Speaker 1: This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the audio broadcast ministry
Speaker 1: of Pastor Rick Warren. Today we continue in our series
Speaker 1: called Strategies for Stressful Times. In these lessons, Rick SHARE's
Speaker 1: biblical wisdom for navigating difficult and stressful times so that
Speaker 1: you can experience God's peace and thrive in any situation. Now,
Speaker 1: in just a bit, we're going to tell you how
Speaker 1: you can get a very special copy of Pastor Rick's
Speaker 1: number one selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, with a
Speaker 1: classic leather cover. As you journey through this book, you'll
Speaker 1: discover the purposes you were created for and begin living
Speaker 1: the life of significance you were meant to live. This
Speaker 1: is a limited time offer, so go to pastorick dot
Speaker 1: com right now to find out more, or text the
Speaker 1: word Hope to eight hundred, six hundred five thousand and four.
Speaker 1: Now here's Pastor Rick Warren with the final part of
Speaker 1: a message called how to be Happy no matter what happens.
Speaker 2: If you live for the approval of other people, you
Speaker 2: get your happiness from the approval of other people, whether
Speaker 2: it's likes on your Facebook page or how many people
Speaker 2: give you a thumbs up on your Instagram or whatever.
Speaker 2: If you live for the approval of others, you will
Speaker 2: die by their disapproval. Okay, that's the wrong way to
Speaker 2: find happiness. You have to learn you don't need anybody
Speaker 2: else's approval to be happy. You were as happy as
Speaker 2: you choose to be first Thesalonians five eighteen. No matter
Speaker 2: what happens, that's the theme of this message. No matter
Speaker 2: what happens, always be thankful for this is God's will
Speaker 2: for you who belong to Jesus Christ. Notice this is
Speaker 2: God's will. You want to be in the center of
Speaker 2: God's will. Always be grateful and thankful, even no matter
Speaker 2: what happens, no matter what other people say, what other
Speaker 2: people do. Okay, now let's review. I've already given you
Speaker 2: two principles. You can be happy no matter what happens
Speaker 2: in your life if you choose to do two things.
Speaker 2: The first, remember that God can bring good out of anything.
Speaker 2: That's Romans eight twenty eight. And so you look at
Speaker 2: the situation with faith not fear. Just start saying, God,
Speaker 2: help me to look at everything that happens in my
Speaker 2: life with faith not fear. Look at problems, look at pain,
Speaker 2: look at people, look at pressure with faith not fear.
Speaker 2: And then number two, never let what other people say
Speaker 2: or what other people do control your attitude. These are powerful.
Speaker 2: We could just stop right there, but Paul has two
Speaker 2: more keys to being happy in life no matter what happens.
Speaker 2: Third number three, I can be happy no matter what happens.
Speaker 2: If I choose to write this down, trust God to
Speaker 2: always work things out. That's the third key. I must
Speaker 2: trust God to always work things out, whether it's pain
Speaker 2: or pressure, or problems or people. This is the third
Speaker 2: faith factor in happiness. You're gonna either worry about what's
Speaker 2: happening in your life, or you're gonna worship. You're gonna panic,
Speaker 2: or you're going to pray. You're gonna have faith, or
Speaker 2: you're gonna have fear. This is verse nineteen in Philippians
Speaker 2: chapter one. He says this, I will continue to rejoice.
Speaker 2: Now circle again the word will. If you're taking notes
Speaker 2: on the outline, that's a choice. It's a choice of
Speaker 2: the will. It's a decision. I will continue to rejoice.
Speaker 2: Why for I know that as you pray for me,
Speaker 2: and as the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, all
Speaker 2: that happened will all turn out for my mind deliverance.
Speaker 2: Remember He's writing this from prison. He has no physical
Speaker 2: evidence of this. This is a statement of faith, not
Speaker 2: of fear. Now in that verse I just read, if
Speaker 2: you're looking at it still, Paul gives four sources of
Speaker 2: strength in tough times. I want you to circle these
Speaker 2: four sources. First, I have God's perspective on my problem
Speaker 2: that helps me be happy. Notice it says, for I know,
Speaker 2: circle the word No, that's God's perspective. I know. I
Speaker 2: don't guess, I don't imagine, I don't hope, I don't think.
Speaker 2: I know. I have God's perspective. And I'm looking at
Speaker 2: my situation, the pain, the problems, the pressures, the people.
Speaker 2: I'm looking at it from God's point of view. I
Speaker 2: have God's perspective of my problem, I know. Second, I
Speaker 2: have people praying for me. Did you notice that's circle
Speaker 2: the word pray. You're praying for me. That gives makes
Speaker 2: me happy. Number three, I have the Holy Spirit helping me.
Speaker 2: He says, I've got the spirit of God in me.
Speaker 2: And then number four, he says, I have the faith
Speaker 2: that God will work it out for good. Therefore I
Speaker 2: choose to be happy. He says, I will. That's a choice. Now,
Speaker 2: trusting God when you don't see the whole picture and
Speaker 2: you can't see the end of the story. Trusting God
Speaker 2: gives you hope, It gives you courage, and it gives
Speaker 2: you happiness. Look at the next verse there in Philippians,
Speaker 2: Chapter one, verse twenty. It is my eager expectation. That's
Speaker 2: faith and hope. That's hope. It's my eager expectation and
Speaker 2: hope that I will not be ashamed. Remember he's in
Speaker 2: prison as he's writing this, but that with full courage
Speaker 2: now as always, Christ will be honored in my body,
Speaker 2: whether by life or by death. He goes, I don't
Speaker 2: know the end of my story. I don't know if
Speaker 2: I'm going to get out of this prison and be
Speaker 2: a free man again, or if they're going to, you know,
Speaker 2: feed me to the lions, or I'm going to be
Speaker 2: set in with gladiators or just be hung or crucified.
Speaker 2: He said, I don't know whether by life or death.
Speaker 2: I am trusting God. I love this verse Hebrews ten
Speaker 2: thirty five. There on your outline, it says this in
Speaker 2: the Living Bible, do not let your happy trust in
Speaker 2: the Lord die away. Do not let your happy trust
Speaker 2: in the Lord die away. Don't let it fall away
Speaker 2: no matter what happens. He says, remember your reward. That's
Speaker 2: long term perspective. Short term, I see all the problems
Speaker 2: and the pain and the pressures and the people. Long term,
Speaker 2: I see the reward. Don't let your happy trust circle
Speaker 2: the word phrase happy trust. Happiness and trust go together.
Speaker 2: If you don't trust God, you're going to be fearful
Speaker 2: and unhappy for most of your life. You must choose
Speaker 2: to trust God, just like you have to choose to
Speaker 2: be happy, and no matter what it looks like.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Rick will be
Speaker 1: back in just a moment with the rest of today's lesson.
Speaker 1: If you've missed any part of today's teaching, you can
Speaker 1: listen online anytime at Pastorick dot com. That's pastorick dot com.
Speaker 3: Do you ever wonder if your life really matters? Or
Speaker 3: what on earth are you here for? Pastor Rick says
Speaker 3: God has a good plan and purpose for your life,
Speaker 3: and in his best selling book, The Purpose Driven Life,
Speaker 3: he lays out an easy to follow roadmap for your
Speaker 3: spiritual journey, a journey that will transform your life. As
Speaker 3: you go through this book, you'll discover that real meaning
Speaker 3: and significance come from understanding and fulfilling God's purpose for
Speaker 3: you here on earth, and how living out the purpose
Speaker 3: you are created for moves you beyond mere survival and
Speaker 3: success to a life of significance, the life you were
Speaker 3: meant to live. For a limited time, we are offering
Speaker 3: this timeless classic and a special leather edition featuring gold
Speaker 3: foil cover art and gilded pages. It's a great addition
Speaker 3: to your personal library and it also makes a wonderful
Speaker 3: gift with eternal benefits. Get your special edition of The
Speaker 3: Purpose Driven Life with a beautiful leather cover today as
Speaker 3: a thank you for your gift to help take the
Speaker 3: hope of Jesus to people around the world through Daily Hope.
Speaker 3: Quantities are very limited, so act quickly. Go to Pastororrick
Speaker 3: dot com right now to get your copy. That's Pastororick
Speaker 3: dot com or you can call it eight hundred, six
Speaker 3: hundred five zero zero four. That's eight hundred at six
Speaker 3: hundred five zero zero four. Thank you so much for
Speaker 3: your support, and don't forget to tell us that you
Speaker 3: listen to Daily Hope on the radio.
Speaker 1: Now back to more from God's Word with Pastor Rick Warren.
Speaker 2: Let's just review now again. I can be happy no
Speaker 2: matter what happens in my life if I one choose
Speaker 2: to remember that God can bring good out of bad,
Speaker 2: out of anything. God can bring good out anything. God
Speaker 2: specializes in that. If I look at every situation with
Speaker 2: faith not fear. Would you start saying, God, help me
Speaker 2: to look at every situation with faith not fear. If
Speaker 2: I never let what other people say or do control
Speaker 2: my attitudes, and if I trust God to always work
Speaker 2: things out. I know this is not the end of
Speaker 2: the story. Some of you, you're at the end of
Speaker 2: a chapter in your life, but you're not at the
Speaker 2: end of your story. Now. Finally, there is a fourth
Speaker 2: principle in this Philippians Chapter one powerful passage on how
Speaker 2: to be happy. Finally, I can be happy no matter
Speaker 2: what happens in my life if I choose to do this.
Speaker 2: For thing number four, write it down. Stay focused on
Speaker 2: my purpose, not my problem. Stay focused on my purpose,
Speaker 2: the purpose of your life, God's purpose for real, not
Speaker 2: your problem. Now again, remember what Paul is experiencing as
Speaker 2: he writes these words. Paul is old. He's in bad health,
Speaker 2: his body aches, he's in a dank dark, depressing, Roman
Speaker 2: prison and a dungeon. He's awaiting death by persecution, our execution.
Speaker 2: They've taken away everything. They've taken away his freedom, they've
Speaker 2: taken away his friends. They've even taken away his privacy.
Speaker 2: He's chained to a guard twenty four hours a day.
Speaker 2: He doesn't even have any privacy. But they couldn't take
Speaker 2: away his purpose, God's purpose for his life. And that's
Speaker 2: why Paul says this. In verses twenty two to twenty
Speaker 2: five of Philippians, Chapter one, he says, by continuing to live,
Speaker 2: I can do more worthwhile work for Christ. He goes,
Speaker 2: If I continue to live and I can do more
Speaker 2: worthwhile work for Christ, then I'm not sure which I
Speaker 2: should choose. He says, I'm pulled in two directions. I
Speaker 2: want very much to leave this life and be with
Speaker 2: Christ's talking about in heaven, which is a far better thing,
Speaker 2: No more sadness, sorrow, sickness, tears, suffering. I want to
Speaker 2: very much to leave this life and be with Christ.
Speaker 2: It's a far better thing. But he says, for your sake,
Speaker 2: it's much more important than I remain alive. And then
Speaker 2: he says, I am sure of this, So I know
Speaker 2: that I will stay on with you all so I
Speaker 2: can add to your progress and joy in the faith.
Speaker 2: He says. The reason I'm here is not for my benefit.
Speaker 2: The reason I'm still here is for your benefit. I'm
Speaker 2: writing these letters to all the different churches which became
Speaker 2: the New Testament, so I can add to your progress
Speaker 2: and joy. Now noticed here, Paul has a purpose very clear.
Speaker 2: It even explains what its purpose is. He says, I'm
Speaker 2: living for your benefit and for the glory of God.
Speaker 2: But Paul has a purpose not just for living. Paul
Speaker 2: has a purpose for dying too. He says, I really
Speaker 2: don't know whether it's better for me to stay here
Speaker 2: and go on to heaven. Listen, you're not ready to
Speaker 2: fully live until you know clearly what you'd die for.
Speaker 2: What are you willing to live for? What are you
Speaker 2: willing to die for? Paul says, on earth, my purpose
Speaker 2: is to serve God by serving others. After I die,
Speaker 2: my purpose is to be with God forever in heaven.
Speaker 2: And Paul is saying, I just stay alive for the
Speaker 2: sake of others. Wow, he says, you know selfishly, it'd
Speaker 2: be better for me to go on to heaven. No,
Speaker 2: more problems, no more pain, no more no more pressures,
Speaker 2: no more picky people. Now, don't miss this fourth secret
Speaker 2: principle of happiness. I'm gonna say it as clearly as
Speaker 2: I can say it. Happiness does not come from self
Speaker 2: gratification living for yourself. Happiness does not come from selfishness.
Speaker 2: It doesn't come from living a self centered life all
Speaker 2: about me, Me, Me, myself and I the kingdom of me.
Speaker 2: Happiness never comes from selfishness. Happiness doesn't come from self gratification.
Speaker 2: Happiness comes from self sacrifice, living for the benefit of
Speaker 2: the glory of God and in order to serve others. Now,
Speaker 2: Paul sums up his entire purpose and the entire reason
Speaker 2: he is happy, regardless of what happens in his life.
Speaker 2: He sums it up in a single sentence, one of
Speaker 2: the most famous sentences in the Bible, Philippians, Chapter one,
Speaker 2: verse twenty one. Paul says it, here, here's my purpose.
Speaker 2: He's purpose driven. For me to live is Christ and
Speaker 2: to die is gain. For me to live is Christ
Speaker 2: and to die is gain. I'm going to go be
Speaker 2: with my Savior, who died for me, who loved me,
Speaker 2: who created me, who filled me. You had a purpose
Speaker 2: for my life. For me to live is Christ. For
Speaker 2: me to die is gain. I'm not afraid of death.
Speaker 2: It's where I want to be. I don't want to
Speaker 2: live on a broken world for the rest of eternity.
Speaker 2: Now let me close and wrap this up by asking
Speaker 2: how would you fill in the blank? For me to
Speaker 2: live is what would you put as the last phrase.
Speaker 2: For me to live is my hobby. For me to
Speaker 2: live is my sport. For me to live is to
Speaker 2: make more money. For me to live is to get
Speaker 2: a house, to have nice things. For me to live
Speaker 2: as a promotion, how would you fill that last line?
Speaker 2: For me to live is the approval of others. For
Speaker 2: me to live as sex. For me to live is
Speaker 2: getting married. For me to live is becoming well known,
Speaker 2: being known as a success. Friends. And I'm sharing my
Speaker 2: heart with you right now. How you fill in that
Speaker 2: blank will determine happiness for the rest of your life.
Speaker 2: For me to live is and until you're able to
Speaker 2: say the right thing there, you're going to have a
Speaker 2: lot of misery in your life because all of those
Speaker 2: other things lead to unhappiness. Ultimately, there's only one answer
Speaker 2: that leads to happiness, no matter what happens. Are you
Speaker 2: ready to settle this issue today and get on with
Speaker 2: the rest of your life. To make the rest of
Speaker 2: your life the best of your life, You've got to
Speaker 2: fill in the blank correctly. For me to live is
Speaker 2: what's going to be the answer for the final years
Speaker 2: of your life, however many years that is, fifty years,
Speaker 2: seventy years, ten years, one year For me to live
Speaker 2: is I want to still bow our heads right now?
Speaker 2: Would you bow your head? And I want you to
Speaker 2: pray this prayer in your heart. Okay, Just say, Dear Jesus,
Speaker 2: he knows your thoughts, he knows things. Say it in
Speaker 2: your mind. Dear Jesus. You know that I often let
Speaker 2: my circumstances determine my happiness. Just say that. Tell that
Speaker 2: to God. Be honest to God God. I've often allowed
Speaker 2: the kill joys of pain and problems and pressures and
Speaker 2: picky people to rob my happiness. But I don't want
Speaker 2: that to be true anymore. Starting today, I want to
Speaker 2: practice these four principles of how to be happy no
Speaker 2: matter what happens. Secrets that Paul modeled help me to
Speaker 2: remember that you have a good plan even out of
Speaker 2: the bad things that happen in my life that you
Speaker 2: can turn bad into good. Help me to remember that
Speaker 2: your viewpoint is the key. Help me to look at
Speaker 2: everything in my life from your perspective. I want to
Speaker 2: be a wise man. I want to be a wise woman,
Speaker 2: and I want to handle the situations that come into
Speaker 2: my life that in a way that is a witness
Speaker 2: to non believers and is an encouragement to believers. Father,
Speaker 2: help me to remember that what other people say and
Speaker 2: what other people do does not control my happiness unless
Speaker 2: I choose to allow it. And help me to remember
Speaker 2: that things that I don't understand and things I can't
Speaker 2: figure out, I don't have to have the answer to
Speaker 2: trust you. I want to trust you to work it
Speaker 2: all out for good and help me to stay focused
Speaker 2: on your purpose for my life, not my problems. I
Speaker 2: want to use the rest of my life in serving You,
Speaker 2: by serving others, and then I want to be with
Speaker 2: You in heaven for eternity. So from this day on,
Speaker 2: I'm going to fill in the blank. For me to
Speaker 2: live will be Christ. Just say that to him for
Speaker 2: the rest of my life. I want the answer to
Speaker 2: be for me to live is Christ. I know he
Speaker 2: is the ultimate source of happiness. I ask you, Jesus Christ,
Speaker 2: to take over every area of my life, guide me
Speaker 2: and lead me, protect me, and use me in your name.
Speaker 2: Pra Amen. Hi everybody, this is Rick and I hope
Speaker 2: you enjoyed today's broadcast. You know, if you just prayed
Speaker 2: that prayer for the very first time, or you just
Speaker 2: recommitted your life to Jesus again today, would you let
Speaker 2: me know about it. There's something real about sharing your commitment.
Speaker 2: So 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. And I'll send you some material that will
Speaker 2: help you on your journey with Jesus. And I'll also
Speaker 2: pray for you. God bless you.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. If you've missed
Speaker 1: any part of this message, or you'd like to find
Speaker 1: out more about Pastor Rick Warren in this ministry, just
Speaker 1: visit Pastorrick dot com where you can listen online anytime.
Speaker 1: That's Pastorick dot com, and be sure to sign up
Speaker 1: for Rick's free daily email devotional. While you're there. Rick
Speaker 1: will be back to close out our time today. But first,
Speaker 1: do you ever wonder if your life really matters or
Speaker 1: what on earth am I here for. Pastor Rick says
Speaker 1: God has a good plan and purpose for your life,
Speaker 1: and in his best selling book, The Purpose Driven Life,
Speaker 1: he lays out an easy to follow roadmap for your
Speaker 1: spiritual journey, a journey that will transform your life. As
Speaker 1: you go through this book, you'll discover that real meaning
Speaker 1: and significance come from understanding and fulfilling God's purpose for
Speaker 1: you here on earth, and how living out the purpose
Speaker 1: you were created for moves you beyond mere survival and
Speaker 1: success to a life of significance, the life you were
Speaker 1: meant to live. For a limited time, we're offering this
Speaker 1: timeless classic in a special leather edition featuring gold foil
Speaker 1: cover art and gilded pages. It's a great addition to
Speaker 1: your personal library, and it also makes a wonderful gift
Speaker 1: with eternal benefits. Get your special edition of The Purpose
Speaker 1: Driven Life with a beautiful leather cover today as a
Speaker 1: thank you for your gift to help take the Hope
Speaker 1: of Jesus to people around the world through Daily Hope.
Speaker 1: Quantities are very limited, so act quickly. Go to Pastorick
Speaker 1: dot com right now to get your copy that's Pastorick
Speaker 1: dot com. Or you can call eight hundred six hundred
Speaker 1: five thousand and four. That's eight hundred six hundred five
Speaker 1: thousand and four. Thank you so much for your support,
Speaker 1: and don't forget to tell us you listen to Daily
Speaker 1: Hope on the radio. Here's Pastor Rick with a letter
Speaker 1: from one of our listeners.
Speaker 2: Friends. I love it when you write me, and today
Speaker 2: I want to take a moment to share an encouraging
Speaker 2: letter from a woman named Tara. She's a listener from
Speaker 2: Georgia who says putting God first every morning has changed
Speaker 2: her life. Here's what she wrote. Dear Pastor Rick, I'd
Speaker 2: like to thank you for your Daily Hope messages. I
Speaker 2: was going through a lot of depression and I was
Speaker 2: actually hating myself. I had no motivation to do anything
Speaker 2: but go to work and take care of my husband.
Speaker 2: Then one day I decided to start my mornings with
Speaker 2: a Daily Hope devotional, putting God first before my day began.
Speaker 2: Your teachings about putting God first at the first part
Speaker 2: of every day are so true. My thought processes are
Speaker 2: better now. I'm changing to habits that are healthier for me.
Speaker 2: But I know that if it wasn't for the Daily
Speaker 2: Hope teaching me about God's Word, I'd still be lost.
Speaker 2: So I want to thank God for you. I know
Speaker 2: my gift I sent wasn't much, but it came from
Speaker 2: my heart and I'll continue to pray for you and
Speaker 2: the broadcast and your family. Watara, I'm so sorry that
Speaker 2: you've had to struggle with depression. I've struggled with depression myself,
Speaker 2: so I'm encouraged to hear that you're starting each day
Speaker 2: with god Word because that's the only place that we
Speaker 2: can find lasting hope. And by the way, thanks for
Speaker 2: your gift. Doesn't matter what size it is. It's generosity
Speaker 2: just like yours that helps us reach more people with
Speaker 2: the joy and the promise and the grace of God.
Speaker 2: Somebody's donation allowed us to bless you with the teaching
Speaker 2: from Daily Hope, and now your donation is going to
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Speaker 2: and grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. Thanks for writing, Tara.
Speaker 1: If you'd like to bless Pastor Rick by letting him
Speaker 1: know how much this broadcast has helped you, please send
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Speaker 1: next time as we look into God's word for our
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Speaker 1: Hope and your generous financial support.