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Jesus warned that adversity would be part of life. So don’t be shocked by hard times—be unshakable. As he teaches from the life of Daniel, Pastor Rick explains why God uses adversity for your good and how that can teach you to be unshakable.
In this enlightening episode, Pastor Rick Warren guides listeners through the intricate relationship between faith, finances, and God's ultimate design for our lives. Tackling misconceptions about prosperity, Pastor Rick directs our focus to Jesus' teachings on money, revealing how they challenge and inspire us to live with generosity and purpose. Through engaging storytelling and scripture-based insights, he puts forward a compelling argument for seeing money as both a tool and a test in our spiritual walk. The discussion moves into practical territory with step-by-step guidance on effective money management, detailing essential practices that honor and glorify God. From the significance of tithing and trust to the nuanced difference between wealth creation and wealth redistribution, Pastor Rick paints a comprehensive portrait of financial stewardship. Engage with these teachings and transform your understanding of how to handle wealth in a way that aligns with your beliefs and contributes to the greater good.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey there, everybody, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. And whether today is your first time tuning in or if you're a regular listener, we're really excited that you're here. Well, today, Pastor Rick is continuing his series called Discover Your Destiny. So get ready to explore the practical steps to grow in all areas of your life. spirit, mind, body, relationships, and even your career. So stick with us as we uncover God's incredible plan for your future. So let's get right to Rick. Here's part one of a message called God's Plan for Financial Blessing.
SPEAKER 02 :
God has made some incredible promises of financial blessing in the word of God, but they all have premises. Now, before we look at the promises of God, I wanna make something very clear right here at the start. God does not want everybody in the world to be a millionaire. God doesn't want everybody in the world to be enormously rich. The Bible doesn't teach that. Sometimes you get on TV or radio and you hear some preacher that's called the prosperity gospel or the health and wealth gospel. Do you know what I'm talking about? It's basically God wants everybody to be rich. Not only does the Bible not teach that, Jesus taught the exact opposite. So before we look at the promises of God for financial blessing, I want you to look at two statements of Jesus. First, Luke chapter 12, verse 15, Jesus said, Watch out, be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. In other words, life is not about acquisition. It's not about he who dies with the most toys. The guy who spends his life getting the most toys has wasted his life. Jesus said, you're not gonna take any of it with you. I did not put you on earth just to pile up stuff. The greatest things in life are not things. Your value and your valuables are not the same. Your net worth and your self-worth are not the same. It's not about getting. A man's life does not consist in what he acquires. So you never want to let the things that money can buy keep you or rob you of the things that money can't buy. Now look at the second passage. Luke 16, Jesus said this. I tell you, use worldly wealth. Circle the word use. Money is to be used. You don't love it. You don't serve it. You don't idolize it. You use it. Money is to be used. I tell you, use worldly wealth. to gain friends for yourselves, eternal friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Now, I don't have time to go into this in detail, but we've talked about it before. What this verse is simply saying is you should use some of your money to help reach people for Christ so that when you get to heaven, there are people there who go, hey, I'm here because of you. I'm your friend forever because you helped build a church building, you helped finance a program, you helped reach me for Christ, you bought a Bible, you shared a book, you used some of your money to spread the good news, and as a result, I'm in heaven, I'm your friend forever. That's all he's talking about here. Then Jesus gives four tests about money management. He says this, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. God looks to see if you can handle what he gives you a little, then he gives you more. And whoever's dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. Then he says, second test, if you haven't been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, what does that mean? Trustworthy in handling worldly wealth. He's talking about money management. He said, if you don't manage your money well, if you're in debt all the time, you're behind on your payments, you're not saving, you're not tithing, you're not doing all the different things that God tells you to do, you're not investing wisely. He said, if you're not managing your money well, He says, if you haven't been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you the true riches? He's saying money is a test and God is determining what he's gonna bless you with in heaven for eternity based on how you do what he gives you here. And then he says, number three, if you've not been trustworthy with somebody else's property, Who's gonna give you your own? And I've told you this before. You don't really own anything on this planet. It's all on loan. God owns it and he loans it. And he loans it to you for about 80 years. It wasn't yours before you were born. It's not gonna be yours after you die. He's gonna loan it to somebody else. You don't really own it. You're not taking it with you. It's just all on loan. And God says, I'm testing you while you're on earth to see if you are faithful with what I loaned you, Who's going to give you your own property in eternity if I can't trust you with what's mine here on earth? And then he says, number four, no one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money. Now circle the word serve. He didn't say you should not serve, he says you cannot serve. Money should never be served. Money should never be loved. Money should be used. Now these passages teach us two very important truths. Would you write these down? Number one, money is a tool and a test. Money is a tool, it's a tool to be used, and it is a test. What does it test? God uses money to test your gratitude. God uses money to test your faith. God uses money to test your priorities. God uses money to test your values. God uses money to test how responsible and mature you are. God uses money to test your character. It is a very important test. And the second thing God says here is that managing money is a spiritual discipline. Managing money is a spiritual discipline. It is far more important than you realize. You may think, oh, I just need to manage my money so I'm not in debt. Or, oh, I just need to manage my money so I can live a more comfortable lifestyle. Now there's nothing wrong with that, either of those things. But money management is far more important than that. The Bible says it is the spiritual discipline that God uses. He says if you're not faithful with worldly wealth, who's gonna trust you with the true riches of the universe and the true riches in heaven? Now there is so much that the Bible has to say about financial money management, literally hundreds and hundreds of verses. You may not realize this, Jesus spoke more about money than he did either heaven or hell. Half of all of his parables mention money. A third of all of his parables, his stories, deal with investments. And Jesus commends wise investors and criticizes foolish investors. Why? Because life is a test and life is a trust. And so there are many, many verses. In fact, there were so many, I had to give you a double outline today. Now... Because there's so many verses, I'm not gonna have time to illustrate all these. I'm gonna let the word of God just speak for itself. Most of these verses are from the book of the Proverbs of Solomon. Now why is that important? Because Proverbs of Solomon was written by King Solomon who was the wisest man who ever lived and the wealthiest man who ever lived. So we're not giving you advice from Rick Warren today. This is advice from the wisest and wealthiest man who ever lived and he's in the Bible and God says this is true stuff. Now what we're gonna do is we're gonna look at eight habits. for financial blessing. God says, I have these promises for you. If you do this, then I will bless you in this way. And you gotta do all of them. All eight are important. These eight financial habits. It's really an index of where we're going for the next three years. Now let's get right into it. Number one, the first habit for financial blessing is I must trust God as my source and supply. I must trust God as my source and supply. Now what does that mean? It means your source of your income is not your job. The source of your income is God. Now he may use a job or anything else, but that's just the tool. When I turn on a faucet, I don't really think the faucet is the source of the water. I know that that water's coming from Northern California. The faucet just happens to get it to me. It's not the supplier, it's just the channel. Your job is not your supplier. It's your channel. And if one faucet gets turned off, God can turn another one on just as easily because he's the supplier. Does that make sense? Now, not only is God the supplier of your financial blessing and the source of it, he is the security, the source of your security. You see, if you're gonna have security, you must put it in something that can never be taken from you. You can lose your money, you can lose your savings, you can lose your job, you can lose your house, you can lose the people you love. The only thing that can never ever be taken from you is the unconditional love of God. So I suggest you put your security not in how much you got in the bank, but how much love God loves you with. Because anything else can be taken from you and if you don't, how do you know when something other than God is your security? Real simple, you worry. Worry is the warning light that you are trusting something other than God for your security and your supply. Now look at these verses. Romans 11, 36. Everything comes from God. Everything exists by his power. And everything is intended for his glory. God owns it, but God loans it to you while you're here on earth. Deuteronomy 8, 18 says this. Always remember the Lord. Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. Now circle the phrase produce wealth. God wants you to be a wealth creator. I didn't say that, the Bible says it. God puts you on this earth and one of the things you're to do is you are to produce wealth. You are to create wealth. Now, there are makers and there are takers in life. There are people who create wealth and those are people who just use it. Right now in our culture, about 60% of Americans take more out of the economy than actually put in it. There are more takers than there are makers. God says, I give you the ability to create wealth. Why? Because this is the way God's economy works. We will never raise people out of poverty through wealth redistribution, only through wealth creation. Big difference. Does that make sense? Wealth redistribution is socialism. Wealth creation is Christianity. God says the only way you can get people out of poverty is J-O-B-S, create jobs. You can never give people enough money because as soon as you give it to them, it's used up and you have to give more. In the last 50 years, the West has put about $50 trillion into Africa, and the standard of living is lower in most of those countries than it was 50 years ago. Why? Because they don't need a handout, they need a hand up. They don't need just aid, they need trade. They don't need wealth redistribution. They need wealth creation. And my goal for you is that in the next 10 years, you will be a wealth creator. Now write this down. God wants me to be a wealth creator and a kingdom builder. Don't confuse these. God says he wants you to be a wealth creator, in other words, a generator of wealth, but a kingdom builder. Not a wealth builder, because the Bible says, don't store up treasure here on earth. Money is like manure. You pile it all up, it starts stinking. You spread it around, it makes things grow. It is a tool to be used, not to be hoarded. And so God says, I want you to be a wealth creator, but I want you to be a kingdom builder. Now, the next verse says, Proverbs 16, three, commit your work to the Lord and then your plans will what? Circle the word succeed. God says, I want you to succeed in your work, but you gotta commit it to me. You gotta trust me as the source and supply. Whatever you want God to bless, you put him first in. You want God to bless your marriage, put him first in your marriage. You want God to bless your work, put him first in your work. If you want God to bless your time, you put him first in your time. If you want God to bless your health, you put him first in your health. You trust God as your source and supply. Number two. Second habit you must develop, I must do my work as an act of worship. If I want God's financial blessing on my life, I must do my work, whatever I'm doing, as an act of worship. And no matter what you do, you may sweep the streets, it's more than just a job. God says it's to be an act of worship. Look at this verse up here on the screen. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart. That means with enthusiasm. You're to work with enthusiasm as working for the Lord, not for men. What does that mean? It means your boss isn't really your boss. She may be your supervisor, but your boss really is God. You're doing it as if you're working for the Lord, no matter what you do. Now, let's say you work at a hotel and you clean rooms and make beds. If you're doing it for the Lord, if you think Jesus is gonna sleep there, you're gonna do a better job of making that bed? Oh, baby. Yeah, so your standard of excellence goes up when no matter what you're doing, you say, Lord, I'm taking out this garbage as if I'm doing it for you. I'm washing these dishes as if I'm doing it for you. I'm closing the sale, I'm making this deal, I'm delivering this product as if I'm doing it for you. Every act of work can be an act of worship. Martin Luther said, you can milk cows to the glory of God. There is nothing that you cannot say in legitimate work, do it for the glory of God. Whatever you do, you do it with all your heart. Now, some of you, your heart isn't in your work. You're not doing it with enthusiasm. You can barely get along. Then you're in the wrong job because life is too short to spend it doing work your heart isn't in. There's a lot more, in fact it's a sin. The Bible says whatever you do, work at it with all your heart. If you can't do what you do with all your heart, you need to change jobs. Because it needs to be an act of worship. Now what kind of work does God bless? He blesses all kinds of work as long as it's done five ways. You might write these down, it's these next five verses. First, God blesses planning. Look at that verse at the bottom of the first page. Proverbs 21, five, good planning and hard work leads to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to what? Poverty. God blesses planning. That's the first thing he does. God blesses planning. He wants you to plan your work and he wants you to work your plan. Number two, God blesses initiative. He not only wants you to plan your work, he wants you to take the initiative. God never blesses laziness. The Bible says in Proverbs 10, 4, lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands will bring what? Wealth. Now, what is he saying? He's saying, stop waiting for your ship to come in. Swim out to it. You gotta take the initiative. Stop waiting for something to happen. You take the initiative. He says you need to make a plan and then you need to take the initiative. That's what God blesses in wealth creation. Number three, God blesses integrity. God blesses integrity. If you want God to bless your finances, you must be honest. That means you pay your taxes and you don't cheat people. God never blesses dishonest gain in any way. Proverbs 16, 11, the Lord demands fairness in every business deal. So he's not gonna bless it if it's unfair. He sets the standard. God says, I want you to plan your work. I want you to take the initiative. I want you to have integrity and do it with honesty. Number four, God blesses focus. He says, you need to stay focused. Don't just keep moving around from project to project, jumping around from job to job, from idea to idea, from opportunity to opportunity. Get an idea and stick with it. Stay focused. You don't get distracted by pipe dreams, everything that comes along. Proverbs 12, 11, hard work brings prosperity. Only fools waste time chasing fantasies. And then number five, God blesses persistence. In other words, when you get a job, you keep at it. You don't give up the first time you have a failure. You don't give up the first time the stock goes down. You don't give up the first time somebody looks at you crossways and criticizes you for what you're doing. You are persistent. The Bible says wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears, but wealth from hard work grows. You ever heard the phrase easy come, easy go? Well, that's where it comes from. It comes from this verse. It's from the Bible. Money that is made quickly and easily is gone quickly and easily. It is not an accident that people who win the lottery are often bankrupt within about five to 10 years. Why? Because they made it so quick, they had no skills to deal with it, and they lose it very quickly. So God says work can be an act of worship. You know, in Proverbs 31, that chapter's about what makes a godly woman. If you ever wanna know what a godly woman is, you read Proverbs 31. And that Proverbs 31, it talks about a guy's wife. She's a businesswoman. She's a businesswoman. Let me read you a little of it. Proverbs 31, verse 15, she gets up before dawn and prepares breakfast for her household and then plans the day's work for her servant girls, which means she's got staff. She's actually creating jobs. She inspects a field and buys it with her earnings. She's buying property and she's paying for it with her own money. She's energetic and strong. She's a hard worker. She watches for bargains. There's a biblical basis for using coupons. and she helps the poor. The godly woman, there is a businesswoman. She's contributing in her way. Okay, number three, third habit you're going to have to develop. Keep good records. If you want God's financial blessing on your life in the next 10 years, like I want it to be for you, You wanna get out of debt, you wanna be financially free, you're gonna have to keep good records. This is the principle of accounting. That means you write it down. You gotta keep track of your finances. You say, oh, Rick, I hate to do that. Yeah, well, you say, I don't have time to do it. Do you have time to worry? If you wrote everything down, you'd have a whole lot less to worry about. Now notice this verse, Proverbs 27, 23 and 24. Riches can disappear fast. Everybody agree with that part? Yeah, okay. Riches can disappear fast, so watch your business interest closely. Know the state of your flocks and herds. Now why do you say flocks and herds? Because when the Bible's written, this passage here, all wealth was tied up in your livestock. You could easily tell who was rich in Bible days. If you had a lot of cows, a lot of sheep, or a lot of goats, you were wealthy. If you had no animals, you were poor. There were no banks, there were no stocks, there were no businesses per se. Everybody's wealth was tied up in the animals that they had. So when he says know your flocks, he's saying watch your business interest. Today, instead of saying know your flocks, God would say know your stocks. In other words, you need to know where they're going. Now he says riches can disappear fast. People say money talks. It does not. It just walks away quietly. and you end up with more of the month left over at the end of the money, and you go, where is all this going? Anytime you say, well, I just don't know where it goes, it means you're already in trouble. Because easy credit plus ignorance equals disaster. You must keep good records. It's a warning. If you don't know where it's going, you are already headed in deep trouble. You gotta keep good records. 1 Corinthians 16, 2 says, On the first day of every week, that's Sunday, when you go to worship, put aside some of what you have earned during the week and use it for the offering. Now, the amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you to earn. It's in a proportional giving. Now, this verse is primarily about planning your tithing, but that's not why I put it in there. I put it in there because I want you to circle the phrase put aside. Put aside. You can't set aside some for the offering or you can't set aside some for savings or you can't set aside some for vacation unless you're keeping good records. You can't put aside anything if you don't know what you've got and where it's going. You must keep good records. Habit number four, if you want God's blessing on your finances, give the first 10% back to God. Give the first 10% back to God. Now I don't have to spend time on this because this is tithing. Most of you know this principle and most of you are tithers in this church. Tithing means the first 10% I give back to God. Tithe means 10 or 10%. Proverbs 3, nine and 10 says this. Honor the Lord by giving him the leftovers of all your income. Oh, that's not what it says, is it? What's it say? First part, circle that, first part. That means right off the top, right off the top. And he will fill your barns to overflow. You say, Rick, why did God say give him back 10%? Why 10? I don't know. I really don't know. It's one of the questions on my, I've got a list of things I'm gonna ask God when we get to heaven. One of them is, I mean, he could have said 5%. He could have said 20%. He could have said two. He could have said 90. Why he said 10? I don't know. The point is God doesn't need my money. He just wants what it represents, my life. And the most sensitive nerve in my body goes from the heart to the wallet. Now, look at the next verse. The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives. That's what it's there for. And tithing does three things. It's a statement of gratitude. God, I wouldn't have anything if it weren't for you. It's a statement of purpose. God, you're first in my life, so I'll give you the first part of my money on the first day of the week. And it's a statement of faith. God, I believe you've You'll keep your promises that if I put you first, you'll take care of all my needs. So it's gratitude, it's priority, and it's faith. Now in Malachi 3.10, God says this. Bring to my storehouse, that's the temple, it's where you worship. Bring to my storehouse a full 10th of what you earn. 2% is not a tithe, 8% is not a tithe, 10% is a tithe. Bring a full 10th of what you earn. Test me in this, says the Lord, and see if I will open a window of blessing for you and pour out all the blessings you need. There are more promises in the Bible about tithing than anything else. Now let me just give you a suggestion here. If you have a hard time remembering to honor God with the first part of your income, let me give you a simple, easy tip. Online giving. You can just set it up automatically. So you make God part of your regular schedule in your giving. Now number five, this one's just as important as tithing. I must save and invest for the future. You must save and invest. and invest if you want God's blessing on your life. You can't just tithe. You can't just keep good records. You can't just honor God. You must save and invest for the future. Now, the Bible calls savings God's IQ test. It really tells how smart you are, whether you're saving or not. In Proverbs 21, 20... The wise man saves for the future. That's wise, it shows you're smart. But the foolish spends whatever he gets. Did you know that the average Japanese saves 25% of their income? The average European saves 18% of their income. Last year in America, the average American spent 1% more than he made. Now, let me give you a question that will help you increase your savings ability. You just ask this question, do I really need this? You just ask yourself that question. You start to buy something. Could I put this money in the bank and save it or do I really need this? You see, when you save, you're getting your money to work for you. The problem is most people are poor or never get out of debt because they're working for their money instead of getting their money to work for them. When you say, every time you save, every time you invest, you're getting your money to work for you. Money should work for you, not you for money. Does that make sense? The Bible says that savings and investing is a mark of wisdom.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey everybody, thank you so much for joining us today on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. You know, just a short time back, God put it on Pastor Rick's heart to connect with a team of leading health experts, and they created the Daniel Plan. Meet Joel.
SPEAKER 03 :
I tried to lose weight, I tried to make the changes, and nothing seemed to work because it was all based on my willpower. When I started with the program, I immediately noticed changes, mainly because I wanted to be healthy. I had the tools to eat properly. I understood exercise and I had motivation. I saw that I could get healthy finally, that I could make the changes that I tried my whole life to make.
SPEAKER 01 :
You know, more than 180,000 people are following the Daniel plan. Yeah, to lose weight, increase their energy and improve their relationships and all while growing closer to the Lord. And they're doing it with the Daniel plan.
SPEAKER 03 :
I've lost 75 pounds and I've reached what I think is my ideal weight where I feel healthy. In fact, I just recently competed in an Ironman triathlon competition. That's 140.6 miles of racing. When I found the Daniel plan and its principles, I was given the tools to finally make the changes.
SPEAKER 01 :
I sure hope you'll let Pastor Rick send you a hardcover copy of his bestselling book, The Daniel Plan, today. It's his way of saying thanks so much for your financial gift to this listener-supported ministry. Just go to PastorRick.com to get your copy of this great resource. That's PastorRick.com. Or you can just text the word HOPE to 70309. That's the word HOPE to 70309. And thank you so much for your support. Your gift to Daily Hope really helps us share the hope of Christ with people all over the world. Be sure to join us next time as we look into God's Word for our Daily Hope. This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.
Pastor Rick teaches that, from the beginning, God’s plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus—this is your destiny. The Bible describes Jesus as “the exact likeness of God,” “the visible image of the invisible God,” and “the exact representation of his being” (2 Corinthians 4:4 GNT, Colossians 1:15 NLT, Hebrews 1:3 NIV).
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey there, everybody, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. And whether today is your first time tuning in or if you're a regular listener, we're really excited that you're here. Well, today, Pastor Rick is continuing his series called Discover Your Destiny. So get ready to explore the practical steps to grow in all areas of your life. spirit, mind, body, relationships, and even your career. So stick with us as we uncover God's incredible plan for your future. And here's Rick with the final part of a message called, How Can I Know My Destiny?
SPEAKER 03 :
Number three. Now the third thing that Esther did, she not only got disturbed, and she not only looked at what God had given her, but you've got to take the time to hear God's call on my life. I must take the time to hear God's call on my life. You need a retreat. You need a getaway. You need to get away for at least a day, maybe two or three days, where you sit down and you listen to God. You sit down, you shut up, you be quiet, and you pray and you plan and you think about the next 10 years of your life. And you think, what does God want me to do, given my gifts and given my passions and the needs I see around me? What does God want me to do? And you're not gonna do this on your own. So you gotta have like a little retreat time. Now notice this, Mordecai, who's her adopted father, they all know about this plot to kill all of the Jewish people. And in verse 13 and 14 of Esther 4, it says, Mordecai sent this word to Esther. Do not think because you're in the king's house that you alone of all Jews will escape. For if you remain silent, and he said, you can't remain silent. If you remain silent at this time, he said, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place. In other words, Mordecai said, I've got faith in God. He's not gonna let this God's chosen people be eliminated from the face of the earth. He's not gonna happen. So God will provide, but he says, if you don't do anything about it, you and your father's family will perish. Besides, he says, who knows? but that you have come to this position for such a time as this. Now remember, Esther is a 20 year old, in her 20s, young, poor, orphaned, Jewish girl. And she's now the queen of Persia. And Mordecai's going, Esther, you think this is by accident? I don't think so. Do you not think that God puts you in this position for such a time as this? This is no accident. And don't just think you can ignore these disturbing trends out there in society. You cannot remain silent. You gotta do something about it. Now I wanna tell you, that's not just true of Esther. It's true of you. Some of you young women, you're exactly where God put you for the reason he put you there. Some of you young guys, you're exactly where God put you. It doesn't matter what your age is. You are where you are for such a time as this. And God brought you to Saddleback Church not to sit, soak, and sour, but to make a difference with your life. He has a destiny for your life. God says, I brought you to this place, and I brought you to this time, and I want you to hear my call. Now you gotta take the time to hear God's call on my life. Now God has called everyone. We've talked about this before. A lot of people think God only calls preachers and missionaries and nuns and priests. Those are the called people. No, everybody is called. Your calling is your vocation. As I told you, it's this Latin word, voce, which means vocal. Your vocation is your call, your voice. Everybody has a vocation. Everybody has a calling of God. God has called every one of you to make a difference with your life. Some of you are not picking up the phone. Now here's the point. You don't call God. He calls you. You don't just go, what would I like to do with my life? Sorry, you don't get that option. Unless you don't want any blessing. God says, no, no, I created you for a purpose. I have a vision and values and I have a purpose, plan and a destiny for your life. And God calls you and you gotta pick up the phone. I wish what we were doing were just a matter of life and death. That'd be easy, but it's not. It's more important than life or death because eternity is in the balance, heaven and hell. Jesus talked more about hell than he did about heaven. They're real. We're not just talking about helping people now. We're talking about their eternal destinies. It's bigger than life or death. And God has brought you to this place just like he brought Esther to her place, including the good and the bad that happened. I'm sure it was no fun going and having sex with a king you didn't even love. and knowing that the night before and the night after you, it's gonna be somebody else. But God said, you know what, I can even use that. I can even use date rape. I can bring good out of anything. Esther 4, verse 15. Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai. Go and gather together all the Jews who are in Susa. They're the capital. and fast for me. Said, I want you to find everybody you can, get everybody who's Jewish, and I get everybody to fast for me, because I'm gonna have to go confront the king. And I know that this is a scary thing. She's going, you know what? First place, it's against the law for me to go to him. You only go to the king if he invites you. It's against the law for me to take the initiative and go to the king. If you read the story, she said, in fact, he hadn't called for me in 30 days, so I haven't had any contact with him in a month. So I don't know if he still loves me or what. And number two, I'm gonna have to reveal that I'm Jewish, which means I'm gonna keep it a secret from my husband. And number three, I'm gonna ask him to publicly renounce a decree he's already signed and he's gonna look foolish. to reverse a command. So I'm gonna probably die for this. I'm gonna probably lose my life for this. I'm taking my life in my own hands. So she says, you go gather all the Jews who are in Susa and fast for me. And do not eat or drink for three days or night or day. And I and my maids will fast as you do. And when this is done, Then I'll go to the king. She's saying, before I initiate any confrontation with the king, which is no light matter and can cost me my life, I'm gonna have to have a little retreat. And I'm gonna need to get off by myself and I'm gonna fast and I'm gonna pray and I'm gonna think and I'm gonna plan out my words and I'm gonna give some serious time to my destiny. Now, Esther does two things that you're going to need for your destiny in the next 10 years. Number one, just like Esther, you're going to need all the support you can get. She said, go get everybody you can to pray for me. That's why you must be in a small group. Because you cannot fulfill your destiny on your own. We get well in community, we serve in community, we share in community. God meant for us to be in community. The very first thing God said to man, it is not good for men to be alone. Whether you marry or not is irrelevant. You have to be in a family. You have to be connected. You have to be in community. She says, get everybody praying for me. You're going to need that. And the second thing Esther did, and you're going to need to, you're going to need some time alone. You're going to need to go on a retreat, at least an overnighter, where you get alone. Because if I tell you, go home and make these lists of all the things that you're gifted in and make a list of all the things you care about, you know what? You're not going to do it. You're gonna walk out of here and you're gonna forget it and you're not gonna do it and you're gonna come back next week and it still won't be done. So I'm going to force you to do it. And in the next three years, I want everybody in this church to take a retreat. a life planning retreat to plan goals in all the key areas of your life. What are my goals financially? What are my goals for my family? What are my goals for my personal life? What are my goals for my health? What are my goals in learning? And I'm gonna help you. Nothing becomes dynamic till it becomes specific. Now, number four, one last thing. The fourth thing you have to do is what Esther did is that is you must make a faith commitment. You must make a faith commitment. The Bible says without faith it's impossible to please God. The Bible says according to your faith it will be done unto you. The Bible says the just shall live by faith. The Bible says all things are possible to him who believes. Now Esther says I know this is scary and I know it's a big risk and I'm scared to death to take this initiative to go to the king and tell him I'm Jewish and ask him to rescind a stupid decree that a bad guy got him to approve. But It's the right thing to do, so I'm gonna do it. She's an amazing woman. Now in Esther 4.16, she makes this faith commitment to do the thing that she's most afraid of. She says, and when this is done, you know, my three-day retreat, we've all prayed, we've all fasted, and I've thought through where I'm going. When this is done, I will go, that's a faith commitment, I will go to the king, even though it's against the law. And if I perish, I perish.
SPEAKER 02 :
What a woman. What a woman. What an amazing woman. If I perish, I perish.
SPEAKER 03 :
But I'm gonna die doing the right thing. Friend, you're not ready to live till you know what you're ready to die for. You cannot live until you have qualified and clarified in your heart what you're willing to die for. You're not ready to live the next 10 years. If you don't know what you're willing to die for, you're not living, you're just existing. Not knowing what's worth dying for makes life motion without meaning. You gotta know what's worth giving your life for. On the other hand, when you understand your destiny and you really get it, it grabs you. That calling grabs you and you go after it with total abandonment. And you say, if it takes my life, it takes my life. And if I perish, I perish. But I'm gonna die doing what God tells me to do. Now I want you to write this sentence down. I can only manage what I measure. Would you write that down? I can only manage what I measure. If you don't have measurable goals, it's just a wish, it's a dream, it's a hope, but it's not a real goal. And if you don't set some measurable goals for the next three years, in phase one of Decade of Destiny, to measure, that you can measure, you're not gonna be any different in three years, much less in 10 years. And so I'm gonna help you set some spiritual goals and I want them to be specific. And I'm telling you right now that on the last Sunday of this two month campaign, I'm going to ask you, I'm gonna challenge you to make four faith commitments. You don't have to write these down. But you'll say, four faith commitments. Number one, what do I wanna learn in the next four years, in the next three years? My goal for you is that you'll be smarter, as I said, smarter and sharper, and you'll be more skilled and more successful. What do I wanna learn? What am I gonna commit to become in the next three years? What am I gonna commit to contribute in the next three years? What am I gonna commit to do with my life in the next three years? These three year faith commitments come up in another month, because all the messages are worthless. If we don't make it measurable, I don't need it, you need it. It's not for me, it's for your benefit. So you can measure your progress over the three years. Jesus said it like this on the screen. According to your faith, it will be done to you. You know, every morning, I sit on the side of my bed and I pray a prayer. And that prayer, I pray the same prayer every day. It's a little prayer I've just written and memorized. And then I say the words to a song. I don't sing it because I can't sing, especially in the morning. But I say this as I'm sitting on the bed. I don't even get out of bed until I've done this. I say, Lord, Lord, I offer my life to you. Everything I've been through, use it for your glory. Lord, I offer my days to you. Lift up my praise to you as a living sacrifice. Lord, I offer you my life. I say it every day before I get out of bed. I think this is the attitude Esther had when she knew that going to her husband, the King of Persia would likely mean her head would be cut off because first she did admit she's Jewish. And second, she's asking him to reverse a decree that would make him seem foolish. But Esther says, Lord, I offer my life to you. Everything I've been through. My parents died. I was in the cattle call of a harem. Everything I've been through, use it for your glory. Lord, I offer my days to you. Lift up my praise to you as a living sacrifice. Lord, I offer you my life. And if I perish... I perish. And because she was willing to lay it on the line for the destiny God had planned for her, the Jewish nation was saved. You see, you wouldn't be saved without Esther. Because if the Jews had been annihilated, there would be no Jesus the Messiah. And you would be hopeless. That's the impact of Esther. Let's bow our heads. Would you pray this prayer in your heart? Dear God, I want the rest of my life to be the best of my life, I want my life to count. I don't wanna live for myself, I wanna live for you and for the destiny you've created for me. Help me to recognize the gifts that you've put in my life. Not just the assets, but even the liabilities, the limitations, the handicaps. even the hurts, and to realize that even those are part of the plan to get me where you want me to be in the time and place and what you want me to do with my life. Help me to identify the needs that stir my heart. To realize that when I see something, I go, that's wrong. That needs to be corrected. Somebody ought to do something about that. That you're speaking to me. Help me to take time to hear your call, to be quiet, to settle down. Lord, without even knowing when I'm gonna do it, I commit right now to going on retreat. And in the weeks ahead, help me to consider what faith commitments you want me to make in the key areas of my life. If you've never opened your life to Jesus Christ, regardless of your religious background, say, Jesus Christ, please make yourself real to me. I don't understand it all, but if you're real, I open up my life to you. I want to know you. I want to learn to trust you and love you. I open up my life to your plan and purpose, dear God. I want to fulfill your destiny that you have for me. In your name I pray. Amen. Hi, everybody. This is Rick, and I hope you enjoyed today's broadcast. You know, if you just prayed that prayer for the very first time or you just recommitted your life to Jesus again today, would you let me know about it? There's something real about sharing your commitment. So write me, Rick, at PastorRick.com and say, Rick, I prayed that prayer of commitment. I gave my life to Christ, and I'll send you some material that'll help you on your journey with Jesus, and I'll also pray for you. God bless you.
SPEAKER 01 :
What a life-giving message from Pastor Rick. Now let's join Rick with today's offer. Thanks for listening today.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, honestly, I never paid much attention to my health until I had a little epiphany a few years back when I baptized over 800 people in a single day by immersion. Now looking at myself and everybody that I was baptizing, it was real clear that we all needed to get healthy. So I put together a team of nationally known doctors to help me develop a program for our church. I called it the Daniel Plan, based on the passage in the book of Daniel, where Daniel has a contest with King Nebuchadnezzar on who can be the healthiest. The Daniel Plan is centered on five essentials that will help you become healthier. faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends. There are a lot of diet plans out there that deal with food and fitness, but the secret sauce in the Daniel plan is focus, learning to have your mind renewed, friends, learning to grow in community, and faith, trusting God's power rather than willpower. You know, we found that when individuals addressed health issues in each of these key areas, they are transformed. In fact, in the first year of the Daniel Plan, over 15,000 people from 190 countries participated, and the results were life-changing. In fact, our own church, Saddleback Church, lost over a quarter of a million pounds in one year. Can you imagine that? What did it do for our church? It increased our energy. We started sleeping better. It reduced our need for medication. The whole church was healthier. Now, the Daniel Plan has recently been released in a book format, and I want you to have a copy of this book today so you can start getting healthier now. And I'll send you a hardcover copy of the Daniel Plan book as a very special thank you for your gift to this ministry.
SPEAKER 01 :
Just go to PastorRick.com to get your copy of this great resource. That's PastorRick.com. Or you can just text the word HOPE to 70309. That's the word HOPE to 70309. And thank you so much for your support. Your gift to Daily Hope really helps us share the hope of Christ with people all over the world. Be sure to join us next time as we look into God's Word for our Daily Hope. This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.
In this captivating episode, Liz Franzel sits down with Nick Vujicic, a motivational speaker and founder of Nick V Ministries, to explore the profound impact of human trafficking in America. With his personal triumph over physical and mental obstacles as a backdrop, Nick calls upon listeners to recognize and combat the insidious issue of modern slavery. Discover how you can contribute to protecting vulnerable communities as we reveal the frightening truth behind the statistics, and learn tangible steps you can take to make a difference.
SPEAKER 02 :
This is Liz Franzel with Crawford Media Group, and today we are privileged to have Nick Vujicic with us today. He is the founder and CEO of Nick V Ministries, renowned speaker around the world and best-selling author. This month is National Human Trafficking Month, and we'll be talking about his mission to end this horrific crime against humanity. Nick, it's an honor to have you here with us today.
SPEAKER 01 :
Liz, thank you so much for having me on.
SPEAKER 02 :
Nick, you have such an amazing testimony and for our listeners that might not know, you were born with no arms or legs and you have overcome what some would say are impossible circumstances, but we know that all things are possible with God and you are a testament to that. Can you tell us a little bit about your story and how you overcame incredible challenges?
SPEAKER 01 :
Look, thank you so much for asking. I am so blessed at 42 years of age to be able to always let everyone know that first and foremost, having no limbs sounds pretty difficult. But I always tell people that it's not about the physical difficulties as much as the disabilities of the heart and the mind. And for me, you know, people could look at me at school and judge me or decide if they interact with me, isolate themselves from me or even bully me. And I think it was around age six that I knew that I was different than everyone else. And for the first time, I thought, well, that might be an issue. I was raised in a beautiful, loving home, went to church every week. My dad was a pastor, and I was asked by many people, why were you born this way? I did not know why. My brother and sister were born with limbs. People then asked me, what do you want to be when you grow up? I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. And I really felt like I was a burden to my parents. I had ups and downs at school as any student, but obviously had a lot of unwanted attention and definitely fears about my future. The Bible says that God has a hope, plan, and future, and I didn't understand if that verse would really be for me ever. I thought I'd be a burden to everyone around me, never get married, never be happy, never have children, never even get a job. And so I premeditated and planned a suicide attempt at age 10. I attempted in my bathtub and tried to drown myself because all I could see were broken pieces. And by the grace of God, I was stopped by one thought, imagining my parents at my grave wishing they could have done something more. And I didn't want to leave them with that pain. And I just am so glad I decided to stay by His grace. Age 15, I read John chapter 9, a man was born blind. No one knew why he was born that way. And Jesus was asked, why was he born with his disability? And I very much, as you can imagine, related to that story. The blind man gets the fingers of Jesus that are sticky and icky from the mud, and then he sees. And the blind man didn't ask any questions. And I realized, God, if you had a plan for a blind man, And you have a plan for me. And the blind man didn't ask for your plan, but he trusted you. And so, God, today I trust you with my greatest disability of death, of sin, that both you conquered on the cross, Jesus. And so I gave my life to Jesus at 15. At 17, I became vice president of my high school. I did a speech. And the janitor pulled me aside later, and he said, God's going to use you to go around the world. and share your story. And I actually said, I have no story. I don't know what you're talking about. And by the grace of God, started ministry at age 19. I've now gone to 84 countries, met 34 presidents and prime ministers. A billion people in China know who I am, and a billion people in India know who I am. And then out of the story, obviously not preaching, preaching. But then outside of those two closed countries, We've been in many others preaching the gospel to 10% of the whole world.
SPEAKER 02 :
That is absolutely an amazing testimony and I thank you for sharing that. I know who you are and that's why it's such a privilege to be able to talk with you today and I'm so thrilled that we can share you with our listeners. Today we are talking about human trafficking because this month is National Human Trafficking. You know, it's getting more attention but it's still not really being acknowledged a lot by the media. Give us some insight on what it is and how this even happens.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, look, there's so many different things that I needed to learn. I really want people to go to nickveeministries.org, find out the champions for the Brokenhearted series, click on human trafficking. For two years, we've been actually interviewing experts in different fields, including human trafficking, to really understand where this really is in our own backyard and For about two decades, everyone thought that this was more of an international problem. But more so, people are realizing it's actually happening in our own schools, in front of our own children. They don't need to be as violent kidnapping people for sex slavery in our own backyard. They just get lured in from social media, actually, by peers of their school now. People don't understand that a lot of media attention is not really going down to the root issue. People don't still know that there are $100 million worth of lobbying money for bills to pass continually pornographic material in our country. People don't understand that 67% of all teenagers are actually producing sexual images of themselves on their cell phones. People don't understand that one in three girls by age 17 have been raped in America. One out of five boys by age 17 raped in America. What's devious of all these things and other things that, I mean, it's very dark, very heavy to also understand the CPS and foster care system. I have had many friends in the foster care, incredible opportunity to help these children. and they ask these three siblings who are two, four, and six, hey, let's take a photo together as a family. And one of them says, okay, and comes back naked. And so there's a ton, ton, ton of foster kids waiting to go into a loving, protected home. There's a lot of corruption in our country, a lot of fragmented systems between county to county, and it's pretty disgusting as we learn these things. But What's most devious is no one who actually is being trafficked will say that they're being trafficked because they don't think they're being trafficked because they actually get brainwashed. And so what's crazy is, well, that's just what we do. This is who we are. And this is my new circle. It's unbelievable. And this is actually infiltrated to coaches, teachers and even parents in America.
SPEAKER 02 :
When you say infiltrated, what do you mean by that?
SPEAKER 01 :
Actually, softball coaches, basketball coaches, teachers of different tutorials, and even parents actually being part of the pimping and sexual acts. And more of that is going to be revealed here in America. Yaku Boyens is the tip of the spearhead of this issue. And as a church, you know, as a Christian... We need to go to what we really—I mean, no one's really talking about this in the church at all. No one's really bringing this in in education. Louisiana's done a great job in bringing education for adoption and helping unexpected pregnancies with teenagers to know about adoption on just the precipice. It's the first of its kind. It really needs to be mandated. That needs to be mandated. What also needs to be mandated is the real danger to parents as well to warn what human trafficking really is, to know the signs of your own child going through that. But what's crazy is this. There are surveys out there that say that one in five men who go to church on a weekly basis are actually addicted to pornography. And we're not talking about pornography. We're not talking about, you know, just to Gen Z to keep your pants on. to understand the sexualization of a generation. And when we now look at, I mean, even Christian schools, go to the football little team there and hear their conversations. And if you overhear some conversations, you'll actually probably hear someone asking their peers, how many trophies do you have? And that actually means how many girls have you slept with? And so the whole way that the enemy has come in and infiltrated and sexualized and debilitated our young people and attacking them without any buffer because they're on their phone seven hours straight a day. And this is now, this is real. And there is a lot of work to do, a lot of work to do. And I think the church needs to be aware of it. educate their schools, every charter school, every Christian school, every public school, every home, but also in the church to start talking about this as, hey, how many foster kids can we get out of that risk?
SPEAKER 02 :
You had mentioned some of the training you do. What are some of the signs that we can look for that would kind of alert us to something that's off?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, look, it's really peer-to-peer and really isolation and even some emojis. If you actually do some audits on your teenagers, as far as I'm concerned, everyone has their own house rules. But there are expert curriculum and signs of the types of emojis that pimps use, how they go trolling. You know, they're meeting people that they've never met before or they're being coerced in the school. There are signs of isolation. There are signs of even eye contact when they're lying. And just to have an atmosphere at home of saying, don't do this, don't do that, don't meet strangers, to actually sit down and have discussions with your family about what this really is. It is absolutely not surprising to me that 330,000 children are missing, with 3 million that have come over the border completely missing. But even before the border crisis that we have had in recent years, there's hundreds of thousands of people. In DFW alone, there are estimated 400. I'm from Dallas-Fort Worth. estimated 400 active slaves being pimped every single night in Dallas. And it's really interesting to know that those clienteles are normally people who earn more than $150,000, who have two children, and who are aged between 45 and 55 years of age. And you just would never believe that those are the people that are having sex with minors, And so even Native Americans, people don't understand right now, Native Americans are seen as exotic. And so we've been to Native American reservations, and they're taking, the Mexican cartels in Montana are taking daily children and women. And because of the jurisdictions, guess what? The federal government still has not been able to stop this kidnapping right in front of their eyes. And as soon as they get off the reservation, they actually can get away with it. It's happening on a daily basis. Tons of missing kids from Native Americans. People have no clue what's really going on.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, that is tragic news. And such, you know, the statistics are so, so huge. We're visiting with Nick Vujicic, founder and CEO of Nick V Ministries. renowned speaker and best-selling author, and we've been talking about the work his ministry is doing to help end human trafficking. Nick, would you tell our listeners where they can go to find out more about your ministries and actually get involved in this tragic crime against humanity?
SPEAKER 01 :
Please, thank you very much. nickveenministries.org is where you go. Go click the tab of Champions for the Brokenhearted. you will see then 12 topics that we've chosen, and one of them that we deep dive into is human trafficking. We have been doing that intentionally for two years. Check out Jacob Boyan's ministry. Check out A21, Christine Kane. Check out other people out there that we have shown free resources for all churches, all families, and teenagers alike to just Help them understand we need to address this. We need to address this now and do all that we can and not rest until it's done.
SPEAKER 02 :
Absolutely. Thank you for bringing this to light, Nick, and so much for joining us today.
SPEAKER 01 :
I love you so much. Thank you so much.
Discover the transformative principle of learning to be content in all situations as discussed in today's podcast. Charles Stanley delves into the profound implications of Philippians chapter 4, explaining Paul's wisdom on finding true contentment and inner peace amidst life's chaos. This episode is an invitation to understand and apply the biblical approach to bringing God's unlimited power into personal struggles, enabling listeners to emerge stronger, more resilient, and deeply fulfilled.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Friday, January 31st. Does your life resemble a roller coaster? Well, the good news is we don't have to be at the mercy of circumstances. Today, you'll hear a simple principle from the Bible that can help you overcome the ups and downs of life.
SPEAKER 02 :
I'm afraid that for most of us and most Christians, the idea of living a roller coaster up and down life, off and on, hot and cold, in and out, has been accepted as the normal Christian life. This is just the normal Christian life. But I don't believe that's what Jesus taught. It's certainly not what the Apostle Paul taught. It is not the teaching of the Word of God. Does this mean that somehow we'll be able to stretch it all out and balance it all out? No. Does it mean that things will ultimately get better? No. Could get worse. But you see, here's the difference between the believer and the unbeliever, that you and I have tapped into the inexhaustible resource of a supernatural somebody who is God in the person of Jesus Christ to make it possible for us to live in the midst of these ever-changing circumstances without that. So Paul says, here's the secret. So I want to say, first of all, that overcoming these ups and downs of life is a learning process. Paul said it was true for him. It's true for us. Secondly, it is a learning process that will ultimately lead us to peace and contentment in our life when we learn to respond in the right fashion. And the apostle Paul is saying, I've learned the secret. He says the secret is very simple. In fact, it's so simple, most folks are going to just trip right over it. So I want to give you that as a little warning right now that when I show you and when I share with you what Paul is saying, don't say, oh, It can't be that simple. Let me ask you a question. Why would God want to make it hard? Why would God want to make it difficult? It's amazing to me how many principles people think they've tried because they've heard. Listen, because you've heard something doesn't mean you've applied it. And because you've applied it once doesn't mean it works or it doesn't work. Listen, there are many spiritual lessons that we go through over and over and over again before we really grasp the truth. Because we listen to them against the grid of our own thinking. Well, you know, I know some folks who've tried that. That's mind over matter. That's just confession. And, you know, life just isn't that simple. You don't know my circumstances. You don't know where I'm coming from. And if you lived in what I lived in, if you'd been where I'd been, and you'd faced what I faced, then you wouldn't say it's so simple. Well, you don't know what I faced. You don't know where I've been. And you don't know what God's had to work in my own life. But I can tell you this, that Philippians chapter 4, Verses 10 through 13. And what I want to share with you today, I'm here to tell you it works. The reason I know it works is that God has thrown me in the fire enough in my life that I know it works. And he had to bring me to the place where I had to say, God, it looks like my circumstance is not going to change. No matter what I do and how hard I try, they're not going to change. And so I had to come to the conclusion of God, all right, if you never change anything, if nothing ever changes and the circumstances remain the same, it's okay. It's all right. And that's what Paul is talking about. Writing out of a prison, he says, I want to tell you, it works. Now, what is it? Well, look, if you will, to what he says again. I want to keep reading these verses because I want you to get familiar with the idea. Listen. Verse 11. Not that I speak from want, for I've learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means. I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I've learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. Now, how many of you can say this? I'm content with being weak. I'm content when I'm insulted. I'm content when I am rejected. I'm content when I'm falsely accused. I'm content when I'm persecuted. I'm content when I'm misunderstood. I'm content when I don't have all my desires fulfilled. I'm content when I don't have all my needs met. Can you say that? Listen to what Paul says now. Verse 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Look at that. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Now, I want you to see what he does not say. He does not say I can do all things. Paul would never boast of that. This sounds like a very arrogant statement, especially when in his own epistle in Romans chapter 12, you remember what Paul said in the 12th chapter? He said, for through the grace given to me, I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That sounds rather prideful and arrogant to me. Then you recall what Jesus said. He said, apart from me, you can do nothing. Paul says, I can, he says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Now, is Paul just boasting or is he giving us a secret? Here's the secret. The secret to facing all of those up and down ever-changing circumstances of life is this. I want to just state it and then I want to explain it. Here's the secret. Learning to bring God's power into my weakness. That's the whole key. Learning to bring God's power into my weakness enables me to be content and With weaknesses, persecutions, insults, trials, difficulties, hardships, rejection, bringing God's power into my weakness. Now, I want you to learn a simple little phrase that's right here in the scripture. You can't miss it. Here is probably one of the simplest and most profound secrets, principles to be learned in the whole Christian life. It's four words. I can through Christ. Now, that's very simple. Here's what Paul says. We can bring the power of God into our ever-changing circumstances that seem to absolute overwhelm us and defeat us. He says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And to narrow it down, the whole key here is I can through Christ. Now, what is he saying? Here's what he's saying. Remember, before Jesus left, he said to his apostles, it is expedient for you that I go away. But if I go, I'll send the Holy Spirit. He'll be in you, with you, and upon you. So the Holy Spirit is living within us. And Jesus Christ is residing within you and me through the Holy Spirit. He says, I'm abiding in you and you're in me. So we have the life of Christ within us. Absolutely essential for everything that God wants for our lives. And here's the key. Bringing God's power into my weakness enables me to function out of the power of God, not out of my weakness. And what Paul is saying in this passage here, that his presence in us enables equals His power through us. His presence in us equals His power through us. His presence in us equals His power for us. His presence within our personality means His power for our problems. Paul said, I have learned this simple principle. I can through Christ. That is based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, whereby we receive him as our personal savior and whereby he begins to live his life in us. We begin to respond to life circumstances on the base of truth, not on the basis of my feelings. Listen, we learn to respond to life circumstances based on the truth. What is the truth? The truth is that Christ is living within us. The truth is that God intervenes, that God releases His power in you and me to face every single circumstance of life, no exception. The promise is that God will enable you and me in our deepest, most trying times, when we feel the very weakest in our life. When we think that God we cannot handle anymore, he says that we have the privilege of bringing God's supernatural power into our weakness. And the moment we bring his power into our weakness, God enables us to face, to stand, to be quiet, to be true, to be strong, to be established. to be patient, to be confident, to be bold, to be conquering, to be victorious over any and every single circumstance of life, no exception. Listen, if there were a single one that could defeat us, If there were a single circumstance for which God is not sufficient and will not provide adequate power for us to overcome, then God is not omnipotent. God cannot be trusted. He is not faithful. He is not reliable. And therefore, our faith is in vain. There is not a single one. Now, this is why Paul says, look. Verse 11, not that I speak from one, for I have learned to be content. The next phrase is very important. I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. You say, but wait a minute, Paul never went through what I went through. Then my friend, all you need to do is to read the 11th chapter of 2 Corinthians. When this man says, I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I'm in, here's the man who's speaking from experience. He knows it works. Paul says, I've learned the secret of bringing his power into my ever-changing circumstance. And therefore, no matter what's going on, he says, I have learned to be content. Now, how do we do that? That is, how is it that you and I, in these circumstances that we can't control and can't change, how is it that you and I can be quiet and How can we be quiet and strong and stable and immovable and at peace and confident when everything around you is blowing sky high? And you are being attacked verbally from every direction imaginable. Paul says, I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I'm in. You see, here's the problem. We don't understand the biblical basis. Here's the biblical basis. Here's the foundation truth. When you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, He came to live in your life. The Son of God is living within you in the person of the Holy Spirit. So you have the power of God in you. So it's not a matter of having to get something you don't have. It's a matter of learning to to use what you have. It's a matter of learning to respond to life on the basis of your position in Him. Now, think about this. Paul says, I've learned the secret, but how is it that I get the power of God in a matter of changing circumstances? Two very simple words sum it all up. Number one, first requirement is I must submit my will to His will. And friend, what that means is, listen, not that you give up to your circumstances, but that you give in to Christ. You don't give up on your circumstances, you give in to Him. You say, well, why submission, the first step? For this reason, now listen carefully. If it is, and it is the plan and purpose of God to conform us to the likeness of His Son, Then some of my ever-changing circumstances may be sent to me straight from God. Some of them will come from the devil. Some from others. But you see, when I submit to him and say, Lord, I yield my life to you. Whatever you choose to send is all right. Now listen, you say, but let me tell you something. You don't know what I've been through. Hasn't got anything to do with it. Has nothing to do with it. If you want contentment, the first step is surrender. You say, you mean to surrender to my circumstances? I didn't say a thing in the world about surrendering to your circumstances. I said, surrender your life to him. Lord, I yield to you. Whatever you choose to allow is all right. Now, what's your alternative? Your alternative is to fight your circumstances. Your alternative is to resist and to be anxious and upset and worried and fretful and hostile and angry and bitter and resentful and manipulative and maneuvering and weaseling your way around, none of which is going to work. So, you see, God sometimes gives us what is difficult, but when you compare it with the other, it's the easiest. Just go ahead and surrender to him, Lord. I yield to you. Whatever you choose to send is all right. The second step is just as simple. And now, Lord, I'm going to trust you. I'm going to trust you to control all these circumstances in my life for your purpose. Now, think about it. You know what's happened? You've stopped fighting. You've stopped resisting. You've stopped running. You've stopped manipulating. You've stopped maneuvering. You've stopped weaseling around. You have laid down the old attitude of bitterness and resentment and hostility and anger and defending yourself. And you know what you've done? You've said, Lord, I just turn it all over to you. And now I'm going to rest in you. Now, let me ask you a question. Last night when you went to bed, how many of you kept one leg off the bed and your foot on the floor? Well, if you had, I don't think you would have rested. You may have slept a little bit, but you probably wouldn't have rested very well. How many of you loaded a gun and laid it by your bedside and all night long you heard something in the hallway and downstairs and upstairs that you didn't rest very well? But last night if you went to bed and you lay down and stretched out and covered up and just relaxed, what did you do? You just rested. You trusted the bed to hold you up. You trusted God to take care of you through the night, and you slept good all night long. Am I saying to you that life is like a good night's rest? No. But I am saying this, that our heavenly Father, who's living on the inside of us, has enabled every single one of us by His indwelling, available power to face every single circumstance, not in our weakness, but in his power. When we learn to get God's power into our circumstances, then what happens? We were able to rest in him. And we do that by trusting him. Lord, listen, I get on my face before God and remind him of how weak I know I am, how incapable and inadequate I know that I am. How insufficient to do what He's called me to do and to remind Him that it is only by His power and His strength, by His wisdom and by His will, I yield to Him. Lord, if making a mistake is part of building me up, then I'm willing to make one. Lord, whatever You choose to do, I choose Your will and Your way. I can walk out here, not only in the presence of God, but in a relationship with Him whereby the power of the Spirit of God is within me to enable me to do what I know I could never do. Now listen, that isn't limited to a pulpit. It isn't limited, thank God, to anything. Paul says, I've learned the secret. What's the secret? I've learned to get his power in on my weakness. And where does that begin? It begins with submitting my will to him that no matter what, it's all right. And then trusting him to supply the power, the energy, whatever's necessary to face that circumstance without wringing my hands and fretting and fuming and blaming and becoming hostile and angry and bitter and resentful and all the rest. Paul says, here's the secret. He says, I learned it. He didn't say I've always known it. He said, I learned. You know how he learned it? By being defeated. You know how he learned it? By coming to his wits end. You know how he learned it? He learned it the same way many of us learn spiritual principles. When we fail and fail and fail and fail and fail and we don't know the answer. And finally, God shows us. Here's the answer. Now, listen, one of the purposes of a pastor is to teach the word of God. And my goal for you is that God would teach me the truth in order to share it with you. Now, my sharing it with you doesn't make it work in your life. My sharing it with you makes it possible for you to pick up on it maybe earlier in life. And then you have to decide whether it's going to work or not. It's not going to work unless you apply it. I wish somebody had told me that a long time ago, that I don't have to fret and theme and live on a roller coaster and live like a sailboat in a storm. that God will enable me to walk moment by moment, day by day, in the inner quietness and peace and stability of His presence in such a fashion by faith that I can get His power in on whatever is going on in my life, every moment, every day, no matter what, if I'm willing to submit and willing to trust Him.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to part two of Overcoming the Ups and Downs of Life. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
