Be a People Builder - Joel Osteen - Sermons Online (2024)

God bless you. It is always a joy to come into your homes. We love you, and we know God has great things in store. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you, we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks for tuning in, and thanks for coming out today.

I’d like to start with something funny. I heard about three men—a Baptist, a Catholic, and a Charismatic. They died on the same day and went to heaven. Saint Peter said, "I’m sorry, men. Your rooms are not available yet." He didn’t quite know what to do, so he called Satan and asked if he would keep them for a little while. Satan reluctantly agreed. In a few hours, Satan called back and said, "Peter, you’ve got to come get these guys. The Baptist man is saving everybody, the Catholic man is forgiving everybody, and the Charismatic has already raised enough money for air conditioning!"

Hold your Bibles up. 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 being a people builder. Being a people builder means that you’re investing in others. You’re looking for ways to bring out the best in someone. You’re giving advice, speaking faith into them, building their confidence, and challenging them to go to a higher level. And I’ve found that all most people need is a boost—all they need is a little push, a little encouragement to become what God’s created them to be.

The fact is, none of us will reach our highest potential by ourselves. We need each other, and you can be the one to tip the scales for someone else. You can be the one to stir up their seeds of greatness. Reggie Jackson, the Hall of Fame baseball player, said, "A great manager has the ability to make a player think that he is better than he is. He convinces you to have confidence in yourself. He lets you know that he believes in you, and before long, you discover talent that you never knew you had." That’s what happens when we believe the best in someone—we draw the best out of them.

The scripture says in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, "Encourage one another and build each other up." The word "encourage" simply means to urge forward, and every one of us should have someone we’re believing in, someone we’re urging forward, someone we’re helping with their dreams. You need to study that person. Watch what they’re good at. Watch what excites them. Find their strengths and then encourage them in those areas. Many times, you can see things in others that they can’t see in themselves.

A simple compliment, a simple word of encouragement, can give them the confidence they need to take that step of faith. We can either draw out the best in people or we can draw out the worst. Now, I read where 75% of people that are in prison right now were told by their parents or by the people who raised them that one day they would be in prison. They planted the seed—but the problem was, it was the wrong seed. They believed the worst, and they drew out the worst.

I often wonder what would have happened if somebody had told them, "You’re going to be a great doctor one day. You’re going to be an entrepreneur. I can see it in you—you’re going to make a great teacher. You’ve got what it takes." There’s no telling where they would be if someone would have believed in them, if someone would have taken time to study their gifts, to listen to their dreams, to see what they were good at, and then encourage them in those areas.

I heard a story about a little boy by the name of Robert. His uncle had been in China since his birth, and now he was about to meet his uncle for the very first time. He was so excited about it. He was out waiting for him on the front porch. Robert and his family lived on a farm in Iowa. He saw the uncle’s car driving down the dusty road. When he pulled in the gate, little Robert ran out there to meet him. The uncle got out, gave him a big hug, swung him around and around, and said, "You must be Robert! I’ve heard so much about you." Then the uncle stepped back, looked at him, and out of the blue said, "You know what, Robert? I think one day you’re going to be a minister. In fact, I think one day you’re going to be a great minister."

Why did this uncle say this? There were no ministers in this family. He simply felt something on the inside, and he was bold enough to speak it out by faith. He planted a seed in little Robert’s heart. That night, as Robert lay in his bed, he secretly prayed, "God, let what my uncle said be true. Let me be a minister one day." That was 78 years ago, and today Robert Schuller is still one of the great ministers of our time.

It’s amazing what a simple word of encouragement can do. Friends, you have the ability to stir up someone’s dreams. You can light a fire on the inside. When you take time to believe in someone and speak faith into their heart, your words can be the seed God uses to help them reach their potential. And I’m asking you today to be a seed planter. Be a people builder. Don’t become so focused on your own dreams and goals that you get ingrown. Be on the lookout for someone you can urge forward. Learn to speak faith into them. Speak vision. Speak the blessing over their lives.

I know this man—he’s an older gentleman. Anytime he sees a small child, with their parents' permission, he’ll call them over and say, "Young man, young lady, I have a very special talent—something only a few people can do. I have the ability to pick a winner." The child’s eyes get real big, and he’ll ask the little boy or girl if he can evaluate them. Of course, the parent is playing along. He’ll stand back, look at the child, and walk around them very slowly, saying, "Uh-huh. Yes. Okay, I see that," like he’s taking it all in. When he gets back around, he looks the little boy or girl in the eyes and says, "Young man, young lady, I’ve got great news. I’ve never been wrong—I’m right every time. You, my friend—indeed, you are a winner."

The child gets a smile on their face, runs back to their parents, saying, "Hey Mom, hey Dad, guess what? I’m a winner!" What’s that man doing? Urging them forward. Building their confidence. Instilling self-esteem.

Do you know how many people have never been told they’re a winner? There are people in your life right now—most likely people you work with, people you play ball with, maybe even your own family members—that are starving for your approval. They are craving for you to speak the blessing over their life. You don’t know what it will mean when you affirm them, when you give them your approval, and let them know in no uncertain terms that you are proud of them and think they’re going to do great things. Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone needs to be appreciated. Every person needs that blessing.

Let me ask you today: What kind of seeds are you planting in your child? In your spouse? In that friend, in that nephew? Are you believing in anyone? Are you taking an interest to see how you can make their life better? Listen to their dreams. Find out what God’s put in their heart.

Let them know that you’re behind them. Give them your approval. If you talk with any successful person, they’ll tell you somebody believed in them, somebody planted a seed and encouraged them when they were down. Somebody helped them get a good break. Somebody spoke faith when they didn’t think they could do it.

I read where Thomas Edison encouraged Henry Ford. Mr. Ford was introduced to him as the man who was trying to build a car that ran on gasoline. When Edison heard it, his face brightened up, he hit his fist on the table, and said, "You’ve got it! A car that has its own power plant—that’s a brilliant idea!" Up to that point, no one had encouraged Mr. Ford. No one thought it was a good idea. He had just about convinced himself to give up. But along came Edison and spoke faith into him. That was a turning point in Henry Ford’s life. He said, "I thought I had a good idea, but I started to doubt myself. Then came along one of the greatest minds that’s ever lived, and he gave me his complete approval."

That’s what can happen with a simple vote of confidence. We don’t realize the power we hold. We don’t always realize what it means when we tell somebody, "I believe in you. You’ve got what it takes. I’m behind you a hundred percent." Really, every one of us should be someone else’s number one fan. We should be encouraging them, lifting them when they’ve fallen, celebrating when they succeed, praying when they’re struggling, and urging them forward. That’s what it means to be a people builder.

The fact is, we all need somebody to believe in us more than we believe in ourselves. Somebody that can see our potential. Somebody that can look beyond where we are and see what we can become. And this is what Jesus was so great at. He didn’t focus on people’s faults. He didn’t look at what they didn’t have. He saw their potential.

Take the disciple Peter—he was kind of rough around the edges. He was hot-tempered and used foul language. Yet Jesus looked beyond all that and said, "Peter, it’s not what you are—I see what you can become. You’ve got what it takes. You’ve got the talent, you’ve got the ability, you’ve got the strength, you’ve got the personality. You’re going to make a great disciple." He spoke faith into him. He helped Peter get a vision of himself rising higher, overcoming those obstacles. It was that encouragement that helped Peter become what he was created to be.

It says in Proverbs that a word of encouragement works wonders. When you help people expand their thinking and get a real vision of victory for their lives, they will accomplish things they never thought they could. And it will be in part because of your faith, your confidence, and those seeds you planted.

I heard about an experiment that was done with a high school in California. The principal came in and told three teachers, "Because you are the brightest and most effective teachers in our whole school district, we’ve chosen you to start this new program. We’re going to give you the top 90 students—the smartest students with the highest IQs—and we’re going to let you teach them at a faster pace this year." Both the students and the teachers were so excited. It just did something on the inside to know that they were the cream of the crop.

At the end of that school year, those three classes had learned 30% more than the other students. They were 30% further along. The principal then came in and informed the teachers that this was only an experiment, and in reality, they did not have the top 90 students. Those students had just been randomly selected. The teachers were amazed at how well they did. They kind of patted themselves on the back, thinking it was their exceptional teaching ability. But then the principal broke some more news—they were not the top three teachers in the district. They were simply the first three teachers that had been chosen out of a hat. They too had been randomly selected.

What’s my point? When people believe in us, we rise to their expectations. [Applause]

You may not realize it, but the only people we allow into Lakewood—this is a very strict policy—the only ones we allow through these doors are the smartest, the brightest, the most creative, the most talented, the most generous, the wealthiest, the happiest people around. You didn’t know it, but you couldn’t have gotten in here today if you weren’t the cream of the crop. We have incredible confidence in you. We know you’re going to do great things. You’re going to fulfill your God-given destiny.

We have to understand: every person has seeds of greatness on the inside. When we believe in them, when we take time to encourage them and help them discover their gifts and talents, we are watering those seeds. We are helping them to take root and grow. You need to look around and see who God’s put in your life that you can inspire, that you can cheer on, that you can help motivate to go to a new level.

When you’re a people builder, you believe in people before they’re successful. You cheer people on when nobody’s cheering for them. You tell them, "You’re going to do something great," even when in the back of your mind you wonder if they’ll ever get on the right track. After all, anybody can get on board when somebody’s already accomplishing their dreams, when somebody’s already successful—that’s easy. We need to invest in people before they get there.

It doesn’t have to be something big—a kind word, a note of encouragement, or even just recognizing a person’s gifts. It may seem small to you, but you don’t know the difference it could make.

I read a letter from a young lady. She told how, when she was a teenager, she had anorexia. She stood nearly six feet tall but weighed less than 100 pounds. She wouldn’t eat more than a couple of hundred calories a day. She was so depressed and so disillusioned with life. She had basically cut herself off from her friends and family. She figured one day she’d probably starve to death, and that was fine with her. She didn’t feel any sense of purpose.

One day, a friend from school called and asked if she would help her with her math homework. The young lady agreed. The friend came to her house, and the girl with anorexia explained the math and helped her understand it. When her friend was leaving, just in passing, she said, "Man, you are so smart—you would make a great math teacher one day." All of a sudden, a light turned on in that young lady. She began to feel a sense of purpose. She realized that she had a talent, that there was something she was good at. That one compliment changed her perspective.

That was over 20 years ago. Today, that young lady is an award-winning math teacher. She works with underachieving children. Not only that, she is happily married and has three children of her own. But she credits it all back to that one statement, that one friend who recognized her gift and took the time to plant that small seed of hope.

Just a simple affirmation—what a difference it makes when we bless people with our words, when we look for their gifts, look for their talents, and speak faith into them. One of our goals should be not to get people to think more highly of us, but to get people to think more highly of themselves.

Who can you build up? Who can you make feel better? It doesn't have to be something big—just a kind word, a simple compliment. Maybe you drop somebody a note in the mail, telling them what you like about them, telling them how much you appreciate them. Find ways to invest in others. You never know the difference it’s going to make.

I heard about this junior high teacher. One day, her class was kind of rowdy and didn’t seem very interested in learning. She was tired and didn’t feel like pushing through it, so she told her students to put their books away and take out a clean sheet of paper. Their assignment that day was to write down every student’s name on the left, and then they were to write one good thing they liked about that student. The students went to work, looking around the room, thinking about what they liked about each other.

Over the weekend, the teacher took the time to write the student’s name at the top and then listed all the comments that were written about that individual student. The next Monday, she handed that sheet of paper to the appropriate students, and they began to read all the comments that were written about them. The room was just buzzing with electricity as those students read the comments. You could hear things like, “Wow, I didn’t know they liked me that much,” or, “I didn’t know I was good at that,” or, “I didn’t know they thought I was beautiful.” On and on, those students were on cloud nine. They left that day with more confidence, more self-esteem, and feeling better about themselves.

Well, years later, one of the students was killed while serving in Vietnam. Not only the teacher but many of the students attended the funeral. After the service, the father of the soldier came up to the teacher and said, “I want to show you what my son was carrying when he was killed. Here’s something that he kept in his wallet.” He took out this paper, and as he unfolded it, the teacher realized it was the note that she had copied with all the encouraging comments from her students. The father told how his son treasured that piece of paper.

When the other students overheard, they began to tell the same story. One man said he keeps his paper in his top drawer at the office. One lady said she put hers in her wedding album next to her wedding pictures. Another man, right then and there, took out his wallet and unfolded his, like it was his most prized possession. The teacher was overwhelmed. Little did she realize what a lasting impact that little impromptu assignment would have.

The message is: everyone needs to be blessed. Everyone needs to feel valuable. We long for that affirmation. My challenge to you today is—don’t withhold your blessing. Be free with your compliments. Look for people you can build up. Tell them what you like about them, how much you appreciate them. It takes so little effort, but it makes such a huge deposit. For you to walk over to that coworker and just say, “Hey, have I ever told you how much I enjoy working with you each day?”—that does something huge on the inside. Or to tell your spouse, “I really appreciate you being in my life. I appreciate you being so kind. You’re so fun to be around.” Those are not just words; those are treasures they will carry around for a lifetime.

I heard somebody say, “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. But encourage me, and I’ll never forget you.” Simple words can make a huge difference.

My sister Lisa told how the other day, she was up at the altar area, had just gotten through praying for somebody, and she walked back to her seat. A man came up out of the blue—she didn’t know him—and he said, “Hey Lisa, I just want to tell you that I really admire you.” Lisa told how that put a spring in her step, how it made her day. I noticed after the service she was giving him twenty dollars! But seriously, a lot of times we may think that about a person—we may think how much we like them—but do you realize our thoughts don’t bless anybody? Have you ever told them, “I really admire you. You’re a real gift in my life. I appreciate you for who you are”?

Growing up, we had a certain tradition in my home. It was started by my mother, and I must admit that I did not really like it. Whenever it was someone’s birthday, before we could eat the cake, my mother made us go around the room, and everyone would tell one good thing about that person. In fact, I dreaded that. One reason is I could never think of anything good to say about my brother Paul. The only thing I came up with was, “You sure have a good-looking brother.” (Don’t tell Paul I said that now!) But as I got older, I began to realize the importance and the value of not only hearing those words but saying those words. Those simple affirmations do so much for our confidence and self-esteem.

Little things like, “Man, I like you because you’re so kind. I like you because you’re respectful. I like you because you’ve got a great sense of humor.” I’ve had people tell me, “Joel, I know you always hear this, but you’ve really helped change my life.” And I always tell them, “I never get tired of hearing it.”

The fact is, your spouse will never get tired of hearing how much you love them. Your friends will never get tired of hearing how much you appreciate them. Are you speaking blessings to those around you? Are you being free with your compliments? Are you verbalizing what you appreciate about the people God put in your life? When you take time to speak an encouraging word, it’s just like you’re giving wings to an eagle. You’ll help that person begin to soar.

John Wooden, the famous basketball coach, told his players, “After you score a basket, always look for the player that gave you the pass and acknowledge them. Nod your head, smile, point your finger, but do something to express your appreciation.” One of the players said, “What if he’s not looking?” Wooden replied, “Don’t worry, he’ll be looking.” The point is, we all love to be appreciated. We love to be valued, to feel encouraged.

Mark Twain said, “I can live for a whole year off of one good compliment.” I wonder what would happen if we’d all go out of here today looking for someone we can compliment—not criticize. I wonder how much better our relationships would be if we would take time to express what we liked in that person.

It’s interesting—I read where Abraham Lincoln was carrying several things when he was killed. They’ve been on display in the Smithsonian. He had a handkerchief with his initials on it, he had a five-dollar bill, and he had a newspaper article folded up that talked about his accomplishments. The headline read, “Abraham Lincoln, One of the Greatest Statesmen That Ever Lived.” Well, why would he carry around an article like that, especially an article about himself? Surely he was confident. Surely he knew he was a great president. No—Lincoln served during some of the most difficult years. He was criticized, ridiculed, constantly being put down. Even Abraham Lincoln needed to be reminded that somebody believed in him.

You’ve probably seen that commercial: “What’s in your wallet?” My question today is: what are you putting in people’s wallets? I’m not talking about money—I’m talking about putting in confidence, putting in self-esteem, making them feel better about themselves by believing in them, by speaking blessings, by telling them not what they are but what they can become. Your words have the power to help set the direction for someone’s life.

In 1975, a young man named Denzel Washington was home from college. He was struggling with what he wanted to do in life—he didn’t have clear direction. One day, he was at his mother’s beauty shop, and an older lady, a customer named Ruth Green, kept staring and staring and staring at him. He had seen her in there many times growing up, and he knew her enough to say hello, but she just kept looking at him. Finally, Ms. Green took the hair dryer off and said, “Somebody get me a pen and a piece of paper.” She began to write down a prophecy—something she felt in her heart. It said, “Denzel, you will speak to millions. You will travel the world, and you will make a positive difference.”

At that time, it could have looked like she was a little off her rocker, but Denzel took that prophecy and put it in his wallet. It spoke to his heart, and throughout his career, when he was tempted to get down or get discouraged, he would always pull that prophecy out and say, “No, God’s got a great plan for my life. Somebody believes in me.” To this day, he still carries around that prophecy. Who knows where he would be if Ms. Green hadn’t taken the time to bless his future? Who knows if he would have seen so much success if she hadn’t planted those seeds of faith in his heart?

You never know the impact a small note or a kind word of encouragement can have. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a wallet filler. I want to speak so much vision, so much faith, so much blessing that it inspires people to even want to carry it around with them. After all, we’ve got enough people speaking defeat over us, criticizing us, telling us what we’re not going to become. Don’t fall into that trap. You have the power in you right now to help someone go to a higher level. The people in your life are not there by accident. Are you believing in them? Are you urging them forward? Are you speaking blessings?

I want to give you an assignment. Find at least one person you can build up. You may have four or five different people—write their names on a sheet of paper. List what you like about them, their strengths. Pray over that. Ask God to show you ways to bless them, and then start speaking favor into their life. Write them an encouraging note. Let them know that you’re believing in them. As they succeed, you’re going to succeed. When you bring out the best in others, it’ll bring out the best in you.

In life, we can be a career builder, a bodybuilder, a home builder—that’s all great. But the only thing that’s going to last is the investment we make in other people. When it comes to the end of my days, I want people to say, “That man helped me go higher. He made me feel better about myself. He took time to make a difference.”

Remember, an encouraging word works wonders. Be free with your compliments. Tell people what they mean to you. Let’s fill up some wallets this week. Let’s put some treasures in people’s hearts. If you’ll get in the habit of building other people up, you’ll never lack in your own life. When you sow those seeds, God will make sure you go higher. That’s when He’ll pour out His blessings and favor, and you’ll see every dream, every desire, every promise God’s put in you—it will come to pass. Amen.