# Investing In Your Future | Victoria Osteen

An episode of [Joel Osteen Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/137254859), 17 Oct 2026, 13 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/752ba8f1-0e9f-43cc-81d8-b45f00f9a408/60e65669-49b9-4210-bff1-b4e4011e550d/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=6f1d99f7-4f58-4689-b4f7-b45f00f9a4e3

Don’t invest in your past; invest in your future! Where you’re headed is more important than where you’ve been. Write down your vision and declare God’s promises. Our October offer will help you live with greater intention and expectation. Request your I Believe Planner today and make room for God to move in your life! https://bit.ly/4xvAsxt See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: What a joy to be with you today. We're praying
[0:03] Speaker 1: for you and your family. I know God has great
[0:05] Speaker 1: things in store. You wouldn't be alive if there weren't
[0:08] Speaker 1: more victories in front of you. So know that we
[0:11] Speaker 1: love you. We're praying for you. Hey, I hope you'll
[0:13] Speaker 1: stay tuned to the very end. We've got some special
[0:15] Speaker 1: resources to help you stay encouraged and inspired.
[0:20] Speaker 2: Listen, I want to remind us to spend our time
[0:23] Speaker 2: investing in our future. Don't invest in the past. Investing
[0:30] Speaker 2: in the past is when you relive your hurts, your pains,
[0:35] Speaker 2: your disappointments. See, it's easy to focus on who hurt you,
[0:40] Speaker 2: what didn't work out, what mistake you've made, but you
[0:43] Speaker 2: know what that is?
[0:44] Speaker 3: It's a big waste of time and energy.
[0:49] Speaker 2: We can't do anything about what happened in our past.
[0:53] Speaker 3: It's done, it's over with, it's finished.
[0:57] Speaker 2: But we can do something about today. And when you
[1:01] Speaker 2: begin to focus on what you can change and not
[1:06] Speaker 2: what you can't change, that is a good investment in
[1:11] Speaker 2: the future. You know, we weren't designed to carry around
[1:15] Speaker 2: a lot of unnecessary negative baggage. And sometimes we fill
[1:21] Speaker 2: our bags with bitterness, resentment, heartache, But can I tell
[1:27] Speaker 2: you that you've got to get up every day and
[1:30] Speaker 2: let that stuff go? Forgive the people who offended you.
[1:34] Speaker 2: Release them.
[1:36] Speaker 3: Forgive yourself.
[1:38] Speaker 2: You see, when you are weighed down with all of
[1:41] Speaker 2: this junk, it's hard to see where you're going.
[1:46] Speaker 3: It's hard to even be ready to get there.
[1:48] Speaker 2: One time, Joel and I, we had scheduled back-to-back work trips.
[1:53] Speaker 2: We really don't ever do this, but this just happened
[1:56] Speaker 2: to be an instance that we did this. We had
[1:59] Speaker 2: come home from a week out and we came back
[2:02] Speaker 2: in and we only had like two hours to be
[2:05] Speaker 2: at home.
[2:06] Speaker 3: And then we'd have to turn around, head back to
[2:08] Speaker 3: the airport.
[2:10] Speaker 2: Well, on the way home, all I could think about
[2:12] Speaker 2: was those dirty clothes in my suitcase. There was a
[2:15] Speaker 2: week's worth of dirty clothes in my suitcase. When I
[2:19] Speaker 2: got home, I dumped all those dirty clothes and I
[2:23] Speaker 2: began to refresh my suitcase.
[2:26] Speaker 3: Something amazing happened.
[2:27] Speaker 2: Where I was tired and anxious on my way home,
[2:30] Speaker 2: just thinking about all that in my suitcase, I became refreshed.
[2:35] Speaker 3: And you know what? I was prepared to go on.
[2:38] Speaker 2: My next trip because I had exchanged that dirty clothes
[2:43] Speaker 2: with fresh new clothes. And do you know a lot
[2:46] Speaker 2: of times we get so weighed down with this emotional
[2:50] Speaker 2: baggage of clutter that's full of pain and heartache that
[2:55] Speaker 2: we lose our passion and excitement for living. In fact,
[2:59] Speaker 2: we're not even prepared where God wants us to go.
[3:03] Speaker 3: We're just too weighed down.
[3:04] Speaker 2: And anxious Can I tell you that you need to
[3:08] Speaker 2: refresh your emotional baggage every single day? You need to
[3:12] Speaker 2: learn to travel light. Because I can tell you this,
[3:17] Speaker 2: where you're going is far more important than where you've been.
[3:22] Speaker 3: But you can't be weighed down from the past. You know,
[3:26] Speaker 3: too often.
[3:27] Speaker 2: People don't even enjoy what they're doing today. They can't
[3:30] Speaker 2: enjoy the opportunities that they're living in today because they're
[3:34] Speaker 2: too focused on yesterday. There was a woman who had
[3:39] Speaker 2: been divorced for a couple of years. And one day
[3:42] Speaker 2: she met this man and he was a very nice man.
[3:45] Speaker 3: He seemed to be very happy. He was successful. He
[3:49] Speaker 3: went to church.
[3:50] Speaker 2: She was excited about the possibilities, but she made a mistake.
[3:55] Speaker 2: When she went into that relationship, she began to constantly
[3:58] Speaker 2: talk about her hurts and pains of the past. She
[4:02] Speaker 2: would describe why she acted certain ways or why she
[4:05] Speaker 2: said certain things. It was because she was so hurt
[4:08] Speaker 2: by her first husband. You know, after a while, that
[4:11] Speaker 2: man told one of her friends, he said, you know,
[4:14] Speaker 2: she's so focused on what happened to her. She can't
[4:17] Speaker 2: move forward. We're not making any kind of connection here.
[4:21] Speaker 2: And I really don't feel like the relationship is right.
[4:24] Speaker 2: So he decided that he was just gonna quit seeing
[4:27] Speaker 2: her because she made the mistake of living in the past.
[4:34] Speaker 2: She failed at an opportunity that she had for her future. See,
[4:38] Speaker 2: when you carry negative baggage into your relationships, you can
[4:43] Speaker 2: ruin many relationships. See, we've got to decide that it's
[4:48] Speaker 2: time to let it go. It's time to put it
[4:52] Speaker 2: in the past, to shut the door to it. One time,
[4:56] Speaker 2: Joel and I were going to this like highly secure
[4:59] Speaker 2: government building. And so there was two sets of double doors.
[5:03] Speaker 2: So we stood in front of the first set of doors.
[5:05] Speaker 3: And it opened up.
[5:07] Speaker 2: And we began to walk past those doors to go
[5:10] Speaker 2: through the second set. But we noticed the second set
[5:13] Speaker 2: would not open until the first set closed. And do
[5:18] Speaker 2: you know in life, You're not going to be able
[5:21] Speaker 2: to walk through open doors until you close the doors
[5:25] Speaker 2: that are behind you. When you're holding on to bitterness, regret,
[5:33] Speaker 2: the mistakes you've made, it'll get you stuck. It's like
[5:37] Speaker 2: a trap you can't get out of. Years ago, the
[5:42] Speaker 2: way hunters used to trap monkeys was they would take
[5:46] Speaker 2: a big barrel and they would fill it full of bananas.
[5:49] Speaker 3: And at the end of that barrel, they would cut
[5:51] Speaker 3: a very small hole.
[5:53] Speaker 2: Just big enough for the monkey to get its hand
[5:56] Speaker 2: and arm through. Now the monkey, unaware that this was
[5:59] Speaker 2: a trap, would stick his hand in there and grab
[6:03] Speaker 2: a fistful of bananas. But the problem was, as long
[6:07] Speaker 2: as he was holding on to those bananas, he couldn't
[6:10] Speaker 2: get his hand out of the barrel. You see, he
[6:14] Speaker 2: could have just simply let the bananas go, taken his
[6:18] Speaker 2: hand out of the barrel, and gone on his way.
[6:22] Speaker 2: But see, because he was holding on to the barrel,
[6:25] Speaker 2: he was trapped and he couldn't get away.
[6:29] Speaker 3: See, we can't let yesterday trap us.
[6:33] Speaker 2: We cannot be trapped in the past when God has
[6:36] Speaker 2: a bright future. Unfair things happen to all of us.
[6:41] Speaker 2: We experience loss. We all make mistakes. People hurt us.
[6:46] Speaker 2: We become offended. But we have to make a decision.
[6:49] Speaker 2: that we're not going to invest in those things. You see,
[6:53] Speaker 2: we'll have negative seasons. The Bible says that trouble will come.
[6:58] Speaker 2: We will have seasons of disappointment, seasons that we don't
[7:02] Speaker 2: always care for. But we can't allow that season to
[7:06] Speaker 2: define our life. We can't wear the labels of that season.
[7:11] Speaker 2: You see, we've got to put our foot down and say,
[7:14] Speaker 2: no more. God wants to give you beauty for ashes,
[7:20] Speaker 2: the scripture says. But you cannot receive the beauty if
[7:24] Speaker 2: you don't give God your ashes. The best way is
[7:29] Speaker 2: to give God your hurts, your pains, and then open
[7:33] Speaker 2: up wide so that you can receive the beauty that
[7:37] Speaker 2: he has in store for you. The scripture says this,
[7:41] Speaker 2: think on these things, things that are good, things that
[7:45] Speaker 2: are pure, things that are trustworthy, of a good report. See,
[7:50] Speaker 2: these are the things we are supposed to set our
[7:53] Speaker 2: mind on. When we set our mind on the good
[7:56] Speaker 2: things that God has for us, when we begin to
[7:58] Speaker 2: set our mind on what God says about us, when
[8:01] Speaker 2: we begin to count our blessings, that is investing in
[8:06] Speaker 2: our future. That is the best investment that we can make.
[8:11] Speaker 2: I want to say it one more time.
[8:14] Speaker 3: Let it go. Just let it go.
[8:18] Speaker 2: If there's anything holding you back today, it's too high
[8:24] Speaker 2: of a price to pay.
[8:25] Speaker 3: Let it go.
[8:27] Speaker 2: Because God's got bigger and greater things in your future.
[8:31] Speaker 2: And where you're going is way more important than where
[8:34] Speaker 2: you've been.
[8:35] Speaker 3: Amen?
[8:38] Speaker 2: I just want to take an opportunity right now for
[8:40] Speaker 2: every one of us to let go of the ashes.
[8:43] Speaker 3: To release them to God.
[8:45] Speaker 2: You know, we can hear a sermon and we can
[8:47] Speaker 2: say we're going to do it, but I just want
[8:48] Speaker 2: to take this time right now because how important it
[8:51] Speaker 2: is for us to just give God these hurts and pains,
[8:56] Speaker 2: to release them so we can receive our bright future.
[9:00] Speaker 2: So right now, just through your eyes of faith, let's
[9:03] Speaker 2: just pray. Father, I thank you right now. We've heard
[9:06] Speaker 2: this message. We know it to be true, God. We've
[9:09] Speaker 2: experienced this phenomenon of living in our past and.
[9:14] Speaker 3: How it holds us back. And Father, we don't want
[9:17] Speaker 3: that anymore.
[9:18] Speaker 2: We want to close the door to our past. So Father,
[9:20] Speaker 2: you can open the door to fresh new opportunity. God,
[9:24] Speaker 2: you said that your mercies are fresh and new every
[9:27] Speaker 2: single day. So Father, we want to pick up.
[9:30] Speaker 3: Those fresh new mercies.
[9:31] Speaker 2: We want to unload that emotional baggage, those things that
[9:34] Speaker 2: didn't work out. And God, we want to refresh our
[9:37] Speaker 2: mental aspect and our mental life. Father, we want to
[9:41] Speaker 2: know that you are for us and not against us.
[9:43] Speaker 2: So we declare right now, Father, as we let go
[9:46] Speaker 2: of the ashes, we are receiving your beauty. Thank you, Father,
[9:50] Speaker 2: for good opportunity. Thank you for great families, wonderful relationships.
[9:55] Speaker 2: Thank you, Father, that everything we put our hand to
[9:57] Speaker 2: will prosper and succeed.
[9:59] Speaker 3: Because, God, we've got a fresh new mental attitude.
[10:02] Speaker 2: Thank you, Father, that you're blessing far out seeds anything
[10:06] Speaker 2: we've ever done in the past. Thank you for everything
[10:09] Speaker 2: that you're doing and everything that you're going to do.
[10:12] Speaker 3: In Jesus' name. And everyone said, amen.
[10:16] Speaker 2: Amen.
[10:24] Speaker 1: The scripture says, write the vision and make it plain
[10:27] Speaker 1: to see. There's something powerful about writing down what you're
[10:31] Speaker 1: believing for. That's why I'd love to send you my
[10:34] Speaker 1: new I Believe Planner. It's a place to write down
[10:37] Speaker 1: your dreams, your prayers, and the promises you're standing on.
[10:41] Speaker 1: What stays before your eyes has a way of staying
[10:44] Speaker 1: in your heart. Every time you see what you've written,
[10:46] Speaker 1: it's a way of staying in your heart. let it
[10:47] Speaker 1: be a reminder to thank God that He's already at
[10:50] Speaker 1: work behind the scenes, even.
[10:51] Speaker 3: When you can't see it.
[10:53] Speaker 1: As you keep your faith in front of you day
[10:55] Speaker 1: after day, you'll be encouraged, your expectation will grow, and
[10:59] Speaker 1: you'll begin to see God bring those dreams to pass.
[11:03] Speaker 4: The I Believe Planner is a beautiful new resource designed
[11:06] Speaker 4: to help you believe God for more in your health,
[11:09] Speaker 4: your family, your future. Inside, you'll find a weekly I
[11:13] Speaker 4: Believe Declaration to frame your mindset and shift the atmosphere
[11:17] Speaker 4: with God's Word, daily planning, to-dos, and prayer prompts, and
[11:22] Speaker 4: space to reflect and record God's faithfulness in your life.
[11:26] Speaker 4: Each month brings a fresh scripture and theme, plus a
[11:28] Speaker 4: QR code linking to an exclusive message from Joel, to
[11:32] Speaker 4: keep you encouraged all year long. This 15-month planner will
[11:36] Speaker 4: inspire you for the rest of this year and set
[11:39] Speaker 4: you on a course for breakthrough throughout 2027. It's yours
[11:44] Speaker 4: as a thank you for your gift to the ministry today.
[11:47] Speaker 4: Be sure to request your copy of The I Believe Planner,
[11:50] Speaker 4: available this month by visiting us at joelosteen.com or call 888-567-JOEL.
[11:58] Speaker 1: Don't just carry your dreams in your heart. Put them
[12:01] Speaker 1: on paper. And as you read them each day, keep
[12:04] Speaker 1: thanking God that he's working. Victoria and I are praying
[12:07] Speaker 1: for you and your family every day. Thanks so much
[12:10] Speaker 1: for your prayer and support. Your generosity helps us take
[12:14] Speaker 1: this message of hope to people around the world. A
[12:17] Speaker 1: special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for
[12:20] Speaker 1: all you do to make the ministry possible. Until we
[12:23] Speaker 1: meet again, may the Lord keep you and bless you.
[12:27] Speaker 4: Be sure to request your copy of The I Believe Planner,
[12:30] Speaker 4: available this month by visiting us at joelosteen.com or call 888-567-JOEL.
[12:38] Speaker 4: With an additional gift, you can also receive the I
[12:40] Speaker 4: Believe in His Word collection, featuring the Passion Translation New
[12:45] Speaker 4: Testament Reader's Edition, alongside the I Believe Planner, so you
[12:49] Speaker 4: can carry God's Word with you every single day, right
[12:53] Speaker 4: alongside the promises you're standing on. Don't wait until 2027
[12:56] Speaker 4: to believe God for more. This is your moment. You
[13:01] Speaker 4: can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567-JOEL or logging
[13:07] Speaker 4: on to joelostein.com today. Call or click anytime, 24 hours
[13:12] Speaker 4: a day.

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