When Joel Osteen was only eight years old, he learned a valuable lesson about God's abundance from his father, who was a minister.
In his blog, Osteen recalled going to a department store with his father to buy a suit. But when the salesman found out that his dad was a minister, he said condescendingly, "Well, you know. If you can't afford it, we can give you a minister's discount."
The salesman's statement really struck a nerve with his father, who was raised in extreme poverty. "He came out of the Great Depression. They didn't have enough food to eat. Daddy had to put cardboard in his shoes as a little boy because they had holes in them," shared Osteen.
But despite this, his father was not a beggar. Instead he believed, "I don't need a handout. I'm a child of the Most High God!"
So he looked the salesman straight in the eye and politely said, "No, sir. I don't need a minister's discount. Do you know who my Father is?"
Osteen said his father's answer surprised the salesman, who was suddenly on guard because the minister he was looking down on might have come from an influential and well-to-do family. Little did the salesman know that the Father the elder Osteen was referring to was actually God.
Osteen learned from that exchange that God does not want His people to be dependent on a handout or a discount. "He doesn't want you to live like that is your only option. That's not who you are. Have a bigger vision. God has abundance in front of you. He is the God of more than enough!" said Osteen.
He encouraged people to wake up every day believing that God will provide for them, and not give in to a lack mentality, as he reminded that we are in the process of achieving our dreams.
"And yes, you may need some kind of assistance right now," he added, "But if you'll have this attitude and keep pressing forward, before long, instead of taking a handout, you'll be giving a handout. Instead of borrowing, you'll be the lender! Don't settle where you are; don't settle for lack."