You Need an Outside Power Source - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Sep. 20, 2015

Have you figured out yet that a lot of times you are your own worst enemy? It’s your own reactions, your own fears, and your own inadequacies that cause you to act in foolish ways. I know that’s true for me.

I need to be saved from myself because there are things I don’t like about me — things I wish I had done differently, things I’d like to change. But I can’t change them, at least not on my own power. I need an outside power source. 

You may be saying, “I can change.” I hate to say this, but you can’t. Every New Year, you may make a list of resolutions, and by the end of January, that list will be in the dumpster. Why? Because you can’t change on your own; you need God’s power. You need a Savior, someone who can make the changes you can’t make yourself. 

The truth is if you are honest about it, sometimes you feel like your life is out of control. That’s a pretty common feeling. Welcome to the human race! 

The apostle Paul felt that way over 2,000 years ago. He says this in the Bible: “I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does” (Romans 7:24-25 MSG). That’s the answer!

You may be looking for that one thing that’s going to give you fulfillment and meaning and peace in life. But if you’re not looking to Jesus for salvation, then you’re looking in all the wrong places, and that’s why you’re frustrated.

Some of us think that if we could just get married, or get a certain job or a promotion, or attain a certain level of wealth, or have a baby — or if our babies would grow up and graduate! — things would be great. A lot of people are looking for salvation in a self-help book, therapy, a fad, a diet, or a vacation.

If you’re doing that, you’re looking in the wrong places. 

The answer is not in your circumstances. It’s not in a place or a program or a pill. The answer is a person: Jesus Christ. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life is never going to make sense.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

• How would your life change if you fully accepted your dependence upon Jesus? What would a “fully accepting” faith look like?
• What step do you need to take to give control of your life to God? How often do you need to take that step?
• What does it mean to be made “for God”?