john osteen

7/29/2019 John Osteen

1/23


2/23

A Place Called There

John Osteen


3/23

ISBN 0-912631-19-8

Copyright 1982

John Osteen

All Rights Reserved


4/23


5/23

1 A Place Called There

Life is so exciting. Our main interest and

desire in life should be to ask ourselves, "Am I

following Jesus? Am I where He sent me? Am I

doing what He told me to do? Am I in the placethat He has led me?"

I am convinced that if we will follow Jesus,

every one of our needs will be met. Maybe you

have needs today. Take time to get with Jesus and

let Him minister to you. Look back over your lifeand reflect upon how He has led you in the past.

You will see that He has led you to the right place

each time. He has supplied your needs.

Jesus said, "Follow Me, and I will make you

fishers of men." He will lead you to where the fish

are. He will lead you to where the gold is in the

fish's mouth. He will lead you to the place where

there is silver. He will supply your needs.

Matthew 4:18, 19, "And Jesus, walking by the

sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called

Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into

5


6/23

the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto

them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of

men."

There are great rewards when you follow

Jesus. If we will follow God, follow the Lord Jesus

Christ, He willsupply our needs. He will give us a

life where His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

I realize we are always going to have to command

the devil to get out of the way. The devil is alwaysgoing to be there to contest everything God has for

us. The devil is going to contest everything that

you try to do for God. You have to stand up to

him, stand your ground, demand your rights, shake

him off, chase him off, and resist him steadfastly.Living a life of faith is following Jesus. It is

not just being in a stationery, comfortable place

where you say to yourself, "I've got it made." As

ministers of God and as members of the Body of

Christ, we are continually subject to the call of theMaster. In Matthew 4:19 Jesus says, "Follow

Me...."He did not say follow Me for a while and

then sit down and stop following. Wherever Jesus

goes and beckons you to follow Him, you should

continue following Him.

I know of a missionary who had a great need

6


7/23

for an automobile. He had some great needs in

some other areas also and his needs were not being

supplied. We were praying with him about the

situation. The Lord Jesus led him to go to the

Island of Bermuda.

Jack and his wife went all the way to Bermuda

and nothing seemed to happen. They almost quit

and came home. They were so discouraged.

Just before they came home, they went to a

black woman's church. I believe she was expecting

him and knew God was going to send him. The

people in that church had been saving money.

Right there in that little church, a place where

nobody would ever dream could help him in such away, they bought him a brand new car and gave

him several thousands of dollars. His every need

was met because he followed Jesus.

Our responsibility is to follow the Master. You

are not to make up your mind as to what you wantto do and where you want to go. Follow Jesus! Our

main duty in life is to follow as Jesus directs us.

When you are following Jesus, no matter what

hardships you endure, He has just passed by them

and He knows they are there. He has walked the

same path you are now walking. He knows every

7


8/23

crevice, every obstacle and every blessing. He

said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of

men." After Jesus said that, the disciples did follow

Him. As they followed Him throughout Galilee,

He taught them how to be fishers of men. How can

you get crowds to come hear the Gospel? How can

you become fishers of men? What did they do?

They got up and followed Him and Jesus

demonstrated what every minister should knowabout getting humanity into the Gospel net.

Read Matthew 4:23-25: "And Jesus went

about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,

and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and

healing all manner of sickness and all manner ofdisease among the people. And His fame went

throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him

all sick people that were taken with divers diseases

and torments, and those which were possessed

with devils, and those which were lunatic, and

those that had the palsy; and He healed them. And

there followed Him great multitudes of people

from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from

Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond

Jordan."

No wonder people followed Him! Turn your

8


9/23

attention towards the great arena of human

suffering. Turn your attention to ALL sick people

with various diseases who are tormented, who are

possessed with demons, who are lunatic, who have

the palsy. Begin to teach and preach to them the

glorious glad news and sound the Gospel trumpet

that Jesus bore their sins. He bore their sicknesses.

He tasted their death. He took their curse. They

have a right to be free. When you do all this, youwill never lack for people to preach to. We have a

responsibility to the demon-possessed. We have a

responsibility to the tormented. We have a

responsibility to the sick. We have a responsibility

to those who are oppressed of the devil. We have aresponsibility to those people who live in

psychiatric wards. We need to stop playing church

and having "bless-me" clubs. We need the house of

God to be a house of prayer, where prayer is made

and captives are set free!

In I Kings 17, the story is told of Elijah, the

Tishbite, lifting up his voice to God and to Israel

and saying, "As the Lord God of Israel liveth,

before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor

rain these years, but according to my word."

Elijah was following the Word of God. God

9


10/23

had said that if Israel rebelled and started after

idols, He would shut up the heavens. He said if

they would repent, He would open the heavens

(Deuteronomy 11:13-17). Elijah saw them turning

from God. He knew the Word of God in regards to

this matter. He knew they had broken the

covenant. When they turned back to God, he knew

the rain would come, because they had restored

their covenant-relationship to God.We are living in a world filled with trouble.

We are in a world of stress. We are in a world that

is in chaos. No doubt the end time is upon us and

our days are similar to those we read of in I Kings

17. Elijah represents the man of God, the preacherespecially leading his flock, or in his ministry.

During this period of famine, in the time of

drought, in the time of great distress and upheaval,

it is of utmost importance that Elijah listen to God

and do EXACTLY what God tells him to do. Our

business today is to tune our spirits to the Holy

Spirit, to listen to God, to do what God tells us to

do, and go where God tells us to go. When we do

these things, our needs will be supplied and we

will be safe!

Elijah drew aside from his daily routine and

10


11/23

prayed. He sought God. It is important to get in

touch with God, to hear from God. We need to get

away from people. There is a time we need to draw

away. People will confuse you. They will

discourage you. They will talk about other people.

They will drag your faith down many times.

Sometimes you just have to get alone and climb

the hill of God, above the fog and smog of this

world. Wrap your fingers in the garments of Godand say, "My Father, my Father, I will not let you

go until you bless me!" We must seek God

diligently and follow His direction for our lives.

I Kings 17:24, "And the Word of the Lord

came unto him, saying...."Elijah heard the voice ofGod. Now God told him where to go and what to

do. He said, "... Get thee hence, and turn thee

eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith,

that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou

shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded

the ravens to feed thee THERE."

God can tell you where to go. There is a

PLACE for every person called "there." That place

called "there" is where God said, "I have

commanded the ravens to feed thee." If you are not

in that place called "there," and the ravens come

11


12/23

and bring the food "there," it is not God's fault if

you are starving!

God sent me back to Lakewood Church fromthe Philippine Islands to pastor. I did not want to

come. But you see, Lakewood Church was my

place called "there." If I had said, "No, no, no, I am

not going to go," I would be in a mess. This is

where God commanded the ravens to feed me. If I

had not come, I could not blame God. I might stillhave had a good ministry. But there would be a

strain, a grating and a pulling down in my system.

There would have been a strain and a burden upon

me. When you are in the place called "there," His

yoke is easy and His burden is light.I believe there is a place called "there" for

every minister. Every believer can apply this

principle to his own life. THERE IS A PLACE

CALLED "THERE"! That does not mean there

will never be battles to fight. That does not meanyou are not going to come against some tests and

trials. There can never be a testimony without a

TEST. When you are secure in the place called

"there," you can command the devil to leave you.

The devil may try to prevent the ravens from

bringing your bread. Command the devil in Jesus'

12


13/23

Name to "GO! GOD SENT ME HERE TO THE

PLACE CALLED 'THERE' AND I CHARGE

YOU GET OFF MY TERRITORY!"

Then you can enter into God's peace and just

praise God. Soon, the little ravens will come by.

When you are in the place called "there," they will

come. Now if they never come, you need to

evaluate the place you are in.

Major on loving Jesus. Wrap yourself up in

your devotion to Him, make Him first in your life,

and go where He directs you (no matter what men

say). GO TO THAT PLACE CALLED "THERE,"

AND HE CAN FEED YOU WITH THE BIRDS

OF THE AIR!! God has unlimited resources. Godis in charge of this world!

Even a tiny worm brought destruction on King

Herod. The Bible says he was eaten of worms. God

can take the worms and destroy the enemy. God is

interested in anybody that will spread the Gospel.Our responsibility is to go where He told us to go,

to do what He told us to do, and to stay where He

told us to stay. We have no right to do what we

want to do. We are to obey His divine orders.

Just because God sends you to one place, doesnot mean you are going to stay there forever. I

13


14/23

Kings 17:5-7 tells us that Elijah "... went and did

according unto the Word of the Lord: for he went

and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before

Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and

flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the

evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to

pass after a while, that the brook dried up,

because there had been no rain in the land."

Do not try to stay when your brook dries up.More problems in churches come after the brook

has dried up and GOD WANTS YOU TO MOVE

ON AND YOU JUST HANG ON. God is not

going to do everything in the same way throughout

life. Do not try to hold God to doing certain thingsthe same way all the time. If your brook dries up

and just suddenly everything goes wrong, examine

yourself. Go before God and say, "God are you

through with me here? Are you trying to tell me

something?"

I Kings 17:8, 9: "And the Word of the Lord

came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to

Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell

there...."

In the midst of the great calamity of that day,

the man of God was responsible to stay in touch

14


15/23

with God and continually do what God said and go

where God sent him.

God told Elijah, "Arise, get thee to Zarephath,which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold,

I have commanded a widow woman there to

sustain thee."

I want you to notice two things here. First of

all, in both instances, God commanded somebody

to take care of Elijah. He commanded ravens, and

He commanded a widow. It was a starving widow,

a widow that did not have anything, but a widow

that could get rich and be taken care of if she

would do what God said. It was a widow that could

see miracles. God is deeply interested in this manwho represents all of us. He said, "I have

COMMANDED the ravens; I have

COMMANDED the widow." Quit trying to raise

money by pleas of impending disaster. Stop

begging!Be reputable. God commanded a widow. If

you will seek God and follow where God wants

you to be, and stay close to Jesus and stay in love

with Him, and obey Him, and go where He wants

you to go, He will command people to take care of

you. God has people who will obey His command.

15


16/23

God has people He will command to give you one

hundred thousand dollars. He will COMMAND

them to give you an airplane. He will COMMAND

them to give you a ship. He will COMMAND

them to give you a home. He will COMMAND

them to give you something out of their bank

account. People will be glad to bless you.

If you are one of those that God commands to

do it, it will be such a joy. Whenever Jesus hasspoken to my wife, Dodie, and I to bless others, it

has been such a privilege to be commanded to

give. Tears of joy came to us in knowing that Jesus

would trust us to be channels of His blessings.

Those who are commanded of God are not to bepitied, they are to be envied because they are

honored by the Lord Jesus Christ. When you have

a burden for some ministry, or some evangelist, or

some mission outreach and God keeps putting it on

your heart, do not push it aside, rejoice, rejoice!

Obey as quickly as you can, because the devil will

try to rob you and deter you from what God

commands.

God commanded a widow because He wanted

glory. God wanted the glory. If it had been a rich

man, he might have only given from his

16


17/23

abundance. This widow woman had nothing. She

was preparing to gather some sticks and cook her

last cake and die with her son. I Kings 17:12-15:

"And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have

not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a

little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering

two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and

my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah

said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hastsaid: but make me thereof a little cake first, and

bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for

thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The

barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the

cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendethrain upon the earth. And she went and did

according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he,

and her house, did eat many days."

Throughout the famine the cruse of oil did not

fail nor the meal barrel fail. This widow woman

who had nothing was chosen of God and

commanded of God to take care of a ministry. To

do it she had to have daily miracles. So, if God

commands you to do something and you do not

have the wherewithal to do it, say, "Hallelujah,

hallelujah, God is going to keep me in miracles!"

17


18/23

I Kings 17:9 says, "Arise, get thee to

Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell

there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman

THERE...."There is a place called "there." If I am

there in the place called "there," where Jesus sent

me, He will sustain me. He will take care of me

because He has commanded that I be taken care of

"there." If I am not there, I cannot blame God. I am

going to be there! "There" is where God hascommanded the ravens and the widow to take care

of me. If I am not there and the ravens come, and

the widow supplies, I will not get what God

provided. I am going to go to the place called

"there."Seek God. Know with assurance that you are

in that place called "there." God will then cause

your every need to be met and you will blossom

into the fullness of your ministry.

Make this your prayer:

Father, In Jesus' Name, I seek Your

divine guidance for my life. I thank You

that Jesus lives in me and the Bible says

that He is made unto me wisdom. You

told me that if I lack wisdom, to ask You,

18


19/23

and You would supply me with all

wisdom for every situation liberally. As I

now ask You, I thank You, Father, that

from this time forward You are supplying

me with the wisdom that I need.

I am Your sheep and I do hear Your

voice, and no other voice will I follow. I

trust in You, Lord, with all my heart and I

do not lean unto my own understanding. I

acknowledge You in all my ways and I

know that You are directing my path. I

will follow the way of peace, for Jesus,

the Prince of Peace, lives within me.

Your Word is a lamp unto my feetand a light unto my path. As I read and

meditate in Your Word, You will speak to

me. I thank You, Father, that the Holy

Spirit lives within me and He will guide

me into all truth. He will not guide meinto error, but only into truth and good.

My spirit does bear witness with the Holy

Spirit confirming the will of God for my

life.

I rebuke any confusion or frustrationand I boldly declare that I will rest in

19


20/23

Your love. I commit my way unto You,

and You shall bring it to pass. Thank

You, Lord, for keeping me in Your

perfect way! Amen.

The preceding confession is based upon the following

scriptures: I Corinthians 1:30; James 1:5; John 10:4;

Proverbs 3:5, 6; Isaiah 9:6; Psalm 119:105; John 16:13;

Romans 8:16.

20


21/23


22/23

A complete listing o f all

individual cassette tapes,cassette series,

and books

will be sent to you

FREE

upon request.

You may write to:

John Osteen Ministries

P.O. Box 23117

Houston, Texas 77228


23/23

john osteen

Documents