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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoyed today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend? We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. God bless you.
Great to be with you today and 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. I'd like to start with something funny. I heard about this husband and wife. They'd been arguing and fussing for years.
The wife finally got so fed up, she packed up her husband's belongings and sent him out the front door. As he was leaving, she said, I hope you have a miserable, depressing, frustrating life. The husband turned around, his face brightened up. He said, you mean you want me to stay? No. All right, y'all, 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 this is your best age. It's easy to discount ourselves because we're too young or too old. We don't have enough experience or we're past our prime.
We make excuses as to why we can't excel. Joel, I'm over the hill now. I'm not as sharp as I used to be, not as agile. But you have to recognize there are great things on the other side of the hill. You never age out with God, you age into your purpose. Abraham became a father at 100 years old. John wrote the book of Revelation in his 90s. Noah built the ark when he was over 500 years old.
And you think you're done at 60, at 70, at 80? You're just getting started. The scripture says your latter days will be better than your former days. Moses was 80 years old, living in the desert and thinking he was washed up. He'd made mistakes and had to hide from his enemies.
He'd been out there 40 years in what we would call the prime of his life, 40s, 50s, when he had all this passion, strength, endurance. But now he's past his prime. He's coasting thinking he missed his chance. That's when God came to him in a burning bush and said, now is the time to go deliver my people. You would think God would want someone younger. God get Joshua. He's in his thirties.
He has more endurance, more followers on social media. He's in the in crowd. God, Moses is washed up. No, God has an assignment for you at every age. You are not too old. This world needs what you have. We need your wisdom, your talent, your experience. We need your love. At 80 years old, after Moses thought he was done, he went to the Pharaoh and delivered the Israelites.
He saw the Red Sea part, water come out of a rock, manna in the desert. He received the Ten Commandments and became one of the most influential leaders in history. His greatest impact came as a senior citizen after he had, quote, passed his prime. Don't believe those lies that you're too old. You don't have much to offer. You're not valuable. God doesn't look at your age.
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Chapter 2: What does Joel Osteen mean by 'this is your best age'?
My knees are about to give out. You're talking yourself into being old. You're prophesying aches and pains and going downhill. And I know our body ages. I'm not saying to deny reality, but how about saying what God says about you? My youth is being renewed like the eagles. I will run and not be weary. I'll walk and not faint. The more you talk about getting old, the older you'll get.
The more you think about your stiffness, your memory not as good, your tiredness, the more it's going to increase. Do yourself a favor. Think young thoughts. Think freshness. Think vitality, energetic, strong, creative.
Chapter 3: How can we overcome feelings of being too young or too old?
Another important thing is you need to have some friends that are younger than you. Don't hang around everyone your age, especially if they're talking about their ailments and what they can't do and how they couldn't hear the announcer at bingo last week. I know they're good people, but you need to be around people that are moving and dreaming, accomplishing, living a vibrant life.
Because getting old starts in our mind. Your spirit never ages. This body does, the house we live in, but the real you, the one God made in his image is eternal. It's timeless. It's not aging. I don't feel any different today at 39 than I did when I was a teenager. I can't believe I'm this age. I feel just like I did when I was in high school. Now, my body has aged.
When I go to jump playing basketball, my mind says to jump, but my body doesn't do what it used to. I jump like a white man now.
Chapter 4: What examples from the Bible illustrate purpose at any age?
I used to be able to jump. But what's always funny to me is in my mind, I can do it. In my mind, I can run just as fast, jump just as high. Your body may age, but your spirit is ageless. The real you that lives on the inside doesn't have to get old. Aging is inevitable, but getting old is optional.
Paul said it this way, outwardly, this house that I live in is perishing, but inwardly, I'm being renewed day by day. He was saying things may be aging on the outside, but inwardly I'm refreshed, I'm renewed. He's talking about your thoughts. If you go around thinking, oh, thoughts, my knees are so stiff and my hearing's going, I can't concentrate anymore. At my age, it's to be expected.
The problem with that mindset is you're letting yourself get old. Your attitude determines your age more than your birthday. I've seen 80 year old people with a 20 year old attitude. They're fun, sharp, positive, a joy to be around. And I've seen 30 year old people with an 80 year old attitude. We're all gonna age. You can't stop the clock from ticking, but you don't have to get old.
It's in our mind. I love that phrase I heard, don't let the old man in. That old man, that old woman is going to come knocking at your door. You're tired. You can't do what you used to. Look at those wrinkles. Nobody needs you anymore. Some people answer the door, come on in, get a cup of coffee, tell me more. No, keep that door closed. Tell the old man, no thanks.
Tell the old woman, you're not welcome here. You stay young by being renewed in the spirit of your mind. The scripture says Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was perfectly clear and he was as strong as ever. And I know our bodies are aging. There's a natural progression, but why don't we believe for that Moses anointing that we will pass at an old age.
When we go, we won't be weak, frail, spending years immobile, can't function. Amen. but we go still strong, sound mind, clear vision, joy in our heart, walking, moving, being a blessing. Think about my mother. She lived till she was almost 92 and she had polio as a child and she went through cancer and broken her hip, but she came through all that strong, healthy, energetic.
Her body had gotten weaker, but in her mind, she was still young and sharp and funny and After she broke her hip in her late 80s, she needed a walker to help her walk. So us kids met and we decided that Paul and Lisa would tell her that she shouldn't drive anymore because she couldn't get the walker in and out of the car. Well, that was like World War III. She did not like that.
She said, Joel, I am not impaired. I am strong. I'm 90 years old. I can do what I want to. I'd tell her, yeah, I don't know what's wrong with Paul and Lisa. They don't have any faith. I took my mother to dinner every Monday night after my Sirius XM radio program the last five years of her life. We were walking in the cafeteria one day. She was 90.
This man walked in, a little bent over, a little frail, probably in his early 80s. My mother leaned over and said, Joel, look at that old man. She didn't see herself as old. Don't get old in your mind. Stay active. Stay connective. Stay curious. As long as you're alive, God has something for you to do. It's not just take up space, watch others. You're secondary. Man, you're past your prime.
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Chapter 5: How does mindset influence our perception of aging?
Paul said to him, Timothy, don't let anyone look down on you because you're young. Every age is your best age. Too often we're discounting ourselves, waiting to get older or wishing we were younger. I wish I could be 20 again. That was so much fun. I wish I could be in my 40s. I had so much opportunity. You know what you're going to say 20 years from now?
That you wish you could be at the age you are right now. Step in to who you are today. In junior high, we look at the high schoolers and think, man, those are the cool kids. Can't wait to get there. High school, we see the college students. Think, man, that's going to be fun. That's when I'll excel. In our 20s, it turns. We look at people in their 40s and think, they're old.
We get to 40, look at people in 60, they're old. Get to 60, people in their 80s, they're old. The definition of old keeps changing. The enemy would love for us to always have a reason to feel too old, too young, not the right time, miss my chance, need more experience. Don't believe those lies. You are at the right age right now for the season you're in.
You don't have to wait to get in your prime. This is your prime. God has graced you at this age with his wisdom, protection, favor, so you can shine where you are. One time the apostle Paul was in prison. He'd been arrested for sharing his faith. And a group of 40 men made a vow that they wouldn't eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
They went to the leading priest and said, you need to bring Paul back to council. Pretend like you want to ask him more questions and on the way we'll ambush him. Well, Paul's nephew, a teenager, happened to overhear this secret plan. He rushed to Paul and told him what he'd heard. Paul told the main officer, take this young man to the commander.
He explained about this secret plan and the commander ordered 200 soldiers to get ready to leave at nine o'clock that night. They snuck Paul out of the city, 70 horses, 200 officers guarding him. This huge escort, his life was spared. But had that nephew, that teenager, not had this boldness, this courage to say something, Paul would have been killed. God didn't use an angel.
He didn't use another disciple or a city leader. He used this teenager. He set in motion the largest military escort in the New Testament. If it wasn't for Paul's nephew, believing that he was empowered to make a difference, even though he was young, we wouldn't have the books of Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians. Those were all written after this event.
Don't ever say you're too young, too experienced. Think that your opinion doesn't matter. God uses every age. He said in the book of Joel, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, not just the young, the old, the middle-aged, the boomers, but not the millennials, not Gen Z. They got issues. God's spirit is poured out on every age.
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Chapter 6: Why is it important to surround ourselves with younger people?
He went on to say, your old men will dream dreams and your young men will see visions. I'm seeing visions. My brother Paul is dreaming dreams, but God was showing us how the young and the old are not competing, not trying to outdo each other. Oh, the old is more important. The young is more with it. No, we need each other. We will accomplish more together than we will apart.
There was a lady in the scripture named Hannah. She had been barren for many years. She told God if he would give her a son, she would give him back to him. She finally conceived and had a son named Samuel. He was a little boy. She took him to the temple and kept her promise. He lived there and served the prophet Eli. He was an older man in his senior years.
One night, Samuel was in bed, about eight years old, and he heard this voice calling his name, Samuel, Samuel. Jumped out of bed, ran to Eli's room, said, yes, sir, what do you want? Eli said, I didn't call you. I don't need anything. Go back to bed. Went back, laid down, heard the voice again, Samuel.
Samuel.
Ran back in. Here I am, sir. What do you need? Eli was a little confused, but I told you I didn't call you. You can go back to bed. Went back a third time, heard it again and came to Eli. This time Eli realized what was happening. He says, Samuel, next time you hear that voice, just lay there in bed and say this, speak Lord for your servant is listening.
Samuel did that and God spoke to him as a boy and told him he was about to do a new thing and to get ready for the changes. This story shows us how different generations are designed to work together. We're not supposed to be independent. All the young people do your thing. Middle-aged, you're over here. Seniors, you got this area. To reach your potential, you need different generations.
Samuel was a young boy. He had passion, energy. He loved God. His heart was pure, but he didn't know how to recognize God's voice. He never heard it. The scripture says the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to Samuel. He's eight years old. He needs someone in his life that has more wisdom, more experience that can help him discern what's happening.
Eli, on the other hand, he's a senior citizen, way up there in years. His life is winding down. He didn't have the strength he used to have. His eyesight was not clear. He could have thought, I'm done. I've had a good run. God's blessed me, but now I've aged out. I have nothing more to offer. No, Eli had something that Samuel didn't have. He had experience, wisdom, discernment.
He couldn't run like Samuel. He didn't have the strength, the energy, the looks, but he knew how to hear from God. He was experienced in discerning the voice of the Lord. Without Eli, Samuel would have missed what God was saying. He wouldn't have fulfilled his purpose. Without Samuel, Eli would not have seen his legacy continue. Generations are not competing. We need each other.
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