Fight Fear and Discouragement With the Word of God | Victoria Osteen

Be seated, it's good to be in the house of the Lord. How many of you, like me, want to go from just knowing the promises of God to walking into the promises of God? It's one thing to know something, it's another thing to use what you know to get where you need to be. You see, God has already reserved a seat for you, he's already carved out places for you, he's already reserved territories for you to conquer and for you to occupy. We know that, that God has things for us, that's a promise. But how we get to that promise is up to us. God was speaking to Joshua. He was telling him, Joshua, I have a place that I want you to go, but there's gonna be two enemies that you're gonna face. Now you all know the story, Joshua and Moses were brought out of captivity and were being transformed or being journeyed to the promised land. So they came out of captivity, but they wandered in the desert. So they came out of something, but they never fully got to where God had promised them. So it was Joshua's turn. Moses had died and Joshua was standing in a place that he had stood before. Again, God spoke to Joshua and he said, Joshua, I want you to listen carefully to my instructions. I want you to listen carefully, there's two enemies that you're gonna face. Listen to what he said in Joshua 1. He said, Joshua, be strong and courageous. Then he went on to say, do not be afraid and do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Okay, he broke it down for Joshua. He said, Joshua, this is what you need to be, strong and courageous. He said, Joshua, this is what you don't need to be, afraid and discouraged. See, God made it clear. Joshua, I'm taking you to a place that you're going to occupy, but you can't be afraid and discouraged. God wasn't making a simple suggestion. He wasn't saying that don't be afraid, don't be discouraged, be strong. No, God commanded Joshua. He said, have I not commanded you? Have I not commanded you? Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. You know, he didn't say, Joshua, don't feel discouragement. Don't feel fear. What he was saying was, Joshua, don't identify with fear. Don't let it become part of your identity. Don't let discouragement define you. He was saying, don't hang around with fear and discouragement too long. He says, because you're going places. See, so many times, you know, we think, wow, these giants, they saw these giants. He was saying, it's not the giants. It's not the Hittites. It's not the Canaanites. It's not the Jebusites. It's not even the cellulites that you need to be afraid of. He said, Joshua, your biggest enemy is fear and discouragement. Fear and discouragement. You know, sometimes when we feel fear, we entertain it. Fear causes us to be discouraged. And if you hang around with fear and discouragement long enough, it's interesting how you can wrap it in a circumstance. This is the reason this is happening to me. We can literally take fear and we can make it such an excuse that we can literally put a face to it. We can name it. See, it's Sarah in the office. That's why I can't get ahead. It's my husband. He's been pushing me down. He won't let me blossom. I'm not as talented as other people. That's why I'm not where I should be. It's my finances. Man, if I had more finances, I could do so much more. You see, we create scenarios and situations, but at the root of every one of these is fear. And fear causes discouragement. And discouragement causes us to be tormented. It causes us to sit down instead of move forward. See, we cannot let fear be an excuse for our life. God has already given us the promise. He's already said, here's the promise. It's optional if you're gonna get there. And he's saying your enemies are fear and discouragement. You know, I was talking to a girl the other day and she said, I'm in this ministry, but it just seems like that, you know what, no one will let me do what I wanna do. And you know, it's hard for me. I feel it difficult. I'm just gonna quit. I have seen so many people quit, give up a position because of people. The first time that I ever spoke in church, I was afraid. I was scared. I wrapped that up in an excuse. I became discouraged. I remember it's Sunday again. It was like a black cloud was following me around. I named it. I got in agreement with it. I was miserable. Then I realized, you know what, it's fear. It's fear. It's wrapped up in all these other things, but it's fear that is the root of why I'm miserable. And you know, you think about it, we've gotta recognize fear and discouragement and we have to unwrap it for what it is. See, it was the enemy trying to steal my destiny. And can I tell you, he's gonna try to stop what God has started in your life any way he can. He'll use people. He'll use circumstances. He'll make it look like something else. But at the root of it all, it is fear. Fear always raises its head as lack, not enough. I'm not enough. I don't have enough. There is lack in this situation. That's why I can't do it. It's always based out of lack and not enough, not good enough, not having enough. Listen, do you feel discouraged sometimes? What are you fearful of? That is the enemy's way of stopping you. See, too often we're fighting people. We're fighting our circumstances. And God is saying, don't fight people. Fight fear and discouragement. Listen, don't let anything or anybody rob you of your destiny. Don't let people steal your future. See, God told Joshua what he should be. He should be strong and courageous. Told him what he shouldn't be. Don't be fearful. Don't get discouraged. And then he told him how to do it. He said, Joshua, you're gonna fight fear and discouragement one way and one way only. It's when you take hold of my word. When you get it out of your mouth. When you chase discouragement and fear off with what I say. When you get it into your thinking and you become, you meditate on it and you let it drop down in the very depths of who you are. See, God didn't leave the building because you're facing a hard time. You're facing people who are difficult. He said, I will be with you wherever you go. And if God will fight Joshua's battles, God will fight your battles too. See, it was not the fact that they were gonna starve in the wilderness, thirst to death in the wilderness, get blocked by the enemy. We know that. God opened the Red Sea. He struck water out of a rock. God turned things. He let quail come into the camp so that they could eat. See, that wasn't a problem. The resources, the battles weren't a problem. God said, don't worry about all this stuff. You fight fear and discouragement with the word of God because I'll be with you everywhere you go. I'm not gonna leave you. I'm not gonna forsake you. I love what it says in one version. I'll never give up on you. Even when you're feeling fear, even when you're feeling discouraged, hey, that's not enough to make me give up on you. I'll be there wherever you go. My promises are true. How you get there is optional. If you'll fight fear and discouragement, you too will get to your promised land. Amen? Amen. A lot can happen in a moment. Maybe you've been waiting longer than you ever expected, wondering if anything will ever change. But what if your breakthrough is already on its way? It's amazing what happens when you take a few moments throughout the day to connect with God, a moment to thank Him for His goodness, a moment to declare His promises, a moment to remember that He's working. I'd love to send you my new resource, Three Minute Moments with God. These short readings will help you refocus your thoughts, gain a fresh perspective, knowing that God is ordering your steps. You don't need hours to connect with God. In just a few minutes, you can turn your thoughts toward Him and be encouraged by His promises. As you make time for Him, you'll have greater peace and strength, and you'll step into the favor that belongs to you. Three Minute Moments with God is a powerful new devotional designed to meet you right where you are. Inside, you'll find topical readings for whatever you're facing. Whether you need peace, wisdom, healing, or hope, each one is filled with scripture, an encouraging thought, a heartfelt prayer, and faith-building declarations. So in just a few focused minutes, you can quiet the noise, turn your heart toward God, and set the atmosphere for Him to move. Victoria and I are praying for you and your family every day. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity takes this message of hope to people all over the world who need their own moment with God. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners. Your monthly support makes a difference every single day. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of Three Minute Moments with God, available this month. With an additional gift, you can also receive the Three Minute Promise Power and Authority Collection, featuring abundance, assurance, and authority. It opens up who you already are in Christ, what's already yours, and the authority you already carry, because your next moment with God could change everything. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567-JOEL or logging on to joelostein.com today. Thank you for watching this message. We'd love to connect with you in the comments, to hear your prayers and your testimonies. We thank you for supporting this ministry with your donations and your offerings. See, when you give, I believe God'll open up the windows of heaven and you'll see favor in new ways for your life. 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