Good News Brief For Men

Isaiah 40: 31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.  (NKJV) The “Eagle” is a common metaphor for strength.  The eagle was created with great powerful wings capable of lifting into the air far more weight than the weight of the eagle alone.  With this capability given to Him by God, we see that even this great bird is capable of doing far more than just what it takes to get by.  Those great wings allow Him to dive down to the earth at incredible speeds to capture unsuspecting prey in their great and sharp talons, taking food back to the nest to feed their young.  Those same powerful wings allow them to soar in the higher altitudes as the wind currents take them higher and farther than they have ever known before. God created us with built-in capabilities that can carry us much farther in our spiritual lives than we are willing...

Isaiah 40: 31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.  (NKJV) King David, when he and his troops needed a rest, they would often retreat to a cave in the area and hide out until they were fully recuperated.  God renewed their strength in the process, physically as well as mentally and most importantly, spiritually.  God doesn’t want us to go and go until there is no more energy left.  We all know that when we exhaust ourselves our decision making often time suffers.  We become too spontaneous.  Or we could go the other way and simply cannot make up our mind.  It’s time to rest. In Matthew 11: 28-30, Jesus calls us to come to Him.  Sometimes we need to retreat to our inner sanctuary and recover as we rest in Christ.  Jesus knows our every struggle, trials and tribulation we go through.  He always knows w...

Isaiah 40: 31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.  (NKJV) Waiting?  Many men of God in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament must have experienced this.  Patience was a virtue then as it is now.  The problem with patience is that we want it now!  Patience only comes through the inner workings of God in our lives as he conforms us to His image.  That same patience comes through trials and tribulations as God builds more of His character in us through each experience we encounter with Him.  Each day we arise from bed is a day God already has planned for us and especially for our benefit as He forms us into His men, fathers of our children, husbands of our wives, and Godheads of the home.  This is a lot of responsibility to be taken lightly.  It can be somewhat intimidating facing the future with these...

1 Peter 3:12   For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.   (NKJV) In the definition of Biblical terms the word “righteous” breaks down into “right-ness”.  As a believer, we have accepted Christ’s propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sin.  So only through Christ can we be righteous.  No, we don’t deserve it.  That is why salvation is a free gift through the Cross of Jesus Christ.  So a person in Christ is righteous, and the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers . If there was ever any doubt that God hears you and sees you, here is your proof.  The only thing that can block God is sin.  It breaks fellowship with God.  We don’t lose our salvation we lose our fellowship.  Psalm 66:18 is quite clear about that. The last part of that verse refers to those who do evil.  God is clea...

Matthew 19: 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of heaven.”  (NKJV) I remember when I was a child I saw a lot of knees.  I remember hoping to be grown up one day so I could see more than knees.  I would no longer strain my neck looking up and trying to figure out who was who.  My twin brother and I were often ignored and kept under control as to not embarrass our parents.  Heaven forbid I would ever do that.  I remember seeing other children getting picked up by their moms or dads.  But there were two of us, so we didn’t get picked up very much.  But even then I loved Jesus.  I knew who He was and that He loved children.  Jesus loves children.  There’s a wonderful song about that love.  Today’s verse reflects the sentiments of that song.  Men, your children are important to God, and they should be that important to you.  I have seen men who do n...

Philippians 1: 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.  (NKJV) Paul was confident in the continuous growth of the Philippians as was partially signified by the recent gifts he had received.  When he had visited there earlier there was such an impact made (during his second missionary journey from 50-53 A.D.).  Confident as he was about these converts, Paul’s confidence rested in God as he new they would be used in a powerful way in the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Has God begun a good work in you?  You become a powerful tool as you submit your life to Christ.  Let God use you today.  You will sense His presence as He places you in His hand, surrounding you with His fingers, securing His grip as He begins to use you through His will today. Prayer :  Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for Your great love for me.  Help me to grow deeper in my un...

Psalm 23: 5 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  (NKJV) Knowing who God is and how David experienced His closeness throughout his life, it’s no wonder the confidence David had in God was so very great.  David experienced God up close and personal, and that is how God wants us to be with Him in fellowship.  The closer, the better.  No matter what you may be going through in your own personal trials and tribulations, God wants to guide you into His greater presence.  He wants you to have that intimate relationship with Him, for God knows that is what’s best for you.  In your heart of hearts you know that’s true. Where are you today?  Do you feel detached from God?  Do you feel that God has abandoned you?  Well He hasn’t nor will He ever desert you.  Satan is trying to convince you of something that goes against the very nature of God.  God prom...

Psalm 23: 5 My cup runs over.  (NKJV) I occasionally use this part of the 23 rd Psalm to illustrate to my congregation the outpouring of God’s love and grace into our lives as believers.  David experienced God many times in this way.  God loved David and poured His heart into him on many occasions.  David was a man after God’s own heart.  Yes, he did commit great sin, even in the orchestration of the murder of Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband to cover his adulterous sin.  Nathan the prophet confronted David with this sin and David fell in shame before a holy God.  In looking at David’s life, yes he sinned, but he sought God in reconciliation and this maintained the openness of David’s relationship with God so much so that David often felt the outpouring of God’s love and grace to the point that his spiritual cup overflowed. Friend, how are you today?  Has it been awhile since your cup overflowed?  It’s time to draw near t...

Psalm 23: 5 You anoint my head with oil;  (NKJV) In biblical times when a special guest arrived in your home you anointed his head with oil.  It was a refreshing event in the life of the visitor and made him feel special. This is the way it is with God when we commune with Him.  We are not merely men or women, we are His GREATEST creation.  God walked with Adam in the cool of the day.  God created us for fellowship with Him, and He will go out of His way for you to experience His presence in wonderful ways.  When Adam and Eve were banned from the garden, I assure you it wasn’t long before Adam understood his great loss, having God walk with him in the cool of the day. Today, amongst the trials and tribulations that face us on a daily basis, God is there wanting to guide you through, whether it be sadness, a broken heart, or even jubilation at the salvation of a loved one or one for whom you have been praying.  God wants to be a part of th...

Psalm 23: 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;  (NKJV) I have intentionally divided verse five into three separate devotionals.  It involves three separate thoughts of David that I sense should be addressed individually. This verse displays the fact that in the presence of our enemies God prepares the table for us to recline and partake of the meal, which He has prepared.  This shows that we should relax and wait for God to call on us when He wants us involved.  He doesn’t need us in those times, for He is quite capable of accomplishing His purposes without our involvement.  God only calls us into action when He is ready for us to experience that which He has prepared for us.  Knowing God on that level of trust allows us to experience a sense of calmness when we trust Him completely. Yes, we should be able to dine and enjoy all that God has prepared for us as believers.  Another point is what does the enemy see i...

Psalm 23: 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  (NKJV) When God’s Word becomes personal, it takes on a whole new meaning.  God reveals Himself through His mighty Word showing time and time again that He alone is able.  We only need to continually commit to His calling as He guides us.  If we as believers think we need only little doses of God to guide us through trials and tribulations we are sadly mistaken and misguided by Satan.  Satan doesn’t want us to have victory.  He wants us to become discouraged.  For when we are discouraged, we become a powerful tool in Satan’s hand.  Our discouragement shows on our faces, and all through the other areas of our lives.  Yes it is hard, very hard, to keep a positive outlook in Christ when life-threatening diseases come into your life.  We must remember that God is still in control....

Psalm 23: 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (NKJV) This is a powerful verse in the restoration of the life of a man who may be downtrodden, or discouraged in his faith.  God restores the soul.  When God restores the soul He forgives what sins may have been involved in drawing one into a downtrodden lifestyle.  Sin is often times seen as attractive and appealing.  That is how Satan draws us into the temptation in the first place.  When tempted we can let that temptation play around in our minds where the desire continues to grow and materialize into full blown committed sin, or we can say no to Satan as Jude speaks of in Jude verse 9 (NT).  But God when called upon in earnest and from the heart forgives and restores the soul.  God desires fellowship with us.  He wants us to have that same desire for Him as well. What happens after God restores the soul?  If we do as He calls us to,...

Psalm 23: 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides the still waters. (NKJV) Have you ever been driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway or through the Shenandoah Valley on the east coast and pass those beautiful meadows with shady trees standing in the cool breeze rustling in the wind?  Or have you passed by those cool waters of a flowing brook as it goes by the roadside.  Those are special places.  The brook is especially curious.  The water may go by over rocks and around the bends, and if you look long enough you will see the area where in the midst of the passing waters, there is an area that water is still, a pocket where water goes but is away from the constant flow of the rushing waters.  Those are the still waters.  Still waters also exist at the end of the brook or river as it empties into a lake or even the ocean.  In the middle of the rushing waters there is rest.  At the end of the journey there is rest.  A...

Psalm 23: 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (NKJV) There have been times in my life that I often didn’t make it beyond “The Lord is my shepherd” .  Trials and tribulations were so very intense that I knew all I had was the shepherd Himself to guide me and watch over me as He led me down His path.  The path was full of major obstacles.  But He guided me all the way.  There were times I didn’t know what He was doing and I took control myself thinking I had a better way.  Shortly thereafter I relinquished control back to my shepherd and let Him guide me, teaching me along the way.  He taught me about His grace, love, and His passion for my heart.  He showed me that I would have no need for anything else but Him.  “I shall not want” became very clear, as I understood more how the shepherd teaches. God teaches by example a lot of the time.  It is His training grounds for our hearts.  Often times we don’t want to go ther...

Nehemiah 1: 6   Please let your ear be attentive and Your  eyes open that you hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against You.  Both my father’s house and I have sinned.  (NKJV) As we look back in time over the year, have you truly served God in all you say and do?  Have you honored Him with the first fruits of your labor?  Have you treated your wife and children with Godly respect that God intended for you to show them by example?  Have you prayed daily and more so over their welfare, emotional, physical and spiritual?  Have you lifted them up daily in prayer as a family?  I think I hear some of you crying UNCLE already!!!!!  I give up.  OK Ted who let you in my home? Welcome to the world of reality.  Let’s face it.  Failure happens, but it’s not failure if we lear...

Romans 8: 26   And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; (NASB) How many times have you sincerely desired to pray, but the words won’t come?  You may even know what you need to pray for, but you’re left a little confused on where to begin.  This is what I do.  I ask God to empower the Holy Spirit to guide me into this reverent season of prayer with Him.  We often times take the Holy Spirit for granted and simply ignore His presence in our lives, but here in this verse we see the Holy Spirit come into action.  The Holy Spirit is not some minor being that lies dormant in your heart.  The Holy Spirit of God is our closest companion, and is always on call when need arises in our lives.  God knows what we need every day, and the God communicates with the Holy Spirit about those things.  Many times the Holy Spi...

Joshua 14: 9   So Moses swore on that day, saying, “Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.” (NKJV) Men, often times we simply don’t receive that which God wants to bless us with.  The main reason, for the most part is how we follow God and understand His will for our lives.  We seek God on a convenient basis at times; when it’s convenient I’ll pray, or I’ll wait until tonight and pray before I go to sleep.  God simply isn’t first in your life. Evidence of this is found in God’s Word in many places, especially in the Old Testament.  Whenever God’s chosen ones would follow Him and the leadership appeared marginal at best, they failed.  One classic example was Aaron in Exodus 32: 1.  Aaron didn’t contemplate or negotiate, he caved in and came up with a new representation of God.  A golden calf?  Come on Aaron.  This is the ...

Psalms: 70: 1   O God, hasten to deliver me; O Lord, hasten to my help!  (NASB) Have you ever been in immediate need and search for the scripture to support it?  Here it is.  David has called out in no uncertain terms.  He needs God’s help.  Now, God knows David’s heart and we see no descriptive evidence of the kind of help David needed until later in the Psalm.  But, you see, he called out to God first.  He described his need to God later.  David’s call did not surprise God.  God knew what David was in need of before David uttered the first word.  God knows our needs as well and He will answer those needs when we call out to Him.  So what keeps us from calling out to God in our personal time of need?  Pride!  We often think that since God knows our hearts, He knows our needs, even before we understand what they are, and the scriptures support this.  So what good does it do to tell God when He already kn...

Acts 17: 11-12   Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.  Many of them therefore believed along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.  (NASB) We see evidence of the how the Word of God proves itself to those who seek the knowledge it produces through the reading of it.  God has called you to be a Godly man.  We must seek instruction in the proper guidebook.  We must look for Him there.  I could give you shortcuts to verses of scripture but until you seek to know Christ on a more intimate level, you simply won’t grow into a man He can use. Where do you stand?  Are you seeking Him on His level of calling in your life or are you still waiting for………….. Prayer :  Dear Lord, Show me you way that I may become more sensitive to your calling in my life.  Mold me and shape into your man....

Hebrews 9: 14   how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  (NKJV) Hey guys, have you ever felt like you weren’t growing in your Spiritual life?  Have you ever thought that maybe your prayers weren’t making it beyond the ceiling?  Sometimes we have to just stop a while and listen to God.  Sometimes we just need for Christ to calm the raging storms in our lives as when He was with the disciples on the sea when He called out “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39 nkjv )  We need to sit down and make a real list.  Not with the computer, but with a small notepad and a pencil and get alone with God and His Word.  He calls us to these private quiet times but we are often too cluttered to hear Him call out in that still small voice.  He’s trying to get our attention and we need to listen to Him and obey Him.  On th...

Romans 8: 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. (NKJV) Coming on the heels of the previous devotionals on building a house, today’s verse rings clear as the reward of our following Christ ………. closely.  We must commit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit to guide us in the ways of God as revealed by His Word.  Some of you, no doubt have begun the research necessary to build your house on the principles found in God’s Word.  I’ve given you the key on how the house is established, and we have put the key in the door lock, but something happens.  Suddenly in reading God’s Word we appear to have lost interest because you have not found the entire path to be clear in your reading.  Do not give up here.  Move forward and call out to God to instruct the Holy Spirit to guide you along the way and to make the scriptures come to life, and then prayerfully get ready.  I used this illustration the other day at the eve...

Proverbs 24: 4 By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Here, knowledge is the application of Godly wisdom applied over a long period of time.  God grows us into the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ and as we become more like Him, our house becomes established as mentioned in the previous verse.  But it all depends upon us.  God is already in place for us.  As husbands and fathers we must make the commitment to follow God in a precise manner so that we obtain His blessings in the manner in which He wants us to have them.  His ways are always best.  We can’t just carve out a little time here and a little time there and expect results.  Our hearts should be consumed with His greatness and Holiness so that His thoughts are our thoughts.  There is an old saying that goes like this: “Ted is so heavenly minded that he is earthly worthless.”  I’m not talking about that here.  His thoughts need to become our...

Proverbs 24: 3 Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established. Here we see a house under construction, this house being the beginning of a family.  Wisdom can only be determined by the Holy Scriptures and the use thereof.  Worldly wisdom is foolishness as is stated in 1 Corinthians 3: 19-20.  But true wisdom is from God.  I remember when I was “Just Married” several years ago; I had visions of success and family.  My plans looked good, but in God’s eyes they were foolishness.  Years later when I sought God for the correction of my course, I saw my problems and challenges as opportunities for God to step in and show me His grace, guiding me along the way.  I found peace knowing He was in control.  God established Himself as the rock upon which I can fully rely.  Since those early days of being the master of my own destiny I have grown up…..in the Lord and in His divine wisdom through the reading and the study...

Matthew 7: 24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. In this Parable we see Jesus giving an example of two people who built houses.  One built his house upon a rock and the other built his house upon the sand.  If you have ever been to the beach and made a sandcastle you generally used the wet salt-water-filled drippings of the wet sand to build parts of the sand castle.  Sometimes you even used a sand bucket and a small shovel packing the sand tightly and then turning it upside down depositing the sand now conformed to the pattern of the bucket ready to be used in the construction of the sand castle.  You see how easy it is to build a sandcastle.  Can you imagine how unstable a house would be if you were to build one on the sand.  Sand is easy to move, but doesn’t support the weight of a building very well.  When the storms come, the structure wil...

Acts 6: 8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Stephen the first martyr, prior to his death lived a life full of grace before the people.  His life was so connected to the Savior that his faith was full and his power, from our Holy God gave him opportunity to display the wonders and signs of Christ the Lord. If we began our days in Christ, with about fifteen minutes of devotional time with the Savior, we too would experience the wonders of Christ working through us as believers.  Through my experience, I too have found myself extending my time alone with God, looking for ways to add more time to my time with Him. Prayer :  Dear Father in Heaven, help me to be ever mindful of your working in my life.  Guide me in finding ways to experience You through a more intimate and closer walk with You daily.  In Christ we pray, Amen. May God richly bless us as we continue seek His will, and His way, through H...

Good Day Men! 1 Corinthians 9: 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (NKJV) Be careful that you don’t become disqualified in your own personal testimony.  Make sure you are living according to the scriptures from which you give testimony about.  The body Paul is writing about here is the body as a whole.  Our hearts should be right with God.  Our minds be tuned to His fulfillment that our testimony should be true and not distracting.  Our body (physique) should be representing the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Let’s face it guys.  Some of our temples are larger than others.  It’s time to reel that in and get into shape. We need to be reminded that our life as a whole should represent Christ as a true work in progress, moving toward Him on a daily basis.  Again, the result is abundant life when we follow Christ according to the principles...

Good Day Men! James 1: 2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  (NKJV) As parents and spouses, sometimes we can be stretched to the limit in the category of patience.  This becomes even worse when our patience is stretched in the workplace as well.  This is often referred to as the Refiner’s fires.  We don’t like being tested especially when we are not prepared and are sent scrambling for answers in God’s Word and elsewhere until the pressure is off.  “Anything to get relief”, is the answer that Satan wants to hear, and he then sends in wrong but applicable answers to your problems only to find out in the short term they work, but in the long term those answers dissolve like sugar in hot tea and you are worse off than before. An illustration that I have used on oc...

Ephesians 4: 25   Therefore laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.  (NASB) Good Day Men! We should always speak the truth at ALL times and in all circumstances.  This promotes trust in all we say and do.  As believers the Holy Spirit eternally connects us.  Before there was the Holy Spirit there was Jesus, but he is only one, where the Holy Spirit is found in each believer as part of the triune God.  So in our hearts is found not only the Holy Spirit, but also Jesus and God as one (known as the Trinity).  Now the Holy Spirit knows when we lie, or exaggerate the truth.  It is God in us who can speak the truth in all circumstances. If we rely on Him then we can express difficult truth in faith knowing that God is in control.  Truth that is difficult to express can always be handled in an easier way by expressing it the way Christ would, and his examples are throughout his Wo...