Joel Osteen is an American clergyman and author known for his positive and uplifting messages. He is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, one of the largest Protestant churches in the United States. Osteen's sermons and books emphasize the importance of faith, hope, and personal growth, attracting a large following among Christians and non-Christians alike.
"Sometimes God will deliver you from the fire, and other times God will make you fireproof."
"I believe that when you think of the negative, and you get up discouraged - 'There's nothing good in my future' - I really believe it almost ties the hands of God. God works where there's an attitude of faith. I believe faith is all about hope."
"You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It wont happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, 'I don't care how hard this is, I don't care how disappointed I am, I'm not going to let this get the best of me. I'm moving on with my life."
"Any of us can be happy and have a good attitude when everything is going our way. But I believe it's the real test of your character and of your faith to say, 'Things are not going our way, but I'm still being good to people; I'm still attending church; I still have a good attitude.'"
"Encouragement to others is something everyone can give. Somebody needs what you have to give. It may not be your money it may be your time. It may be your listening ear. It may be your arms to encourage. It may be your smile to uplift. Who knows?"
"I believe God wants you to have money to pay your bills, send your kids to college and do charity work and build orphanages. There's the teaching that we're supposed to be poor to show that we're humble. I don't buy that. I think we're supposed to be leaders. We're supposed to excel."
"Keep in mind, hurting people often hurt other people as a result of their own pain. If somebody is rude and inconsiderate, you can almost be certain that they have some unresolved issues inside. They have some major problems, anger, resentment, or some heartache they are trying to cope with or overcome. The last thing they need is for you to make matters worse by responding angrily."
"If you hold on to what you want so tightly, it almost becomes an idol."
"I purposely don't talk about money, because people are already skeptical about TV preachers. But I do say that I want you to be blessed. To me, prosperity is having health, having great children, having peace, good relationships. It's not about the money."
"I wouldn't ever say if you're having tough times then there must be something wrong with you or your attitude. Life's a fight. It's a good fight of faith. I encourage people to stay up, stay hopeful, stay faith-filled."
"My dad had a church of 90 people when I was born. It was just, over the years it continued to grow."
"I try to speak in everyday language. I feel like God has gifted me to take Bible principles and make them practical."
"It's God's will for you to live in prosperity instead of poverty. It's God's will for you to pay your bills and not be in debt."
"Isn't it funny how babies laugh a lot? I read a toddler, a young child laughs 300 times a day. The average adult laughs, like, four times a day. God put it in them. He put the laugh in us, but I think sometimes we let life get us down, you know, have bad breaks, and we lose our breaks."
"Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate the love of God and family and to create memories that will last forever. Jesus is God's perfect, indescribable gift. The amazing thing is that not only are we able to receive this gift, but we are able to share it with others on Christmas and every other day of the year."
"I always try to put a seed of hope into people's hearts. I'm not there to teach them doctrine necessarily, but to let them know that God is a good God, and has a plan for their lives. Hopefully, that will restore their faith, or draw them into faith."
"If you can see the invisible, God will do the impossible."
"It's in the difficult times that we're growing and you can't just rebuke everything hard. We've got to endure it and fight the good fight of faith and pass the test."
"When nobody else celebrates you, learn to celebrate yourself. When nobody else compliments you, then compliment yourself. It's not up to other people to keep you encouraged. It's up to you. Encouragement should come from the inside."
"We are set in our ways, bound by our perspectives and stuck in our thinking."
"People of excellence go the extra mile to do what's right."
"Don't waste your time trying to win people over that can never be won over."