What You Believe Shapes Your Life

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Building My Life on Values That Last

What You Believe Shapes Your Life By Rick Warren — Nov 13, 2015 “When the foundations of life are undermined, what can a righteous person do?” (Psalm 11:3 GW) What we believe about the world around us shapes everything about our lives. I’ve shared this with you many times in these devotionals. What you believe determines your behavior. Your behavior then determines what you become, and that has a direct effect on the direction of your life. The same is true of a country or the world; they are largely shaped by the values we believe. The problem is, we’ve bought into three very destructive philosophies that have replaced truth in our lives. Individualism: We buy into the lie that we’re the only standard for our lives. A few years back I read a Wall Street Journal article that said 44 percent of executives consult first with themselves in an ethical crisis. That’s really nothing new. The Israelites went through this in the book of Judges when the Bible says, “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25 NLT, second edition). It didn’t work well then, and it doesn’t work well today. Secularism: You can summarize this in three words: God is unnecessary. In the past half-century, we’ve been systematically removing God from all areas of our lives — from schools to the government to the media. We’ve basically relegated God to Sunday mornings, if we even consider him then. Relativism: That’s when we’re told that there are no absolutes—what’s true for you may not be true for me. It’s a great way to live if you don’t want any guilt. If you don’t measure up to God’s standard, you just change the standard. It’s both illogical and irrational, but it’s highly prevalent in our world today. Don’t be conned by individualism (love for yourself), secularism (God is unnecessary), or relativism (there are no absolutes). The consequences as a society and for us as individuals for falling for these cons is staggering. Without a commitment to truth and a commitment to the authority of God, our culture is crumbling. In tomorrow’s devotional, we’ll begin to explore God’s answer for our moral collapse. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over How have you seen individualism, secularism, or relativism influence families you know? How do you think our society’s lack of commitment to the authority of God has influenced our moral decline? What are some of the consequences of this moral decline that are evident in our culture? Today’s Scripture “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19, NKJV) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS He Delivers You from All Isn’t it good to know that we serve a deliver? You might feel afflicted today, but God is working to bring you out of that difficult situation. It may not be in the way you thought, but you have to trust that God has your best interest at heart. An affliction is defined as the cause of persistent pain or distress. I know that afflictions can take on many forms—a sickness or hardship, a temptation, a coworker or family member. There are so many things that can come against us, but God promises in His Word that no weapon formed against us shall prosper! Those afflictions are only temporary. Stand in faith believing that God is on your side, and you and God are a majority! It doesn’t matter what your circumstances look like, get up every morning and say, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. My Deliverer is coming!” As you stand and trust the Lord, He will deliver you out of all your afflictions, and you’ll see His hand of blessing in every area of your life! A Prayer for Today “Father in heaven, thank You for being my deliverer. Thank You for making me righteous through the blood of Jesus. I trust that You have a good plan for me, and You will deliver me out of all affliction in Jesus’ name! Amen.”