Rick Warren's Blog, page 606

Use This Simple Principle to Manage Your Money Well

As a pastor for nearly 40 years, I can tell you that the number one reason couples get a divorce isn���t adultery. It isn���t abuse.

It���s debt! At one time, 54 percent of the divorces in the U.S. were related to financial pressures

You���re Responsible for What You Allow in Your Mind

Our minds control everything else about us. Our thoughts influence our feelings. Our feelings impact our actions.

What you think matters, because everything starts in the mind. To be a responsible person, you have to control your thoughts.

You Don���t Have to Live with Guilt

God is always ready to give you another chance. That���s a bedrock piece of Christianity. We���ve all been irresponsible. We���ve all screwed up. The Bible tells us, ���Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins��� (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NLT, second edition).

What Is Your Greatest Ability?

You and I have a variety of great abilities. For some of us it���s the ability to do math, fix computers, or to sew. We all have abilities ��� even if at times we need others to point them out to us.

But do you know what your greatest ability is?

Responsibility.

You Can Know Truth By Looking at God

Like I mentioned yesterday, three philosophies ��� individualism, secularism, and relativism ��� have devastated our society���s moral thermometer over the past few decades. The consequences have been dramatic on society in general and each of us individually.

What You Believe Shapes Your Life

What we believe about the world around us shapes everything about our lives. I���ve shared this with you many times in these devotionals. What you believe determines your behavior. Your behavior then determines what you become, and that has a direct effect on the direction of your life.

Do Good to Those Who Oppose You

When you���re persecuted, harassed, and face opposition, you need to respond with a blessing.

Jesus says in Luke 6:27-29, ���Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also��� (NLT, second edition).

How to Remain Faithful When Suffering

There are people out there who say God wants everybody to be a millionaire. God never wants anybody to have cancer. God never wants any problems in your life.

But the Bible says sometimes suffering is God���s will for your life. Why? Because it makes you more like Jesus. It deepens your faith. It brings you rewards in Heaven. It builds your character. It teaches you to worship instead of worry.

Who���s the Real Source of Opposition?

When you face opposition because of your faith, you need to recognize the source of the opposition.

It���s not other people. It���s not your coworkers. It���s not a political party. It���s not some other nation or religion. It���s not a competitor. The pressure you feel to cave in or be quiet or sit down when you should stand up, that pressure is not coming from other people. It���s really coming from Satan.

Never Be Embarrassed Standing For the Truth

You should never be embarrassed for standing for the truth and doing what���s right. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:16, ���It is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!��� (NLT, second edition)