What I Would Tell My Younger Self | Sunday Message
Greg Laurie: A New Beginning
Greg Laurie
4.8 • 3.5K Ratings
🗓️ 27 July 2025
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When trials, anxieties, and tough decisions loom large, sometimes it’s best to hear from a voice of experience. In this Sunday podcast, Pastor Greg Laurie directs a special word of encouragement to young people: God has a plan for your life.
Notes
Whatever you’re going through, it’s going to be OK.
What you go through isn’t meant to destroy you but to develop you.
“We comfort with the same comfort we are comforted with.” —2 Corinthians 1:4
You are loved and wanted by more people than you could ever imagine.
God’s plan and purpose for you is good!
Put God first in your life.
Read the Bible every day.
“Study to show yourself approved unto God.” —2 Timothy 2:15
Success or failure in the Christian life is determined by how much of the Bible you get into your life on a daily basis and how obedient you are to it.
Stop worrying and start praying.
Worry can ruin your day, your week, and even your life if you let it.
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.
Give your worries to Jesus Christ.
God is in control of your life.
Have an attitude of gratitude.
Job thanked God, despite his difficulties.
Live with honesty and integrity.
Character over charisma.
“If I take care of my character, God will take care of my reputation.” —D. L. Moody
Marry the right person.
Find someone Godlier than you.
Wedlock should be a padlock.
Eight words you should say to your spouse every day:
“I’m sorry,” “please forgive me,” and “I love you.”
Tell those you love that you love them.
Keep short accounts and forgive.
Forgiveness is not about absolving the perpetrator; it’s about healing the victim.
“Forgiveness isn’t giving in to another person; it’s getting free of that person.” —Frederic Luskin, Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project
Be a nice person.
Be an encourager, not a discourager; lift people up, don’t beat them down!
Have fun.
Be a generous person.
Three things we can give to God: Time, talent, and treasure.
Take care of your health.
Make the right choices.
You make your choices, and then your choices make you.
Tell others about Jesus, and then disciple them.
Spend time with older Godly people.
Finish your race well.
“Hold the course!” —Pastor Chuck Smith
Come to or come back to Jesus right now.
Scripture Referenced
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Matthew 6:33
- Philippians 4:6–7
- 1 Peter 5:7
- Psalm 101:2
- Ephesians 4:32
- Ephesians 4:31
- 1 Timothy 4:8
- 2 Timothy 2:2
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey there, thanks for listening to the Greg Lorry podcast, a ministry supported by Harvest Partners. |
| 0:06.1 | I'm Greg Lorry, encouraging you. |
| 0:08.2 | If you want to find out more about Harvest Ministries and learn more about how to become a |
| 0:12.1 | harvest partner, just go to Harvest.org. |
| 0:16.5 | Hey, if you have a Bible, why don't you grab it and turn to 2 Timothy chapter 4 and the title of this |
| 0:23.6 | special message is what I would tell my younger self. What would I say to a young Greg as an older |
| 0:33.7 | Greg? What advice would I give myself? What things would I tell young Greg to avoid? What |
| 0:40.7 | things would I tell young Greg to do? Well, there's the obvious answers. I would tell young Greg, |
| 0:47.4 | press your teeth every day, boy, because you do not want to have to spend as much time at the dentist |
| 0:53.7 | as older Greg has. |
| 0:55.8 | Of course, I would tell younger Greg wear sunscreen. |
| 0:59.4 | I was a blonde kid out at the beach a lot. |
| 1:02.3 | I don't think I hardly ever wore sunscreen, |
| 1:05.7 | and I've had more than one trip to the dermatologist, |
| 1:08.5 | so I'd certainly give that advice. |
| 1:10.3 | Maybe I would say to a young |
| 1:11.6 | Greg, you know when Star Wars comes out and all those figures are in the original packaging, |
| 1:17.2 | don't open those, save those, because you'll be able to sell those for a lot of money later. |
| 1:23.6 | I think that's true of original Barbie dolls in their packaging. |
| 1:38.5 | I just read the other day that an original copy of the Legend of Zelda video game sold for, get this, $411,000. |
| 1:50.1 | So I guess I would say, young Greg, go find a few copies of the Legend of Zelda because they'll be worth half a million one day, but don't take it out of the original packaging. |
| 1:53.3 | Now, these are silly things, things that don't matter all that much. |
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