Be the Authentic You | Joel Osteen

0:01Speaker 1:I hope you and your family are having a great summer. Victoria and I are praying for you, believing for God's very best in your life, and it's always my pleasure to be able to share a message with you. I hope you're encouraged and inspired today. Well, God bless you. It's great to be with you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media, and you can come visit us in person. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services. but I like to start with something funny and don't be offended.

0:32Speaker 1:It's just a joke, but I heard about these three people, a Russian, an American, and a blonde. They were talking together. The Russian proudly said, we were the first ones in space. The American said, well, we were the first ones on the moon. The blonde said, that's nothing. We're going to be the first ones on the sun. The American, the Russian, they laugh. You can't go to the sun. It's too hot. You'd be burned up. The blonde said, we know that. We're not that dumb. We're going to go at night.

1:02Speaker 1:All right, y'all. I'm married to a beautiful, smart, intelligent blonde, but I'm going to need a ride home. But here we go, y'all. 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 being the authentic you. It's easy to go through life trying to protect our image and always look good and impress people.

1:44Speaker 1:We can't let them see our flaws, our shortcomings, or they may think less of us. So we live with this pressure to perform, to pretend, and to wear a mask. But the people we're trying to impress, the ones that look like they have it all together, they have issues too. Everyone is struggling with something. And the scripture says God's power shows up greatest in our weaknesses, not in our strengths, not in the areas we excel, but in our struggles, our flaws, the things we're trying to hide. God is not looking for the fake you, the pretend you, the cover up you. He's looking for the real you, the you that's not perfect, the you that can get jealous, angry, afraid, the you that doesn't always feel worthy or good enough.

2:36Speaker 1:When you get honest with yourself and you don't try to camouflage your struggles, live wearing masks to keep up your image, that's when God will step in and help you to change. Instead of hiding what we're struggling with, when we go to God and admit our dependence on him, say, God, I need you. I don't like being this way. I'm afraid, I'm angry, or I don't feel like I'm good enough. Help me to change. It's not a weakness to admit you don't have it all together. It's a strength. When you take off the mask and you're open before God, He doesn't fault you. That's when His power shows up to change you. When Jesus saw Peter out fishing, He called him to be His first disciple. He said, from now on, you're going to fish for men. Peter fell on his knees and said, Lord, go away from me.

3:30Speaker 1:I'm not worthy. I'm a sinful man. He was saying, Lord, I have flaws. I'm hot-tempered. I use bad language. I'm impatient. He didn't try to cover up who he was, protect his image. He was honest. He was vulnerable. Jesus didn't say, thanks, Peter. I didn't realize how messed up you were. I chose the wrong man. No, after Peter told him all his flaws and weaknesses, Jesus said later, Peter, you are a rock and upon you, I will build my church. He was saying, Peter, I know everything about you, the good, the bad, the ugly. And because you're open, because you're vulnerable, not wearing a mask, I'm going to make you into something more than you've ever imagined. God is not faulting you for having weaknesses, areas that you struggle in. It can be pride, jealousy, compromising. He knows what you're dealing with.

4:29Speaker 1:He didn't choose you because you have it all together. He chose you because of what you can become. God would rather work with someone like Peter that's open and honest than someone that tries to hide and pretend and wear a mask. See, Jesus could have gone to the temple and chosen one of the Pharisees, the religious leaders, to become disciples. They looked the part. They worked in the temple. They wore long robes and prayed in public every day. They taught in the synagogue. You know why he didn't choose them? They wore masks. They were pretenders.

5:08Speaker 1:They acted one way, nice, holy, kind, but on the inside, it was a different story. They didn't care about people. They cared about how they were going to be seen. They were arrogant, harsh, putting rules on people that they couldn't keep. Jesus had strong words for them. He said in Matthew 23, you are like whitewashed tombs. You look great on the outside, but on the inside, you're full of dead men's bones. He was saying, you're a fake. You're a pretender. You go around wearing masks, acting one way, but your motives are wrong. He called them hypocrites because they were two-faced, projecting one thing when in reality, they were just the opposite. It's significant. Jesus didn't call Peter a hypocrite. Why? Peter admitted he was a sinner, unworthy, not making good choices. He didn't try to hide it.

6:06Speaker 1:He was open. The problem with the Pharisees wasn't that they had issues. They were dealing with pride and wrong motives. We all have some kind of issue. The problem was they acted like they had it all together. They put on masks to pretend and cover up the issues they were dealing with. This temptation comes to us all to be a Pharisee. I got to protect my image and make sure I look good. Nobody sees my weaknesses. We have to wear this mask for our friends and This mask at work and mask for relatives, a mask at the gym. Some people are professional pretenders. They got a mask for every situation. But it's a lot of pressure to be fake, have to camouflage and perform so we'll be well thought of and invited into their group. If people can't accept you for who you are, then you don't need them. If you have to perform perfectly and be pressured into being something you're not, do yourself a favor, take off that mask. Quit being a lesser version of who you are and be the authentic you. If they can't handle it, they fault you because you're not perfect, then move on with your life. Your time is too

7:24Speaker 1:valuable to be a fake you, a pretend you, a you that has to play up to people or you'll be looked down on. Take the pressure off. They may act like a Pharisee, like they have it all together, but they have issues too. None of us are a finished product. The Apostle Paul wrote over half of the books in the New Testament. He was a brilliant scholar, trained at the highest levels, spoke five languages, came from an influential family. He could have told us all his strengths, how accomplished he was, how smart. But he said in Romans 7, the good I know I should do, I don't do it. But the bad I don't want to do, I keep doing it. He said in Philippians, I'm still not all that I should be. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he still had flaws. He still didn't perform perfectly all the time. He could have easily put on a mask and just let us see his greatness. Man, I've written books of the Bible. I've changed history. Yes, I got it all together. Admitting your shortcomings isn't weak, it's strength. You're showing God that you're depending on him.

8:38Speaker 1:When you try to handle it all on your own and you put different masks to cover up what you're dealing with, God will step back. His power doesn't show up as much in our strengths, but in our weaknesses. The mistake we can make is we try to hide the weakness. We can't be vulnerable. People may think less of us. We have to protect our image. No, you have to take your image off the throne. Your image is not going to get you to your destiny. Having people like you, being well thought of is not going to move you to your purpose. Paul was more accomplished than anyone, but he was vulnerable enough to say, I still don't have it all together. I'm still depending on God's grace and mercy and favor. That's why God could use him in such a great way. There's power in being the real you not the fake you, the pretend you, the Pharisee you. That's a trap to keep you from seeing the favor of God in a greater way. A friend of mine is a pastor and years ago he was on drugs and had problems with alcohol and he was very angry would have these violent outbursts where he couldn't control his temper he came from a broken family

10:03Speaker 1:his father was the same way and he hated everything about his dad but the son turned out just like him looked like he would live in a defeated addicted life in his 20s God stepped in and supernaturally freed him turned his life around He became a minister, was pastoring his church, telling his story, helping so many people. The problem was he still had these anger issues. He was free from the drugs, free from the alcohol, but the smallest thing would set him off. He would explode.

10:37Speaker 1:Not something normal. He'd get a little upset. These were violent outbreaks where he'd harm people and throw things, be out of control. When he calmed down, he was so ashamed, embarrassed. He didn't want to be that way. He knew it was ruining his marriage, damaging his children, but he felt trapped. He was a pastor. He was supposed to have it all together. People looked up to him. He said, I can't tell anyone. What will people think? It'll ruin my reputation.

11:09Speaker 1:I could lose my church. So he did what many of us do. He hid it. He put on a mask and acted like everything was okay. Of course, his family, his children, they knew the truth. Looked like they were a model family, but behind closed doors, there was chaos. What's significant was he was a good man. He was crying out for help, but he wouldn't take his image off the throne. His ego and how he looked kept him from telling anyone. The scripture talks about how the enemy lives in darkness. Anything we keep in the dark is in the enemy's territory. As long as it's hidden, he has authority in that area. The darkness, covered up, that's his domain. But 1 John 1 says, if you walk in the light as God is in the light, then the blood of his son Jesus purifies us from all sin. When you bring into the light what you're struggling with, you come into God's territory. In the light, when you're open and honest, forces of darkness cannot hold you back. That's why the enemy works so hard with shame, guilt, what people will think, how our image is going to be affected. He'll whisper, you got to hide that struggle, man.

12:33Speaker 1:Don't let people see your weaknesses. Pretend you're okay. Act like you have it all together. Those are tricks to try to keep you from coming into the light. In the light, there's freedom. In the light, there's deliverance. There's wholeness. There's victory. The enemy will tell you just the opposite. No, you'll be looked down on. You'll be ashamed. In the light, there is no condemnation. There is mercy for mistakes. There is forgiveness. There are new beginnings. No more covering it up.

13:06Speaker 1:Get out of the enemy's domain and come over into God's territory. One time, David made a mistake. He committed adultery and had the lady's husband killed. For one year, he hid it. He was so ashamed. He covered it up, wouldn't tell anyone. For that year, David was sick. He was weak, not able to go out and fight battles and He was going to keep it hidden, but the prophet Nathan confronted him. He said, David, I know what you've done, and it's not right. Well, David was smart enough to take off the mask, to quit pretending. He said in Psalm 51, God, I acknowledge my transgressions. He was saying, I'm not hiding it anymore. Not going to keep covering it up. I'm going to bring it into the light. It's not natural, I know, to admit our struggles and bring them to God. We're not proud of it.

14:01Speaker 1:We know we should do better, but God already knows what you struggle with. It's not a surprise to him. Whether it's mistakes, failures, pride, jealousy, when you come to him, there is no condemnation. People may judge you, but God forgives you. He restores you. He gives you another chance. In the story of the prodigal son, he left home, wasted all of his inheritance, partying, living wild, making bad choices. He ended up living in a hog pen, having to eat the hog food to survive. Finally decided to go back home. The father was at the end of the driveway watching for him. He ran and hugged his son and kissed him. Well, the son started apologizing. Dad, I'm so sorry for all the trouble. I don't deserve to be in this family. The father stopped him and didn't let him finish his apology. This father never brought up the son's past. He never addressed his mistake. Why were you so immature? You've ruined our family name. This father represents God. We think when we bring it into the light, man, we're gonna get berated, chewed out, but God doesn't bring up your past. He's not looking back. He's going to

15:18Speaker 1:help you to move forward. But here's the whole key. God can't heal what we don't reveal. If you keep it in the dark, you're going to stay stuck. David said, God requires truth in the inner parts, in the parts no one can see. Not the image, not what we're protecting, not wearing the mask, but what's behind the mask, the real you. the authentic you, the you that has weaknesses, the you that struggles in areas. If you'll bring that into the light, God can restore you and free you and help you to overcome. When I say the light, I don't mean you got to go out and announce it to everybody, but between you and God, be honest. God, I'm struggling with my temper. God, I'm jealous of this jerk at work. I mean, this person at work. God, I don't feel good about myself. Or God, help me to not watch things that I know are dragging me down.

16:14Speaker 1:That's truth in the inner parts. That's what God responds to. There's no shame in asking for help, but there is shame in covering it up, hiding, wearing a mask. That's a heavy weight that's going to drag you down. This pastor's wife kept telling him he couldn't keep living this way. pretending everything was okay. She encouraged him to get help. But again, he said, I know I should, but I'm supposed to be the example. What are people going to think?

16:46Speaker 1:Sometimes we're more concerned about our image than we are in getting well. The people you're worried are going to think less of you. If you knew their struggles, you wouldn't worry about it. Everyone's dealing with something. One day he got his courage up and he met with some pastor friends and They took him in and encouraged him, got in a support group, surrounded himself with people that loved him and challenged him. Today, he's completely free. He's been pastoring for 20 years, the most kind, gracious person you could ever meet. But here's my point. He would still be dealing with that anger if he'd not been willing to take off his mask. He kept pretending, acting like everything was fine. He wouldn't still be married. He wouldn't still have his church. God's power shows up greatest in our weaknesses, but you have to invite him into your weakness. You can't hide it and have his power.

17:46Speaker 1:You can't wear a mask and expect God to free you. Paul said in 2 Corinthians, we see God's glory with unveiled faces. Are you missing God's glory because your face is veiled? There's a mask. Are you not seeing favor and breakthroughs because you're hiding something. You're embarrassed by it. It's easy to keep it covered. God already knows about it. It's okay to go to him with an unveiled face. Be honest with God. That's when you're going to see his mercy, his favor. He knows how to heal, how to restore, how to make it new again. Like with the prodigal, he's not going to bring up the past.

18:27Speaker 1:He's not going to condemn you. He's going to free you and set you on a path to victory. There was a man in the scripture named Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector and they were known for being dishonest and cheating people and nobody liked him. He was the chief tax collector. He was in charge of all the dishonest people. Well, he heard that Jesus was coming through town and he wanted to see him. Streets were filled with people, so crowded. The problem was Zacchaeus was short.

18:57Speaker 1:He was small in stature. The average man's height in that day was five foot, five inches tall. Scholars say that Zacchaeus was probably four feet, six inches tall. About my brother Paul's height. It's interesting, it's interesting that the scripture tells us he was short. It has a deeper meaning than just his height, but in life he came up short. He had wealth, position, influence, but he was dishonest. He was looked down on, didn't feel good about himself.

19:30Speaker 1:And in some way, we're all short. We can have a good marriage, a good job, but we struggle with our self-esteem. As a parent, we can come up short, feel guilty. We're not raising our child as good as we should. People that are arrogant, they're short, trying to cover their insecurities. The scripture says we've all fallen short of the glory of God. What do we do when we're short? Zacchaeus, he climbed up in a tree to make up for his lack of height. Now he was back to having an impressive position. He had the best view in the place. From that vantage, nobody could tell he was short. He is up there feeling good, waiting for Jesus. About that time, Jesus came walking by. Hundreds of people on the street, everybody hollering, waving, trying to get his attention. Suddenly Jesus stopped, looked up in the tree and said, Zacchaeus, he froze. Thought, did he just call my name? Zacchaeus had never met Jesus. He wasn't a religious person. He hadn't lived an upstanding life. He was a cheater, a deceiver, a con man. But notice Jesus knew his name. No matter where you are, no matter what you've done, God still knows you. He's calling

20:51Speaker 1:your name today. He still has a plan and purpose so you can become who he's created you to be. Because Jesus could have said, hey man up there in the tree, hey sir, hey fella, but he called him Zacchaeus. The name Zacchaeus means pure one. Jesus looked at this man known for being dishonest and on purpose called him pure one. The whole crowd was standing there in amazement thinking he just called him pure, but God doesn't call you who you are. He calls you who you can become. Zacchaeus, he's up there in the tree to make up for his shortness. He's up there looking impressive again, got the upper hand, keeping up his image. Now even Jesus calls him by name. He's feeling good. Then Jesus said, Zacchaeus, come down out of that tree. I want to go to your house and have dinner. He's both excited and terrified.

21:51Speaker 1:If he comes down from the tree, everyone will see how short he is. The tree is making up for his lack of height. Something that he can hide his weakness in. As long as he's in the tree, he looks important. Nobody can see the real Zacchaeus up there. But God is not going to bless the pretend version of you. He's not going to favor the fake version. Jesus said, in effect, Zacchaeus, I want to turn things around. I want to free you from those bad habits. But as long as you're in the tree, pretending everything looks okay, covering the real issues, I can't help you. But if you'll come down from that tree, if you'll be okay with being short, then I'll make up for your shortness.

22:35Speaker 1:I'll heal you. I'll free you. Anything we have to have to make up for our shortness is our tree. I got to work hard, get my 14th degree to prove that I'm valuable. That's a tree. I got to look impressive to make up for my insecurity. A tree. God is saying to us what he said to Zacchaeus. If you'll come down from that tree, if you'll quit pretending, hiding, wearing masks and get it in the light, then I'll change anything that's holding you back. There's great power waiting for you. Great favor, great deliverance, but it shows up in the weakness. When you're willing to get honest, come down from that tree, God will step in and do what you can't do. He's not gonna find fault. Zacchaeus was a cheater. He deceived people. One version said he was scum, yet Jesus called him pure. There is no condemnation when you come to our God. Come down out of that tree. The pride, the insecurity, the struggle, you can't tell anyone about, you can tell God. You don't have to live wearing a mask, covering things up. You can be real. There's power in authenticity. Zacchaeus was up there torn between two worlds. If I come down, if

23:59Speaker 1:I'm honest, I quit pretending. What will people think? The enemy was whispering, Zacchaeus, you better stay up here. You're going to look bad. It's going to ruin your image. You may lose some business. God will never ask you to do something and not give you the power to do it. Zacchaeus dug down deep and said, all right, I'm coming down. Got to Jesus and admitted that he had done wrong. He said, I've cheated people, but from now on, I'm gonna pay them back four times what I've taken. Got it out in the open. Like Peter, when he said, I'm a sinner, I've made mistakes. When you come into the light, there's freedom. There's breakthroughs. Jesus looked at him and says, Zacchaeus, today salvation has come to your home. That day he was changed, forgiven. He left a new man. Is there a tree you're in today to make up for what you don't have, hide your shortcomings? As long as you're in that tree, your image is good, you look impressive, nobody will see your shortness.

25:06Speaker 1:What I'm saying is it's okay to be short. We're all short in some way, but the people that don't let their shortness stop them are the people that come down from the tree and come into the light. The people that take off the mask, that don't try to hide things, but go to God with unveiled faces. That's when you'll see the glory of God. His strength shows up the greatest in our weakness. The enemy would love for us to go through life hiding what we're struggling with.

25:39Speaker 1:Don't fall into that trap. There is power to break any addiction, power to free you from compromise, power like Peter to turn you into a rock that will impact your family line. I'm asking you to be the authentic you, not the fake you, not the pretend you. Get rid of those masks and stay in the light. If you'll do this, I believe and declare like Zacchaeus, today salvation is coming to your home. Deliverance, freedom, healing, breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen? I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life.

26:25Speaker 1:Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love to send you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. You can go to the website or check out the number on the screen. But I hope you get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. The scripture says, write the vision and make it plain to see.

27:03Speaker 1:There's something powerful about writing down what you're believing for. That's why I'd love to send you my new I Believe Planner. It's a place to write down your dreams, your prayers, and the promises you're standing on. What stays before your eyes has a way of staying in your heart. Every time you see what you've written, let it be a reminder to thank God that it's already at work behind the scenes, even when you can't see it. As you keep your faith in front of you day after day, you'll be encouraged, your expectation will grow, and you'll begin to see God bring those dreams to pass.

27:38Speaker 2:The I Believe Planner is a beautiful new resource designed to help you believe God for more in your health, your family, your future. Inside, you'll find a weekly I Believe Declaration to frame your mindset and shift the atmosphere with God's Word. daily planning, to-dos, and prayer prompts, and space to reflect and record God's faithfulness in your life. Each month brings a fresh scripture and theme, plus a QR code linking to an exclusive message from Joel. to keep you encouraged all year long. This 15-month planner will inspire you for the rest of this year and set you on a course for breakthrough throughout 2027. It's yours as a thank you for your gift to the ministry today.

28:21Speaker 2:Be sure to request your copy of The I Believe Planner, available this month by visiting us at joelosteen.com or call 888-567-JOEL.

28:33Speaker 1:Don't just carry your dreams in your heart. Put them on paper. And as you read them each day, keep thanking God that he's working. Victoria and I are praying for you and your family every day. Thanks so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity helps us take this message of hope to people around the world. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. Until we meet again, may the Lord keep you and bless you.

29:02Speaker 2:Be sure to request your copy of The I Believe Planner, available this month by visiting us at joelostein.com or call 888-567-JOEL. With an additional gift, you can also receive the I Believe in His Word collection, featuring the Passion Translation New Testament Reader's Edition, alongside the I Believe Planner, so you can carry God's Word with you every single day, right alongside the promises you're standing on. Don't wait until 2027 to believe God for more. This is your moment. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-922-8000. or logging on to joelosteen.com today call or click anytime 24 hours a day