Speaker 1: This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the audio broadcast ministry
Speaker 1: of Pastor Rick Warren. Today we bring our series called
Speaker 1: fifty Days of Faith to a close. Rick will bring
Speaker 1: it all together for us with a final look at
Speaker 1: the true meaning of faith and explore ways we can
Speaker 1: strengthen it. But first, today, when you join our partner
Speaker 1: and Hope family by signing up for automated monthly giving,
Speaker 1: we'll send you a special welcome gift as our way
Speaker 1: of saying thanks. To find out more, go to Pastorick
Speaker 1: dot com while you listen to today's message, or simply text
Speaker 1: the word hope to eight hundred, six hundred five thousand
Speaker 1: and four. That's the word hope to eight hundred six
Speaker 1: hundred five thousand and four. Right now, here's Pastor Rick
Speaker 1: Warren with the final part of a message called how
Speaker 1: to Keep on Believing.
Speaker 2: When you get the promises of God in your life,
Speaker 2: you will be able to hope in faith rather than
Speaker 2: giving up. Now when you come to a dead end,
Speaker 2: rely on the promises. Notice this next verse. While God
Speaker 2: was testing him, and that's what waiting is.
Speaker 3: It's a test.
Speaker 2: Abraham still trusted in God and his promises, so he
Speaker 2: offered his son Isaac. Now this is a test. Isaac
Speaker 2: grows up and God says, I want you to give
Speaker 2: him back to me. I want you to sacrifice them
Speaker 2: to me. But Abraham didn't panic. I would have, but
Speaker 2: Abraham didn't panic. God said, give me your son back,
Speaker 2: sacrifice them to me. But he didn't panic. For three reasons,
Speaker 2: the Bible tells us. One, he believed that God would
Speaker 2: raise him from the dead Hebrews eleven nineteen. Second, when
Speaker 2: he's telling his servant, we're going up the hill to
Speaker 2: make the sacrifice, he says, will be back, Not I'll
Speaker 2: be back, but we'll be back. He fully intended the
Speaker 2: son to come back with him. And Third, when his
Speaker 2: little boy, Isaac is walking up the hill with him
Speaker 2: and he says, Daddy, where's the lamb we're going to sacrifice.
Speaker 2: Abraham says, the Lord will provide. He had every intention
Speaker 2: and no doubt that God was going to spare his
Speaker 2: son or resurrect him from the dead. Why he had
Speaker 2: the promises of God. Now here's the big test in
Speaker 2: your life. What are you going to do when God
Speaker 2: says to you, I want you to sacrifice your greatest dream.
Speaker 3: That is the ultimate test of faith.
Speaker 2: When God says, the thing you value most in life,
Speaker 2: what you want most in life, what you crave most
Speaker 2: in life, will you offer it on the altar? To me,
Speaker 2: this is a test. Will you do what Abraham did?
Speaker 2: Will you hope against hope? Will you hope in faith?
Speaker 2: And will you rely on the promises of God? Look
Speaker 2: at the next verse Romans four eighteen. Though it seemed
Speaker 2: Abraham's hope could not be fulfilled, he did become the
Speaker 2: fun nations exactly as God has promised. Notice the word seemed.
Speaker 2: Things are never as bleak as they seem if you
Speaker 2: look at them from God's point of view. The Disciples
Speaker 2: followed Jesus around for three years, and they thought he
Speaker 2: was going to bring in the kingdom and set up
Speaker 2: a kingo and they'd all be rulers. And one day
Speaker 2: they look up and Jesus is hanging on the cross,
Speaker 2: and he's dead. You talk about a dead end. They
Speaker 2: are devastated. He's the Messiah, He's the Son of God.
Speaker 2: How in the world could be hanging on a cross.
Speaker 2: They didn't know that Easter was just a couple days away.
Speaker 2: God specializes in turning dead situations around and resurrecting situations
Speaker 2: that look hopeless when we rely on the promises of God.
Speaker 2: Notice circle the word exactly. He says, he became the
Speaker 2: father of many nations exactly as God had promised. A
Speaker 2: promise is only as good as the integrity of the promiser,
Speaker 2: and God cannot lie. The fourth thing you do when
Speaker 2: you're waiting on God recognize the facts in faith. Face them,
Speaker 2: but face them in faith. Recognize the facts of your
Speaker 2: life in faith. Romans four nineteen and twenty says, without
Speaker 2: weakening in his faith, he it's Abraham faced the facts
Speaker 2: that his body was as good as dead, and Sarah's
Speaker 2: womb was also dead. He's been pretty blunt here, yet
Speaker 2: he didn't waver with unbelief. God's word translation says, through faith,
Speaker 2: he regarded the facts. Abraham recognizes that he and his
Speaker 2: wife are beyond child bearing years. He's ninety nine, his
Speaker 2: wife is eighty nine, and it is a medical impossibility
Speaker 2: that they're going to have children now. He doesn't deny
Speaker 2: the facts. He faces them with faith. This is very
Speaker 2: very important.
Speaker 3: Get this.
Speaker 2: Faith does not ignore reality. Faith does not pretend you
Speaker 2: don't have a problem. Faith does not act like it's
Speaker 2: no difficulty. Faith is not denial. Please hear that, because
Speaker 2: a lot of people think it is. Let me give
Speaker 2: you definition of faith. Faith is facing the facts in
Speaker 2: your life.
Speaker 3: Without being discouraged by them. That's faith.
Speaker 2: It's not denying you have problems. It's not denying you
Speaker 2: have difficulties. It's not denying you're facing a dead end
Speaker 2: or a hopeless situation from a human standpoint. It is
Speaker 2: facing the fact of problems in your life without being
Speaker 2: discouraged by them. That is true faith. Some of you
Speaker 2: are facing cancer. Some of you have loved ones who
Speaker 2: are facing cancer right now. You cannot deny the diagnosis,
Speaker 2: but you can defy the.
Speaker 3: Vert big difference.
Speaker 2: You cannot deny the diagnosis. I don't have cancer, Yes
Speaker 2: you do. They don't have cancer, Yes they do. You
Speaker 2: cannot deny the diagnosis. That's fantasy, it's denial. But you
Speaker 2: can defy the verdict and you can fight it and
Speaker 2: say we're going to work at this and we're going
Speaker 2: to do all we can to beat it.
Speaker 3: And defy the verdict.
Speaker 2: You see, this is very important because there's a brand
Speaker 2: of Christianity out there that says, deny all your problems
Speaker 2: and just smile smile, Smile. That's not Jesus, that's Pollyanna.
Speaker 2: You know it says you know, I'm not sick. Positive confession,
Speaker 2: I'm not sick. I got one hundred and four temperature,
Speaker 2: but I'm not sick. Or you know, I'm not in debt.
Speaker 2: I'm on the verge of bankruptcy, but I'm not in debt.
Speaker 2: Faith is not asking.
Speaker 3: You to deny reality. It never does.
Speaker 2: Faith asks you to face the reality in your life
Speaker 2: without being discouraged by it. It's not living in denial.
Speaker 2: Faith is not clinging to the past. Faith is not
Speaker 2: stubborn foolishness. Please understand this. If you're still waiting for
Speaker 2: eight Tracks to make a comeback, let it go.
Speaker 3: It's over. It isn't coming back.
Speaker 2: If you're still waiting for that special guy or girl
Speaker 2: to invite you out on a date, that person from
Speaker 2: high school and it's your fiftieth reunion.
Speaker 3: Let it go.
Speaker 2: That puppy's not coming home, just let it go. If
Speaker 2: you're hoping that dimpled Chads will elect you president, let
Speaker 2: it go.
Speaker 3: Let it go. Grieve deeply, but let it go.
Speaker 2: Some of you need to do some legitimate, deep grieving
Speaker 2: in your life. That things have not turned out as
Speaker 2: you planned, that what you dream for your life isn't
Speaker 2: going to happen.
Speaker 3: But you don't have a pity party.
Speaker 2: You believe that God knows best, and you say, yes,
Speaker 2: it didn't turn out the way I planned, but I
Speaker 2: believe God has a better plan.
Speaker 3: That is faith.
Speaker 2: Yes, things did not work out the way I thought,
Speaker 2: but I believe God is not through with my life,
Speaker 2: and He's working in my life, and God has good
Speaker 2: things in store for me.
Speaker 3: Still. That is faith.
Speaker 2: It is facing the facts in faith. It's not fantasy.
Speaker 2: It's just not being discouraged. One of the things I've
Speaker 2: told pastors for many, many years, it's an old cavalry
Speaker 2: military rule. It says, when the horse is dead, dismount. Okay,
Speaker 2: don't keep beating the dead horse. And when a dream dies,
Speaker 2: you just dismount and saddle another one. Because God's not
Speaker 2: through with you. God is not through with you. Some
Speaker 2: of you wanted to get married, but you never did.
Speaker 2: Some of you wanted to have children, but you never have.
Speaker 2: What do you do with a blocked love? Pull yourself
Speaker 2: into a cell, build a shell around yourself, be self concerned,
Speaker 2: a prickly pair. I'm never gonna let anybody get close
Speaker 2: to me again. I'm not gonna let anybody hurt me.
Speaker 2: I'm going to hold in my emotions, of course, not
Speaker 2: what do you do when a love is blocked? You're redirected.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. We'll be back
Speaker 1: in just a moment with the rest of today's lesson.
Speaker 1: You can sign up for Pastor Rick's free email devotional
Speaker 1: at pastorick dot com. That's pastorick dot com.
Speaker 4: The Bible says children are a gift from the Lord.
Speaker 2: Do you have.
Speaker 4: Kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or kids in your neighborhood that
Speaker 4: need to know God loves them and has a good
Speaker 4: plan for their lives. You can help them get closer
Speaker 4: to God by encouraging them to read God's Word. That's
Speaker 4: why we're so excited to tell you about a very
Speaker 4: special resource just for kids called God's Big Plans for Me.
Speaker 4: It's a storybook Bible by Pastor Rick Warren. This two
Speaker 4: hundred and twenty three page hardcover children's book includes forty
Speaker 4: well loved Bible stories to help kids engage with God's word.
Speaker 4: Each Bible story has an introduction from Pastor Rick that
Speaker 4: helps young readers understand the Word of God and a
Speaker 4: closing thought. With a practical step boys and girls can
Speaker 4: take to discover God's Big Plans for them. Their eyes
Speaker 4: will light up as they turn the beautifully illustrated pages
Speaker 4: and really start to get what God wants to say
Speaker 4: to their young hearts and minds. God's Big Plans for
Speaker 4: Me is so much more than just a book filled
Speaker 4: with cute pictures of Bible characters. It's a fun and
Speaker 4: effective way to introduce children to God's everlasting truth. This
Speaker 4: book makes a great gift. You'll want to get a
Speaker 4: copy for every child in your life. And today, when
Speaker 4: you give a gift to help Pastor Rick's Daily Hope
Speaker 4: take the certain Hope of Jesus Christ around the world,
Speaker 4: We'll send you a copy of God's Big Plans for
Speaker 4: Me Storybook Bible. To say thanks, Just call eight hundred
Speaker 4: at six hundred five zero zero four or go to
Speaker 4: Pastorick dot com to get your very own copy of
Speaker 4: God's Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible. And if you
Speaker 4: choose to become a partner in Hope with automated monthly giving,
Speaker 4: we'll also send you a very special welcome gift to
Speaker 4: show our appreciation. That's Pastororick dot com. Or you can
Speaker 4: call eight hundred at six hundred five zero zero four.
Speaker 4: Thank you so much for your support. Today is the
Speaker 4: last day to become a partner in Hope and receive
Speaker 4: your special welcome gift. So don't wait and don't forget
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Speaker 1: Now let's get back to today's lesson here on Pastor Rick's
Speaker 1: Daily Hope.
Speaker 2: If you're still waiting for that special guy or girl
Speaker 2: to invite you out on a date, that person from
Speaker 2: high school and it's your fiftieth reunion.
Speaker 3: Let it go. That puppy's not coming home, just let
Speaker 3: it go.
Speaker 2: If you're hoping that dimpled Chads will elect you president.
Speaker 3: Let it go. Let it go.
Speaker 2: Okay, grieve deeply, but let it go. Some of you
Speaker 2: need to do some legitimate deep grieving in your life
Speaker 2: that things have not turned out as you planned, that
Speaker 2: what you dream for your life isn't gonna happen.
Speaker 3: But you don't have a pity party.
Speaker 2: You believe that God knows best, and you say, yes,
Speaker 2: it didn't turn out the way I planned, but I
Speaker 2: believe God has a better plan.
Speaker 3: That is faith.
Speaker 2: Yes, things did not work out the way I thought,
Speaker 2: but I believe God is not through with my life,
Speaker 2: and he's working in my life, and God has good
Speaker 2: things in store for me.
Speaker 3: Still.
Speaker 2: That is faith. It is facing the facts in faith.
Speaker 2: It's not fantasy. It's just not being discouraged. One of
Speaker 2: the things I've told pastors for many, many years, it's
Speaker 2: an old cavalry military rule. It says, when the horse
Speaker 2: is dead, dismount. Okay, don't keep beating a dead horse.
Speaker 2: And when a dream dies, you just dismount and saddle
Speaker 2: another one. Because God's not through with you. God is
Speaker 2: not through with you. Some of you wanted to get married,
Speaker 2: but you never did. Some of you wanted to have children,
Speaker 2: but you never have. What do you do with a
Speaker 2: blocked love? Pull yourself into a cell, build a shell
Speaker 2: around yourself, be self concerned, a prickly pair. I'm never
Speaker 2: going to let anybody get close to me again. I'm
Speaker 2: not gonna let anybody hurt me. I'm going to hold
Speaker 2: in my emotions, of course, not. What do you do
Speaker 2: when a love is blocked? You redirect it, You rechannel it.
Speaker 2: You know that story I've told you several times about
Speaker 2: Corey tin Boom. When she was a young woman, was
Speaker 2: engaged to be married, and all of a sudden, the
Speaker 2: boy broke up with her and married a friend, and
Speaker 2: she was devastated and she never did Mary went through
Speaker 2: life as a single woman, but she redirected her love.
Speaker 2: She didn't pull herself into a little shell, and she
Speaker 2: became one of the most loving Christian leaders of the
Speaker 2: twentieth century, influencing millions and millions of people. She redirected
Speaker 2: her love in a new direction. How do you keep
Speaker 2: on believing when you feel like giving up?
Speaker 3: You do these five things. First, you need to understand the.
Speaker 2: Six phases of faith that God will take you through
Speaker 2: over and over and over. Then you remember what God
Speaker 2: can do.
Speaker 3: He can do anything.
Speaker 2: Then you rely on God's promises and remember what He's
Speaker 2: promised to do. Then you recognize the facts of your
Speaker 2: life in faith. You don't deny them. You recognize them,
Speaker 2: but you don't get discouraged. And finally, you rejoice in anticipation.
Speaker 2: In anticipation, you expect, you joyfully expect God to act
Speaker 2: in your life and to do good things, even if
Speaker 2: it's not the way you planned. He will do good
Speaker 2: things you expect him to act. Romans fourth, twenty twenty
Speaker 2: one says this Abraham never doubted. He believed God for
Speaker 2: his faith and trust grew ever stronger, and he praised
Speaker 2: God for this blessing even.
Speaker 3: Before it happened.
Speaker 2: Wow, he was completely sure that God was well able
Speaker 2: to do anything he promised. Notice, even before it happened.
Speaker 2: That is real faith. We talked about it last week.
Speaker 2: When you thank God for something after it happens, that's gratitude.
Speaker 2: When you thank God for something before it happens, that
Speaker 2: is faith. And the highest form of faith is thanking
Speaker 2: God in advance.
Speaker 3: God. I don't even know how you're gonna work this out.
Speaker 2: I'm at a dead end, but I thank you in
Speaker 2: advance that you know what you're doing.
Speaker 3: I thank you in advance that you're gonna work it
Speaker 3: all out.
Speaker 2: One day, Jesus went up to a tomb and some
Speaker 2: people had asked him to raise Lazarus from the dead.
Speaker 2: And he walks up and he prays, Father, I thank
Speaker 2: you that you've already heard me. What was he doing
Speaker 2: thanking God in advance? When God delivers, there are three
Speaker 2: kinds of deliverance. On your outline The first is circumstantial deliverance,
Speaker 2: and in that a type of deliverance. God changes the situation.
Speaker 2: He miraculously turns the situation around. And God will do
Speaker 2: that many many times in your life, but he's not
Speaker 2: gonna always do it. He will do many miracles in
Speaker 2: your life, but he's not always going to change the situation.
Speaker 2: Sometimes he does personal deliverance, and he changes you and
Speaker 2: you get a bigger perspective, you get a deeper faith,
Speaker 2: you get a larger character, you get a better attitude.
Speaker 2: And God changes you and leaves the situation personal deliverance.
Speaker 2: But there is some pain in life that is only
Speaker 2: going to be relieved through ultimate deliverance, and that is Heaven.
Speaker 2: One day, We're going to a place, those of us
Speaker 2: who know the Lord, where there is no sorrow, no tears,
Speaker 2: no suffering, no sadness. And that is ultimately the deliverance
Speaker 2: that God wants to offer to you. Now, listen, God
Speaker 2: has not promised to take away all your pain. God
Speaker 2: has not promised that all your loved ones are going
Speaker 2: to live for as long as you want them to live.
Speaker 2: God has promised that you will not have any difficulties,
Speaker 2: that you will never have any dead ends, never have
Speaker 2: any delays. He has not promised to take away all
Speaker 2: your pain. He has promised to give you the strength
Speaker 2: to handle it, and he has promised that one day, ultimately,
Speaker 2: he will deliver you to heaven, where there is no sorrow,
Speaker 2: no suffering, no sadness, and no pain. The Bible says this,
Speaker 2: we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Speaker 2: What is the glory of God? The hope of God's
Speaker 2: glory is heaven. But there's only one way to get there,
Speaker 2: through Jesus Christ. You don't work for it or earn it.
Speaker 2: It's through Jesus Christ. Now, the Bible word for deliverance
Speaker 2: is the word salvation. That's what salvation means. Jesus Christ
Speaker 2: is your savior. He is your deliverer, and he will
Speaker 2: deliver you. And that is a far cry from just
Speaker 2: positive thinking. You see, all the world can offer is
Speaker 2: wishful thinking. The world hopes for the best, But Jesus
Speaker 2: Christ offers the best hope.
Speaker 3: That's power. Heads, are you at a dead end this morning?
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ can turn your hopeless end into an endless hope.
Speaker 2: So whatever problem seems hopeless to you, I urge you
Speaker 2: to give it and your life to Jesus Christ right now,
Speaker 2: to Jesus Christ, I give you my problems and I
Speaker 2: give you my life right now.
Speaker 3: In Jesus' name. Amen.
Speaker 2: Hi everybody, this is Rick and I hope you enjoyed
Speaker 2: today's broadcast. You know, if you just prayed that prayer
Speaker 2: for the very first time, or you just recommitted your
Speaker 2: life to Jesus again today, would you let me know
Speaker 2: about it. There's something real about sharing your commitment. So
Speaker 2: write me Rick at pastor Rick dot com and say, Rick,
Speaker 2: I prayed that prayer of commitment. I gave my life
Speaker 2: to Christ. I'll send you some material that'll help you
Speaker 2: on your journey with Jesus, and I'll also pray for you.
Speaker 2: God bless you.
Speaker 1: This is Pastor Rick's daily hope. Rick will be right
Speaker 1: back to close out our time today. But first, over
Speaker 1: the last couple of years, we've all experienced worldwide changes
Speaker 1: and events that have impacted us in profound and sometimes
Speaker 1: unimaginable ways. For many of us, those changes will impact
Speaker 1: our lives for years to come. Pastor Rick believes that
Speaker 1: now more than ever, people need God's word and the
Speaker 1: hope that it brings. That's why he'd like to invite
Speaker 1: you to become a partner in hope. Here's rick to
Speaker 1: tell you more.
Speaker 2: There are nearly eight billion people on this planet, and
Speaker 2: God wants us to reach every one of them with
Speaker 2: the Gospel. Jesus said, go and make disciples of all nations,
Speaker 2: baptizing them in the name of the Father and the
Speaker 2: Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
Speaker 2: everything I've commanded you. And surely I'm with you always
Speaker 2: to the very end of the age. That's called the
Speaker 2: Great Commission. It often seems like mission impossible, But if
Speaker 2: we'll work together to fulfill the Great Commission, God will
Speaker 2: turn it into the great completion. You know, the Bible
Speaker 2: says that in heaven, an enormous crowd of people from
Speaker 2: every race, every tribe, every nation, and every language will
Speaker 2: one day stand before Jesus Christ to worship him. That's
Speaker 2: in Revelation chapter seven, verse nine. And that's why I'm
Speaker 2: asking you, friends, to partner with daily hope by becoming
Speaker 2: a partner in hope. What is a partner in hope? Well,
Speaker 2: right now, we're able to take the good News of
Speaker 2: Jesus into almost every country of the world, including regions
Speaker 2: where it's difficult or dangerous to share the gospel. But
Speaker 2: thanks to your prayers and your financial support, we reach
Speaker 2: millions of people around the world every month through radio,
Speaker 2: the Internet, podcasting, TV, and we're translating Daily Hope into
Speaker 2: twenty five languages that enable us to reach over eighty
Speaker 2: percent of the world's population. That's because of your faithfulness.
Speaker 2: And yet there are still billions of people that need
Speaker 2: to hear about the hope we find in Jesus. So
Speaker 2: please pray about becoming a Partner of Hope today. Partners
Speaker 2: and Hope provide vital monthly support that will help us
Speaker 2: reach millions more people around the world, including these regions
Speaker 2: we're going to that have no Bibles, no believers, and
Speaker 2: no bodies of Christ. If God puts it on your heart,
Speaker 2: then please join us. Become a Partner of Hope today.
Speaker 2: With your first monthly donation, we'll send you a special
Speaker 2: gift to welcome you to the Partner and Hope family. Now,
Speaker 2: there's nothing more important that we can do together than
Speaker 2: to make sure people all around the world the good
Speaker 2: news of Jesus Christ and have a chance to grow
Speaker 2: in God's word. Join us today as a Partner in Hope.
Speaker 1: To become a partner in Hope with convenient, automated monthly giving,
Speaker 1: just go to Pastororick dot com or call eight hundred
Speaker 1: six hundred five thousand and four. When you do, we'll
Speaker 1: send you a special bonus welcome gift and God's Big
Speaker 1: Plans for Me storybook Bible To say thanks again. That's
Speaker 1: Pastororick dot com or call eight hundred six hundred five
Speaker 1: thousand and four. Today is the last day to become
Speaker 1: a Partner in Hope and receive your special welcome gift,
Speaker 1: So don't wait and don't forget to let us know
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