God has a plan for everything. Even when He took Joel Osteen's father back in 1999, He still managed to do something good.
"When my father went to be with the Lord back in 1999, I felt like I was being pulled back," Osteen recalls on his blog. "I could feel the pressure, the tension. Not only did I lose my father, I lost a great friend. I didn't know what was going to happen to the church. But in the middle of that difficulty when it seemed like my best days were behind me, at just the right time, God released me like a bow, and shot me forward to a new level of my destiny."
Because of his father's passing, Osteen admits that he got to his destination "more quickly than I should have." He did not even have the formal training, the experience, and the qualifications needed for the ministry.
He knows things could not have happened without the hand of God.
"I've learned when God is ready to shoot you forward, He doesn't ask for your permission. He doesn't check with the critics; He doesn't get approval from your friends, family members or co-workers. He doesn't look at your bank account, your degrees, your confidence or your connections," he says. "When it's your time, God simply propels you into your destiny."
For people who feel like they are being pulled back right now, Osteen assures them that it is okay to feel tension. It might seem like they cannot get ahead, but they should keep in mind: "You're being pulled back for one reason, and that's so God can shoot you further! Get ready because this is a year when God is going to launch you forward!"
To further encourage people, Osteen shares the Bible verse Ephesians 3:20. It says: "Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us."
