Good News Brief For Men

Psalm 118: 5 -7: In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.  The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?  The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.  (NIV) How many times have we cried out to a Holy God and waited for an answer.  The freedom that I think was experienced here was the relief of knowing that God was still in control.  He sets us free of dealing with the problem ourselves and we give Him control of the outcome.  “The Lord is with me; His my helper.  I will look in TRIUMPH on my enemies.”  So what is the enemy today?  Paper that won’t feed in the printer when you’re in a hurry…..numbers that seem to rearrange themselves on their own…..a decimal place that WAS in the right place a moment ago….Your wife with a headache and the kids with a bad cold.  Enemies don’t have to be people. The enemy could be a circumstance that rears its ugly head ...

Isaiah 59: 1    Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.  (NIV) Good Day Men, What is God willing to do in order for us to maintain fellowship with Him?  God gives and we often ignore his gifts.  He shows us His love and we look the other way.  How can all this happen?  We continue to sin, and our lives become galvanized to God’s calling.  We don’t hear Him because we don’t seek Him.  Those who express a joyful life have Jesus at their core.  They are actively pursuing a relationship with Him.  Those who have a daily devotional and seek to spend time alone with God have a rewarding life in Him.  It shows and we see it and we wonder how they do it.  I have an answer for you.  Ask them and you will see it is their active relationship to God that gives them their greatest joy and peace. God is always reaching out to us to draw us near to Him.  We should run to H...

Proverbs 5: 22-23    The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.  He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.    (NIV) Good Day Men, There are things in our life that are bad for us.  Many of these things are carried with us from the time before we believed.  One of the greatest areas where Satan attacks is the undisciplined life.  We must bring our heart, soul, and spirit, as well as our body under the submission of the Holy Spirit.  God can use us when we are not only sold out to Him and His purposes for us, but when our life reflects the countenance of Jesus Christ in all we say and do. Key Thought:  Experience a life of joy and peace, which reflects Christ.  A Christ like disciplined lifestyle will do this.   Live a disciplined lifestyle in Christ and you will experience peace and happiness beyond compare. Prayer:  Dear Father...

Psalms 9: 1    I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  (NIV) Good Day Men, David praised God for all the wonders that He had done.  Moreover, David did not stop there.  He displayed God’s love in many ways throughout his kingdom but the greatest example of David’s display of praise is what we see as the book of Psalms.  We see David’s struggle and his dependence upon his holy God.  David knew to whom he should always go.  We can build on what David has done here in this wonderful book.  Let us read it with great purpose and seek God as David did, on our knees. Key Thought:  Praise Him often.  Tell of the many wonders He has done in your life.  Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Prayer:  Dear Father in heaven, Give me the joy and encourage my heart to tell all those You give me the privilege to meet, about our Savior, Your Son, Jesus Ch...

Psalms 8: 1    O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!  (NKJV) Good Day Men, Throughout the books of the Bible there is a common thread of praise and adoration of who God is.  We need to remember to always lift Him up and glorify His name in ALL things. When we are down, we are to praise Him.  When we sense Him lifting us up, we are to praise Him.  Praise to God is not limited to any given time.  However, we see in the Lord’s Prayer that we praise Him first and then we seek His will for our lives and the lives of those around us. Key Thought:  Seek time to praise God today for everything.  Sometimes it may be hard to praise Him for the bad times but He is there too and has purpose in everything that comes into our life through Him.  Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name….. Prayer:   Dear Father in heaven, Ignite my heart in praise to ...

Psalms 33: 8    Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.  (KJV) Good Day Men, The fear David is talking about is a healthy fear in understanding who God is.  In seeking God in His Word, we see the power of a holy and mighty God.  This in itself draws us to reverence in who He is and what He sent His Son for.  It is true that we do not deserve what God did for us through the cross.  However, the fact alone that He created us and made us for fellowship with Him clearly shows passion for His great creation.  He wants to be in our presence. Key Thought:  Seek to be in His presence through the reading of His mighty Word and the issuing of praises to His name.  God calls us to be with Him.  Prayer and Bible study is where we begin. Prayer:   Dear Father in heaven, show me the way to reverence You in a more honoring manner each time I come to You in prayer that lik...

Good News Brief Weekend Good Day Men! Matthew 22: 39   “And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  (NKJV) In this second commandment, Jesus states that it is like the first one.  We should have the Godly love that only He can produce, in order to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Godly love will overcome obstacles.  Godly love can clear a path to the heart of one whom you are trying to reach in His name.  You shall be to that neighbor as Jesus would be to you. We must always remember that when we step out into the world, as it is today, that we represent Christ first.  Our first step out into the morning sun or rain or some other inclement weather, must always represent Him first in every step we take.  As believers, we need to be prepared to do this in a way that would always honor God.  This means we need to stay in His Word and honor Him in prayer so that we may represent Him correctly to this l...

Good News Brief Weekend Good Day Men! M atthew 22: 37-38   Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind!  This is the first and great commandment.”  (NKJV) When Jesus reduced the Ten Commandments to these two, He ushered in a new attitude of what a believer is to cherish the most.  God is above all in our hearts in all things.  There is none greater.  We are to reverence God with our entire being, heart, soul, and mind.  This also tells us that our God is a consuming God.  He wants all of us, in all we are so that we may be conformed to His image. We represent Christ to all we encounter.  And we need to give God full control of all we can become.  Only through this can we experience His peace and love, as He so desires. Prayer :  Dear Lord Jesus, help me to remember your greatest commandments that I may reverence You in all and through all th...

Good Day Men! 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.  (NASB) My faith is in God and His Word I cherish.  I like the word profitable as it is used in today’s text.  It doesn’t say just suitable, it says profitable.  Thus our lives will profit from learning and applying God’s Word daily.  In short we will grow in Christ as we apply God’s Word to our lives on a consistent basis.  We should look at all areas in our lives and align ourselves with His purposes so that we may reflect to others that which is profitable as well.  We also should look at what God is doing to make our lives spiritually profitable and full of His rich wisdom and knowledge.  We should live a life of great expectation when we ask from God.  Don’t ask unless you expect to receive. Take some time t...

Good Day Men! Deuteronomy 31: 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.   (NKJV) This seems to be the classic charge for those who are getting ready to face the challenges of every day.  You may know what lies ahead of you and you may not.  But, one thing for sure.  You can rest in the assurance that Moses gave to Joshua prior to his death, and Moses said this with confidence.  Moses too, had experienced this same strength and courage in his own life and he not only passes it on to Joshua, but he passes it on to us on this day and in this time.  We can face today and whatever lies ahead with our confidence in God that He will not only provide but that He will also show us the way…….His way. Follow Him today and watch the wonderful outcome God has for you. Prayer :  Dear Father in Heaven, show me Your strength and g...

Good Day Men! Matthew 7: 7-8 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.   (NKJV) As simple as this may seem, it appears that we at times make it more difficult to apply to our lives on an everyday basis.  Christ makes no limitations here, but we must be in fellowship with God in our lives so that we will recognize His response when it occurs.  Our fellowship with Christ is imperative as we seek His will and represent Him to a lost and dieing world, even to our families.  As Godheads of our homes we not only need to obey God and His command about this, but we need to also seek His hearts desire for us as men that we may become that strength and confidence He wants us to be for our families.  What a great responsibility and challenge we have here.  This is not the time to shy away form God’...

Good Day Men! Ephesians 5: 27 and present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (NIV) This is clearly our responsibility before a holy God.  I once heard at a men’s conference that our wife’s face reflects the Godly husbands we are when they are with us.  Our prayers, and bible studies are meaningless unless they have purpose.  One purpose is to further and deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord.  As result of this, we should impact the life of our wives in a Godly and spiritual way.  We should also take it to the next level and impact the lives of our children in the same manner.  If you look back at Ephesians 5: 25, this is not a request.  There was Godly purpose in the way Paul presented this to the Ephesians.  This was divine direction coming from the servant of the same God we serve as believers.  We, as husbands, will be held responsible for what ...

Good Day Men! Ephesians 5: 26 to make her holy, by the washing with water through the word, (NIV) We begin this devotional with the obvious in today’s verse.  Often times confusion occurs when you don’t read the verse all the way through.  Don’t stop at the washing with water .  How we see this verse determines how deep you love your wife or even how deep you want to love your wife.  Do you love her as much as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her?  Christ, while on this earth displayed his love for his disciples in many ways.  But most of all to make them holy, by the washing with water through the word .  He taught them how to love others in Christ-like manner.  We do the same but now we have God’s word as a great resource.  We can read Bible verses and ask God to apply them to our lives and through our following him, bless our wives with a Godly husband.  As we apply God’s word to our lives coupled with praying ...

Good Day Men! Ephesians 5: 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (NIV) …but you don’t know my wife, …she isolates herself from me, …she never wants to be involved in the things I am interested in, …she’s ALWAYS to tired for _______… Okay men, I really have heard ALL of the excuses and various qualified reasons for NOT giving up yourself for your wife.  These are only a few of the excuses.  Now, let’s go to the authoritative source on all issues.  Jesus never led by command, he lead by example.  He was and still is a servant to all who seek him.  We are to do the same.  You want to change your wife?  Change yourself first.  Seek Christ in all things and He will change you.  Every man I have spoken with that I have advised to do this who have actually followed through, have experienced significant positive changes in their own marital relationship.  Yes it takes time.  But ...

Good Day Men! Proverbs 12: 19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.  (NIV) Have you ever told a little white lie?  For all practical purposes it was quite harmless, right?  WRONG!!!  Satan would love for us to believe this lie and accept it as truth.  He knows for a fact that a lying tongue will discredit us and damage our core character as believers.  We are to steer clear of any form of lying.  Men, our biggest problem here is pride.  We don’t like feeling inferior when it comes to competition.  It’s much easier to escalate the conversation and exaggerate the situation a little to bend the outcome in our favor.  It makes us look better when we win at golf, or catch the biggest fish.  Most men I have ever played golf with know that I go to have a good time.  Sometimes my game is on top, but most times it’s not.  But I never exaggerate the outcome and make it sound like something i...

Good Day Men! Luke 6: 36: Be merciful, just as your father is merciful.  (NASB) Have you ever noticed when there were times you knew that God had extended his mercy to you?  There are countless times this has occurred in my own life as well.  We are to learn from these experiences as God reaches out to touch our lives through his love and grace.  As Christ is our example in all things we are to extend the same kind of mercy to others as well.  Sometimes it may be difficult to do this, however, God has built that capability into our lives to do the same for others as his son did for us.  Extend mercy to you children when they do wrong but season it with loving correction by providing an alternative solution of what Christ would have done in this same situation.  When it comes to our wives, provide the same mercy.  Extend a helping hand in the kitchen, or being with the children allowing her some time alone so she to can be restored and re...

Good Day Men! 1 Thessalonians 5: 11: Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.  (NASB) How much time does it take to be an encourager, or to speak a kind word to someone that needs to be uplifted?  Here Paul reminds us to continue doing the same in his words, “ just as you also are doing ”.  A word or encouragement or appreciation directed toward your wife will do wonders toward lifting her spirit.  Sometimes we take encouraging someone for granted and leave that to others who are far better at saying things like that than you are.  But remember this.  You are God’s man and this is God’s time for you to represent Him to someone else.  Big responsibility isn’t it?   Don’t run away from it.  God has given this responsibility to you today.  Encourage your wife, your children (young or old, they’ll appreciate it), parents, friends, Pastor, Minister, or teacher. It’s time to step up to...

Good Day Men! Joshua 24: 15 “……but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  (NASB) Try to do this on your own and you will fail miserably.  Once we are born again God brings to power his Holy Spirit in our lives.  The house (family) that does anything other than serve the Lord is destined for division.  The word “serve” as I use it here doesn’t mean to become a Pastor, Minister, Sunday School Teacher, Deacon. Etc.  To “serve” in this term means to commit, even as the only one in the family that may be willing to do this.  Satan can and will take the uncommitted home and tear it asunder.  Have you ever experienced this kind of devastation or witnessed it as it took place in other families?  I have!  I have seen grown men, after the fact of seeing what Satan can do to a divided family, totally devastated and on their knees before a holy God asking him to restore their family and once again bring peace.  Full commitment t...

Good Day Men! Romans 8: 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. (NIV) “Sinful man” here refers to man that has not experienced salvation through Jesus Christ.  It also includes the carnal man or one that is not in right relationship with Christ even after salvation.  When we refuse to give up authority of our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ we begin to falter in our relationship with Christ as well as other believers and loved ones.  God refuses to take the backseat in the life of those he sacrificed his son to save.  As a fallen (backslidden) believer we open ourselves up to the influence of Satan himself at which point he begins to gain valuable spiritual territories that at one time belonged to Christ when he sat on the throne of our lives.  Through our refusal of allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us of our wrong doing we again allow Satan to gain former spiritual territories.  Our re...

Good Day Men! Psalms 55: 1-2 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) At this time in David’s life, he wants to retreat to a quiet place to sort out his thoughts, but that is impossible.  He is in the middle of great controversy that is consuming his very being.  So he does the only thing he can do; he calls out to God where he is.  David is in turmoil at the fact that he is facing the conspiracy in Jerusalem against a former friend. This verse could represent any one of us.  How many times have your thoughts not been God’s thoughts?  How many times have you thought malicious thoughts against someone who has done you wrong?  How many times has pornography caused you to have thoughts that trouble you?  Any one of these thoughts can make a person distraught.  But what did David do?  He went to God with his problem, right where he was.  He ...

Good Day Men! Job 28: 28 And he said to man, “The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”  (NIV) We see hear in the verse for today that Job knows what wisdom is and completely differentiates evil from wisdom.  This seems simple when you read it but reading it and putting it into practice are two different things.  Job made a daily practice of living for God.  God was very evident in his life.  We have a description of Job in Job 1: 1, 8; 2: 3.  Ask any believer in Christ; it’s always easier to talk about the word of God than it is to apply its teachings to our daily lives.  Talk is cheap and action always speaks louder than words.  The closer we are to Christ the better life we will lead.  The closer we are to the Savior the better his message goes out through us.  Peace occurs when we apply the life principles of God’s word to our daily lives.  Sure there will be some hard times, but Go...

Good Day Men! John 10: 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and live it to the full.  (NIV) We are told clearly in this verse that; The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy ; the thief is reference to the devil himself.  Some commentaries refer to the thief as a “false shepherd” that only cares about the feeding of himself, not the building up of the flock.  However, as readers of the above verse we continue to the good news as Jesus says: I have come that they may have life and live it to the full.   The comparison is clear.  Satan only wants to hurt us while Christ only wants to bless us with great abundant life.  This abundant life or full life that Christ promises comes to those who fully trust in him.  As believers we need to keep our fellowship from being hindered by allowing sin to creep into our lives.  We should be concerned about our personal spiritual purity....

Good Day Men! Psalms 48: 13-14    You may tell the next generation that this is God, our God for ever and ever.  He will be our guide for ever.  (RSV) What are our Godly experiences worth here on earth?  If you have children you understand quickly that you are forming their belief in God that will carry them through each and every challenge they encounter now and in the future.  Our experiences here that take us through the good times as well as the bad times can help our children face their problems of tomorrow as they grow from childhood through adolescence and into mature adults.  They need to see our trials and tribulations and realize that we struggle as parents too.  We struggle with where to send our kids to school.  Are we going to a church that the Sunday School teachers are reaching our children affectively for Christ?  Are we lighting their paths so that God can shine through us and the relationship that we have with ...

Good Day Men! Psalms 86: 7    In the day of my trouble I shall call upon Thee, For Thou wilt answer me.  (NASB) In this verse for today it appears that David is calling out to God.  He knows God will hear him.  He has found God faithful in all he has promised to do for those who love him.  In Psalms 66: 18 David acknowledges the fact that if he does not confess his sin to God then God will not hear.  Upon confession we have a clean and blameless heart and this gives assurance that God hears and will act on our prayers to him.  To David, a pure heart was crucial in his life as he went to battle, governed the nation, and ran his family at the same time preparing Solomon to lead the nation in later years.  David truly understood what his relationship to God should be like.  He depended upon God in all things.  He knew and enjoyed fellowship with God and he understood what it took to maintain that fellowship.  When Dav...

Good Day Men! Psalms 86: 5    For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in loving kindness to all who call upon thee.  (NASB) You ever do something only later to wish you hadn’t?  You may even be alone with God and frustrated and impatient with what you believe to be his lack of interest in your immediate problem.  You may hurl angry comments toward heaven in hopes that God will sense your pain and rush to you need.  He knows what we are going through long before we enter that particular situation.  He knows when we are in pain and are suffering anguish of some sort.  He understands our heart and knows what motivated us to say what we said to Him.  Now we are embarrassed in His presence and have a hard time praying in earnest to our holy God.  Fear not!!!!   For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in loving kindness to all who call upon thee.  David was obviously a very wise...

Good Day Men! Psalms 40: 1-2    1)  I WAITED patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  2)  He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.  (NASB) David tells us in the first verse that he waited patiently for the Lord .  We never know what God has in mind for us as believers.  But we do know that if we are patient, God will help us just as he helped David.  God heard David’s cry to him, and listened.  As a result God delivered David from peril.  Not only did God deliver David, He established David’s footing as well and made his footsteps firm .  As a young Boy Scout, our Scout Troop went on many Saturday day hikes through the woods.  Oftentimes we’d have to ford a creek.  I remember the first time we did that; all we had in our ranks was Second Class Scouts.  We were out to pass off a hiking requir...