“Trust the LORD with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the LORD in all you do, and he will give you success.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NCV) The root of all indecision is fear. We all struggle with different kinds of fears. We’re afraid we’ll make mistakes and embarrass ourselves. We’re afraid we won’t be able to finish what we’ve started. We’re afraid we’re not good enough. One of the fears that keeps us from making decisions is the fear of disapproval. Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fear of man is a dangerous trap, but to trust in God means safety” (TLB). The moment you start worrying about what other people think, it’s over, because fear of disapproval is always worse than disapproval. So how do you get rid of a particular fear? There’s only one way: Face it, and move against it. You do the thing you fear the most! But how do you make that move? In faith. The only antidote to fear is faith. You have to step out in faith. You’ve got to trust God and start moving. In every major decision we had to make as Saddleback Church grew, I was scared. But I moved forward anyway. Courage is not the absence of fear; courage is moving ahead in spite of your fear. If you’re not afraid, you don’t need courage. Courage comes because you’re scared to death but you also are sure of what God wants you to do, so you do it anyway. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust the LORD with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the LORD in all you do, and he will give you success” (NCV). God supports those who move in faith. So here’s the question you need to ask: Where do you need to trust God? You haven’t truly trusted him until you’ve attempted something you can’t do on your own power. Whatever decision you need to make, you need to prepare for it and then step out in faith. Why? Because your choices determine your character and your destiny. Commit yourself to the Lord, and he will give you the wisdom and courage to make the decision that will bring you closer to who he made you to be.
0 Comments
“We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 (NCV) You’re always going to get discouraged when you try to be a superhero and do more than is humanly possible. You need a more realistic view of yourself: You can’t fix everybody’s problems. You can’t be in more than one place at one time. You can’t do everything you want to do. You can’t spend money you don’t have. You need to learn to relax in your limitations. Anytime you live outside of the limitations of your life, you’re going to get discouraged. It’s easier to fill your schedule than it is to fulfill your schedule. It’s always easier to get in than it is to get out. It’s easier to make a promise than to keep a promise. It’s always easier to get into debt than it is to get out of debt. Often the first signs of overextending show up in your body. The apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us” (NCV). In other words, you need to know your limits. You need to recognize your warning signs when you’re overextended and realize you’re just the vessel and God is the power. Our bodies are like clay jars—we’re all a little cracked because we’ve all been dropped here and there. But God often puts his greatest gifts in the weakest people, and that gives us the opportunity to point back to him and say, “That’s got to be God. That could have only happened through God’s power.” Throughout history, God has used flawed instruments to put his glory on display. Nothing would get done if God only used perfect people—because there aren’t any! You may think it’s best to hide your weaknesses, but God wants to use them in your life. But first, you’ve got to recognize and respect your limitations. Then, you trust in God’s power and not your own to accomplish his purpose for you. “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.”
Ephesians 5:16 (NLT) It may feel like the 365 days you’re given each year aren’t enough time to do everything you want to do. In fact, you probably feel like there aren’t enough minutes in this day to accomplish what you think you need to do! But here’s the good news: God doesn’t expect you to do everything. He has given you just enough time to do everything he wants you to do—everything he planned and purposed for you to do. That’s why it’s important for you to set goals. Goals help you focus your life. Paul models this when he says, “I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something — not just the air” (1 Corinthians 9:26 NCV). Paul knew his purpose, and all his plans and goals were focused on it. You need to have that same kind of focus. Too many of us focus our lives on unimportant causes. Trivial Pursuit isn’t just a game; it’s a description of our culture. Most of what’s going on in our world today won’t matter in a week—much less for eternity. Many people can’t tell the difference between “urgent” and “important.” What seems urgent is almost never what is important. We put aside our family time, our time with God, and our time with friends for the urgent matters that rarely matter for long. Goals are how you focus and create the kind of life that chases the important rather than what feels urgent. Goals focus your energy and help bring health and balance to your life. For example, if you made it your goal to get healthy in some specific way this year, then that decision will focus your energy on that task. Anytime you’re tempted to eat junk food or skip a workout for extra sleep, your goal will help you stay on track. It will remind you of what’s important. The Bible says, “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:16 NLT). Make the most of your life by setting some goals. Don’t waste another year on the urgent rather than the important. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) Jesus says in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (NIV). What does sanctify mean? It simply means to grow up and to be made more like Christ—to get a reset. After you choose to follow Jesus, you’re not the same person. You’re different. You’re being sanctified. How are you sanctified? By God’s truth. The more you incorporate God’s Word into your life, the more you’re going to be transformed and made new. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you will be able to reset the areas of your life where you want to experience change. Making a change will always require you to know God’s Word. It’s the manual for resetting your life! When you decide that you don’t like the way you’re living and the decisions you’ve made are just not working, then you need to go to God’s Word. It’s going to help you in very practical ways: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT). The Bible shows you the path to walk on. It shows you where you got off the path. It shows you how to get back on the path. And it shows you how to stay on the path. In his Word, God has given you everything you need to make changes and then stay on the right path. This is why a daily quiet time of Bible study and prayer is important. If you’re going to change, then you’ve got to face the truth. And where is the truth? It’s in God’s Word. When you’re not in God’s Word, you’re not learning and facing the truth on a daily basis. The Bible is a mirror that will reflect the good, the bad, and those areas that need change. Let God show you all the truth he offers in his Word so you can make changes that will lead to a life of purpose and joy. “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ”
Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV) What will be the center of your life? In other words, who or what are you going to live for? You have a lot of options. You can center your life around a career, a sport, a hobby, making money, or having fun. There’s nothing wrong with any of these things. They’re all fine, but they all make a lousy center for your life. You need something at the center of your life that is absolutely unchanging, that can never be taken away from you. Because if your center can be taken away, you will always be under stress, knowing you could lose your security. That’s why you need to center your life on something that is unchanging and secure. There’s only one thing you can put at the center of your life that will never change and is strong enough to sustain you through life: Jesus Christ. Do you remember an old toy called a Superball? When you bounced it on the ground, it would go dozens of feet into the air. Why? Because the center of a Superball was a tightly compacted, solid core, not a mushy center like a tennis ball. Its solid core gave it bounce-ability. When your core is solid in God, you also have bounce-ability. You bounce back from stress faster. You bounce back from problems faster. You bounce back from grief faster. You bounce back from crisis faster. You have something solid in your life that doesn’t change, and you worry less. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7, “Instead of worrying, pray . . . It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (The Message). One of the ways you know that Jesus is at the center of your life is you worry less. Any time you start worrying, it should be a red flag, a warning sign that says, “I’ve allowed someone or something to become the center of my life instead of God.” If you make a person the center of your life, you’ll be under stress because you know that person can walk out of your life or even die. Knowing your center isn’t secure brings constant stress. So what’s at the center of your life? If it’s the stock market, your grandchildren, or your dating life—something other than Jesus—you’ll be stressed. But if Jesus is at the center, you’ll be blessed. The choice is yours: Are you going to live a life that is self-centered or God-centered? Make the decision today. “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!”
Psalm 77:19 (NLT) The Bible says God actively works through your circumstances. But you cannot judge your situation apart from God’s wisdom. In other words, you must leave it up to God to interpret your circumstances. Only he is capable of understanding all the facts, and only he sees the significance of every detail. That’s why it is so important that you test it all by his Word. If you feel overwhelmed or confused about a decision, it might be because you’re so caught up in in your own, limited way of thinking, that it blocks out God’s voice. The Bible says, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV). He is not the author of confusion. So if you’re feeling confused, guess what? It’s not God’s voice speaking in your life. There will be times you come up against enormous financial, spiritual, or physical barriers. That’s when you need to confess, “God, there are mountains on either side and an impassable barrier in front of me.” And then you wait for God to respond and assure you that he’s got you exactly where he wants you to be. He will make a pathway where there seems to be no way. Psalm 77:19 says, “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!” (NLT) When you don’t know what to do, God will guide you. He didn’t design you to go through life on your own ingenuity and power. You don’t have to just hope you can figure things out. God wants to lead you on the right path, and he will do that when you surrender to him and his guidance. “Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he’s in trouble. And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12 (TLB) God never meant for you to go through life isolated, trying to do everything by yourself. Success happens when you work alongside others. One reason Nehemiah succeeded in rebuilding Jerusalem is because he broke the work down into manageable tasks among many different people. In Nehemiah 3, 18 teams helped to make repairs, and you see the phrase “next to him” or “next to them” 21 times. Nehemiah wanted the people to understand something. He gave them a pep talk that went something like this: “If you get tired and discouraged, just look to your left and look to your right, and you’ll see people working next to you. You’ll realize you’re not alone. You’re part of a team.” He helped people feel part of something bigger than themselves. He did this by creating a spirit of teamwork among the people. The New Testament uses the phrase “one another” 58 times. The Bible says we’re to love one another, help one another, serve one another, bear one another’s burdens, and so on. This is how you develop a team spirit. Why is a team spirit essential to reaching your goals? The Bible says, “Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he’s in trouble. And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12 TLB). The Apostle Paul understood this principle of developing a team spirit. He never did any of his ministry alone. He always took a team with him. The same is true with Jesus. His entire ministry was done with a group of 12 people. In fact, the first thing Jesus did in his ministry was build a small group. Maybe you’re struggling to accomplish your goal because you’ve been going at it alone. Remember, you were never meant to live without community. The work God has for you will always be accomplished in partnership with others. “I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God’s blessing and God’s curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life.”
Deuteronomy 30:19 (GNT) People ask all the time, “How could a loving God send people to hell?” Let’s suppose you’re addicted to drugs and living on the street. Your life is falling apart because of addiction, and you don’t have a home or even a place to eat or bathe. Then someone comes along and says, “Let me help you out. I will take you to my house and help you get cleaned up and give you a new set of clothes and a good meal. And you can live at my house. You can become part of my family. In fact, I’m going to adopt you. You can take my name! I’m going to pay off all your debts. You can even have my credit card and access to the entire resources of my family. You don’t have to earn it or work for it. I’m doing this simply because I love you and want to show you grace. “However, if you live in my house as a part of my family, there are some house rules that you have to follow. We respect each other and help out with responsibilities around the house. And we don’t do drugs in this house.” Is it reasonable to expect you to abide by the family’s house rules? Of course. If they’re extending an offer like that, the least they can expect is for you to respond to grace by showing respect. You may choose to say, “Thank you, but I’m going to choose to live on the street because I don’t want to walk away from the drugs. I’m not willing to give them up to be part of your family.” If you turn down the offer, the fault is on you for the effects of your choice, not on the person who extended grace. That person did the loving thing to offer to help you get out of the situation. You cannot say that they were being unloving. God doesn’t send people to hell. People choose to go there. When you choose to follow Jesus, there is only one house rule: Jesus has already paid for your ticket into heaven. He’s already forgiven you! All you’ve got to do is accept it. If you want to do your own thing and reject God’s offer of grace, then he is not being unloving. You are choosing to ruin your life. God has the right to make house rules for his home in heaven. The choice to follow is up to you. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV) God wants to be at the very center of your life. He doesn’t want to be on the edge of your life, and he doesn’t want to be just a segment of your life. The God of the universe—the God who made you and loves you—wants to be the hub of your heart and the axis of your existence. Here’s another way to look at it: God wants to have a love relationship with you. The Bible says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV). The truth is, you’re going to center your life around something. You may center it around your career, your family, or your hobbies. You may center it around making money or being popular. But putting anything besides God at the center of your life is an idol. Exodus 20:3-4 says, “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea” (NLT). How do you know when something has taken center stage in your life instead of God? It’s simple. When God’s not at the center of your life, you start to worry and stress out; you get fearful. These are the warning lights that God is no longer the nucleus of your heart. In contrast, how can you tell when your life is centered on God? You’re at peace. You stop worrying. The Bible says, “A sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:7 The Message). Ask yourself this: “What’s going to be the center of my life for the rest of my life?” It’s the most important thing you will ever have to decide. “It’s smart to be patient.”
Proverbs 14:29 (CEV) Your life has an ebb and flow. Sometimes God wants you to move quickly, but sometimes he wants you to slow down. As Proverbs 14:29 says, “It’s smart to be patient” (CEV). Here are times when God wants you to slow down. First, you should always move slowly when you don’t have all the facts. Our culture worships impulsiveness and spontaneity. It tells you that spur-of-the-moment, “gut” decisions are the right ones. You’ve probably heard repeatedly that you should “follow your heart.” But the Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV). Feelings often lead you in the wrong direction. So you need to rely on truth outside of yourself. The Bible is clear about that: “What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts!” (Proverbs 18:13 TLB). So when you don’t yet have all the facts, slow down. Don’t rely on your gut, your heart, or your feelings. Take the time to look for objective truth outside of yourself. Second, move slowly when you’re hurt, angry, or depressed. When you’re upset, you tend to react and retaliate rather than acting wisely. James 1:19 says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (NIV). Do you see the rhythm in that verse? It says quick, slow, slow. If you’re quick to listen and slow to speak, you’ll automatically be slow to become angry. But if you’re slow to listen and quick to speak, you’ll be quick to become angry. Proverbs 15:18 tells you what to do instead: “Losing your temper causes a lot of trouble, but staying calm settles arguments” (CEV). Proverbs 15:28 says it this way: “The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking” (NLT). In other words, godly people put their minds in gear before their mouths. Sometimes you’re going to feel angry, hurt, or depressed. That’s just part of life. But the next time that happens, slow down. Proverbs 14:29 says, “Patience leads to abundant understanding, but impatience leads to stupid mistakes” (CEB). Don’t make quick decisions that you’re going to regret. And the same is true when you don’t have all the facts. Instead of just “following your heart,” take the time to slow down and make a careful decision. Remember: It’s smart to be patient. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
All
Archives
July 2024
|