Good News Brief For Men

2 Corinthians 6: 17:   “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.”  (NKJV) When we invite Christ to come into our lives many changes should be quite obvious.  One of the more obvious changes is the unsaved friends you had before you said yes to Christ.  As today’s verse states, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.”  This is a very literal verse.  This doesn’t mean we drop our former buddies like a hot potato.  What it does mean is that we should prepare our hearts to be a testimony to them at every opportunity.  But now we must influence their lives, and the influence they once had on us prior to accepting Christ as our personal Savior must come to an end.  God has given you a new hunger to be with those who have too been called to Christ through salvation.  This is where we will grow into His men.  Jesus’ friends were those who were like-minded.  He witnessed to those unlike him in an...

Matthew 16:24:   “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”  (NIV) Absolute peace occurs when we are in tune and aligned with what God desires for our lives.  When we are in tune with God, good things are going to happen.  Sometimes those good things may not seem like good things at the time but God is constantly working in and through you to bring you that peace that Jesus refers to in His Word.  We have to leave the old self and it’s weighty baggage behind and move forward in Christ.  So now a decision must be made.  It’s up to you in how you seek God.  But in today’s verse he tells us to look to Him deny ourselves and seek His ways for our lives.  That is where we begin this wonderful journey. Prayer:  Dear Lord,  Help me to clearly see those things I need to give up as I look to become more like You.  In Jesus’ Name…Amen. May God richly bless us as we continue...

James 3: 14-15   But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.  This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. (NASB) Promoting one’s self is what this verse is all about.  I used to know a man whose practice was to elevate himself in business buy stacking spent (former) co-workers beneath him as he climbed the ladder of worldly success.  They all helped him climb that ladder only to be forgotten and discarded when this so-called leader made it to the top.  This man was jealous of those above him; selfish and ambitious to the point of greed, and arrogant enough to makes his lies believable.  This man had “earthly, natural, and demonic” written all over the trail he left behind along with the expendable co-workers whom he no longer needed nor remembered the names of.  How sad for those who trusted him and were caught up in the false wisd...

Psalm 40: 1   I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.  (NASB) Good Day Men, Often times we ask God for His divine guidance and then we wait…and wait…..and wait some more.  Our choices are limited about what we can do while we are waiting.  My first choice would be to read and study God’s word.  Maybe my next thing to do would be read about other Godly men who have experienced this same waiting game as well.  What did they do?  What advice do they have to offer?  No matter what God calls you to do in the interim, my advice is to do it.  So what is the best thing we can do when we are waiting for God to reveal Himself through something He has called us to do?  Dwell more on Him and show your love and praise to His holy name for He is good and He is God, and He will revel Himself to you. Key Thought:  God’s desire is not to stay hidden but to reveal Himself to you in ways He deems necessary...

Psalm 121: 1-2   I will lift up my eye to the mountains; from whence shall my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  (NASB) Good Day Men, From experience, David knew where to look for God.  As experience teaches us, our help comes from the Lord too.  In prayer we build a relationship with the Holy One.  In meditating we listen in reverence through His word for what HE has to tell us.  David also qualifies God’s abilities in referring to who made the heavens and the earth.  Yes, David knew the power of his God and he called on Him often as we should do as well. Key Thought:  Praise God for His attention to each intimate detail in our lives. As David does here for us in today’s world, spread the word that our help is from the Lord . May God richly bless us as we continue to seek His will, and His way, through His Word. Your servant in Christ, Rev. Ted J. Wilkins Director and Founder ...

Good News Brief Weekend Proverbs 12: 21   No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.   (NASB) Good Day Men, When we are aligned with God’s purpose for our lives no harm will come to us.  This is so very true, however some situations that do arise we see as trouble.  But when we are in tune with God and we are seeking Him in our hearts all the daylong then we must look beyond certain circumstances, which may appear harmful and troubling to see what God has planned in the outcome.  We need to remain in His will in order to be in place to receive that which He has for us, which is the absolute best that He will provide.  We need to also understand the reference of word wicked.  God is not wicked in any way whatsoever, but there is only one kind of wicked and it has only one source: Satan.  We see in the Old Testament where God’s chosen people were tempted and fell away.  We need to be on guard and open ou...

Good News Brief Weekend Proverbs 12: 20   Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy.   (NASB) Good Day Men, The first part of this verse is quite obvious.  The second part of this verse is where we find direction.  The peace, here and now is the greatest representative of Jesus Christ in today’s world.  Our daily walk in Christ generates peace and others see this.  Our contribution in Christ to others should be seen in our daily walk and activities and of course in all we say.  When we open our mouths, our life in Christ should be evident on the first word we utter.  This doesn’t mean pushing our testimony onto someone; this means being used by God in all our conversations.  Putting Him first produce counselors of peace and joy.  We are representatives of Him first, ourselves second. Key Thought:  Let’s look for ways to alter our conversations to better represent Him in ALL we...

1 John 2: 12   I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His names sake.  (NASB) When I read about Paul being a slave to Jesus Christ I used to be left puzzled.  I thought knowing Christ would mean freedom.  Well it does mean freedom.  We have the choice to say yes or no to God when He calls upon us.  But here when John says that our sins are forgiven we quickly see that Jesus had a choice as well, to go to the cross or doom civilization to what it deserves, Hell.  Paul had a choice on the Damascus road and he accepted Christ as his Savior and the rest is pure testimony of Paul’s life in Christ.  Paul chose to follow Christ, as did John and the other Apostles.  They could just as easily said no.  Do you realize that when you are faced with a decision about God that he only comes to you when He knows you are ready to respond to Him?  What will you do today?  What is your response to His ca...

Romans 6: 23   For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (NASB) Many a sermon has been issued from the pulpit using this verse.  It is a powerful verse.  It speaks of the absolute price of sin to the unbeliever.  This verse alone should be all one would need to accept Christ as their personal Savior, not from being scared out of hell but being loved into heaven.  God’s greatest gift was His Son Jesus Christ.  It took great love to do for us what God did through His Son.  But often times unbelievers turn God away with a simple comment like “I not interested”.  Or they may have even categorized God as equal in all religions and this in terribly dangerous.  Based on this simple opinion, millions will go to hell.  How sad. But there is life.  We must pray for each opportunity for encountering the unbelievers we run into each and every day.  We must be ready to g...

Psalms 55: 1   Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.  My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught.  (NIV) David is going through some tough times here.  He is calling out to God for relief.  He knows God will hear him. We should approach God the same way.  It is clear that David has this unlimited trust in the Father.  David has a relationship with Him and God enjoys pouring out His love and grace on those who trust Him to do so.  At the end of this Psalm we see a new David.  Vs.23 closes with: But as for me, I trust in you. Regardless of any circumstances God is near and ready to hear you call out to Him.  Yes, our thoughts can trouble us.  As men we have a different thought life.  We know how bad it can be at times to concentrate on God in prayer only to find our mind wandering to an area it shouldn’t be.  Don’t worry God hears and knows your heart, and rescue is on the wa...

Micah 7: 7   But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation.  My God will hear me.  (NASB 1977) It is obvious that the Prophet Micah had a close relationship with God.  He said One ; “I will watch expectantly for the Lord,” therefore he has confidence in God hearing him.  Second ; “I will wait for the God of my salvation.” This shows the basis of their relationship, which is salvation.  And Third ; he expresses his confidence by saying ; “My God will hear me.” We have great lessons to learn from the prophet Micah.  We can have a personal relationship with God the Father, we can trust Him for the outcome in all things for He is the God of our salvation, and we can say with confidence that our God will hear us when we call out to Him at any time.     Prayer:   Dear Father in Heaven, Thank you for putting great warriors of the faith in front of us.  You knew we would ne...

Luke 5: 20   Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”   (HCSB) When we look at ourselves in the mirror it’s hard to understand sometimes what God could see in us as sinners.  We know our sins and God knows our sins for He also knows our hearts.  We truly deserve hell BUT, when we accepted Christ as our personal Savior we heard the same as this man heard, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”   Oh, what Christ did to fulfill the desires of the Father.  How much more should we praise Him today for the sins in our lives that He has forgiven.  Prayer:   Dear Lord, help us to remember your compassionate heart and the desire of the Father for us to spend eternity with Him.  Thank you, thank you, thank you! May God richly bless us as we continue to seek His will, and His way, through His Word. Your servant in Christ, Rev. Ted J. Wilkins Director and Founder of “Good News Brief For Men” Ministries ...

Mark 6: 32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.  (NASB) To be lonely is to be generally in a quiet place away from any disturbances.  This is the place where Christ directed his Apostles to go in order to get some much-needed rest.  But we see in the next 11 verses that rest was not to come.  Christ had compassion on those who followed him.  He referred to them as sheep without a Shepard.  He was available for the Father’s desire in His life right now.  Rest would finally come at a later time.  But these men even now continued to follow the Master. Prayer:   Dear Father in Heaven, give us rest when we need it.  Even in times of great exhaustion, help us to seek you, for in you, through all the daily trials and tribulations we will find your perfect rest. May God richly bless us as we continue to seek His will, and His way, through His Word. Your servant in Christ, Rev. Ted J. Wilkins D...

Mark 6: 31 And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest awhile,” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)  (NASB) A lonely place, a place without anyone around.  No crowds wanting something.  These men needed their rest and Jesus recognized this and compelled them to get away to a lonely place, away from the pressing crowds.  He encouraged them to take care of themselves.  His Apostles were tired and needed rest, and Jesus recognized this.  Just as they need rest and recuperation, we do too.  No, we are not supermen and superwomen.  We need our rest too.  We can move forward in His name but we don’t want to burnout in His name at the same time.  An overworked believer will only be more open to the attacks of Satan.  This happens when we grow tired and weary.  Jesus knows this, and too calls us to……rest. Prayer:   Dear Father in Heaven, he...

Mark 6: 30 And the apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught.  (NASB) The Apostles had been busy at this time.  In the early part of the chapter we see Jesus sending out the twelve.  They had been gone for some time when they had returned to Jesus to report to Him what they had done accomplished.  In the mean time Jesus had been busy as well.  It was obvious that they had even missed meals as well as sleep.  Jesus recognized this and in the next verse encourages them to rest. Prayer:   Dear Father in Heaven, encourage my heart to seek you but not to ignore even the most basic physical needs, for I am only as capable to do your work as my body, mind, and soul is capable of being used as a vessel in your glory here on earth. May God richly bless us as we continue to seek His will, and His way, through His Word. Your servant in Christ, Rev. Ted J. Wilkins Director and Founde...

Isaiah 26: 3   You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.   (NIV) With our minds focused on Christ and our hearts striving to do His will we will be in perfect peace because our mind is stayed on Him.  When the world interferes with what God is trying to do we need to continue our heartfelt focus on Him so we are not easily thrown off course.  This doesn’t mean that we become a walking Bible or an obnoxious testimony that others will run from.  Instead, we are to be an anchor of steadfastness that will draw others to our sense of peace that can only be found in a personal relationship with Christ.  Oftentimes in the midst of trials and tribulations all around us, it will be noticed that we have a since of peace that draws attention in a Godly way.  This will encourage other’s curiosity and draw to you the right kind of attention that God can use. Prayer:   Dear Lord, anchor my heart in the stea...

1 Corinthians 2: 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.   (NIV) Paul is reminding the Corinthians of his prior visit that he came to represent Jesus Christ and no one or nothing else.  His agenda was his holy God.  Paul was so sold out on Christ that his representation was very real and he was reminding the Corinthians of their ultimate focus.  Through all that Paul experienced he brought Christ to the forefront in all that he did.  Our focus is truly Him in all we say and do.  Sometimes trials and tribulations overcome us and we forget that He is able.  Paul speaks of this in many of his letters.  We need to trust wholly in Him.  Prayer:   Dear Father in Heaven, help me to put you first in all things that I say and do.  Help me to be sensitive to your moving in your call to my heart today.  May I seek to know you more. May God richly bless us as we continue ...

Luke 19: 9 “Today salvation has come to this house.”  (HCSB) This verse is the end result of Jesus’ visit with Zacchaeus the tax collector.  What is the end result of Jesus’ visit at your home?  If you are a believer in Christ, then Jesus visits your home every time you are there.  Has salvation come to your home today?  It is available to all those who come in contact with you because as a believer Jesus resides in you through the Holy Spirit.  And through you, God is able to lead the unsaved to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  So what is holding you back?  Do you consciously represent Christ in your home in ALL you do?  If this is not happening in your home, ask God to change you that you may be able to more reflect the heart of Christ to others in every step you take and every move you make.  If you are not living as Christ would have you live and you are one person at work and a different person at home then it’s time t...

Luke 15: 10 “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”  (KJV) As the old gospel tune goes; “There is joy in the camp, a sinner has come home.”  No truer words were spoken as this tune was taken from God’s word as shown in the verse of the day.  Each time a person receives God’s greatest gift of salvation, the heavens rejoice over that one. Today, whom would God lead you to as a testimony to Himself?  Who is that one that needs the comfort in knowing that the King of Kings really does care and truly loves us?  Has God prepared your heart to be that testimony to others?  Of course He has!  In hearing the testimony of others who have had the privilege of leading someone to Christ, I have discovered that often times the person God is using is not, shall I say feeling his oats in Christ.  But God is out to bless the speaker as well as the hearer.  Don’t let a down day i...