What Do You Say?

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Today’s Scripture “I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust.” (Psalm 91:2, AMP) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS What Do You Say? Your words have tremendous power. No matter what you may be facing today, the words of your mouth can help set the course for your victory or set the course for defeat. You decide by what you say. When you wake up with an attitude of faith and expectancy and declare that God is your refuge, you will be strengthened and empowered by His Spirit. The more you talk like you are blessed, the more you walk like you are blessed, the more you will live like you are blessed. Your words are like seeds. When you declare favor and blessing, you will reap a harvest of favor and blessing in return. Take inventory of what you are saying on a regular basis. Even when challenges and obstacles arise, you have to rise up and say, “If God is for me, who can be against me?” Every day, clean out your heart by letting go of unforgiveness and bitterness. If you keep the right attitude and speak words of faith and expectancy, you’ll come out better off than you were before. You’ll rise up higher and live the abundant life the Lord has in store for you! A Prayer for Today “Father in heaven, thank You for Your Word which is like refreshing water to my soul. Help me choose the right things to say so that I can live in victory all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Building My Life on Values That Last

Sexual Purity Begins with a Commitment By Rick Warren — Dec 12, 2015 “How can [anyone] stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.” (Psalm 119:9 NIV) Is it possible in the 21st century to live a sexually pure life? To refrain from sex before marriage and stay sexually faithful during marriage? Yes! But it has to start with a commitment. The Bible says, “How can [anyone] stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9 NIV). To be sexually pure in the 21st century (or any other century for that matter), you’ll need a standard to live by. You can either build your standard by yourself or choose God’s standard. You must decide whether God knows more about your life than you do. God says several things in his Word that aren’t popular — particularly when it comes to sex. Why does he say those things? He knows more about sex than you do. He also understands the implications far better than you do. You have to decide: “God, when I don’t understand it, when I don’t like it, and when it’s not popular, I’m going to do what your Word says regardless of what I think or what my friends think.” Until you’re willing to make that kind of commitment, you may as well close up your Bible and go back to bed. Without that commitment, you’re not ready to be pure in an impure world. You can only be pure by following God’s standard. God thought up sex. It was his idea, but he did put a few parameters around it. His standard has never changed. It’s very clear regardless of opinion polls or anything else. Sex is far more than physical. It’s a spiritual act with physical, social, legal, and emotional consequences. If sex were just physical, it’d be like a handshake. It wouldn’t matter who you had sex with. But sex is more than physical. The Bible makes it clear that sex is exclusively reserved for a husband and a wife who are committed to one another in a marriage. Anything outside of that, like sex before marriage and sex outside of marriage, will have profound consequences on your emotions and your spiritual life, and it may even physically harm you. God’s standards are in your best interest. If you want to live by them — and avoid all the negative consequences that come from living outside of them — it starts with a commitment. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick>> Talk It Over Why do you think it’s important to make a commitment to God’s standard for sexual purity before you get into a situation where you are tempted? What are things in our world that make it even harder to turn away from sexual temptation? What are some of the consequences of sexual sin?