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 now. Spiritual kickoff time. I hope you’re ready.
00:14
We’re going to be digging into the book of Romans this week, okay, so we’re going to be looking at just one verse though. Romans 8, verse 18 says I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Yeah, that is a powerful verse. Right there, we’re going to really unpack that. My goal in this is ultimately just help you simplify and apply this to your life so that you can be the leader God intends you to be. That’s the goal of the spiritual kickoffs. So listen to the Holy Spirit when we’re going through this today, see what he’s telling you and then put that into action. Okay Now, first thing, we need to know where’s Romans. You got to know that stuff fellas Again. So, basically, new Testament. When you get there, you have Matthew, mark, luke and John that’s called the Gospels. Then you go to pass acts. Then you get to Romans Okay, and that’s one of the most powerful books of the Bible fellas, and we need to see how we can really take this one verse and apply it to our daily walk.
01:10
So let’s start off by thinking about all the suffering that the world we face. We face so many different things in this world, don’t we? You don’t have to look far to see others that are really struggling with trials, because I immediately start thinking about you know what? There are so many of us out there that know people who have health setbacks, right, and you see it all the time. And maybe you get notifications with somebody. They get that bad news from a doctor. The diagnosis just isn’t good, so you have those types of trials. Or maybe it’s financial related, right? There’s so many people out there who are struggling just to make ends meet. You don’t have to look far. Look at what’s going on with inflation out there, and just a dollar just doesn’t buy us very much anymore these days, does it? And it feels like you just you run out of money before you run out of money. I hear that all the time because the mortgages, they keep coming. They keep coming just because things have been rough on you lately. The mortgage company, they won’t slow down. Or the rent, it doesn’t stop. Or the groceries, so you got all these different things, or maybe you have a prodigal child and you long for that opportunity to be with them again. Okay, perhaps it’s the year of the marriage and you just feel like you know what. We’re just going through the motions and you feel like you’re just living with a roommate, or maybe even a stranger, and each day it could just be a struggle to really go forward.
02:30
So if you’re, if any of those things resonate, or even other things this verse right here that all wrote to the church in Rome, it’s a great way Put some truth on the sufferings that we’re going to face as believers and how we can stand firm. Okay, so what he’s doing? He’s affirming that sufferings that we experienced in his life can’t be compared to the glory that’s going to be revealed in us. That’s it. So just think about this for one second. He doesn’t say sufferings won’t happen, okay. So let’s just get clear on this. He doesn’t say, or he doesn’t even downplay the importance of us having to deal with them in our lives. No, because that’s false gospel. If we start thinking that you know what, we’re just going to follow Jesus and we’re never going to have trials, that’s a false gospel, right there and whoever’s preaching that you need to get up and leave? Okay, because, let’s face it forward, it is fellas. The troubles in this life are challenging and they’re going to be real, but they pale in comparison to the future glory that awaits us in eternity. That’s it. That is all we have. That’s what we have to hang on. That is the truth of the gospel, and I had to guess one time and he would actually sit on this show and he thinks of this life as the preseason and the future goal we’re going to have with Christ one day. That’s going to be the actual game and that’s a pretty cool way to think about it. I guess if you’re a sports guy, I’m digging sports dust and things like that really resonate.
03:49
But another way to think about this verse is by thinking about the eternal versus the temporary. Okay, let’s think about this. You have a timeline. Let’s say you have a timeline that just runs across the board and it’s a horizontal line. Okay, and that timeline we know it from God it has no beginning and it has no end. Right, and ultimately, when those sufferings come and go, those sufferings they do have typically a beginning and an end. They have time limitations. Okay, because we know that the time we have here on earth it’s just a blip. It’s just a blip, fellas, of the ultimate time, from a time standpoint of God. Okay, so, even if, if those who never have to really go through a lot of suffering here on earth, they still are going to have things, they’re still going to have things pop up.
04:40
As believers, we have something that the rest of the world longs for, but they come up empty with so many times. That’s hope. That’s hope we have hope in something greater than ourselves that changes everything. It really does. The hope we have is in the eternal life that our Savior provides, fellas, that’s it. He defeated death. That’s a pretty big deal. I don’t know about you, but I want to hook my horse to a wagon to defeat it to death. That’s it. I’m going to follow him. That right there. I’m going to follow him because he defeated death. There’s nothing else that’s better. And guess what? He sent us as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, fellas, that is not just here, just to be like a cool verse in the Bible. No, the Holy Spirit is to guide us and direct us and keep us on his path, and we have that power as soon as we confess him as Lord. So we have that.
05:39
What we have waiting for us is not just some surface level happy. I don’t want surface level happy. You know why? Because that’s just wrapped up in our circumstances. What we have right now is glory. That’s what he’s promised us here. We have glory, and I don’t know about you, but if you put glory in one side of a boxing ring and you put happy in another side, you know what Happy is going to get smoked. Glory is going to win 10 times out of 10, every time Right. So my curse to you right now.
06:10
If you’re going through a trial, well, if you’re dealing with suffering or you’ve had some loss, you have to turn to Christ. Let his peace pour over you. You have to trust in his sovereignty. I’m going to be honest. There are some things hit us this week. We get the line with us with one of our members, and I did not see it coming. It was a major loss and it’s just. It makes you question why. But I’m going to tell you one thing I still believe, in all the craziness of what’s happening. I believe in God’s sovereignty because your suffering is real. I don’t want to fake that for a second. And it hurts. It definitely hurts. But take silence in the fact that glory awaits for you and that’s superior to anything that we can have here on earth and that changes everything. But that only exists, guys now, if you confess Jesus as Lord and you start taking some action.
07:04
So what you got to do, you got to get there, you got to share the gospel, you got to share your testimony, you got to tell other people about what Jesus has done in your life. Well, chris, I don’t know how to do that. Well, just share your story. Nobody can refute that. And if you share your story enough times and you just say, hey, you know what? I’m not a theologian, I’m not a pastor, but here’s what God has done in my life. That right there, that right there, you just stand on that all day long and you just let the Holy Spirit do the rest. You answer what you can answer, you point people to Christ and you lead with love. And that right there, fellas, that is unleashing the line with them. That’s what we’re talking about all the time. It’s unleashing the line with them and helping others have that peace that passes all understanding by having a personal relationship with Christ.
07:51
So, yeah, we’re going to have present sufferings. Paul tells us that we’re going to have those, but they are not worth comparing to glory. That’s going to be revealed in us as believers, and that is what you need to hang your hat on. So don’t get too down. When the sufferings come, that shouldn’t hit us as a surprise. Particularly if you’re a walking with Christ, you’re going to have a lot more arrows being thrown at you. It’s just the way it is, because you’re walking with him. If you’re not walking with him, why does Satan need to mess with you? He doesn’t. That’s right where he wants you if you’re not walking with Christ.
08:24
But the moment that you decide, you know what. I’m going to start taking my faith. I’m going to put this in action. You get ready, because the trials are going to come. The suffering is going to come, but they pale in that glory and that is, believers. That’s what we got to have. This is the hope we have. This is the hope we have in Christ. This is why we got to have other believers around us helping us walk through these trials.
08:48
And we can’t hold on to grudges, guys. We cannot hold on to that. If someone hurts us, we have to know. It’s not the person, it’s the evil. The evil is driving them. That is a big thing. It’s not just the individual, it’s the evil, and that’s what we need to hate, that’s what we need to rebuke, and we do that by loving the individual.
09:07
Okay, so I’m going to question for you this week. I want to really think about this how do you love your enemies? We hear that verse all the time about love our enemies. Right, but how do you do it? I know for me this is hard. This is a straight up hard one. Even to ask this question. I just feel convicted because I don’t do a very good job of love my enemies and we tolerate them. I was actually talking with Al and Phil about this a little bit. We just tolerate our enemies. We don’t really love them. Loving that’s out there. And I’m telling you guys, if we can start changing our mindset to where we leave with love, it changes everything, about everything.
09:49
Now, if you haven’t actually gone forward and accepted Christ as your savior, you know what Some of this stuff may be sounding like. What in the world is this guy talking about this piece that I’m talking about? It only comes when you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ when you confess him as Lord. And if you haven’t done that, today is your day and I really want to invite you to, in this moment, right now, to just listen. You’ve heard things called the gospel. We talk about the gospel a lot. What is the gospel? The gospel is good news. That’s literally what it means good news, and we have good news, the best news ever. And that good news is God loves you, and God loves you so much that he sent his son to die for you.
10:33
Because, guess what, you are a sinner. If you’re listening to this or you’re watching this, wherever you’re consuming it, you are a sinner. You’re not a mistake or need of a life coach. Nope, you’re not a cupcake, a snowflake or a skittle Nope Can. A garden teacher is wrong.
10:46
You’re a sinner in need of a savior, and the only thing you can do, the only thing you can do, to close that gap between the sin that you have and God is confessing Jesus as Lord. You can’t work your way in guys, you can’t be a nice person, you can’t help old ladies across the street, you can’t go serve in all these different committees, you can’t even go to church and just go to church every Sunday. I’m going to tell you what. There are a lot of people who go to check that church box every Sunday who have never surrendered their heart to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And guess what happens when they pass? They’re not going to heaven. That may surprise some of you, guys, but no, just because you walk through the church door every Sunday, or maybe once or twice a month, that’s for average these days, for Americans that doesn’t mean anything. What God wants is our hearts. Surrender your heart to Him.
11:35
You just have to admit that you’re a savior, that you’re a sinner, not a savior. You got to admit that you’re a sinner. You have to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. I mean really believe that he is the Son of God. When he died on that cross, when His blood ran, that that counted for you. When he said it is finished, that it is done, the penalty for sin has been paid for right. He paid the price, his perfect blood, and then he rose three days later and right now he sends. He sits at the right hand of the Father and it says right there in Scripture no one gets to the Father except through Him. Guys, jesus is the way, the truth, the life, he’s it.
12:14
Okay, then, once you understand that you have to confess Him as Lord and I mean I’m not talking about just confessing Him as a good teacher or someone I want to try to be like, no, confess Him as Lord over your life. And if you do that, in that moment the Holy Spirit is going to come. It’s going to replace that old, wicked heart of yours. You’re going to have a new heart. You’ll have that conviction. You’ll have the spirit filled eyes. You’ll be able to see. The scales will fall off. You’ll be able to look at the world a lot differently. Then you’ll have those convictions. And then here’s the point, yo, are you going to be obedient? Are you going to actually act on those convictions and do what he’s called you to do when the Holy Spirit speaks to you? And that is my prayer to you. So, if you never confess Christ as Lord, you’re ready to do that today. I am so excited for you.
12:58
Let’s pray this prayer together. So, father, whoever’s listening right now, they are ready to confess you as their Lord of their life, god. They are surrendering to you as their Lordship of Jesus Christ, and I pray you just pour out your special anointing upon them right now. Let the Holy Spirit fill them. Let them now see how walking with you is the only way to walk. God, god, we know this is not going to take away any hurts or any pains or make anything better here on earth other than we. Now this individual has joy. They have joy because you are now walking with you and you have filled them with your Holy Spirit. So I pray you give them wisdom, discernment. You put some people around that’s going to help them grow in Christ. I’m just thankful for this opportunity to share the goodness of the gospel with others In Jesus’ name, amen. So if you just accept the Christ as your Savior, welcome, welcome to the team.
13:49
But now here’s where the battle begins and we want to help you out. I got some free stuff I want to hook you up with, because you’re going to need some scriptures, you’re going to need some resources. I want to give you some things to really start thinking about as you move forward, some ideas on how you can share your faith with others. So send me an email at support at the lion within that US, that support at the lion within that US. I’m going to give you all that stuff for free. Also want to just hop on a call and just this congratulates you. I want to help you try to get plugged in with a local church. We’re going to do all we can to help you right now. Take this walk that you just started, the journey with Christ, and start walking you out and making it really have legs and do the work he’s called you to do, because that’s what it’s all about.
14:28
So, fellas, if you like to scripture kickoffs, we do these money through Friday inside our community. It’s a very easy way to get engaged. So if you’re looking for that little supplement to help you out each and every day of the week, money through Friday, this is it. We do them live. If you ask me questions, you can interact with me when we do them live. If you can’t make them live, we post them so you can watch them at your convenience. So the stuff stays there, but it’s a wonderful way to have a little bit of scripture inside your life each and every day, along with other Christian men who have the same worldview, who want to grow to be leaders God intends you to be.
15:02
So go check out the lion within that US to take advantage of that. Sign up today, get started and look, you have the entire backlog. You have all that stuff there, guys. We don’t hide anything. It’s there. Whatever stuff we’re studying, you’ll have access to it. Okay Again, the lion within that US. That’s the lion within that US. Get our 30 days to unleash the line within. That’s a great way to get started. Okay, maybe if you would give us a rating writer of view. All that stuff matters, but I want to encourage you for one thing.
15:28
Come this Wednesday episode, this conversation with this guy on Wednesday it’s called Rocky. If you’ve ever had any significant loss in your life and you’ve wondered how to respond or how other people respond, this story is going to just blow you away. Imagine your son being killed. Or if you have a daughter and actually being shot not in a car accident or not sick or anything like that. Imagine they were just taken from you by someone else. How would you respond? Would you respond with vengeance? Would you want to, eye for an eye, take them out? Would you respond differently? This is a story that you’re not going to believe. I’m blessed and honored to be able to share this story with you, guys. My prayer is this story draws you closer to Christ.
16:19
Come back on Wednesday, check us out, fellows. Keep staying strong. Keep remembering that. Romans 8, 18. You know that glory exists. Now get out there and unleash the lion within. Are you enjoying the weekly spiritual kickoff? If so, we are now offering a way to participate in our live daily spiritual kickoffs that happen Monday through Friday in our community. This is your chance to chat with me directly and other members of our community, to dive into scripture and to leave with practical ways to simplify and apply God’s word to your daily walk. Here’s the best part you get all of this for just $5 a month, for what most people pay for breakfast meal. You can join us on this journey of spiritual growth and leadership, which will always lead you full. Our community is dedicated to supporting each other and pushing forward in our faith. Come join me in the lion’s den and become the leader God intends you to be. Sign up now at TheLionWithInus and let’s start this journey together. Remember, it’s only $5 a month for this amazing opportunity. So visit TheLionWithInus so you don’t miss out.