[When Your Dream Is Delayed, Donât Fear]( Current Teaching Series [Created to Dream]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [When Your Dream Is Delayed, Donât Fear](
By Rick Warren â 04/14/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= âDo you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him?â Deuteronomy 8:2 (TLB) In this series, weâre learning how God takes us through the Six Phases of Faithâa dream, decision, delay, difficulty, dead end, and deliveranceâover and over again throughout our lives to grow our faith and develop our character. The third phase God uses to grow your faith as you work to fulfill your dream is when you face delays. Dreams are never fulfilled immediately. There is always a waiting period. The Israelites were brought out of Egypt and then wandered around for 40 years before they went into the Promised Land, even though their journey shouldnât have taken more than a few weeks. Just like the Israelites, sometimes you are delayed by Godâs design. Every dream has difficulties, and God uses delays to prepare you to face those difficulties. God also uses delays to test you. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 8:2, âDo you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him?â (TLB). So when your dream is delayed, how should you respond? Donât fear! Embracing fear is the first mistake the Israelites made. Deuteronomy 1:28 says, âWhy should we go there? We are afraid. The men we sent tell us that the people there are stronger and taller than we areâ (GNT). The Israelites had enough faith to move out of Egypt, but they didnât have enough faith to move into the Promised Land. They were afraid. The problem with fear is that it keeps you in the wilderness. It prolongs the delay. Many of your dreams have never been fulfilled, not because of God but because of youâbecause you wouldnât step out in faith. The antidote to fear is focusing on Godâs presence. You remember that God is with you. He says, âFear not, for I am with youâ (Isaiah 41:10 TLB). Heâs with you now, he always has been, and he always will be. Maybe youâre in the delay phase right now. Youâve been praying about something, and it hasnât happened yet. You may start to think that God has forgotten you. God will never forget you! This is a delay by design. God knows what youâre going through. He wants to build your character, and he wants you to learn to trust in him. You can count on him for his help. Donât fear. [PLAY todayâs audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Describe a time when fear delayed your time in the wilderness.
- How has Godâs testing of your faith produced spiritual growth in your life?
- What are your fears about where God may be leading you or what he may be asking you to do? Where will you spend eternity? The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. You cannot earn your way into heaven: âIt is by grace you have been saved, through faithâand this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of Godânot by works, so that no one can boastâ (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). If youâre ready to commit your life to Jesus, start by praying this prayer: âDear God, you have promised that if I believe in your Son, Jesus Christ, everything Iâve 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. âI confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesusâ name I pray. 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 [When Your Dream Is Delayed, Donât Fear]( 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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