BY RICK WARREN
“For the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT)
To live a fulfilled life, you have to live by God’s power.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4:20, “For the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power” (NLT).
Did you know God does not bless self-reliant people? He blesses people who are dependent upon him and surrendered to him.
God wants to use you, but you must live by his power. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Through his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.”
God is able to do more than you can ever imagine. So how do you get God’s power in your life? There are three ways.
- You get God’s power by praying. If you don’t have any power in your life that tells me one thing: You’re not praying. Prayer and power go together.
- You get God’s power by taking risks to obey God. When you take a risk to do what God tells you to do, even when it’s hard or unpopular, even when it may cost you, even when it doesn’t make sense, even when nobody else is doing it, God will pour out his power in your life.
- You get God’s power by not giving up.
Don’t give up! In order for God to grow your faith, he’s got to test it. When you’re going through difficulties and delays and dead ends and despair and discouragement, God is teaching you to trust him. If you hang on, God will bless you.
Talk It Over
- We all have different strengths when it comes to encouraging others. What are some ways you can encourage the people in your Daniel Plan group?
- Why do you think it’s important to want your friends’ success as much as your own?
- As you reflect on Romans 12:5, who are the people in your life to whom you can easily reach out for help.
