At the conclusion of Chapter 27 of The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren presents the third and fourth keys to defeating temptation (as always, the author’s words are in bold type). 3. Resist the devil. In its entirety, James 4:7 reads: “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” […]
Rick Warren continues his presentation of the 4 keys to defeating temptation in Chapter 27 of The Purpose Driven Life. The second key is discussed today. 2. Reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group. As we journey toward healing and revitalization of our calling, we need at least one person with whom […]
In Chapter 27 of The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren presents 4 Biblical keys to defeating temptation. The first key is discussed today (author’s keys in bold type). 1. Refocus your attention on something else. Rick begins by stating that nowhere in the Bible are we told to “resist temptation”. However, we are told the […]
As Pastor Rick Warren concludes Chapter 26 of The Purpose Driven Life, he offers 3 specific steps to take in overcoming temptation. 1. Refuse to be intimidated. Rick notes that temptation is a normal part of being human and living in a fallen world. While we can’t keep the Devil from offering his half-truths and […]
Pastor Rick Warren notes in Chapter 26 of The Purpose Driven Life that Satan’s strategies and tricks follow a predictable pattern, one he’s used since Creation. This pattern consists of 4 steps: 1. Desire– Satan identifies a sinful or legitmate, normal desire in us. Often these temptations take the form of shortcuts, a quick “fix” […]
“My temptations have been my masters in divinity.”- Martin Luther In Chapter 26 (“Growing Through Temptation”) of The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren states that on our path to spiritual maturity, even temptation may be a stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block. Temptation gives us the opportunity to do the right thing just as […]
In Chapter 25 of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren relates the story of a silversmith who was asked how he knew when the silver was pure. He replied, “When I see my reflection in it.” Similarly, when we have been refined by trials and respond as Jesus would, people will see Jesus’ reflection in […]
Pastor Rick Warren begins Chapter 25 (“Transformed by Trouble”) of The Purpose Driven Life with the observation that life is a series of problems, as much as we might wish otherwise. Although not all of our problems will be big, all of them are significant in God’s growth process. In fact, during our darkest days […]
In Chapter 22 of The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren states that God’s ultimate goal for our lives is character development, not comfort. God wants us to become more godly than god-like. Anytime we forget that character is one of God’s purposes for our life, our circumstances will frustrate us. Adversity has the tendency […]
Pastor Rick Warren concludes Chapter 16 of The Purpose Driven Life by asserting that your time is the greatest gift you can give someone. The essence of love is how much we give of ourselves, not what we do or provide for others. Focused attention is the most desired gift of love. When we concentrate so intently on […]
In Chapter 16 (“What Matters Most”) of The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren states that we develop the skill of loving through regular, close fellowship with other believers. At time those believers will be irritating, imperfect , frustrating people. They may even be the people directly or indirectly responsible for our downsizing. Rick give […]
About 20 years ago, I was privileged to play harpsichord for a presentation of the Easter portion of Handel’s Messiah at Hales Corners Lutheran Church under the direction of Hib Wiedenkeller. In oratorios of the Baroque Era, the harpsichord’s primary function was to provide a steady rhythm that held all the other instruments together. Playing […]