For a Fresh Start, Begin with Repentance

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Connecting With God

For a Fresh Start, Begin with Repentance By Rick Warren — Jun 17, 2016 “Let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, ‘We have sinned and rebelled’” (Lamentations 3:40-42a NLT, second edition). The path to a fresh start and a clear conscience begins with repentance. First, review every area of your life, and then repent of every sin. What does it mean to repent? It means three things: First, you take responsibility for your sin. Second, you turn away from those things. And third, you turn toward God and his grace. The Bible says, “Let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, ‘We have sinned and rebelled’” (Lamentations 3:40-42a NLT, second edition). Repentance does not mean rationalizing your sin. You don’t say, “It was no big deal.” It was a big deal, or you wouldn’t have remembered it. You don’t say, “It happened so long ago” or “It was just a stage I went through” or “Everybody does it.” It doesn’t matter! You cannot rationalize sin, minimize it, excuse it, or blame others. That is not true repentance. Pay attention to this: The greatest holdup to the healing of your hang-up is you. You’re not waiting on God; you’re not waiting on anybody else. God wants to heal the hang-up in your life, but the greatest holdup to your hang-up is you. The Bible says in 1 John 1:8, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (NIV). Would you like to get rid of the self-defeating habits in your life? You will stop defeating yourself when you stop deceiving yourself. It all starts with gut-level honesty and recognizing that something is wrong, no matter how much you want to rationalize it and excuse it. You need to admit it, confess it, and get it out of your life. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What are you pretending not to know? What are you pretending not to feel guilty about? What are you pretending is not a sin? Don’t you think it’s time to finally deal with it and get it out of your life? What steps will you take in repentance today? What do you think God wants you to do after you’ve repented of your sin? Our Gift: Connecting with God: The Lord's Prayer - 8 CD Boxed Set and Bonus Music CD: FIRST The Bible says very clearly that you were created for connections. In this new message series, Connecting with God: The Lord's Prayer, Rick Warren lays out practical steps for you to connect with God and loved ones by examining the Lord’s Prayer. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Connecting With God teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: ​You've Got To Get Connected Message 2: ​​​​​​​​​The Prayer of Connection Message 3: ​​The Prayer of Surrender Message 4: ​The Prayer of Dependence Message 5: ​The Prayer of Cleansing Message 6: ​​The Prayer of Release Message 7: The Prayer of Deliverance Message 8: The Prayer of Fulfillment 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 © 2016 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