 The joy of the Lord is our strength and He is our hope, our only hope is in Jesus and Jesus alone. We're so glad you're joining us on Hope Today. I am here with Amy and Amy. Tell us about what we're going to be diving into and discussing today. Speaking about joy, you know, happiness. Everyone wants it, but not everyone has it or knows how to get it. According to a recent Harris poll, only three, one in three Americans, describes themselves as happy. One in three. That's terrible. Researchers have dubbed this the most stressed of all generations, despite its economic prosperity, technological advances. And our special guest today, Anthony DiStefano, addresses this problem head on in this freshly rewritten book by Striving to Bring the Joy of Heaven, down to earth right now. And Sidney, I just want to prepare you for his no nonsense, get to the point, get to the guts, take the bull by the horns, kind of approach to life. I personally love it. Well, I know this is like right up your valley. You love talking about these certain things. And I think it's so important that we have sometimes these tough conversations, these real conversations, so that we know we can go on the right path. And you know, I hear like there's so many people that are stressed out. They're overwhelmed. There's all these things. And in America, you would think in this place of so many, the land of opportunity, people are trying to live the American dream. It is really sad that people are just like going down this path and there's a lot of anxiety, depression. And so if this is you, you're not alone. We're not like saying like, Oh, this is bad, but we want to help you so that you can live an abundant life because I love that Jesus said he came to give us life and life more abundantly. So this is a season. This is a time that we have to kind of throw out the junk in our mind. We have to renew our mindsets so that we can walk fully in him and that we can experience that joy, that peace, because that's what I wanted my life to. We all want that. I mean, no, that really, and so many things can, can kind of steal that joy and that peace from your life. You know, and recently I turned 50 years old. But it was, it's such a great time to stop, like stop the train. I want to rethink some things. I want to reevaluate some things and some mentors in my life said, Amy, you have to do five things every day that bring you joy. So what are your five things? Oh, that's easy. First of all, I get up in the morning and I go outside and I feed the fish, the deer, the dog, the birds. And I love it. If you like to be outside, go outside. I like to walk every day. I like to listen to audio books every day. I like to sit down and read the word every day and spend time with God every day. And I love to eat dinner with my family as much as I can. Yesterday we did a big lunch together and it's great. So sometimes people just go through life brainlessly, mindlessly, and they're missing out on how the little things are really the big things. So what I just hear you're saying is like you're seizing the moment. You're taking every moment, we're bit by bit. You're like, okay, I'm being intentional about that. I think that is so important. So I love that. That's something. One thing I like to do is like for me, I like I've been intentional going out of my front porch and just sitting there and basking in the breeze. You know, another thing that's kind of our favorite thing to do. Stop the host. All right, Amy, it's just me and you today. Here we go. So what's the first question is what type of insect did John the Baptist eat in the desert? Locusts and honey. So that's from Matthew three versus four and mark one through six and quick like quick like insight things. So our director of marketing development, Crystal, she actually like at a conference like try to locusts. They had they were having locusts and she tried them with locust powder. No, like a real locust and honey. Yeah. Okay, I don't know what I think about that. I would love to know your thoughts, emails, your thoughts. Would you try a locust? Okay, according to the be attitudes, who will be filled the happy? Yeah, bless the bless, the happy, the happy, the happy, the happy, the hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. Yikes. We knew that. All right. Well, we're one for a day late, the dollar short. All right. Here's our final question in the in the new Jerusalem described in Revelation. What are the 12 gates made from? Oh my gosh. Gems. Gems, gemstones. We're gonna go gemstones, pearls, sapphires, rubies. Yes. Okay, we got it. Pearl. That's Revelation 21. That's a lot of pressure. Just two girls. I know three questions, but we did it. We did. That was a little tough. Well, now moving on to one of the greatest joys in life. You know, one of the common goals that most people hope to attain throughout their lifetimes is to achieve true happiness. Everyone may want it, but not everyone has it or knows how to get it. Our next guest believes there's one key ingredient that most people leave out when it comes to finding authentic happiness. Anthony DiStefano is the author of the book 30 Days To Your New Life, a guide to transforming yourself from head to soul. Anthony, it is so great to have you with us on Hope Today. It's great to be here with you. Thank you for having me. What a treat. Thank you. And just, we love a strong New York accent. So just go for it. Just go all the way with it. Are you sure about that? Are you sure you want a strong New York Italian accent? I don't know. That might scare off the viewers. It brings us great happiness. And speaking of happiness, you've given us a plan. You've written out a book. I personally love the approach that you take to this book. I felt like I was sitting with like a Navy SEAL Catholic Christian kind of buddy. Why did you take that approach in writing this book? Well, first of all, it's me. I'm Italian. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. I grew up with a lot of Italian, Irish, Jewish, Puerto Rican people, loud and funny and sort of in your face in a nice loving way. So I have it in me to be a little bit of a drill sergeant. But I also think that that's exactly the right tone you need for a book like this. Look, if you really want people to get off their butts and do things right for a change and stop the nonsense, then you've got to be pretty sure of yourself. The Bible says, if the trumpet sounds an uncertain call, who will arise for battle? And the answer is nobody. So you have to be certain. I think as long as you show people that your tough love is coming from a place of love and service and not from a point of sadism, then I think that that's a key to effectiveness and people will embrace that because they want certitude. What do you mean by transforming yourself from head to soul versus from head to toe? Well, of course, there's a double meaning there between soul and soul of your foot and soul inside yourself. You know, there's so much suffering in the world, there's so much unhappiness. And at this time, there's so much confusion too. And I've always been a big advocate of the personal development industry. I'm for anybody who can help alleviate the suffering out there. I've taken a lot of self-help programs myself over the years. And I can tell you that while they work for a while, usually they break down, they're temporary. When life really hits you with a two by four. And unfortunately, we know that life always does at some point hit you with a two by four. That's when those self-help programs fail. And the reason is quite simply because they concentrate too much on self-help and not enough on God's help. That's the big mistake the personal development industry makes. I mean, you can see this in Hollywood, all these Hollywood movie stars who achieve great wealth and fame and, you know, all their glittering goals they've achieved. And yet they spin out of control with drugs sometimes and commit suicide. And so all the success in the world doesn't necessarily give you happiness. And interestingly, that also works in the opposite direction too. Sometimes people who are very, very spiritual, they think that if they have a big problem, all they have to do is say one little prayer and God is going to magically take away those problems. Well, now we know God has the power to do that, but he doesn't often do that. There's that truth. There's a lot of truth that I had old adage. God helps those who help themselves. So what I've tried to do in this book is take the best of both these worlds, the best of the personal development principles. And at the same time, combine that and balance and corrected that with Orthodox Christian principles, biblical principles. And my hope is that the results people get won't just be temporary, but will be long lasting and even permanent. So you take through 30 days and it's a really meaty, hearty chapter that's challenging and encouraging. And at the very end, you say, get a notebook, get your computer and do the work every day. And then you say, if you will do this for 30 days, your life will change. So why 30 days? Why this approach? Because I wanted to harness one of the main principles that this talks about, namely the power of momentum. Look, if you're overwhelmed by problems, you don't have to binge trying to solve them all at once. Look, it didn't take one day to amass all your problems. It's not going to take you one day to solve all your problems. What happens is people look at all the problems they have in all the different areas and they're paralyzed, paralyzed with fear. They don't do anything until they're threatened to be an explosion in their life. And that's when they finally start taking action. But that's a terrible way to live, to live in a pressure cooker like that. There's a better way and that's to utilize the power of momentum, to take small actions, but to take them consistently in every area, your finances, your family, your health, your relationships and your relationship with God too. Take small actions, do them consistently over a period of days and weeks and months. Now when you do that, that's when you start to accelerate. That's when you start to get motivated and that's when you start to really change things. And you know, this is a very solidly biblical Christian principle because remember this, when God chose to save the world, how did he do it? He started small. He became a little baby in a small humble manger. Now if God thought it was important to start small, shouldn't we adopt the same strategy as God? And my thinking was if we do these one chapter per day, one task per day items that by the end of those four weeks, by the end of that 30 days, people will be on fire and ready and raring to go. Did these principles come from like your personal story or your personal journey where maybe life hit you with a two by four in the head and it just knocked you out and did you apply these and work these in your own life to see great results? It would take a lot of programs to talk about all of that stuff. And yes, the truth is I think, you know, one of the best things about the best thing about being a writer isn't seeing your name in print. It's that everything that happens in your life can be used as fodder to put in your writing to help other people. You know, and I think knowing that I was going, God knowing that that I was going to be a writer made sure he put me through all these different experiences in my in my life. I've had lots of success. I've had lots of failures. I've had wonderful relationships. I've had failed relationships, successful businesses, failed businesses. I've had the whole gambit. Lots of people have died on me in my life. Lots of people in my family. So I've had to work through the ups and downs, roller coaster of emotions in my life. So I've always been an advocate of personal development, as I said before, and I've been a committed Christian since my 20s. So yes, I've used all these experiences in my own life, all the research I've done for all my books. I've written 25 books and all the personal development tools that I've become aware of. And I've tried to put them into one, one book that I wish someone could have given me when I was, you know, 15 or 16 or 20 or 30, so that I could have been able to reference this and maybe not learn so much through the School of Hard Knocks, but have it right there and ceisely in front of me. You know, Anthony, I know a lot of people can identify with that. Like sometimes we really don't want to go through those hard lessons, deal with those failures, but you know, that's something we all deal with. It's inevitable in our lives. And so can you just share with us and just go a little deeper into what, how did you find or discover happiness or joy in the midst of those hard times? What are some of the lessons that you've learned that you've been able to share in your books? I'll give you one key lesson and it goes to the heart of Christianity. And you can learn it just by looking at a cross. That is the greatest symbol of love in the world, not, not the wedding ring and not the heart, but the cross because, because that's the symbol of love and self-sacrifice. And what happened with the crucifixion, what we have to understand is that was the worst evil that ever took place in, in, in the history of, of humanity. The worst evil was not a homicide or even deicide or even genocide. The worst evil was deicide, the killing of God. Nothing could be worse than that. That's the worst thing that ever happened. And yet what happened three days later, the resurrection? Now, we don't just believe that the resurrection was one person rising from the dead. We believe that that was Jesus Christ reconciling us from God to man. We believe that he was opening the gates of heaven so that everyone can go to heaven who has faith. It's something that gives meaning to all our lives. See, what happened was that God was able to take the very worst thing in the world and somehow take, turn it into the very best thing in the world. That's an amazing thing that God did. And what, what we committed Christians have to have faith about is that if God could do that, then he could certainly take all the pains and all the suffering and all the miseries that, that we endure in this life. And he could somehow, some way, pull good out of that. So I think just looking and meditating on the cross and on the truth of the passion and the resurrection, I think that's done more for me in terms of making sense of the problems in my own life than any other kind of reading or personal development work. All right. In your book, you mentioned Pinocchio, Godfather, C.S. Lewis, and many more. Let's pretend like you're our life coach right now. We're sitting down and we just got an unexpected bill due. The doctor just said something. We just had a huge relationship failure. We need some, some of your tough love, like you say in this book. Can you, can you give, talk us out of it? I think that when you're speaking about those kinds of problems, like you come out of a doctor's office and you've got a tumor or something like that, I don't think tough love is this. I don't think that's where I would give you tough love. I would encourage you in those kinds of situations and other kinds of situations where you're, you can't get off your butt and you need to get to the gym. You need to straighten out some of the messes in your life. Then I'd be a little tougher, but you're mixing some very serious things in there. In the case of something very, very serious, break up a medical issue, someone you love is suffering. I think I could only tell you this. Fear is useless. What is needed is trust. Fear is useless, Christ said. What is needed is trust. In those moments, the only thing that works is radical abandonment to the will of God, just like Jesus had. Jesus, I trust in you. That's what you have to say. Even if you have to say it and think it a thousand times a day, that's the only thing that could really help in those kinds of situations. In other kinds of situations, the kinds that you mentioned at the beginning, I say that you have to start cleaning up the messes in your life. Here's where the tough love comes in. God is a God of order. From the very beginning of the Bible to the very end, we see Him separating light from darkness, water from the land, and we have to imitate Christ. Cleanliness is next to godliness. When you get up in the morning, you've got to make your bed. You've got to dress neatly, not fancy, but neatly. You've got to clean up your desk area. You've got to clean up your computer screen. You've got to do those basic things to clean up the clutter. Then all the other things in your life will start to be uncluttered and you'll be able to deal with those problems more effectively. One last thing, if I have one last second, you've got to start putting God first in your life. I mean that literally. When you get up in the morning, don't let your first thought be devoted to your social media posts and how many likes your Instagram posts got, or your stressful meeting that you have to come up with, or the bills that you have to pay. Let your first thought be devoted to God. As you're coming out of dreamland, say thank you God for giving me another day. If you have time, save the off father. It takes 22 seconds to do that. You're plugging into the power source of the universe. Believe me, if you put God first, God is going to start putting you first. Thank you, Anthony. I am taking that two minute clip and sending it to my three children. Get up in the morning, make your bed, don't get on social media, and give God the first part of your day. That right there would change your life. So in our last few minutes, will you define what true authentic happiness is? True happiness is a state according to the great philosophers of the world and the great theologians. It's a state of supreme contentment irrespective of the highs and lows, irrespective of the pleasures you have. Pleasure can contribute to it, but it's not the definition of happiness. You have to be able to have this contentment irregardless of the ups and downs and the roller coaster in life. It's what the Bible said when it said you will have a peace and a happiness that transcends all understanding, and that only comes through one way by being in union with God. That's the only way it comes. Fulton Sheen said that if the sun could speak, it would say it was happy when it was shining. If a pencil could speak, it would say it was happy when it was writing. Well, the reason why that would be true is because those are the purposes for which those things were created. Well, human beings were created to be in union with God. That's our purpose. So whether it's this life or the next life, the whole name of the game is union with God. If you're in union with God, if you're trying to be in union with His will, then you're going to have that supreme state of contentment and that peace and joy that transcends understanding no matter what happens with this crazy schizophrenic roller coaster life that we all have to go through. Thank you so much, Anthony. To know God is to know life and to know true happiness. Thank you so much. Where can we get your book? Everywhere. It's blessed with great distribution system. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, all your local Christian stores, pretty much everywhere books are sold as the proverbial saying goes. Thank you for your New Yorker, Italian great wisdom today. We appreciate you, Anthony. Thank you for having me. When we return in 60 seconds, we're going to look at a scripture that speaks about the hand of God and how we need to fully depend on Him when it comes to our daily lives. We'll be right back. and practical biblical insight. Learn how God wants to expand your dreams, give you divine direction, equip you with tools to overcome fear and much more. Request your copy of this life changing book when you support Cornerstone Television. Call 888-665-4483 or give online at ctvn.org slash donate. Find air times for turning point with Dr. David Jeremiah at ctvn.org. Donate and request his book forward. Thank you for your partnership with Cornerstone TV. We are so glad that you're joining us on Hope Today and we just wrapped out a phenomenal conversation with Anthony just talking about happiness and we know when it comes to happiness, when it comes to the state of being and our spirits and our soul, it all starts with God. We cannot do this life without him. We cannot do this life without walking with him, talking with him and reading his word because that is so important. It provides a firm foundation in our life and we have today coming out of the book of Psalms, it's verse 127, chapter 127 verse 1 and is this, unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. So simple but so true and this is talking about our spiritual house and so today as we're just like reflecting and thinking you know Amy I'm thinking about maybe it's time for us to take an inspection of our spiritual house today. What is it built on? What is it standing upon? You know even I just what's coming to mind is I know like in recently in the news we see what is happening in Alaska with the houses like there was a glacier and the houses were falling off of this cliff and I'm just thinking about in Maui, in Maui, the fires that are going that are going I mean it's just like chaos that we're seeing but I just think in a spiritual way what are we built on? Are we built on sand? Are we built on some rocky ground because when the storms hit when the waves come things will come and corrode our house down but unless it is built on Jesus unless we make sure that our foundation he is our cornerstone everything that is built out of our lives that is centered and focused on him when those storms hit it is amazing how we are sturdy that we are steadfast in him and those things won't knock us down. They might like rattle us but it won't tear us down. Well there's we're trying to build our marriage in our own strength we're trying to raise kids in our own ability or reading natural books which we're thankful but I mean you need the help of God in your life. You need the help of the Holy Spirit. I love what the scripture says in the passion if God's grace doesn't help the builders they will labor in vain to build a house that's what we need in our we need a big wide open door for God's grace to come in God's ease God's help that is what he is the master of so today whatever you're going through whatever you're trying to do in your own ability maybe today just just just let go and say God I need your help I'm asking you know sometimes it's hard Sydney to ask for help I'm honestly I even have a hard time asking my kids for help because I just think I'll just do it real quick I'll just do it myself I'll just and then at the end of the day I'm so worn out because I did everything when I should have asked for help so maybe that's you today and you're doing everything on your own maybe you need to right now call a friend maybe right now you need to call us at 888-665-4483 and say I need help and I need God's grace in my life today is a great day to stop working toiling striving in your own ability and let God's grace and peace and true joy fill this house and this foundation you know when you were talking Amy I just kept here going God saying like being like a wrecking ball allowing him sometimes we need to go through a little demolition there's a song about that a wrecking ball I think Katy Perry right but I just think about that like in your life right now sometimes we have to be like you know what God I have these idols I have these issues I have this all these things that are going on but will you allow him to be the wrecking ball in your life will you allow him to come and tear down walls tear down thoughts tear down trauma tear down everything that is hindering you from walking and the fullness and then of your purpose in Christ it is not a pretty thing it is not easy but there's been seasons I know Amy too that God has been a wrecking ball in our lives and it's amazing what he tears down it's amazing the lies that he just shows me is like you believe this lie and that lie and you're doing it this way and that way and that is not my will and that is not my plan for you my daughter or my son so today will you allow God to be the renovator of your life will you allow you know like right now I think of HGTV it's like one of my favorite things like to watch about home renovations and those shows God wants to renovate you and you know where it starts it all starts in your mind I love what it says like we need to be renewed and transformed in our mind and that that word actually look in the Greek means renovation allow yourself to go through a renovation in this season allow God to clean up clean house dig up uproop and put new soil down so you can flourish and you can grow like never before you know God is waiting to be in relationship with you there is a wide open door you know even today as I'm talking we're getting ready for our daughter to fly in you know what I was doing as a mom and what my husband was doing as a father we were preparing the house we're washing and cleaning and getting ready and filling the fridge and planning the activities because we are so excited that our daughter is coming home the same thing with you my friend the Lord is so excited for you to come home today come home to him let Jesus be the Lord and save your of your life let him be the builder let him be the foundation with which you build your life on we'll see you tomorrow on tomorrow's hope today learn to combat the lies of diet culture and step into your divine design Christian dietitian and nutrition therapist Leslie Schilling breaks down the negative influence of diet culture and explores the truth about health well-being and how God sees us that's tomorrow on hope today cornerstone television wishes to thank all our faithful viewers whose consistent prayers and financial support have made this program possible