Believe God over the “Experts”

Believe God over the “Experts” TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” (1 Corinthians 1:27, KJV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Did you know that according to all the laws of aerodynamics, a bumblebee should not be able to fly? Its wingspan is too small for the size of its body. It can’t get enough lift. But here’s the key: Nobody told the bumblebee. It didn’t get the memo. No experts were able to talk it out of flying. The bumblebee felt its wings on its sides and something in its DNA said, “I’m supposed to fly. I’m not made to just crawl around on the ground.” It didn’t read the latest engineering report. It just did what was natural and started flapping its wings and took off into the air. Have you ever had the experts tell you, “You’ll never get well; you’ll never get out of debt; you’ve gone as far as your education allows; this is as good as it gets”? With all due respect, the experts can be wrong. The experts told Dodie Osteen that she had a few weeks to live, but 33 years later, she is still alive and healthy. The experts told us Lakewood would never make it without the founding father, but we’re doing pretty good! Believe God over the experts and watch what He will do on your behalf! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. I believe You over what the “experts” tell me. I believe that You are faithful and expect to see Your goodness all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gTQvpMeh1A An Antidote to People-pleasing BY RICK WARREN — AUGUST 12, 2014 “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26 NIV) One day, you’ll give an account of your life before God. When you keep that in mind and have that kind of long-term thinking, it’s going to change what you say, what you do, and who you try to impress. It’s the people-pleaser antidote. When you take that long look and realize you’re going to give an account for every word you say today, you’ll ask yourself, “Do I want God disapproving of what I just said or did, or do I want this person disapproving of what I just said or did?” I know this because I’ve been interviewed on lots of tv shows. In those broadcasts, they’ll ask me the toughest questions possible. And, in fact, some interviewers intentionally try to get me to back down from what the Bible says. When I’m in those interviews, my human nature wants to be liked, just like yours does. My human nature wants to compromise, divert, punt, and leave out the truth. I’ve heard some people being asked those questions on tv and they’ll say, “I just leave that up to God” or “Everybody has to make up their own mind.” There’s a word for that: cop-out! Those are politically correct, people-pleasing cop-outs. Those people are not standing for the truth. In those moments, when I could say something that would be politically correct and wouldn’t offend but would be a lie, I remember these truths. And in that pressure moment, I do three things. First, I remember what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross. He didn’t deny me. He didn’t back down for me. He died for my sins. I owe him my life. He created me. He saved me. He forgave me. He’s taking me to Heaven. I’m not going to deny him. Second, I remember that one day I’m going to give an account to God. And at that point God’s going to say, “What did you say in that interview? What did you say in that conversation at work? What did you say to your friend at school?” I remember that integrity is more important than popularity. And I’m not going to give up my integrity. Finally, I tell the truth and let the chips fall. The Bible says in Luke 9:26, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (NIV). Talk About It How will this question help you speak the truth in love: “Do I want God disapproving of what I just said or did, or do I want this person disapproving of what I just said or did?” How can you change a situation so you are more likely to honor God with your words?