God Can Use Your Trials to Set You Free
By Rick Warren
“You let captors set foot on our neck; then we went through fire and water and you led us out to freedom” (Psalm 66:12 NAB).
You’ll face trials in life, no doubt about it.
But God will use them to free you.
In fact, sometimes what others expect will enslave you, God uses to liberate you. He’ll use them to set you free from the expectations and opinions of others.
The Bible says it like this: “You let captors set foot on our neck; then we went through fire and water and you led us out to freedom” (Psalm 66:12 NAB).
God wants you to be free. The Bible says the truth will set you free. But truth often comes with a high cost.
Four years ago my youngest son died. You might have heard the story. He had struggled with mental health his entire life. He had a troubled mind but a tender heart.
The day he took his life was the worst day of my life. I’ll never forget it.
But to make matters worse, Satan tried to take advantage of it. Critics came out in full force, saying horrible things about my family. You’d see them on TV, in magazines, and on blogs. They celebrated and laughed at his death. It was brutal, public, and constant. I thought I was going through Hell itself.
But God walked with me every step of the way. During this time, someone asked me how I was doing and I responded, “Honestly, I feel fearless.”
I wasn’t afraid. All I kept thinking was, “Satan, is that all you can throw at me? Are those critics the best you have?”
I’m not afraid of anything anymore. I’m living for an audience of one. Sometimes God uses tough times to wean you off an addiction to other people’s approval. You just don’t need it to be happy.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
How has God used pain to free you from something?
How are you impacted by a need for the approval of others?
Why is truth so freeing?
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Unshakeable! Study Kit
You Can Thrive In Every Circumstance
Do you want to thrive in every circumstance? In the Bible, Daniel and his friends rose to top positions of leadership because they were unshakeable in their faith even though they were surrounded by a corrupt culture. Today, the world’s value system increasingly drifts further from God. To thrive, no matter what, you need to dive into scripture and learn how to be unshakeable in your faith.
In the 9-part DVD study kit, Unshakable: Thriving No Matter What Hits You, Pastor Rick helps you walk through scripture and learn how to …
• Stand strong when your world is shaken
• Stay firm when your pressured to conform
• Be bold when your beliefs are belittled
• Be confident when you’re asked to do the impossible
• Stay cool when the heat is on
The Unshakable study kit is our way to thank you for your gift below to help take Daily Hope to more people – so request yours when you give. And thanks for your partnership!
This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
