Rick Warren's Blog, page 533

Fear Not���God Is for You!

Psychologists have discovered something like 645 different known fears that people can have. Fear is a universal problem ��� and it takes away our joy.

But here���s the good news: You don���t have to be afraid. You have God on your side!

God Can Use Your Mistakes for His Good

Let���s face it. You and I do foolish things from time to time. We make mistakes.

But nothing you ever do is beyond the capacity of God to use. We may make mistakes, but God doesn���t.

God Wants to Spend Eternity with You

God never promised that this life would be fair. We live on a broken planet. Heaven is where everything is done God���s way. Life on Earth just doesn���t work like that.

But what happens on this earth isn���t all there is to life.

Forgiveness Means No Guilt, No Shame, No Regrets

If you���re a follower of Jesus, joy should be a way of life.

Why? You���ve been completely forgiven���no guilt, no shame, no remorse, and no regrets. God has wiped them all out.

When You Ask for Something, Believe God Will Answer

If I gave you a check today for a thousand dollars, would you withhold your thanks until you knew it wouldn���t bounce? Anyone who knows me would think, ���This is a pretty good guy. I���m sure he has enough in his account to cover it. I���ll thank him right now.��� You���d thank me before you received the cash ��� and then you would take the check to the bank.

Giving and Faith Go Together

Giving and faith go together. In fact, God uses finances to test your faith all the time.

Have you ever had to decide between paying a bill and tithing? This is a test of your priorities. It���s a test of your love. But most importantly, it���s a test of your faith. Do you really trust God to provide for you if you put him first in your life?

Faith That Persists Above Feelings

There is a strong belief in our culture that influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not: If it feels good, do it. But when you allow yourself to be manipulated by your moods, you are living your life according to your feelings. God wants you to live a different kind of life. He wants you to live a life of faith, not a life of feelings.

You Can Have a Ministry of Appreciation

Radical gratitude means you���re going to walk through life being grateful in every situation, no matter what ��� in times of plenty, when times are tight, when times are good, bad, right, wrong, whatever. You can develop an attitude of gratitude by choosing to be grateful in every situation. The attitude of radical gratitude actually serves others. It becomes a ministry.

Can You Thank God When Life Seems Bad?

Gratitude develops your faith when times are tough ��� when things don���t make sense, when you can���t figure it out, when your prayers are unanswered, when life stinks, when everything is going the way you didn���t want it to go. Anybody can thank God for good things. But when you can thank God even in the bad things, your faith grows and your spiritual roots go deeper.

Thank God for Who He Is, Not Just What He Does

Anytime you thank someone, you honor that person. For example, if I say to my wife, ���Honey, I���m so grateful for that great Thanksgiving dinner you made,��� I just honored my wife. When I say to her mom, ���I want to thank you for having Kay so I could marry her,��� I am honoring her mom. When I say to someone, ���Thank you for opening the door for me��� or ���Thank you for coming to the service,��� I am honoring that person. An expression of gratitude is a way of honoring another person.