God Is in Control Even When Your Plans Stall

Current Teaching Series God's Dream for Your Life

God Is in Control Even When Your Plans Stall By Rick Warren — Sep 23, 2017 “Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing” (Romans 4:17b NLT). There are certain dead-end words in life, including “cancer,” “divorce,” “bankruptcy,” “infertility,” and “unemployment.” How do you know when you’re at a dead end? You know it when things get out of your control and you can’t do anything about it. When you’re stuck and waiting for deliverance, you need to remember what God can do. The situation may be out of your control, but it’s not out of God’s control. When you face a dead end, don’t focus on what you can’t do. Focus instead on what God can do. Romans 4:17b says, “Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing” (NLT). Here are two things God does that you can’t do: He can give life to the dead, and he can create something out of nothing. If God can give life to a dead man, he can give life to a dead career. He can bring life to that dead marriage. He can bring life to that dead dream. He can bring life to that financial dead end. It wasn’t just positive thinking that helped Abraham. Positive thinking works fine in situations you can control. But positive thinking is not faith. They are two very different things. In situations that are out of your control, positive thinking is worthless. It’s just wishful thinking. It doesn’t change the situation. When you face things that are out of your control, you need something more than a positive mental attitude. You need faith in God, because he can control it when you can’t. Most of life is beyond your control, so you need faith far more than you need positive thinking. Jesus says in Luke 18:27, “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (NIV). God specializes in the impossible. It’s called a miracle, and he can do it in your life! He is ready to turn your dead end into deliverance. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What dead end are you facing today? Why is it sometimes difficult to admit that something is out of your control? What’s the result of having faith in God even at a dead end? How does it change you? How does it change your circumstances?

Our Gift: Everything is Possible with God Study Kit with Bonus CD: Sound of Hope Worship Just like exercise builds your physical muscles, God has a workout program for you to strengthen your faith. And in the Everything Is Possible with God Study Kit, Rick Warren shows you God’s divine training routine to help you strengthen your faith and develop your character. In these six eye-opening sessions, Rick takes you through what he calls the “six phases of faith,” exploring subjects like how God builds your faith, how to make wise decisions, and moving from dead-end to deliverance. LEARN MORE

Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes six full-length teaching CD's from Pastor Rick's series God's Dream for Your Life. LEARN MORE

Series Summary Session 1: How God Builds Your Faith Session 2: God's Dream for Your Life Session 3: How to Make Wise Decisions Session 4: Delayed by Design Session 5: How to Deal with Difficulty Session 6: From Deadend to Deliverance 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, which has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. 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