“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden? ‘Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,’ the woman replied. ‘It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat.’ God said, ‘You must not eat of it or even touch it; if you do, you will die. ‘You won’t die!’ the serpent replied to the woman…The woman was convinced.” –Genesis 3:1-4, 6
Men, what have you been doing in your life that God has clearly said in his Word or in your inner conscience not to do? Notice how God told Adam and Eve not to even touch the fruit! God knew that the temptation would be too great if they were that close to it. God tells us not to even toy with sin because he knows how easy it is to compromise our stand and fall into it. This could be your temptation to look at pornography, go hang out with the “easy-girl,” do drugs, drink alcohol in excess, cheat on a test at school, etc. Are you playing with fire and seeing how close you can get to the flame without getting burnt? God wants us to not even go near the flame. He knows sins power over us but the good news is he has already conquered sin so we can overcome it's grasp.
It’s so like the devil and his crafty, deceiving ways to tell us, “It’s no big deal! God is old fashioned! He just doesn’t want you to have a good time!” Don’t listen to him, guys! Notice how Satan twisted God’s words to Eve when he originally asked, “Did God really say not to eat ANY of the fruit of the garden?” Oh he’s crafty! Manipulation of words at it’s finest. Eve caught on but still entertained the thought which lead to mankind’s fall. God wants to save you from sin’s pain, anguish, and captivity.
This relates to the parent who tells their child not to touch the hot stove in the kitchen. Did they say that because they don’t like their child or because they don’t want them to have any fun? Not at all! They said it for the child's personal protection and that’s all God is doing for you when he tells you to stay away from sin and was doing for Adam and Eve in the garden. He wants to protect us from ourselves, sin's grasp, and our own sinful nature. He knows it’s powerful! Stay as far away from the edge and the fire as possible! You know exactly what comes to mind in your life that you should stay away from as you read this; run away from it! Take a step away from the edge towards God's way. This is the path to true manhood in obedience to God.
It's not how close you can get to the edge, it's how far can you can stay away from it.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Growing Tired
“Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” –Matthew 11:28
There comes a time in every man’s life that he needs to let his guard down and realize it’s ok that he doesn’t have all the answers to life. So often us men have large egos and are full of pride but we need to learn to let go of our pride and admit that we need God's help to take care of our worries and anxieties and to give us the right answers we need throughout our life.
This not only applies to your relationship with God but also in your relationship with the lady in your life. God created her to want to be your teammate and help-meet and if she is truly a God-honoring woman she will be this in your relationship and she will want to be desired and feel wanted by you. By you letting her in deeper to the inner workings of your life and your shortcomings as a man and dropping your guard down with her, it will help fulfill her God-given desire to help you and in so doing you help make her feel validated in her roll as a woman and feel fulfilled in the relationship just as you feel like a better man when she gives you respect and when you feel desired by her. Don’t be afraid to be tender to her needs and in who she is as a woman of God. God tells us to protect the women in our life as if they were a sister. This is noble and heroic manhood. Any guy can just use and mistreat her while shutting her out. God wants more from his men.
Do you need to just take a moment and quiet your mind and seek rest today? Remember, as bad as we want to think of ourselves as superheroes, we are only human and we all have a breaking point. Yes, we carry the burden of being a rock for our family and this is noble but be flexible to let the right people into your inner workings, especially God. Don’t forget to bend before you break. Adapt and adjust while staying true to what is right before God. Even Christ took a moment to rest. You need to recharge your battery and there’s no better charger than going to God to renew your strength as you let your guard down and admit you need his help.
Peace comes from resting in God.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Self-Defeating Lies
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." -Philippians 4:8
Men, it's so easy to go throughout our busy day with a negative attitude and a defeated mindset as life's problems and worries seem to mount up to the high heavens. It gets hard to maintain a good attitude as we try to fulfill our responsibility each day. Don't feel like you are alone in this fight, even Jesus when he was here on earth grew weary and tired. He understands your struggle to maintain a positive mindset.
The good news is you have the choice to choose if you will listen to Satan's self-defeating lies that linger in your head. There's always that constant voice telling you that you're no good, that you don't measure up, that you're the only one that feels insecure, that you'll never amount to anything, that you'll never be able to get over this hurdle in life, that you'll never have victory over a sin, and the list goes on and on. Guys, these are all lies from the pit of hell and it's up to you to squash them by speaking the truth of God into your life on a regular basis! As soon as Satan tells you a self-defeating thought challenge it head on with a Bible verse that speaks truth into your life in that moment. If you're not memorizing Scripture then you don't have the proper ammo in your day to defeat these lies and you will take on a defeated attitude. Make it your mission to memorize at least 3 Scripture verses that you can use in the heat of the battle to fall back on to gain victory against the enemy.
Men, you are good enough! You are more than conquerors in Christ who loves you deeply! Christ tells us to think on whatever is good. Start by talking positively to yourself instead of listening to the constant barrage of negative thoughts and words! What do you think about throughout your day? Do your thoughts and inward self-talk bring you up or down? This is very important to consider to get victory and go through your day with self-confidence that comes from your core of who you are as a man of God. I have struggled my whole life with being my own worst critic whether it was on the court or in my personal life so I understand the pressure negativity brings to your life. Yes, it's always good to critique oneself but not to the extent of it becoming self-defeating. God has so much truth in his word to share with you. Study it so you can defeat Satan and go throughout your day with a positive mindset as you think on things that are lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Your relationships around you and with God depend on it as well as your future path and how much joy you have in your life. Choose to be joyful by brushing off the negative.
You become what you think about as you combat the negative lies with Christ's truth found in Scripture.
Men, it's so easy to go throughout our busy day with a negative attitude and a defeated mindset as life's problems and worries seem to mount up to the high heavens. It gets hard to maintain a good attitude as we try to fulfill our responsibility each day. Don't feel like you are alone in this fight, even Jesus when he was here on earth grew weary and tired. He understands your struggle to maintain a positive mindset.
The good news is you have the choice to choose if you will listen to Satan's self-defeating lies that linger in your head. There's always that constant voice telling you that you're no good, that you don't measure up, that you're the only one that feels insecure, that you'll never amount to anything, that you'll never be able to get over this hurdle in life, that you'll never have victory over a sin, and the list goes on and on. Guys, these are all lies from the pit of hell and it's up to you to squash them by speaking the truth of God into your life on a regular basis! As soon as Satan tells you a self-defeating thought challenge it head on with a Bible verse that speaks truth into your life in that moment. If you're not memorizing Scripture then you don't have the proper ammo in your day to defeat these lies and you will take on a defeated attitude. Make it your mission to memorize at least 3 Scripture verses that you can use in the heat of the battle to fall back on to gain victory against the enemy.
Men, you are good enough! You are more than conquerors in Christ who loves you deeply! Christ tells us to think on whatever is good. Start by talking positively to yourself instead of listening to the constant barrage of negative thoughts and words! What do you think about throughout your day? Do your thoughts and inward self-talk bring you up or down? This is very important to consider to get victory and go through your day with self-confidence that comes from your core of who you are as a man of God. I have struggled my whole life with being my own worst critic whether it was on the court or in my personal life so I understand the pressure negativity brings to your life. Yes, it's always good to critique oneself but not to the extent of it becoming self-defeating. God has so much truth in his word to share with you. Study it so you can defeat Satan and go throughout your day with a positive mindset as you think on things that are lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Your relationships around you and with God depend on it as well as your future path and how much joy you have in your life. Choose to be joyful by brushing off the negative.
You become what you think about as you combat the negative lies with Christ's truth found in Scripture.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Commit to the Task at Hand
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might." -Ecclesiastes 9:10a
Commitment is one of the biggest struggles for so many men today whether it's in a relationship, staying with a job, a sport, fitness, to a diet, etc. We live in a fast paced world where we have so many new things at our disposal that makes it so easy to leave one thing and jump to the next big thing. Our society runs on the notion of the next big thing, going bigger, faster, stronger, and better.
As men we have to learn to commit to what God has put in front of us on our path and not just up and jump to the next big idea or next best thing without some serious consulting with God. We need to learn to bloom where we're planted as if we were a tree waiting to produce fruit. It doesn't happen overnight to produce good fruit and we need to learn patience and water the seeds of our life by developing character and perseverance. Fruit picked too early isn't near as good as one that has taken time to fully ripen. Men, take care of your responsibility that God has given you to do today. Don't live in tomorrow. God has a plan for you to do today so that you will be ready to receive tomorrow's blessings for being faithful now. Don't rush God's timing. He knows what he's doing in and through you this very moment. He's preparing you right now. Be present.
God has given you today to deal with what needs to be done today. Tomorrow will be a new day. If you don't commit to the task at hand, you'll miss what you need to learn and you will continuously fail until you finally learn the lesson that God wants you to learn in this situation. The Bible says, "Let your yes be yes, and your no be no." Don't waste time having to go through the same test over and over again. Learn from it the first time around so you're ready for the next test God has for you to develop your character. Lack of commitment will rob you of joy in your life today and you will feel like you're wandering around lost in life like a ship with no dock. Be interested with what needs to be done today. This is necessary on the path to manhood.
If you can't commit to something, don't expect to find fulfillment in your life until you do.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Feelings Lie
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – I John 3:18
It’s true that actions speak much louder than words. It’s easy for us as men to say something but it’s an entirely different thing to back up what we say through our actions. Often, we may not feel like doing something we know we should do such as working out, praying, studying, etc. Keep in mind that action invokes feelings, meaning if you take action even though you don’t feel like it, the feelings can grow.
Take for instance the marriage that’s on the rocks because the man doesn’t feel love for his wife anymore. Well, if he would get his eyes off other women or pornography and start acting in a loving way toward her such as buying flowers for her, taking her for a walk, holding her hand in public, doing something romantic for her, listening to her, etc. those feelings for her are bound to start coming back inside. If he will starve himself from fantasizing about other woman as well, she will become more desirable to him, even if she’s not as pretty or skinny as when they first met.
A fact of life is you cannot trust how you feel! Many people will tell you to follow your heart but that many times results in disaster because your heart’s feelings will lie to you. This is why you need to be wise and think through every situation and weigh it with fact, truth, and what’s right before God. I know, not as fun but much better for you moving forward as a wise man. Take action to do what’s right before God and look to him to bring the joy that comes from living an obedient life. Many men today don’t live their life in this fashion but this will set you apart as a man from the crowd of followers. Going through life with just good intentions isn't enough. You must do the right thing following after character, integrity, and what's right before God. This is a huge challenge and very difficult but God promises to bless your obedience. It's one of my greatest struggles but I know God is ready to forgive when I fall and get me back on the right track and let my actions match-up with my good intentions and words.
Action invokes feeling.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Attitude is Everything
“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” –Psalms 118:24
I once heard it said that “attitude determines your altitude,” which means, your attitude is dependant on how much success you have in your life or how much you allow yourself to be held back. Attitude is that powerful. On the same side, it’s a choice you make. You choose whatever moment you’re in if you are going to fight the negative emotions and choose to have a good attitude or decide to walk around with a negative vibe. Deciding to think positive helps bring success to your day.
It’s like the old principle that says “when you’re feeling sad, try smiling,” because eventually it’ll change how you feel to some degree. Attitude is contagious. It can set you up for a horrible day or for good things to come your way. Your attitude can either lift those up around you or it can bring them down. Just like an elevator, are you a person who lifts people up around you or are you the person taking them down? Take a second to think about this question and do some inner reflection. Are you taking people up with you, or are you taking them down?
A true leader of men decides to take care of his responsibility and keeps his word no matter how he feels. Feelings lie. Determine today to be a man of your word regardless of the outcome. A leader has the attitude of taking care of his duty and the way to do that is through a positive outlook, attitude, and determination to be true to his word. Don’t cowardly walk away from something you gave your word to do; unless of course it was the wrong thing for you to do in the first place but in that kind of situation, ask God for wisdom. Determine to overcome negative emotions and stay positive to reach your goals you set for your day to accomplish what needs to be done. Be true to your responsibility. God has given you this day; make the most of it!
A man’s word is his bond.
I once heard it said that “attitude determines your altitude,” which means, your attitude is dependant on how much success you have in your life or how much you allow yourself to be held back. Attitude is that powerful. On the same side, it’s a choice you make. You choose whatever moment you’re in if you are going to fight the negative emotions and choose to have a good attitude or decide to walk around with a negative vibe. Deciding to think positive helps bring success to your day.
It’s like the old principle that says “when you’re feeling sad, try smiling,” because eventually it’ll change how you feel to some degree. Attitude is contagious. It can set you up for a horrible day or for good things to come your way. Your attitude can either lift those up around you or it can bring them down. Just like an elevator, are you a person who lifts people up around you or are you the person taking them down? Take a second to think about this question and do some inner reflection. Are you taking people up with you, or are you taking them down?
A true leader of men decides to take care of his responsibility and keeps his word no matter how he feels. Feelings lie. Determine today to be a man of your word regardless of the outcome. A leader has the attitude of taking care of his duty and the way to do that is through a positive outlook, attitude, and determination to be true to his word. Don’t cowardly walk away from something you gave your word to do; unless of course it was the wrong thing for you to do in the first place but in that kind of situation, ask God for wisdom. Determine to overcome negative emotions and stay positive to reach your goals you set for your day to accomplish what needs to be done. Be true to your responsibility. God has given you this day; make the most of it!
A man’s word is his bond.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Do God's Work
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.” -1 Chronicles 28: 9-10
Solomon was King David's son and he was chosen by God to build the tabernacle for the people to worship their Heavenly Father. Just like Solomon was chosen to do a specific job for the Lord, so you are called to do a job as apart of God's army. You may not know right now what that all entails and that's fine but God knows what he has specifically designed for you to do according to his plan for your life.
Let's break down a few sentences from these verses above. First of all it says, "Acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with whole hearted devotion and with a willing mind," which means to look to God and seek his face as you give him 100% of yourself and your effort in what he has called you to do. This means put all your worth into him and his plan for you because it'll be so worth it. Secondly it says, "For the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever," which applies to you in the fact that the Lord sees what's on your heart and the effort you put in to serve him. If you desire his company, he will come to you and give you strength and meet the desires of your heart. He won't force it on you. He'll give you a choice. Keep in mind if you choose not to follow and accept him, you will miss out on eternal blessings only he can bless you with. Don't forget men, God is jealous for you because he loves you deeply and wants to "do life" with you in service to him. This will be the greatest way to find fulfillment in your life.
Men, God is calling each and every one of you to "build his tabernacle." My question for you is, "What is your "tabernacle" that God wants you to build for him in your life?" Maybe he wants you to be a preacher, an evangelist, a missionary, a ditch digger, or a surgeon. Wherever God calls you though is a place where he can use you each and every day to lift others up around you, to be faithful to him, and use the strength he has given to you to touch many lives until he calls you into the next leg of the journey. Today, acknowledge God and seek him daily and his will in your personal relationship with him as he sees your heart. He promises to be there for you as you do his work. Embrace the father-son relationship you have with him to walk into your calling of manhood that he designed specifically for you.
God holds the map for the journey of your life.
Solomon was King David's son and he was chosen by God to build the tabernacle for the people to worship their Heavenly Father. Just like Solomon was chosen to do a specific job for the Lord, so you are called to do a job as apart of God's army. You may not know right now what that all entails and that's fine but God knows what he has specifically designed for you to do according to his plan for your life.
Let's break down a few sentences from these verses above. First of all it says, "Acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with whole hearted devotion and with a willing mind," which means to look to God and seek his face as you give him 100% of yourself and your effort in what he has called you to do. This means put all your worth into him and his plan for you because it'll be so worth it. Secondly it says, "For the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever," which applies to you in the fact that the Lord sees what's on your heart and the effort you put in to serve him. If you desire his company, he will come to you and give you strength and meet the desires of your heart. He won't force it on you. He'll give you a choice. Keep in mind if you choose not to follow and accept him, you will miss out on eternal blessings only he can bless you with. Don't forget men, God is jealous for you because he loves you deeply and wants to "do life" with you in service to him. This will be the greatest way to find fulfillment in your life.
Men, God is calling each and every one of you to "build his tabernacle." My question for you is, "What is your "tabernacle" that God wants you to build for him in your life?" Maybe he wants you to be a preacher, an evangelist, a missionary, a ditch digger, or a surgeon. Wherever God calls you though is a place where he can use you each and every day to lift others up around you, to be faithful to him, and use the strength he has given to you to touch many lives until he calls you into the next leg of the journey. Today, acknowledge God and seek him daily and his will in your personal relationship with him as he sees your heart. He promises to be there for you as you do his work. Embrace the father-son relationship you have with him to walk into your calling of manhood that he designed specifically for you.
God holds the map for the journey of your life.
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