But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.—Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)
Is anything creating distance between you and God? Pay attention to areas in your life that are separating you and take steps to overcome them. By making Him your priority and asking for His help, you can remove any blocks that are obstructing your relationship.
Dear Lord, help me release the things that hinder my faith journey.
“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. ––Luke 22:42-44, nkjv
No one is so touched with a heartfelt sense of the Passion of Christ, as the man whose lot it has been to suffer like things. The cross, then, is always at hand, and everywhere awaits you. You cannot escape it, run where you will; for wherever you go, you take yourself with you, and you will always find yourself. ––“The Imitation of Christ,” Thomas à Kempis
The disruptor to end all disruptors is Jesus Christ. He disrupted Satan in the desert; He disrupted him again in the Garden, and He disrupted him once and for all at the resurrection. When we get discouraged by the disruptions of life, we need to step back, take a deep breath, and ask the Holy Spirit for eyes to see what is truly happening.
It’s ironic how in our modern culture, people spend vast amounts of time, energy, and money to avoid or escape disruptions, trauma, schedule recovery, and compartmentalize pain. And if circumstances in our life turn rocky or difficult, we automatically assume we’ve done something wrong or that Satan is after us.
Man of God, sometimes we curse the enemy for disruptions placed in our path by the Father for our own good. Think of the proverbial child who gets too close to the stove: Though his parent may warn him about the flame, he’s got to experience it for himself. As God’s stubborn sheep, we do that too. We wander from the fold, get ourselves stuck in a ravine, and then curse the devil. Here’s great news though: Jesus tells us that we are His sheep, that He loves us, and that He will leave the 99 to recover the one that has wandered away. (See John 10: 27-28; Matthew 18:12-14.)
Sometimes crappy stuff happens and it’s not our own stubbornness or bad choices that led us into it. But man of God, there’s amazing news here: whether the problem is your fault or not, it can still be the raw stuff God needs to deepen your faith, increase your empathy, and open your eyes to needs around you.
There’s nothing wrong with a life of contentment and peace. However, I have rarely seen men become spiritually mature without having to first confront massive challenges that force them to invite God into the process of forward movement. Sometimes we come to that point of surrender of our own volition, but oftentimes we have to first exhaust all of our own gifts, talents, and energies before we realize that we can’t do it using only our own tools. We need Him. We need His.
When disruption comes, see it for what it is: An opportunity to surrender the crud you are going through to a God who will use it to both grow you and to expand His kingdom. He doesn’t expect us to like it. Look at Jesus in the Garden—He asked the Father to remove the cup (His suffering), but He also surrendered the circumstances to His Father. Jesus did not want to suffer; you are not “less than holy” if you squirm on the altar.
The one thing I know for certain, however, is that when we reach our Rubicon, God will be faithful to carry us across—no matter what is waiting on the other side.
Lord, I hate pain, but I love You. Please use the disruptions in my life to help me grow closer to You and to become a better man.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16
I remember a time when my wife Chrissy and I stumbled into one of those “grease fire” arguments––and suddenly I was spewing flames from my mouth. Whoa––timeout! I decided to take out the trash to give myself a pause. Once outside, I whispered the scripture, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” from James 1:19, repeating the instruction to myself three or four times before I went back inside. I apologized for my anger and Chrissy and I were able to discuss our issue in more productive tones. We have all been there, right?
When I’m in the shower, I’ve found that it helps to call out scriptures such as, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:16). When the lure to linger over a woman’s low-cut blouse hits me, I remind myself of the deal I’ve made with God: “I made a covenant with my eyes” (Job 31:1). When Chrissy asks me whether I’m going to do anything about the odorous and unwanted mounds of dog poop in the backyard, I quote to myself Jesus from Matthew 20:28, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”
Countless times, I have found that calling out scriptures catapults me past the temptation and prevents me from making the ever-famous slip that the mole is seeking to induce. Psalm 37:30-31 says (with my added emphasis), “The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.” God’s man speaks the scriptures into his daily challenges specifically to guard against taking a tumble. Staying silent leaves the struggle in the back alleys of our minds.
Father, thank You for your Word; it is the sword in our arsenal.
For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. ––Proverbs 24:16
How many active NFL placekickers can you name without doing a search? (I came up with three.)
Placekickers toil in relative anonymity until they either make a game-winning field goal, or miss one. It’s a job that entails hours of boredom punctuated by moments of terror (at least, that’s how imagine it). As of this writing, the highest paid NFL placekickers make $5 to $6 million per year, and the average kicker’s salary (including punters) is $860K. A quick search on my ESPN app reveals that kickers attempt around 35 field goals per season, and about 25 extra points (more XPs on a good team, less on a bad one). Would you turn down the chance to make $14.3K minimum every time you kicked a ball? (Me neither.)
For real though, I wouldn’t want a field goal kicker’s job. We can all think of a time when an errant kick in the final seconds of a game broke our hearts. Can you imagine having to live with that? You’re out to eat with your family and you overhear, “Hey, isn’t that what’s-his-name—the guy who choked and lost the playoffs for us?”
It’s one thing to choke in private; it’s an entirely different thing to do it on national television. But like every great kicker, we all choke from time to time. (Choke, as in, lose our nerve, our courage, or our focus in a critical moment.) Peter choked when he denied Jesus three times. The Sons of Thunder choked when they had their mom ask Jesus if they could sit on His right and left in heaven. Abraham choked when he lied about Sarah being his sister to save his own skin. David choked when he committed adultery, and then murder, to cover it up.
Whatever you call it—failure, face-planting, choking—it’s not fun. Mistakes and miscues turn into personal history, which turns into trauma that can haunt us unless we reconcile it—clear it from our spiritual and emotional balance sheet. Like a great kicker who bounces back after a shanked field goal, we go back to basics and mechanics: We are God’s men, our debts and mistakes already paid by Jesus. We turn to our team of guys for support. We hit the playbook—God’s Word—once again, and allow the Coach to give us new direction.
Father, help me give my mistakes to You and remind me that my identity is in Christ, not in anything I’ve ever done or failed to do.
When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up––one on one side, one on the other––so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. ––Exodus 17:12-13
God is in the disruption business. As much as we may resist or protest when changes come crashing in, God loves to use disruption to get us out of our seats and into the game. And in the Kingdom, disruption is different than interruption:
Interruption: A temporary pause or setback that may or may not lead to positive spiritual change.
Disruption: A lasting or permanent change that may or may not have been caused by God, but if surrendered to Him, can be used to mature us spiritually.
For example, Moses’ privileged life in Egypt was interrupted when the Egyptian soldier beat a Hebrew slave and Moses retaliated. (See Exodus 2:11-12.) But God disrupted Moses’ new life in Midian when He revealed Himself in the burning bush and commanded Moses to return to Egypt to free His people. This account in Exodus 3 reveals much about Moses (and you and me) as well as about the nature of God:
God always makes it difficult for us to feel comfortable when we languish in spiritual deserts. Been burned in a relationship and then vowed, “Never again”? Been laid off or fired unfairly or unjustly? Lost someone close to you and now you’ve closed yourself off to a hopeful future?
God loves you too much to allow you to remain stuck somewhere between the drama and your destiny. He will part seas to get you moving. He will disrupt the “comfortable” on purpose to shake you awake, whisper directions in your ear, help you to your feet, dust you off, open the door, and set you on the path.
But brother, when He disrupts, you need to get up. The great news is that He’s designed this whole disruption business so we don’t have to do it solo. If you ask Him, He will give you companions. An Aaron and a Hur to hold up your arms. Surrender your disruptions and He will turn them into part of your Kingdom destiny.
Father, thy will be done and thy Kingdom come in my life. Give me the courage and grit to endure disruptions and to fully give them over to You so You can lead me into the plan You have for me.
Take good counsel and accept correction—
that’s the way to live wisely and well.
We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,
but God’s purpose prevails.
––Proverbs 19:20-21, msg
Do you have friends who constantly interrupt you? Or just as bad, don’t listen as they just wait for you to finish so they can talk? Yeah, annoying. Life is full of interruptions, though, and they come in all shapes and sizes. From being interrupted in a conversation, to having someone cut in front of you at the grocery store, to being cut off on the freeway. Irritating interruptions. (I admit to listening to worship music in my car and then in less than a second turning into a yelling, angry driver. Anyone else?)
The greatest interrupter is our enemy, who loves to interrupt our thoughts and actions when we are walking with God, doing His good works, and pursuing His will. Think about how many “to do” items pop into your head when you are trying to pray? (Well, it’s a problem for me. If you don’t have that issue, good on ya.) Or think about times when you step out in boldness to volunteer, agree to lead, or begin a fast or spiritual exercise. I don’t know about you, but Chrissy and I often joke, “Well, the enemy’s not happy about (fill in the blank), so it must be a Kingdom project!”
The first interruption in human history was when the snake slithered into the Garden and poured poisoned words into Eve’s ear. Think about what Adam and Eve had going for them: eternal life in paradise on Earth; an unlimited amount of food; no need to toil or work; and most amazing of all, full access to the Lord of the universe. Then, the great Fall (we all know the rest of that story).
Man of God, don’t allow the enemy to interrupt the things that God wants to do in your life. Passive resistance won’t cut it. We need to take up all the armor of God in order to aggressively fight the enemy, who is constantly on the attack (Ephesians 6:10-13). He will try to persuade you to skip your prayer time, ditch your Bible for a few more funny YouTube videos, and to convince you that you’re too busy to volunteer or go on that short-term missions trip.
This Christian life is not a spectator sport. We must get out of our chairs, engage with the world, the flesh, and the devil, and invite Jesus into every spiritual interruption that Satan throws at us.
Father, help me recognize the difference between life’s normal interruptions and the toxic work the enemy is trying to do to derail my relationship with You. Keep me sharp and on my guard.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4, NKJV
Each year nearly five million people from all over the globe visit the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. What’s crazy is that you can leave the Hoover Dam—one of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the World—and in less than four hours be standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon—one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
“The Ditch”—as some call the Grand Canyon—is truly one of those natural spectacles that you have to experience to believe. My friend Kyle is semi-obsessed with the Ditch. At age 58 he did what’s called a “Rim to River” hike where he made the more than one-mile elevation descent to the canyon floor and then hiked back up to the South Rim. The trek took him 10 hours and covered about 22 miles and more than two miles’ total elevation drop and gain. He caught the “Ditch Itch” and the following year backpacked from the South Rim to the North Rim over a three-day period. (That one’s called a Rim-to-Rim.)
What’s crazy about the Grand Canyon is that only 1% of visitors ever step below the rim. And while the view is indescribable from the top, getting below the rim—even a quarter mile down—is an entirely different experience. As you descend it gets warmer—it can be snowing on the rim and 80 degrees at the bottom. It’s definitely like few places on earth.
While some of us may never get the chance to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back, we all experience the depths of life’s ditches—sickness, death, and the vicissitudes of a fallen world. We have no choice—we find ourselves in the canyon, or as King David called it, the valley of the shadow of death.
Only a fool goes into The Ditch without being fully prepared and equipped. In fact, each year otherwise healthy, fit hikers need to be rescued due to hyponatremia—when the concentration of sodium in your blood is abnormally low. It can happen if you drink too much water but don’t replace electrolytes, and the effects can be life-threatening.
As God’s men how do we brace for the next “grand canyon” event to come? While we can’t choose when and how crises occur, we can prepare our “gear kit”: stay intimate with the Father; maintain relationships with our brothers; study His Word. The mole wants you to bonk along the steep trails of life’s canyons—but you can avoid “spiritual hyponatremia” by attending to your relationship with the Creator of all things.
Father, keep my heart and mind attuned to You so I can withstand the rigors of life’s next canyon experience.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
––Psalm 29:3-4
For a lot men I’ve met and ministered to over the years, there’s an invisible wall that makes it hard for them to hear the love in God’s voice. For most of them, it’s not because they don’t believe God loves them, or that He’s not a caring, compassionate God.
A lot of the time it’s because the voice they hear when they think of a “father” is the voice of their earthly dad. For some, that voice was harsh, judgmental, and condemning. I get that. As much as I loved and respected my own dad, a lot of the words I heard as a kid were pretty harsh. There was a lot of yelling too.
Sometimes, though, it wasn’t that a man’s dad wasn’t present, but that he just wasn’t involved or didn’t seem to care. As Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel said, “The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.” In some ways, being ignored is just as bad as being screamed at. Maybe worse.
According to a survey by Statista, only 40% of men say they had a “very good” relationship with their father. So the next time you are in church or at a sports stadium, look around. Only four out of the 10 guys you see had a very good relationship with their dad.
In your own prayer time with God, whose voice are you hearing? When you imagine that small, still voice that Elijah heard on the mountain, what does it sound like? Is it harsh? Judging? Critical? Brother, one of the biggest accomplishments Satan can achieve is to convince you that God’s voice is unloving or hyper-critical. Don’t confuse God’s desire to grow and mature you into the man He’s designed you to be with a false god that’s always looking at you with a furrowed brow. The Father loves you too much to allow you to stay stuck on the outskirts of your destiny.
John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible. But this time, I want you to read it without earthly filters. Imagine Jesus smiling at you as He looks you in the eye and says with great compassion and love , this paraphrase of that verse:
“For God so loved YOU that He gave Me, His only begotten Son, that if you believe in Me you will not perish but have everlasting life.”
Your Father loved you THAT much. He LOVES you that much right now. Invite the Holy Spirit to replace the harsh voices you may hear when you pray with the true voice of the Father. It may take time, but I guarantee you this: He will never stop loving you, and He will always be there for you.
Father, it can be hard to hear Your loving voice sometimes. I accept Your love, and invite Your Holy Spirit to retune my ear to hear You more clearly.
Your servant will meditate on your decrees. ––Psalm 119:23
“Okay Cam, let me ask you just one question. Before that moment that was so powerful and tempting, how long did you have these thoughts about Mandy and the possibility of doing what you did? Was it off and one? Give or take a few weeks?” In a barely audible voice, Cameron whispered, “Six months ago.”
Bingo!
As I speak to men I tell them point blank: There is no such thing as an irresistible temptation. The reality is that most men who fail do so because they construct scenarios in their minds long before they actually act on one of them. The temptation itself is not intrinsically irresistible. The dazzling number of mental imaginations ahead of time, however, weaken our will to the point of total vulnerability. The old saying, “You can do anything if you put your mind to it” is true—and for God’s man, absolutely critical. God plants warnings throughout His Word against sinful thoughts. Many are found in Proverbs, such as, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life” (Proverbs 4:23, NCV).
Because God knows how powerfully He designed our minds to be, He commands us to take great care in what we allow our minds to dwell upon. One hundred billion neurons strong and able to make 200 calculations per second, the mind is designed to think your thoughts and do marvelous things. It is a force, God tells us, that will determine our personal destinies.
The defining marker for God’s man is that he thinks deeply and continuously about what God has spoken. And just as my plain pork ribs take on a new identity as they soak in the special marinade, so the man who immerses himself in God’s Word takes on the very character of God: he is changed into someone new.
Take your thoughts captive. It’s literally like a war—take prisoners of your worst and basest thoughts. Banish them from your mind. Scripture is the arsenal; prayer is the device; the Holy Spirit is the One who can help us when we feel helpless in the face of white-hot temptation. And lastly, get that thought into the light by sharing it with a trusted brother. That’s when iron truly sharpens iron.
Father, meditating on your love and commitment to me is a powerful remedy for my temptations.
And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ––Romans 8:17-19, nlt
It’s safe to say that in the Christian life, we’d all love to skip the persecution and crucifixion parts, and jump straight to resurrection. Am I right? Suffering, surrender, self-denial? No thanks! Come to Jesus, have your best life with no bad vibes, and then die peacefully at a ripe old age.
And because the Christian life doesn’t always work that way many Jesus followers become disillusioned or drift off course. I believe “consumer Christianity” is a key problem, particularly in the US: It’s the fallacy that says once you accept Jesus, life becomes one happy road of blessings. And if you encounter hardship, sickness, or trauma? Well, you either don’t have enough faith, or God is somehow punishing you. I have one word for that school of thought: poppycock (poppicockiae in the Greek).
I’ve watched spiritually mature, godly men go through one hardship after another, while I’ve also seen lukewarm believers breeze through life with few visible issues. But here’s the important thing to remember: Life trauma happens to everyone, and God isn’t out to “get you” when you mess up. Do our decisions matter? Of course. If you drink, eat, and smoke heavily for a few decades, you can’t then turn around and blame your health problems on the devil. Conversely, if you live a holy life and then contract cancer, it’s not because you lack faith.
Man of God, as you face persecution (all your problems and traumas) and live a crucified life (surrendered and submitted) in God, your resurrection will come. It’s not that God wants us to suffer for our resurrection; His Son suffered for us so we don’t have to die as He did. But God will use the traumas of this fallen world to shape us into the person He wants us to be. Who He designed us to be.
Man of God, what we often see as persecution is the very thing God uses to take us through crucifixion and into resurrection. God doesn’t bring the cancer or a spouse’s extramarital affair, but when we walk with Him and submit these difficult circumstances to Him, He can use those messes to bring miracles. Put another way, He loves you way too much to allow you to remain in the wilderness, and when we choose Him, He never quits us. And resurrection is the result. Every time.
Father, I fear persecution and crucifixion, but I submit all my trials and troubles to You and ask that You would give me the strength to walk the road I am on with You. Thank You for Your love, which I know will sustain me.
Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23, nasb
At an EMM men’s retreat, we surveyed 550 men with the following: ”What causes you to disconnect from God on a continual, habitual, or fatal basis?” More than ninety percent of the men indicated (anonymously) that lust, porn, and sexual fantasy were their top reasons for spiritual disconnection. Many men took advantage of the survey’s anonymity to reveal their involvement in illicit affairs, their compulsion with/or addiction to pornography, and the inner struggles that plague their consciences and drain their spirits.
Shockingly, more than fifty men at the retreat admitted that they were having— or have had—an extramarital affair. Equally shocking was the fact that the majority of the men were serving in key leadership positions throughout the church.
My point? You are not alone when you admit that you have something less than excellent sexual integrity. At a staff Christmas party, Derek’s wife witnessed firsthand the bonds he had formed with several women at work. They acted as if she weren’t even there—by how they talked with him and even placed their hands on him. He hadn’t stepped over the physical line with them but his wife didn’t see this as acceptable behavior. Actually, it gave her the ammunition she needed to spring her own ambush and leave the marriage.
Men, we are watchmen who must stand guard and diligently screen what we allow past our eyeballs, ears, and brains and into our hearts for consumption. Otherwise, the full cycle of good intention, failure, and guilt repeats itself and will keep repeating itself until a final, painful event that can lead to devastation. The big issues that impact our spiritual health and relationships require more than just abstaining from certain behaviors or words.
These are issues of the heart, mind, and soul. It is about knowing, embracing, and fighting for one’s identity in Christ over the false identities the world and the devil throw at you. It’s choosing deep relationship with the Father over lifeless rules and legalism. The former gives us hope for sexual purity, while the latter just reminds us of our failures. Choose intimacy with the Father over a scorecard.
Father, thank You for the strength given to protect my sexual integrity.
Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure.
––Psalm 39:4-5
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts…
––As You Like It, William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
It’s estimated that since the Garden and the creation of Adam, roughly 120 billion people have been born. It’s an impossible number to wrap my head around. But similar to the quiet comfort I get when I stare up into the stars on a moonless night, thinking about all those lives—from birth, through the joys and traumas of life, to death—brings me peace. It’s hard to say why, exactly, but I think it’s because this thing called human life has been done so many times before me. It’s like, “If they can all do it, so can I.”
“Life is hard, then you die,” is not an expression lost on me. Of those 120 billion people before you and me—more than 8 billion of whom are riding this blue marble right now, or about 7% of all the people who ever lived—every single one of us has had to deal with at least one trauma. Everyone suffers loss; everyone suffers pain. This is what poets and philosophers like to call the human condition. Capturing it so perfectly is the main reason Shakespeare is still a household name.
Our choice as God’s men is simple, but definitely not easy. There are only two kingdoms—God’s and the enemy’s—and only one reality. That reality is fully revealed in God’s kingdom. That is because He is all truth, and the kingdom of darkness holds no truth in it. The truest truth—the purest definition of reality—is that we were separated from God due to our sin, and He sent His Son to die for those sins and forever bridge the gap between the two kingdoms. We are His now. So in the trauma and loss we continue to experience—the rain and pain falls on the righteous and the wicked—we choose His reality. And then we share it, because there are 8 billion reasons to do so.
Father, help me to live out my days passionately committed to You and Your plan for my life.
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22: 31-32
Can you imagine standing in Peter’s sandals? Jesus looks you in the eye and tells you the devil is going to “sift you like wheat.” Talk about terrifying. But it’s a truth that Jesus wants us to hear—clearly. If you want to become an easy mark for Satan simply deny, excuse, or rationalize the fact that he wants to destroy you. But if you want to play a key part in the battle, consider the dark footholds of sin, pride, or fear you’re having trouble letting go of.
An arrogant or self-centered spirit — a growing materialistic tendency — overcome with titles, status, or position — an addiction to approval — a secret sexual sin — an overreaction to criticism — emotional reliance on past successes — close-mindedness or an unteachable spirit — an unwillingness to be accountable to others — a disregard for core spiritual discipline — a disconnection from your spouse — behaviors that isolate you from other Christians.
All of these are examples of one thing with one common denominator: darkness of character. They’re all connected to your morality, dragging you down when you are being friendly with darkness. Watch out, because if you’ve made a commitment to Christ, Satan will be allowed to come against you in an area of weakness until you realize that God desires the dark corners of your life to be eliminated.
God wants you proactive in your battle against pride—to shut the door on all dark attitudes. Jesus told His disciples just days before the crucifixion, “Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light” (John 12:36). It’s when God’s man assimilates the character of Christ in a dark area that Satan withdraws. Only then will Satan know that you know all circumstances, trials and sifting only work to perfect and complete you as God’s man. In times of sifting a fighting faith is produced. God knows what it will take: God’s surgical strike.
Thank You, Jesus, for administering Your perfect wisdom in my life.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ––John 15:19
So the expression goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” The inference, of course, is that we all get taken advantage of sometimes; the key is to wise up and not get scammed the same way—or by the same person—twice. It’s good advice, right? I think so. I mean, who returns to the shady car mechanic, or buys again from the website that ripped you off the first time?
Here’s the problem for God’s men: the entire world is untrustworthy. Jesus told us we do not belong to this world, and Paul underscores this by saying,
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ––Romans 12:2
Here’s our challenge as God’s men: Understanding the darkness of the world without letting it darken our hearts. How does Jesus suggest we do this? Two incidences come to mind:
Keeping an open heart—a heart and mind that is ready to move and fill needs and speak hopefully to the hurting—is not a mind over matter process. We don’t will our way into a positive attitude. It‘s about remembering who we are and Whose we are.
While we do live in a world filled with evil, we can keep an open heart—ready and willing to move when He shows us where and when to go.
Lord, help me keep an open heart in a closed off, cynical world. I need Your Spirit to keep me from sliding down into the negatives!
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death. Philippians 2:8
The humble king is an oxymoron unless you are talking about Christ. He was noble and self-effacing; powerful and gentle; authoritative and accepting; sovereign yet submitted; royal yet humble. Yep, this is our man. Who better to copy, right?! We are called to imitate, model, and project the ability to temper our influence with humility for God’s purposes in others. To do this we need to think humbly.
Here’s a little exercise: On the count of three, be humble. It’s kind of comical, and a little squishy. What is humility and how do we walk in it? God’s vision of humility for you looks like this: You have influence without ego — You are capable of retaliation but choose reconciliation — You pass up power to increase God’s influence — You submit to God’s plans versus presuming them — You freely notice others — You empty yourself instead of being self-entitled — You are willing to honor your efforts in His time.
Ask yourself: Do I see Jesus humbly and clearly? — Do I want the character quality of Jesus in my own life? — What sort of character do people sense when they’re around me? — Do I make things easier or harder for them by being humble? — Am I stand-offish or easily embraced by others?
After you answer these questions with an honest assessment, take the first step of humility by submitting your life to Christ. That’s what Jesus-style humility looks like. That’s what it means to be humbly significant. It isn’t being weak and letting people walk all over you. It’s walking in the quiet confidence that you are a warrior in God’s kingdom, and your king has your back.
Father, You are awesome; thank You for loving me and replacing the world’s way with Your Way.
And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:15
My friend’s fourth-generation uncle survived Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. Civil War experts say this was arguably the defining engagement during the decisive three-day battle that turned the tide of the War in favor of the North. On the final day of the Battle, with things still hanging in the balance, General Lee commissioned General George Pickett to lead a charge of 12,500 men up a long, open grassy rise toward the entrenched northern positions on Cemetery Hill. All but 4,500 men were killed, wounded, or captured, and the charge failed.
It’s a completely opposite scenario when God sends His men into battle. The incredible truth: You will run into battle more aggressively if you know you cannot lose! Then and only then do the arenas of battle, the issues, or the opposition become inconsequential. David’s personal closeness to God drove his confidence in God. How certain, inwardly, was David? Here’s how the scrawny shepherd from Israel addressed the giant from Gath: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45). Do you detect any doubt?
Where did that come from? Answer: Confidence springing from relationship, and faith in the promises openly spoken by God. For the record: As David faithfully predicted, the world did know just a few minutes later that all that David said came true.
Another example of such confidence came in the New Testament man called Peter. With his new guarantee of the Holy Spirit deep within him, he stared down the Goliaths who had crucified Jesus. In Peter we see the fearless, faithful, fantastic confidence of the Spirit! God’s man is free to suffer or die because of the real indwelling guarantee of the Holy Spirit. What are the battles you are facing—what issues, what circumstances that seem overwhelming to you? The Holy Spirit will call you to face your fear and guarantee your courage. Ask Him to fill you and see what happens. Are you inwardly certain?
Father, thank You for Your promise, that if I ask anything according to Your will You will hear me and grant my request. Thank You, Jesus.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
––Psalm 40: 1-2, nkjv
I love Psalm 40 because it exemplifies the kind of difficulties David experienced in real and raw form. Have you ever walked across wet clay, or tried to climb up a slick embankment? The imagery here is of vertical walls slick with mud, impossible to climb. But then David acknowledges the miracle of God’s deliverance.
The Bible is full of folks stuck in pits and prisons, both figurative and real. One of the most vivid images of a pit is mentioned in 2 Samuel regarding one of David’s Mighty Men:
Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian [and] … killed him with his own spear.
––2 Samuel 23:20-21
I can’t imagine jumping into a pit on purpose to fight a lion. In the snow. And then there’s Joseph, who might be the only person in the Bible to both be thrown into a pit and to spend time in prison. Peter was imprisoned by King Herod for refusing to stop preaching the Gospel. Paul spent two years in prison by order of Emperor Nero, and wrote four of the epistles from behind bars (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). John the Baptist was in prison before Salome asked for his head on a platter.
When we make the conscious decision to live for God, we will encounter pits and prisons. They will come in one of three ways: through the world, the flesh, or the devil. In all cases, the best and fastest deliverance is when we cry out—like King David—and ask for God’s help. Whether we place ourselves in these pits or prisons, or whether circumstances beyond our control place us there, our deliverance is the same. Like King David, we can call on the Lord and He will surely answer.
Lord, thank You for lifting me out of the miry pits of my life. I can’t imagine life without You. Help me to help others climb out of their pits as well.
Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. ––Matthew 10:32-33
Following Jesus Christ inevitably brings God’s man to a crossroads about who he will live to please. Our King did not take great pains to, shall we say, put His guys at ease before sending them out to represent Him. But He was honest about the cost that He expected from them. There would be no 401k, no health benefits, no salary, and no company donkeys. Just repeated attempts at intimidation.
Not a lot of wiggle room there. Either you are a deserter or a disciple. There’s no room for men who wear their spiritual masks around and then side with other guys when convenient.
God’s men have to kiss the middle ground good-bye. As they say in AA: “Half measures availed us nothing.” Ask any recovering addict about the middle ground. Jesus obliterated it from the radar. He had to become the middle ground—the cross is a crossroads at which all men must choose. In the crucible of that crossroads Peter denied Him three times. James and John jockeyed for position. Judas did what he did for 20 pieces of silver. But all returned to Him except Judas.
Jesus created all sorts of problems for His men in front of the people. Specifically, the middle ground would engender: vacillation; fluctuating spiritual commitments; hesitation and holding back in speaking the message; intimidation. He bulldozed the confidence of His men. Threw them off; took them out of their comfort zones. Forced them to abandon their reliance upon their old flesh.
At that crossroads His men entered the fire and it forged them into sharp, hard spiritual weapons for the Gospel. All of the disciples died terrible deaths except John. Would you die for a charlatan? A magician? No. Their deaths are yet more proof that Jesus was who He says He was. Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot kill your soul. Respect God, who can destroy both your body and your soul.
Father, thanks for teaching me that love casts out all fear … Your love that You have placed in me.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” Jeremiah 17:7
Everything is meaningless, according to Solomon—and he was richer than Elon Musk (i.e., $250 billion). Some estimate Solomon’s wealth as equivalent to $2 trillion. So if Solomon says everything in this world is meaningless, what guarantees do we have of any solid footing? Zero unless we walk in the Spirit.
In a man’s world we call it “walking tall.” God wants every believer walking tall (like David) in the Holy Spirit. The solution is to internalize versus intellectualize the guarantee and confidence the Holy Spirit exists to provide. With that goal in mind, the simplest way to manifest the presence of the Holy Spirit is by speaking the truth of Scripture into the moments that call for courage and confidence.
Speaking the truths of Scripture looks like this: the Word of Truth joins with the Spirit of Truth and faith in God joins with words of God, openly believed and spoken, to produce the power of God. John 16:13 caps it well: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” Join your faith with the Holy Spirit and repeat out loud the following Creed of the Guaranteed:
God has prepared me — The Holy Spirit is in me — Nothing can stop me — God is for me — Because HE will redeem me.
God wants us to practice reminding ourselves of spiritual truth on a moment to moment basis. The purpose of this exercise is to connect you with truth. God wants you to be inwardly certain and fully confident of the Holy Spirit’s presence right now. The reason I asked you to recite this creed is because being certain of the Holy Spirit’s presence is not an intellectual exercise, it is a spiritual and experiential reality that produces a real living and emotional validation of truth inside—and this is what you just did.
He promised He would fill you. Don’t depend on feelings. It’s God and His word. It’s His promise. Believe it.
Father, Your Spirit lives within me, I will act on it because You promised.
But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. –Acts 20:24, nlt
If you missed yesterday’s reading and are under 50, I’d suggest you read it as it gives my thoughts on “traps” to be aware of in the first three adult decades of life (20s, 30s, 40s). And whether or not you are a “man of a certain age,” I’d encourage you to read today’s reading too.
50s – I enjoyed my 50s because it was the decade where I survived my mini midlife crisis without doing anything terribly stupid or destructive. God knows I did plenty wrong, but by His mercy, my life is still on course. The best thing about the 50s is that you have enough life experience to know your strengths and weaknesses. The trap is to keep doing things we aren’t good at, which only leads to disillusionment and frustration. (More on this in a later reading.) If you are unhappy in your job, don’t stay stuck. If your marriage has stagnated, don’t give up on it. Get the help that you and your spouse need to set things right. The enemy wants to convince us that all the boats have sailed and that life’s best opportunities have passed us by. Reject that lie.
By the time we reach “half time” in life, we have a pretty big suitcase of regrets and trauma, which gives Satan plenty of material to use against us. Don’t let him. We constantly need to remind ourselves that we are God’s children, and our identity is secure by His blood and in His victory.
60s – Though I’ve just entered my sixties, I’m going to tell you a secret: I love being this age. Why? First, because I’m still on this side of Earth’s dirt (and thankful for each new day). And second, I finally feel completely comfortable in my own skin. In the first half of life we build our lives—career, family, income, etc. And then, in the second half, we surrender a lot of what we built to God. Ego. Status. Reputation. Finances. It’s in that “letting go” process that I’ve personally found the greatest joy.
70s and Beyond – Though I don’t personally know what my 70s will bring, I know enough older God’s men to get a taste of what it’s like. Yes, health stuff can start to arise, but emotionally and spiritually, those men who allowed God to use their “crucifixion” in order to experience “resurrection” in their earlier decades are new reaping the rewards. They are some of the most energized, joyful, and productive Kingdom men I know!
It’s never too late to make a U-turn in your life, brother. I don’t care if you are 22 or 92, God allows spiritual do-overs. No, we can’t erase the past or make it go away. All the decisions we made across all the decades have left emotional and physical impressions upon this earth. But we can decide to once and for all surrender completely to Him. When we think about it, what other choice do we have? And when we do it, we realize it’s the greatest choice we had left to make.
Father, thank You for each decade of life and what it brings. Help me fall deeper in love with You so that when I reach my next “Zero” birthday (40, 50, etc.), I can look back and know that I left it all on the field for You.
DAILY DEVOTIONS, NEWS AND INFORMATION 