Who Controls Your Future?

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Building My Life on Values That Last

Who Controls Your Future? By Rick Warren — Nov 24, 2015 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28 NLT, second edition) One of the great fears we all face is the fear of the future. We fear for the futures of our families, our friends, our jobs, our communities — and everything else in between. It’s natural. We’re not in control. But that realization should drive us to trust God more deeply. We might not be in control of our future, but God is. He created the whole universe. If he wanted to, the Lord could just snap it out of existence in a moment. Yet he is working his plan in history. He is moving history to a climax, a destiny. One day Jesus Christ will come back to Earth. Nothing will stop that. Just as he is working in history to move events toward that day, he will work in your life for a purpose, too — if you’ll let him. The Bible says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT, second edition). God’s Word doesn’t say that everything is good. It also doesn’t say that God causes everything. He doesn’t cause war. He doesn’t cause cancer. He doesn’t cause rape, abortion, incest, or molestation. He doesn’t cause evil. We do that. God gives us the freedom to choose. Evil is the price of that freedom. But the Bible does say that God causes everything to work together for good. He can take the dumb, evil, and bad decisions I’ve made in my life and use them for good if I’ll trust him. Romans 8:28 isn’t a promise for everyone, though. It’s for “those who love God.” It’s for those who trust God and say, “Here, Lord, you take all the broken pieces of my life and put them together.” This is why when I read the headlines each day, I don’t worry. Sure, there are a lot of problems in the world today, but God is still in control. God is still moving history to a climax. And God is still moving his people toward his best for them. One day God will work everything out for his purpose. Because God is in control, we can trust him with everything — including the good, the bad, and the ugly of our lives. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over How will knowing that God is in control help you to trust him better? How have you seen God take a bad decision and make something good out of it? What’s one fear of the future that you can hand over to God today? 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