The God of Discipline
Universal Hagar’s Spiritual Church
Youth Sunday Service—National Headquarters—Detroit, Michigan
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Rev. George H. Latimer-Knight, B.Sc.
Text: Proverbs 12:11
Introduction
- We are still dealing with the theme — 2012: The Year of Wise Execution
- The spirit gave me a thought or quote I’d like to share with you.
- “When one accepts the reality of death, they receive the power to live.”
“Walking a New Road” by Jim Rohn
- Paragraphs 1-2 (((summarize)))
- “Ten years from now you will surely arrive. The question is, where?”
- ““Do not kid myself anymore” day…I didn’t want to be disillusioned anymore.”
- Crossed-finger theory
- Proverbs 12:11 NIV, “He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.”
- Paragraphs 3-4 (((read aloud)))
- A few minor changes may be the only thing between you and your destiny.
- Bible Knowledge — There are 1189 chapters in the bible. If starting March 1, 2012 you read four chapters a day, you would be finished reading the entire bible by December 23, 2012. And if you extend your goal date to December 31, 2012, you will have eight grace days in case you get behind schedule here and there.
- Prayer Life — Commit yourself to praying a short prayer before bed and when first waking up. Commit yourself to praying at, at least one good hour (6, 7, 9, 12 am/pm) per day. Commit yourself to reading the current (or a past) meditation at least once per week. Commit yourself to keeping a handwritten list of all saints, friends, and family that need prayer—and pray down the list throughout the week. Do these four things for several months, you will end up with a stronger prayer life than the average person.
- Financial Life — For the young people… If you put $500 in a Roth IRA (a retirement account) when you’re 18 and don’t touch it for 50 years, you’ll have approximately $27k when you turn 68. Add an extra $100 a year and it’ll increase to $93k. Start with $1000 you’ll have approximately $54k. Add an extra $100 a year and it’ll increase to 120k.
- Paragraphs 5-7 (((read aloud)))
- “Hoping without acting. Wishing without doing.” — Faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26)
- “I don’t want to make any more errors. Now’s the time to adjust my daily program to take me where I want to go.”
Conclusion
- Father Hurley left us everything we need to success.
- The tools and keys are at our disposal to overcome all our troubles.
Walking a New Road by Jim Rohn
Here is a good question to ask yourself. Ten years from now you will surely arrive. The question is, where? We don’t want to kid ourselves about where. We don’t want to kid ourselves about the road we’re walking.
At age 25, I had a day shortly after I met my mentor Mr. Shoaff called “do not kid myself anymore” day. I didn’t want to be disillusioned anymore. Up until then, I had been using the crossed-finger theory. But after meeting Mr. Shoaff, I finally decided that the crossed-finger theory was not going to get me what I wanted. That it wasn’t where the treasure lies. That I was going to have to make sure which way I was headed.
Then, with the help of Mr. Shoaff, I found with a few reading disciplines, and a few disciplines of mind, and a few disciplines of activity, that when exercised, can begin making all the difference in the world as to where you will arrive.
Just a few changes. Sometimes we get the idea that we’re doing about 10% and there’s about 90% more that we need in order to make the difference for our fortune, but probably the opposite is true. We’re doing enough things to have bought and shared in the good life so far. And maybe all we need is that extra 5% or 10% of intellectual change. Activity change. A refinement of discipline. A refinement of thought. And all we need is the ideas to make those simple changes and the equity starts gathering in one year, three years, five years, 10 years.
I have a good comment for you: Now’s the time to fix the next 10 years. Now, you may have to come to grips with reality and with truth; that’s what was good for me when I met Mr. Shoaff. I was 25 years old, he was 44 years old. And he brought me a wealth of experience and he started asking me the tough questions. “Big question”, he said “Are you reading the books that are going to take you where you want to go in the next 5 years?”
Excellent question. See, you want to make sure. I would assume for all of you, to get to where you want to be in the next 5 years, you are either reading the right books or you’re not. You’re either engaged in the disciplines or you’re not. But, here’s what we don’t want to engage in: disillusion. Hoping without acting. Wishing without doing.
The key is to take a look and say, “Where am I? What could I do to make the changes to make sure that I can take more certain daily steps toward the treasure I want: the mental treasure, the personal treasure, the spiritual treasure, the financial treasure? I don’t want to make any more errors. Now’s the time to adjust my daily program to take me where I want to go.”
In lecturing for more than 40 years, I’ve gotten letters and personal testimonies of people that have done such remarkable things with just a few suggestions. And that is why seminars, tapes and books can be so valuable. Here’s a key idea for us all to remember: We could all use a little coaching. When you’re playing the game, it’s sometimes hard to see it all.
But the key is to start right now making these changes to walk this new road. And here’s what’s exciting to me: just a few daily disciplines makes a great deal of difference in one year, three years, five years. And before you know it, you will be walking a brand-new road.
http://www.jimrohn.com/
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