Lion Heart ENCOURAGE - Male PMS

Intro:

Hey Man of God! Well now, what do we have in store today? But before we get there, I trust that you have been taking time to understand the pursuit of God. To measure the value of this treasure. It is after all the purpose of this life, and of the ages to come.

Encouragement:

You might be wondering what I mean by male PMS. It’s a somewhat provocative title, but certainly very apt. Most of us will be familiar with female PMS. That monthly ‘swing’ in emotions that can sometimes come with a ‘burn’. Well male PMS is really just a tongue in cheek reference to some pertinent challenges we as men face, namely Power, Money and Sex. It might not give us that monthly emotional swing it gives to our wife’s, but these three aspects cause some great challenges and difficulties in our lives.

Rooted in our flesh and our carnal nature, Power, Money and Sex are very powerful forces.

And they can drive us to do, think and say, very sinful things. Power, Money and Sex are also often interrelated. Power can come in the form of dominance through force, or influence or manipulation. Money is often involved in our sense of being powerful. Money also speaks to the prideful side of our sinful nature, allowing us to flaunt and ‘shine’. Money can also buy sex, whether directly in the form of prostitution, or indirectly through the creation of fake more ‘powerful’ persona using money. Women are attracted to power, and thus we feed our carnal nature’s drive for both. And then sex. Sex is a fundamental need for a man, and the enemy exploits this thoroughly. Sex is woven into ever layer of our male fabric; we are designed like this. Sex is not sinful. However, it can be very easily corrupted and spoilt, like a rotten piece of meat. Heavenly when consumed correctly, but poisonous when corrupted.

All three these elements may seem sweet in the beginning, but the end thereof is death! The fight is real my brothers.

Idolatry:

Power, Money and Sex easily become idols in our lives. When we aren’t getting satisfaction from the right source, we will seek it elsewhere, and this by definition is idolatry.

Idols will always break our hearts. Idols will always bring damage and destruction. There is no doubt, and thus God warns us. In actual fact when the Israelites came out of Egypt, it was the very first commandment God gave to them: ‘You shall have no other god’s before Me’.

Do not be deceived, idols will always bring pain, loss and destruction. They never satisfy.

So what is an idol you may ask. Well idols can have several characteristics, including:

·        They are things that we look to for salvation, rather than God

·        They are things that we fear, love, or trust more than God

·        They are things that we use to give our lives meaning, purpose, and significance

·        They are things that we are willing to sacrifice other things for, including our relationships, our health, and our integrity

Whenever something takes the place of God in our lives, it’s an idol. Examples that so easily entangle us men are: business/work/promotion, sports, porn, infidelity, fitness, alcohol, domination, television, etc

·        God is the only One Who saves

·        God is the only One worthy of trust, as He never fails.

·        God is the meaning of life, He should be the centre of our lives

·        He provides, protections, guides, satisfies and gives life.

If we’re seeking those things in any other place, if we’re seeking salvation and protection from any other thing or person, other than God, then that is an idol.

No matter how attractive or powerful idols seem, idols always fail. God is the only infallible one. He cannot fail. It is impossible for Him to fail.

So why do we find it so difficult to trust Him. To seek Him. To give our lives to Him?

Let’s see what God’s word as to say where to find satisfaction, and what is valuable:

• Isaiah 55:2: "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy?"

• Jeremiah 2:13: "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

• Psalm 16:11: "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

• Matthew 6:19-21: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Over and over God invites us, and instructs us, urges us, to come to Him. But why do we find this so so difficult?

Books have been written about this, and I wouldn’t say that I have all the answer, but at the core of it there are two main sides to the difficulty we face:

-            Sin and Unbelief

-            Faith

‘Whichever you feed will grow’

(I know this is an oversimplification, but I need to start somewhere. 😊)

Sin: having corrupted and separated us from the life giver. The only way forward with our carnal nature is DEATH. Putting it to death.

• Romans 8:13: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

• Galatians 5:24: "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

• Colossians 3:5: "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

Faith: Knowing God is Faith. Faith is knowing God. The only way to know Him is to seek Him as a treasure of great price. There is so much more to cover on this topic, but this is all we have time for today.

In closing, if you’ve sought satisfaction in sex, or money, or power. It’s time to REPENT my Brothers. Repentance is a powerful thing. But it has to be done. You have to choose to repent. These fights are not trivial, nor should they be attacked in a half-hearted manner.

Repentance involves:

-            Agreeing with God that you are wrong, and He is right.

-            Turning away from sin

-            Returning to Him

We live a life of repentance that leads to victory.

Please fwd this message to those whom you think can benefit!

Your Brother in Christ,

Stanley