Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Small Things Big Difference, Part 4: Your Habits

Episode Date: January 26, 2014

Major resolutions and huge goals. We want big change and we want it now. But maybe taking life in a new direction has a lot more to do with the little things. Let's learn how to embrace intentionality in Small Things, Big Difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here I am doing the same things I told myself I'd never do again. Why can't I ever quit? I have no self-discipline. With Christ's help, I will be different. He's helping me become who God wants me to be. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Some people get all the breaks, but not me. No matter how hard I try, things never go my way.

God is with me and has plans to bless me. He is directing my steps and giving me power to do all he wants me to do. is going to be my best year ever. Every year I try to change and every year I fail. Forget it. This year I'm not even going to try. This year will be different. I did the right thing today.

If I can do it today, I can do it tomorrow. One day at a time, God is changing me. Succeeding at the big things has a lot to do with the little things. Actions matter. Small things, big difference. I am very thankful to have to have to be able to do. all of you with us today at all of our life churches and our network churches. And those of you on the other side of computer screens at church online all over the world,

today we're wrapping up a four-part message series called Small Things, Big Difference. And I'll tell you, just as we get into this, personally, this is my favorite of all the messages that we've studied. And we're going to cover one small thought that will come back to again and again that I want to say, I honestly believe for some of you has the potential to propel you forward into more of what God wants for you than you've ever experienced before. You may say, okay, Craig, that's a really big statement to say one small thought could do that, and I absolutely believe it with all my heart. Because as we've studied in the past few weeks, our key thought for this message is born out of the challenge so many people have when they look at people who are more successful, have achieved more. have accomplished more, and we feel so helpless wondering, what are the big things they're doing

that I'm incapable of doing to achieve that success? And our key thought flowing through this message series, if you're taking notes, is this. It's not the big things, but it's so often the small things that no one sees that result in the big things that everyone wants. I want to say it again because this is really, really important. it's often the small things that no one even sees that result in the big things that everyone wants. If you remember in week number one, we talked about one small thing, one word that would help direct our year. Second week, we talked about the power of our thoughts.

Our thoughts are so powerful because they influence our words, week three, and our words influence our actions, which influence our habits, which in the end create a destiny. Today, what I want to do is talk to you about the power of our habits, or we might say our disciplines, because we are what we repeatedly do. We are what we repeatedly do. And I want to start today with a very powerful thought about discipline. Before we do, let me ask, how many of you would say you are a very highly disciplined person? and bring it on your very disciplined, raise up your hands. God bless you, I see that hand.

Let me ask this question. How many at all of our church would say, not so much? I contend to be a little more undisciplined. Raise your hand, raise your hand, don't be so undisciplined. You forget to raise it. Go ahead and put it up in here. I want to just take a moment and say to those of you who feel like you're not disciplined, let me give you another way to think about this.

I would argue respectfully that you actually are disciplined. You do have some disciplines that you are consistently doing, and you have other disciplines that you do that just aren't as good or helpful disciplines. But we all are disciplined in different ways. For example, I was trying to make this point to a guy who was arguing back, like, Craig, you don't understand. I'm not disciplined at all. I mean, look at me. I'm overweight. I eat too much.

I'm lazy. The only thing I'm good at is video games. And I said, okay, let's think about it. You are disciplined. He said, no, I'm not. I said, yes, you are. Think about it. What are you disciplined to do?

And then he smiled. He said, oh, you're right. I am disciplined. I'm disciplined to hit the snooze button every single day. I'm disciplined to play my video games. And I am so disciplined. I've never missed a meal in my entire life. Right?

And I said, bingo, right? We're all disciplined. We don't just have the right. disciplines. So what I want to do today is give you a power thought, one thought that for so much of my life has been one of the goals that I've really tried to live by. Here's my very simple definition of discipline. If we want to be disciplined in the right ways, write this down. Some of you is going to light you up. What is discipline? Discipline is simply choosing between what we want now and what we want most.

I'm going to say it again because I can feel somebody in Fort Worth, Texas, getting on fire about this. What is discipline? It's simply choosing between what we want now and what we want most. Because all of you are successful in some area of your life. And if you look in that area, you will find consistent disciplines. Maybe you say, I've got a good marriage. And if you do, I promise you there are consistent disciplines. I don't know what they would be, but maybe you eat dinner together and have conversation there,

or you're in a life group together, or you get away once a year to reconnect away from the kids. Maybe you're successful financially. I promise you what you are doing is you are living on less than you make. You are generous and you are investing wisely. Those are disciplines. The opposite is true as well. Any area that you are not succeeding in, you've got some disciplines. They're just not the right disciplines.

We can be so inconsistent in the right disciplines. For example, some of you say, I'm going to work out this year, and so you're going to get going, and you're going to wake up early, and you do it on Monday, and you do it on Tuesday. And on Wednesday, oh, shoulders kind of hurting, so you take a rest day. And on Thursday, it's kind of cold outside. And so you take a rest day. And you started, but then you end up stopping. You say, I'm going to be disciplined in my eating. And so Monday, you do it.

And Tuesday, you do it. And Wednesday, and you've got momentum. Thursday and Friday. And then on Saturday, you're rushed. Your kids have to go here and there. And suddenly, the golden arches start calling your name. And the next thing you know, you've supersized once again, and you've lost momentum.

You started strong. and yet end up so inconsistent. I totally and completely relate to that and understand. And what's even more encouraging to me is that the Apostle Paul, who wrote a big portion of the New Testament, arguably maybe one of the most effective spiritual leaders in the history of Christianity, he struggled with this very same problem.

In fact, in Romans 7, man, his transparency really speaks to me, and I can relate to it in verse 15. If you wonder why you're so inconsistent, Paul says this. He says, I don't really understand myself. Man, can I relate to that? Like, I want to do this and then blah, I blow it. He says, I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. You know what I'm talking about? I want to eat an apple, but the Doritos keep calling my name, right? I want to do the right thing, and then I end up doing the wrong thing. He says in verse 20, but if I do what I don't want to do, and this is interesting, he says, I'm not really the one doing it.

Okay, then who is it, Paul? Who is it? He says, it's actually the sin living in me that does it. You cannot miss this. You see, by nature, we are not self-disciplined people. By nature, our sin pulls us away from what God wants. Our sin nature bends us toward doing what is wrong rather than doing what is right. We want to do what's right, but our sin nature lures us away from God and tempts us to do

what is wrong. So if you've ever felt like this in verse 24, he said, oh, what a miserable person I am. Who will free me from this life dominated by sin and death? And then he answers the question, and this is so important. In other words, who can help me overcome the temptation? Who can help me walk away from the sin? Who can help me be consistent? Who can help me have the right disciplines? And he says in verse 25, thank God. The answer, and then if you'll notice, it's not in a principle, but the answer is in a person. He says, who can deliver me? The answer is in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

With his help, I can be different. With his help, I can change. By his power, I can be transformed. In fact, last week, I talked to you about my one statement last year, and this is so personal to me. I told you how I wanted to better care for my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. The problem is, I like chocolate donuts, right?

I like junk food. Man, give me a double hamburger with cheese on it, and I'll shout glory to God anywhere and any day. And I like that stuff. So my one statement, if you were here, was this. Christ in me is stronger than the wrong appetites in me. Not me in me, because me and me is not stronger. The sin in me wants what is wrong, but Christ in me is stronger than the wrong appetites in me.

And that one principle totally and completely redefined my eating habits. I ate cleaner than you could ever imagine, not because I am disciplined. I am not. I am not self-disciplined, but I became spirit disciplined because the spirit in side of me is what empowered me to do what I was incapable of doing myself. And the Holy Spirit led me to choose what I wanted most over what I wanted now. Some of you even trying for years, and today is the day that you get set free. You are never going to be self-disciplined because self is bent towards sin. But when the spirit takes over in you, the very same spirit that

raise Christ from the grave, you can be spirit disciplined to do what God wants you to do. Who can deliver me from this body of death? Thank God is found in Jesus Christ, our Lord. By the power of Christ, we will choose what we want most over what we want now. We're going to train our bodies to be disciplined in what matters most. Now, how do we do it? How do we move from where we are to becoming disciplined in the right disciplines? I want to read you a portion of scripture that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, and he's going to talk about running a race. Now, when he talked about this, the Corinthians would have been very aware and very into

what was known as the Ithmian Games. This was a race that bore for them patriotic pride. This was like the Olympics for them where if you could win this, I mean, you represented your community, and there was tremendous pride in this. And so here's what he said to them in 1st Corinthians 9, 24, and 25, speaking into this culture that loved the race of the if being games. He said, don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. Then he said a statement which this phrase was the most common statement made again and again to the athletes who were selected for a 10-month training camp. And these athletes would be selected, and for 10 months, they would train and they would

say to them, so do what? He said, so run to win. Everybody said it. He would say to them, so run to win. All athletes are what? Read this aloud. All athletes are disciplined. there's our word in their training, they do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it

for an eternal prize. He said, all athletes are disciplined. They're going to run to win. In other words, you are not running to place. You are running to maximize out the call of God on your life. You are running to win. You're not running for the bronze. You are running for the gold.

You're going to run to win. All athletes are disciplined in their training. And they would have known that these athletes chosen for this 10-month training would go to the gymnasium, which, believe it or not, the gymnasium was a prominent piece of architecture in this culture, where people would go and they would enter into a very strict diet, where they were allowed no alcohol whatsoever and no junk food, and were fed only that which would build their body. For 10 months, they would be exposed to extreme cold and to extreme heat,

so that their body would learn to perform in any condition. They were disciplining their body to run to win. In fact, they were so into this race, this will sound crazy. But when they would run, they would actually strip their clothes off and run naked so that there would be no piece of clothing that would hinder them from running faster. Okay, thank God we're not that into it today, but that's exactly what they would do. In fact, if you read in Hebrews, you can read in Hebrews 12-1, The author of the Hebrews said, let us strip off every hindrance and the sin that so easily entangled

and run the race marked out for us with perseverance. And when he said, let's strip off every hindrance. And culturally, they would know that's what you do. You know, the shirt, they strip everything off. And so these guys were naked, which if you think about it would give you extraordinary motivation to get out in front. Run to win. I ain't coming in fourth place behind a bunch of that stuff. Then there's a poor guy over there in the corner.

It's like, don't make fun. He's cold out here. It's cold out. But then that's a whole other thing that we won't talk about today. Because we came to this race to run to, is it okay if we have a little fun? Is that all right? Because if not, you're at the wrong place because I believe works for me got should be fun. You see, we're going to run this thing to win.

And verse 25B says that we don't do it to receive an earthly crown but we do it to receive a crown that will never fade away. It's eternal. You see, those runners were running for, let me tell you what the prize was. A wreath of leaves. Dun, dun, dun, don't, don. A wreath of leaves. Congratulations, you won.

But we as followers of Christ, we are living for eternal glory. We are living to stand in front of the presence of God, to bring him glory. and use everything within us to make his name known. So suddenly we're not just self-discipline, you see. We've got a secret weapon. We're spirit disciplined. The spirit helps us overcome the power of sin.

Who can help me overcome the temptation and power of sin? But I continue to do what I do not want to do. Praise God, it is found in Jesus Christ, our Lord. He has the power to help me overcome. come. And so in verse 24, Paul goes on and, oh, man, I could preach this for days. He says, so I run with what? All of our churches come on, say it loud. He says, so I run with purpose in every step. I need somebody in Wellington, Florida, to help me out. Give me some love here, everybody again. So I run with purpose in every step. He says, I'm not just

shadowboxing. In other words, I'm not fighting against an imaginary enemy. There is a real enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And I am so trained with the power of God in me that no weapon formed against me will prosper. So he says, I do what? Verse 27. He says, I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what? Training it to do what it should. My body wants to do what it should not do.

But I discipline it like an athlete, training it to do what it should. I am not self-disciplined. I am spirit discipline. The spirit of God helps me discipline my body, not to do what it wants to do, but what it ultimately will do to glorify God. I run with purpose in every step. When you get this and you decide, I am choosing what I want most over what I want now, suddenly you are running with purpose in every step.

You take a step and say, you know what, I am saying no to this food to say yes, to a better body. I am saying no to this financial temptation to get out of death. I am saying yes to love my wife as Christ loved the church. I'm raising my children to become next generation world changers. You have no idea when I woke up today, I woke up with the power of God living inside of me and I will glorify God today. I run with purpose in every single step, step by step by step. God is directing and ordering my steps. There is purpose in every single step. The spirit of God leads me in all that I do. I am weak. I want what's convenient and easy and what helps me feel good. But even more than that, I want to bring God glory. And because Christ dwells within me,

he will give me the power to choose what matters most over what I want. Now, not me, but his power. Some of you will say, okay, glad you're so excited there, preacher boy. Settle down, you're going to blow up. Okay. Yeah. It's easy for you because you're a pastor guy, you know. And so you are more naturally disciplined and all that kind of stuff. Now, if you think that you don't know.

The power of sin is just as real in my life as it is in anybody's life who's ever lived. The power of sin to lure me to do the wrong thing, it is as real as the power of sin in your life. In fact, on my own, I'm a very undisciplined person, very undisciplined. I mean, I'll prove it to you. If Amy were here, she could testify, okay? I'll prove it to you. Like, Craig, you seem so disciplined. Let me tell you what I did last Wednesday.

Last Wednesday, you know what I did? I took the Christmas tree down this Wednesday. If you do the math in your head, that's not good. Okay? Why did I take the Christmas tree down on Wednesday? Because we had 20 campus pastors coming over to my house Wednesday night. If we didn't have a party, there'd still be a Christmas tree in my living room, okay? My commitment before God is to always beat Valentine's Day, but that's not very disciplined, all right?

I don't like to put the stupid thing up. I hate Christmas decoration. Freak me out. You put them up and then you blink and it's Christmas. And like, there they are. I got to go back up again. I'm not very disciplined. I like to eat junk food.

I like to sleep in. When my kids fight, I know as a good parent and a godly man, I should get up and discipline. Sometimes I'm just like, kids put on boxing gloves. Tell me who wins. Don't call me unless there's blood. I don't want to do it. You know, I am naturally not disciplined, but the spirit that dwells within me helps me to become more disciplined in what matters most.

By the power of Christ, I am disciplined to choose what matters most over what I want now. And for me, when I tap into that spiritual power, then it becomes tremendous positive spiritual momentum. I'll give you an example. There's a book I read maybe a year and a half. half ago called the power of habits. And in it, the author talks about what he calls keystone habits. Keystone habits are those habits that if they exist in your life, they create other positive momentum and lead to other good disciplines. If, though, you compromise on those most important habits, suddenly there's a negative spiral and it

makes you more undisciplined in other areas of life. So, for me, me, one of my keystone habits is actually to floss. I can feel that there are dental hygienists all over the world ready to worship God right now. Because for me, I have to floss because you need to understand. I hate to floss. I hate to. And for me, this is the first thing I'm going to quit doing. When I floss, guess what I feel? I feel disciplined. Therefore, I eat better. And when I'm eating better, I feel like working out because I've got momentum. And because I'm working out and eating better than I sleep better. And so I wake up early.

And I read my U-Versian Bible study. And therefore I'm close to God. And when I go to the office, I'm being led by the spirit because I did my Bible study. Therefore, I'm highly productive in the day. And I leave early and go home. And Amy's like, what are you doing home early? It's like, because I love you. And she's like, I love you too.

And then one plus one equals six. And suddenly everything's good. Why? Because I floss. Now, if I don't floss, I don't feel so good about myself. Therefore, I don't eat good. Therefore, I don't work out. Therefore, I don't sleep good. Therefore, I wake up late. Therefore, I don't have time to do my U-Version Bible study. So when I go to the office, I am not in the spirit. I'm in the flesh. I chew people out. Therefore, I'm not productive. I have to stay later. Therefore, I know when I get home, Amy will not be happy. therefore I'm ticked. So I'm driving home too fast, get pulled over by a police officer, and I don't want to stop, so I try to outrun them. They create a barricade. They arrest me, put me on the ground for resisting arrest. I'm in the newspaper, and the church falls apart. Why? Because I didn't floss, all right?

Now, am I exaggerating, perhaps slightly, but you see the point that when God helps me to choose what I want most over what I want now. It creates a forward spiritual momentum in my life. I am led by the spirit of God running with purpose in every single step. You see, I'm running for a race that really matters, an eternal prize. Therefore, I discipline my body like an athlete would, and I'm going to glorify God and what I do. So I want to ask you two application questions, and the first one should be pretty easy to answer, and hopefully the second one will as well. The first question I want to ask is this, what do you want most? What do you want most? This should be easy, and I want you to think about it and write it down. Some of you, you want to lose 30 pounds, write that down.

Or I want to get married in the future. Or I want to get my cholesterol down. Or I want to get close to God like I used to be in the past. Or I need to get free from pornography because this is wrecking my life and I will never have intimacy if I don't. Or I want to get out of debt or whatever it is, write it down. What do you want most? Then the second thing we want to talk about is going to be one discipline. If you remember in week number one, we talked about one word that would direct our year. Week number two, we talked about one thought.

Week number three, one statement. Today I want to talk to you about one discipline, and I will ask you a question that will help you determine what one discipline will you add to your life that will have. help you to glorify God in how you live. And the question is this, what do you need to do now to have what you want most? Very simple. What one discipline do you need to add to your life now that will help lead you toward what you ultimately want most? Think about it. It shouldn't be too difficult. You want to get in shape? Maybe you need to hire a trainer. You put some money on the line and guess what, you're going to become more accountable and go to the gym two times a week.

Maybe you need to pick a U-Version reading plan and get two friends to do it with you for accountability. This will help you get closer to God. Maybe you need to join a life group and you know it. Maybe you need to stop him hawn around and put God first in your finances and trust him with the tithe. Maybe you need to clean out your pantry and get out all the twinkies and all the chips. and start by providing the right stuff to have close to you to help you to do better. Maybe you need to commit to a date night with your spouse once a week so you can reconnect with your spouse and build your marriage.

Maybe you need to clear every device you have, your mobile devices, your computer, to keep you from having any access to pornography because you know when you have access, you get in trouble, and so you discipline yourself to close that door. Maybe you need to start praying with your kids every single day and just commit. Before we go to bed, we're committing to pray with our children. I don't know what it would be for you, but when you seek God and say,

God, this is what I believe you want most for me, what one thing do I need to do now that will help me have later what you want me to have most. I don't have the ability to do it, but thank God that Jesus Christ does. I am not self-disciplined, but I am spirit-disciplined, and his spirit is guiding me. My one discipline, let's go back to my word. My word is rest. My thought and my statement is with Christ's help, according to Hebrews 4. I will do my best to enter his special rest.

My one discipline is to guard the Sabbath, to guard my day off, because I get one day off, Fridays, and it's amazing in the work that I'm. I do like the work many of you do, what can quickly absorb that day off. It was not uncommon last year to go two month stretches with no day off. So one small thing that almost no one will see could result in some very big things that everyone want. You say, well, Craig, how could a day off change so much? Think about how much better of a husband I can be when I am rested and loving Amy out of the overflow of my heart rather than what's left over. Think of how much better of a dad I can be when I'm spending that day with my children investing in them.

Think about how much better I can hear from God and lead the church and how much more effective I will bring God's word when I'm doing it out of his rest instead of doing it out of fumes because it's the small things that no one sees that results in the big things that everyone wants. Week number one, one word will direct our year. Do not despise these small beginnings because the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. One word will direct our year. We're going to think big, but we're willing to start small. Week two, our thoughts matter. Our life will always move in the direction of our strongest thoughts. Therefore, we will take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. We will think on those things that are excellent,

pure, and lovely, and let God renew our mind to follow his truth. Our words have the power of life and death. Week number three. Therefore, we will not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. Because if we want to change the life we have, we will change the words that we speak. And we will speak words of life because that's the way we wanted.

We will, by the power of Christ, choose what we want most over what we want now. Why? Because we discipline our bodies like an athlete in training, training it to do what it should. We run with purpose in every single step because the sin in us will take us off the course, but the Christ in us will keep us on. Therefore, we ask the power of God's spirit to do what we cannot do. We are not self-disciplined, but we are spirit disciplined. and when we follow the spirit, we will be faithful in the small things.

And God says, whoever's faithful in the little things, I will trust with the big things. And one day when God promotes you to influence more people, to make a bigger difference in the world, someone else will look on and say, what are the big things in your life?

You'll say, oh, no, no, no, no, you have no idea. It's the small things that no one sees, that results in the big things that everyone wants. Father, help us to be faithful in the small things that God you could trust us with the big things. As you pray at all of our churches, what is discipline? It's simply choosing between what you want now and what you want most.

I want to ask you what one discipline which you seek God to empower you to do, to do right now to help you achieve what you want most. At all of our churches, those of you, you would say, I will seek God for this one discipline. That is your assignment of application today. All of our churches, how many of you would say, I'm in, I'm seeking God for this one discipline.

Would you lift up your hands high right now? All of our churches lift them up high. Man, fantastic. I love a church full of people seeking to grow in their relationship with God. God, I thank you that you reward us when we're faithful in the small things. And God, I pray that we would be faithful to carry this out to tell our spouse if we're married, to talk to our children about our one discipline, to talk to people in our life group, to have others pray for us and hold us accountable.

God, knowing that even in this one small area of discipline, that your spirit will empower us to forward momentum that you can conform us to the image of your son, Jesus. God, speak to us, show us one small thing we can do that would make a big difference in our relationship with you and the impact we have in this world, glorify. you with the life that you've blessed us with. As you keep praying today at all of our different churches, man, when Paul says the sin in me leads me to do things I don't want to do, man, if you want to talk about a starting place for a conversation about why God sent

Jesus, we couldn't find a better place. Think about it. No matter how hard you try to do good, guess what happens? We always end up doing wrong things. Why? Why? Because the sin in us draws us away from righteousness. That's why God sent Jesus, born of a virgin, so that he did not inherit the sin nature of an earthly father, but instead the divine nature of his heavenly father. And that was the very reason why Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

He died and was born again, raised again from the dead, so that, Any of us who call on his name will be saved. There are those of you under the weight of your sin, and it will be broken today as you call on Christ. What's the problem? The problem is we choose what we want now, and we want to be in control of our lives, and we want what we want.

But let me tell you what Jesus said. Jesus said, if you want to follow me, you have to deny yourself. Then pick up your cross. In other words, die to yourself and follow me. There are those of you today, guess what you're going to do? You're going to deny yourself and say, I no longer want what I want now. Instead, I want what God wants most.

And today I'm turning from my sin and I'm turning toward Jesus and I'm calling on him and I'm trusting him to make me new. When you do, he will forgive every sin you've ever committed. He will fill you with the same spirit that raised Christ from the grave and you will never be on your own. Set aside for his glory, empowered with his life. And all of our churches, those of you who say, that's why I'm here today. It's time.

I'm choosing him over my own desires. I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I call on Jesus. And by faith, I give my life to him. That's your prayer. Lift your hands high right now. All over the place. Lift them up, leave them up, if you will.

I just want to acknowledge you eye to eye. You guys can look up here right here in the middle section. God bless all you guys. Others of you, way back here in the back here. God bless you as well. Others of you, right back over here saying yes. ma'am, I call on him, sweetheart, right here as well. Others of you, right back over here in this section, wait down here as well.

God bless you. Others of you over here on this side, sir, welcoming to God's family, young man, Holy Spirit, invade his life. Man, right over here, God bless you, and way back over here, I surrender to him. Others today who say, that is my prayer. Jesus transformed me. I completely give my life to you. Would you all pray with those around?

You pray, Heavenly Father, forgive me, and make me new. I believe Jesus died for me and rose again so I could live for you. Fill me with your spirit so I could follow you for all my life. My life is not my own. Today I give it to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Life Church, would you worship big, worship loud, welcome those born into the family of God.