What’s Next?
I'm writing this the day after Resurrection Sunday. One of the Fort Iron graduates posed a question, "after yesterday what do we do next?" He gave a great answer, "press on and advance the Kingdom." Although rhetorical, his question got me thinking.
I went back to the source of course, God's Word. I was led to Luke 9 which is where Jesus's final journey to Jerusalem began. Chapter 9 and the ensuing chapters that cover the trip are packed with incredible teaching. In the midst of it all, what stood out to me was a phrase in Luke 9:51.
When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem.
"He set His face"
In the original Greek, the phrase "He set His face", includes the word στηρίζω (ster-EED-zo) which translates to "steadfast" or "determined". Jesus had resolve, focus, and singleness of purpose. If you read Luke 9 through 19, you'll encounter miracles, parables, and discipling but ultimately that was not Jesus's primary reason for making the journey. He had a fight to finish, a victory to win, and a Kingdom to reclaim. Jesus never wavered in His focus and this is a lesson for all of us. When it comes to Kingdom work, remain steadfast and don't let distractions get in the way.
As more times passes after Resurrection Sunday, it's easy to fall into the distractions of the familiar. Family activities, work deadlines and other tasks can cause our Resurrection Sunday passion to fade. We tend to start our Holy Week focus with the Triumphal Entry. This year, let's start our focus now and be στηρίζω like Jesus is στηρίζω. Jesus knew His mission and He's made ours clear... Matthew 28:18-20!
What are we waiting for? Let's get after it!
Thermometer or Thermostat
So as the title suggests my topic is temperature. Everyone loves coming into a cool 71 degree house getting a glass of lemonade, or something after lawn chores, a high intensity workout, or just being outside in general throughout the summer.
The flip side of that is you’ve shoveled snow, built something, or if you’re a lunatic like me you have had an intense workout while it’s freezing outside. You’ve walked into the warm embrace of central heating, or a hot shower.
Feels good. You enjoy both at different times in the season. When it’s hot you like cold, when it’s cold you like hot. It all depends on your personal preference to the conditions around you.
Well now this is a devotional so let’s take it to the word.
John 1 starting in verse 19.
Tells the story of John the Baptist.
The Pharisees sent ones to ask him, who he was, and what he was doing?
He answered honestly “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness”
He came in the spirit of Elijah Jesus tells us this in Matthew 11:14
He had to come before the day of the lord Malachi 4:5
From my perspective on reading this, and seeing the world today I notice some similarities.
Politics were corrupt. Rome ruled over the area. Pharisees, who were the Jewish political leaders of the time, were also corrupt. Very legalistic, to the point that through all of their traditions, and writings from prophets they lost sight of the relational aspect they had with their God.
It’s evident all over the New Testament, world history, and today the temperature is HOT.
WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT?
Are you a thermometer? Are you sitting in church, work, or conversation saying “yup it’s hot, or cold”!
I think that is what the Pharisees were doing. They knew tensions were high with Roman Rule. I think that now tensions are high because of our rulers.
John the Baptist wasn’t a thermometer.
HE WAS A THERMOSTAT.
Thermostats will for one will tell you it’s cold, or hot, but what happens if it is too hot? You turn the thermostat down. Too cold? You turn it up!
They control the settings of the area they’re in control of.
John was to “prepare the way of the Lord”
The Holy spirit who called him said (this is my brain playing this out) it’s time. It’s cold here turn the heat up.
So John prepared the way of the Lord.
Jesus is the ultimate thermostat.
His Grace to the sinners led to repentance.
His Grace will take addicted drug users and turn them into preachers.
His Grace took Paul from a Christian killing Jewish legalistic to the greatest missionary we’ve ever seen.
His love makes you feel welcomed as family. His truth makes you convicted, and want to repent.
His life, death, burial, and resurrection is the thermostat in which our lives need to be controlled by.
If we’re too Hot, pissed off at the world's issues, we need only to come to him.
Matthew 11:28
If we’re too cold, and not doing what we’re supposed to do. (Leading family, in the word, discipling) go into his word.
He is the thermostat.
No matter the situation Jesus can, and does change the temperature of our lives.
Pay Attention
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood. (Acts 20:28)
The verse above comes from Paul’s final exhortation to the leaders of the church of Ephesus at the end of his third missionary journey. Paul first visited Ephesus during his second missionary journey and spent considerable time there during his third missionary journey. Paul had a deep affection for the body in Ephesus and his charge to the leadership was not to be taken lightly. Paul also knew this was the last time he would speak with this group. Paul didn’t sugar coat the critical responsibility these leaders had nor did he minimize the vicious attack that was to come upon them from both inside and outside the church. As Gibborim, there’s a lot we can take away from Paul’s inspired words.
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock”. As men of action, we should always seek the verb when it comes to the practical application of the Word of God. In this case, the Greek word translated as ‘pay careful attention’ in the ESV is also translated as ‘beware’ (be aware). Jesus used the same word several times in His teachings. The awareness starts with self. If we’re not aware of our own spiritual, mental and physical status we’re not likely to be of much use to others. When we’re centered in Christ, we’re in the right frame to tend to those we’re responsible for. We also need to keep track of our entire flock. If one in our charge wanders, we need to be aware and go after them. In order to know who’s missing, we first have to know everyone who’s supposed to be there. Your flock includes your family, your fire team, your local body and anyone else the Lord has entrusted to you.
“in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers”. Once again we’ll start with the verb, “has made”. In the ESV this can also be translated as “put in place”. God, through His Spirit, put you in the exact position you’re at, over the specific individuals you’re with, for His divine purpose. He’s done this so you can fulfill the role He’s called you to which is to be an overseer. The Greek word used, episkopos, is often used to describe an elder in the church. This definition of episkopos, taken from Blue Letter Bible, captures the essence well, “a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly”. In short we have a God given responsibility of ensuring those under our watch do what is right by God’s standard without compromise. Will we do this perfectly at all times? Not even close! Regardless, we must have clarity on the expectations of the job description and knowledge of Who will judge our efforts. Remember men, we give our best effort and not our best excuses.
“to care for the church of God”. If the last phrase didn’t offer clarity, Paul leaves no room for misinterpretation with this phrase. The verb, “to care for”, is actually shepherding. This ties back to the word used for ‘flock’ (sheep) in the first phrase. The job description of the shepherd is laid out in Psalm 23. In short the shepherd provides, instructs, guides, restores, leads, protects, comforts and prepares. Jesus gives further instruction and counsel for the shepherd in John 10. The shepherd must be known by his sheep and his sheep must trust him in order to follow him. Jesus has set the standard and modeled the behavior He expects from those He appoints. Luke 10 starts with Jesus sending out the 72 to go reach the flock. Upon their return Jesus addresses the disciples, who are joyfully recounting their efforts, reminding them that their success came from His power and that their greatest victory is to be counted among the righteous for being obedient to His call.
“which He obtained with His own blood”. Let there be no confusion or misunderstanding about the value Jesus associates with His call upon us to care for our flock, He purchased it with His blood! There will be times when shepherding our flock is not what we feel like doing. Whether we want to put ourselves first, dismiss the effort because we’re frustrated by our ‘sheep’, or we’re just plain lazy it’s important to remember that none of this will hold water when we give an account to our Lord. We know from Scripture that Jesus agonized in the garden the night before His crucifixion. He knew full well the abuse He would receive, the disrespect He would be shown and most of all the emptiness He would feel as He was separated from the Father. Despite all this Jesus obediently fulfilled the will of God. He did this for our sake not His. I implore you to keep this in mind the next time you don’t feel like shepherding your flock.
Going back to Luke 10, Jesus provides an example of three shepherds called to care for one member of the flock. These verses are familiar to us as the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the parable, the priest was too concerned with self to care for the one placed before him. The Levite was too concerned with rules and rituals to recognize that love of others is more important to God than the blood of bulls and rams. The Samaritan, the least likely of the three from the perspective of the listeners, was the one who reflected the character of Christ. After giving the parable, Jesus poses a question to the lawyer who sought to test Him. The lawyer answered the question correctly by identifying which of the three was the proper shepherd. After hearing the response, Jesus instructed the lawyer to, “go and do likewise”. Brothers, when it comes to caring for our flock as Jesus has demonstrated for us, He is giving us the same instruction, “go and do likewise”.
Unashamed
Acts 4 begins with this “Now as they spoke to the people”
Peter, and John are preaching in the street. The religious leaders didn’t like it. The bible says “they were greatly disturbed that they taught people in Jesus’ name.”
Now the story goes on then Peter and John were arrested, and thrown in jail over this. They had just healed a man in front of everybody in the name of Jesus, and were arrested for it. They next day the entire council was there to figure out their next course of action. They conferred, and came to the conclusion that they can’t keep them in jail, they can’t really do anything because the council, and everyone else witnessed the miracle that had taken place so they threatened them.
Which is really all they could do.
The threat was this in verse 17 “but so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on the speak to no man in the name (Jesus)”
The way Peter and John answered is textbook Romans 1:16 “Unashamed”
V.19 “ But Peter and John answered and said Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge, V20 For we cannot BUT speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
What Boldness! What Courage! What assurance in the soul saving, miracle working, powerful name of Jesus did these men have to be completely unashamed of the name of Jesus.
They stood in the face of the religious giants, and said “you judge” basically in todays terms they said “I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing because I know without the shadow of doubt that I’m following the will of the Lord.
How are you being bold for Christ? Are you praying with boldness? Are you sparking up conversations about Christ? Are you leading your family in the faith?
Acts 4:11-12 This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there any salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
That name is Jesus.
If you’re a Christian, and claim to follow Him, why are you ashamed of His name? The silent majority is real, and its time to open our mouths, and not shut up. We don’t need any more quiet Christians. I’m a Reformed Baptist, there is enough of that in my church. We need men who are ready to shout it out. Men who are ready to train the young men to start living courageously, earlier in life than they did.
Are you ready to be that man? A man truly unashamed of the Gospel of Christ? A man who when faced with threats of imprisonment, or death because of your faith will say “ we cannot but speak” the Name of Jesus
The Dichotomy of The Warm & Fuzzy
We all know that feeling we get when we attend a good church sermon, or go to a great concert,
or even watch something on YouTube that fires us up. We call that the “warm and fuzzy”, and
the problem is that although that may be the feeling we have when we leave there,
it hardly ever lasts. Are we to go through life with such a temporary grasp on the
gospel? Do we think going from “warm and fuzzy” to “warm and fuzzy” from week to
week is how we advance God’s kingdom? How are we to explain ourselves when we
take such a shallow indulgence of God’s Word? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ uses
words like eternal and everlasting all throughout scripture, yet we give Him only a quick
thought and move on with our everyday lives. This is far from being obedient, and
teeters on the line of unbelief. We hear God’s Word, but lack the total trust in Him to put
it to action in our lives. Let’s talk about why this happens.
The “why” I’m talking about is unfortunately, yet proportionally, connected to the
idleness and stagnation of man. Our lack of taking the action required to apply the
principles of said “warm and fuzzy” is what is holding us back from advancing in our
walks with Christ. There’s a word for that:
Spineless (adj) - namby-pamby; gutless; wishy-washy; lukewarm; weak in willpower,
courage, or vitality; lacking backbone
I hope that word caught your attention. By my estimation, most men don’t like to be
called spineless. As a matter of fact, it’s kind of like the age-old version of calling
someone “chicken”, and that does not sit well with most men.
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
For three years the apostles watched Jesus live His life, and never once did He crack or
bend. They saw Him break bread with sinner after sinner and time and again He would
break the rules of the religion when love or compassion demanded it. He frustrated His
critics when He encountered misplaced spirituality. He was not intimidated by authority
figures and He was not swayed by public opinion or pressure from society. He simply
would not cave! His doing and His being, like His divinity and humanity, were one.
His identity in His Father was formed in His heart in such a way that the world saw a real
man. One who was free to love, help, heal, serve, teach, confront, and connect radically
with people. Take note, those are all verbs that require action.
Most important for us men, Jesus Christ modeled how to release ourselves fully to God’s
purposes in the face of personal suffering - the real test of a man’s heart.
On that dark evening, the most important thing Jesus might have ever shown us was how
to completely let go of our hearts to God. And that He did. But He also stiffened His
spine. Spine comes from undivided trust in the One who gives us the undivided heart.
There is no sadder or more pathetic man than the one with a heart but no spine. It’s one
thing to feel something (“warm and fuzzy”) and another to put it into practice.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” -James 1:22
So I will say it again, behind every good decision we make to be in God’s Word or
advance God’s kingdom, is an undivided heart coupled with the nerve of the spine to put
it into action. We must be doers of the Word men!
So, I encourage you to be a man of action. Be the man God calls you to be. It may not happen
overnight, but with practical application of God’s Word, we can only benefit from the fruits we
will see when being obedient believers. We are to be the light gentlemen, and to do so we must
be willing to take action in God’s Word. Believe me, you do not want to be caught sitting on the
sidelines with regret in your heart when Jesus comes. The time to stiffen your spine is now. The
time to act is upon us all. Let us not just be ready, but rapture ready! God Bless You All.
Arrows
HOW WILL THEY FLY?
Psalms 127:4-5 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
As my kids are getting older I have been thinking more about their inevitable final “release”. How will they “fly”? Will they “hit the target” that I have aimed them at? What exactly is the target that I am aiming them at?
As fathers we have been given the responsibility to aim and direct our family to the path of our heavenly father. So how do we “aim” our children towards the Lord?
Let’s think about each child as an arrow in our quiver and how each of these arrows are different. They are different in lengths, they have different types of fletching, and they are made from different materials such as aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, or wood. Would these arrows all fly the same way when released? Obviously not, so how then will we ever be confident in releasing them at a target and knowing how they will fly towards it? Especially a target that is far out in the distance?
You and I both know that each and every single child is different, even if they are twins. Each person is uniquely made by God with a personality of their own. As fathers it should be one of our biggest priorities to learn how each of our children are “made”. We must know this in order to know how to aim them towards the target. We also must release them to know how they will fly. You have to release several times, at shorter distances, in order to see what their tendencies actually are. Then you have an idea of how to correct your aim before releasing them at further targets.
For example, if you have 4 arrows as described above, with different characteristics, and arrow #1 has a tendency to hit 4 inches low each time you release it at the center of the target, you would then want to aim 4 inches above the center in order to get it to hit as close as possible to the center of the target. Likewise, if arrow #2 tended to hit 6 inches to the right each time, then you would adjust when shooting that arrow by aiming it 6 inches to the left of the target each time.
Our children are no different than this example. The objective as a father should be for us to know both the positive and negative attributes of each child. Then lead and guide them accordingly. Start by releasing at short distances, then observe how they “fly”, then adjust before making that “final release”!
Someone’s Going To Teach Them
The Bible is clear on the responsibility, mandate even, for fathers to teach their children. This command can be found throughout Scripture. Moses wrote about it, Solomon wrote about it, Paul wrote about it, so there's no doubt this is important to God. Jesus, Himself, is often called Teacher or Rabbi as He modeled this principle for us to follow. So if the responsibility of fathers to teach their children is God's expectation of us, why aren't we doing it?
We can make lots of excuses why we don't teach. To be blunt, none of them will hold water when we give an account to the Lord. He's equipped us to get the job done, we need to be obedient and follow through. You may say, I'm no Bible scholar and I'm certainly not a teacher so how exactly has He equipped me? Here are a few suggestions if you're just getting started or don't know where to begin.
Make spending time in the Word a priority in your own life. You can't lead people to a place you yourself aren't willing to go. Find a reading plan, grab a notebook and pen to capture what God speaks to you, a highlighter to emphasize specific verses, and set a time each day to read and reflect. Make a daily appointment with God in your calendar and stick to it. Consistency builds habits.
Let your family see you spending time in the Word, consistently, before you ask them to join you. Children tend to listen with their eyes.
Share what God's speaking to you and show your obedience to His will. When the Bible comes to life through you, it becomes more inviting to your family. It's okay to be vulnerable and share where you're struggling. Transparency and perseverance are clear evidence that God's Word is important to you and a priority for you.
Use supplemental resources to help you learn more about the chapters and verses you're reading. Understanding the historical context, the original audience and other facts around the Scripture makes it even more relatable and exciting. Reading about an Old Testament battle is interesting, learning more about the significance of the battle makes it fascinating. The Bible Project has a series of videos on every book in the Old and New Testaments (https://bibleproject.com/explore/book-overviews/). Not only are these helpful for you, they can be a fun way to engage your children as well. If you already have a solid foundation in God's Word, check out some commentaries or drill into a word study. Blue Letter Bible (https://www.blueletterbible.org/) has great tools to help you grasp the original language. One note of caution, make sure any resource you select is based on sound theology. One way to do this is to seek out the organization or author's statement of faith. If you're still not sure, check with your pastor, a mature brother in your local body, or feel free to reach out to one of the Fort Iron Ministries Instructors. Drop a comment on this article or submit a question on this site and we'll get back with you.
God's Word never comes back void (Isaiah 55:11). I'm confident He will bless your efforts and you'll be amazed by how time in the Word transforms you.
So what happens when fathers are not teaching God's Word to their children? In a word, chaos. The Bible is the foundation of how we're called to live and the Source of hope in challenging times. If the Bible is not the moral standard for your children, the world will fill them with confusion and temporal responses to eternal questions. It's not hard to see this in the culture around us. For those who don't know God and His Word, the delusions they live under are heartbreaking. Those who claim to know God and His Word, but don't engage with Him through the Bible, are deceiving themselves and putting their families in harm's way. If you're not teaching your children, someone else is. Is this a risk you're comfortable with?
On a personal note, I was not a believer when my oldest was a child and became a new believer when my youngest was a child. They're both adults now and over time I've made up for lost time. Unfortunately, I still have to deal with the consequences of the lost time. Even more important than my consequences are theirs because I didn't fulfill my role. I'm passionate about this topic because I want every man to avoid my mistakes and the heartbreak that came as a result.
If you're not teaching your children today, what are you waiting for?
IGY6
I’m sure several of you know what the expression “IGY6” means. For those that don’t, it stands for “I Got Your Six” or in other words “I have your back”. This is an expression men use to let other men know that when things get really bad they don’t have to question who will be there for them. In a worldly sense this could mean military buddies in a battle together or a few old high school friends that look out for each other when they go out on the weekends. But in Christianity it looks a little different. We are to look after our brothers. If one were to fall into sin we go after him and we don’t leave until he comes back and leaves that sin. We should have those men in our lives that would do the same for us too!
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. Ephesians 5:19-20
Let’s make it more personal. If you were to die today who would be the six men that would carry your casket? Can you name them? Are these men ones that you speak with daily or even weekly? Do you have men in your life that you are living life with that are building you up? If so, are you doing the same for them? As a Christian man this is NOT an option! You must have brothers that are encouraging and equipping you to be a better husband, father, friend, coworker, or boss… and you should be doing the same for each of these men in your life too!
Think about all the men that God has blessed you to be around. Men of different ages, careers, and stages of life. All are different in their walk with Jesus. How can you learn from the more mature men? How could you invest into the others? These are questions we should be asking ourselves every day. Take a moment to think about the six men closest to you right now. Now, pray over each one of them specifically by name. Ask God to reveal to you how you can encourage and lift each of them up. Also pray that He would use each of them to lift you up and build you as well.
We need each brothers in our lives… and they need you too.
“Iron sharpens iron, as one man sharpens another” Proverbs 27:17
How Will They Fly?
Psalms 127:4-5 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
As my kids are getting older I have been thinking more about their inevitable final “release”. How will they “fly”? Will they “hit the target” that I have aimed them at? What exactly is the target that I am aiming them at?
As fathers we have been given the responsibility to aim and direct our family to the path of our heavenly father. So how do we “aim” our children towards the Lord?
Let’s think about each child as an arrow in our quiver and how each of these arrows are different. They are different in lengths, they have different types of fletching, and they are made from different materials such as aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, or wood. Would these arrows all fly the same way when released? Obviously not, so how then will we ever be confident in releasing them at a target and knowing how they will fly towards it? Especially a target that is far out in the distance?
You and I both know that each and every single child is different, even if they are twins. Each person is uniquely made by God with a personality of their own. As fathers it should be one of our biggest priorities to learn how each of our children are “made”. We must know this in order to know how to aim them towards the target. We also must release them to know how they will fly. You have to release several times, at shorter distances, in order to see what their tendencies actually are. Then you have an idea of how to correct your aim before releasing them at further targets.
For example, if you have 4 arrows as described above, with different characteristics, and arrow #1 has a tendency to hit 4 inches low each time you release it at the center of the target, you would then want to aim 4 inches above the center in order to get it to hit as close as possible to the center of the target. Likewise, if arrow #2 tended to hit 6 inches to the right each time, then you would adjust when shooting that arrow by aiming it 6 inches to the left of the target each time.
Our children are no different than this example. The objective as a father should be for us to know both the positive and negative attributes of each child. Then lead and guide them accordingly. Start by releasing at short distances, then observe how they “fly”, then adjust before making that “final release”!
Christian Viking
Every man loves a war story. They love stories of heroes conquering evil, or warriors displaying brotherhood amongst chaos, and battles that seem to be lost turning tables with the underdogs being resilient enough to change the tides.
We often talk about a warriors mentality. A mindset of discipline, and leaving a legacy.
By the title you’re probably like “bro I thought we were going to talk about some Viking stuff”
Well here ya go here’s the Viking stuff I found intriguing.
Around A.D. 864 Ragnar Lothbrok was killed by the King of England. He threw into a pit he couldn’t climb out of that was full of venomous snakes. Ragnar stands up, and says
“Gnydja Munda grisir ef galtar hag vissi”
“the piggies would grunt if knew how the old boar died”
What does that mean? IT WAS A JOKE. if you’ve seen Vikings the tv show you know this is a serious scene and Ragnar says nothing and stares at the King as he dies. But according to Norse Sagas he said this.
The scholars on this believe it was taunting of the king. Basically Ragnar saying “once my sons hear about this you’re a dead man”
Based on historical records. This meaning is far more believable than Ragnar just staring the King down as he died.
Next we have the next year A.D. 865 The Ragnarssons (Ivar the boneless, Bjorn Ironside, Sigurd Snake In The Eye, and Halfdan Ragnarsson) THE PIGGIES. And a great Viking army came to England.
They rampaged through a England, and killed the King.
King Hrolf early 6th century
A danish King Arthur. His keep was filled with his champions, and a jealous cousin wanted the throne. He attacked in a surprise, and killed all but one. Voggr! The cousin offered him his sword to pledge allegiance to him as the new danish king. He accepted the sword, and immediately drove it into the heart of the would-be king, Hjorvard. Voggr was obviously killed right after that.
He deceived the cousin, but he fulfilled his life’s vow of fighting, and avenging King Hrolf.
The Jomsvikings!
They were a mercenary group of Vikings. Around A.D. 986 they were recruited by the King of Denmark to kill YulHolcum, and Young Erik of Norway. I’m Hjorungavagr they were defeated, and about to be beheaded.
While they were lined up for execution one Viking stood up, and refused to be beheaded sitting down so everyone would see he wouldn’t flinch at his death. Another with long hair ask the executioner to get someone to hold his hair because he wanted his hair to be beautiful on the spike they would place it on. They obliged. When the executioner swung the sword he pulled the guy holding his hair so that the sword cut off the hands of his fellow soldier.
The Vikings apparently burst into laughter before they continued with the execution.
So why did I give you this graphic history of Vikings being killed? What’s the purpose?
It’s this. Not one of these Vikings feared death nor did they want to die, and not be remembered.
THEY LIVED AND FOUGHT FOR THEIR LEGACY
Are we as Christian men living in a way that our legacy will be remembered?
Are we fighting until our last breath for it?
Here’s one more story for you. A Christian with the mindset the same as these viking stories above. A man with a heart for the Lord. A man who did in fact fight the fight until his dying breath.
Polycarp. He was a bishop of Smyrna, and was discipled directly for the Apostle John.
So obviously being trained by one of the “Sons of Thunder” you know he was a threat spreading the message of Christ to everyone who wasn’t already a believer.
Polycarp at 86 years old was arrested, tried, and convicted. Refusing to burn incense to the Roman Emperor. Polycarp was asked to deny Christ to save himself, He didn’t. He was to be bound, and burned at the stake.
It is recorded that Polycarp said
“You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked.”
How’s that for a “it is was it is” death statement?
Polycarp was again asked to blaspheme Christ to save himself. He said
“I bless you, Father, for judging me worthy of this hour, so that in my company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ”
The Romans, upon seeing this continue to put him at the stake, and they went to bind him, Polycarp basically said “no need to tie me up, I’m not going anywhere.”
When they lit the fire it didn’t burn him, and it’s recorded it was blazing all around him.
THE FIRE DIDN’T BURN HIM.
The Romans decided to stab him with a spear to kill him, and the blood that came out of him extinguished the fire.
You see, Polycarp knew he was going to die. He stayed faithful to his mission the way the viking above did, the only difference is. Dying for a King, or Clan, or country has zero relevance in our eternal mission. Polycarp died knowing full well where he was going, and was assured by the hope had in the gospel of Christ.
So I ask again.
Are you fighting the spiritual battles?
Are you stepping out of your comfort zone to spread the gospel?
In the face of adversity, do you cowardly stay quiet, or do you speak truth directly into the situation no matter the consequence?
I hope if you have young children you are training yourself in the word to pass along to them.
If you have teenagers I pray you’re pouring into them, and set aside personal time with them to answer questions, train them, and ensure they’re properly prepared to spread the word, teach the word, and defend the word.
If you have adult children I hope you’re meeting with them at least monthly for a personal time of reflection, and prayer.
Encouraging them to fight this fight with the motivation, and purpose that the Word of God they spoke into someone's life will be a battle song sung for 100 generations.
This is the type of generational legacy we want to instill into the minds of every man, woman, and child who follows Fort Iron Ministries.
Are you fighting for legacy?
PALMER
One Of Those Days
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”
I am pretty sure that all of you have had “one of those days” before. You know exactly what I’m talking about. The days where nothing goes right and it appears that the day will NEVER end!
I had one of those days just like that a few years ago. At that time, we were living in West Texas. It began when I found out that I had a deposition that I absolutely had to be at in Houston on Friday the day before an event we were hosting at our local church on Saturday night. I was supposed to pick up our speaker from the airport on that Friday night in Midland, but I was going to have to be almost 600 miles away when his flight was supposed to arrive. So other arrangements were made for someone else to pick him up.
We arrived in Houston on Thursday night and got a room at one of the hotels. The next morning, before the deposition, I went outside and found my truck had the side window broken out of it. They had stolen around $500 in tools and a pistol my cousin had left in my truck. There was nothing I could do but file a police report and then go to the deposition.
After a 5 hour deposition, which was absolutely horrible, I called around and found the only place open that could get me a new window put in that afternoon. It was 30 minutes north of downtown Houston. As I was driving there a bad storm set in and a downpour came. At this point I was really getting upset. As the rain was pouring into my truck, through the broken window, I started thinking how bad this was, especially since I had a 9 hour drive back home overnight!
After getting my window repaired I got something to eat and then got back on the road. It had gotten dark and was still pouring down rain and flooding all the roads. I got on the freeway and had only gone a couple of miles when the guy in the lane to my right drove into me. I remember shouting out loud “Seriously!” as I pulled over to the side of the road. We got out of our vehicles, in the pouring rain, and called the police. When he arrived we exchanged information and got a police report. At this point I am wanting nothing more than to get out of Houston and NEVER come back!
I jumped in my truck and checked my phone before taking off. I saw that I had a missed call from the pastor’s son. So I called him back and found out that the speaker had landed in Houston and his flight to Midland was canceled due to all the storms. It just so happened that I was only about 15 minutes from the airport. So I contacted the speaker and then went to the airport to pick him up. We drove all night and ended up getting back home shortly before daylight.
If I hadn’t had my window broken, had to drive north of town to get it repaired, and had the accident on the freeway then the speaker might not have made it to the event. I wish I could say that I trusted God in everything that happened that day, but that isn’t even close to how it happened. In all reality I got pretty upset and mad about everything that day. I am pretty sure I had a pretty good migraine by the time the accident on the freeway happened. All I could do that next day was apologize to God for my thoughts and feelings.
Brothers, God allows things to happen for a reason. Sometimes we get to see his reasons, but other times we don’t. We should ALWAYS trust Him regardless of the situations we are going through. Try to remember this next time something is happening that you just can’t explain or understand why. God is sovereign and is in total control, even when we can’t see it.
Jason Hughs
More Like Him
Recently my son Brian has been getting really interested in football and has started asking a lot of questions. At first, he didn’t understand anything about how each team played offense, defense, or what any of the penalties where for. He just seen a lot of chaos going on back and forth between two teams. However, over the last few months he has learned enough that he understands the majority of what is happening. This is because he has taken the time to ask questions, seek answers, and learn everything he can about all the rules. Because of this he is now learning how everything works on the football field. Over time, if he continues to seek more knowledge, he will gain an even better understanding of how all the rules work together to create order on the field. Without rules there would be nothing but chaos in any sport or in life as well!
Brian has been learning the rules as a spectator. He is learning a lot by watching and asking questions, but if he were to actually get involved and play on the field he would learn even more. He would not only learn what to do and not do, how to play on defense or offense, but he would learn firsthand the “WHY” behind everything! Take this even one step further to the coaching level and you would see an even bigger need to get into the rule book and learn everything you can so you could teach others.
If you were to evaluate yourself as a Christian would you be a spectator, participant, or a coach? How much time and effort do you spend getting to know God’s rules for our lives? How much time do you spend reading and studying His Word? Is it a 5- or 10-minute devotional or maybe a single chapter each day? Is it even daily? Do you dive deep and study each passage by reading the text in multiple translations, using a bible commentary to give you the history and context of who, when, and why this particular passage was written? We are all in different stages of our walk with Christ, so this will change as we grow more mature. Whether you are new in your faith or have a doctorate degree in theology, there is always more to learn…and to pass along to other believers. No matter where you are in your walk with Christ continually look for someone that is further along and more mature in their faith and ask them to help you. Find resources that will help you to understand each passage that you are reading and studying. Then, as you mature, look for those you can pour that knowledge into and help to grow as well.
The frequency and the way we study says a lot about the level of commitment we have to grow in our knowledge of God and His commands. We should have a desire to learn and grow……to be more like our Lord and Savior every day! We need to have a desire and a longing to learn more for our own growth, but also so we can teach others as well. Do you know more about a sport, hobby, or a particular topic than you do the Bible? What drives your daily desires…worldly things or Godly things? I heard a guy ask someone if they read their bible everyday and the persons response was “I try to”. The guy then said to this person “Did you eat everyday? Of course you have, that is a priority to you!” Is studying God’s Word a priority for you?
Take the next 30 minutes to evaluate how much you set studying God’s Word as a priority. No matter how you graded yourself stop and pray that God will make you desire Him even more!
Then listen to “My Desire” by Jeremy Camp. I pray that this is truly our desire…TO BE MORE LIKE HIM!
“My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, then inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” Isaiah 26:9
Jason Hughs
Four Questions
The Book of James is not one that sugar coats anything. James is more concerned with how we live than how we feel. He isn't shy in calling anyone out and expects that the fruit of a true believer would be evident in their day-to-day activities. This isn't to imply that our works save us nor does James contradict the teachings of Paul. If you want to discuss this, drop a comment below and I'd love to have the conversation. The point of this devotional isn't to debate theology, it's to help establish intentionality. Specifically, I'm going to share four questions the Lord laid on my heart to keep me focused on being a doer, as well as, a hearer.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
James 1:23-24 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/jas.1.23-24.ESV
It's real easy to have good intentions at the start of the day, the challenge is acting on them throughout the day. In the whirlwind that is our daily frenzy, good intentions fade quickly in the face of the seemingly important and temporarily urgent. We can even lull ourselves by thinking our check the box routines are enough. Of course we need daily time in the Word, time in prayer, and time each week at our local gathering. If we compartmentalize these things as tasks and don't live them out, we're missing the point and the purpose.
To avoid making Kingdom living yet another item on my 'to do' list that I just want to make 'to done', here are the questions I ask myself each week.
How have I advanced the Kingdom this week? This gets to the heart of evangelism. The how can take a variety of forms. The important thing is that I'm constantly situationally and spiritually aware to act upon Divine appointments.
When did I get knocked down this week and how did I get back up? First off, the question assumes that at some point during the week I fell short. Maybe my faith wavered, maybe I sinned and had to repent, maybe I ignored the prompting of the Spirit. No matter what it was, I know something about my week needs to be corrected. Once I get honest with myself, the remedy is repentance, rededication, and re-engaging. Getting knocked down is inevitable, getting back on track is essential. It's too easy to get comfortable with falling short and making excuses. This is a trap none of us can afford to fall into.
Who have I lifted up this week? We're called to disciple others and be in fellowship with our brothers. When we hear a brother is facing a trial, maybe we'll pray for him…once. We can do better! Not only do we pray but we make it a point to reach out, check in, and serve our brother. The enemy wants to isolate us and uses distractions to draw our attention away from the need. Intentional brotherhood requires action and presence. The harvest is ripe, the workers are few.
Who lifted me up this week? Discipleship and fellowship is a two way street. As we need to pour into others, we need others to pour into us just as much. There's a phrase that really spells this out, everybody needs to be a Paul and have a Paul. Putting on a mask in the face of challenging circumstances is another form of isolation. Selective exposure of our actions and thoughts is a cover up and likely a way to avoid dealing with sin. Pretending we don't have blind spots or don't need encouragement is pride. When we're down, we need to get real. When we're struggling we need to reach out. When someone is hesitant to reach out on an issue or feels like reaching out would be an imposition, I ask them what advice they'd give a friend walking through the same situation. Ten out of ten times the answer is they'd tell their friend to reach out. If the advice is good enough for a friend, it's good enough for us.
Kingdom work is our primary responsibility. When we go be before Jesus, He's not going to be impressed with how many videos we watched on YouTube or how many sales we made at work. Jesus is going to examine what we did with what He entrusted to us. Asking myself four questions each week keeps my focus on what really matters. I'm aware throughout the week that I'm going to give an account and so I don't drift from my mission. Sharing my answers with trusted brothers, and them sharing their answers with me, keeps me accountable and creates deeper bonds between them and me.
Anchored
I want to talk to you men about one of the most important attributes of a rapture ready man. Being anchored in Christ. This is a starting point, a fundamental, a building block. As we set out to accomplish the missions that God gives us to accomplish, we must realize that He who sends us is also He who equips us. We must not only have a positive outlook, but we must learn to have confidence because of who we’ve been sent by. When we gain the confidence given to us by the Holy Spirit, and we learn to walk in the confidence of the Lord from a place of victory, then we can say we have absolute confidence.
“God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary where Jesus has already entered on our behalf.” Hebrews 6:18-20
“For all the promises of God have their Yes in him. That is why we say Amen through Him, to the glory of God.” II Corinthians 1:20
So, it’s like the song says, if we know God is for us, who can be against us? That is the attitude we need to bring into everything we do for the kingdom. From the most minute task to the largest mission we are given. We must walk in absolute confidence, not in ourselves but because of He who is in us! You see men, it is the very promise of His presence that we must cling to. His presence is for all who call on the name of Jesus but, as His warriors here on Earth taking ground from the enemy, we must know what the presence of God does for us.The presence of God brings us 3 things: (3 P’s)
1. Protection:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am the You’re your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be nothing at all.” Isaiah 41:10-12
2. Provision:
“And this same God who takes care of me will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
3. Peace:
“Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
So with all that in mind, let me ask you a question. When you are in a boat, on a lake or at sea, and you drop anchor…is the boat holding the anchor, or is the anchor holding the boat?
What I’m getting at is this, what you’re holding onto is also holding onto you! Are you holding on to fear, doubt, rejection, sin, laziness? You better know what you’re holding onto because it will end up sinking you. As we take on our daily battles, it is paramount that we hold on to our Almighty Father in Heaven. We must keep these three things we receive from His presence in mind, we must hold on to these promises men, we must be anchored in them. We must remember at all times that it isn’t about who we are, but whose we are! And with that, walk in absolute confidence as we strive to become rapture ready!
S/F
Jeremy “Gunny” Gutierrez
The Gift of Adoption
Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
My wife and I have had the pleasure to adopt a child. This wasn’t something we set out to do. It just happened through a series of events, completely orchestrated by God, after we moved from Arkansas to West Texas for work. It has most certainly been a blessing. But it has also been, and continues to be, a constant challenge. Children who have suffered trauma, even when adopted at an early age, have lots of hurdles to overcome. There are certain things that he will have to deal with his entire life and will have to learn how to control. We are continually over and over again dealing with these issues on what seems like a daily basis. We were having “one of those days” recently with him when I just looked to the sky and said “Why God? Why does he continually act like this? We have been through this very issue with him several times and yet he constantly keeps repeating this!” It was just like God was standing right next to me when I felt Him say “That sounds just like you, doesn’t it? But I still love you anyway!”
That hit me like a rock! In a time when love was the last thing on my mind, He reminded me of what unconditional love really is. I don’t know about you, but I am constantly overlooking the fact that He loves us unconditionally and that we have been adopted as heirs to His kingdom. We are children of the Creator of everything, the Alpha and Omega, the Most High, The Lord Almighty himself! We are not only adopted by Him, but loved even when we continue to fail Him.
Even though we have been adopted by a perfect God we are, unfortunately, still not perfect. We will still mess up daily, but He still loves us unconditionally. He not only loves us, but the Lord of all creation wants a relationship with each of us. Not just a “friendship” type relationship, but one of Father and child. We are gifted the relationship of child and heirs to Him and His Kingdom. Let that sink in for a moment. He not only knew what you had done up to the point of your salvation, but what you would do in the future as well. He knows everything about us and yet He still chose to gift us the blessing of being one of His children!
I need to be honest for a moment, if we had known the struggles that we were going to have during the fostering process, and also since the final adoption took place, I’m not sure that we would have ever followed through with it. I am so glad that God, even knowing our future, takes us as we are, and as we will be, and loves us anyway. What an awesome Father we have!
When you can, take a moment and listen to Good Good Father by Chris Tomlin. Allowing yourself to really focus on the words and meditate on His unending love. Then in prayer thank Him for allowing you to call Him “Abba Father”.
Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Jason Hughs
Best Seat In The House
The big game is this week. The championship is at stake. Your favorite team, the one you've been following your whole life, is the home team. The game's been sold out for weeks. You want to be there in person but the online ticket prices are about the same as your monthly mortgage payment. Good news! I've got two sets of tickets. One pair in the last row at the top of the stadium in the corner. The other pair is in the front row right behind your team's bench. With these seats you'd be close enough to talk to your favorite players. You can have either set, no charge and no strings attached. Which pair will you choose?
The game's close but your team's trailing by a few points. There's less than two minutes left, your team has the ball with no timeouts. There's an overwhelming sense of excitement as momentum is favoring your team. Everyone around you is cheering wildly trying to will your team to victory. Would I find you cheering wildly with the rest, arms raised and fists pumping or would you be sitting passively looking at Facebook on your mobile device?
If you're like most guys, you'd take the best seats, your voice would be hoarse and your palms would be stinging from excessive high fives. There's nothing wrong with these choices given the options. What I'm wondering is why most guys don't make the same decisions when it comes to their options every Sunday.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/heb.4.16.ESV
Guys, each week we have access to the best seat in the house. It's not at the stadium, you don't need a $50.00 parking pass and sadly…you won't have much competition when it comes to sitting in the front row. Of course I'm talking about your worship gathering where you attend with the local body each week. Why do us men sit in the back row in church but fight for the front row at the game? Ultimately which seat do we value more? I know the Spirit is present no matter where we sit. This is not a butt check, it's a heart check.
Many of us started following our favorite team because our father or uncle or grandfather followed them. This is the foundation of legacy building. Our children copy what they see more than what they hear. If the leader thinks it's important to be up in the front, those who follow will as well. Men, we set the example through our actions. When it comes to the value you place on worship, what example are you setting? There's certainly more to worship than where you choose to sit, but where you choose to sit speaks volumes.
Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
Psalm 47:1 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.47.1.ESV
When it's time for praise and worship, it's time to show our passion. The winning score, as time's running out, to gain victory in the championship is worth cheering for but never forget, it's fleeting. As soon as the game's over and over the days that follow the excitement wanes. That excitement you felt won't carry you through a difficult time. The player you lost your voice cheering for isn't going to comfort you when you experience a tragic loss. Worship is not an emotional response, although we certainly experience emotion in the midst of heartfelt worship, it's a relational connection. It's an essential way for us to connect with Jesus, to abide in His presence and to be filled with His love.
If you doubt me on this, read chapter four of the Book of Revelation. Seriously, take a moment now and read it. This is what we'll be doing for eternity as redeemed saints.
Guys, once again our actions reflect our priorities and our values. We're not shy to raise our hands or our voice at the game, why do we hold back when we worship the King? Men are called to zealously lead worship, not sit back to be entertained or put out a half-hearted, check the box effort. King David danced like there was no tomorrow and didn't care what anyone thought. King David, with all his flaws and failings, was a man after God's own heart…according to God. What's holding us back from doing the same.
The next time you gather with the local body for corporate worship, take the empty seat in the front row. Sing praise in a manner the matches your love for Jesus. It doesn't matter if you're off key like me, it's a fragrant aroma and sweet offering to the One worthy of ALL praise. I assure you, it's the best seat in the house.
Writer Carl Cohen.
Disciples
Disciples - Cody Palmer,
I am often intrigued seeing someone get up at a church service to give an amazing conversion testimony, and then in just a short period of time, they are teaching Sunday school and leading a small group bible study. I am by no means knocking anyone. I’m just saying that I’m curious...
I love a new believer's initiative to become part of the church, to serve, their willingness to teach and to share, but just because the church has a spot open, doesn’t mean they’re ready for it. I personally have told the church no if there were things I didn’t feel spiritually ready for. If I’m not in the Word, how can I teach someone about the Word? If I don’t worship Jesus in my car, how can I get up and lead worship on a Sunday morning.
During my time in the Bible, I decided to do a study on the word DISCIPLE.
Matthew 28:19 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…”
We’ve all heard this, and we all use it to motivate our evangelizing. It’s what we’re called to do by Jesus, so obviously it’s important.
But what is a disciple?
The Oxford Language Dictionary defines disciple this way:
A personal follower of Jesus during his life
A disciplined student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher
Okay, number one defines most Christians. A personal follower of Jesus.
What about section ‘a’... a disciplined student?
Disciplined
1. Showing a controlled form of behavior or way of working
So now it gets interesting. Does that second definition define you as well? Do you show control in your behavior to be a disciplined student of the word of God?
Mark 12:30 comes to mind here. “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Love the Lord with my heart - my emotions. The emotional response I have knowing someone died for me.
Love the Lord with my soul. My soul is longing to be with Him and do His Will.
Love the Lord with all my strength. I workout so I honor His sacrifice with my body, to be ready and able to do what He asks. (Isaiah 6:8)
Love the Lord with my mind. Yeah…here’s where I and many others have struggled. I’ve said it, you’ve said it, all of us have at one point or another...READING IS BORING!
I’ve never been a book nerd. I was a C student and cared more about being in God's creation than worshiping the creator.
As I read through the Bible over and over again, different things stand out. But one thing I know is true: the greatest heroes of the Bible, the greatest teachers of our time, were/are all DISCIPLINED STUDENTS.
In order to lead, and lead well, you first have to follow. (That’s in every military leadership book known to man!)
If you don’t have a plan and are just flipping through the Bible, reading a book here and there, that doesn’t count as a disciplined student. Therefore you can’t be a disciple.
I know this is supposed to be a devotional, but leading guys, and seeing what’s going on through different ministries I figured this devotional could be a quick guide as well.
For 30 days, pick a small book - 1 John for example. Read it everyday, take notes, themes you notice, look up the original text, see the historical evidence, the context based on geographical location during that time.
At the end of 30 days you will know that book.
For bigger books like John (21 chapters), divide it up. Do the above for thirty days with chapters 1-7, then 8-14, then 15-21. In 90 days you will know that book. If you continue this, in three years you will really know your Bible!
Can you make a three year commitment to that? That is an example of a disciplined student. A true disciple. Day after day studying to fully love the Lord with your mind.
So I pose these questions to you today:
Are you a disciplined student?
Does your behavior show a controlled way of working?
If not, what do you plan on doing to fix it?
Anyone can reach out to me for help and guidance, and we can work something out. But it all starts with you searching yourselves and asking yourself the hard question…
Am I ready to fully commit to loving the Lord with all my heart, soul, strength, and MIND?