Joel Osteen - Keep The Faith

I want to talk to you today about Keep The Faith. God has a great plan for your life, something more than you've imagined, but that plan won't come to pass without opposition, things you don't understand, things that are not fair. The test is to keep the faith.

Faith is trusting when you don't understand, it's believing when all your circumstances say "It's never going to work out". That contract you lost, the child that's difficult to raise, that tough season at work, it may not be good now, but if you'll keep the faith, all things are going to work together for your good. God knows how to bring good out of a bad situation.

This is when you have to dig down deep and make this decision, that you're going to keep the faith. You lost a loved one, but you kept the faith. You lost a position, you kept the faith. Your health went down, you had a setback in your finances, but you kept the faith.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have kept the faith, I have finished my course". He wrote much of the New Testament from a prison cell. What a great testimony to come to the end of life and be able to say with Paul, "I have kept the faith". "Went through a rough childhood, but I kept the faith. Didn't get that scholarship, but I kept the faith. Friend walked out on me, boss got on my nerves, went through cancer, but I kept the faith".

I lost my father, but I kept the faith. People said I couldn't minister, but I kept the faith. The experts said we'd never get the Compaq Center, but we kept the faith. You may be facing things now, and you don't see how it's going to work out: your finances, your health, a relationship. You could be stressed, lose your passion. If Paul were here today, he would tell you "Keep the faith".

It's very powerful we you can say, "God, I trust you in the good times, and I trust you in the tough times. God I'm going to keep the faith when I understand it, when things are going my way, when I'm seeing your favor. And I'm going to keep the faith when doors close, when sickness shows up, when people betray me, when it doesn't seem fair".

You're not moved by bad breaks, disappointments, medical reports. You just keep on keeping on: keep on believing, keep praying, keep dreaming, keep serving. The boat may break apart, but you grab a piece and swim to shore. You know it's not a surprise to God. He didn't bring you this far to leave you.

Are we just going to make it through life, sour over the disappointment, bitter over the loss? No, keep the faith! God is in control! He's ordering your steps! It may not be good, but God's not finished. You keep the faith, and you're going to see what God is up to. He'll not just bring you out, he'll bring you out better.

I believe and declare: because you're keeping the faith, your children and grandchildren will be better off. Like Ruth, God's going to turn mourning into dancing. Like Paul, you're going to come safely through every storm. Like my mother, you will see the faithfulness of God from generation to generation, in Jesus name.