How to Have Lasting Change in Your Life

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Life's Healing Choices - The Beatitudes

How to Have Lasting Change in Your Life By Rick Warren — Aug 15, 2016 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2a NIV). If you want to have lasting change in your life, you need to refocus your mind. Specifically, you need to change your thought patterns from focusing on what you don’t want to focus on to what you do want to focus on. Because whatever you focus on is what you move toward. Today’s verse gives us the blueprint to change our thought patterns: “Do not conform …” How often do we let other people shape our lives? God doesn’t want you to be like someone else; he wants you to be the person he made you to be. So don’t copy, don’t conform, don’t try to be like anybody else. “… the pattern of this world.” Pattern means the model of everything you’ve learned in life. If you want to change, you have to change your pattern or model of living that you learned in your life. You need to replace the old, unhealthy pattern with a new one modeled after the life of Christ. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” “Transformed” is the same as the word we use for metamorphosis, the process a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. In the same way, God wants to transform you into a completely new person by renewing your mind. How does this happen? The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:22-24: “Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires ... be made new in the attitude of your minds; and ... put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (NIV). This means you are going to have to do some putting off and you are going to have to do some putting on — and the putting off has to happen before the putting on. It’s just like trying on clothes in a department store. Before you can try on the new stuff, you have to take off the old stuff. You’re going to have to let go of the old attitudes, the old thought patterns, the old images that you’ve been living with so you can put on the new garments God has for you. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What does it mean practically to renew your mind? How would you describe the pattern of living that you learned early in your life? What is the “old stuff” that you need to take off so that God can renew your mind? Our Gift: Life's Healing Choices Study Kit Based on Jesus’ very own words in the Beatitudes, this DVD and workbook guides you through eight critical choices that every wounded believer must make in order to experience wholeness, happiness, and healing. These essential decisions will build your trust in God even when you don’t understand his plans and your circumstances look hopeless. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Life's Healing Choices - The Beatitudes teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: ​​The Reality Choice Message 2: ​​​​​​​​​​The Hope You Need For Change Message 3: ​​​Letting Go and Letting God Message 4: ​​The Transformation Choice Message 5: ​The Growth Choice Message 6: ​​​The Sharing Choice Message 7: Breaking Free From Abuse 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