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

And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.  ~1Peter 3:14~

Peter is writing to the church, the believers about some very real stuff that was going on within the church, how men were turning back to their old ways. He is speaking about how they call themselves Christians, called to live a HOLY life yet they returned to their own vomit. He is writing about their end, when Jesus comes back on the day of judgement. It’s really pointed speech that is salted with deep truths.

Then we get to verse 14 and it says “So, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen……” What does this have to do with us? How does this relate to our lives? Well EVERYTHING!!! In chapter 1 Peter speaks about ….(I would suggest reading this book)

a. Growing in our faith –

b. Living a Godly life ~

c. Knowing Him, be productive, useful.

d. Knowing and paying attention to the Scriptures

He says all these things and then ends it with “Do these things, AND you will never fall away” verse 10

We get to the end of the book after reading how to remain “in Him” and what will happen to those who fall away, and he says “while you are waiting make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are PURE and BLAMELESS in His sight”

Gentlemen, check yourself and ALLOW your brothers to speak into your life….

It is very easy to slip back into our old life…. never forget THE OLD MAN IS DEAD and only YOU can resurrect him. Also remember this, if you slide back into your old life you take with you your family!!!!

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.~1 Cor. 13:4-7

Everyone knows this “love” chapter, even those who do not even believe that God is real. It is used at most weddings and quoted all of the time. And this word is TRUTH…but this love is not the same love that you have for your dog, or chocolate, or golf, or well I think you get it. There are 4 types of Love…

1. Storge—empathy bond

2. Philia—friend bond

3. Eros—erotic bond

4. Agape—unconditional ‘God’ love

In the English language we have the word “love” and that covers it all, in the Greek language there are different words for different types of love. In the world today just through music, movies, TV and social media we have really lost the meaning of LOVE, we have made it cheap, meaningless, and sometimes very dirty. But then there is “pure love” and that only comes from God’s heart.

All four of these kinds of love create perfect, balanced, pure and holy love. Men usually think in terms of “eros” love and confuse the others. So men, let me say this to you… without God’s perfect, pure and holy love in your heart, it is impossible to love your wife in perfect love, you will usually determine your love by only one area. Learn about His love and learn how to love Him first and foremost. Once your understand, once you fall in love with Jesus, once you understand His love for you, once your heart is filled, and the MOMENT He is more important to you than your wife, it is at that moment that your will be able to love your wife with the love of God and YES that includes “EROS” love. In fact if your wife is love by you through the love of the Father you will be shocked in what happens.

This is a struggle most men have in their life, in their marriage and in their walk with the Lord…. why? Because we are MEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Allow me to be very candid with you, if you are not satisfied with your wife, marriage, and all the issues try this. Take 30 days and refrain from sexual activity with your wife. For those 30 days on a daily BASIS ask God to show you LOVE, how to LOVE, why to LOVE, and to help you fall in HOLY LOVE WITH YOUR SPOUSE, PLEAD with Him, go DEEP into the Word daily, make it a journey and lastly, DO NOT DO it to make your wife happy, but to change your heart. I know some men get weird when they say “fall in love with Jesus” but in the end that is what your entire life boils down to.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. ~Eph. 5:25-27~

Most men know this verse or at least this concept in Scripture, most men would say that we are to love your wife as Jesus loved the church and He died for the church. But it’s really so much deeper than that even though it’s hard to get much deeper than dying for someone. LOL the truth is sometime we feel that if we died to prove our love it would be easier.

Jesus gave himself all-in to the church, why? “ He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and with out spot or wrinkle” verse 27 – washed BY the cleansing of God’s Word!! I often as a young man wonder what that actually means…. “wash with the Word”

A husband should most definitely take the initiative to seek and establish for his wife a healthy, spiritual, home/marriage/family environment that helps her to cultivate her own sanctification via the leadership of Christ. He (the husband) can’t do anything to add to her salvation (that’s impossible) or to make her more sanctified (he doesn’t have that authority). As her protector, he should see that the evils and temptations of the world doesn’t enter into his home and corrupt him or his wife and family. He should see to it by helping her with her daily routine that she has adequate time for her own personal Bible study and prayer and they should have a husband-wife study time. He should lead by example in modeling Christ in his home.

Christ was a servant – as well as a Savior to the church. It’s from the heart of a servant that a husband will see to it that his wife is protected from evil and has opportunities for spiritual growth. He is to view his role as head from the perspective of Christ or else he will not be effectively leading his wife into being holy and blameless.

And last I would like to leave you with this thought, where is Jesus now? He sits at the right hand of the Father INTERCEDING day and night for the church!!! Men are you praying for your wife in private? In most marriages the wife is in her prayer closet praying for her husband. Where is your prayer closet? How much time do you spend praying for her? Going to God on her behalf?

Now go out and have an EPIC day today!!!!