Topic: Make Intentional Decisions as You Follow God’s Dream [RICK WARREN Devotional 13 April 2023]
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Make Intentional Decisions as You Follow God’s Dream
BY RICK WARREN — APRIL 13, 2023
FROM CREATED TO DREAM
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
James 3:17 (NIV)
When God gives you a dream, you won’t just accidentally fulfill it. You have to be intentional in making several critical decisions that will help grow your faith and move you toward fulfilling the dream God created you to dream.
Here are two decisions that are necessary:
First, you need to invest. You have to decide to invest your time, your money, your reputation, and your energy in the things that will advance your pursuit of God’s dream.
In other words, you need to stop making excuses and take the plunge. This is when you say, “God, I’m not going to procrastinate any longer. I’m going to do what you’ve told me to do.”
Second, you need to let go of security. You can’t move forward in faith while holding on to the past.
A great picture of letting go of security is a trapeze artist. She swings out on one bar—but before she can grab the next bar and swing to the other side, she has to let go of that first bar. The bars are far enough apart that she can’t hold on to both at the same time. At some point she must let go of the security of the first bar. Then, for a split second, she is flying in midair, holding on to neither one.
Maybe you’ve never swung on a trapeze, but have you ever been at the point in your career when you’ve left one job and are looking for another, and there is nothing in between? It feels like you’re a hundred feet in the air with no net below.
But if you don’t let go of your old life and grab on to the vision God wants for you, then you’ll simply swing back in the old direction—only you won’t swing all the way back. You’ll just swing lower and lower until you finally stop, hanging there with only one way out: down.
Like the trapeze artist, you have to decide to let go of your security in order to take hold of your dream.
When you’re making critical decisions to follow God’s dream for you, it’s not about making quick decisions. It’s about making the right decisions. Quick decisions are easy—and usually wrong. It takes wisdom and time to make the right decision.
Where can you find wisdom? In James 1:5, we’re told to just ask God, and he’ll generously give his wisdom to anyone who is faithfully sincere in their request. And “the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17 NIV).
Talk It Over
- Why do you think God lets you decide how to live your life rather than making those decisions for you?
- What investment is God asking you to make today as you follow his dream for your life? Are you willing to make that investment?
- In what area of your life do you need to let go of security in order to grasp the dream God has for you? How will you respond?
The first step to living out God’s dream for your life is to commit your life to Christ. If you haven’t done that, would you pray this prayer?
“Dear God, I don’t understand it all, but there’s a hole in my heart that I realize only you can fill. I realize that I was made to be loved by you and to have a relationship with you. I ask that you forgive me of my sins. Today I want to step across the line and accept you as my Lord and Savior. I ask you to come into my life and my heart and replace my loneliness and my hurt with your love. I want to become a part of your family, the church, and start living out your dream for my life. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
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