Purpose Driven Life Day 29

Day 29, May 29th, "Accepting Your Assignment"

    - The fourth purpose in our life is serving God. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Each of us was placed on earth to make a contribution. God designed each of us to make a difference with our lives. "You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it." (Rick Warren).

YOU WERE CREATED TO SERVE GOD
    - Whenever we serve others in any way we are serving God. Each one of us was placed on earth for a special reason/assignment. Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations - that's what I had in mind for you." God shaped us before we were even conceived. He planned who our parents were going to be and what our assignment was going to be.

YOU WERE SAVED TO SERVE GOD

    - 2 Timothy 1:9 says, "For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time - to show us his grace through Christ Jesus." We were saved to serve God. "In God's kingdom, you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill." (Rick Warren). Jesus gave his life to purchase our salvation. We need to serve God out of joy and gratitude and not out of guilt or shame. We own him our lives. "Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured." (Rick Warren). If you only have love for yourself, no desire to serve others, and are only concerned about your needs, you should question whether Christ is really in your life. "A saved heart is one that wants to serve. Every member of God's family is a minister" (Rick Warren). When we serve, we are ministering. We are saved to help others. We are saved to serve, not sit around and wait for heaven.

YOU ARE CALLED TO SERVE GOD
    - Every Christian is called to serve, not just preachers. "Anytime you use your God-given abilities to help other, you are fulfilling your calling." (Rick Warren). Each one of us have a role in our local church. There is no small service, any kind of service matters. There is no correlation between the size of service and the significance. Every role matters because we rely on each other to function. Just like the body if one part fails to function, you get sick. When my thyroid stopped functioning correctly I became sick. Cancer invaded my body and I had to have my thyroid taken out and radiation. My immune system was down and I got sick a lot. It's important that each of us play our role and serve in our local church, so that the church stays healthy and continues to grow.

YOU ARE COMMANDED TO SERVE GOD
    - Serving is the heart of Christian living. "Holy living consists in doing God's work with a smile." (Mother Teresa). If you are not doing God's work with a smile and a grateful, giving heart you might as well not do it. As christians we need to act on what we know and practice it. "Impression without expression causes depression." (Rick Warren). When we serve we are exercising our spiritual muscles. We need not to ask what someone can do for us but we need to ask whose needs can I meet.

PREPARING FOR ETERNITY
    - When we go to heaven God is going to evaluate us on how well we served others in our life. He will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others. Romans 2:8 says, "But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness." If we live for ourselves and do not serve others, God will show anger towards us and we will lose eternal awards God has planned for us. "We are only fully alive when we're helping others." (Rick Warren). This is so true! When I am serving others in my work, I absolutely feel so alive. I feel so fulfilled, thats how I know serving others is my spiritual gift.

SERVICE AND SIGNIFICANCE

    - Service is the only pathway to real significance. We all will give our life to something. It's what we choose to give it to that matters. You could choose your job, a hobby, fame, wealth, etc. None of those will have lasting significance. Through ministry we discover the meaning of our lives. God wants to work through us. "What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it." (Rick Warren). God uses even us misfits for his service. We need to stop making excuses and start serving.

Point to Ponder: Service is not optional.
Verse to Remember: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10
Question to Remember: What is holding me back from accepting God's call to serve him?

Purpose Driven Life Day 28

Day 28, May 28th, "It Takes Time"

    -Philippians 1:6 says, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." God will continue to do good work in us, it just takes time. There are no shortcuts! The development of Christlike behavior cannot be rushed. "Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time." (Rick Warren). We don't grow up to be adults overnight, it takes time. Just like growing up, it is going to take time for us to develop fully to be how God wants us to be. We need to not worry about how fast we grow. We need to be more concerned about how strong we grow because thats what God worries about. God views our lives for eternity. He is developing us to live in eternity. He has our whole lives to develop us. "Before Christ invades our lives at conversion, he sometimes has to 'soften us up' by allowing problems we can't handle." (Rick Warren). God knows exactly what he's doing. He sees our future. Sometimes he has to place things in our lives so that we turn to him. For some of us, it only takes one knock but for most of us, we resist and become defensive and God has to continue to knock on our door to awaken us. We may think we have surrendered our whole life to God but, there's a lot to our lives that we are not aware of. "You can only give God as much as you understand at the moment." (Rick Warren). God continues to take up more territory in our lives until our life is completely his. In today's society, we are obsessed with speed but for God he only cares about strength and stability. Spiritual growth is gradual. There is no quick fix or instant solution. 2 Corinthians 3:18b says, "...our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him."

WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG!
     - God prefers to work in small steps in our lives, why?
     1. We are slow learners.
         - Time and again we have to relearn lessons over and over. We quickly go back to our old habits and need to be retaught things. I know this is true in my life. God places me in situations where I just need to surrender and trust him over and over again because I fail at it all the time. When will I learn to just trust him completely, he has never failed me before.
     2. We have a lot to unlearn.
          - Most of our habits did not develop over night so they are not going to be unlearned over night. It takes time to get rid of old habits and replace them with new. We have to be vigilant in replacing old habits with new habits.
     3. We are afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves.
         - "The truth will set us free but often makes us miserable first." (Rick Warren). How many times have you held something in and been miserable and then when you finally told someone you felt better? It helps to at least tell one person so they can help you and pray with you. "We cannot grow without a humble, teachable attitude." (Rick Warren). We have to be teachable and humble and admit our mistakes. We can only work on our faults when God shows us the truth.
     4. Growth is often painful and scary. 

         - None of us like to go out of our comfort zone. It's safe. When we stay in our comfort zone the "storm" is smaller then us but, when we go out of our comfort zone the "storm" is greater than us but Jesus is always greater than the "storm". When we reach out of our comfort zone we get into a better life. You can't have growth without change. You can't have growth without fear or loss and no loss is without pain. We must let go of our old ways to experience new and better things. We can't let our hang ups define us.
     5. Habits take time to develop.

  - "Character is the sum total of our habits." (Rick Warren). This is why it is important to practice Christlike behavior. 1 Timothy 4:15 says, "Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress." When we start living with Christlike behavior people are going to notice and see you in a new perspective. It takes repetition. Like any sport, in order to get good at something you have to put in the repetitions. In gymnastics I would repeat skills on the uneven bars until both hands were bloody and my arms were shaking. It takes dedication but once you master the skill its all worth it.

DON'T GET IN A HURRY
     1. Believe God is working in your life even when you don't feel it.
         - God is always working in our lives even when we don't feel it. He is doing small tedious work. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." We go through seasons of spiritual growth. Sometimes we see quick changes but most of the time they are slow gradual changes. "Over time, a slow, steady stream of water will erode the hardest rock and turn giant boulders into pebbles." (Rick Warren).
    2. Keep a notebook or journal of lessons learned.
        - We need to keep a record of what we are learning. Keep a record about life, yourself, relationships, etc. Then, we need to review it regularly. Reviewing it regularly will help us to understand and remember the lessons that we have learned. It can help spare us heartache and pain. Hebrews 2:1 says, "It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift off."
    3. Be patient with God and with yourself.
        - One of my favorite quotes from Rick Warren is, "One of life's frustrations is that God's timetable is rarely the same as ours." We are often in a hurry and God is not. God is never in a hurry but he is ALWAYS on time. God uses our whole life to prepare us for eternity. I know for me I am inpatient! I want things NOW but I have to learn patience and TRUST in God's timing. "Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering." (Rick Warren). The more we go through the storms and struggles, the greater are souls become. James 1:4 says, "So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."
     4. Don't be discouraged. 

         - "A delay is not a denial from God." (Rick Warren). If God places a desire on our hearts that doesn't mean its going to happen instantaneously, but it will happen in due time. If you are anything like me you hate due time. Due time is God's time, theres no timeframe for it which is frustrating. In the meantime, we have to remember how far we've come, not how far we have to go. We may not be where we want to be in life, but neither are we where we used to be. God isn't finished with us, we have to keep moving forward and stay positive, not discouraged.

Point to Ponder: There are no shortcuts to maturity.
Verse to Remember: "God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until its finished when Jesus Christ comes again." Philippians 1:6
Question to Consider: In what area of my spiritual growth do I need to be more patient and persistent?

Purpose Driven Life Day 27

Day 27, May 27th, "Defeating Temptation"

    - 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." There is always a way out when we are tempted. God never gives us more than what we can handle. At times, we may think he does but he promises he won't. Each temptation is a struggle, it will make us stronger once we conquer and defeat it. There are four biblical keys to defeating temptation.

BIBLICAL KEYS TO DEFEATING TEMPTATION 
     1. Refocus your attention on something else
         - No where in the bible does it say resist temptations but, it does say resist the devil because temptations come from the devil. When temptations arise in our mind and we try and block the thoughts we only reinforce them in our memory. "The more you fight a feeling, the more it consumes and controls you. You strengthen it every time you think." (Rick Warren). If we continue to say "I will not do (fill in the blank).", we are only keeping it in our mind regardless if we are saying we will not do something. We need to turn our attention to something else, channel our energy else where. Find something to get your mind off your temptations. That may be working out, reading, journalling, working; find what works for you. "The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you." (Rick Warren). The more we think about something the stronger it takes hold of us. Once we place our mind on something else, the temptation loses its power. "Spiritually, your mind is the most vulnerable organ." (Rick Warren). We need to occupy our mind with God's word

and good thoughts, positive energy. I have been know to be a negative Nancy and I am working on becoming more positive and developing my mind to think positive always because, what you think is so important. Also, its more attractive to be a positive versus a negative person. Philippians 4:8 says, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." The more we manage our mind the better off we will be. We need to monitor our intake from the media. Social media is a great thing and also a bad thing. Everyone puts on there very best on social media, we don't see the other side of peoples lives and we think we are less because of it. I encourage anyone to take a fast from social media. Once I finish my 100 happy days challenge, I will be doing a 40 day fast from social media. In this day and age, a lot of us are addicted to social media and our phone. I will blog about that experience once I get to it.
     2. Reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group
         - It is important that when we have a stronghold or temptation that we tell at least one person. The first step is admitting it to a friend so they can help you and pray for you. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble." It's hard to fight battles alone. "Some temptations are only overcome with the help of a partner who prays for you, encourages you, and holds you accountable." (Rick Warren). This is why it is important to have fellowship with other Christians. James 5:16 says, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has power and produces wonderful results." Find someone that can pray with you. Prayer is powerful and wherever two are gathered God promises to be there. When you are in a relationship or married pray together every night. "Problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink." (Rick Warren). Always confess your sins and temptations. Tell your partner your problems and pray about them together, don't keep secrets.
      3. Resist the Devil
          - James 4:7 says, "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." We have to fight back and resist the devil. We are like soldiers on the battlefield. Ephesians
6:17 says, "Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." By getting saved we put on our helmet to protect us. The weapon that we have is the word of God, scripture. Having memorized scripture is like having bullets in our gun. When the devil comes with us with temptations, we use our weapon of scripture and shoot out our memorized scripture at the devil and he flees. I challenge you to memorize as much scripture as you can so you can have enough ammo when the devil comes at you.
      4. Realize your vulnerability
          - We can never let our guard down. The moment we do the devil will be there to take over. We can't put ourselves in tempting situations where we know we will give in to our strongholds. 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, "If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall." We are all vulnerable, we must always keep our guard up.

Point to Ponder: There is always a way out.
Verse to Remember: "God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." 1 Corinthians 10:13b
Question to Consider: Who could I ask to be a spiritual partner to help me defeat a persistent temptation by praying for me?

Purpose Driven Life Day 26

Day 26, May 26th, "Growing Through Temptation" 

    James 1:12 says, "Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out it is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and and more life." Every believer is faced with temptations, every temptation is an opportunity to do good. Temptation is simple a choice. We can choice to do whats wrong or what is right. "Every time you choose to do good instead of sin, you are growing in the character of God." (Rick Warren). Temptation is Satan's primary method to destroy us. The closer we get to God the more temptations he will place in front of us. Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" As believers we have the Holy Spirit in us to help protect us from temptations. "Fruit always matures and ripens slowly. God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you're tempted to express the exact opposite quality" (Rick Warren). Temptation helps teach us things. It teaches us to love by putting unlovely people around us to love. It teaches us joy in the midst of sorrow, when we turn to him. "Happiness depends on external circumstances but joy is based on your relationship to God." (Rick Warren). Temptation teaches us peace by us trusting God in circumstance we are tempted to worry or be afraid. This one is my biggest temptation and I fail over and over again. Worry is a problem for me. Temptation develops patience by putting circumstances where we are forced to wait. Again, another huge temptation for me. I am very patient with other people but when it comes to myself, I am not patient at all. Integrity is built by defeating the temptation to be dishonest. What ever you are struggling with know that it is normal. "You can't claim to be God if you've never been tempted to be bad." (Rick Warren). As believers we are all tempted, its how you respond to temptation that matters most.

HOW TEMPTATION WORKS

   - Satan is predictable when it comes to temptation, its a four step process.
        1. Identifies a desire inside of us
            - This could be a normal desire or a sinful desire. He plants temptation in our minds. Mark 7:21-23 says, "For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile us."
       2. Doubt...is it really wrong?
           - Satan starts to plant a seed telling you its really not wrong, its not that bad, everyone is doing it, etc.
       3. Deception
           - Satan can not tell the truth. He makes you think it is okay to do it. Anything he tells us is either untrue or half-true.
       4. Disobedience
           - We act on the temptation and do what is wrong.

OVERCOMING TEMPTATION
       1. Refuse to be intimidated

          - We will never outgrow temptation. As believers we will always be tempted in one way or another. We need to think of temptation as a compliment. Satan doesn't tempt those that are already doing evil. Even Jesus was tempted but, he never sinned. "You can't keep the Devil from suggesting thoughts, but you can choose not to dwell or act on them." (Rick Warren). The closer we become to God the more Satan will try and tempt us.
       2. Recognize your pattern of temptation and be prepared for it
          - Each of us have certain situations that make us more vulnerable than others. Some of us may be tempted by worry, lust, trust, etc. We have to recognize our patterns that we fall into and avoid them and pray over them. Who are you with when you are tempted? Where are you at when you are tempted? What time of day? Proverbs 4:26-27 says, "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust."
       3. Request God's help
           - Heaven/God have a 24 hour emergency hotline. Send up a prayer flare when you feel tempted. Psalm 50:15 says, "And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." We need to cry out to God! Shout to the heavens. "The Bible guarantees that our cry will be heard because Jesus is sympathetic to our struggle." (Rick Warren). Jesus was tempted throughout his whole life, he understand the struggle we face. Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin."

"Temptations keep us dependent on God." (Rick Warren). Without God, we would give in to all our temptations. Next time you are tempted send up a prayer flare.

Point to Ponder: Every temptation is an opportunity to do good.
Verse to Remember: "God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12
Question to Consider: What Christlike character quality can I develop by defeating the most common temptation I face?

Purpose Driven Life Day 25

Day 25, May 25th, "Transformed by Trouble" 

   - First off, I just want to say that this chapter has been my favorite chapter of the book thus far. It has spoke to me the most and has shown me a different perspective of my troubles. Through all the trials I have been through, this chapter is helping me understand them the most.
    - God has a purpose for every problem that we have in our lives. He uses circumstances to make us more like Jesus. Life is a series of problems. We all go through problems. Not all of them are big but, all are significant in God's growth process for us. 1 Peter 4:12 says, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." God uses the problems in our lives to draw us closer to him. Every problem we have is for a reason. Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Often times in our darkest day are when we have the most intimate experiences of worship and feel closest to God. For me this is definitely true. When I am going through a rough time I draw near to God and feel a close intimate relationship with him. "It is during suffering that we learn to pray our most authentic, heartfelt, honest-to-God prayers." (Rick Warren). We learn things about God and ourselves through our suffering, we draw closer to God. Through my broken heart and suffering I have drawn closer to God then I have ever been before. I feel God's present more and I here his voice clearer. "Problems force us to look to God and depend on him instead of ourselves." (Rick Warren). Living in Arizona after my break-up, I felt very isolated and alone. I prayed more than I have ever prayed before. I read the bible daily and meditated daily. Sometimes God has to get our attention and problems are the only way that he can

get our attention. "You'll never know that God is all you need until God is all you've got." (Rick Warren). For me I think I like being away from family and friends because it makes me draw closer to God, it takes me out of my comfort zone and makes me rely on God more. Now, I am not saying I enjoy being alone and not having friends and family around but, I need my own space and the times when I have moved away and did not know anyone, I felt the closest to God. Everything that happens to a child of God is filtered through God and he intends to use it for good even when Satan and others mean it for bad. Everything has spiritual significance in our lives. Romans 8:28-29 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." This does not mean that God causes everything to work out the way we want it to or that everything always has a happy ending. Only in heaven is everything perfect.  God can bring good out of the worst evil. Life events work together in God's plan. Everything that happens in our life happens for a reason and for a purpose. "God's purpose is greater than our problems, our pain, and even our sin." (Rick Warren). We have to go through battles to appreciate the great things in life.

BUILDING CHRISTLIKE CHARACTER

    - "Every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber." (Rick Warren). I have been through a lot in my 27 years of life and every event has made me a stronger person, spiritual, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Troubles produce patience - patience produces character. God wants us to be like Jesus so he will take us through the same experiences he went through. We will go through
temptation, loneliness, stress, criticism, rejection, etc. Romans 8:17 says, "We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!" We go through both good and bad times but they are both to build christlike character.

RESPONDING TO PROBLEMS AS JESUS WOULD
    - We have to remember that God's plan is good, he knows what is best for us, he has our best interest at heart. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." When we go through times of trouble this makes it hard for us to trust in God's plan but we need to remember Jeremiah 29:11 and continue to meditate on it to get through the troubles. We need to focus on God's plan and not on our pain and suffering. It is all for God's good.
    - We need to rejoice and give thanks in his love, care, wisdom, power, and faithfulness. God goes through the pain with us and he will never leave us or forsake us.
    - We have to refuse to never give up. It is a slow process. We need to pray conforming prayers. Prayers like "Use this to make me more like you, Jesus" and not prayers of comfort such as "Help me feel good." "You know you are maturing when you begin to see the hand of God in the random, baffling, and seemingly pointless circumstance of life." (Rick Warren). Last Sunday, I went to church and I sat behind the young adult leaders at the church. I was nervous about going to the bible study because I didn't want to be the "old" adult. They talked to me about coming and told me I would not be the old adult and that they would love for me to come. That was all God, God placed me in that seat for a reason! We have to ask God what he wants us to do in every situation. When things go bad or we get in trouble we need to not give up we need to grow up!

Point to Ponder: There is a purpose behind every problem.
Verse to Remember: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Question to Remember: What problem in my life has caused the greatest growth in me?

Purpose Driven Life Day 24

Day 24, May 24th, "Transformed by Truth"

   - Acts 20:32 says, "Now I'm turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends." God gives us everything we could possible need. He shows us and tells us in His word. "Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth." (Rick Warren). In order for us to grow spiritually we must fill our lives with the word of God. God speaks things change, everything around us was created by God. "God's Word generates life, creates faith, produces change, frightens the Devil, causes miracles, heals hurts, builds character, transforms circumstances, imparts joy, overcomes adversity, defeats temptation, infuses hope, releases power, cleanses our minds, brings things into being, and guarantees our future forever!" (Rick Warren). God's word is as essential as food to us. We need spiritual nourishment to fulfill our purpose. More often than not believers have "spiritual anorexia". We need to make make abiding in God's word 1st priority:

ABIDING IN GOD'S WORD
    1. I must accept its authenticity
        - God's word is the authoritative standard of life, compass for direction, counsel to listen to make a wise decision, and a benchmark to evaluate everything. Troubles come because we base our choices on, culture (everything everyone is doing), tradition, reason (logical), and emotion. Proverbs 30:5 says, "Every word of God is flawless." We need to see what the Bible says first before we make any decision in our life. There are times in my life where I wish I would have followed exactly what the Bible says, I would be better off. We are not going to get God's blessings if we are not obedient with what His word says.
     2. I must assimilate its truth
         - We must receive the Word of God. We must listen/accept with a open attitude. If we are not learning something from reading the bible or from a sermon we need to check our attitude. God can speak even through the most boring teacher when were are humble and receptive.
        - We must read God's word. If we read the Bible 15 minutes a day for a year, we can read the entire Bible in a year. If we read for 30 minutes a day we could read the Bible twice a year. All of us can make time for this. "Daily bible reading keeps you in range of God's voice." (Rick Warren). If you are having a hard time hearing God's voice, dig into his Word.
        - We need to research and study the bible. Ask questions and write down our thoughts. Keep a journal. Write down your prayers, your notes from sermons, your answered prayers, everything!
        - Remember it. You remember what is important to you. Reading and reflecting on God's word helps us resist temptation, make wise decisions, reduce stress, build confidence, offer good advice, and helps us share our faith with others.
         - We need to reflect on it - meditation. Meditation is focused thinking. We select a verse and
reflect on it over and over and over in our head. "If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate." (Rick Warren). Like I've said before I should be a expert meditator because I know how to worry. I need to take that energy of worrying and turn it into mediation on God's word.
      3. I must apply its principles
          - We must put all that we learn into practice. Satan fights us on this. He doesn't care if we go to bible study and read the bible, he cares when we start applying it. Blessings come from obeying  the truth in God's word. John 13:17 says, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." We have to obey God in order to get his blessings no matter if its difficult or painful. "The truth will set you free, but first it may make you miserable." (Rick Warren). We have all been through things that have made us miserable but in the end we are better off. It is important to discuss personal
applications in our lives with others that we trust so that they can help us make wise decisions. This is why is it important to have a small group and a church family. "We always learn from others truths we would never learn on our own. Other people will help you see insights you would miss and help you apply God's truth in a practical way." (Rick Warren). Be careful who you take advice from though.

Point to Ponder: The truth transforms me.
Verse to Remember: "If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32
Question to Remember: What has God already told me in his Word that I haven't started doing yet?

Purpose Driven Life Day 23

Day 23, May 23rd, "How We Grow"

   - God wants us to grow up, he doesn't want us to stay immature. "Spiritual growth is not automatic. It takes intentional commitment." (Rick Warren). Our commitments can develop us or destroy us. We become whatever we are committed to.

GOD'S PART AND YOUR PART
    - "Christlikeness is the result of making Christlike choices and depending on His Spirit to help you fulfill these choices." We have to let go of our old routines and habits in order to grow. God took TJ out of my life for a reason. For me, it is routine and habit for me to text/talk to him. I need to change my habits or I'm not going to grow.  Spiritual growth is a collaborative effort between us and the Holy Spirit. Philippians 2:12-13 says, "Therefore, my friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." God has a purpose for us, it may not be what we have planned but it is always for good and his purpose. You can't add to your salvation once you are saved because you can't add anything to what Jesus already did. We have to work to develop what we already have.

CHANGING YOUR AUTOPILOT

    - We have to change the way we think. Behind EVERYTHING we do there is a thought, negative or positive. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will." We have to deal with the root cause of our problems. "Change always starts with the mind." (Rick Warren). We have to change our thinking in order to get off of autopilot. "The way we think determines the way we feel, the way you feel influences the way you act." (Rick Warren). We need to not think immature thoughts or self-centered thoughts. "Selfish thinking is the source of sinful behavior." (Rick Warren). We need to think maturely and thinking of others is a mark of maturity. "Our deeds must be consistent with our creeds and our beliefs must be packed with Christlike behavior." (Rick Warren). We need to make thinking of others before ourselves as a lifestyle because thinking of others is the heart of Christianity.

Point to Ponder: It's never to late to start growing.
Verse to Remember: "Let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God - what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect." Romans 12:2b
Question to Remember: What is one area I need to stop thinking my way and start thinking God's way?