Do what is RIGHT
May 15, 2013
Do what is RIGHT
Man_Up
Doing what is right can be a challenging endeavor when we are put in stressful and strenuous situations. One of the most common temptations it seems is to quit. The parable of the seed and sower is seed that didn’t produce because one situation or another caused them to quit or give up. When we lose sight of the goal or become frustrated because of persistent failure it is easy to succumb to the temptation to turn and look for some relief. Even John the Baptist if you recall sent word to Jesus from prison asking are you the one or should we look for another. Do what is right and stay hooked up.
I recall the words of a wise man who once told me “if you are going to stop don’t start and if you are going to stop don’t start.” I took them as a wise statement to remember at the time. I have even made it a point to intentionally look at them from time to time. Incorporating them as rule to live by has been sometimes difficult. The challenges and difficulties in this life have been more than I have wanted to bear at times. That’s life. Be a man.
Ezekiel was warned early on by God that he was being given an extraordinary task. Excuses were not going to be tolerated. The message was going to be plain and direct. If he waivered with the message and they died in their sin, he would be held responsible. His emotions would be tried. His compassion for others would be put to the test. His anger would be tempted. The requirement for him would be to finish the task.
Situations and circumstances in this life seem to try to interrupt the tasks that we engage in. Emotions can get in the way. We do not want to appear to not be compassionate. We must be careful about allowing anger a place. Being pulled in so many directions will cause you to think about terminating the mission. Focus on the task at hand. Learn to recognize and appropriately deal with distractions. Finish what you have started.
Every successful person has had to deal with the distractions of life and every successful person has met the requirement of overcoming things that were meant to detour them. It is through the challenges of life that we are able to progress to the success that God wants in our lives. Challenges in life are not only possible but they are necessary for our growth.
Start and don’t stop.
Stay focused. Stay connected. Stay linked with God.
Man_Up and do what is right
Man_Up and be the man that God wants you to be.
Check out my book “Here’s the Man”.
This life requires that we know who we are and purposefully move forward.
It is available in soft cover, hardback, and e-book
“Here’s the Man” is available @
Available now from AuthorHouse @
You can also order this title through your local bookseller
or preferred on-line retailer.
Man_Up and do what is right
April 30, 2013
Man_Up and do what is right
Today is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad. How many times have we heard that said or even said it ourselves? It may seem simple but it is but it may prove to be astoundingly important. Today is the only day we have to apply what we would change about yesterday to influence the potential of tomorrow.
We could and should all say that we want to be what God wants for us to be. I think that is a reasonable expectation as well as a realistic desire. However, what does that mean? Does it mean to endure? Does it mean to stay engaged? Could it mean to be faithful in the now? To Man_Up is to willingly place ourselves in the hands of God and allow Him to work in us His will by allowing the processes of reality to develop us to be what God wants for us to be. There will be both reward and consequences for the decisions and choices we make. Life will not be fair. There will be things that will seem unwarranted and undeserved. They will all share in molding us to be what God wants for us to be if we will stay committed to Him.
There will be two areas of temptation with intention to confuse us. One will be the temptation to consider the past. Although remembering some things of the past is reasonable, we must not continually dwell on the past. It is a trap. We cannot go backward. It won’t work. It never has been and it never will be a reasonable option for success. Just don’t go there. The other is the temptation to be infatuated with the future. Just as we can’t dwell continually on the past we cannot be consumed with the future. We do need to know we are going forward. We do need to have a vision. However, if all we look at is the future we will be continually disappointed. Tomorrow never comes and yesterday never returns.
We have to find a way to be content today. Today is when God is working on us. Today is when God heals. Today is when God saves. Today is when God delivers. Today is where we need to work out how to live. Today is when we must accept the call to Man_Up.
Man_Up and do what is right
Man_Up and be the man God wants you to be
Check out my book “Here’s the Man”.
This life requires that we know who we are and purposefully move forward.
It is available in soft cover, hardback, and e-book
“Here’s the Man” is available @
Available now from AuthorHouse @
You can also order this title through your local bookseller
or preferred on-line retailer.
Man_Up and do what is right
April 23, 2013
Life can sometimes be absolutely cruel. There is not any other way to describe it. It is just plain cruel. Hardships sometimes seem to pile on. Things seem to happen at the most terrible of times. We learn to deal with pain, sickness, financial difficulty, divorce, and death. We deal with a relentless onslaught of issues. At times there seems to be no break. So what are we supposed to do? When is enough, enough? Will this ever end? Will I ever accomplish anything?
I have had my share of issues to deal with over the years. Some I thought I handled relatively successful while others I considered total failures. I don’t think I have ever considered quitting on God however there have been instances I really didn’t know exactly how to go forward. All I knew was what I believed and what I had preached for years and that was there was no place to quit or give up. I had to find a way to get a grip on reality and bring it into perspective with the expectation of God fulfilling His will.
One of the things I have to do to bring life into perspective is determine no matter what happens or what life looks like I will do what is right. We sometimes allow ourselves to think that nothing will go wrong if we live for God. We may find that the closer to God we get the hotter the fire becomes to purify our lives. We should maybe consider that in going through difficulties He is transforming our lives to be like Him.
There are three things I have consistently prayed for. I want to be where God wants for me to be. I want to know that it is God who is taking care of me and I want to know that it is God’s perfect will and purpose being fulfilled in my life. Sometimes I can’t see or recognize what I think I should. His ways and His thoughts are above ours. Still there is something I can do. Paul said when you have done all to stand then stand therefore. One interpretation may be when you don’t know what else to do just do what you know is right. God is not changed by our difficulties. He will make a way.
Man_Up and do what is right
Man_Up and be the man that God wants you to be.
Check out my new book “Here’s the Man”.
This life requires that we know who we are and purposefully move forward.
It is available in soft cover, hardback, and e-book
“Here’s the Man” is available @
Available now from AuthorHouse @
You can also order this title through your local bookseller
or preferred on-line retailer.
Man_Up and do what is right
April 19, 2013
Man_Up and do what is right
I can’t speak for everyone and I struggle with blanket statements from others when it comes to assumptions. I can however speak for myself. There are times that I struggle with specific direction or the next step to take. I hope I am not the only one and expect that since the word indicates that what we face is common to man I can assume I am not the only one. In an attempt to continue on a forward course we are forced to walk in faith.
After finishing my last book “Here’s the Man”, about differentiating between the will of God and the purpose of God, I struggled a little. I didn’t struggle so much with what to do but the struggle was with staying hooked up to do what needed to be done. I began to ask questions as to what I was to do and how I was to do it. I would ask and often I would not hear much. It was as if God was taking me through what I was to write. This book will be about faith and learning to walk in faith.
We are going to learn that living by faith is not about being so afraid of making a mistake that we have to be lead by the hand every step of the way but rather understanding that God loves us so much and believes in us so much that He trusts us to do what he lays on our hearts. Even more important that is the fact that He is able to guide us through mistakes. What we have to be able to do is accept the challenge, receive the discipline, and do what is right.
Doing what is right because we know that is what needs to be done is living by faith.
Man_Up and do what is right
Be the man that God wants you to be
Discipline and Obedience
January 15, 2013
Discipline and Obedience
Man_Up
Discipline is the focus and obedience is the key. Two words that are often quoted and misunderstood and quite frankly may very well be overused because their importance is overlooked. These two attributes are absolutely imperative for our spiritual growth and are the fundamental foundation for our spiritual maturity. They are a must if we are going to succeed in becoming what God wants us to be.
After we come to a knowledge of our need of a savior and act on that by repenting and calling on the name of Jesus and accepting Him as becoming sin for us and receiving Him as the salvation of our souls and believing on Him we embark on a journey of continuing to be changed as we learn from God’s word and begin to apply it to our lives. We must be very careful and not become arrogant in our thinking and forget that we all are expected to continue to grow and that none of us have arrived or know all. God has a plan for all of our lives and if we will trust Him we will be able to fulfill both His will and His purpose in our lives.
The road we are called to travel has the potential to be trying to say the least. Parts of the road will be easier than others. There may very well be times that we might not recognize the road we are on because of the difficulties we face. God takes us through a journey of establishing what we are to do. There are some things He will establish in our lives as a foundation so He can take us further. He will begin to develop in our lives some areas such as being attentive, being content, learning forgiveness, allowing gratefulness, and trusting in His security. This foundation is the beginning of His fullness being established in us.
These foundational attributes that God is developing in us are disciplines and they are necessary changes that are contrary to our human nature. Because they are contrary to our natural human tendencies or nature the only way they are taken on to advocate substantial change is by obedience. I don’t know about you but for me that is one of the truths about God that revolutionized my life. I know that I was changed when I accepted Christ. There was a marked and dramatic difference. However what was also evident was that I still needed to grow and part of that growth was my responsibility. Obedience is the only way we learn Discipline.
Trust God. Follow God. Be changed. Learn His disciplines by becoming willingly obedient.
Man_Up and be the man that God wants you to be.
Check out my new book “Here’s the Man”
and my others also “Be a Man”, “What a Man”, and “Where’s the Man”.
This life requires that we know who we are and purposefully move forward.
“Here’s the Man” and the others are available @
Available now from AuthorHouse @
You can also order these titles through your local bookseller
or preferred on-line retailer.
Line upon Line
January 11, 2013
Man_Up
Trust God to have His perfect way in your life.
I have looked for years for the understanding of why things happen the way they happen. It just appears at times that there is no reasonable explanation for why thins happen. The pain is unbearable or so it seems. The hurt is unsolicited and the disappointment is emotionally crushing. There seems to be no explanation and we somehow try to convince ourselves that we are supposed to be okay with that. I have come to accept that there are some things that are supposed to hurt.
As we accept the relationship with Christ and begin to walk with God we embark on a journey that is designed to develop our beings to be what He desires by promoting in us the characteristics that he wills to enable us to fulfill His purpose. He initially begins that process with discipline. That discipline is accomplished or performed in us by our obedience. In other words we learn his discipline by our acts of obedience. He said He desired obedience more than sacrifice. Don’t be confused. The act of sacrificing was being obedient. It wasn’t the sacrifice that caught His attention, it was the act of obedience.
There are two motivating factors that drive us. One is the fear of the consequences of His wrath. The other is the reward of His favor. Both are very powerful in their motivation. Both have their particular purpose. That purpose is to help guide us to become what God wants us to be. Allow Him to have His way in your life. He knows what is best. He knows what He wants of us and He knows how to establish in us what He desires.
His plans are sure and definitive. He makes no mistakes. He is the one who works all things together for our good. So allow Him to have is way in your life. He does things perfect and in order. Trust Him.
Man_Up and the man that God wants you to be.
Be a Man that God wants
September 14, 2012
God Wants You
Man_Up
What kind of man are you going to be? What kind of influence are you going to be? Where will that influence take place? Life is full of questions and those particular questions can often times be overwhelming. I don’t believe anyone in their right mind wants to miss God. We want to be sure of direction as well as taking advantage of opportunities as well. That will mean getting close to God.
God said that He looked for a man to stand in the gap and make up the hedge for the land that He would not destroy it but He found none. Is that not disturbing? It is not that He didn’t find a man, for the word declares that man existed at the time. It is not that people were not “spiritual” at the time for they were offering their sacrifices and observing the Holy days. The problem was their relationship with God was lacking. They served God with their mouths and not their hearts. This is an intolerable act with God.
It does not take a rocket scientist to see that there are a lot of things in this world that has not changed. There is a large portion of society today that does not believe, trust, or follow the teachings of Christ. Even among believers the views on critical issues such as salvation, maturity, and commitment vary. Some who consider themselves believers do not accept the bible as the infallible word of God. Many consider good works enough to secure eternal salvation as others hold fast to confession while treating their neighbors like trash.
God is still looking for a man who will believe and follow Him. God is still looking for a man who will trust and commit to Him. God is still looking for a man who will dare care for his neighbor and the world around Him. God is still looking for a man who believes that he can positively affect this society. I hope that person is you. That person can be you.
Man_Up and be the man God wants you to be.
Check out my new book “Here’s the Man”.
This life requires that we know who we are and purposefully move forward.
“Here’s the Man” is available @
Available now from AuthorHouse @
You can also order this title through your local bookseller
or preferred on-line retailer.
What do you Believe
May 8, 2012
Man_Up
Why do you believe what you believe? Do you know? Where does it come from and what are you a product of?
The conversation started with the concept of how we acquire or form our belief system. Part of our belief system is acquired by what we learn from or are told by others like friends, teachers, and parents. Then there seems to come a time in our life where we go through circumstances and situations that make up the experience of life where our belief system is formed. That belief system becomes the very core of what we base all we believe and accept. If we will adequately assess our own lives we can determine where we are and determine which direction we need to proceed.
The circumstances in life sometimes serve to confirm what we believe. Those times we need just to know that we are on the right track. I can’t speak for others but I like at times things going easy or at least predictable. When God confirms that we can depend on Him for our provision, healing, and salvation and the like it makes living enjoyable. We need these times to make the other times tolerable.
Sometimes the circumstances in life challenge the very core of what we believe and that can be one of the most uncomfortable places in life. It seems that at those times we are in a place with absolutely nothing to stand on. When God has declared to you the steps to take all of your life and then He just tells you to step and after you step you can see, touch or feel Him it is very uncomfortable to say the least. God is now treating you in a manner you haven’t experienced. I really believe that this is a process of restoration that is forming a belief system that must be present in order to fulfill the purpose God has for us.
As a number of people come to the same understanding it is confirmation God is fulfilling what He wants accomplished. This restoration and confirmation allows this belief system to be passed on to the next generation.
Man_Up and be the man God wants you to be.
Man_Up
April 3, 2012
Man_Up
Be what God wants you to be today. Trust that He wants the best for you. Believe or have faith that He will act on your behalf. Hope or know that He will bring to pass.
Today is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad. How many times have we heard that said or even said it ourselves? It may seem simple but it is but it may prove to be astoundingly important. Today is the only day we have to apply what we would change about yesterday to influence the potential of tomorrow.
We could and should all say that we want to be what God wants for us to be. I think that is a reasonable expectation as well as a realistic desire. However, what does that mean? Does it mean to endure? Does it mean to stay engaged? Could it mean to be faithful in the now? To Man_Up is to willingly place ourselves in the hands of God and allow Him to work in us His will by allowing the processes of reality to develop us to be what God wants for us to be. There will be both reward and consequences for the decisions and choices we make. Life will not be fair. There will be things that will seem unwarranted and undeserved. They will all share in molding us to be what God wants for us to be if we will stay committed to Him.
There will be two areas of temptation with intention to confuse us. One will be the temptation to consider the past. Although remembering some things of the past is reasonable, we must not continually dwell on the past. It is a trap. We cannot go backward. It won’t work. It never has been and it never will be a reasonable option for success. Just don’t go there. The other is the temptation to be infatuated with the future. Just as we can’t dwell continually on the past we cannot be consumed with the future. We do need to know we are going forward. We do need to have a vision. However, if all we look at is the future we will be continually disappointed. Tomorrow never comes and yesterday never returns.
We have to find a way to be content today. Today is when God is working on us. Today is when God heals. Today is when God saves. Today is when God delivers. Today is where we need to work out how to live. Today is when we must accept the call to Man_Up.
Man_Up and be the man God wants you to be.
Available in hardback, paperback, and electronic version
Here’s the Man is available now @
Also available from AuthorHouse @
Order also through your local bookseller
or preferred on-line retailer.
Here’s the Man – Resolve
March 20, 2012
I want to keep things simple. There is a part of our lives that we don’t have control over. The only thing we do have control over is the resolve to carry on. We must be determined to not give up but to continue forward. As we go forward that resolve is going to be continually tested. One night God came to me in a dream and spoke to me. He told me the enemy was going to throw everything he had at me but He would not succeed. After the three days following I thought I knew what He was talking about. While going through some of the things I go through now I just laugh because it is funny how little understanding I really had. God is going to get us to the end but our job is to have the resolve to get there. Does the scripture not say that those who endure to the end the same will be saved?
Everything that happens to us is not necessarily influenced by the enemy but he does try to influence how we respond. Work on responding to the negative with a positive word. You determining to react consistently regardless of how situations may appear can be referred to as resolve.
Consider these suggestions:
Anybody can quit. That is not what God has called you for.
God will give you direction and instruction. Know where you are going and what you will be doing.
Resolve is boldly going where God is leading not stubbornly staying where you want to be.
Use whatever term or technique you need. Just be resolved that nothing is going to detour you.
Be the man God wants you to be and accept His plan.
Here’s the Man is available now @
Also available from AuthorHouse @
Order also through your local bookseller
or preferred on-line retailer.
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