Chris Grainger
Host
00:03
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 of the week. I’m excited to have you here. So let’s dive right into the word. We’re going to be looking at one verse this week. Okay, it’s in the book of Nehemiah. So Nehemiah, chapter six, verse three, said and I sent messages unto them saying I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease Whilst I leave it and come down to you? So, guys, that is the scripture. This week We’re going to really unpack that. We’re going to see how we can apply that to our life. Again, it’s all about simple, final applying God’s word, right? So I’m so excited to have you here today. So, again, let’s get started.
00:45
Where’s Nehemiah? Need to know that, right? Where is it? It can be hard to find some of these books. I totally get it, fellas. It’s actually the 16th book of the Bible. Easy as well, i can tell you to find it. It’s go to find first and second chronicles. Then you have Ezra. So you just kind of you’re flipping through your Old Testament And then once you get past Ezra, you’re there. Now, if you get to Esther or Job or Psalms, you went too far. So back up a little bit. You went too far. So it’s not a huge book, it’s not very long, but it’s kind of right there before you get into the Psalms. Okay, so it’s a powerful part of scripture.
01:18
In the book of Nehemiah, two guys. Nehemiah should be a story for us Christian man that we love to read. So Nehemiah, who was this dude? Well, he was a cup bearer, which basically meant he had to test the king’s food and drink to make sure that no one was trying to kill him. So just think about that for us for a second, guys, he was trying. That was literally. His job was to make sure no one was trying to kill the king. But guess what If they were trying to kill him? jobs over. So I guess you know I don’t know how you think your job stuff. Maybe think about Old Nehemiah being a cup bearer.
01:47
So what he had to do? God put on his heart that you needed to go repair the walls of Jerusalem. Okay, so he knew he had to do this. So he asked the king to help him. He did this after a lot of prayer. Okay, now, the king, that he, he, he, uh, allow Nehemiah. He said go. He granted his, his, his request. He says go, and Nehemiah, he was on a mission, right, and he was on a mission, and he was obedient.
02:12
Okay, just think about the stuff that he had to do. He had to rally people together, he had to get all these materials, and he had a big, daunting task in front of him, and that big, daunting task was to protect Jerusalem. Right, and again, when you look at Nehemiah, he didn’t give any credence to the naysayers out there, and he did his work with conviction. The conviction guys, the ones that want him to come down, and this and this verse they had no intention of helping this guy out. What they were trying to do? they were trying to get him off track, actually trying to harm him, and he’d responded the way we should, guys, we. He really responded we should. He sent messengers to him and says I am doing great work, so I cannot come down. Why should the work cease when I leave and come down to you Say no, it ain’t happening, i’m not coming down? Right, he wasn’t getting caught in it. That’s how easy is it, though, to get caught in a trap of just saying yes, saying yes to everything, and, before you know it, you’ve wasted so much time, resources, money just all the things you can’t get back Right, and he could. That stuff could have been used for good. So I’ll tell you a personal story.
03:24
When you build online business, the way we’re doing here, at the line with this, i have been convicted by the scripture because I feel like my work directly ties so many ways to my phone, and just think about how often we are distracted by our phones And I can tell you this has been impacting me tremendously here lately because you’re always trying to be there. You’re always trying to be on your phone, to be there for your people, for your community, for the people you’re trying to serve, trying to connect with others, and that just leads down a path where you spend so much time on your phone. First thing, you know you feel like you’re spending time there to unwind and de-stress, but all you’re doing is just adding more stress, and you find yourself scrolling. This is where I’ve been lately, where you find yourself just scrolling Instagram or LinkedIn or Facebook or YouTube, whatever it is, and you tell yourself you’re doing work. I’m doing work, but the truth of the matter is I’m not. I’m not. I’m distracted. I’m not doing the work guys call me to do.
04:21
These messengers that were reaching out to Nehemiah. For me, often it’s my cell phone that’s pulling me out of the work that I should be doing. Maybe that’s you, guys, maybe that’s you, but Nehemiah was clear. He was clear out of getting everything he could out of every minute of the day And he was going to do what God called him to do, period. I can see the fire in him. Do you have that fire? Do you have that fire? What would have to change to make significant shifts in how you work, to actually make it to impact your process? What would have to change? Reality is, guys, what grows is what we give attention to, so we have to stay focused on the work at hand. We have to make a plan, fellas, and we’ve got to vet it out. We’ve got to vet that plan with others.
05:10
Nehemiah he had a daunting task in front of him. Just think about it. All the walls. However, he first assessed the situation. He did. He took the time to assess the situation and see what he needed to do, and then he put some time to strategize behind it. So, counsel, he was strategizing. He didn’t just go out there willy-nilly. Then this is where he made a big difference. He was prolific in execution, pro-lific in execution. He didn’t let distractions impact his work. Nope, he didn’t. He didn’t listen too much to the highs and he didn’t pay attention to the lows, he just worked. He focused on what he was called to do and accomplished the work.
05:51
That required dedication and consistency. Guys, that’s what we have to do. Simplify and apply God’s word. That’s it. Remove the distractions from your career and from the work you’re doing. Do the work This guy called you to do with all you can. If you’re not doing what God’s called you to do, you need to start praying for wisdom and discernment on how you can start transitioning to that work, because we’ve got to make the most out of the gift that has been given to each one of us.
06:18
If you’re listening to this, you’ve got a gift today. You know what that gift is Today. That’s the gift, the gift of today. Savor every minute, enjoy every minute. Look for ways to serve others. Don’t get distracted by the world, by all these things that are coming at you. I’m telling you there are millions, if not billions, of dollars spent every day to pull you away, to get your attention, to get you not focused on what you’re supposed to do.
06:41
Today, i’m telling you, fellas, it is amazing the amount of effort that’s put in there to get our mind share. As Christians, man, we have to say no, not fall down that trap. I’m doing this because God has called me to do this. Therefore, nothing’s going to distract me. I’m going to stay committed, prolific, to walking out and doing the work that, god, you’ve called me to do And, fellas, if you do that, there’s so much joy in that, there’s so much peace in that. That’s the rarest commodity on earth Peace of mind. The only way I know how to get it is by aligning our work and our actions to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Guys, that’s how you unleash the line with them, right there. So here’s your question a week this week Do you make the most out of every minute, not just here now, but I’ll talk about every minute of every day.
07:32
They’re little gifts, guys. We get 1440 of them every day and they’re a gift, and we so easily can just put them to the side. We put stuff off that we shouldn’t put off. Now, look, i’m telling you, as you have birthdays, i feel like the more and more birthdays you have, the faster they seem to come together. Right, can I get an email from my listeners out there? I’m just telling you the more and more you have, the quicker they seem to come.
07:59
So if this thing is just a blip, just a blur, if we’re just a dot on God’s line, you better make the most out of every minute and do what he’s called you to do. Serve him with reverence, keep him as Lord, always look to him for guidance and wisdom and discernment. Guys, there’s so much to join that There’s just so anti what the world’s doing. The world’s just going me, me, me, my, my, my, i, i, i. And we need to say no, god, he, he’s called me to this. He’s the reason I’m doing this, he is the reason I have salvation, he is the reason I have hope, he is the reason I get up in the morning, put on my boots and do the work, as I know. He has called me to it. Therefore, i am going to work, do this work with joy, and I will do all I can to point others to the good news of the gospel.
08:48
If you’ve never accepted Jesus as your savior. Today’s your lucky day. You know why? Because each and every spiritual kickoff, you want to point people to the good news of Jesus Christ. Now, guys, i know there are listeners out there who listen to the show because they just want to hey, this the Bible is very good at, at at at guiding and directing our lives. Therefore, i’m just going to listen to the line with them. It’s just to get some practical advice to to make my life better.
09:14
Right, because the Bible is good for teaching. I will tell you one thing If you miss this and you make this Bible God’s word and the things Jesus taught in, jesus is simply a teacher, you are so missing out. He can’t just be a teacher. Yes, he was a rabbi. Yeah, they call him rabbi. He taught us many things, but, more importantly, he’s got to be Lord. There is a clear difference between a teacher and a Lord. Judas Iscariot called him teacher. The rest of the apostles called him Lord. Right, so you can be with him. You can know this stuff You can apply Hey, you can apply right here in the MI63 to your life today. It’s still missed out on the good news of the gospel, and that’s why we want to share the gospel and every time we do a spiritual kickoff. So if you’ve never accepted Jesus as your savior, that’s okay.
10:03
First thing, first off, you need to understand that you are a sinner, right, you guys? here we say it almost weekend, a week out. You’re not a mistake or need of a life code. Nope, you’re a sinner in need of a savior. That is it. You’re not a snowflake, you’re not cupcake, you’re not a skittle. Nope, you’re just a sinner. That’s who you are, that’s okay. Because guess what all of us are? we’ve all fallen short of glory.
10:23
God, you need to believe that Jesus is the son of God. He’s it. He wasn’t just a teacher, he wasn’t a good dude who just taught us. He wasn’t a prophet. No, he was a son of God. He was it.
10:34
You need to believe that somehow, when he went to Calvary and pushed up on his nail, pierced feet, he said to tell us that it is finished. And put in his blood, poured out for you, that that paid the penalty for your sin, that somehow that count for you. You had to believe that. And when he laid him in a tomb, he just rented that thing cuz. Three days later, he over he. He rose and right now He said he ascended to the father. He sits right. There’s no way, there’s no path to heaven. It doesn’t go through Jesus. So you have to believe that you have to have. Then you have to confess him as Lord. I’m not, i mean of Lord over everything. This is your wallet, this is your sex life, this is your finances, this is your career, this is your kids, everything. He has to be Lord, no longer you. Him. That means cement Cement to Christ’s Lord. So if you’re ready to confess Jesus as Lord, you admit that you’re a sinner, you believe that he is a son of God.
11:27
Let’s pray this prayer together. So, father, i know there’s a listener out there. I’m just feeling my spirit. That’s hear my voice right now. I’m just praying, lord, that the Holy Spirit just comes upon this listener as they accept you as their Savior, god. I don’t know what their story is, it doesn’t matter. I just want to point them to the good news of the gospel and for them to know it doesn’t matter things They’ve done in the past, god, they don’t need to try to get better or do better or do these things. No, no, no. It’s not about that. It’s about trusting you as their sovereign Savior, as the one who can guide and direct them and make such an impact On our life. Guys, i just prayed it. Right now, they, as they accept you as as their Savior, that you just pour out the Holy Spirit upon them. Right now, god, i pray that they hold their head high and they walk with you as they commit their life the following you, you, lord, in a good news of the gospel We love you, lord, jesus. We pray everything according to your will. Jesus name, amen.
12:24
All right, so that was you, if you just accept the crisis, your Savior, colleen, praise the Lord, the lion with us. We’re doing the work that he’s called us to do And this is a great way to do it. So I want you to send me an email support at no, no, no, we’ll stop that. You send me an email at chris at the lion with N U S. Chris at the lion with N U S. This is a personal stuff, so my email is out there. Send it to me, hit me up. I want to help you. I want to serve you. I want to just do all I can to come alongside you. I’m going to give you some resources. That’s going to help you, that’s going to guide and direct you, that’s going to really just come along with you, cause I feel like this SK over some reason somebody’s listening to this and they’re going to send me an email. I’m going to give you some free stuff. Look, just because I want to help you grow, i want to give you our Bible study. I want to get you, get you armed up and ready for the battle, and you just entered a battle. You gotta be ready And we’re going to help you get ready right here today. Okay, so again, chris, at the lion with N U S for that.
13:21
Now for the guys that like the spiritual kickoff we know we hear you, we see the downloads, we know you like the spiritual kickoffs. How about if you got this each and every day? money through Friday? we do this inside our community. It is one of the most popular things inside our community. Every morning, i go live inside our community, we read God’s word, i give them a spiritual kickoff, a boost to the pants, and we rock and roll together. As you can get this right now within our community daily spiritual kickoffs as a full bill member, or we have a daily spiritual kickoff membership too. So go check out the lion with N U S Cause I’m telling you there’s something about connection and God’s word.
13:58
Maybe you’re struggling with just knowing what to read in God’s word. You know, i don’t know how to. just want to pick up my Bible, read it every day. Hey, come alongside, let us be part of that with you. We’re not just doing one verse at a time, we’re reading chapters and we spend time there And you guys, it’s a great way. We usually wrap up in you know, 15, 20 minutes most for you to get your time in the word with other believers, with other Christian men. You can ask questions, you can interact with me directly. It’s just a great way to grow Guys. So, again, there’s there’s nothing to lose here. Just take an opportunity, check out our community, come in with us and see how we’re helping each other grow in Christ. That’s what it’s all about growing in Christ. So, again, if you could share this with others, man, that would be huge. That’s how podcasts grow Like.
14:42
Give us ratings, reviews, all that fun stuff. Follow us over on YouTube. Now we’re starting to do more and more on YouTube guides, so check us out on YouTube. Obviously, facebook, instagram we’re there. Linkedin as well. We try to be on the socials to give you some light and a darkness, because I know there’s nothing but darkness on the dog on social media, right? So check us out. That would be great if you follow us on those as well. Any of those platforms you should be able to search the line within us You’ll see our logo and things like that and make sure you’re following the right one.
15:08
And then, other than that, come back on Wednesday. I’m telling you we’ve got a great conversation with an, with a pastor, an author. This guy’s done it all incredible. I’m really looking forward to sharing this conversation with you guys about how we can do just like me and my right here and make the most out of every minute. All right, guys, i thank you again so much for listening to The Lion.
15:28
We love you, we pray, we just we’re praying for you. There’s something we can pray for you about. Please send us an email support at thelionwithanus there as well. We love listening up prayers. We understand the power of prayer, i guess. So, guys, just reach out. Whatever you need. Okay, get after it. We’ll see you back here on Wednesday. Have a great day Now. Unleash The Lion within. We have a resource that allows you to test how strong of a Christian leader you are. We designed a short quiz so you can see for yourself how prepared you are for the battle. Don’t worry, it’s multiple choice and it’s a lot of fun. So, to access this free resource, visit thelionwithanus slash quiz That’s thelionwithanus slash quiz and see if you are ready to unleash The Lion within.