January 23, 2025 • 24 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey there, everybody, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.
And whether today is your first time tuning in or
if you're a regular listener, we're really excited that you're here.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Today, Pastor Rick is continuing his series called Discover Your Destiny,
So get ready to explore the practical steps to grow
in all areas of your life, spirit, mind, body, relationships,
and even your career. So stick with us as we
uncover God's incredible plan for your future. So let's join
(00:34):
Rick with the final part of a message called getting
to where you want to be.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Number seven is be patient and persistent. Be patient and persistent.
And the reason why you have to be patient and
persistent is because it isn't going to happen overnight. The
bigger your goal, the longer it will take. The more
significant your goal, the more time it will be involved
(01:01):
and energy.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It takes. Time and discipline.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Listen, I have trained leaders over four hundred thousand leaders
in the last thirty years. I've trained in leadership training
in one hundred and sixty four countries, so I know
what I'm talking about here. And the number one problem
with most people is they set their goals too low.
And try to accomplish them too quickly. We underestimate. Oh,
(01:27):
we overestimate what we can do in a year. We
can underestimate what we can do in ten. I suggest
you that big goals and then take a long time
to reach them. That's why we're calling this the Decade
of Destiny, not day of destiny, because where you want
(01:48):
to be, you're not going to do it overnight. You
didn't get in the measure in overnight. You're not going
to get out of it overnight. Some of you, it's
going to take a decade to get out of debt.
You're going to have appeal that onion a little bit
at a time. It never ceases to amaze me. I'll
be out on a patio and somebody come up and
start sharing about their marriage problem, and they want me
(02:09):
to solve it in five seconds or five minutes. And
I say, now, how long have you had this problem?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Nine years? And you want me to solve it in
five seconds. It isn't gonna happen. You're gonna have to work.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Step by step by step by step, and so you
be patient and you be persistent. Nothing great is ever
accomplished without patience, persistence, determination, endurance. I suggest that you
set big goals, and I've set enormous goals for my life,
and then I spend the rest of my life going
(02:44):
after them. Eliazar did this. He was an example of
great patience and persistence. Let me show you a couple example. First,
he's patient in finding the right woman. He's not impulsive.
He's not quick on the draw. The Bible says in
verse two. Here on the screen, the servant quietly watched
her Rebecca. He wanted to be sure the lord has
(03:07):
made his trip successful. He's not just jumping at the
first chance. Well she's good, let's go now.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
He's waiting.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
He's patient, he's persistent, and when he got invited to
the home for dinner, he's very very focused on what
he's going to do, and he's persistent. Look at this,
it says when they get to Rebecca's home verse thirty three.
Then the supper was served, but Abraham's servant said, I
don't want to eat until I've told you why I've come. Now.
(03:38):
I would have eaten, okay, it's obvious I would have
eaten okay, But this guy is persistent and patient. I
wun't want to eat until I tell you why I've come.
And so all right, Laban, that's Rebecca's dad said, tell
us your mission.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Here's what the point is you to reach your.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Goal, you're gonna have to learn how to delay gratification.
Most Americans have no concept of delaying gratification. It's the
reason why our entire nation is in debt, including the government,
because we don't know how to delay gratification. Every time
(04:23):
you buy something on credit, you are not delaying gratification.
You're buying something you can't afford now with money you
don't have. Credit is the number one example of our
inability to put off pleasure until we can afford it.
What we says, I want it, I want it now,
(04:44):
and I want it right now, even if I can't
afford it. And that's why you're in debt, because you
don't delay gratification. You see, the difference between successful people
and unsuccessful people is unsuccessful. Successful people do the things
that unsuccessful people are unwilling to do, and they don't
always feel like doing it. Successful people often do things
(05:08):
they don't feel like doing. Unsuccessful people always do what
they feel. That's what makes you unsuccessful. Just do whatever
you feel and you'll be unsuccessful in life. Successful people
know how to delay gratification. They do the tough thing
first before they have the fun. They do the thing
that must be done. They do the right thing before
(05:29):
they do the enjoyable thing. And Eliezer goes, yeah, I'm hungry,
but let me first tell.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
You my mission.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
And until you have that discipline to be patient and
to be persistent, you're never going to reach your goals.
Let me give you a verse that you ought to
hold on to. Here's your first promise. You can hold
on to this one for your vision and your dream.
God says it in Habaccic Chapter two. Habaccic's a little
tiny book at the end of the New Testament. I
(06:00):
like to throw these verses in because when you get
to heaven, I don't want you.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
To be embarrassed.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
When a backa comes up to you and says, hey,
how'd you like my book? And you go, oh, mister Obaca,
I didn't even know you were in the Bible. So
I'm going to give you this verse. So when a
backa comes up to you in heaven, you go, oh, man,
I really love that third verse in chapter two. Woo
that one really helped me in Decade of Destiny. Okay,
here it is a back of chapter two. God is speaking,
(06:28):
these things I plan plan for your life won't happen
right away, slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches when the
vision will be fulfilled. Now, if it seems slow, do
not despair, for these things will surely come to pass.
(06:53):
Just be patient circle that. Just be patient.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
They will not be overdue a single day. Now.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
God says it's going to happen, but it's going to
take a while. One of the marks of maturity is
learning the difference between no and not yet. Little kids
don't know the difference. They don't when you tell him
not yet. They think that means no. A lot of
adults think that's with their prayers. God says not yet,
(07:24):
and you think it's a no. Now, Why does it
take so long to reach your dream? Why doesn't it
happen like that? Why does it take so long to
fulfill a vision, to reach a goal? Why does sometimes
it takes so long for God to answer prayer.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I'll tell you why.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Because God is more interested in what you are than
what you do. He's much more interested in your character
and growing that than he is in your career, because
you're not taking your career to heaven. You're not taking
your car to heaven. You're not taking your cash to heaven.
You're not taking your shina to heaven. You're not taking
(08:01):
any of your clothes to heaven. You are taking your character.
That's what's going to last. That's why the most important
question in the next ten years is not what do
I want to have? And not even what do I
want to do, But the most important question is what
do I want to be? How do I want to
be different ten years from today? Do I want to
(08:22):
be a man of God? Do I want to be
a woman of God? Or a spiritual infant? Do I
want to be a fully grown person, mature in emotion
and spirit. Yes? And God says what you do is
going to last a generation, but who you are is
(08:44):
going to last for eternity. So while you're working on
your goal, God wants to work on you. And that's
why it takes some time. While you set your goal,
God says, yeah, go after your goal. I want you
to reach this goal. You ought to have a goal,
you ought have a dream, you ought to have a vision.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Go after it. Go after with all your Gusto. But
while you're going to go after the goal, I'm going.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
To do some reconstructive surgery on you, and I'm going
to change some things that you don't like about you,
and I want to change in you. Now step number
eight this is important. You must enlist a team for support.
You must enlist a team for support. You're never going
(09:28):
to reach your goal on your own. You're never going
to fulfill your vision by yourself. Success is never, never,
never a one man show. You've got to involve other people.
It takes teamwork, it takes cooperation. Now Eliazar does this.
He enlists everybody he can to help fulfill his mission.
(09:48):
He gets the parents involved, he gets the family involved,
he gets the relatives involved for support. He does everything
he can to get the cooperation of people around him.
The many times I've been to Africa, I've heard this
proverb over and over and over, and it's very wise.
If you want to go fast, go by yourself. If
(10:10):
you want to go far, go with others. If you
want to go fast in life, go by yourself. But
if you want to go far, you better go together.
You better have a team. You better have a small
group around you. That's going to take you together. Now,
you see what really matters in life is not how
(10:31):
fast you go. We are impressed with speed, like how
quickly you got that done. It doesn't matter how It's
not important to have a speedy decision. It's important to
make the right decision because ten years from today, nobody's
going to care how fast.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
You made the decision.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
They're going to want to know did you make the
right decision, not the speed of it. Nobody cares how
long it took or how fast Michelangelo painted the Systeine Chapel.
Nobody cares how how fast Van.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Go painted his paintings. The speed is irrelevant.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
What matters is is that a good piece of art,
does it last?
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Is it significant?
Speaker 3 (11:13):
So if you want to go, you got to go
with other people. You're never going to achieve your decade
of destiny goals on your own. Why Well a couple
of reasons. One is God wants you to learn the
number one lesson in life, and the number one lesson
in life is learning how to love. Not what you accomplish,
(11:34):
but learning how to love and not just love people
like you. It's easy to love people like you who
are cool, real love is learning to love the unlovely,
the people who are unlovable, the people who.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Are difficult to love.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Don't look at him right now, don't elbow them. Real
love is learning to love the people who get on
your nerve, he said, look at them, don't. Okay, learning
to love the difficult to love. And let me just
say this, if you're not in a small group, it's
(12:11):
why we insist everybody in our church being in a
small group. And we let our small group study whatever
they want to study during the year, but once a year,
during our Spiritual Fall campaign, we want everybody to study
the Decade of Destiny material. All of our small groups,
thousands of them, from Santa Monica to Carlsbad, are going
to be studying for the next six weeks in small groups.
(12:33):
And the reason why you need a group is there
are some things in your life that you will never
be able to change on your own without the help
of others. If you could change them, you would have
changed them, but you can't, so you won't. You need
other people in your life who will support you, who
will love you, who will encourage you, who will challenge you,
(12:54):
who will help you practically and emotionally in prayer and
things like that.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
You have a group like that in your life. I
wouldn't make it without my small group, the.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
One i've been in with now. I think i've been
it's been saying six years. I think it's eight or
nine years, the one I've been in right now. And
there's some things that just aren't going to change in
your life without the help of other people.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
If you're not in a small group, I pity you.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
That's the laboratory for learning how to love. And without
that weekly support, you're never going to reach your.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Decade of destiny goals. You need other people.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
When I started Saddleback, I had giant goals for this church,
but I built the team, and that team helped me.
I could have never done this by myself. In fact,
I didn't. It was done by a huge team of people. Now,
notice what the Bible says here on the screen. One
person standing alone is easily attacked and defeated, and you
(13:51):
give up on your dream. But two can stand back
to back and conquer. And three people are even better.
For a triple braave coord is not easily. You get
three or four people that you're supporting their goals their dreams,
their decade of destiny, and they're supporting your goals, your dreams,
your decadive destiny.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
You're gonna make it. You're gonna make it.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
You got to have people supporting you. You need a
small group for decade of destiny. Jesus said this, Matthew
eighteen twenty. Where two or three come together in my name,
there I will be with them. That's a promise of God.
You don't have to have a group of ten people.
You don't have to have a group of eight people.
(14:32):
Just get two or three, four people and you're say,
let's just sit down and we'll talk about this in
a small group.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Small is actually better.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Now, the ninth step is the most important of all
because it's the most difficult one. Step nine in reaching
your vision, your goal, your dream in life is you must.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Pay the price.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
You must pay the price because there's always a price
for fulfilling a dream, always a price tag, a cost
for reaching every goal. Now, let me give you some advice.
I twittered this, tweeted I guess this week. Never never
(15:15):
desire the success of another person without first finding.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Out what they gave up for it.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Never desire the success of another without first finding out
what they gave up for it, because I guarantee you
they did. Sometimes that giving up is worth it, and
sometimes it is very much not worth it. They may
have given up their health, they may have given up
their family, they may have given up on God. They
(15:46):
may have given up their integrity. So you need to
find out what they gave up. Some things are worth
giving up for a greater cause. But there's always a
price tag to everything in life. In fact, there's only
one thing free in life, only one thing, and that
is God's forgiveness of your sins, because Jesus Christ already
(16:07):
paid for it. The only thing free in life is salvation.
And all you have to do is accept that gift
by faith. You can't work for it, earn it, deserve it.
You just say God, thank you for sending your son
to die for me on the cross to pay for
all my sins. It's already been paid for. It's a
free gift. It costs Jesus his life. That's free. But
(16:29):
everything else there's a cost. There's a price tag. Now
Eliezar had to pay a price to get this Rebecca
to go back with him. In verse fifty three, he
notice it says, Then he gave Rebecca gold and silver
jewelry and clothes. He knows the way to a woman's heart.
(16:52):
He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and mother.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Smart guy.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Hey mom, here's some gifts for you, and brother, here's
some gifts for you. Goals, great goals require great sacrifice,
a great sacrifice of time, of money, of energy.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Of reputation.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
You see, a lot of people only want to be
successful if it's convenient. They only want to reach their
dream goal if they can do it in their spare time.
But if you are serious about making the next ten
years of your life the best decade of your life
so far, you're gonna have to pay the price. And
(17:37):
that means asking three questions. Write these down, okay. Number one,
what will it cost? What will it cost me to
reach this dream? In terms of energy, work, time, money, whatever?
Speaker 2 (17:52):
What will it cost? What discipline? Number two? What am
I willing to give? You need to think of that question.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
And number three, you need to ask the question this
is the most important of all.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Is it worth it? Is it worth? It? Is the cause?
Worth the cost?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
You see, friends, I've noticed now dealing with a lot
of people in life, most people are giving first class
allegiance to second class causes, and those causes will inevitably
betray them, and they will be bitter for it.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
And they get the gold watch and they go, that's it.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
You need to give first class allegiance to first class causes,
the things. The greatest use of your life is to
invest it in that which will outlast it. We're going
to be talking about that in the weeks ahead. Let
me pray a prayer blessing for you. Would you bow
your heads? Father, I want to thank you for these
(18:58):
people who are here today, and I pray a blessing
upon these people that the next ten years will be
the best ten years of their life. But Lord, really
you've left that up to us. It's our choice. You've
told us what to do, and we can either drift
or we can have direction. And I pray that each
of us will pay the cost the time that it
(19:21):
takes to do this six week preparation that will make
the next years ahead of us so much better than
all of the past.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Now you pray in your heart, say.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Dear God, help me to figure out where I am
right now and what I want to change. Help me
to clarify what I want to be, what I want
to do, and what I want to have in the
next ten years. Help me to take the time to
figure out why I want it. Thank you for all
(19:55):
the promises you've given in your word. I'm asking you
for help. Help me to identify the barriers of why
I don't have it already. God, I need your help
in creating a step by step plan so that I
don't waste the next ten years and when I go
(20:18):
through difficulty, help me to be patient and persistent and
to trust you. Right now, I commit to being in
a small group so that I can have a team
for support in decade of destiny. I'm scared, but I'm
going to do this, Lord, and I'm willing to pay
(20:39):
the price in time. I'm willing to delay gratification so
that the rest of my life may be the best
of my life. If you've never invited Jesus Christ into
your life, why don't you say, Lord, I want in
on that deal of the free forgiveness. I need your salvation.
I could never earn it, but I ask you to
(21:03):
forgive me, and I ask you to accept me into
your family, and I want to learn to follow you Jesus.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
I pray this in your name. Amen.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Hi everybody, this is Rick and I hope you enjoyed
today's broadcast. You know, if you just prayed that prayer
for the very first time, or you just recommitted your
life to Jesus again today, would you let me know
about it. There's something real about sharing your commitment. So
write me Rick at Pastorick dot com and say, Rick,
I prayed that prayer of commitment. I gave my life
(21:41):
to Christ. And I'll send you some material that will
help you on your journey with Jesus. And I'll also
pray for you. God bless you.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Some powerful words from Pastor Rick today. And now this
is really one of my favorite parts of the broadcast.
This is letters from our listeners. And now here's Rick.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
I love getting letters from you. Let me share a
little bit longer when it's from Sarah and her four
year old son. She said, Pastor Rick, my husband and
I are involved in a church plant in Salem, Massachusetts,
and I make an effort every day to listen to
other pastors preach by a podcast. But I began listening
to your Daily Hope podcast and I stumbled across Christians
(22:25):
in the workplace and that small group study that you
did that has been a great study and quite relevant
to us. Thank you for making your materials available beyond
Saddleback Church, Pastor Rick. As a result of my regular
listening to your podcast, my son now frequently asked to
listen to the sermons. He's four and a half years old,
and one morning, on our way to church, he asked
(22:47):
me to put on a sermon. I love this kid,
he said. I had a Pastor Craig podcast in the queue,
but began to listen, but my son kept asking to
listen to a sermon by you, and I kept telling
this sermon. Then he said, no, I want to listen
to Pastor Rick Warren. That's funny. Well, when your four
(23:07):
year old son Sam asked to listen to Rick Warren,
you listened to Rick Warren. So I asked Sam, why
like to listen to you. He said, I like what
Pastor Rick says, and he said he says, if you
don't swing from one bar to another, you're just gonna
hang there. Well, I was shocked that he had picked
up that truth. That was just one of the recent
(23:27):
Daily Hope messages where you talked about faith and you
were referring to where trapeze artists have to let go
of one bar before they reach on to the second.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
And all of that.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Just to say thank you for the work you do,
for the messages you teach, and it goes noticed even
by the youngest of human beings. My four year old
son best Sarah, Well, why can I say, Sarah, this
is just such a great story. Thank you, and thank
your four year old son Sam for listening, and thank
(23:58):
you for your ministry and Salem message us. May God
bless your church and may all of you join me
next time as we continue to look at God's word
for our daily hope.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Hey, if you'd like to let Rick know how this
broadcast has blessed you, he would love it. Please feel
free to send him an email at Rick at pastorick
dot com. That's Rick at pastorick dot com. Be sure
to join us next time as we look into God's
word for our daily hope. This program is sponsored by
Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support
Hey there, everybody, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.
And whether today is your first time tuning in or
if you're a regular listener, we're really excited that you're here.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Today, Pastor Rick is continuing his series called Discover Your Destiny,
So get ready to explore the practical steps to grow
in all areas of your life, spirit, mind, body, relationships,
and even your career. So stick with us as we
uncover God's incredible plan for your future. So let's join
(00:34):
Rick with the final part of a message called getting
to where you want to be.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Number seven is be patient and persistent. Be patient and persistent.
And the reason why you have to be patient and
persistent is because it isn't going to happen overnight. The
bigger your goal, the longer it will take. The more
significant your goal, the more time it will be involved
(01:01):
and energy.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It takes. Time and discipline.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Listen, I have trained leaders over four hundred thousand leaders
in the last thirty years. I've trained in leadership training
in one hundred and sixty four countries, so I know
what I'm talking about here. And the number one problem
with most people is they set their goals too low.
And try to accomplish them too quickly. We underestimate. Oh,
(01:27):
we overestimate what we can do in a year. We
can underestimate what we can do in ten. I suggest
you that big goals and then take a long time
to reach them. That's why we're calling this the Decade
of Destiny, not day of destiny, because where you want
(01:48):
to be, you're not going to do it overnight. You
didn't get in the measure in overnight. You're not going
to get out of it overnight. Some of you, it's
going to take a decade to get out of debt.
You're going to have appeal that onion a little bit
at a time. It never ceases to amaze me. I'll
be out on a patio and somebody come up and
start sharing about their marriage problem, and they want me
(02:09):
to solve it in five seconds or five minutes. And
I say, now, how long have you had this problem?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Nine years? And you want me to solve it in
five seconds. It isn't gonna happen. You're gonna have to work.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Step by step by step by step, and so you
be patient and you be persistent. Nothing great is ever
accomplished without patience, persistence, determination, endurance. I suggest that you
set big goals, and I've set enormous goals for my life,
and then I spend the rest of my life going
(02:44):
after them. Eliazar did this. He was an example of
great patience and persistence. Let me show you a couple example. First,
he's patient in finding the right woman. He's not impulsive.
He's not quick on the draw. The Bible says in
verse two. Here on the screen, the servant quietly watched
her Rebecca. He wanted to be sure the lord has
(03:07):
made his trip successful. He's not just jumping at the
first chance. Well she's good, let's go now.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
He's waiting.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
He's patient, he's persistent, and when he got invited to
the home for dinner, he's very very focused on what
he's going to do, and he's persistent. Look at this,
it says when they get to Rebecca's home verse thirty three.
Then the supper was served, but Abraham's servant said, I
don't want to eat until I've told you why I've come. Now.
(03:38):
I would have eaten, okay, it's obvious I would have
eaten okay, But this guy is persistent and patient. I
wun't want to eat until I tell you why I've come.
And so all right, Laban, that's Rebecca's dad said, tell
us your mission.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Here's what the point is you to reach your.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Goal, you're gonna have to learn how to delay gratification.
Most Americans have no concept of delaying gratification. It's the
reason why our entire nation is in debt, including the government,
because we don't know how to delay gratification. Every time
(04:23):
you buy something on credit, you are not delaying gratification.
You're buying something you can't afford now with money you
don't have. Credit is the number one example of our
inability to put off pleasure until we can afford it.
What we says, I want it, I want it now,
(04:44):
and I want it right now, even if I can't
afford it. And that's why you're in debt, because you
don't delay gratification. You see, the difference between successful people
and unsuccessful people is unsuccessful. Successful people do the things
that unsuccessful people are unwilling to do, and they don't
always feel like doing it. Successful people often do things
(05:08):
they don't feel like doing. Unsuccessful people always do what
they feel. That's what makes you unsuccessful. Just do whatever
you feel and you'll be unsuccessful in life. Successful people
know how to delay gratification. They do the tough thing
first before they have the fun. They do the thing
that must be done. They do the right thing before
(05:29):
they do the enjoyable thing. And Eliezer goes, yeah, I'm hungry,
but let me first tell.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
You my mission.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
And until you have that discipline to be patient and
to be persistent, you're never going to reach your goals.
Let me give you a verse that you ought to
hold on to. Here's your first promise. You can hold
on to this one for your vision and your dream.
God says it in Habaccic Chapter two. Habaccic's a little
tiny book at the end of the New Testament. I
(06:00):
like to throw these verses in because when you get
to heaven, I don't want you.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
To be embarrassed.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
When a backa comes up to you and says, hey,
how'd you like my book? And you go, oh, mister Obaca,
I didn't even know you were in the Bible. So
I'm going to give you this verse. So when a
backa comes up to you in heaven, you go, oh, man,
I really love that third verse in chapter two. Woo
that one really helped me in Decade of Destiny. Okay,
here it is a back of chapter two. God is speaking,
(06:28):
these things I plan plan for your life won't happen
right away, slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches when the
vision will be fulfilled. Now, if it seems slow, do
not despair, for these things will surely come to pass.
(06:53):
Just be patient circle that. Just be patient.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
They will not be overdue a single day. Now.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
God says it's going to happen, but it's going to
take a while. One of the marks of maturity is
learning the difference between no and not yet. Little kids
don't know the difference. They don't when you tell him
not yet. They think that means no. A lot of
adults think that's with their prayers. God says not yet,
(07:24):
and you think it's a no. Now, Why does it
take so long to reach your dream? Why doesn't it
happen like that? Why does it take so long to
fulfill a vision, to reach a goal? Why does sometimes
it takes so long for God to answer prayer.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I'll tell you why.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Because God is more interested in what you are than
what you do. He's much more interested in your character
and growing that than he is in your career, because
you're not taking your career to heaven. You're not taking
your car to heaven. You're not taking your cash to heaven.
You're not taking your shina to heaven. You're not taking
(08:01):
any of your clothes to heaven. You are taking your character.
That's what's going to last. That's why the most important
question in the next ten years is not what do
I want to have? And not even what do I
want to do, But the most important question is what
do I want to be? How do I want to
be different ten years from today? Do I want to
(08:22):
be a man of God? Do I want to be
a woman of God? Or a spiritual infant? Do I
want to be a fully grown person, mature in emotion
and spirit. Yes? And God says what you do is
going to last a generation, but who you are is
(08:44):
going to last for eternity. So while you're working on
your goal, God wants to work on you. And that's
why it takes some time. While you set your goal,
God says, yeah, go after your goal. I want you
to reach this goal. You ought to have a goal,
you ought have a dream, you ought to have a vision.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Go after it. Go after with all your Gusto. But
while you're going to go after the goal, I'm going.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
To do some reconstructive surgery on you, and I'm going
to change some things that you don't like about you,
and I want to change in you. Now step number
eight this is important. You must enlist a team for support.
You must enlist a team for support. You're never going
(09:28):
to reach your goal on your own. You're never going
to fulfill your vision by yourself. Success is never, never,
never a one man show. You've got to involve other people.
It takes teamwork, it takes cooperation. Now Eliazar does this.
He enlists everybody he can to help fulfill his mission.
(09:48):
He gets the parents involved, he gets the family involved,
he gets the relatives involved for support. He does everything
he can to get the cooperation of people around him.
The many times I've been to Africa, I've heard this
proverb over and over and over, and it's very wise.
If you want to go fast, go by yourself. If
(10:10):
you want to go far, go with others. If you
want to go fast in life, go by yourself. But
if you want to go far, you better go together.
You better have a team. You better have a small
group around you. That's going to take you together. Now,
you see what really matters in life is not how
(10:31):
fast you go. We are impressed with speed, like how
quickly you got that done. It doesn't matter how It's
not important to have a speedy decision. It's important to
make the right decision because ten years from today, nobody's
going to care how fast.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
You made the decision.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
They're going to want to know did you make the
right decision, not the speed of it. Nobody cares how
long it took or how fast Michelangelo painted the Systeine Chapel.
Nobody cares how how fast Van.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Go painted his paintings. The speed is irrelevant.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
What matters is is that a good piece of art,
does it last?
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Is it significant?
Speaker 3 (11:13):
So if you want to go, you got to go
with other people. You're never going to achieve your decade
of destiny goals on your own. Why Well a couple
of reasons. One is God wants you to learn the
number one lesson in life, and the number one lesson
in life is learning how to love. Not what you accomplish,
(11:34):
but learning how to love and not just love people
like you. It's easy to love people like you who
are cool, real love is learning to love the unlovely,
the people who are unlovable, the people who.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Are difficult to love.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Don't look at him right now, don't elbow them. Real
love is learning to love the people who get on
your nerve, he said, look at them, don't. Okay, learning
to love the difficult to love. And let me just
say this, if you're not in a small group, it's
(12:11):
why we insist everybody in our church being in a
small group. And we let our small group study whatever
they want to study during the year, but once a year,
during our Spiritual Fall campaign, we want everybody to study
the Decade of Destiny material. All of our small groups,
thousands of them, from Santa Monica to Carlsbad, are going
to be studying for the next six weeks in small groups.
(12:33):
And the reason why you need a group is there
are some things in your life that you will never
be able to change on your own without the help
of others. If you could change them, you would have
changed them, but you can't, so you won't. You need
other people in your life who will support you, who
will love you, who will encourage you, who will challenge you,
(12:54):
who will help you practically and emotionally in prayer and
things like that.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
You have a group like that in your life. I
wouldn't make it without my small group, the.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
One i've been in with now. I think i've been
it's been saying six years. I think it's eight or
nine years, the one I've been in right now. And
there's some things that just aren't going to change in
your life without the help of other people.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
If you're not in a small group, I pity you.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
That's the laboratory for learning how to love. And without
that weekly support, you're never going to reach your.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Decade of destiny goals. You need other people.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
When I started Saddleback, I had giant goals for this church,
but I built the team, and that team helped me.
I could have never done this by myself. In fact,
I didn't. It was done by a huge team of people. Now,
notice what the Bible says here on the screen. One
person standing alone is easily attacked and defeated, and you
(13:51):
give up on your dream. But two can stand back
to back and conquer. And three people are even better.
For a triple braave coord is not easily. You get
three or four people that you're supporting their goals their dreams,
their decade of destiny, and they're supporting your goals, your dreams,
your decadive destiny.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
You're gonna make it. You're gonna make it.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
You got to have people supporting you. You need a
small group for decade of destiny. Jesus said this, Matthew
eighteen twenty. Where two or three come together in my name,
there I will be with them. That's a promise of God.
You don't have to have a group of ten people.
You don't have to have a group of eight people.
(14:32):
Just get two or three, four people and you're say,
let's just sit down and we'll talk about this in
a small group.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Small is actually better.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Now, the ninth step is the most important of all
because it's the most difficult one. Step nine in reaching
your vision, your goal, your dream in life is you must.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Pay the price.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
You must pay the price because there's always a price
for fulfilling a dream, always a price tag, a cost
for reaching every goal. Now, let me give you some advice.
I twittered this, tweeted I guess this week. Never never
(15:15):
desire the success of another person without first finding.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Out what they gave up for it.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Never desire the success of another without first finding out
what they gave up for it, because I guarantee you
they did. Sometimes that giving up is worth it, and
sometimes it is very much not worth it. They may
have given up their health, they may have given up
their family, they may have given up on God. They
(15:46):
may have given up their integrity. So you need to
find out what they gave up. Some things are worth
giving up for a greater cause. But there's always a
price tag to everything in life. In fact, there's only
one thing free in life, only one thing, and that
is God's forgiveness of your sins, because Jesus Christ already
(16:07):
paid for it. The only thing free in life is salvation.
And all you have to do is accept that gift
by faith. You can't work for it, earn it, deserve it.
You just say God, thank you for sending your son
to die for me on the cross to pay for
all my sins. It's already been paid for. It's a
free gift. It costs Jesus his life. That's free. But
(16:29):
everything else there's a cost. There's a price tag. Now
Eliezar had to pay a price to get this Rebecca
to go back with him. In verse fifty three, he
notice it says, Then he gave Rebecca gold and silver
jewelry and clothes. He knows the way to a woman's heart.
(16:52):
He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and mother.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Smart guy.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Hey mom, here's some gifts for you, and brother, here's
some gifts for you. Goals, great goals require great sacrifice,
a great sacrifice of time, of money, of energy.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Of reputation.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
You see, a lot of people only want to be
successful if it's convenient. They only want to reach their
dream goal if they can do it in their spare time.
But if you are serious about making the next ten
years of your life the best decade of your life
so far, you're gonna have to pay the price. And
(17:37):
that means asking three questions. Write these down, okay. Number one,
what will it cost? What will it cost me to
reach this dream? In terms of energy, work, time, money, whatever?
Speaker 2 (17:52):
What will it cost? What discipline? Number two? What am
I willing to give? You need to think of that question.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
And number three, you need to ask the question this
is the most important of all.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Is it worth it? Is it worth? It? Is the cause?
Worth the cost?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
You see, friends, I've noticed now dealing with a lot
of people in life, most people are giving first class
allegiance to second class causes, and those causes will inevitably
betray them, and they will be bitter for it.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
And they get the gold watch and they go, that's it.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
You need to give first class allegiance to first class causes,
the things. The greatest use of your life is to
invest it in that which will outlast it. We're going
to be talking about that in the weeks ahead. Let
me pray a prayer blessing for you. Would you bow
your heads? Father, I want to thank you for these
(18:58):
people who are here today, and I pray a blessing
upon these people that the next ten years will be
the best ten years of their life. But Lord, really
you've left that up to us. It's our choice. You've
told us what to do, and we can either drift
or we can have direction. And I pray that each
of us will pay the cost the time that it
(19:21):
takes to do this six week preparation that will make
the next years ahead of us so much better than
all of the past.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Now you pray in your heart, say.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Dear God, help me to figure out where I am
right now and what I want to change. Help me
to clarify what I want to be, what I want
to do, and what I want to have in the
next ten years. Help me to take the time to
figure out why I want it. Thank you for all
(19:55):
the promises you've given in your word. I'm asking you
for help. Help me to identify the barriers of why
I don't have it already. God, I need your help
in creating a step by step plan so that I
don't waste the next ten years and when I go
(20:18):
through difficulty, help me to be patient and persistent and
to trust you. Right now, I commit to being in
a small group so that I can have a team
for support in decade of destiny. I'm scared, but I'm
going to do this, Lord, and I'm willing to pay
(20:39):
the price in time. I'm willing to delay gratification so
that the rest of my life may be the best
of my life. If you've never invited Jesus Christ into
your life, why don't you say, Lord, I want in
on that deal of the free forgiveness. I need your salvation.
I could never earn it, but I ask you to
(21:03):
forgive me, and I ask you to accept me into
your family, and I want to learn to follow you Jesus.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
I pray this in your name. Amen.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Hi everybody, this is Rick and I hope you enjoyed
today's broadcast. You know, if you just prayed that prayer
for the very first time, or you just recommitted your
life to Jesus again today, would you let me know
about it. There's something real about sharing your commitment. So
write me Rick at Pastorick dot com and say, Rick,
I prayed that prayer of commitment. I gave my life
(21:41):
to Christ. And I'll send you some material that will
help you on your journey with Jesus. And I'll also
pray for you. God bless you.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Some powerful words from Pastor Rick today. And now this
is really one of my favorite parts of the broadcast.
This is letters from our listeners. And now here's Rick.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
I love getting letters from you. Let me share a
little bit longer when it's from Sarah and her four
year old son. She said, Pastor Rick, my husband and
I are involved in a church plant in Salem, Massachusetts,
and I make an effort every day to listen to
other pastors preach by a podcast. But I began listening
to your Daily Hope podcast and I stumbled across Christians
(22:25):
in the workplace and that small group study that you
did that has been a great study and quite relevant
to us. Thank you for making your materials available beyond
Saddleback Church, Pastor Rick. As a result of my regular
listening to your podcast, my son now frequently asked to
listen to the sermons. He's four and a half years old,
and one morning, on our way to church, he asked
(22:47):
me to put on a sermon. I love this kid,
he said. I had a Pastor Craig podcast in the queue,
but began to listen, but my son kept asking to
listen to a sermon by you, and I kept telling
this sermon. Then he said, no, I want to listen
to Pastor Rick Warren. That's funny. Well, when your four
(23:07):
year old son Sam asked to listen to Rick Warren,
you listened to Rick Warren. So I asked Sam, why
like to listen to you. He said, I like what
Pastor Rick says, and he said he says, if you
don't swing from one bar to another, you're just gonna
hang there. Well, I was shocked that he had picked
up that truth. That was just one of the recent
(23:27):
Daily Hope messages where you talked about faith and you
were referring to where trapeze artists have to let go
of one bar before they reach on to the second.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
And all of that.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Just to say thank you for the work you do,
for the messages you teach, and it goes noticed even
by the youngest of human beings. My four year old
son best Sarah, Well, why can I say, Sarah, this
is just such a great story. Thank you, and thank
your four year old son Sam for listening, and thank
(23:58):
you for your ministry and Salem message us. May God
bless your church and may all of you join me
next time as we continue to look at God's word
for our daily hope.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Hey, if you'd like to let Rick know how this
broadcast has blessed you, he would love it. Please feel
free to send him an email at Rick at pastorick
dot com. That's Rick at pastorick dot com. Be sure
to join us next time as we look into God's
word for our daily hope. This program is sponsored by
Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support
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