What You Believe Shapes Your Life

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Building My Life on Values That Last

What You Believe Shapes Your Life By Rick Warren — Nov 13, 2015 “When the foundations of life are undermined, what can a righteous person do?” (Psalm 11:3 GW) What we believe about the world around us shapes everything about our lives. I’ve shared this with you many times in these devotionals. What you believe determines your behavior. Your behavior then determines what you become, and that has a direct effect on the direction of your life. The same is true of a country or the world; they are largely shaped by the values we believe. The problem is, we’ve bought into three very destructive philosophies that have replaced truth in our lives. Individualism: We buy into the lie that we’re the only standard for our lives. A few years back I read a Wall Street Journal article that said 44 percent of executives consult first with themselves in an ethical crisis. That’s really nothing new. The Israelites went through this in the book of Judges when the Bible says, “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25 NLT, second edition). It didn’t work well then, and it doesn’t work well today. Secularism: You can summarize this in three words: God is unnecessary. In the past half-century, we’ve been systematically removing God from all areas of our lives — from schools to the government to the media. We’ve basically relegated God to Sunday mornings, if we even consider him then. Relativism: That’s when we’re told that there are no absolutes—what’s true for you may not be true for me. It’s a great way to live if you don’t want any guilt. If you don’t measure up to God’s standard, you just change the standard. It’s both illogical and irrational, but it’s highly prevalent in our world today. Don’t be conned by individualism (love for yourself), secularism (God is unnecessary), or relativism (there are no absolutes). The consequences as a society and for us as individuals for falling for these cons is staggering. Without a commitment to truth and a commitment to the authority of God, our culture is crumbling. In tomorrow’s devotional, we’ll begin to explore God’s answer for our moral collapse. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over How have you seen individualism, secularism, or relativism influence families you know? How do you think our society’s lack of commitment to the authority of God has influenced our moral decline? What are some of the consequences of this moral decline that are evident in our culture? Our Gift: The Purpose of Christmas Hardcover Book Would you like to experience a deep and meaningful Christmas? In his book called, The Purpose Of Christmas, Pastor Rick Warren shows you how Christmas is designed to meet your three deepest needs and how receiving God’s three Christmas gifts to you this year will transform your life forever. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Building My Life on Values That Last teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: Choosing My Standards Message 2: ​​​​​Accepting Responsibility Message 3: ​​​​​Developing Trust Message 4: ​​​​Developing Self-Control Message 5: ​​The Balanced Life Message 6: ​Showing Respect Message 7: Offering Forgiveness Message 8: Maintaining Moral Purity Message 9: Showing Fairness 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