February 12, 2025 • 30 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, everyone, it's so great to have you with us today.
On Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. We are going to continue
our very encouraging series today called Life's Healing Choices, And
in these lessons, Rick Warren will guide us through a
deep biblical exploration of how to overcome the hurts, hang ups,
and habits that really hold us back. So get ready
(00:25):
for some practical insights and powerful truths that can lead
to lasting change and freedom.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
In your life.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I'm so excited to hear what Rick shares today in
the final part of a message called the Reality Choice.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
You know how's cleaning up the refrigerator this week? That
can be quite a spiritual experience. And I learned a
very important theological truth in cleaning out the refrigerator. Stuff
doesn't have to stink for it to be rotten.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
It's profound. Now, some vegetables, when they go rotten, they
let you know it.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
You ever smelled a rotten potato, Oh baby, oh baby,
that that stinks. A potato when it's rotten on the inside,
it lets you know it. But you know what, an
avocado can rot and it still looks okay on the
outside and it doesn't smell.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
But they're both just as rotten. Now here's the point.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Some of you think I don't need recovery because my
rottenness doesn't stink. We think just the smelly people need
c R. Just because you're rotten doesn't stink, doesn't mean
you're not rotten. There's stuff in you you don't like.
(01:56):
I'm not talking about what God doesn't like. I'm talking
about stuff in your life you don't even about.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
You.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Go, man, I wish I could change that. I always
do that, and I I just wish I didn't do that.
I wish I could be more loving, more unselfish. I
wish I didn't lose my temper so much. I wish
I didn't have that compulsion. I wish I didn't have
that fear. I wish I weren't so insecure. The point is,
nobody's more broken than you, and you're not more broken
(02:23):
than anybody else.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
But we're all in the same boat. We're all in
the same boat.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
You're as broken as everybody else, and depravity is total.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Because of our pride and because of our fear, we
don't want to be honest about this. We don't want
to admit our weaknesses. We don't want admit our fears.
We don't want to admit. Have you ever talked to
seeing somebody says, man, you're getting angry.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I am not angry. Yes you are, I am not angry.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
It's really obvious they're angry. But we don't want to
admit our emotions a lot of the time. But because
of our pride and fear, we try to fix ourselves.
And Jeremiah says it this way up here on the screen,
Jeremiah two thirteen. My people have committed to sins. One
(03:10):
they have forsaken me, the spring of living water. I'm
the one who's got all the answers God says for
your life. And two they've done their own broken wells,
their own broken cisterns that can't hold water. Not only
do we reject God, we make up our own plan
to fix ourselves, and it doesn't hold water. Isn't it
amazing all the things that people will try to get
(03:31):
their life together instead of God. They'll try astrology, aromatherapy, crystals,
reading your palm, acupuncture.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
And on and on.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
All this is gonna and they'll go to fads and
therapies and conferences and cults and tapes and motivational seminars
and read books and believe the wackiest, stupidest idea is
try everything except God. We build our own wells, and
the wells are cracked and won't hold water. Friends, you
(04:15):
can go on every good diet you can go on,
and every other thing you can do, but you can't
solve a spiritual problem with a physical substance.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Let me say it again.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
You can't solve spiritual brokenness with a physical substance. Whether
it's a pill or a drug, or alcohol, or television
or pornography or anything else, it didn't want to relieve
your pain. Ultimately, you cannot solve your spiritual problem with
a physical substance. So the first thing I have to
(04:48):
do if I'm going to be poor in spirit is
I must humbly admit I don't have it all together,
humbly admit I need help. Here's the second thing I
need to do. I need to humbly ask God for help.
I admit, then I ask, I admit I need help.
Then I ask God for help. I moved from confession
(05:10):
I admit I need help to petition I need help.
I'm asking God for help. And in second Corinthians one nine.
Paul says it like this. He was going through a
tough time. He said, we despaired of even life itself.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Did you know?
Speaker 3 (05:25):
At one point, Paul said, I was ready to kick
the bucket. I was so depressed, I was so discouraged.
I was ready to give up on life. And then
he says, here in this verse, we saw how powerless
we were to help ourselves. That's step one. Poor in spirit.
I don't have the power to change, but that was good.
Why would be good to admit my helplessness and powerlessness?
(05:47):
For then we put everything into the hands of God.
You don't know God's all you need till God's all
you got. For then we put everything into the hands
of God, who alone could save us. For He can
even raise the dead. If God can raise a dead person,
he can raise a dead marriage. If God can raise
(06:08):
a dead person, he can raise a dead career. If
God can raise a dead person, he can raise a
dead dream. If God can raise a dead person, he
can restore the love and romance in your marriage. God
can do miracles. Anybody can bring good out of good.
God brings good out of bad. He specializes in turning
(06:29):
crucifixions into resurrections. So I ask God for help. Now,
notice on that verse. Notice there on the outline, it
says we couldn't help ourselves. We put everything into the
hands of God. Circle the word everything. This is total surrender.
(06:50):
Kay wrote a book on this called Dangerous Surrender. It's
not partial surrender. Well, okay, Like my finances are in
a mess, so I'm going to give God my finances. No,
you've got to give him all of your life. Or
my sex life in a mess, so I'm going to
give him my sex life. No, you've got to give
him all of your life. It's total surrender. We put
everything in his hands.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Let me ask you a question. Have you done this?
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Have you ever come to the point in your life
where you say, Okay, God, everything in my life good,
the bad, the ugly, the stinking, the rotten, the happy,
the sad, the up the down. I put it all
in your hands. I put it all in your hands.
I beg you, as a friend and pastor who loves you,
don't wait until you hit bottom. Sometimes we're so obstinate.
(07:41):
God has the last flat on our back to make
us look up to him. You see, there's an easy way,
and there's a hard way to do this. The easy
way to change is to see the light. The hard
way is to feel the heat. The problem is most
of us rarely change until our fear of the change
is exceeded by the and then when the pain gets
(08:02):
so great to go okay, I gotta get help. Don't
get to that place where everything has to drop out
in your life and five things have to go wrong
at once for you to admit I need help and
I ask God for help. I come to God and
I ask him. I love the message paraphrase of this
(08:23):
first beatitude there on your outline, Matthew five three you're
blessed when you're at the end of your rope. Congratulations.
With less of you, there's more of God and his rule.
I admit I need help, I ask God for help.
And then there's a third thing. If I really want
to be poor in spirit, and this is the hardest
(08:45):
to evolve for many people, I must humbly accept help
from other people. I must humbly accept help from others.
And this is the third way. God has wired us
in such a way that we don't get well by ourselves.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Let me be very blunt with you.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
You know that problem you'd like to get rid of
in your life, that temptation, that defect, that fault, that fear,
that worry, that loneliness, that whatever is in your life
that messes you up. You're never going to get rid
of it on your own. If you could, you would,
but you can't, so you won't. You're only gonna get
well when you're honest with others, not just God, but
(09:32):
with others.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
And God is white. You say, well, I don't want
to do that. Why do I do that?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
It humbles you, and God gives grace to the humble.
It is your pride that keeps you stuck. It's your
pride that keeps you stuck. Now, the Bible says this
in Ecclesiastes four nine. Two are better than one. We're
talking about people because they have a good return for
their work. And if one falls down, his friend can
(10:00):
help him up. That's called recovery. But pity the men
who falls and there's no one there to help him up.
You see, God wired us as I said that we
need each other. And fifty eight times in the New
Testament it uses the phrase one another, love one another,
(10:20):
and care for one another and help one another, encourage
one another, pray for one another, support one another, counsel
one another. We are to help each other out. That's
why we have church. We are to help each other out.
You were never meant to go through life as a
lone ranger. You were never meant to go through it
on your own. You were never meant to face your
problems or your sins by yourself. We need each other
(10:41):
and we have a longing for belonging, and we're not
just believers, we're belongers and we're to help each other out.
And the fact is we need each other to be healthy.
If you don't have anybody in your life that you
can be totally brutally honest with, I pity you because
you're not healthy. Because God wired us in such a
way that we only get well in community. That's why
(11:03):
we have small groups. We only grow in community. That's
why we have small groups. And when you're going through
a tough time, you need other people around you. Did
you know that the Bible says that when a guy's
going through a tough time and he's so upset he
can't even believe in God, he still deserves to have friends.
God says even when people don't believe in me, they
(11:26):
still deserve to have friends who hang in there with him.
Look at this verse on the screen Job six fourteen.
A despairing man I means somebody who's given up on
his career, his marriage, his life, whatever. A despairing person
should have the devotion of his friends, even though he
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
He's saying.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
God says this that I put people on earth to
help each other out. And even when a guy's going
through a tragedy, he goes, I don't.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Even believe in God right now.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
I'm so mad, I'm so angry, I'm so ticked off,
I'm so upset. I'm in such a christ I feel
so lost. I don't even believe in God. He still
deserves friends who will be around him and say, well,
we believe in you, and don't worry about it. We'll
believe in God for you. We're going to carry you
through on our faith. We will believe God for you,
and we're going to pull you through this crisis. God says,
(12:18):
that's real friendship, and he says, pity the person who
hasn't ever gotten in a group and gotten close to
somebody close enough.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
To do that to help each other out.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Now, this is why we have four thousand plus small
groups Bible study groups in this church, because it's not
enough to just come and sit and soa can sour.
You need to get in a group where people can
know you and help you on a personal basis when
the tough times come, and when you can help other
people when their tough times come. You see, if all
(12:54):
you do is come to church on Sunday you get
the Word once a week, that would be like eating
a banquet once a week and fasting for the next
six days. What would that do to your digestive system.
You wouldn't be very healthy if all you did is
get the Word once a week and the rest of
the week you fasted. You need the work word one
on one during the week, and when you go to
(13:15):
a small group Bible study, you get a little second
boost of the Word of God, and that gives you strength.
I got a friend named Walter who's a pastor in Houston,
and he said this week that his son had an
iPhone and the battery went dead on it, and so
he plugged it into his MacBook, the Apple laptop.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
They're called MacBooks, and he said he.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Plugged his iPhone into his MacBook to recharge it, but
it wasn't recharging and he couldn't figure out why I
wasn't getting any more power. And he said, finally I
opened it up, and he said, I realized that he
only get the power when the book is opened. Hmmm,
(14:02):
I only get the power.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
When the book is opened.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
And when you sit in a Bible study with three
or four other people, in somebody's house or a Starbucks
or in an office and the book is open, guess
what you get the power. That's where it comes from
for living. Now, this next verse on your outline is
one of the most important verses for your health and
(14:30):
holiness and hope and becoming a Christ and getting over
your habits and hang ups. So I want us to
read it together, James five point sixteen. Admit your false
to God. Oh sorry, read it again. Admit your false
to the psychiatrist. Oh, never mind, let me read it again.
(14:50):
Admit your faults to the priest. Oh no, let's really
read it this time. Admit your faults to one another,
and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Now circle the world healed. Word healed and circle the
word fault. I mean admit and circle the word pray
(15:14):
and circle the word each other and draw.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
A line between him.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Because if you want to be healed in your life,
that's the key. Admit your faults to one another and
pray for each other so you may be healed. How
many times over thirty years have you heard me say this,
Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. It's based
on that verse. The way you get well in life
(15:39):
is by revealing your feeling. And when I'm on the
patio and somebody comes up and says Pastor Wick, I've
never told this to anybody, I know they're on the
road to recovery. I know that they're about to experience
freedom for the first time. Because when they share for
the first time, I've never told this to anybody, and
they share it with me, all of a sudden, they're
opening the closet door and the boogeyman comes out and
he's not as big as we think he was, And
(16:02):
there's this.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Why didn't I do that a long time ago?
Speaker 3 (16:08):
There is relief and there is healing just in sharing,
just in admitting why, Because the moment you got you
humble yourself, and God gives grace to the humble. To
sharing that fear, to sharing that fault, sharing that difficulty,
revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. Now, this
is the hardest step for some of you because it
(16:28):
really hits your pride. In other words, I don't mind
telling God about my habit, but I'm not about to
tell anybody else. And I don't mind telling God about
my attraction, but I'm not gonna tell anybody else.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
And I don't mind.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
My stomach just starts churning even thinking about it. I
don't mind telling God because I know he already knows
about my addiction, about my problem, about my fear, but
I'm not about to tell anybody else. Well, good luck,
you'll be stuck in it the rest of your life
because you're never gonna get well on your own.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Never.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
God has wired us in a way that we need
each other to grow. Now, let me be real clear
about this. If all you want to do is be forgiven,
tell God. But if you want to be healed, you
got to tell other people. Now, you don't have to
(17:23):
tell everybody. You don't have to put it on the
Goodyear blimp.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
At the super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
You only need to tell one or two other people,
people that you trust, who don't have a big mouth,
who are going to love you unconditionally, who aren't gonna
blame you, but are gonna go, yep, me too, I've
been there, done that, or even if it's not the
same thing, they go, well, that's got to be tough.
You don't have to tell everybody, but you have to
tell somebody, and that starts the healing process. Now, listen
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to me very closely. If you're serious about actually being
changed in the next eight weeks, you're gonna have to
get over your fear of being honest with a few
other people.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Honestly, my biggest hurdle to holiness personally is my desire
to look good.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I wonder if any of you relate to that.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
You want to look good to other people, so you
don't want to tell anybody else about what's going on
in your life, but you knowing the cool thing. I've
been in a Bible study group small group for six years.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
I don't have to look good with that group. They
know me warts and all. I don't have to look good.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
I don't have to pretend I've got it all together.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
I don't have to. I can share fears and faults
and sins. Everybody needs a place like that.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Now, I really want you to have relief and release
and freedom, but you're gonna have to deal with this
fear of honesty that you've got in your life of like, well,
nobody will understand what I'm going through. There are three
fears that Satan keeps you stuck with.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Three fears.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
The first fear that Satan keeps you stuck in a
rut with is the fear of your own emotions. That's
a fear, and it is the fear that if I
deal with this issue, that memory, that event, that sin,
that abuse, that accident, that hurt, that even what could
(19:36):
mean bad, nasty thing, if I actually face it, I
will not be able to handle my emotions. I won't
be able to handle the grief. I won't be able
to handle the shame. I won't be able to handle
(19:57):
my own emotions. In fact, I may.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Just just go crazy. Now, let me deal with something
right now.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
If you've ever felt I'm going out of my mind,
I'm going.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Crazy, relax.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
If you've ever felt I'm going crazy, and if I
dealt with that I would literally go crazy. You need
to understand two things. Number One, every human being has
had that fear. You're not so special. Everybody else has
felt they were going crazy time. Everybody else has felt
at different times that they were losing their mind, So
(20:35):
it's not a big deal. Everybody else has felt at
different times in their lives that they were losing their
mind or had the fear that they were losing their mind.
And number two, the second thing I say is only
rational people have that fear, so you're not crazy.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Everybody, take a deep breath.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
You're not crazy. Only rational people have that fear. Let
me let you in a little secret. Crazy people aren't
afraid of being crazy. So the very fact that you're
afraid I might go crazy means you ain't doing it. Now,
I want everybody to smile right now, and in a minute,
(21:13):
I want you to look at a person next to him,
smile and say, I'm broken, but I'm not crazy.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Okay, do that right now. Smile.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I'll say I'm broken, but I'm not crazy. I'm broken
but i'm not crazy. I'm broken but i'm not crazy.
Welcome to Crazy Community Church. No, we're not crazy. We
are broken, but that's okay. We're all in the same boat,
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and just knowing we're all in it together means okay,
So I don't have to kind of quit pretending. Everybody
in this room has fears. Everybody in this room has insecurities.
Everybody in this room wants to look good. Everybody in
this room has habits they don't like. We're all in
the same boat. You're broken, but you're not crazy. There's
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that fear of your own emotion. Now there's a second
fear you have. It. It is the fear of the
reactions of others. And I'm afraid to be honest because
you might reject me. You might dismiss me, you might
think I'm less of a Christian, you might think I'm evil.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
You might abandon me. And I've been there.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
I don't want to be honest because you might reject me,
and I don't like that. Why am I afraid to
tell you who I am? Because if I tell you
who I am, I'm all I've gotten. If you don't
like it, I'm up a creek. And so I'm afraid
of your rejection. I'm afraid of your disapproval, and I'm afraid.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
That you'll try to fix me. You need to get
over that fear.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
There's another fear that people have about being honest, and
it is the fear that being honest is useless. What
will it do? What's the point of it? Why tell
anybody else about what I'm struggling? Been there, done that,
bought the T shirt, didn't help me. No, you didn't
go there. You haven't ever really been totally honest, because
if you had, you'd already be released. You'd already be released.
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And the fact is, God says, confess your false one
to another, whereby you will be healed.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
That is a promise in God is not a liar.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Friends, this is going to be a life changing eight weeks.
But Jesus viatitudes have nothing to offer you unless you've
accepted Jesus.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
You have faith in him.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Last verse on your outline, when we were unable to
help ourselves, which is right now, at the moment of
our need, which is right now, Christ died for us.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
It's the cross, the cross, the cross, the cross.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Jesus came to give you grace, and grace is the
power to change.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
You got to accept Christ into your life. Now.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
You may be thinking, my problem in that question how
bad does it have to get before you ask for help?
And one guy said, you know, the asset of my
pain finally ate through the wall of my denial. If
you feel at the end of your rope, congratulations, Now's
the time for change.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Let's bower heads.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
What's unhealthier, out of balance in your life? What needs changing?
I want to invite you right now to join the
rest of us as we take these eight steps to
getting healthy again. Will you take the first step today?
(24:50):
It may be the hardest one. It means being honest
and facing up to maybe an issue that you've been
afraid to face for a long, long, long time. I'm
going to pray for you, and then you can follow
me in a prayer. Father, Because not one of us
is perfect. We all have areas of our lives that
(25:12):
are unhealthy and out of balance. And some of these areas, Lord,
are so painful that we can hardly even stand to
think about them. I know, Lord, there are people here
today who have struggled with shame and guilt and secrets
(25:33):
and depression and low self esteem. And I know Lord,
there are others here that are in a marriage that's stuck,
or it's cold, it's grown cold, it's dying. Maybe they're
even separated. Right now, there are many people here struggling
with a habit, the secret sin, the hurt, with the
(25:56):
fear of being out of control, with the fear that
they're losing their mind and going crazy. Or give them
the courage to take the first step to health. Right now,
now you pray in your mind, say, Dear God, I
want to take the first step to getting healthy again.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Today.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
I realize that I am not God, but I've often
acted like I was. I've tried to control things, and
I'm sorry. I've done things that you told me not
to do, and I've not done things you told.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Me to do.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
But I'm not going to run anymore. And today I
want to be poor in spirit. First, I humbly admit
that I need your help. I don't want to hide
my hurts or sins anymore. And I know that I'm
helpless to control my tendency to do the wrong things
(26:59):
that are unhealthy for me. I ask you to take
the pieces of my unmanageable life and begin the process.
I'm asking for help, and even more than that, Lord,
I'm asking that you give me the courage to accept
help from others. I don't want to just be forgiven.
I want to be healed. I want to get this
(27:20):
behind me so the rest of my life can be
the best of my life. I know that Satan's going
to throw all kinds of fears at me the next
eight weeks, but help me to stick with this.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
And change me. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Hey, if you've just prayed along with Rick to accept
Jesus in your life, Rick would love to hear from you.
Just email Rick at pastorick dot com. Here's Rick with
a very encouraging letter.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
You know, I love getting these letters from you, and
let me just read one for you today. It's from
a woman named Lauren. She says Pastor Rick. Every day,
when I'm doing my routine tasks or I'm commuting to work,
I'm listening to the Daily Hope podcast online. I listen,
and I re listen, and I re listen again to
all the messages, knowing the value that they've had on
(28:19):
my life, Rick, these messages have transformed my heart from
a bitter, hardened, distrustful place towards not only people but God,
to being in a place where I now have joy
daily I've got a joy that it's not possible without God.
And not only has my life been transformed, I've seen
(28:40):
my family's life transformed.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Rick.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
It is through all that God has done and continues
to do in this broadcast and through your life and ministry,
that my family has been transformed. I am excited to
say that I'm now a donor to your podcast starting
with this paycheck. I've been so blessed by all you've
gone given to us as listeners that I'm now blessed
to give back. God bless you Lauren well Lauren. By
(29:05):
the way, Lauren, if you were my daughter, you'd be
Lauren Warren. Thanks for the encouragement. I'm so glad to
hear how God is working in your family. And by
the way, thank you for your contribution. It allows us
to take this good news to other Laurens around the
world and other people around the world. Your prayers of
support matter. Thank you for listening. And by the way, everybody,
(29:28):
God bless you and join me next time as we
continue to look into God's word for our daily hope.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Hey, if you'd like to support Pastor Rick's Daily Hope,
just go to Pastorick dot com Again. That's pastorick dot
com and really, from the bottom of our hearts, we
thank you so much for your support. Your gift to
Daily Hope helps us share the hope of Christ with
people everywhere. This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily
(29:54):
Hope and your generous financial support.
Hey, everyone, it's so great to have you with us today.
On Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. We are going to continue
our very encouraging series today called Life's Healing Choices, And
in these lessons, Rick Warren will guide us through a
deep biblical exploration of how to overcome the hurts, hang ups,
and habits that really hold us back. So get ready
(00:25):
for some practical insights and powerful truths that can lead
to lasting change and freedom.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
In your life.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I'm so excited to hear what Rick shares today in
the final part of a message called the Reality Choice.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
You know how's cleaning up the refrigerator this week? That
can be quite a spiritual experience. And I learned a
very important theological truth in cleaning out the refrigerator. Stuff
doesn't have to stink for it to be rotten.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
It's profound. Now, some vegetables, when they go rotten, they
let you know it.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
You ever smelled a rotten potato, Oh baby, oh baby,
that that stinks. A potato when it's rotten on the inside,
it lets you know it. But you know what, an
avocado can rot and it still looks okay on the
outside and it doesn't smell.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
But they're both just as rotten. Now here's the point.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Some of you think I don't need recovery because my
rottenness doesn't stink. We think just the smelly people need
c R. Just because you're rotten doesn't stink, doesn't mean
you're not rotten. There's stuff in you you don't like.
(01:56):
I'm not talking about what God doesn't like. I'm talking
about stuff in your life you don't even about.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
You.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Go, man, I wish I could change that. I always
do that, and I I just wish I didn't do that.
I wish I could be more loving, more unselfish. I
wish I didn't lose my temper so much. I wish
I didn't have that compulsion. I wish I didn't have
that fear. I wish I weren't so insecure. The point is,
nobody's more broken than you, and you're not more broken
(02:23):
than anybody else.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
But we're all in the same boat. We're all in
the same boat.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
You're as broken as everybody else, and depravity is total.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Now.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Because of our pride and because of our fear, we
don't want to be honest about this. We don't want
to admit our weaknesses. We don't want admit our fears.
We don't want to admit. Have you ever talked to
seeing somebody says, man, you're getting angry.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I am not angry. Yes you are, I am not angry.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
It's really obvious they're angry. But we don't want to
admit our emotions a lot of the time. But because
of our pride and fear, we try to fix ourselves.
And Jeremiah says it this way up here on the screen,
Jeremiah two thirteen. My people have committed to sins. One
(03:10):
they have forsaken me, the spring of living water. I'm
the one who's got all the answers God says for
your life. And two they've done their own broken wells,
their own broken cisterns that can't hold water. Not only
do we reject God, we make up our own plan
to fix ourselves, and it doesn't hold water. Isn't it
amazing all the things that people will try to get
(03:31):
their life together instead of God. They'll try astrology, aromatherapy, crystals,
reading your palm, acupuncture.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
And on and on.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
All this is gonna and they'll go to fads and
therapies and conferences and cults and tapes and motivational seminars
and read books and believe the wackiest, stupidest idea is
try everything except God. We build our own wells, and
the wells are cracked and won't hold water. Friends, you
(04:15):
can go on every good diet you can go on,
and every other thing you can do, but you can't
solve a spiritual problem with a physical substance.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Let me say it again.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
You can't solve spiritual brokenness with a physical substance. Whether
it's a pill or a drug, or alcohol, or television
or pornography or anything else, it didn't want to relieve
your pain. Ultimately, you cannot solve your spiritual problem with
a physical substance. So the first thing I have to
(04:48):
do if I'm going to be poor in spirit is
I must humbly admit I don't have it all together,
humbly admit I need help. Here's the second thing I
need to do. I need to humbly ask God for help.
I admit, then I ask, I admit I need help.
Then I ask God for help. I moved from confession
(05:10):
I admit I need help to petition I need help.
I'm asking God for help. And in second Corinthians one nine.
Paul says it like this. He was going through a
tough time. He said, we despaired of even life itself.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Did you know?
Speaker 3 (05:25):
At one point, Paul said, I was ready to kick
the bucket. I was so depressed, I was so discouraged.
I was ready to give up on life. And then
he says, here in this verse, we saw how powerless
we were to help ourselves. That's step one. Poor in spirit.
I don't have the power to change, but that was good.
Why would be good to admit my helplessness and powerlessness?
(05:47):
For then we put everything into the hands of God.
You don't know God's all you need till God's all
you got. For then we put everything into the hands
of God, who alone could save us. For He can
even raise the dead. If God can raise a dead person,
he can raise a dead marriage. If God can raise
(06:08):
a dead person, he can raise a dead career. If
God can raise a dead person, he can raise a
dead dream. If God can raise a dead person, he
can restore the love and romance in your marriage. God
can do miracles. Anybody can bring good out of good.
God brings good out of bad. He specializes in turning
(06:29):
crucifixions into resurrections. So I ask God for help. Now,
notice on that verse. Notice there on the outline, it
says we couldn't help ourselves. We put everything into the
hands of God. Circle the word everything. This is total surrender.
(06:50):
Kay wrote a book on this called Dangerous Surrender. It's
not partial surrender. Well, okay, Like my finances are in
a mess, so I'm going to give God my finances. No,
you've got to give him all of your life. Or
my sex life in a mess, so I'm going to
give him my sex life. No, you've got to give
him all of your life. It's total surrender. We put
everything in his hands.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Let me ask you a question. Have you done this?
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Have you ever come to the point in your life
where you say, Okay, God, everything in my life good,
the bad, the ugly, the stinking, the rotten, the happy,
the sad, the up the down. I put it all
in your hands. I put it all in your hands.
I beg you, as a friend and pastor who loves you,
don't wait until you hit bottom. Sometimes we're so obstinate.
(07:41):
God has the last flat on our back to make
us look up to him. You see, there's an easy way,
and there's a hard way to do this. The easy
way to change is to see the light. The hard
way is to feel the heat. The problem is most
of us rarely change until our fear of the change
is exceeded by the and then when the pain gets
(08:02):
so great to go okay, I gotta get help. Don't
get to that place where everything has to drop out
in your life and five things have to go wrong
at once for you to admit I need help and
I ask God for help. I come to God and
I ask him. I love the message paraphrase of this
(08:23):
first beatitude there on your outline, Matthew five three you're
blessed when you're at the end of your rope. Congratulations.
With less of you, there's more of God and his rule.
I admit I need help, I ask God for help.
And then there's a third thing. If I really want
to be poor in spirit, and this is the hardest
(08:45):
to evolve for many people, I must humbly accept help
from other people. I must humbly accept help from others.
And this is the third way. God has wired us
in such a way that we don't get well by ourselves.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Let me be very blunt with you.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
You know that problem you'd like to get rid of
in your life, that temptation, that defect, that fault, that fear,
that worry, that loneliness, that whatever is in your life
that messes you up. You're never going to get rid
of it on your own. If you could, you would,
but you can't, so you won't. You're only gonna get
well when you're honest with others, not just God, but
(09:32):
with others.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
And God is white. You say, well, I don't want
to do that. Why do I do that?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
It humbles you, and God gives grace to the humble.
It is your pride that keeps you stuck. It's your
pride that keeps you stuck. Now, the Bible says this
in Ecclesiastes four nine. Two are better than one. We're
talking about people because they have a good return for
their work. And if one falls down, his friend can
(10:00):
help him up. That's called recovery. But pity the men
who falls and there's no one there to help him up.
You see, God wired us as I said that we
need each other. And fifty eight times in the New
Testament it uses the phrase one another, love one another,
(10:20):
and care for one another and help one another, encourage
one another, pray for one another, support one another, counsel
one another. We are to help each other out. That's
why we have church. We are to help each other out.
You were never meant to go through life as a
lone ranger. You were never meant to go through it
on your own. You were never meant to face your
problems or your sins by yourself. We need each other
(10:41):
and we have a longing for belonging, and we're not
just believers, we're belongers and we're to help each other out.
And the fact is we need each other to be healthy.
If you don't have anybody in your life that you
can be totally brutally honest with, I pity you because
you're not healthy. Because God wired us in such a
way that we only get well in community. That's why
(11:03):
we have small groups. We only grow in community. That's
why we have small groups. And when you're going through
a tough time, you need other people around you. Did
you know that the Bible says that when a guy's
going through a tough time and he's so upset he
can't even believe in God, he still deserves to have friends.
God says even when people don't believe in me, they
(11:26):
still deserve to have friends who hang in there with him.
Look at this verse on the screen Job six fourteen.
A despairing man I means somebody who's given up on
his career, his marriage, his life, whatever. A despairing person
should have the devotion of his friends, even though he
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
He's saying.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
God says this that I put people on earth to
help each other out. And even when a guy's going
through a tragedy, he goes, I don't.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Even believe in God right now.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
I'm so mad, I'm so angry, I'm so ticked off,
I'm so upset. I'm in such a christ I feel
so lost. I don't even believe in God. He still
deserves friends who will be around him and say, well,
we believe in you, and don't worry about it. We'll
believe in God for you. We're going to carry you
through on our faith. We will believe God for you,
and we're going to pull you through this crisis. God says,
(12:18):
that's real friendship, and he says, pity the person who
hasn't ever gotten in a group and gotten close to
somebody close enough.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
To do that to help each other out.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Now, this is why we have four thousand plus small
groups Bible study groups in this church, because it's not
enough to just come and sit and soa can sour.
You need to get in a group where people can
know you and help you on a personal basis when
the tough times come, and when you can help other
people when their tough times come. You see, if all
(12:54):
you do is come to church on Sunday you get
the Word once a week, that would be like eating
a banquet once a week and fasting for the next
six days. What would that do to your digestive system.
You wouldn't be very healthy if all you did is
get the Word once a week and the rest of
the week you fasted. You need the work word one
on one during the week, and when you go to
(13:15):
a small group Bible study, you get a little second
boost of the Word of God, and that gives you strength.
I got a friend named Walter who's a pastor in Houston,
and he said this week that his son had an
iPhone and the battery went dead on it, and so
he plugged it into his MacBook, the Apple laptop.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
They're called MacBooks, and he said he.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Plugged his iPhone into his MacBook to recharge it, but
it wasn't recharging and he couldn't figure out why I
wasn't getting any more power. And he said, finally I
opened it up, and he said, I realized that he
only get the power when the book is opened. Hmmm,
(14:02):
I only get the power.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
When the book is opened.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
And when you sit in a Bible study with three
or four other people, in somebody's house or a Starbucks
or in an office and the book is open, guess
what you get the power. That's where it comes from
for living. Now, this next verse on your outline is
one of the most important verses for your health and
(14:30):
holiness and hope and becoming a Christ and getting over
your habits and hang ups. So I want us to
read it together, James five point sixteen. Admit your false
to God. Oh sorry, read it again. Admit your false
to the psychiatrist. Oh, never mind, let me read it again.
(14:50):
Admit your faults to the priest. Oh no, let's really
read it this time. Admit your faults to one another,
and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Now circle the world healed. Word healed and circle the
word fault. I mean admit and circle the word pray
(15:14):
and circle the word each other and draw.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
A line between him.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Because if you want to be healed in your life,
that's the key. Admit your faults to one another and
pray for each other so you may be healed. How
many times over thirty years have you heard me say this,
Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. It's based
on that verse. The way you get well in life
(15:39):
is by revealing your feeling. And when I'm on the
patio and somebody comes up and says Pastor Wick, I've
never told this to anybody, I know they're on the
road to recovery. I know that they're about to experience
freedom for the first time. Because when they share for
the first time, I've never told this to anybody, and
they share it with me, all of a sudden, they're
opening the closet door and the boogeyman comes out and
he's not as big as we think he was, And
(16:02):
there's this.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Why didn't I do that a long time ago?
Speaker 3 (16:08):
There is relief and there is healing just in sharing,
just in admitting why, Because the moment you got you
humble yourself, and God gives grace to the humble. To
sharing that fear, to sharing that fault, sharing that difficulty,
revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. Now, this
is the hardest step for some of you because it
(16:28):
really hits your pride. In other words, I don't mind
telling God about my habit, but I'm not about to
tell anybody else. And I don't mind telling God about
my attraction, but I'm not gonna tell anybody else.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
And I don't mind.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
My stomach just starts churning even thinking about it. I
don't mind telling God because I know he already knows
about my addiction, about my problem, about my fear, but
I'm not about to tell anybody else. Well, good luck,
you'll be stuck in it the rest of your life
because you're never gonna get well on your own.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Never.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
God has wired us in a way that we need
each other to grow. Now, let me be real clear
about this. If all you want to do is be forgiven,
tell God. But if you want to be healed, you
got to tell other people. Now, you don't have to
(17:23):
tell everybody. You don't have to put it on the
Goodyear blimp.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
At the super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
You only need to tell one or two other people,
people that you trust, who don't have a big mouth,
who are going to love you unconditionally, who aren't gonna
blame you, but are gonna go, yep, me too, I've
been there, done that, or even if it's not the
same thing, they go, well, that's got to be tough.
You don't have to tell everybody, but you have to
tell somebody, and that starts the healing process. Now, listen
(17:53):
to me very closely. If you're serious about actually being
changed in the next eight weeks, you're gonna have to
get over your fear of being honest with a few
other people.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Honestly, my biggest hurdle to holiness personally is my desire
to look good.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I wonder if any of you relate to that.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
You want to look good to other people, so you
don't want to tell anybody else about what's going on
in your life, but you knowing the cool thing. I've
been in a Bible study group small group for six years.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
I don't have to look good with that group. They
know me warts and all. I don't have to look good.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
I don't have to pretend I've got it all together.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
I don't have to. I can share fears and faults
and sins. Everybody needs a place like that.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Now, I really want you to have relief and release
and freedom, but you're gonna have to deal with this
fear of honesty that you've got in your life of like, well,
nobody will understand what I'm going through. There are three
fears that Satan keeps you stuck with.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Three fears.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
The first fear that Satan keeps you stuck in a
rut with is the fear of your own emotions. That's
a fear, and it is the fear that if I
deal with this issue, that memory, that event, that sin,
that abuse, that accident, that hurt, that even what could
(19:36):
mean bad, nasty thing, if I actually face it, I
will not be able to handle my emotions. I won't
be able to handle the grief. I won't be able
to handle the shame. I won't be able to handle
(19:57):
my own emotions. In fact, I may.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Just just go crazy. Now, let me deal with something
right now.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
If you've ever felt I'm going out of my mind,
I'm going.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Crazy, relax.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
If you've ever felt I'm going crazy, and if I
dealt with that I would literally go crazy. You need
to understand two things. Number One, every human being has
had that fear. You're not so special. Everybody else has
felt they were going crazy time. Everybody else has felt
at different times that they were losing their mind, So
(20:35):
it's not a big deal. Everybody else has felt at
different times in their lives that they were losing their
mind or had the fear that they were losing their mind.
And number two, the second thing I say is only
rational people have that fear, so you're not crazy.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Everybody, take a deep breath.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
You're not crazy. Only rational people have that fear. Let
me let you in a little secret. Crazy people aren't
afraid of being crazy. So the very fact that you're
afraid I might go crazy means you ain't doing it. Now,
I want everybody to smile right now, and in a minute,
(21:13):
I want you to look at a person next to him,
smile and say, I'm broken, but I'm not crazy.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Okay, do that right now. Smile.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I'll say I'm broken, but I'm not crazy. I'm broken
but i'm not crazy. I'm broken but i'm not crazy.
Welcome to Crazy Community Church. No, we're not crazy. We
are broken, but that's okay. We're all in the same boat,
(21:39):
and just knowing we're all in it together means okay,
So I don't have to kind of quit pretending. Everybody
in this room has fears. Everybody in this room has insecurities.
Everybody in this room wants to look good. Everybody in
this room has habits they don't like. We're all in
the same boat. You're broken, but you're not crazy. There's
(22:01):
that fear of your own emotion. Now there's a second
fear you have. It. It is the fear of the
reactions of others. And I'm afraid to be honest because
you might reject me. You might dismiss me, you might
think I'm less of a Christian, you might think I'm evil.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
You might abandon me. And I've been there.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
I don't want to be honest because you might reject me,
and I don't like that. Why am I afraid to
tell you who I am? Because if I tell you
who I am, I'm all I've gotten. If you don't
like it, I'm up a creek. And so I'm afraid
of your rejection. I'm afraid of your disapproval, and I'm afraid.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
That you'll try to fix me. You need to get
over that fear.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
There's another fear that people have about being honest, and
it is the fear that being honest is useless. What
will it do? What's the point of it? Why tell
anybody else about what I'm struggling? Been there, done that,
bought the T shirt, didn't help me. No, you didn't
go there. You haven't ever really been totally honest, because
if you had, you'd already be released. You'd already be released.
(23:10):
And the fact is, God says, confess your false one
to another, whereby you will be healed.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
That is a promise in God is not a liar.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Friends, this is going to be a life changing eight weeks.
But Jesus viatitudes have nothing to offer you unless you've
accepted Jesus.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
You have faith in him.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Last verse on your outline, when we were unable to
help ourselves, which is right now, at the moment of
our need, which is right now, Christ died for us.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
It's the cross, the cross, the cross, the cross.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Jesus came to give you grace, and grace is the
power to change.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
You got to accept Christ into your life. Now.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
You may be thinking, my problem in that question how
bad does it have to get before you ask for help?
And one guy said, you know, the asset of my
pain finally ate through the wall of my denial. If
you feel at the end of your rope, congratulations, Now's
the time for change.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Let's bower heads.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
What's unhealthier, out of balance in your life? What needs changing?
I want to invite you right now to join the
rest of us as we take these eight steps to
getting healthy again. Will you take the first step today?
(24:50):
It may be the hardest one. It means being honest
and facing up to maybe an issue that you've been
afraid to face for a long, long, long time. I'm
going to pray for you, and then you can follow
me in a prayer. Father, Because not one of us
is perfect. We all have areas of our lives that
(25:12):
are unhealthy and out of balance. And some of these areas, Lord,
are so painful that we can hardly even stand to
think about them. I know, Lord, there are people here
today who have struggled with shame and guilt and secrets
(25:33):
and depression and low self esteem. And I know Lord,
there are others here that are in a marriage that's stuck,
or it's cold, it's grown cold, it's dying. Maybe they're
even separated. Right now, there are many people here struggling
with a habit, the secret sin, the hurt, with the
(25:56):
fear of being out of control, with the fear that
they're losing their mind and going crazy. Or give them
the courage to take the first step to health. Right now,
now you pray in your mind, say, Dear God, I
want to take the first step to getting healthy again.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Today.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
I realize that I am not God, but I've often
acted like I was. I've tried to control things, and
I'm sorry. I've done things that you told me not
to do, and I've not done things you told.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Me to do.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
But I'm not going to run anymore. And today I
want to be poor in spirit. First, I humbly admit
that I need your help. I don't want to hide
my hurts or sins anymore. And I know that I'm
helpless to control my tendency to do the wrong things
(26:59):
that are unhealthy for me. I ask you to take
the pieces of my unmanageable life and begin the process.
I'm asking for help, and even more than that, Lord,
I'm asking that you give me the courage to accept
help from others. I don't want to just be forgiven.
I want to be healed. I want to get this
(27:20):
behind me so the rest of my life can be
the best of my life. I know that Satan's going
to throw all kinds of fears at me the next
eight weeks, but help me to stick with this.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
And change me. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Hey, if you've just prayed along with Rick to accept
Jesus in your life, Rick would love to hear from you.
Just email Rick at pastorick dot com. Here's Rick with
a very encouraging letter.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
You know, I love getting these letters from you, and
let me just read one for you today. It's from
a woman named Lauren. She says Pastor Rick. Every day,
when I'm doing my routine tasks or I'm commuting to work,
I'm listening to the Daily Hope podcast online. I listen,
and I re listen, and I re listen again to
all the messages, knowing the value that they've had on
(28:19):
my life, Rick, these messages have transformed my heart from
a bitter, hardened, distrustful place towards not only people but God,
to being in a place where I now have joy
daily I've got a joy that it's not possible without God.
And not only has my life been transformed, I've seen
(28:40):
my family's life transformed.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Rick.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
It is through all that God has done and continues
to do in this broadcast and through your life and ministry,
that my family has been transformed. I am excited to
say that I'm now a donor to your podcast starting
with this paycheck. I've been so blessed by all you've
gone given to us as listeners that I'm now blessed
to give back. God bless you Lauren well Lauren. By
(29:05):
the way, Lauren, if you were my daughter, you'd be
Lauren Warren. Thanks for the encouragement. I'm so glad to
hear how God is working in your family. And by
the way, thank you for your contribution. It allows us
to take this good news to other Laurens around the
world and other people around the world. Your prayers of
support matter. Thank you for listening. And by the way, everybody,
(29:28):
God bless you and join me next time as we
continue to look into God's word for our daily hope.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Hey, if you'd like to support Pastor Rick's Daily Hope,
just go to Pastorick dot com Again. That's pastorick dot
com and really, from the bottom of our hearts, we
thank you so much for your support. Your gift to
Daily Hope helps us share the hope of Christ with
people everywhere. This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily
(29:54):
Hope and your generous financial support.
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