As men in the Kingdom of God we are called to be warriors.  Unfortunately this understanding seems to have been lost, and men in the church are now expected to be “Nice” Guys.

Being nice is good, as no one will be friends with someone who is not nice to them.  The problem with “nice”, though, is that you can be too nice.

Once you start becoming too “nice” you become passive and start allowing things that should be fought.

If your family becomes sick, the “nice” way to handle it is to say “Well, it must be God’s will”.  It is NOT God’s will that your family be sick.  God says   ‘… I am the LORD who heals you.’ Exodus 15:26

As a man, you need to realize when it is time to stand up and say enough is enough!  You need to intercede for your family, your friends, your church, your pastors.

A warrior will always have a man on his left and a man on his right, fighting the fight with him.  These men will intercede with him when he can fight, and for him when he is too tired to carry on.

HEBREWS 11

“Faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.” vs. 1-2

“By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. That’s how it happened that from one man’s dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.” vs. 11-12

Click here to view the embedded video.

Life can be like cold water thrown on the LOINS OF OUR DREAMS…”dead and shriveled,” we can think that it’s too late to realize our God inspired hope. We start to believe that we’ve been through too much…burned too many bridges…made to many mistakes to offer anything of value.

To believe it’s too late is to believe a lie.

• Abraham’s human weakness caused him to give…(that’s right)…GIVE his wife to Pharaoh out of fear of his life.
• David, in his weakness, committed adultery and murder.
• Peter did what he bragged he would never do, deny Christ.
• Paul went through many years of being mistrusted before being embraced by other Christians.

Most bible “heros” had many moments of doubt and numerous setbacks but the seed of their dreams lived on in spite of human weaknesses. Their faith, troubled at times, provided the foundation for God’s move.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:14-15

Don’t look back at the mistakes you’ve made but forward to the fulfillment of God’s promises in your lives…MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.

“How did these people of faith keep believing even in the face of age, failure and dysfunction? They saw it way off in the distance, and waved their greeting..” vs. 14

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JimC

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 1 Timothy 2:8

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Psalm 105:4

Today is a time to lay a foundation of prayer. Today is a day to seek God’s face & purpose your prayer life the same way you purpose your…

• …work life.
• …fitness life.
• …vacation life.
• …family life.
• …hobby life.

What you do on PURPOSE you do with consistency. Consistent effort brings impact. Consistent prayer brings God’s presence.

Let the anointing of prayer flow through your lives. Let your faith grow stronger so that those who need to be touched by God will feel His presence in you. And in the process, your growing faith will feed your expanding vision…TODAY.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:28

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1

…they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. Mark 16:18

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

JimC 

Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldnt get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap (NLT “a thorn in my flesh) to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satans angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didnt think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

“My grace is enough; its all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.”

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christs strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size – abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 MSG

No one really knows exactly what Paul’s thorn was but we do know that, for Paul, it was something that he wanted GONE.

Paul had the faith…

• Bitten by a snake? God protected and healed him.
• Ship sunk at sea? God brought him safe to shore.
• Left for dead? God brought him to life.
• Chained in prison? God set him free.
• Broken and totally reliant upon God’s provision? God provided again and again.

Paul had seen miracles for both himself AND for others. But yet…he could not pray away his “thorn.”

We all seem to have a thorn in our life. Something we are believing God for that just doesn’t seem to come through.

Whether our thorn is our…

• Marriage
• Family
• Finances
• Healing
• Emotions

…God’s grace is “sufficient” for us. Our weakness is made PERFECT in His strength.

Don’t fret over a prayer that doesn’t seem to be answered. Instead, find God’s GRACE and STRENGTH. There…hear it again…there is the answer you seek.

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JimC

Peter wanted the presence of God in his life.  He wanted it so bad that he didn’t care what was in the way, he was going to be in Jesus’ presence.

Men of C3 Manhattan, the Journey team is coming your way.  We are coming to Manhattan because we know the presence of God will be there.

“For where two or three gather together as my followers,t I am there among them.” - Matthew 18:20

On the Manhattan Journey weekend, God will move.

Lives will be changed and old things will be made anew.

We need to be like Peter! It’s time to get out of the boat and Dive In.

Ooh Rah!

Dave Hastings

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

Bear with each other…how about bearing with yourself?  How about forgiving yourself? Forget about it and lean on God. It is ALL faith…ALL of it. Your walk. Your call. Your healing. Your life.

Faith brought you to Jesus. Faith gave you hope. Faith moved your mountain. Faith healed your home. Faith rights what you did wrong.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

The work God is doing in your world is ongoing. It is a work in progress. It is not over.

Forgive yourself…pick it up…move on…

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JimC

Comparisons…envy…jealousy…anger…hurt…regret…control…

Emotional responses to uncertainty about who God has called you to be. Birthed out of fear that you will not fulfill your call, ironically they most often prevent you from walking out your call.

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. Galatians 6:4-5

Be RESPONSIBLE for the work that God has given you. Don’t compare yourself with what others are doing. Their work is their work…yours is yours.

• Do your creative best today
• Make it count
• Make your work YOURS

Trust that what God has called you to do, He CREATED you to do…and it is GOOD. Now, get on with it.

The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 1 Corinthians 3:8

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JimC

Loved Ps. Jill Sweetman’s post on “I want his/her life!” Dug up a similar theme from the C3Journey ‘archives.’ Check out some of our older posts on the “Categories” section of our page. Dig deeper…grow taller.

For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. Romans 14:7

According to Clark’s Commentary on the Bible the original Greek phrase for this verse signifies “…acting according to one’s own judgment, following one’s own opinion.”

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 14:26

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

Your judgement got you in this predicament. Your opinion is biased to protect your position, reputation and pride. If you knew the answer you would already have the solution.

Alone, the adversity you face is overwhelming. The problem you are dealing with is over your head. SEEK an experienced opinion…SEEK assistance…SEEK help…SEEK a brother…SEEK God’s word. For when you SEEK, you will FIND.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

Your thoughts are like seeds planted in your life. You become what you think.

• Think Discord – Be Discord
• Think Hopeless – Be Hopeless
• Think as a Victim – Be a Victim

But we are not meant to fall prey to our negative thought patterns. Jesus will renew our mind if we change our seed thoughts. We break habits of negative thoughts by creating habits of thinking/living/doing God’s word.

Good thought habits take time to develop. Be patient. Renewal is a process. Keep planting good thought seeds. Your fruit will come. That is His promise.

For as a man thinks within himself; so he is. Proverbs 23:7

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

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JimC

When you are having a week you would rather forget.  Stand on the Promise of God.

Romans 8:28  – “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them”

If you are having a week where everything is going your way.  Stand on the Promise of God

Romans 8:28  – “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them”.

God is the same no matter what is happening in your life and he works all things, both the good and the bad together for the good of the Kingdom.

Read Jim’s post “All Things…” to get even more depth on this revelation.

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Dave Hastings