Confused? Remember God’s Promises

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES The Hope of Easter

Confused? Remember God’s Promises By Rick Warren — Mar 30, 2015 “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:22 NIV) It’s hard to imagine how the disciples felt on Saturdaythe before Jesus’ Resurrection and the day after his Resurrection. They had watched their Messiah, the Son of God, crucified by the Romans. They had seen him raise the dead and heal the blind. They knew Jesus could have come down off the cross. But he didn’t. Imagine the grief, fear, and regret that went through their minds that Saturday. We’ve all been there. Confusion often follows days of terrible tragedy. So how do you deal with days of confusion? You remember the promises of God. Never doubt in the dark what God shows you in the light. When you go through difficult times, the natural response is to throw everything up in the air and let all your plans go down the toilet. But that’s the last thing you should do. Right before his crucifixion, Jesus gave his disciples an important promise to focus on during the difficult days to follow. He said, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:22 NIV). Jesus knew his disciples would face difficulty, but he reminded them they needed to hang on because they would rejoice later. When confusion sets in, you need to know that God has a plan — and you are still a part of it. Become a promise person. Learn God’s promises, and claim them. There are more than 7,000 promises in the Bible. You’ll never be able to claim them when confusion strikes if you don’t know them. God’s promises are like an insurance policy. When you have insurance, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll pay the bill when a medical issue arises. You’re covered. When you go through confusing times but you know God’s promises, you don’t have to worry anymore. You’re covered. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What do you think the disciples were feeling and thinking on the Saturday before the Resurrection?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyJuKHvoPGc What are some promises that have been important to you during your life? With whom can you share one of God’s promises as he or she walks through confusing times?

A Balanced Workout

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ”

(1 Timothy 4:8, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Scripture talks about the value of getting both physical exercise and spiritual exercise. Yes, our spiritual development will last into eternity but our physical development helps us to be more effective while we are here on earth. We have to take care of our whole person in order to live balanced life and reach our full potential. Remember, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Are you making time to take care of your temple? Sometimes we make a bigger deal about getting exercise than we need to. You don’t have to get a gym membership or work out for a long time to have benefit. Just start somewhere. Start walking in your neighborhood. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park a little further away from the grocery store. Do whatever you can do to stay active because exercising spiritually and physically is what makes a balanced workout!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I declare today that I am committed to be my best spiritually and physically. I desire to honor you with my whole being. Help me to make good decisions for myself and for my loved ones and be an effective example everywhere I go. In Jesus' Name. Amen.