Rick Warren: God Uses People With Simplified Lives

“So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.” (Heb. 12:1b, GNT)

If we’re going to be used for God’s purposes, we have to focus our lives. The Bible compares life to a marathon, and that means we have to simplify our lives.

The Bible says, “So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us” (Heb. 12:1b, GNT).

This means we should remove anything from our lives that would get in the way and hold us back. If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy. He’ll even keep you so busy doing good things that you won’t have time for the best things.

That’s why the Bible tells you to simplify your life. You have to get rid of the unnecessary baggage in life. Don’t try to do it all. Do what matters most. A serious runner focuses on the race.

I’ve heard people say, “I would love to live my life for God’s purpose, but I just don’t have time.” The reason they don’t have time is they haven’t taken the time to simplify their life.

Talk About It

There are all sorts of things that can keep us from simplifying our lives. How do any of the following distract you and keep you from simplifying your life?

Trying to be like others instead of being who God created you to be
Trying to make everybody happy
Trying to meet the arbitrary expectations of others
Too many hobbies or too much time with a hobby
Social media, movies, or television
The wrong kinds of relationships
The mistakes of your past

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

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