WILDMAN: Fighting for MORE

Romans 8:18-19 “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”

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FIGHTING FOR MORE

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Story: I have this ongoing fight with my truck. who here drives a truck? who here has kids? ya know the issue is my trucjk fighty is the fight to keep it RELATIVELY free of Dirt, Trash and BEACH SAND......The Dirt is just from them getting in & out The Trash is from the fact that Kids have ZERO understanding of how when you have trash you don’t LEAVE trash. But what gets me is the BEACH sand.

Its like HERE where we LIVE and WHAT WE DO, its a CONSTANT BATTLE. Its an ONGOING FIGHT.

(but i love my truck… i think my truck is great and i’m grateful for it - so i think its WORTH FIGHTING FOR).

It got me thinking as i was preparing for this - that as MEN - this is kind of what our LIVES can be at TIMES. a FIGHT. A fight to GET and a FIGHT to KEEP.

A fight for things to GET GOOD… and STAY GOOD.

Sometimes its a STRUGGLE>

But its A WORTHY STRUGGLE.

Because ROMANS 8. This is what it says “sufferings of this present time are not WORTH comparing with the Glory that is to be REVEALED TO US.

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What is it in your LIFE - That you WANT MORE OF?

I think we could sometimes say the easy things - or the low hanging fruit!

More money?

More Influence?

More success?

More Friends?

I want things to be easier……

What about spiritual things?

What do you KNOW THAT YOU KNOW - YOU COULD SEE GOD DO MORE IN THAT AREA>

What area of your LIFE are THINGS not at the LEVEL where they really should be?

Is your walk with Jesus pretty distant right now?

Is your marriage only OK right now?

What about how you LEAD Your FAMILY?

......

Tonite is actually about MORE>

MORE IS POSSIBLE. BUT MORE SOMETIMES ONLY COMES BECAUSE WE’VE DECIDED ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. IM FIGHTING FOR MORE:

I AM FIGHTING FOR MORE:

BECAUSE WHAT GOD HAS FOR ME IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

HOLY SPIRIT……WHAT IS A BIG FIGHT… AND A WORTHY FIGHT FOR EVERY MAN?

#1-FIGHTING FOR INTIMACY.

The greatest issue i see with men is their Intimacy with GOD. its the first thing the enemy wants to rob from you.

What is intimacy?

defined as…..

Intimacy

a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group.

a close association with or detailed knowledge or deep understanding of a place, subject, period of history, etc.:

But here is the way I think its easy to understand & maybe this will help someone tonite:

“into-mee-you-see”.

Intimacy. is one of the biggest struggles for a MAN.

Opening yourself up for SOMEONE TO REALLY SEE YOU?

Because God see’s you. He knows you. He desires to be in relationship with you

Psalm 139:13 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”

Luke 12:7 “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

GOD KNOWS YOU.

…..intimacy is worth fighting FOR.

Intimacy is Gods IDES. and it’s PRIMARY purpose is for our relationship with God…..

THE ENEMY WANTS TO STEAL AWAY YOUR INTIMACY!!

When we LACK an intimacy with the Lord.

We struggle with intimacy in other areas.

In our marriages, our relationship with our Kids.

Write this down: GOD WANTS ME TO HAVE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. (God actually wants it).

THE QUESTION ISNT “SHOULD“ WE HAVE INTIMACY IN OUR LIVES.

THE QUESTION SHOULD BE HOW HARD ARE WE WILLING TO FIGHT FOR IT? AND FOR MORE OF IT!

ITS TIME TO FIGHT FOR THE CLOSENESS THAT JESUS HAS BOUGHT ON YOUR BEHALF!

Dont feel close to GOD? YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR ITQfight for more!

Dont feel close to your spouse? fight for mor?

Dont feel close to Your kids? Friends? FIGHT FOR MORE>

Dont leave it? FIGHT FOR IT!

How do we FIGHT FOR INTIMACY:? LETS MAKE IT REAL SIMPLE!

Wel…..Walk closer today than you did yesterday.

There were three examples of 3 guys in the bible who walked with God:

Noah, Enoch and Abraham. all three it says :”WALKED with God”.

I THINK OF KING DAVID…. A MAN WITH A HEART AFTER GOD - He was close to GOD.

SO HOW FAR WE DO WE FIGHT FOR IT - HOW DO WE FIGHT FOR IT.

AS MEN….. I THINK ITS SIMPLE

“Walk closer today…. than you did yesterday.” THATS HOW WE GROW.

4 REAL QUICK WAYS WE CAN GROW AND BECOME MORE INTIMATE WITH THE LORD>

1.Get away alone with God. Silence and SOlitude are a LOST ART these days. Did you know that you may need to STARVE out the WRONG VOICES to hear the RIGHT VOICES. (The smart phone is DUMB when it comes to my spiritual life and intimacy with GOD. Truth.).

(The story of Billy Graham).

2.Pray and Ask God in Faith for MORE. Have you ever done that?

3.Read The scriptures. GET IN THE WORD. EVERY SINGLE DAY.

There was a study done recently that talked about the impact of reading the Bible

The “Center for biblical engagement” did a study of 40,000 Americans ages 8-80. So a wide study.

they discovered something:

What bible reading over the course of a week-long/7day period week in and week out did.

READING ONE DAY a week - No impact.

2x a week - no impact

3 x a week no impact.... except a small blip on the radar of CHANGE≥

but 4x a week: It GOES EXPONENTIAL: here is what happened - It became part of the MAJORITY of SOMEONES LIFE: CHANGE COMES.

here is what the found:

People who read their bible 4 days + per week

experienced these shifts:

......feeling lonely drops 30%

.........Anger drops 40%

.......Bitterness in relationships drops 40%

......Alcholism drops 57%

Viewing pornography…… LISTEN TO THIS: DROPS 61%… (68% less likelay to have sex outside of marriage)

Feeling spiritually stagnant drops 60%!!!!!!

So that’s some internal things:

Check out some of the EXTERNALs:

Sharing your faith SKYROCKETED UP 220%,

DISCIPLING OTHERS, 200%

Memorization of Scripture over 400%

This is the POWER of the WORD and how CLOSE IT BRINGS US TO INTIMACY WITH OUR LORD - LITERALLY EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES BEGINS TO CHANGE≥

SO DO YOU HAVE A READING PLAN? CAN WE HELP YOU!

**soon were rolling out mens discipleship groups in our church - these will be small groups where guys ask questions, talk, get help

what about a reading plan

Wednesday morning prayer with Ps Bob.

4.Spend time with God And His people.

INTIMACY COMES….

and Answers begin to come

and relationship begins to bring LIFE.

why?

Because THE FIGHT FOR MORE INTIMACY happened….

Finish with a quick story:

One of the most famous and life-changing events in the life of Billy Graham happened in August 1949, immediately prior to the Los Angeles crusade that thrust him into national prominence. Many who weren’t around at that time may not know that for a short period the unofficial title of North America’s most prominent evangelist fell on a man named Chuck Templeton. However, by this time Templeton was coming under the influence of men who doubted the inspiration of Scripture, and this eventually led to his complete denial of the faith. He began to share the books and ideas that were shaping him with Graham. And only days before Graham drove to California, Templeton told him that by continuing to believe the Bible the young evangelist was committing intellectual suicide.

While speaking at a youth conference in the San Bernardino Mountains, Graham knew he had to get God’s perspective on the matter, and he found it through solitude. Here’s how he describes that night: “I went back alone to the cottage and read in my Bible for a while, and then I decided to take a walk in the forest.” There he recalled that phrases such as “the Word of the Lord came” and “thus saith the Lord” were used more than two thousand times in Scripture. He meditated on the attitude of Christ, who fulfilled the law and the prophets, who quoted from them constantly and never indicated that they might be wrong. As he walked he said, “Lord, what shall I do? What shall be the direction of my life?” He saw that intellect alone couldn’t resolve the question of the Bible’s inspiration and authority. Beyond that it ultimately became an issue of faith. He thought of the faith he had in many everyday things that he did not understand, such as airplanes and cars, and asked himself why it was only the things of the Spirit where such faith was considered wrong. “So I went back and got my Bible,” he continues, “and I went out in the moonlight. And I got to a stump and put the Bible on the stump, and I knelt down, and I said, ‘Oh, God; I cannot prove certain things. I cannot answer some of the questions Chuck is raising and some of the other people are raising, but I accept this Book by faith as the Word of God.’ ” And through that time of solitude and the spiritual perspective he gained that night, Billy Graham was shaped into the man the world has known since.

NOTES:

Principle of intimacy?

7th Commandment

exodus 20:14 “14 “You shall not commit adultery.”

Body Soul Spirit.

There is a principle of intimacy in scripture that we