Win the Day #3 | Eat the Frog
Winning The Day is about filling your day with the things that move you in the direction you want to go. Removing things that aren’t taking you there.
String enough of those winning days together and you win at life.
The opposite is true as well. String together a bunch of days, weeks, years of sloppy living and you end up with a sloppy life. It’s not about cramming your day with a million different things.
You have to understand your season and get intentional about what happens in your day. You don’t have to fill every minute with something. But make sure you put the big rocks in first.
What’s most important to you?
Make sure those things go in your schedule first!
Eat The Frog
If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
- Mark Twain
Winning the day starts with a mindset. If you do little things like they are big things God will do big things like they are little things. The way you do small things is the way you do big things. The way you do anything is the way you do everything.
Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
Luke 16:11 “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?
Luke 16:12 “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
You have to be:
- Faithful in small things
- Faithful in finances – get true riches
- Faithful in that which belongs to another
If you’ll be faithful with what you have, you’re more likely to be faithful with what you get.
Small wins accumulate into big gains.
British cycling coach: Dave Brailsford believed in a concept that he referred to as the “aggregation of marginal gains.” He explained it as “the 1 percent margin for improvement in everything you do.”
His belief was that if you improved every area related to cycling by just 1%, then those small gains would add up to remarkable improvement. You cannot plan Pentecost but you can prepare for it. How? By praying in an upper room for 10 days in a row!
If you do the right thing day in and day out you will eventually unleash the power of 24 hours!
Ephesians 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,
Ephesians 5:16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Look exactly at how you are spending your time.
Most of us fool ourselves with our intentions even when we have good intentions.
We say our relationship with God is the most important thing in our life
- Prayer and Bible time
- Our family is important
- Growing or changing in our career
We have the intention for these things but we need to spend time on them.
Otherwise, they remain intention only, they remain as undeveloped potential.
All of us are given different capacities in gifting But all of us are given exactly the same amount of time.
I don’t have time is a lie we tell ourselves.
This is how I’ve chosen to spend my time– is the truth.
You can waste your time Or spend your time.
How you spend your time sets the direction of your life. Look at your hours as dollar bills.
Everyone in this room is given 24 dollar bills to spend
- 168 in a week
- 720 in a month
- 8,760 in a year
Make the most of your time.
Time has a tendency to want to get away from us
The tendency is toward wasting time. It requires a choice to spend time on purpose.
Some of your time needs to be spent on purpose
- On your purpose
- For your purpose
- Specifically on purpose
If your relationship with God is important to you. Is 7 hours out of 168 one week worth spending on that relationship?
If your relationship with your wife is important to you… Have you gone 720 hours – one month – and not spent one evening – 6 hours – alone with her just investing into your relationship?
Do you have a dream, a vision for the future
- How many of the last 720 hours have you spent on developing it
- How many of the last 8760 hours have you spent on it
- Has a whole year gone by and you haven’t spent any of your hours on your purpose
I’m not talking about cramming busyness into your day. We’re not trying to make sure every minute is productive.
I’m talking about making some of your hours productive. Some of your hours need to be spent on purpose.
Some hours are spent on necessity:
- Sleeping
- Eating
- Waiting for the rest of your family to get ready
But we need to plan time for:
- Thinking
- Dreaming
- Recreation
- Doing nothing
We need to understand what the will of the Lord is.
Before you can know how to spend your hours, you have to know how you want to spend your life.
Establish the compass, before you set the clock.
What do you want to do with your life?
What does God want you to do with your life?
What do you want written on your tombstone?
- He loved God and helped others fulfill their destiny
Once you know life purpose, you can spend time on that purpose/
Even if you don’t know absolutely your life purpose
- Pursue what you understand today to be the will of God
- More understanding will be released to you
To Win The Day Start The Day Right
To Win The Day it helps to Win The Morning
How you start the day sets the tone for the rest of the day. Yet many of us never give the morning a second thought beyond getting out of the door on time. Consistency beats intensity seven days a week.
Learning how to win the morning will work wonders for your life. Winning the Morning means winning the evening before the morning.
The morning routine doesn’t begin in the morning. It begins the night before when you go to bed.
Learn how to work from rest rather than having to rest from work
Luke 10:38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
Luke 10:39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.
Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
Luke 10:41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
Luke 10:42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Only one thing is necessary
A lot of stuff is important… but only One Thing is necessary.
We all live full, busy lives, but we have to adjust to this Jesus mindset.
Only One Thing is necessary
Positioning yourself to hear a word from Jesus is what’s absolutely necessary
Family time is important.
Hobbies are important.
Work is important.
Exercise is important.
You (me) – we have to make this THE big rock
In terms of time:
- Scheduling
- Priority
- What absolutely must happen
Seek first the kingdom of God and God will see to it that all the things you need will be added to you.
Each day becomes valuable or useful on this choice
Your day can be counted as a victory if:
At some point in the day, you choose to sit at the feet of Jesus & listen to His Word.
Over time, this will give you victory in every area of your life… in every arena.
Positioning yourself to hear a word from Jesus is what’s absolutely necessary.
Listen to what is Jesus saying – now – about:
- Your Marriage
- Your Kids
- Your finances
- Your job
Matthew 4:4 MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD
A word from God is life to your situation. You have to make a choice
Mary had chosen.
You will not find time – You have to make time
Delete something in order to create some breathing room. To meet with Jesus. To connect with the Holy Spirit. You can’t keep adding things to your schedule.
We keep thinking life requires us to do more. God’s heart priority is on the devotion of our heart toward Him.
He can do more than we could ever do
Focus on worship, adoration, Obsession with Jesus, Listening to the Holy Spirit.
Let God be God.
Let me be a worshipper.
He is I am.
I am not.
But He is.
I will focus on worship, adoration, extravagant devotion, listening.
Let God be God.
Instead of asking God to bless my furious efforts to make life work, take that energy and aim at a life of worship & devotion.
Then live out of instructions received from that worship zone. Worship first, then work.