Saturday, 28 June 2014 "God Provides on the Way to the Miracle" by Rick Warren
“My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NIV)
Some of you are in a rut, and it’s cold and dark and lonely. Some of you are on the road, and it’s scary and insecure, and you have no idea where you’re going or how long the journey’s going to take. And some of you are at the refinery, and the pressure is on.
No matter where you are on the way to your miracle, here are some things you need to remember:
God is all you need.
You don’t need the government or even a job. If God wants to, he can have ravens drop food on you as his way of providing. If he turns off one job opportunity, he can turn on another just as easily. Don’t trust in your bank account, which changes daily. God is all you need.
Where God guides, God provides.
If God tells you to go to Zarephath, leave now! When God gives you direction, he will provide what you need to get there.
You must trust him one day at a time.
Why? Because something like a recession isn’t going to come at you all at once. It’s going to come one day at a time.
God’s promises hinge on your obedience.
God wants you to take a step, and then he’ll show you the next step. Take that step of faith. It may not seem logical, but you do what God says because God’s way is always best.
The Bible says, “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).
The first step of faith is asking Jesus to take control of your life. If you’ve never done that, then pray this prayer.
Do you know Christ Jesus? If you don’t, you need to get to know him right now.
“Dear God, thank you that you love me and want to keep me from depending on other things instead of you. Forgive me for when I’ve depended on my job and other people instead of you. Thank you that you haven’t forgotten me. Lord, the days ahead may be a little scary at times, but I understand now that the path to a miracle is through uncomfortable territory. I understand now that the source of a miracle will be unexpected, so I shouldn’t try to figure it out. I should just trust you. When you tell me what to do, and it doesn’t always make sense, I will still do what you want me to do. Help me to remember that you’re all I need and that where you guide, you’ll provide. I want to learn to trust you one day at a time. I want to go your way, not my way. I want to follow you, and I ask you to save me and come into my life. I claim your promise that if I trust you, you’ll meet my needs. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
You can learn more about a relationship with Jesus at RickWarren.org. When you’re there, click on the “Know God” tab - there’s a video and a guide explaining what it means to trust your life to Jesus.
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Sunday, 29 June 2014 "Beware the Yeast of the Pharisees" by Rick Warren
“Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake. His followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more. Jesus warned them, ‘Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’ His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, ‘He said this because we have no bread.’” (Mark 8:13-16 NCV)
In the Bible, yeast is often a metaphor for pride and arrogance. Why? When you put yeast in dough, what does it do? It puffs it up, and if you put in too much, it blows it up.
When you’re cooking, you don’t need a lot of yeast. If you’re making bread, you don’t pour a cup of yeast in. You just need a little pinch. Just like yeast, you don’t have to have a lot of pride for it to take over quickly and get you in all kinds of problems.
Recently my wife, Kay, and I had what you might call an argument. We call it a “love match.” After that argument, I wrote down in my journal, “When I’m filled with pride, I blow things out of proportion.”
We all do this. When you’re filled with pride, you blow things out of proportion. All of a sudden, little things get you really upset. Whenever that happens, you know you’re dealing with pride. Wherever you find conflict anywhere in the world, pride is always involved.
When you’re filled with pride, when you have the yeast of the Pharisees, guess what? You can’t see life clearly. When you are prideful, you can’t see what God is doing in your life.
God wants you to beware the “yeast of the Pharisees” so that you can more closely follow him and understand how he is working a miracle in your life.
Talk It Over:
•Is it possible pride has affected your relationships with other people? How so?
•Is it possible pride has kept you from developing spiritually? How so?
•What does pride look like in your life?
In what ways has it kept you from seeing God’s plan for you?
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