Welcome to the lion within us, a podcast, serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders they’re predestined to be. I’m your host, Chris Grainger. Let’s jump in. All right, guys, for your spiritual kickoff this week, we’re gonna be digging into the book of Proverbs. Okay. Now specifically Proverbs 24, and we’re gonna be looking at verses 30 through 34.

Now what it says, I went past the field of a slug, past a vineyard of someone who has no sense. Thorns had come up everywhere. The ground was covered with weeds and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding in your hands to rest and poverty will come on.

You like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. So there you go. Proverbs 24, 30 through 34. Very interesting. We we’re gonna be digging into this scripture here on this spiritual kickoff. Cause I wanna give you guys some insights and things I’ve learned from it. Just studying this, the scripture, cuz it’s gonna relaunch this into this week where we’re gonna be talking about, okay.

First of all, like every spiritual kickoff, where is Proverbs? Okay. You need to just go kind of go towards the middle of your Bible of your Bible. Find salt, find the book of PSMs and then right after. You come up on Proverbs. Okay. Just again, basic one-on-one stuff, but we don’t wanna skip anything. I want you guys to know where this, this stuff is in God’s word.

Okay. So this is kinda like not just a general proverb directed at just overall people, you know, but it’s, it’s definitely a proverb of wisdom. Okay. So let’s consider, uh, this proverb. I’m gonna break it down for you in three areas. As we look at this particular proverb, number one, observation, number two, interpret.

Number three application. Okay. Those three. So let’s start off with the observation. What is this proper telling us? Okay, so let’s first off, first off. Let’s understand what the definition of a Slugger is. Okay. We don’t use that word a lot, right. Sled. Okay. So I went to, GDG go to Google and sled means a habitually lazy person.

Okay. A habitually lazy person. But in this context, that definition does not do a justice. The heart of a Slugger refuses and rejects our purpose that God provides. That’s what this is about. So it’s the heart. So this is bigger than laziness. Okay. Much bigger. So we, we, we need to make sure we get that down and we’re not talking about just every now and then, but someone that regularly, that regularly exhibits the act of being slothful.

Okay. Now that’s, that’s a word we’re gonna be talking about this week slot. And you know, this type of person, the SL the sloth, they wanna be left alone. They just want the comforts. They, they, they don’t wanna worry about anything. They don’t want any responsibility. They, they actually are anti love. It’s everything that that is, is against what God’s purpose with his design, the Imago day that we’re designing the image of God’s everything opposite of that.

But again, it’s more than laziness. So if we look at this observation, You know, it speaks to someone that just doesn’t care right here at the gate. I passed a field of a Slugger, passed a vineyard, someone who has no sense thorns come up ground was covered weeds and the Stonewall was in, was in ruins. Okay.

It it’s unreal. There’s just no pride. There there’s no duty. No honor. And what God’s provid. This is dangerous. This is a very dangerous area and can manifest itself in our lives very easily. Okay. The field that we’re talking about here in Proverbs, what could that be? That could be your home. That could be your career, your relationship with your kids, your marriage, your, your relationship with friends, all these things without intentionality can get outta hand very quickly, very quickly.

For me, I have to be very careful here, you know, doing the line within and, and, and, and working multiple jobs and three kids. One on the way. It’s very easy for me to just sit back and I could just say, you know what, I’m taking the, the foot off the gas, I’m gonna let this thing coast, or, you know what? I’m not gonna prepare for this, these upcoming interviews.

I’m just gonna, I’m just gonna let God guide it. You know what, though that’s being lazy and that’s going E equate into a bad. That. And ultimately that’s going back to you guys. You’re gonna stop listening. I gotta put in the work, but also gotta make sure my boundaries are, are set up correctly. Okay. And that, that, I’m not that I’m not breaking rules to myself.

Okay. So me observing, we need to make sure that observation take a step back every now and then, and let’s see what’s happening in our lives and where do we need to modify? So the second part is proverb. Let’s talk about the interpretation, the interpretation. Okay. Cause what, what it says right here. I applied my heart to do, to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw.

Okay. So if we need to interpret, we have to be to understand and take the time to self reflect and learn. How often do we slow down enough to sit still and just see what God’s gonna reveal to us guys. We don’t wanna do it. We want a bootstrap. We wanna get in there, pull it up by our power by our authority.

Make things happen. That’s not what the prover is telling us. We have to take the time to interpret our situation, ask God for clarity and be still so he can talk to you, but then you need to be brutally honest with yourself, brutally honest. Okay. We’re not painting with some, you know, rose color paint brush here, but we need to see where do weak points are because when we work on those, that’s when the growth happens.

Okay. So we need to make sure that we’re taking time to observe what’s happening that then. Okay. What can I learn from this? And how can I improve and make a positive change in my life? So that that’s the interpretation. So once you interpret it now, what do you have to do? Step three application got clarity.

Now you gotta act. Okay. And we gotta move. We gotta get in the game. You know, rest when it’s time to rest, I get. But outside of that, you need to be busting it. I mean, working hard and our world around us, they’re always looking for the easy button. There was even that company, a while back staple was one of those companies that had literally the easy button.

Right. And you hit that. And that was a, that was a big marketing push. Everybody wants the easy button. Nobody wants hard, but living for the king is hard. You gotta put in the work, you know what Satan is going. You know, the, the, the lazy man, he wants you to be in poverty. He wants you to be in scarcity.

That is not guy’s desire. Guy’s desire for us as abundance, but you have to get up, get in it, get in a game, work hard, understand what he’s, what he’s trying to tell you, observe what’s happening around you learn, and then start applying some things. Right? So any situation, any situation that you find yourself in take these three steps?

Don’t feel like you have to jump in and solve it. All right. Now, understand, Hey, what really is happening around me? Do I truly know the truth? Right? Do you understand? Okay, what can I discern from that? Your prayer could literally literally be God, give me discernment, help me understand this situation that I’m facing.

Maybe it’s a situation with your kids or your wife. Maybe you’re not seeing things eye. Pray for wisdom on how do I, how can I understand, uh, Lord, what you’re trying to tell me here to make an improvement to move forward and just pray for that interpretation. And then once the word comes to you and you feel like you have that sense of, of, of direction of where God’s leading you, then you gotta act and actually start implementing the changes.

So, again, this is, this is very important. We cannot have slothful sled type behavior. This is not just laziness. This is turning from purpose. Okay. And guys, you have a purpose. I mean, again, you’re made in image of God, you are fearfully and wonderfully made for the guys that are, that are always beating yourself down and telling yourself you can’t do it.

You need to remember there is no condemnation for those that are Christ Jesus. Right, right. Outta Roman. Speak these positive things to yourself. Okay. So right here, this proverb 24 30 through 34, great proverb to really take and apply in our life. Right now you can apply this at work today. If so, if you’re maybe you’re headed at work, you’re listening to this podcast, maybe something something’s gonna come up today.

That’s gonna be challenging instead of immediately just reacting, take a few seconds, step back and think through all. Do I really understand the complete 360 of this situation. All right. If I have, what could I do to improve it and you’ll need to pray for this. Hey, again, what is, what does this proverb say?

I applied my heart to what I observe and learned from a lesson, from what I saw, right. Need to go to God, ask him for that wisdom. And then number three. All right. Once you have that clarity and the understanding. Now we need to start working towards how can we actually implement some of this stuff, make those changes, right?

So there you go. And for me again, a lot of this stuff, it, it, it comes for personal stories. Do help, you know, observing what’s going on with, with, with my wife and I, with our marriage. One thing we had to work on with that big for hers quality time also, I noticed our communication was suffering a little bit.

So I, you know, I observ. Then I pray for wisdom. All right, God, help me understand, how can I help our marriage grow? How can I strengthen it? Because if I’m not intentionally working on my marriage, Satan’s going jump in. He’s gonna drive that wedge. And then God gave me some wisdom. He’s like, you know what?

You used to pray with your wife every day. Why is you doing it? No more knucklehead. And I was like, well, cause I’m a knucklehead. I, so I repented from that went back, said actually start, okay, Becca, we need to start praying together every day. This is the last thing we. Every night before we go to bed, we pray together.

And it’s a simple question. How can I pray for you? You guys, you may have heard me talking about this on other podcasts, but this is a simple way that you can apply a proverb here. I observed that we were, that we were struggling with the communication. Okay. I, for an interpretation, I had to seek guide for wisdom.

He gave it to me, but then I had to actually apply it and I have to actually do it every day, every day. Hey, how, how can I pray for. And then that leads to a, to a prayer that leads to a tighter unity, a tighter bond, a tighter covenant, all the things. All right, guys, there you go. Do not get sucked into being a slug.

We do not want slothful behavior. Don’t allow it in your life. Speak against it. Stand up, be a lion. So the question I want you to think about this week, what slothful behavior needs to be removed from your life there likely is. So what slothful behavior needs to be removed from your life and be honest with yourself here.

Okay. Are you sitting around binging next, Netflix? You know, do you wait to get home to, to, to get on your iPhone or your iPad or your computer or, or a video game? Something that just takes that, that numbs you, maybe it’s alcohol, tobacco, pornography. There are so many things that could be pulling at you guys that could be pulling you away from God.

That just makes you lazy. Makes you just not align with his purpose. I don’t want that for you. I want you to stand up. I want you to lean your shoulders back. I want you to recognize God can give you the wisdom to discernment the insight, to make a positive impact all around. You just do not have that slothful type behavior.

All right, guys, there’s your spiritual kickoff. Now the guest on Wednesday, I’m gonna tell you right now, it’s a it’s big time. We’re having a, a phenomen. Uh, opportunity here, its line within us to talk to some men that I’ll tell you what had just been blowing my mind. This guest is gonna bring it. We’re gonna cover that area of, of what does it look like?

The vice sloth and how come we move that visa slot and get it out of our life. And we gotta get it out of our lives. Guys, gotta get it out. He’s gonna be bringing tons of knowledge, wisdom, discernment, applications, ways that you, ways that you can actually start playing some things to get this, any that slothful behavior remove.

So come back on Wednesday, check that out. I guarantee you’re gonna like this one. It’s gonna be a, a wonderful conversation guys. I think you’re gonna get a lot of value. Again, thank you for listening to the line within us. I encourage you. Go out there, give us a rating and review. That makes a big difference.

Okay. Share this with others. Definitely share with others. Go check out the website. We have some new things out there. There’s 10 scriptures that every lion needs to know for the battles that we’re gonna face. So that’s free. Go check out there, get, get that 10 scriptures. It’s it’s right on our website.

You can download that right now. Join Alliance, stand be part of our community guys. We’re working to build a C. Okay. There’s some big time things coming up in the future that we’re working. But we need you guys right now. Start engaging with this connect with this. You’re not gonna get a bunch of spam. I promise you.

You don’t have time for it, but you are gonna get some information that’s gonna help you grow to be the leader, your predestined to be. So I pray line within us is help you guys. Thank you for listening. Thank you for taking the time. I know there’s a lot of better, you know, podcast host. Definitely. They they’re better ones than me, but you’re taking the time to listen.

I pray. And this is bringing you value. Love your insight. Love your feedback. Connect with this. That way we can actually start having some convers. All right, guys. See you back here on Wednesday and get out unleash the lion what’s in.

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