Rick Warren - Facing Giants in Life and Work - Part 2

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TOPICS: Giants

Everything you see, every piece of art, every business, every architecture, every product, everything happens because somebody thought it up first. Everything begins as a dream. Napoleon says, "Imagination rules the world". And Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge". It's that ability to dream that makes us creators in the image of God.

Now, I've invested my life encouraging people to discover God's dream, God's purpose for their lives, and then helping them fulfill that dream. And what I've discovered is that for every person who figures out their life dream, their life work, which is far more important than your job, 'cause your jobs are gonna change. But your life work is the dream that God gives you for your life. For every person who figures that out and heads after their dream, there are nine people who are afraid to get started. And what causes us to be afraid to go after our dream are what I call the giants in the pathway. These are giant problems. These are dream busters that stand there in your path, saying, "You will not pass by. You will not go any further than this". And if you believe it, you get stuck in mediocrity.

These problems can be financial problems, they can be emotional problems, they can be relational problems, they can be problems with your health. What do you do when you face these giants in life? How do you face the giants in your life and work? Well, fortunately, we have a wonderful story in the Bible that shows us how to deal with the giants in our lives. It's called the story of David and Goliath. Now, it's unlikely that you're ever gonna have to face a physical giant like David did, but it is highly likely that you're gonna have to face a whole lot of other common giants. These giants of financial problems, relational problems, marriage problems, work problems, problems that keep you from going after your dream.

And in this story, 1 Samuel 17, David actually had to fight four other giants before he gets to Goliath. They weren't physical giants, but they were giants in here... in his mind. You are far more likely to have to face those giants than a Goliath. But they can be just as big and just as intimidating, and can keep you from becoming who God wants you to be and fulfilling the dream that God has put in your heart. There is delay, then there's discouragement, then there's disapproval, and then there's doubt. "Am I capable for this? Am I up to the task for this? Can I actually do what God is asking me to do"?

And then there are people all around you who tell you you can't. And in David's case, the expert doubted his ability. Now, there was nobody who was a greater expert on war than King Saul, because Saul had been in battle his entire life. And when King Saul hears that this little kid is willing to take on the giant who's paralyzed the nation, he invites David to come see him at the palace. So David goes to see King Saul, and here's the conversation. Verse 32 and 33. David says to the king, "'Don't worry about a thing, King,' David told the king. 'I'll fight this Philistine!'"

And by the way, let me just stop right here. Confidence in God is often misinterpreted as cockiness by other people. A lot of people might think a person is cocky when they're just a person of faith. It's not that they think that they can do it, it's that they know God can do it. That's confidence in God, not cockiness. David says, "'Don't worry about a thing, King. I'll fight this Philistine!' 'Don't be ridiculous!' Saul replied. 'There's no way you can go against this Philistine! You're only a boy, and he's been a professional warrior all his life!'" Now, that expert is saying, "You can't do it". And there's enough to make you start doubting yourself. I will say it about experts that I said about conventional wisdom: the experts are often wrong. They're often wrong.

I remember when I... I'm a Californian, but I went to seminary in Texas. And when I went to seminary in Texas, while I was there, God gave me a dream of moving to Southern California, to a city I'd never been in, and to start a church with no money, no members, no building, and no support, and I'd never been a senior pastor. And so, I called up an expert on starting churches in Texas; his name was Gene. And I called him up, and I said, "Hey, I'm thinking about graduating, going to Southern California, starting a church with no money, no members, no building, no support, and I've never been a senior pastor. What do you think"? And this Gene expert said, "That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard". He said, "Rick, if you do that, you will never be heard from again".

Hmm. Twenty years later, he called me back. He said, "That was the dumbest advice I ever gave in my life. I was dead wrong. Dead, dead wrong on that". Okay? Now, I remember when I wrote "Purpose Driven Life," I got a letter from the editor. I framed it. It said, "This book will never work. Nobody's gonna read 40 chapters". The experts are often very wrong. Very, very wrong. So, there's this doubt that comes. Now, how do you defeat these giants that are keeping you from being the man God wants you to be? How do you defeat these fears that are keeping you from being the woman God wants you to be? To be a person of great faith with a great dream and a great life work, how do you overcome those giants? You do the very things that David did. Quickly, let me just give them to you. The four things that David did to defeat these giants before he gets to Goliath.

Number one: I remember how God has helped me in the past. That's the first thing you do to face the giants and to fulfill your dream. "Remember how God has helped me in the past". This is a confidence builder. When I recall, when I recollect, when I remember ways that God has helped me in the past, it gives me confidence for the future. I say, "Remember this time I thought I wasn't gonna make it, but I did? And I remember that time I thought it was the end, but it wasn't. And I remember I thought I was at the bottom and I was never gonna climb out, but I did. And remember when I thought I was all alone, but I wasn't".

And you remember how God has helped you in little times and realize, "He's gonna help me in big times in the future," because God never changes. God doesn't love you one day and not another day. And if he helped you in the past in little ways, he will willingly help you in the future in big ways. You remember how God has helped you in the past. This is what David did. Verse 36. David says, when everybody tells him, "It can't be done," he says, "You know, in protecting my sheep," as a shepherd, "I've killed both a lion and a bear, and the Lord who delivered me from the teeth of that lion, and the claws of that bear, will surely now deliver me from this Philistine too"! That's confidence. "I remember how God's helped me in the past.

Number two: I use the tools that God has given me now. I use the tools that God has given me now. I don't wait for something I don't have. I don't have enough money. I don't have enough education. I don't have enough connections. I don't have enough opportunities. I don't have this, or I don't have that". No, you use the tools you've got right now. Now, some people are just waiting for something to happen. You don't wait for your ship to come in, you swim out to it. 'Cause if you wait for it to come into the harbor, you're gonna wait a long, long time. You use the tools God has given me now.

Now, David goes to see Saul, and Saul says, "Well, if you're gonna fight this guy, you may as well use my armor". How ridiculous is that? David is a short, small boy. Saul is a tall, big, grown man. To take his armor and put it on David, his hands probably didn't even show through it. It would be comical. And David says this. Verse 38-40. "Then Saul dressed David in his own armor. But David said, 'If I can't go out in these...' he said, 'I can't go out in these, 'cause I'm not used to them.' So he took 'em off. Instead he chose 5 smooth stones for his sling". He goes, "This is what I'm used to. I know how to use a slingshot. I don't need your armor. I'm gonna just do this".

Now, let me just say this: when you start going after your dream that God has given you, some people are gonna oppose you on it. They're gonna be opposition. But other people say, "Oh yeah, go ahead and go after your dream, but do it my way". And they're gonna try to convince you to do it their way, but you're not them, and it's gonna fail. I see this "Saul's armor syndrome" in businesses everywhere. "Well, they're doing it that way, so we should do it that way". Well, not necessarily. 'Cause God doesn't create clones. God made you to be you, and God's gonna use you to fulfill the dream he asked for you your way, not the way somebody else did it. And if you try to do it the way somebody else did it, you are bound to fail. It's like trying to wear Saul's armor. You can't wear it 'cause you're not Saul. You just need to use the tools you got. He had a slingshot, so he picks up some stones. And he's gonna go after it. Often, people will try to load some things on you that are just too heavy for you, and you're not gonna fulfill your dream that way.

I love this verse in Ecclesiastes 11. Look up here on the screen. Verse 4 says, "If you wait for perfect conditions you'll never get anything done". How many of you agree with that verse? Yeah. If you wait for perfect conditions, you're never gonna get started on your dream. "Someday, I'll. One of these", no, today is the day. We're ending 50 days of transformation. This is the day to start the new dream. This is the day to go after it. And when everybody else is saying, "You can't do it," discouragement. And when you're full of doubt, you're gonna trust God. And when there's been a delay and people have held you back and when people disapprove, you just say, "Sorry, I've gotta do what God's asking me to do".

Number three. The third thing he did is ignore the dream-busters. You must ignore the dream-busters in your life. Now, it is interesting to me that as David's going to take on a giant that everybody else is scared to death to take on, he didn't get any encouragement from anybody. Not a single word of encouragement as he's going out on... His dad didn't encourage him. His mom didn't encourage him. His brothers didn't encourage him. The army, the soldiers who were scared to death didn't encourage him. The king, whose reputation is on the line, didn't encourage him. Nobody gave David any encouragement. What did he do? He had to encourage himself in the Lord.

Look at the next verse. 1 Samuel 30, verse 6, "When others were speaking against him, David," read it with me, "encouraged himself in the Lord". Circle, "in the Lord". Do you do that? Sometimes nobody else is gonna encourage you, and you're gonna have to encourage yourself in the Lord. Now, this is very, very different from simply having a positive mental attitude. No, no, this is far more deep. When you encourage yourself in the Lord, there is a bedrock trust in God's faith, God's grace, God's provision, God's security, God's kindness, God's power. You're trusting in God. It's not just a positive mental attitude. Now, I'm not against positive thinking. I mean, considering the alternative, I think you ought to be a positive thinker, 'cause the alternative is negative thinking, and that's worse.

So, between negative and positive thinking, you ought to be a positive thinker. But friends, there's some problems in your life that are so significant, and some giants so big, all the positive thinking in the world ain't gonna make a difference at all. "The sun will come out tomorrow. Have a nice day," is just pretty shallow when you're facing the deepest, darkest problems of life. When you've had a son who struggled with mental illness for 27 years, all the positive thinking in the world is worthless. "Well, just feel better. Put a smile on your face. Think good thoughts. Believe. Have fun". No, no, you need something far deeper in the deepest, darkest days of life, you need a bedrock trust in God's grace, in God's love, in God's power, in God's sovereignty, in God's plan, and you have to encourage yourself in the Lord, 'cause nobody else can give you that encouragement.

Number four. The fourth thing David did: expect, "I expect God to help me for his glory. I expect God to help me for his glory". This is what David did. This is what you must do in going after your dream. It is the faith factor. I love what David says to Goliath as he runs onto the battlefield. David runs onto the battlefield, shouting, and he says this. "David shouted to Goliath, 'You come at me with sword and with spear and with javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty! And today the Lord will conquer you,'" not me. "The Lord will conquer you, and the whole world will know that there is a God! And everyone will know that the Lord doesn't need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours".

Are you fighting God's battle and that's why you're tired? "It is his battle, not ours. And the Lord will give you to us"! What are you expecting God to do in your life? Without even knowing you, I can tell you this: God is doing exactly what you expect him to do. No more, and no less. Because every time God moves out of heaven and moves on earth and does a miracle, it's because somebody believed. The Bible says, "According to your faith it will be done unto you". The Bible says, "The just shall live by faith". The Bible says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God". The Bible says, "Whatever is not of faith is sin".

According to your faith it will be done to you. You get to choose how much God does in your life. It's based on how much you choose to trust him. I don't have to be the smartest person in life. I don't have to be the best-looking person in life. I don't have to be the wealthiest person in life. I have a choice to trust God, and you do too. Whatever is not of faith is sin. He said, "I expect God to help me for his glory".

I made this decision when I was a young man. And in the mountains of Northern California one night, I got down on my knees, and as a young man, I said, "God, I'm not the smartest guy. I'm not the most educated and I'm not the best-looking and I'm not the most talent, but God, by your grace, I'm gonna trust you. And I don't have to know or understand why you tell me to do what you want me to do, but I will do anything, anytime, anywhere, in faith, even when it doesn't make sense to me".

And what an adventure my life has been. I would have never imagined as a teenager that one day I would stand and speak to a crowd like this, much less to all of our campuses around the world. Because this, this group right here, is about five times bigger than the town I grew up in. I'm a country boy with a slingshot. And God says, "I will use anybody who will trust me and say, 'I expect God to use me, not because of who I am, but for his glory, that God knows and the world knows that there is a God.'"

I'll never forget looking into my wife's eyes many years ago as we were finishing up school in Texas. And I said, "Kay, I think God has given me a dream, and it is to be a pastor. And I think we're supposed to go to Southern California, to a place we've never been, and start a church with no money, no members, no building, no support, and I've never been a senior pastor". And I said, "What do you think about that dream"? And she looked into my eyes, and she says, "It scares me to death, but I believe in God, and I believe in you, so let's go. Let's go for it".

Now, I've often thought how would history be different if my wife had said "no". If she'd been afraid and scared and said, "Let's don't do it," there would be no Saddleback Church. There would be no "Purpose Driven Life". There would be no movement of churches in 160 nations. There would be no peace plan. Thousands of people that are going to heaven now would not be headed to heaven. You have no idea how much your unbelief could be limiting somebody you love. Is your unbelief limiting your wife? Is your unbelief limiting your husband? Is your unbelief limiting your child? Don't be Jesse. Don't hold them back when God has a great dream for their life. It's not your dream for them. It's God's dream for them. And you need to say, "I'm not gonna let anybody else's unbelief hold me back, and I'm not gonna let my unbelief hold anybody else back".

Let's bow for prayer. There are a lot of things in your life you don't have control over. You didn't choose your natural talent. You didn't choose when you would be born, where you would be born. You didn't choose your race. You didn't choose your gender. You didn't choose your talent. But you do get to choose how much you're gonna trust God. And it is that faith factor that will defeat the giants of delay and discouragement and disapproval and doubt. And if you will say "yes" to God, he will take you on the adventure of your life. It doesn't really matter what's happened in your life. If you say, "I want the rest of my life, no matter how many years I've got, to be God's, 100%," I want you to pray this prayer:

Dear God, you have helped me many times in the past. You've helped me through things I thought I'd never get out of, but you did help me. And if you've helped me in the past, I know you're gonna help me in the future. Help me to remember that and draw my confidence from that. Even when people discourage me or disapprove of me, or even when people misunderstand me, help me to use the tools that you've given me now. To not wait for a perfect time and a perfect place and a perfect tool, but to use the slingshot and the stones that I have right now. Help me not to wear somebody else's armor, but to just go in your strength. And Lord, help me to ignore the dream-busters. And help me to start every day with a time alone with you so that I will encourage myself in the Lord that I don't need the encouragement of other people 'cause I'm encouraging myself in the Lord and spending time with you.

Help me to expect you to help me. Not for my glory, but for yours, that the whole world will know that there is a God. And that everyone will know that the Lord doesn't need weapons to rescue his people. Lord, I've been tired because I've been trying to fight battles as if they're mine. It's your battle. I wanna relax and trust you to give me the victory. Jesus Christ, I invite you into every room in my life. The living room, the bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen. I want you to run every area of my life. I want you to be the manager and the Lord from this day forward. And I thank you in advance that the giants will fall and the dream will come true. And I pray this in your name, amen.