Faith Produces Persistence

[Faith Produces Persistence](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) Current Teaching Series [Daring Faith: The Key to Miracles](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Listen to Today's Broadcast](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Faith Produces Persistence](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) By Rick Warren — Dec 28, 2017 [Facebook](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Twitter](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Pinterest](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Email](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Devotional image from Rick Warren](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT). Faith unlocks the promises of God, it shows us the power of God, it turns dreams into reality, and it gives us the power to hold on in tough times. God doesn’t always take you out of the problem. He stretches your faith by taking you through the problem. He doesn’t always take away the pain. He gives you faith-filled ability to handle the pain. And God doesn’t always take you out of the storm because he wants you to trust him in the midst of the storm. I remember reading the stories of Corrie ten Boom, a young Dutch Christian who helped many Jews escape the Holocaust before being sent to Nazi concentration camps. After World War II ended, she said that the people who lived through those camps were those who had the deepest faith. Why? Because faith gives you the power to hold on in tough times. It produces persistence. Study after study has shown that probably the most important characteristic you could teach a child (and that you need in your own life) is resilience. It’s the ability to bounce back. It’s the ability to keep going. Nobody goes through life with an unbroken chain of successes. Everybody has failures and mistakes. We all embarrass ourselves. We all have pain. We all have problems. We all have pressures. The people who make it in life have resilience. Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to resign as pastor at Saddleback Church? Just about every Monday morning! I say, “God, it’s too big. It’s too many people, too much responsibility. I’m not smart enough. What am I supposed to say to that many people? Get somebody else who can do a better job than this.” Yet God says, “Keep going.” Where do you get the resilience to keep going? Faith. It’s believing God could do something at any moment that could change the direction of your life, and you don’t want to miss it, so you keep moving forward. It’s believing that God will give you exactly what you need when you need it as you learn to rely on him to accomplish his purpose in you. This is the testimony of Paul, a great man of faith: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT). [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) Talk It Over - What is God’s purpose of adversity in your life? - How has faith helped you persevere through a difficult time in your life? - “Faith doesn’t always take you out of the problem. Faith often takes you through the problem.” How will this truth shape the way you respond to the problems you face right now? [Facebook](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Twitter](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Pinterest](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Email](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r [Our Gift:](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r)The Daily Hope Prayer Journal Take bold new steps in your prayer life in 2018! We want to help you make 2018 a year of deep and passionate prayer by sending you the brand-new, vegan leather, beautifully designed Daily Hope Prayer Journal. 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[LEARN MORE](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r [Series Summary](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) Session 1: What Happens When You Have Faith Session 2: How to Get Ready for a Miracle Session 3: Daring to Believe Session 4: Daring to Imagine Session 5: Daring to Give God My Best Session 6: Daring to Plant in Faith Session 7: Daring to Commit Session 8: Daring to be Generous Session 9: Daring to Wait on God Session 10: Daring to Go in Faith [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Twitter](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Instagram](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) [Linkedin](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) Enjoy today's Devotional? [Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio.](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at [pastorrick.com](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r). Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life, which has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered around the world. This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. [Update your preferences](JZPGTSyNu:m:1:2618166767:084FF9216D588C7A8E9DA1A095766DF6:r) | [Unsubscribe](