“It was faith that made Noah hear God's warnings about things in the future that he could not see.”Hebrews 11:7 (GNT)
Has God given you a vision? Maybe it’s been in your heart since you were young, or you are just learning about what God wants to do in your life and through you.
As soon as God gives you a dream, there are going to be voices of doubt. To pursue God’s plan with your whole heart, you’re going to have to listen to God and reject the voices of doubt.
Voices of doubt can come from a lot of places—from critics, from competition, from Satan, from friends and family who say, "We’ve known you all your life. Who do you think you are?"
Think of all the voices in Noah’s life that tried to make him doubt what God had said—to prepare for a coming reckoning by building an ark. Noah’s children would not have been thrilled with their dad building a huge boat in the front yard. They probably had no problem letting Noah know exactly how they felt!
Noah also had to live year after year being ridiculed by his neighbors, who must have thought he was insane. After all, Noah thought God spoke to him, and he was building an ark for a flood when no one had ever seen rain before.
Dream busters will try to stop your dream. Critics and cynics are going to question your pursuit of something great for God.
But the biggest voices of doubt can come from inside you. You talk to yourself constantly—either planting seeds of doubt in your mind or reminding yourself what God says about you.
God will never call you to do something that he doesn't give you the power and the resources and the grace to do.
You have to believe this, and then you have to remind yourself that it is true. Faith is the antidote to fear and doubt in your life. Hebrews 11:7 says, “It was faith that made Noah hear God's warnings about things in the future that he could not see” (GNT).
Noah couldn't see the flood, but he believed what God told him. You can't always see God's destiny for you either. But when you trust your future to God—when you are sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see—the voices of doubt will fade, and you will move toward your goals with confidence.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California with campuses in major cities around the world. He is the author of The Purpose Driven Life, which has been translated into 90 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. You can listen to his daily radio broadcast at PastorRick.com.
