If You Want to Change, Then Face the Truth

[If You Want to Change, Then Face the Truth]( Current Teaching Series [Life's Healing Choices]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [If You Want to Change, Then Face the Truth]( By Rick Warren — 07/01/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him.” Ephesians 4:21 (NLT) The secret to personal change is not willpower. The secret is to know and face the truth. So, if you want to change, you must know and face the truth about yourself and your nature. You need to face the truth about your weaknesses, your relationships, your successes, your failures, your past, and your future. Nothing changes until you know and face the truth. And that truth is found in Jesus Christ. Why is it necessary to learn the truth before anything can change in your life? Here’s why: Behind every self-defeating habit in your life is a lie that you believe. If you’re in debt, it might be because you believed some lies like “I can spend and get away with it” or “I can always pay it back.” You might have overestimated how much you were going to make, or you believed the lie that you needed a much bigger house. But do you? Are you sure it’s the truth? Can you prove it’s the truth? Are you absolutely certain that what you’ve believed about your finances is true? What about your relationships? What about the things you say to yourself about yourself? Is the way you think about your past true? Or is the truth what God says about it? The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. The truth sets you free. The apostle Paul says, “You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him” (Ephesians 4:21 NLT). Who is the truth? It’s Jesus. And because Jesus is the truth, he will always tell you the truth. His Word is the truth. The Bible is his Word, and that means the Bible is truth. (You can read more about that in 2 Timothy 3:16-17.) What you hear on television or read in books won’t always help you—because it’s not always the truth. In fact, if you consistently listen to what voices around you are saying, you’ll find your life built on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, and half-truths. And you will never change. But what God tells you is always the truth. God’s Word shows you how to get back to the life you were created to live, and then it shows you how to stay on God’s path. This is why it is so important for you to have a daily quiet time in the Word of God. Nothing will change until you get the truth into your heart. Choose today to face and respond to the truth. Then you’ll begin to see positive change in your life. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Where, other than God’s Word, have you looked for the truth about your life? How has that failed you? - When did God’s Word help you understand a truth about yourself? - What do you need to change about your schedule and priorities so that you can spend time every day reading God’s Word? If you haven’t trusted in Jesus and committed to following him, why wait any longer? Your sins separate you from God. And it is only God’s grace that can get you back into right relationship with him. The Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). If you’re ready to make peace with your Creator, then pray this prayer: “Dear Jesus, I don’t want my sin to separate me from you any longer. I’ve looked for the truth about my life in many places, but now I know the truth is only found in you. You have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day. “I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. You have promised that if I confess my sin and trust you, I will be saved. I trust you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today, I’m turning over every part of my life to your management. “I want to live the way you created me to live and use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [If You Want to Change, Then Face the Truth]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get the Life's Healing Choices Study Kit when you give a gift to support Daily Hope]( You’ve probably experienced pain in your life, even caused some to others. We all have. As a result, every single one of us struggles with some sort of nagging hurt, hang-up, or habit. But how you respond to these difficulties often determines whether you get better—or bitter. Get practical help finding freedom from your hurts, hang-ups, and habits with Pastor Rick’s, Life’s Healing Choices DVD and workbook study kit. Using the Beatitudes of Jesus as a foundation, this study guides you through eight healing choices that promise true happiness and life transformation. As you learn to apply these biblical principles, you’ll find God’s pathway to wholeness, growth, spiritual maturity, and healing. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 10 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Life's Healing Choices. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: The Reality Choice Message 2: The Hope Your Need for Change Message 3: Letting Go and Letting God Message 4: The Housecleaning Choice Message 5: The Transformation Choice Message 6: The Relationship Choice Message 7: The Growth Choice Message 8: The Sharing Choice Message 9: What Destroys Relationships and What Builds Them Message 10: There's No Recovery Without Prayer [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. You can listen to Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, his daily 25-minute audio teaching, and sign up for his free daily devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2021 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States