SPEAKER_01: Hey, I'm Pastor Steve Hole.
SPEAKER_01: I want to empower you today to walk in your true identity as a worshiper and warrior.
SPEAKER_01: Today, embrace the power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Born for War podcast.
SPEAKER_01: So let me just share a few thoughts on where we are as a nation right now, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
SPEAKER_01: People are more fearful today than ever since World War II.
SPEAKER_01: Time magazine, Vogue, and U.S.
SPEAKER_01: News and World Report have found that more people are anxious and fearful than we've been in over 100 years.
SPEAKER_01: People are looking for answers in all the wrong places.
SPEAKER_01: Big Pharma controls the narrative with more commercials than any other one category on TV.
SPEAKER_01: If you watched the college playoffs that were happening, if you guys watch football or if you watch a program on TV, every other commercial practically is big pharma.
SPEAKER_01: Quick fix remedies for our fears and sickness, avoid the power of our immune system and strengthening our immune system.
SPEAKER_01: Over 90% of our chronic illness is at the cellular level.
SPEAKER_01: In most cases, we don't need more drugs.
SPEAKER_01: We need a stronger spiritual and physical immune system.
SPEAKER_01: The rapid increase in depression is at an all-time high in America.
SPEAKER_01: The National Institute of Health, NIH, has found that over 21 million Americans struggle with some form of depression, with youth between the ages of 18 and 25 being the most frequent victims.
SPEAKER_01: And that's really sad when you consider the fact that 18 to 25 year olds should be the most visionary, the most entrepreneurial, and the most positive about life, and yet that is the all-time high and the main category for depression in America.
SPEAKER_01: People of all ages are suffering from panic, agoraphobia, and social and separation anxiety disorders at an unprecedented level.
SPEAKER_01: The mental health and counseling systems are overloaded.
SPEAKER_01: We're seeing unprecedented heart attacks, dementia, myocarditis, and deaths due to unhealthy diets, stress, fear, and a deluge of vaccines, even among our children.
SPEAKER_01: Suicide in all age groups has exponentially increased over the past few years.
SPEAKER_01: Time magazine records that suicide is the highest it's been since World War II, and the suicide among veterans is twice as high as the general population.
SPEAKER_01: And we realize with the latest information we have on the death of this man who took the Tesla into the Trump Tower there in Vegas, that probably it was PTSD.
SPEAKER_01: That's what they believe is on two tours of duty with special forces.
SPEAKER_01: So this is a big issue, big issue about how we're handling physical, mental, emotional, spiritual challenges in our life.
SPEAKER_01: And so, though I have given aspects of this message before, back in February of 2024, I felt like I needed to hit it again and talk again about some of the aspects of health in our lives, because it's my conviction, and I'm I'm just, I mean, we have about eight pastors here, and we, and it's our conviction.
SPEAKER_01: Why not, if we're going to do this thing called church, why not be the healthiest church in the city?
SPEAKER_01: Why not be the healthiest church in the state?
SPEAKER_01: And if I could so brashly say, why not be the healthiest church in America?
SPEAKER_01: Mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
SPEAKER_01: We tend with church life to categorize the church as spiritual stuff.
SPEAKER_01: That's what you do, spiritual stuff.
SPEAKER_01: But if you really study the emotional outcomes of our lives and what makes us healthy, we realize that there's concentric circles that's all involved in health.
SPEAKER_01: You don't just focus on spiritual.
SPEAKER_01: You don't just focus on mental.
SPEAKER_01: You don't just focus on physical.
SPEAKER_01: That God has made you a complete person with interconnected parts.
SPEAKER_01: And so you could be a person who spends time with the Lord three hours a day fasting, praying, calling out to God, but if you've got severe back pain, it's going to affect your spiritual life, right?
SPEAKER_01: If you're someone who's in great shape and fantastic shape, and you work out three hours a day, but you never pray, you don't spend time with the Lord, and you got lousy relationships, I can tell you you're gonna be an unhealthy person.
SPEAKER_01: You may look good, but you're gonna be unhealthy.
SPEAKER_01: So all this is interconnected, gang.
SPEAKER_01: All of this.
SPEAKER_01: So I felt like that we should talk about that today.
SPEAKER_01: And I believe that if Dr.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus were here and he was giving us his prescription for fear, anxiety, and uh panic, he might give us what we find in Matthew 6.
SPEAKER_01: So would you turn in your Bibles to Matthew 6?
SPEAKER_01: In Matthew 6, Jesus paints a picture of the 21st century person, especially in America.
SPEAKER_01: He paints a picture of the 21st century Christian who has just as many struggles as people outside the church.
SPEAKER_01: Hopefully, we are fascinated enough with the Lord Jesus Christ that we're seeing a difference in our lives because we have a relationship with God.
SPEAKER_01: But the reality is that Jesus is painting a picture that is for all time.
SPEAKER_01: People have always struggled with panic.
SPEAKER_01: People have always struggled with depression.
SPEAKER_01: It just seems like that with the rise of the modern culture and modern technology and the 24-hour news information world that we live in, anxieties have only gotten higher and higher.
SPEAKER_01: So let's start at verse 25.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus paints the picture that I think all of us can identify in some way, shape, or form.
SPEAKER_01: Therefore, I say to you, do not worry.
SPEAKER_01: Underline worry.
SPEAKER_01: That's anxiety, stress, depression, panic.
SPEAKER_01: Raise your hand if you've ever had a panic attack.
SPEAKER_01: It's the worst, right?
SPEAKER_01: It's so scary.
SPEAKER_01: And some of you right now have panic attacks and you have depression and you have agoraphobia or you have separation disorders and things like that that are happening in your life.
SPEAKER_01: And somehow Jesus is tapping into this and he's saying, Don't go there.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, I try not to go there, but I go there, Steve.
SPEAKER_01: I understand.
SPEAKER_01: That's why we're going to get to Jesus' prescription.
SPEAKER_01: Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.
SPEAKER_01: Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
SPEAKER_01: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them.
SPEAKER_01: Are you not of more value than they?
SPEAKER_01: Which of you, by worrying, again, anxiety, stress, depression, and panic, can add one cubit to his stature?
SPEAKER_01: So I, as I've shared before, I had chronic acne between the ages of like 16 to 21, really bad, and and it was related to anxiety.
SPEAKER_01: It was related to stress, it was related to the competitive spirit that was within me.
SPEAKER_01: And all of that coming together was probably a big part of the acne struggle that I had.
SPEAKER_01: And with all that worry, at 16, I was about 5'5.
SPEAKER_01: I think at 17 I was 5'6 and a half.
SPEAKER_01: And then at 21, after worrying for four or five years, I had not grown an inch.
SPEAKER_01: So Jesus says, how can you you can worry all you want, it's not going to have one qubit to your stature.
SPEAKER_01: But then he gives us a prescription.
SPEAKER_01: He gives us a prescription here.
SPEAKER_01: Look at verse 31.
SPEAKER_01: Therefore, do not worry.
SPEAKER_01: First point, do not worry.
SPEAKER_01: That's fine, Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Fine for you to say, you're God.
SPEAKER_01: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear?
SPEAKER_01: Verse 32.
SPEAKER_01: For after all these things the Gentiles seek.
SPEAKER_01: That's us.
SPEAKER_01: For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
SPEAKER_01: So here's what he's saying.
SPEAKER_01: He's going to say, don't worry, because, first point is, I know that you need those.
SPEAKER_01: I created you.
SPEAKER_01: I know what you need physically.
SPEAKER_01: I know what will make you happy emotionally.
SPEAKER_01: I know it'll give you joy spiritually.
SPEAKER_01: I know what will make you have less headaches and walk in greater physical health because I created your physical body.
SPEAKER_01: But he doesn't say just do not worry.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus says, I think what he's saying here is, let's replace all this anxiety with something you need to do.
SPEAKER_01: You need to do something that's going to add up to a better life than a life of worry.
SPEAKER_01: So verse 33.
SPEAKER_01: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
SPEAKER_01: Underline that, store it, check it, put an asterisk by it.
SPEAKER_01: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things you worry about, all these things you're concerned about, all these things that you stress out about shall be added unto you.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, I know the solution to your finances.
SPEAKER_01: I know the solution to your job situation.
SPEAKER_01: I know the solution to your marriage.
SPEAKER_01: I know the solution to you personally.
SPEAKER_01: I know the solution to your cancer.
SPEAKER_01: Seek me.
SPEAKER_01: Seek me, and I'll add answers and solutions and power into your life and all these other areas.
SPEAKER_01: But you have to do that.
SPEAKER_01: I am stymied in how much and how well I can work in your life based on what you're seeking.
SPEAKER_01: If you're seeking self-aggradizement, if you're seeking your own ego, if you're seeking your own success at the cost of all those around you, fine, do that.
SPEAKER_01: You're just going to be anxious all the time and you're going to be depressed.
SPEAKER_01: Or will you take your minds off the horizontal and start spending more time on the vertical, and then I'll take care of the horizontal.
SPEAKER_01: I'll take care of all this stuff that you're worried about and frustrated about, but you have to seek the kingdom first.
SPEAKER_01: So, men and women, that's your choice.
SPEAKER_01: And if you're at the road where we believe in a kingdom of God revolution, that's our vision, you know what that is?
SPEAKER_01: That means that men and women and young people, just like yourself, nothing special about any of us in this room except that we love Jesus, and that's pretty special.
SPEAKER_01: But I'm talking about probably on the talent level, I don't know if maybe we have some geniuses in here.
SPEAKER_01: I feel like there's a lot of them because they are amazing what they do around here.
SPEAKER_01: But the reality is it's normal people, natural people who have a supernatural, supranormal God flowing through them that elevates their capacity in every area of their life because it's the Holy Spirit working through them.
SPEAKER_01: That's the supernatural life.
SPEAKER_01: A kingdom of God revolution is when we bring the kingdom of God into our job.
SPEAKER_01: We bring the kingdom of God into our health.
SPEAKER_01: We bring the kingdom of God into our marriage.
SPEAKER_01: We bring the kingdom of God into our neighborhood.
SPEAKER_01: And if hundreds of thousands, yea, even millions, did that in our nation, we would have a national revival.
SPEAKER_01: We would have a national move of God.
SPEAKER_01: Canadian psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Jordan Peterson, who's not a Christian, at least he would say he's not a Christian.
SPEAKER_01: He surely comes close.
SPEAKER_01: He's right on the edge on some things.
SPEAKER_01: But he said this: seeking first the kingdom of God is the most profound and noble statement ever made to man.
SPEAKER_01: As a clinical psychologist and a Jungian psychologist, he recognized with all my studies, all the books that I've written, all the books that I've read, all the studies that I've done, his PhD, this is the most noble statement ever given to humankind.
SPEAKER_01: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then everything flows out of that.
SPEAKER_01: And if you ever want to see his message on that, just look it up.
SPEAKER_01: Kingdom of God, Jordan Peterson.
SPEAKER_01: It's really good.
SPEAKER_01: Because what he says is that there's something about nobility.
SPEAKER_01: Think of it in a kingdom mindset.
SPEAKER_01: That you are a king.
SPEAKER_01: You are a queen.
SPEAKER_01: You are an ambassador.
SPEAKER_01: You are a priest of the Most High God, so that when you seek the throne first, when you seek the king first, he then has this capacity to pour into you capacities that you don't normally have that he's going to provide you supernaturally.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, to me that makes so much sense.
SPEAKER_01: Does that make sense to you?
SPEAKER_01: Doesn't it make sense that there's a king?
SPEAKER_01: The king of all kings and the lord of all lords who's just looking for normal people who will seek him, make themselves available to him.
SPEAKER_01: He already knows what we need.
SPEAKER_01: And he's just saying, if you'll just line up, if you'll just line up your wishes and your desires and your passions with me, I'll pour into you everything that you were looking for this way.
SPEAKER_01: So that's why our theme is breakthrough courage.
SPEAKER_01: Because that takes breakthrough courage.
SPEAKER_01: It takes courage to seek the kingdom first.
SPEAKER_01: And so today I want to talk about.
SPEAKER_01: Some steps of some things that I think are important for you to institute into your life that can bring mental toughness, that can bring emotional resiliency and spiritual power, and relational connectivity.
SPEAKER_01: And I've quoted it many times.
SPEAKER_01: I don't actually have it in my notes today.
SPEAKER_01: The the um the Mai study in Japan that looked at the Japanese.
SPEAKER_01: Japan has so much pollution, you guys.
SPEAKER_01: Japan is so crowded.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, back in the day when I was living there, Tokyo was the second most congested city in the world.
SPEAKER_01: Mexico City was number one, but number two.
SPEAKER_01: Now Bangladesh is the most congested country, but the most, I was in the most congested city in the world.
SPEAKER_01: And the salaryman, they call him the salary man uh in Japan.
SPEAKER_01: That's that would be a businessman in Japan, works like 16 hours a day.
SPEAKER_01: That's average for them.
SPEAKER_01: And a lot of times they don't even take a day off.
SPEAKER_01: So that's the Japanese system.
SPEAKER_01: And yet they're the healthiest nation in the world.
SPEAKER_01: What is going on?
SPEAKER_01: Well, when they did the research, they found they call it the Amaya effect.
SPEAKER_01: It's the idea that they're connected relationally to each other.
SPEAKER_01: The power of relationship.
SPEAKER_01: That's why the church is here.
SPEAKER_01: That's why the road is here.
SPEAKER_01: We want you to connect with each other.
SPEAKER_01: We want you to be in a community group.
SPEAKER_01: We want you to know each other.
SPEAKER_01: We want you to come to wholehearted women.
SPEAKER_01: You're not gonna know women, you're not gonna know other women by coming to Sunday morning.
SPEAKER_01: You might sometimes occasionally I say, you guys gather in groups and pray.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe you'll meet someone that way.
SPEAKER_01: That's great.
SPEAKER_01: But you're not gonna really know people and begin to start having some blood-stained allies in your life except by coming to wholehearted women.
SPEAKER_01: Wednesday a week for the morning session.
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be great.
SPEAKER_01: Well, if you build a new way of thinking, then you'll build new habits.
SPEAKER_01: New habits build new character.
SPEAKER_01: Building a new character will build a new destiny.
SPEAKER_01: And the reason I say it that way is because it's my experience with working, coaching, all the stuff that I do as a pastor and a leader, that until your thinking progresses into new habits, it doesn't really change anything.
SPEAKER_01: Now, I'm not, here's what I want you to understand what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying that the habit changes your character.
SPEAKER_01: I'm saying that the motivation for the habit is changing your character.
SPEAKER_01: So it's still internal.
SPEAKER_01: But you can talk to the cows come home about how you want to be in better shape or how you want to have a spiritual relationship with God or you need more friends.
SPEAKER_01: But if you don't do something, if you don't make some changes, if you don't walk out those desires in your life, usually six months or six years later, you're still the same as it was before.
SPEAKER_01: So I'm challenging you.
SPEAKER_01: The first Sunday of January, make some changes.
SPEAKER_01: And so I'm going to give you a system that I think works and works in a powerful way.
SPEAKER_01: We had 500 go through wholehard 45 last year.
SPEAKER_01: I'd love to see a thousand this year.
SPEAKER_01: So here's the question: What does it mean to seek first the kingdom?
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that sounds great, but what what do you mean by that, Steve?
SPEAKER_01: What does God mean by that?
SPEAKER_01: Well, here's what I believe he means.
SPEAKER_01: I believe the answer is found in Matthew 22 and Mark 12.
SPEAKER_01: Matthew 22 and Mark 12.
SPEAKER_01: You don't need to turn there because I'm going to put up Mark 12.
SPEAKER_01: This is a definition, in my opinion, of seeking the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_01: You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart.
SPEAKER_01: That's your spirit.
SPEAKER_01: Loving God with your spirit.
SPEAKER_01: Spirit, capital S, Holy Spirit to spirit, small S, your spirit, spirit to spirit, connecting with God with all of your soul.
SPEAKER_01: That's your emotions.
SPEAKER_01: Emotions are important.
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes in worship, there's some emotion going on in here.
SPEAKER_01: Some people shout, some people clap, some people weep.
SPEAKER_01: Some people come to the front and they lay down prostrate before the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: That's a good thing.
SPEAKER_01: All that's good.
SPEAKER_01: That emotion, God gave you emotion to express your love for someone and to express your love for God.
SPEAKER_01: Love the Lord your God with all of your heart.
SPEAKER_01: That's your spirit, with all your soul, that's emotional, with all your mind, mentally.
SPEAKER_01: So I love, I've been really binging out on a guy named Wes Huff.
SPEAKER_01: And Wes Huff is kind of a new and upcoming young guy in the arena of archaeology and manuscripts as far as how we got our Bible.
SPEAKER_01: And just a super fascinating guy.
SPEAKER_01: He went on Joe Rogan last week.
SPEAKER_01: We haven't seen that hasn't been dropped yet, but that should be a fascinating interview with Joe Rogan about the authenticity of Christ and the authenticity of the Bible.
SPEAKER_01: It's really, really gonna be good.
SPEAKER_01: But love God with your mind.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, go deep into intellectual stuff.
SPEAKER_01: Think about stuff.
SPEAKER_01: Think about things.
SPEAKER_01: Read stuff on theology, read stuff on leadership, read stuff on health.
SPEAKER_01: Be a truth seeker.
SPEAKER_01: That's actually one of the points in my book.
SPEAKER_01: Is that truth seekers are people who have no fear?
SPEAKER_01: Listen to what I just said.
SPEAKER_01: Truth seekers have no fear.
SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine someone who's challenging you on something you know is incorrect?
SPEAKER_01: How much confidence?
SPEAKER_01: I'm not talking about cockiness.
SPEAKER_01: I'm not talking about cocky, I'm about a confidence, inner confidence that you know what you're doing.
SPEAKER_01: The people that are the most defensive politically and spiritually, the people who are most defensive about stuff usually don't know their stuff.
SPEAKER_01: People who walk with confidence are people who don't have to be defensive, but they can be defending.
SPEAKER_01: So we can defend our perspective without being defensive about it because we have an inner confidence that that's true and that's right.
SPEAKER_01: And maybe everybody's against you.
SPEAKER_01: I remember during COVID.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we drank the Kool-Aid for about four weeks.
SPEAKER_01: But we did our research.
SPEAKER_01: We had a whole team of people do the research.
SPEAKER_01: And we came up with a different protocol.
SPEAKER_01: So we said, we're having church again.
SPEAKER_01: And you can social distance if you want, fine.
SPEAKER_01: You can wear a mask, fine.
SPEAKER_01: Don't have to wear a mask.
SPEAKER_01: I don't care because I know the stats.
SPEAKER_01: I know what's gonna make you healthy.
SPEAKER_01: You need to be taking zinc every day.
SPEAKER_01: We've got ivermectin over here, and you need to take a walk in the sun 30 minutes a day, and you do need to have relationships.
SPEAKER_01: And now all the stats are coming out, that's true.
SPEAKER_01: So when the news people called me, and when some other pastors called me and called me some names, I didn't care.
SPEAKER_01: I knew that there was an agenda behind that whole thing.
SPEAKER_01: And so God wants you to love him with your mind and with your strength, he says.
SPEAKER_01: So physically.
SPEAKER_01: This is the first commandment.
SPEAKER_01: And the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
SPEAKER_01: Folks, that's relationships.
SPEAKER_01: That's the importance of being relationally connected with other people.
SPEAKER_01: You're not meant to be a maverick, you're not meant to be isolated.
SPEAKER_01: We need each other.
SPEAKER_01: And then I love what he says.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus says, there's no other commandment greater than these.
SPEAKER_01: So if Jesus were up here and he was at his desk and he was Dr.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: And you are coming in, and he's writing a prescription, that's what he gives you.
SPEAKER_01: I think that's what he said.
SPEAKER_01: Well, look, you anxious?
SPEAKER_01: You having some panic?
SPEAKER_01: You're having some depression?
SPEAKER_01: You're having some struggles?
SPEAKER_01: Here's the answer.
SPEAKER_01: Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
SPEAKER_01: And look what I'll do through you to set you free.
SPEAKER_01: So I want to talk about whole hard 45 challenge.
SPEAKER_01: Whole hard 45 challenge.
SPEAKER_01: So I did this in February last year.
SPEAKER_01: So if you've already done it, how many did it last year?
SPEAKER_01: Ooh, a lot of you.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, great.
SPEAKER_01: So I'm hoping all of you will do it.
SPEAKER_01: And you'll say, Well, I can't do that.
SPEAKER_01: I can't do that for 45 days.
SPEAKER_01: That's too hard and all that.
SPEAKER_01: I say, try it, because here's the thing.
SPEAKER_01: Even if you don't finish the 45 days or you, it's too hard for you, maybe something in it will catch your fancy, catch your heart, and you'll be totally excited about it, and it'll change at least one area of your life.
SPEAKER_01: So here's four benefits.
SPEAKER_01: Four benefits.
SPEAKER_01: Write these down.
SPEAKER_01: Four benefits for wholehard 45.
SPEAKER_01: Number one, it incorporates all the key points of Jesus' greatest command for healthy living, what we just read in Mark 12.
SPEAKER_01: Incorporates all the key points of Jesus' greatest command for healthy living, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, relationally, and physical.
SPEAKER_01: It's all right here.
SPEAKER_01: Number two, this is not just about you, but it's about learning to love others.
SPEAKER_01: It's about learning to love others.
SPEAKER_01: So one of the things that's in the 10 daily routines is you say something encouraging to someone or you do something encouraging for someone.
SPEAKER_01: I come in on Sunday morning, I take care of it really quick on Tuesday mornings and Sunday mornings because I come in through the kitchen, that's where all the action is.
SPEAKER_01: Where all the action is on Sunday morning before you guys show up is that team in there fixing the food and laying it all out, and they're all talking, and I just thank them for what they're doing, and I just love that.
SPEAKER_01: And then on Tuesday morning, guys have been up since 2 a.m.
SPEAKER_01: They've smoked meats for the last 24 hours and they're laying it all out, and they're usually in there having a prayer time, a devotional time before all the guys and the deluge of 400-plus guys comes to our church.
SPEAKER_01: It's fantastic.
SPEAKER_01: So it's encouraging each other.
SPEAKER_01: It's not letting yourself stay lonely.
SPEAKER_01: Number three, it requires the development of bloodstained allies in our life.
SPEAKER_01: We need blood-stained allies.
SPEAKER_01: And those are not just relationships that we have, but even closer.
SPEAKER_01: It's that inner circle of people that love you.
SPEAKER_01: They know your stuff.
SPEAKER_01: You know you got stuff.
SPEAKER_01: You know you guys got stuff.
SPEAKER_01: And some people are stuffed up.
SPEAKER_01: But you got stuff.
SPEAKER_01: I got stuff.
SPEAKER_01: My wife knows it all.
SPEAKER_01: So a blessed thing to highlight someone who knows your stuff, they still love you.
SPEAKER_01: They still accept you, they're still there for you.
SPEAKER_01: Because your stuff is, in most cases, the same stuff they have.
SPEAKER_01: The stuff's the same.
SPEAKER_01: I struggle with this.
SPEAKER_01: Oh, really?
SPEAKER_01: I remember I struggled with that 25 years ago.
SPEAKER_01: If anybody gives you that kind of stuff, that's not a blessed ain't ally.
SPEAKER_01: Because I know how alive my flesh is just as much as you do, if you're honest, and so we need each other.
SPEAKER_01: And then fourthly, the benefit of whole heart 45 is to build new habits, which builds a new character and builds a new destiny.
SPEAKER_01: So I I think destiny is important.
SPEAKER_01: I think where you're going with your life's important.
SPEAKER_01: And I think that your destiny is tied up with your focus.
SPEAKER_01: And your focus then becomes your habits, and your habits do become your character in your life.
SPEAKER_01: Now they say it takes 21 to 30 days to develop a new habit.
SPEAKER_01: So if you guys are going to the gym now, which I know many of you have signed up and you're gonna go, and in about two weeks you'll you won't be doing anymore.
SPEAKER_01: So maybe in two weeks after you've ended what you wanted to do, you should join Wholeheart 45 and do it my way, because I know it works.
SPEAKER_01: No, but some say 21 days and some say 30 days.
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna say 45 because I'm doubling it.
SPEAKER_01: I'm doubling your possibility that, because that's the goal.
SPEAKER_01: The goal is not to complete and get the decal.
SPEAKER_01: I completed, which is what we got.
SPEAKER_01: Really cool, it's really cool looking.
SPEAKER_01: A little decal.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, you can put on your car, put on your coffee cup, whatever.
SPEAKER_01: I completed a whole hard 45 challenge.
SPEAKER_01: That's not the goal.
SPEAKER_01: The goal is to change your life.
SPEAKER_01: Change the trajectory of our lives in all these different areas.
SPEAKER_01: So your destiny is defined by your focus.
SPEAKER_01: You learn a new focus, you create a new destiny.
SPEAKER_01: So, what are they?
SPEAKER_01: What am I talking about?
SPEAKER_01: The ten daily challenges, the ten daily challenges of whole hard 45.
SPEAKER_01: You guys ready?
SPEAKER_01: It's really easy.
SPEAKER_01: I put in hard to encourage the guys to make it seem like it's hard, but it's actually really, really easy.
SPEAKER_01: I'm lying.
SPEAKER_01: It's really hard.
SPEAKER_01: It's hard to do.
SPEAKER_01: And um, and so for some of you, you can't do this.
SPEAKER_01: It could be a physical problem, it could be emotional, whatever.
SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
SPEAKER_01: So this is for those who want to do it, and bear with me because I know it works.
SPEAKER_01: And I know it it works because this is what pretty much what I do, and I believe in it.
SPEAKER_01: Number one, PB and J.
SPEAKER_01: PB and J.
SPEAKER_01: And it doesn't mean you get up in the morning and you have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
SPEAKER_01: It means prayer, Bible, and journal.
SPEAKER_01: And we've got these journals here that have just come out that Jay Inman put together.
SPEAKER_01: I think we have a few left.
SPEAKER_01: We sold probably a lot after the first service, but this is a journal.
SPEAKER_01: You might have a journal of your own.
SPEAKER_01: Um man, the journal industry has exploded.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, when you go online, you can get fishermen's journals, you can get hunter journals, you can get lady journals, you can get little girl journals.
SPEAKER_01: So the journals are out there, put in journals, and you'll Amazon will give you about 5,000, you know, to choose from.
SPEAKER_01: So if you want a little pink one that's got little flowers coming up the side and everything for a woman, get that.
SPEAKER_01: If you need like that weathered leather look, you know, that's what they have for men.
SPEAKER_01: Because we're leather.
SPEAKER_01: Whatever.
SPEAKER_01: But anyway, to get up at first thing in the morning and spend time with the Lord, to maybe do three chapters in Old Testament and three chapters in the New Testament.
SPEAKER_01: So do the first three chapters of Genesis, do the first three chapters of Matthew, and then just continue for 45 days.
SPEAKER_01: But start with that.
SPEAKER_01: Start with the word, open it up, have your journal.
SPEAKER_01: If God's speaking to you as you write stuff, underline it, and then write it in your journal, and then pray about it.
SPEAKER_01: Pray about it.
SPEAKER_01: What you're doing is you're you're getting a mindset, it's a focus on the kingdom.
SPEAKER_01: Because what we want to do is we want to wake up in the morning and first thing we think about is our job and our responsibilities, or the argument you had with your spouse last night, or whatever it is, or turn on Fox News or whatever you do.
SPEAKER_01: I'm saying stop that.
SPEAKER_01: Start the day spiritually with the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Now that's not what I do, just so you know.
SPEAKER_01: I start with a workout, which I'll get to that in a second, and then I go to this other.
SPEAKER_01: But PB and J, I put it front and center because this is more important than anything else.
SPEAKER_01: Number two, exercise or walk for 30 minutes.
SPEAKER_01: Exercise or walk for 30 minutes.
SPEAKER_01: Um, get back in shape.
SPEAKER_01: Now I'm blessed in that I've got a room at my house where I can go straight there.
SPEAKER_01: So first thing in the morning I get up, I drink a glass of water, I go work out, and um, and do that every day.
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes I take a day off, but most of the time I don't.
SPEAKER_01: But walking, I mean, that was what we we proved during COVID, how valuable walking is and getting outside and being with the sunshine vitamin.
SPEAKER_01: 88% of Americans are vitamin D deficient.
SPEAKER_01: And your natural, most natural way to get vitamin D is to be in the sun with no sunscreen and with no sunglasses, because most of it comes in through your eyes.
SPEAKER_01: Getting outside each day.
SPEAKER_01: Number three, a random act of kindness.
SPEAKER_01: Learning to encourage somebody, just say an encouraging word to one person a day.
SPEAKER_01: Send a text to someone, thank them for all that they do for you.
SPEAKER_01: Thank them for their friendship.
SPEAKER_01: Love on them and bless them.
SPEAKER_01: Number four, no alcohol.
SPEAKER_01: Now I drink occasionally, but all the studies show there's no value in alcohol.
SPEAKER_01: Zero.
SPEAKER_01: Physically and emotionally, it's not good for you to drink.
SPEAKER_01: So drink more water.
SPEAKER_01: So for 45 days, don't drink any alcohol.
SPEAKER_01: Number five, no junk food.
SPEAKER_01: Now that's the one that nobody likes.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I can spend time with Jesus, I can do the exercise, I can do the walking, I can do the no alcohol, but no junk food?
SPEAKER_01: No, please.
SPEAKER_01: I tithe at Chick-fil-A.
SPEAKER_01: Chick-fil-A has the worst food of all the fast food places, it's one of the worst.
SPEAKER_01: Get on God-made food.
SPEAKER_01: Organic.
SPEAKER_01: If you're gonna eat out, which I do not encourage you to do, but if you do eat out, you know they're pouring seed oils into that food like crazy, which is just packing on the pounds in your life.
SPEAKER_01: Ask them to cook stuff in butter.
SPEAKER_01: Just say, would you cook my food in butter?
SPEAKER_01: And I'm finding that there must be a lot of road people asking that question because more and more they go, oh yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01: And they're probably thinking it's another one from the road.
SPEAKER_01: Number six, read three pages of a nonfiction book.
SPEAKER_01: Read three pages of a nonfiction book.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe a book on leadership, maybe a book on health, maybe my book.
SPEAKER_01: When it comes out in a couple weeks, it's gonna come out.
SPEAKER_01: But read three pages of a nonfiction book.
SPEAKER_01: Number seven, watch an empower you episode.
SPEAKER_01: One of our empower you episodes.
SPEAKER_01: I think we have about a hundred different um not categories, but a hundred different talks on there.
SPEAKER_01: They're only 15 minutes.
SPEAKER_01: They're between 10 and 15 minutes each one.
SPEAKER_01: Number eight, pray.
SPEAKER_01: Ah, this is a hard one.
SPEAKER_01: This is the second hardest one.
SPEAKER_01: So the first one is no junk food.
SPEAKER_01: Everybody hates that one.
SPEAKER_01: Second one is pray with your wife or pray with your spouse.
SPEAKER_01: And you guys that are single, you're off the hook.
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to pray with your roommate, but pray with your spouse.
SPEAKER_01: Number nine, communicate with your blood-stained ally.
SPEAKER_01: So you need a blood-stained ally that you communicate each day with saying, I did, I did the whole hard 45.
SPEAKER_01: And then number 10, sexual purity.
SPEAKER_01: Sexual purity.
SPEAKER_01: Some of us are so addicted to porn, and you get and you get your dopamine download, your dopamine fixed through porn.
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna challenge you.
SPEAKER_01: You can break that habit.
SPEAKER_01: You can break the power of porn by re-engineering your brain with a new way of thinking and a new way of living.
SPEAKER_01: If you're involved in extramarital affairs, stop it.
SPEAKER_01: Dumb.
SPEAKER_01: You're being dumb, you're being unhealthy, and guess what?
SPEAKER_01: You're gonna get caught.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus loves you so much you always get caught.
SPEAKER_01: So why don't you catch yourself and end it, stop it, and go back into sexual purity the way God meant you to be.
SPEAKER_01: So last year we had booklets for Whole Heart 45.
SPEAKER_01: We're not doing that this year, it's all online.
SPEAKER_01: You can see on the screen that you can go there, and then it's also at the Welcome Center is the uh the code for you to just go right in and you can download all the checklists and everything if you want to do this.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: That's Coach Pastor Steve today.
SPEAKER_00: So thank you for listening to the Foreign for War podcast.
SPEAKER_00: We hope today's message has empowered you to make a difference in your world.
SPEAKER_00: To connect with Pastor Steve's sermons, books, and blog, visit Steve Holtonline.org.
SPEAKER_00: God bless.