Have you ever witnessed the transformative power of scripture in leadership? Join us as we uncover the profound impact of Zephaniah 3:17 on your ability to lead with strength, compassion, and joy. In a world where the true essence of leadership is often misconstrued, we take a deep look into the dual themes of judgment and hope, seeking to reshape the way we guide those around us. Reflecting on God's role as a mighty warrior who delights in His people, we explore how this image can inspire and inform our own leadership approach, fostering a sense of protection, affection, and unwavering support in our professional and personal lives.
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.
Have you ever witnessed the transformative power of scripture in leadership? Join us as we uncover the profound impact of Zephaniah 3:17 on your ability to lead with strength, compassion, and joy. In a world where the true essence of leadership is often misconstrued, we take a deep look into the dual themes of judgment and hope, seeking to reshape the way we guide those around us. Reflecting on God's role as a mighty warrior who delights in His people, we explore how this image can inspire and inform our own leadership approach, fostering a sense of protection, affection, and unwavering support in our professional and personal lives.
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 God intends you to be. I'm your host, chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, guys, it's your spiritual kickoff episode of the week. I'm excited to have you here. I just I don't know. I just love the SKOs. They're probably my favorite, if I'm being honest with you. I mean, the interviews are really cool, things like that. Fun Friday Obviously that's just fun. Skl says there's something special about this, so let's get right into it.
Chris Grainger:
Scripture of the Week this week it's in Zephaniah 317. Okay, it says the Lord, your God, is with you. The mighty warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you. How about that? In his love, he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing and I don't know verses like that. It just hits you. You know, usually the scripture of the week always comes from the guest and when he sent me this one funny thing is when he sent it to me I actually thought he sent Zephaniah 3.7. I looked at it. I'm like I don't know how I'm going to turn that into an SKL, but he actually said 17. So I was telling my wife about that she got a big kick out of it, but anyway, so we did.
Chris Grainger:
First thing we need to figure out here, fellas, is where is that? And that's not something we study a whole lot, and it's in the old Testament. It's one of your minor prophets, so you'll find them after a back up, before high guy, and so it's only three chapters to table of contents. If you need to look for it, that's okay. So, really, what's going on here with Zephaniah is this book is providing really a strong message of judgment and hope. This was written during the reign of King Josiah of Judah and it really warns of impending divine judgment against Judah and the surrounding nations due to really what they were doing. They were just living a life of corruption and idolatry. They were just living life their way.
Chris Grainger:
And what Zephaniah was doing? He was calling for repentance and he was saying look, you better start turning back to God right now where disaster is coming. And it has a lot of grim warnings in this book and it kind of finishes up with a promise of restoration and renewal for the faithful remnant, for those who really, truly seek God's forgiveness, for the ones that truly repent, if that makes sense. This final chapter right here really talks about where God is restoring Jerusalem, transforming it into a pure and joyful community, right, free from oppression, free from sin. It's pretty awesome, right? So it really is kind of hitting that area of judgment and joyous renewal and it aligns very well with accountability and redemption.
Chris Grainger:
Okay, so it tells us that God is not only a protector. I mean, we see that right there, he's a mighty warrior who saves, but he's also delighting in his people, and that's just pretty cool to think about God, who's sovereign king in the universe. Yes, he is the mighty warrior who saves us. He delights in us Really. Yes, he really does, and that's pretty incredible when you start thinking about it. And he's not doing this love through rebuking us or anything like that. No, he's rejoicing, he's singing over them. And I'm going to tell you what this is the characteristic of God, that I just get blown away by the affection he has, the joy he has, the celebration he has, instead of criticizing, instead of criticizing, instead of being angry with me. I just know that he loves me and he loves you. So let's think about how we can apply this into our life, into our journeys as leaders.
Chris Grainger:
I know a lot of you guys listening, are in leadership areas of some type of your life. So, first of all, I want you to think about this the presence in your protection. Right, because there's never a moment that God's not with us. We have to remember that His presence only brings us peace, only brings us peace. Yeah, we often overlook it, don't we? Because God, he, wants a relationship with us and he's offering us protection from the attacks of this world. But we have to be able to open our eyes, be present, be still enough to recognize this. And I'm going to tell you, fellas, this is a big deal. Are you present and are you still? Are you providing that protection for the ones you're leading?
Chris Grainger:
Because, just as God is that mighty warrior, okay, as a leader, we should be striving to be someone who our team members, to the people that are around us, to people that we're serving Maybe it is your family, maybe it's actual people you work with that they can depend on, that they know will defend them, that know we're going to support them in those times of need. I always tell the guys like this all the time Look around, look at the last trial that you faced, look around, look at the last trial that you faced. Look around Was your team fighting alongside of you or are you going about it alone? Because if you're going about this thing called life alone, you're missing. You're going to come up short at some point. You're going to face an opposition that you can't overcome. You have to be able to, willing to lean in. A leader is only effective as a team. You have to lean in and let others come around you and support you and help you, which means you have to let go of some things. You need to recognize his presence, his protection in your life. Because if you're downplaying that, if you're just putting that office on the back burner, I'll get to it when I get to it. I don't really trust in that You're missing it. When I get to it, I don't really trust in that You're missing it. You're just missing it Now.
Chris Grainger:
Second thing I want you to think about when you think about this verse affirmation and delight Because this verse is emphasizing God's delight in his people. You realize he loves you I mean, really loves you and in a leadership context, start to think about this really loves you. And, in a leadership context, start to think about this. How often do we recognize and affirm the value and the worth of the people that we work with or the people that are in our home. How often are we celebrating their success and contributions? And I'm talking about openly doing this, so not just boosting morale. I'm not talking about just boosting morale, but actually pouring into people because we care, because we actually, we, actually, you give two cents Because you want to build your culture up. Start with yourself. How are you, how are you speaking? How are you acting in these people's lives?
Chris Grainger:
When a success occurs on your team, maybe a success happens at home, maybe a success happens in one of your direct reports, take the time to affirm and celebrate that Delight in it. Don't just move on to that next thing. Actually take the time to do this because people need affirmation. They want that. We want that as believers, as Christians, we want that affirmation. The Lord's going to delight in us, he's going to give us that affirmation. So why should we not do the same for others? Just think about that for a second. I also want you to think about positive reinforcement over rebuking. Okay, because correction is necessary. I'm totally with you. Correction is necessary.
Chris Grainger:
But Scripture, right here, is emphasizing and highlighting the importance of leading with love. Leading with love, choosing to rejoice over others instead of just hitting them with the hammer. And I get it. It's easier to hit them with the hammer, it just is. I'm a hammer hitter too, I don't mind, just telling you the way it is.
Chris Grainger:
At the end of the day, I think I need to be showing a little more grace and love with others. We need to be aiming to create that environment as leaders, where that positive reinforcement is out there. That should prevail. That should encourage the growth of others. It should also encourage developmental feedback so that we can learn and grow with ourselves. That should be encouraged instead of fear of rebuke. Are you kidding me? Because I'm not talking about weak leadership here. That's not what we're talking about. This is having more of a glass half full mentality. Recognize, not everybody is out there to get you. If not, we cannot hang on the negativity at all times either. Right, there's times again where you need to be the hammer, for sure, but there are also times you better extend that grace. You're going to be looking for both. You have to look for both.
Chris Grainger:
And that last thing when I look at this verse, it said it's the encouragement encouragement over enthusiasm or encouragement through enthusiasm, rather Because God is rejoicing. He's rejoicing with singing for crying out loud. Did you get that? And that can be mirrored in how we motivate others. Because enthusiasm I don't know about you guys, it's contagious.
Chris Grainger:
There's this one guy in our community. His name's Michael Dixon. I love to death and he's always got a smile on his face. One of the most enthusiastic guys that I know. And it's contagious. When I'm around him I just can't help but smile. When I think about him, I can't help but smile just because it's just the way he is and you can't fake it Like. You cannot fake that. You can't fake being encouragement, right, because if you're genuinely excited and joyful man, that's just going to fire everybody up. But be careful here. If you try to fake it, it's going to come off extremely. It's going to do more damage than it does good. Okay, to fake it, it's going to come off extremely. It's going to do more damage than it does good. Okay, so be careful there.
Chris Grainger:
And too much enthusiasm over too many periods of time, that can just come off as weird. Like bro, why are you celebrating everything? So don't you gotta throttle this stuff with wisdom? Okay, because you're not. You don't want to be a cheerleader all the time. Every now and then you gotta play the game, right, you gotta get in, actually play it. But there is some power behind encouraging through enthusiasm. Okay, you don't want to be Eeyore all the time? I'm telling you do not let that be your spirit animal. You don't want to be Eeyore. Every now and then you need to be a ticker, okay. So just embrace this stuff, fellas. I mean, think about these principles, lean into it. I mean, this is directly from God's word. This is not stuff that Chris just makes up and throws out to you. No, this is from God's word and you can create a more dynamic, a more supportive, you can have a much more effective leadership journey from others just by leaning into God's word here and by applying what he's telling us right here today.
Chris Grainger:
Now for this week, we're going to be talking about how you can take this one verse and apply it to leading those at your home, primarily your kids, being the best father that you can. And your kids may be going. My criticism doesn't apply to me. My kids are at the house. Wrong, wrong. You make an impact on your kids forever. Your journey never stops. I'm telling you, whether or not they're underneath your roof or not, you have the opportunity to make an impact on those that you love, particularly the ones you brought to this world. So I want you to think about this right now what is the single most effective action you can take to become an exceptional father and I use that word intentionally Exceptional father, not just mediocre, not just checking boxes? No, we need to raise that expectation. You can be an exceptional father.
Chris Grainger:
God handpicked you to be the father of your family. He just did. He picked me to lead my kids. Some days I do an exceptional job, some days it's a dumpster fire. I'm just going to be real with you. But you know what? Every day I'm going to get up and I'm going to put my boots on. I'm going to try my best to seek after God and hopefully I'll get it right sometimes and that these kids that he's placed underneath me never question for a second how much they're loved, never question for a second how much their dad although their dad screws up a lot is trying he's fighting as a mighty warrior to just love them, to just make a whole lot about them, to be unconditional, to be sacrificial. It ain't about me anymore. No, it's about being the best father I can to them. That's what it's all about, because my Heavenly Father loves me and you know what your Heavenly Father loves you too, and if you're listening to the Lion Within Us right now, you've made it this far, in to this episode, and you've never surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Chris Grainger:
I need you to know that god loves you, because you may be going through some stuff, you may be having some real life items hit you right now, and for that I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you don't do it. I need you to know one thing you are made in the image of god. When you go back to creation, when the whole, when everything began, he spoke everything to existence, to the stars, the suns, the planets, the moon, all the stuff, the land, the sea, the animals, the fish, everything. He spoke it. Let there be, let there be, let there be, and all that stuff came in. It just happened. He is the creator. But then he formed man with his own image. He formed him up out of the clay. He breathed the breath of life, the rule of life into Adam and then, all of a sudden, adam was face to face with his creator and he recognized. We are told that we are made in the image of God. That is you, that is me, that is everyone. We're made in the image of God.
Chris Grainger:
Unfortunately, what happened? Sin entered the world. It went really good in the Bible for like a page and a half, two pages. Then it just was a dumpster fire ever since then. And there's this big gap between the holiness of God and us and unfortunately, we all fall short of that gap. There's nothing we can do. You can't pray your way in. You can't, you know, read your Bible at the end. You can't go to church to get your way in. You can't volunteer your way in. You can't give money to donations the way in. You can't do all the stuff right, nope, can't do it. There's a gap. So how do you do it that you know what? I made an image of God, but I've got this thing called sin that's entered and that's keeping me from Him, and recognize I can't pay it. There's nothing you can do to pay it. You can't pay your way into Heaven. So what do you do? Well, you need a Savior. You need a Savior.
Chris Grainger:
His name is Jesus. He left Heaven on that rescue mission for us. He was born of a virgin. He fulfilled all the prophecies. He is this Messiah, he is the Son of God. Then he went to that cross for us. He died the sin. He died for all sin. He lived a sinless life. He paid the penalty for our sins. He is the ultimate payment that satisfies him, and he was thinking about you while he was on that cross. He was thinking about me. He was thinking about the whole world. He bore the whole weight of sin on him and he died, because that's the ultimate payment for sin is blood. And he paid it. They laid him in a tomb Three days later he rose.
Chris Grainger:
That's why we celebrate a risen Savior. We're not all gloomy and doomy all the time, like we're going to a funeral. No, jesus rose, he overcame death and then he ascended. He's at the right hand of the Father right now and he is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. He is it there, him, he is it. There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. Jesus is the only way. I don't care what your kindergarten teacher told you, I don't care what Oprah told you. I'm telling you Jesus is the only way.
Chris Grainger:
So now, recognizing that he's the only way, recognizing that you are made in the image of God, that sin entered this world. You are a sinner. You're not a struggler. No, no, no, you don't struggle with this stuff. You sin.
Chris Grainger:
Sin is anything that separates us from God. Recognize you need a Savior. We need to verify that. You need a Savior. You don't need a coach. You need a Savior, because all this bad stuff you got going on. Yep, we need a Savior. No, we don't need to coach our way through this. And Jesus is that Savior. He is it.
Chris Grainger:
So we need to confess Him as Lord and Lord of our life. He is our Savior, he is our Lord, and I mean Lord of everything, lord of your finances, lord of your career, lord of your relationships, lord of your marriage, lord of your parenting, lord of your bedroom. How about that Everything? When we confess Him as Lord of our life, things are just going to change for so much for the better. Is it going to be easy? Absolutely not, but it will be better. And then you have the promise of eternal salvation and you also have been gifted the Holy Spirit to guide and direct you to make better decisions, to make a whole lot of him and to all of a sudden have the wisdom from God, then you have to make a choice whether you're going to listen to it or not.
Chris Grainger:
So if you've never accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, today's your day. You may think well, chris, there's no way I'm going to do this listen to a podcast. Are you kidding me, bro? I'm like I'm on the treadmill right now. Stop the treadmill. Stop the treadmill. Just be real for a second. If you've never done this, you've never taken the time to surrender your life to the Lordship of Christ. Don't run another mile. Take action today. Don't put off for tomorrow what God wants you to deal with right now. So if that's you, let's pray together. It's time to invite Christ into your life.
Chris Grainger:
So, father, thank you for how good you are to us, thank you for loving us the way that we are, thank you for Jesus for just giving us that path to salvation, and we just Lord, for that listener right now who's struggling. Maybe they're just struggling with some things, father, regarding their marriage or their parenting, or or just their health. You never know, lord. So much can just change with one phone call. So I just pray that you'd be with that, that man or woman, right now that they'll ever make and that's the decision to follow you. I just pray, god, that you'd be with them right now, during this most pivotal decision of their life, and recognize, you know what their way hasn't worked as often it doesn't but we know that your way is and it's better. You didn't promise an easier path, but a better path. So I just pray that they take this moment, they confess you as Lord, they turn from their old way and they walk now in the newness of life. We love you, we praise you. We do all this according to walk now in the newness of life. We love you, we praise you. We do all this according to your will, in Christ's name. Amen, all right, so now you just accepted Christ as your savior. Touchdown, touchdown.
Chris Grainger:
I want to hear from you. Okay, chris, at the lion withinus, send me an email. I'm going to hook you up with some free resources that we put together. Got a. Send me an email. I'm going to hook you up with some free resources that we put together. I've got a bunch of devotionals. I've got some scriptures you need to know to fight like a lion. Lots of resources. I just want to help you. That's the problem. I just want to help you First of all. I want to celebrate and encourage you. Just be life until you. Just encourage you and then also try to get you plugged, and we will do all we can to at least try to find a, a, a gospel Bible center centered church that will help you along your journey. So, yeah, chris, at the land within that us, I'd love to hear from you. Absolutely. Make my day Now. For the rest of you guys out there listening, come back on Wednesday We'll have a great episode on being a better father, what that actually looks like, and, and while we need to lean into that, we can be outsourcing that fatherhood fellas, something we have to do ourself. So I think you're going to really enjoy that conversation and then head over to the lion withinus. So that's the lion withinus for all our resources, including our community, where we lean heavy into practical discipleship. So I want to ask you one question Do you have a group of guys right now that you can go to and talk to them about your addictions, talk to them about your areas of your life that you just can't get a grip on?
Chris Grainger:
Maybe it's pornography. Maybe your kids you feel like your kids hate you. Maybe you and your wife haven't been intimate in so long you can't remember when. Maybe you've made some financial decisions and you just cannot figure out how you're going to ever get past them and you don't have anyone you can go share that with. Because if you share this with your guys at church, they're going to start looking at you a little judgmental. Next thing you know they're going to stop texting you or calling you so much and they're just going to back away.
Chris Grainger:
This is reality. This is what happens to guys. This is why we built the community. This is why we have mastermind groups. This is why you need guys within the land, within us, speaking life into you, so you can actually come in and be real. You don't have to wait and try to be, you know, in a special moment, 10 years from now, after you've built up. No, you can just come in right now, just as you are, just share it and expect the same worldview. These guys have, just like you be, leaders. God intended you to be speaking life into you, reminding you who you are as a man of Christ.
Chris Grainger:
So again, the lionwithdenus is where you get all those resources, okay, and connect with that community. Today you can also head over to YouVersion. We have probably now, at this point, getting close to 30 devotionals on YouVersion. It's been a blessing for us. Go check that out. It's a great way to connect with us Love, to share those resources with you. They could be great resources for your small group, for your discipleship group, whatever it may be. So the lionwithinus is how you connect with us there and I look forward to seeing you over there. Okay, all right, guys, get after it. Have a great day. Give us a rating and review if you don't mind. That would be awesome. Again, also on the website, you can check out our swag. You guys can see this new hat I'm wearing right now. For you guys that are not watching, head over to the YouTube channel. Check that out and, while you're there, subscribe to the channel. Okay, alright, guys, get after it. We'll see you here on Wednesday and, look, keep unleashing the lion with that.
Chris Grainger:
If you're a man who's 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 Withinist community, and the areas that we're helping Christian men grow are incredible. For instance, we've 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 the iron truly sharpens the iron.
Chris Grainger:
Our community is about having a growth mindset, accountability, intentionality and transparency. In other words, just leave fake you at home and come to community just as you are. I fully believe what we feel. I see the impact it's making on 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 thelinewithinus and get started. Your journey begins here. Visit thelinewithinus and I'll see you inside with them.
