Can Christianity offer a robust response to the injustices plaguing our society? Join us as we navigate the turbulent waters of pain and suffering, illuminated by Psalm 10:14's promise of God's unwavering attention to the afflicted. In our heartfelt discussion, we unravel the Christian's mandate to rise as advocates for the voiceless—be it the unborn, orphans, or widows—and confront the passivity that evil desires to sow within us. Drawing strength from the Holy Spirit, we challenge you to step out and fiercely defend the defenseless, assuring you that in this battle for justice and love, you stand far from alone.
As men, we navigate different seasons, seeking guidance to conquer obstacles while remaining steadfast. Discipleship Masterminds is the environment where you not only receive invaluable insights to overcome challenges but also gain profound guidance on the path to becoming the leader God uniquely designed you to be.
Can Christianity offer a robust response to the injustices plaguing our society? Join us as we navigate the turbulent waters of pain and suffering, illuminated by Psalm 10:14's promise of God's unwavering attention to the afflicted. In our heartfelt discussion, we unravel the Christian's mandate to rise as advocates for the voiceless—be it the unborn, orphans, or widows—and confront the passivity that evil desires to sow within us. Drawing strength from the Holy Spirit, we challenge you to step out and fiercely defend the defenseless, assuring you that in this battle for justice and love, you stand far from alone.
As men, we navigate different seasons, seeking guidance to conquer obstacles while remaining steadfast. Discipleship Masterminds is the environment where you not only receive invaluable insights to overcome challenges but also gain profound guidance on the path to becoming the leader God uniquely designed you to be.
Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders. Gotta attend you to be. I'm your host, chris Granger, let's jump in. Alright, guys, it's your spiritual kickoff time. I'm excited to have you here. Let's get right into the world.
Chris Grainger:
Okay, so the scripture this week we're gonna be in the book of Psalms. Okay, the 10th chapter, looking at the 14th verse, says but you, god, see the trouble of the afflicted. You consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you. You are the helper of the fatherless Guys. That is some powerful scripture right there. The whole Psalm 10, we're gonna be looking at this week, but let's just start off right here.
Chris Grainger:
First of all, we need to understand where is the book of Psalms? Okay, so basic stuff. This is Old Testament and I usually go about halfway. Then back up a little bit. Right, and it's right in front of Proverbs is where you're gonna find Psalms, and this is a Psalm of David, right here, and you can hear him lamenting, absolutely lamenting to the Lord.
Chris Grainger:
In fact, he was upset about was the injustice that was happening all around him, everywhere around him, from wicked people who are under the yoke of the evil one to outright hatred to anything that was holy. He saw more and more people living for themselves instead of the one true God. I guess when I think about that, not much has changed, has it? Think about the world we live in today, because it's so easy to get caught in the rabbit trail of this negativity and anger. When you look around, you see everything that's going on, and I find it helpful moments like that to remember that there is never a moment at all where God is not in control. He sees all, he knows all and he is never for a second away from us and we could take refuge in that right. Even when the weak and the defenseless are treated harshly, he is there and we get that promise, like this verse right here, that God truly sees the troubles of those being afflicted, that is, either us, the afflictions we face, or others. He never misses it. Nothing gets by him. You don't want to play hide and seek with God. You'll lose every time. Nothing gets by him. And not only does he see it, he understands the grief, he understands it, and that means the feelings, the emotions, all the items that make our innermost being. He fully understands it and is in his hand, and that should give you some comfort, because when the persecutions happen and they are going to happen we need to understand in those moments he's with us, he's with us and that's just. That's something that for me, as a believer, just knowing I can take it and lay it at his feet, no matter what, no matter what, I can take that, and just he's going to be there, right there for us, and that's just that should give you some comfort.
Chris Grainger:
So now, as we continue to start thinking about this and explore this verse, let's look at particularly what it says about how God loves to follow us. That's important because this can mean a couple of things, guys and this week we're going to get rid of some heavy stuff, because we're going to be talking about stuff that may hey, we'll be we need to stand up for the ones that are in the womb, who can't protect themselves, to the ones born they don't have an earthly father that can guide and direct them. There's all, all of these things that are happening in this world and when we at this level of injustice, that's not going to go unnoticed by our loving father this is not. But we have right now, we have a mandate to stand up and defend the followers and to do something to protect the ones that can't protect themselves. That also includes widows and orphans, because God has a special concern from them. He does. It's right in the book of James.
Chris Grainger:
You see that, and the moment you start thinking that you can remove yourself from this, that's a sign. That should be a flag, because we need to reject those thoughts. Those thoughts are straight from the evil one. Because, in fact, the evil one, what's he wants you to do? He wants you to sit around and just complain and do nothing. Oh, that's too big, there's nothing I can do. Here I'm telling you, the evil one is going to try to do anything he can to keep you from pursuing something new, particularly around the idea of defending someone else's life, because that ripple effect which you cause can set an emotion, something incredible, incredible. He doesn't want that to happen, because if you lead with love, that's going far out way. Any inconvenience that you think in your mind right now, the reasons that you're going through your mind right now, or why you can't do anything for the injustice of others, love's going to overshot. Any of that it is because the bottom line is that when we're starting to walk out scripture.
Chris Grainger:
As Christian men, as Christian leaders, we need to recognize the power that we have and importance. I'm not only speaking up but for defending the rights of others who can't speak up for themselves. Hey, this means getting uncomfortable sometimes. This means that you may need to defend the rights of the unborn and taking a firm stance on something not soft-footed, a firm stance wrapping your love around those who need it the most. Or could mean you're starting to take steps towards adoption. It should be real to help a child who's been dealt with a pretty difficult hand In the Holy Spirit. If you're willing, the Holy Spirit is ready to guide and direct you in those battles.
Chris Grainger:
So it's not just on you. He just needs your obedience, your willingness to obey to what he's telling you to do. Because, let's just face it, you know what Marching for certain rights may not be your thing. Maybe that's not your deal. Or fostering right now, in this season of life, Maybe so far in the outside of the realm of reality that you just get sick even thinking about it. There's just no way.
Chris Grainger:
But at some point you got to make the decision. Are you going to do things your way or are you going to truly surrender to his Lordship and walk in and be in his way telling you to do? I don't know what he's telling you to do. He may be telling you to move forward with the idea of fostering. He may be telling you to be more proactive on pro-life. It may be what he's trying to tell you. He may be telling you to take more intentional effort around mentorship, because there's a lot of young men out there that need mentorship.
Chris Grainger:
But whatever he's telling you, are you going to obey? Are you going to listen? Are you going to surrender? Because the attacks they're going to keep happening. They're all around us right now. They're all around us and we need to unite as a band of brothers who follow the Lordship of Jesus Christ and take a firm stance. A firm stance Because against that evil. Because that evil is going to keep pushing, it's going to keep trying to open doors, it's going to keep trying to distort, it's going to keep trying to distract, it's going to keep trying to trip you up To keep you busy, because if you're busy doing other stuff, you're not going to see this over here, you're not going to worry about it. And that's exactly where he wants you, and this is why I want to encourage you.
Chris Grainger:
We can't just turn a blind eye to this stuff, guys. We have to read God's word, we have to think about it, we have to see, okay, how can we apply this to our life. And then the rubber meets the road when you decide to do something, and that's my encouragement to you Make a decision to do something today About the injustice that you see, because there's someone out there there may be something out there right now who their only chance for someone to ever speak up and defend them is you. You know what God has a plan for their life too. So take that opportunity. If it's given to you, lean into it. Is it gonna be easy? No, it's not gonna be easy, but it's not about being easy, it's about better. That's what it means to be a Christ follower Better. Take test that firm stance. Push back against that persecution. Show the love of Christ to others. Choose to defend. Don't miss your chance today, guys. Choose to defend, because the question about this this week I really want to challenge you with is where do you see injustice today?
Chris Grainger:
Now think about that for a second. Where do you see that injustice? And take it a little bit further. What are you gonna do about it? And sitting around and complaining on a social media account is not doing something. What are you gonna physically do about it? If you see someone hungry? A very simple example hey, I'm praying for you, that's great. How about taking some food? How about actually do something? That's a very simple example, but you got to do that.
Chris Grainger:
There's too many Christians out there that just want to say well, I'll be praying for you when they should be. I'll be praying for you, and here's what I'm gonna do. The hell right now. Move it into action. We know the father sees it all. He's gonna hand the justice, for sure, but if he's telling you to do something and you don't do it, that's just as bad as doing something that you shouldn't do. Don't miss that for a second, guys. Don't miss it for a second. So you're gonna have a lot of fun, I think, this week.
Chris Grainger:
I'm excited about the messages, the encouragement, the challenge that you're gonna have, listening to the line this week, because we're gonna hit you between eyes with some serious truth, some serious truth. I want to make you think this week. I want to really make you sit down and ponder. Okay, as a Christian leader that's stepping in and acts a face to do what guys call me and do. What am I gonna do next? I'm not gonna take that step of obedience or I'm just gonna sit here in my comfort zone because it is comfortable, and I'm telling you, as we lean into this, we think about this, we try to figure out how to apply it. It's gonna change things for you. That's my hope, that's my prayer, that's my encouragement to you this week.
Chris Grainger:
Okay, so now, if you haven't accepted the Lordship of Christ and you're listening to the lion, you're here, obviously for a reason. Maybe you're curious, maybe someone shared this podcast with you. I don't know why. I just know you're here and I'm glad you're here. But if you're questioning well, I'm not sure you're quote unquote saved Today's your day. Don't put off for tomorrow what you need to do right now, because you got some business with God you need to handle.
Chris Grainger:
And it starts. It all starts for understanding how good God is, and then he loves us. So we are made in his image and things were great when he traded the world for about two pages in my Bible. It went pretty bad, but that beginning was perfect and he were made in his image when he breathed the rule of life. And so, adam, he was face to face with his Creator. And guess what? That same breath, that same spirit, it's right here, each and every one of us. That's the souls that we have. He loves us. That's God. But that said that entered, separated us.
Chris Grainger:
So now there's a gap between us and a holy and righteous God and there's nothing you could do to overcome that gap. And I'm sorry to be the guy I have to tell you this, there's nothing. You can't just go help. You know, help people and volunteer or give money to certain charities or spend time. You know, just really being a good person. I hear people all the time that's gotta be a good person. Yeah, I get it, that's just cool. That's not gonna save you, you know. It's not like we just need a coach to help us figure out how to get stuff to the next level. No, you need a savior.
Chris Grainger:
So that's where recognizing that, this gap that we have as sinners, we all fall short of the glory of God, we just do. You need to recognize that, first and foremost, this is a big, big deal, recognize that there's a gap, and the second thing you understand is that Jesus came to fulfill that gap, to pay the penalty for our sin. And he came on that rescue mission for us from heaven, born of a virgin, did all the things, showed us all the miracles, did the teachings, then went to the cross for us and paid the penalty. And no one else could pay for you, for me, for everyone. He paid the penalty for sin. He died late. I'm in a tomb. Three days later he rose, he overcame death and this is who we worship, because he ascended back to the father and he said to his right hand right now, and no one gets to heaven except through him. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He is it. There's no other path. He isn't there. He is the gate, he is the shepherd, that's it.
Chris Grainger:
So you have to make a decision. He's the only way. There's this big gap of sin that you can't cover on your own. What are you going to do? It's decision time, and the only decision, the right decision, is to choose to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. And when you make that decision to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, things change. The Holy Spirit's going to come. We'll give you a new heart, a new and dwelling. Right here, you'll have the Holy Spirit within from God that's going to be speaking to you, guiding you, directing you, convicting you. It's going to change everything, but it starts with one act of obedience and surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus. That's you. That's where you're at today. Let's pray together right now and invite him into your life.
Chris Grainger:
So, father, whoever's listening right now and they're at that point, they recognize their need for a savior. They know that they can't do this alone. They're tired. They need you. Father, I pray you touched them right now. I pray that you just hear their prayer. I pray you just give them that peace that passes on understanding. And I pray, father, you just just just lift them up, give them the Holy Spirit as they surrender their life to you. And we know right now that heaven is rejoicing for the decision that is being made in this moment. We love you and we praise you. We pray everything in accordance to your will and Christ's holy name, amen.
Chris Grainger:
So if you just accept it, christ, look, this is the biggest day of your life on this year today Biggest day by far I want to hook you up with some things to get you started with some scriptures, some Bible studies and things like that. Same email, chris at the lion, with the end of us. Okay, I also want to jump on, call and pray with you just to give you some encouragement. We'll try to get you hooked up with a local church, a gospel believing church, one that is just going to stand on the gospel. We have resources. We want to help you. We want to get you started on the right path, because the evil one is going to try to trip you up right now. He, this is you, don't fire you, just accept it. Christ, you're on fire man, he's going to try to put you out. I want to help you, want to encourage you. So again, chris at the lion, with the end that us, okay, same email.
Chris Grainger:
Look, serenity gospel each week on the lion. That's part of my week. That's part of week by far. You know we put a lot of effort into the messages and things like that for sure, just letting that gospel resonate, just those few minutes every week. This is why we do it. This is why. So I hope that you're enjoying this stuff. Guys, again, we do spiritual kickoffs every day in the Lion with Dennis community. We'd love for you to check it out. Go, check that out Again. We have lots of live events, we have lots of devotions All sorts of stuff happening at the Lion. With Dennis Head over to thelionwithmus to find all those resources and then come back on Wednesday we're going to have a really good deep look at the cry for injustice and what do we need to do to stand up for the injustice that is happening in this world as Christian men, as leaders.
Chris Grainger:
What can we do? So I encourage you to come back and check that out. If you give us a rating and review, that would help. Go check out our stuff on YouTube, all the different social media platforms, all that stuff and just connect with us. Connect with us. That's what it's all about. We have lots of ways we try to help people and each day of the week I'm committed, we're committed to doing what God's called us to do, and that's helping Christian men be the leader God intends you to be. What it essentially is discipleship, practical discipleship, keeping it simple, walking it out and just doing what he calls us to do. So I love to meet you. I love to connect with you. Again, lionwithmus is the website. Chris at thelionwithmus that's my email. If you want to send an email. Okay, guys, get after it. Have a great day. Look forward to seeing you back here, with your good Lord willing, on Wednesday for our meet episode. Okay, and keep unleashing the lion with.
Chris Grainger:
If you're a man is looking for greater spiritual guidance into how to become a better leader, finding resources that you can trust and then implement can be daunting For me personally. I thought it was a lost cause and I decided to take the action, knowing that I wasn't alone. It was because of this wide gap that we created our lion with this community in the areas that we're helping Christian men grow are incredible. For instance, we built ways for guys to lean in and grow through fun events like our daily spiritual kickoff, where you get that much needed boost directly from God's word, our Bible studies that always focus on how to discern and apply what we learn, and even our amazing form where you can speak your mind without fear of getting shut down or judged by the extreme rules of modern day social media. On top of all that, we know that many men won't help overcoming issues and becoming stronger in many different areas. That's why we created several mastermind groups where their iron truly sharp as iron Our community is by having a gross mindset, accountability, intentionality and transparency In all words.
Chris Grainger:
Just leave Fakie at home and come to community just as you are. I fully believe what we built. I see the impact that's making old men right now and I would love to have you check it out. So start your very own 30 day free trial today to see how we can help you be a better leader. So if you're ready to take that first step, head over to the lion with themus and get started. Your journey begins here. This is the lion with them, that us and I'll see you inside the damn.
