Daily Hope Devotional

You don’t have to understand all the implications of your decision when you choose to follow Jesus. You simply need to respond to His invitation and make a commitment to follow Christ. Your commitments shape your life more than anything else. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way,  they will define you . Tell me what you’re committed to, and I’ll tell you what you’ll be in 20 years, because we become whatever we’re committed to. It is at this point of commitment that most people miss God’s purpose for their lives. Many are afraid to commit to anything, and they just drift through life. Others make half-hearted commitments to competing values, which leads to frustration and mediocrity. Others make a full commitment to worldly goals, such as becoming wealthy or famous, and they end up disappointed and bitter. Every choice has eternal consequences, so you need to choose wisely:  “...

God wants you to grow up:  “We are not meant to remain as children”   (Ephesians 4:14a Phillips). Your heavenly Father’s goal is for you is to mature and develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ, living a life of love and humble service. Sadly, millions of Christians grow older but never grow up. They’re stuck in perpetual spiritual infancy, remaining in diapers and booties. The reason is because they never intended to grow. Spiritual growth is not automatic; it takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing. Discipleship is the process of becoming like Christ, and it always begins with a decision:  “‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed Him”  (Matthew 9:9b NLT, second edition). When the first disciples chose to follow Jesus, they didn’t understand all the implications of their decisio...

As you grow to spiritual maturity, you will have to cooperate with God in the process. One way to do that is to believe God is working in your life, even when you don’t feel it. Spiritual growth is sometimes tedious work, one small step at a time. Expect gradual improvement. The Bible says,  “Everything on earth has its own time and its own season”  (Ecclesiastes 3:1 CEV). There are seasons in your spiritual life, too. Sometimes you will have a short, intense burst of growth (springtime) followed by a period of stabilizing and testing (fall and winter). What about those problems, habits, and hurts you would like miraculously removed? It’s fine to pray for a miracle, but don’t be disappointed if the answer comes through a gradual change. Over time, a slow, steady stream of water will erode the hardest rock and turn giant boulders into pebbles. Over time, a little sprout can turn into a giant redwood tree towering 350 feet tall. ...

While you were given a brand new nature at the moment of conversion, you still have old habits, patterns, and practices that need to be removed and replaced. Let go of the fears that keep you from growing.   The truth will set us free, but it often makes us miserable first. The fear of what we might discover if we honestly faced our character defects keeps us living in the prison of denial. Only as God is allowed to shine the light of His truth on our faults, failures, and hang-ups can we begin to work on them. This is why you cannot grow without a humble, teachable attitude. Stop basing your identity around your “defects.”  We say, “It’s just like me to be …” and “It’s just the way I am.” The unconscious worry is that if I let go of my habit, my hurt, or my hang-up, who will I be? This fear can definitely slow down your growth. Good habits take time to develop. Remember that your character is the sum total of your habits. You c...

“So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to — the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 TEV) Although God could instantly transform us, He has chosen to develop us slowly. Jesus was deliberate in developing His disciples, just as God allowed the Israelites to take over the Promised Land “little by little,” so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed (Deuteronomy 7:22 ). He prefers to work in incremental steps in our lives. Why does it take so long to change and grow up? There are several reasons: We are slow learners.  We often have to relearn a lesson 40 or 50 times to really get it. The problems keep recurring, and we think, “Not again! I’ve already learned that!” But God knows better. The history of Israel i...

It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, and it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. The development of Christ-like character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time. Billy Graham associate Lane Adams once compared the process of spiritual growth to the strategy the Allies used in World War II to liberate islands in the South Pacific. First they would “soften up” an island, weakening the resistance by shelling the enemy strongholds with bombs from offshore ships. Next, a small group of Marines would invade the island and establish a “beachhead”—a tiny fragment of the island that they could control. Once the beachhead was secured, they would begin the long process of liberating the rest of the island, one bit of territory at a time. Eventually the entire island would be brought under control, but not without some costly battles. Adams drew this parallel: Before Christ inv...

Your choices are far more powerful than your circumstances. You may not like how complicated your life has become. But with few exceptions, no one is forcing you to keep your life complicated. You have the power to simplify your life. In fact, God expects us to assume responsibility for our lives and to carefully choose how we spend our time. You have just enough time to do God's will while you’re here on Earth. You’ve been given just enough time to fulfill your purpose. When you try to do more than God planned for you, it’s only natural that you will find yourself constantly out of time or stressed over your schedule. My prayer for you is that you will find relief from stress and a new sense of satisfaction as you do only the things God created you to do. Talk It Over Make a list of the activities and responsibilities that are causing you stress. Ask God to help you determine the things on your schedule that He never intended for you to do. Where do ...

Have you ever felt that somebody was a hopeless case? That he or she was never going to come to Christ? Maybe it was an alcoholic relative, a drug-addicted parent, or a co-dependent neighbor — someone with a hurt, habit, or hang-up that kept him from knowing God. But no one is outside Jesus’ reach! Last article talked about the importance of small groups in helping “hopeless” people find healing. From the story in Luke 5 of the group of men bringing their paralyzed friend to Jesus to be healed, we learned three characteristics of a small group that God uses to heal people who others might consider hopeless. Today we’re going to look at four more: Persistence:  We all get discouraged as we try to reach our family, friends, and acquaintances with the Gospel. But we can’t give up! The friends in Luke 5 didn’t let difficulties discourage them. It didn’t matter that crowds were between them and Jesus. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for a...

No one is outside Jesus’ reach. I believe that small groups are a vital part of helping so-called hopeless people find healing. One of the parts I like best about being in a small group is that you can pray for one another’s “hopeless” cases. We can lean upon the faith of others when we start to doubt. In Luke 5, a group of guys took their paralyzed friend to Jesus. It’s a great story of a small group of men who took someone in need of healing to the feet of Jesus. In this account, we find seven characteristics of a small group that God uses to heal. Today we’re going to look at three of those characteristics, and tomorrow we’ll look at the rest. Compassion:  This man was healed because his friends cared. It all starts with us caring about people who are hurting. Romans 15:2 says, (NLT, second edition). God used these guys because they were sensitive to a friend’s need. And He’ll use us when we aren’t preoccupied with our own needs and start caring more about o...

There are many things that work to keep us from completing our life missions. Over the years, I’ve debated whether the worst enemy is procrastination or discouragement. If Satan can’t get us to put off our life missions, then he’ll try to get us to quit altogether. The apostle Paul teaches that we need to resist discouragement: “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9 NLT, second edition). Do you ever get tired of doing what’s right? I think we all do. Sometimes it seems easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing. When we’re discouraged, we become ineffective. When we’re discouraged, we work against our own faith. When we’re discouraged, we’re saying, “It can’t be done.” That’s the exact opposite of saying, “I know God can do it because he said …” Ask yourself these questions: How do I handle failure? Whe...

Often we’re afraid of making the wrong decision, and that creates stress. Maybe you’re facing a decision about a major issue: “Should I hold on, or should I let go?” “Should I get in, or should I get out?” “Should I get married?” “Should I find a new job?” “Should I move?” When you can’t make up your mind, you stagger through life. In fact, the Bible says when we remain double-minded, we become unstable in everything we do (James 1). The Greek word for unstable literally means “stagger like a drunk.” But God says there is an antidote to our indecision. Psalm 23:3 tells us,  “He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake”   (NIV). We handle the stress of decision-making by letting God guide us. You may be thinking, “But I’ve tried this!” You asked God to guide you, but then you became more confused than before. You still couldn’t figure it out. Now you wonder, “Why is knowing God’s will so difficult?” ...

God is far more interested in changing your mind than changing your circumstances. We want God to take away all of the problems, pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness, and sadness. But God wants to work on you first, because transformation won’t happen in your life until you renew your mind, until your thoughts begin to change. Why is it so important that you learn how to manage your mind? Let me give you three reasons. Manage your mind, because your thoughts control your life. Proverbs 4:23 says,   “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts”   (TEV). The power of your thoughts has tremendous ability to shape your life for good or for bad. For example, maybe you accept the thought someone told you when you were growing up, “You’re worthless. You don’t matter.” If you accepted that thought, even though it was wrong, it shaped your life. Manage your mind, because the mind is the battleground for...

“Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; be made new in the attitude of your minds; and … put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”   (Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV). If you want to have lasting change in your life, you need to refocus your mind. Specifically, you need to change your thought patterns from focusing on what you don’t want to focus on to what you  do  want to focus on. Because whatever you focus on is what you move toward. Today’s verse gives us the blueprint to change our thought patterns: “Do not conform …”  How often do we let other people shape our lives? God doesn’t want you to be like someone else; He wants you to be the person He made you to be. So don’t copy, don’t conform, don’t try to be like anybody else. “… any longer …”  There are a lot of things you start off doing by copying others, but then they turn into a habit. “… ...

When God wants to remove the defects in your life, He doesn't just snap His fingers so that it happens instantly. He does it incrementally. When God wants to make a mushroom, He takes six hours, but when He wants to make an oak tree, He takes 60 years. Do you want to be a mushroom or an oak tree? The Holy Spirit will make changes in your life far beyond anything you thought possible, but they’re not going to happen overnight. When Saddleback Church did our “Decade of Destiny,” my prayer was that, through the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and with support from our small groups, our church would become more mature, more Christlike, and further along in our purpose 10 years from that point. My prayer is the same for you, that in the next decade, you would grow in spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness and purpose. I want you to be stronger emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, and financially, but you'...

Change requires new thinking. In order to change, we must learn the truth and start making good choices, but we also must change the way we think. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change the way you act, you start by changing the way you think. In addition, if you want to change the way you feel, you must start with the way you think. For instance, you can say,  “I need to love my husband more,” but that isn't going to work. You can't fight your way into a feeling. You must change the way you think about your husband, about your kids, about your wife. That will change the way you feel, which will then change the way you act. The Bible says, “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes”   (Ephesians 4:23 NLT, second edition). The battle for sin, the battle to deal with those defects in your life that you don't like, starts in your mind. If you want to change anything in yo...

Change requires making choices. It's not enough to dream of changing. It's not enough to desire change. In order for you to change, you will need to make a decision. You must choose to change. Change is intentional. Are you going to be any different in six months? Are you going to be better a year from now? Are you going to be healthier, stronger, and more mature? Are you going to be happier? Are you going to be less in debt? Are you going to be more like God wants you to be? I can tell you the answer right now: It will only happen if you choose to change, because it isn't going to happen accidentally. It requires a choice. A lot of times we think we're waiting on God to change us. No! God is waiting on  you . He's waiting on you to say, “Yes, Lord, I'm willing to make these changes.” We have to make intentional choices in order to grow. There is no growth without change, there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without ...

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him …”  (Ephesians 4:21a NLT, second edition) The secret to personal change is not willpower. The secret is to know and face the truth. You must know and face the truth about yourself and your nature. Nothing will change in your life until you know and face the truth about your weaknesses, your relationships, your successes and failures, and your past and future. Nothing changes until you know and face the truth. And that truth is found in Jesus Christ. Why is it necessary to learn the truth before anything can change in your life? Here’s why: Behind every self-defeating habit in your life is a lie that you believe. If you get in debt, it's because you believed some lies like “I can spend and get away with it” or “I can always pay it back.” You might have overestimated how much you were going to make, or you believed the lie that you needed a m...

As you strive to reach the goals that God has given you, it’s important to remember that life on Earth is just a temporary assignment. Knowing this truth should radically alter your values and fix your attention on the things that are eternally important. As C. S. Lewis observed, “All that is not eternal is eternally useless.” It is a fatal mistake to assume that God’s goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance. Faithfulness to God does not guarantee success in a career or even in ministry. Never focus on temporary crowns. Paul was faithful, yet he ended up in prison. John the Baptist was faithful, but he was beheaded. Millions of faithful people have been martyred, have lost everything, or have come to the end of life with nothing to show for it. But the end of life is not the end! The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:18 ,  “For we fix our attention, not on th...

When God gives you a mission, you can be sure you’ll run into delays, difficulties, detours, and dead ends along the way. They are a natural part of life. But you can be ready for them. For example, if anybody had a right to be discouraged, it was Noah. Do you know how long it took Noah to build the ark? 120 years. Could you go 120 years on a project without one word of encouragement from anybody else in society? Noah trusted God. And when he heard God's warning about the future, Noah believed him, even though there was no sign of a flood. I bet there were many days that Noah didn't feel like going to work, but for 43,800 days, he went to the same place, and he worked. He never gave up. Don't give up on your dream, either. Don't give up on your marriage. Don't give up on your health. Don't, don't, don't give up. God is in control. You haven’t read the final chapter of your life. God's already w...

One of the pitfalls you may face as you fulfill your purpose in life is temptation to take shortcuts. In truth, these shortcuts will only get you off track. The shortcuts may be moral, ethical, spiritual, financial, or even relational. But they will distract you from what God wants you to do in your life, eventually eating up your time, energy, resources, and creativity. Shortcuts are always shortsighted. God wants you to stop being  “absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ — that's where the action is. See things from His perspective”   (Colossians 3:2 MSG). Talk It Over How do you know when something is a shortcut? What are the shortcuts you’ve tried to take in the past when working toward your goals? How can shortcuts cause us to be disobedient to God? ~ Written by: Rick Warren ~ ~ Modified by: Oleg Fabyanchuk ~