I was in the home of a well-known actor who not only stars in major
movies but also writes them. We walked into a room with a large glass
wall that overlooks his property. It seemed a bit strange that there were
probably a hundred and fifty index cards stuck to the glass wall. He
explained that he was writing a movie and that each card represented a
different scene. He studies them and moves them around, adding a scene
here and taking away a scene there. He explained that to make a good
movie you have to have highs and lows, conflicts and victories, good and
bad characters, twists and turns. While I found it very fascinating, it
seemed so complicated, so confusing. I asked him, “How do you know
where to start?” He said, “Oh, that’s the easy part. You always start with
your final scene. You have to establish how you want the movie to end.
Once you establish the ending, you work backward and fill in all the
details.” He added, “In fact, you don’t necessarily shoot the movie scenes
in sequence. A lot of times you shoot the final scene first, and then shoot
the rest of the movie.”
This is what God has done for each one of us. The prophet Isaiah
said, “God declares the end from the beginning.” When God planned out
your life, He started with your final scene. He started with where He
wants you to end up, and then He worked backward. Here’s the beauty of
it. Jeremiah 29 says, “God’s plans for you are for good and not for evil, to
give you an expected end.” Your end has already been established. Your
final scene has already been shot. The good news is that you don’t end in
defeat, in failure, in disappointment, or in heartache. You end in victory,
as more than a conqueror, as the head and not the tail, fulfilling your
destiny. When you understand that your end has been established, you
won’t go through life upset because of a disappointment, frustrated
because a dream hasn’t come to pass, or bitter because of a loss. You’ll
stay in peace, knowing that in the end, it’s all going to work to your
advantage.
But here’s the key: as in a movie, there will be twists and turns.
There will be times when you think, I know I’m supposed to be going that
way, but I’m headed just the opposite way. My goal is to get over there,
so why am I facing the other direction? There will be scenes in your life
that on their own don’t make sense. If you stopped right there at the
divorce, the sickness, or the loss, it would look as though things didn’t
work out. It would look as though they got the best of you. But what you
don’t realize is that’s not your final scene. As long as you have breath,
your movie is still in development. You may be in a difficult scene right
now, something you don’t understand—a negative medical report, a
setback in your finances—and it may look as though a dream has died.
You have to remind yourself that that’s not how your story ends. You
have an expected end. The Creator of the universe, the Most High God,
has already planned it for good and not harm. If you’ll keep moving
forward, there’s going to be another twist coming, but this time it will be
a good break, a promotion, a restoration, a healing. God knows how to
weave it all together. He’s already established the end.
Your Final Scene Has Been Shot
We see this principle with Joseph. God destined him to rule a nation, to
become a leader in Egypt so he could help his family and the world in a
time of widespread famine. That was the end. It was established. Joseph
started off well. But his story took an unusually dark twist. His brothers
were jealous of him, and they sold him into slavery. He could have
thought, I must not have heard God right. He gave me a dream that my
family would bow down to me, but it sure didn’t work out. Joseph
understood this principle. He knew that was just one scene. He knew the
end had been set, so he just kept being his best. He was lied about and pu
in prison for something that he hadn’t done. That was another strange
twist that made it look as though he were being moved away from his
destiny. This is the real test of faith. Will you keep a good attitude when
you’re doing the right thing but the wrong thing is happening? Will you
be your best when you’re not getting the credit you deserve? Will you
stay passionate about life when the door closes, you don’t get the
promotion, or the medical report isn’t good, and you feel as though
you’re going the wrong way?
This is where Joseph excelled. When he was falsely imprisoned, he
didn’t fall apart and become bitter. He just kept doing the right thing. If
Joseph were here today, he would say, “Don’t get discouraged by the
detours, the strange twists, and the dark scenes you don’t understand.
They are all a vital part of your movie. They may not make sense on their
own, but God knows how to weave it all together, and in the end you’ll
come out fulfilling your purpose, seeing what He promised.”
This is where many people get frustrated and soured on life. “Joel, if
God is good, why did I have this bad break?” “Why did I get laid off?”
“Why did my relationship not make it?” We may never understand the
whys, but I can tell you this: God wouldn’t have allowed it if it weren’t
going to somehow work for your good. Nothing that’s happened to you
can keep you from your destiny. The only thing that can stop you is you.
If you get negative and bitter and lose your passion, that’s going to keep
you from God’s best. You may have had unfair things happen to you, but
I’ve learned that the depth of your pain is an indication of the height of
your future. When construction workers are going to build a big high-rise,
they have to first dig down many stories to build the foundation. The
taller the building, the deeper the foundation. When you go through
difficulties and unfair situations, it may be uncomfortable, you may not
like it, but God is getting you prepared to be taken higher than you ever
imagined. It may look as though something is there to defeat you, but
God is going to use it to increase you. No bad break can stop you. All the
forces of darkness cannot hold you down. God has an expected end for
you; He’s already established it.
But along the way not everything is going to make sense. This is
where faith comes in. You have to trust that even in the scenes that you
don’t understand, in the twists of life, God knows what He’s doing. As
was true of Joseph, you know that God promised you one thing—
influence, leadership, new levels—but that everything that’s happening
indicates just the opposite—defeat, betrayal, insignificance. That’s when
you have to dig your heels in and say, “God, I don’t understand it, but I
trust in You. I believe that Your plans for me are for good. I believe that
You’ve already set my end and shot my final scene. I believe that I will
fulfill my purpose and become who You created me to be.”
If All Is Not Well, It’s Not the End
I’ve heard it said that God always ends in “all is well.” If all is not well,
that means it’s not the end. “Joel, it’s not well in my finances. Business is
slow, and I’m struggling.” Don’t get discouraged; it’s not the end. That’s
just one scene. Favor is coming. Breakthroughs are coming. Abundance
is coming. If it’s not well in your health, don’t settle there and think, This
is the way it’s always going to be. Another scene is coming. God
promised that He will fulfill the number of your days. If it’s not your time
to go, you’re not going to go. Maybe it’s not well in a relationship—you
went through a breakup, you’re lonely, and you don’t think you’ll ever
meet the right person. It’s not the end. The person who left didn’t stop
God’s plan. They didn’t change His ending. They can’t remake your
movie. They don’t have that kind of power. God has already established
your ending. He’s already lined up the person of your dreams, somebody
better than you ever imagined. They’re just a couple scenes away. It’s
just a matter of time before that person shows up.
The Scripture says, “For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who can
annul it?” This means that God has a purpose for your life. He’s already
planned out your days, lined up the different scenes, and established your
ending. Then it asks, “Who can stop it?” God is saying, “I flung stars into
space. I spoke worlds into existence. I’m the all-powerful Creator of the
universe. Now, who can stop My plan for your life? Who can change
your ending? People can’t, unfair situations can’t, tragedy can’t. I have
the final say.” When you’re on a detour, when you come to a dead end
with something you don’t understand, don’t get upset or live frustrated.
It’s just one scene. When it all comes together, it’s going to work out for
your good. If Joseph hadn’t been betrayed by his brothers, hadn’t been
sold into slavery, hadn’t been falsely accused and put into prison, he
wouldn’t have made it to the throne. Those were all necessary scenes on
the way to his established ending. What am I saying? What looks like a
setback is really God setting you up to get you to the fullness of your
destiny. You can go through life fighting everything that doesn’t go your
way, being worried, negative, and upset. Or you can stay in peace,
knowing that God is directing your steps, even the detours, the dead ends,
and the U-turns. It’s all going to work to your advantage.
Sometimes when I’m traveling and not able to watch a ball game on
television, I’ll record it at home. The other day I recorded an important
basketball game that I knew I was going to miss. The next week I sat
down to watch it. I already knew the outcome. I had read the news reports
and seen the highlights. The team I was pulling for had won. During the
first quarter, my team played really badly, could hardly make a shot, and
fell behind. I didn’t get the least bit worried. I sat there calmly, enjoying
the game. The star player got in foul trouble and had to sit on the bench,
and we fell further behind. I didn’t get uptight. The team came out in the
second half and started off just as badly. They couldn’t do anything right.
Normally I would have been on edge, anxious, uptight, wondering what
was going to happen. But because I knew the outcome, it totally changed
my perspective. In fact, the further behind we fell, the more I thought,
This is going to be an exciting comeback. I can’t wait to see what
happens. All the worry and anxiety had been taken away because of the
expected end. I knew that we had won.
In life there are times when it looks as though our opponents—the
sickness, the depression, the loss—are getting the best of us. We’re
falling behind. It’s easy to look at the circumstances and get discouraged,
thinking, It’s never going to work out. The odds are against me. The
medical report says I’m not going to make it. I’ll never accomplish my
dreams. Just as with that basketball game, you have to remind yourself
that the end has been set. When it feels as though you’re far behind,
outnumbered, outsized, and outclassed, instead of being discouraged,
have a new perspective. That means you’re about to see a major
comeback. At any moment things are going to shift in your favor. A good
break, a healing, a promotion, or a restoration is coming. God has the
final say. He said, “I always cause you to triumph.” He didn’t say
“sometimes” or “most of the time.” He’s already shot your final scene.
He’s already lined up the victory parade.
A Flourishing Finish
A friend of mine was raised in a very dysfunctional home. His father died
when he was four years old. His mother made a living by working the
streets. When he was eleven years old, she left him on a street corner in a
large city and said she would be back in a little while. Three days later, he
was still on that street corner waiting for his mother. Confused, hungry,
and afraid, he didn’t know what to do. All the odds were against him. It
didn’t look as though he would ever amount to much. But when God
breathed His life into him—and into you—He established the end first.
He set your purpose. He gave you an assignment. He put in you
everything you need to get to your destiny—the gifts, the talents, the
confidence. He lined up the right people, the right breaks, and the
solutions to problems.
How you start is not important. Don’t let what you think is a
disadvantage or a bad break cause you to say, “If I’d had a better
childhood, if I had more support, if I didn’t have this dysfunction, I could
do something great.” That’s where you started, but that’s not where
you’re going to finish. The beginning doesn’t determine your destiny.
That’s just one scene. What matters is the expected end. The Creator of
the universe has already destined you to leave your mark. He’s already
put seeds of greatness in you. God loves to take people who start with the
odds against them and shine down His favor, give them breaks, promote
them, increase them, and cause them to do extraordinary things.
That’s what happened to my father. He came from a very poor family
during the Great Depression. He had no money, little education, and no
future to speak of. That’s where he started, but that’s not where he
finished. His final scene, his established end, was pastoring a great
church and having a ministry that touched the world. Don’t let how you
were raised, what you didn’t get, or what looks like a disadvantage hold
you back. God didn’t breathe life into any person without giving them a
destiny to fulfill. If you’ll keep honoring God and being your best, you’re
moving toward the purpose God has designed for you. It’s bigger than
you imagine. It’s more rewarding than you’ve ever dreamed.
The story of the eleven-year-old boy who was standing on the street
corner did not end there. A man who traveled that way to work every day
noticed him there for three days running. He stopped and asked if he
needed help. The young boy told him that he had been abandoned and
had nowhere to go. This man and his wife took him into their home and
eventually adopted him. As he grew up, this young man had a desire to
help other children in need. He told his pastor that he needed a van to
pick up children in at-risk environments. Every week he would bring
more and more needy children to Sunday school. It kept growing.
Eventually, instead of a van he needed a school bus, and then another and
another. Today this man has a ministry that reaches 150,000 children
every week, giving them support and love, letting them know that they
too can defy the odds and do something great in life. You may have had a
rough start, but you’re not going to have a rough finish. Somebody may
have put you at a disadvantage, but they didn’t change the expected end.
What they did or didn’t do cannot stop your destiny. Get rid of the
excuses. Quit focusing on the bad breaks and the disappointments. God is
in control of your life. He’s directing your steps. He’s already established
the end.
The apostle Paul said in the book of Philippians, “God will bring us
to a flourishing finish.” He didn’t say “to a defeated finish,” “an unfair
finish,” “a lonely finish,” or a “bankrupt finish.” God has a victorious
finish, an abundant finish, a fulfilled finish. When those thoughts tell you,
“It’s never going to work out. You have too many disadvantages. Your
opponents are too big. You’re too far behind, and you’ve made too many
mistakes. This is as good as it gets,” let those lies go in one ear and out
the other. God is saying, “I’m going to take you further than you’ve
imagined. I have explosive blessings that will catapult you ahead. I have
favor that will thrust you into the fullness of your destiny. I’m going to
bring out the seeds of greatness that I put in you.” God has established the
end, and He knows how to get you there. Now all through the day, just
say, “Lord, I want to thank You that Your plans for me are for good.
You’re not limited by where I am right now. You’ve already shot my
final scene. I may not understand everything along the way, and it may
not have been fair, but I’m not going to live worried, upset, or
discouraged. I know You’re bringing me to a flourishing finish.”
An After This Is Coming
In chapter two I wrote about the night season that Job endured. He went
through some unusual twists and turns. Certain scenes didn’t make sense.
Nearly overnight his life went from being seemingly perfect to being
shattered by great personal losses and covered in darkness. He could have
given up on life and his faith. Even his wife told him, “Job, just curse
God and die. You’re done.” Nothing like an encouraging spouse! In the
midst of the difficulty, when everything was going wrong, when many
people would have settled into being sour, bitter, and complaining, Job
looked up to the heavens and said, “I know that my Redeemer lives.” He
was saying, in effect, “I know God is still on the throne. He’s already
established my end. He’s already shot my final scene. If it’s my time to
go, I’m not going to go bitter or upset. Though He slay me, yet will I trust
Him.” When you can keep a good attitude when the bottom falls out, and
when you can give God praise when life doesn’t make sense, God will
release you into a new level of your destiny. When you don’t let the
detours, the strange twists, and the things that you don’t understand cause
you to get sour, you pass the test and will see your established end.
At some point, of course, we’re all going to die, but, like Job, I’m
going to die in faith. I’m going to die believing. With my last breath, I’m
going to be thanking God for the fullness of my destiny. We hear a lot
about Job’s trials, Job’s suffering, and Job’s loss. Yes, he went through a
difficult season of darkness, but he didn’t stay there. In the end he came
out with twice what he’d had before. Scripture says that after this Job
lived for another 140 blessed years.
Notice that after the difficulty, his life was not over, and he didn’t
end on a sour, defeated note. Just because you experience a twist, a
detour, or a setback doesn’t mean your life is over. God has an after this
coming. When you go through tough times, you’ll hear thoughts
whispering, You’ll never be as happy again. You’ve seen your best days.
This setback is going to be the end of you. Don’t believe those lies. God is
saying to you what He said to Job: “After this—the cancer, the layoff, the
divorce, the legal problem—there is still a full life ahead of you.” You
haven’t laughed your best laugh, you haven’t dreamed your best dream,
you haven’t danced your best dance, and you haven’t sung your best
song. If you’ll shake off the disappointment and get your passion back,
God has an after this for you. He’s not only going to bring you out, He’s
going to pay you back for that trouble. You’re going to come out
increased, promoted, and better than you were before.
When it was all over, Job said to God, “I’m convinced that nothing
and no one can upset Your plans.” He was saying that the expected end
cannot be changed. God has already established it. The Scripture talks
about how Satan had to ask for permission to test Job. The enemy can’t
do anything he wants; he has to get God’s permission to touch you. God
is not only in control of your life, He’s in control of your enemies. You
have nothing to worry about. He has a hedge of protection around you
that cannot be penetrated. Nothing can snatch you out of God’s hands.
Finish in Victory
When Jesus was about to be crucified, He told the people, “You can
destroy this temple, but in three days I will raise it up.” They thought He
was talking about the building, but He was talking about Himself. He
understood this principle that His end had been established. His final
scene had already been shot. His final scene was not one of being
betrayed and mistreated, hanging on a cross in great pain, or being buried
in a tomb wrapped up in grave clothes. He knew that His final scene was
that of being seated at the right hand of His Father, with all power, with
the keys of death and hell. That’s why Scripture says, “For the joy that
was set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame.” In the tough
times, the way to keep your joy is to keep looking ahead, knowing that
the end has been set, knowing that you will have a flourishing finish,
knowing that God always causes you to triumph.
The Scripture talks about how Jesus’ body was placed in a borrowed
tomb. He had no place of His own to be buried. One of His disciples
came and put His body in a tomb that he owned. Before He was crucified,
I can imagine Jesus asking that disciple if He could borrow the tomb. He
was saying, “I don’t need to buy it. This is not how My story ends. I don’t
end in defeat. This is temporary. I’ll just be here a few days. I have an
expected end that is set by My Father, and no enemy can change it. They
can put Me in the ground, but they can’t keep Me in the ground. I have an
established end.”
When we face difficulties, as Jesus did, our attitude should be, I’m
not staying here. This is temporary. I don’t need to buy the tomb. This
addiction is not how my story ends. This debt, this sickness, or this loss is
just one scene. I know that another scene is coming—a scene of victory, a
scene of promotion, a scene of breakthrough, a scene of restoration.
Friend, your final scene has been shot. Now don’t let the twists, the
turns, and the dark places that don’t make sense cause you to get
discouraged. Keep moving forward. In the end it’s all going to work to
your advantage. As with that ball game I recorded, we know the final
outcome. You don’t have to worry or live upset. God has established your
end. If you’ll stay in faith and keep honoring God, He will get you to
your throne as He did Joseph. He will pay you back for the trouble as He
did Job. As He did for my friend who was abandoned, no matter how you
start, God will cause you to finish in victory
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In this book I offer many stories shared with me by friends, members of
our congregation, and people I’ve met around the world. I appreciate and
acknowledge their contributions and support. Some of those mentioned in
the book are people I have not met personally, and in a few cases, we’ve
changed the names to protect the privacy of individuals. I give honor to
all those to whom honor is due. As the son of a church leader and a pastor
myself, I’ve listened to countless sermons and presentations, so in some
cases I can’t remember the exact source of a story.
I am indebted to the amazing staff of Lakewood Church, the
wonderful members of Lakewood who share their stories with me, and
those around the world who generously support our ministry and make it
possible to bring hope to a world in need. I am grateful to all of those
who follow our services on television, the Internet, SiriusXM, and
through the podcasts. You are all part of our Lakewood family.
I offer special thanks also to all the pastors across the country who
are members of our Champions Network.
Once again, I am grateful for a wonderful team of professionals who
helped me put this book together for you. Leading them is my
FaithWords/Hachette publisher, Rolf Zettersten, along with team
members Patsy Jones, Billy Clark, and Hannah Phillips. I truly appreciate
the editorial contributions of wordsmith Lance Wubbels.
I am grateful also to my literary agents Jan Miller Rich and Shannon
Marven at Dupree Miller & Associates.
And last but not least, thanks to my wife, Victoria, and our children,
Jonathan and Alexandra, who are my sources of daily inspiration, as well
as our closest family members who serve as day-to-day leaders of our
ministry, including my mother, Dodie; my brother, Paul, and his wife,
Jennifer; my sister, Lisa, and her husband, Kevin; and my brother-in-law,
Don, and his wife, Jackelyn.
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ALSO BY JOEL OSTEEN
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Break Out!
Break Out! Journal
Daily Readings from Break Out!
Every Day a Friday
Every Day a Friday Journal
Daily Readings from Every Day a Friday
Fresh Start
Fresh Start Study Guide
I Declare
I Declare Personal Application Guide
The Power of I Am
The Power of I Am Journal
The Power of I Am Study Guide
Daily Readings from The Power of I Am
Think Better, Live Better
Think Better, Live Better Journal
Think Better, Live Better Study Guide
Daily Readings from Think Better, Live Better
Wake Up to Hope Devotional
(with Victoria Osteen)
You Can, You Will
You Can, You Will Journal
Daily Readings from You Can, You Will
Your Best Life Now
Scriptures and Meditations for Your Best Life Now
Daily Readings from Your Best Life Now
Your Best Life Begins Each Morning
Your Best Life Now Study Guide
Your Best Life Now for Moms
Your Best Life Now Journal
Starting Your Best Life Now
We Want to Hear from You!
Each week, I close our international television broadcast by giving the
audience an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of their lives. I’d like to
extend that same opportunity to you.
Are you at peace with God? A void exists in every person’s heart that
only God can fill. I’m not talking about joining a church or finding
religion. I’m talking about finding life and peace and happiness. Would
you pray with me today? Just say, “Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. I ask
You to come into my heart. I make You my Lord and Savior.”
Friend, if you prayed that simple prayer, I believe you have been
“born again.” I encourage you to attend a good Bible-based church and
keep God in first place in your life. For free information on how you can
grow stronger in your spiritual life, please feel free to contact us.
Victoria and I love you, and we’ll be praying for you. We’re
believing for God’s best for you, that you will see your dreams come to
pass. We’d love to hear from you!
To contact us, write to:
Joel and Victoria Osteen
P.O. Box 4600
Houston, TX 77210
Or you can reach us online at
BLESSED IN THE DARKNESS 