God’s desire is that we excel.

Joel Osteen’s preaching and writing frequently frame Christian faith in terms of growth, favor, and purposeful living—ideas often associated with the “prosperity” or “positive confession” stream of American evangelicalism. The line “God’s desire is that we excel” fits that recurring pastoral emphasis: encouraging listeners to reject a mindset of lack or mediocrity and to pursue improvement in work, character, and life circumstances as an expression of God’s blessing. However, without a verifiable citation to a specific sermon, broadcast, or book passage, the precise occasion, date, and original setting of this exact wording cannot be reliably pinned down.

The statement asserts that excellence is not merely a personal ambition but aligns with divine intention. In Osteen’s typical rhetorical framework, “excel” implies rising above limiting beliefs, cultivating discipline and confidence, and expecting God’s help in achieving more than one’s current situation suggests. The quote also functions as reassurance: striving for high standards is portrayed as spiritually legitimate rather than prideful, because it is rooted in God’s will for human flourishing. Read critically, it reflects a theology that links faith with upward movement and success, inviting debate about whether “excellence” is primarily moral/spiritual (virtue, integrity) or also material and professional.