How to Remain Faithful When Suffering

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES The Keys to a Blessed Life

How to Remain Faithful When Suffering By Rick Warren — Nov 11, 2015 “Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1 Peter 4:19 NIV) There are people out there who say God wants everybody to be a millionaire. God never wants anybody to have cancer. God never wants any problems in your life. But the Bible says sometimes suffering is God’s will for your life. Why? Because it makes you more like Jesus. It deepens your faith. It brings you rewards in Heaven. It builds your character. It teaches you to worship instead of worry. There are three kinds of suffering in the world. Common suffering is suffering that’s common to everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re Baptist or Buddhist or Muslim or atheist or whatever. Everybody suffers certain things. When a hurricane comes into town, it doesn’t just pick on Christians. There is suffering in the world that we all share in common. The second kind of suffering is carnal suffering. That’s suffering you bring on yourself from your own sin. If I go out and live a very loose immoral life and get a sexually transmitted disease, that’s my fault. It’s not God’s fault. It’s not anybody else’s fault. It’s my fault. If I spend more money than I make and now I’m in debt and going bankrupt, that’s not anyone’s fault but mine. That’s suffering because of my sin and bad decisions. Not all suffering is from sin. The Bible says sometimes suffering is according to the will of God, because God is more interested in your character than your comfort. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:19, “Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (NIV). No matter what arrows are thrown at you, no matter what you suffer in this life because of your faith, God wants you to remain faithful to him and keep on doing good to others. Is that easy to do? Not always. Does it take faith? Definitely. Is it worth it? Absolutely. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over How might doing good to others in the midst of your suffering help you change your focus? In what situations in your life do you need to stand up for Christ even in the face of opposition? What does it mean to commit yourself to God? Our Gift: The Keys to a Blessed Life Complete Audio Series Would you like to know the secret to living the abundant life God promises? Then you’ll want to have your very own copy of Pastor Rick’s complete audio series called, The Keys To A Blessed Life. In this series, Rick shows you how to exchange the so called “Good life” … for the “better life” through deepening your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren The Keys to a Blessed Life teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: It Depends Who You Depend On Message 2: ​​​​How God Blesses Broken Hearts Message 3: ​​​​The Strength of Gentleness Message 4: ​​​You​r Ministry of Mercy Message 5: ​How To Reconcile a Relationship Message 6: ​Handling Opposition To Your Faith 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