 There is a fascinating bit of story told of one of David's mighty men. One day there was a sudden attack upon the camp by the Philistines when the fighting men were all away. This man, Eleazar, alone was there. The Philistines were the traditional enemy. The very word "Philistines" was one to strike terror to the Hebrew heart. But this man was reckoned one of the first three of David's mighty men because of his conduct that day.
Eleazar quietly, quickly gripped his sword and fought the enemy single-handedly. Up and down, left and right, hip and thigh he smote with such terrific earnestness and drive that the enemy turned and fled.
We are also told that the muscles of his hand became so rigid around the handle of his sword that he could not tell by the feeling where his hand stopped and the sword began. Man and Sword were one that day in the action of service against the nation's enemy. When we so absorb this Book (The Sword) and the Spirit of Him who is its life that people cannot tell the line of division between the man and the God within the man, then shall we have the mightiest power as God's intercessors in defeating the foe. God and man will be as one in the action of service against the enemy.This illustration is taken from Quiet Talks on Prayer by S.D. GordonBE HOLY.BE A MAN.
 All who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant - these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.Rest can lead to joy because it creates a new perspective in us. Rest reminds us that we don't have to be compulsively responsible for the world and everything in it. Rest reminds us that God is in charge. Rest also leads to joy because it leads to a renewed relationship with God. As this text puts it, God promises to lead Sabbath-keepers to his holy mountain. In rest we can be led to a place of joy in God's house of prayer. It is a beautiful image of God rejoicing with people who rest. Rest can also lead to joy because it restores us. It renews and re-energizes us because it allows us to balance our "being" with our "doing". When we cease doing for a time, our senses are opened again to the world around us. We can see life with new gratitude and awe. And gratitude and awe produce joy. Rest frees us to be what we are - creatures. We are creatures who can work and play, give and receive, weep and laugh. Today we can balance our working, giving and weeping with playing, receiving and laughing. Lord, I want to stop doing for a time today. I want to stop and remember that you are God. Help me to experience the freedom and joy of being your creature. Help to keep the Sabbath. Bring me to your holy mountain. Give me joy in your house of prayer. Amen. Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan National Association for Christian RecoveryBE HOLY.BE A MAN.
 "Now, the whole thought in prayer is to get the will of God like that done in our lives and upon this old earth. The greatest prayer any one can offer is, "Thy will be done." It will be offered in a thousand different forms, with a thousand details, as needs arise daily. But every true prayer comes under those four words. There is not a good desirable thing that you have thought of that He has not thought of first, and probably with an added touch not in your thought. Not to grit your teeth and lock your jaw and pray for grace to say, "Thy will be endured: it is bitter, but I must be resigned; that is a Christian grace; Thy will be endured." Not that please. Do not slander God like that. There is a superficial idea among men that charges God with many misfortunes and ills for which He is not at all responsible. He is continually doing the very best that can be done under the circumstances [that He designed] for the best results. He has a bad mixture of stubborn warped human wills to deal with. With infinite patience and skills and diplomacy and success too, He is ever working at the tangled skein of human life, through the human will. (pg 202)" -S.D. Gordon To read more about prayer, go to the book, Quiet Talks on Prayer by S.D. GordonBE HOLY.BE A MAN.
 Do you want power? Consider the power that Jesus had available to Him: "Don't you think that I could call on my Father to send more than twelve legions of angels to help me now?" What does that mean? Let's put this in mathematical terms for all you geeks out there. It is generally considered that in the Roman Empire, a legion was 6,000 soldiers. In Isaiah 37:36, a single angel obliterated 185,000 men. I think you know where I am going, but let me do the math for you... If a single angel can take care of 185,000 men, then the combined strength of one legion would be enough to destroy 1, 110, 000,000 (one billion, one hundred ten million) men. That is just ONE legion! Now Jesus said that he had more than 12 legions of angels at his disposal. That is at least 72,000 angels. So the combined strength at Jesus' command was the ability to annihilate 13,320,000,000 (thirteen billion, three hundred twenty million) men. BTW - The current earth population is a little over seven billionThat is the kind of physical strength that Jesus has available to him. No wonder he told Peter to put away his sword. Jesus did not need Peter's little sword that night. That means that Jesus willingly gave Himself to be crucified.Let's learn a lesson from Peter and Jesus here.As you face your own challenges in life, always keep in mind that Jesus has the power to fix any problem you'll ever come across. Before you jump in and make things worse by taking matters into your own hands, remember Peter. The next time you're tempted to "grab a sword and start swinging," take a few minutes to remind yourself that Jesus can handle the problem without your intervention. Before you do anything else, pray and ask the Lord what you are supposed to do. Then after you receive your answer and follow His instructions, just watch His supernatural power swing into action to solve the dilemma you are facing!! Taken from Sparkling Gems from the Greek
 Father in heaven, God of love, all I have and am is yours. Grant that I may become a living sign of your compassion in this world. Grant me the faith to live my life, always in the awareness of your loving presence. Grant me zeal to serve without thought of reward, those to whom you send me. Grant me charity to bear the burdens of my brothers and sisters. Teach me to seek your Son’s face, in the last, the lost, and the least. In whatever I undertake, may I seek above all things, to procure your glory, as far as I am able, and as you will require of me. Strengthen me by your Holy Spirit, to follow Jesus by living the commitment to change I make this day. Amen.This prayer can be found here.BE HOLY.BE A MAN.
 Dear Jesus, in all our relationships let our love be unconditional. May we seek others' true good, and affirm each other's unique preciousness. Even where we cannot detect Your presence in another, grant us faith in Your creative love for them. Grant us Your love and wisdom when we undervalue anyone, but also when anyone attracts us. To see anyone's unique value is to acknowledge the goodness of Your Creation and the wonder of Your expression of Yourself in him or her! Grant us serenity and blessing for each other in our trials and in our joys. In Heaven, everyone will be in love with each other-that is, will recognize the wonderful, unique miracle of each other person. Help us to treat each other with love and consideration in this life. Jesus I entreat You...Help those who are in danger of deciding to leave a marriage simply because initial attraction has worn off like gloss. Help them to put aside the prevalent belief gained in media, books, magazines and movies that 'falling out of love" means the end of a relationship. Instead it challenges couples to live according to what Jesus teaches about love. Help them to become aware that God never commanded that we 'fall in love" He only repeatedly tells us to love Him above all and to love others as ourselves, faithfully and genuinely even in times of sadness and difficulty. O God, grant us this prayer for marriage through your son Jesus Christ our Lord - Amen
 "The only sort of power that influences in the spirit realm is moral power. By which is not meant goodness, but that sort of power either bad or good which is not of a physical sort: that higher, infinitely higher and greater power than the mere physical. Moral power is the opposite of violent or physical power. God does not use force, violent physical force. There are some exceptions to this statement. There have been righteous wars, righteous on one side. Turning to the Bible record, in emergencies, in extreme instances God has ordered war measures. The nations that Israel was told to remove by death of war would have inevitably worn themselves out through their physical excesses, and disobedience of the laws of life. But a wide view of the area revealed an emergency which demanded a speedier movement. And as an exception, for the sake of His plan for the ultimate saving of a race, and a world, God gave an extermination order. The emergency makes the exception. There is one circumstance under which the taking of a human life is right, namely, when it can be clearly established that God, the giver and sovereign of life, has so directed. But the rule clearly is that God does not use force. But note sharply in contrast with this that physical force is one of Satan's chief weapons. But mark there two intensely interesting facts: first, he can use it only as he secures man as his ally, and uses it through him. And second, in using it he has with great subtlety sought to shift the sphere of action. He knows that in the sphere of spirit, force pure and simple, he is at a disadvantage: indeed, worse yet, he is defeated. For there is a moral force on the other side greater than any at his command. The forces of purity and righteousness he simply cannot withstand. Jesus is the personification of purity and righteousness.It was on this moral ground, in this spirit sphere that He won the great victory. He ran a terrific gauntlet of tests, subtle and fierce, through those human years, and came out victor with His purity and righteousness unstained." This section is quoted from the book, QUIET TALKS ON PRAYER by S.D. Gordon.
 Jesus is our example of a real man. What does a real man do when he is faced with the inevitability of his death? Look at the way that Jesus handled His impending mission. Jesus talked to His Father about His calling to die. He spent significant time telling His Father how He felt about what was about to happen. He took His best friends with Him but He didn't allow His friends to dissuade Him due to their inability to be supportive. The day of His crucifixion, He spent time with His followers and let them know what was going to happen. His death was to happen during Passover. During Passover, a tradition is to sing the Hallel Psalms, chapters 113-118. They are to be sung as a prayer. What is interesting is chapter 118, the last scripture that Jesus and the His disciples sang. Jesus knew what He was going to go thru. Look at some of the key words that Jesus sang: What can man do to me? I will look in triumph over my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. They surrounded me on every side but in the name of the LORD I cut them off. The LORD is my strength and my song, He has become my salvation. I will not die, but live. I will proclaim what the LORD has done. This is the day the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Give thanks to the LORD for He is good. His love endures forever. So, the conclusion... When you know that you are going to face a severe trial, face it like a man. Be like Jesus. Spend time with your LORD and have confidence that you will emerge victorious because HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER. BE HOLY.BE A MAN.
 Yours, Lord is the Glory in everything I see; a country scene, mountain stream, sunrise, sunset, rain and snow. Yours, Lord is the Glory wherever I might go Yours, Lord is the Glory in everything I hear; a roaring sea, bumblebee, laughter, loving, a tender poem. Yours, Lord is the Glory wherever I might go Yours, Lord is the Glory in everything I feel; a special place, warm embrace, accepted, helped to become whole AMEN Read more at: http://www.faithandworship.com/prayer_journey.htm#ixzz1lwevOXHd Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
 I heard this saying by an old man in a bar, "men have three knees. They have a left knee, a right knee and a weenie. My observation is that a real man tends to use his weenie the most." This seems to be the way that many men think. Hugh Hefner is considered by many men to be a "real man" because he has women available to him. However, the truth is, Hugh Hefner exploits women and engages in sex trafficking. The Playboy bunny has become a popular symbol. It attracts women as well as men. Sadly, women are willing to be exploited because they think it makes them popular, makes them money, and makes them famous. Men are attracted to the Playboy bunny because it allows them to act with their third knee and seek sensuality. When they do so, they brag about their sexual exploits, have sexual contests with other men, and put down men who are faithful to one woman and one God. In other words, these men act like weenies. The truth is:- The more promiscuous you are before marriage, the more likely you are to commit adultery AFTER marriage.
- Couples who engage in sex before marriage are far more likely to divorce
I can assure you that sex according to God's design is what makes a man real man.So, when you are tempted to use your third knee, know that this is true: a real man uses his left and right knees the most. He uses them by kneeling in prayer and submission to his Savior and Deliverer.BE HOLY.BE A MAN.
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