The Purpose Driven Life
Original Book by Rick Warren
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It all starts with God
- Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose.
- You were made by God and for God -- and until you understand that, life will never make sense.
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You Are Not an Accident
- Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God.
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What Drives Your Life?
- Nothing matters more than knowing God's purposes for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them.
- If you want your life to have impact, focus it!
- You were not put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.
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Made to Last Forever
- This life is preparation for the next.
- When you live in light of eternity, your values change.
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Seeing Life from God's View
- Character is developed and revealed by tests, and all life is a test.
- The more God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be.
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Life Is a Temporary Assignment
- Your identity is in eternity, and your homeland is heaven.
- Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better.
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The Reason for Everything
- Living for God's glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives.
- When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God.
- Jesus will give you everything you need to live for him.
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Planned for God's Pleasure
- Anything that you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.
- Worship is far more than music.
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What Makes God Smile?
- What God wants most from you is a relationship.
- Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what is best for your life.
- God enjoys watching every detail of your life.
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The Heart of Worship
- Offering yourself to God is what worship is all about.
- Surrender is best demonstrated is obedience and trust.
- Surrender is not the best way to live; it is the only way to live. Nothing else works.
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Becoming Best Friends with God
- Knowing and loving God is our privilege, and being known and loved is God's greatest pleasure.
- Everything you do can be "spending time with God" if he is invited to be a part of it and you stay aware of his presence.
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Developing Your Friendship with God
- God does not expect you to be perfect, but he does insist on complete honesty.
- Bitterness is the greatest barrier to friendship with God.
- The more you become God's friend, the more you will care about the things he cares about.
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Worship That Pleases God
- God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads.
- The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God.
- Real worship is rooted in the Word.
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When God Seems Distant
- God admits that sometimes he hides his face from us.
- The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God.
- When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust Him, you worship Him in the deepest way.
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Formed for God's Family
- Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever.
- Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever recieve.
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What Matters Most
- Relationships are what life is all about.
- The greatest gift you can give someone is your time.
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A Place to Belong
- We discover our role in life through our relationship with others.
- The church will outlive this universe, and so will your role in it.
- Jesus has not promised to build your ministry; He has promised to build His church.
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Experiencing Life Together
- Real fellowship happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives.
- Everytime you understand and affirm someone's feelings, you build fellowship.
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Cultivating Community
- When conflict is handled correctly, we grow closer to each other.
- Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
- The fellowship of the church is more important than any individual.
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Restoring Broken Fellowship
- God expects you to make the first move.
- In resolving conflict, how you say it is as important as what you say.
- Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem.
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Protecting Your Church
- Nothing on earth is more valuable to God than his church.
- We must passionately love the church in spite of its imperfections.
- We protect the fellowship when we honor those who serve us by leading.
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Created to Become Like Christ
- God's ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development.
- Your character is essentially the sum of your habits.
- God is far more interested in what you are than in what you do.
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How We Grow
- We become whatever we are commited to.
- The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act.
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Transformed by Truth
- The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the Son of God.
- Many who claim to believe the Bible "from cover to cover" have never read it from cover to cover.
- The truth will set you free, but first it may make you miserable.
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Transformed by Trouble
- Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days.
- Everything that happens to you has spiritual significance.
- What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as important as what happens inside you.
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Growing through Temptation
- God develops the fruit of the Spirit by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you are tempted to express the exact opposite quality.
- We think temptation lies around us, but God says it begins within us.
- Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you, not a sign of weakness or worldliness.
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Defeating Temptation
- The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you.
- The truth is, whatever you can't talk about is already out of control in your life.
- Do not ever try to argue with the Devil. He is better at arguing than you are, having had thousands of years to practice.
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It Takes Time
- While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow.
- There is no growth without change, no change without fear or loss, and no loss without pain.
- God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time.
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Accepting Your Assignment
- If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, I should question whether Christ is really in my life.
- Spiritual maturity is never an end in itself. We grow up in order to give out.
- Service is the pathway to real significance.
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Shaped for Serving God
- God never wastes anything.
- An unopened gift is worthless.
- When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you.
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Understanding Your Shape
- What I am able to do, God wants me to do.
- It feels good to do what God made you to do.
- For God to use your painful experiences, you must be willing to share them.
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Using What God Gave You
- You will never know what you are good at until you try.
- God wants you to enjoy the shape He has given you.
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How Real Servants Act
- Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant's heart will reveal your maturity.
- Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks.
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Thinking Like a Servant
- Real servants do not try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for his purposes.
- The closer you get to Jesus, the less you need to promote yourself.
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God's Power in Your Weakness
- If God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done.
- Your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.
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Made for a Mission
- Jesus calls us not only to come to him, but to go for him.
- The Great Commission was given to every follower of Jesus.
- It is easy to get distracted, because Satan would rather have you do anything besides sharing your faith.
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Sharing Your Life Message
- Shared stories build a relational bridge that Jesus can walk across from your heart to others.
- While it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others.
- God gives us different passions so that everything He wants done in the world will get done.
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Becoming a World-Class Christian
- It has never been easier in history to fulfill your commission to go to the whole world.
- People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers.
- "You can't take it with you" --- but the Bible says you can send it on ahead by investing in people who are going there!
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Balancing Your Life
- A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will make you a great Christian.
- You owe it to future generations to preserve the testimony of how God helped you fulfill His purposes on earth.
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Living with Purpose
- When God is at the center of your life, you worship. When He is not, you worry.
- Before most unbelievers accept the Bible as credible they want to know that we are credible.
- You can start living on purpose today.
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It all starts with God
- It is not about me.
- Colossians 1 * 16b
- In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?
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You Are Not an Accident
- I am not an accident.
- Isaiah 44 * 2
- I know that God uniquely created me. What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?
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What Drives Your Life?
- Living on purpose is the path to peace.
- Isaiah 26 * 3
- What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What do I want it to be?
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Made to Last Forever
- There is more to life than just here and now.
- 1 John 2 * 17
- Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?
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Seeing Life from God's View
- Life is a test and a trust.
- Luke 16 * 10a
- What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?
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Life Is a Temporary Assignment
- This world is not my home.
- 2 Corinthians 4 * 18
- How should the fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?
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The Reason for Everything
- It is all for Him.
- Romans 11 * 36
- Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God's glory?
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Planned for God's Pleasure
- I was planned for God's pleasure.
- Psalm 149 * 4a
- What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?
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What Makes God Smile?
- God smiles when I trust Him.
- Psalm 147 * 11
- Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust him most?
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The Heart of Worship
- The heart of worship is surrender.
- Romans 6 * 13b
- What area of my life am I holding back from God?
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Becoming Best Friends with God
- God wants to be my best friend.
- Psalm 25 * 14a
- What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to Him more often throughout the day?
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Developing Your Friendship with God
- I am as close to God as I choose to be.
- James 4 * 8a
- What practical choices will I make today in order to grow closer to God?
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Worship That Pleases God
- God wants all of me.
- Mark 12 * 30
- Which is more pleasing to God right now --- my public worship or my private workship? What will I do about this?
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When God Seems Distant
- God is real, no matter how I feel.
- Hebrews 13 * 5
- How can I stay focused on God's presence, especially when He feels distant?
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Formed for God's Family
- I was formed for God's family.
- Ephesians 1 * 5a
- How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?
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What Matters Most
- Life is all about love.
- Galatians 5 * 14
- Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?
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A Place to Belong
- I am called to belong, not just believe.
- Romans 12 * 5
- Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am commited to God's family?
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Experiencing Life Together
- I need others in my life.
- Galatians 6 * 2
- What 1 step can I take today to connect with another believer at a more genuine, heart-to-heart level?
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Cultivating Community
- Community requires commitment.
- 1 John 3 * 16
- How can I help cultivate today the characteristics of real community in my small group and my church?
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Restoring Broken Fellowship
- Relationships are always worth restoring.
- Romans 12 * 18
- Who do I need to restore a broken relationship with today?
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Protecting Your Church
- It is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church.
- Romans 14 * 19
- What am I personally doing to protect unity in my church family right now?
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Created to Become Like Christ
- I was created to become like Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 3 * 18b
- In what area if my life do I need to ask for the Spirit's power to be like Christ today?
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How We Grow
- It is never too late to start growing.
- Romans 12 * 2b
- What is one area where I need to stop thinking my way and start thinking God's way?
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Transformed by Truth
- The truth transforms me.
- John 8 * 31-32
- What has God already told me in His Word that I have not started doing yet?
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Transformed by Trouble
- There is a purpose behind every problem.
- Romans 8 * 28
- What problem in my life has caused the greatest growth in me?
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Growing through Temptation
- Every temptation is an opportunity to do good.
- James 1 * 12
- What Christlike character quality can I develop by defeating the most common temptation I face?
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Defeating Temptation
- There is always a way out.
- 1 Corinthians 10 * 13b
- Who could I ask to be a spiritual partner to help me defeat a persistent temptation by praying for me?
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It Takes Time
- There are no shortcuts to maturity.
- Philippians 1 * 6
- In what area of my spiritual growth do I need to be more patient and persistent?
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Accepting Your Assignment
- Service is not optional
- Ephesians 2 * 10
- What is holding me back from accepting God's call to serve Him?
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Shaped for Serving God
- I was shaped for serving God.
- 1 Corinthians 12 * 6
- In what way can I see myself passionately serving others and loving it?
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Understanding Your Shape
- Nobody else can be me.
- 1 Peter 4 * 10
- What God-given ability or personal experience can I offer to my church?
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Using What God Gave You
- God deserves my best.
- 2 Timothy 2 * 15
- How can I make the best use of what God has given me?
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How Real Servants Act
- I serve God by serving others.
- Matthew 10 * 42
- Which of the 6 characteristics of real servants offers the greatest challenge to me?
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Thinking Like a Servant
- To be a servant I must think like a servant.
- Philippians 2 * 5
- Am I usually more concerned about being served or finding ways to serve others?
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God's Power in Your Weakness
- God works best when I admit my weakness.
- 2 Corinthians 12 * 9a
- Am I limiting God's power in my life by trying to hide my weaknesses? What do I need to be honest about in order to help others?
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Made for a Mission
- I was made for a mission.
- Matthew 28 * 19-20
- What fears have kept me from fulfilling a mission God made me to accomplish? What keeps me from telling others the Good News?
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Sharing Your Life Message
- God wants to say something to the world through me.
- 1 Peter 3 * 15b-16
- As I reflect on my personal story, who does God want me to share it with?
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Becoming a World-Class Christian
- The Great Commission is my commission.
- Psalm 67 * 2
- What steps can I take to prepare to go on a short-term missions experience in the next year?
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Balancing Your Life
- Blessed are the balanced.
- Ephesians 5 * 15
- Which of the 4 activities will I begin in order to stay on track and balance God's 5 purposes for my life?
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Living with Purpose
- Living with purpose is the only way to really live.
- Acts 13 * 36
- When will I take the time to write down my answers to life's 5 great questions? When will I put my purpose on paper?