WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:06.280 Hello, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope with Rick Warren. 2 00:00:06.440 --> 00:00:09.000 We are so glad you're here with us today. We're 3 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:12.000 going to continue our series called The Keys to a 4 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:12.919 Blessed Life. 5 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:13.160 Now. 6 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:16.920 In these messages, Rick walks through Jesus' Sermon on the 7 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:19.920 Mount and shows us how to live a truly hopeful 8 00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:23.559 and purpose filled life. Let's jump back in. This is 9 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:27.120 part two of it depends on who you depend on. 10 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:30.000 Now. I've put down here a couple verses that I 11 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.240 would encourage you to memorize. One of them is for 12 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:36.119 when you're young, and another one is for when you're old. 13 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:38.960 But the first one everybody can memorize. Us. It's only 14 00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:42.039 one sentence, Psalm seventy one sixteen. Look at this verse, 15 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:46.479 I walk in the strength of the Lord. I walk 16 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:50.399 in the strength of the Lord. That's an affirmation, Psalm 17 00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:52.679 seventy one sixteen. In fact, let's memorize it right now. 18 00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:57.840 Let's say it together, Psalm seventy one sixteen. I walk 19 00:00:58.159 --> 00:00:59.799 in the strength of the Lord. 20 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:00.759 And where is that verse? 21 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:05.519 Psalm seventy one sixteen. And what a Psalm seventy one sixteen, say, 22 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:09.040 I walk in the string of the Lord. Here's what 23 00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:11.200 I encourage you to do. Write that verse on a 24 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:14.680 card and read it over and over and over till 25 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:17.439 you got memorized, so you can say it ten times 26 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:20.040 a day. And here's what you do. You make it 27 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:23.640 the most important affirmation in your life. And when you 28 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:25.719 get up in the morning and you want to go 29 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:28.959 right back to bed, and you're worn out, and you go, 30 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:31.599 I don't even have enough energy to get started today. 31 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:34.400 You sit on the side of your bed and you say, 32 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:38.680 I walk in the strength of the Lord. And then 33 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:40.879 when you get up and you go to school or 34 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:43.599 you go to work, whatever you're doing, and you have 35 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:46.879 that first conflict with somebody, you say, I walk in 36 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:50.599 the strength of the Lord. And later in the afternoon, 37 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:53.159 when you get a phone call and it's bad news 38 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:56.439 and it's terrible, and you're frustrated and you're scared, and 39 00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:59.799 it creates anxiety and stress, you say, I walk in 40 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:03.519 the strength of the Lord. When late in the day 41 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:05.680 you're just running out of energy and there's still a 42 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:08.560 whole lot more to do, you say to yourself, I 43 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:12.599 walk in the strength of the Lord. And when you 44 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:14.560 go to bed at night, as you put your head 45 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:17.719 down on the pillow and all of the things that 46 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:19.719 you didn't get done, and all of the worries and 47 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.159 the fears and loneliness and any other thing that tends 48 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:25.280 to pile in you say, I walk in the strength 49 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:29.639 of the Lord. That is the kind of woman, God 50 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:33.680 bless us. That is the kind of man, God bless us. 51 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:37.479 I walk in the strength of the Lord. I don't 52 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:40.199 just depend on God's wisdom and do the right thing. 53 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:43.280 I do the right thing with the right power. I'm 54 00:02:43.319 --> 00:02:45.599 not doing the right thing under my power. I'm doing 55 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:49.360 the right thing under God's power. God, I need you 56 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:51.400 to give me the energy I need to plug into 57 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:56.439 the power. When you get older, you're going to face 58 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:01.560 the pains and problems of aging, and that gets pretty frightening. 59 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:04.280 Just talk to somebody who's getting up in age and 60 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:07.479 asking that, And here's a good verse for then. When 61 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:10.360 maybe your body isn't working like it should, and your 62 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:12.080 mind isn't as sharp as it used to be, and 63 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:14.560 maybe you're starting to get a little alzheimer, a little 64 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:19.400 dementia saw him seventy three twenty six, as this, my 65 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:23.520 health may fail and my spirit may grow weak, but 66 00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:28.439 God remains the strength of my heart, He is mine forever. 67 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:33.159 That's a great verse to remember. Everything may else fall 68 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:35.199 a part of my life, but God is the strength 69 00:03:35.240 --> 00:03:38.240 of my heart. He is mine forever. One of the 70 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:42.080 most famous Christians of the nineteenth century was a guy 71 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:46.840 named Hudson Taylor. He was a very famous missionary to China, 72 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:51.400 and he was a spiritual giant, a brilliant man. Later, 73 00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:53.599 though in age, he lived to be an old man. 74 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:56.520 And in his old age he lost his health and 75 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.800 became very, very weak. And he wrote this letter to 76 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:04.400 a friend, and it said this, I am so weak. 77 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:09.199 I can no longer work. I am so weak, I 78 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:12.199 can no longer study. I'm so weak, I can no 79 00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:16.439 longer read my Bible. I cannot even pray. I can 80 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:19.680 only lie still in the arms of God like a 81 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:25.839 little child, and trust that's good enough. Sometimes in your 82 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:28.759 life you're gonna be so weak you can't even pray. 83 00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:32.160 Sometimes in your life you're gonna be so weak. You 84 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:34.920 can't read the Bible, you can't go to a Bible study, 85 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:37.279 you can't work, you can't do anything. What do you 86 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:39.560 do in those moments you're just laying there in bed 87 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:44.560 so weak. I rest in the strength of the Lord 88 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:49.519 in his arms like a little child, and I trust you. See, 89 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:52.879 weakness can actually be a good thing in your life 90 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:55.279 if it causes you to depend on God. Look at 91 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:57.319 this verse up here on the screen. This is from 92 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:00.879 Saint Paul. Paul says this Tewod Corinthians twelve. Well, three 93 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:04.120 times I begged God to take away my weakness. And 94 00:05:04.199 --> 00:05:06.279 you got some weaknesses you'd like God take away. You've 95 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:09.959 probably asked them to. And each time God said, my 96 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:15.680 grace is all you need. My power works best in 97 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:18.720 your weakness, so you don't anything else, You just need me. 98 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:22.519 My power works best in your weakness. So Paul says, 99 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:26.319 I now gladly boast. I boast about how weak I am. 100 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:28.439 I used to hide my weaknesses. I used to be 101 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:31.879 ashamed of my weaknesses, Paul says, not anymore. I'm proud 102 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:35.399 of my weaknesses. Why because when i'm weakness, the power 103 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:39.480 of Christ works in me and shows up through me. 104 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:44.920 And when I'm weak, then I am strong. See that's 105 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:48.639 the paradox of depending on God. The more you're weak, 106 00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:50.800 the more you depend on God. The more you depend 107 00:05:50.839 --> 00:05:54.560 on God, the stronger you get. And you do the 108 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:56.800 right thing. But you do it in the power of God, 109 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:59.600 not in your own power. Now there's a third one 110 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:03.720 is big one where you can learn dependence. Being porn 111 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:07.160 spirit this week so God can bless you. And Tom's 112 00:06:07.160 --> 00:06:10.480 gonna come talk about it. To be blessed by God, 113 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:13.360 I depend on God's wisdom and I depend on God's strength. 114 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:16.399 But the third thing is I depend on God's timing, 115 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:22.040 not mine. I depend on God's timing, not mine. 116 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:28.000 The older I get, the more I understand how timing 117 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:30.639 is so important in every area of life. Look at 118 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:33.040 it in sports you can see it easily. The difference 119 00:06:33.079 --> 00:06:36.480 between a professional pitcher and an amateur is timing. The 120 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:40.519 difference between a professional golf player and an amateur is timing. 121 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:43.600 You can see it in things like cooking. A professional 122 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:45.680 cook knows that it takes thirty seven seconds in the 123 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.319 toaster for the perfect pop tart. They know that if 124 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:50.519 they're a real professional. You just see it in all 125 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:53.279 kinds of areas of life. You see it in your life. 126 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:57.319 God's timing, the right timing is God working in the 127 00:06:57.399 --> 00:07:00.199 right way in your life. The Bible's really clear about 128 00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:03.120 the fact that there are seasons to our life and 129 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:05.000 the fact I don't like this. But the fact is 130 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:07.120 one of those seasons that God talks about again and 131 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:10.639 again is the season of waiting. He is working in 132 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:14.000 our lives during this season of waiting. While you're waiting, 133 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.439 God is working. Don't think that the season of waiting 134 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:21.480 means that God has stopped working. He's still working. He's 135 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:24.600 just taking us through a season of waiting because of timing, 136 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:26.959 because of what he's doing in our lives, because of 137 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:30.079 what he's doing in circumstances. So that's why the Bible 138 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:32.839 says in Psal I'm thirty one fourteen and fifteen. I 139 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:36.560 trust in you, Oh Lord, you are my God. My 140 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:43.519 times are in your hands. You're going to spend a 141 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:46.879 lot of life waiting, And if you don't figure out 142 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:48.720 how to trust God while you're waiting, you're going to 143 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:51.120 spend a lot of life not trusting God, because there's 144 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:53.720 a lot of life where we are in God's waiting room. 145 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.000 You ever been in a hurry when God wasn't that 146 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:58.319 happened to anybody else, And I'm talking about I mean, 147 00:07:58.360 --> 00:07:59.720 you want it to go along, but it's just not 148 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:03.600 going and alone. God is never in a hurry. God 149 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:07.240 is never in a hurry. Because he's eternal, and he 150 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:10.439 is watching, he is working, he is seeing how and 151 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:13.560 when you will trust him. As you're waiting, we're saying when, Lord, 152 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:15.199 when is it going to happen? And God's saying, what 153 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:18.000 am I doing in your life? You can trust me 154 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:21.639 with this now. The problem with waiting is our human 155 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:24.839 nature and the culture around us. Everything about it says, 156 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:27.360 don't wait, get things as quickly as you can. And 157 00:08:27.399 --> 00:08:30.040 when we have fast track and fast passes, and one 158 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:32.960 of the best business magazines is Fast Company. Everything is 159 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:35.080 fast when I go through the drives through. I don't 160 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:37.159 know if you guys are like this forgetting food. I 161 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:39.159 like to give my food at the first window, and 162 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:40.720 I want to see the bag come out so I 163 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:42.759 can just sort of keep driving by and grab it 164 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:44.399 as I go by. I don't want to even wait 165 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:47.000 twenty seconds. That's the way we tend to be wired 166 00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:50.120 in our culture, and it goes against it goes against 167 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:53.840 God's blessing in our lives, because God's blessing comes through 168 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:58.200 these times of waiting. Ecclesiastes three to eleven says God 169 00:08:58.440 --> 00:09:03.559 has set the right time time for everything. Now I 170 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:05.159 know some of you right now, you are in a 171 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:08.840 time of waiting. Maybe it's for school to end, Maybe 172 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:12.320 it's for man or a woman to come into your life. 173 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:14.399 Maybe it's for a marriage to happen, for a baby 174 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:16.960 to come. You're in this time of waiting in your life, 175 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:20.600 and if you're honest, you would say I'm frustrated right 176 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:23.960 now without slow this is working. We've all been there 177 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:26.759 at times. There's a promise in the Bible that tells 178 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:29.720 you not only that God is working, but also how 179 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:32.440 God is working. It's an important promise to understand for 180 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:34.840 how God works in our lives during these times of waiting. 181 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:38.360 Isaiah sixty, verse twenty two says, I am the Lord, 182 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:41.879 and when it is time, I will make these things 183 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:46.960 happen quickly. Here's how God's working in how he works 184 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:49.200 in our lives, and it will drive you crazy. You 185 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:51.720 wait and wait and wait for something, and then all 186 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:53.519 of a sudden, God just gives it to you all 187 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:55.720 at once, and it's just overwhelming, and you say, I 188 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:57.679 was asking for it, but could you slow it down 189 00:09:57.720 --> 00:09:58.200 a little bit? 190 00:09:58.279 --> 00:09:58.519 Now? 191 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:01.279 This can happen when I know a lot of people 192 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:04.480 who've been through adoptions like this, where they've started the 193 00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:06.799 adoption process, and they thought the adoption was going to 194 00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:09.000 go through in a few months, and they waited months 195 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:11.559 and months and sometimes years and years and thought it 196 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:13.600 never was going to happen. And then they get the 197 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:16.559 phone call, and the phone call says, Okay, we got 198 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:19.080 the baby for you. Are you ready in two days 199 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:21.039 and you've got to go pick them up in another country? 200 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:23.559 Can you do that? That's how God works many times. 201 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:26.519 That's how God works in sending Jesus into this world. 202 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:29.799 The Bible tells us that the world waited thousands of 203 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:32.200 years for Jesus to come the first time, but at 204 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:35.200 the right time, Jesus came into the world. And we've 205 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:37.679 been waiting two thousand years now for Jesus to come again. 206 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:40.639 When's he going to come again? God's right time, That's 207 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:43.360 when he's going to come. You might write this down 208 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:46.840 in your outline, just this sentence. A delay is not 209 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:52.840 a denial. Just remember that a delay is not a denial. 210 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:55.799 We think God is saying no, but really God is 211 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:59.200 saying not yet. Will you keep trusting me through This 212 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:01.840 just has to do many times with how we talk 213 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:04.279 to God about how we pray. Sometimes when we pray 214 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:06.519 about something, we say, God, it's like, I want to 215 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:08.240 give you first option on this. Can you do this 216 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:10.240 really fast? If you don't get it done, then I'm 217 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:11.919 gonna go get it done myself. I don't care what 218 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:13.919 I have to do. I'm gonna get it done. And 219 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:17.120 God said, no, are you trusting me? Micah talked about that. 220 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:21.559 Micah seven seven says, I trust the Lord to save 221 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:24.320 me and I will wait on him. I'm not gonna 222 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:26.000 go out and get it myself. I'm not going to 223 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:30.879 accomplish this myself. I'm gonna wait on him to answer 224 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:33.960 my prayer. That that is the kind of faith that 225 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:34.799 God bless us. 226 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:38.440 One of the things that Tom just said, and I 227 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:40.639 didn't see you boy writing it down, and it's brilliant. 228 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:43.159 So you need to write this down. While I'm waiting, 229 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:47.080 God's working. You need to write that down. He said, Wow, 230 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:50.360 I'm waiting, God's working. A lot of times we think 231 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:53.559 while I'm waiting, nothing's happening, But God is often working 232 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:57.240 behind the scenes in ways you can't even see, to 233 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:00.240 get you ready for the answer to your prayer. While 234 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:03.960 you're waiting. God's working. It's not like God's waiting while 235 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:07.639 you're waiting God's working. Good example of that is how 236 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:11.120 we got this land for Saddleback Church here at Lake Forest. 237 00:12:11.799 --> 00:12:14.879 You know, we started over here many many years ago, 238 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:17.919 over in Laguna Hills High School, and the church began 239 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:20.600 to grow, and the more it began to grow, we 240 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:22.759 had to go to other different buildings, and at one 241 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:25.559 point we were using four different high schools in the 242 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:29.000 same week. We're using Laguna Hills High School on one day, 243 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:31.799 mission to Llo High School on another day, Eltorro High 244 00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:34.000 School on another day, and Tribuca Hills High School on 245 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:37.159 another day. In fact, in the first thirteen years of 246 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:40.200 this church, because we didn't have any land to build on, 247 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:44.759 we used seventy nine different buildings. Can you imagine that. 248 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:47.159 We said, we're the church. If you can figure out 249 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:50.480 where we are this week, you get to come. And 250 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:52.679 we were literally, you know, there's a church up in 251 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:55.000 La called the Church on the Way. We were the 252 00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:58.120 Church on the move because you never knew where we 253 00:12:58.120 --> 00:13:01.679 were from week to week. And the church kept growing, 254 00:13:02.039 --> 00:13:04.679 and we went from one service to two services, to 255 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:07.559 three services to four services, and I'm getting tired to 256 00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:11.240 five services the six services and I'm going anytime Lord, 257 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:14.120 we'd like to have a building now. And I'd look 258 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:16.639 around at friends of mine who were pastors. They they 259 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:19.879 got a building, and they got a building, and they 260 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:22.000 got a building. And one day God said to me, Rick, 261 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:25.960 who you doing this for? He said, well, I'm doing 262 00:13:25.960 --> 00:13:26.279 it for you. 263 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:26.679 Lord. 264 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:30.840 He said, well does it matter what other What does 265 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:32.720 it matter to you what I do in other people's lives? 266 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:36.360 You just follow me? And he said, would you still 267 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:39.519 serve me if the church I call you to lead 268 00:13:39.559 --> 00:13:44.919 and pastor never has a building. I said, of course 269 00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:48.320 they would, Of course they would. The fact is, while 270 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:52.879 we were waiting, God was working, and God was preparing 271 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:56.080 this piece of land one hundred and twenty acres that's 272 00:13:56.120 --> 00:14:01.919 bigger than most college campuses. And but the problem was 273 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:05.559 nobody knew where this piece was because while we were 274 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:09.399 starting the church, there was no city of Rancho Santa Margharita, 275 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:12.320 there was no city, a foothill ranch, there wasn't even 276 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:15.559 a lake forest, there was an El Toro. There were 277 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:18.960 no roads around here, there was no a freeway. This 278 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:22.440 was a cow pasture. Nobody even knew it was here. 279 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:26.519 But a thousand years ago, millions years ago, God had 280 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:29.120 already planned That's where I'm gonna put part of my church, 281 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:31.639 part of my body called saddleback. I'm gonna put them 282 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:35.639 right there. And we just had to wait for everything 283 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:38.360 to happen, for God to give us this piece of property. 284 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:42.039 And I can't tell you how many times we were 285 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:45.519 tempted in early years to settle for something small. And 286 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:47.559 people say, here's a half acre of land, here's a 287 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:50.480 third acre of land. We could have bought that, and 288 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:52.720 h time it said no, no, it's too small, it's too small, 289 00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:56.759 And and I just kept trusting God for this. If 290 00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:58.399 we had bought it, we would have built a church 291 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:03.039 at seated two hundred, and none of you would be here. Now, 292 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:05.759 let me just give you a little lesson. God always 293 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:09.679 gives his best to those who wait. And if you 294 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:12.480 get in a hurry, you're gonna settle for second best 295 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:16.279 in your life. And before God brings the best man 296 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:19.200 into your life, the best woman into your life, the 297 00:15:19.240 --> 00:15:22.639 best job into your life, the best opportunity in your life, 298 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:26.720 Satan's going to give you all kinds of detours. And 299 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:29.279 he say, hey, see me over here, me over here, 300 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:31.399 And you go, oh, you know, I'm getting tired. Why 301 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:35.360 don't I just pick this one, and you settle for 302 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:39.120 less than God's best in your life. Don't do it. 303 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:42.399 As your pastor who loves you, I'm telling you, don't 304 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:46.120 do it. If you will wait for God's best. God 305 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:49.440 always gives his best to those who leave the choice 306 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:54.080 to him. But if you get frantic, and you get nervous, 307 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:56.720 and you get in a hurry, and you start trying 308 00:15:56.720 --> 00:16:00.240 to answer your own prayer, you will have of a 309 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:05.720 fatal flaw and a terrible mistake in your life when 310 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:08.480 you try to answer on That's what Abraham did. God 311 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:11.440 promised Abraham, I'm going to give you a son. And 312 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:13.519 when it didn't happen, it didn't happen. It didn't happen, 313 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:16.000 It didn't happen. It didn't happen because his wife was 314 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:20.840 unable to conceive at that point. He took her handmaid, 315 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:24.159 got her pregnant and had a little boy named Ishmael 316 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:26.559 and said, here, God, I got the miracle son Jesus. 317 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:28.919 And God's just that's not the baby I'm gonna give you. 318 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:33.320 That's your plan. That's not my plan. That's your plan. 319 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:38.639 If you want God's blessing, you got to learn this 320 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:43.120 truth very deeply. Spiritual poverty means I don't do it myself. 321 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:47.279 I depend on God's wisdom. I depend on God's strength, 322 00:16:47.799 --> 00:16:51.240 and I depend on God's timing, and he'll answer it 323 00:16:51.440 --> 00:16:54.080 when he's ready to answer it. And when he knows 324 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:59.240 I'm ready for the answer, I'm gonna trust him, all right, 325 00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:01.159 Number four? Or let me give you another way to 326 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:04.359 practice this week to be blessed by God. I depend 327 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.000 on God's wisdom, God's strength, God time me. And they 328 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:12.400 also depend on God's defense, not mine. I'll explain this, 329 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:19.480 but I depend on God's defense, not mine. There's always 330 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:22.000 going to be people in your life who misunderstand you. 331 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:22.880 Do you agree with that? 332 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:26.680 There'll always be people around you misunderstand There always people 333 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:27.680 people who don't like you. 334 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:29.720 There will always be people who. 335 00:17:29.559 --> 00:17:35.519 Criticize you, judge you, attack you, gossip about you, spread 336 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:37.720 rumors about you, and a lot of people. You know, 337 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:40.359 if I could just be perfect, then everybody would like me. Wrong. 338 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:43.960 Jesus was perfect and a lot of people didn't write 339 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:46.720 like him. So even if you were perfect, even if 340 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:49.839 you were Jesus, there'd be people who are never just 341 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:52.960 not going to like you, and so they're going to 342 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:55.759 attack and they're going to criticize, and they're going to 343 00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:58.720 try to get and even in your closest relationships, those 344 00:17:58.720 --> 00:18:02.359 who love you most, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your husband, 345 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:05.400 your wife, those who love your most, you're still going 346 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:07.319 to be misunderstood by them, because we live in a 347 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:11.480 broken world. And when you are misunderstood, you're going to 348 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:14.559 have a tendency to get in there and defend yourself. 349 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:16.759 And when you're. 350 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:20.279 Attacked, your tendency is attacked back. When people criticize you, 351 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:23.359 you want to criticize back. People slam you. You want 352 00:18:23.400 --> 00:18:27.039 to slam them back. People insult you, You want to 353 00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:30.880 insult them back. You're out on the freeway. Somebody expresses 354 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:36.440 it to you, the international sign of displeasure. You want 355 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:39.519 to express the international sign of displeasure back to them. 356 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:45.839 Don't do it. Let God be your defender. Don't defend yourself. 357 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:48.599 God says every time you get under tack, get criticized, 358 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:51.880 get put down, get misunderstood. Now you got two choices. 359 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:55.079 You can defend yourself or you're gonna let me defend you. 360 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:56.799 What it'll be? Who do you think can do a 361 00:18:56.839 --> 00:19:00.480 better job of defending you? God? Kid? 362 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:10.160 Hey, thanks for listening to pastor Rick's Daily Hope Right now, 363 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:14.160 here's Pastor Rick with a special message. Hi, everybody, this 364 00:19:14.279 --> 00:19:18.480 is Pastor Rick. I would like to thank you. Thank 365 00:19:18.519 --> 00:19:20.880 you for being a part of our Daily Hope family. 366 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:23.759 I don't get to say that often enough, but your 367 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:29.559 generosity is helping us share the hope of Jesus with 368 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:32.720 people here at home and literally all around the world, 369 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:37.000 even in places where it's difficult and even dangerous to 370 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:39.640 get the good news. You know, I recently heard from 371 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:44.160 a woman named Eunice in Cameroon. Cameroon is a country 372 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:46.440 in Central Africa, and she wrote to me. She said, 373 00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:50.680 Pastor Rick, I lost both of my son, both my 374 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:54.319 son and my daughter in the war, and now I'm 375 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:59.240 raising four grandchildren on my own. I was overwhelmed with grief. 376 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:03.480 But then she says, but through the Daily Hope devotionals, 377 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:10.440 I have found strength and comfort and peace in God's word. 378 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:14.640 So thank you for helping me hold on to hope. 379 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:15.279 Wow. 380 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:21.319 That's powerful. That's powerful, and that happened because your giving 381 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:26.200 is helping Eunus find the strength to carry on, to 382 00:20:26.359 --> 00:20:30.119 raise her grandchildren and to keep trusting God even through 383 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:34.599 the deep loss of her kids. Now, right now, I 384 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:36.240 wanted to tell you about this because we have a 385 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:41.640 special opportunity. They're some generous friends who have offered a 386 00:20:41.799 --> 00:20:45.839 matching grant. What that means is whatever you give will 387 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:49.359 be doubled. Okay, they'll match it. That means whatever you 388 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:53.680 give today will go twice as far to reach even 389 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:57.559 more people with God's word. So can I ask you favor. 390 00:20:58.039 --> 00:21:00.720 I want to encourage you and give your best gift 391 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:06.000 you can today. But together, let's keep bringing the hope 392 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:09.680 of Jesus Christ to people like unus and to the 393 00:21:09.720 --> 00:21:14.240 billions of other people who still need to hear. There 394 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:16.079 are still people who've never heard. 395 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:18.680 The name of Jesus. We want to keep expanding to 396 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:23.119 get the message to the whole world. So help us out. 397 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:26.960 Let me just close and saying I love you, I do, 398 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:30.640 I love you, I thank God for you, and I 399 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:34.960 am so grateful that we are in this mission together. 400 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:36.440 God bless you. 401 00:21:36.839 --> 00:21:39.720