How Can You Maintain Your Enthusiasm?

Current Teaching Series The Daniel Plan: God's Prescription for a Healthy Life

How Can You Maintain Your Enthusiasm? By Rick Warren — Jun 11, 2017 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:11-12 NIV). In order to reach your goals, you have to figure out how to maintain your enthusiasm over the long haul. The influential American writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, said, “Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm.” I believe that with all of my heart. I have found it to be true in my life. You’ve got to have passion, you’ve got to have enthusiasm, or you’re never going to make it to the finish line. Most people would consider me an enthusiastic person, and I am. But I haven’t been an enthusiastic person for a week or a month. My enthusiasm has not waned over a year or five or 10 years. I have been consistently enthusiastic about the goals that I’ve set for more than 30 years. How do you do that? How do you stay enthusiastic day after day in spite of delays and difficulties and dead ends and problems and pressures and criticisms? How do you stay enthusiastic for more than 30 years? Positive thinking is not enough. Pulling yourself up by your psychological bootstraps is not enough. Talking yourself into optimism is not enough. The way you stay enthusiastic for a lifetime is found in the word “enthusiasm.” The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek word en theos. En is the Greek word for “in.” Theos is the Greek word for “God.” So en theos means to be “in God.” When you get in God, you will be enthusiastic. It’s the kind of enthusiasm that isn’t affected by the economy or the weather or your circumstances. It’s eternal because you are tied to the eternal God. You are in Christ. Paul tells us how to do this in Romans 12:11-12. He says, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (NIV). If you want to reach your goals this year, you need to get God’s power by being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Pray this prayer today: “Dear God, I don’t want to go another day without you in my life, controlling every part of my heart. I offer you my body. I dedicate myself to you. In light of all you’ve done for me, I give myself as a living sacrifice to you as a spiritual act of worship. I humbly admit that I need help. I want you to help renew my mind. Help me to think the way you want me to think. Please forgive me for my pride. I don’t want to think more highly of myself than I should. My faith needs to grow, and I need your help to set goals that can be measured so I can manage them. Forgive me for trying to change on my own. I want to fill my life with love. I want to fill my life with you. Help me to get group support. Help me to take delight in honoring other people, to focus on giving my life away so that you can take care of my needs. I want to nurture my enthusiasm by being in you. Help me to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. I give myself to you. In your name I pray. Amen.” PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Our Gift: The Daniel Plan Book Discover the essential ingredients to a better, healthier life! A healthy lifestyle doesn’t just involve one or two areas of your life. It takes a more holistic approach – in your faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends. Pastor Rick gives you key steps for winning in each of these areas in his book, The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life. This simple, easy-to-follow resource includes a 40-day fitness challenge and meal plan to help you… • Incorporate the essentials of faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends into your daily lifestyle • Better understand the importance of relying on God’s power instead of your willpower • Realize that trusting God is just as vital to your physical health as eating and sleeping • Recognize the benefits of renewing your mind and becoming “Daniel Strong” LEARN MORE

Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes nine full length teaching CD's from Pastor Rick's series The Daniel Plan: God's Prescription for a Healthy Life. LEARN MORE

Series Summary Session 1: Why We Need Each Other Session 2: Getting Your Ship Out of the Harbor Session 3: Setting Goals In Faith Session 4: God's Prescription for Health Session 5: Winning With the Hand You're Dealt Session 6: The Awesome Power of Focus Session 7: The Awesome Power of 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 pastorrick.com. 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 around the world. This devotional © 2017 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