God Is Never in a Hurry

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Life's Healing Choices

God Is Never in a Hurry By Rick Warren — Jun 28, 2015 “Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed.” (James 1:4 MSG) Be patient with God and with yourself. One of life’s frustrations is that God’s timetable is rarely the same as ours. We are often in a hurry when God isn’t. You may feel frustrated with the seemingly slow progress you’re making in life. Remember that God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time. He will use your entire lifetime to prepare you for your role in eternity. The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took 80 years to prepare Moses, including 40 in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses kept waiting and wondering, “Is it time yet?” But God kept saying, “Not yet.” Contrary to popular book titles, there are no “Easy Steps to Maturity” or “Secrets of Instant Sainthood.” When God wants to make a giant oak, he takes a hundred years, but when he wants to make a mushroom, he does it overnight. Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process. James advised, “Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed” (James 1:4 MSG). Don’t get discouraged. When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn’t think God was acting quickly enough, God had this to say: “These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (Habakkuk 2:3 TLB) Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. Years ago people wore a popular button with the letters PBPGINFWMY. It stood for “Please Be Patient. God Is Not Finished With Me Yet.” God isn’t finished with you, either, so keep on moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering! PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What are some lessons you have learned when God has delayed something in your life?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2IpLSfqp8 What do you think God wants you to do when you get discouraged with his timing? How can you show patience with others like God is patient with you? How can you encourage people today in their spiritual growth?   My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. Proverbs 1:1     If someone dumped a pile of smelly, dirty trash in your family room, you’d probably be incensed! Yet how many families allow the garbage of our culture into our homes every single day? Did you know the average home today has three TVs and 7 internet connected devices? That’s a lot of the world getting into our family’s heads! And that’s a lot of the impurity and depravity of this world getting into our homes. The best parental control isn’t the movie rating system or the television and video game rating system. The best parental control system is you, moms and dads! Why? Because we’re called to protect our children’s purity. The way we do this is by providing reasonable rules and boundaries regarding media consumption, computer use, dress, and your kids’ friends. First Peter 5:8 says, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” This includes your kids and mine! So we must fight the good fight of faith, and that includes displeasing our kids at times in order to protect their purity. Wise families accept the challenge to live morally pure lives.