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2008-09-05 - Teach Us To Pray - Eager to Act

Nehemiah 4:6-9 - Nehemiah prayed to for the walls of Jerusalem to be rebuilt

Nehemiah turned his theology into biography
He prayed to a powerful God, but it did not end there; he was ready and eager to act
Many times we pray (talk) and then sit back (no walk) waiting for a miracle to happend

Nehemiah prayed often and spontaneously - 1:4, 4:4, 5:19, 6:9, 13:14, 22, 29, 31
He is prayers were followed by:

Decisions - Nehemiah 2:5
Plans -Nehemiah 4:9-16
Actions - Nehemiah 2:18

What closes God's ear to our prayers is not the depth of our sin bu the lack of our eagerness to act upon his Word

2008-09-11 - Teach Us To Pray - Unity with Others

Questions to ask meself:

How often this week have I prayed with someone?
Do I pray with others about critical decisions?
Praying together with others my custom?

If no, denying one of the most powerful aspects of pray

After Judas' sucide - two eminently qualified individuals were proposed - Acts 1:15-26
Disciples sought guidance (v24)

Peter and John were on their way to pray - Acts 3:1
They grouped together for prayer often - Acts 16:13-16
They raised their voices together in prayer - Acts 4:24
Church earnestly prayed for Peter; eventually released after angelic intervention - Acts 12:5

2008-09-12 - Teach Us To Pray - In Marriage and Family

Unless the Lord builds, its builder labor in vain - Psalms 127:1-2
Solomon probably knew the truth of this passage as much as anyone
He saw incrediable tragedy in his own family from the result of his father's unspiritual leadership
His family stands as a warning to all married disciples of how Satan can destroy the most precious of all human relationships

Powerful benefits of daily prayer with one another:

Prayer keeps your relationship spiritual focused
Prayer keeps us going to bed united - Ephesians 4:26-27
Prayer makes us more grateful
Prayer gives us focus and direction

Prayer in family life:

Nightly prayer with children from infancy
Daily devotionals with younger school children - 15min in the morning
Taking pray walks with teenage children
Quiet Times with one another
Praying as a family about major decisions and challenges
Praying with children after they are disciplined adds powerfullly to the impact of such training

2008-09-15 - Teach Us To Pray - Changes in Character

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place - Psalms 51:6
Character can grow if we take a sober gut-level check look at who we are

Too often we pray:

Help me be a better person
Help me to change
Help me to love you more

We don;t know specifically what we need to change
When we aim at nothing, that is what we hit

The word of God discerns the thoughts and intentions of our heart - Hebrews 4:12-13
Like a mirror reflecting how we look spiritually - James 1:23-25
We also learn the truth about ourselves from other people in our lives - Proverbs 20:5

Ask God to help you see what you need to change
Ask others what things they see in your sinful nature

How badly do you want to change?
It will show by the way you pray
My power is made perfect in weakness - 2 Corinthians 12:9

2008-09-17 - Teach Us To Pray - The Harvest Is Plentiful

Jesus promises a great harvest but the worker are few (Matthew 9:35-38):

Even when there was a large crows of disciples - Luke 6:17
Even when the is a entire town gathered - John 4:2

God controls the harvest
Fruitfulness limited primarily by one thing - God himself

Gratitude control the harvest
Luke 9 - The charge was to preach the kingdom and heal the sick
They gave to everyone who had need - Acts 2:43-47
Salvation wasn't just a doctrine rather a reality in their lives
Jesus spent much of his time meeting physical needs, feeding, comforting, healing, serving
As a result, people spread the word even more
Reflects the power of meeting needs and our heart as a worker

To acquire this heart, we need to pray:

For the strength to live this way
For the trust needed to believe
For the supplies necessary to meet every need
For the godliness to live as the Bible directs

2008-09-20 - Teach Us To Pray - Power for our weakness

Weakness include:

Physical sickness - Philippians 2:26
Weak faith - Romans 14:1-2
Weak conscience - 1 Corinthians 8:11-12

If you are not aware of your weaknesses, then God can not make you strong

Prayer is simply the key that unlocks the door to God's free reign in our lives
He reigns whether we like it or not, but he will not take away our free will - we have to surrender it
Getting rid of weakness is not the point - it to humbly submit yourself to God, depend on his power, and to rely on his strength

2008-09-22 - Teach Us To Pray - Enemies and Opposition

Whoever the enemies may be, the words of Jesus are still the same: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you - Matthew 5:44

It our enemies who afford us the opportunity to glory God by shining like stars - Philippians 2:15
This behavior is described in the Bible as "perfect" - Matthew 5:48
Only someone who loves God earnestly and has an eternal perspective on life is able to surrender

Must forgive and love our enemies to be permitted to be sons of God - Matthew 5:44

When praying for our enemies, we should focus on:

Their need for forgiveness - Luke 23:34
The power of God to change them - Acts 4:24-28
Our need to continue to preach boldly - Acts 4:29

2008-09-25 - Teach Us To Pray - Warriors Who Change the World

The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge and and ordinary man takes everything either as a blessing or a curse!

Prayer is the difference between being spiritually dynamic and spiritually dead; between being victorious over Satan and being victimized by him

Three wasy to pray that makes a powerful difference:

Pray according to God's purpose
God wants us to pray about things that mean the most to him

Pray in Praise of God
Our God stands in greatness before us and how we pray is as important as what we pray
When we pray in praise to God, he always makes a difference in our lives

Pray for the Passion to Produce
He is Lord of the Harvest and it is also God's will that there be a harvest - Matthew 9:38

We must understand how important prayer is in the eyes of God

2008-09-29 - Man of Prayer - Pattern

Lord's prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11

Our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:9) - Getting Started
Hallowed be your name (Matthew 6:9) - Getting Focused
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10) - Experiencing Divine Intervention
Give us today our daily bread (Matthew 6:11) - Praying for Provisions
Forgive our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us (Matthew 6:13) - Experiencing Forgiveness
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13) - Developing Spiritual Protection
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glry forever. Amen. (later manuscripts of Matthew) - Final Issues

Each will be addressed in detail in later chapters

2008-10-05 - Man of Prayer - Name

In Jesus' day, a person's name reflected one's character
God had powerful encounters with an individual, he would change the person's name with the change in them

Halllow mean to treat with great reverence
Focusing our thoughts helps lead to a response of worship

Many focus on telling God their needs, need to focus on God
Seek first his kingdom - Matthew 6:33

In interpersonal communication, remember a person's name is very important
Moses asked God, "Who shall I say sent me?"
God answered, "Tell them I AM has sent you"

YHWH (Yahweh) is the proper name of the living God
God is the God who is, who causes to be, and who will be who He will be
Thinking about God in this way gets my focus on Him

2008-10-07 - Man of Prayer - YHWH-mkaddesh

YHWH-mkaddesh means the Lord who sanctifies, he works to change and mold us

Reflection on his name - should remind us how desperately we need the Holy Spirit to work in our life

Should be confident that Christ's death was fully adequte
We need to be changed
We are powerless with him
Apart from His intervention, our life is unmanagable and unfruitful

2008-10-13 - Man of Prayer - YHWH-shalom

Means "the Lord is peace"

Gideon had a powerful encounter with the angel of the Lord - Gave the name at the alter - Judges 6:24

Hebrew word shalom = welling being, contentment, harmony, fulfillment, and wholeness.
It communicates a total state of well-being which comes from a proper relationship with God

The blessing of God brings the peace of God
He is the source of your peace - Ephesians 2:14
Peace is the result of God's Spirit working in your life - Galatians 5:22

2008-10-18 - Man of Prayer - Praying for our personal lives

Jesus has given us permissions to seek divine intervention
He delights in our desire to experience His intervention

Part our our prayer time should be devoted to our needs:
What do you want?
Sometimes we do not have because we do not ask - James 4:2
OR because our motivation is not proper

Asking for God's favor can not be self-centered because God is infinite:
David asked to be the apple of God's eye - Psalms 17:8
He was a man after his own heart - Acts 13:22

Spiritual needs may include:

To submit to the will of God
To please the Father
To affirm my powerlessness
To experience His presence
To know his will
To be transform (character)
To become spiritually mature
To be humble
To be fruitful
To walk in the Spirit
To obey willingly and joyfully
To receive blessing
To be protected
To be useful

2008-10-19 - Man of Prayer - Praying for our family

There is no greater privilege and responsibility than to pray for our spouse and children
It boggles the imagination to see how the quality of our family life can be affected by exercise this privilege

Powerful spiritual forces of evil try to undermine God's foundational institutions like the family

Bible clearly teaches that our struggle come from the spiritual forces outside conscious perception - Ephesians 6:12
Praying sometimes make things worst (at the beginning) because Satan is on the attack

Each of us need to realize that how we pray for our spouse is limited only by our creativity
If you want the kind of relationship that God intended you to have with your wife, prayer will be a major factor in seeing that desire realized

When we have been faithful in praying for my children, we have a great sense of peace about their lives
Christian dads have a tremendous privilege and a straggering responsibilty to pray their children

2008-10-20 - Man of Prayer - Praying for the church leaders

Should pray for the influence and empowerment of the leadership in the church (full-time staff and elders)

They are the primary targets in the spiritual war
If Satan can effectively compromise the the leadership in the church, he may keep believers from being effective

The more a leader brings to the truth of God to the church, the more problems surface
Actually creates greater demand on the staff - pray for refreshment and protection

Pray for leaders to experience:

protection
fruitfulness
effectiveness
faithfulness

Don't forget to pray for their families also, since they usually a prime target for Satan too

2008-10-23 - Man of Prayer - Praying for the world

The is an infinite number of needs in the world we can pray for

Decide on a series of issues and people you will pray for

Three things to pray for:

World hunger
World peace
World Evangelism
1. Faithfulness
2. Power
3. Effectiveness

Jesus told the disciples that the would be preachedd in all the world and then the end would come - Matthew 24:14

2008-11-02 - Man of Prayer - Sinning against each other

Part of prayer needs to be focused on remembering who has offended us and then making a conscious decision to forgive them

When our sin has caused emotional, spiritual, or physical damage to another - we need restitution - asking forgiveness

Forgiveness:

Brings into our experience not only love and grace of God but transforming power
Provides us with the guidance, motivation, enabling power to reconcile our relationships with God and others
Enables us to live with the experience of inner cleaning and the peace of God

2008-11-12 - Man of Prayer - Perfect Pattern (part 2)

Continued for yesterday's review of the book

3. Where Do I need divine intervention?

Ask Him to bring the power of His kingdom to:

Our lives
Our family
Our churches
Our cities
Our nation
Our world

4. What are my needs today?

Physical
Emotional
Spiritual

Pray about the issues and events of the day
Many of our anxieties in life are related to wants rather than needs
Learn to live in God's kingdom provision with contentment

5. Where have i failed/sinned? - confusion

6. Have I developed spiritual protection?

Protection from the flesh
Protection from Satan

7. What do I need to remember today?

2008-11-22 - Raising Awesome Kids - Strength and Conviction (part 2)

Jesus is strong - we should be too

Challenges should not break us down into depression or despair
If we fall, who will stand?
God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline - 2 Timothy 1:7

Need to strong physically as well
Get out and get some exercise - take some fat off

Jesus was a carpenter, he walked every went
Your child will be proud to bring their friends home to meet you
Youthful energy from a older person is very impressive

2008-11-28 - Raising Awesome Kids - Encouragement and Inspiration

Fathers deals with his children with encouragement, comforting, and urgency of lives worthy of God - 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Life is hard, especially for kids - easy to lose heart
There is a immense power in a father's encouragement

Young Timothy -

Lacked confidence - 2 Timothy 1:8
Could lose motivation - 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Got ill frequently - 1 Timothy 5:23
Tended to be lazy - 1 Timothy 4:13-15
Need someone to believe in him

Paul became his "father in the faith" - 1 Corinthians 4:17
By his encouragement, Timothy became the dynamic leader of the huge and powerful Ephesus church

It is our jobs as fathers to assess our children's talents and gift and help them to excel in them
Be a great inspirer and encourager of your children
Let it be you who thinks they are great and who picks them up when they fall

2008-11-29 - Raising Awesome Kids - Humility and Approachability

Clothe yourself with humility toward one another - 1 Peter 5:5
Our families know how imperfect we are

Most responsibility = most mistakes

Powerful and enduring leaders are those without pretension
Paul said he was the chief of sinners

Apologize bluntly
Apologize quickly
Ask "Is everything all right? Is anything else bothering you?"

Wallowing in guilt or losing self-confidence over your mistakes is not true humility - it is selfishness and lack of faith
People in our family should feel free to come to us and tell us whatever is on their mind
Our responsibility is to create a feeling of freedom and openness in our households
If we do not, we are headed for a day of bitter reckoning

2008-12-11 - Raising Awesome Kids - Honesty (part 2)

Must have deep convictions and treat it as a serious character (as it is)
Catch it the first time it happens, and deal with it swiftly and powerfully

Lying issues can start at age three

Don't be naive, learn to spot them, and deal with the probelm is terms they understand

Truthful lips endure forever; but a lying tougue last only a moment - Provebs 12:19

2008-12-14 - Raising Awesome Kids - Defiant Disobedience

It starts with 'No'
Sometimes we excuse it by saying, "Well, you'rejust tired"
Shows lack of willpower and fear - compromising ways by raising an isecure, definant, spoiled brat

The key is to break their defiance with crushing their spirit
Be lovingly firm and we can never let them wear us down
Make sure they know it is in their best interest to obey

2008-12-26 - Raising Awesome Kids - Specifics

Character

Start early to build on good points and strengthen any areas of weakness
Even a child is know by his actions

Beliefs and faith in God - Trust God in prayer / stand for the truth

Attitudes

Teach them to love life
Expect them to do their best
Teach them to expect God to move powerfully

Values - good morals - honesty and purity - if learned young - they will not abanon them

Personality, demeanor, and manners

Train them to have a pleasant personality traits

Some need to realize that our kids are not likable
Don't let your kids be social outcasts, weird, or rude
Some kids think they are hilarious when they are not
Other act strangle to get a attention
Some are are bland wall flowers

2009-01-04 - Raising Awesome Kids - Prayer

We should pray for our children continually
To protect them, guide them, save them, and one day take them to heaven

Paul - Prayed day and night to Timothy - 2 Timothy 1:3
Most powerful weapon available in their spiritual defense and offense

We must pray with our children as well
Regular times such as bedtime and mealtime to start
Praying while going to place like church are also helpful
In times of difficulty and great challenge - we can do nothing without his blessing

What if they do not want to pray?
Talk about how God wants to be close to them
Do not do other activities are bedtime either, too tired for prayer than to tired for _______

2009-01-30 - Jesus with People - Greatest in th Kingdom

I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven - Matthew 18:1-4

Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost - Matthew 18:12-14

We need to become like children in a very specific way
Our human nature wants to be first and to have control
Matthew 18 were driven by the same desire - they asked Jesus "Who is the greatest?"
When become like little children, we become like Jesus

Paraphrase - Because of your power-hungry pride you guys are not even in the kingdom of God, and nothing will change this fact unless you start imitating this child

After Jesus' sacrifice, all his teachings made sense
Having a child's humility is impossible until we understand the cross
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends - John 15:13

Must see other brothers and sisters in Christ as God's little spiritual children who must be cared for
God's heart is that not a single person be lost
Do we feel the personal responsibility for others?

Who do you know who is struggling spiritually? What can you do to help them?

2009-02-05 - Jesus with People - Realness

When it comes to friendship, Jesus again sets the standard

Jesus knew John:

Jesus saw his weaknesses - yet accepted him - Mark 3:17
Jesus did not hesitate to call him to be a follower - spite of his temperament - Mark 1:19-20
He expect John to change - Luke 9:51-56
Jesus questioned his commitment when John sought power - Mark 10:35-37

Incredible thing about John is that it would seem that he never doubted Jesus' love

He refered to himself 5 times as the "disciple that Jesus loved"

2009-02-27 - Promises of God - Standing on Promises

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are all "Yes" in Christ - 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

Promises from others and one we have made > can make us highly skeptical about promises
They represent efforts to pacify us at the moment; the promiser does not usually have to fulfill the promise immediately

Does he promise and not fulfill? - Numbers 23:19

God fulfills his promises - every last one of them

God is:

Trustworthy
Reliable
Absolutely faithful to every promise he makes

He has the power to do what he says
A promise from God is as good as fact

2009-02-28 - Promises of God - Being Fully Persuaded

Abraham shows us that faith is all about having confidence in the promises of God

Yet he did not weaver through unbelief, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised - Romans 4:20-21

Abraham was justified by faith - Romans 4:13

We must learn God's promises and never waver in unbelief in trusting them.

2009-03-01 - Promises of God - Practical and Powerful Promises

Since the promises of God can relied on, it can have powerful affect on how we view life and how we live it

Psalms 119 - Shows us the relationship of God to spiritual life

Psalms 119:50 - God's promises enable him to press on and not give into dispair
Pain may be great - but the promise of God looms larger.

Psalms 119:140 - Again and again he has relied on God's promises and has come to value them

Psalms 119:148 - Deep conviction about focusing on the promises, keep him up
Will do whatever it takes to fill his mind with the promises

Psalms 119:154 - When he is threatened and in danger, remind the Lord of his promises

Psalms 119:162 - Promises of God is a treasure to him

2009-03-16 - Promises of God - Strength From Prayer

Jesus had to overcome unfathomable temptation - Matthew 26:36-36

If he chose to follow through with his Father's will: humiliting insults, excruciating beatings, and agoninzing crucifixion would follow

Jesus: If it's possible, may this cup be taken from me
He knew what we needed to do
He struggled to get his heart where it needed to be
He prayed until he found strength he needed to overcome

We should ask ourselves: How many hours have I wrestled with it in prayer?
We cannot expect to withstand tempation if we are not ready to wrestle in prayer until God gives us the strength

We must turn to God at the moment we are tempted - it may take hours but we will have great power to resist sin

2009-03-21 - Promises of God - Formidable Foe

We have a common enemy that must be overcome

Described as:

the accuser
the adversary
the enemy
an evil spirit
the father of lies
a murderer
the power of darkness
the prince of this world
the ruler of darkness
the spirit that in the children of disobedience
the temper
the god of this work
the wicked one

He snatches away the planted Word from people's hearts - Matthew 13:19
He blinds the minds of individuals - 2 Corinthians 4:4
Satan takes people captive - 2 Timothy 2:26

But there is one greater...

2009-03-23 - Promises of God - Run to God's Word

Like sin, the very nature of weariness is hostile to radical change

Running is the last thing I feel like doing with I lethargic and tired - but it is exactly what I need to do

Our spirits often resist the Word when we need it the most.

There is power in the Word and it can revive us over and over again
I lie prone in the dust; revive me according to your - Psalms 119:25

2009-03-25 - Promises of God - Rest in Gods Comfort

Elijah's collapse and recovery - 1 Kings 19

After great victory with God, he fell into physical, emotional, and spiritual burn-out

God used a powerful three step plan:

Some good old-fashion rest
A timely reminder of God's true nature and heart
Gave him an exciting plan of action

It gave Elijah a boost and go him back on the edge and stronger than ever in no time

2009-03-31 - Promises of God - God is All-Powerful

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate - Psalms 142:6
Emotional needs of the brokenhearted can be met completely by our all-powerful God

You are my refuge - Psalms 142:3-5
Describes how God provides protection, security, strength, and unfailing kindness

2009-04-02 - Promises of God - Work That Is Worth It

An old criticism of Christians: Too heavenly minded that they are no good on earth
Seem to spend so much dreaming of heaven and not working on solving the earth's problems
This was never God's idea

Prepare your minds for action - 1 Peter 1:13

Setting our minds on the amazing blessings is a powerful encouragement for us to work hard and give our best effort now

Is it worth saying "No" to sin? Just consider heaven!
Worth it to giving to the poor? Just consider heaven!
Worth staying in the race when it gets difficult? Just consider heaven!

Worth blood, sweat, tears to help other to know God? Just consider heaven!
Your labor in the Lord is not in vain - 1 Corinthians 15:58

2009-04-13 - Promises of God - God Passes the Test

God Passes the Test:

Does he have a proven record? Yes, Joshua 21:45; 1 Kings 8:56; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Hebrews 6:13-20
Does he have a genuine concern for my life? Yes, Exodus 2:25; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalms 55:22
Does he understand me and my current crisis? Yes, Job 31:4; Psalms 139:1-18; Matthew 6:7-8; Hebrews 4:13
Do he have the power to bring change in my life? Yes, Romans 4:18-21; 1 Corinthians 1:25; Ephesians 1:18-22; Ephesians 3:20; 2 Peter 1:3-4

2009-06-18 - A Life of Impact - Compassion

Compassion

Mark 1:40-45

He did not minister from a safe distance.
We can have a powerful and lasting impact on someone else if we willing to go deep.
There was no room left in Jesus for fear, disgust, or apprehension.
His emotional state was righteous because he did not hesitate to reachout and touch the diseased man.
How many of us reach out and pull back abruptly because of fear of personal rejection?

Humility

Jesus foresaw His popular curtailing His ability to spread His word.
People interested in personal glory don’t usually get very far in enlisting others in their cause.

2009-06-20 - A Life of Impact - Selfless Authority

Abandon

Mark 2:6-12

Jesus didn’t walk on eggshells when he was around those who opposed him.
We are often so careful not to offend anyone that no frankness and no power is left our speech.
We need to be constantly ready to withstand opposition

Selfless Authority

People who seem apologetic about authority they have or hesitate to exercise it are not very impressive
Reason: they see it as a means of gaining something for themselves for themselves rather than a means of achieving a goal
People that abuse power act the same way as those who do not use
Pilate failed because he did not understand why he was in power
We should not hesitate to make use of this authority and we should be unashamed
How can disciples of Jesus not be bold and assertive? We must be forceful people!

2009-07-01 - A Life of Impact - Power

Power

Mark 5:1-17

What expectations do you have of your prayer life
Do we believe the power that can be unleashed through your prayer life?
We need to pray for God’s power to be clearly demonstrated – we desperately need the fear of the Lord.

Fearlessness

Making the decision not give into fear is essential ingredient for the man or woman impact
Two fears: fear of public speaking and the fear of failure

Spectacular Deeds

Made front-page news.
Jesus responded by valuing freeing a man over another property
Jesus was willing to do something outrageous and controversial for the sake of a needy person

2009-07-02 - A Life of Impact - Reinvestment of Dividends

Reinvestment of Dividends

Mark 5:18-20

Jesus didn’t surround himself with people who owed him a great amount of debt.
We viewed their gratitude to him to channeled to help others
Few people are grateful for the Lord when He work powerfully, yet fewer accept their obligation to proclaim.

Tenderness

Mark 5:21-34

The women was afraid that she had done an evil thing in touching Jesus’ clothes
She had suffered from the effective treatments that the doctors had given her.
Greek word for healed = saved.
He didn’t babble but told the woman what she needed to hear.

2009-07-21 - A Life of Impact - Magnetism

Magnetism

Mark 9:14-29

Why? Magnetism came from only prayer.
Magnetism: an attracting force on the level of the soul, which produces deep bonding and enduring loyalty.

Frustration

Jesus expressed frustration regarding the continuing unbelief of the people.
Closest disciples even needed him the bolster their faith.
He was frustrated because their unbelief blocked the power of God.
Jesus did not lock his frustration up inside.
Dealing with frustration – stuffer = out of mind; slammers = fly off the handle – neither are good

2009-08-05 - A Life of Impact - Cockiness

Cockiness

Mark 12:18-27

Every one of these phrases cut like a knife:
- Are you not in error?
- You do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
- Have you not read?
He comfort the disturbed, he also made it his goal to disturbed the comfortable.
He was not afraid to rock the boat.
In order to have lasting impact it is necessary to be willing to challenge our opponents to their face.

2009-08-16 - A Life of Impact - Powerful Self-Control

A Powerful Presence

Mark 14:43-52

Fearsome spectacle - all the disciples fled
John 18:4-6 – He was forceful and in control of his decision

Self-Control

Mark 14:53-65

Remember, for these men to act this way must have seemed completely out of character.
What is your standard of self-control? – They lost control of their anger (built up over several month and years)

2009-08-21 - Wild at Heart - Intro (part 3)

What makes a man come alive?

1. Need a battle to fight

Swords, camouflage, six-shooters, uniforms
Boys want to be powerful and dangerous
Aggression is part of man’s design – God’s image (Exodus 15:3)
They do not want to call and talk about relationships
Boys play is a rehearsal for a bigger drama
Life needs man to be fierce and fiercely devoted
Every man needs to know he is powerful – be the hero

2. Needs an adventure to live

Fights the grizzly, wins the beauty
Recipe for fun with boys – add an element of danger
We may fear the test, yet we yearn to be tested and discover what it takes
If a man has lost this desire (says he doesn’t want it) does not know he has what it takes – believe he will fail the test.

3. Needs a beauty to rescue

Nothing more inspiring to a man as a beautiful women
Make you want to charge the castle, slay the giant
Men going to war carry a photo of their sweetheart in their wallet
Paintings on side of airplanes
Lonely men fight lonely battles
Where would James Bond, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Indiana Jones be without their women
Man needs a battle to fight, he needs someone to fight for (someone in particular – women he loves)

2009-08-22 - Wild at Heart - Intro (part 4)

Women want to be fought for
She wants to be wanted
She wants to be pursued
Knight n shinning armor – core of the feminine heart and the life she knows she was made for
She wants an adventure to share – part of the adventure
She wants to be caught up into something greater than herself
Every woman wants to have her beauty revealed
“Do you see me?” “And are you captivated by what you see?”
World kills woman’s heart – be tough, efficient, and independent
No one is fighting for her (no adventure to swept up in) – doubts very much that she any beauty to unveil.

Man must know he is powerful and know what it takes
Woman must know she is beautiful and she is worth fighting for

2009-09-01 - Wild at Heart - The wound (part 1)

There comes a time when we simply have to face the challenges in our lives and stop backing down Men rarely praise each other directly - by way of accomplishments (“you are a wild man”, “what is up stud”

The question – Do I have what it takes? Am I powerful? Until a man knows he’s a man he will forever be trying to prove he is one, while at the same time shrink from anything that might reveal he is not

Boy learns who is he and what he’s got from a man

can not learn it from any other place
can not learn it from other boys
can not learn it from women

2009-09-19 - Wild at Heart - Healing the wound (part 5)

Until we are broken, our life will be self-centered, self-reliant, our strength will be our own.
So long as you think you are really something in and of yourself, what will you need God for?
Think of the poser you know – are they the kind of man you would call 2am, when life is collapsing around you?

Where a man’s wound is, that is where his genius will be.
Because the wound was given in the place of your true strength
Out of your brokenness that you discover what you have to offer the community
When we begin to offer not merely our gifts but our true selves, that is when we become powerful
That is when we are ready for battle

2009-09-23 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 4)

The world is a carnival of counterfeits, counterfeit battles. Counterfeit adventures, counterfeit beauties
Men should think of it as a corruption of their strength
Battle your way to the top says the world and you will be a man

World give a false sense of security

Where does your sense of power come from?
Is it your position?

Look to be the servant of all
Want to know how the world really feels about you – start living out your true strength
Say what you think, stand for the underdog, challenge foolish polices
Many of us have actually been afraid to let our strength show up because the world doesn’t have a place for it

2009-09-27 - One Another - Familial Love

Scripture uses the powerful metaphor of the family

God is our Father
Jesus is the elder brother
We are brothers and sisters - the word, brother, used 250x in reference to Christians

We are to keep on loving each other as brothers - Hebrews 13:11
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love - Romans 12:10

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