they're in."

It was vision wall day. And so I walked out of the church um went to the wall and I said, "Lord, help me to develop a consulting firm that will be able to bless my family as well as to be able to bless ministry and Uganda." I spent money, registered for all the classes and everything.

God brought me back into the industry. Within two weeks, what I wrote on the walk, clients start coming in. I didn't know how much money I had made in the first two weeks of January till my wife called and she started screaming one morning. She said, "Do you know how much money just got deposited to the account?"

In two weeks, he had made six figures. To be able to have that infusion of hope being put in us every week allowed me to even be able to go into a 7-Eleven and understand through obedience and trust that God was still going to answer my prayers even as I swung a mop at 7-Eleven at night.

I would say to people who are about to write on the vision wall, he may come at the last hour. He may come at the last minute, even the last second, but here's what I know for sure. He comes. I am out in the lobbies with Carla and Glenn.

We're standing in front of a vision wall and I am so excited for your testimony. What was your mindset when you began to write your vision on the wall? Our mindset was we wanted to be methodical. We wanted to write on the wall and just be prayerful using our faith.

We wanted to say, "God, these are some things that we're concerned about, but we know you have all power." So, we made sure that we were prayerful, we were methodical, and we also made sure that we were walking in faith and that our will and our thoughts were in alignment to God's will and his thoughts.

And we wrote it on the wall and God did amazing things in our family. That is so beautiful. Glenn, there's some people out here maybe who haven't written on the wall yet or they've written on the wall and they're like, "Man, I hope my story ends up like Carla and Glenn's."

Would you pray for them? I surely will. Uh, heavenly father, I thank you so much for today. Father, I thank you so much for you told us in your word to write our vision and to make it plain. And so, Father, we are being obedient. But, Father, the first thing I pray for you and our children is that our children understand the fact that we need to be in alignment with you.

And Father, help us to be consistent to making sure that what we write is in alignment with your will. Because Father, we know that you will bless those things. Thank you, Father, for hearing me because you always do. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And amen. Amen.

When I first met Joel, I was the owner of an advertising agency that represented more than 125 different ministries around the world, the biggest and the best. We also had a huge commercial side. and he told us he wanted to go on television, but he wanted to do it different than all other ministries.

He said he wanted to put influence over income, which meant he wasn't going to ask for any money on television. He wanted to not go in religious blocks and talk to church folks, but he wanted to talk to the unchurched folks that were watching these big network TV stations.

And not only that, but he wanted to follow the number one rated shows like Meet the Press and Good Morning America on ABC. It was a huge challenge and it was going to come at great financial cost, but that's what he wanted. And what I saw after that was something I had never seen in all of my career.

That show went on to become, according to Neielson, the number one rated inspirational television show in the history of American television. God began to open up doors where the blessings were chasing us. things like New York Times best-selling books, Nights of Hope that went all over America, serious radio with our own channel, things like digital channels, which we now have the Joel Osteen Network on 17 different digital channels.

You'll remember about a year ago, Joel had invited a couple of friends. They were the producer and creator and the star of that movie, multi-million dollar movie, Mary, Mother of Jesus. The movie opened on Netflix the Friday before the service. Jolan invited them to come and be on the platform with him to talk about the movie.

While it was doing okay on Netflix, after that platform visit, the movie went to number one, number two, number three in 86 different countries around the world. There were over 100 million people that watched that movie this year. Lakewood family, let me just stop and say thank you to you for for all that you have done standing beside our great leaders, Joel and Victoria and Pastor Joel, Pastor Victoria.

Thank you for leading us well. Oh, thank you so much, Jimmy. Thank you, guys. I didn't know Jimmy was going to talk about me, but he's been my friend a long time. But we we show you these videos to let you know that you're making a difference. And you talk about generous people, it's you guys.

It's Lakewood people. 66 years of, you know, faithfulness that we can continue on. And we want you to know, I mean, you you see, we're not bragging on us. We're bragging on what God has allowed us to do here and given us this influence. And we do our best to be good stewards of it.

So, we appreciate your your giving. and we take a moment every service to worship the Lord with our tithes and our offerings. So, we'll do that right now. So, thanks for being so generous and we're going to continue to keep going strong and as we start the year off, you know, just reminding us all we keep God first place in our lives.

You're you're here in the building or you're watching, listening, and then, you know, you you do it in your attitude. You do it in your your quiet time, putting him first place. And then we do it in our giving as well. And so, you know, just, you know, keep yourself strong, keep yourself consistent.

God sees everything that you give. He sees the sacrifices that you make. And I I think about how it says in Malachi, God says, "Prove me with your giving and see if I won't open the windows of heaven. Pour out blessings you cannot contain." That's our prayer for each one of us.

And just our our declaration, God, we're putting you first place, our tithes, our offerings. So Lord, I thank you that we live under the open windows of heaven. Remember, the economy is not our source. God is our source. One good break, one contract, one phone call will put you far down the road.

So let's stay faithful in that. And know as you give, know that you're making a difference in people's lives all over the world. We thank you for it. We just speak blessings, a a bountiful, abundant 2026 for you and your family in Jesus' name. Amen. That is so good.

You know, our prayer is for oursel and for you as well is that God would just ignite in you a spirit of giving that when you read his word and read his uh things about generosity and hear testimonies that your spirit would be ignited to know that God is the one who's putting that in you.

He's the one that's saying, "Test me and see if I'll not open the windows of heaven." Can you imagine God saying, you know, prove me, let me prove to you, test me and see. God doesn't have to prove anything to us. But you know what? He knows something about us.

He knows. Obviously, he knows something about us to know that when we give, we do want to know, God, are you hearing? Are you are you seeing? And he's going to he's going to show you that he is. And that's what I love. And you know why he does that?

I believe to ignite in us a generosity to ignite in us a passion not just for what we can get but what we can give what we can be a part of you know when you think about this world and all the things that happen when when you go back to the fact that it's really between you and God that no one else can take care of you like God can take care of you no one can get you out of a situation or things like God can you know you get a new perspective and you realize God, it's it's me and you really.

It's not me you and my kids. It's not me and my boss. It's it's me and you. And so God wants to ignite that within us, a strong, firm foundation to know that God, I've got my roots in deep. I trust you. I trust you, God. And I think that's what generosity does.

I think it allows us to lean in on God a little more to know, God, I've got history with you. So this this new year, let's let's ask God, God, I may not know really all about giving, and it may kind of feel foreign to me, and I sometimes just hold tight, but can you ignite in me a generous spirit beyond what I even know and watch what God will do?

Amen. We love you. We could not do this without you. You're an amazing church. You're worldwide, known worldwide, because you're touching lives all over the world. So, thank you so much. That's so good. Lord, thank you for our generous givers. Those here in the building watching, listening. Lord, we're giving today not because we have to, because we want to, Lord.

We know everything we have came from you. So, Lord, we we commit to you in this new year to be great stewards of what you've given us. That we will use wisely the funds, the resources, even our time and our energy. Lord, I just speak your blessings over your givers.

Lord, I thank you even today. you're doing new things and Lord that they will step into abundance and that they will see the open windows of heaven. Lord, things that we couldn't make happen on our own. Lord, I thank you that you can rain down the ideas and the creativity, the contracts, the opportunities.

Lord, I just thank you that we will become all you've created us to be. That we will lend and not borrow. That we are above and not beneath. Lord, so that we can build your kingdom. So we can spread the gospel all over the world. We thank you for it in Jesus' name.

Amen. And amen. God bless you today as you give. Here are some ways you can give. Using your smartphone, scan the QR code located on the screen. Then select the online giving option that is most convenient for you. Go to lakewoodurch.com/give. Text give hope to 77977. Mail a check to P.

Box 27450, Houston, Texas 77227, or call us toll-free at 888-567 Joel. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I hear it in the wind. I rise to look again. ((music playing)) The spirit is stirring something up ahead. In faith, Lord, I believe for rains are yet to see before the clouds are forming. My God is faithful from age to age.

And what he promised won't be delayed. My eyes can't see it. But through my faith, I hear the sound of heaven, and ((music playing)) ((music playing)) is on the way. So mighty rushing wind, come have your way again. Your word has never failed me. My God is faithful from age to age.

((music playing)) My eyes can't see it ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) We welcome the wind. Welcome your hope. Welcome provision. We welcome your peace. Welcome your joy. Welcome your freedom. Here comes the king mighty to save. Reigning in power. We hear it in the sound of heaven pouring out. We welcome your rain. Welcome your hope.

Welcome provision. We welcome your peace. Welcome your joy. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) My God is faithful from age to age. Yes, he is. And what he promised ((music playing)) through my faith. I hear the sound of heaven. Oh, we welcome the rain. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Alexandra, beautiful. Do you mind standing one last time? And thanks so much for coming out today.

We love you guys. You know this, but your new week goes better because you've taken time to honor God and put him first place. The scripture says when you're planted in the house of the Lord, you will flourish. Blessed to have you today. Thanks for coming out. And if you're visiting, especially honored to have you.

Hope you'll come back anytime you can and love to meet you after service. I'm always back there by the bookstore lobby. It'd be my joy to shake your hand. But just blessed to have you at Lakewood. Can I remind you 2026 is going to be a favorfilled year for you and your family that you know we're taking the limits off of God.

God, do something new this year. Not going into a new year with an old mindset. And I don't I mean the old negative. I know it's good a lot of you don't have old, but making room for God to do some new things, but so blessed to have you.

Hey, don't forget last Wednesday night we had our our new Wednesday night service. It'd been gone since co but we came back with several thousand people and it's a powerful hour service during the week. If you're able to get down here, love to have you be a part led by Pastor Nick.

Amazing message, Nick, on on Wednesday night and a great worship. our Serena, our our young adult team, but it's for everybody. I don't know if I'm I'm not old, I'm young, y'all. So, it's for everybody. Anybody that wants to come and also on Wednesday night, I don't don't want to forget we have our our junior high in our youth meet with Pastor Devonte, a powerful minister, Pastor Caleb.

So, a lot of great things, but thanks for being here. And guys, I loved your stories of Pastor Carla and Glenn, so powerful. And Elsa and Renee, welcome. We're so glad to have y'all at Lakewood. I met your family a while back and man, what a powerful things when you stand in faith.

You think about nine and a half years they stood in faith. But you know what? God is faithful and here here they are today all together. What God started, he's going to finish. So thanks for being here today, everybody. When you see yourself on the screen, can you give our TV audience a great big Lakewood welcome?

God bless you. It's great to be with you today. And I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week. 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 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. I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, everliving seed of the word of God.

I'll never be the same. Never. Never. Never. I'll never be the same in Jesus' name. God bless you. If you'd like to open your Bibles to Philippians chapter 4, you're welcome to. Philippians chapter 4. Hey, when you write your vision on the wall, don't write something small. Write something you can't accomplish on your own.

Write something where you have to stretch your faith. If it's too crowded today, those walls are out there all the time. They're all over the building. But we want you to get your vision there so we can stand in faith with each one of you. But thanks for being here.

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 coworker leaves us out. Sometimes it's bigger things. The contract didn't go through. The medical test wasn't good.

Our loved ones 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, and our feelings are hurt, and 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.

And it's okay to acknowledge your feelings. Man, 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 going to 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 that can lead to a bad year that 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 knock the wind out of us. You have to regroup and reframe it. Don't let your emotions decide, you decide. On July 30th of last year, my sister Lisa called and said, "My mother is not answering the phone."

And she thought something was wrong. And 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." And 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 and overwhelmed, can you believe what happened? I started thinking about what a great mother I had and how she lived almost 92 years. And how God healed her from terminal cancer and she was at church two days before praying for people right here.

And 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 and 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 going to 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 Habach 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. I've 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 going to 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 coworker. 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 going to 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 day. It's no big deal. I'm not giving away my joy. If you have a disappointment, 10 in the morning, something didn't work out. It's okay. It 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 coworker says something harsh and hurts your feelings and the gloom will come and thoughts of resentment and payback, bitterness. We're all human. Those are natural feelings. But 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. And 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 and 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. Joel, 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.

That's right. 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 neighbors talking about me, spreading rumors. I can't control that. I'm going to enjoy this day. my loved ones 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. Well, Joel, I 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 psalm, 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 and 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, the 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 6:30. And I was already a little tired from the Sunday before. And it was cold outside and raining. They told me to park right up front next to the building in a reserved lot. When I drove up, got out of my car. 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 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 going to give away my joy. I'm not going to 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 6:30 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 the bait?

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 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, and pursue your dreams.

I went in and I did the program. This security officer saw me on the screen. I was I was as I was leaving, she came running up. Oh, Pastor Ostein, 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 going to 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 to respond.

But sometimes we've learned wrong habits. What we've seen modeled growing up when things didn't go out as planned was anger, 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 going to 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 4, 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 had 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 or 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 going to 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, there's 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? Let's pray together. If you have five minutes, if you can stick with me, would you seal it in prayer?

Lord, thank you for what you what we've heard today. I know it falls on great ground. Faithful people here at Lakewood and all those watching and listening. Lord, we commit to you that we're going to keep our joy. We're going to stay in peace. Lord, help us to remember this message, this truth, Lord, in the in the middle of the week when things don't go our way.

Lord, we're going to we thank you, Lord, that you are fighting our battles. And Lord, just show us areas where we've learned wrong habits so that we can pass the test, enjoy our lives, and Lord, become all you've created us to be. And Lord, I just speak victory over your people.

I speak peace. Those that have lost their joy. Lord, I thank you today that it's coming back. That you will restore the joy of our salvation. Lord, that we will have a a victorious year, a a joyful year, that there are shouts of joy and victory in our house, the house of the righteous.

Lord, we'll do our part. We'll exercise self-control. We'll do what we can. and Holy Spirit, help us do what we can in Jesus' name. Just a quick question with your heads bowed in prayer. If your heart stopped beating the next few minutes, are you at peace with God?

Do you know where you'd spend eternity? If not, I would love to pray with you. I'm not here to condemn anybody. I'm here to help you find a new beginning. I know this comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In just a moment, if you're not at peace with the Lord, or maybe you are a Christian, but you've grown cold toward God, you know you need to rededicate your life, you need a fresh new start.

If that's you, in just a moment, I'm going to ask you to take a step of faith and stand right where you are. I can't think of a better time to get on the road to victory than right now. God is not mad at you. Your sins have already been forgiven.

All you have to do is accept the free gift of Christ's salvation. Will you do it today? The enemy in your thoughts, he'll whisper, "Do it next week. Do it another time." Listen, the Bible says, "Today is the day of salvation." You're not hearing this by accident. Now Joel, it's embarrassing to stand in front of all the people or I have people at the house.

I can't lift my hand. Listen to what Jesus said. If you won't be ashamed of me before people, then I won't be ashamed of you before my father in heaven. I want to give you a great opportunity to show God that you're not ashamed of him. If you're not at peace with the Lord or you just need to rededicate your life, you need a fresh new start, a new beginning.

If that's you, would you be bold? Take that step of faith and stand right where you are and we're going to pray together. Would you do that? Come on, Lakewood. Let's give them a hand clap all over the building as they stand. ((music playing)) Come on. Don't put it off.

I feel like ought to be a few more. Your heart's beating fast up top, watching, listening. They're still standing. Lakewood, a few more. Few more. Anybody else? Well, God bless you. Please remain standing if you don't mind. Let me tell you how proud we are of you. I know that took courage to stand.

And more importantly, I know God will never be ashamed of you because you took this step of faith. And the scripture says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Let me help you to call. Do you mind all praying this after me if you would please?

Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. Amen. Remain standing one more moment. I want to tell you how much we love you. We're going to be praying for you. I want to give you an invitation as well, even a challenge to come back and be with us on a regular basis.

This next year of your life is incredibly important. If you can get plugged in and put God first place, let me tell you, you give us that year, your life will never be the same. I know you're busy on Sundays and you know, maybe it's a day off, but there is a blessing on your life when you get into a community of faith and put God first place.

We'd love to have you here at Lakewood. Make the commitment that for this next year, you are committing to be here any way you can. And not only that, get plugged in if you can. Join the choir, the ushers, the greeters, prayer partners, a lot of different areas.

I'd love for you to make meet some great people here at Lakewood. You will meet you will make lifelong friends together. Y'all can encourage each other. Watch after somebody. Love to have you be a part. Check out the seat back in front of you. There's a way to do it digitally.

And then right up here there's a whole group. I can help you after service if you want to stop by whenever you can. Love to shake your hand. But we're going to be praying for you. Know this. The moment you stood up, God washed away all your sins, your mistakes, the failures.

You are starting with a fresh, clean slate. Write it down in your Bible. It's January 11th, 2026. A new day of victory in your life in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Well, let's all stand together if you would please. Thanks so much for coming out today. How many of you going home better off than you were before?

Amen. We love you guys. And until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord show you his favor and have mercy on you. And may the Lord watch over you and give you his peace. God bless you. Have an amazing week. See you back real soon.

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