Our subject matter at Man Cave for Tuesday (10-27-20) covered a lot of ground. In Session #7 from our workbook "Strong Men Great Dads" was called "A Dirty Girl Meets Mr. Clean." We read a story about a girl used sexually by a gang and the long term effects that the experience had on her life. We also discussed some common traits of homelessness.
          The girl in the story was used to being abused. She accepted a way of life as normal, that made her feel dirty. She thought that all guys would use her and love was just a brief sex act. Strong men take accountability for their actions and recognize when someone's been hurt.​

          Bad things happen to good people, unfortunately bad things sometimes get accepted as a normal way of life. Folks addicted to drugs, alcohol, pornography, sex or gambling accept evil as their normalcy. A homeless person feels hungry and sees a take-out food container left on a park bench and eats the scraps inside. They've conditioned themselves to see discarded trash as a blessing.
          The devil is an expert at making garbage appear as a blessing. He knows many folks won't go the extra mile to get out of their comfort zone. Life is hard sometimes and the struggle stops folks dead in their sin. Some guys have become allergic to rules and authority. A father is supposed to be an authority figure in a son or daughter's life. That's where we learn respect.
          A guy named Paul wrote a Letter to a group of folks who lived in a city called Ephesus. It's in the Bible as the Book of Ephesians and here's a look at Chapter 6:14.

          The Truth is the knowledge of Jesus Christ that holds up your Way of Life.

          The "breastplate of righteousness" is our condition with God or maybe a better way to say it would be, "it's our outward evidence of our inward character that reflects our faith in God."
          We all have times of feeling unworthy and depressed over feeling inadequate. Jesus is a friend of sinners. We are all worthy of being redeemed by God's love. Walk by the mediocre offerings of life and ask God to show you His best. When you seek Him with all your heart, you will hear His voice behind you saying, "This is the Way, walk in Truth and live a more excellent Life.
          Thanks for our time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.
​#mancave #srm #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW.

          There are many times in life where we battle our thoughts. Memories from the past come creeping back into our minds as words are spoken. We may have overcome a weakness only to have it resurface as a negative thought. It's almost as if voices are battling each other in our minds. Can we silence the negative, self defeating voices? Today's lesson at the Sunshine Rescue Mission Man Cave was about developing a strategy in our thought lives.
Here are the notes from today's Lesson.
           There are voices in our lives that can find their way into our heads if we let them.

• You must position yourself to hear from God.
• You must recognize His voice.
• You must know His vocabulary in the Bible.
• Satan or the devil will use his voice to destroy, deceive and discourage you.
• God’s voice will build you up, cheer you up and stir you up by bringing to the center of your mind the fruits of His Spirit that are within you.

           I want to speak to all of you as if you were a group of Pastors. A Pastor is one who serves and shepherds other people in the best practices of Christ-like behavior. Why? Because I believe in you. In a world of negative voices charging at us relentlessly, we must help encourage each other to boldly speak Truth.
 
What’s Lurking In The Halls of Your Mind?
Your thoughts have to listen when you speak. Speak positive life over negative thoughts.
Here is A Three Step Strategy Called “E-A-R” or "Embrace, Appraise Replace."
     1. EMBRACE - A Strategy To Make Decisions Ahead of Time           If you were in a room and someone yelled, "FIRE!" You would run! You already made the decision to run if there is ever a fire. Make the decision today that you will not allow negative thoughts to dwell in your mind. Martin Luther said, "Bad thoughts are like birds. They will land, but don't let them make a nest."           A good habit to practice is using the Power of Christ's Blood over any enemy attack that comes your way. "I plead the Blood of Jesus over my thoughts." Evil was defeated and washed away by the Blood of Christ.

• I won’t allow negative thoughts in my mind.
• I will decide ahead of time how to deal with negative thoughts.
• I will saturate my mind with the truths of God's Word as a shield against the lies of the enemy.

          "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!" Deuteronomy 30:19
     2. APPRAISE -What Value Do Your Thoughts Carry?  

• Your  thoughts, where do they lead you - into the dark or into the Light?
• What are their effects on your mood and your decisions?
• Do they cause you to embrace Truth or lies?
• Do they Embolden you to create greater Christ-like peace in your relationships?

          "Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." -Romans 12:2
 
     3. REPLACE BAD THOUGHTS with the Truth.

• Replace negativity with positivity.
• Positive thoughts only are spoken, negative thoughts make people feel broken.

          Why replace old habits and patterns? The past has a way of repeating itself if we don't find constructive ways of protecting thoughts. Old temptations can reappear and cause us to backslide away from the way God would have us live in ways that honor Him.
           “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

          “Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

          "As someone thinks within himself, so he is." Proverbs 23:7

          "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8

          Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.
#ManCave #SRM #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

          Man Cave at The Sunshine Rescue Mission began like most of our other teaching sessions. We had a lesson planned from our Men's Life Manual called "Strong Men -Great Dads." We were studying a chapter on Resentment and Generational Anger. We did cover that, but soon we went to a place we're just beginning to understand. Do our actions here on earth influence those in heavenly places?
          We read from a passage in the Bible from Ephesians 3:10. Let's look at that verse in several different versions of the Bible."[The purpose is] that through the church the complicated,
many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects
might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities
(principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere." 
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

"The purpose of this was to unveil before every throne and
rank of angelic orders in the heavenly realm
God’s full and diverse wisdom revealed through the church." 
The Passion Translation 

"God’s purpose in all this was to
use the church to display his wisdom
in its rich variety to all
the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places."
New Living Translation

          The Bible says that man is made a little lower than the angels. (Psalm 8:5, Hebrews 2:7) The Bible also says we will judge the angels. 
"Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? 
So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life."
1 Corinthians 6:3 New Living Translation
         
         We need to do a great deal of further study, but there are several points we can be sure of:

• Make sure your actions reveal the character of God's Love to everyone around you.
• We never know who might be an angel!
• Our character is a window into our heart and what we truly believe in.
• If we believe in Christ through our actions ~ our character will be a Window of Wisdom to anyone around us ~ heavenly or otherwise!

"Do not forget or neglect or refuse to extend hospitality to strangers
[in the brotherhood--
being friendly, cordial, and gracious,
sharing the comforts of your home
and doing your part generously],
for through it some have
entertained angels without knowing it."
Hebrews 13:2 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

          Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesu loves you and so do we.
#ManCave #SRM #MentoringAngels #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW