Confront in Truth, Affirm in Love

Current Teaching Series 40 Days of Love

Confront in Truth, Affirm in Love By Rick Warren — Jul 26, 2017 “A word of encouragement does wonders!” (Proverbs 12:25b TLB). A healthy, strong relationship is always built on two legs: confronting in truth and affirming in love. If you only have one of these legs in your relationship, it isn’t going to stand. It will fall over at just about anything! The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable. If I were to come to you today and say, “Let’s go have some coffee. I want to point out the areas in your life that need changing,” you would not be thanking me for it. You’d be saying, “Who do you think you are?” You’d be resentful, rebellious, resistant, and stubborn. You would be miserable, because when you share the truth, at first it hurts. Sometimes a surgeon has to cut out a cancer in order for a body to heal. When you are having a speaking-the-truth-in-love session with somebody, you begin and end on a positive note, and you affirm three things: 1. Affirm that you love and care for that person. 2. Affirm that you will pray for and help that person. 3. Affirm that you believe that person can change. Paul did this in 1 and 2 Corinthians. In both books, he begins and ends with affirmation. For example: Paul begins his first letter by saying, “I always thank God for you,” and at the end of the book he says, “My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.” Between that he’s dealing with some very tough truths. He begins and ends on a positive note, but he also includes affirmation like this in the middle of his second letter: “I have great confidence in you, and I have a lot of reasons to be proud of you” (2 Corinthians 7:4a GW). Notice that Paul used the word “and.” You should never use the word “but” in a confrontation. The moment you do, whatever you say before or after will be totally ignored and invalidated: “I think you’re a great person, but . . .” “We’ve been friends a long time, but . . .” Instead, use the word “and”: “You’re a great person, and I believe you can be even better.” “We’ve got a great relationship, and I believe there are some things we need to work on.” That’s what it means to affirm someone. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What are some practical ways you can plan what you’re going to say when you confront someone? How has someone used affirmation when correcting you in the past? How did it make you feel? Why does the truth sometimes hurt?

Our Gift: 40 Days of Love Study Kit Learn to love like Jesus! Pastor Rick wants to show you what it really means to love others like Jesus with his six-session study kit, 40 Days of Love. With a teaching DVD and study guide workbook, 40 Days of Love is a powerful resource for personal study or small groups. It will help you… • Make loving God and others your highest priority • Find true rest in forgiveness • Build healthier relationships • Love more authentically, even when it's difficult LEARN MORE

Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes six full length teaching CD's from Pastor Rick's series 40 Days of Love. LEARN MORE

Series Summary Session 1: It's All About Love Session 2: Love Matters Most Session 3: Loving Like Jesus Loves Me Session 4: Love Lets It Go Session 5: Love Is Not Easily Angered Session 6: The Secrets of Lasting Love 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