God Is in Control Even When Your Plans Stall

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES God's Dream For Your Life

God Is in Control Even When Your Plans Stall By Rick Warren — May 9, 2015 “Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” (Romans 4:17 NLT, second edition) There are certain dead-end words in life, including cancer, divorce, bankruptcy, infertility, and unemployment. How do you know when you’re at a dead-end? You know it when things get out of your control and you can’t do anything about it. When you’re stuck in phase 5 and you’re waiting for deliverance, you need to remember what God can do. The situation may be out of your control, but it’s not out of God’s control. When you face a dead-end, don’t focus on what you can’t do. Focus instead on what God can do. Romans 4:17 says, “Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing” (NLT, second edition). There are two things God does that you can’t do: He can give life to the dead, and he can create something out of nothing. If God can give life to a dead man, he can give life to a dead career. He can bring life to that dead marriage. He can bring life to that dead dream. He can bring life to that financial dead-end. It wasn’t just positive thinking that Abraham believed in. I recommend positive thinking, because what’s the alternative? Negative thinking doesn’t work. But positive thinking is not faith. They are two very different things. Positive thinking works fine in situations you have control over. But in situations that are out of your control, positive thinking is worthless. It’s just wishful thinking. It doesn’t change the situation. When you face things that are out of your control, you need something more than a positive mental attitude. You need faith in God, because he can control it when you can’t. Most of life is beyond your control, so you need faith far more than you need positive thinking. The Bible says in Luke 18:27, “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (NIV). God specializes in the impossible. It’s called a miracle, and he can do it in your life! He is ready to turn your dead-end into deliverance. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick. Talk It Over What dead-end are you facing today? Do you still believe that God is in control? Why is it sometimes difficult to admit that something is out of your control? What do you think the result is of having faith in God even at a dead-end? How does it change you? How does it change your circumstances? Our Gift: Everything Is Possible With God Study Kit with Bonus Worship CD: The Sound of Hope Just like exercise builds your physical muscles, God has a workout program for you to strengthen your faith. And in the Everything Is Possible with God Study Kit, Rick Warren shows you God’s divine training routine to help you strengthen your faith and develop your character. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren God's Dream For Your Life teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: How God Builds Your Faith Message 2: God's Dream For Your Life Message 3: How To Make Wise Decisions Message 4: Delayed By Design Message 5: How To Deal With Difficulty Message 6: Dead End To Deliverance PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe