Rick Warren's Blog, page 131

Espera que Dios Responda tus Oraciones

“Si necesitan sabiduría, pídansela a nuestro generoso Dios, y él se la dará; no los reprenderá por pedirla. Cuando se la pidan, asegúrense de que su fe sea solamente en Dios, y no duden, porque una persona que duda tiene la lealtad dividida y es tan inestable como una ola del mar que el viento arrastra y empuja de un lado a otro. Esas personas no deberían esperar nada del Señor; su lealtad está dividida entre Dios y el mundo, y son inestables en todo lo que hacen”. Santiago 1:5-8 (NTV)

 Dios quiere dirigirte en la vida, pero dos cosas deben alinearse: debes preguntarle a la persona adecuada y debes preguntar con la actitud correcta. La persona correcta es Dios, y la actitud correcta es la fe: confiar en que Él te dará la respuesta.

La Biblia dice: “Si necesitan sabiduría, pídansela a nuestro generoso Dios, y él se la dará; no los reprenderá por pedirla. Cuando se la pidan, asegúrense de que su fe sea solamente en Dios, y no duden, porque una persona que duda tiene la lealtad dividida y es tan inestable como una ola del mar que el viento arrastra y empuja de un lado a otro. Esas personas no deberían esperar nada del Señor; su lealtad está dividida entre Dios y el mundo, y son inestables en todo lo que hacen” Santiago 1: 5-8 (NTV).

¿Alguna vez le has pedido a Dios algo sin esperar obtenerlo? Por eso no lo recibiste. Dios obra en tu vida según tu fe.

Muy a menudo decimos: “¡Dios, por favor guíame!” y nos alejamos sin esperar su guía. Inmediatamente nos ponemos a trabajar en el problema. Podemos decir que queremos que Dios nos dé sabiduría y nos ayude a tomar la decisión correcta, pero en realidad no esperamos que lo haga. Creemos que todo depende de nosotros.

Pero Dios ha prometido darte sabiduría, si la pides. Sabiduría es ver la vida desde el punto de vista de Dios. Sabiduría es la capacidad de tomar decisiones de la misma manera que Dios las toma.

Piensa en esto: Dios nunca toma una mala decisión. Nunca se equivoca. Él dice que, si confías en Él y lo escuchas, Él te guiará. Pero primero debes pedir con fe.

Reflexiona sobre esto:

¿Alguna vez le has pedido algo a Dios y no esperabas recibirlo? ¿Qué pediste? ¿Y cómo respondió Dios?¿Qué tiendes a hacer mientras esperas que Dios conteste tus oraciones?¿Qué puedes pedirle a Dios hoy con fe, esperando que Él responda?Si todavía no has confiado en Jesús y no te has comprometido a seguirlo, ¿por qué esperar más? Si estás listo para cruzar esa línea y tomar la decisión de creer en Jesucristo y seguirlo; haz esta oración.Más recursos en español y en otros idiomas incluyendo ASL — Lenguaje de Signos Americano RickWarren.org.Síguenos en Instagram & Facebook y comparte Esperanza Diaria con tus amigos y familiares.Recibe durante un mes un versículo de inspiración diario por WhatsAppNota: Desafortunadamente tenemos restricciones para enviar mensajes por WhatsApp a CUBA. .fb-background-color { background: #ffffff !important; } .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

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How to Be a ‘Show and Tell’ Christian

“Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus.”

Colossians 3:17 (NLT

God has put specific people in your life for a reason. You are God’s representative to them! If you don’t tell them about God’s love and offer of salvation, then who will?

God put you in your unique circumstances to share the Gospel with your relatives, your friends, your neighbors, and your co-workers. They need to hear that God has a purpose for them and wants them to be part of his family. But he’s not going to write it in the sky for them. He’s not going to send them a telegram. He’s already sent you. He wants you to learn to be more like him so you can show others what he’s like—forgiving, compassionate, patient, and faithful. 

The Bible is very clear about this: “Do all you can to live a peaceful life. Take care of your own business, and do your own work . . . If you do, then people who are not believers will respect you” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NCV).  

We need Christians who walk the walk and talk the talk; you’ve heard that cliché before, but it really is that simple. Faithful Christians don’t just say what they believe. They try to live so that others see the hope and joy that come from knowing Jesus. They are “show and tell” Christians. They tell the Gospel with their mouths, and they show the Gospel with their lives.

“Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17 NLT).  

The most dangerous prayer you could pray is two words: “Use me.” I dare you to pray it! I dare you to pray, “God, use me! Use me to show your love to people who don’t know that you love them. Use me to show your purpose to people who don’t know that you have a purpose for their lives.”

That kind of prayer can change the world—but the change starts in our communities and with the people we know and love.

They won’t know unless we show them.

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Talk It Over

Do you find it easier to tell others what you believe or to show it? How are you doing both in your life right now?
You are God’s representative to the people around you. What are the responsibilities of a representative?
Pray the prayer in today’s devotional, but make it personal. Insert the names of specific people in your life who need to hear the Gospel.

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¿No Puedes Imaginar tu Futuro? Confía en Dios

“Guía a los humildes para que hagan lo correcto; les enseña su camino”. Salmo 25:9 (NTV)

 La Biblia dice que debes hacer varias cosas para recibir la guía de Dios, pero lo primero es esto: ¡debes admitir que necesitas un guía!

Si eres como la mayoría de las personas, no quieres seguir a Dios ni a nadie más. Quieres seguir tu propio camino. A veces incluso “juegas a ser Dios” y tomas tus propias decisiones. En lugar de hacer lo que Dios quiere que hagas, tomas el asunto en tus propias manos. Y te cuesta admitir que necesitas dirección o que necesitas un guía.

Las ovejas, por naturaleza, tienden a desviarse del camino. El profeta Isaías dice: “Todos nosotros nos hemos extraviado como ovejas; hemos dejado los caminos de Dios para seguir los nuestros. Sin embargo, el Señor puso sobre él los pecados de todos nosotros” Isaías 53:6 (NTV).

Otra cosa acerca de las ovejas es que tienen mala visión. No pueden ver muy lejos. Por eso necesitan un pastor.

Dios te hizo para que no pudieras ver el futuro, no importa cuánto lo intentes. ¿Por qué Dios hizo esto? Lo hizo para que dependieras de Él.

Proverbios 14:12 dice: “ Delante de cada persona hay un camino que parece correcto, pero termina en muerte” (NTV). Todos hemos tomado decisiones que en un momento parecían correctas pero que luego resultaron ser incorrectas. Algunos caminos conducen a callejones sin salida y terminas desviado. Es por eso que debes admitir: “Dios, necesito tu ayuda”.

Dios quiere guiarte por el camino correcto, y eso es exactamente lo que hará cuando te rindas a Él y lo dejes guiarte.

Reflexiona sobre esto:

Proverbios 14:12 dice: “Delante de cada persona hay un camino que parece correcto, pero termina en muerte” (NTV). ¿Qué camino te pareció “correcto” en el pasado, pero terminó siendo incorrecto?¿En qué áreas de tu vida tienes dificultades para entregarte a Dios?¿Qué necesitas admitir ante Dios hoy para poder recibir Su guía?Si todavía no has confiado en Jesús y no te has comprometido a seguirlo, ¿por qué esperar más? Si estás listo para cruzar esa línea y tomar la decisión de creer en Jesucristo y seguirlo; haz esta oración.Más recursos en español y en otros idiomas incluyendo ASL — Lenguaje de Signos Americano RickWarren.org.Síguenos en Instagram & Facebook y comparte Esperanza Diaria con tus amigos y familiares.Recibe durante un mes un versículo de inspiración diario por WhatsAppNota: Desafortunadamente tenemos restricciones para enviar mensajes por WhatsApp a CUBA. .fb-background-color { background: #ffffff !important; } .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

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Raise Your Expectations of God

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

God works in people’s hearts when we expect him to.

Before each service at Saddleback Church, I would pray, “God, it would be a waste of time to go out there and talk to those people without expecting you to do something. So I’m going to thank you in advance for changing lives. I expect it to happen in faith. Not because of who I am, but because of who you are.” That is the faith that God uses to change lives. 

Very few people come to Jesus Christ the first time they hear the Good News. They’ve got to think about it and take the time to make the right decision. 

Never give up on anybody. Nobody’s hopeless! You have to trust God. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (NIV).

Maybe you have been praying for some time for your boyfriend or your child or a close friend to become a believer. You’ve been praying for years, and yet you don’t see any evidence that they’re any closer in their journey to God than they were five years ago or two years ago or last year.

What do you need to do? Pray in faith, expecting God to act. Faith is certain of what we do not see. You need to say to God, “I don’t see them warming up to you at all. But I’m going to pray and expect that you’re working in their life, even when I can’t see it.” 

Remember the story in the Bible of the four guys who had a friend who was paralyzed? They believed Jesus could heal their friend, so they put him on a mat and took him to Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20 NIV), and he healed the man. 

Jesus healed the paralyzed man on the basis of his friends’ faith, not his own faith. Sometimes you have to believe in faith for other people and expect God to act.

Put a little faith in a big God, and you’ll get big results.

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Talk It Over

For whom have you been praying to become a believer? How do you need to change your expectations of God or the way you’ve been praying for that person?
What do you want God to accomplish through your life? How can you show God your gratefulness in advance for how he will work in your life?
What are the things that you cannot see that you need assurance for today?

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Cuando tienes Miedo de Tomar una Decisión Incorrecta

“Él renueva mis fuerzas. Me guía por sendas correctas, y así da honra a su nombre” . Salmo 23:3 (NTV)

 A veces tenemos miedo de tomar la decisión equivocada. Y eso nos genera estrés. Pero Dios tiene un antídoto para la indecisión. El Salmo 23:3 dice: “Él renueva mis fuerzas. Me guía por sendas correctas, y así da honra a su nombre” (NTV). La forma de manejar el estrés para tomar cualquier decisión es dejar que Dios te guíe.

Puedes estar pensando, “¡Pero he intentado esto!” Le pediste a Dios que te guiara, pero luego te confundiste más que nunca. Aún no podías entenderlo y te preguntabas por qué es tan difícil conocer la voluntad de Dios.

¿Dios está jugando contigo? ¡Por supuesto que no! Dios quiere guiarte. Quiere que conozcas Su voluntad más de lo que tú quieres saberla. Pero a veces buscas algo incorrecto cuando estás tratando de encontrar la voluntad de Dios. Todos hacemos esto.

Algunos buscan un sentimiento. Algunos quieren una fórmula o receta a seguir. Otros adoptan un enfoque mágico y buscan a Dios para que nos muestre una señal fantástica.

Pero estas formas solo conducen a la frustración y pueden hacer que pierdas la voluntad de Dios.

Dios no quiere que estés confundido tampoco quiere que estés estresado al tomar una decisión. Él está ahí, guiándote en cada paso del camino.

Durante los próximos días, veremos juntos cómo puedes dejar que Dios te guíe.

Esta es Su promesa, y puedes creer que es verdad: “Él renueva mis fuerzas.

Me guía por sendas correctas, y así da honra a su nombre”.

Reflexiona sobre esto:

¿Qué “cosa incorrecta” tiendes a buscar cuando estás tratando de encontrar la voluntad de Dios: un sentimiento, una fórmula, una señal fantástica u otra cosa?¿Por qué es importante que dejes que Dios te guíe?¿Qué decisión importante debes tomar este mes? ¿Cómo reduce tu estrés saber que Dios te está guiando?Si todavía no has confiado en Jesús y no te has comprometido a seguirlo, ¿por qué esperar más? Si estás listo para cruzar esa línea y tomar la decisión de creer en Jesucristo y seguirlo; haz esta oración.Más recursos en español y en otros idiomas incluyendo ASL — Lenguaje de Signos Americano RickWarren.org.Síguenos en Instagram & Facebook y comparte Esperanza Diaria con tus amigos y familiares.Recibe durante un mes un versículo de inspiración diario por WhatsAppNota: Desafortunadamente tenemos restricciones para enviar mensajes por WhatsApp a CUBA. .fb-background-color { background: #ffffff !important; } .fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

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Make Friends to Make Disciples

“Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you know more than others. Make friends with ordinary people.”

Romans 12:16 (CEV)

Everybody’s looking for true friends—not just acquaintances but people who are there with you when you need them most. God wants you to build true friendships with the people that are already in your life so that you can share the Gospel with them. God has put your co-workers and classmates, neighbors and teammates in your life so you can share with them about the most important decision they will ever make. 

If you don’t tell them about what Christ has done for them, then who will? 

The Bible says in Romans 12:16, “Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you know more than others. Make friends with ordinary people” (CEV). 

Christians tend to fall into one of two extremes: isolation or imitation. Some Christians say, “I don’t want to get polluted by the world. I’m just going to isolate myself. I’ll build a wall and my own little culture.” 

Isolation doesn’t work! How are you going to build any friendships that way?

The other extreme is imitation, which says, “Let’s be just like the world. We’ll dress like the latest pop star. We’ll say whatever we want about other people. We’ll have whatever values and goals popular culture tells us we should have. We’ll be no different from the world.”

That’s not what God wants you to be either. He doesn’t want you to give in to the lowest common denominators of society.

The answer is not isolation or imitation. The Bible says you are to be salt and light in the world. You’re to penetrate the world with God’s goodness. 

God wants you to be holy and secure in your faith. He also wants you to walk out your door into the world and get to know the people he’s placed in your life. As you build relationships with people around you and share truth with them, you are to be in the world but not of the world. 

“For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them” (2 Timothy 1:7 TLB).

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Talk It Over

Why is it sometimes easier to isolate ourselves rather than get to know people on a deeper level?
What are some ways you have fallen into the trap of becoming an imitator of the world?
If you were the only representation of Jesus Christ that someone had in their life, how would they perceive Christianity? How does that make you want to change?

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New Ways You Can Invest in Eternity

New Ways You Can Invest in Eternity

Looking for additional ways to invest in the mission of Daily Hope? The possibilities are extensive and exciting! You can give retirement assets, real estate, cryptocurrency, or stocks.

You can even include Daily Hope in your estate planning, with a designated gift from your estate to continue the work of the ministry.

You can explore the options by reaching out to our Planned Giving Team. They’ll guide you through simple steps to help you invest in the ministry as we continue to work together to reach people around the world for Jesus!

“There is nothing more important we can do together than reach others with the hope of Jesus.”

– Rick Warren

Email: GiveHope@PastorRick.com or Call: 949-946-6336

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How You Can Know God’s Will

How You Can Know God’s Will

Decisions race at you every day. Some are small, others can be life-changing. How do you make the right choice when it matters? How do you follow God’s direction and choose his wisdom for your life?

Here are six questions to help you discern what God wants you to do:

The Ideal Test: Is it in harmony with God’s Word? Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (ESV).

The Integrity Test: Would I want everyone to know about this step I’m about to take? Proverbs 10:9 says, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out” (NIV).

The Improvement Test: Will it make me a better person? First Corinthians 10:23 says, “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive” (NIV).

The Independence Test: Could it become addicting so that it controls and dominates my life? First Corinthians 6:12 says, “I can do anything I want to if Christ has not said no, but some of these things aren’t good for me. Even if I am allowed to do them, I’ll refuse to if I think they might get such a grip on me that I can’t easily stop when I want to” (TLB).

The Influence Test: Will it harm other people? Romans 14:13 says, “Live in such a way that you will never make your brother stumble by letting him see you doing something he thinks is wrong” (TLB).

The Investment Test: Is it the best use of my time, and will it be the best use of my life? Ephesians 5:15–17 says, “So be very careful how you live. Live wisely, not like fools. I mean that you should use every opportunity you have for doing good, because these are evil times. So don’t be foolish with your lives, but learn what the Lord wants you to do” (ERV).

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God Is Using You to Transform Lives

God Is Using You to Transform Lives

Thanks to generous friends like you, Daily Hope is sharing the Good News of Jesus with people all around the world—in many different languages! In fact, the Daily Hope devotionals were recently translated into Itaŋikom, the language of the Kom people. They are a small group of agrarian people who live in a remote, mountainous region in Cameroon, near the border of Nigeria.

This is an area where few Christian resources are available, so they use the translated devotionals to teach their people about Jesus in their house churches. And that sometimes means carrying the devotionals on foot to nearby towns. They even share Daily Hope messages at weddings, funerals, and conferences!

We recently learned of 40 Kom people who gave their lives to Christ after hearing Pastor Rick’s teaching! That’s 40 new brothers and sisters in Christ we’ll one day meet in heaven. And you are part of their story!

Counting the Kom translations, the Daily Hope devotionals are now available in 26 languages! Every day God is using your generous partnership to grow his family. We could not provide these translations without you. Thank you.

This inspiring testimony was recently shared by a local Kom pastor . . .

Ngam, aged 72, father of six, disowned his son, aged 21, because he stole his pig and sold it to a local pork dealer. For several days the son lied about stealing the pig but later admitted to the theft. However, his father refused to forgive him and said he would never live in the same compound with him unless he returned the stolen pig. But after hearing Day 2 of Rick Warren’s Daily Hope teaching in Ita ŋ ikom which says,

The prodigal’s father is like your heavenly father. No matter what you’ve done, when you come home to God, he wraps you in his love. He gives you his best and says, “All is forgiven! My child has returned to me.”

Ngam realized he needed to forgive his son and also needed God’s forgiveness for his own unforgiving heart.

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How You Can Access God’s Power

How You Can Access God’s Power

Sometimes life hits you hard. A diagnosis, a rejection letter, or a failed relationship can knock you off your feet. Where do you find the energy to get back up when all you want to do is give up?

There’s only one way to get the power you need to carry on: Look to God. He’s the source of all lasting power, and when you focus on him, he fills you with his strength. That happens as you take your eyes off your problems and set them on God.

The Bible says, “Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:30-31 NASB).

So how do you “wait for the Lord”? You worship. And worship simply means to focus on God. You can worship alone in your backyard, in a living room with a small group, or in a crowd at church. Whenever you are focusing on God, you are worshiping—and tapping into God’s power.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God” (NCV). That means you need to quiet yourself, drop the distractions, and focus on God’s greatness, his love, and his good plans for your life. The more you do that—the more you are still and know that God is God—the more you will find yourself restored, renewed, and refreshed.

You may feel fatigued, frustrated, or overwhelmed today. I want to invite you to pause, step back, be still, and think about God. When you do that, you’ll be worshiping. And as you worship, the power of God—the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead—will flow through you. 

You’ll find yourself back on your feet, no longer thinking your situation is impossible, because you’ll see firsthand that “nothing is impossible for God!” (Luke 1:37 CEV).

Pastor Rick

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