Three Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking God’s Will
By Rick Warren
“The steps of a man are established by the LORD . . . When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24 NASB).
You may be at what you think is a dead end in your life. “We’re never going to get out of debt!” “I’m never going to have a baby.” “My dream is never going to come true.” “How is it ever going to work out?”
Right now it may look dark, you may feel defeated, and God’s will may seem like a mystery to you. But one day you’re going to see in the light of eternity how it all fits together in God’s plan. Until then, here are three steps you can take as you seek God’s will that will help you trust in him more.
1. Don’t be fatalistic. The idea of fatalism—that everything that happens is God’s will—leads to self-pity. It causes us to blame God for everything bad in our lives rather than accepting responsibility when we caused the problem. And, fatalism leads to passivity. It makes us think we’re waiting on God to bring us a spouse or get us a job. God’s saying, “I gave you a brain! I gave you two feet! Get out and do something about it!”
2. Don’t be frustrated. If you try to figure out everything in your life, you’re going to be very frustrated. Sometimes you’re going to do what you think is God’s will, and it’s going to fail.
What do you do when there are no answers? You keep trusting God, knowing that he’s working on your character through all of your circumstances and that he has good plans for you.
3. Don’t be fearful. The root problem of fear is doubting God’s love. The Bible says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18 NASB). We always get into trouble when we doubt God’s love, because when we don’t trust him, we don’t obey him.
Psalm 37:23-24 says, “The steps of a man are established by the LORD . . . When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand” (NASB).
God’s will is an expression of his love. When you don’t understand what God is doing, have patience. God knows what’s best for you. You can’t see the end result yet, but he can. God’s path may be a path of pain, but all those delays, difficulties, and problems are building character in your life.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Be Encouraged Each Day to Live Out God’s Purposes
As thanks for your gift below to help share the gospel with more people around the world through Daily Hope, we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s new book, Daily Hope Devotional: 365 Days of Purpose, Peace, and Promise.
Each devotional starts out with a Bible verse, followed by teaching that explains God’s Word and shows you how to apply it daily so you can face any challenge and live the life you were created to live.
As a special bonus when you give, we’ll also send you What's Driving Your Life?: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start. Featuring 10 hand-picked devotions from Pastor Rick’s new book, they’ll guide anyone feeling stressed, worried, or discouraged toward seeking God for a fresh start.
Request your copy below when you give—and take the first step towards a year of real purpose, lasting peace, and unfailing promises.
Thank you for your partnership!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
