God bless you. It’s always a joy to come into your homes and, if you’re ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you we’ll make you feel right at home. Thanks for tuning in today, and thank-you again for coming out today. I’d like to start with something funny. I heard about this minster who was walking down the street when he came upon this group of young boys that were surrounding a small dog. He asked them what they were doing. They explained they were having a contest and whoever could tell the biggest lie would get to keep the dog. The minister launched into a 10-minute sermon, starting with don’t you know that lying is a sin and ending with when I was your age I never told a lie. There was complete silence and just when he thought he had gotten through to them, and then the youngest spoke up and said, all right give him the dog.
(Audience laughing)
Hold up your Bible. 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. In Jesus’ name, God bless you.
I want to talk to you today about becoming a miracle.
Many people today are praying for a miracle. They’re saying, God please send me a friend. God, I need help with these children. I need training. God, I need a good break. We have to realize we can become the miracle they need. God uses people. He has no hands to heal except our hands. No voice to encourage except our voice. No arms to hug except our arms. God will bring people across our paths so we can be the answer to their prayer.
You may not realize it but you are a miracle waiting to happen. Somebody you know is lonely. They’re praying for a friend. You’re the miracle they’re waiting for. Somebody got a bad medical report. They’re worried, saying God please send me a sign. Let me know that you’re still in control; you are that sign. A simple phone call saying hey I’m thinking about you and letting you know it’s all going to work out. You just became that miracle. Somebody is discouraged, saying God I don’t understand this subject, I’m not going to pass this course. God, send me somebody. You are that somebody.
Take time to become that miracle. Be aware of who’s in your life. They’re not there by accident. God put them there on purpose. It’s because you are full of miracles. There is healing in you. There’s restoration, there’s friendship, and there are new beginnings. Life is so much more rewarding when you realize “I can be the answer to somebody’s prayer.”
I can lift the fallen. I can restore the broken. I can be kind to a stranger. I can become someone’s miracle. My brother Paul is in Africa right now. Most of you know he’s a surgeon. For the next couple of months, he’ll be operating on less fortunate people, way back in the middle of nowhere. It’s a remote village hundreds of miles from the nearest city. The clinic is just a small tin building. It just barely has electricity. Minimal medical supplies. Only one doctor.
On a recent visit, a young man came in the middle of the night that had been gouged by an elephant’s tusk. It went right through him. Paul took him back to the makeshift operating room to hopefully spare his life. The problem was there was no blood in the blood supply to replenish him with.
Paul could have thought, too bad, I’d love to help you but you’re going to need several pints of blood. It’s just not your lucky day. But before he operated, he took 30 minutes and took his own blood. He operated on the young man and then replenished the blood he had lost with his own blood.
(Audience clapping)
What was he doing? Becoming a miracle. He could have prayed, God he’s in bad shape, he sure needs a miracle. No, Paul realized I am his miracle. We all know God can do great things. God can do miracles. But what I want us to see is He’s put miracles in you. You can be the answer to somebody’s prayer. You can be the break they’re looking for. You can be the break they’ve been waiting for. It may not be as dramatic as saving their life. It may be just teaching your coworker the skills you know, helping that family that’s struggling with their rent, taking that young man to baseball practice with your own son each week. It’s no big deal to you but it’s a miracle to them.
It’s what will push them toward their destiny. What kind of world would this be if we all had the attitude I am a miracle waiting to happen. I’ve heard it said, sometimes we don’t need a miracle we just need each other. Look around at who’s in your life. Listen to what they’re saying. Is there any way you can help? Can you put in a good word for them at the office? Do they need a dress for a special occasion and you’ve got a dozen in your closet that you’re never going to wear? Do they live here alone and their families in another state? You could invite them to have lunch with your family from time to time; make them feel welcome. Those are opportunities to become a miracle.
A good friend of mine grew up in the Projects, very poor. He came from a single-parent family and there wasn’t always stability in the home. His dream was to become a television journalist. He loved to read and write. Against all odds, he got a scholarship to a major university. He’s African American. He was accepted at this mostly White Ivy League School. His roommate came from a very prestigious influential family. He came from just the opposite; the Projects, a low-income family. But, these 2 young men hit it off and became the best of friends.
He told his roommate his dream of becoming a journalist. His roommate said if you’re going to become a journalist, you’ve got to have a better vocabulary. You don’t know enough words. Every day, this roommate would get the dictionary out and teach his friend one new word and have him use it in sentences all day. This went on for 4 straight years. What was this roommate doing? Becoming a miracle. He took time to care. He realized his friend was in his life for a reason. Today, this man is one of the top newscasters in America. He’s on one of the top networks, seen in one of the most prestigious news programs. But I wonder where he would be if his friend had not taken time to become a miracle.
You can say well Joel I don’t want to hear about being a miracle – I need a miracle. Here’s the key: If you will become a miracle, God will always make sure that you have the miracles that you need.
(Audience clapping)
As long as you’re sewing these seeds, the right people will be in your future. The right opportunities, the breaks that you need. God will get you to where you’re supposed to be. That’s what it says in Proverbs 11. When you refresh others, you will be refreshed. If you want your dreams to come to pass, help somebody’s dreams to come to pass. If you want a miracle, become a miracle. When you take time to invest in others, the see you sow will always come back to you.
I met 2 ladies after the service a few years ago. One of them was a little older and one younger, and I thought the older one was the mother. But she said no we’re not but she’s just like my daughter. And they told how before they moved to church from the northeast location to this new facility she didn’t know if she would be able to continue to come. She’s a widow and not used to driving on the freeways. She was very concerned about it. One day after service she was telling a group of friends her dilemma.
This young lady who she had never met before overheard what she was saying. She said how about I come pick you up each Sunday and bring you? The lady looked at her very surprised and said, are you serious? Where do you live? Come to discover they live 30 minutes apart. But that didn’t stop this young lady. She could have thought well I’d love to help you but that’s a long way; I’m busy in my career and gas is really high. No, she saw this as an opportunity to become a miracle. Now, every Sunday morning like clockwork she pulls up into her driveway at 9:30 in the morning and brings her to church. After this older lady told me this story, she hugged this young girl and said Joel she’s my miracle.
You can’t help everyone but you can help someone. There are people God has put in your path that are connected to your destiny. As you help them rise, then you will rise higher. As you meet their needs, God will meet your needs. As you become a miracle, God will give you miracles.
But just the opposite is true. If we’re too busy to help someone else then we’re not going to get the help we need. If we’re too caught up in our own dreams to invest in others or too worried about our own problems to encourage somebody else, we’re going to get stuck. Reaching your highest potential is dependent on you helping somebody else reach their potential. It’s like a boomerang. When you help somebody else rise higher, it’ll always come back to you and you’ll rise higher.
Jesus told a parable in Luke Chapter 10 about a man that was walking down the road when he was attacked and beaten by these bandits. They left him on the ground, almost dead. In a little while, a priest came by, saw the man from a distance, though gee he’s in bad shape, he sure needs a miracle, I’ll be praying for him. He kept on going. Another man came by. He did a little better, went over to the man, checked him out, felt sorry for him thought this is really unfair, I hope somebody helps him, went on down the road.
The third man, a Samaritan, came by, like the first two he thought man he sure needs a miracle, but he took it one step further and said you know what I am his miracle. I’m at the right place at the right time. God put him in my path so that I could be a hero, so I can be a restorer, so I can give him a new beginning. The Samaritan went to him, got down on his knees and began to care for him. He gave him water from his canteen, took off his scarf, bandaged up his wounds. He then gently lifted him off the ground and helped him on his animal. He held him mile after mile as they walked to the nearest city. They got to a local inn. At the hotel he paid the owner. He said you take care of him, let him stay as long as he likes; give him anything that he needs and I promise you this I’ll come back and pay for any extra expenses.
My question today is, which man are you? It’s easy to get busy. Joel I don’t have time to help others. I’ve got my own problems. No, helping others can be the key to seeing your situation turn around.
(Audience clapping)
Those people that you see that need encouragement, that need a ride, that need you to give blood, that need help in accomplishing a dream, those are opportunities for you to go to a higher level. When you refresh others, you will be refreshed.
It’s interesting. The first exampleJesus used was a priest. He couldn’t stop; he had to get to the temple. He had religious duties to fulfill. He didn’t have time to bother with this man; after all, if he helped him, he might get his white robe bloodied. He might not look presentable at the table. He had all kinds of excuses. But can I tell you? True religion gets dirty. True religion doesn’t hide behind stained glass or fancy clothes. It goes to where the needs are.
(Audience clapping)
And when you get down low, to lift somebody up, in God’s eyes you can’t get any higher. The closest thing to the heart of God is helping hurting people. When you take time to restore the broken, you pour healing oil on their wounds, encouraging them, wiping away their tears, letting them know that there are new beginnings. That’s the religion Jesus talked about.
True religion doesn’t judge people to see if they need our help. Well she’s in need Joel but I don’t think she’s living the right kind of life. He’s hurting but it’s his own fault, he’s got the addiction. They brought the trouble upon themselves. No, Jesus said it’s the sick that need the help, not the healthy. God didn’t call us to judge people; He called us to heal people.
(Audience clapping)
He called us to restore people. He called us to become their miracles. Anybody can find fault. Anybody can be critical and come up with excuses to pass on by. That’s easy. But, where are the people who will take time to care. Where are the people that will get down and dirty and help them back into wholeness?
This third man, this Samaritan, he immediately went to the man and started helping him. He didn’t think twice. He became the miracle. That’s the kind of people I want us to be. Not passerbyers, not too busy in our career, too busy with church work. Not people like the second man who feel sorry for them – I wish it hadn’t happened, I feel bad, I’ll be praying – well no let’s become the miracle. God is counting on us. You can lift the fallen. You can heal the hurting. You can be a friend to the lonely. You can help a dream come to pass. You are full of miracles.
A friend of mine, a young lady named Tammy Trent, she’s a popular Christian singer, and she told how she and her husband went to a tropical island for a vacation to celebrate their 11th anniversary. Her husband was a very skilled diver. He could go underwater without an air tank for several minutes at a time. They got to the beach on the first day, so excited, the husband jumped in the water and started exploring the underwater caves. Tammy stayed on the beach to enjoy the wonderful scenery.
10 Minutes went by and she didn’t see a sign of her husband. Got a little worried. 20 Minutes still no sign; 30 minutes still didn’t see her husband. She began to panic. She sent our authorities. They sent out boats and started looking hour after hour. Long story short, her husband drowned. They found his body the next day. Tammy was not only in shock, totally devastated, but she was in this foreign country all alone with nobody that she knew. Her parents immediately made arrangements to come the next day. The problem is this all happened on September 10, 2001. The next day was 911, all flights were grounded. She was there for days by herself. She felt alone and forgotten. She was so alone she couldn’t even think straight.
She finally was able to pray to God. If you still care, send somebody to help me. God, send somebody to let me know that you still care. A few minutes and there was a knock on the hotel door. It was the housekeeper. She was an older Jamaican woman. She said, I don’t mean to get in your business but when I was cleaning the room next door I couldn’t help but hear you crying through the walls. I was wondering if there was anything that I could pray with you about. Tammy told her what had happened and this older Jamaican housekeeper put her loving arms around Tammy and held her like she was her own daughter. That moment, thousands of miles from home, Tammy knew that God was still in control.
(Audience clapping)
This housekeeper took time to be a healer. She was sensitive to the needs around her, even hearing the cries from another room. She knew one reason she was here on earth was to wipe away the tears. That day she poured healing oil on Tammy’s wounds. She became a miracle.
And the Scripture talks about how one day God will wipe away all of the tears. There will be no more tragedy, no more sickness, and no more pain. But, in the meantime, God is counting on you and me to wipe away those tears. Are you lifting in the fallen? Are you restoring the broken? Are you taking the time to help somebody in need?
It’s great to come to church and celebrate. This is important. We come to be encouraged and built up and strengthened. But our real assignment begins when we leave this building. Look around and find the discouraged. Find the cries for help. You may not find them with your ears but you can find them with your heart. You can feel when somebody’s down. All of a sudden you feel that compassion going out to them. You think, I need to take them out to dinner. I need to encourage them. Don’t put it off; don’t be a passersby. That’s God wanting you to bring healing. There’s a tear that needs to be wiped away.
Years ago, I went into this restaurant to eat lunch. It was a little diner and you order your food up at the front. As I was walking to the counter I saw this man sitting at a table by himself. Our eyes met; he nodded at me. When they did, I immediately felt a compassion toward him. I knew I was supposed to encourage him in some way. But he was dressed in a nice suit. I was in my shorts, had my son Jonathan with me. He was about 2 years old at the time. I thought, I’m not going to encourage him, he’s doing just fine. I kept putting it off and putting it off, but I couldn’t get away from it. I ordered my food and on the way out, since he had nodded at me, I decided to stop by his table. And just being friendly I said hello and asked him how it was going.
He kind of laughed and said not very well. Things are kind of rough. I kind of smiled and said, well know this, things are going to get better. He thanked me and that was the end of the conversation. 10, 15 seconds, that was it. Months later I received a letter in the mail from him. He told how he was going through the lowest point in his life at that time. He was going through a divorce, his whole world was falling apart. For months he had been in depression. But he said when you made that statement that things are going to get better it was like something reignited in him. That day was a turning point in his life. He came out of his depression, he got his fire back. Today he’s moving forward.
Here’s what I want you to see. I didn’t say anything profound. I didn’t feel chill bumps when I said it. I simply took time to tell him that I care. We don’t realize what we carry. We have the most powerful force on the inside. What may seem ordinary to us, no big deal, but when God breathes on it, it becomes extraordinary – it can be life giving.
(Audience clapping)
A simple act of kindness. A simple hug. Words of encouragement. Letting someone know that you care. That can be the spark that brings them back to life.
1995, A young lady gave birth to baby twin girls. They were born premature. One of them was diagnosed with a severe heart problem and wasn’t expected to live. The hospital’s policy was to keep the babies in separate incubators. Several days passed and this one baby was very close to death. One of the nurses felt strongly that the babies should be put together in the one incubator like they were in their mother’s womb. After much persuasion, she convinced the hospital to make an exception to their policy. And the babies were put in the same incubator.
Overnight, somehow the healthy baby managed to put her arm around her little sick sister. Much to everyone’s surprise the health of that little sister began to improve. Her heart began to stabilize, little by little, day by day, she got better and better. Today, both of those young ladies are perfectly healthy. I brought a picture of the 2 young babies; it’s called rescuing hug.
Here’s the point. We don’t always see how powerful we really are. God has put healing in you. Your hugs can cause people to get better. Your kind words can put people back on their feet. The Scripture says a simple tongue brings healing. A phone call. Giving them a ride. Taking them out to dinner. Encouraging them in their dreams. There are miracles in you just waiting to happen.
And some people just need to know that you believe in them. When you tell them, you’re amazing, you’re going to do great things, I’m praying for you, that may seem simple to you but to the other person that can be life giving. It can help them blossom into all that they were meant to be.
One time in the scripture, Moses was on top of this big hill, watching a battle that was taking place. He was holding his rod up in the air. As long as he had his rod up, the Israelites were winning. But the battle was going on, hour after hour, and his arm got tired. Every time he put his hands down the Amalekites would start to win. Finally Moses couldn’t take it any longer, he was too tired. His brother Aaron and a friend were at the bottom of the mountain watching all of this take place.
They could have prayed God we need a miracle. God keep the Amalekites from defeating us. No, they had this attitude we can become the miracle. They rushed up to the top of the hill, got on each side of Moses and they held his hands in the air. Because they became the miracle, the Israelites became the victory. There are people that God puts in our paths that need us to hold up their hands. They’re not going to win by themselves. They need your encouragement; they need your rescuing hug. They need to know that you care. They’re praying for a miracle. Don’t miss that opportunity. Do like Aaron and become the miracle.
I saw a report on the news a while back. It was about a woman named Meghan. She was a junior in high school and a star long distance runner on the track team. At the state track finals, she had already won first place in the 1600 meter race. Now she was competing in the 3200 meter. As she came around the final curve about 50 meters before the finish line she saw the girl in front of her begin to wobble. Her knees began to buckle, she couldn’t run in a straight line and finally she fell to the ground. What happened next, made news around the world. Instead of Meghan passing her by, seeing that as an opportunity to beat another runner, Meghan stopped running, went over to the girl, picked her up off the ground, put her arm around her shoulder and began to carry her towards the finish line.
(Audience clapping)
The people in the stands began to cheer. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. When they got to the finish line, Meghan turned so that the woman finished in front of her. Technically they both should have been disqualified because you’re not allowed to touch another runner but the state made an exception and gave them both a finishing time. Meghan said afterward helping her cross that finish line was more satisfying to me than winning the state championship. It’s great to receive a miracle but there’s no greater feeling than to become a miracle.
Who are you carrying? Who are you lifting up? Who are you helping to cross that finish line? Your destiny is connected to helping others. Isaiah put it this way, when you feed the hungry, when you clothe the naked, when you help those in need, then your life will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly come. If you will make it your business to become a miracle then God will make it his business to give you miracles. You will never lack in his blessings and favor.
Friends, you are the answer to somebody’s prayer. You can give a rescuing hug this week. You can help a friend cross the finish line. You are the miracle that they’re believing for. When you go out each day, have this feeling that I’m a miracle waiting to happen.
And if you will life not thinking about how you can get a miracle but how you can become a miracle, then I believe and declare that just like God promised your life is going to break forth like the dawn. Your healing, your promotion, your vindication will quickly come. You will rise higher, overcome every obstacle, and become everything that God’s created you to be, in Jesus’ name.
If you receive it, can you say Amen today?
(Audience clapping)
We never like to close our broadcasts without giving you the opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus. I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I’ll make you my Lord and Savior.
Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, webelieve you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church. Keep God in first place. He’s going to take you places that you’ve never dreamed of.
(Announcer speaks)
Joel and Victoria would like to send you a copy of Joel’s new series “Your Break Through: Experiencing God’s Supernatural Blessings” as a thank you for your support of our ministry. In this series, you’ll be inspired to work through life’s difficult challenges. No matter what you’re facing or how impossible it looks, you can stretch your faith and belief for your breakthrough.
(Victoria)
One touch of God’s favor can turn any situation around. Don’t get discouraged because you don’t see anything happening. God is working behind the scenes. Every difficulty is only temporary. Keep believing. Breakthroughs are coming your way.
(Joel)
When you live with expectancy that allows God to do great things. Request this resource. I know it will encourage and inspire you.
(Announcer)
To request your copy of “Your Break Through: Experiencing God’s Supernatural Blessings,” visit us at JoelOsteen.com or call 888-567-JOEL today.
Jumpstart your day with inspirational messages from Joel and Victoria Osteen. Sign up now and receive daily devotionals emailed directly to your Inbox. Whether you’re home, at the office or on-the-go. Make Joel and Victoria part of your day. You’ll be encouraged, challenged and energized to grow in your relationship with God every morning. Visit JoelOsteen.com/signup and register for your free daily devotionals from Joel and Victoria today.