Day 22...MANLY Men Wrestle!

It's time to wrestle! When we come to “Thy will be done” in the Lord’s prayer, it’s important that we begin praying for God’s will to be done in our lives, in our family members and even in our future protégés. (You will have such as you faithfully go forward with us.) So often, believers don’t have much depth when they pray for others- “Lord, bless ‘em real good.” And yet we have learned that prayer is vital to activate the word and growth in people’s lives. No wonder Jesus and the apostles made it such a vital priority. (It was a big rock that they made time for.) Please don’t leave out praying after reading. Pray the passage into your soul throughout the day as you review your MP3 card (Meditation, Prayer, Praise, Pass it on).

My son (not pictured) is in his second year of wrestling. As you know, it’s a very intense sport. 

Praying for others can be intense at times like wrestling. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Eph.6:12. Paul commends a teammate named Epaphras, saying, “He is always wrestling in prayer for you that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” Col.4:12. So as we make time to pray after reading God’s word and come to “Thy will be done” it’s here that we need to wrestle, praying powerful prayers for ourselves and others. But what should we pray for? Based on the above verse, we can pray confidently knowing that it is God’s will for ourselves and others to stand firm in all the will of God, to be mature, to be Christlike. 

Christ was devoted to doing the will of God. So we are to follow his example to also do the will of God. Christ did the will of God by being godly (Mature) in his character. That is certainly part of the will of God. He also fulfilled the will of God by Actively mentoring disciples to multiply. He did the will of God by Nobly battling to free people from bondage and Loving everyone deeply. He did the will of God by being Yoked in a devoted relationship with his Father and his men. He was the perfect example of being MANLY. This was the will of God for him and for us.

So when we pray, “Thy will be done” we want to pray that we would be MANLY like Christ. So pray for yourself and your teammates that we would be MANLY-   

Mature in Character- to be power H.O.U.S.E. men- Hungry, Obedient, Unstoppable, Strong in the Lord, Empowered.

Active in mentoring- just as Jesus was- that you would have many spiritual descendants.

Noble in battle- that we would fight the good fight for our purity and the freedom and involvement of others

Loving in relationships- that we would learn to love better, especially our family members.

Yoked to Christ and a band of brothers- that we would be devoted to Christ and each other.

This is a powerful way to pray God's will into other men, and we would ask you to join us often pray in this MANLY way. (People will also be surprised at the maturity of your prayers for them. No-"Bless 'em real good Jesus" prayers :)

Read Eph.6:10-18. Only MANLY men dare go into such a satanic fight. So we better be fully armed. Notice that the armor of God seems to end with the weapon of the sword of the Spirit- the word of God. But then another powerful, but unnamed weapon, is lastly exhorted to be used. I call this long distance weapon, the spear of the Spirit. Discover it and use it often. It's crucial for victory.  

G.a- Share one thought that struck you from your reflecting on anything written in today's blog. 

G.b- Write out Col.4:12b (b=the last half of the verse) on your MP3 card (Meditation, Prayer, Praise and Pass it on verse.) then do the "Did It." 

Since people may ask you what MANLY stands for, write out the meaning of MANLY on your MP3 card. "Mature in character, Active in mentoring, Noble in battle, Loving in relationships, Yoked with Christ and a band of brothers." You can use this also as a way to pray for others to stand firm in all the will of God. (Yes, knowing what MANLY stands for will be on our upcoming test :) 

G.c- With how many individuals or groups did you share the riches on your MP3 card, since you posted yesterday?

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