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.

5 Daily Challenges for Men

I know what you're thinking, but it's not what you think. Most of us already feel like we have enough on our daily plate so why would we want to be challenged even more? The answer is simple, among all of the chaos of work and family during each day, we must find a way to be challenged in our walk with Christ. Although Sunday service is a great experience and necessary in our Christian walk, we must pursue our walk with Christ the rest of the days of the week.

I have come to believe that this process of being challenged in Christ has to become a desire. It has to become something you almost crave each day, and if you miss any challenges, you feel like you have suffered a loss and not done your proper duties. If it is made a desire in your life, you WILL find the time.

Here are five of my personal challenges that I make myself face each day. Do I have to do these? No, but I do them because I want to be respected among my peers, disciplined in my walk with Christ and because I do not want to allow work and chaos to control my life.


1) Discussion With God. This process can also be called prayer but I like to refer to it as discussion. This could be turning off the radio show on the way to work and talking to him, it could be after a frustrating talk with a co-worker or anytime you have a moment. This time does not have to be fancy, but it must be pursued and must be intentional.

2) Personal Quote. This has become one of my favorite things to do throughout the day. For any of you who follow the Manturity Facebook or Twitter, you will see many of my personal quotes. These are simply born out of situations throughout the day, after discussions with God on subjects or whatever is on my heart. Keep a journal of your thoughts and quotes or post them on your social media as well. This simple, but effective process will make you think on a deeper level and test your knowledge.

3) Attitude of Love and Respect. The first two challenges can happen at any time, but this one really requires a man to take things to the next level. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in hurtful conversations, don't encourage wrong doings and don't allow the negative influences around you bring you down. Your center, your core should be built on Christ and your daily attitude should reflect it whether you are at work or home.

4) Uplift Someone. An unselfish man of God should be able to recognize when someone is in need. Take those opportunities to show the love of Christ and give them some words of encouragement. Maybe you work with someone who does a great job day in and day out? Make it a point to thank them for there diligence and service. You might be surprised what will happen after you take that initiative.

5) Take A Quiet Break. It's not hard to believe that in this busy world one of the hardest things for a man to do is to just take a break. The best ways I have found to do this is to take a walk by myself at lunch, find a bench at lunch and relax or find some alone time when you get home. Even if it's a half an hour or fifteen minutes, this time can be very fruitful to a busy man. Think about Jesus and all the times he would disappear from the disciples or the crowds and just pray. This was no mistake and we should follow his example. Forget about work and the daily struggles and just relax.


This is by no means a complete list. Share some ways or some things that you like to challenge yourself with everyday!

Every Man's Problem with Prayer

We’ve all heard it before: pray more, pray better, and pray continually. What does it mean to pray? Should prayers be verbalized? Does it matter? What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? With all the demands of a 21st century man of God, how do you even start the monumental task of attempting to pray continually?

Certainly there are times throughout scripture where prayers are aloud and in front of a multitude of people: Solomon in 1 Kings 8 (2 Chronicles 6), the priests and Levites in 2 Chronicles 30, Job in front of his three friends, Isaiah’s allusion to aloud prayer in Isaiah 26:16, the apostles together in Acts 4:24, and Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17. According to my research, it is inconclusive as to the expression of prayer through vocal cords for any other prayer in the Bible. Even though it’s written down in verbatim form, surely the Spirit of God that inspired our scriptures knows what each and every prayer said regardless of verbalization.

There are also other times when aloud prayers are discouraged because they can draw undue attention to the prayer issuer rather than the message or intent of the prayer. Such instances Jesus addressed in Matthew 6:5 (Mark 12:40, Luke 20:47) while he was denouncing the teachers of the law who basically were praying just to satisfy the need of themselves or their constituents to hear a prayer. Apparently, the apostles were so confused as to the method of prayer that they directly asked Jesus to teach them how to pray in Luke 11. Even the most pious of the fathers of our Church were clueless when confronted with the example of Jesus contrasted with their societal knowledge of prayer.

There are certainly examples where individuals make known their private prayers to the many for the encouragement of the many: Paul repeatedly informed the churches and various individuals of his personal prayers in every one of his epistles. Surely praying together with the same intent helps in times where we need someone to agree with us in prayer (Matthew 18:19) and for the mutual bearing of burdens with your Christian brothers. As men, we don’t like letting other men in to our personal problems or desires - but there’s nothing wrong with it; in fact, it is right and true and good. And then we’re confronted with the command to pray continually in 1 Thessalonians 5:16. By definition, we physically cannot continually pray aloud since God created us with the need to sleep, eat, and socialize. Therefore, there has to be an underlying coordination with the Spirit of God who prays for you and issues prayers, while coordinating with your soul, when even your mind may not be aware (Romans 8:26).

Praying, by definition, is a communication with your creator - the one who knows you on the level of intent and desires. He knows you past all the external walls we put up as men. He knows what we are really praying for, regardless of any words we may actually be saying, at all times. His Spirit is inside us constantly searching us, discovering our hearts’ desire, and detecting how we respond to various crises of ourselves, loved ones or community.

Jesus repeatedly went off in the wilderness or somewhere else by himself to pray and commune with his Father. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when he was raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11:41, one of the few times he prayed aloud in the Bible, that he directly told his apostles and disciples that he was praying only so they could hear him. Jesus also indicated that praying by yourself while behind closed doors is acceptable and encouraged in Matthew 6:6. Jesus was leading by example when he went off alone for prayers and fellowship and he actually taught that praying and fellowshipping alone with the Father is pleasing to the Father.

Since Jesus was the firstborn of many brothers (Romans 8:29/Colossians 1:18), we should expectantly follow his example and instruction in order to become the men of prayer that God expects of us. After Jesus, and after we accept him as Lord, the Spirit of God makes his home in us and he continually ushers us into Truth and Goodness.

As we increase and grow regarding maturity in the Lord and spiritual maturity, we are gifted with an exponential increase in ability to engage in successful praying. As we are transformed into the likeness of Jesus, the intents and desires of our hearts are molded to the intents and desires of the will of God. As the Spirit of God groans and intercedes for us when our intents and desires are congruent with the will of God, we issue effective prayers - whether or not we are actually verbalizing them through the linguistic approximations of our minds.

In conclusion, I believe that every man has two choices: to want to be like God or to want to live life your own way. One way leads to becoming mature in the Spirit where you can effectively pray continually and the other leads to becoming further from the character of Jesus where your prayers are an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 28:9). Therefore, whichever path you choose, even on a daily basis, depends on whether or not you can effectively pray - let alone pray continually.

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Men, each day you must make a choice that today you want to be a little more like God, that you trust him to mold you into the image of Jesus, and that you allow him to highlight times/people/places where you need to be. If our intents and desires are truly congruent with being like God, becoming perfect even as he is perfect, then our hearts will immediately commune with the Spirit of God to call forth a pleasing spiritual prayer to the Father. When the Spirit of God groans and prays with you, assuredly you should know that you’re partnering with God and that it pleases him.

Then and only then may we rest assured of the promises of Jesus in Matthew 21:22 and Mark 11:24, where we are promised that whatever we shall receive the desires of our hearts. Practically, this means that a little more God comes into our lives or circumstances and results in a little less suffering and pain.

Each day, every morning, make a conscious decision to trust God, to be like him, and to want to become more like Jesus. If you do that, your desires will increasingly be in accordance with the Father’s will, your prayers will increasingly become more effective, and you will see the power of God in your life. Are you ready to become an effective man of prayer?

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This is a Guest Post by a great friend of mine, Ryan E.

Click here to check out more posts by this author!

The Road to Redemption

Standing there at the pew Sunday morning,

My hands firmly grasping the seat in front of me.

The Pastor calls an alter call;

I knew he was speaking to me.

I knew God was calling me.

My mind was angry from my recent sins.

My recent self inflicted complacency.

Images arose in me of lust,

Extreme judgments and selfishness.

I knew this call was required.

I knew this was what my heart needed.

I needed to seek forgiveness,

To be redeemed.

Minutes pass and my grip increases.

I must go up front, I must.

With my knuckles looking white;

I finally released my grip and took the first step.

Down the row and into the aisle,

My steps felt long and heavy.

My mind said everyone was staring at me.

A lie said everyone was judging me.

This was my own reflection;

My very own guilt.

At the front and at the alter,

At my greatest moment,

My knees began to shake.

They bent as I fell to the ground.

My back felt heavy,

It, as well, went down to the ground.

All the mistakes and all the pain;

I find myself here.

Now what?

Tears.

Brokenness.

Redemption.

I began to seek God,

To ask for His forgiveness.

Ask for his hand of direction.

I felt hands being placed on me;

I felt the prayers of others.

As I continued to pray,

People understood.

People cared.

God forgave.

I AM REDEEMED!

Are you?

The Battle for our Desire

Let's not avoid the fact right off the start that the word "desire" is not commonly used in today's culture. But in all honestly the idea needs to be addressed badly.

Let's start things out with a simple game of decision. Imagine standing in front of a table. The table is clear and the man standing beside it has two objects of desire in his hands. On one side of the table he puts down a "Gentleman's Magazine" and on the other side of the table he puts down a Bible. After a few moments, the man asks you to point to your idea of desire. I haven't been able to make a case study of this scenario, but I would think most men would point to the gentlemen's magazine. 

Would we even consider the Bible and its teachings a thing to desire? Culture has brainwashed men to have a certain idea or belief of what desire looks like and it has nothing to do with the Bible. But why would we consider a woman hardly dressed desire? Well, quite frankly, because it's easy. We are simply not in control of what our desire should be in our life. We grab the easily accessible magazine off the rack. We watch the video that the popular guy is showing to everybody. And when we're alone, our self control goes out the door suddenly. We are easily swayed, we know it and we're doing nothing about it. Well gentlemen, it's time to make some changes!

1) STOP!

That's right, stop. Stop falling victim to what the culture says is desire and start asking God what desire is and what it should look like in your life. Stop taking the "easy" route in your life when it comes to the magazines, videos and the people that expose you to those things. Stop thinking you don't have a choice in the matter and choose to make the right decision! Because you always have a choice. 

2) Fill the Gap

So you've stopped? Now you need to come up with a plan; in other words you need to fill the gap. What are you going to do the next time you encounter the dirty magazine, the crude jokes at work or the hot woman walking past you in the store? Don't wait for it to happen, come up with a plan to defeat it! When I was trying to discover the true desire in my life, I decided to read a book titled "Wild at Heart". I hated reading at the time, but I had to fill the gap. I would get out of work early and just sit in my car and read. I would read until I knew I would get home at the same time as my wife. I had to fill the gap, and remove the option.

3) Pray

I don't recall ever saying this process would be easy, but I can assure you it will be beyond fulfilling and life changing. If you were never much for prayer, this would be the time to change that and start praying often. Your desire should be to stop the old habits, to form new Godly habits, and seek God in a whole new way. God is always there to help us and guide us, we just have to give him the opportunity. Make his teachings and his lifestyle your new desire and watch him go to work in your life!

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Your challenge: Read Mathew 5:27-30 

As men, we are all victim to the temptations that the world has to offer. But we have to be stronger and rise above the world and its lies. Share your story or thoughts below of how you overcame false desires and found true desire in Christ! 
Show other men that real change is possible!

Do you have 5 minutes? (at least)

Tired of hearing about New Years resolutions yet? Fortunately, I have not had to hear about too many this year. I see the occasional status update from people going to the gym; that I know didn't normally go last year. I see it and keep scrolling.

One thing I thought about when reviewing last year was this though, "how much time do I really spend with God"? Ask my wife, my memory is not the greatest. But, overall I am still capable of going back and really thinking about my time with God.

• Sometimes in the car

• Sometimes early in the morning when I am laying in bed

• Maybe right before I walk into the house after a long day of work

I like to think I'm your typical man. I do my best to work hard. I diligently think about ways to love and support my wife. I have to handle earfuls of useless conversation at work sometimes. And I have to keep my home moving in a somewhat orderly fashion. Can you agree with this men?

In short, the idea of 5 minutes (at least) came to my mind. 5 minutes? I thought to myself, "I can surely come up with 5 minutes a day for God". Then I thought, have I even spent 5 minutes with Him over the last week? Gut check, better yet heart check. All this technology to set up reminders and stuff should make this process easier, right? "Ok, 5 minutes. Dear God... Oh look, there are new stories on my social network." Ouch.

My goal is 5 minutes (at least). Do you think this should be your goal too? Put it on your schedule with me and give it a shot. I can pray, read a devotional or just have a general heart to heart talk with God (this could be prayer too). If this sounds crazy to you or if this sounds like a good idea, share what you think about it. Share what has worked with you in the past.

7:14 Movement

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, 

and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

-2 Chronicles 7:14

January 6-12 is a week of prayer. The 7:14 movement is an national movement to make prayer more intentional and more widespread. The verse in Chronicles is very direct in it's words and should be a challenge to everyone. Our Church is pushing this movement, and I pray that you do as well with your Church and family. The idea of 7:14 is simple. We all have busy schedules and on average have a hard time making "time" for God. At 7:14 AM, we stop and say a small prayer. At 7:14 PM, we stop what we are doing and say another small prayer. There are set prayers available if needed, and you can download the file HERE. Or if you choose, pick a topic that you can focus and pray on for a few moments. This is nothing earth shattering or difficult. If you think it's cliche, I suggest you read the verse above again. I plan to do this on my own and with my family and hope you do the same. Check out some links below to assist in the process and to make the impact go farther in your life. Please share this with others and have a great week of Prayer!

Download the free iPhone app HERE or go on your iPhone iTunes app and download.

Purchase the "28 Day Journal" HERE. Available as an eBook or Regular Book.

A Man of Prayer

Being a man of prayer is about having a conversation with God. In a conversation there is dialogue between two people. If one person does all the talking and the other only listens- that’s called a lecture. How often do we lecture God by coming to Him with all our requests and petitions and then leave and never wait for a response? I think if we pause, and listen- we might find that God has things on HIS heart that HE wants to dialogue with us about.

Being a man of prayer, and keeping a dialogue with God raises a heart belief- and that is- Do you believe that God still speaks to us today? Jesus tells us in the book of John- John 10:27- My Sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. That is a promise for us today, that we can hear God speak to us. Sometimes it’s a still small voice, sometimes it’s in the scriptures, sometimes through situations, sometimes through other people, and sometimes in the night time in our dreams. God is GOD and HE will get our attention.

What about praying for the lost or family members or praying for revival? That’s great to pray for that, but let’s have a heart check up. AM I doing all of this out of a performance or religious duty to make God proud of me? Am I praying to God; or with God?

Did you know there’s a difference? Praying to God is bringing my petitions and telling God what I want Him to do.  Praying with God is coming to God and asking what is on His heart about the situation and asking Him how to pray.  The next time you go into prayer, ask God what’s on His heart; ask HIM how you’re to pray. If I pray His heart- don’t you know those prayers are going to get answer?

Are you a Man of Prayer?

If not, what do you have to do to become one?

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                                          This has been a guest post by a very good friend 
                                                         and brother in Christ, C. Elrod. 

                                      Look forward to more great posts from him in the future!

MM: The Tools

Being a builder has taught me some very valuable things over the years. One of the main things I have learned is that you need to right tools for the job. As soon as I know what the project is, I start figuring out what materials I will need and what tools it will take to get the job done. The right tools will make all the difference. You need the right ingredients to make delicious food. You need a map to help you get from one place to the next. You need... well you get my point. In order to be a Maintenance Man for Christ, you need to have the right tools and you need to maintain them. God has provided us with so many options and there just waiting for us to grab them and use them. I have come up with a few ideas on some really great tools!

>THE BIBLE
I know that is sounds basic, but the Bible is an amazing tool to help you stay on your path for Christ. You can buy a Bible at the store, you can download apps and you can read it on your Nook or Kindle. The Bible is powerful and available. One of the best things to do is to pray before you read it and see what God might have in store for you. There are multiple programs to make your way through the Bible. The point is to stay in it! Find the time and maintain it!

>PRAYER
I have written about prayer a few times and still agree that this is a wonderful tool that God has given to us. I use to think it had to be military, eyes closed and head bowed. But prayer goes way beyond those things. God wants us to be in a relationship with Him. Just like any good relationship, you should be able to go to your friend anytime and seek help. I came to realize that I can go to Christ anytime I need or want to; when I am walking, when I am playing, when I am working and so on. Use this tool and use it DAILY!

>FRIENDS
If it were not for my friends from Church, I don't think I would still be married. God put's people in our live for a reason. We may not always know or understand that reason, but we have to be faithful. We can not isolate ourselves and think that we can do life on our own. We need to be in relationship. Our friendships on earth are a great reflection of how we should be in relationship with Christ. Friends are willing to help, give up their time, listen to the hard things and pray for you when you are down. Having great friends takes time and patience on both sides, but the rewards are great and worth it. Check in with your friends often!


>CHURCH
Find a Church and get involved! Our Church is a second family to my wife and me. We have met some great people and have made some great friends. Some of the great tools you can find in Church are classes, groups and simply the Sunday message. My wife and I do a marriage class at Church every year now and in between we try to stay involved with something else for the Church. Doing these classes challenges you to stay consistent and keeps you honest. They are great for conversations, discussions and more. Find a Church, use the resources and become a resource. Go weekly and see the fruits!

These are just some quick and easy examples of some of the great tools God has provided us with. Being a Maintenance Man means you are staying active and using the correct tools. I was always told 'If you don't use it, you lose it.' You need to use the tools available to you. The main theme at the end of each point goes back to consistency with the tools. How can we use these tools for The Job Christ gives us?

What are some tools you use to stay active and involved with Christ? Share what has worked for you or something you would like to try!