#73 Christmas – Bringing Hope to a Dark World

Showing us the Reason for the Season

Act Like Men- Men’s Leadership Podcast

Christmas is one of the most exciting, meaningful holidays of the year. However, for some, it can also be the most depressing, lonely time of the year. It all depends on your experience, broken or lost relationships. Because of all the emotions surrounding Christmas, highs and lows, it is important to prepare for the holiday.

I know in many families, the wife tends to lead the way in actual preparation for Christmas. While I was involved in the lead-up to Christmas, it was a bit awkward for me. Even so men, get as involved as you can to ensure the family feels your involvement, which ultimately communicates your love.

Christmas is the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. For the next 33 years, Jesus lived on this earth: with no sin, establishing his authority among mankind as the Son of God, and ultimately he paid the price for our sins, He rose again… and that is why we celebrate Easter when we do.

Powerful Life-Changing Verses about the baby Jesus!!

1. Isaiah 7:14 Therefore God himself will give you a sign – a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us).

This verse establishes the foundation of our faith in the birth of Jesus.

1. Luke 1:35: And the Angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God.

This verse demonstrates the God part of Jesus -conceived by the Holy Spirit.

1. Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

This verse establishes the purpose for Jesus coming. He paid a debt He did not owe, for us who had a debt we could not pay.

1. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…

This verse establishes the fact that Jesus was fully human and lived among the people of His day.

1. John 3:16; For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The most popular verse of the Bible. This shows the motivation behind God sending His son to give to us a gift we could never earn. Without God’s gift, we are all bound for an eternity without God.

1. John 1:5 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

This verse indicates that through the person and work of Jesus, we will have eternal life with Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

1. Romans 15:13 May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit

This verse gives us a reason for hope no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves. This life is short, even though it feels long at times. Our hope is in Jesus, the life He lived, and the work He did on the cross. Because of that we can hope every day and find a way to live in victory this Holiday Season!!

Questions to consider:

1. If you have a family, as the husband and/or father, how will you intentionally insert yourself into the process this year to make this the best Christmas yet?
2. How do you prayerfully need to prepare yourself, so you can lead your family this year?

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#72 How to Communicate Thankfulness

Act Like Men- Men’s Leadership Podcast

Do you consider yourself a Thankful Person? This is the time of the year when all of the conversation is about being Thankful. The history of Thanksgiving did not come out of tremendous blessings. It came out of challenging circumstances, and the pilgrims believed they should be thankful regardless and the Native Americans and the Pilgrims shared a wonderful time together after coming through a difficult season.

Regardless of where you find yourself this time of the year, the spirit and the act of being thankful can change your entire perspective on your life. This is not only a great suggestion, but the Bible also tells us to focus on being thankful always, not just at the end of November.

Often I am reminded of teaching children to say thank you when someone gave them something. Do yo you remember saying to your children, “What do you say?” At that time we were teaching our children to respond kindly to the generosity of another person. But as our children got older, we did not have to prompt them as much for their words. In fact, as parents, we are pleased when our children demonstrate that they have been paying attention and applying what they have been taught. Sometimes we as adults need to take a lesson from our children and remember to be thankful in every aspect of our life.

Let’s look briefly at what the Bible says about being thankful.

1. The Lack of Thanksgiving is the Source of All Kinds of Sin

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21, ESV)

2. Giving Thanks is Commanded for Believers

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

When you examine the Greek of this verse, you discover that the verb “give thanks” is both an imperative (you must do it) and present tense (you must keep doing it continually). We should never stop expressing our gratitude.

Let’s End With a Challenge:

1. Start every conversation with God with a list of Thank You to God- not necessarily for the good things in your life, but the gifts God has given to mankind in general – His Son to pay for our sins, the joy of a new day that is challenging or not, the certainly of Heaven as a follower of Christ, “all things working together for good for those who love Him and are called according to his purpose”.
2. Be intentional in looking your fellowman in the eye and telling them an intentional Thank you for any consideration they provide – an open door, to coffee served, to food served, to work done on your behalf. People feel loved and valued when you look them in the eye and intentionally tell them you appreciate what they did.
3. Look for the good in everything that is happening in your life. While we all want this life to be like heaven – always bright and cheery – this is not heaven and we need to search to find good in some of the very difficult times that come our way and the way of those whom we love.

https://mensministrycatalyst.org/podcasts/

#71 – Breaking Generational Curses

Guest: Pastor Lee Hall

Act Like Men – Men’s Leadership Podcast

Sponsored by Men’s Ministry Catalyst

Podcast Show Notes

What is a generational curse and how do you know if you have one? With the advent of popular psychology, we often have labels for behaviors and attitudes that generations before we may have called, what the bible would call what is passed from one generation to the next, without breaking that curse. The definition today is they are repeating patterns of misfortune that affect parents, their children, and beyond. They can manifest in several ways: disobedience, violence, idolatry, or bad habits.

Pastor Lee Hall talks about a generational curse that he was under until God opened his eyes and delivered him from this curse. There were many things that Pastor Hall mentioned as helping give him victory:

1. Awareness of the behaviors and attitudes he was manifesting that he had seen in his father.
2. Decision to be different.
3. Asking God to deliver him from the direction he was heading.
4. Asking his father to forgive him for his attitude towards his father. You heard that right – he believed it was on him to seek forgiveness. Most of us would wait until our father came to us and asked for forgiveness – and would go to our grave with bitterness and anger towards him within us.

This is the critical step in getting released from all the “stuff” that is in our heads, our hearts, and our spirits towards God and others.

1. Live in victory daily and REFUSE to submit again to the curse from which you have been delivered.

Pastor Hall has hung onto II Corinthians 5:17 – If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. These verses were extremely valuable to Pastor Hall. He states: “if God is not changing my situation, then God is about to change me”. You can only live that when you engage in a faith walk, not walking by sight.

Be encouraged today – trust God for your future – allow Him to change you and walk by faith every day!

Questions to ask yourself:

1. Do I feel stuck, repeating the attitudes and behaviors I saw in my dad? Which one(s) specifically?
2. Are you willing to allow God to change you and will you walk by faith, not by sight according to what is around you?
3. Who do I know who can become a prayer partner and accountability partner to help me walk out of these “curses”? Ensure this man could be or is a mentor for you.

To contact Pastor Lee Hall for a discussion or prayer:

leehallsr81@gmail.com

Just a reminder these podcasts are released on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month. For additional podcasts, go to: https://mensministrycatalyst.org/podcasts/