A Disciplined Heart - Tim Martin

Well, good morning, good morning. It's good to see you all.

I have had the privilege of driving through this valley one time a year or

two ago, and oh I saw was fog. That was one day.

So I'm happy to be here. We're happy to be here. My wife

and I are happy to be here with you all for this weekend. I've

been thinking about it and praying about it, son, and I'm glad to

be here with my wife. Joanne. You fit right into that row of

young ladies. There. There was a lady on the plane yesterday. She

was in her seventies and she said to Joanne, well, we got that

when we were getting up from our seats, and she said, she looked

at me, and she looked at her. She said, how did you

look so young? And he looked, so, you know old anyway,

Oh, I am a little older than you. Youth. I will accept

that. I consider myself now to be midlife, but in many ways I

still have some youth at heart, and I feel connection to youth and the

fact that, yes, it's not been so many years. I think about

a youth, my own youth, and no, I don't know. Maybe

I'll get to some of that as we go along here this weekend. But

God's been very good to me. He's been very merciful to me. And

I hope that this weekend, and I'm confident that this weekend can be a

time. You see, I really do believe truth gets laid upon us.

Movement in our hearts happens fairly small increments, not always. You know,

my brother just brought it, took us to the account of Paul. One

thing about Paul is he was very passionate about things of God to begin with.

He was just misguided, right, and so he flipped, he made

a turn. And so we all have those places in our lives where we

take big steps. But by and large, my point is is that growth

in our lives it's a little bit here and a little bit there, and

reminds me of the Bible verse that says line upon line, line upon line,

precept upon precept, precept upon precept. Here there little here, a

little there, little And so yeah, I hope that through our study and

prayer and worship this weekend, at least a little happens, some kind of

growth happens, And so we're going to trust that to Almighty God. I

do believe that The only work that will be done here in our hearts is

what God does. Now, it's sometimes nice to invite a speaker to come

from, you know, out of town. I don't know you all,

you don't know me, and so I might just be a little freer and

you can't blame me. He's picking on me. You can't do that.

So there's some value in that. But mainly, what I suggest to you

this morning is it's not about how brilliant I am, or how well I

can deliver, or how personable I am. I know that we have our

personalities. I'm not trying to set that aside. But my heart is is

that it's really what God does in your hearts. It's really what God does,

and that gives me a lot of comfort. But I would like us

let's just our heads and ask God to do that. Father, God,

I asked that you would do what only you can do in our meetings here

today and this weekend. Lord, we thank you for each one of these

youth. Lord, you know the gifts, the opportunities the future in ways

that none of us do, and so I pray that this weekend would be

just another step in the journey. Lord. We're excited about big things,

but we're also excited about those small steps, those increments. And so I

pray that you would move. I pray we ask O God, that your

spirit would move among us, and that it would touch the hearts of these

youth. Lord, help us to be not be afraid of that. I

just asked that you'd help us to embrace that this morning. Help us to

open our hearts to your spirit and your ministry and our hearts this morning.

We ask it in Jesus' name. Men. I already mentioned that my wife's

here with me. I'm happy about that. We have eight children we left

behind. Our oldest is twenty four, she's spending she's been in Ukraine for

nine months teaching school. And then I think my oldest son will be here

and tomorrow, and we have a son, we have another son that's dating

and engaged, me married, and then there's five at home. So that's

sort of our status in life. A lot of us are. Yeah,

it's still when we're all at home. There's still eight children at home,

so that's where we're at. But we've been very thankful and blessed to have

been blessed with eight children. And so I guess one thing I want to

connect with you on that is, while I have left my youth behind,

I still have the opportunity to live with youth every day. So I know

what your parents are putting up with. That's what I'm saying, a disciplined

heart. I was impressed with this schedule because you all get up on a

Friday morning and just get right into it, and we want to talk about

discipline, and we're excited about discipline, and we are none of us like

to see the you know, I think the speed limit out here twenty five,

and I'm guessing if I get too carried away, I might receive some

discipline, right. You know, accountability and discipline still doesn't usually feel that

good. There's just something about the mechanics and the the threat of discipline that

we don't really like the idea. That's just the naturals. I believe it's

fairly natural. However, you and I both know for a fact that discipline

also brings freedom. We've experienced it in some way or another. If you

haven't experienced that it at all, ever, then you're sitting here on these

benches as a pretty broken individual, like pretty needy individual. So our question

isn't so much do we know what discipline is about, but it's it is

to to sort of embrace it here in this topic and to explore it and

try to understand, like, how is this going to make me a better

person? How can I become? You know, sometimes we do notice,

Yeah, okay, I'll bring in I'll bring in sports. I mean sports

is obviously it's it's a god of this world. It's it's but let's use

it for a moment. The person that can play hockey very very well,

or that can play basketball very very well. What does it take? Train?

Train, train, discipline, discipline, discipline everything. And that's one

of the reasons why you'll take like a there's a lot of leadership teaching that

comes out of the army as well, and particularly into your special forces,

because they hone and they train and they bring discipline to that team to it's

just as sharp as a knife, and it will it will know how to

respond and move and reshape itself and continue towards the objective like nothing else.

That doesn't just happen. And so to have a discipline heart doesn't just happen

either, like it takes. It takes some real work, and that's what

we're exploring here this morning. There was this If you have your program,

you'll notice there's this statement I think on there that says, well, it's

okay, I have it here. Says there can be structure without life,

but no life. There can be structure without life, but no life without

structure. And I thought about that for a good while, and I believe

it's a basically true statement. I would say it's true in this yesterday we

traveled here by plane, and that plane was able to function because there was

structure, there was order. I'm always impressed by that. Right. The

fact that we're able to be here this morning is because there's oxygen in the

air. There's a host of things that God has placed in us, so

that I get it. There's this idea of structure that's needed for life.

So but we're thinking a little bit beyond that, aren't we, Because it's

even possible this morning for us to be here and to have to be living,

to even be able to be moderately successful on our Christian life. Right,

just so like most of the time our heads are above water, that's

possible. And so I would suggest that's where the line sort of breaks down.

There can be life without a whole lot of structure. We're thinking about

now our Christian lives or spiritual lives. But today or this morning's topic is

to help us to understand that what God really wants, and I believe what

we desire down in our own hearts is to be very successful, is to

be good at it is to be free, it's to grow and all of

that. And that's where discipline comes in. If we want that kind of

life, we're going to have to have. There's going to need to be

discipline. There's going to need to be structure that we bring into our lives.

And so we'll be thinking about that some more here as we go along.

So we're sort of considering good, better and best right because we are

ready are this This topic starts out well, I'm starting out from the standpoint

that those who I'm speaking to have already laid down the whole foundation of life,

which is Jesus Christ right cornerstone. We're not stumbling over it anymore.

It's not a rock of offense to us. We've chosen, we've believe,

we're building on that. There's life, But how can we grow on that?

How can we develop in that how can we become more like we know

God wants us to be. How can we be freer persons? See,

unless the youth, the unless the west produces youth that are completely different than

the east. Let's just go to my own life. Go to your own

life. The fact of the matter is is that with a youth group decides

it's what fifty fifty of you or so here this morning, there's no doubt

that there is sitting here in these benches that you, even right now are

thinking about this discussion. So far, already this morning has opened up some

questions about my own life. I'm not really satisfied with that that could be

better. You know, it's pretty broken right here. And so this is

to help us and then to thinking about how do we go from from survival

to healthy producing Christians, effective team workers. I suggest to you that every

activity in this life is made better by discipline, every activity and if you

want to, if you want to, if you're talking about work, absolutely

you know it often starts with setting an alarm and getting up when the alarm

goes off, right right. I don't know if any young men have any

problems like that over here in the West or not or young ladies for that

matter. So everything in his life is made better by discipline. And again

we already understand that. Yeah, just just just to expand a little bit.

Obviously discipline I already mention it with like the sports, but it expands

into every area of life. And so this kind of teaching can be productive.

I was looking at some different quotes and I chose this one. Warren

Buffett said, you know, the great Oracle of Omaha. You know,

one of the wealthiest men's and men in the world, built his life from

the kitchen table, built his financial empire, very simple and modest men in

many ways. So he's got some really sort of respectable attributes. He said

this. He made this statement, we do not have to be smarter than

the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest. And how

true. And so most anybody that excels in their field, young lady,

whether it's your Christian life, whether it's your work, your teaching, whatever

you're involved with or as a young mother and so on, that's true for

you. We have to be more disciplined if we wish to excel and we

wish to rise up. And so we see that again and again. And

so I already mentioned, as I think about the you know, you,

all us sitting here together, it's possible that there's some here this morning that

are so hanging on. That's possible, just sort of hanging on. It's

possible that you you've backslid in somewhere or trapped in some kind of bondage to

advice or another. And there's others who are experiencing the steady, the steady

climb of growth and are excited about what God has for you and what you're

involved in. And so I think we just need to accept that that all

is here this morning, and I'm here to work with all of that.

I'm here to meet you at every one of those places, and certainly Christ

is here to meet you at every one of those places, and to pull

together to grow from here, to become a better person, to be,

to become a better Christian, to become a more happy and fulfilled person.

See, that's what discipline does you know? My mind went to Hebrews,

chapter twelve and verse eleven. No chase now, no chastening, it says,

And that word chastening means education, training and disciplinary action. No chastening

for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth

the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. I think it's

pretty powerful verse. So if you feel some chastening this morning, praise the

Lord, Praise God. It will and it can bring the peaceable fruits of

righteousness in your life. I have a question up here. Is it possible

to be a fulfilled human without being without violating the law of God? I'll

ask you young ladies. First, somebody want to answer the question. I'm

still going to start over here first, So anybody want to take courage and

give me an answer? Is that an answer? The answer is yes,

well you think, young man. Anybody want to verbalize it? Yes?

Can we answer that together? Shall we say it together? Yes? A

little louder. Yes, it's you know, it seems like on one hand,

it seems like such a simple question. Why should we ask it?

But isn't this where the battle always is? Writing here somewhere because we begin

to think that this thing that's going to fulfill me, you know, I

need that, I need that, And we're understanding here that it is possible

to be fulfilled as a human being without violating the law of God. And

so I'd like to just sort of leave that up here for the rest of

this weekend, and you think about it. You think about it when you're

facing conviction, or when you're thinking about do I want to grow here?

Am I going to accept this discipline? Am I going to discipline my body,

my mind and my spirit to move beyond this place? Am I willing

to let it go? Remember that there is fulfillment, richness, blessing,

pleasures without violating the law of God. And let's circle on that as we

go through this this weekend. Well, the word disciple is used more than

Christian or believer in the Bible, and this is this word disciple has this

idea of control gained by enforcing obedience or order, orderly prescribed conduct or pattern

of behavior, behavior, and then as a verb means to train or develop

by instruction an exercise, especially in self control. Yeah, that's what we're

talking about. Discipline, disciplined heart, discipline, life a disciple. I

do want to put something else up here on the board yet, and then

I have three points, and I think we'll get through that in time.

Okay, So let's let's uh follow me along here. I'm gonna put a

little equation up here. Information yeah, h m hmm. This is my

first, my first little equation here. Information plus inspiration plus will power equals

transformation question mark. So we could consider the content that that I've taught so

far to be information. We can consider the the the the heart that I've

put into this so far, uh to be some inspiration. Okay. In

meantime, working up your heart. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do

it. Will power right equals transformation question mark. H I have an ale

m hm yes, wow e community plus life of practice. You see discipline

disciplines like that. It's not something you receive one Sunday morning. It's not

something you're going to receive on a Friday morning youth conference in Halsey, Oregon.

Okay. It's called repeat, rent and repeat. It's called continual growth.

It's called choosing again on when you rise this morning that I'm going to

press into that. Okay, it's called that. Secondly, it's not just

me as an individual. It's about a collective and we believe it's about the

body of Christ. It's about us here together and this youth conference works.

It's about us, and it's about us sharpening each the other. It's about

us holding each other accountable. That's part, a necessary part of discipline.

And third, it's the power of the Holy Spirit. It's beyond what you

and I can produce. It's beyond that. Now, it is very true

that there are people who are able to discipline themselves into high levels of production.

As I already mentioned sports business, you know, the Elon Musk of

the world. Okay, that's very possible. However, there's big gaping holes

and it's almost always around their spiritual personal journey. Big gaping holes every time.

And so that's the problem up here. That's the problem. And I

suggest to you that we can take off transformation here for good with that,

and we can replace it with informed. We have knowledge, right informed,

and I would add to it informed but defeated. When it comes down to

what God would like to see in our lives, in our hearts. You

can receive the information, you can hear the inspiration, it can touch your

heart and you can decide I'm going to do better. But it's not enough.

It's gonna come up short every time. It'll trip you up every time,

and so we recognize that it means see right here, right here's humility.

Right here is I haven't attained. Right here is I'm not good enough.

Right here, I'm going to need to run the race that the New

Testament talks about. I'm gonna have to do a number of the disciplines.

I'm gonna have to take the disciplines of the New Testament and apply him here.

Yet it is information, but it's a life of practice. We're putting

that into shoeload, and we receive a lot of that in community. A

lot of that teaching comes together, and obviously it involves our parents, It

involves our peers, absolutely, it involves the church body absolutely right here,

And finally, it says, God, you're gonna have to do this.

This is bigger than me. This is bigger than me. And when we

are able to take those things in, I do believe that we end up

over here. Oh I didn't say I could have changed this to transformed and

perfect. I didn't say that. But there's transformation that happens here. Okay,

there's an ongoing transformation that happens here. And I think that I still

have borrowed at least part of this from a brother, and just as I'm

used over it because I heard him share it and made some changes to it.

But see, I think all of us know something about that top line,

don't we? And I believe if we're here in Christ, all of

us know something about the bottom line as well, don't we? And so

that's what I wanted to lift up this morning again too, and just remind

us that that's where that's the equation, and may God help us to apply

this to our lives this morning. Three points pretty simple. But the first

point that I have is keep your heart. I did appreciate the theme verse

that we have, and I want to note that Proverbs four, verse twenty

three, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the

issues of life. Powerful verse keep your heart, that just has this idea

of actually the word keep means to sort of like keep it hidden, to

keep guard of your heart. And I thought that was interesting. What I

saw in that is that your heart is actually a pretty sacred spot some people.

Sometimes we'll say that somebody wears their heart on their sleeve. I guess

that's okay. I mean, usually it means it's somebody that's rather bubbly,

or you can just see, you know, he's having a good day.

Oh he's not having a good day. You know that whole thing. But

by and large, we're talking about this being a sacred spot and the place

that we protect and guard. That's what's being talked about. Keep your heart

for out of it or the issues of life. The heart is the center

of everything. I believe that you have to have heart, they say,

and you do it takes more than just sort of you know, wow,

It just takes more than that. It takes some heart, it takes some

inspiration, and out of it are the issues of life. And so I

ask you this morning, here's a question. Here's a question that I have.

What is it that you want? What do you want? What does

your heart desire? Don't tell me, you don't know, maybe you haven't

thought through it completely, But there's desires and every one of our hearts that

we're doing something with. There is a desire in every one of our hearts

that is shaping our lives. And that's why the proverb writer is saying,

careful guard it, because out of it are the issue of life. Your

life is being shaped right now by what's in your heart. I believe that

to be true. You know the old saying you are what you think.

I'm going to get to that here in just a moment, But you are

what's in your heart? And you wonder, well, wait a minute,

isn't isn't isn't it just you know whatever God's will is for me? Or

isn't it just you know? I'm just here and I don't know what my

life's going to be. Well, there's some truth to all of that.

But I suggest to you this morning that you are shaping the world that you

will live in and grow up in by what's in your heart right now.

And so it's really it's a really important question to ask ourselves what is in

our heart? No? Where do you what kind of dreams do you have?

Where do you see yourself in a decade from now? Ten years,

that's all. Where do you see yourself in a decade from now? Have

you thought about it? Like do you think you do? You want to

be married? You want to have a wife, and oh what kind of

wife are you looking for? Young man? And what kind of husband are

you looking for? Well? I don't think about that. Oh, No,

No, there's a heart. There's some secret things down in there,

and that's good. They're secret guard them closely. It's okay, it's okay

to talk about them to people as well. My point is is that is

shaping your life right now. It's even shaping what you do with your life

right now, how you look right now, It's shaping where you will be

ten years from now. What do you think about a church life? What

kind of what kind of life do I want? I mean, what do

I appreciate? What do I not like? Oh? I haven't thought all

that out all. But there's enough in your heart that it is shaping your

life. That's what I'm suggesting this morning. There's enough in your heart right

now that it's shaping your life. And as it shapes your life, then

those other connections will begin to come together. And sometimes you wonder, how

did that young guy and young lady get together? You know what? What?

Well, there's a whole bunch of things in that. And I don't

pretend to understand all of that except that years before what was in the heart

was being cultivated and it was part of what shaped that connection and that possibility.

Does that make sense to you? I didn't lose you all, did

I I think I think this is I think this is sort of the way

it works. I don't understand it all, and so I really challenged this

this morning. Take a good look, am I okay? With what's in

my heart? What's that going to produce over the next decade? Think about

that? What is your worldview on wealth? What's your worldview on the Great

Cause of Christ. I'm just a young guy. I don't know. Oh,

you're doing something with it. It's true. You haven't thought through it

all, absolutely, none of us, None of us have. We do

mature, we do grow up a little bit, we begin to experience more

things. But what's in your heart? And so, young people this morning,

dream big? Do that. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be excited

about life. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be dreaming about things. Do

that, but dream well. Have aspirations and goals, yes, even unrealistic

ones. They don't all need to be brought down by the actual difficulties of

life, the actual brokenness of life. Have fresh inspiration and aspiration. Do

all of that, but do it in Christ. Do it in surrender,

in obedience, And you will receive the blessing of God and the desires of

your heart. But the pain, the danger, the voids, even the

destruction of a heart that desires the forbidden. That's just rebelling against God,

just rebelling against authority. Yeah, that a word, you know, heart

just rises up. So take a good look at your heart this morning.

Disciplined heart starts with recognizing the lot going on in here, and I need

to take it seriously and I need to look at it and do a little

bit of an examination of my heart because it's shaping my life right now.

So I just want to impress from your heart is the issues of life.

That word issues mean, it's outgoing, like its boundaries, in its borders.

That's what it's mean. It's like out of your heart is like what's

defining. That's what that word issues means. It's like it's defining the borders

of your life. And so the secrets of your heart come out in conscious

and subconscious ways. In conscious and subconscious ways, they come out, and

they are a part of what shapes who we become and what is invited into

our lives. And so this morning, young people, keep your heart,

keep your heart for out of it are the issues of your life. Number

two, keep your mind turn with me to tewod Corinthians, Chapter ten.

Two. Corinthians, Chapter ten, verses three, four and five. Four.

Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.

Verse three says for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but

mighty through God, to the pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations

and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing

into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. I'll stop there. I

think these are quite powerful verses. Now often you'll hear these verses referenced in

a as a as a truth that we build our lives out of having to

do with warfare, and we'll say, well, the weapons of our warfare

are not carnal. We don't pick up the God, we don't take we

don't take people to court those kinds of things. That's true, that's right,

But that's that's sort of the that's sort of the but that's not I'll

put it to you in the positive. But that's not the real heart of

these verses. The heart of these verses is to say you're in a battle.

You are in warfare. This is real. That's what these verses are

saying. The weapons of a warfare. Warfare are not carnal, but mighty

through God. To the pulling down of strongholds. No, it's it's not

the old castle with the moat and the walls and all that. It's not

that. It's right up here. It's here and here, it's in here.

It's in the battle of the mind. And I think it's huge.

And that's where our battles at. That's what it's talking about here right casting

down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself. Well, what are you

talking about? What are we talking about any any imaginations? Now? I

have a I have a daughter that she has a big imagination. The other

day, I came around the side of our garage and I just stopped and

I began to see things like I saw a whole bunch of like scissors and

little trowel and snippers for a bush, and I saw them all like and

the more I look, the more things I saw. Next thing, you

know, I see there's a there's an old light bulb hanging off here,

and and it's like, you know, like seats for you to sit on,

and I'm like, what is all this? You know, it's an

imagination casting down to No, we're not talking about those imaginations and every high

thing that exalteth itself. This verse says itself against the knowledge of God.

He said, well, you might say I'm seventeen, I'm eighteen, I'm

nineteen. I don't even think that deep. I don't know if you do

or not. I know that you have the ability to think that deep.

My point is is that it doesn't matter our maturity level. This morning,

I suggest to you that these verses are applicable to us, and that we

do set things up. We do build worldview, philosophy and theory about life,

and we live in that, and that is where our battle is.

That's what Brother Paul and his letter to the church at Corinth is talking about.

He's saying casting down imaginations, these kind of reasoning theories and grand ideas,

especially those that oppose Christian doctrine. You see, our hearts are deceitful.

We're naturally bent towards deception, deceiving ourselves, deceiving others, the very

least being a little hypocritical times. It's just part of how we're made up

naturally and we develop our own philosophy of right or wrong. Yeah, I

don't think it's a big deal. You know what's wrong with that music?

Well, you have to decide if there is sort of like a lot of

neutral and gray territory in this world or not. That would be at least

a place to start. And if it isn't pulling you towards God and worship

towards the Almighty and the Creator, then it is doing something else. Right,

it is, and so but we want to just sort of create that

own space. And that's what Paul's talking about. That's the mind and its

ability to deceive you. And he said, we need to cast those things

down, casting down imaginations, that kind of philosophy and reasoning that we like

to do. We've got to cast it down, We've got to lay it

down. And he says here, because it's against the knowledge of God.

In short, we can get caught up creating a world to fit our God

into rather than submitting ourselves to the eternal plan of Almighty God. That's what

I'm that's what I'm thinking about here this morning. And so there's no end

to the opposition of what God has designed, and we can so easily be

influenced by it and think no further than that little device. Right, what's

going on in the world just there. It's there's no question that technology is

shaping our lives. Okay. Now, I use technology heavily every day for

what I do, and I just have a simple business. Okay, I

understand. It's toll. I understand all. I think I understand at least

some of the pieces of why it fits into our lives, and I don't

know what else to do about it. However, it's affecting our minds absolutely,

as we know that. I don't want to just stand up and shout

about that, but it is affecting our minds, and it is it is

inserting, it is bringing the world to our fingertips in real time like has

never happened before, and it's it's it's also causing unhealthy spots in our mind

just in other ways. But it certainly is touching us spiritually as well.

And this continual drivel of culture into our minds and psyche through the Internet,

that's what I'm talking about, the manipulation of curated experiences. Do you know

what I'm talking about? You know what curated means any hands up anywhere cre

CEU are at d curated. It's basically, if you have a web browser

and you do searches or you follow any kind of interest, then AI artificial

intelligence creates more of that experience for you. Okay, And so what happens

is it sort of just it just creates that bubble around you. It's completely

artificial, right, and so there's a whole world of that, and that

world is only going to grow youth. You all, you all are going

to be the ones that have to help sort that out as this as it

becomes an ever growing machine. Okay, what am I talking about? I'm

talking about to battle the mind and how that Yes, it does affect our

mind and our hearts. It affects us physically, emotionally and spiritually obviously spiritually

is sort of what we're focused on here this morning. Let's just be mindful

of it. We should be concerned about it, and we should talk about

it. Casting down imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge

of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. What

statement, how many here have done it? Every thought into captivity to the

obedience of Christ. I was had my hand up to see a raise of

hands, and I need to put mine down too, because that's just where

our minds are at. They are a place where battle happens. It's a

place where warfare is needed. If we're going to discipline our hearts, if

we're going to live any kind of a discipline life, we've got to recognize

there's a lot of work that happens right here. And we're going to have

to help that by the environment we put ourselves into, by the kind of

friends that we choose, by the inputs that we put into our lives and

yes moves. Move the technology aside and bring in truth, bring in prayer,

bring in godly music, bring that into our lives. We have to

keep those inputs coming if we have any chance of winning this battle. But

you can do it. You can do it. See that old song.

Each victory will help you some other to win. That's life of practice.

And so there is an exponential thing that happened. There is a multiplication factor

to victory to discipline, and so we're gonna see if we're can to experience

that, and we're going to do it in community and We're going to do

it by the power of the Holy Spirit, and out of that is going

to come the transformation that God's looking for. I must touch it on.

Think how we think about ourselves? I mean, all of us think something

about ourselves. And I even I thought about myself this morning. I thought

about being uncomfortable about getting up here and speaking in front of you. I

thought about where am I going to start? Where am I going to go?

These notes? I'm not sure. They look sort of dead to me?

Is their life here? Is their meat? Here? What are you

all going to think about me? I think I had probably some pieces of

all of that this morning already when I got up this morning and thought and

prayed about this. Okay, that's just that, I understand that. But

I'm asking you, how do you think about yourself the end of the day.

My heart is is that what's gonna help me counteract all those things I

just brought up about myself is to understand it's not about me in the first

place. Number one. Secondly, I'll just share and God will do the

rest. And third it'll be okay. You know, people will think what

they think and that'll just be all right. What are you doing with yourself

in your own mind? Are you accepting of who you are? Can you

accept who you are? Can you do that? Can I just give you

a fact. It's not my feelings, it's just a fact. You are

created as you are by Almighty God for a purpose. Period to believe it.

It's true. Now, can we move on? You know, we

do think about we do struggle with thoughts of inadequacy. We struggle with Yeah,

on one hand, we think about how, you know, how we're

just inacq adequate in this area or another. But on the other hand,

we think about did you see all those sets or spikes that I made last

night? You know? You know. So there's one hand, there's this

inadequacy stuff. On the other hand, there's this pride stuff. But you

know what, you know what's at the center of all of that, right

it's me, It's I, It's this person. It's a lot of focus

in here. And so I'm asking us can we under can we can we

accept that I've been created by all mini God for a purpose? And then

can we move on? Let's try to do that. Let's discipline, discipline

our minds on our heart, Let's do battle in our minds in that area.

I think we need to do that. And oh, I have too

much here. Sorry, let's talk about doubt and fear just for a little

bit. Fear is a very real thing. It actually is a necessary part

of life. It helps us to get some things done. There's a certain

amount of fear that I need to get me to prepare to do the hard

work of writing notes. Yeah, so that it is motivated, is a

motivator. But doubt and fear is also doubt and fear is also the playground

of of of our enemy. No doubt about it. Wants to destroy you

with doubt and fear. I'm a nobody, I'm no good I don't have

good parents. I don't have a good situation here. You know. I

have a stutter. I'm too short, I'm too fat, I'm too a

host things. Devil would like to leverage every one of those to destroy your

mind, to keep you in a trap. And let's not allow that,

by God's bye, by good godly disciplines. Let's just be mindful. That's

a place of battle. What are we to do with our minds? God

words spells it out, doesn't he Philippians four, verse eight, whatsoever things

are what help me out here? True? Whatsoever things are just? Whatsoever

things are I'm sure I don't have them in the right order, because I

don't have it written down either. Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are

lovely? Yes, I do. Whatsoever things are honest? Okay, whatsoever

things are true? Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just? Whatsoever

things are pure? Whatsoever things are lovely? Whatsoever things are of good report?

If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think

on these things. And so let's do that seriously. When you get into

that mindset or there's a lot going on in here that you know is not

healthy, could you just pause it for a moment. I say, now,

what am I to you? Think about? Whatsoever things are true?

Whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are just? Good? Report? If

there be any virtue? All of that. Do that? And verse seven

says, and the peace of God, which passeth understanding, shall keep your

hearts and your minds see through Christ Jesus. So discipline your mind, and

you have to dinner. I need to interrupt the thoughts of my mind with

good, true, pure, lovely. Do you know what a mind that's

actually percolating on this list of things. Is a really nice place to be.

It's a happy place to be. It's a RESTful place to be.

It really is. Yeah, it's a fulfilled place to be. All right,

God has not given us. Oh, I need to say this,

God hath not given us first second Timothy one seven for God hath not given

us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a what

did I hear it over here? Sound mind? Now? Do you know

what that word sound means? Healthy? Do you know what that word sound

means? I didn't realize this until I looked it up because I was thinking

about it. I'm like, I wonder what that word sound means? Do

you know what it means? I was surprised because sometimes we'll do this as

preachers. We're guilty of fitting stuff and says, yeah, this proves my

point, Well, this one actually did sound mind? That word sound means

discipline, self control, that's it, that's what it means. I didn't.

I didn't see that one coming. I thought, you know, uh,

think on. God has not given the spirit of fear. That's that's

great. He didn't give that to us. That's not God Okay, He's

given us power. He wants us to be powerful and successful. He wants

us to to to not just survive, he wants us to excel. He

wants us to be successful in our Christian lives right, and and all of

that. To me, I was thinking that gives us a sound mind,

like a good place to work from. Well. Discipline and self control brings

some cooperation in, doesn't it. Do you follow me on that? It

says that I have a part of this. God can get God, God's

God's gonna come in there and help us out a lot. But I have

a choice to make in this sound mind thing, and I'm gonna need to

discipline my mind and control it. I'm gonna have to put some energy into

it, and I think we can do that. All right. Last point,

I'll make it very brief. Promise, keep your body. I know

that we should have more time for this. But know you not that they

which run in a race run all but one receiveth the prize. So run

that you may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is disciplined.

The word temperate, that's what it means in all things. Now they

do it to obtain a They do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but

we end incorruptible. So this past Sunday, there was a visitor at our

church at Altoona, and I was like, I think I remember hearing about

this this guy that he does a lot of running. And so I sat

down across from fellowship meal from him. And by the way, his plate

wasn't like really heaped up number one number two? I don't think he did,

and he deserved. But he's a pretty slim guy. Said hey,

brother, you still running? Yeah? I do? Does he run every

day? Pretty much? Said? How much you run every day? Five

miles? How many of you here are running five miles every day? Now,

I'm not saying that you should do that. I'm just saying this is

a very normal young guy. I know that he drives an hour for work

each way morning and evening, so there's two hours of his day. He

works ten hours a day in a landscaping job. Now that's not like sitting

behind a desk, right, he goes running five miles in the evening.

Why does he do that? I don't know all the reasons, but I

do know him and his brother pretty well, and I think it has a

lot to do with discipline. And I suggest to you, young men,

young ladies, that the discipline that it takes to run those five miles is

also part of the discipline that he leverages into his own life for moral purity

and just fighting the good fight of faith. Does that make sense? And

I think it's pretty impressive very you know, I wouldn't know about that unless

I Yeah, he's not a guy who's bragging about it. I just had

known that about him, and I was impressed again when he told me.

I said, Hey, how often would it happen if you only did it

when you felt like it? He said, not nearly as often as every

day. Abraham Lincoln said, discipline is choosing between what you want now and

what you want most. Boy, that's that's a place of discipline, isn't

It's a place of struggle, And so may God help us in that.

So, yes, obviously, men, meekness is a wonderful attribute. It

means strength under contry. So meekness doesn't make us, you know, a

bunch of shriveled up little guys. Yeah, No, that's not. Meekness

is when we develop the strength and characteristics of manhood and manliness, but we

channel it in humility and respect and love to those around us. It's meekness,

and so keep your body. This thing of discipline is it's about finding

those That's that's what I encourage us to do. Be strong, be manly,

be gentlemen, Be pure, and you will be blessed. Young ladies,

be sweet, be kind to one another. Be gentle. Did I

already say be sweet? I think I did. Be feminine, be modest

for all of us. We're called to show the fruits of the spirit.

And did you know the fruits of the spirit include moderation, which is discipline.

Fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, long suffering,

gentleness. I don't think I have it quite in the right order. Temperance,

meekness, those fruits. That's a disciplined life. It's a beautiful life.

It's a life worth living. And I guarantee you the more the fruits

of the Spirit are evident in my life, the more I receive blessing,

and the more the Kingdom of God is advanced, the more others notice.

And so let discipline. Let's discipline our hearts to love the good things.

Let's discipline our hearts to love the good things. There's so many good things.

You know. Satan did not produce one pleasant thing. I'll say it

again, Satan did not produce beauty, lovely and pleasant things. He didn't

produce that. God produced all of that. Satan twists those things and he

says, you're not going to be fulfilled unless you violate here or there,

and that that's a lie. And so may God help us. Everything about

our lives does need discipline, disciplined heart. It's a blessed place to be.

May God bless you, And I pray that somewhere through this little study,

just an increment. We'll take big jumps, but just a peace,

just a peace, make God bless you