Good News Brief For Men

Psalms 119: 11 Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.   (NASB) I was asked recently “What is the greatest deterrent against sin?”   Along with knowing Christ as our personal Savior, we need to build more of Christ into our lives on a daily basis.   This can be done through Bible Study, devotional reading, prayer, quiet times alone reflecting on the greatness of God, singing Hymns, just to name a few.   God wants a relationship with us as His children.   The choir leader says in this verse, Thy word I have treasured in my heart .   By dwelling on God’s Word and it’s application to our lives, and truly seeking His will, our desire will be to not sin against Him.   Understanding God’s great passion for us along with daily application of His Word to our lives will always draw us closer to Him, which also pushes us further from sin.   Our desire changes as we draw near to our most holy God. God’s Word is ...

1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,   (NASB) In this letter to Timothy from the apostle Paul, we see Paul encouraging Timothy to get His strength from the Lord.   When we are faithful in Christ, service is not far behind.   Be sure of one thing, that if you sense God’s call to do anything for Him, be it a testimony to a stranger, or long time friend, or even a family member, you CANNOT do this in your own strength.   BUT, you can do it through the strength that God provides through the Holy Spirit that dwells in us as believers. It has been amazing to watch God move in the lives of men I know personally as they grow in faith and learn to rely on the strength of God through the Holy Spirit.   Their growth is personal and very visible to those who too seek the strength and power of our most holy God.   Men like Billy Graham, Dwight L. Moody, Charles S...

1 Thessalonians 3: 3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.   (NASB) We know right off that the Lord is faithful .   He honors our request for strength as only He can provide.   When turmoil comes to our life and everything seems to be in such disarray, our life looks as if it has no order to it.   Satan in most cases is at the root of these problems.   In response to this dilemma, I urge you to find a quiet place, have a seat, and grab the Bible.   Next, pray to God.   He already knows your heart and the problems in life that burden you so.   He simply wants you to see that He cares enough to listen to you verbalize your need to Him.   What is on your heart right now?   Take it to God!!! He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.   A verse in Philippians 4: 13 says it all: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (KJV)   Where do you want God’s s...

Colossians 1: 11-12 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience ; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.   (NASB) Keith Moore former Pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Mebane, N.C. once used the following in one of his messages: “When we attempt to handle problems in our own strength, we are consciously pushing God away.   We are saying NO to God.”   This is a true statement to say the least.   The verse for the day clearly points out the advantage of godly strength.   Often we want patience and we want it now, without going through the trials and tribulations it takes to perfect that which God wants to use in our lives.   Steadfastness and patience is learned from God through the daily tasks He has prepared for us that best suit our spiritual learning skills.   God knows our heart and is more than ...

Romans 15: 13   May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.   (NIV) Paul wanted the Romans to live at peace and to have joy.   Paul never knew that almost 1,958 years later his writings would be seen, read, absorbed and lived out by those who believe.   I see in this verse great words of encouragement.   Paul’s missionary journeys were not easy.   He suffered some very hard times.   He suffered persecution, sickness, loneliness, captivity, just to name a few, and yet he encourages us to apply this verse to our lives.   Obviously, this man’s joy and hope was in Jesus Christ and there is where he found his joy in all things. When our day looks to be a difficult one, Look to God, the author and finisher of our faith for He wants us to experience Him in all we say and do. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, ...

Luke 2: 40 And the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him .   (NASB) Often times we look to God for His grace in time of need.   More often than not we ask for grace in times of trouble and it never occurs to us that we can also ask God for His grace in time of needed wisdom when studying His word.   In today’s verse we see Christ (Child) growing and becoming strong, increasing in wisdom during which time the grace of God was upon Him .   God wants no less for us than to seek His grace when we are learning through His Word and its application to our daily lives.   He wants us to come to Him when we are confused.   If we do not go to God during these times of confusion, Satan will come upon us and make us begin to doubt the Holy Word of God.   This is the toehold in life that Satan uses quite often to begin his decay of our lives.   We must remember that the enemy is crafty a...

Mark 13: 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (KJV) All through every trial and tribulation that we may pass through, we can count on the fact that this verse states that His words will stand the test of time.   His words will never pass away.   For everything, that we go through there is a corresponding verse that will directly relate to our need.   Christ didn’t say that He would be there for us sometimes, He didn’t say that He would help only when the moment was right and He wasn’t too busy, He didn’t tell us to take number, and He didn’t put us off. Matt. 28: 20 …. ”And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. ”   (NLT), Clearly states that He will never leave us period, FOREVER.   Therefore, that tells me that He will never leave us AT ALL .    So let us accept this great promise that He is dependable, and can be relied upon in and for ALL things.   He will guide us if we let ...

I Thessalonians 5: 17-18 pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus . (NASB) Paul doesn’t let up does he.   The first part of today’s verse packs a real punch.   Oftentimes I have overheard other pastors and teachers field questions about this part of the verse.   It isn’t a continual verbal prayer, nor is it a prayer that makes us pull over on the shoulder of the road to stop and fall prostrate on the ground beside the car, nor is it closing your eyes at a stoplight for extended periods of time…say three changes of the light because I must admit it is distracting listening to the traffic pile up behind you and the hearing the array of horn honking that results while you…..bow in prayer.   But then again doesn’t everyone know what we are doing and respect our callout to a heavenly Father.   They really shouldn’t be honking like that.   I’ve actually heard these conversations!   In all reality,...

I Corinthians 3: 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. (NKJV) God wants us to be involved in the building of Himself into our lives.   He wants us to be willing parties to His movement in us.   He wants us to willingly take part in the advancement of the gospel throughout the known world as well as in our own lives. His wants to build into us a tool He can use.   Face it.   We are building a structure with God as the master contractor.   He knows where every brick must go to create the greatest strength that will withstand the greatest storms that we will face in our lives.   We must never allow God to hand us the bricks.   We must hand the bricks of our lives to God and allow Him to place them where He needs to and wants to in order for us to grow into what He has planned for our lives.   Only then will we know true peace and contentment always.   Yes, “we are God’s fellow workers.”   We...

Romans 6: 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.   (KJV) Oh that we could remember this verse when we fall to the temptation of sin in our own lives.   We often can’t, or won’t accept God’s forgiveness for our sins because we feel we are unworthy of His sacrifice, and we are, however He has made us worthy through His sacrifice.   He does pierce us with the Holy Spirit to make us more sensitive to His urging us to stay away from evil, yet sometimes we still fall.   BUT He knows our hearts.   We DO want complete fellowship with Him.   We must do all we can through Christ that we never allow sin to have dominion over us.   In the breakdown of the word dominion, we can discover one root in particular that really should chase us away from the temptation.   That root word is domain .   We never want Satan to establish domain in our lives for at that point we have allowed him to desensitize ...

Psalms 89: 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.   (NIV) Learning to study God’s Word takes patience and perseverance.   However, these two qualities will result in great reward when we learn to wait when we call on the Lord God Almighty.   He has many things to teach us as we go through life.   When we can take time in quiet meditation where we sit still and dwell on His greatness and His glory He oftentimes reveals His great purpose in our lives.   In short, every moment we spend with Him in prayer or quiet meditation in praise and adoration this verse will speak volumes just in the word Blessed .   I have discovered that when I take time for serious bible study and prayer in the early morning hours, great things happen throughout the day.   I recognize when God speaks to my heart and comes alive through the companion Christ left behind in the Holy Spirit that my day is more focuse...

Colossians 3: 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body your were called to peace.   And be thankful. (NIV) Oftentimes when we are not going through trials and tribulations it is easy to be at peace in Christ.   But when the storms rage and the seas rise we often feel the same way that the apostles felt when their boat was in perilous danger and they were in fear of sinking.   The disciples went to the Savior and said, “Save us!   We are going to drown!” (Matt. 8: 23-27).   And Jesus awoke and rebuked even the winds and waves.   Can’t you just hear the calm water lapping against the boat as the boat settled down from the tossing of the great storm?   Jesus didn’t say, “wait a while.”   He responded immediately and even the seas and winds obeyed Him.   There will be hard times in our life but as a believer we know and can rely on the fact that our Savior is there wanting and waiting for us to call up...

Hebrews 11: 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.   (KJV) The NIV translation is a little more clear on this verse. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain for what we do not see.   We must never frivolously approach God in prayer with a request that requires faith on our part.   Prayer is very serious when it comes to asking for God’s help in your life.   James 1: 6-8 discusses this very point.   When we go to God in prayer we must know what we are asking for.   We must fully understand the need for His involvement in the situation whether it be a prayer request for someone who is sick, or praying for your Pastor to touch the hearts through the Sunday message, prayer is serious business.   It takes thought and compassion to pray for others and when you sense their pain or loss your prayer turns serious.   When you have a clear understanding of you own needs and go to God in pray...

Romans 10: 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.   (KJV) Faith is the key to seeking God’s will for your life and knowing God will answer your calls to Him.   Our faith grows when we read and study God’s Word on a regular basis.   We see the faith of the saints in the New Testament that have gone before us.   We have seen God’s men in the Old Testament stand before great numbers in the armies that stood before them ready for battle having faith that God would deliver them as He promised.   God does not break His promises and by His nature, He cannot lie.   We find Him true to His Word and capable of handling far more than we could ever imagine.   We need to trust Him in all things leaving nothing to chance.   We need to listen to God as He speaks to us through His Holy Word.   God will build our faith as we seek to trust Him more and finding Him faithful. Seek God where He may be found.   His Holy ...

Psalms 89: 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.   (NIV) Learning to study God’s word takes patience and perseverance.   However, these two qualities will result in great reward when we learn to wait when we call on the Lord God Almighty.   He has many things to teach us as we go through life.   When we can take time in quiet meditation where we sit still and dwell on His greatness and His glory He oftentimes reveals His great purpose in our lives.   In short, every moment we spend with Him in prayer or quiet meditation in praise and adoration this verse will speak volumes just in the word Blessed .   I have discovered that when I take time for serious Bible study and prayer in the early morning hours, great things happen throughout the day.   I recognize when God speaks to my heart and comes alive through the companion Christ left behind in the Holy Spirit that my day is more focuse...

Psalm 86: 5 For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon thee.   ( NASB) When we sin, regardless of whom we sin against, our wife, children, Pastor, friends; etc. our greatest sin focus is against our holy God.   God wants us to come to Him and seek His face, and accept His forgiveness for what we have done.   As David says For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive.   I have seen couples in counseling that wanted to forgive but had to work through forgiveness in time, and now have a wonderful relationship with one another.   That doesn’t mean that there are no consequences to the sins we commit.   This couple learned patience and understanding, and they learned how to forgive.   Upon our repentance of sin and turning to God for forgiveness, God forgives and is abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon thee.   There is purpose in God’s complete forgiveness when we go to Him. ...

Luke 11: 33 No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar, nor under a peck-measure, but on the lampstand, in order that those who enter may see the light.   (NASB) When we accepted Christ as our personal Savior, we put into action the power of the Holy Spirit.   God’s Word is open for discussion for all to grow into on a daily basis.   God is true to His Word and wants us as believers to experience Him as often as we open His Word.   But what do we do with what we learn?   Do we share it with others?   Do we have open discussions about it’s content?   Do we discuss biblical characters?   What do we bring into the light?   Do we discuss the Pastor’s message and look to grow deeper in Christ?   Do we discuss the Sunday School lesson we just had?   I know that these are many questions, but I guess the key point is, are we doing our share to light the path of those around us?   Try this, mention to your neighbor t...

John 21: 6   And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”   So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. (NKJV) This verse reflects more than what just meets the eye.   The disciples had been fishing all night with no results.   Jesus calls from the shore and directs them to cast the net on the RIGHT side of the boat.   So, the men re-cast their net and pulled in a multitude of fish.   When they realized who had given them instruction Peter jumped overboard and the other men followed in the boat dragging the nets full of fish behind them. I want you to look closely at this.   The nets were full.   Their need was met, or was it?   Jesus was waiting on the shore.   Fish and bread were ready to eat.   But Jesus still directed the men to bring some of their own fish they had caught.   They did not need a multitude of fish to feed the...

II Corinthians 10: 5   We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV) I have held this verse in my thoughts and heart for many years.   I have clear understanding of what it says.   We must always be aware of what is being said in our conversations, in what we say and what is being said to us.   We must stand by what is true and strong and powerful.   We must also commit our thoughts to Christ for we will be held accountable for our thoughts as well as our actions.   Are our thoughts pure?   Are our thoughts clean?   Christ knows our thoughts and the Holy Spirit is grieved when our thought life runs rampant and undisciplined.   In most cases, this is a territory of ferocious battle every day and every hour.   The battle rages on for our souls and our thought life.   If Christ has your soul then the battlefield is...

John 14: 16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever. (KJV) The Greek here for the word “Comforter” signifies also and advocate, instructor, or encourager.   This is another place where we are provided all the necessary provisions required to perform any task God calls us to do.   Many years ago I used to go backpacking as a Boy Scout.   It didn’t take many times forgetting something that I needed that I would from then on remember all I need for the trip and pack accordingly.   Here we have all the provisions provided for us in the Holy Spirit. Look at Matt. 6: 26.   “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Father feeds them.   Are you not worth much more than they?” (NASB)   God’s masterful provisions are already in place for our arrival in service to Him.   He has prepared the way and provided the ways and means for ...