Rick Warren's Blog, page 540

Godly Discipline Leads to Success

Daniel had a choice. Eat the king���s food, or control his ego and his appetite.

Daniel chose the latter.

Don���t Conform. Be Transformed!

You have two choices in life. You���ll either be conformed or transformed.

There���s no middle ground.

Just ask Daniel.

God Tests with Stress Before Trusting with Success

You could watch a million hours of television and movies without finding a story as thrilling as the story the Bible tells about Daniel. Think Raiders of the Lost Ark and Mission Impossible all rolled into one.

Jesus Turns Your ���Hopeless End��� into ���Endless Hope���

Paul knew that God works in our lives according to our expectation. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1:9b-10, ���This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us . . . and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us��� (NIV).

What Happens When God Wants You to Give Up Your Dream?

How do you know when hope has died in your life? You start using the word ���never.��� I���m never going to get married. I���m never going to graduate. I���m never going to get well. I���m never going to get out of debt. I���m never going to be able to let go of my past and forget all of that shame and heartache. I���m never going to be able to change. I���m never going to see this situation turn around. That���s when hope has died.

God Is in Control Even When Your Plans Stall

There are certain dead-end words in life, including ���cancer,��� ���divorce,��� ���bankruptcy,��� ���infertility,��� and ���unemployment.���

How do you know when you���re at a dead end? You know it when things get out of your control and you can���t do anything about it.

In Difficult Times, What Happens in You is Most Important

Life is not fair. You will have problems, difficulties, and hurts that will make you better or bitter. You will either grow up or give up. Either you���ll become who God wants you to be or your heart will become hard. You have to decide how you are going to respond to the tough times in your life. How will you handle it?

Every Storm Is a School, Every Trial a Teacher

When we go through difficulties in life, the first thing we often try to do is blame somebody else. But it doesn���t matter where your problem came from ��� God still has a purpose for it in your life. Even when you do stupid things, God can use it. Even when other people hurt you intentionally, he can use it. Even when the Devil plans bad things for your life, God can bring good out of it.

Three Mistakes to Avoid in the Face of Difficulty

In Acts 27, Paul set sail for Rome with other prisoners, and they faced great difficulties on their journey because the winds were against them. Paul warned the men on one leg of their voyage that if they set sail, they would be caught in a major storm and the results would be disastrous. They decided to sail anyway, making three common mistakes that we also tend to make that get us into trouble.

In Your Delay, Remember God���s Faithfulness

When our dream is delayed, it causes us to forget many things. We tend to forget our dream. We forget what God has done in our lives and his goodness to us in the past. We forget that God is with us. We forget God���s power.