Topic: Simplify Your Life to Do God’s Work [RICK WARREN Devotional 17 December 2021]

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Simplify Your Life to Do God’s Work

“Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62 (TLB)Thousands of people have told me that, though they want to be used by God, they’re too busy. They’ve got their own agendas. They have their plans and dreams and ambitions, and they don’t have any time to give to God.

If you’re serious about being used by God, say, “Lord, what do I need to let go of? What do I need to cut out? What barriers are holding me back, keeping me from running the race you have planned for me?”

One of the biggest barriers is distractions. Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God” (TLB).

Here are a few of the many things that might be distracting you from your life mission:

Also Read: Open Heaven 17 December 2021 –Topic: THE HABITATION OF THE LORD 

The expectations of other people. You’ve got to decide who you’re going to please first in life. You can only have one “number one.”

Hobbies. There’s nothing wrong with having hobbies. But if they distract you from the most important things, then you need to let them go.

Your past. Maybe you haven’t let go of your past, and you’re holding on to guilt, resentment, or grief. Here’s the problem with that: When you’re stuck in the past, you can’t get on with the present—and you certainly can’t get on with God’s future for you. Your past is past. It’s over! So let it go.

What do you need to let go of? The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “‘Everything is permissible,’ but not everything is helpful” (HCSB). What does that mean? Many things aren’t necessarily wrong; they’re just not necessary. Life is often a choice between “Am I going to do something good?” or “Am I going to do what’s best?”

If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy. He’ll get you so busy that you don’t have time for the important things—ministry, mission, and time alone with God.

You can’t do it all. So do what matters most! Simplify your life and eliminate distractions so God can use you.

• What are the most important things in your life?
• Think of some of the good things that you’ve put first in your life. Have any of them distracted you from God’s best for your life?
• Why do you think it’s so easy to be distracted by seemingly good things that are not God’s best?

Make God your “number one” today

Have you lived such a distracted life that you’ve never stopped to take care of the most important thing—your salvation? If you’re ready to set aside those distractions and live for Jesus, start by praying this:

“Dear God, I want to have a real, deep, and abiding faith in you and live for what matters. I confess that I have sinned and lived a life full of distractions. I need your forgiveness and mercy. Thank you for loving me so much that you sent Jesus to die for my sins, so that I can be forgiven.

“Jesus, you promised that anyone who believes in you will not perish but have everlasting life and eternity with you in heaven. I believe in you and accept you as my Lord and Savior. I want to follow you and spend the rest of my life serving you. Amen.”