Tens of thousands of people gathered in Barclay's Center in Brooklyn on Friday night for "America's Night of Hope", a Gospel-charged event hosted by Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen and his wife, Victoria.
The event, which lasted for 2 ½ hours, sold out within days to people who came from around the country eager to worship and hear Osteen's message of hope and encouragement.
On Friday night, the pastor and bestselling author reminded attendees that in Christ, they are "pregnant with possibility" -- they have a calling or purpose that lives inside them that they cannot physically see or predict.
"Just because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean it's not going to come to pass. The seed that God put in you has already taken root. Conception has occurred. Just like the woman, you may not see any sign of it for a while. But don't get discouraged, your time is coming," he said, the Christian Post reported.
Osteen, who pastors a church of over 16,000 in Houston, Texas, explained that believers will experience great difficulty before some of these possibilities come to pass, just like the increasing pain for a woman who is about to give birth.
"I am looking at people who are pregnant with possibility. Quit telling yourself you can't get ahead. You are pregnant with your destiny, abundance, and talent. You are about to give birth to what God put in you," he said.
The pastor encouraged Christians to refrain from judging themselves based on their current circumstances. He referenced the story of Abraham's wife Sarah in Genesis, who delivered a child at over 80 years old, in contending that miracles can still come for believers when it seems impossible.
"Don't let what you see around you talk you out of your dreams," he said.
Osteen said that once followers of Christ understand that possibilities are alive within them, they will no longer feel the need to rely on other people. Too often, people look for deliverance from the outside even though God has put it on the inside, Osteen charged. Instead, they need to believe in what God has promised and take comfort in His perfect, finished work.
He also encouraged the crowd to keep pushing through adversity when they make the decision to believe: "Pain is a sign that you're about to give birth," he said. "It's a sign that you're getting closer. In these tough times, this is when people abort their dreams."
"It's all a part of the process. Keep believing, keep trying, and at the right time, you're going to give birth. What you couldn't make happen on your own is going to be the hand of God."
Later that night, Osteen took to Twitter to remind attendees of the heart of his message:
"Don't count yourself out. When God created you, He created you with everything you need to fulfill your destiny."
The previous "Night of Hope" event, held in August in AT&T Park in San Francisco, was also attended by tens of thousands and was broadcast live to millions online through SiriusXM radio.
"I'm asking you to get back in the game, God can still get you to where you are supposed to be...The Scripture says that God rewards people that seek after him, so I hope you know right now that God is smiling down on you," Osteen told attendees at the time.
"God doesn't use us because we're perfect, he uses ordinary people like you and me that have flaws, that aren't perfect - He uses us to do extraordinary things."
He added, "Here's the key - if you don't get happy where you are, you probably won't get to where you want to be. The Apostle Paul said, 'I've learned how to be content.' In other words, it didn't happen automatically-he had to learn how to be content, in the good times and the bad times. Let's get up every morning and say, 'This is the day that the Lord has made.' When you do that, I'm not saying you won't have any difficulties, but God will give you strength in those difficult times."
