Chris Grainger: 1:22

Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I'm your host, chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, guys, it's your Spiritual Kickoff episode. I'm excited to be here with you. Let's get going.

Chris Grainger: 1:36

So we're in the book of Deuteronomy this week, okay. So Deuteronomy, chapter 30, just looking at one verse, verse 19,. It says this day, I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I've set before you life and death, blessings and cursings and curses. Rather, now choose life so that you and your children may live. So, guys, this is a pretty impactful verse. Here, every week, usually what I do is I go to the guests. I'm like, okay, what's your life verse? What's a verse that either is your life verse or that aligns to what we're going to be talking about? And this week's guest went straight here. I was like, okay, and after talking to him, I totally get it. So let's just unpack this. Let's see how we can simplify and apply this to our life. The first thing you know, ultimately, where is the book of Deuteronomy? Ok, so it could be hard to find these things in Old Testament times, but this is actually the fifth book of the Bible. So if you get to Joshua Judges, you went a little bit too far, just back up. But this hits us right between the eyes.

Chris Grainger: 2:39

This verse is really because we're seeing the firsthand need that exists for leaders to make the right choice. Okay, that choice is very simple Do we serve ourselves or do we serve others? This is really showing us what the choice comes down to life and death, blessings and curses and it's urging us, as we see right here in the scriptures, we have the choice, but he's urging us to choose life, for you and your children may live. So now, this is a challenge, and I love challenges. I like to be challenged because anytime I'm challenged, I like to take it personal and we're going to do it. But this is a biblical challenge and it's not just about personal survival. That's not what this is about. This is about enhancing the well-being of others and choosing that path of life, the choice that we have every day and for Christian leaders you're listening to this episode most likely.

Chris Grainger: 3:38

You are a Christian leader, you're someone who desires to be one, you're called to lead your families, you're called to lead your communities, and this choice that you make each and every day has significant implications, because if you choose curses, guess what? You will be a curse. If you choose blessings, you have the opportunity to bless others. And we can see directly, directly, right here, that this verse calls upon the heavens and the earth to witness our choice, which tells me what the decision matters. We're being watched and the decision matters.

Chris Grainger: 4:12

This is not a private thing, no, or it's not consequential? No, no, no, this is a public declaration. You can't go into a booth, pull a curtain. I'm going to choose this today. It doesn't work that way. No, heaven's watching. Oh, I'm going to choose this today. It doesn't work that way. Nope, heaven's watching. You're not hiding, and if you make that public declaration, you're aligning what your priorities or your values are to others. Okay, you can't hide the closet here, fellas, there's no sideline Christianity going on. Nope, this means your decisions you have to make needs to be seen, needs to be known.

Chris Grainger: 4:40

Do people that you work with right now, today, do they know that you're walking with Christ? If they do not, why? Why? Because we are called to be His Christ followers, to walk with Him, and we need to publicly declare what Christ has done for us. It doesn't mean you have to stand on the side of your office building today and hold up a sign that says talk to me if you want to learn about Jesus. No, but you can show the fruit of the Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. You can show that wherever you're at today in your work.

Chris Grainger: 5:12

If you do that, you're choosing life, you're choosing blessings. By doing that, you're drawing people to you, which gives you a chance to draw them closer to them, just by how Christ is moving in your life. This is the directive we've been given. This is not an option. This is a directive Choose life. That tells us directly what we should do. And if we do that, what does it tell us? Hey, you're going to grow, you're going to have life, you're going to have blessings, and not just for us, but for future generations, for the people around us. How big is that? It's absolutely huge. Now think about this.

Chris Grainger: 5:55

Service is a pathway to life, because leadership if you're thinking about I want to be a leader, I want to be a better leader it starts by serving. By choosing life, you're prioritizing the needs of others and you're choosing to step forward to serve. That's what it's all about, and you're serving those that are in dire need. So, whether you're serving at a local food bank, which is huge, or maybe you're doing a community cleanup, or you're mentoring, which is a big, big deal guys, you know how much we're big on mentoring but the act of serving itself brings life into the people around us and to our communities and to our churches and to our careers and abilities that we find ourselves working in. But it brings life into them the only things that we find ourselves working in but it breathes life into them and it fulfills this biblical mandate that we have, particularly one to love our neighbors. God, we know Christ told us that, right, we're supposed to love our neighbors. Well, service, that could be that pathway. I love serving for me. That's just for me. That's also my love language. I think I just love serving and helping other people. But it doesn't just fall in your lap. You have to look for those opportunities to serve.

Chris Grainger: 7:09

The second thing I want you to think about is you need to advocate for the people who can't speak, particularly the ones who can't speak up for themselves, because if you can't speak up for yourself, then you need somebody willing to step into the fray and say okay, I got you, and I'm talking specifically here about the unborn, the ones that are elderly, who would only listen to them if they're talking, or people who have just been marginalized. They're all out there. There's people who are afraid to speak because they don't think anyone's going to listen to them. You know what? So you, you could be called to be that voice, to be that voice right now of justice, of mercy, challenging the norm. Right, this could be you. Maybe you need to advocate for life-affirming policies. Right, maybe at your local level, maybe start in your local community, I don't know or at a national level. Bottom line is what we support, what we advocate for matters, and not saying something is the equivalent of saying something. I'm telling you be quiet. That's an answer. If you don't, by not doing something that tells me where you align at, it's a big one. Fellas, make sure that we're advocating for the voiceless.

Chris Grainger: 8:26

Now I want you to also think about stewardship, because when you start thinking about this whole, this verse here it says the call of the heavens and the earth is a witness's reminder of our whole responsibility towards creation. Right, a responsibility here, because choosing life means we should be very cautious and tactical about stewardship for the things that God's blessed us with so far as our life and our environment around us. So we need to be thinking about items that we can start supporting so far as environmental awareness or conservation efforts. Guys, you know how big an outdoorsman I am, so this is a big deal. Support your local parks, communities and things like that. And then, while you do that, look for opportunities, okay, to choose life to serve, to bring others to know Christ through that. Because I'm telling you, if you start working outside and start working in nature with others and just trying to point them to the good news of the gospel the gospel does some incredible things there Then I want you also thinking about the last part of the scripture.

Chris Grainger: 9:31

It says so that you and your children may live. So what is that talking about? That's talking about, like generational legacy, what's here to come, because your impact of your choices are not just impacting today, it's impacting lots and lots and lots of tomorrows, and that is a big deal. Your task as a Christian leader, okay, with passing on that legacy of faith in righteous living to the next generation. They have to learn it from someone. Where are they going to learn it from? Do you think you're just going to leave it up to just the world to teach them what it looks like to follow Christ? No, because if you do that, guess what he wants to go, step in. He's going to trip them up. It's going to happen.

Chris Grainger: 10:09

So we have to be intentional here. Right? This means we have to teach the next generation, show them, model it, make sure they understand, answer their questions, ask them questions to make sure hey, this is called you know, verify whether their understanding is. But if you want them to thrive, you better make sure. Better make sure that you're doing all you can to point them to the goodness of the gospel of Christ. They need to understand that, and verses like this are a command for us as men to step up and do it, because this is not just telling us to make a one-time decision.

Chris Grainger: 10:50

This is not just saying, hey, go do this one thing on a Sunday and you're done. No, this is a continual, continual choice that we have to make every day to actively pursue and promote the well-being of others. Okay, in today's world, I know this is hard, but you're going to have to embrace this leadership style Market with service Advocate, be an advocate for others, stewarding what God's given you well, given you very well, and then building a legacy. It's about aligning your choices with God's heart for humanity. And I'm telling you, when you start thinking of it that way, it's going to the areas of your life that you have questions in will become a whole lot clearer when you're choosing to do things God's way, because usually when I screw up, when I have the hardest time, is when I'm trying to fulfill me, when I want to do things my way versus His way.

Chris Grainger: 11:50

This verse clarifies a lot for us Choose, through our actions, through our leadership, through our daily living, to follow Him, and if we do that, the ones around us, our communities, the people, the people we interact with, we'll flourish, we'll have that opportunity at least to be blessed. And so we need to start thinking about this, this in your personal life, with your family, with your church, with your coworkers, with the people in line at the grocery store, wherever you're at. Identify these areas that you can start with right now and start enhancing that service, start leaning into it more. Make this a commitment to where you actually do something. Choose life together, because I'm telling you, if you choose that life, if you choose that right path of life. There's no telling what God's going to do with it, and that's the cool part. And you never know how you can bless others. You also never know that blessing that God has for you may just be on that other side of a step of obedience. Never know. So take the step.

Chris Grainger: 13:12

The question I have for you is what's one step that you can take today, today, to serve others in need? Because I'm telling you, I didn't say tomorrow, I didn't say next week, I didn't say next year. Today we have opportunities today to take the step of obedience. What are you going to do? Are you going to choose to pass it up or are you going to choose life? I pray that you choose life Now for you guys listening and girls.

Chris Grainger: 13:41

You've made it this far to the line with Dennis, and maybe you're liking some of the content, the episodes, the things we talk about, the encouragement, but you've never surrendered your life to the Lordship of Christ. Maybe you've gone to church your whole life, you know all about it, but you've never made the step. I get it. It's hard. The evil one doesn't want you to. The evil one wants you to think you can do that any old time. Hey, leave your life, man. Just leave your life. Learn from these guys, but don't really don't need to listen to it, don't need to actually, you know, follow that and surrender. No, you can still live your life for you, cause you deserve to be happy. He's going to tell you that kind of stuff.

Chris Grainger: 14:20

I just want to share the good news with you, and the great news is we were made in His image, god's image. When he formed Adam. He breathed the breath of life into Adam, he woke and he arose. That first time he was face to face with His creator. It says we are made in the image of God. God is perfect. We are made in that image God. God is perfect. We are made in that image. You just need to remember that, because maybe, if you're thinking right now that you're no good, I look at a lot of porn, my marriage is in shambles, I'm broke, my finances are just a train wreck, I'm out of shape. I'm just not that smart. Whatever, the lie is that you're telling yourself. I'm telling you that's straight from the evil one, because you're made in the image of God and that is a lie that he's using to hold you back. No, that stuff does not define you. You are made in His image.

Chris Grainger: 15:24

Now, since we're made in His image, though, there is an issue that we do have that we need to address. That's the issue of sin. I'm not talking about struggles, because I mean everybody struggles now. No, I'm talking about sin. Sin is anything that separates us from God. That's what happened in the garden when Eve took a bite of the fruit. That relationship was ruptured.

Chris Grainger: 15:45

There's now a gap between a holy and righteous God and us. We all fall short of the glory of God. It just says that. It tells us that in Romans, we fall short. That's you, that's me, that's the dude on death row, that's the kids, whoever. We all fall short of the glory of God. It's just there. It's sin, nature's in the world, so it's to fall. So you have this gap we all fall short of the glory of God.

Chris Grainger: 16:13

There's nothing we can do to pay that. You can't go out and write a check to buy your salvation. It doesn't work that way. So what do we have to do? Well, we couldn't do anything. God did it for us, and that's when he sent Jesus on a rescue mission for us. So Jesus left heaven, came down here, was born of a virgin fulfilled all the prophecies, did all the miracles, the teachings, the showing throughout the parables. Did all the miracles, the teachings, the showing throughout the parables, and then he went to the cross and paid the penalty for our sin through his perfect blood. That we couldn't pay, we could not pay, that there's nothing that we can do to overcome that. Nope, he paid it all. He did that and he died on that cross for the center of the world, for you, for me and the whole world, and they laid him on a cross Three days later. He rose.

Chris Grainger: 17:11

We don't worship a dead guy. This is such a big deal that we should. Just, we need to make sure we're making a whole lot of this. We don't wear black on Easter because we're not going to a funeral. No, the tomb is empty.

Chris Grainger: 17:20

He came out of the tomb, he showed himself. He even did more teaching after that and then he ascended to heaven and he's right here in the Father right now. This is where he's at and no one gets there except through him. He is the way, the truth and the life. Fellas, this is it. There is no other name under heaven that has been saved. He is the only way. So now that we know that you're made in His image. We do have this thing called sin. That's caused a gap where we can't close it. We have to have someone who pays it for us. That was Christ. He did that. He paid the penalty for us, died on the cross. He went to heaven. Now we have a choice.

Chris Grainger: 18:01

To get back to our verse today the choice. You have the choice to choose life or death. Making the choice of life means surrendering your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That means choosing to say Lord, I believe in you, I trust you and I follow you. And he wants your heart. He doesn't want anything else from you other. I follow you. He wants your heart. He doesn't want anything else from you other than your heart. And once you make that confession, the Holy Spirit is going to come. It's going to dwell. You have a new heart. At that point, you'll be a new creation.

Chris Grainger: 18:34

It's pretty cool how all this happens. The blinders will fall off. You'll start seeing things with new light because the Holy Spirit is going to be guiding you at that point. Now you'll still need discipleship, you'll still need training as you grow, but you have to make this decision. You can't live on someone else's faith. Your faith has to be your own Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, girlfriend, wife. It doesn't matter Kids, none of them can do this for you. This has to be your decision. This is an all-in decision. This is not just putting a few chips in. No, this is going all in. You can't surrender your life to Christ and keep your wallet from him, keep your bedroom from him, keep your bedroom from him, keep your career from him. Nope, he has to have it all. He has to say all right, lord, you're Lord over all of it. I will choose to follow you. I don't know what you call me to do, but I know I'm a walk in obedience and when you do that, I'm telling you it's not just going to get easier, but it will be better. So that's my prayer today.

Chris Grainger: 19:51

If you're listening to this, if you're hearing this episode, you're this far into the spiritual kickoff episode. You've never surrendered your life to the Lordship of Christ. Today's the day, I don't care if you're walking on a treadmill, if you're sitting at work, or maybe you're fixing a sandwich for lunch. You're listening to this podcast. If you haven't surrendered your life to Christ and you feel like today, you know what this message is resonating with you. The gospel is hitting you a little bit different. Don't put off for tomorrow what God's calling you to do today. So let's pray together and it's time to accept him as your Lord and Savior.

Chris Grainger: 20:30

So, father, thank you so much for just this opportunity to share the gospel with the listeners out there today, and I just pray for that one listener. Right now. They're just, they're having a tough time. I mean, like the Lord, they're having a very difficult time. The attacks are coming. They've run out of answers to what they can do. They recognize a need, their need for a Savior. We recognize that you are that Savior, lord. We're so thankful for what you did for us and we don't have to figure this thing called life out on our own. We can just lean into you, we can trust you, we can be obedient to you. Let's pray for that listener that they just take this step of obedience and surrender to you. So I just pray a hedge of protection around them right now and we love you. We praise you in Christ's name, amen. All right, so for that listener out there, you just accepted Christ as your Savior.

Chris Grainger: 21:26

Touchdown, I want to hear from you. Okay, chris, at thelandwithinus, I will send you a bunch of free resources to get you plugged in, get you hooked up. You just entered a battle. We got to get you ready. We got to get you ready for the battle. So, again, I'd love to hear from you. Send me your email, we'll get connected. Love to jump on a zoom call. Give you a virtual high five as well. Just pray with you, just be there with you. Okay, so again. Uh, chris, at the line within that us, excuse me. So come back on Wednesday. Fellows, we're going to have a really great episode. This, this, this gentleman who we had come on, uh, let's just say this dude's on fire. He's on fire for the Lord and does some great things in Africa, and it was just a really great conversation. So hopefully you guys are going to enjoy this one Again.

Chris Grainger: 22:14

The lionwithinus that's, the lionwithinus is our website. Go check that out. All our resources are on the website. Join the communities on the website. Our summit leadership development is on the website. Our summit leadership developments on the website. All the stuff, fellas, so far, you version emotionals, all the resources that we've put together to serve you to be the man, the leader, rather, that god has called you to be, it's all right there often.

Chris Grainger: 22:37

Lion withinus, if you could give us a rating and review, that would be amazing, whatever you're listening on, if you're an apple podcast listener, just go. It's very easy. Just click onto the podcast, write a review One or two sentences, that's all you need. And just, they encourage me as well, they lift me up. So I really appreciate that. And again, the lionwithinus, if you liked what we're doing, you feel like you want to just support the ministry? Hey, there's a way that you can be a monthly donor, a monthly supporter. That would be huge. We would absolutely love that support. I guarantee you that support will go a long way as we're building things to try to help encourage others, just to be that leader.

Chris Grainger: 23:16

And also for you guys out there that are on the East Coast that are looking for an opportunity for something for your men's discipleship group or your men's group or small group or whatever it may be, or your men's group or your small group or whatever it may be, and you're looking for an opportunity to maybe get outside. Think about this fishing, hiking, shooting, all the stuff that guys enjoy doing. We have that offer right now with our facility where we can host you up. I can lead some talks for you guys, for some discussions, to get you going and talk about the things that really matter how to be a better husband, how we be better dads, how we be better dads, how we be better community servers and things like that. So, guys, go check that stuff out, thelionwithinus, let's connect, let's have a conversation, let's see how we can help you grow. Okay, all right, we'll get after it. Guys, have a great day. We'll see you here on Wednesday. Good Lord, you know what's coming. Keep unleashing the lion within.

Chris Grainger: 24:08

If you're a man who's looking for greater spiritual guidance into how to become a better leader, finding resources that you can trust and then implement can be daunting. For me personally, I thought it was a lost cause and I decided to take the action, knowing that I wasn't alone. It was because of this wide gap that we created our Lion Withinist community, and the areas that we were helping Christian men grow are incredible. For instance, we've built ways for guys to lean in and grow through fun events like our daily spiritual kickoff, where you get that much-needed boost directly from God's Word, our Bible studies that always focus on how to discern and apply what we learn, and even our amazing form where you can speak your mind without fear of getting shut down or judged by the extreme rules of modern day social media. On top of all that, we know that many men won't help overcoming issues and becoming stronger in many different areas. That's why we created several mastermind groups where the iron truly sharpens iron.

Chris Grainger: 25:07

Our community is about having a growth mindset, accountability, intentionality and transparency. In other words, just leave fake you at home and come to community just as you are. I fully believe what we feel. I see the impact it's making on men right now and I would love to have you check it out. So start your very own 30-day free trial today to see how we can help you be a better leader. So if you're ready to take that first step, head over to thelinewithinus and get started. Your journey begins here. Visit thelinewithinus and I'll see you inside the den.