WEBVTT 00:00:00.641 --> 00:00:02.888 Well, here we are again. 00:00:02.888 --> 00:00:09.550 Small steps they still count. 00:00:09.550 --> 00:00:13.189 Anybody ever had an argument with yourself in your head before? 00:00:13.189 --> 00:00:15.385 Some of you probably out loud in the car. 00:00:15.385 --> 00:00:16.570 People think you're talking on the phone. 00:00:16.570 --> 00:00:23.893 Little do they know you're having an argument with the biggest problem you know yourself. 00:00:25.021 --> 00:00:33.091 If you'll stand for the reading of God's word just for a second, we're going to be coming out of Psalm 37, 23 through 24. 00:00:33.091 --> 00:00:42.665 Two short verses and then we're going to dive in deeper to some scripture and we're going to end on a story of Daniel, if you want to flip over to there for later. 00:00:42.665 --> 00:00:48.865 So verse 23, it says this the Lord directs the steps of the godly. 00:00:48.865 --> 00:00:51.929 He delights in every detail of their lives. 00:00:51.929 --> 00:01:00.128 24, though they stumble, they will never fall For the Lord, say the Lord. 00:01:00.128 --> 00:01:04.655 The Lord holds them by the hand. 00:01:04.655 --> 00:01:05.296 Let's pray. 00:01:05.296 --> 00:01:07.728 Father, we thank you so much for your mercy and your grace. 00:01:07.728 --> 00:01:15.209 We thank you, god, for another chance to be able to come into your house and sing your praises and listen to your word. 00:01:15.209 --> 00:01:19.251 I ask God that no one here leave the same as they came in. 00:01:19.251 --> 00:01:24.066 If someone is struggling today with addiction, I pray you free that bondage. 00:01:24.066 --> 00:01:30.492 If someone is sick, I speak healing and life over that body, if marriages are being torn apart by the enemy. 00:01:30.492 --> 00:01:35.290 I speak restoration In the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:01:35.290 --> 00:01:37.200 In your name, we pray Amen. 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:40.004 Y'all may be seated. 00:01:41.248 --> 00:01:48.239 We're going to be diving in today, so on the February 11th, $18 a person. 00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:54.472 We are going to have a Valentine's banquet Okay, so if you want to be a part of that, there's a signup sheet. 00:01:54.472 --> 00:01:57.266 It's going to be right here at the church, so go out there. 00:01:57.266 --> 00:01:58.831 Signup sheet says $16. 00:01:58.831 --> 00:02:00.543 It was a mistype, it's actually 18. 00:02:00.543 --> 00:02:03.969 So do that. 00:02:03.969 --> 00:02:06.635 Beside that is growth track. 00:02:06.635 --> 00:02:14.930 If you want to be in the February growth track, I'm going to send that text out this week and we're going to start preparing and get everybody's schedules aligned so we can all do it together. 00:02:14.930 --> 00:02:18.383 We have several people in February, so it's exciting. 00:02:18.383 --> 00:02:22.012 Sister Jessie and I open up our home and we have the growth track. 00:02:22.012 --> 00:02:22.573 People come in. 00:02:22.573 --> 00:02:31.540 If you don't know what our growth track is about, it is about. 00:02:31.561 --> 00:02:32.324 The first week is about this church. 00:02:32.324 --> 00:02:33.128 You need to know what we believe here. 00:02:33.128 --> 00:02:35.240 If you want to be a part of this body, you need to understand our core values and core beliefs. 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:41.221 You need to understand your own core values and core beliefs that will help you stand when the wind blows. 00:02:41.221 --> 00:02:44.346 Week number two between those weeks, I give you a little booklet. 00:02:44.346 --> 00:02:46.911 It's got some questions in it and you fill it out. 00:02:46.911 --> 00:02:58.667 It is not a thousand percent accurate, but what it does it's a spiritual gifts little booklet thing and we talk about our numbers, we talk about our top three, we talk about our worst three. 00:02:58.667 --> 00:03:00.512 It's a fun thing, interactive. 00:03:00.532 --> 00:03:14.841 We go back and forth and some of us see things about ourselves spiritually that maybe we didn't think about before, or something you already knew about yourself, and you say, well, I actually that kind of fits exactly how I, what I love to do and what I would be fulfilled in doing. 00:03:14.841 --> 00:03:22.241 And this will allow me, as the pastor and the staff, be able to implement you into where you need to serve and where you will thrive. 00:03:22.241 --> 00:03:24.225 Have you ever done a job? 00:03:24.225 --> 00:03:26.348 You did it because you were asked. 00:03:26.348 --> 00:03:35.080 You never felt like there was an out, you could never get out of it and you were stuck teaching or doing something or greeting at the door and you're like I hate this. 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:47.492 No, you're not going to admit it in church, of course not, but we all do it If you've been put somewhere before, especially in a smaller church, you want to be put somewhere that you will enjoy it and you will be able to find your purpose. 00:03:47.532 --> 00:03:54.432 That is the point of this church is to make disciples and make sure that we all, individually and together, understand our purpose. 00:03:54.432 --> 00:03:57.204 So sign-up sheets are out there. 00:03:57.204 --> 00:04:00.040 Anything we ever mention, there's always going to be a sheet on that table. 00:04:00.040 --> 00:04:02.243 So if you heard of something you're like what were they talking about? 00:04:02.243 --> 00:04:03.985 Go, look out there and it will be out there. 00:04:03.985 --> 00:04:10.715 So one little small announcement is we're all adults in here except for this little baby up here. 00:04:10.715 --> 00:04:18.543 But let's help the people who clean the church to keep it clean, can we do that? 00:04:18.543 --> 00:04:21.249 So let's make sure you're not leaving trash in places. 00:04:21.249 --> 00:04:30.000 Let's make sure you're not leaving crumbs or whatever you know. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:36.391 It just helps when they clean to keep wanting to clean. 00:04:36.391 --> 00:04:38.514 Okay, just throwing that out there, all right. 00:04:38.533 --> 00:04:39.276 So we got the love month coming up. 00:04:39.276 --> 00:04:42.721 Some of y'all hate it, some of y'all love it, some of y'all are in the middle. 00:04:42.721 --> 00:04:53.100 We are going to start in February our love series and it's going to be called Strings Attached, Strings Attached. 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:55.608 No matter what you do in your life, there's always a string attached. 00:04:55.608 --> 00:05:01.968 They could be good, they could be bad, it could be a little bit of both, but everything that you do, there are strings attached. 00:05:01.968 --> 00:05:04.728 When you get married, there are strings attached. 00:05:04.728 --> 00:05:06.665 It doesn't matter. 00:05:06.665 --> 00:05:08.305 I'm going to be a little blunt. 00:05:08.305 --> 00:05:09.028 Lord, forgive me right now. 00:05:09.028 --> 00:05:21.800 If you're whoring around, if you are whoring around men and women, you go out to the club on the weekends and then you come in Sunday service. 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:23.245 Those strings are still attached to you. 00:05:23.245 --> 00:05:29.747 When you enter God's house, and then you come in Sunday service, those strings are still attached to you when you enter God's house. 00:05:29.747 --> 00:05:42.252 When you do things in sin, they fashion themselves to you and you can call them strings, but I call it bondage. 00:05:42.252 --> 00:05:42.795 We're going to move on. 00:05:42.795 --> 00:05:43.538 That's for February. 00:05:43.538 --> 00:05:46.706 All right, calm down. 00:05:46.706 --> 00:05:48.432 We often want the goods without the growth. 00:05:48.432 --> 00:05:52.148 Everything in life has strings. 00:05:52.148 --> 00:05:55.737 We're going to look at what you are attached to. 00:05:56.838 --> 00:06:03.867 So week number one we're going to talk about I'm debating, I don't know if they'll kick us off of facebook, but probably because of copyright but what? 00:06:03.867 --> 00:06:04.528 What is love? 00:06:04.528 --> 00:06:06.392 Baby, don't hurt me. 00:06:06.392 --> 00:06:11.343 That's week number one. 00:06:11.343 --> 00:06:14.956 We're going to talk about love, what it is and what it's not. 00:06:14.956 --> 00:06:16.802 Love is not a feeling. 00:06:16.802 --> 00:06:19.446 It is what you do when you don't feel like it. 00:06:19.446 --> 00:06:23.812 That's week number one. 00:06:23.812 --> 00:06:31.370 I'm going to see what my production team can do with that, because I think that would be a lot of fun to come out and sing it. 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:36.447 Anyway, week two is going to be reflections Seeing yourself clearly. 00:06:36.447 --> 00:06:41.891 Who you surround yourself with is what will come out of you. 00:06:41.891 --> 00:06:47.831 Who are you allowing to speak into your life and define you Reflections? 00:06:47.831 --> 00:06:53.608 Who are you allowing that place in your life to hold up your mirror to you? 00:06:53.608 --> 00:06:57.964 Who holds your mirror is just as important as how you see yourself. 00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:02.189 Week number three bound. 00:07:02.189 --> 00:07:04.540 One simple word bound. 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:14.548 Now, oftentimes, especially in life, if you have had a past and we all do your past can be drug along with you. 00:07:14.548 --> 00:07:17.408 Have you gotten married before and you've been married before? 00:07:17.408 --> 00:07:20.589 Or you've been dating and you have all these other relationships? 00:07:20.589 --> 00:07:27.992 Or you're trying to date now and you have a kid, and all it is to everybody else is a bunch of baggage and you feel like you have been trapped in your own luggage. 00:07:27.992 --> 00:07:45.129 You can become bound, and so February can be a terrible week for you or a terrible month for you, because you don't want to see anybody holding hands or kissing Anybody touches anybody else else, get a room. 00:07:45.129 --> 00:07:48.490 You don't want to see it. 00:07:48.490 --> 00:07:59.464 Well, you're bound and you're being tethered to something in your past that's actually hindering you from seeing clearly now. 00:07:59.464 --> 00:08:03.552 Bound, trapped by failure, you could be trapped by hurt. 00:08:03.552 --> 00:08:04.725 You could be trapped by shame. 00:08:04.725 --> 00:08:06.994 Past you could be trapped by shame. 00:08:06.994 --> 00:08:10.259 Past. 00:08:10.259 --> 00:08:12.322 Mistakes can oftentimes sit on the throne of your heart and make you its subject. 00:08:12.322 --> 00:08:15.204 But you do not have to remain bound. 00:08:16.305 --> 00:08:32.600 We serve a God who is about freedom, he is about restoration, he is the chain breaker, and we're going to go expound on that in week number three, week number four. 00:08:32.600 --> 00:08:33.485 So we've been building up. 00:08:33.485 --> 00:08:34.248 You find out what love is. 00:08:34.248 --> 00:08:36.436 Then you start talking about who is defining you, who you're allowing into your life. 00:08:36.436 --> 00:08:44.345 Then we go into the bound week where what is holding me down, what have I been allowing in my life to come into my life and put chains on me and I may not even realize it. 00:08:44.345 --> 00:08:52.725 And then week four is going to be breaking those chains, breaking free no more chains, living in the freedom only found in Jesus. 00:08:52.725 --> 00:08:54.107 Not now. 00:08:54.128 --> 00:09:04.432 Listen to this, not another person, if you're not comfortable with who you are and you have to have somebody else with you to be okay. 00:09:04.432 --> 00:09:06.666 We call that codependency. 00:09:06.666 --> 00:09:18.460 And even so, if you are in an abusive relationship and this happens all the time in places we don't even know are going on this is called trauma bonds, and we're going to talk about trauma bonds and breaking free from that. 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:19.582 What does that mean? 00:09:19.582 --> 00:09:22.009 You hunger for the abuse eventually. 00:09:22.009 --> 00:09:34.549 So then you keep having bad relationship and bad relationship and you can't understand why this keeps happening to you, but you keep accepting those kinds of people into your life, blaming other people, when really you've had trauma bonds. 00:09:34.549 --> 00:09:36.003 You've had some damage done to your heart. 00:09:36.003 --> 00:09:41.482 You've had some damage done to your mind, your self-perception, you've let the wrong people hold your mirrors and define you in a way. 00:09:41.482 --> 00:09:44.668 That is not how God sees you and is the opposite of the word. 00:09:44.668 --> 00:09:51.758 Of God says that you are, and now you are bound and you love the trauma. 00:09:52.458 --> 00:09:53.941 You ever heard of a trauma drama, mama? 00:09:53.941 --> 00:09:58.993 I'm sorry, I added the trauma in there for special effect, but you get what I'm saying. 00:09:58.993 --> 00:10:01.562 People crave drama. 00:10:01.562 --> 00:10:03.546 You don't believe me? 00:10:03.546 --> 00:10:14.990 Go through your Netflix or Amazon Prime list and you like watching dramas, crime dramas, drama dramas that's the ones with all the women in it, and I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. 00:10:14.990 --> 00:10:19.932 My wife loves watching, like the ooey-gooey, mushy relationship. 00:10:20.019 --> 00:10:22.548 It's the same movie every single time. 00:10:22.548 --> 00:10:24.602 Every time it's the same outcome. 00:10:24.602 --> 00:10:25.385 It's the same movie every single time. 00:10:25.385 --> 00:10:26.330 Every time it's the same outcome. 00:10:26.330 --> 00:10:27.214 It's the same beginning. 00:10:27.214 --> 00:10:28.700 Oh, they meet, they fall in love. 00:10:28.700 --> 00:10:32.248 Something happens, tragic, oh, they find someone else and they come back to each other. 00:10:32.248 --> 00:10:34.347 It's like it's the same thing. 00:10:34.347 --> 00:10:38.869 Does Hallmark have, like, what do you call it when you own something? 00:10:38.869 --> 00:10:40.472 Like rights to that? 00:10:40.472 --> 00:10:43.225 Like you have to do that on every single movie they put out? 00:10:43.225 --> 00:10:48.243 Yeah, same actors too, anyway. 00:10:48.302 --> 00:11:08.892 So we're going to be talking about trauma bonds in week four and we're going to be talking serious stuff about how you can break free from the damage that the enemy has done to you, and I know, I know this is hard to hear, but sometimes the damage we allow the enemy to do to us is self-inflicted and sometimes self-welcomed. 00:11:08.892 --> 00:11:15.807 If you don't believe that you deserve more, you'll stay in the place that you aren't happy. 00:11:15.807 --> 00:11:22.327 If you can't see yourself clearly in the mirror and the wrong people are holding the mirror up to you. 00:11:22.327 --> 00:11:24.976 You need to get better people to speak into your life, which is why I love a to you. 00:11:24.976 --> 00:11:29.392 You need to get better people to speak into your life, which is why I love a church community. 00:11:29.392 --> 00:11:32.523 You need to have community with the people in your church. 00:11:32.602 --> 00:11:34.304 So now let me explain something. 00:11:34.304 --> 00:11:38.129 I'm glad by the gym, okay, so seriously, my book was closed up here. 00:11:38.129 --> 00:11:41.595 He did not see my notes, but he touched on about 90% of what I'm gonna preach today. 00:11:41.595 --> 00:11:47.923 So y'all got sermon number one. 00:11:47.923 --> 00:11:48.465 Here comes number two. 00:11:48.465 --> 00:11:49.990 Let me explain something I want to be very clear. 00:11:50.010 --> 00:11:52.981 There is a method to the madness of the challenge of 17. 00:11:52.981 --> 00:11:55.389 Okay, we're going to break it down today a little bit. 00:11:55.389 --> 00:11:57.676 This is what it will not do. 00:11:57.676 --> 00:12:01.885 You will not do these challenges every single day, every single week. 00:12:01.885 --> 00:12:05.433 You are not going to instantly become a prophet or instantly be perfect. 00:12:05.433 --> 00:12:08.908 You're not going to instantly become a millionaire. 00:12:08.908 --> 00:12:13.726 It's not like winning the lottery All of a sudden you have this bunch of cash and you don't know what to do with it. 00:12:13.726 --> 00:12:14.610 It's not anything like that. 00:12:14.610 --> 00:12:19.568 It won't make you immediately start overflowing with love and gratitude towards people you don't like. 00:12:19.568 --> 00:12:24.509 You won't magically have perfect kids or a perfect marriage. 00:12:24.509 --> 00:12:27.908 It will not happen, guarantee. 00:12:27.908 --> 00:12:33.985 But here's what it will do and this is a guarantee. 00:12:33.985 --> 00:12:37.520 It starts your mind thinking on things above. 00:12:37.520 --> 00:12:41.210 Colossians 3.2 says I think on things above. 00:12:41.210 --> 00:12:44.043 It's about getting your mind out of the space that you're in and rising above it. 00:12:44.043 --> 00:12:51.947 Sometimes, in situations, especially hard situations, it's best to shut your mouth, give it some space and time and back up a little bit. 00:12:53.181 --> 00:12:59.647 I have a policy as a pastor and a minister that if I'm upset with somebody or they say something to me, I wait 24 hours before I respond. 00:12:59.647 --> 00:13:04.332 At least, if it's not 24 hours, it's at least that day. 00:13:04.332 --> 00:13:10.208 And I respond in the evening Because I need the time to process my anger, I need the time to process my hurt. 00:13:10.208 --> 00:13:17.192 I need the time for Steven to have conversations with his wife so that I can filter that out and get it out of my system. 00:13:17.192 --> 00:13:19.365 I run it by her and she's like oh, I wouldn't say that. 00:13:19.365 --> 00:13:27.182 I'm like I'm not going to say that, I'm just saying it to you so it won't come out later. 00:13:27.182 --> 00:13:28.285 We just had this conversation like two weeks ago. 00:13:28.285 --> 00:13:33.427 I'm like I'm not mad at you, I'm not mad at anybody, I just need to let this out so that it does not come out the wrong channel later. 00:13:33.427 --> 00:13:35.532 That's how I filter two things. 00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:39.546 I know that space and time allows me to calm down. 00:13:39.546 --> 00:13:45.315 I don't spank my child immediately when he is being a brat. 00:13:45.315 --> 00:13:48.000 That was the nicest word I can come up with. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:49.447 You saw, I had like paused for a second. 00:13:49.447 --> 00:14:01.929 That was like the nicest word I can come up with Because I know Now sometimes I get him, but most of the time I'll tell him to go sit on your bed or mainly it's his bed because it's secluded and away from me. 00:14:01.929 --> 00:14:12.328 I do this because I need time and space to get through my thoughts so that my anger and my emotions don't control the truth that I know that he's just a little boy trying to work through some stuff. 00:14:12.328 --> 00:14:16.809 Because what if God came down and did that to me every time I was acting like a brat? 00:14:16.809 --> 00:14:20.625 That was parenting advice and all free. 00:14:20.625 --> 00:14:28.721 So it gets your mind thinking on things above all free. 00:14:28.721 --> 00:14:30.083 So it gets your mind thinking on things above. 00:14:30.104 --> 00:14:34.413 It brings focus and clarity, and these two things are so hard to get today because there's so many things grabbing for our attention. 00:14:34.413 --> 00:14:41.513 The smartphones now have these things called notifications and they will run your day. 00:14:41.513 --> 00:14:50.767 Will run your day Like I've had to put my phone on, like on the iPhone. 00:14:50.767 --> 00:14:51.451 It has focus or work or whatever. 00:14:51.451 --> 00:14:53.279 So I put that thing on when I'm studying, when I'm doing anything, if I'm running around. 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:57.572 If I don't text or call you back right, then it's because I need some me time or I am busy. 00:14:57.572 --> 00:15:04.081 If I answered everything that came to me or looked at every notification, I would not have time to breathe. 00:15:04.081 --> 00:15:15.085 But doing these things first thing in the morning it brings a level of clarity, it starts your day off where your mind's in the right space. 00:15:15.085 --> 00:15:23.383 And, number three, it gets you in the habit of taking and this brings me to today's title it brings you, or it gets you used to taking small steps. 00:15:23.383 --> 00:15:35.259 Because, let's be honest, out of a 24-hour period, if you sleep eight of those hours, the rest of that time 15 minutes is not that much. 00:15:35.259 --> 00:15:39.700 So he asked you earlier how are you doing on your 15? 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:43.725 Because we often overlook the baby steps and the little, small steps that actually lead to greater gain down the road. 00:15:43.725 --> 00:15:55.725 And it's oftentimes the small things, the small things in life that no one sees, that results in the things and the outcomes that everyone wants. 00:15:55.725 --> 00:16:02.908 I'll say it again it's oftentimes the small things that no one sees that results in the big things that everyone else wants. 00:16:02.908 --> 00:16:05.394 Let me break this down in real, proven data. 00:16:05.394 --> 00:16:17.525 Now, most of y'all know that we are on the Ramsey plan, which that means we are getting out of debt so that we can start putting money rightfully so as much as we want in retirement and start building wealth. 00:16:17.525 --> 00:16:20.011 God ain't mad at money, you know what I'm saying. 00:16:20.011 --> 00:16:28.905 But the Bible does say that I am slave to my lender, so if I owe somebody money, they own me. 00:16:28.905 --> 00:16:30.591 That's the way it is. 00:16:30.591 --> 00:16:34.770 That's working for your money, so that you can just send it out to someone else and you never get to own it. 00:16:34.770 --> 00:16:36.985 God doesn't desire that for us. 00:16:36.985 --> 00:16:39.649 He actually desires the opposite for us to flourish and be blessed. 00:16:39.649 --> 00:16:41.522 So we're getting out of debt. 00:16:41.522 --> 00:16:55.635 And so, in this Dave Ramsey whole tornado of information I pulled this thing out yesterday and I've known this for a while, but I listened to their podcast and they have this real, proven data that will show you that small steps actually work. 00:16:55.635 --> 00:17:02.850 So they did this study, and it's a study of 10,000 millionaires, and I'm going to go through some stats right quick. 00:17:03.190 --> 00:17:06.864 79% of these millionaires did not receive an inheritance. 00:17:06.864 --> 00:17:08.166 What does that mean? 00:17:08.166 --> 00:17:09.309 That means they're self-made. 00:17:09.309 --> 00:17:12.845 That means they started from where we're all at right now. 00:17:12.845 --> 00:17:20.563 They started from nowhere, but they had the audacity to say I'm going somewhere. 00:17:20.563 --> 00:17:22.125 They're self-made. 00:17:22.125 --> 00:17:28.402 Eight out of 10 of them put money in their jobs, 401k or some sort of retirement plan. 00:17:28.402 --> 00:17:34.201 The top three careers of these 10,000 millionaires and this one, the third one, stuck out to them. 00:17:34.201 --> 00:17:37.670 I'm like, okay, all right, well, let's see about that. 00:17:37.670 --> 00:17:39.441 We got to have a teacher at our house. 00:17:39.441 --> 00:17:41.242 So number one is engineer. 00:17:41.242 --> 00:17:43.266 These are the top jobs of millionaires. 00:17:43.266 --> 00:17:45.909 Number two is an accountant and the third top was teacher. 00:17:45.909 --> 00:17:48.792 Teacher. 00:17:48.792 --> 00:17:56.912 Who knows that teachers don't get paid enough, especially after COVID-19 made us be teachers for a while. 00:17:56.912 --> 00:18:02.887 Y'all don't, even you and the government payment should get switched. 00:18:02.887 --> 00:18:04.289 Y'all should get what they get. 00:18:04.289 --> 00:18:17.945 So 62% of those only 62% graduated from college. 00:18:17.945 --> 00:18:20.314 So that's almost 50% of these 10,000 millionaires didn't even get a college degree. 00:18:20.314 --> 00:18:34.515 Now, in this study, these proven facts that they did, every one of these millionaires, they had one common thing between all of them they started somewhere, and they started small and they stay consistent. 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:42.144 So, step one in today's making small steps, take your first step. 00:18:42.144 --> 00:18:46.715 Take your first step, just start somewhere. 00:18:46.715 --> 00:18:49.594 If you work on a project or you have a marriage. 00:18:49.594 --> 00:18:57.657 You don't go into the marriage without some steps to get used to each other. 00:18:57.657 --> 00:19:01.153 There are some steps and some adjustments. 00:19:01.153 --> 00:19:11.467 When you have your first child, there's a lot of first steps that you have to go through just to get adjusted to a new little thing being in your house. 00:19:11.467 --> 00:19:16.959 You all of a sudden realize that your time is not your own anymore. 00:19:16.959 --> 00:19:19.628 But josh told me a story about he's like man. 00:19:19.628 --> 00:19:21.815 I had every intention of making breakfast. 00:19:21.815 --> 00:19:25.575 I was gonna do pancakes, he's like, and I ended up just making sausage for my wife because that's all I could do. 00:19:25.575 --> 00:19:28.932 Because, true, it was all you. 00:19:28.932 --> 00:19:29.714 What kids do? 00:19:29.714 --> 00:19:30.317 What babies do? 00:19:30.317 --> 00:19:36.096 They all started with small steps and they actually are called baby step millionaires. 00:19:36.325 --> 00:19:40.212 Now let me ask you this Do I have any overthinkers here in the house? 00:19:40.212 --> 00:19:42.788 Anybody overthink? 00:19:42.788 --> 00:19:45.355 Anybody online? 00:19:45.355 --> 00:19:50.451 If you overthink, just chat, overtank, overthink, I overthink, I overthink, I think about everything. 00:19:50.451 --> 00:19:54.534 The time that I overthink is when I lay my head down. 00:19:54.534 --> 00:20:01.029 I'm trying to go to sleep and my mind just goes whoo, you think I'm nuts. 00:20:01.029 --> 00:20:03.354 Now you should be in my brain when I lay down to try to sleep. 00:20:03.354 --> 00:20:16.257 It's a circus up there and we overthink and we overanalyze everything and this will cause me to be paralyzed and never take that first step. 00:20:18.965 --> 00:20:21.595 The hardest part of the diet is saying no to the fries. 00:20:21.595 --> 00:20:25.570 I mean, it's a meal deal. 00:20:25.570 --> 00:20:29.048 They put the fries in there, you don't have to ask Technically, that's a meal deal. 00:20:29.048 --> 00:20:31.963 They put the fries in there, you don't have to ask Technically, that's on them. 00:20:31.963 --> 00:20:32.265 Like for me. 00:20:32.265 --> 00:20:32.586 Okay. 00:20:32.807 --> 00:20:38.692 I went out to eat the other day with Brother Dale, the bass player, and the youth pastor, pastor Aaron, and we went to a place. 00:20:38.692 --> 00:20:39.693 It was a Mexican restaurant. 00:20:39.693 --> 00:20:45.130 They had chips and salsa and I fill up usually. 00:20:45.130 --> 00:20:49.991 Usually before my meal gets there, I am full from chips and salsa. 00:20:49.991 --> 00:20:51.931 I don't know how he does it. 00:20:51.931 --> 00:20:58.978 I've never seen him hold it to his face and sip, but somehow Pastor Aaron blows through salsa like anybody I have ever seen. 00:20:58.978 --> 00:21:04.817 He will ask him to bring five cups of it and it's like one a minute and it's gone. 00:21:07.846 --> 00:21:14.710 I took one chip out, I dipped it in the salsa and I ate it and I pushed it over to Pastor Aaron and I said I'm done. 00:21:14.710 --> 00:21:16.736 He looked at me and he's like what's wrong with you? 00:21:16.736 --> 00:21:21.748 I said chips and salsa will not run my life anymore. 00:21:21.748 --> 00:21:28.056 It is my kryptonite. 00:21:28.056 --> 00:21:30.057 I can't stop myself. 00:21:30.057 --> 00:21:49.548 So me taking one chip, one chip out of the whole basket, a good basket of chips and the salsa was good and I pushed it to him and that was my small step to overcome my addiction of chips and salsa. 00:21:49.548 --> 00:21:53.636 Because if we have, y'all know, brother Vernon, he will sometimes hand out salsa and stuff like that. 00:21:57.744 --> 00:21:59.093 Let me tell you, I will get lost in a bottle of that. 00:21:59.093 --> 00:22:14.846 I will sit there until it's almost gone, every single time, because I don't have self-control and I know it don't have self-control and I know it. 00:22:14.846 --> 00:22:16.349 But the other day I took one chip one small step for mankind right. 00:22:16.349 --> 00:22:29.298 And I pushed it aside and I said I will stick to what I want to eat and not let my food run me Saying no to fries and chips, like I didn't go to Slim Chickens the other day because their fries are so good. 00:22:29.298 --> 00:22:33.913 Now, listen, I'm a dipper, I'm the thing you see in the sky, I'm the big dipper. 00:22:33.913 --> 00:22:42.654 Anything, any kind of sauce, I will find a way to dip something I love dipping fries in ranch and honey mustard. 00:22:42.654 --> 00:22:45.953 I will have two things of each and chowing down. 00:22:45.953 --> 00:22:59.362 So it is by design that they're trying to trick me at Slim Chickens by having that jalapeno ranch. 00:22:59.362 --> 00:23:00.904 It ain't right and it ain't fair, but I love it. 00:23:00.904 --> 00:23:09.949 I've had to take small steps and drive by what I love to get the result that I want. 00:23:11.029 --> 00:23:14.114 The hardest part is always the first step. 00:23:14.114 --> 00:23:16.777 So you're going to experience this. 00:23:16.777 --> 00:23:19.661 Don't be worried, it will happen to you. 00:23:19.661 --> 00:23:34.007 I had some friends, some very close friends, and they had a little baby boy, their first child, and they were so worried because he was the best crawler I have ever seen. 00:23:34.007 --> 00:23:38.732 That boy could take off faster than I could run on my feet and he was just and just. 00:23:38.732 --> 00:23:42.798 Every single time he wanted something. 00:23:42.798 --> 00:23:49.406 If you were over there and you had food, he was at your feet. 00:23:49.406 --> 00:23:50.131 He was almost like of, like a dog. 00:23:50.152 --> 00:23:52.444 But anyways, the parents started getting worried because they said I don't understand why he won't. 00:23:52.444 --> 00:24:05.239 They would lift him up, they put his little hands on a coffee table or something and he'd go just like this, do his little waddling thing and then boom, plop down and take off crawling every time. 00:24:05.239 --> 00:24:10.655 And the parents were getting worried because they said you know, I just can't get him to take his first steps. 00:24:10.655 --> 00:24:13.121 Is something wrong with him? 00:24:13.121 --> 00:24:19.605 Is something wrong with my baby, tristan, didn't walk for I mean, he was like 11 months, I think until he actually started stepping. 00:24:19.605 --> 00:24:21.309 Is there something wrong? 00:24:22.152 --> 00:24:39.059 What happened was is a baby, a very basic, very basic instinct that an infant displays is that he wanted to take the easiest path, the simplest and most familiar the steps that we have to take in life. 00:24:39.059 --> 00:24:45.518 They're not the easiest, they're not familiar and it's not always the most simple thing to do. 00:24:45.518 --> 00:24:51.461 But once that baby took that first step, this is what happens. 00:24:51.461 --> 00:24:52.444 We do this spiritually. 00:24:52.444 --> 00:24:58.617 Once that baby took that first step, he realized how much more ground he could cover when he stepped. 00:24:58.617 --> 00:25:12.067 He was the fastest crawler I had ever seen, but nothing compared to when he could finally step, nothing compared to when he could finally step. 00:25:12.067 --> 00:25:14.393 He was able to reach things that he normally couldn't reach when he would step. 00:25:14.393 --> 00:25:18.782 He was able to get places to get up on things when he stepped. 00:25:19.164 --> 00:25:20.470 Spiritually, let's apply this. 00:25:20.470 --> 00:25:27.413 God is trying to lead us to a place and we're not taking steps and asking God why can't I reach what I see right in front of me? 00:25:27.413 --> 00:25:36.392 Because we're not standing up, we're not taking the steps God has ordered for us. 00:25:36.392 --> 00:25:39.279 But once you took that first step, a whole new world opened up for that child. 00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:45.497 A whole new world will open up for you, child of God, when you decide to follow in the steps that God is trying to carve out before you. 00:25:45.497 --> 00:25:48.276 We do this in our spiritual walk. 00:25:48.276 --> 00:25:49.108 We shy away from taking very important steps that God is trying to carve out before you. 00:25:49.108 --> 00:25:49.282 We do this in our spiritual walk. 00:25:49.282 --> 00:26:01.884 We shy away from taking very important steps that can lead you to the promise that God is trying to take you to A very simple 15 minutes every day and we struggle like it's a huge mountain to climb up. 00:26:04.368 --> 00:26:04.910 Anybody guilty. 00:26:04.910 --> 00:26:08.394 One of the easiest things. 00:26:08.394 --> 00:26:12.340 So it's the little things that are vital. 00:26:12.340 --> 00:26:15.308 Little things make big things happen. 00:26:15.308 --> 00:26:24.056 Jesus challenges and encourages stepping out in faith, but also you must be disciplined. 00:26:24.056 --> 00:26:25.601 Jesus said to go and make disciples. 00:26:25.842 --> 00:26:36.246 If you don't receive discipline, you won't be disciplined enough to step up the baby automatically, without anybody trying to coach him or tell him what to do, drop back down and start crawling again Because it was the easiest. 00:26:36.246 --> 00:26:47.616 He had no discipline to say, okay, this may be a little shaky, this may be a little hard, but I just need to take that step, because when I do what mommy and daddy want me to do these things will be better for me. 00:26:47.616 --> 00:26:48.659 Anybody got some kids. 00:26:48.659 --> 00:26:57.757 You just say if you would listen to me and do what I say. 00:26:57.757 --> 00:26:58.498 Don't shake babies. 00:26:58.498 --> 00:26:59.098 I wasn't condoning. 00:26:59.098 --> 00:27:07.622 All right, we want the blessings without the battles. 00:27:07.622 --> 00:27:09.628 We want the ground gained without taking the steps. 00:27:09.628 --> 00:27:13.140 We want the winds without the wilderness. 00:27:13.140 --> 00:27:19.252 And here's step two Cling to discipline. 00:27:21.036 --> 00:27:23.039 Discipline is your friend, read in Proverbs. 00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:27.493 It is a full book of disciplines that will help your life become better. 00:27:27.493 --> 00:27:32.771 So step one is step out, take that first step, just take a step. 00:27:32.771 --> 00:27:35.912 You know when that baby first took that step. 00:27:35.912 --> 00:27:36.914 You know what usually happens. 00:27:36.914 --> 00:27:39.512 The next one will follow. 00:27:39.512 --> 00:27:42.670 Once you become trained in taking steps. 00:27:42.670 --> 00:27:50.237 All of a sudden you have momentum and some of us it's a thing called running that we'll never do unless someone's chasing us. 00:27:50.237 --> 00:27:58.636 But it's a thing that when you do one foot in front of the other, all of a sudden your feet are coming up and you're getting momentum and you're moving in a positive direction and things are happening. 00:27:58.636 --> 00:28:05.156 But discipline In the study of millionaires, they discipline themselves to keep going, no matter what it looked like. 00:28:07.625 --> 00:28:09.926 You ever dealt in the stock market before or know anything about it. 00:28:09.926 --> 00:28:10.869 It goes like this. 00:28:10.869 --> 00:28:17.291 So many calls call into that podcast and they say you know, I'm worried about the market, you know it's doing this and doing that. 00:28:17.291 --> 00:28:18.375 And here's the thing. 00:28:18.375 --> 00:28:21.171 Just like life, it goes like this. 00:28:21.171 --> 00:28:31.397 There's ups and there's downs, but you need to stay exactly faithful to what God has called you to do, because once you go down, guaranteed to come back up. 00:28:31.397 --> 00:28:33.150 Just be faithful, be faithful. 00:28:33.150 --> 00:28:36.128 Be faithful no matter how things look. 00:28:36.128 --> 00:28:39.057 Step by step by step, one foot in front of the other. 00:28:39.057 --> 00:28:40.410 Keep repeating that process. 00:28:40.410 --> 00:28:41.433 It's working. 00:28:41.433 --> 00:28:42.770 Keep doing what you're doing. 00:28:42.770 --> 00:28:44.029 Put one foot in front of the other. 00:28:44.029 --> 00:28:47.816 Keep walking in the direction God is leading you and you will end up somewhere. 00:28:47.816 --> 00:28:49.229 That's just a fact. 00:28:49.229 --> 00:28:51.998 Step by step by step. 00:28:51.998 --> 00:28:55.146 You can't walk into the promised land without taking steps. 00:28:55.146 --> 00:28:56.750 It's impossible. 00:28:56.750 --> 00:28:59.976 Proverbs 25, 28 says this. 00:28:59.976 --> 00:29:07.894 Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control or self-discipline. 00:29:08.896 --> 00:29:15.013 Discipline, discipline, discipline, discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most. 00:29:15.013 --> 00:29:16.758 There's a difference. 00:29:16.758 --> 00:29:20.369 We do this in our Christian walk every day. 00:29:20.369 --> 00:29:23.377 We want the microwave version of Jesus. 00:29:23.377 --> 00:29:27.789 We want the microwave version of being filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:29:27.789 --> 00:29:29.172 We want the microwave version of being filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:29:29.172 --> 00:29:31.054 We want the microwave version of healings. 00:29:31.054 --> 00:29:41.479 It would be awesome if just every single time we prayed for somebody, miraculous signs and wonders would happen. 00:29:41.479 --> 00:29:44.442 You know, it's like if you give a kid everything they want throughout their life, they'll never really appreciate it. 00:29:44.442 --> 00:29:51.060 They'll never really appreciate it. 00:29:51.060 --> 00:29:55.384 Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most. 00:29:55.384 --> 00:29:59.276 What we want sometimes right now won't last long term. 00:29:59.276 --> 00:30:06.173 You ever had a child, brother, sister, mom, dad and they could not wait for something. 00:30:06.173 --> 00:30:07.487 They had to have it now. 00:30:09.628 --> 00:30:16.638 If there's a big purchase in my life kind of like I do if there's a conflict I wait 24 hours or 48 hours. 00:30:16.638 --> 00:30:30.328 Nine times out of 10, what I thought I needed was more of a want and when I started thinking about it, the longer I have time to process, the longer I have time to realize it was just going to be a purchase. 00:30:30.328 --> 00:30:32.473 It wasn't going to be a necessity. 00:30:32.473 --> 00:30:36.347 Example people winning the lottery. 00:30:36.347 --> 00:30:42.900 Okay, it doesn't matter if it's 500 million or $1 million. 00:30:42.900 --> 00:30:45.888 This is the stat from the lottery. 00:30:45.888 --> 00:30:54.260 About 70% of lotto winners lose or spend all of the money in five years or less. 00:30:54.260 --> 00:31:01.845 They said it doesn't matter if it's 500 million or 1 million. 00:31:01.845 --> 00:31:06.436 What in the world can you buy with $500 million in five years? 00:31:06.436 --> 00:31:09.069 Some of y'all are like I'll try. 00:31:09.069 --> 00:31:14.954 Yes, lord, yes, lord, not that kind of service. 00:31:18.365 --> 00:31:21.174 Before you can start taking steps, you need to decide where you're going. 00:31:21.174 --> 00:31:25.429 You have to become clear on your goals for you and your family. 00:31:25.429 --> 00:31:27.731 You need to become clear on your spiritual goals. 00:31:27.731 --> 00:31:35.048 See, what I've learned in my life is that sometimes I just do things like this and then I'm like well, why was it so messy? 00:31:35.048 --> 00:31:37.839 Because I didn't plan it out. 00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:42.526 Well, I didn't plan the process to get to where I was going. 00:31:42.526 --> 00:31:44.542 I was just expecting something to happen. 00:31:44.542 --> 00:31:48.325 This could be from being a spoiled little brat when I was a kid, I don't know. 00:31:48.325 --> 00:31:52.487 I'm not blaming my parents, but we need to plan. 00:31:52.487 --> 00:31:54.494 Plan the process, enjoy the process. 00:31:54.494 --> 00:32:01.357 If you step with no purpose, you will soon lose your way and end up somewhere you never wanted to go. 00:32:01.357 --> 00:32:04.462 1 Corinthians, 9, 26 and 27,. 00:32:04.462 --> 00:32:05.765 It says this. 00:32:05.765 --> 00:32:08.848