Hit The Delete Button | Joel Osteen

Summary of Hit The Delete Button | Joel Osteen

by Joel Osteen, SiriusXM

30m•November 20, 2025
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Overview of Hit The Delete Button | Joel Osteen

Joel Osteen’s message “Hit The Delete Button” teaches that our minds are like computers: the software (thought patterns) we run determines our life. Negative, condemning thoughts — whether self-generated, picked up from others, or accepted from “experts” — act like viruses that slow us down and keep us from God’s plan. Joel urges listeners to actively “delete” these thoughts, reprogram their minds with God’s truth, and live in faith and victory.

Main takeaways

  • Your thought life shapes your destiny — you must actively manage it.
  • Negative thoughts and words from others can become strongholds; they must be deleted.
  • Reprogram your mind with Scripture and positive declarations about who God says you are.
  • Don’t let experts or past failures define you; God’s opinion matters most.
  • Faith often requires ignoring discouraging voices and starting despite the odds.

Practical steps / Action items

  • Take inventory of your thought life: what recurring negative messages are running?
  • When a condemning thought surfaces, mentally “hit delete” — reject it immediately.
  • Replace lies with Scripture-based declarations (e.g., “I am forgiven,” “I am a masterpiece”).
  • Avoid dwelling on negative comments; refuse to replay them.
  • Surround yourself with supportive input, get in a Bible-based church, and cultivate faith practices.
  • If needed, get Joel’s recommended resources (No More Fear devotional/book) to reinforce mindset change.

Key scriptures & spiritual points referenced

  • Romans 12:2 — renew your mind with God’s Word (reprogram your software).
  • Genesis — “Who told you you were naked?” used to show how listening to the wrong voice distorts identity.
  • 1 Samuel (David’s anointing) — God looks at the heart, not outward qualifications.
  • Psalm — “Even if my father and mother forsake me, God will adopt me”—God’s ownership and identity supersede earthly rejection.

Stories & examples Joel uses (illustrative highlights)

  • Opening joke: Tom Brady/Tebow parable to illustrate mistaken perspectives.
  • Personal family history: His father ignored limiting parental voices, kept declaring God’s promises, and built a ministry.
  • Businessman ruined by marketplace setbacks who lost confidence until he reprogrammed his thinking.
  • Man haunted by a father’s put-downs who later became successful after “deleting” those words.
  • Woman who felt “not legitimate” because of birth status; transformed when she learned identity comes from God.
  • Carl Lewis — ignored experts to break the 30-foot long jump barrier.
  • FedEx founder and Thomas Edison anecdotes — experts are not always right.
  • Emmitt Smith — told he was too small/slow; became NFL rushing leader and Hall of Famer.
  • Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) — rejected many times before success.
  • Daniel Malloy (governor of Connecticut) — overcame dyslexia and negative labels to rise to leadership.

Notable quotes & affirmations

  • “I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have.”
  • “You are not who people say you are. You are who God says you are.”
  • “Faith begins with stuffing your ears full of cotton.” (Ignore discouraging chatter.)
  • “This is where I am, but this is not who I am.”
  • “Hit the delete button.” (Core repeated action phrase)

Audience call-to-action & ministry resources mentioned

  • Invitation to pray to receive Jesus (brief salvation prayer included).
  • Book promo: No More Fear: You Have the Mind of Christ — teaches replacing fear with faith.
  • Resource offers for donors: No More Fear book and the “God's Word Work Study Collection” (parallel Bible, devotional, Bible reading guide, bookmark/pen).
  • Request/order via joelostein.com or phone 888-567-JOEL; ministry partner appeals and year-end giving encouragement.

Summary / Final encouragement

The sermon is a pastoral, practical call to interrupt destructive thought patterns and intentionally replace them with God’s truth. Joel uses biblical examples, personal family testimony, and well-known success stories to show that limitations, criticism, and past failures do not determine your future when you learn to “delete” negative voices and live by God’s declarations. The consistent, actionable prescription: identify contaminating thoughts, delete them quickly, and replay God’s promise-filled recording.