Pastor Rick Warren often says, you were made by God and for God,
and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Welcome to Pastor
Rick's Daily Hope Today. In our series called God's Vision for the Rest of
your Life, Rick continues in his effort to help you discover the unique purpose
and vision that the Lord has for your life. Now, in just a
few moments, we're going to let you know how you can get your very
own copy of Open Doors, a Year of Daily Devotions book. It's a
beautifully illustrated three hundred sixty five day devotional from Pastor Rick that offers daily encouragement
from the Bible. You can take a sneak peek right now by going to
Pastorick dot com while you listen, and if you want, you can just
text the word Daily to eight hundred six hundred five thousand and four to find
out more. Right now, here's Pastor Rick Warren with the final part of
a message called Choosing your Future. Now, there's a fourth life shaping choice
that Moses made. It's a fourth resolution, and it is this number four.
I choose to live by faith rather than by fear. I choose to
live by faith, not by fear. If you will make this resolution and
you'll keep it, it will change your life dramatically for the rest of your
life. You stop living in fear and you start living in faith Verse twenty
seven. By faith. Moses left Egypt, in other words, with all
of the slaves, not fearing the king's anger. That's favors anger circle faith
a circle, not fearing. You're gonna live by one or the other.
You're gonna live by faith in life. You're gonna live by fear in life.
By faith. Moses left Egypt not fearing the king's anger. He pursed
because he saw him who is invisible as Christ. Now Moses goes to the
most powerful man in the world, and he says, you know these slaves
that are building all your pyramids, I'm taking them and we're all leaving.
We're packing up and we're leaving, and you're not going to have slave labor
anymore, letting my people go. Now, Moses had every reason to be
afraid because he's going up against the most powerful man on the planet. At
this point. Pharaoh's Egyptian empire is the most powerful empire on the planet at
this point. Pharaoh in those days was considered a god. And whatever Pharaoh
said you had to do. If Pharaoh said cut your right arm off,
you had to cut your right arm off. If Pharaoh said, murder your
wife, you had to murder your wife. If Pharaoh said you got to
drown your children, you had to drown your children. What he said was
the law. And Moses comes and says, We're not going to do that
anymore. I'm going to choose to live by faith, not by fear.
We're leaving, We're out of here, goodbye. And Pharaoh goes you and
who else? And Moses say, I'm not afraid of you, because I
report to a higher authority. And the closer you get to God, the
less fear you're going to have in your life. The more further you get
away from God, the more you're going to be filled with fear. The
closer you get to God, the more you're going to be filled with faith.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of faith for the rest of your life.
The Bible says, whatever is not of faith is sin. How many times
did you send this week? A lot? So did I? Because anything
I did that wasn't done in faith, that I did in doubt, and
I doubted about doing it. It was it was a sin. The Bible
says, without faith, it is impossible to please God. How many times
did you please God this week? See? God doesn't listen to your complaints,
He listens to your faith. You want something to change in your life,
Stop complaining, start believing. God is not moved by complaints. God
has moved by faith according to your faith. The Bible says, it would
be done unto you. You get to choose what I do in your life.
And during the next six weeks, We're going to build your faith on
God's purpose and plant for your life. It's so important that you live by
faith. Now here's the key. What matters is not the size of your
faith listen, but the size of the God. You put it in.
A little faith and a big God gets big results. The key is who
you put your faith in. That makes the difference. See, everybody's got
faith. Everybody has faith. Even an atheist has faith. You can't live
in a world without faith. You use faith every day. It's just what
you put in. You had faith when you came in and sat down in
that chair that it would hold you up. For some of you, that
took great faith. When you get in your car and you drive home,
you're going to go through an intersection and there'll be red lights stopping the other
cars. You have faith that they're going to abide by their law. You're
not going up very genuinely going are you gonna go through or not? No?
No, you have faith that they're going to keep the law. Everybody
has faith, it's just what you put it in. The key is to
put it in Jesus Christ. There are people who are lived their lives by
fear, and they're all afraid of the fear of rejection. I was thinking
this week about Bethany Hamilton, that young surfer girl. Remember that fourteen year
old who lost her arm. She's surfing in a y a couple of years
ago. Fourteen years old shark came up, bitter left arm off and they
sold. She'll never compete again. In fact, she'll never get in the
water again because this She'll be afraid. She'll be scared to death. Bethany
faced her fears. She got back in the water and became a champion surfer.
Some of you, I don't know what this refers to you. You
need to get back in the water. You've been scared to death. You
got bit, you got burned, you got hurt, maybe by a relationship.
You need to get back in the water. You need to live by
faith, not by fear. You need to go I am not gonna let
fear dominate my life. I am not gonna let fear dominate my life.
I am gonna be filled with faith, and I'm gonna put that faith not
in just myself. I'm gonna put that faith in God. If you put
your faith in somebody else, you are gonna severely be disappointed, whether it's
a boyfriend or the president of the United States, because everybody is gonna let
you down eventually. The Bible says this in Galatians too. No one can
please God by simply obeying the law. Why, because we're not perfect,
we break the laws. So we put our faith in Jesus Christ, and
God accepted us because of our faith. Have you done that? Have you
put your faith in Jesus Christ. If you haven't, you need to do
that. That's the first thing you need to do. By the way,
it says Jesus Christ, have you a listen. Sometimes in the Bible it
says Jesus Christ, and sometimes it says Christ Jesus. Which is it.
Jesus is his name, Christ is his title. Christ means Messiah, it
means savior, it means the anointed one. Jesus is his name. Christ
is his title. So you can say Jesus Christ, or you could say
Christ Jesus. It's like saying Jesus is Lord or saying Lord Jesus. Does
that make sense? Some of you didn't know that. That's the only thing
you're going to get out of today's sermon. Okay, Christ is his title,
Jesus is his name. All right, I'm being a Christian for forty
years. I never knew that. All right, Well, now you know
you're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Rick will be back in just a
moment with the rest of today's lesson. If you've missed any part of today's
teaching, you can listen online anytime at pastorick dot com. That's pastorick dot
com. Do you want to live the full and abundant life God desires for
you? That only happens when you seek God and spend time in his work.
That's why Pastor Rick put together a three hundred and sixty five day devotional
book called Open Doors. Each Day features a Bible verse and a short devotional
where Pastor Rick, in his engaging and relevant way, makes the Bible easy
to understand and apply. As you dive in to this book, you'll open
the door to greater intimacy with God and experience the love, trust, and
freedom that comes from a deeper relationship with Him. You'll discover God's wisdom to
resolve conflict, conquer fear, reduce stress, build healthy relationships, overcome temptation,
and so much more. Get Open Doors today and be encouraged, inspired,
and equipped to live out God's plan and purpose for your life. It's
a great way to kick off the new year. When you give a gift
to help daily hope take the certain hope of Jesus to people around the world,
will send you your very own hardcover copy of Open Doors to say thanks.
You can give right now by going to Pastororrick dot com or by calling
eight hundred six hundred five zero zero four. By the way, right now,
every financial gift received will be matched by a very generous donor up to
twenty five thousand. Don't miss out on the chance to have your financial gift
and doubled today. That's Pastorick dot com or eight hundred six hundred five zero
zero four. You're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope once again. Here's Pastor
Rick Warren. So how do you keep these life shaping resolutions? Two ways?
Write them down. Here's how you keep them. Number one, get
support. You need to get support from a small group. You weren't made
to go through life on your own. You need to be part of a
small group that supports you in your goals, in your resolutions. In life.
It's like climbing Mount Everest. You can't climb Mount Everest on your own.
You won't make it. You have to have a team to climb Mount
Everest. You can't keep these kind of major resolutions. You won't keep them
on your own if you don't have some people in your life to give you
support and give you energy to keep you going. You got to keep on
having support. I remember one time there was a guy, you know.
I talk about small groups all the time because they're more important than what we're
doing right now. We have on the weekends maybe twenty thousand people at Saddleback
Church, about thirty two thousand are in small groups. Every week during the
week. That's more important. Why because that's the real church. Because you
can't share your prayer request here in a crowd. When you get sick and
in the hospital, A crowd can't visit you when you need prayer. A
crowd can't help you when you're out of work, when you need a babysitter,
when you're sick, when you need a meal brought to your house,
A crowd can't do that. I'll never forget. A number of years ago,
there's a guy who came to saddle Back for many, many years,
set up in the bleachers, came every week, but never met anybody,
never got into small group, got very very sick, was in the hospital
for nearly a month. During that month, I was on a world tour.
I was gone almost a whole month. When I got back, I
was one of the f you guys who actually knew the guy. I'll go
visit him. So I go to the hospital see him. He was so
mad, he said, I've been in here a month. Nobody from the
church visited me. It was his fault. He had nobody blamed bout himself.
He hadn't made any relationships, he hadn't joined a small group. He
hadn't made any connections. Now, as your pastor who loves you, let
me just tell you this. I hate to tell you this, but it's
true. You're probably going to have a crisis that's called life. You're probably
going to have some kind of crisis, financial crisis, relationship crisis, physical
illness crisis. I don't know, but the likelihood of you going through the
next urn of sixty five days while crisis is pretty rare. I highly recommend
you put the support system in place before the crisis happens. That you build
the safety net now that you established the relationships, that you be there for
people in their crisis, so they will be there for you in yours.
You need to get in the group now, not when the problem comes.
Now, not before you hear that your best friend or your loved one of
your spouse has gotten cancer. You need it now. Get in the group.
Now. Here's what the Bible says to Hebrews chapter ten. Let us
be concerned for one another and help one another. We want to help one
another, show love. We want to help one another do good. That's
what groups do. Let us not give it, give up the habit of
meeting together circle. The word habit small group is a habit. Let us
not give up the habit of meeting together some are doing. Instead, let
us encourage each other. You know what, We started the Daniel Plan for
people who wanted us to get in shape, and about twelve thousand people in
our church ligned up, and last year our church lost two hundred and sixty
nine thousand pounds on the Daniel Plan, a lot of people getting healthier and
healthier. One of the things we discovered is that people who did the Daniel
plant in a small group lost twice as much weight as those who did it
on their own. Scientifically statistically proven people in a group lost twice as much
weight got healthier doing it with others than doing it by themselves. Let's have
a little true confession. I had some major back problems all fall. I
was in pain most of all, and finally in November, I had some
couple of procedures back procedures of surgery, and I think it's going to be
okay. But all during that time because of the procedures, because of back
pain, three things. Number one, I couldn't exercise like I've been doing.
And number two, during the holidays you started bringing me all kinds of
really great food. It was delicious, but it was not good for me.
Okay. And Third, my small group, which was my support group
I've been in for years. Many of them travel on the Peace Plan,
and we weren't getting to meet every week during the fall. Those three combinations
were lethal for me, and I fell off the wagon. And during the
fall, I gained about ten pounds because I didn't have my support group there.
So what do you do? You just get back on the wagon and
I get my support group back, and I say, Okay, we're gonna
We're gonna get this thing, you know, going again. I mean,
it's like having a quiet time. You say, well, I try to
have a quiet time, but I couldn't be consistent in it. Because I
can't be consistent, I'm just not gonna have a quiet time every day.
That's like saying, you know what, I missed the last four meals.
If I can't be consistent in eating, I'm just gonna give up. I'm
not gonna eat anymore. You know, I didn't get a bath for two
days. If I can't, because it's I'm gonna stop. I'm gonna give
up bathing Okay, no more showers. If I can't be good, no,
no, you just get back on the wagon. Some of you need
to get back on the wagon in the Daniel plan and you know it.
Some of you need to get back on the wagon in a daily quiet time.
Some of you need to get back on the wagon in a small group.
You need to be a part of that. Get support from a small
group. Number two. The other thing you need to do to keep these
life shaping resolutions, ask and expect God to help. Ask and expect,
expect is the prayer of faith. Expect God to help. Isaiah fifty says
this, because the sovereign Lord helps me, I'm expecting him. I will
not be this made. Therefore I have set my face like a stone.
That's commitment, determined, that's resolution, determined to do his will. And
I know I will triumph. That's faith. I'm gonna make it now.
In that verse, it says two things. Focus on good God, have
faith in God. That's how you keep a resolution. You focus on God
and you have faith in God. The Bible says about Moses, he persevered
because he saw him who is invisible. You can only accomplish impossible if you
see the invisible. He's living in life of eternity. That's the only thing
that's going to keep you on track. And my job as your pastor is
to keep you on track, to keep you focused. So you're ready to
do this? Are you ready to make these four life shaping resolutions that will
change your life? Let's bow our heads for prayer. As we begin this
together, I urge you to make these four life shaping resolutions and then ask
God's spirit to empower you to keep them and they will set you on a
successful course. I want you to succeed in life, and in the next
six weeks we're going to look at God's plan for your life in detail.
But nothing happens until you make some choices. Are you ready? As I
pray this prayer, you follow me in and say me to God? Me
too, Dear God. As I begin this year, I don't want to
drift through it. I want to move with direction and purpose. So today,
like Moses, I want to commit these four life shaping resolutions. First,
with your help, I resolve to not let other people define me anymore,
say me to Lord. Second, I resolve to choose short term pain
in order to have long term gain. Third, I resolve for the rest
of my life to live by your values, not the world's values, which
aren't going to last. And finally, I resolve to live the rest of
my life is best I know how faith, and not by fear. I
don't want to live by fear. I don't want to fear driven life anymore.
No, Father, I realize that only by your grace and power can
I keep these commitments. So Jesus Christ, I put my total faith in
you starting today, Jesus, I ask you to save me, empower me,
and help me guide me. And I pray this in faith in Jesus's
name. Amen. Hi everybody, this is Rick and I hope you enjoyed
today's broadcast. You know, if you just prayed that prayer for the very
first time, or you just recommitted your life to Jesus again today, would
you let me know about it. There's something real about sharing your commitment.
So write me Rick at Pastorick dot com and say, Rick, I prayed
that prayer of commitment. I gave my life to Christ. And I'll send
you some material that'll help you on your journey with Jesus. And I'll also
pray for you God bless you. This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Rick
will be right back to close out our time today, but first, if
you enjoy Rick's free email devotional, then we are excited to let you know
that for the very first time, these devotions are available in a three hundred
and sixty five day devotional hardcover book called Open Doors a Year of Devotions.
The Open Doors a Year of Daily Devotions book makes a great gift for a
friend or loved one and will send it to you as our way of saying
thanks when you give a gift to help daily hope take the certain hope of
Jesus to people around the world. Quantities are limited, so don't wait to
get your copy of this great resource. Call eight hundred six hundred five thousand
and four or go to Pastororrick dot com. That's eight hundred six hundred five
thousand and four or Pastorrick dot com. By the way, tomorrow is Giving
Tuesday, so any gift you give today will be matched up to twenty five
thousand dollars, but only till midnight tomorrow. That's eight hundred six hundred five
thousand and four or Pastorrick dot com. Here's Pastor Rick with a letter from
one of our listeners. I want to take a minute and tell you how
important your support is to Daily Hope. Your generosity. When you give to
Daily Hope, you're helping us take the message of Jesus Christ literally all around
the world in the many places where there aren't missionaries or churches. These are
called unreached tribes. Now, I'm sure you're familiar with the refugee crisis around
the world. Literally millions of people have been displaced from their homes, particularly
in the Middle East and in North Africa because of civil wars and violence.
One of those places is South Sudan, where over two hundred thousand people are
living in refugee camps. Now, when people are under tension and in transition,
they are more open to the Gospel than in any other time. These
people who are living in refugee camps right now need the hope of Jesus Christ
and the Gospel. Now, when you help Daily Hope Radio and Daily Hope
Broadcast, we're not only broadcasting across America, but in places like South Sudan,
where the station airs our program three times a day, and we are
told that many, many people are coming to Christ in this war zone as
they listen to these Daily Hope broadcasts. So thanks, thanks to you.
Now let me just read you one testimony that we've received. Here's a note
from a woman who's living in a refugee camp there in South Sudan. She
said, my name is Joyce and I'm from the Central Equatorial State in South
Sudan. I lost all five of my children and my beloved husband. This
is in the civil war that was going on there, as well as our
family possessions during the recent fighting in the capital of Juba. She said,
I had planned to commit suicide. There's somebody who needs hope. When I
listened to Rick Warren's broadcast, the one called when you feel Like giving Up,
I got inspired and I dropped the idea of taking my life that very
night. And I'll continue to pray God to bless this great preacher, and
thank you for giving me hope. Joyce, We're happy to do that,
and I want to say it's because of the listeners who are giving faithfully every
month to Daily Hope. Do you realize that when you give to Daily Hope,
you're helping reach people like Joyce? She was, it's going to commit
suicide in a refugee camp. Now, isn't God amazing? How when you
just give what you can give, God takes it and he multiplies it and
we reach out to people that none of us could reach on our own.
Here's what I want you to do. I want you to pray for Joyce
and today I want you to pray for all of the people who are in
refugee camps and pray that we'll be able to continue to broadcast on these stations,
taking the good news of Jesus Christ and hope to people who need it
the most desperately. It's your sacrificial giving, it's your prayer support that makes
this possible. So thank you for whatever you can do, and God bless
you. My friends. Be sure to join us again next time as we
look into God's Word for our daily hope. This program is sponsored by Pastor
Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.