Lake Forest, California, United States - Daily Hope Wednesday, 19 November 2014 for "Satan Fears the Pursuit of Purity" by Rick Warren

Lake Forest, California, United States - Daily Hope Wednesday, 19 November 2014 for "Satan Fears the Pursuit of Purity" by Rick Warren
“Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest.” (Ephesians 6:14 HCSB)
We don’t have to do anything wrong for Satan to attack us. It’s what he does. It’s who he is. The Bible calls him “the accuser of our brothers and sisters" (Revelation 12:10 NLT). And he wants nothing more than to attack those who love Jesus.
Yet often, our own impure lifestyles open up the door of our hearts for his attacks. He knows that if he can slip his foot into the door of our hearts through impurity, we’re goners. He’ll trip us up with all sorts of temptations, from pornography to movies to books to songs — whatever it takes to make us ineffective as a Kingdom influencer.
That’s why Paul’s breastplate of righteousness is so important as we battle against whatever Satan throws at us. In Ephesians 6:14, Paul urges believers to “Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest” (HCSB).
A Roman soldier going to war would always put on a breastplate to protect his heart. No soldier would dare go to battle without protecting his heart.
Neither should we. Paul tells us that righteousness, or purity of motives, is our breastplate. When we ask God to give us a pure heart and pure motives, we’re putting on that breastplate of righteousness.
Satan fears the person with a pure heart — not the perfect person, but the person who wants to do the right thing and keeps his or her motives pure. People who pursue purity don’t have to be afraid of him; he is afraid of them. 
Purity doesn’t mean perfection, though. None of us fit that description. God expects purity of motives, not perfection of action. It means when you do something wrong, you want to make it right. You can’t have God’s blessing on your family, your business, or any other area of your life unless you seriously pursue that kind of purity.
For example, open up your heart to greed, and you’ll follow a well-worn path to destruction. If Satan can get you to want more, he’ll get you to cheat on your taxes. He’ll get you to make a shady business deal. Leave the door to your heart ajar through pride, and you’ll chase the applause and praise of others rather than the approval of God.
That leads nowhere. Without a pure heart, you’re a pushover for Satan. You don’t have to be strong to stand against Satan’s attacks, but you do need to protect yourself with God’s armor of righteousness.
Talk It Over:

• Are there areas of your life where you may have become vulnerable to impurity? Why do you think that? What can you do about it?
• Who can you invite into your life to keep you accountable to make pure decisions that honor Jesus?

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Thursday, 20 November 2014 for "Peace: The Worry Beater" by Rick Warren
“On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong.” (Ephesians 6:15 NCV)
Conflict makes you an easy target for Satan’s attacks. It doesn’t matter if your conflict is with God, other people, or even yourself; it will open the door for Satan to tear you apart.
You’ll become a pushover for his plans. It’ll open up every area of your life to Satan’s attacks.
You don’t want that. It’s why the doomsday scenario for many countries is facing wars on multiple fronts. If you’re fighting yourself, others, or God, you can’t fight against what Satan is doing in the world. You can’t fight a multi-front war effectively. You were never meant to do so. 
All levels of conflict leave your flailing for support and searching for a firm footing, as if you’re being sucked into quicksand.
That’s why Paul urges believers, “On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong” (Ephesians 6:15 NCV).
Roman soldiers had hobnails on the bottom of their shoes. These little nails helped them get a better grip with their shoes, like cleats for football players. Without them, soldiers would slip and slide in battle. They wouldn’t be able to hold their ground.
Without putting on the “peace that comes from the Good News,” you too will slip and slide your way through life. Paul is writing about three different aspects of peace: with yourself, with others, and with God. It’s called reconciliation, and you need it in all areas of your life. If you wake up each morning at peace with yourself, God, and others, you’ll find yourself on strong footing. You’ll be able to stand strong against the attacks of Satan.
Satan tries to attack your peace through worry. We can worry about anything. We can worry about our future. We can worry about finances. We can worry about relationships. Often, we worry about what others think of us. When we worry, it means some area of relational peace is out of whack. In fact, most of the time it means we’re out of whack in each of those areas. 
And it means you’re shoeless — and not letting the peace of God’s Word take control.
The Bible says, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165 NLT). In other words, the more I love and obey the Bible, the less I’m offended by what others say. The more I love God’s Word, the less I’m offended by what happens to me. The more I love God’s Word, the less my walk with God will be disturbed.
Choose to believe what God’s Word says about you, about others, and, most importantly, about God.
Choose to believe because obeying God’s Word brings you peace. Choose to believe because Jesus did. Choose to believe because what God’s Word says about you and the world around you is true.
Talk It Over:

• What’s your biggest worry right now?
• What does God’s Word say about what you’re worrying about?
• How can you trust God to help you with what you’re worried about?
• What relationships in your life need to be healed?

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Friday, 21 November 2014 for "Shield of Faith: Protection Money Can’t Buy" by Rick Warren
“At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.” (Ephesians 6:16 GNT)
As a follower of Jesus, you have fiery darts coming at you all the time. So what kind of fiery darts are coming your way? Satan implants the following thoughts into your mind:

• Doubt. You start asking yourself, “Did God really say? Can I really trust God? Isn’t that just your interpretation?”
• Discouragement. Satan tells you, “You’re never going to get any better. Your life won’t change. Don’t even try.”
• Delay. You ask yourself, “Why is this taking so long?” Something you want to happen hasn’t happened by now.
• Difficulty. You ask yourself, “Why is this so hard? Why is it so hard to make my marriage work? Why is it so hard to get a job?”
• Depression. You tell yourself, “It’s not worth it.” You don’t even feel like making an effort.

All these darts come your way on a regular basis. They create uncertainty in your life. In times of great uncertainty — like when you're out of work or going through a major family transition — these fiery darts will fly at you even faster. You better be ready for them.
Paul gives us the only proper antidote to these fiery darts: the Shield of Faith. The Bible says, “At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One” (Ephesians 6:16 GNT).
How do you handle these darts? Put on the Shield of Faith. It’s the only protection you have against doubt, discouragement, delay, difficulty, and depression. Trust God, no matter what you see, hear, or feel about the world around you. You need the certainty of God when you face the uncertainty of Satan’s fiery darts.
In short, you’ll need to doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs. Most people do just the opposite. They doubt their beliefs and believe their doubts. That’s just dumb. Believe what God tells you in his Word.
I saw a bumper sticker many years ago that said, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” It may be a nice sentiment, but it’s bad theology. The truth is, “God said it, and that settles it — whether I believe it or not.” God’s truth isn’t based on whether you believe it or not. It’s still true even if you don’t believe it, because God can’t lie.
You need that kind of certainty in difficult days. With the Shield of Faith, you have certainty that God’s promises are true even when they don’t appear to be true in your life.
Whenever you start believing your doubts and doubting your beliefs, Satan cracks a door open in your life, and he’ll use that door to attack you on many levels.
You can’t ever take off the Shield of Faith, either. Paul tells us to wear it “at all times.” Satan will never stop throwing his fiery darts at you. Stay on your guard. Trust God and his Word, no matter what’s going on in your life.
The Shield of Faith is the best protection money can’t buy.
Talk It Over:

• Which fiery dart is causing you the most uncertainty — doubt, discouragement, delay, difficulty, or depression?
• What do you know from God’s Word that should provide certainty as Satan attacks with that fiery dart?

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