Overview of Remembering The Good by Joel Osteen
In this sermon, Joel Osteen teaches that what you choose to remember shapes your emotions, outlook, and future. He argues that people often replay hurts, failures, and disappointments like a bad movie, while forgetting the victories, miracles, and moments of God’s faithfulness. His central message is simple: learn to “change the channel” in your mind and remember the good things God has done.
Main Message
Your memory is powerful
- Positive memories can bring joy, peace, and gratitude.
- Negative memories can quickly pull you into discouragement, bitterness, or fear.
- Osteen says the mind naturally gravitates toward negative experiences, so believers must be intentional about what they dwell on.
Don’t replay the negative
- He compares harmful thoughts to a “movie screen” that people keep watching.
- Reliving hurts, insults, and failures does not heal them—it reopens the wound.
- Instead of staying focused on what went wrong, people should shift attention to:
- victories
- blessings
- answered prayers
- promotion
- protection
- healing
- God’s provision
Remembering the good builds faith
- Osteen emphasizes that gratitude strengthens confidence for present challenges.
- If God helped in the past, He can help again.
- Remembering previous deliverances gives courage when facing new obstacles.
Key Biblical and Spiritual Themes
“Memorial stones” and remembering God’s faithfulness
- He references the Old Testament practice of setting up memorial stones as reminders of God’s acts.
- These stones represented moments of deliverance, healing, provision, and breakthrough.
- His point: every believer should have “memorial stones” in their own life—clear memories of what God has done.
David and Goliath
- Osteen uses David as the main biblical example.
- David defeated Goliath by remembering the lion and the bear he had already overcome.
- David focused on past victories instead of present intimidation.
- The lesson: your past testimonies should fuel your faith for current battles.
Thanksgiving changes the tone of prayer
- He says prayer shifts when it begins with gratitude.
- Instead of only asking for help, believers should thank God for what He has already done.
- Gratitude creates confidence that God will provide again.
Illustrations and Personal Stories
The “change the channel” metaphor
- Osteen repeatedly returns to the idea that people have a choice about what mental “channel” they watch.
- One channel contains pain, regret, and setbacks.
- Another channel contains breakthroughs, blessings, and victories.
- Growth comes from intentionally switching to the channel of faith.
Personal memories he highlights
- His father’s death and how he chose to remember joyful times rather than replay the trauma.
- Beating his son Jonathan in basketball, then realizing he remembered his own victory more readily than the loss.
- His mother’s healing from terminal cancer, the acquisition of their ministry facility, and meeting Victoria as examples of “memorial stones.”
Practical Takeaways
What to do
- Stop dwelling on past hurts and mistakes.
- Make a habit of recalling moments where God helped you.
- Write down or verbally rehearse your “memorial stones.”
- Tell your children and grandchildren stories of God’s goodness.
- Use gratitude in prayer rather than only focusing on needs.
What to avoid
- Replaying offense, failure, and disappointment.
- Measuring your life only by what went wrong.
- Letting negative self-talk define your identity.
- Forgetting the miracles that have already carried you this far.
Closing Message
Osteen concludes that remembering the good gives people the faith and confidence to move into God’s future. If you keep recalling God’s faithfulness, you’ll be able to face giants, overcome obstacles, and step into the life He has prepared for you.
He ends with a salvation invitation, encouraging listeners to pray and make Jesus Lord of their lives.
Core Takeaway
Your future is heavily influenced by what you choose to remember today. Remembering your pain can keep you stuck. Remembering God’s goodness can strengthen you, heal you, and move you forward.