Genesis 18:16-21
Introduction
Every professional sport has a draft season, and on draft day, athletes gather at a particular time and location to hear if they have been selected to play for their dream team. Those chosen will eventually sign a contract with the goal of excelling at the sport and meeting the obligations of the position they are hired to play. Like these hopeful athletes whose names have been called during the draft, God has chosen all men for specific duties to advance His kingdom. The Lord requires each man to accomplish a specific purpose on earth, follow his destiny, and provide leadership in his home.
A man can only fulfill these responsibilities if he is in regular and consistent communication with God. Such a man was Abraham, who God refers to as His friend. Because of his relationship with God, as seen in Genesis 18, Abraham was able to hear God’s direction to leave his country and the subsequent promise to bless him and his descendants. When men don’t remain in regular fellowship with the Lord, they are subject to listen to the wrong voice, become easily distracted, and operate contrary to His will.
Signs of our declining culture – social ills, moral decay, and excessive violence – are all indicators that men have not taken their position under God seriously. God expects men who have a relationship with Him to bring Heaven to Earth by fulfilling His commands in their families and with anyone in their sphere of influence. All men must allow God to operate in them, through them, for them, and by them for His will to be done.
Getting Started
As Pastor Evans noted, in order for a pass to be complete in the game of football, the player must reach up for the ball while keeping his feet planted firmly on the ground. Likewise, in life, men must reach for God while making an impact on earth. How do you connect with God and find or live out God’s purpose for you God amidst all of the distractions of the world?
Let’s Get Personal
God wants you to be great, however, He is not going to give you instructions for your life if you are not going to follow them. Why do you think God holds back instructions when He knows you’re not going to follow them? What can you do to show Him you are willing to listen to and obey His commands?
Take the Next Step
The breakdown of the family has caused chaos in our culture. Read the following passages: Deuteronomy 4:9; 6:6-9; Joshua 24:15; and Ephesians 6:4. Based on what you read in the scriptures, list three things you can implement now to create a God-centered standard for your family.
Renew Your Mind
“For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”
Genesis 18:19
Kingdom Resources for Men
A Kingdom Man is a male who visibly and consistently submits to the comprehensive relationship and rule of God, underneath the Lordship of Jesus Christ, in every area of his life.
- Set aside time to meet with God daily, in His Word and through prayer, for the purpose of cultivating spiritual intimacy. Proactively seek to draw down heavenly authority and receive divine instruction. This can be done by reviewing the weekly sermon outlines and key Scriptures, reading and meditating through specific passages in or an entire book of the Bible, or using a devotional guide. The goal is to seek more of God than merely seeking things from God.
- Pray daily with your mate and share with her what you are learning from church and your personal time with God.
- Regularly use a meal time for praying with and over your family, having devotions, Scripture reading and discussing what your children learned in church or in their own time with the Lord. Remove distractions from this time. If you are single, use this time to pray for any extended family as well as for your future family.
- If your children do not live with you, engage them regularly through text or a phone call to inquire as to how they are doing, read or discuss a chapter in Scripture (you can start with the Psalms) and to give them guidance. Close with praying for them, and with them for others. If they are not open to this, text them that you are praying for them each day and ask God to cause them to become more open to this.
Resources
- My Utmost for His Highest (Oswald Chambers), paperback devotional
- Jesus Calling (Sarah Young), paperback devotional
- Life Under God: 365 Day Devotional (Tony Evans), leather version
- Prayers for Victory in Your Marriage (Tony Evans), paperback guided prayers
- Kingdom Family Devotional (Tony Evans and Jonathan Evans), hardback devotional
- One-Minute Prayers for Men (Nick Harrison), paperback guided prayers
