When You Feel Abandoned by God, Worship Him Anyway

“Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 TEV).

When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust Him in spite of your feelings, you worship Him in the deepest way.

Remember what God has already done for you. If God never did anything else for you, He would still deserve your continual praise for the rest of your life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. God’s Son died for you! This is the greatest reason for worship.

Unfortunately, we forget the cruel details of the agonizing sacrifice God made on our behalf. Familiarity breeds complacency. Even before His crucifixion, the Son of God was stripped naked, beaten until almost unrecognizable, whipped, scorned and mocked, crowned with thorns, and spit on contemptuously. Abused and ridiculed by heartless men, He was treated worse than an animal.

Then, nearly unconscious from blood loss, he was forced to drag a cumbersome cross up a hill, was nailed to it, and was left to die the slow, excruciating torture of death by crucifixion. While His lifeblood drained out, hecklers stood by and shouted insults, making fun of His pain and challenging His claim to be God.

Next, as Jesus took all of mankind’s sin and guilt on himself, God looked away from that ugly sight, and Jesus cried out in total desperation, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Jesus could have saved himself—but then He could not have saved you.

Words cannot describe the darkness of that moment. Why did God allow and endure such ghastly, evil mistreatment? Why? So you could be spared from eternity in hell, and so you could share in His glory forever! The Bible says, “Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in order that in union with Him we might share the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 TEV).

Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise. Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for.

Rick Warren

"I Trust God, but I'm Wiped Out"

“I believed, so I said, ‘I am completely ruined!’” (Psalm 116:10 NCV).

Did you know that admitting your hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith? Trusting God yet feeling despair at the same time, David wrote, “I believed, so I said, ‘I am completely ruined!’” (Psalm 116:10 NCV).

This sounds like a contradiction: I trust God, but I’m wiped out! David’s frankness actually reveals deep faith: First, he believed in God. Second, he believed God would listen to his prayer. Third, he believed God would let him say what he felt and still love him.

Focus on who God is—his unchanging nature. Regardless of circumstances and how you feel, hang on to God’s unchanging character. Remind yourself what you know to be eternally true about God: He is good, He loves you, He is with you, He knows what you’re going through, He cares, and He has a good plan for your life. Raymond Edman said, “Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.”

When Job’s life fell apart, and God was silent, Job still found reasons to praise God:

• He is good and loving (Job 10:12).
• He is all-powerful (Job 42:2; 37:5, 23).
• He notices every detail of my life (Job 23:10; 31:4).
• He is in control (Job 34:13).
• He has a plan for my life (Job 23:14).
• He will save me (Job 19:25).

Trust God to keep His promises. During times of spiritual dryness you must patiently rely on the promises of God, not your emotions, and realize that He is taking you to a deeper level of maturity. A friendship based on emotion is shallow indeed.

So don’t be troubled by trouble. Circumstances cannot change the character of God. God’s grace is still in full force; He is still for you, even when you don’t feel it. In the absence of confirming circumstances, Job held on to God’s Word. He said, “I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12 NIV).

This trust in God’s Word caused Job to remain faithful even though nothing made sense. His faith was strong in the midst of pain: “God may kill me, but still I will trust Him” (Job 13:15 CEV).

Rick Warren

Faith, Not Feelings, Pleases God

“Everything on earth has its own time and its own season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 CEV).

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21 NIV).

When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers—so you’ll know He exists. But as you grow in faith, He will wean you of these dependencies.

God’s omnipresence and the manifestation of His presence are two different things. One is a fact; the other is often a feeling. God is always present, even when you are unaware of Him, and His presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion.

Yes, He wants you to sense His presence, but He’s more concerned that you trust Him than that you feel Him. Faith, not feelings, pleases God.

The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God is nowhere to be found. This happened to Job. On a single day he lost everything: his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. Most discouraging—for thirty-seven chapters, God said nothing!

How do you praise God when you don’t understand what’s happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they’re full of tears? You do what Job did: “Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised’” (Job 1:20–21 NIV).

Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to God. Unload every emotion that you’re feeling. Job did this when he said, “I can’t be quiet! I am angry and bitter. I have to speak!” (Job 7:11 TEV).

He cried out when God seemed distant: “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house” (Job 29:4 NIV).


Rick Warren

Seeking a Feeling Is Not Worship

“I go east, but He is not there. I go west, but I cannot find Him. I do not see Him in the north, for He is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find Him. But He knows where I am going” (Job 23:8-10 NLT).

Yesterday we saw that David frequently complained of God’s apparent absence; but, the truth is, God hadn’t really left David, just as God will never leave you. He has promised repeatedly, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Yet God has not promised “you will always feel My presence.” In fact, God admits that sometimes He hides His face from us (Isaiah 45:15).

There are times when He appears to be MIA, missing-in-action, in your life.

Floyd McClung describes it: “You wake up one morning and all your spiritual feelings are gone. You pray, but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil, but it doesn’t change anything. You go through spiritual exercises . . . you have your friends pray for you . . . you confess every sin you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast . . . still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last. Days? Weeks? Months? Will it ever end? . . . it feels as if your prayers simply bounce off the ceiling. In utter desperation, you cry out, ‘What’s the matter with me?’” (Finding Friendship with God; Ann Arbor, MI: Vine Books, 1992; 186).

The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with you! This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. Every Christian goes through it at least once, and usually several times. It is painful and disconcerting, but it is absolutely vital for the development of your faith.

Knowing this gave Job hope when he could not feel God’s presence in his life. He said, “I go east, but He is not there. I go west, but I cannot find Him. I do not see Him in the north, for He is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find Him. But He knows where I am going. And when He has tested me like gold in a fire, He will pronounce me innocent” (Job 23:8-10 NLT).

When God seems distant, you may feel that He is angry with you or is disciplining you for some sin. In fact, sin does disconnect us from intimate fellowship with God. We grieve God’s Spirit and quench our fellowship with Him by disobedience, conflict with others, busyness, friendship with the world, and other sins (see Psalm 51; Ephesians 4:29-30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; Jeremiah 2:32; 1 Corinthians 8:12; James 4:4).

But often this feeling of abandonment or estrangement from God has nothing to do with sin. It is a test of faith—one we all must face: Will you continue to love, trust, obey, and worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his work in your life?

The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if it happens, they conclude that they have worshiped. Wrong! In fact, God often removes our feelings so we won’t depend on them. Seeking a feeling, even the feeling of closeness to Christ, is not worship.


Rick Warren

God is Real, No Matter How you Feel

“The Lord has hidden Himself from His people, but I trust Him and place my hope in Him” (Isaiah 8:17 TEV).

It is easy to worship God when things are going great in your life—when He has provided food, friends, family, health, and happy situations. But circumstances are not always pleasant. How do you worship God then? What do you do when God seems a million miles away?

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting Him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant.

Friendships are often tested by separation and silence; you are divided by physical distance or you are unable to talk. In your friendship with God, you won’t always feel close to Him.

Philip Yancey has wisely noted, “Any relationship involves times of closeness and times of distance, and in a relationship with God, no matter how intimate, the pendulum will swing from one side to the other” (Reaching for the Invisible God, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000; 242).

That’s when worship gets difficult.

To mature your friendship, God will test it with periods of seeming separation—times when it feels as if He has abandoned or forgotten you—when He feels a million miles away. St. John of the Cross referred to these days of spiritual dryness, doubt, and estrangement from God as “the dark night of the soul.” Henri Nouwen called them “the ministry of absence.” A. W. Tozer called them “the ministry of the night.” Others refer to “the winter of the heart.”

Besides Jesus, David probably had the closest friendship with God of anyone. God took pleasure in calling him “a man after My own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).

Yet David frequently complained of God’s apparent absence:

• “Lord, why are You standing aloof and far away? Why do You hide when I need You the most?” (Psalm 10:1 LB).

• “Why have You forsaken me? Why do You remain so distant? Why do You ignore my cries for help?” (Psalm 22:1 NLT).

• “Why have You abandoned me?” (Psalm 43:2 TEV; see also Psalm 44:23 TEV; Psalm 88:14 MSG; Psalm 89:49 LB).

Of course, God hadn’t really left David, and He doesn’t leave you. He has promised repeatedly, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 37:28; John 14:16–18; Hebrews 13:5).

Rick Warren

Beware of Shortcuts

“People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall” (Proverbs 10:9 NLT).

A few summers ago my family took a car vacation. We loaded up our van and headed out for an adventure. Our only goal was to see the western half of the United States. By the end of our two week trip, we’d put over 5,000 miles on the odometer.

For most of the trip we simply focused on enjoying the journey rather than rushing toward a destination. But in one of the states we traveled through (which will remain unnamed) we were so bored with the scenery that I got the bright idea of taking a shortcut to the next major town.

Looking at the map, the road for the shortcut appeared just fine—a straight shot to the next town. It could save us about an hour of traveling time. So we got off the beaten path and took the alternative route.

Big mistake! The road was fraught with difficulties:

• Construction work . . .
• A line of slow trucks that we couldn’t pass . . .
• Cattle (then sheep) in the middle of the road . . .
• Potholes the size of meteor craters, and . . .
• No gas station or restroom!

The bottom line: my proposed shortcut ended up taking longer, we nearly ran out of gas, and I had a very cranky family!

The lesson: Shortcuts are not always as good as they may seem. Sometimes the shortest distance to a goal is not a beeline.

We’re often tempted to cut corners in order to speed things up or make a greater profit. But ethical shortcuts, or short-changing someone else, will always come back to haunt us. The Bible warns us: “People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall” (Proverbs 10:9 NLT).

Rick Warren

Don't get in a Hurry.

“Everything on earth has its own time and its own season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 CEV).

As you grow to spiritual maturity, there are several ways to cooperate with God in the process:

Believe God is working in your life even when you don’t feel it. Spiritual growth is sometimes tedious work, one small step at a time. Expect gradual improvement. The Bible says, “Everything on earth has its own time and its own season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 CEV).

There are seasons in your spiritual life, too. Sometimes you will have a short, intense burst of growth (springtime) followed by a period of stabilizing and testing (fall and winter).

What about those problems, habits, and hurts you would like miraculously removed? It’s fine to pray for a miracle, but don’t be disappointed if the answer comes through a gradual change. Over time, a slow, steady stream of water will erode the hardest rock and turn giant boulders into pebbles. Over time, a little sprout can turn into a giant redwood tree towering 350 feet tall.

Keep a notebook or journal of lessons learned. This is not a diary of events, but a record of what you are learning. Write down the insights and life lessons God teaches you about him, about yourself, about life, about relationships, and everything else. Record these so you can review and remember them and pass them on to the next generation (Psalm 102:18; 2 Timothy 3:14).

The reason we must relearn lessons is that we forget them. Reviewing your spiritual journal regularly can spare you a lot of unnecessary pain and heartache. The Bible says, “It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off” (Hebrews 2:1 MSG).

Be patient with God and with yourself. One of life’s frustrations is that God’s timetable is rarely the same as ours. We are often in a hurry when God isn’t. You may feel frustrated with the seemingly slow progress you’re making in life. Remember that God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time. He will use your entire lifetime to prepare you for your role in eternity.



Rick Warren

There are no Instant Habits.

“Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15 GWT).

While you were given a brand new nature at the moment of conversion, you still have old habits, patterns, and practices that need to be removed and replaced.

We are afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves. I have already pointed out that the truth will set us free but it often makes us miserable first.

The fear of what we might discover if we honestly faced our character defects keeps us living in the prison of denial. Yet, we often build our identities around our defects. We say, “It’s just like me to be” and “It’s just the way I am.” The unconscious worry is that if I let go of my habit, my hurt, or my hang-up, who will I be? This fear can definitely slow down your growth.

Only as God is allowed to shine the light of his truth on our faults, failures, and hang-ups can we begin to work on them. This is why you cannot grow without a humble, teachable attitude.

Godly habits take time to develop. Remember that your character is the sum total of your habits. You can’t claim to be kind unless you are habitually kind—you show kindness without even thinking about it. You can’t claim to have integrity unless it is your habit to always be honest. A husband who is faithful to his wife most of the time is not faithful at all!

Your habits define your character. There is only one way to develop the habits of Christlike character: You must practice them—and that takes time! There are no instant habits. Paul urged Timothy, “Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15 GWT).

If you practice something over time, you get good at it. Repetition is the mother of character and skill. These character-building habits are often called “spiritual disciplines,” and they include such things as meditation, prayer, fasting, Bible study, simplicity, stewardship, solitude, submission, service, and evangelism.

Rick Warren

Why Does It Take So Long?

“The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once” (Deuteronomy 7:22 NLT).

Although God could instantly transform us, He has chosen to develop us slowly. Jesus is deliberate in developing His disciples. Just as God allowed the Israelites to take over the Promised Land “little by little” so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed, He prefers to work in incremental steps in our lives.

Why does it take so long to change and grow up? There are several reasons.

We are slow learners. We often have to relearn a lesson forty or fifty times to really get it. The problems keep recurring, and we think, “Not again! I’ve already learned that!”—but God knows better. The history of Israel illustrates how quickly we forget the lessons God teaches us and how soon we revert to our old patterns of behavior. We need repeated exposure.

We have a lot to unlearn. Many people go to a counselor with a personal or relational problem that took years to develop and say, “I need you to fix me. I’ve got an hour.” They naïvely expect a quick solution to a long-standing, deep-rooted difficulty. Since most of our problems—and all of our bad habits—didn’t develop overnight, it’s unrealistic to expect them go away immediately.

There is no pill, prayer, or principle that will instantly undo the damage of many years. It requires the hard work of removal and replacement. The Bible calls it “taking off the old self” and “putting on the new self” (Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22-25; Colossians 3:7-10, 14).

Growth is often painful and scary. There is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain. We fear these losses, even if our old ways were self-defeating, because, like a worn out pair of shoes, they were at least comfortable and familiar.

Every change involves a loss of some kind: You must let go of old ways in order to experience the new.

Rick Warren

Our Lives Gradually Become Brighter

“Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18b MSG).

Discipleship is the process of conforming to Christ. The Bible says, “We arrive at real maturity—that measure of development which is meant by ‘the fullness of Christ’” (Ephesians 4:13 PH).

Christlikeness is your eventual destination, but your journey will last a lifetime. This journey involves believing (through worship), belonging (through fellowship), and becoming (through discipleship). Every day God wants you to become a little more like him: “You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you” (Colossians 3:10 NCV).

Today we’re obsessed with speed, but God is more interested in strength and stability than swiftness. We want the quick fix, the shortcut, the on-the-spot solution. We want a sermon, a seminar, or an experience that will instantly resolve all problems, remove all temptation, and release us from all growing pains.

But real maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving. Growth is gradual. The Bible says, “Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18 MSG).

Rick Warren

TO MY BEST FRIEND!

Dear my best friend,

I don't know if you even realize it,
but you're the kind of person
who makes other feel warm and happy
just by being around you.

You have a very special gift to give
it's called caring,
and you aren't afraid to share
either yourself or your feelings.

I'm glad, because " yourself"
is one of my very favorite people,
and I'm so lucky to call you
A FRIEND!

So this just comes to say thanks-
for being the wonderful person and friend
that you are
and
Happy Birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BEST FRIEND!!!!!

There Are No Shortcuts to Maturity

“I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns” (Philippians 1:6 LB).

It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, and it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. The development of Christlike character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time.

When you try to ripen fruit quickly, it loses its flavor. In the United States, tomatoes are usually picked unripened so they won’t bruise during shipping to the stores. Then, before they are sold, these green tomatoes are sprayed with CO2 gas to turn them red instantly. Gassed tomatoes are edible, but they are no match to the flavor of a vine-ripened tomato that is allowed to mature slowly.

While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow. God views our lives from and for eternity, so he is never in a hurry.

Christian author Lane Adams once compared the process of spiritual growth to the strategy the Allies used during World War II to liberate islands in the South Pacific. First they would “soften up” an island, weakening the resistance by shelling the enemy strongholds with bombs from offshore ships.

Next, a small group of Marines would invade the island and establish a “beachhead”—a tiny fragment of the island that they could control. Once the beachhead was secured, they would begin the long process of liberating the rest of the island, one bit of territory at a time. Eventually the entire island would be brought under control, but not without some costly battles.

Adams drew this parallel: Before Christ invades our lives at conversion, he sometimes has to “soften us up” by allowing problems we can’t handle. While some open their lives to Christ the first time he knocks on the door, most of us are resistant and defensive. Our pre-conversion experience is Jesus saying, “Behold, I stand at the door and bomb!”

The moment you open yourself to Christ, God gets a beachhead in your life. You may think you have surrendered all of your life to him, but the truth is, there is a lot to your life that you aren’t even aware of. You can only give God as much of you as you understand at that moment. That’s okay.

Once Christ is given a beachhead, he begins the campaign to take over more and more territory until all of your life is completely his. There will be struggles and battles, but the outcome will never be in doubt. God has promised that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6 NIV).

Rick Warren

Stretching Your Mind

In the book Putting the One Minute Manager to Work, one of the key concepts is this: Don’t Just Do Something—Sit There!

Too often, many of our problems arise from acting before thinking. We confuse activity with productivity. We think, “I’m so busy, I must be accomplishing something!” In reality, we may just be spinning our wheels. Like sitting in a rocking chair, you can expend a lot of energy and create a lot of motion, but you still aren’t going anywhere.

Progress and productivity always require thought! The Bible says:

“A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t and even brags about it!” (Proverbs 13:16 LB).

“A good man thinks before he speaks” (Proverbs 15:28 LB).

“The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts” (Proverbs 14:8 LB).

“A wise man is cautious and avoids danger; a fool plunges ahead with great confidence” (Proverbs 14:16 LB).

Unfortunately many parts of your work seem to conspire to keep you from thinking! Pressures, deadlines, appointments, and interruptions fill your day so you have no time to think. You stay so busy swatting mosquitoes that you have no time to drain the swamp.

Nothing is as important to your job as thinking, yet nothing is harder to take time to do. The solution is to schedule “think” time. Make a daily appointment with yourself to simply think about your work. Think about what you do, how you do it, and the results you are getting: “Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts” (Proverbs 24:3 LB).

Your mind is like a muscle. It develops with use. The more you develop it, the more productive you will be. Your brain is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God. Think about it!

Rick Warren

The Six Phases of FAITH

“Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, ‘Let it happen, then, just as you believe!’” (Matthew 9:29 TEV)

God takes our belief and He blesses us through it, and that makes life a great adventure. It is critical that we cooperate with God as He builds faith within us. Because of its importance, I want to review the six phases of faith we’ve studied over the past week. This will also let you see them all in one place.

Phase 1—Dream: Do I have a dream planted in me by God? If you don’t have a dream, start praying, “God, give me Your dream.” If you can’t write down the dream God has given you, you need to be praying. If you don’t have a dream, you’re not living; you’re just existing. God placed you on this earth for a purpose.

Phase 2—Decision: Do I need to make a faith-decision that will help that dream become a reality? Some of you have a dream from God, but you haven’t made a decision to follow it. You’re still on the fence. God’s word for you is “Go for it!” Some of you may need to make the decision to give your life to Christ. Some of you may need to make the decision to join a church. Some of you may need to make the decision to get involved in ministry.

Phase 3—Delay: What has caused my dream to be delayed? If your prayer hasn’t been answered, that’s okay. It just means you’re in God’s waiting room. Now is not the time to detour. When things don’t happen on our timetable, we tend to run ahead of God and create detours to make it happen. You may end up making the wrong decision. Wait, wait, and wait for God to work His hand.

Phase 4—Difficulty: What difficulties have I faced waiting for the dream to be fulfilled? You are being tested, but it’s not going to be the last time. You’ll go through many, many tests in life. God says, “I know exactly what you’re going through. I see it. I’m watching. Don’t think I’ve forgotten you—I haven’t.”

Phase 5—Dead End: Have I come to a dead end yet? Some of you are there ready to give up. But the truth is—you’re right where God wants you. You’re getting prepared for deliverance. God’s word for you is “Hang on! Keep on believing! Don’t give up!”

Phase 6—Deliverance: Do I expect and trust God to deliver me? “According to your faith will it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). God is faithful. What He tells us to do, He will do. But it doesn’t happen overnight. You go through the faith-phases of Dream, Decision, Delay, Difficulty, and Dead End . . . and then comes Deliverance.

Rick Warren

Hard Heart?

ထြက္ေျမာက္ရာက်မ္း ၇း ၁- ၁၃
ဖါေရာမင္း၏ နွလံုးကို ခိုိင္မာေစ၍ အဂုတၱဳျပည္၌ ငါ၏နိမိတ္လကၡဏာ အံ့ဘြယ္ေသာ အမႈတို႕ကို မ်ားျပားေစမည္။ သို႕ေသာ္လည္း ဖါေရာမင္းသည္ သင္တို႕စကားကို နားမေထာင္ဘဲေနလိမ့္မည္။

The heart is an amazing organ. It continuously pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout our bodies to sustain life. This fist-size powerhouse beats 100,000 times per day and moves more than 7,500 liters of blood per day. The spiritual heart is an amazing piece of work as well. It can be soft to the touch of God, and it can also be rock-hard to His voice.

The Bible gives at least four symptoms of a hard heart:

• When a person strongly counters an action that God desires. God desired freedom for His people, but Pharaoh kept them in bondage in Egypt. No less than 10 times does the Bible say that Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let God’s people go (Exodus 7:13,22, 8:19).

• When a person has a critical attitude toward God and His work. In Exodus 17:1-7, God’s people complained to, and argued against, God and His leadership. They did not trust that the God who freed them was the same God who would feed them.

• When people are uncaring toward other people (Deut. 15:7-8). James (2:15-16) and John (1 John 3:17) reminded their audiences that real faith looks outward to see and meet the practical needs of others.

• When there is a lack of understanding of God’s work in the world. Instead of the religious leaders rejoicing over God’s work through Jesus when He healed the man with the deformed hand, they criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6).

If you know someone with a hard heart, pray that God will come in and replace that person’s misguided ways with His grace. Pray also that God will continue to soften your own heart. He can take a hard heart and make it warm and open to His life-bringing wisdom.

Marvin Williams

How God Builds Your Faith: DEAD END

“At that time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we believe now that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8–9 PH).

When the pursuit of your dream deteriorates from difficult to impossible; when the situation looks hopeless, congratulations! You’re in good company.

Even Paul went through dead ends: “At that time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we believe now that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9 PH).

If God can raise people physically, He can raise people who are dead emotionally. He can raise a dead marriage. He can resurrect a dead career. He can resurrect you from a health problem. If God can raise the dead, He can do anything.

In Abraham’s situation, God said, “I want you to become the father of a nation,” but then Abraham had to wait until he was 99 years old before he had his first child. The Bible shows Abraham’s situation going from difficult to impossible. He looks at his body and says, “No way!” Then he looks at his wife and says, “Double no way!”

But Sarah got pregnant and they laughed about it. When the baby was born, they named him Isaac, which means laughter.

God often lets problems become impossibilities. The disciples planned to follow Jesus. They thought He was the Messiah, but then the next thing they know Jesus is hanging on the cross, dying. Was this a dead end for the disciples? For three days it seemed that way, but then Jesus walked out of the tomb.

When you face a dead end, you may start asking, “What’s going on, God? Did I miss Your will? Your plan? Have I missed Your vision?” Keep in mind that dead ends are part of God’s plan for you.

What’s the best response to a dead end? “He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and He will deliver us; we have placed our hope in Him that He will deliver us again” (2 Corinthians 1:10 HCSB). ...... Rick Warren

To my Beloved Baby Brother on your B- Day!

Dear Beloved baby brother,

here we are again on your birthday. You are one year older than last year now. Of course you already knew that, but I just want to make sure you grown your spiritual age too. Just want to remind you to grow with God and His good news.
God loves you and wants the best for your life. You must think you have been punished or un anointed but He wants your spiritual growth. He is patiently waiting for your repented and get closer to Him. It's time for you to get closer with God and listen carefully what God is about to say to you. Here is a gift for you on your Birthday:

" Lord, help me to remember that nothing is more important in this life than knowing, serving, obeying and reverencing You. "
Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14.


I love you and Happy Birthday!

How God Builds Your Faith: Difficulty

“This means tremendous joy to you, I know, even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident—it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold” (1 Peter 1:6-7 PH).

In order to build your faith, God will give you a dream, then He’ll urge you to make a decision, but then He’ll allow a delay, because in the delay He matures you and prepares you for what is to come.

The truth is you’ll have difficulties while God delays. This isn’t because He doesn’t care about you or that He’s forgotten your circumstances; rather, it’s one of the ways He pushes you toward the deep end of faith.

As God delays, you’ll face two types of difficulties: circumstances and critics. This is a natural part of life. God designed it this way because He knows we grow stronger when facing adversity and opposition.

When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt into the desert toward the Promised Land, he had one problem after another. First there was no water. Then there was no food. Then there were a bunch of complainers. Then there were poisonous snakes. Moses was doing what God wanted him to do, but he still had problems.

David was anointed king, and then for the next several years he was hunted down by Saul. Joseph had a dream of becoming a ruler, yet he was sold into slavery and thrown into prison on a false charge where he languished, forgotten. Imagine the difficulties Noah had building a floating zoo!

The Bible says that when Moses died, Joshua was appointed the new leader. Moses led the people across the desert and then Joshua led them into the Promised Land. Did he get the easy part? The Bible says that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land there were giants in the land. Even in the Promised Land there were problems!

God does this because He is building our faith and character. When we finally come to a place where the difficulties become so bad, where we’ve reached our limit, where we’ve tried everything and exhausted all our options, it is then that God begins a mighty work through us: “I know, even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident—it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable, than gold” (1 Peter 1:6–7 PH). ...... By Rick Warren

How God Builds Your Faith: Delay

“But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (Habakkuk 2:3 LB).

Even as you make a decision to follow the dream God places in your heart, you can expect a delay. God will not fulfill your dream immediately because this is another step toward building your faith.

In Habakkuk 2, God says, “These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.”

In this step of faith-building you will most likely start asking the question, “When, Lord? When are You going to answer my prayer?”

And we hate to wait. We don’t like to wait in a doctor’s office, or in traffic jams, or at restaurants, or for Christmas presents, or for anything else. But what we hate worst of all is waiting on God.

Have you ever been in a hurry when God wasn’t? It’s so irritating! You’re ready, but God isn’t. God wants to work on you before He works on the project. Every believer must go through the University of Learning to Wait (ULW). Some of us are still working on our degrees from ULW!

• Noah waited 120 years from the time he started building the ark until it began to rain.
• Abraham was told he would be the father of a great nation and didn’t have a child until he was 99.
• God told Moses he would be the leader to lead his people out of 400 years of slavery, but then made him wait in the desert 40 years.
• Joseph spent years in prison before God raised him up and he became the ruler God wanted him to be.
• God had David anointed as king, but then David waited for years until he actually got to be king.

We all have to go through these waiting periods. Even Jesus waited for 30 years in the carpenter’s shop before setting out on his public ministry.

Why do we wait? It teaches us to trust in God. We learn that His timing is perfect. One of the facts we have to learn is this: God’s delay never destroys His purpose.

A delay is not a denial. Children must learn the difference between “no” and “not yet,” and so must we. Many times we think God is saying, “No,” but He is saying, “Not yet.”....... By Rick Warren

How God Builds Your Faith: Decision

“But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind . . . Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do”

(James 1:6, 8 NLT)

After God gives you a dream, the next step for building your faith is decision; God challenges you to do something about your dream.

Nothing is going to happen to that dream until you wake up and put it into action. You’ve got to make the decision: “I’m going to go for it!” For every ten dreamers in the world, there is only one decision maker. A lot of people have dreams but they never get to step two: making the decision to trust God and follow their dream.

James says, “But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7 TEV).

Faith is a verb. It’s active and not passive. It’s something you do. Decision making is a faith-building activity. You use your muscles of faith.

Faithful decision making requires two things:

You must decide to invest your time, money, reputation, and energy. You lay it on the line; you take the plunge. You say, “God, You’ve told me to do this and I’m going to be faithful to do it!”

You have to let go of security. You cannot move in faith and hold onto the past at the same time. You have to move forward. God told Abraham that He was going to make him the father of a great nation, and that meant Abraham had to leave his home for an unknown destination. Moses had to let go of his position in Pharaoh’s kingdom in order to do God’s will. Nehemiah gave up a secure job in order to go build a wall around Jerusalem. In other words, if you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.

A great illustration of God’s plan is a trapeze artist. They swing out holding onto a trapeze bar, and then they let go in order to grab hold of another trapeze bar that swings then to the other side. But, at one point, they’re not holding on to any bar. They’re suspended in air for a split second.

Have you ever been there in a career, where you’re leaving one job for another and nothing’s in between? You’re 180 feet above the ground with no net below and holding onto nothing.

But if you don’t let go and grab onto the vision God wants you to have, you swing back. Only you don’t swing all the way back; instead, you swing back lower and lower until you’re finally stopped, hanging there in the air. And there’s only one way out: down!

That’s why God brings you to a point of decision, so your faith will build as you swing toward the dream God has given you.

Rick Warren

How God Builds Your Faith: Dream

“Now glory be to God, who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes”

(Ephesians 3:20 LB)

Faith is like a muscle: it can be strengthened. It can be weak or it can be strong, depending on how much you use it.

How does God build your faith? He uses a very predictable pattern that we will look at this week, and, if you understand it, you can cooperate with Him in developing greater faith. It’s like when the father, seeking help from Jesus for his son, said, “Have pity on us and help us, if you possibly can!” (Mark 9:22 TEV)

Jesus replied, “What do you mean, ‘If I can?’ . . . Anything is possible if a person believes” (Mark 9:23 NLT).

The first thing God does to build your faith is give you a dream. When God wants to work in your life, He’ll always gives you a dream—about yourself, about what He wants you to do, about how He’s going to use your life to impact the world.

There are many examples in the Bible of this.

• God gave Noah the dream of building an ark.
• God gave Abraham the dream of being the father of a great nation.
• God gave Joseph the dream of being a leader that would save his people.
• God gave Nehemiah the dream of building the wall around Jerusalem.

How do you know when a dream is from God or when it’s just something you’ve thought up yourself? The Bible tells us that God, “by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes” (Ephesians 3:20 LB).

In other words, if a dream comes from God, it will be so big in your life that you can’t do it on your own. If you could do it on your own, you wouldn’t need faith. And if you don’t have faith you’re not pleasing God, because the Bible says whatever is not of faith is sin (Roman 14:23).

God starts to build your faith by giving you a dream. He may be speaking to you now, but you just don’t recognize it for what it is. That dream you have—the idea, the concept, that thing you’ve been thinking about doing that would be of real benefit to other people—where do you think that idea came from?

God will never tell you to do something that contradicts His truth. In other words, He won’t give you a dream of leaving your family and kids and moving to Hollywood to be a movie star. If you’ve got that dream, then you can know it is not from God.

God starts with a dream as He works within your life to build faith.

Rick Warren

We Know God's Truth Through God's Commandments

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right”

(2 Timothy 3:16 NLT)

If I discover truth from the Bible, how do I know the Bible is true? There’s a world of objective evidence, both external and internal, that says the Bible is true.

External evidence proves the Bible is a historical book that you can rely on. There are 5,366 copies of the Bible dating from the time it was written to just seventy years afterwards. That fact dispels the urban legend that the Bible was changed as it passed through generations and languages.

External evidence also includes many archeological discoveries. For example, historians used to say that Solomon couldn’t have had the horses the Bible says he had because no one had horses at that time. But then thousands of horse stables were found in an archeological dig.

There’s also the internal evidence of the Bible itself. In a court of law, a prosecutor with two or three eyewitness accounts has a good chance of making his case. The Bible is filled with eyewitness accounts. Moses was there when the Red Sea split; Joshua was there to watch Jericho fall; the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus.

The internal evidence of the Bible also includes the fact that it tells one story with consistency — though it was written over 1,500 years on three different continents by 40 different authors from every walk of life. No human being could account for that. It’s an amazing example of God’s abilities.

The Bible says, “There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another — showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us” (2 Timothy 3:15-17 MSG).

Rick Warren

We Know God's Truth Through Careful Consideration

“Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established”

(Proverbs 4:26 HCSB)

When you tell God, “I want the truth more than anything else,” He will reveal His truth to you in a variety of ways, such as through creation or your conscience, and also through careful consideration.

In other words, truth is knowable. You can test it; you can experiment with it; you can prove it.

If I want to go to San Francisco and I follow a map that takes me to San Francisco, and the next week I follow the same map to San Francisco again, eventually I figure out that the map is true.

The same is true of the Bible: If you follow its map again and again, you’ll find it to be true. It always takes you where it says it’s going to take you. You may not always like where it takes you, but it always takes you where it says it’s going to take you.

Often people say, “Why won’t God just write it in the sky?” Why would God do that? He gave you a brain. But most people never slow down long enough for such careful consideration. Most people just drift through life.

The Bible tells us, “Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established” (Proverbs 4:26 HCSB).

Spend some time in careful consideration, in thoughtful observation, and ask yourself: “Am I on a true path?”

Rick Warren

We Know God's Truth Through Conscience

“Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it”

(Romans 2:14 NLT)

God leads us to discover His truth, not only through creation, but also through our conscience.

Some things are hardwired in us by God; we know they are always right or always wrong, no matter what anybody else says. Our conscience tells us this. The Bible says, “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (Romans 2:14-15 NLT, emphasis mine).

Say we take a random sample of one million people from around the planet and put them on a corner in New York City. We say, “Here’s a ninety-two-year-old blind lady with a walker. She needs to cross the street. Tell me which of these three options is morally right. One, you can let her try to cross on her own. Two, you can help her cross the street. Three, you can push her into oncoming traffic.”

You don’t have to be a Christian or Jew or Muslim or even a spiritual person; inside you know the right thing to do.

“Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (Romans 2:14-15 NLT, emphasis mine).

Rick Warren

We Know God's Truth Through Creation

“But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is!”

(Romans 1:19 MSG)

About thirty-five years ago, I was at a camp in the mountains. Alone in a room, I prayed, “God, if there is a God, I’m open. If You’re real, I want to know You’re real. And, Jesus Christ, if You can change my life, if there is a purpose for my life, I want to know it.”

You know what happened? I didn’t get goose bumps. I didn’t cry. No bright lights shown down. Nothing like that.

Yet, still, it was the turning point in my life — because I was no longer biasing myself against God. I wanted to know the truth, even if it was inconvenient.

Truth can be discovered, but first we have to have an attitude of openness that says, “I want the truth more than anything else.” Once you choose that attitude, you can discover the truth. How?

First, through creation.

We learn a lot about God, a lot about truth, just by looking at nature. This is why science is so important. It helps us understand God and His universe.

For instance, by knowing that there are 60,000 varieties of beetles, we learn God likes variety. By seeing a volcano, a tidal wave, or an earthquake, we learn God is powerful. From the delicately balanced ecosystem, we can observe God is incredibly organized.

The Bible says, “The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse” (Romans 1:19-20 MSG).

In the coming days, we’ll look at how God also leads us to the truth through conscience, careful consideration, His commandments, and through Jesus Christ.

Rick Warren

Don't Fear Authentic Relationships

“But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us”

(1 John 1:7-8 NCV)

Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It’s genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level sharing.

It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.

Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, and superficial politeness, but shallow conversation.

People wear masks, keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship.

It’s only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, “If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other . . . If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves” (1 John 1:7-8 NCV).

The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are.

Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again.

Why would anyone take such a risk?

Because it’s the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” (James 5:16 MSG).

Rick Warren

Don't Fear Deeper Friendships

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline”

(2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)

When we’re full of fear and anxiety, we don’t get close to each other. We back off from each other. We’re afraid of being rejected, manipulated, vulnerable, hurt, or used. All of these fears cause us to disconnect in life.

This fear is as old as humanity. When Adam and Eve sinned, and God came looking for them, Adam said, “I was afraid . . . so I hid” (Genesis 3:10 NIV). People have been doing that ever since. We’re afraid, so we hide. We hide our true selves.

We don’t let people know what we’re really like. We don’t let them see the inside of us. Why? Because if we let people know what we’re like and they don’t like it; we’re up a creek without a paddle. Tough luck. Why am I afraid to tell you who I am? Because if I tell you who I am, and you don’t like me, I’m in for it. I have no alternative. So we wear masks and we pretend.

Fear does three terrible things to relationships:

1. Fear makes us defensive. We’re afraid to reveal ourselves. We defend ourselves. When people point out our weaknesses, we retaliate and defend ourselves.

2. Fear keeps us distant. We don’t let people get close to us. We want to withdraw, pull back. We want to hide our emotions. We don’t want to be open and honest. We become defensive and distant.

3. Fear makes us demanding. Whenever we’re insecure, and the more insecure we are, the more we try to control. So we try to have the last word in a relationship. We try to dominate, control. It’s always a symptom of fear and insecurity.
Where do you get the confidence, the courage, to take the first step in connecting with someone, to go into a deeper intimacy? Where do you get that courage?

You get it from God’s Spirit in your life. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people but to be wise and strong (courageous), and to love them and enjoy being with them” (LB).

How do you know when you’re filled with God’s Spirit? You’re more courageous in your relationships. You love people. You enjoy being with them. You’re not afraid of them because God’s Spirit is in your life. The Bible says “God is love,” and “Love casts out all fear.” The more of God you have in your life, the less of fear you’re going to have in your life.

So the starting point in connecting with anybody is to pause, pray, and say, “God, give me the courage to take the first step.” You need to do that now with a person you want to connect with.

Rick Warren

Work to Please God, Not People

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working
for the Lord and not for people”

(Colossians 3:23 TEV)

The apostle Paul teaches that we are to work as though we are “working for the Lord and not for people.” He’s saying that no job is too small; no job is too menial; no job is too insignificant when you have the right motive and perspective. We should think, “I’m doing it for God; I’m doing this job as if I’m doing it for the Lord.” I used to clean meat lockers in a butcher shop, and I would clean them as unto the Lord.

Now, how do I know if I’m doing my work for the Lord? Two characteristics will show up in your attitude: excellence and enthusiasm.

First, if I’m doing my work, not for the boss but for the Lord, I’ll do it with excellence. That means I give it my best shot. I do the best I can because I’m not doing it for anyone’s approval, except God’s. I do it with excellence, being the best I can be.

Second, I do my work with enthusiasm. I’m working for God; therefore, I do it with a cheerful attitude. “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically” (Romans 12:11 NLT).

When you are working with all your heart, motivated by the love of Christ, your work is transformed into an act of worship for God.

Rick Warren

God is Interested in Your Work

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone”

(Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG)

Many Christians don’t make the connection between Sunday and Monday. They compartmentalize their life. They think, “Well, I’ve got a spiritual life and I’ve got a secular life. My spiritual life is when I read the Bible, when I pray, when I go to church, when I do good things for others. That’s my spiritual life.” And that’s over in one compartment.

So then, they think, over in another compartment: “This is my secular life. That’s my work, my job, my career, my business decisions, my finances, my pension plan; all these things are my secular life.”

God says, “No, that’s wrong. All of life is spiritual.” The word secular isn’t in the Bible. It all matters to God; everything in your life is important to God. God is as interested in your work as He is in your prayers. In fact, I would suggest that He might be more interested in your job because you spend more time working than you do praying.

The fact is, your relationship to Christ is like marriage. Marriage is a full-time relationship, and so is your relationship with Christ. What do you think would happen if I came up to my wife and said, “Honey, I’m going to act married only when I’m at home”?

The fact is, all of life is important to God, and you can’t separate your Christianity from your work, just as you can’t separate your Christianity from your life.

Rick Warren

May God Give Us Success in All We Do

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands”

(Psalm 90:17 NIV)

God establishes the work of our hands by giving us gifts that will make a difference in the lives of others. That’s what success is—being what God meant for you to be. Jesus said, “My purpose is to give [you] a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT).

You may be thinking, “Well, Rick, what about work that needs to be done but doesn’t express my gifts; it just has to be done?” Any homemaker knows exactly what I’m talking about. I would say to you that every job, even the one you are suited for, has mundane parts. Every job has some parts to it that you won’t like, but you can still worship God through those parts of the job.

And I would suggest you adopt this attitude: “Maybe this job that I’m in right now is a phase of my life and I’m not going to be here the rest of my life. But this is where I am for now; therefore, I will worship God right now.” The apostle Paul says, “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” (Romans 12:1 MSG).

“Lord our God, may your blessings be with us. Give us success in all we do!” (Psalm 90:17 TEV).

Rick Warren

Are You in a Mismatched job?

Each of you should go on living according to the Lord’s gift to you, and as you were when God called you. This is the rule I teach in all the churches” (1 Corinthians 7:17 TEV).

God does not expect you to glorify Him with gifts you don’t have. But He does expect you to glorify Him with gifts you do have.

To fulfill God’s will for you life, you need work that expresses what God made you to be. If you’re in a job that is not using the talents, gifts, abilities, and interests that God gave you, you may want to pray about whether or not you’re in a mismatched job.

This is a serious problem and it’s a spiritual issue. It is far more important than you may think it is because God has given you your gifts, talents, and abilities, and one day He’s going to say, “What did you do with them?” And do you want to say, “Well, I spent my life at a job that didn’t use them”?

Now, I know this raises some questions, you may be saying, “Rick, what if my current job doesn’t express my gifts?” As someone committed to your fulfillment in life, living for the purpose God designed you for, I urge you toward this: If you are in a job that does not match the gifts, interests, and abilities God gave to you, then give serious consideration to taking steps to get out of it and get into the job that God has called you to by the very nature of who you are.

It’s a very important issue for your spiritual life: Get into what God made you to be. The first step you need to take is some self-appraisal. You need to ask yourself, “What did God make me to be?” As the Bible says, “Try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities by the light of the faith that God has given to you” (Romans 12:3 PH). During this appraisal, you may even discover that you are in the very job God wants you to be, and you can develop a new attitude about your work.

“Each of you should go on living according to the Lord’s gift to you” (1 Corinthians 7:17 TEV). Pray about this: Are you in a job that doesn’t match who God made you to be, or are you exactly where God wants you to be?........Rich Warren