DISCIPLINE IS A STATE OF ORDER, MAINTAINED BY TRAINING
AND CONTROL.
IT'S A SYSTEM OF REGULATIONS FOR CONDUCT.
IT IS SYSTEMIC TRAINING, ESPECIALLY OF THE MIND
OR CHARACTER.
IT IS ORDER AND EFFICIENCY OR OBEDIENCE.
I'M GONNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO MAKE A LIST.
SET A STANDARD FOR YOURSELF.
THINK ABOUT, "OKAY, HOW DO I REALLY
WANT TO LIVE?" AND WRITE IT DOWN SO YOU CAN
GET IT OUT OFTEN, AND READ IT.
I JUST WROTE DOWN SEVEN THINGS THIS MORNING.
"THIS IS HOW I'M GOING TO EAT." YOU THINK ABOUT HOW
YOU WANNA EAT.
YOU WANNA EAT HEALTHY.
YOU DON'T WANNA BE EXCESSIVE IN ANY AREA.
SO, LIKE, FOR ME, I KNOW WHAT I WANNA WEIGH.
I KNOW THE SIZE CLOTHES I WANNA WEAR.
I KNOW HOW I WANNA FEEL.
AND I KNOW THAT I HAVE TO HAVE BALANCE IN MY EATING.
AND THAT MEANS THAT I CANNOT EAT SWEETS AND DESSERT EVERY DAY.
SO, SOMEBODY ASKED ME THE OTHER DAY,
"HOW OFTEN DO YOU EAT DESSERT?" AND I SAID, "OH, USUALLY
ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH." WELL, THEY WERE LIKE, "WHAT?"
WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?
YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IF YOU REALLY WANT TO.
AND THE MORE YOU TRAIN YOUR BODY,
THE MORE IT AGREES WITH YOU, IN WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.
SO, WHY DON'T YOU SET A STANDARD, FOR YOUR LIFE,
ON HOW YOU WANNA EAT?
YOU WANNA EAT MORE PROTEIN AND LESS CARBS.
YOU DON'T WANNA EAT AS MUCH SUGAR.
YOU DON'T WANNA DRINK AS MANY SOFT DRINKS THAT
ARE FULL OF SUGAR.
MAYBE, YOU DON'T WANNA DRINK AS MUCH COFFEE
AS YOU'RE DRINKING NOW.
YOU WANNA BE HEALTHY.
I'M SURE IF I COULD SAY, "RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU
WANNA BE HEALTHY," AND I COULD SEE YOU,
YOU'D ALL RAISE YOUR HAND.
WE ALL WANNA BE HEALTHY.
WE ALL WANNA FEEL GOOD.
BUT WE'RE JUST NOT GONNA FEEL GOOD ACCIDENTALLY.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT
OF DOING WHAT WE KNOW IS RIGHT TO DO, IF WE WANNA
HAVE THE RIGHT OUTCOME.
HOW ABOUT THIS, FOR A STANDARD, FOR YOUR LIFE?
"I WILL NOT GOSSIP." WOW, YOU KNOW,
EVEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA, TODAY, THERE'S SO MUCH GOSSIP.
IT'S LIKE, IT'S SO EASY TO GET ON THERE, AND JUST TALK
ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE THAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE TALKING ABOUT,
BECAUSE NOBODY CAN SEE YOU.
YOU CAN EVEN DO IT SOMETIMES, AND NOT SIGN YOUR NAME.
"I WILL NOT TELL OTHER PEOPLE'S SECRETS."
"I WILL NOT HOLD UNFORGIVENESS IN MY HEART."
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE
I KNOW THAT UNFORGIVENESS IS REALLY HARMFUL TO OUR
WALK WITH GOD.
"I WILL BELIEVE THE BEST OF EVERY PERSON."
THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S EASY TO BE SUSPICIOUS.
IT'S EASY TO LOOK AT THE NEGATIVE
THINGS ABOUT PEOPLE.
BUT HOW WONDERFUL, LIFE WOULD BE,
IF WE WOULD ALL DECIDE, "I AM GOING TO BELIEVE
THE BEST OF EVERY PERSON." HERE'S ANOTHER ONE, "I WILL
GET A MINIMUM OF TWO HOURS, A WEEK, OF CARDIO EXERCISE."
I HEARD A DOCTOR SAY, RECENTLY, THAT YOU SHOULD GET AT LEAST
90 MINUTES, A WEEK, OF CARDIO.
WELL, YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT, "THAT'S REALLY NOT MUCH AT ALL."
I MEAN, IF I GO OUT FOR A TWO-MILE WALK, IT'LL TAKE
ME ABOUT 40 MINUTES.
IF I WALK THREE MILES, IT WOULD TAKE ME ABOUT AN HOUR.
AND IF I WAS ONLY GONNA GET, 90 MINUTES OF CARDIO, A WEEK,
I WOULD ONLY HAVE TO DO FIVE DAYS,
AT 30 MINUTES A DAY, OR 15 MINUTES A DAY.
I DON'T KNOW IF MY MATH IS RIGHT, BUT YOU GET THE POINT.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO--YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT MUCH,
IF YOU DO IT ON A CONSISTENT BASIS.
I WENT OUT, AND TOOK A WALK, THIS MORNING, BEFORE COMING
TO THE STUDIO.
AND I WENT OUT ABOUT, OH, 6:30, BEFORE IT GOT WARM.
AND YOU KNOW, IT'S A LITTLE BIT CHALLENGING,
MADE ME A LITTLE BIT TIRED.
BUT YOU KNOW, THEN, LATER ON-- REMEMBER THE SCRIPTURE
ABOUT "LATER ON." I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO START
THINKING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT "LATER ON."
LATER ON, IT MADE ME FEEL BETTER.
NOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, "OH, I'M SO GLAD I DID THAT!
I GOT 40 MINUTES, OF MY 90 MINUTES,
DONE JUST THIS MORNING." AND, OF COURSE, I THINK
90 MINUTES IS A BARE MINIMUM.
BUT WE SIT SO MUCH, TODAY, IN THE WORLD.
WE SIT AT COMPUTERS.
WE SIT IN THE CAR.
WE SIT AND WATCH TV.
WE SIT, WE SIT, WE SIT.
ACTUALLY, I HEARD ONE DOCTOR SAY THAT, "SITTING IS BECOMING
THE NEW CANCER." PEOPLE JUST SIT SO MUCH,
AND GOD WANTS US TO MOVE.
HE GAVE US ALL THESE JOINTS, ALL OVER OUR BODY,
BECAUSE HE EXPECTED US TO MOVE.
AND THE OTHER ONE THAT I WROTE DOWN IS,
"I WILL READ AND STUDY MY BIBLE, AT LEAST A HALF
AN HOUR EACH DAY." WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU WOULD
MAKE A DECISION TO DO THAT?
WE CHALLENGED PEOPLE, ONE TIME, TO STUDY THE WORD,
30 MINUTES, A DAY, FOR 30 DAYS.
AND WE HAD THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SIGN UP TO TAKE
THAT CHALLENGE.
AND THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT TOLD ME, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY
LIFE-CHANGING FOR THEM.
YOU KNOW, WE WANNA KNOW THE BIBLE.
WE WANNA BE EDUCATED IN THE THINGS THAT GOD
WANTS TO TEACH US.
BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE DISCIPLINE TO ACTUALLY
SIT DOWN AND DO IT.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT?
THE MORE YOU DO IT, THE MORE YOU'RE GONNA
WANT TO DO IT.
YOU CAN FORM A NEW HABIT.
MATTER OF FACT, YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT BREAKING BAD HABITS.
YOU CAN JUST MAKE GOOD HABITS, AND THEN, THERE WON'T
BE ANY ROOM, IN YOUR LIFE, FOR THE BAD HABITS.
DISCIPLINE AND SELF-CONTROL.
REMEMBER YOU'RE NEVER GONNA SAY AGAIN, "I DON'T
HAVE ANY SELF-CONTROL." 2 PETER 1:3 AND 4,
"GOD'S DIVINE POWER HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING WE NEED
FOR A GODLY LIFE THROUGH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM
WHO CALLED US BY HIS OWN GLORY AND GOODNESS."
NOW, I WANT YOU TO NOTICE ONE LITTLE WORD HERE, "HAS."
SOME TRANSLATIONS SAY, "HATH." BUT GOD HAS ALREADY GIVEN US,
EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED, TO LIVE A GOOD LIFE.
IT DOESN'T SAY "HE WILL, OR HE MIGHT, OR MAYBE,
OR LATER ON." BUT YOU HAVE IT, RIGHT NOW,
AND I HAVE IT, RIGHT NOW.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU RECEIVED JESUS CHRIST, AS YOUR SAVIOR,
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME TO DWELL INSIDE OF YOU,
ALL THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT GOD, CAME WITH HIM.
YOU JUST HAVE TO DEVELOP THEM, AND LEARN HOW TO USE THEM.
"THROUGH THESE HE HAS GIVEN US HIS VERY GREAT
AND PRECIOUS PROMISES, SO THAT THROUGH THEM YOU
MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE DIVINE NATURE, HAVING ESCAPED
THE CORRUPTION IN THE WORLD CAUSED BY EVIL DESIRES."
BOY, I WISH EVERYBODY WOULD JUST SAY, RIGHT NOW,
"I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED TO LIVE A WONDERFUL LIFE.
I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE."
IT'S GOD'S DESIRE THAT WE BECOME SUCCESSFUL.
WELL, ONE THING, THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH IT,
IS OUR THOUGHTS.
MATTER OF FACT, IF WE CAN'T CONTROL OUR
THOUGHTS, WE'RE NEVER GONNA MAKE ANY PROGRESS IN ANYTHING.
2 CORINTHIANS 10:4 AND 5 SAYS, "THE WEAPONS THAT WE FIGHT
WITH ARE NOT THE WEAPONS OF THE WORLD.
ON THE CONTRARY, THEY HAVE DIVINE POWER
TO DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS.
WE DEMOLISH ARGUMENTS AND EVERY PRETENSION THAT
SETS ITSELF UP AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD,
AND WE TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE TO MAKE IT OBEDIENT
TO JESUS CHRIST." WELL, ARE YOU DOING THAT?
DO YOU JUST THINK WHATEVER FALLS IN YOUR HEAD?
EVEN IF IT'S SOMETHING NEGATIVE, AND NOT IN AGREEMENT
WITH THE WORD OF GOD?
WHEN BAD THOUGHTS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE, COME INTO YOUR MIND,
DO YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND MEDITATE ON 'EM,
AND THINK ABOUT 'EM?
OR DO YOU SAY, "NOPE, THAT'S NOT WHAT GOD WOULD HAVE ME THINK.
I CAST THAT DOWN AND I REPLACE IT,
WITH ANOTHER THOUGHT"?
IF A BAD THOUGHT ABOUT SOMEBODY COMES INTO YOUR MIND,
JUST KICK IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD, AND THINK ABOUT SOMETHING
GOOD ABOUT THAT PERSON AND MEDITATE ON THAT.
LET ME SAY AGAIN.
IF YOU NEVER LEARN HOW TO CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS,
YOU'RE NEVER GONNA LEARN HOW TO CONTROL
ANYTHING ELSE IN YOUR LIFE.
THAT'S WHY PEOPLE WHO THINK, ALL THE TIME, "I DON'T HAVE
ANY SELF-CONTROL," THEN THEY NEVER HAVE
ANY SELF-CONTROL.
OUR THOUGHTS ARE SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN WHAT
WE CAN EVEN, BEGIN TO IMAGINE.
WHAT WE THINK, IS WHAT WE END UP SAYING.
AND WHAT WE THINK, AND SAY, IS WHAT WE END UP DOING.
AND WHAT WE DO, IS ACTUALLY, WHAT GIVES US THE LIFE THAT
WE EITHER, WANT OR DON'T WANT, DEPENDING ON THE THINKING.