If you stumble into sin, believer, don't give up; don't allow hopelessness to consume you, the deceitfulness of sin to blind you, or the weight of shame to defeat you. In the morning and evening prayer we pray, in part, the following: "I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall" (Ps. 16:8). Christ is at your right hand, and this fall shall not be final for you; He took the final fall. 

Yes, you may feel as though your worst day has cast a shadow over you that will never break to show the light of day, but, happily, you're wrong. God, in Christ, has declared you to be righteous (2 Cor. 5:21). Of the righteous we read: "for though they fall seven times, they will rise again" (Prov. 24:16NRSV). You will rise, friend, because Christ will lift you up. He took the ultimate fall in order that you should rise. 

No one knows how many times I've had to encourage myself, thinking these thoughts, repeating the words of this post to myself. How I didn't play dead but arose from sin is a testimony to God's sheer grace. This post is as much an exhortation to myself as it is for anyone else experiencing difficulties or tragedies, whether self-caused or otherwise.

What do you do on the worst day of your life? Rise: not because you're inherently worthy of being named righteous. Rise because the one who took the ultimate fall declares you righteous. Rise because, though you sinned, though you deserve the fate of the wicked like the rest of us, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). 

But rise, too, because you neither honor the Lord nor serve the body of Christ by remaining fallen. Don't play dead, possum. In Christ you have been made alive (Col. 2:13). Play dead to your old, sinful nature or past. But in Christ, even when you sin, don't play dead -- don't remain defeated. In Him you are more than one who has conquered all spiritually negative realities (Rom. 8:37). "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1 NRSV). 

You can avoid re-offending others by rising, and thinking healthy, spiritual thoughts: "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Phil. 4:8). All offenses begin with thoughts. We are instructed to destroy arguments raised up against the knowledge of God. 

But the apostle Paul also added, "We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor. 10:5 NRSV, emphasis added). How many thoughts rise up against the reality of God's holy existence and righteous standards? We are taught to destroy such thoughts, to take them captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). 

I picture such thoughts as personified. I imagine capturing them, putting them into a prison cell, while Christ stands watch over them as Guard. If I fail to do so, then I may entertain such thoughts, have them affect me emotionally, and then obey them. When I obey them, I sin. "But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved" (James 1:15-16 NRSV). 

But when you sin, no matter the degree, take it immediately to Christ. "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NRSV). Don't let sin drag you into a hopeless, despondent, dejected place, out of which you feel impossible to escape. By His grace and forgiveness you rise up, and you keep rising up. You don't rise up only once. You will need to rise up every time you fall. 

More than that, you will need to rise up every time you think about a past fall. Such thoughts about your past have a tendency to paralyze you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Paralyzed, you will play dead. No: in Christ you must rise up from the guilt of your past. Though you fall seven times a day, you will rise -- you must rise (Prov. 24:16). 

The Lord foreknew every sin you would ever commit when He by grace through faith in Christ saved your soul. You don't ever take Him by surprise by any thought, desire, or action. In Christ He has already declared you holy, sanctified (set apart from the world and for His service and care), and righteous. You don't let Him down because you don't hold Him up.

You are becoming more and more like Christ (Rom. 8:29), slow as such may seem, and your heavenly Father understands completely all of your eccentricities, particularities, and unique qualities. This is how, you see, you keep on rising. Give your defeats to the One who defeated sin, death, and hell (1 Cor. 15:56-57; 1 John 3:8). Give your hopelessness to the God of hope (Rom. 15:13). Whatever you do, don't play dead, possum, but rise.    

This post was written by William Watson Birch.  You can find the original post with comments here:       http://www.classicalarminian.com/2013/01/saturday-devotion-dont-play-dead.html

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain…” 

This last week an email arrived from an organization that helps churches market themselves. They have some good ideas for selling pizza, but fall short in dealing with a community of faith. Let me explain, first their ideas:

1. People Must Have a Need to Come to Your Church.
Develop a sermon series that meet needs in people’s lives. Remember the top 10 resolutions people make for the New Year. Picking one of them from the list would be a great way to insure you are meeting a need.

2. People Must Believe That Your Church Will Fulfill Their Need.
Publish your sermon titles outlining action steps that meet that need. You must establish a need in their lives then provide the ultimate answer to that need.

3. People Must Decide That Your Church is The Right Church for Them.
List the benefits your church offers them and their families in every marketing endeavor. PEOPLE DO NOT BY (sic) PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, PEOPLE BUY BENEFITS.

4. People Must Decide The Time To Come to Your Church Is Now.
Create urgency with timely sermon series that people won’t want to miss. This is almost a no brainer for the first of the year. THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW...THE NEW YEAR. THE CALENDAR HAS DONE THE WORK FOR YOU. 

A pastor's response:

1. People need Jesus. First, last, and in between. Period. Without this simple, but foundational principle, everything else is lost. It does not mean we ignore the other needs of people, such as food, friends, and future; but if we forget this one need nothing else matters.

2. People want a community of faith where they can help others. We live in extremely narcissistic times. Many people want their own needs met and then the church may become a place of division and self-seeking. People seeking a church want a place where their presence is seen as a gift and their gifts have a purpose to be used in ministry.

3. A community of faith is people who would not normally hang out together except for the presence of Jesus. Too long church growth was built on the principle of sameness, birds of a feather flock together. We have tried that, we know it works temporarily and then it does not work. Our most effective communities of faith have tremendous variety and respect between different people. If church just fulfills self-centered benefits then it collapses on itself.

4. People come to faith when the season is right. We can not create that season on a calendar. Few people become faithful due to a new year’s resolution. My experience says people will become faithful to Jesus when a change occurs in their life. It may be sparked by an exterior event, like a birth of a child, change of marital status, employment, or health; but for it to be permanent, it is a change in the heart. It is the Holy Spirit who changes hearts. We pray for the wind of change by the power of God, we do not create the wind by blowing harder.

I hope you see two very different visions. Do you want your Church based on human effort and marketing where the pastors and staff are here to serve your needs or do you want to be a part of a community of faith centered on Jesus Christ? Do you want your church in competition with other churches to provide a better show with greater benefits, or are we a community of faith calling each baptized member into service and selflessness? Do you want your church manipulating people to do what we want, or are we a community of faith “waiting upon the Lord”?

The post was written by Rev. Dr. Danny Wayman

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

A teenage actor from a popular CBS sitcom has denounced the broadcast that he has starred in for many years, stating that “a true God-fearing person” cannot be on such programs, and is urging viewers to stop watching “filth” on television.

Nineteen-year-old Angus T. Jones from “Two and a Half Men” says that his newly-found beliefs are at conflict with the sitcom. Jones has played the young Jake Harper on the show since he was nine years old, but now states that he sees the material in a whole new light.

Jones explained that in his senior year of high school, he began feeling that he needed to get serious with God, and is now uncomfortable with the broadcast. “If you watch ‘Two and a Half Men,’ please stop watching it and filling your head with filth."

“I’m on ‘Two and a Half Men’ and I don’t want to be on it,” Jones added. “I’m not okay with what I’m learning and what the Bible says, and being on that television show.”

Jones continued to explain that the enemy of man’s soul works through various means, including through what some may believe is mere entertainment.

“People don’t like to think about how deceptive the enemy is,” he said. “He’s been doing this for a lot longer than any of us have been around. So, there’s no playing around. There’s no playing around when it comes to eternity.”

“Please do some research on the effects of television and I promise you you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to the television,” Jones advised. “It’s bad news.”

He outlined that he did not want to be used as an instrument of the devil.

“If I am doing any harm, I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be contributing to the enemy’s plan,” he said. “You cannot be a true God-fearing person and be on a television show like that.”

The sitcom, produced by Chuck Lorre, centers around a man who was kicked out of the house after a divorce, and moved in with his friend. It originally featured Charlie Sheen, who was fired from the show after producers became concerned about his personal lifestyle, which they stated was “dangerously self-destructive.”

Sheen was then replaced by actor Ashton Kutcher after the writers wrote Sheen out of the broadcast through an episode that claimed that he was pushed in front of a subway by a girlfriend who believed that he had been cheating on her.

The sitcom is often filled with off-color jokes about sexual matters, such as an episode in which Kutcher states that he would willingly have sexual relations with any woman that would like to keep him company. 

Goes to show you.  God is actively at work in this world.  

It's never too late to do the right thing.  


 I'm watching this guy and praying for him that he will continue to seek God's guidance.  Will you join me?


This blog post came from the Christian News Network.  For the original post, go to:  http://christiannews.net/2012/11/26/two-and-half-men-star-struck-by-fear-of-god-pleads-with-viewers-to-stop-watching-the-filth/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

It was kind of a surreal experience....   We had just arrived at our mission in Quito and here I was less than 48 hours later standing at the graveside of a man I didn't know and hadn't even met.

I watched as the gravedigger dug the grave by hand.  He would occasionally stop and put his chin on top of the shovel and seem interested in what was going on as he rested.  There was hardly anybody there.  Just the man's wife, a couple of other people, the pastor, myself and the Ecuadorian gravedigger.  Being one of the few English speaking churches in town, the widow called the pastor with whom I served on staff and asked that he do the funeral.   I was there as support.  

The story of this man's life ended sadly.  He was a very successful American businessman who had visited Ecuador frequently and ended up buying some lucrative property in Quito so that he could retire.  He had quite a nest egg.  His goal in life was to retire with his wife at this property in Quito and live a life of ease and luxury.  

What was interesting was that this man and his wife arrived in Quito about the same time my wife and I had arrived.  We may have even been on the same airplane.  What he hadn't considered, as he grew older, was that his health wasn't as good as it had been in the past.  Quito has an elevation of over 9,000 feet (btw - Denver has an elevation of just over 5,000 feet) above sea level.  People who visit Quito often come done with Soroche (altitude sickness).  The symptoms are very similar to carbon monoxide poisoning.  The stress of the Soroche that he was experiencing taxed his body and his heart stopped working.  

So, here we have a man who saved his whole life, gathered quite a bit of money and bought some nice property in Quito so that he could retire, and within 48 hours of achieving his goal, he died.  From what his wife described, it also appeared that he died without knowing Jesus as his Savior.  

Jesus talked about this.  He said, "Now what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul?"  

Jesus, who taught a parable about a man who amassed fortune and trusted in himself, said, "You fool!  You will die this very night.  Then who will get everything you worked for?"

Having a goal is not bad in and of itself.  However, if your goal excludes God and is just to please yourself, know that you may never reach it.  If you do, it won't last forever.  

Everyone dies.

Then there is reward or payment.

Yet, if you have a goal and it includes God and pleasing Him, you WILL reach it. 
 
"Don't store up treasure on earth..."  

Make heaven your goal.

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN

 I recently picked up a copy of Premarital Sex in America by Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker and was pleasantly surprised at some of the insights. While I have been writing, teaching, and speaking for years to both teens and adults on the issue of premarital sex, this book opened my eyes to some of the more important trends emerging today.

This blog is adapted from the last chapter in the book entitled, “The Power of Stories and Ten Myths about Sex in Emerging Adulthood.” The empirical data suggests that these are true most of the time. There are exceptions, of course.

MYTH 1: Long-term relationships are a thing of the past

Many emerging adults (ages 18-23) tend to hold two views in tension—that sexual experimentation is valuable and yet one should not cheat on a monogamous partner. Indeed, many consider it stupid and unhealthy not to be sexually active in various relational settings. And yet most desire a lasting exclusive relationship. According to the research of Regnerus and Uecker, at least 50 percent of marriages last a lifetime, despite what most emerging adults tend to think.

MYTH 2: Sex is necessary to maintain a struggling relationship

The reality is that most relationships fail and the sooner one introduces sex into the relationship the greater chance it will fail.

MYTH 3: The sexual double standard between men and women is wrong and should be resisted

The authors of Premarital Sex in America argue that there are genuine differences in how men and women approach and experience sex that are deeply engrained. They conclude, “Unfortunately, many well-meaning adults and educators want so badly to dismantle the double standard that they work to normalize any and all consensual sexual relationships, rather than considering whether common experiences of sexual regret are in fact telling us something” (244).

MYTH 4: Boys are sexual beings and cannot be expected to follow sexual norms

This myth is both false and harmful. Young men can make wise sexual decisions if they are taught how to and the standard is set high.

MYTH 5: You are entirely in charge of your own sexuality; others’ decisions don’t matter

Despite the individualistic mindset that dominates how emerging adults think about sexuality our choices are deeply influenced by other people’s sexual decisions. The choices of other people affect us financially, emotionally, relationally, and in terms of our expectations of sexual behavior.

MYTH 6: Porn will not affect your relationships

I have written on this elsewhere, so I won’t go into detail. The reality is that porn use has a significant negative impact on relationships.

MYTH 7: Others are having more sex than you

Most emerging adults significantly overestimate how much sex is really going on around them. Most think that other people are having more sex than they actually are. As a result, emerging adults act on this false perception rather than reality.

MYTH 8: Sex doesn’t need to mean much

In reality sex is a very significant matter. There is nothing humans do that involves more of our minds, hearts, emotions, memories, self-image, and bodies. Sexual decisions stay with us for a lifetime.

MYTH 9: Marriage can wait for later

Despite common perceptions, the majority of emerging adults want to get married. But most want to wait awhile before doing so. The reality is that this is easier said than done. Life plans don’t always progress as young people envision.

MYTH 10: Living together is a positive step towards marriage

Between 50 and 70 percent of couples cohabit today. But only about 1 in 5 such relationships result in marriage. And the results are consistently pessimistic for those cohabiters who do marry (202).

I would highly recommend Premarital Sex in America for those who work with either emerging adults or younger students. It provides a deeply researched and balanced insight into the sexual lives of 18-23 year-olds.

This post was written by Sean McDowell.  You can find the original post here:  
http://www.conversantlife.com/relationships/ten-myths-about-premarital-sex

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

 One of the many things I like about God is His ability to speak to a person, especially when it is least expected.  

I was rummaging around the basement of an old house, looking for interesting things, antiques, valuables, etc.  I happened upon a trophy that was sitting in the corner.  It was a good size, had the person's name on it and the inscription, "1985 State Bowling Champion, Adult Division"  As I looked at it, I noticed that the stand was broken, parts of the trophy had chipped off and it was covered in a good 1/4" of dust.  

I thought to myself, "that trophy represents a lot of hard work and accomplishment, too bad that it is discarded and just thrown away in a basement."  

My next thought, which I think came from God, was "that could be your trophy.  What kind of things are you working hard for?"  

What was interesting was the timing of this find.  I had just received my PhD* and was getting prepared to speak to a group of men about what God desires for men.

What went thru my mind next was the hard work that I endured to receive this degree and then, in my mind, I saw my diploma laying in a trash can.   

I felt such unworthiness.  

What God was telling me was that I need to spend my life in doing things that have eternal value. 

 Some day, I'm gonna be dead and what are people gonna say about me?  "He was smart.  He knew his stuff.  But look at all the people he ignored while he was being so full of himself."  

I imagine my diploma being placed in the casket with me and being placed into the ground as if it was my greatest accomplishment.  I don't want my education to be the greatest thing that I have done.  

What does God say about what is important?  What does He desire of men?
Here are just a few verses that instantly pop into my mind:

- It is God's will that you be sanctified:  That you should avoid sexual immorality.
- To follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts
- To keep oneself from being polluted by the world
- To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God

What do think?  What does God desire of you?  
What kind of things are you working hard for?

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.


*Anyone who knows me, knows my joke, PhD means "post hole digger" or "push here dummy."  

God can never be put into a box.  When you think that a story is over or God has done all He can do in a situation, He reminds you that He has plans for us that we could never think, dream or even imagine.

If you remember from the previous two posts, there was a pastor and cattleman.  The pastor lived a godly life.  The cattleman lived life like Esau:  desiring to be the best, be the manliest, having the most and grabbing all you can from life because "you only go around once."  He lived a life of sensuality.  The cattleman wasn't a bad man, he just slightly missed the mark. 

God was working in the cattleman's sons' lives.  One of the cattleman's sons finally came to himself.  He had experienced heartache and sadness from his father, his siblings, his wives and his children.  All of these heart wrenching experiences finally brought him to the point where he realized that the way he experiences life leads to moral, financial and spiritual bankruptcy.  

This man became what God desired of him.  He found comfort in being with the family of the pastor, visiting them frequently and enjoyed having them to his home.  There was a real change in his heart.  There was a tenderness that he had never experienced before as he let God have more and more of his past, present and future.  

Life continued to be difficult for the one cattleman's son.  He still had the pain of his upbringing to deal with.  Some of his behavior had become so automatic that he still found himself grabbing for two pieces of bread and challenging the pastor's sons in manliness, but now, he was listening when the Holy Spirit reminded him that he was a new man.  

He still had to face his siblings and he worked hard to break down the Esau spirit in their relationships.  His own children, who experienced the pain of his lifestyle, finally were able to see that their father had truly changed.    He was now working tirelessly to make up for lost time and become more of what God desired for him all along.  

The cattleman's son's life is not over.  His life is not what it should have been but it is becoming what it could have been.  He learned an exciting principle in which he is applying to his life:  it is never too late to do the right thing.  

So, as we conclude this three-part story of living like Esau, I ask you for two things:

1)  Will you take a moment and pray for this cattleman's son?  Ask God to continue to mold this man into being the man of God that he can be.

2)  Consider your own life.  Do you live like Esau?  Are you looking out for yourself and looking for the best, seeking sensuality and the immediate gratification of your desires?  

If so, it is never too late to do the right thing.  

Ask God to change you.  

Become the man that God knows you can be.  

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

We need to experience loving relationships in order to heal and grow. In loving relationships we experience the safety that allows us to face the truth. In loving relationships we experience the support we need to begin to change. And in loving relationships we learn that we are lovable and valuable.

Because we have been wounded in relationships, our instinct is often to run from relationships. We don't want to be hurt again. This leaves an enormous void in our souls. And it is this void which we desperately try to fill with addictions and compulsions of various kinds. This text focuses on two manifestations of religious addiction (compulsive altruism and religiously motivated self-abuse) and sums up the result: I gain nothing. The same could be said of all of our addictions. "I deliver my body to be burned" and "I gain nothing" are an accurate description not only of a particular kind of religious addiction but also of chemial addiction, work addiction, sexual addiction and relationship addiction, as well as many self-abusive compulsions.

We gain nothing for all the time and effort we spend on trying to numb the pain. It does not achieve the desired result. 


The void remains.

Although loving fellowship may be frightening for us, it is the path to recovery. The vulnerabilities of intimacy may remind us of earlier times of terror in life, but there is no way to recover in isolation. The net result of compulsions and addictions is "I gain nothing." But the net result of recovery is very different. There is something to be gained by all the hard work that recovery requires. Recovery builds in us a capacity to receive love and a capacity to give love to others. 

And that is a real gain.

May God grant you the courage you need today to pursue loving fellowship.

Lord, you see my guarded heart. 
You see the fears that make me run from love.
What I fear is what I want most.
I want to love and to be loved.
Give me courage to open my heart to love today.
Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery