Joel Osteen Thinking Quotations

I don't think you should spend your life praying for things, but I do believe you should thank God for what He's given you... but I think the scripture teaches us that we can pray for our dreams, pray for the big things... he's not a small God; this God is incredible.

I think how you start the day many times determines what kind of day you're going to have.

I think God gives every one of us our own will, and unfortunately, some people choose to do evil things with it.

I think that God gives you your own will and choices. I don't believe that we're supposed to drag ourselves through life defeated and not see God's blessings. But you have to make the right choices and follow that still, small voice within you. Because I think that's how God leads us.

Sometimes we look back and 10 years from now we think, 'Boy, those were great old days.' Well, you know, we're living in the good old days.

We think when God speaks to us, there's going to be a boom out of Heaven or we're going to get some chill bumps, but I really believe God's talking to us all the time. He's talking to us right in here. I call it our heart, our conscience, but it's the Holy Spirit talking to us.

I think a big test we all face in life on a regular basis is that discouragement test. Life's not always fair, but I believe if you keep doing the right thing, God will get you to where you are.

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.

When I grew up, the Devil was a reason why I had a headache or the Devil was the reason I got mad today. We always blamed the Devil. I think today when I say the Enemy, I like to make it broader. Sometimes the Enemy can be our own thoughts.

I just think that it's strong and it's important that we recognize what the Christmas season is about; it's about the birth of our Savior, and there's a lot of pressure today to be politically correct ,but people are realizing, too, that you have to be open to express your faith what you want believe.

Well I think a lot of times we're putting things off and I'm going to do it later. I'm going to break this bad habit or I'm going to pursue this dream or I'm going to treat my spouse better.

I'm trying to make God more relevant in our society. And I think talking in everyday terms and making sure people can understand it - I think that's important.

Sometimes, I think if you get away from what you're called to do, it's more of a distraction.

I don't think that a same-sex marriage is the way God intended it to be.

My parents were the same in the pulpit as they were at home. I think that's where a lot of preachers' kids get off base sometimes. Because they don't see the same things at both places.

I just think that trusting God means we're going to have unanswered questions, and God is so much bigger than us, we're never going to understand them all.

I believe God, Jesus, died that we not just go to Heaven but that we excel in this life. I never think you make money your goal... God wants you to excel. Just keep Him in first place, and God will open up doors you never dreamed of.

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.

I think Bible principles are principles for life.

Sometimes we look at gay being a bigger sin than being proud or not telling the truth. I don't think God categorizes sins.

I think sometimes the critics want me to beat people down, and that's not in me. I want to lift people up.

To me, it's OK to have differences. But we don't have to be mad about it. You know? And I think that's where sometimes we get so passionate that we - you know, it turns into anger.

I think the word rich is all relative.

I think, for years, people have been pushed down by religion, and I don't say that disrespectfully, but they've been shown a God that you can't measure up to.

It seems like when I was growing up there was more compromise, wanting to work with each other, and I think all of them - all of the lawmakers - have hearts to do what's right, and they all are passionate about it.

I think God's justice is making wrongs right.

You may think you’re getting the short end of the stick, but when it’s all said and done, God will make sure that you don’t lose anything truly valuable. Moreover, He’ll make sure you get your just reward. Your responsibility is to remain calm and peaceable even when those around you are not.

The first place we lose the battle is in our own thinking. If you think it is permanent then it's permanent. If you think you've reached your limits then you have. If you think you will never get well then you won't. You have to change your thinking. You need to see everything that's holding you back, every obstacle, every limitation as only temporary.

I think we use God's word. I think the principles that you hear Dr. Phil and some of those others talk about many times are right out of the Bible.

Your life will follow your expectations. What you expect is what you will get. If you dwell on positive thoughts, you will move in that direction; if you continually think negative thoughts, you will live a negative life.

I think the first thing to do is to be aware that you can choose what you're thinking about and that your life is going down the path that you're thinking.

I think sometimes you just lose your focus, and I think that's easy to do when you start getting more fame, more money, more power.

I think we should enjoy our families and everyone that we love right now, each day.

I feel like when I stay focused on encouraging people, and giving them hope, and helping them live their everyday life, I think that's where I can have the most impact.

There are a lot of decisions we pass up on because we think, "You know what? That's just going to build - you know, maybe that's going to build me and not build the ministry and what I'm trying to do." So we pass up on a lot of opportunities.

I think the people already know what they're doing wrong, and I certainly believe in Hell. But to me, when I see thousands of people before me, it just doesn't come out of me to say, 'You guys are terrible, and you're going to Hell.' I'd rather say that God is a God of mercy. You've got to live an obedient life, but for every mistake you've made, there's mercy there, and I believe we can do better.

I think that Bible principles will help anybody.

I see people - they won't be negative toward other people, but inside they're negative toward themselves, and I think that holds us back.

There's a lot of negative things trying to pull people down, and I think people respond when you tell them that hey, there are good things up ahead.

I'm not perfect, but I think that I've done good to stay focused on what I'm called to do.

We deal with people that are going through divorces and that are facing life-threatening illnesses, and I'm giving them hope. And to me, I don't think there's anything "lite" about that.

When you are tempted to get discouraged, remind yourself that according to God’s word, your future is getting brighter; you are on your way to a new level of glory. You may think you’ve got a long way to go, but you need to look back at how far you’ve already come. You may not be everything you want to be but atleast you can thank God that you’re not what you used to be.

If you want to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. When you wake up, you can't just wait to see what kind of day you'll have. You have to decide what kind of day you'll have.

God will give you strength when you think you can’t go on. He will give you joy when you should be discouraged. He can make a way when it looks impossible.

Quit worrying about what other people think and just be who God made you to be. If you will run your race, God will take care of your critics.

Some of you had big dreams, but you had some disappointments & now you think it’s over. But God is saying, Begin again.

You can’t talk mediocrity and expect to have victory. You are prophesying your future. If you want a shift to occur, you’ve got to think positive.

If your thinking is limited, your life will be limited.

Many people are unhappy and are not experiencing life to its fullest because they’ve closed their hearts to compassion, they are motivated by only what they want and what they think they need. They rarely do anything for anybody else unless they have an ulterior goal in mind. They are self-involved and self-centered.

Just because we're in a STRESSFUL situation doesn't mean that we have to get stressed out. You may be in the storm. The key is, don't let the storm get in YOU.

If you’ll dare to take your mind off your troubles, get your mind off your own needs and, instead, seek to be a blessing to other people, God will do more for you than you could even ask or think.

To live your best life now, you must learn to trust God’s timing, you may not think He’s working, but you can be sure that right now, behind the scenes, God is arranging all the pieces to come together to work out His plan for your life.

Don't think small when you pray. God has a way to bring your dreams to pass if you'll dare to be bold enough to ask.

I think faith is incredible important because you will become overwhelmed with what's happening and you will have waves of grief, but when you turn to your faith, I believe God will give you waves of grace to get through it.

I do think that religion has turned a lot of people off. Part of it is because it was all about the rules and was political. I think now people have a hunger for God, they want to have a relationship, but they don't want to be called religious. I'm not trying to get them to join my religion, I'm just trying to plant a seed of hope in their heart.

We are set in our ways, bound by our perspectives and stuck in our thinking.

If you think your obstacles are too big, they will be. Don’t set limits on your life with your thinking.

Sometimes what we think is a disappointment, is really God getting us in position to go to a new level.

God is preparing you for greater things. He's going to take you further than you thought possible, so don't be surprised when He asks you to think better of yourself and to act accordingly.

Take the limits off of yourself. You will never rise higher than your thinking. Create a great vision for your life.

You may think there is a lot wrong with you, but there is also a lot right with you.

We can all control our own destiny. And I think sometimes it's a copout to say, "Well, it's this person's fault or another person's fault."

God honors obedience, and He has distinct plans for us. I think the dreams that God puts in our hearts, we can fulfill. He's equipped us for that.

You can’t think thoughts of mediocrity and expect to excel. The two don’t go together.

You will never go beyond the barriers in your own mind. If you think you can't do something, then you never will.

Again I think my gift is bringing hope to everybody, and I don't want someone to look at me and say, "I would listen to him, I like what he's saying, but he's this or that politically and that turns me off."

If you think you’re average, then you’ll be average. If you think you’re ordinary, then you’ll live ordinary. The truth is, there is nothing ordinary about you. You have something to offer that nobody else can offer.

Take time to make a difference. Don't just obsess about how you can make your life better. Think about how you can make somebody else's life better as well.

What you think is a setback, is really a set-up for a greater comeback!

At times we're going to get angry. Anger is an emotion God built into us. But we don't have to blow up and say hurtful things that are going to damage our relationships. Learn to take a step back, collect your thoughts, and think about what you want to say.

You can't live A POSITIVE LIFE thinking negative thoughts. Dwell on the POSITIVE.

Your thoughts about your circumstances have you down. On the other hand, you can be in one of the biggest battles of your life, and still be filled with joy and peace and victory - if you simply learn how to choose the right thought. It’s time to think about what you’re thinking about.

I preach that anybody can improve their lives. I think God wants us to be prosperous. I think he wants us to be happy. To me, you need to have money to pay your bills. I think God wants us to send our kids to college. I think he wants us to be a blessing to other people. But I don't think I'd say God wants us to be rich. It's all relative, isn't it?