As a kid I loved the cartoon Underdog. I was a small kid who got picked on and learned quickly how to be tough enough to hold my own. Under Dog was one of my heroes when I was younger Underdog was known as Shoeshine the everyday boy who shined, yep you guessed it, shoes. He was a weak unnoticed boy who appeared insignificant to all who walked by unless they needed a shine on their shoes. When trouble broke out Shoeshine would run into a phone booth where he would be transformed into Under Dog! The Phone booth would explode when he went through his metamorphosis from the weakling into the super hero who would rid the earth of all evil.
There’s no need to fear, Underdog is here! He would yell out, comforting hearts of all who were in fear of evil. Unable to help themselves Underdog would rescue them.
I have also recently read about the battle of Thermopylae, the movie “300” was based on this famous battle. In the film, a force of Greek warriors led by 300 Spartans fights against a Persian army of almost limitless size.
An Allied force of approximately 7,000 men marched together to defend the pass that would block the Persian army in the summer of 480 BC. The Persian army who’s number was in the millions; arrived at the pass in order to take Greece. The Greeks held off the Persians for seven days total, including three full days of battle. Despite the odds, the Spartans were determined not to flee or surrender, even if it meant their death.
It is truly awe inspiring how the God of Heaven and Earth will choose weak things of this earth over the strong, the foolish things to confound the wise things of this world, and turn the world upside down for his glory.
Over the past 30 years Christen men have checked out. They have stepped aside from the fight, much like King David did when he grew tired and stayed home from battle. The end result was too much time on his hands. King David withdrew from the battle, from his purpose and was swept away and enticed by his own appetites. Before we throw rocks at him because of all he did, let’s look at what we as “contemporary” men have done in his stead. We have handed over our God given office as men of God to the enemy. Like Adam who gave up what God placed in him to govern when he sinned. We have given up the priest hood of our homes, we have allowed ourselves to be reduced to the recliner watching TV, or worse we have given ourselves to working through life at a job that will only take us up a corporate ladder that leads to the emptiness at the top. We have sacrificed our wives, our families and our relationship with Jesus Christ, nothing else has eternal value. Men of Christ have stopped being warriors who are instructed to expose darkness, who are commissioned to take the news of life to anyone and everyone who have never received it. We have passed the battle on to our wives, to the women in the church. The result of our decision to become more like the world around us is being played out in front of us. We are now frustrated and displaced. Like Israel who asked for a king because they wanted to be like the nations around them we have traded the divine appointment of being Godly husbands and fathers for wanting to be more like the world around us. We want, we want, we want. We need, we need, and we need. We have turned our eyes, our hearts, and our minds off the battle and on to what is tempting and luring us into the place of separation and ultimately death, yes death. Don’t be a hater! These are not my words they are the words set in place by God not man. Divine words given to keep us from going where we decided to go anyway. The brother of Jesus said “each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
The enemy only comes to steal, kill and destroy. Men of God - the enemy of our souls has taken us out of the game! The average Christian woman is now bound up in insecurity, fear and condemnation. She can’t tell anyone about it because she has no covering and she knows it, protection designed by God through the men of God who walk with him daily. Our children are having sex at puberty, they are committing suicide. As they drop out of high school, drugs and teen age pregnancy have become pandemic. Brothers the need is desperate to fall to our knees before. We need to cry out to God and repent of the things we have fallen prey to. We need a change in the culture in the body of Christ, to what it once was to be a man of God instead of what it has become as a result of our decision to walk on our own. It’s never too late to change the highway we are traveling on. The offer is always held out to return. “If we confess our sins, he if faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness. Don’t be discouraged we have and advocate...we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense. Jesus Christ the one who atones for our sins.
God is in the restoration business. He wants to put us back in the position we have been chosen to walk in.
Like Under Dog and the 300 men from Sparta who warded off the on slot of evil in their perspective arenas. We have a battle to engage in. God has already given us all we need for victory. Our wives and children are in need of men who have the ability to take up the fight for them, the need is desperate. The reward is eternal and the dividends are abundant. When we are in place, when we are doing what we are designed to do we will experience life to its fullest. Anything less is unfulfilling. God's promises are the only promises that hold truthful. Any other promise result in emptiness.
Who will join me in the fight for the ones we love? Who will fight with me against the enemy of our God? Who will stand with me to know the ways of God and represent him to the nations?
It’s my prayer that all men who read these words will be inspired to to take a stand against darkness, make a change in his personal culture and in turn change the culture around him. The time to start is today. You can find me at guysnet@hotmail.com
No man can stand alone!
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A Bitter Drug
Anger and bitterness are very real. Once established they are hard to get out of our lives. There is good reason Jesus taught against holding on to anger in the Bible… saying: be angry and sin not; don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Guard against the root of bitterness. Life lessons are that anger left unaddressed can and usually do turn into a bitter root.
When I moved into my house it was fixer. One of the problems was an over grown yard. In my newly acquired jungle were several Yucca plants. Yucca plants are a succulent. The top of the plant can be killed off but the root continues to grow deeper. I found that Yuccas are very hard to kill. The only effective death is irradiation, by removing the root. Because of the moisture in the root it is very resilient. Weed killer doesn’t kill the it. This knowledge was gained through experience. I began to dig up one of the more stubborn Yucca roots in the jungle, what I found surprised me. The root appeared dead. I grabbed the exposed section finding inside the dead shell was a new root that was white, very long and very much alive. I was amazed at how hardy it was.
I began to think about bitterness and how it can effect everything we do, the way we act as well as the way we think about things. Bitterness is like a drug. I know that sounds like a stretch but bear with me for a minute. Bitterness is a consuming appetite. When you express it, even therapeutically expressed it can fester if not removed. We like to talk about what we are angry about, especially with someone who supports our position. When anger and bitterness are left alone, no longer feeding them they go into a dormant stage, but a root of bitterness never goes away by itself. Jesus felt so strongly about dealing with anger and bitterness that he said that if you are in front of the altar (or in church) ready to present your offering (come before him in an attitude of worship and giving our hearts to him) but have an offence against your brother, leave your offering at the altar and go to your brother and ask for forgiveness then come back to church and present your offering. We aren’t told to get forgiveness from our brother, but go and forgive. It is not distinguished between if we have done something against our brother or if our brother has done something against us.
Bitterness feels good at the time of exercise, when talking about what someone has done to us; when defending ourselves. That exercise never feels good afterward, but always leaves us feeling unsatisfied, empty and in despair. It is a hopeless, unquenchable appetite that has to be taken out by the root, removed completely for a healthy attitude to be restored, for the sight of things to be brought back into focus. The extraction is not easy, but worth every effort to make sure even the smallest amount of the root is removed. Like the Yucca root, a tiny piece of the root can take growth again, sprouting up when unexpected. The deeper it goes the harder it is to get to the root of the problem.
Freedom after the release of bitterness is unspeakable. When we hold anything against a person it becomes bitterness in our hearts. We are the ones held in captivity. The entire time we are holding someone in contempt we are the anxious party and in constant turmoil every time we see; hear about or even think about that person or group of people. So who is in prison? Who is being hurt by the bitterness?
As Christians holding on to bitterness causes the loss of peace in our lives, creating separation from intimacy with God. Have you ever tried to go into your prayer closet when you are really mad, only to find that you are talking to the wall or ceiling?
None of us want to disqualify ourselves from running the race toward the goal of gaining Jesus.
Let’s use the same idea of bitterness as a drug. An Olympic runner trains hard for a lifetime to be able to participate in a race resulting in gaining a gold medal. When the race is complete a drug test is required. If the winning runner is found to have used any drug, that runner is disqualified. Their lifelong dream is shattered due to disqualification. The drug of bitterness is intoxicating we don’t recognize the effect it has on us until it disqualifies us from our goal…intimacy with God along with the his purposes being worked out in us and through us for others.
Jesus even said forgive those who have treated you wrongfully just as your father in Heaven has forgiven you.
Ridding our hearts of bitterness and unforgivness is one of those things in life that are worth every ounce of effort, every cost necessary. The blessing of intimacy with God and his guidance along with being used for his purposes outweigh me holding on to any anger or bitterness from any thing anyone could do to me. This life is temporal; the things of God are eternal. I want to stay in the race because I want don’t want to miss out on anything my Heavenly Father has for me.
Just some thoughts about life gained on my journey of learning to walk in step with the Spirit.
When I moved into my house it was fixer. One of the problems was an over grown yard. In my newly acquired jungle were several Yucca plants. Yucca plants are a succulent. The top of the plant can be killed off but the root continues to grow deeper. I found that Yuccas are very hard to kill. The only effective death is irradiation, by removing the root. Because of the moisture in the root it is very resilient. Weed killer doesn’t kill the it. This knowledge was gained through experience. I began to dig up one of the more stubborn Yucca roots in the jungle, what I found surprised me. The root appeared dead. I grabbed the exposed section finding inside the dead shell was a new root that was white, very long and very much alive. I was amazed at how hardy it was.
I began to think about bitterness and how it can effect everything we do, the way we act as well as the way we think about things. Bitterness is like a drug. I know that sounds like a stretch but bear with me for a minute. Bitterness is a consuming appetite. When you express it, even therapeutically expressed it can fester if not removed. We like to talk about what we are angry about, especially with someone who supports our position. When anger and bitterness are left alone, no longer feeding them they go into a dormant stage, but a root of bitterness never goes away by itself. Jesus felt so strongly about dealing with anger and bitterness that he said that if you are in front of the altar (or in church) ready to present your offering (come before him in an attitude of worship and giving our hearts to him) but have an offence against your brother, leave your offering at the altar and go to your brother and ask for forgiveness then come back to church and present your offering. We aren’t told to get forgiveness from our brother, but go and forgive. It is not distinguished between if we have done something against our brother or if our brother has done something against us.
Bitterness feels good at the time of exercise, when talking about what someone has done to us; when defending ourselves. That exercise never feels good afterward, but always leaves us feeling unsatisfied, empty and in despair. It is a hopeless, unquenchable appetite that has to be taken out by the root, removed completely for a healthy attitude to be restored, for the sight of things to be brought back into focus. The extraction is not easy, but worth every effort to make sure even the smallest amount of the root is removed. Like the Yucca root, a tiny piece of the root can take growth again, sprouting up when unexpected. The deeper it goes the harder it is to get to the root of the problem.
Freedom after the release of bitterness is unspeakable. When we hold anything against a person it becomes bitterness in our hearts. We are the ones held in captivity. The entire time we are holding someone in contempt we are the anxious party and in constant turmoil every time we see; hear about or even think about that person or group of people. So who is in prison? Who is being hurt by the bitterness?
As Christians holding on to bitterness causes the loss of peace in our lives, creating separation from intimacy with God. Have you ever tried to go into your prayer closet when you are really mad, only to find that you are talking to the wall or ceiling?
None of us want to disqualify ourselves from running the race toward the goal of gaining Jesus.
Let’s use the same idea of bitterness as a drug. An Olympic runner trains hard for a lifetime to be able to participate in a race resulting in gaining a gold medal. When the race is complete a drug test is required. If the winning runner is found to have used any drug, that runner is disqualified. Their lifelong dream is shattered due to disqualification. The drug of bitterness is intoxicating we don’t recognize the effect it has on us until it disqualifies us from our goal…intimacy with God along with the his purposes being worked out in us and through us for others.
Jesus even said forgive those who have treated you wrongfully just as your father in Heaven has forgiven you.
Ridding our hearts of bitterness and unforgivness is one of those things in life that are worth every ounce of effort, every cost necessary. The blessing of intimacy with God and his guidance along with being used for his purposes outweigh me holding on to any anger or bitterness from any thing anyone could do to me. This life is temporal; the things of God are eternal. I want to stay in the race because I want don’t want to miss out on anything my Heavenly Father has for me.
Just some thoughts about life gained on my journey of learning to walk in step with the Spirit.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Afraid of Fear?
Fear is a funny thing, fear will paralyze us forcing us into a corner of life causing us to do nothing. Fear will cause us to defend ourselves resulting in damage to anyone who gets too close to us. Fear has pressed people into greatness and overwhelmed people resulting in cowardice. I was recently asked how I see fear. All I know is how it affects me personally. I have been the coward and the hero in the face of fear. The end result of how we react to fear is what matters, because when face to face with fear it always feels the same. When fear presents itself a choice is always demanded of us. Because left unresolved it can and will consume the heart.
The statement “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” brings up one aspect of fear. One of respect and the acknowledgement of honor and authority. So the word fear needs some definition as we discuss what is good and bad about it. To fear jumping off a cliff with the understanding of cause and effect gives me a healthy fear of making a jump with no parachute. Fear of the Lord with the understanding that being frightened as an emotion of a loving God who wants a relationship with me is not a good fear. Respect and adoration for the same loving God, that he is able to judge sin according to right and wrong by his very nature of righteousness is a healthy understanding of this aspect of fear. Along with the understanding that provision has been made for us through the blood of his son for that same sinful nature if we accept it.
Jesus continually told people “do not fear” there is a reason for the reassurance for us not to be afraid, and for him to say these words of comfort to us. Fear is very real, just because we don’t want to experience it doesn’t make it go away. Faith does chase away fear but that doesn’t make it any less real. We live in a world where the need to fight back fear can be a daily routine. Fear takes on many different faces. To say fear doesn’t exist is like saying we don’t sin. Romans 5:12 tells me I haven’t received the spirit of bondage that will take me back into fear again. The Psalms also tell me God knows I am made of dust, he understands my weaknesses. I am concerned with statements of absolutes when they come to emotions. Statements like Christians don’t fear because it is the opposite of faith, or fear shouldn’t allowed, or fear is the lack of faith. True as these may be, the blunt edge of miss placement of scripture doesn't give the understanding that fear remains real and is something that needs to be walked through into that aspect of trust that takes us beyond that fear. Our emotions are a great part of who we are. Run those absolute statements about fear down to someone who was just told they have cancer or to the 62 year old man who has been told he and his family have to leave their home they have been in for 20 years of their 30 year loan; or the single mother that she is fired from her job and unemployment is in double digits. No we shouldn’t be lead by our emotions but as much as we don’t want to be affected by the emotions of fear or anger or sometimes love, we are affected by them at great depth. As a Christian man I think the question is not what I think about fear but more how do I deal with fear. Fear along with other struggles in this life are being put under the control of God as we learn that we can trust him. Trust only comes through relationship with him. Relationship only comes through spending time with someone daily not only in the middle desperation of life's struggle. It is through relationship with him that we begin to realize perfect love casts out all fear. That isn’t to say we never experience fear or it doesn’t exist, it does nurture the relational aspect and value of trust that causes us to run to him in times of fear and not be paralyzed by it. We are told through the words of God that through scripture we gain hope. The Apostle Peter said to Jesus "where else will we go? You hold the words to eternal life."
I am glad my Heavenly Father allows me to grow into a relationship of trust with him and that he tells me “Fear not I am with you, even to the end of the this age.”
The statement “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” brings up one aspect of fear. One of respect and the acknowledgement of honor and authority. So the word fear needs some definition as we discuss what is good and bad about it. To fear jumping off a cliff with the understanding of cause and effect gives me a healthy fear of making a jump with no parachute. Fear of the Lord with the understanding that being frightened as an emotion of a loving God who wants a relationship with me is not a good fear. Respect and adoration for the same loving God, that he is able to judge sin according to right and wrong by his very nature of righteousness is a healthy understanding of this aspect of fear. Along with the understanding that provision has been made for us through the blood of his son for that same sinful nature if we accept it.
Jesus continually told people “do not fear” there is a reason for the reassurance for us not to be afraid, and for him to say these words of comfort to us. Fear is very real, just because we don’t want to experience it doesn’t make it go away. Faith does chase away fear but that doesn’t make it any less real. We live in a world where the need to fight back fear can be a daily routine. Fear takes on many different faces. To say fear doesn’t exist is like saying we don’t sin. Romans 5:12 tells me I haven’t received the spirit of bondage that will take me back into fear again. The Psalms also tell me God knows I am made of dust, he understands my weaknesses. I am concerned with statements of absolutes when they come to emotions. Statements like Christians don’t fear because it is the opposite of faith, or fear shouldn’t allowed, or fear is the lack of faith. True as these may be, the blunt edge of miss placement of scripture doesn't give the understanding that fear remains real and is something that needs to be walked through into that aspect of trust that takes us beyond that fear. Our emotions are a great part of who we are. Run those absolute statements about fear down to someone who was just told they have cancer or to the 62 year old man who has been told he and his family have to leave their home they have been in for 20 years of their 30 year loan; or the single mother that she is fired from her job and unemployment is in double digits. No we shouldn’t be lead by our emotions but as much as we don’t want to be affected by the emotions of fear or anger or sometimes love, we are affected by them at great depth. As a Christian man I think the question is not what I think about fear but more how do I deal with fear. Fear along with other struggles in this life are being put under the control of God as we learn that we can trust him. Trust only comes through relationship with him. Relationship only comes through spending time with someone daily not only in the middle desperation of life's struggle. It is through relationship with him that we begin to realize perfect love casts out all fear. That isn’t to say we never experience fear or it doesn’t exist, it does nurture the relational aspect and value of trust that causes us to run to him in times of fear and not be paralyzed by it. We are told through the words of God that through scripture we gain hope. The Apostle Peter said to Jesus "where else will we go? You hold the words to eternal life."
I am glad my Heavenly Father allows me to grow into a relationship of trust with him and that he tells me “Fear not I am with you, even to the end of the this age.”
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