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The prophet Elijah flees for his life. He is the last remaining of God’s prophets. Fleeing into the wilderness, he falls asleep with exhaustion. He is woken by an angel who provided him with sustenance to travel to Horeb, the Mount of God. It was at this place that he heard God say to him “What are you doing here?
Do you wake up every day wondering how you got to where you are?
Do you wonder where the love for your marriage, family, dreams, work etc has gone to?
Here is a list of six things that will guide you to get that desire for life back, to help resurrect those dreams. Being a man of influence is not just about the big arena’s but most importantly who you are to those closest to you. The Bible states that iron sharpens iron as a man sharpens another. What ever stage you’re at in life, whatever is hunting you down or has delayed your dreams, do not isolate yourself from others who can keep you accountable along life journey.
- Recapture your vision and voice for your life.
One of the healing miracles of Jesus recorded in Matthew’s Gospel speaks of a man who had been possessed by an evil spirit. This man, know only as ‘the demoniac’ had his vision and voice stolen from him. Very little else is known about this man, but for him to get a mention in the Bible speaks of his life having significance.
This man could have been anyone, a parent, a brother, or a person of little or great influence. Whatever he did, it caught the attention of the demon who chose to posses him. More importantly is that this man had a God given assignment for his life. What occurred that caused him to loose sight of his visions and dreams? What happened that caused such discouragement that he let his guard down to the point of demon possession?
There are challenges that we all face in our lives that can bring us down. Events that can cloud our judgement and cause us to loose our vision and voice. Negative words from another person may bring doubt into your ability to pursue your goals or fulfil your dreams. The death of a significant person in your life may be difficult to accept and to adjust to life without them. There may be financial challenges holding you back from pursuing your dreams.
Whatever these things are, blocking out the negative influences can allow you to recapture your vision. Silencing the negative voices clears the airwaves for you to regain your voice.
This man had lost his vision and voice due to a significant event in his life. A personal encounter with Jesus brought new power into his life. Transforming encounters are the first step in recapturing your vision and voice. They also give you the capacity to see beyond that which is before you. Beginning to decree and declare who you are in Christ will bring a shift into the atmosphere around you and silence the negative voices.
You are loved by God, therefore you are a person of significance. Your life has purpose. There are people waiting for you to fulfil your vision and to use your voice. Don’t let the trials of this world steal your joy.
2. Find purpose for your pain.
The Psalmist cries out in the depth of despair, in his trouble that his soul has had enough and that he is ready to die. He knows God, knows the joy found in His presence but is desperate for breakthrough, for relief of the pain and suffering.
Have become so numb because of the issues of life. Is your pain so great that you are no longer interested in listening to stories of hope and expectation. Remember the good times, your first love, being at your favourite sporting event and cheering like you have never cheered before. If you once went to church, remember the times when you couldn’t wait to get back to church, to find those places where you felt God’s presence so close.
God knows what they said about you, what they did to you and tried to do to you. He knows what you have been feeling. You might wish you never had to go through that, regretting past choices.
You have a choice. Pain gives you authority to speak to principalities and powers, rulers of darkness. You can choose to come into agreement with that negative spirit. However, when you stand in victory, your pain can become the catalyst to setting you free. It can also set others free, but you can’t set someone free until you are free.
The story of Joseph as recorded in Genesis (chapters 37-50) is an example of someone who had every right to be angry about life. His brothers had sold him off as a slave, lying to their father about his whereabouts. Joseph went through abandonment and slavery. He was wrongfully accused and thrown into jail. Towards the end of the story, he had the opportunity to seek revenge on his brother. He chose not to. The pain and suffering that Joseph went through gave him the strength he needed to come out the other side for his heart was set on God, not the things of the world. Joseph found purpose in his pain. If we fail to find the purpose in our pain, we abdicate the power that was once ours, the power to advocate the pain to the issue. When we choose to believe there is a greater purpose in our pain, we can live in the truth that what had been intended to cause us harm, God can turn around for good.
3. Revolutionise your generation for Jesus Christ.
We all have a calling on our lives, an assignment to fulfil. From the perspective of a follower of Jesus Christ, we are all called to revolutionise our generation with the message of Jesus Christ. To fulfil that calling, we need to be discipled by Godly people.
Every generation needs a heroes. In modern times, the title ‘Hero’ can often be used loosely. Society today refers to many as hero’s, those in the sporting, arts and entertainment. Times past spoke of many war time heroes, gallantry displayed on the battlefield. Good Samaritans who help those in need are often referred to as heroes in the media.
The accounts of the Bible include many characters who would be considered a hero. In the Book of the Acts, we read that David, the greatest King of Israel and ancestor of Jesus Christ didn’t die until he had served his generation. He was a strategic and successful military leader, whose life was not touched by corruption. He was known as a man after God’s own heart and is attributed to having written most of the Psalms.
We all want to be considered significant. You may be happy to be of little influence. Your desire may be to make a significant impact on history, to change the world. Whatever your desires, if you seek after God first, learn what true worship is, then you will become aware of the lane that your race of life is to be. Running in your lane brings transformation to those around you.
It has been said that you cannot teach what you have not learnt, you cannot share what you haven’t read or experienced. Psalms 78 exhorts us to not hide His truths from any of the generations. It starts with an invitation to incline your ear to the teachings of old, to remember the lessons from past generations and to not hide them from your children.
Become a person of prayer and action. Pray unapologetically for the supernatural in your family. Be a man who boldly declares and decrees God’s supernatural in your life so you can teach it to your family, and the generations to come. The world cries out for heroes. If you want to be a hero for your generation, if you want them to know who God is then get to know God in a way that only comes from time spent in His presence. Knowing about someone is significantly different to knowing someone. You cannot talk about knowing God if you haven’t been close to Him. This generation, our children are needing their fathers to rise up and be of Godly influence. If you want to revolutionise and transform the world, then first you need to know who you are before God.
4. Conquer what’s conquered you.
When we can conquer traits or habits that are having an adverse impact on our lives, we are able to set others free. What you don’t conquer you leave for the next generation to deal with. This is seen in society today with the debate around climate change, where often the emotionally charged question is asked as to what type of world do we want to leave for our children and their children to inherit.
The same principles apply with our personal and spiritual lives.
We need a generation of men who will stand up and call time on these things that have been conquering us. There may be issues passed on from generations, or that you have created. We need a generation of fathers who will stand up and declare that:
- fear has no place in their lives or families;
- unemployment and poverty will not come upon their households;
- domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse cease;
- divorce and broken relationships are no longer an option;
- they will not be ‘non-resident fathers’.
If we sow unforgiveness, bitterness, fear etc, then not only do we reap the consequences, but our future generations do too. When Jesus died on the cross, He conquered the curse of sin and death. It was prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 25:8) and fulfilled in Jesus resurrection. The Apostle Paul affirms this in Galatians 3:13 declaring that “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.”
We need a generation of men who will stand up and live from that place of victory Jesus won for us. If He has indeed conquered these things then we need to operate and live from that place too. We need a generation of men who will get a vision of victory. Men who will live and move from glory to glory. What are you seeing for your life, your generations? The Bible also tells us that those who do not have a vision will perish.
Realising that you were engineered by God to do His will, to fulfil your God given assignment in life, then you are ready to take a stand and conquer those things that are conquering you. Do not fight your battles as a lone wolf, susceptible to attack. In the Book of Exodus we are told that the LORD GOD will fight for you because He is a warrior. Ecclesiastes says that two together can accomplish more. If one falls, then the other can help raise up. Two together can stand back to back and not be subjected to a surprise attack. Together with a third accountability partner is even stronger, for a three fold cord is not easily broken. Invite God to be that third person as you set out to conquer what has conquered you.
Once you have conquered, you can be of influence to those who are struggling with the same issues. You can guide them, teach them, empower them on their conquering journey. Just remember to do it all in God’s strength.
Its time to stand up and be that generation of men who pass on Blessings to their future generations, because your family is waiting for you.
5. Restore your relationship with your children.
As men we must take responsibility for the quality of our relationships with our children. If we want to be honoured and respected by our children, we need to be prepared to deal with the burdens of the relationships.
You example of an earthly father may have been challenging, negative or non existent. You may have had a non-residential father, your Dad may have worked long hours, multiple jobs to ‘provide for you’ and you felt like you never saw him. Poor examples, no examples and no negative experience of parenthood should be used as an excuse for being a ‘dead beat dad’. If this was your story, then find another strong Godly father who can guide you along the way. There must be men in your life who have encouraged you, challenged or inspired you in life.
Your father may have been hands on. He may have been able to schedule work commitments to always attend your school sports events, or take you on family outings and holidays. Your father may have taught you how to change a tyre on a car, ride a bike, kick a footy or fish. He may have provided financially so that you never went without.
But…did he tell you that he loved you, or just show it. Did he wrestle with you, give you piggy backs, read books to you? Any study on love languages will reveal that some people show their love practically, giving gifts, being physically present, while some may not feel loved the same way.
Regardless of the quality time you had with your father, nothing has the same impact as hearing your father tell you that he loves you, or that he is proud of you. When was the last time that you heard that said to you? When was the last time you said that to your children?
The story of Joseph recorded in Genesis comes to a conclusion after Joseph and his father, Jacob had their relationship restored. In fact Jacob said to Joseph, “I can die now having seen for myself that you are still alive.” Despite the circumstances, Jacob’s love for his son never diminished, and Joseph was always concerned about how his father coped with his absence.
How many son’s are still waiting for their Dad to tell them they are proud of them, they believe in them, they are with you and love you. For us men, a lot of the emptiness and brokenness we experience in life is caused by not being told we are loved by our Dad.
Are you that son waiting for your Dad to tell you he loves you? Are you that father who has lost emotional contact with your children?
God’s love for you is the ultimate example of a Fathers love for their children. If your experience was negative, don’t let the human experience tarnish your expectations on your divine relationship with God as Father.
6. Cried out to God for a second chance.
There are somethings that we can do which really attract the attention of God.
King David is said to have been a man after God’s own heart, a true worshipper.
It may have been a healing miracle that someone needed that gave them their second chance. The Gospels have many such stories, including the lame man lowered through the roof of a house to get close to Jesus. Many demon possessed people who were released after the word from Jesus. Accounts of women healed from affliction and death.
The Bible doesn’t chronicle the lives of these people after their miracle. After they cried out for a second chance and got their miracle. Did they fulfil their life’s purpose or wander around aimlessly. What of the ten lepers who were all healed by Jesus, only two returned to their families and villages shouting valuable praise.
King Hezekiah cried out to God for a second chance, and did something with that second chance. He ruled in a time where idolatry was rampant. Focused on the present, he set about instilling cultural and religious reforms, bringing the people back to God. During his reign, it is said that Hezekiah prayed to God, that He would incline His ear to hear and open His eyes to see the issues surrounding Hezakiah and his people.
The prophet Isaiah spoke with Hezekiah in his later days when he was sick and at the point of death that he should get his house in order as he would not recover from the illness. 2 Kings 20 reads ‘Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD “Remember now O LORD, I implore you, how I have walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart and have done what is good in your sight.” Hezekiah wept bitterly.’
He didn’t just ask God for a second chance, he wept bitterly. God heard his prayer, saw his tears and healed him. Hezekiah lived for another fifteen years, fulfilling Gods purpose for his life.
In a more famous verse from the Bible, we read that “Jesus wept.” When a man cries, it attracts the attention of heaven. God’s heart is drawn to the situation. Jesus emotional expression attracted the attention of God.
God would have seen Jesus love for his friend Lazarus through the tears. During this encounter Jesus had with the family and friends of Lazarus, a miracle was released from the heart of God. In fact, after Jesus gave thanks to God, the Bible records Jesus actions as having ‘cried out in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out!, at which the healing miracle in Lazarus life manifest. Lazarus was healed.
Has life’s challenges overcome you? Do you feel that God has abandoned you? Do you feel that you have caused irreparable damage, messed up so much that God is no longer interested in you? Do you cry out to God saying ‘why me?’ or do you cry out with a ‘a broken and contrite heart’ seeking forgiveness and giving praise to God.
Is the cry of your heart motivated my Godly repentance?
