It's Going to Be OK | Life Hacks with Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie here with some life hacks for the coming year.

I'm 71 years old now and I used to walk on this footbridge in Corona Del Mar when I was, oh my goodness, 14, 15 years old, wondering about what course my life was going to take. And so here's my first life hack for you. What I would tell my younger self, I'd say, Greg, where's sunscreen?

Because you're going to have to take too many trips to the dermatologist. Not really, but that's not a bad life hack. I would say, don't eat all that candy, it's going to rot your teeth out and you'll go to the dentist. Yeah, I can say that. I can also say, you know those Star Wars figures that came out in their packaging?

Keep them in original packaging, they'll be worth a fortune later. That's probably not what I would tell myself. Here's what I would tell a younger me and here's what I'm saying in effect. To any young person watching this.

You ready? Number one, life hack. It's going to be okay. Whatever you're going through, you're going to somehow get through it. Listen, we don't decide what hand is dealt to us in life. We decide how we will react to it. But here's what I've discovered, a setback can become a setup.

A test can turn into a testimony. Things will get better. When you're young, you're experiencing things for the first time. So the first time you have the breakup with your boyfriend or girlfriend, it seems like your world has ended. The first time something traumatic happens, you think you won't get through it.

You will get through it. And I think this is so important because we have young people today that are depressed and self-harm is up. Suicidal ideation is up. And even young people taking their own lives because they feel they can't cope.

No question, I think social media amplifies things. But we need to know that we're going to be okay. Here's what you need to know. There's a God in heaven who loves you and He has a plan for your life and He can get you through whatever you're going through. Here's what God says. I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Listen to me. You have a future and you have a hope and whatever you're going through, you're going to get through it. And you're going to be stronger for it. Don't even think of taking your own life.

There is a devil just as surely as there is a God who whispers into our ear, why don't you just end it all. Nobody cares about you. Your life doesn't matter. The Bible says He's the father of lies.

And Jesus said He comes to steal, kill and destroy. Your life matters. More people care about you and love you than you realize. And you have something to offer. Whatever you're going through, you're going to get through it. But you need to have your eyes on the Lord.