Rick Warren's Blog, page 644

Change Requires the Holy Spirit

You need more power than just willpower in your life. You need God’s power in your life.

The “fruit of the Spirit” are the qualities that God puts in your life when the Holy Spirit lives through you. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

Change Requires New Thinking

Change in your life requires new thinking. The battle to change the defects in your life is always a mental battle. It starts in the mind, and it’s won or lost there.

Change Requires Making Choices

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT)

It’s not enough to want to change. It’s not enough to desire to change. It’s not even enough to say, “I have a dream of changing.” Dreams are worthless unless you wake up and actually act on them. You’re not going to change the defects in your life until you choose to change.

Change Requires Learning the Truth

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT)

You will never change the things in your life that you know are defective unless you learn the truth. Change requires learning the truth.

Sinful People Can Sin Less

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (1 John 1:8 NLT)

We’re all defective. We all have parts of our lives that simply don’t work. None of us measure up to a standard of perfection. To pretend like you’ve got it all together when everybody knows you don’t is silly. In fact, the Bible tells us it’s self-deception.

The Power of Eternal Thinking

A famous Harvard study once showed a direct connection between long-term thinking and success. The more people focused on short-term gain, the more likely they were to fail. Those who focus on what “feels good” right now are doomed to be unsuccessful.

Truth Is the Antidote to Fear

“Those who are led by God's Spirit are God's children. For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God's children, and by the Spirit's power we cry out to God, ‘Father! my Father!’ God's Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children.” (Romans 8:14-16 GNT)

When I was a kid, I didn’t get scared often. I played fearlessly. But whenever I did get scared, I always cried out to my daddy. I knew he was strong. I knew he could take on anyone.

You Have the Power to Say “No”

“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are now controlled by the Spirit, if you have the Spirit of God living in you.” (Romans 8:9 NLT)

Some people today insist that we should just give in to any desire that comes our way. It’s a destructive mindset. Just because you have the desire to eat an entire chocolate cake doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Choose Hope

“Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.” (Lamentations 3:21-24 GNT)

Pain is a natural part of life. You can’t escape it. Broken relationships, missed opportunities, and rough seasons of life will always be with us. When they do come, you can either become bitter or hopeful.

There Is No Condemnation If You Belong to Jesus

“There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1, NLT)

The Bible says you won’t be perfect after you become a Christian. If someone tells you that, they’re not telling the truth. You’re going to mess up. You’re going to fail at times. And most likely you (or others) will beat yourself up for your failures.