New Year Special

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Introducing first, from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kolov. Now, the Devil's Nightmare. Welcome back to another episode of It's Time to Man Up. Hey, this is a special New Year's celebration show here on the Man Up Show, and I have such a special guest in studio with me today, my man, Robbie Dilmore, the Christian car guy. Welcome to the Happy New Year holiday edition of the Man Up Show, Robbie.

Oh, I love these holiday specials. I really, nobody gets more fun out of these than I do, so I can hardly wait to look questions you may have for me. Who, me? Who, me with questions? Hey, for all you out there, I mean, as we're getting ready to end one year and move into a new year, we're hoping and believing that whatever has transpired this past year will just project you into greater things in the new year. I should have saved that for the end.

What am I doing? Well, hey, this is the New Year's special, and Robbie Dilmore, as I said, it is, on a serious note, great to have you here on the show. Oh, it's always, you know, again, I'm anticipating this upcoming year, and knowing Nikita as I know him, there might be some goals, and I'm just saying that he's very intentional about things, and so I'm guessing this is going to be a very intentional New Year's edition. Well, I am pretty intentional, I mean, and I don't know, you know, we'll dive into some of this. Chris, I made a few notes about New Year's and the celebration, and we'll do a little trivia here in a bit, but on that note, yeah, New Year's is, the end of a year is a special time for me at this juncture of life, because I always take a day, two or three, and just kind of reflect back, in fact, I go to a conference down in Fort Mill, South Carolina, called Vision Conference, they have it, they've had it for like 32 years in a row or something like that.

Really? Yeah, and it's, I think, a three-day conference, the opportunity to, you know, just to kind of ponder, you know, I reflect on the past, and I'm like, Lord, give me a vision for the future, what's the next year look like for me, right? And I'll review goals that maybe I'd written down the previous year to see which ones I've accomplished, which ones I have not, and I don't always accomplish 100% of them, but I do accomplish a lot of them, those written goals. And then just write, you know, reestablish and write what I'd like to accomplish for the upcoming year, right? And so you are right, Robbie, I'm very intentional with all of that. Do you do anything like that at all?

Anything close to that? Enlighten us, listeners here. Well, I have done for years, and I got this from John Eldridge, and it is one of the joys of joys of the New Year's season, is I begin to ask, I'm a huge fan of my conversational intimacy with Jesus. And so every year, at this time, I begin a transition from the word that I asked last year, as I came into this year, where are we going this year, God?

Where are we going, Jesus? What do you have for me on the adventure, and can you give me a word, an advanced word, of where we're going in 2022, that was last year? And the word that he gave me last year was delight. And the word previous to that was the word engage. And so in 2021, as he was engaging me, you may know, those people who know me well, it was when I began engaging in memorizing Scripture, but it was also the year that I engaged in Man Camp.

And through Man Camp, I began to engage in several principles that you taught me at Man Camp. And so my word for 2021 was engage. Well, because of that engagement and my engagement into the 119th Psalm and other things that God had given me, then for 2022, the word delight was an understatement, because not only did I delight in the 119th Psalm through most of the year of 2022, but now I'm delighting in the Song of Solomon, and those who know me know that's my favorite book. And so the delight of what 2022 has been has been unbelievable. And so interestingly, for the first time ever in the history of Robbie, he gave me my word for 2023 way in advance, because he really wants me to begin to dig into that.

And so my New Year's thing is about, you know, as we heading into the New Year, I'm asking Jesus where we headed, and this is, you know, on our adventure together, me and him. And that's the way I do it. And he typically gives you just a word. Right, a word.

A word. And so for those who, of course, you wouldn't know unless you know Robbie, but he mentioned Psalm 119, and so for our listeners, Robbie, like anyone who knows anything about Psalm 119, it's the longest Psalm in the Bible. And the Lord challenged you, prompted you, whatever the right word might be, to memorize Psalm 119, right?

Yes, he did. And I thought, you know, because at the time I was 66 years old, I was like, you know, wouldn't that be something for a young man? No, no, it was for me. And what it amounts to, it's 172 verses, eight verses on every letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which God knew I loved that. And so that would be fun for me. But what it really gives you is if you quote it every day, and the Lord gives me the opportunity to do that, then it's an adventure with the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit will give you the next verse almost every single time if you're used to hearing it. And so as you're doing, as you're reciting Scripture like that, because the Holy Spirit's right there, that you have a chance to commune with the Holy Spirit like nothing else when you're reciting Scripture that he's putting in your heart like that.

But he did that, believe me, there was no way in the world I could have memorized it. Wow. I mean, if you think about it, so 172 verses that you were able to memorize and internalize and memorize and chew on and talk about the word being written on the tablet of your heart at that point. Wow.

You've experienced that firsthand. And boy, let that be a challenge to all of us. I know the Lord challenged me a couple of years back to start memorizing some Scripture. He didn't challenge me to memorize the entire Psalm 119.

Thank you, Lord. But I mean, wow, what an accomplishment on your part. And I'm sure that was, you said the word delight. You would have had to have had delight in that whole process of memorizing that Psalm. Oh, it is really a chance to.

But funny story, right? Before I had memorized the 119 Psalm, he had memorized the 16 Psalm, the 13 Psalm. But when he gave me the 13 Psalm, he said, I want you to memorize the 13 Psalm. I didn't know what the 13 Psalm was. I was just like, okay, well, I hope it's not a long one. Well, the very first verse in the 13 Psalm is, how long, Lord? God has a sense of humor, in case you're wondering. He really, really does. So, you know, it was fascinating to me that he came back, because I'm like you, like, okay, I hope it's a short one.

When he hits me with 119, I'm like, what? Okay. But he already prepped you for it, though. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then the idea was engage. And so many things that he gave me in 2021 to engage led to the delight of 2022. And now, in 2023, my word that I get to pray on for, you know, about another six weeks, from the point that we're recording this, is to gather, which is kava in Hebrew. And it's this beautiful picture of how, you know, God's gathering us.

He just is. So, for you out there in listening land, so there's two words for you to ponder, okay? Or let me throw some questions out there for you to consider, okay, as you're getting ready to move into a new year, all right? One, you know, what are you engaging in?

So, I'm going to take your words, Robbie, and challenge our audience out there. What are you engaging in? What is the new year? What does 2023 look like for you in terms of engagement? What are you going to engage in? And then the other question is, what are you going to delight in?

And or let me flip it around the other way. Are you going to engage in anything in 2023? Or how about anything new? And or are you going to delight in anything in 2023? What perspective are you taking into the new year? Are you approaching the new year with optimism? Or are you approaching the new year with pessimism? Which approach are you going to take? And I would venture to say, depending on how you answer that question would determine how well, what 2023 looks like for you.

Come the conclusion of 2023, if you consider any or all of those questions, I'm curious as to what your outcome will be, right? So and then I like to gather the new one is gather. Wow. Well, for me, it's interesting for so that he just gives you a word like that each year and then something, as you said, to chew on or to ponder throughout the year. Right. Right. And so I have this really special time every morning with the Lord, like a lot of folks do. And I spend a lot of time in his word always. But a big part of that is actually I write this word down.

Right. And so when I'm praying first thing in the morning when I first wake up, you know, I'm like, OK, this is every every day. This is our word. Gather where how does this apply to today?

Because it's one thing to take it for the year. But now how is it going to take you know, how does it work for today? So, you know, it really helps center the word he gives me. It really helps center my prayer time first thing, you know, with with where I'm going, you know, and these words have come for years. And so that is the how they have done. I you know, I it's him.

He gives it to you. And what an adventure. Well, it's interesting because it's so so just you sharing some insight in, you know, into your own into your own life for the listeners out there. It can perhaps, Robbie, some of your story may give others inspire others to for the for 2023 to be the best year they've ever had yet. If they consider some of the things the Lord's had had you do in the past and would consider implementing some of those things into their future may just set their whole trajectory on just a new new path. The Lord's done that with you, you know, in so many ways when he challenged you on the Bible, right?

Yeah. Because if you can get the truth in you, well, then you can get rid of all them lies and you get freedom with truth. Well, you know, that's interesting. So you made a reference to man camp, you know, attending, engaging in man camp a couple of years ago. And so one of the things I began to recognize more and more and more, especially in ministering to men, because that's one of one of the things that I focus on ministering to men is and hearing their stories like you're sharing some of your story with all of our listeners out there today. And I've shared my story in a different way, you know, whether it's in book form or on these radio shows and podcasts and TV shows, the Man Up TV show, just sharing some of my story. And hearing other stories is they'll say something and I'll quickly recognize because I'm learning the truth of God's word. And so they make a statement and I clearly can say to them, that's a lie. Like maybe somebody said to them, example, i.e.

example, somebody said to them in their past, you know, you're such a loser, you're never going to amount to anything. And for a gift of $100 or more, Nikita will include a signed copy of his newly updated life story, A Tale of the Ring and Redemption. Go to www.colof.net and donate today. Nikita Koloff here and I am excited. Did you hear the huge announcement, the big announcement? Well, maybe it's a minor announcement.

Anyway, Facebook, go look up my new fan page, Nikita Koloff Fans, and like it and follow today. Somebody, right? I won't say who. It could be a variety of people, but I'll say that's that's a lie. And we identify the lie. And then I don't want to just identify the lie.

I want to then share the truth with them and say, OK, now let me tell you what the truth is. Here's the truth. And here's one scripture, for example, Jeremiah 29, 11.

God says, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, plans for hope and a future. So that's the truth. So you're out there listening today and somebody said, you'll never amount to nothing.

You're such a loser. You're, you know, fill in the blank. Those are lies because the truth is you're created by God in his image and he has a wonderful plan for you. And I don't know what life has been like over the past year or years. But if you just receive what I just said, 2023 can be one of the best years you've ever had.

Right, Robbie? Oh, and it's so critical, you know, because I know that you read the Bible, you know, every day. And so here's this injection of truth to help you spot lies in your own life. But sometimes it's easier to spot the lies in somebody else's life. And certainly that's helpful as you share the light.

But oh, my goodness, what it has meant. I mean, the best advice that was ever given to me ever came from actually the tape series I bought by Norman Vincent Peale said, get up an hour early every morning and read the Bible. Best advice I ever got. I got saved through that advice. I got saved by reading the Bible and but by just simply.

Start in putting the truth in and get, you know, it will get rid of the lies. There's some great you know, you just reminded me of a guy named Zig Ziglar. Yeah, you may know that name. I think it was Zig. He must have taken a page out of Norman Vincent Peale's book because he said, he said, so every morning I read the Bible and then I read the newspaper back in the day. So of course, now it's all electronic, right?

Probably. But anyway, he said, I read the Bible and then I read the newspaper. And I'm not sure which order it was in, but his point was, I just want to know what both sides are doing.

I want to know what both sides are up to. Is that good? Yeah, I like it.

I'm pretty sure it's exactly good. But hey, let's do this. This is a New Year's special. And of course, Robbie, you know, I got to throw a little trivia out. Of course, I'm hoping I was looking forward to this.

This is my chance to transition a little bit. So just some interesting little tidbits of information I found out about New Year's. Obviously, you know, New Year's festivities begin on December 31st, right? We know that New Year's Eve, right? Typically the last day of the what's known as the Gregorian calendar.

I'm like, OK, all right, I'll just keep going. And then it continues into the early hours of January 1st, which is New Year's Day. And common traditions include, but not limited to, parties.

Hello, right? The big New Year's Eve parties. Eating special New Year's foods, making resolutions for the New Year, watching fireworks displays. Those are some of the traditions.

Do you have any traditions, any New Year's traditions at this point? Or have they changed? You've got to watch the ball drop. You know, that's part of the deal. Well, I'm going to get to that. I actually have some facts on that.

Some interesting facts on the ball, right? Remember Dick Clark? Of course. Oh, who could forget him? Man, was he not legendary when it came to New Year's Eve. He was the best.

He was. Well, we're about the same. What about American Bandstand? Of course. Get off on a side note here. Oh, yeah.

Dick Clark's American Bandstand. It was the deal? It was something else. So, all right. So, and of course, you know, the big display of fireworks and all of that.

And I'm not big on the special foods. That's more Christmas than Thanksgiving for me. But I know some people make a big deal out of that. But resolutions, how many people make New Year's resolutions? Have you ever done that in the past, Robby?

Is that a laugh for you? Yes, I've been there, yeah. Have you ever not fulfilled some of your New Year's resolutions?

Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, yes. We could spend a whole show just on New Year's resolutions, right? But, so this is interesting, though. So, the earliest, okay, question for you. The earliest recorded festivities in honor of a new year, any idea how far it dates back, Robby? My guess, it would go back to Exodus, at least, because Rosh Hashanah, right, they were commanded, right, to bring in the new year. I'm not saying what year Rosh Hashanah was, but it may go back, was Abraham? Well, I don't know the exact timeline, but here's in my little research that I did.

Cool. As far back as 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonian days, which kind of probably ties into that, to Abraham. And it said that the Babylonians, for them it was the first new moon following the vernal equinox. And I'm like, alright, I don't even know what half this means, but it makes sense. Anyway, the day, check this out, the day in late March, in late March with an equal amount of sunlight and darkness, which heralded the start of a new year.

Which is about the time of Easter and Passover. Hello. Oh, yeah. Interesting, right? Interesting how this ties in, isn't it?

So check this out, though. So the early Roman calendar, did you know how many months it consisted of? I don't, but there were Julius and Caesar and all that stuff. Ten months in 304 days. Wow. Interesting. And each new year beginning, again, with the vernal equinox, according to tradition created by Romulus, the founder of Rome.

Okay. But this is later in the 8th century BC, a king named Numa Pamphilius, I think is how you say the name, is credited with adding the months of Januarius and Februaryus. There you go. And Februaryus was a shorty.

Right? And here's a did you know, did you know in order to realign the Roman calendar with the sun, Julius Caesar, who you mentioned, added 90 extra days to the year 46 BC when he introduced the new Julian calendar. Did you know that? That's where the Julian, I was wondering.

And so now we have orange Julius, so you can eat every. No, I'm kidding. Hey, and I'm sure you out there listening probably knew all of this, right? Then again.

I didn't know, but now that makes sense that Julian came from Julius. Of course. Yes. And yeah, you got to have, and then, you know, you got to have a leap year every four.

Which is interesting, you know, obviously we don't, for the sake of time, we don't have all the time today. You know, the Jews are on a completely different calendar, right? Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

Which I know you studied all this. Give a quick history on the, on the, on the Jewish calendar. Yeah. Well, for them, you know, they, they, you know, got the Torah, received it, you know, about the time of, that we celebrate the, the, the feast of weeks, you know, for them, their perspective is they got the Torah then. And then at the end of the summer, you know, somewhere about the end of October to September to early October is. When their new year starts for them, right? And the day of atonement, it's aligned with that because that was when all the festivals, all the shenanigans with the golden calf, you know, happened. And so, you know, they're no year, their new year comes with the blowing of the chauffeur, which is like huge. Like here comes God.

And therein lies the, to me, a lot of the beauty of new, new years is like, man, if we can hear, here comes God for 2023, like chauffeur, like really like however that works. You know, it, that's pretty spectacular. And in their world, it's like, I feel like, like you're like 5785 or 86 or something like that.

I don't, I should know the exact, but it's like, that's right. And it's just continued on in their world. Right. And their months are all named different. I mean, it's not February, January, January, January.

No, it's, no, they got, you know, all that, that you've heard the month of Adar and all those things. But it's a beautiful transition for them to get ready for the new year and that day of atonement. And that would be the day, the one day a year that the high priest would be able to go into the Holy of Holies. That was, you know, on that day. All the sacrifices, yeah.

And there were sins. To your point, normally is fasting is involved in that to a great extent that, that they had to be sanctified for the new year. And part of the way they did that was by fasting on their new year celebration was a big, big, huge part of that. Because again, the idea of hungering for God more than we hunger for food, it would make for a great year, wouldn't it?

So, yeah. And so in every culture, I mean, New Year's at some time of the year, whether it's the Chinese or the Jews, you know, the Jewish calendar or the Gregorian calendar, the Julian calendar. Everybody's celebrating New Year at some time of the year, right? At some point in the year. Well, coming, let's come all the way around back to the, back to what you made reference to earlier. In the United States, the most iconic New Year's tradition is, you made reference to it. Right.

What? Ball drop. The giant ball in New York's Times Square, right? I've never gone. Have you ever gone to the New York Times Square? No. I've been to Times Square, but I've never been to the ball drop.

Yeah, me either. So at the stroke of midnight, right, we know that the ball is going to drop, and millions of people now around the world actually watch the event. All over the world, right? I remember a real quick story. I flew to Japan to wrestle on New Year's Eve, so I get there, and it's time changes, right?

Oh, yeah. So I first celebrate New Year's in Japan, in Tokyo, and then I pop on the TV, right, the cable, and then I watch the ball drop. I don't know, it was like three in the morning in Tokyo or something. I watched the ball drop in New York City, but then the craziest thing, Robbie, all of a sudden they show downtown Charlotte.

I'm like, wait, what? I'm like in Tokyo, Japan, and I'm watching New Year's Eve celebration in downtown Charlotte where I'm living, and then got to watch it all the way through the different time zones. So I think I got to celebrate New Year's that year like four times. It's a very fascinating year for me, right?

So you probably didn't know this about the ball, though, so millions of people watch. It takes place every year. Do you remember what year they first started doing that?

Any idea? I had no idea. 1907. Really? 1907, and over time the ball has ballooned from a 700-pound iron and wood orb to a brilliantly-patterned sphere 12 feet in diameter, weighing in at nearly, are you ready for this, Robbie? Yeah. 12,000 pounds. Oh, my word.

That's how much that ball weighs. So how crazy is that? So any last thoughts on New Year's before we sing old anxiety? No, like for real, any last thoughts on New Year's before we sign off today? I think that, again, if we can have God blow the chauffeur in our own world, whatever that is, if we can bring God into 2023 and, you know, if the one resolution we have is just to try to get to the point where we can pray continually, I would love to push into that for this year. God bless you.

We'll see you again next year. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers, support, and generous gifts. May God bless you for your continual contributions. Go to koloff.net and donate today. Hi, Nikita Koloff.

Be sure to check out The Man Up Show, now available on television, broadcast, and podcast. Go to MorningStarTV.com or the Truth Radio Network, check out your local listings, or better yet, download the Truth Network app today. Nikita Koloff here.

If you're needing to buy a car and have marginal credit and considering using buy here, pay here, that's worse than taking the Russian sickle. If you're looking to rebuild, repair, or establish your credit score, conveniently located on Silas Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem, be sure to check them out today at wsmc1.com because you are number one. Hi, Nikita Koloff, and I am excited to announce that I will be hosting my first ever Holy Land Tour. A trip to the Holy Land with the Russian nightmare, and I am extending a personal invitation to you to join me December 27th, 2023 for a once in a lifetime trip. Go to biblical-journeys.com for more information. This is the Truth Network.