- Hey it's a new year.
- And a new decade.
- And a new series.
- Behind the Message starts right now.
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- Hey welcome back, happy New Year, happy new decade
and that also means a new message series.
We're back, Behind the Message.
- We're back yeah. - Yeah, we are.
- Happy New Year. - Pastor Craig Groeschel
is here, we got a brand new message starting this weekend,
it's called The Warrior.
- Yes.
- Tell me a little bit about what we can expect.
New season, new year, new decade in The Warrior.
- Well, we're gonna really try to learn how to fight
the battles that are ahead of us and fight them
the right way and win.
And some people might say Ben, "Isn't that like a little bit
"of an aggressive language for Christians?"
And so what we're gonna do is, look at Scripture
and see that there are a lot of metaphors for God.
One of them actually says that the Lord is a warrior.
And so we're gonna embrace that Jesus was tender,
full of compassion and grace, and yet
he is the greatest warrior that ever lived.
We're talking a little more to the men
because I want to, (yells aggressively)
like come on, man. - Yeah, let's go.
- I can't talk to ladies that way, the same way I can, you.
So we're gonna inspire some warriors.
- I love that, you actually just got done preaching
the first message - I did.
- a few minutes ago, and I love one of the things
that you talked about was winning the fight every day.
As a follower of Christ, we gotta win the fight
every day and I feel like this is just a message
almost that just naturally comes out of you
because it's something, it's probably a combination
of just being gifted at it but then also learned over time
from your experience.
I gotta know when those days happen,
I imagine you're also human, like everyone else.
When those days happen, when you just wake up
and you feel like you don't have the fight.
What do you do?
- Well the line from the message that I think it important
is victory isn't just what you hope to conquer
in the future, but victory is being faithful
and obedient today and so what I try to do
and I don't always succeed at this, but I really try
to be faithful to whatever is the task or the calling
of that day, if I wake up and I don't feel like
I have what it takes, which is probably way more often
than most people would imagine and I feel discouraged.
What I'll do is I'll attack on several different levels.
Sometimes it'll be spiritually, I've been giving out
and having to take it back in.
So I'll spend more time in prayer, or in God's word.
Sometimes just physically I might be off my routine.
I'm not working out the way I want to,
therefore, I'm not sleeping as well.
So what I'll try to do is I'll try to diagnose
why is it that I am off, why is it that I am discouraged?
And it could be any number of things, it might be
I'm not being the husband to Amy that I want to be.
So every problem doesn't have the same treatment.
I want to try to diagnose why it is that I am discouraged
and then apply the right method to help push out of that.
- That's good, there's another side to that, though.
Where maybe you do wake up and you feel like
that today, I got it, but the fight I have to fight
is too big, maybe I feel like I'm waking up
ready to fight, that's a big fight ahead of me, though.
What do you do in that case?
- Well, I think that feels like that's life
more often than not.
Like for real, there's too many obligations,
too many battles, too much opposition.
And so in those times, if it really is overwhelming.
Sometimes I get super discouraged
and I literally might cry before I pray.
- Sure.
- So I'll call some really trusted friends
and ask for prayer, I'll ask for advice.
I'll go back to some personal declarations that I have
and I'll try to renew my mind with truth
and it's a battle.
So if we're in hand to hand combat
and what I'm doing is not working, then I'm going
to change my strategy and so I might only know
five moves, if moves one and two don't work,
then I'm gonna try move three.
And for me, the moves would be, I need prayer from friends,
I need support from friends, I need encouragement,
I need God's word, I need to declare truth
and usually some combination of those help me refocus
myself to get back in the battle.
- That's good, you got a whole extra sermon
on top of this sermon.
- Sorry if I'm long-winded.
- No I love it, I didn't mean like you were long.
I mean there's so many good applicable things from that--
- See, watch him try to save his job.
- Yeah oh no, no, no, no, no, no.
One of the things that I do love that you said
that I think is just a great time to even talk about
is the right people around you.
And as you start a new year, new life groups,
everything like that--
- We are starting lots of life groups
and this is the time of year, you can't battle
and win alone and so many people try to do that.
It's a big mistake. - For sure.
Well as you can tell, the first week of the new year
is already off to a great start, you want to be here.
The Warrior starts this week, remember whoever finds God,
- Finds life.
- We'll see you.
(crew laughing)
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