Month: June 2024

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together.”  Revelation 3:20 (GW)

God gave you a heart, and in your heart he placed passions, desires, and dreams. But unless they are under his control, they will be misused, they will be abused, they will be misapplied, they will be misdirected, and they will be wasted in your life.

All around the world, millions of passionate people have interests, dreams, and ambitions that are being misused and abused. And it breaks God’s heart. In spite of their talent and their passion, these people are unhappy—because when your passions are misused, it makes you miserable.

Some of you might be thinking, “I’m not really passionate about anything right now.” You know what that means, right? It means you are disconnected from God. You cannot be connected to God and dispassionate. When you are plugged into God, it’s like plugging into 220 volts. You get passionate!

God is a passionate God. The only reason you have emotions is because you’re made in his image. God is emotional. God gets jealous when he sees you ignoring him for something else. God has loved you with an everlasting love; no matter what you’ve done, he will always love you. That’s passion!

When you spend time with God daily and you get plugged into him, you can’t help but be passionate. You start to develop God’s heart for the world. You start to feel the way he does. Who you hang out with really does make a difference.

I can prove it with any teenager. Put a teenage kid with a group of dispassionate kids who are apathetic about everything, and that kid will become apathetic within a matter of weeks. Why? It matters who you spend your time with.

Would you like to have more energy in life? More enthusiasm? More get-up-and-go? Let me tell you where to get it. The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek words en theos—en meaning “in” and theos meaning “God.” When you get en theos—“in God”—you’re going to be enthusiastic. The closer you get to God, the more energy, vitality, and passion you will have in life. The further away you get, the more bored and apathetic you’ll become. You’ve got to open your heart to Jesus.

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together” (GW). If you’re not a believer—or if you’re a Christian who’s wandered away from God—Jesus Christ is standing and knocking at the door of your life. But he’s a gentleman. He’s not going to bust the door down. You’ve got to open it up.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.”  1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (GW)

When you know who God has shaped you to be, then you know who you ought to be, and you can start focusing on how to make better use of your life.

The moment you step across the line spiritually and begin following Jesus, you say, “I’m going to go God’s way, not my own way. I’m going to let him direct my life. I want to follow God’s purpose, not my purpose. I’m going to do what I was wired and made to do.”

When you take that step, God also gives you four major gifts:

Forgiveness — Romans 5:15 says, “For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ” (NLT). The first thing Jesus does is to wipe out everything you’ve ever done wrong. It’s all forgiven! There is no condemnation.

Eternal life — God has long-range plans for you. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NIV). You’re never going to work your way or earn your way into heaven. The only way you’ll ever get into heaven is by God’s free gift that you accept by faith.

The Holy Spirit — Romans 5:5 says God “has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (NLT). How do you know when you’re letting God live through your life? When you embody the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Special abilities — In the Bible, these special abilities are called spiritual gifts, which makes them different from material or physical gifts. Most people who are believers don’t even know they’ve got spiritual gifts, much less what they are. But you have them!

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person” (GW).

What is a spiritual gift? God has a purpose for your life, and your spiritual gifts are the equipment he gives you to do what he asks you to do. God will never ask you to do something he doesn’t give you the ability to do. God gives you your spiritual gifts the moment you accept Christ. You don’t get to choose your gifts, and you don’t earn your gifts.

Your gifts also are not for your benefit. Your spiritual gifts allow you to help other people. And other people can use their gifts to help you.

When I use my spiritual gift of teaching, you get blessed. When you use your spiritual gift, the people in your church get blessed. It’s like a puzzle. If one jigsaw piece is missing, what’s the first thing you notice? The one missing piece. When we develop and use our spiritual gifts, we all get blessed.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Matthew 6:20 (NIV)

No matter what you do for a living, you can use your workplace to further God’s Kingdom by using your business contacts to spread the Gospel and bring glory to God.

I once got a call from a German man who was the president and CEO of a major international sports apparel company. He said that he had just read The Purpose Driven Life and that it changed his life. He told me, “I’ve read this book, and I am now a Christian. I just need to know one thing: Should I resign as CEO of my company and become a pastor?”

I said, “No way! Let me show you how to use your job for the Kingdom, how to be a Kingdom builder and not just a wealth builder. Do you have an executive team?”

He said that, yes, there were six of them, and two of them were also Christians. I said, “Start meeting with those two and praying for the other three. Your first ministry is to win your three coworkers to Christ. How many employees do you have at your company?”

He said they had about 25,000. I responded, “That’s called a megachurch! You’ve got 25,000 members in your congregation. Start praying for them. Be available to them. Establish good Christian principles in your business.

“Do you want to influence other CEOs? Then you need to stay a CEO because you’ll have far more influence on them as a CEO than as a pastor or missionary.

“Would you like to influence culture? When you do celebrity endorsements with pro athletes, sit them down and tell them that you’re not just their sponsor; you are their friend. Give them your business card and tell them to call you whenever they have a need.”

In today’s global economy, the new missionaries are businessmen and businesswomen. Many countries won’t let a pastor or missionary in, but they’ll gladly welcome your business.

When you use your business for the one thing that’s going to outlast everything else—the Kingdom of God—you are being a Kingdom builder and not just a wealth builder.

There is nothing wrong with using your work to build wealth. But Jesus said in Matthew 6:20, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (NIV). The only way you can invest in heaven is to invest in people who are going there. When your work points people to God, you are storing up treasure in heaven to use for eternity and you’re advancing God’s Kingdom!

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much . . . If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”  Luke 16:10-12 (NIV)

The book of Genesis tells the story of a man named Joseph. God gave Joseph a vision of becoming a great leader, but for 40 years he lived and worked as a slave, and for much of that time he was imprisoned. Those decades were the testing ground of Joseph’s character.

When the day came and the time was just right, God pulled Joseph out of that setting and placed him in a position of power in Egypt—where he had always planned for Joseph to be. During all the difficult years of toil, God had been growing Joseph’s character and preparing him for his leadership role.

Whatever your work is—whether you’re working hard in obscurity or enjoying a position of power—God is developing your character too. In fact, God is far more concerned about who you are than what you do; he is much more interested in your character than he is in your career. Your workplace is a life course in character development.

Do you have a boss who drives you nuts? Think about this: God can use a boss who tests your patience—or a workplace that you’re unhappy in—to develop and grow your character. He plants seeds of love, joy, peace, and patience in your heart, and then he fertilizes those seeds while you work.

You may be at work and wonder, “How come this is going on? Why is this such a tough place? Why are these people picking on me? Why can’t I be happier at my workplace?” You’re basically asking the same question that Solomon asked in Ecclesiastes 1:3: “You spend your life working, laboring, and what do you have to show for it?” (GNT).

The answer is this: character. Life is preparation for eternity. You’re not going to take your career with you to heaven, but you are going to take your character. And while you are here on earth, God is developing your character and testing your faithfulness. Will you be faithful to do the right thing, even when you don’t feel like it? He’s watching to determine what kind of job he is going to give you in eternity.

Jesus said in Luke 16:10-12, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much . . . If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (NIV).

Whatever work God has given you, be faithful to do it will. Remember, it’s more about your character than it is about your career!

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.”1 Peter 4:10 (TLB)

Meaning matters more than money. When you get to heaven, God isn’t going to ask you, “How much money did you make?” He’s going to ask, “Did you make your life count? Did you express the talents that I gave you?”

The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings” (TLB).

That means the best work for you is the work that best expresses your talent. God wired every one of us to do something different. The reason we all like to do different things is so that everything gets done.

We were made to make our lives count. People are happiest—you are happiest—when you’re using the talents God gave you for something greater than yourself. That’s what gives your life meaning.

The greatest cause in the world is the Kingdom of God. It is the church. The whole reason the world exists is so God could build a family that one day will live with him forever. There is nothing more meaningful and purposeful than giving your life to the Kingdom of God.

When Jesus was 12 years old, he already knew what business he was in. He said, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49 NKJV). Then, at the end of his life, he told the Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4 NIV). Those are the bookends of a life well lived.

What is your business—what is the work God gave you to do? And how is your business going? Those are the fundamental questions you need to be asking about your life.

Don’t waste your life. Ask God to show you the work he wants you to do, and then use your gifts to make the rest of your life the best of your life.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.”  Ephesians 6:16 (GNT)

As a follower of Jesus, you have fiery darts coming at you all the time. Satan implants the following thoughts into your mind:

Doubt. You start asking yourself, “Did God really say that? Can I really trust God? Isn’t that just your interpretation?”

Discouragement. Satan tells you, “You’re never going to get any better. Your life won’t change. Don’t even try.”

Delay. Something you want to happen hasn’t happened by now, so you ask yourself, “Why is this taking so long?”

Difficulty. You think, “Why is this so hard? Why is it so hard to make my marriage work? Why is it so hard to get a job?”

Depression. You tell yourself, “It’s not worth it.” You don’t even feel like making an effort.

All these darts come on a regular basis. They create uncertainty in your life. In times of great uncertainty—like when you’re out of work or going through a major family transition—these fiery darts will fly at you even faster.

You’ve got to be ready for them!

The Bible says, “At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One” (Ephesians 6:16 GNT).

How do you handle these darts? Put on the shield of faith. It’s the only protection you have against doubt, discouragement, delay, difficulty, and depression. Trust God, no matter what you see, hear, or feel about the world around you. You need the certainty of God when you face the uncertainty of Satan’s fiery darts.

You need to doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs. Most people do just the opposite. They doubt their beliefs and believe their doubts. That’s foolish! Believe what God tells you in his Word.

You need that kind of certainty in difficult days. With the shield of faith, you have certainty that God’s promises are true, even when they don’t appear to be true in your life.

Don’t ever take off the shield of faith. Satan will never stop throwing his fiery darts at you. Stay on your guard. Trust God and his Word, no matter what’s going on in your life.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong.”  Ephesians 6:15 (NCV)

Conflict makes you an easy target for Satan’s attacks. It doesn’t matter if your conflict is with God, other people, or even yourself—it will open up every area of your life to Satan’s attacks.

You don’t want that. If you’re fighting yourself, others, or God, you can’t fight against what Satan is doing in the world. You can’t fight a multi-front war effectively. You were never meant to do so.

All levels of conflict leave your flailing for support and searching for a firm footing, as if you’re being sucked into quicksand.

That’s why Paul urges believers, “On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong” (Ephesians 6:15 NCV).

Roman soldiers had hobnails on the bottom of their shoes. These little nails helped them get a better grip with their shoes, like cleats for football players. Without them, soldiers would slip and slide in battle. They wouldn’t be able to hold their ground.

Without putting on the peace that comes from the Good News, you too will slip and slide your way through life.

Paul is writing about three different aspects of peace: with yourself, with others, and with God. It’s called reconciliation, and you need it in all areas of your life. If you wake up each morning at peace with yourself, God, and others, then you’ll find yourself on strong footing. You’ll be able to stand strong against Satan’s attacks.

Satan tries to attack your peace through worry. We can worry about anything—our future, our finances, our relationships, what others think of us. When we worry, it means some area of relational peace is out of sync. In fact, most of the time it means we’re out of sync in each of those areas.

And it means you’re shoeless. You’re not letting the peace that comes from knowing God’s Word take control.

The Bible says, “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble” (Psalm 119:165 NLT). In other words, the more you love and obey the Bible, the less you’re offended by what others say. The more you love God’s Word, the less you’re offended by what happens to you and the less your walk with God will be disturbed.

Choose to believe what God’s Word says about you, about others, and, most importantly, about God so you’ll have the peace that will help you hold your ground.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist.”  Ephesians 6:14 (GNT)

Integrity matters. The Bible says we’re in a war “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV). And we can’t battle those spiritual forces that threaten to derail our lives if we’re not living with integrity.

Essentially, we’re committed to taking the truth of God’s Word and applying it to all areas of our lives, including our moral, financial, and relational lives.

It’s why Paul tells us we need to put on the belt of truth before we go into the spiritual battles that are all around us. He says, “So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist” (Ephesians 6:14 GNT).

The belt of truth holds up everything. Without truth, your life will fall apart, and spiritual darkness will take over.

We put on our belt of truth by living with integrity. Integrity comes from the word “integer,” which means “unit of one.” Your life of integrity isn’t the pieces of the pie. It’s being the whole pie.

To live a life of integrity, you don’t just know the truth. You live it out. Like your belt, integrity gives you stability. It holds you together through tough times. It gives you strength.

Of course, living with integrity doesn’t mean always doing what’s right. If perfection were the standard for integrity, no one would have it. We all stumble at times.

To live with integrity, let people see on the outside what’s going on inside. It means what you see is what you get.

Hypocrisy is the great enemy of integrity. We practice hypocrisy when we know the truth and don’t do it. It’s when what we say isn’t the same as what we do.

And it’s dangerous. A lack of integrity in any area of your life will leave you vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. In fact, the moment you start segmenting your life into different pieces—your church life, family life, work life, etc.—you’ve lost your integrity. You’re not living the same in all areas of your life.

Does life seem overwhelming? Do you feel like darkness is winning the battle in your life? It always will if you’re living a double life.

Check your integrity. Put on the belt of truth so you can do what God’s Word teaches in all areas of your life, not just where and when it is most convenient.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest.”  Ephesians 6:14 (HCSB)

We don’t have to do anything wrong for Satan to attack us. It’s what he does. It’s who he is. The Bible calls him “the accuser of our brothers and sisters” (Revelation 12:10 NLT). And he wants nothing more than to attack those who love Jesus.

Yet often, our own impure lifestyles make us vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. He knows that if he can slip his foot into the door of our hearts through impurity, we’re goners. He’ll trip us up with all sorts of temptations, from pornography to movies to books to advertising—whatever it takes to make us ineffective as representatives of God’s kingdom.

That’s why Paul’s breastplate of righteousness is so important as we battle against whatever Satan throws at us. In Ephesians 6:14, Paul urges believers to stand, “with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest” (HCSB).

A Roman soldier going to war would always put on a breastplate to protect his heart. No soldier would dare go to battle without this piece of armor.

Neither should we. Paul tells us that righteousness, or purity of motives, is our breastplate. When we ask God to give us a pure heart and pure motives, we’re putting on that breastplate of righteousness.

Satan fears the person with a pure heart—not the perfect person, but the person who wants to do the right thing and keeps their motives pure. People who pursue purity don’t have to be afraid of him. Satan is afraid of them!

Purity doesn’t mean perfection, though. None of us fit that description. God expects purity of motives, not perfection of action. It means when you do something wrong, you want to make it right. You can’t have God’s blessing on your family, your business, or any other area of your life unless you seriously pursue that kind of purity.

For example, open up your heart to greed, and Satan can get you to cheat on your taxes or make a shady business deal. Leave the door to your heart ajar through pride, and you’ll chase the applause and praise of others rather than the approval of God.

That leads nowhere. Without a pure heart, you’re a pushover for Satan. You don’t have to be strong to stand against Satan’s attacks, but you do need to protect yourself with God’s armor of righteousness.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

You have an enemy—and it may not be who you think it is. It’s not the person you’re competing against at work. It’s not the difficult neighbor. It’s not your ex-spouse.

Your enemy isn’t human at all.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV).

Your battle is with Satan.

One of the reasons we so often walk around in discouragement and defeat is because we don’t really understand who we’re battling. We don’t understand who our real enemy is. We blame the economy, a political party, a segment of people, or the person we can’t stand down the street.

We blame everyone but the one the Bible calls a thief and a liar, who is out to destroy anyone who loves and follows Jesus.

To find victory in your life over what’s dragging you down, you’ve got to start by attacking the right enemy.

When you do, keep these truths in mind as you battle against your true enemy, Satan.

First, you’re no match for Satan. It’s like trying to shoot a rubber band at a battleship. Outside of Jesus, you have no hope of defeating Satan’s influence over your life.

Second, everyone gets used by Satan. Satan will put thoughts in the minds of Christians and non-Christians alike. At times we can all be a pawn of Satan. You need to protect yourself with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17).

Third, not everything that is spiritual is good. There’s spiritual light and spiritual darkness. Don’t fall for the lie that all roads to God are equal. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV).

Finally, Satan doesn’t fight fair. Satan can’t slug you, so instead he puts discouraging and depressing ideas into your mind. You’ve got to catch him in the act, let him know you know where the idea comes from, and ask the Holy Spirit for help.

Satan is real. He’s the enemy who has been disrupting your life—but he doesn’t have a chance against God’s power in your life when you call on Jesus’ name.