(The Truth Will Set You Free) Freedom From More Bad Habits — Zac Poonen

Freedom From Discontent

You are studying the bad habits that we ought to be free from, we've already looked at five of them—pride, dishonesty, unbelief, impurity, and ingratitude. Number six is discontent. That means you are not content with your circumstances or the type of a face God has given you.

The type of intelligence God has given you, or discontent with your parents, discontent with your job, and grumbling and complaining that have come out of that. Many of these things are connected, but it's good for us to look at them separately so that we don't miss out on something.

Many people, their life is full of a lack of joy because they've always got something they're unhappy with. A Christian life is meant to be one of perfect contentment. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4 and verse 11, I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.

That was one of the great secrets of his life. And what was his state? Sometimes he was in a prison, sometimes he was beaten and left on the road on the fields half-dead. He was content. Sometimes he was praised because God used him to heal the sick.

He was content. One was not different for him than the other. Whatever lot God appointed for him, he was content. History tells us that the Apostle Paul was only four feet eleven inches high. So if he was standing in the pulpit, you'd just about see his head.

He had to lower the mic right down there. He was bald with a hooked nose. He wasn't very good looking. But that's the man God used to turn the world upside down. But he was content. He could never have turned the world upside down if he was discontent with his appearance or his looks and said, Lord, why don't you make me a little taller, a little more handsome, or something like that.

As long as you're discontent, the devil got a hold on you. Something. Make sure that you've eliminated discontentment completely. Some of you got married many years ago, but you still haven't become content with your partner.

What are you waiting for? For her to die? So you can find someone better. I tell you, the next one you get will be worse. So be content with what God has given you. I believe many of your problems will be solved.

You can learn contentment. I have learned. It's an education. It doesn't come automatically. Paul said, I have learned to be content. Be content with the husband God's given you. Some people are not content with the children God's given them.

You feel they should have been more intelligent or better looking or something like that. Well, whatever they got, they got from you. Don't blame them. Be content with what you have. Be content with your circumstances.

If you can find a better job, by all means, look for a better job. But until you get that one, be content. Because by perpetual complaining and grumbling, you're only disappointing yourself. It's really true that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

And the devil knows that, even if you don't know it. May I make it 8 The joy of the Lord is our strength. And if the devil wants to make you weak, all he's got to take away from your life is the joy.

I happen to discover that when your life is full of joy, you're able to do a lot of things which you thought you couldn't do otherwise. How it's very difficult for temptation to overcome you when your life is full of joy.

So you've got to eliminate discontentment completely from your life. Completely. Lord, I'm going to be content. And I'm not going to compare myself with somebody else's lot in life. I'm going to be content with what I have.

And when I'm content with what I have, I'll never be jealous. Jealousy comes out of discontentment. I'm not happy with what I have. I feel somebody else has got something better, and then I'm jealous of them.

And that jealousy destroys me. So you've got to eliminate discontentment if you want to eliminate jealousy. God knows exactly what is best for you. And be happy with your present circumstances until He changes them.

Sometimes our circumstances may be difficult. When Paul is in jail, he doesn't say, OK, I'm happy to live in jail forever. He wanted to be free, just like anybody in jail wants to be free. But he says in Philippians, I think you Philippians are praying for me and I believe your prayers will deliver me from jail.

That's what he said. So discontentment doesn't mean acceptance of some complicated situation. No. Acceptance is different. I don't accept it, but I'm content with it until God changes it. That's the meaning.

Certain things, as I said, marriage and all, you can't change. But a job, for example, you move into a house and you're not very happy with it. There's nothing wrong in looking for a better house. So I don't mean you don't take my words in a stupid way.

I'm not saying you've got to accept something which you can change. But like that old prayer says, Lord, give me the serenity. Serenity means that calmness of mind to accept the things I cannot change.

Courage or the boldness to change the things that I can change. And the wisdom to know the difference between the two, which things I can change and which things I cannot change. A very good prayer. Lord, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference between the two.

So there are certain things which can never be changed. For example, the way you look, the color of your skin, and things like that. And certain circumstances can never be changed. You can't ever change your parents.

You can't change your wife or husband. You can't change your children. I mean, the type of children you have. We hope they'll be better. But if we are content there, there can be a transformation in that situation.

So we've got to eliminate from our life all discontent. Even spiritually, don't compare yourself with somebody else and wish you had what you had. Okay, number seven. Another bad habit that we've got to eliminate from our life is the habit of wastefulness.

Jesus’ Teaching on Wastefulness

When Jesus distributed the five loaves and two fishes, he said, gather up all that remains. Don't waste anything. That means Jesus made much more than was necessary. He said, don't waste it, gather it up.

And they collected 12 baskets full. And because they collected, that wasn't the, you know, the broken bones which people had chewed and thrown out. He wasn't telling them to clear up the countryside. That he already did.

He probably told them themselves, all the 5 ,000. I can't even imagine 12 people clearing up the countryside of 10 ,000 people's rubbish. I think Jesus would have told them to clear it up themselves. But what was left over of good loaves and fishes, that's what he said, don't leave it lying around here.

And because they collected it, each of those 12 disciples had a basket to take home and show their families, see what the Lord did. Here is, this is not ordinary loaves. This is miraculously produced loaves.

Taste it and see. You never tasted loaves like this. God blesses our families. So something good can come when we stop wastefulness in our lives. There's a, in the lives of a lot of young people, there's a lot of wastage of time.

Because when they have plenty of time, they tend to waste it. There's a lot of wastage of money on unnecessary purchases. So we must learn to be frugal, to be careful. I tell you that that will help you tremendously when you get married.

If you marry a waster of a woman, boy, you're going to be bankrupt. But if you marry a woman who is known in her home to not waste anything, not throw away a pair of socks just because it's torn, stitch it and use it.

And just because a garment is torn a little bit somewhere, say, throw it away. No, stitch it and use it. Don't waste money. God tests us in all these things. I know in my younger days, I earned a lot of money as a naval officer.

But I tried my best not to waste any of it. I would live very simply if I had to eat outside. I would find some clean hotel, but a cheap one, not an expensive one. And if my clothes were torn, I'd stitch it up and use it again.

And these are little things. But when God sees that you're faithful with little things, He'll commit a ministry to you. The same with time. See, I was working when I studied the Bible. But I found there were bits of time during the day which I could use.

I used to carry a New Testament in my pocket. Sitting in a bus stand, I could read the New Testament. Waiting in a garment office, I could read the New Testament. That's how I learned the Bible. There are lots of bits of time during the day.

Don't waste them. Make use of them to grab those opportunities to study the Word, to... See, if you have extra money because you saved it somewhere, you can use it for something good. I remember the money I saved by not spending on extra clothing.

I could buy some Bibles for some poor people when I was a young man who couldn't afford to buy a Bible. I used to give them Bibles or something like that. And I find that so many people were helped and blessed by little things you can do.

But if you only think of yourself, say, I've got plenty. You don't care for others. I don't think God will ever in His life, ever in your life, give you a ministry. But if He sees you're thoughtful and you're careful with not wasting money.

Don't waste time or waste money, but you're frugal and careful. I believe God can... God will watch that. Because the Bible says, He who is faithful in a little thing is faithful also in much. And when God sees you're very faithful with money and material things, the Bible says in Luke chapter 16, verse 11, He will give you the true riches.

When I was a young man and I said, Lord, I want to speak your word. And the Lord said to me, be careful with your mouth and be careful with your money. And then I'll be with your mouth. That means I had to be careful with the words I spoke in private conversations, that I wasn't a gossiper, a backbiter, and I wasn't a listener to gossip and etc.

And I wouldn't transmit information that somebody told me I would keep it secret. So I was careful with my mouth. And the second area was to be careful with money, that I wouldn't waste money. I try to do that even today.

Then the Lord said, I'll be with your mouth. And I know why the Lord is not with the mouth of many people. Because they're not careful with their speech. And they're not careful with money. I believe God can use many of you young people, even you young sisters, you may not be preachers, standing up on a platform.

But you can have a tremendous ministry of blessing many sisters and young people who are needy today, if you're careful not to waste. Number eight. Another thing we got to get rid of completely from our life is particularly young people.

Overcoming Discouragement After Failure

Discouragement. Discouragement is a no entry road. We follow God's traffic rules. When you see the road discouragement, there's a sign there that says, only one way. That means you can come out of there, but you can't go in there.

Okay. Discouragement, condemning yourself. These are all roads which are no entry. You're not supposed to go in, you can come out of there. Only one way. Why? Because when you get discouraged, it's the first step to another failure.

Definite. I, you know, in my younger days, I wish somebody had told me this. I found, I'd slip up and fall somewhere as a believer, and I'd get so discouraged. And then the devil would say, what does it matter?

You've already fallen. You might as well fall a second time. And I'd fall a second time. It took me years to discover this is a very clever trick of the devil. He'd get me discouraged over my first failure.

And then I'd fall a second time. Now, if I had not got discouraged over my first failure, at least I'd have fallen only once, not a second time. And you notice that in your life? When the devil makes you discouraged about anything, maybe your exam results that came yesterday or whatever it is.

But see, some of you are encouraged because of the exam results that came yesterday. Do you feel how, do you see how you can get a little victory over sin today? Example. How encouragement really helps you.

So don't allow the devil to discourage you, ever. Nothing is serious except sin. Even your exam results are not serious. Not at all. I don't know whether Peter ever came first in his class. I don't think so.

I think my guess is that Peter came pretty close to the bottom of the class, but he didn't get discouraged. I mean, he did once upon a time when he failed the Lord so badly, he said, I'm going back to my fishing, but the Lord called him right back.

I want to say to you, it doesn't matter even if you have denied the Lord three times like Peter, don't get discouraged. The Lord has a plan and a ministry for you. No matter where you are, no matter how much you have failed, no matter how much you have sunk, even when you hit rock bottom, don't get discouraged.

While there's life, there's hope. And no matter even if you have fallen more than anybody else, you say, I will not get discouraged. I am going to still make it. Even if you're running a marathon race and you've already fallen a hundred times, that's fine.

I'm still going to run. I'm going to run as if I'm going to win. And you'll be amazed what God does through you. The Bible is full of examples of its great men who failed many times. Abraham told lies more than once.

He didn't learn a lesson the first time. He went and told a lie a second time. And many other mistakes he made. And a lot of other people made mistakes. Moses made mistakes. Paul made mistakes. David made mistakes.

But God still used them. But if they got discouraged and said, oh, well, there's no hope for me, then they'd have wasted the rest of their lives. So you must determine in your life that by the grace of God, you will never get discouraged, no matter how much you failed or how deeply you failed.

Even if everything goes wrong around you, you're going to have hope. That God is still almighty. He'll do something for me. And you know, if you live like that, you can be a tremendous encouragement to other people.

And don't ever look back over decisions you made in the past. This is a great way in which the devil discourages people. He reminds you of some decision you took two years ago. Oh, if I had not taken this job, or if I had not moved to this place, or if I had not done this thing, or if I had not married this person.

You keep on thinking like that. You feel full of the joy of the Lord when you think like that? No. That itself shows it's the devil who tells you. And he keeps on adding to the list. And then just think of this other thing you did.

And if you hadn't done this, and you hadn't done this, and you hadn't done this. You know, there's a sense in which all of us have to say, we get more wisdom. As we go forward, we look back, and we say, yeah, I could have done that better.

But that only shows that we are growing. You see, for example, if I look back over something I did five years ago, and I have no regret over that. That means I'm not growing. I'll tell you honestly, I have regret over things I did last year, which proves that I'm growing.

And next year, I'll have some regret over the things I did this year. Hopefully, if I'm growing. So when you have regret over something you did in the past, it only means you're growing spiritually. I can do it better now.

Sure, I can do it better. So what are we going to do? Get discouraged over something we did 20 years ago? I remember when we started our church 30 years ago. In my home, I was a stupid young man of 35 years old.

I mean, not the type of person who was a wise person. And the number of stupid things I did, perhaps only Brother Ian knows fully. The rest of you don't know, thankfully. But I'll tell you this. I did a lot of stupid things.

But I don't live my life in regret over them. No, I said a lot of stupid things, did a lot of stupid things. But I tried to learn from them. And I'll tell you another thing to encourage you. I did not learn by one doing it once wrong.

Sometimes some things I did three, four times wrong before I learned it and even more than that. But gradually, I said, Lord, I want to learn something from my mistakes. Even if I did it 20 times, okay, I did it, I won't get discouraged.

I did the same stupid thing 20 times. But I'm going to learn something. And I learned it. So don't get discouraged by any failure in your life. Okay, number nine. This is one you will all love. Don't be stingy.

Hospitality Instead of Stinginess

Don't you love that? We must be free from stinginess, miserliness. See, we are all born misers, whether you know it or not, whether you realize it or not. Adam is a miser and all the children of Adam are misers.

We're stingy. We cater to our own needs and our family, but we are very miserly towards other people. God is not like that. God is large hearted. God says give, and it will be given to you. Learn to be large hearted.

Learn to be hospitable. You know, the Living Bible paraphrase, I like that paraphrase. I think it's 1 Peter 4 where it says be hospitable towards one another. One of those verses in 1 Peter 4. And the Living Bible paraphrase is like this, get into the habit of inviting people home for a meal on Sunday afternoon.

Great. Get into the habit of inviting somebody home once in a while. I want to ask you, particularly you young people who are newly married, who don't have children. If you are not hospitable, if you don't invite people home when you don't have children, can you imagine what your condition will be?

What a big miser and unhospitalized person you'll be when you have three or four children. Have you ever thought of opening your home to blessed, lonely young people in your church, people you know well?

There were others who were hospitable to you when you were a lonely person. Have you forgotten that? Why don't you open your home now to other people? I'll tell you, there'll be a blessing. I remember in the early days when we had the meetings in our home, we used to have very often young people staying in my house and they were not a nuisance.

They were a blessing. They were a blessing to my children as they grew up. I thank God for them. People used to land up at all types, times and sometimes late at night, they couldn't go home after the meeting.

They'd stay right there and they'd get up early morning and go to the kitchen and make coffee and go off to college. Yeah, it was great and I'm thankful that my children saw that in their young eight years.

What are your children seeing? Now if you have a very small home, I can understand you can't allow, enable people to stay there, but you can surely invite a me person to share that little rice and sambar that you have.

You know, I tell you a lot of people who when they they're not looking for a grand chicken curry or ice cream or any such thing. They're just looking for fellowship. There are a lot of lonely people in your church and I praise God for those who have the gift of hospitality.

Some people have a unique gift of hospitality. I don't think I can compare myself with them, but all of us can be generally hospitable and we're not hospitable because we are stingy. We are miserly. We think only of ourselves and that shows the low level of our Christianity.

So I want to encourage you that right from the day you get married, I'm not asking you to invite people to stay in your house when you get married. No, I don't think that's wise when you get married to have people staying in your house right from day one, but invite them for a meal and you don't have to make anything grand.

Just divide your portion for two into three. If you don't know how to do it, I'll tell you. I'm not asking you to invite me home, but I'll tell you how to divide the portion of two into three. My wife is an expert at it.

When suddenly people land up to suddenly divide it into a few more plates. You ask her, she'll tell you. You don't have to make anything grand. Just share the little that you have. You eat a little less.

That's the whole secret of it. And there'll be something left over for that person. But I tell you, God will bless you. The Bible says, don't hesitate to entertain strangers because some have entertained angels without knowing it.

It's true. Welcome them and you'll find some way the person will be a blessing to you. And if you have children, they'll be a blessing to your children. So let's get rid of this stingy, miserly attitude, which only thinks of ourselves.

Lord, I want to think of other people as well. It's a great habit to develop. And I believe all of us Christians must be known. And I'll tell you this. I'll tell you something I have seen through 40 years of traveling in India.

The most hospitable people in India are poor people, very poor people. I've been into small little homes and huts in Andhra Pradesh. Some remarkably hospitable people in Andhra Pradesh. I've been into their homes, small little huts and boy, I feel almost awkward to eat what they set before me.

I know that they honor me as a servant of God and they've gone to such tremendous lengths. I don't know whether they've even missed a few meals during the week in order to provide that for me. I just feel so humbled when I go there.

But I know God will bless them and their homes. And I've seen the blessing of God in their homes and their children as they open their hearts because God says, if you do something like that for one of my children, I'll do something wonderful for you.

He does that and I've seen it. And do you know how much you have missed by not being hospitable? So here's something that if we have not been in the past, nevermind, don't get discouraged, repent and say, Lord, I want to be really different from now on.

I mean, if you're a selfish person, this is the best thing for you. For you, the best thing for you is to be hospitable. It'll go well with you. Aren't you all interested in going well with you and your children?

Sure, this is the best thing for you. It is. And I'll tell you, God will amazingly well look after your children. If you, I have seen this, people who are good to others, God is amazingly good, not only to them, but also to their children.

God takes care of their children in wonderful ways, in different situations, because they were very good to others and to God's people. So if you don't do it for any other reason, at least do it for a selfish reason, so that God will bless you and your children.

I mean, that's not the best reason to do it, but that's the lowest reason to do it for. But do it because you're a Christian, because that's God's nature, to be good to other people. If your enemy is hungry, feed him.

Forgiveness and Freedom From Bitterness

If he's thirsty, give him something to drink. Okay, we go to number 10. Number 10, we must eliminate all bitterness from our life. Another bad habit, like stinginess, is a bad habit. Bitterness is another very bad habit.

I believe there are lots of people sick among believers, because they are bitter. Stinginess does not bring sickness. Ingratitude may not bring sickness, and wastefulness may not bring sickness, and even dishonesty may not bring sickness.

But bitterness, I believe there are more sicknesses among believers due to bitterness and an unforgiving spirit than perhaps any other sin. Whenever people come to me and ask for prayer for healing, I always ask them one question, have you got any bitterness against anybody?

I don't ask them, are you wasteful, are you hospitable? I don't even ask them, are you futilized, etc. I ask them one question, are you bitter against anybody? Have you forgiven everybody? Why do I say that?

I want to show you two verses. First of all, Matthew chapter 6, where Jesus taught us the Lord's Prayer in Matthew chapter 6. And he said this, after teaching the Lord's Prayer, what is known as the Lord's Prayer, our Father who art in heaven, etc., in verses 9, and there are wonderful things in the Lord's Prayer 9 to 13.

And if you were to ask me, pick out the most important request out of the six requests there. You know what I'll pick out? Hallowed be thy name. And what the Lord could have said is, now of all the requests I told you to pray, remember this, hallowed be your name.

That's really very important, my disciples. But that's not the one he picked out. Do you know which one he picked out? To emphasize and re-emphasize forgiving others. Look at the end of it. Because verse 14, if you forgive others, your Heavenly Father will forgive you.

He's talking to believers. He's not saying God will forgive you. If you say God will forgive you, then you're talking to unbelievers. When you say your Heavenly Father will forgive you, you're talking to believers.

It's common sense. Your Heavenly Father. That means you're a child of God. God will forgive you. But if you as a child of God do not forgive others, your Heavenly Father, you're a child of God, your Heavenly Father will not forgive you.

So what happens to this child of God, whose Heavenly Father does not forgive him? Supposing he dies at that moment, where do you think he'll go? Even if he's been a believer for 40 years, and the last minute he dies without forgiving somebody.

I don't care how long he's been a believer. I believe the Word of God. Either this word is true. Let's say there is a chap who lived for 40 years, a very good life. And just before he died, he refused to forgive somebody and he died.

If God takes him to heaven, I'll have to tell the Lord Jesus, Lord, you know, there's one lie you told when you were on earth. I'm sorry to remind you, but you told a lie. You said this guy will not go to heaven, but he's in heaven.

Because, and I suppose the Lord said, yeah, but he did go for 40 years. So he didn't forgive somebody. So I overlooked that verse. I tell you, it will not happen. It will not happen. Don't believe this ancient heathen theory that in the final day, God will take a balance and put all your good deeds on one side, put all your bad deeds on the other side, and decide whether you go to heaven or hell.

That's an ancient false religion. Don't believe it. If you do not forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father, He is your heavenly Father right now, will not forgive your transgressions.

And if you die in that state, and you stand at the judgment seat of Christ, there is at least one sin that is not forgiven. You say, but He can forgive me after I die. Oh, if you believe that, then everybody in hell will go to heaven.

If you believe that after you die also, God will forgive people's sins in some purgatory or something like that, then you're a Roman Catholic. No, there is no forgiveness. That's appointed unto men once to die.

After this, the judgment. If you want to forgive somebody, you better forgive them right now. How much longer do you have to live on this earth? Tell me. Do you know what James says in chapter 4? James says, if God wills, we will live tomorrow, and we will do this.

That is what a godly man says. If God wills, I will see tomorrow morning, and I will do this. He doesn't even, a godly man doesn't even know whether he'll live till tomorrow. He lives from day to day.

So, if you are interested in your own self, forgive everybody right now. You say, but that fellow did something terrible to me. Well, something more terrible will happen to you if you don't forgive him.

Whatever he did was terrible, but going to hell is much more terrible than that. Let me ask you this question. Can anybody go to heaven without his sins forgiven? Supposing a man has got only one sin not forgiven in his life, can he go to heaven?

Impossible. One sin can keep a man out of heaven, and that one sin may be that he didn't forgive somebody. Even if he did 40 years of good, take me. I've been a believer 46 years. I've tried to do a lot of good things in 46 years, but today if I develop a bitterness against somebody who did me some harm or took me to court or did some evil or told some lie against me, and I keep that in my heart and I don't forgive him, I don't release him, with all my preaching in the conferences, I'll go to hell.

I apply that to myself, but I won't do it. I'm not a fool. First of all, I don't want to do it. God's given me his nature, which loves to forgive others. It's not an effort to forgive. Not at all. Not at all an effort.

It's easy. You know, God can make forgiving others as easy as it is for you to eat chicken biryani. You don't have a great struggle to eat chicken biryani. God can make it that easy for you if you ask him.

But I want to ask you, some of many of you think you have forgiven others. I'll tell you how the Lord showed me sometimes. I had not forgiven somebody. When I heard that something good happened to that person, I felt a little unhappy.

And the Lord said, you have not forgiven him. In another case, when I heard something bad happened to someone, I was a little happy. And the Lord said, you haven't forgiven him. I said, thank you, Lord, for showing me that.

Thank you for showing me. And I want to ask you this. If you feel happy when you hear that something bad happened to somebody, did you get it? You feel happy when you hear that something bad happened to somebody.

Who are you in fellowship with at that moment? God or the devil? Sure, the devil. That means you haven't forgiven that person. Or the other way around. If you feel a little glad when something bad happens, or you feel a little unhappy when something good happens, something good happened to that person, you feel a little unhappy.

Of course, you will force yourself to say, well, praise the Lord, I'm glad to hear it. But the weakness of your smile shows that you're not really too happy about it. Just be honest and say, Lord, I think my relationship with that person is not right.

It's usually a believer. I'll tell you the other thing. It's usually a believer whom you don't like, whom you got a little grudge against. Are you determined to eliminate all bitterness from your life completely, so that there's not even a smell of it left?

You read the Old Testament story of David and Shimei. It's a terrible story. 2 Samuel 16, you read how Shimei cursed David. One of David's soldiers said, let me chop off his head. And David said, no, God has permitted him to curse me.

Because David was running for his life from Absalom at that time. Shimei thought it was a good time to curse him because Shimei was a relative of Saul. David said, it's okay, I forgive him. But then David came back.

Absalom was defeated. He came back as king and Shimei got all scared. He came before David and said, oh, I'm really sorry. I never meant all that. I said, David said, it's all right, forget it. I forgive you.

I won't kill you. I assure you, I won't kill you. Years later, when David was on his deathbed, he's giving his son Solomon last instructions, how to build the temple. He told him everything about building the temple.

And Solomon, one more thing. There's this guy, Shimei. I promised I'd never kill him. But you never made that promise, right? You finish him off. Don't let him go to the grave, an ordinary death. Imagine how many years this David kept that in his heart.

And you know, the next verse after that, in second Kings chapter one or two, and David died. It's the last thing written. Did David go to heaven? Sure. Because he was under the old covenant. He didn't have the Holy Spirit.

There was no verse like that in the Old Testament, if you don't forgive others, you won't be forgiven. But today, you can't do it. Today, we have a verse which says, if you don't forgive others, you won't be forgiven.

I'm just warning you. Okay, number 11. Another thing we got to get rid of from our life is impatience. Patience is the greatest virtue of love. According to 1 Corinthians 13, love is patient, bears all things.

Patience, Self-Control, and Indiscipline

Impatience is the greatest opposite of that. Impatience is what ultimately makes us burst out in anger. And we must ask God to give us control over ourselves. So that we can, the fruit of the Spirit is self-control.

Because many things we are impatient about, do not have eternal consequences. Stop and ask yourself 2000 years from now, is it going to make that much of a difference if this thing is not done as quickly as I think it should be done?

You know, we can get worked up in our spirit with impatience. Could be with our children, it could be with a servant at home, it could be with a neighbor who is creating problems, or it could be with somebody at work, or...

I mean, we're surrounded by opportunities to get impatient. You can get impatient on the roads when the traffic is blocked for a long time and somebody cuts in between and squeezes in here and there and almost causes an accident.