• Would we have heard so much about David if Saul had not made so many tragic decisions?
• To the end of his life, Saul didn’t get it.  God told him everything everything he needed to do as a new king – he gave Saul instructions and even told him what was going to happen (through Samuel) and still Saul either forgot or didn’t listen.
• Most, if not all of Saul’s bad decisions were made because he didn’t trust the Lord and took things into his own hands.

What about us guys?  How many times have we taken things into our own hands?  How many times have we, our families, our employees, our ministries, and/or our futures been affected by the decision to do it ourselves, rather than trust the Lord? I’m that guy.  I’m the “Get ‘er Done!” guy.  I’m the guy who would rather do something now, than wait and do it later.  I’m the guy that says, “What are we waiting for?“  I’m also the guy who can point to situation after situation that resulted much differently than I had planned, simply because I took things into my own hands.

This doesn’t mean that we should just sit on our hands and do nothing! On the contrary, David sought God’s heart and took action.  David was a man of action.  He didn’t wait. . .unless God told him to do so.  That goes for us as well, you know?  I think that’s why David’s faith seems so wild, so courageous, so alien to us.  When God said “GO!”, David went!  When God said “DO!”, David did!  I think it’s because David completely and solely trusted God.

What about you?  Do you completely and solely trust God?  Would you move if God told you to do so?  Would you change jobs if God gave you the green light?  Would you sell your house and move into a smaller one or give up a day’s wages to serve and help others. . .if God told you to do so?  Would you stay at your job, even if you didn’t want to, simply because God said, “wait?”

When was the last time you asked God what HE wanted you to do?

Sometimes it’s not about the main character . . .or who we think is the main character.  But it’s always about God.

As I read this letter over and over I kept thinking of men.  Jesus told the church he was proud of their love, their faith, the good stuff they do, and even how they patiently endure the tough stuff life was throwing at them.  Then He hit right between the eyes.  Jesus told them that in spite of all the good stuff, He was troubled by. . .literally, “held it against them”. . .their willingness to accept and follow a false prophetess.  Jesus called this woman “Jezebel.”  Don’t know if that was her real name or a reference to one of the most vile and immoral queens Israel had ever had.  Doesn’t really matter much, either way they got the point.  She was teaching and they were following her down the road of sexual immorality.

So how does this relate to guys, me included?  We trust God, love others, do great things – even in the name of God – and patiently endure the hardships of marriage, rebellious children, layoffs, pay cuts, addictions, and a whole mess of stuff.  Yet, we give in to Satan’s lies about lust, pornography, sexual immorality, adultery, and all kinds of sexual sins.  I’ll be the first to admit that it’s tough being a godly man in today’s world.  But how can we ever be the church – God’s church – when men won’t deal with these ongoing sins?

Listen guys, we have to get over our shame, our guilt, and our pride if we ever hope to face up to these problems in our lives.  They’re real and they are tearing down our lives, our marriages, our families, our communities and having an incredibly negative impact on Jesus’ bride – the church.

Let’s start talking about these struggles.  Let’s begin encouraging and helping one another.  Let’s begin praying for one another.  Your wives deserve it!  Your children deserve it!  Your God deserves it!

Let’s stop being the church at Thyatira.  Let’s stop believing Satan’s lies.  Let’s be the men God designed and desires us to be!

Mike

I was recently speaking with a friend of mine about girl-guy relationships. This is a guy that has grown more in his relationship with God over the last year or so, than since becoming a Christ-follower. He’s a great guy – a hard worker, smart, and rides a motorcycle.
We had been talking about purity and how God calls us to remain pure in our girl-guy relationships until the time He unites us in marriage. He struggled with this for a while – like most guys do. As we walked through God’s standard for us as single men and how it is up to us to guard that standard as the spiritual leaders in our relationships he equated his desire for sex to “Snickers Bars.” We laughed, but what a great analogy! It was his way of talking about sex in terms he could understand since he likes Snickers Bars as well.

As I thought about his struggle and his analogy, I realized many of us have our own “Snickers Bars.” Don’t we? It may not be the overwhelming desire to be sexually active in our girl-guy relationships, but it could be our pride, our desire for more toys, pornography, the demanding desire to be in charge/control, our attitudes that we cling to, or our expectations of others. . .you get the picture.

What’s your “Snickers Bar?”

I’m so proud of my friend. He came to me one night and told me how he went to his friend’s house and told her, “No more.” He walked away from his “Snickers Bar.” I’m not sure if their still friends, but I know God loved to see him walk away. He enjoyed watching my friend set the example, not matter how tough it was for him. I know it wasn’t an easy decision for him to make. The decision to put down our “Snickers Bar” is never easy. But I do know he wanted to please God and be obedient. For my friend it meant finding an alternative way of spending his time and a substitute for “Snickers Bar.” If you and I want to please God, as well, we will have to do the same. My buddy did it and I believe with all my heart that God is looking at my friend with an incredibly huge smile and a special place in his heart for him. And God has blessed him with more jobs to do in his side business.

My friend fought for his King and the King’s standard of purity in girl-guy relationships. What a warrior!

What about you? You ready to put down your “Snickers Bar” and follow God? Willing to walk away and walk to God? Are you willing to fight for the heart of your King?

I won’t be easy, but God assures us that He will grant us the grace to see us through. He will be there all the way. Won’t you make the commitment today. . .now?

Mike

Dungy said that coaching or winning a Super Bowl was not his main purpose in life.  He stated that glorifying the Father was his main purpose.  How profound.  Here’s a guy that is constantly working to be better. He’s won the biggest football game on the biggest stage and stated, while that is the pinnacle of coaching, it’s not the pinnacle of his life.

Tony reminds us, men, that our jobs, that promotion or raise, that championship, the bigger house or better car are not to become the main things in our lives.  The main thing is not even our children or our wives.  Nope!  It’s none of those things.  It’s to glorify God.  None of those things, in and of themselves are bad.  But they are not to be the main thing in our lives.  The main this is to raise God up in our jobs, in our relationships, in our homes, and in our circumstances.

So what’s your main thing?

I have to admit, it’s a challenge.  It can be done.  I know guys who do it.  But, even they didn’t learn to do overnight.  You won’t either.  So start small.  Change your attitude at work – see your place of employment as a mission field rather than a mine field.  Start praying with and for your children.  Do the same with your wife or girlfriend.  Get involved with a small group of guys that will hold you accountable for your actions, words, thoughts, emotions, etc.

It takes guts and we have to let go of our pride, but we can do it!  Let’s accept Coach Dungy’s challenge and begin making glorifying God the main thing in our lives.

M ike

I was lead to this question by God during consecutive quiet times just before the new year. Allow me to explain. After Christmas I asked God what He wanted from me this year. Yeah, I know the easy answer – “Your heart!” or “Your life.” or several Sunday School answers. And these wouldn’t be wrong. But that wasn’t what I was looking for, nor was it what God wanted me to discover – at least I don’t think it was.

Instead God lead me to John 6:1-13. It’s a very familiar passage to many of us. Reading it we find that it’s where Jesus feeds the 5,000 (considering all that was recorded were men, estimates are upwards to around 10,000 people). Through this passage there’s a couple of unique lessons God wanted me to learn and I want to share with you as 2008 gets kicked off.

Trust God to provide for you

As we begin reading we are allowed to listen in on Jesus’ conversation with Philip: Hey Phil, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” But we’re also privy to the thoughts of Jesus – He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. You see, God didn’t expect Phil to provide for the people. As a matter of fact Jesus asked him a where question, because Jesus already knew the how. Jesus was simply testing Phil, just like He tests you and me.

Philip’s answer was about the means. . .the how. He responded to Jesus’ question, “No matter how much money we have, it won’t be enough to buy what we need.” Of course looking back we think, what was Phil thinking? This is Jesus. He could do whatever he wanted to! Yet, we often respond like Philip. Ever responded to God like Him, He asks something of you and the first thing you mention is how you can’t do it? He asks you to trust Him and the first thing you do is tell Him how you can’t do something for God.

When we trust God to provide whatever it is we need – peace, love, direction, fellowship, companionship, finances, solutions, etc. – we have to leave the how up to Him. Why? Because He already knows how he will provide. He’s just waiting for you and me to trust Him. Don’t fall into the “How” trap. That is a trap of faithlessness.

Surrender your stuff to God

I’m cleaning out closets and getting rid of a lot of stuff. See, I’m a pack rat. I hate throwing stuff away. Why? You guessed it, I might need it later. Right? You know what I mean?

Listen, God started this process in my heart last year and it’s a lesson I’m still learning – stuff is just stuff. It doesn’t do any good to hold on to it. If you’re thinking its about memories or value or whatever, let me assure you I have plenty of reasons to hang onto stuff. But God has reminded me it’s just stuff. The memories are in my heart and in my mind. They will never go away. And the value – Jesus told us in Matthew 6:19-21 that our hearts shouldn’t be set on the stuff of earth, especially things with monetary value. What if they all burned up in a fire? What would I do then? Where’s the value?

Instead, give your stuff over to God. Remember, though, stuff doesn’t just mean our physical goods. It means our abilities, our passions, our giftedness, our fears, our situations, our relationships. I told God I would turn my teaching abilities, my limited writing experience, my desire to read and study His Word, my ministries, my relationships, my marriage, my fears, my anxieties, my emotions (especially my anger and temper), my feelings all over to Him. Yeah, there’s some big things in there, but there’s also some things that I would consider little things or maybe not as consequential as others. That’s what God is waiting for you know?

Reading the passage in John we find a little boy gave up his 5 biscuits and 2 sardines. This was probably all he had. Barley loaves and fish were the food of the poor, so this wasn’t donated out of extravagance. It wasn’t like the boy said, “Here, take this, I’ve got plenty!” No, it was probably all he had. I wonder, was he the only person in the entire crowd that had food? If he wasn’t, then why didn’t others give up their meals? Probably for the same reason we don’t: It’s all I’ve got! If I give it I’ll have nothing. Yet a child said here, take it.
It’s like that with our stuff. God is wanting what you have. No guarantees. The boy had no guarantee that he would get any of the food back. But it didn’t stop him from giving it up.

Thank God for everything, even the small stuff

When Jesus received the biscuits and fish the first thing He did (after having the people sit down) was to thank God for it. It was all there was, nothing more. Just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Yet, Christ raised it up and thanked God for what He had provided. Jesus didn’t question God. He didn’t complain about what He didn’t have. He thanked God for the little bit they did have.

I have to say, this is the most difficult lesson for me to accept. I struggle with the stuff I don’t have. I complain, whine, cry, and plead with God for the stuff I don’t have – like enough money to pay bills, rather than thank Him for the house I have, the fact that I haven’t been late paying any of our bills, for a wonderfully supportive wife, clothes to wear, food to eat, opportunity to trust Him and grow in my faith, a loving family, I could go on, but there’s no need.

What about you? Do you complain to God for what you don’t have or thank God for what you do have – no matter how small or insignificant it appears to be?

Expect God to do the impossible in and through you -

When Jesus distributed the bread I think He knew that everyone there would eat well. John tells us that when they had enough to eat – i.e., when everyone was full – they gathered 12 baskets of leftovers. Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing? Watch Jesus lift up a handful of food and then watch everyone eat until they’re satisfied? OH MAN!!

Getting back to that little boy – I wonder if 5 biscuits and 2 sardines would have filled him up? Don’t know. But I do know he at to his heart’s content. I also wonder what he thought has he saw his “little” donation go farther and farther and farther and. . .?

Do you expect God to do the impossible in and through you? Do your pray believing? Do you surrender and trust believing? Jesus reminded us “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Do you want God to do the impossible in and through you? I tend to think there’s a lot of us who want the comfort and security we have now rather than risking letting go of it so we can He can bless us with an armful.

I’m expecting God to do something powerful in and through me this year. There’s a lot I could accomplish and do in my power, but I learning to want and desire the impossibilities of God. I hope you will, too.

Mike

So I sat down with my idea book and began flipping through the pages. I ran across some notes from messages I heard this summer. Below one of the outlines I discovered some notes I had written about a specific passage of Scripture – Matthew 14:13-21. It’s where Jesus feeds the 5,000 plus leftovers. But before He did His thing He told the disciples to feed them. When they complained all they had was some biscuits and a couple of fish He told them to bring the bread and fish to Him. It’s then He did the miraculous. Here are the notes I made about that particular passage:

• Jesus takes over when we come to the end of ourselves
• We come to the beginning of Jesus when we come to the end of ourselves (yes it’s redundant – just another way of saying the first thing)
• Stop whining about what I don’t have and start looking for/at what I do have to offer God
• God does the most amazing things when we give Him all we have
• What we see as a problem, God sees as an opportunity.

Here’s where that’s applicable to me -

• I need to stop worrying and whining about the finances I don’t have and give God the money I DO have!!

• What I see as a problem (lack of funds) God sees as an opportunity (give Him what I do have – don’t know the how or the what, but God can provide all I need and then some, eh?)

Hey guys, where are you struggling? What are you worrying about? What do you have you can give God now? Take some time and prayerfully give it to God. That’s what I’m going to do. Join me?

Mike

His CD Continuum is incredible.  It was the first John Mayer CD I downloaded.  It begins with a great song,  Waiting on the World to Change.  I love the tune.

The other day I was driving and heard the song – once more -  and it hit me, how many of us are waiting for our world to change?  How many of us guys are sitting back and waiting for others to change our world?  Believe me, they will.  They will change our world and it may not be to our liking.  More than that it may not be to God’s liking.

It was then I was reminded of a verse I came across in Kenny Luck’s book,  Risk: Are You Willing to Trust God with Everything? In Matthew 11:12 Jesus reminds you and me, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.“  These men aren’t waiting for someone else to change their world.  They’re taking action.  They’re getting up off their duffs and picking up a weapon and advancing God’s Kingdom.  These are men who are making a difference where they live, work, and play.  These are men who are being proactive.  They’re not lying  around the house or the church complaining about how the world’s changing and they just don’t like it. NO!  They are doing something about it.  They may not change the entire world, but  they are changing THEIR world.

What about you?  Are you waiting for your world to change?  Are you complaining about the morality on TV, movies, in songs, on the internet? Are you sitting back and watching the divorce rate among Christians meet and exceed the divorce rate among non-believers?  Are you resting on your laurels while people go hungry and naked in the streets?  See, if you aren’t changing the world someone else is.  And their changes will influence you one way or another.  I’m bothered by the fact that many guys just sit and complain and do nothing to change their world – even the ones who proclaim Jesus as Lord. . .as King.  I’m not asking you to change the entire world, just yours.  Just where you work, live, and play.  The rest will take care of itself.

Come one guys lets change our world – schools, athletic teams, PTAs, neighborhoods, families, communities, friends, workplaces, even churches.  Lets join together to fight for God’s Kingdom and lets be proactive in changing our world for the Kingdom of God!  What are you waiting for?  Orders?  Try Matthew 28:19-20

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Enough for you?  It is for me.  So lets get our butts out of those pews – OK, technically, some of you have chairs, you get the point -  and lets hit the streets, the living rooms, the conference rooms, the ball fields, wherever, and advance the Kingdom of God! Let’s stop waiting for someone to change our world and lets  change it together!

Your Comrade in Arms,

Mike

You see, do-es and don’ts give us structure. . .boundaries. They tell us if we’re successful and if we’re winning. They let us know what the score is – whether we are doing good or falling behind. Do-es and don’t tells us the status of things at a glance. They’re stuff we do – hands on – or stuff we don’t do – hands off. Do-es and don’ts set our course. They’re black and white. There’s no gray area to muttle our thinking or perspective.

Relationships, on the other hand, are a man’s kryptonite. . .his weakness. They drain us. Why? Because relationships are somewhat vague. We have to invest and don’t always get out of them what you put into them. You don’t always know where you stand and we aren’t always in control. Relationships aren’t something we conquer as in something we “do” and lift our hands in victory while doing the Rocky dance around the house or office. And while do-es and don’t are pretty clear cut, relationships can be messy and often times confuse us. Relationships also require us to compromise at times and there may even be some gray areas that we may struggle with. For men, relationships are hard.

Then I thought, “but what does Jesus want from us. . .with us?” Sure,there are some things we should do and some things we shouldn’t – see the 10 Commandments. But even they are meant to help or strengthen our relationship with God and with each other. I think Jesus is looking for a relationship. Of course, it can be difficult. Yeah, it’s out of the comfort zone of most men. No doubt, a relationship with GOD can confusing at times. But getting to know GOD and His desire for me as a man takes that kind of risk from me. . .and from you. It takes time and commitment. It takes accepting that I’m not in control, then turning that same control over to GOD. It takes investment of resources, emotions, passions, abilities, and the like. A relationship with GOD means that I’m confused sometimes and I don’t always know what the “score” is. It also takes sacrifice. And, yes, sometimes there are some gray areas that I may not be comfortable with. But it’s a relationship with GOD – the creator of the universe, the one who formed me and knows my intricate parts, the one who loves me so much that He already sacrificed for me~He gave me His Son on the cross. Why wouldn’t I want to have a relationship with someone like that?  Why wouldn’t I want to be in and develop a relationship that will give me more than I can ever give it?
Where are you? Are you a Do-es & Don’ts kind of guy, but desire a relationship with GOD Almighty? Make the commitment today and ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He will.  It takes time to commit to the relationship and get past the do-es and don’ts, but stick with it.  If you do I guarantee the results will be far better than sticking with the list of stuff you do and don’t do.  Besides, when do you run out of stuff to do and don’t do?  That confuses me.

Mike

Elijah, what a man of GOD. 1 Kings 18 records his showdown with the prophets of Baal – one man against 850 pagan prophets. For some reason i can see Clint Eastwood playing the role of Elijah. Here he is sending Obadiah to go fetch Ahab, reasurring him that he’ll be right here, he ain’t goin’ nowhere.

When Ahab shows up and tries to blame Elijah for Israel’s troubles Elijah holds his ground. He’s not quakin’ in his boots. Then again why should he? He’s standing for truth. . .for GOD. Instead of trembling with fear, Elijah confronts Ahab with the truth of his actions. It is Ahab and his family that has brought trouble upon the folks of Israel. They are the ones who have abandoned GOD’s commands and pursued the Baals. For some strange reason I see Elijah’s eyes squinting, head cocked to the side just a little, hair gently blowing in the breeze as he confidently confronts Ahab.

Then Elijah calls him out!! He wants a showdown – cue background music, think the whistle from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. So everyone gathers at Mt Carmel – Elijah, prophets of Baal (all 850 of them), the folks of Israel, and Ahab.

Remember, not only was Elijah confronting Ahab and the prophets of Baal, but he confronted the people of Israel – “How long will you waiver between two opinions? If the LORD is GOD, follow him; but if Baal is GOD, follow him” (v. 21). And the people said nothing. I imagine they ducked their heads, shuffled their feet in the dirt, and gathers their children in front of them, as though they were using them to hide behind.

So the showdown takes place. The prophets of Baal get the pick of the bulls to sacrifice and offer up to Baal. By the end of the day nothing has happened. All they are left with is a smelly, fly-infested offering, bleeding and bruised bodies from where they have beat and cut themselves to get Baal’s attention, and beat up pride and egos from Elijah’s public and open taunting – all day long!

Then. . .cue music. . .Elijah takes his place. He rebuilds the altar, offers up the leftover bull as a sacrifice to the LORD, He commands that water be poured over the entire altar and offering until the trenches around the altar are full. Then he prays to the GOD of heaven. What happens next is truly amazing. The fire of the LORD burns up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil. It even laps up the water around the altar. Want to imagine with me the look on the faces of the prophets of Baal, Ahab, and the folks of Israel? Oh my, oh my.

GOD’s Word says that the folks from Israel fell to their faces and worshipped GOD and the prophets of Baal went down – literally. Elijah commanded that not one of them should live.

Boldness. . . Guts. . .GOD – that’s how you become a man of GOD. We can’t do it on our own, but we play a part. We have to decide to fight for the heart of our King. We have to pick up our sword, even when no one around us will fight.

What about you? Picked up your sword today? Willing to fight for the heart of your King? Want to see GOD do something amazing?

Boldness. . .Guts. . .GOD – that’s how it happens.

Mike

A little background on Ahab.

• He had become king of Israel (1Kings 16:29-33).
• He was even more evil than any of those before him.
• He married Jezebel and began worshipping Baal and erected Asherah poles to be worshipped.
• He did more to provoke the LORD and his anger than all the kings before him.

THIS was not good king – get the picture?So what’s so great about Obadiah? Great question. Well. . .as the story goes on Jezebel is tired of the prophets of the LORD and begins to take it upon herself to rid the country of them. While Jezebel is out killing the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah is saving 100 of them by hiding them in two caves – fifty in each. Not only is he hiding them ,he’s also providing food and water – he’s keeping them alive.

Obadiah wasn’t just taking a risk by keeping them safe, he was taking an even greater risk by providing sustenance to a hundred men! Think about that for a moment. We usually go, “ahhhh, isn’t that nice?” right about here. But it was much more serious than that. He didn’t just put them away and forget about them. Whether he used his influence or he personally provided food and water we don’t know, but it took more guts to keep them alive than just hiding them. What if word had leaked out? What if word of Obadiah’s actions seeped into the ears of Jezebel? Not only would a 100 men of GOD had lost their lives, but so would have Obadiah!

Obadiah was a great man of GOD. And while he may have feared Jezebel, I get the sense he feared GOD even more. He stood for GOD when no one in the kingdom, except Elijah, would stand for Him. He exhibited boldness. . .guts. . .and a fear of GOD that goes beyond showing up for worship and Bible study on Sunday morning. He lived out his faith, risking everything for GOD.
Would you risk everything for GOD? Many men have over the years. What about you? Willing to risk the safety of your job? The status you enjoy in your community? The stability of your home or finances? The position you have in your church? What are you willing to risk for GOD?

This is a question I am wrestling with even now. I know what it’s like to wrestle with the commitment question. . .the risk question. I am right up there with you. Pray for me. Let me know what GOD is asking you to risk for him and I will pray for you.

Remember it takes boldness and guts to be a man of GOD.

Mike