“If you have just been going through the motions spiritually, don’t be surprised when God allows pain in your life. Pain is the fuel of passion — it energizes us with an intensity to change that we don’t normally possess. C. S. Lewis said, “Pain is God’s megaphone.” It is God’s way of arousing us from spiritual lethargy. Your problems are not punishment; they are wake-up calls from a loving God. God is not mad at you; he’s mad about you, and he will do whatever it takes to bring you back into fellowship with him.”
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Rick Warren
“Father, I know you’re going to do some incredible things in your world today. Please give me the privilege of getting in on some of what you’re doing.” In other words, church leaders should stop praying, “Lord, bless what I’m doing” and start praying, “Lord, help me to do what you are blessing.”
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Rick Warren
“Only secure people can serve. Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear to others. They fear exposure of their weaknesses and hide beneath layers of protective pride and pretensions. The more insecure you are, the more you will want people to serve you, and the more you will need their approval.”
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Rick Warren
“Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.”
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Rick Warren
“You weren't put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.
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Rick Warren
“What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it.”
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Rick Warren
“Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be.”
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Rick Warren
“it’s hard to be spiritually strong and mentally alert when you are emotionally stressed or physically fatigued.”
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Rick Warren
“Living to create an earthly legacy is a shortsighted goal. A wiser use of time is to build an eternal legacy. You weren’t put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.”
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Rick Warren
“the two biggest hindrances to living the life God designed you to live: Wanting to be like others (envy), and wanting to be liked by others (people-pleasing.) These traps are subtle, but they distract and detour millions of people from the purposes they were created to fulfill.”
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Rick Warren
“The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears.”
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Rick Warren
“Every church could put out a sign “No perfect people need apply. This is a place only for those who admit they are sinners, need grace, and want to grow.”
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Rick Warren
“God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.”
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Rick Warren
“That is why the key to long-lasting success is to develop habits — new, positive habits that replace our self-defeating behaviors.”
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Rick Warren
“This next sentence is one of the most important spiritual truths you will ever learn: God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality! Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity.”
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Rick Warren
