Time always gives us time to change,
but you have to decide you want to change.
You have to decide by looking into the future
and even looking in the past to determine your future.
As you're in the present, what are you gonna do to change?
What kind of things do you need to do
to change your life for the future
while you're in the present
and you're looking back at the past?
Your destiny is determined by how you use your time.
And I want to talk about time gives you time to change.
That I'm gonna do this in increments of one year.
So you may be in the middle of the summer,
you may be in the middle of the fall or the spring,
doesn't matter what time of year,
but where do you want to be a year from now?
Because time always gives us time to change,
but you have to decide you want to change.
You have to decide by looking into the future
and even looking in the past to determine your future.
As you're in the present, what are you gonna do to change?
What kind of things do you need to do
to change your life for the future
while you're in the present
and you're looking back at the past?
So one of the saddest things that happens in people's lives
is when they never learn from their mistakes.
And I've talked about this before,
the one knock, the two knock
or the three knock method of learning.
And the three knock method is,
you're standing in line with someone
and you see the person and two people in front of you
whack their head on the overhang.
And then the second person not noticing
or not caring about the first person
whacks his head on the overhang
and you all come and do the same thing.
Or the one knock method is that,
you see the person knock their head
and you actually duck when you get there.
So we can learn from other people's mistakes.
We can learn from our circumstances.
So I wanna give you six thoughts
on changes you might consider in your life
to make you a better person,
to discover the destiny that God has for you.
Here's the first.
What do you wanna look and feel like
this time next year?
What do you wanna look and feel like this time next year?
So I wanna talk about exercise and the importance of that.
I mean, the research shows
that the fastest way to oxygenate your brain,
to increase your IQ,
to actually become smarter is through physical exercise.
So do you have a routine?
Do you have something that you can do every day
that can oxygenate your brain?
I get up every morning between five and 6 a.m.,
sometimes at four, sometimes at 6.30,
varies on each day, but I get up early
and it's the very first thing I do.
I get up and I have this adrenal cocktail that I take,
which is half a glass of orange juice,
half a glass of coconut water,
and then I sprinkle salt on it, mix it together,
and I drink that thing.
Now I don't drink it all at once,
but I drink it during my routine.
Then I go in and I work out,
and I work out six days a week
because I know that that's going to oxygenate my brain.
Write this down, this is really important.
A little done consistently
is better than a lot done sporadically.
A little done consistently
is better than a lot done sporadically.
I can't tell you how many times through the years
because of being a gymnast in high school and college
where I understood a lot about strenuous workouts
that I thought that that's what I wanted to continue to do
as I grew older, and so I'd do these strenuous workouts,
but I couldn't stay consistent with it.
I would do it for a while, or I'd do it for a couple months,
and then I would fall by the wayside in my time management.
And so I discovered about a year ago
that it was actually better for me
to be consistent with a little bit.
So I cut back on the workout that I did,
but I consistently did it, and I loved it,
and it's really made an impact in my life.
So I want to challenge you, what do you want to look like?
How do you want to look physically?
Because your physical appearance affects your mind.
It really does.
So when you feel good about yourself because you look good,
then it affects your outlook, it affects your vision,
it affects your relationships with others.
So I believe working out is really, really important.
And the other thing is is it actually increases your IQ.
So mentally, it really does have an impact in your life
by working out.
Number two, if you're married, this is for those that are married, what kind of marriage
do you want to have this time next year?
Are there some relational conflicts with your spouse that you guys need to work on?
Well set some goals.
Think about it right now and begin to work toward that.
Maybe you need a mission statement for your marriage.
Why are you guys married?
What's the purpose of your marriage?
What's significantly different about the impact of your marriage versus when you were single?
Because there's a reason that God brought you guys together and there's a purpose for
your marriage and maybe you've never actually thought through what your mission is.
What about your communication?
I was counseling a couple recently and one of the big issues in their marriage was their
inability to communicate.
And I said three things, I want you to remember three things that are the key to a successful
marriage.
The first is communication, the second is communication, and the third is communication.
So constantly talking, spending time together, working on stuff, communicating with each
other about things that are good and bad.
Maybe you have a date night where you guys go out on a date.
Set that for the coming year.
What about praying and reading the Bible together?
The chance of divorce, statistics show, for those who pray and read the Bible together
is one in 1,019.
So virtually no one gets a divorce if they daily pray together and daily read the Word
of God together.
And I'm surprised how many Christian couples don't do that.
So first, what do you want to look and feel like this time next year?
Number two, what kind of marriage do you want to have this time next year?
Number three, if you're single and you want to be married, what kind of people do you
need to be hanging around with in the new year?
So what are, over the next year, what kind of people do you need to be hanging out with?
Let me just tell you, the best looking people are not in the bars.
The most intelligent people, people look at me, everybody look at me, the most intelligent
people are not in the bars.
And I'm not saying people are unintelligent that go to a bar, because that would be about
80% of our population.
So very intelligent people who go to the bar, not saying anything negative about the bar
per se.
I'm just saying if you want to know the best people, you need to meet them at church.
And that's absolutely the truth.
And I met Liz on a mission project.
I was a smuggler.
So I was smuggling Bibles in China.
That's where I met Liz, and we've been married now for over 38 years.
So who are you hanging out with?
Are you hanging out with people that are building the best into you?
Do they have good habits?
Are they positive?
Are they relational?
Are they kind?
Do they challenge you in a positive way, or are they pulling you down?
They're pulling you down.
Get away from those relationships.
Don't date those kind of people.
Don't date the people that cause you to compromise in your convictions and your principles.
Number four, what kind of a relationship with God do you want to have this time next year?
We call it PB&J, Prayer, Bible, and Journal.
Start each day in God's Word.
Now my schedule is that I start each day with a workout, I drink my water, I drink my adrenal
cocktail.
I go work out for about 30 minutes, and then I get into the Word, and that's pretty much
what I do.
So my first hour to hour and a half is drinking water, drinking my orange juice, coconut water,
salted adrenal cocktail, working out with weights, and then lastly, Prayer, Bible, and
Journal.
Start each day in God's Word.
Spend time in God's Word, because I'm seeking the kingdom first.
That's the most important thing in my life.
I want to lay that foundation.
It was a clinical psychologist from Canada, Jordan Peterson, said the most noble cause,
the greatest challenge to humankind is seek first the kingdom of God.
Isn't that amazing?
He doesn't even consider himself, I don't believe, even a Christian, but he's understanding
that this is the highest calling and the most noble cause of the universe.
So what kind of a relationship with God do you want to have in a year?
Number five, what kind of friendships do you want to have in a year?
So over the next year, what kind of friendships do you want to have?
Listen, folks, there's some relationships you need to drop this year.
These people are not good for you.
They're not healthy.
You need to drop them.
to drop them, and you need to develop some new relationships
with some new people.
And you need what we call blood-stained allies.
You need some men and women who love you.
They've got your back.
They've got your six.
They've got you covered.
They're not going to cut and run when things
happen that are not good.
And so it may be time for a change of relationships
this year.
And number six, and lastly, what kind of job
do you want to have this time next year?
So if you're in a dead-end job, it
might be time to brush up your resume
and start thinking about another job.
If you like your job, then be the best at it.
Work hard at it.
Do the very, very best that you can at that job.
And I would say, as a caveat to that,
that if you like 80% of your job,
that is a home run, because you're never
going to like any job 100%.
But if 80% of your job is doable, and it's flexible,
and you like it, and you enjoy it,
you're in a great, great job.
Time is more important than money.
You may have heard the phrase, time is money.
Time is more important than money.
Time is the most important currency that you have.
You spend time.
You ever heard that phrase?
I'm going to spend time.
It's a currency that you have.
So spend that currency in a good way
that will be changing your life for the positive,
changing your life toward the kingdom of God,
changing your life toward a more intimate relationship
with people and with the Lord in your life.
I hope this is helpful.
I'll see you next time.
Bye.