[Make Intentional Decisions as You Follow Godâs Dream]( Current Teaching Series [Created to Dream]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Make Intentional Decisions as You Follow Godâs Dream](
By Rick Warren â 04/13/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= âBut the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.â James 3:17 (NIV) When God gives you a dream, you wonât just accidentally fulfill it. You have to be intentional in making several critical decisions that will help grow your faith and move you toward fulfilling the dream God created you to dream. Here are two decisions that are necessary: First, you need to invest. You have to decide to invest your time, your money, your reputation, and your energy in the things that will advance your pursuit of Godâs dream. In other words, you need to stop making excuses and take the plunge. This is when you say, âGod, Iâm not going to procrastinate any longer. Iâm going to do what youâve told me to do.â Second, you need to let go of security. You canât move forward in faith while holding on to the past. A great picture of letting go of security is a trapeze artist. She swings out on one barâbut before she can grab the next bar and swing to the other side, she has to let go of that first bar. The bars are far enough apart that she canât hold on to both at the same time. At some point she must let go of the security of the first bar. Then, for a split second, she is flying in midair, holding on to neither one. Maybe youâve never swung on a trapeze, but have you ever been at the point in your career when youâve left one job and are looking for another, and there is nothing in between? It feels like youâre a hundred feet in the air with no net below. But if you donât let go of your old life and grab on to the vision God wants for you, then youâll simply swing back in the old directionâonly you wonât swing all the way back. Youâll just swing lower and lower until you finally stop, hanging there with only one way out: down. Like the trapeze artist, you have to decide to let go of your security in order to take hold of your dream. When youâre making critical decisions to follow Godâs dream for you, itâs not about making quick decisions. Itâs about making the right decisions. Quick decisions are easyâand usually wrong. It takes wisdom and time to make the right decision. Where can you find wisdom? In James 1:5, weâre told to just ask God, and heâll generously give his wisdom to anyone who is faithfully sincere in their request. And âthe wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17 NIV). [PLAY todayâs audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Why do you think God lets you decide how to live your life rather than making those decisions for you?
- What investment is God asking you to make today as you follow his dream for your life? Are you willing to make that investment?
- In what area of your life do you need to let go of security in order to grasp the dream God has for you? How will you respond? The first step to living out Godâs dream for your life is to commit your life to Christ. If you havenât done that, would you pray this prayer? âDear God, I donât understand it all, but thereâs a hole in my heart that I realize only you can fill. I realize that I was made to be loved by you and to have a relationship with you. I ask that you forgive me of my sins. Today I want to step across the line and accept you as my Lord and Savior. I ask you to come into my life and my heart and replace my loneliness and my hurt with your love. I want to become a part of your family, the church, and start living out your dream for my life. I pray this in Jesusâ name. Amen.â If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. Iâd like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [Make Intentional Decisions as You Follow God’s Dream]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get Created to Dream when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( God has a dream for your lifeâand itâs far greater than anything you could ever dream up on your own. Discover Godâs dream for your life and how to overcome the many barriers youâll encounter as you pursue it with Pastor Rickâs brand-new book, Created to Dream: The 6 Phases God Uses to Grow Your Faith. This life-changing book reveals the process God uses to fulfill the custom-made dream he has for you and the faith-building phases heâll lead you through as he doesâjust as he did for so many people in the Bible. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 6 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Created to Dream. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: How God Builds Your Faith
Message 2: God's Dream for Your Life
Message 3: How to Make Wise Decisions
Message 4: Delayed by Design
Message 5: How to Deal With Difficulty
Message 6: From Dead End to Deliverance [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rickâs daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of Americaâs largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created [The PEACE Plan]( to address the five global giantsâspiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracyâthrough the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below.
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