His wife said to him, ‘Are you still holding on to your integrity?’”
Job 2:9a

What we value shapes our character—and will ultimately define how we live, how we lead, or whether we can lead at all. As Christians, it definitely affects our witness for Christ. The question Job’s wife asked him is one that all believers need to ask themselves.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th Ed.) defines integrity as:
1) the firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility;
2) an unimpaired condition : soundness;
3) the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness.

It has been said that we live in a world that knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing. The reality is that we can not be effective disciples for Christ if we allow our values to be shaped by the media, a crazy society, or worldly thinking. The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Colossae, saying, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Col. 3:2. As followers of Christ, our values must come from things that have eternal significance—love, kindness, selflessness, honesty, purity, gentleness, etc.

Scripture is our compass, constantly reminding us that we need to seek wisdom and follow truth. But the world tells us truth is relative. No wonder Proverbs urges us: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.” Prov. 4:23. Let’s reflect on a few scriptures that remind us of how God directs His people:

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.” Prov. 2:1-22

and

“I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life- when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure. My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me. No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord.” Psalm 101:1-8

In a world that delights in perverting truth, preaches selfishness, and denies Christ Jesus, we must stand firm in the ways of the Lord and “practice what we preach.” Instead of being hypocrites, we must be examples of moral integrity—found sound and complete in our wisdom and actions. It means we don’t compromise when it comes to the truths God has given us. We live blamelessly, without corruption, but
not without grace. We love the sinner, but hate the sin.

As believers we must seek wisdom and hold tightly to our integrity—for our own sakes, as well as the ones we love. (FAMILY,  FRIENDS, and CO-WORKERS)

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. – Ephesians 1:13

The Holy Spirit’s best work in people is seen in how He changes the way they relate to one another. You want the best parts of your character displayed in your kids. When your positive qualities, ways, words, action, and encouragement are reproduced in your child’s interactions with others, that bring you joy. However your opposite qualities brings you grief.

In the Holy Spirit’s framework it is inconsistant for the grace receiving sinner to become an anger driven destroyer. Only a man who has forgotten his own encounter with God’s grace could deny it intentionally to someone else.  No believer can claim a close relationship with the Holy Spirit while acting out of anger, bitterness, and resentment toward someone else. One cannot be a party to the other. Only a spiritual con man whose had a mountain of dept forgiven by God would try to squeeze emotional nickels out of another through a lack of forgiveness.

His point being in the parable of the wicked unforgiving servant(see Matthew 18:21-35): You didn’t deserve grace, but now that you have it, you better give it as liberally as you received it! If we don’t, the same thing grieves the Holy Spirit. All of us, by honestly and sincerely saying a prayer, can restore spiritual balance in this area. This prayer acknowledges that, in spite of our best intentions, pray this prayer as a simple realignment or if a relationship is challenging you in the area of forgiveness.

Father, Help me to understand that forgiveness is not a feeling. It’s a decision. The feelings will come.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

I came across this many years ago, it’s a very good word with man applications to our lives. Enjoy and PASS it ON.

“The Prince and the Dragon – A Parable”

There was once a great and noble King whose land was terrorized by a wicked and crafty dragon. Like a massive bird of prey, the scaly beast delighted in ravaging villages with his fiery breath. Hapless victims ran from their burning homes, only to be snatched into the dragon’s jaws or talons.

The king led his sons and knights in many valiant battles against the serpent. Riding alone in the forest, one of the King’s sons heard his name purred soft and low. Lost in thoughts of restlessness and loneliness in his father’s house, the young prince thought for a moment that he was hearing things. He felt a strange hesitation in his heart. Again, his name was called. In the shadows of the ferns and trees, curled among the boulders, lay the dragon.

The heavy-lidded eyes of the creature fastened ablaze on the prince, and the reptilian mouth stretched into a seductive smile. “Don’t be alarmed,” said the dragon, as gray wisps of smoke rose lazily from his nostrils. “I am not what your father thinks of me.” “What are you, then?” demanded the prince, instinctively drawing his sword as he pulled in the reigns to keep his frightened horse from bolting. “I am more than what you’ve been told, my prince,” said the dragon unashamedly. “I am delight; I am pleasure.”

Noticing the prince’s hesitation, the serpent cried, “Ride on my back and you will experience what few can only imagine. What no King has yet experienced! Come now…believe me, I have no harmful intentions. Truly, I seek only a friend – someone to share my flights with me. I am lonely. You understand loneliness. Have you never dreamed of flying, my prince? Never longed to soar in the clouds? Never longed to take what isn’t yours?”

The prince felt intoxicated. Was it the smoke that seemed to curl its way toward him with every word? Or was it the words themselves? Visions of soaring high above the forested hills of his father’s kingdom drew the prince hesitantly from his horse. And the dragon was stunning – captivatingly beautiful. The prince had never seen emerald so green as the dragon’s coat. As he marveled at its strange beauty, his curiosity brought him closer. Knowingly, the dragon unfurled one great webbed wing brilliantly adorned in gemstones stolen from some kingdom past. “Come, my prince. Come ride with me.” In one fateful decision, the prince sheathed his sword and placed his hands and feet on the brilliant stones, climbing atop the emerald staircase to the serpent’s back. The dragon rose immediately to its feet. The prince had been deceived of its size, for now it seemed far more powerful and immense than many horses.

The creature snapped its great wings twice launching them both into the sky. The prince’s apprehension melted into exhilaration as he felt the awesome rule of the wind beneath him and the fragrant breeze on his face…. From then on, he met the dragon often, but secretly, for how could he tell his father or brothers or the knights that he had befriended the kingdom’s greatest enemy? Quickly, the prince began to feel separate – from everyone. The kingdom’s concerns were no longer his. Even when he wasn’t stealing away secretly to be with the dragon, he spent less time with those he loved.

More and more, he spent his time alone or with the creature. The skin on the prince’s legs began to callous from gripping the dragon’s ridged back. His hands grew rough and hardened. He began wearing gloves to hide the malady. After many nights of riding he discovered scales growing on the backs of his hands as well. With dread he realized his fate were he to continue, and so he resolved to return no more to the dragon.

But, after a fortnight, he again sought out the dragon, having been tortured with desire. And so, in this way, it transpired many times over. No matter what the determination, the prince eventually found himself pulled back, as if by the cords of an invisible web. The dragon’s charms, so gentle in the beginning, now held the prince more tightly than he had the will to resist. Silently, patiently, the serpent waited…always waited. One cold, moonless night their excursion became a foray against a sleeping village.

Torching the thatched roofs with fiery blasts from his nostrils, the dragon roared with delight when the terrified victims fled from their burning homes. Swooping in, the serpent belched again, and flames engulfed a cluster of screaming villagers. The prince closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to shut out the horror and the carnage, but he could not.

Sometimes, he even allowed himself to feel the old thrill. Then, in bitter remorse, his heart sinking in shame, he tried to hide himself. But the flames of the burning village lighted on his face. In the predawn hours, when the prince crept back from his dragon trysts, the road outside his father’s castle usually remained empty. But not tonight. Terrified refugees streamed into the protective walls of the castle.

The prince attempted to slip through the crowd to close himself in his chambers, but some of the survivors stared and pointed toward him. “He was there,” one woman cried out, “I saw him on the dragon’s back!” Others nodded their heads in riotous agreement. Some only stared in disbelief and growing recognition.

Horrified, the prince saw that his father, the King, was in the courtyard holding a bloodstained and seemingly dead child in his arms; his face mirrored the agony of the child’s mother. He looked up at the angry cries, and his eyes found the prince’s. The son fled, hoping to escape into the night, but the guards apprehended him as if he were a common thief. They brought him to the great hall where his father sat solemnly on his throne. People on every side railed against the prince.

“Banish him!” he heard one of his own brothers cry out violently. “Burn him alive!” other voices shouted. “Let him burn the way he burned our children and our homes!” As the King arose from his throne, bloodstains shone darkly on his royal robes, and the crowd fell silent in expectation of his decree. The prince, who could not bear to look into his father’s face, stared down at the flagstone floor. “Take off your gloves and your tunic,” the King commanded.

Was his shame not already enough? The prince had hoped for a quick death without further humiliation. Now, he resigned himself to his fate. He obeyed slowly, agonizingly, dreading to have his metamorphosis uncovered before the kingdom. Sounds of revulsion rippled through the crowd, and parents covered their children’s eyes at the sight of the prince’s thick, scaled skin and the ridge now growing upward along his spine. Horrible! He was…could it be? The thought was so ghastly many turned away in disgust.

But the King strode toward his son. The prince steeled himself. He fully expected a back-handed blow even though he had never been struck so by his father. Instead, his father pulled him to himself, embraced him, holding him tightly…and wept.

In shocked disbelief, the prince buried his face against his father’s shoulder in a way he hadn’t done for too long. Tears began to burn down his scorched cheeks. “Do you wish to be freed from the dragon, my son?” The prince answered in despair, “Father, I’ve wished it so many times! But there remains no hope for me.” “Not alone,” said the King. “You cannot win against the serpent alone.”

“I am no longer your son! I am half beast,” sobbed the prince bitterly. He began to convulse in such cruel remorse that even the villagers pitied him. But his father replied, “My blood still runs in your veins.  My nobility has always been stamped deep within your soul.” With his face still hidden tearfully in his father’s embrace, the prince heard the King instruct the crowd, “The dragon is crafty. Some fall victim to his wiles, for he is a great deceiver. Some fall to his violence for he has only wickedness in his heart. There will be mercy for all who wish to be freed! Who else among you has ridden the dragon?”

The prince lifted his head to see someone emerge from the crowd. To his amazement, he recognized an older brother, one who had been lauded throughout the kingdom for his onslaughts against the dragon in battle and for his many good deeds.  Others came. Some came weeping. Others hung their heads in shame.

The King embraced them all. “This is our most powerful weapon against the dragon,” he announced.  “Truth. No more hidden flights. Alone we cannot resist him.”

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.
 May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.
 May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace.’

Numbers 6:24-26

Sometimes it is hard to know what to pray over your wife and your children. I think this is the most awesome prayer and blessing for your wife and children ever, this is the blessing Moses prayed over Aaron. Pray it aloud daily over them, can you imagine how blessed your wife will feel and how your children will grow up KNOWING this verse and knowing how the Lord loves them?

Verse 27 says: “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them”

What a fantastic PROMISE from our Father — he says HE WILL BLESS them when we “invoke” His name over them!!! WOW WOW WOW

Gentlemen PRAY!!!!

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ⁶ So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. ⁷ For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. ⁸ That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.~Romans 8:5-8

There is an old saying “you are what you think about” and man that is the truth. As we strive to lead our wife, children and grandchildren in this life,  this verse is an important verse for us to know, understand, eat and LIVE BY.

The end of this section says “That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God” verse 8~

Gentlemen, you are a BRAND NEW CREATION in this life, this took place when you gave your heart to God. See 2Cor. 5:17 — if the sinful nature still controls you, you have a slight problem…you have either resurrected the old man or you never really died and was raised up with Jesus. Check yourself.

Our job as men is to protect, wash our wife with the Word of God, pray over them, direct them and lead them into a HOLY LIFE. This can only take place as we are controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Verse 9 of this chapter says… “…..and remember those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all”

Don’t be upset with me on this Scripture — the Holy Spirit wrote this!! We need to press in, know Him, know His word, be a Warrior in prayer. It is then you will find yourself loving your wife as Jesus loved the church and not only that SHE WILL FIND you loving her as she was meant to be loved!!!

Now go out and have an EPIC day today