Topic: Tell It Like God Wants It to Be [RICK WARREN Devotional 11 December 2024]

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Tell It Like God Wants It to Be

by Rick Warren — December 11, 2024

“[God] speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past.”

Romans 4:17 (TLB)

Your words have enormous power. If you’re going to become a woman or man of faith, you have to change the way you talk. You have to tell it like God wants it to be.

Sometimes speaking in faith appears foolish, arrogant, and out of touch with reality to people who don’t understand faith. Abraham knew about this. God came to Abram one day and said, “Abram, I’m going to change your name from Abram to Abraham.” Abraham means “the father of a great nation.”

There was only one problem: Abraham was 99 years old, and he had no kids. He probably got ruthlessly ridiculed for his name. But God says we don’t live in the world of human reality. We live in the world of spiritual reality. When you see the world with spiritual eyes, you see it not as it is but as it can be, as it should be, and as God wants it to be.

Romans 4:17 says God “speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past” (TLB). That’s called speaking in faith.

Yet you may hear some people say, “I just tell it like it is.” They criticize this and put that down. They can be fairly negative—because there are a lot of reasons in the world to be negative.

That’s one way to do it. But there’s a better way. Instead of telling it like it is, you can tell it like it could be! Telling it like it is has never changed anybody. It only makes people defensive.

For example, you could say to someone, “You’re a lousy father. You don’t spend any time with your kids because your career is more important.” But when you label someone like that, you reinforce what’s negative

Instead, you could say, “I see in you the potential for greatness. If you let Jesus Christ take control of your life, you won’t be perfect, but you can become a godly man of character that your kids admire.” That’s the kind of talk that motivates change!

Remember—you don’t have to tell it like it is. Tell it like it could be, like it should be, like God wants it to be. Speak it in advance and in faith, and then watch how God works.

Talk It Over

• Can people tell by your everyday language that you are a person of faith?
• Who do you know who needs you to speak what could be over his or her life?
• What will you do today to motivate change in that person’s life through your words?

Where will you spend eternity?

Your sins separate you from God. And it is only God’s grace that allows you back into a right relationship with him.

The Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).If you’re ready to make peace with your Creator, then pray this prayer:

“Dear Jesus, I don’t want my sin to separate me from you any longer. You have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.

“I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. You have promised that if I confess my sin and trust you, I will be saved. I believe you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today, I’m turning over every part of my life to your management.

I want to live the way you created me to live and use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

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