Consistency is Key - Augsut 26, 2024

Consistency

Saluki downtime August 26, 202

How many of you are really good at something but don’t like it? Maybe a different sport? Board game? 

Consistency

Remember, God Loves you no matter what.

Successful people are not lucky - they are consistent.

Who do you think of and think how did they get there?

Consistency gives power to change.

Successful people do consistently what other people do occasionally.

Occasionally verse is consistent. What are some things you can think of that, if you do them occasionally, they don’t work, but if you do them consistently,  they will work?

saving?

diet and workouts?

Scripture memory?

relationship with someone?

Remember talking about Daniel and his prayer routine? Daniel prayed consistently. It worked for him.

It's not luck; it's consistency.

The greats don't try; they train. Training is doing today what you can do today so that you can do tomorrow what you can't do today.

Proverbs 13:11 - Wealth from get-rich schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.

what is something you do occasionally that you want to do consistently?

Does the life you are living right now shape the life you will live tomorrow?

If you are quitting or giving up because things aren't going your way; you will live life that way after sports.

Hoping doesn't change your life - habits do.

What is something small but consistent that you do as a habit that has helped you in your life?

small and consistent.

Small decisions done consistently over time will change your life.

What do you do when you get about halfway to your goal? Do you celebrate being halfway to your goal? throw a party and take a break?

What do you do when you want to quit?

We cannot consistently do the right things over the long haul in our own power.

Do you agree with that statement?

We need power we don't have—God's power.

I want to encourage you to value progress over perfection.

The 52-day challenge is this exactly. Your plan is on a continued basis—day after day.

What can help you get where you want to go and be who you want to be?

There are many things. Name some.

This is the 52-day challenge—slow, intentional growth.

What area of your life is not what it was or what it should be?

Gravity effect. what does gravity do? Can you defy gravity?

What you sow, you will reap if you want corn, plant corn.

If you plant good habits, you'll get good outcomes. If you plant bad habits, don't be deceived and expect good outcomes.

Take an honest prayerful look at the disappointing parts of your life.

Are you reaping what you are sowing? Do you need to change something?

Galatians 6:7-8

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life"

Magic Penny for 30 days that doubles every day or $5 million dollars. - 5.3 million in Pennys

A slight difference each day adds up and multiplies over time.

Callie says there are no rewinds in life.

Financial - what are you doing now? 

Physical - What are you doing now? 

Spiritual. - What are you doing now? 

Keep doing the right thing each and every day.

Sin is a choice. Sin can throw you off of what you need to do each day.

Matthew 25:29

29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

Galatians 6:9

Let's not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time, we will reap if we do not become weary.

Psalm 1:3

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

Power to Change - Habits - To Do or Not To Do

saluki downtime August 19, 2024

Power to Change - Habits Not Hope

40 percent of actions people take on any given day are the result not of decisions but of habits.

What habits do you have?

If you want to change who you're becoming, change your habits.

If you want to change where you are going, change your habits.

1 peter 4:1-2

"Since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God"

What's the story of Daniel and the Lions den? Anyone?

Daniel's habit caused him to be thrown into the lion's den. Everyone knew of his habit. He wasn't willing to change it for anyone.

What is one habit you refuse to change for anyone?

David's small habit led to him being a huge story in the bible. It doesn't have to be a huge thing to change your life. The small things no one sees can lead to the big results everyone wants.

In the book I am ready he started a new habit every year. It would be anything. He also drops habits when they aren't productive or useful any longer.

Simple things like flossing. Or opening the door for his wife.

He then said when he first became a christian he was hoping he would become closer to God. He then realized hoping would not grow his relationship with God. Habits would.

He started praying with his wife with  just one simple quick prayer every day before work.

then he went to one dessert per week. Completely different but two habits for him. 

You do what you do because of what you think of yourself.

Luke 16:10 - 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 

A Habit is basically behavioral autopilot.

How many of you use a gps to get home?

OK so who uses a gps to get to my house the first time? Or still?

Proverbs 13:20 - Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm"

1. Make your habit obvious.

A small change in what you see can lead to a big shift in what you do.

Do things that make sense to you. Whatever you need to do to create the habit

What can you do to make your habit obvious?

Anyone have anything to share about something specific they do?

What about doing what someone else already does?

If you want to create a habit, think when and where. Details.

Think about, I will do this after I do this. Easy way to create a habit.

2. Make your habit enjoyable.

What can you do to make your habit enjoyable. ?

3. Make your habit easy.

What can you do to make your habit easy?

Don't shoot for the moon.

Zechariah 4:10 - do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.

4. Don't do your habit alone. Tell someone.

What can you do to not do it alone?

Join a club or a gym?

5. Make your habit repetitious.

Making it repetitious will make it go from being hard to start to hard to stop.

What can you do to make your habit repetitious?

Disasters are rarely the result of an isolated decision. They are almost always at the end of a slippery slope.

Story of Samson - went to Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute. Two reasons why he shouldn't have gone. 1. There are prostitutes and 2. This was the headquarters of the Philistines who hated God's people and they hated Samson for that reason.

But Samson went. Samson was from Zora which was 25 miles from Gaza. 

How many steps does it take to go 25 miles? 56,250

Samson didn't ruin his life all at one time.

What are you doing one step at a time?

This led him to a weekend where he was willing to do something outside of God's will. Step by Step, to ruin his life.

What are you doing one step at a time?

Get a hold of your habits. Your habits will help keep you from making decisions one step at a time.

Colossians 3:1-3,Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

10. and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Paul encourages us: Forget who you were. Know who you are in Christ and who you want to become in him

Perfect? Very small chance. Willing - 100%

Colossians 3:5, 8-9

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

8-9 - "But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds"

Habits to start and for sure habits to give up. Hard - of course. Possible - yes.

For with God all things are possible.

Start one at a time. Add one and Remove one. One at a time.

Define it - get your phones out. Write down what it is for you. don't need to show anyone unless you choose to.

You cannot defeat what you cannot define.

Pain comes when starting a new habit. Pain comes from stopping something you are already doing - probably because you enjoy it. Even sin. Sin is usually fun. That's why we choose to do it.

God loves you and wants to watch you succeed.

Remember 56, 250 steps for Samson to ruin his life. He was in a downward spiral.

In the end, Samson's final act of faith and redemption comes when he grasps two pillars of the temple and pushes against them with all his might, saying, "Let me die with the Philistines!" . The temple collapses, killing Samson, thousands of Philistines, and the temple's rulers. Samson's brothers and father's family then bury him in the tomb of his father, Manoah, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

The habits you have today are shaping what you will become tomorrow. One step at a time, your habits are taking you somewhere.

You get to choose.

Pray -

saluki downTime August 12, 2024

Saluki downTime - August 12, 2024

Power to change session 2

Trying versus training

What do you try to do? 

Married couples try to stay married

High school seniors say they will try to stay at their high school weight

Most people say they will try to manage their debt

So how do you win?

Stop trying and start training.

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.

1 corinthians 9:25

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. 1 corinthians 9:27

Train yourself to be godly - 1 timothy 4:7

Train in Greek means to exercise naked. Why would you do this?

How does this relate to your life?

The Greek athletes didn't want anything to get in their way while training.

Trying never achieves consistent results.

system of failure.

you try - you get tired of trying - you quit - you feel embarrassed - you regroup - you try - you get tired of trying - and repeat.

trying doesn't work - training does.

do not try - there is no try.

Do you want to change to get where you want to go?

stop trying and start training? or for some of you, take the little things seriously.

training is doing today what you can do today so that you can do tomorrow what you can't do today.

you have been trying for too long. trying leads to quitting so quit trying.

What are some ways you've tried but failed?

How can you train yourself instead of trying?

Example:   reading your bible? set your alarm, put your bible out, and open your bible all before you go to bed. That's training.

Discipline is not a dirty word.

discipline is choosing what you want most over what you want now.

that “now” desire is seductive because it promises instant gratification.

that most desire rarely provides instant gratification. It takes time and offers you the life that you want.

Marriage

Finances

Spiritually

Purity

discipline is what you want most, not what you want now. It is easier to choose what you want now but you live the life you want by choosing what you want most.

Saying no to temptation feels painful. but if you say yes you go through the pain of guilt. saying no feels painful at the time but the pain of guilt feels worse for longer.

You get to choose - The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.

Desire alone won't get you what you want most but discipline will. Don't avoid the pain of discipline.

Your desires don't determine who you become. Your discipline does.

3 areas where you feel lack of discipline.

3 areas where you feel most disciplined.

sometimes we want to change our results so we make goals of what we want to change

Weight, finances, etc. 

Instead, think about changing your actions to get where you want to go.

Why do we fail? Because we try. So how do we win?

Change your habits.

What is a habit?

a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.

Have any of you stayed dating someone out of habit? You just got used to it? Your brain said text her. or go to his house after practice? Your habit kept you in the relationship? Anyone?

Now you need to make the next right choice.

We don't want to focus on outcomes. Just make the next right choice. 52 challenge.

If you make doing the habit your win, you can win every day.

Private discipline paves the way to public success. You don't have to tell anyone.

You get results by focusing on the actions that get results.

Consistency does not require perfection.

Go from goal to habit. goal - get closer to God. Habit - read the bible every day or commit to a bible study or church weekly.

Habit to stop - sleeping in on Sunday. or hitting snooze every morning.

Think to yourself - "I'm in training."

Focus on who before “do”.

define your wins

train not try.

focus on inputs, not outcomes.

Think to yourself - I'm successful when I train today.