Opening Prompt
Summary
Summary
In Week 1, we established that there is an attack on manhood, masculinity and especially the called Spiritual Leader of the home--the husband and father. We established that without godly men, the world looks much different. The Incarceration rates, poverty rates, teenage pregnancy rates, high school drop-out rates…, and several other factors are much higher when children are fatherless. Men are important and the enemy is trying to neutralize our influence.
In Week 2, we discovered that our design reveals destiny. We are made in God's image, which means we have an eternal makeup, designed for a purpose with unique talents and gifts. We also discovered that like God, we have a strong desire to receive healthy honor. Our yearning for honor can lead us to unhealthy places if we aren't careful.
In Weeks 3 &4, we learned about our SHAPE, which is our Spiritual Gifts, our Heart, our Abilities, our Personality type and our Experiences. We learned that God will give us a Heart for a certain people or need. That is the beginning of discovering our Purpose.
In Week 5, we discovered that we are designed to live in our Zeitgeist, which is the pervasive culture and belief systems of the day. The culture and belief of our world is contrary to the Word of God. It places man at the center of things and reaches outward rather than placing God at the head. Our current culture, called Postmodernism tells us that we can create our own truth, and that truth is relative. We reject the culture of the day and believe what the Word of God says about our purpose and about who God is.
In Week 6, we learned that we must grieve for the consequences of our sin, which is death. We must forgive in order to be forgiven and in order to love our fellow man, we must receive the love that God has lavished upon us. That love is unconditional, it's who God is and there's nothing we can do to earn it and there's nothing we can do to lose it. We must receive love in order to give it.
In Week 7, we discovered that our purpose is tied to our responsibility as the Royal Priesthood of our homes. We are both royal, grafted into God's family as Sons, and we are also Priests, who are responsible for the spiritual development, guidance, and vision casting of our homes. Embracing our responsibility helps us achieve our purpose. Our first calling is to our home.
In Week 8, we try to remove the lens of our earthly father, as we view our heavenly Father. Our earthly fathers are human and made mistakes. We are to forgive them and honor them. We wouldn't want to be remembered or held accountable for our worst moments, nor should we do that to our earthly fathers. No matter what, God says to honor our father and mothers. So, we honor our fathers, so that we can honor our Heavenly Father. We view God as who He is: Holy, Awesome, Loving, Fierce, Jealous, Benevolent, Merciful, Mighty, Capable, Willing, Unrivaled, and so much more. Our view of God will determine the depth of our faith and how effective we are at accomplishing our purpose.
In Week 9, we learned that our Achilles Heel, which is the thing that can readily destroy us is our lusts of the flesh. We must run from such temptation. We must give our temptations to God and trust Him to take them from us. We have a choice in every situation and our job isn't to fight, our job is to flee! He will do the rest.
In Week 10, we discovered that God desires to bless us, but we have the duty to trust Him with our finances. Malachi 3 says that we should tithe and Jesus reaffirmed that by saying, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." This implies that God very much is owed something, which is likely the tithe. A tithe is a tenth. When we trust God with the first fruits of our finances, then our sustenance is His responsibility, and we can rest in His abundant mercy to provide for us.
In Week 11, we discussed the last of the three primary issues that often plague men: our view of authority. God has asked us to honor the authority over our lives because He placed it there. No matter your view of your government, boss or authority, we honor those that God has placed over us--even those that aren't just. The only time we break away from our authority is when our authority asks us to do something that is contrary to His Word. We must humble ourselves in order to be raised up by God. We trust that He will do just that in His timing.
In Week 12, we learned that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an it or an entity and that He desires a friendship with us. He loves us, lives within us and gives us help, instruction, and power. The Holy Spirit is essential to us living out our purpose. You can ask for and receive more of the Holy Spirit if you are willing, and if you are willing, God is faithful to give.
In Weeks 13 & 14, we discovered the power of testimony. The Bible says that we overcame them by the Blood of the Lamb--which is Jesus, and the power of our testimony. We should be about the business of telling others the good news of what God has done in our lives. When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we were given an assignment. That assignment is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Our testimony is powerful and effective. We shouldn't be shy in sharing it.
In Week 15, we discovered what Spiritual Warfare is, which is taking the fight to the enemy. We have power to defeat the enemy through prayer, worship, fasting and the Word of God. These are the tools with which we fight our enemy, and they are effective.