Wake Up and LIVE!

This is a feature Guest Post by Bob Evenhouse. If you are interested in writing a guest post for the Manturity Blog, please visit the Manturity Contact page.

I am thirty, but I am much older. In fact, I am older than God per a quote by GK Chesterton that I will share in a moment. My life consists of much of the same day in and day out. I am married, have wonderful children, a stable job, a house that is not falling apart, lots of friends, and I just finished a novel. I am blessed but I find at times that spiritual progress is lacking. Life, if not lived, can grow stale, unexciting, and make me feel, well old. Wonder and joy have been sapped and replaced by the weighty fatigue that can accompany being a responsible adult. I need to renew and I know it. I need to pray and believe that God can wake me up, raise me from my drowsiness, and bring me life; a rich full life.

Have you ever felt this way? Have you experienced the weight of life, the desire for wonder and excitement again? It comes and goes for me. I believe, like many things, admitting this desire aloud and especially in prayer can bring about an inner revival that can change the course of your day, week, month, year, and life. But do you believe it? Do you believe that God can change you? That he can call you from the self imposed slumber and do something amazing for His Kingdom?

Let’ have a look at the nation of Israel. Please open the scriptures to the book of Malachi chapter 3 verse 10.

If you’ve read the Old Testament you know how much promise came with Israel. They were given everything and yet did not live to the potential God called them. Even the great kings like Solomon, the wisest man in the history of the world and David, the man after God’s own heart, did not listen to prophets and committed horrendous acts.

These horrendous acts may have been moments of passion. But my guess is they happened slowly. David was supposed to be at war with his men, not at home spying on women. For him, it started as any other day and ended with adultery and later the murder of the woman’s husband, an honorable man.

In Malachi chapter 3, Israel has turned away yet again, either through conscious decisions or lackadaisical faith. God asks them to be a giving people once more and says:

“Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it” (Malachi 3:10b, NIV translation). In this context God says do not worry about the food that you horde! Don’t keep it to yourselves because I will provide for you. In fact he says he will throw open the floodgates of Heaven to do so!

If you believe what the scriptures say of Heaven, stop and imagine that. Imagine cleaning up the area of your life that needs attention. Live life with purpose and obedience and He will pour open the floodgates of Heaven? If you believe this, pray it. Open your lips right now.

My response – “Really Lord? I’m in.”

Now does not mean God will let you win the lottery, find a spouse, stop you from sinning again and again, land that job, or make that sale? Maybe, but probably not. This is a call to wake up and live. To live every moment with purpose and obedience because this is what we have been asked. The Author of life has made life simple: to obey.

Now, obedience may seem plain, dull or boring, but consider this. Obedience might mean moving across the country or to another one. It might mean starting that ministry you’ve considered for some time or leaving your high paying job so that you can spend more time raising your kids. It might mean volunteering or speaking or simply having that conversation you have rehearsed a thousand times with that person you need to share your faith with.

If you find waking up hard and still struggle with the monotony of life, consider this quote by GK Chesterton who was a spiritual father to C.S. Lewis:

“…perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we are. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere reoccurrence; it may be a theatrical ENCORE.” (Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 44-45).

So reader, where does this find you? Where are you today? Are you living every moment of the day as fully as you can? Have you struggled with obedience or the monotony of the every day? 

Kneel down. Stop what you are doing and pray. Pray for direction and stop to listen. It may not come right away, but God is speaking to you. God is seeking you. Listen to what He is saying and believe He will move you.

If you feel led or inspired please share below. Both stories of coming alive in Him or how you know you need to do so.

Thank you for reading and live well today.

God Bless.

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About the author:

Bob Evenhouse is a freelance writer in Grand Rapids MI. He is married to Cindy and has two beautiful daughters and a son due any day. You can follow him and read posts about writing at http://parttimenovel.wordpress.com. He is currently shopping a manuscript for a young adult novel.

How To Make Your Marriage Last

It has been my experience that Satan will do anything he can do to destroy the sanctity of marriage, which was created by God. Satan is there to seek and destroy what is meant to be beautiful. (1 Peter 5:8, John 10:10) Marriage can feel like an inescapable trap for some… that is where I was about 4 years into my marriage… hopeless, helpless and miserable. I didn’t see any way out. I began to contemplate the ‘D’ word. It was at that time that I began to realize that marriage was not meant to be this way. Marriage, according to God, is meant to be a wonderful, comforting, loving thing. For those who have discovered the secret it is just that. Right now you are probably wondering what this big secret is. I’ll tell you, I promise… But you must promise to listen very carefully.

It is altogether simple and devastatingly difficult… Here it is:

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5 Reasons to Write Your Wife a Love Letter

Men, I have been writing my wife a weekly love letter for more than a year. That’s not a sentence I would have ever expected to write about myself. I am not a man of outward sentimentality, and I very rarely make my emotions known. Most people would call me calm and hard to read.

But, men, what I learned is this: as good as it can be for me to remain solid and calm in the storms of life, my wife needs something more. My wife needs to be loved, and she wants to be romanced. I learned after a year of marriage that it wasn’t enough to just show up, and I couldn’t stop with just providing a paycheck. I needed to do more to show my wife how much I love her.

And I don’t think I am alone. I bet that your wives also want to be loved and hear from your heart. They want to know just how deeply you love them.

I am not going to push you all to start writing a weekly blog to your wife. Instead, I want to encourage you to start small. All I want you to do is this: I want you to write a short, handwritten letter to your wife today, right now. Think of one thing about her or one thing she does that makes you thankful to have married her. Write it down and give her that note. Let her know you love and appreciate her.

In case you aren’t already convinced about writing that love note, let me offer you
Five Reasons why you should be writing love notes to your wife.

1) You will fan the flames of love in your marriage.

Gary Chapman famously explained the concept of LoveLanguages, and the first language he describes in book is Words of Affirmation. For many women, they feel most loved when they are spoken to kindly, when they are praised, and when they are otherwise wooed with your words. Your wife will know she is loved when she reads that short note from you.

Go ahead and write a short love note now. Just put down two sentences about one thing you like about your wife. Now leave the note on your wife’s bedside table. Just trust me on this one.

2) The smartest man in the world gave his wife love notes.

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Jesus Never Failed Me

I was recently challenged to share my testimony at my home Church. I felt that God was calling me to share my story of how Jesus never failed me. I shared my story there and now I share my story with you today.

In February 2007, my first wife left me. Needless to say, I was devastated and I blamed God for allowing me to feel so much pain. I got angry and started running away from Him by doing anything I could to help me feel better. I quit going to church. I was drinking every day. I hated Sundays because most bars were closed. I was with many women trying to fill the void that my ex-wife had left. I even cheated on a girlfriend because, even though she wasn't giving me any reason to think so, I assumed she was cheating on me.

People who knew me before said that I was a completely different person and for a year and a half, I just kept trying to please myself.

Fortunately, one summer day in June of 2008, God pressed this question on my heart, "Do you really want to live the rest of your life this way”? I instantly remembered that everything I was doing was a waste of time and that I would only find INSTANT satisfaction. The only way I would ever be TRULY happy again, was to re-dedicate my life back to Christ and allow Him to heal my broken heart. I didn't immediately stop doing the things that I was doing wrong. But over a period of several months, God helped me eliminate the things that were hurting my relationship with Him.

By January of 2009, I was feeling God’s healing as I was alright with being alone. I didn't "need" to have a girlfriend and I was enjoying the single life and depending on God for my happiness. Amazingly that same month, God introduced me to my current wife. For 6 months we hung out frequently, but I kept telling her that I couldn't date her because I needed to "be alone". June 4th, 2009, I felt like God was telling me that it was alright and that I was ready for a relationship. So I asked her if she was still willing to date me. We've been married since July 27th 2010.

God showed me His mercy by protecting me when I was running. He spared me and other people by keeping my car on the road when I was driving drunk. He kept me from diseases or having children with random women. And He saved me from Hell by dying on the cross for all my sins. NOW, He's showing me His Grace. He promises me eternal life with Him even though I'm far from worthy. He's blessed me with a beautiful wife, who pushes me every day to do more than just sit around and play games. He blessed me with an amazing step daughter when I re-married. He blessed me with an adorable daughter of my own just 15 months ago. He blessed me with a wonderful foster daughter 4 months ago. And just 2 days ago on April 10^th, 2013; He blessed me with my first son. He gave me the family I had desired all along, even though I had rejected Him out of anger for something He didn't even do.

We named our daughter Gianna Grace because Gianna means "God is gracious". And we named our son Micah Giovanni because Micah means "Who is like God”? The answer to the question is (emphatically) "NO ONE”!

This is my story.

JESUS HAS NEVER FAILED ME. AND HE NEVER WILL...

Share some ways that Jesus has never failed you.

Photo credit: © Paolese - Fotolia.com

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This was a guest post by a good friend of mine from High School. 
I recently saw his testimony posted on his Facebook 
and requested that he share it on the blog.

GRACE

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” - 1 Peter 5:10.

I am by no means a perfect man. Some days it would be hard to call me good. I have my daily struggles. Some days I come out on top of those struggles, some days I don’t. But by the grace of God, I am able to get up every morning and start another day anew.

How I have come to know Christ hasn’t been very spectacular. There haven’t been any near death experiences, any major crises that opened my eyes to the Lord. It has been more of a slow build up. Like God has always been there, just waiting for me to make the turn toward him. And I believe that he has always been there, watching me make mistake after mistake, seeing me miss clue after clue. Each time he has shown me the kind of grace that can only come from the Lord himself.

Like it says in 1 Peter, “…after you have suffered a little while…” we will be restored by his grace. Like I said before, I haven’t had to suffer very much. I have been incredibly fortunate to be brought up in a home with loving parents who are still together. I am happily married to the love of my life and my best friend. Life has been pretty good to me. So the suffering that is talked about in that verse, at least for me, has been internal. I’ve always known about God. I was raised in the church. But I had never really known him. And at a certain point in my life, I think I was about 21 and getting close to graduating from college, I could tell that something was missing. I would come home on weekends and go to church with my parents and just sit there thinking, “Why do I feel like this? Why do I feel empty?” And after struggling with these feelings for months, God showed up in the form of a guy. This guy had come to our fraternity chapter meeting saying that he worked for the campus ministries program and he wanted to start a small bible study with anyone in my fraternity who was interested. Needless to say, this had “work of the Lord” written all over it. So I decided to jump in. And when I did, it was like my eyes had been opened for the first time. He told us that being a Christian is more than just going to church, being a nice guy, and following the rules. To be a follower of Christ means having an active, fulfilling relationship with him, and that the Lord wants us to pursue him and to love him as he pursues and loves us.

And it was then that the void that I had began to fill. I realized that no matter how much I screwed up, he will always love me. That if I would confess my sins to him, he would forgive me. And to know that there is someone who loves me that much, someone that shows me that much grace…it makes serving him on a daily basis that much easier.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I am not a perfect man. None of us are. And we must strive to become more like him every single day. We must strive to be better friends, better husbands, better fathers, and better men. And without the grace of God, we’re dead in the water. It is a daily struggle, but with the Lord on our side, there is nothing that can defeat us.

How did you come to know Christ?

Was it a slow build or a sudden jolt?

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This was a guest post by Caleb Reeves. 

Caleb lives in Spanish Fort, AL. He spends his time with his beautiful wife and two dogs, doing as much fishing as possible and living life one day at a time. He is taking each day as an opportunity to become a better man of God.

God Forbid, I Joined A Church...

I recently told a good friend of mine that I was attending a Baptist church. His first words were, “But they don’t believe so many things.” You have to understand that I am a full fledged charismatic/ Pentecostal born again man. To make matters more interesting for him, I shared that at one of the services, a lady heard me signing during the praise and worship service, and thought that I had an angel’s voice.  It turned out that she was the choir director and lovingly persuaded me to join their choir. By the time I was finished talking to him, he didn't know what to say. See, I was the guy who lifted up his hands during worship, spoke in tongues, and even occasionally ran down the aisle. Get the picture? Reflecting on this friend’s reaction inspired this post.

“And He said to them, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:15-16.

When Christ told his disciples to preach the gospel, He never said anything about going to preach to dudes because they will be baptized with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus never said, “ And their denomination shall be called...”. Nowadays, we have segregated ourselves into so many man-made doctrines, and it appears that many of us have forgotten the simplicity of the love story of Jesus Christ.

When I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I did it alone. I heard no voice saying, “Go ye join the Pentecostal, Baptist, Charismatic, Lutheran and so forth movements.” No, I was redeemed, and the angels in heaven threw a party for me. The angels were not concerned about what denomination I would gravitate towards. They were parading and rejoicing about my decision. Let me be very clear that there is nothing wrong with any these man-made doctrines. It boils down to personal preference.

If you look at history, you will find out that many wars were started by Christians factions, not unbelievers. Fighting for power or whose perspective they thought was best to follow.  Nowadays, our wars are more subtle since we have become so civilized and educated. We see even in the church, we have become so politically correct. Some of us are fighting against ourselves all the way to the chapel because of doctrinal ideologies. When we present ourselves before the Lord, He is not going to ask you what doctrine you followed. He is indeed going to ask you, did you know my Son as your Savior.  The enemy does not have to spend any effort here since we have now become his biggest ally.

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4: 4-6

This is a fact, all “Christian” doctrines point in one direction, Jesus as the only Savior. Our command is to love one another, not to separate ourselves into so many different entities. We are supposed to be One Body.  There really is no time for anything else, but to cheer each other on through the best race there is.

So are you still stuck following 
doctrines and ideologies or Jesus? 
Share in the comments below.

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This is a guest post by Rick Cubas. He is a wild at heart kind of guy who is married to a wonderful woman and is a father to three beautiful little girls. He owns a Farmers Insurance Agency in Houston, TX.  He is a changed and redeemed man, who had an ocean for a backyard as a child and never imagined he’d grow up to become a friend of God. Check out his other posts here!

Consumed: The Movie

​Lying in bed in January of 2011, I spoke to God, asking Him what my next film should seek to conquer. What was next? Then I felt it land upon my heart. Pornography addiction. Interesting, I thought. I had never struggled with that. But I am living proof that God calls the willing, not necessarily the qualified.

​It was April of that year and I was wondering, "Where do I go with this?". What is at the heart of this infection? I called up the only source I knew: Focus on the Family. I talked with a nice lady who referred me to their website for some CD's from a previous broadcast. She also sent me in the direction of a list of websites. I did some internet searching and I came across message boards filled with people who were dealing with it or even overcame it. Stories were being discussed; their stories. Stories of lust, of trials, and of journeys.

​The next month sitting down to write a script to shoot during my upcoming time in Washington, DC, I developed a story about a couple of roommates; one of which steals porn from a suitemate and in the end has to return it. “Every opportunity is a ministry opportunity,” Luke tells him, as the scene fades. But then I ended up rewriting it a couple of months later, after God revealed He didn’t want it shot in DC.

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​Pornography addiction seems very common among men. We are visual creatures. We seek the enlightenment of the allure of visual images and at times, the not so enlightened. What appears like a mirage of a spring in the desert ends up as sand choking us on its way down. It keeps us up at all hours of the night. It can ruin our relationships and, according to 1 Corinthians 6:18, it can ruin our bodies. It looks innocent but becomes a disorder. After all, there is no order in it.

​Deciding that portraying some form of a female body, no matter how much could be blocked out, would be counterproductive to the encouraging message of the film, I was led to show only the other side of the computer. But to add that character of porn to the film, make it in the form of a voice. The seductive voice of the devil, himself: “Hey big boy, take a look. I’ll be here all day.”

​Filming was fun as I worked with two of my great friends, Micah Moore and Andrew Cacho. Neither one had professionally acted before; a motif in all of my films. Marissa Dodd, a former on-screen sister in a television show that fell through before shooting an episode, portrayed the Voice on the PC. The film was considered and denied acceptance to Sundance, but bowed to a standing room only audience in my hometown in January 2012. It has been shown a few times before and since, but February marks its online debut. It stands as a catalyst and opponent to the belief that “lust = love,” in a month dedicated to love. It stands as a bridge to those who say that their situation is too deep or impossible to cross. To recite to them 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you.”

Check out the video here "Consumed". 

Have you fought against this type of addiction?
Share a comment on how you overcame temptation below!

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Tyler lives in Durant, Oklahoma, where he enjoys making independent films. 

He spends his time with friends and thinking of new film ideas. 

Be sure to check out his other short films and follow him on Twitter!

Things Not Seen

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

This is a verse we frequently use as Christians when we are hoping for things to work out for our best or even to encourage others as they hope. But, how do we get to this point of hoping and having the faith that the book of Hebrews is talking about? It does not say that whatever it is we are hopeful for is going to happen. It just says, have faith and hope. I believe that usually it isn’t until “the hay hits the fan” that we tap into that kind of faith. When there is nothing left to pull from, we find ourselves at a decisive moment in our lives where we will have to make a choice: do I believe that I can have that kind of faith, or is it time to run for the nearest exit? Faith has to become us...Let me tell you a story to illustrate.

A few years back our family went through a very rough patch. The company I was working for decided to discontinue my position, and I needed to find a job as soon as possible. Out of the blue, my safe-secure rug had been pulled right from under me. I had a family to to provide for and bills to pay, but our bank account was shot. I applied to as many jobs as I could, but nothing seemed promising. At this point, I could hear those voices in my mind saying things like, “Why didn’t you save any money or how can you put your family in this position?” I had heard people “standing” on the Hebrews 11:1 verse, but I never knew what it was like to be there - until now.

The choice had to be made. I chose to believe that God knew I was going to be let go from my job and by knowing He also had a solution. As much as I did not want to be in that position, I needed to go through the process of developing my faith. The kind of faith that trusted “all things work together for the good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). Part of our human nature leads us to think that at certain points we have to take over. You know, as men,we are used to being the one to make things happen, but I had come to the point that I realized I needed to allow the Holy Spirit to work in me. Let me point out that this is not about bad things happening to good people. It’s about submitting our human mindset to the Heavenly Kingdom mindset in Matthew 6:33 as Jesus instructs. Faith doesn’t happen overnight. Faith is the result of a relentless pursuit of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Whether we get what we hope for, as Hebrews conveys, in this pursuit, we are bound to discover that we truly have received everything as we put our trust in Him.

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As men, are you striving to get the things you are hoping for, or are you trying to develop a faith that will sustain you through the tough times? 

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This was a guest post by Rick Cubas! 

Rick is the director of the SkyWay Leadership Group in Texas.

Help My Unbelief

 "Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

Mark 9:24 (NASB95)

My struggles over the past few days have been that of my unbelief. Not in God, not in my Lord, Jesus Christ, but in myself. It’s an unbelief that questions, “why does God really care or want to help me?”

Right now, to be honest, my only problems in life are money problems. I have no health problems, my family has no health problems, we have food to eat, a roof over our heads and yet I still have unbelief. Why would God care about my money problems, when so many people in the world have problems money cannot fix?

I am thankful that my only problems are money related, but this is where questions lie within me. Why, if I am doing the things God is asking me to do, would He allow me to struggle in this area more than any other? Why of all the things of the world to worry about, do I focus on money?

God wrote about money more than any other topic in the bible, besides love. 

He said in 1 Timothy 6:10 (NASB95) ^{10 "}For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s". 

Maybe this is where I am. I am grieved over something that doesn't really matter in the spiritual world. Maybe I have placed money in front of God and that’s why He has me deal with the issues I face, just to see which I choose, Him or money. Yesterday, I chose money. I worried to the point of making myself sick. Today, I replace my money with God and I will focus on the one true God. The God of my life and I hand it over to Him. And I pray “God, I do believe, but help me with my unbelief”.

Is their unbelief in your life? Take the focus on that problem or issue, give it to God and place Him in your focus once again. And ask him to help you with your unbelief. Build your relationship with Him and all other problems will seem to fade away.

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This has been a guest post by author JodyBurkeen. 

Founder of Man Up Gods Way

www.manupgodsway.org 

Lost in Love

       
 It was 1979 and Air Supply was at the height of their game. Their song “Lost in Love,” was an instant hit, and it seemed everyone was hooked. At the time, I could not comprehend what being “Lost in Love” was all about. Sure, it was a great song and for many still is, but the fact that I would have to let every guard down in my system scared me. Perhaps, it was the macho in me which did not allow me to expose my heart and feelings in such a way. As men, most of us are not reared to feel this way and to allow experiences like these to penetrate us. I thought I needed to slay dragons and rescue damsels in distress, not lose myself in love.

In a similar way, as Christian men, some of us have difficulty relating to Jesus, our Savior, and allowing ourselves to be “lost in love” with Him. How can we, Knights of the Round Table, allow this to happen? Sure, we love to worship, pray, go on missions, preach, and anything in between; but surrendering? It is subversively foreign to us. Fairy tale books tell us that we live happily ever after, not loving and surrendering ever after. It is at this point that we have to submit to the Holy Spirit to efficiently do His job in us, in teaching us to be softened. It is like having an open-heart surgery experience with Christ. Salvation is just the beginning of the adventure. We need to allow its course to continue changing us from our old self to the new creation He desires us to be.

Jeremy Riddle, in his song, Sweetly Broken, captures this “lost in love” experience, not with a woman, but with Christ, Himself.

“At the Cross,

You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees,

and I am Lost for words,

so Lost in love,

I’m sweetly broken,

wholly surrendered”

So many of us men are so afraid to be sweetly broken, to be lost in love and surrendered to a Jesus who wants to capture who He is in us. Perhaps, we think this is going to chip off our armor and take away part of that knighthood that we so dearly protect.  But in doing so, we allow a pure and untainted love to overwhelm and cleanse us; and define who and what we are destined to be. I know it's not easy to get to this point when time is the last thing you may have. Monday Night Football, your friends, your work, Twitter, Facebook, of course your wife or girlfriend, and finally the kids, if any, demand your time. So, time to fall in love with Christ, although it may be our desire, is the least to get your precious time. Know this; everything or anyone is going to vie for your time. If you do the Christ thing first, you may end up having more time than you know.  

Are you ready to prioritize your time and 

fall in love with your King?

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This was a guest post by Rick Cubas! 

Rick is the director of the SkyWay Leadership Group in Texas.