Rick Warren's Blog, page 678

Grateful Prayer Brings Peace

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace." (Philippians 4:6-7a NLT)

In Philippians 4:6-7 we find one of the most difficult verses in the entire Bible to obey: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace" (NLT).

It's not easy to stop worrying about the often-scary, everyday parts of our lives, but God tells us how in the next part of the verse: "pray about everything . thank him for all he has done." Grateful prayer brings peace. God says, when you start to worry, pray.

Parents understand the power of grateful prayers. Most parents wouldn't appreciate their children always making requests without saying "thank you" for what they've already received. God sees it the same way. He wants us to ask him for what we need and want. More than 20 times in the New Testament, we're told to "ask" him. But he wants us to ask with gratefulness.

The Bible urges us to be specific in our requests - and our praises. Instead of a simple "thank you for everything," he wants us to tell him what we're grateful for. When I say to my wife, "I'm so grateful for you," she tells me to be specific. She likes to hear what I appreciate about her and what I'm grateful for about her.

God wants to hear the same things. So when you pray, tell God what you're thankful for. Prayer is one of the most important ways we tell God "thank you."

Thanking God in advance is a big step of faith. The Bible says that when we have the faith to thank God ahead of time, miracles happen. The more thankful we are, the more God works in our lives. The Bible says that God inhabits the praise of his people. He empowers and uses our thanksgiving as an instrument of power in our lives.

Talk It Over

Why do you think gratitude is so important for our spiritual lives?

Being as specific as possible, for what are you thankful to God? Spend some time in prayer, thanking God for those things.

What are some ways you believe God will bless you in the future? Thank God for those things - even before they happen.

Go Deep with Gratitude

"Sink your roots in him and build on him. Be strengthened by the faith that you were taught, and overflow with thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:7 GW)

An attitude of radical gratitude is God's will for you because it develops your faith.

How does gratitude develop my faith? It happens when times are tough - when things don't make sense, when you can't figure it out, when your prayers are unanswered, when everything is going the way you didn't want it to go. It happens when you can say in those circumstances, "God, I know you're in control. I know you love me, and I know you can bring good out of this. I'm thankful that you're bigger than my problem."

Anybody can thank God for good things. But if you can thank God even in the bad times, your faith will grow stronger as your roots go deeper.

Habakkuk was going through tough times. He said, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).

In the midst of all the bad things that went wrong, Habakkuk rejoiced. What's his cause of gratitude? "I will be joyful in God my Savior." When everything else stinks in life, you can be grateful because the Lord is your Savior. He will pull you out. You are not by yourself. He hasn't abandoned you. Give thanks to God!

That is the ultimate test of the depth of your faith. Can you thank God when life stinks? When you're going through tough times, don't look at what's lost. Look at what's left, and be grateful for it!

You can be thankful to God just for being God. He has promised to see you through those tough situations, and your faith will grow even stronger because of it.

Colossians 2:7 says, "Sink your roots in him and build on him. Be strengthened by the faith that you were taught, and overflow with thanksgiving" (GW).

God's will is radical gratitude - in all things give thanks. Why? Gratitude honors God, it creates fellowship, and it develops your faith.

Talk It Over

What is your usual reaction to difficult circumstances? How do you think God wants you to respond?

What does it mean to honor God?

How have you seen God strengthen your faith through the difficult circumstances of your life?

Radical Gratitude

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

Thanksgiving is not supposed to be a day that we celebrate once a year. It is to be a spiritual habit of the radical believer. The more deeply you understand God's love, the more grateful you're going to be.

So what does it mean to be radically grateful?

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (NIV). That's radical gratitude. In all circumstances give thanks, because it's God's will for you.

You can thank God in every circumstance because God is in control. He can bring good out of evil. He can turn around the stupid mistakes you make. No matter what happens, God isn't going to stop loving you. There are a hundred things to be thankful for in any circumstance, even when the circumstances stink.

Radical gratitude - being thankful in all circumstances - is God's will because it creates fellowship.

What do I mean by that? Gratitude always builds deeper relationships between you and other people and between you and God.

Whoever you want to get closer to, start expressing gratitude to that person. If you've moved away from your husband or your wife, you need to start doing what you did when you were dating: Express gratitude. Write little notes of kindness and encouragement. Make calls or text during the day, just to tell him or her that you're thankful. Do the things you did at first. The reason you've lost that lovin' feeling is because you stopped doing the things that created that lovin' feeling early on, and you take each other for granted.

Do you want to build your small group? Don't just go to small group. During the week, text them, email them, call them, write them. Say, "I'm grateful for you, and here's why." You'll find that the more grateful you are for your group, the more your group will bond.

The Bible tells us to "encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). As you build others up, you'll find that God builds into your life as well through your deep relationships with him and others.

Talk It Over

Who do you need to encourage or connect with this week? To whom do you need to show your gratitude?

What are some simple ways you can express your gratitude to your spouse, friend, or small group members?

As you develop an attitude of gratitude, what changes do you see in yourself and your relationships?

Be Slow To Speak

"Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." James 1:19 (NLT)

When you're trying to reconcile with someone, don't listen for the problem or the issue. Listen for the hurt beneath their complaint, their issue, or their anger.

Hurt people hurt people. Healthy people don't hurt other people. Holy people don't hurt other people. Happy people don't hurt other people. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about marriage or the market place or the Middle East. When people are hurting, they lash out at others.

People around the world are dying for respect. When you treat people with dignity, the anger dissipates quickly, whether it's with nations or businesses or churches or ethnic groups or your own family. You treat people with respect.

What is the greatest way to show people respect? Listen to them, and look them in the eye. In a peace conference, you need to stop and listen to what's beneath the words they're saying. What is the hurt they're expressing?

James 1:19 tells us how to do this: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry" (NLT). God gave you two ears and one mouth. He wants you to listen twice as much as you speak. But we get in a hurry. What you need to do is try to understand the perspective of other people. Don't just look at the situation from your point of view. St. Francis of Assisi said, "Seek to understand before seeking to be understood."

You're going to have a hundred chances this week to put this verse into practice. Don't miss an opportunity to show respect to someone by listening to his or her hurt. Then, you can work toward reconciliation.

Talk It Over

With whom do you have conflict? What do you think might be the cause of his or her hurt?

How would you rate your listening skills? What gets in the way of taking time to listen to others?

What steps can you take to sit down with someone and really listen to his or her heart so that you can work toward reconciliation?

Reconciliation Comes Before Worship

"So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God." Matthew 5:23-24 (NLT)

Some people say, "Time heals everything." No, it doesn't! Time heals nothing. The only way to resolve conflict is to face it.

When you love somebody, you level with that person. We call this a peace conference - a sit down, face-to-face meeting.

You may say, "OK, fine. When they come to me, then I will face it."

No! God expects you to take the first step. He expects you to be the peacemaker. You make the first move. It doesn't matter if you are the offended one or the offender. God says it's always your move.

Matthew 5:23-24 says, "So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God" (NLT).

Reconciliation takes priority over worship. You need to get your relationships right and then come back and worship God.

Here are some suggestions on how to do a peace conference:

Choose the right time. The best time is when both of you are at your best. Wait until you're both rested and ready.



Choose the right place. Don't do it in a restaurant where you'll be interrupted. Don't do it when the kids are hanging around.



Pray before the meeting. You always talk to God before you talk to the person you've got the conflict with.�



Come with a positive attitude. Come ready to reconcile and compromise.

Why should you do this? Why should you take the initiative?

First, Jesus tells you to do it. Second, your worship is worthless if you're in the middle of conflict. Third, God won't hear your prayers until you've reconciled with others and him. That one may surprise you. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:7, "Husbands must give honor to your wives. If you don't treat her as you should your prayers will not be heard."

This verse is for people in any relationship. God wants you to get your relationships right. He wants you to offer forgiveness. Then, you can have a right relationship with God.

Talk It Over

Why would you have trouble worshipping God when you are in conflict with someone?

With whom do you need to have a peace conference?

What steps will you take today to move toward reconciliation in your relationships?

Make Peace with God

"At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence." Colossians 1:21-22 (GNT)

You're never going to make peace with others until you make peace with God, and the only way you're going to make peace with God is surrender. You were made to live with him as the manager, CEO, and chairman of the board of your life.

Sam Harris, who is a friend of mine, is also a well-known atheist. We had a three-and-a-half-hour debate for Newsweek magazine. One of the last questions they asked was, "Can you be spiritual without believing in a spirit?"

During the discussion on this issue, I said, "Sam, what interests me is not so much that you don't believe in God but why you don't believe in God. I don't have enough faith to not believe in God. It takes far more faith to believe this is all an accident than to believe that there was a design and creator behind it. You can't prove it, and I can't prove it, so we're both living by faith. I believe it by faith. You doubt it by faith."

I asked Sam, "If you were to believe in God, would you have to change your lifestyle?" When he said, "Yes," I responded, "So that's the real issue. The issue is not that you can't believe in God. It's that you don't want to believe in God. The truth is that you just don't want a boss. You don't want a sovereign Lord who tells you 'This is right and this is wrong.' You want to make it up yourself. You want to be God."

That is the fundamental issue that causes our war with God: We want to be our own God.

So, how do you make peace with God?

The Bible says in Colossians 1:21-22, "At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence." (GNT).

There's only one way to make peace with God: by faith. The good news is that Jesus Christ has already done everything you need to make peace with God. All you need to do is surrender and accept it by faith.

"So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God." Romans 5:11 (NLT).

Talk It Over

What does it mean to surrender?

What areas of your life do you still need to surrender to God so that you can have peace?

What do you think are the effects of surrender that should be evident in your life?

What to Do with the Truth

"You must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News." Colossians 1:23 (NLT)

Once you've discovered the truth, there are four things you need to do with it:

Believe it. Colossians 1:23 says, "You must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News" (NLT). The Bible tells us to believe the truth and stand firmly in it.



Do it. Truth is not just an intellectual exercise. It's something you do. You practice it. You apply it. You live it. You obey it. Before you start learning any other new truth, why don't you start doing the ones you already know? The Bible says in Philippians 3:16, "We must hold on to the progress we have already made."



Stand for it. The Bible says that we "must always stand for the truth" (2 Corinthians 13:8). Don't be ashamed in a postmodern world that says it doesn't really matter. Stand for truth. The Bible tells us our responsibility is to never oppose the truth but to stand for it at all times. We need to be people of truth in this relativistic age.



Spread it. 3 John 1:8 says we "must support believers who go on trips like this so that we can work together with them in spreading the truth" (GW). What does that mean? That means you figure out where God is working, and you join him there. It means you go when he tells you to go and serve where he tells you to serve. What are the trips in your church that you can support? What is the ministry God has called you to? Obey God in this so that you can help spread the truth.

"Let everything you do reflect your love of the truth and the fact that you were in dead earnest about it" (Titus 2:7 LB). I'll be honest with you: There's a lot in the Bible that I don't understand. And there's a lot there that is uncomfortable to me. But the fact is, it is the truth. It will always lead me where I need to go, and it will always tell me what is right.

Now you know it, too. What are you going to do about it?

Would you pray this prayer today? "God, I'm stepping across the line today. Jesus Christ, I want to believe you are the way, the truth, and the life. I want to know the truth so the truth will set me free. I want to believe it. I want to do it. I want to stand for it. I want to spread the truth. I'm in. I'm putting my trust in you. In your name I pray. Amen."

A Church Family Identifies You As a Believer

"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:35 (NLT)

The Bible says a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is an unnatural state. Ephesians 2:19 says, "You belong in God's household with every other Christian" (LB).

Today's culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphans - "bunny believers" who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment. Many believe it is possible to be a "good Christian" without joining (or even attending) a local church, but God would strongly disagree.

The church is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it: "Christ loved the church and gave his life for it" Ephesians 5:25 (GW).

Except for a few important exceptions referring to all believers throughout history, almost every time the word "church" is used in the Bible it refers to a local, visible congregation. The New Testament assumes membership in a local congregation.

A church family identifies you as a genuine believer. I can't claim to follow Christ if I'm not committed to any specific group of disciples. Jesus said, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:35 (NLT).

When we come together in love as a church family from different backgrounds, races, and social statuses, it is also a witness to the world (Galatians 3:28).

Talk About It

What does your status as a church member say about you?

You are identified as a believer not just by your church membership or attendance but also by your involvement. How are you serving your church family and community in ministry?