WARREN RICK - ANSWERS TO LIFES TOUGHEST QUESTIONS: No. 1 (Living with Purpose)

Books by Rick Warren

The Purpose Driven Life

The Purpose Driven Church

Rick Warrens Bible Study Methods

What on Earth Am I Here For?

Living with Purpose Series

Gods Answers to Lifes Difficult Questions

Gods Power to Change Your Life

L I V I N G W I T H P U R P O S E

RICK WARREN

G O D S A N S W E R S T O
L I F E S D I F F I C U L T
Q U E S T I O N S

Gods Answers to Lifes Difficult Questions

Mobipocket Reader format

Copyright 2006 by Rick Warren

Previously titled Answers to Lifes Most Difficult Questions

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

ISBN-10: 0-310-27750-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-27750-7

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version . NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Interior design: Beth Shagene
Cover design: Curt Diepenhorst
Cover photo: Amanda Rohde/iStockphoto
Cover illustration: Jim Dobbs

I dedicate this book to my flock,

the members of Saddleback Valley

Community Church.

They have an insatiable hunger for

practical teaching from Gods Word,

listen intently,

and seek to apply the truth to their lives.

I am grateful to be their pastor.

C ONTENTS

P REFACE

M any books today focus on self-improvement. Everyone wants to change for the better. Americans will spend millions of dollars this year in their search for practical solutions to their problems. Many will move from one fad to another, looking for advice on how to live and for answers to perplexing questions.

Unfortunately, much of the advice being dispensed through television, radio, and print these days is highly unreliable. It is based on popular opinion and current thinking. Therein lies a problem, because todays pop psychology will be discarded next year for a new approach or therapy.

Jesus said, You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free! Lasting freedom from personal hang-ups comes from building our lives on the truth. Only the Bible can be depended on completely to provide truthful insights into the causes and cures for our personal problems. Gods Word has stood the test of time. It is just as relevant and applicable today as it was thousands of years ago. It contains the answers to lifes most difficult questions.

However, it is not enough to simply say , The Bible is the answer. It is important for Christians to show how the Bible answers lifes questions. In this book I suggest practical steps and specific actions you can take, based on Gods Word, that will help you cope with the common problems we all face. The great evangelist D. L. Moody once said, The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.

When Jesus taught, his intention was that those who listened would go and do likewise. He aimed for specific actions and commitments. In each of these twelve studies you will discover simple ways to apply Gods truth to your personal life, your family, other relationships, and your job. The way to get the most out of this book is to act on it!

Why are there so many biographical stories in the Bible? The apostle Paul said, Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Rom. 15:4). God gave us these examples from peoples lives for two reasons.

First, they are given to teach us. It is always wise to learn from our own experiences, but it is even wiser to learn from the experiences of others. It is usually less painful too! By applying the principles illustrated in the lives of Bible characters, we can avoid making some of the same costly mistakes they made.

Second, God gave us these stories to encourage us. We are encouraged by the fact that he chooses to use ordinary people to accomplish his plansin spite of their weaknesses and failures and sometimes mixed motives. That gives us hope that God can work in our lives also!

It is my prayer that these studies of Bible characters will produce two results in your life: that you will learn Gods principles for successful living, and that you will believe God can use you in a significant way.

CHAPTER 1

H OW C AN I C OPE
WITH S TRESS ?

J esus Christ was constantly under pressure. There were grueling demands on his time; he rarely had any personal privacy; he was constantly interrupted. People repeatedly misunderstood him, criticized him, and ridiculed him. He had enormous stress, which would have caused any of us to cave in.

But as we look at the life of Christ, we quickly discover that he remained at peace under pressure. He was never in a hurry. He was always at ease. He had a calmness about his life that enabled him to handle enormous amounts of stress. How did he do this so successfully? The answer can be simply stated: he based his life on sound principles of stress management. If we understand and apply these eight principles in our lives, we will experience less pressure and more peace of mind.

I DENTIFICATION: K NOW W HO Y OU A RE

Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). I am the door (10:9 KJV); I am the way and the truth and the life (14:6); I am the good shepherd (10:11); I am Gods Son (10:36). Christ knew who he was!

The first principle for handling stress in your life is this: Know who you are. It is the principle of identification. Jesus said, I know who I am. I testify for myself (see John 8:18). This is critically important in stress management because if you dont know who you are, someone else may try to tell you who they think you are. If you dont know who you are, you will subconsciously let other people manipulate you and pressure you into believing you are somebody you arent.

A lot of stress in life results from our hiding behind masks, living double lives, being unreal with others, or trying to be somebody were not. Insecurity always produces pressure in our lives, and when we are insecure, we feel coerced to perform and conform. We set unrealistic standards for our lives, and even though we work, work, work, we still cant meet those unrealistic standards. Tension and pressure naturally occur as a result.