What Are You Soaking Your Mind IN?

I recently starting reading a book called “Every Man, God’s Man”.  Today I read a chapter that really hit me in the face like Mohammad Allie landing a right hook.  It was dealing with what kind of marinade do you soak your mind in.  The idea is that we are what we think.  Whatever we dwell on, think about, obsess over, is what we become.  Proverbs 27:19 reads…As water reflects your face, so your mind shows what kind of person you are. (NCV)

I must confess that this really hit me right between the eyes.  I realized that my pride is the one thing that gets me into trouble more than anything else about me and that my lack of humility allows my pride to rule my life.  When I stop dwelling on God and the things that he has for me, I begin to dwell on my carnal nature and the things that the world can give me.  I know what’s right but when I allow my carnal nature to soak my mind, I begin to seek the things that will satisfy the body and not those spiritual things that will satisfy the soul.  I have recently realized that I have allowed my mind to soak in the carnal things and that I have not been willing to be used by God and have not been walking in His perfect will.

Have you been doing the same thing?  What I like to call “dancing in the grey”?  Have you allowed your carnal nature to slowly move you away from God’s perfect will?  If so, you need to course correct immediately.  Pray that God will give you the strength and the discipline to soak your mind in Him and not the world.  Contact your Barnabas (your accountability partner) and ask him to pray with you and keep you accountable so that you can resist the temptations of the world.  Soak your mind in spiritual things and allow God to use you in His service.

Are You Cultivating a Cursed Fig Tree?

And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once.(Mat 21:19 ESV)

I was talking to one of my best friends the other day and he asked how I was doing.  You see I consider this close friend to be my Barnabas.  Someone that I can confide in and someone who will listen to me vent and will also tell me the truth when I need to hear it. Well I was having a particularly tough day and I began to unload some frustrations.  As I was speaking I suddenly realized that the things that I was frustrated about were not going to change in the foreseeable future and I was wasting my time getting angry and worrying about them.  At the same time I believe that the Holy Spirit dropped a thought into my head.  He reminded me of the Fig Tree that Jesus had cursed when he was hungry along the roadside.  I realized that I was trying to cultivate that dead fig tree.  I was fertilizing that dead tree and trying to get it to produce fruit even though Jesus said that that tree would never produce fruit again.  

By complaining and getting angry about things that are out of my control, I was trying to bring that dead, cursed tree back to life.  Once Jesus cursed that tree, that was it.  It was over and that tree would never produce fruit again.  Complaining and criticizing and getting frustrated and angry won't bring that tree back to life and it sure won't produce any GOOD fruit.  You are wasting your time trying to cultivate that dead, cursed tree.

When you get frustrated are you cultivating that cursed fig tree?  Are you trying to get something dead to produce fruit?  Forget about it and cast all your cares on Him.  He will lighten the load and He will show you where to plant and to cultivate and to reap the GOOD fruit. If you do not currently have a Paul or a Barnabas in your life, start looking for one now.  Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to bring you together with a friend that will listen to you and help you to listen to the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit when He speaks and reminds you of the good fertile ground and to stop wasting your valuable time on the dead trees.

The Vision for MOTM

Over two years ago I met with a group of male friends and we began to discuss the Man’s role in the church today.  During the discussion we discovered that we had the same view on what a Godly man should be and we also came to the conclusion that many men in today’s world are walking away from God, their wives, their children and the church in ever increasing numbers.  As a group we decided that something needs to be done and we came up with Men on the Move.

We decided to call this ministry Men on the Move because we believe that men need to be taught how to be “On the Move” with God, their wives and children, in the church and in the community.  Not living a stagnant, boring life without purpose and fulfillment but living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and accomplishing what God has called them to do and be.  Our Mission is to Disciple, Equip and Encourage Men to be Godly Men, Godly Husbands, Godly Fathers and Godly examples in their daily lives.

We will accomplish our Mission through discipleship groups led by a minimum of two on fire for God, Spirit Filled leaders per group.  These groups will be geographically located around the state and will meet on a regular basis to fellowship, study the Word and volunteer in the communities that they live in.  We will also hold “Worship in the Wilderness” twice a year.  One held in the spring and one in the fall.  This will be a Men only event (Older Boys can attend as well) with fellowship, worship, teaching and fun and games out away from the concrete jungle and hustle and bustle of everyday life.  It will be a Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning schedule with a Holy Spirit led evening service around a council fire on Saturday night.  We will also volunteer our money and our time in the communities that we live in.  We will be servants led by servant leaders.  If there are families in need, MOTM will dig in and help them.  With home and car repairs, lawn maintenance or what ever is needed.  MOTM will get it done.

If this ministry speaks to you then climb aboard.  We can use you.  We will use this blog as a means of communication and will soon develop a website and email distribution list to get the word out.  We will also need volunteers to start and lead the local discipleship groups.  If you are interested in becoming a leader, please pray about it and let me know.  Someone will be in contact with you to set up a telephone interview and maybe a face to face to discuss your calling.  We will also be putting together a training session for the group leaders so that everyone will be on the same page.

Give me some feedback.  Comments are welcome on the blog and through my personal email which is cmdrkeef@att.net.  Email the blog link to all of your male friends.  Let’s get the ball rolling and make this Vision a Reality.  Remember God needs men to stand up and be the men that He has called us to be.  Be in prayer concerning your role and God Bless you and your family.

Are You A Paul, A Barnabas or a Timothy?

The New Testament model of discipleship is pretty simple and still works in todays world.  You fall into one or more of the three categories based on the relationship that these three great men of God had with each other.  If you are a Paul, then you are the wise Mentor.  If you are a Barnabas then you are the good friend, companion and accountability partner.  If you are a Timothy then you are the Mentee.  The young buck who is need of a Mentor.  Someone to learn from and to look up to.

As men who seek God in their lives, we need to be discipled by someone. We need Christ like examples to learn from and to glean seeds of wisdom from to help us to be the men of God that we are called to be.  We need to disciple someone.  Someone who is young in the Lord and the ways of Christianity. Someone who needs our help to see the path that God has laid out for them.  And we need a good friend to lean on.  Someone that we can count on to be there when we need a hand or just a kind word.  So you can actually fall into all three categories.  Take a look at the relationships that you have in your lives and determine where you are in your path of discipleship.  If you are in need of a Paul, the wise Mentor. A Barnabas, a close friend and accountability partner or a Timothy, someone to teach and Mentor.  Determine who can fill one of these roles in your life and don't be afraid to ask someone to be that person.  Men must have these Mentoring relationships in their lives to help us to see where we are going in Christ and to be accountable for our actions and  to help us in our daily walk with God.  Pray about these relationships and ask God to lead you to the right person to fill the role and also to lead someone to you who needs you to fill one of these roles.  It will be a rewarding journey in Christ that you will never forget.

When Men Were Men

There was a time in our history when men were men and they were allowed by society to be men. A time when being a man meant that you were strong, active, opinionated and a hard worker. Men worked with their hands, plowed the fields, rode horses and built their own homes. Sadly that time in our history is long past and nearly forgotten. In our society today a man should be sensitive, caring and in touch with his feelings. In other words a wimp. 

Men are expected to conform to a pattern designed by feminists and weaklings that takes the fight right out of him. Boys grow up wanting adventure and excitement in their lives. Watch how they play.  They are rough and tumble and play games like war and tag and want to be active.  Society wants them to be passive and aware of their feelings.  Men have a natural tendency built into them to want to fight for what is right and to live life on the edge.  Men want to be that Knight in shining armor that rescues the damsel in distress.  Men want to be the hero in the eyes of their children and they want to be proud of their accomplishments. Men just want to be men.

Men on the Move Ministries is dedicated to seeing men be men.  To Disciple men and boys to become a Godly man.  A real man's man.  To Equip men to be the Priest of their homes and Godly husbands and fathers and to Encourage men to be a Godly example of what a Christian man should be to the youth of our society. The purpose of this blog is to give men the tools and information that they need to become a Man's man and to learn how to live a Godly Christian life that gives back more than they take.  

Let me know what you think and give me some ideas of what you would like to see in future posts. Ask God what He wants you to do to be the Man of God that He wants you to be.  We will talk soon.