Chris Grainger: 1:24

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, spiritual kickoff time. I'm excited to have you here, so let's get right into it.

Chris Grainger: 1:37

So we're going to look at just one verse this week. It's in the book of Psalms, the very first Psalm, the very first verse. So Psalm 1, 1, okay, it says blessed is the one who does not walk in the step of the wicked or stand in the way with sinners, take or sit in the company of mockers. Lots to look at here, guys. Lots to look at. This verse happens to be just a personal verse for me, with our kids ministering, the things that I've been heavily involved with in my life, where I serve, it's just this is our verse. So I'm excited to unpack this one with you. And obviously, psalms is somewhat towards the middle of your Bible. You should be able to find them before Proverbs. So just go, take a look, see if you can find where Psalms are. The very first one. And, guys, we're going to look at this one because this is a profound verse that's going to set the tone for the entire book of Psalms. Let's just face it, because we're talking about walking, standing, sitting right here Walk, stand, sit. And this is a good reminder for us as Christian leaders about the need for us to be diligent in our associations and our influences of others. I'm telling you we're going to talk about that head-on this week, because your circle of influence matters. You need to be extra careful in discerning who you allow to speak into your life and the impact those relationships have on your spiritual journey. And we're going to really look at this. We need to think about this. So, as we go forth, look at these verbs Walk, stand, sit, and we're going to see, because sometimes sin and the way the evil one works is a progression. No one ever just wakes up in the morning and says today's the day, I'm just going to turn my back on the Lord. It usually doesn't happen that way. Little, small steps over time, all right, now we're going to see as we move forward here. This gradual entanglement can trip us up because there's so many ungodly influences out there. Let's just be real. Let's just be real. There's so many things that can just trip us up and pull us out.

Chris Grainger: 3:39

So when he's walking at the very beginning, walking in the step with the wicked. That, really, if you think about it, that's more casual. You're just casually going along. Right, it's a harmless association. You're not spending a lot of mind or effort there, you're just doing your thing, you know, and we're not worried about hey, I can't worry about what they believe, so I'm not going to worry too much about that. And it's like no, no, no, no, no, wait, a minute. When you're walking, you are moving. Now, either you're moving towards God or from God, but, no doubt about it, you are making a step. So, are you stepping towards God? Are you walking a further way? Then?

Chris Grainger: 4:22

Standing in the way of sinners, that really indicates a little bit deeper level of engagement. Right, when you're standing with someone and you're having a conversation, or you're just standing with their presence, you're basically essentially saying I'm here with you Because you are. So when you stand in the way that sinners take and you're aligning everybody to their sinful behaviors, hmm, that says a lot. And that takes us to our third verb sitting Sitting. When you sit in the company of mockers, what you're saying right there is that you're settling and you're conforming to what the world is around you. And as you start thinking about this I always think about when I think about sitting with mockers. I think about meals. Who do you sit down with and regularly break bread and have fellowship with? And I'm not trying to say you shouldn't be sitting down with sinners and trying to bring them to Christ. No, that's not what this verse is talking about. For sure, we're called to be out, do what God's called us to do and bring as many people as we can to Christ, and that's the whole point of evangelism of the Great Commission. You've been called to do that. However, outside of that, what's speaking into your life? And as you sit down, think about the last three tables you sat at, just the last three. It could be your family dinner table, maybe it was customer tables, maybe it was with your boss or coworkers, or whatever it may be. What are those last three tables that you sat and broke bread at with someone, and were those engagements? Were they drawing you closer to God or pulling you further away? Or was God not found at all? Because if God's not found at all, that's an answer right there in itself.

Chris Grainger: 6:12

We have to be careful when we start compromising stuff here, guys, because compromise, I feel like, is such an easy way to evil and it's trying to trip us up. Because, as Christian men, we have to be stringent around these influences, because these influences impact us, because the people that you surround yourself with. They're either going to help build you up in Christ or they're going to completely tear you down, and you may not even recognize that they're tearing you down during the process. So when you start compromising your values to fit in or to avoid some conflict, that's a slippery slope. It doesn't usually end well because the world is constantly trying to lure you in, to get you into that false sense of security and acceptance. But you're called as a believer. You're called to a higher standard. You just are and I'm sorry, sometimes that comes with a lot of pressure and weight. It shouldn't be. You should walk with the Lord. Don't worry about this higher standard that you feel like you're trying to hold up to others. You just walk with Him. And that compromises that we typically make.

Chris Grainger: 7:19

They may seem harmless. The evil one wants them to seem harmless. So what it starts doing? It's eroding your conviction, it's taking away Little by little by little and it starts dulling your spiritual sensitivity. Think about that sword. That sword is spirit. How many of you guys out there know what it's like to try to cut something with a dull knife? It's so aggravating. It doesn't do what its intended purpose is because it's not ready. It's not fit for use. So many Christians out there brothers I'm just speaking real with you today so many Christians out there are just dull. They just check the box to get out of hell. Let's just be real. But they're not actively doing anything to sharpen the sword of God. And when you start walking, standing and sitting with the sinners and letting that influence your life, this is a gradual decline and this can render you ineffective. It just can. It can render you ineffective. It just can. It can render you ineffective. And what it really makes is indistinguishable between you and anybody else in the world. We're called fellas to be in the world, but not of the world. You need to remember that. John 17 tells us that you need to maintain your distinctiveness as that follower of Christ.

Chris Grainger: 8:43

I've talked about the chocolate chip cookie. David Benham, my brother. He brought this to me a couple years ago on Align With Dennis. If you listen to us long enough, you know this one. The chocolate chip is the best part of the chocolate chip cookie and it remains distinct. You can still see the chocolate chip. You can't see the eggs and the milk and the flour and all the ingredients that make the dough, because that stuff just blends together. Yet the chocolate chip mixes in, it mixes in. It doesn't blend in, it mixes. It's distinguishable and it has a design purpose. And, let's face it, the chocolate chip is the best part of the doggone cookie.

Chris Grainger: 9:16

This is such a big deal because the power of the influences on your life and the power that you have shapes who you are. These things shape who you are. Guys. 1320 of Proverbs tells us specifically to walk with wise and become wise, because a companion of fools suffers harm. So the people you're spending time with, the people you walk, standing, sitting, with the voices that you listen to, the advice that you follow, that's molding you, it's your character, that's your influence, that's your decisions that you make. And when you say you know what, I'm going to surround myself with godly men instead who challenge your courage and hold me accountable. I know nobody likes that stuff. Nobody wants accountability. Everybody says they want accountability. Until you actually get accountability, they're like, no, I don't want that anymore. Okay, but you as a Christian leader. As a leader who's been to do the work that God's called you to do, are you going to stand in and stand up to the call, because you need spiritual growth, being part of a strong Christian community.

Chris Grainger: 10:22

This is such a big part. This is one of the main reasons we started Align Within. We know Christian guys out there need this. Most churches are lukewarm. Let's just be real. Most churches are lukewarm. They're not doing anything around discipleship. We're trying to help Christian men be grounded in your faith. Give you that support system to encourage you.

Chris Grainger: 10:41

If you don't have this, build it yourself. Go, get out, get that started up. Get some disciples in your life. Start joining a discipleship group. Be open, be transparent, be vulnerable, be authentic, whatever you need to do, but take this so serious. Don't put this off. I want you to be grounded in your faith. I want you to pursue righteousness. I want you to be able to resist temptation. But you can't do it on your own because the evil one's going to trip at you and he's going to throw those fiery darts and you need help.

Chris Grainger: 11:18

This is why you need to have, you know, churches and small groups and discipleship groups and all these different types of programs to help you have the relationships and the opportunities to grow that you, that we, quite frankly you, have to have. This is a non-negotiable. So I'm going to give you a few things to think about. You know, I know, with Dennis, we're trying to help you be the leader God intends you to be. All right, chris. How can you start doing this?

Chris Grainger: 11:41

Well, first thing, evaluate your current relationships. Think about the current relationships in your life, the people who you allow to speak into Again. Are they drawing you closer to God or are they pulling you further away? But honestly, right here, you need to take an honest assessment. Quit dulling this down, quit justifying, quit rationalizing, because you know what happens when you rationalize You're trying to make rational lines. That gets us in trouble. So think about the people in your life that are speaking into you and do a good assessment, do an audit, a relationship audit.

Chris Grainger: 12:17

Second thing seek godly counsel. Seek godly counsel. This is hard, particularly if you're not plugged into a group of believers. Seeking godly counsel means you've got to be around some guys who are walking this thing called the Christian life, the Christian journey. They're walking it out and they're few and far between. So you need to be seeking mentors and friends who are going to speak that truth to you Not their version of the truth, but the real truth to you. Not their version of truth, but the real truth to you. That will help you stay accountable. Again, another reason why we started the line with Dennis, because we recognize this is a gap, this is a deficiency, and this is an area that guys need.

Chris Grainger: 12:59

Next, one's a big one, fellas Set boundaries, set boundaries. You need some clear boundaries out there to protect yourself from those negative influences. A couple of boundaries I got in my life, for instance, is the Billy Graham rule I'm not alone anywhere with a woman ever, just not. I'm not going to be in a room by myself with another woman that's not my wife, because I'm going to remove the hurdle. I'm going to just remove the obstacle, take it out of the way. No, it's not going to be here, because maybe there are some boundaries about where you go, where you spend time at, who you spend time with for sure, and what activities you engage with. Here's what to think about, fellas. Look at your text messages, your chain of text. Sometimes we get on a group chain text messages. Sometimes those text messages can get a little out of hand, maybe just colorful language, maybe there's pictures. If you're feeling a little stirring right now, that's the Holy Spirit, maybe some of those text message chains you need to remove yourself from. Just get out of them, get out of that situation. That's a boundary you can set and make an impact right now.

Chris Grainger: 14:16

Now the next tip you got to start investing yourself in Scripture. Immerse yourself all the time in God's Word. I'm talking about not just reading. Think about it. We don't think anymore. We want people to think for us. No, we got to stop. Think about it. Meditate, ask God to show you what does he want to reveal to you through this scripture. Make your time in the word a non-negotiable, because if you think you can get full with one hour on a Sunday by some other guy just sharing a message, you completely lost it. Are you kidding me? You wouldn't just eat one hour on Sunday and not eat until the next Sunday, would you? No way Spend time with him.

Chris Grainger: 15:03

And then the last tip guys, you need to start praying for discernment. We don't pray for that enough. Start asking God for wisdom and discernment. Don't ask him for fortunes and all the just give me, give me, give me no, lord, I just pray for wisdom and discernment. Help me recognize what you want me to see. Help me recognize what the evil one is trying to trip me up. I'd love to see those traps better, lord, so that I can do a better job of being a disciple.

Chris Grainger: 15:30

Prayer is the most powerful tool, guys, that I could possibly even begin to mention to you today. How often do we just put that prayer off Because we don't have time, or God doesn't really want to hear my prayers, my prayers aren't big compared to someone else's, or you know what I'm good right now. I'm good. That's exactly what the evil one wants you to be. He wants you to think that you're good and that you don't need God. You don't need to have that relationship with him. We have a relational God. Why would you not want to have a relationship with him? You wouldn't get married and then never talk to your spouse, would you? It wouldn't last too long. Why in the world would you surrender your life to the Lordship of Christ and then not spend time with him?

Chris Grainger: 16:14

So I'm telling you this Psalm 1, it's challenging you right here Walk, stand, sit, be vigilant, fellas. Be vigilant about the people, the influences in your life. Guard yourself. Be careful not to walk, not to stand or to sit with people who are pulling you away from God. Surround yourself with those influences that make a difference. Remain steadfast in your faith and start avoiding these traps of compromise, because when you start compromising, I'm telling you, open these trap doors and sometimes you'll find yourself you cannot get out, you just can't. And if you're doing that, you'll never be the man that God intends you to be. You're just not. Your influences matter. They're a reflection of who you're becoming. So, choose wisely, commit to walking in the way of righteousness and then also remember you're made in the image of God. Spend time with your creator and then let that be the reflective of who you are.

Chris Grainger: 17:22

So the question this week, guys, is very simple Are your friends, your people who are closest to you in your life, are they drawing you closer or further from God? And look, I'm going to say something that's even less popular than probably some of the stuff I've already said. Sometimes you need to get some new friends. You just do. Relationships run their course from time to time. From the earthly standpoint, the only eternal relationship we have is with Christ, but if you're recognizing that you're on this path and you're trying to walk with Him and you're trying to do that and you're trying to do that still with walking, standing and sitting with the sinners every day who are influencing you. It's going to be a tough road ahead. Sometimes that means you know what I'm going to have to peel out of this.

Chris Grainger: 18:22

Those guys I normally hang with on Friday night probably just need to start being busy. You know you can gradually fade away. Things come up, got to work, whatever it may be. Hey, sometimes you just got to make up that little big excuse just to give yourself some time to think. Then at some point you need to hit it head on. Here's the deal. I'm walking with the Lord. You guys really aren't. I'd love to help you, but until then, man, I need to put a little space here.

Chris Grainger: 18:57

You never know how a convicting conversation like that from a man, what that can do to somebody. I'm just here to encourage you this week, guys, walk, standing and sitting Such a big deal, because that power of influence can't overemphasize it enough. And again, if you've never surrendered your life to the Lordship of Christ and you're listening to the Lion with Dennis and you're like this dude's talking about walk, stand and sit and like Holy Spirit, god, and like what in the world is he talking about? I'm just glad you're here. I'm glad you're listening. I don't know why you're listening, but you're here, you're listening, and I just want to welcome you, because if you never surrendered your life, you may even want to know why would you even do that.

Chris Grainger: 19:47

Well, first of all, you need to know that you're made in the image of God. If you hear my voice, you are made in the image of God. Don't let anyone, anyone, try to fool you. So when God formed man, at the very beginning, he formed him with his hands and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and then Adam set up the first man. It was face to face with his creator. We are made in his image. So there's no mistake. You may think you have all these flaws and all these deficiencies and all these things that are wrong to you. I'm here to tell you God made you just the way you are and in him we are perfect. When we have him inside Now it went really great for Adam for like a page in the Bible, and then sin happened in the fall, and sin is anything that separates us from God, guys, don't make it too complicated.

Chris Grainger: 20:35

And right now, because we have sin and we're living in the fall that separates us from him, and we all fall short, every single one of us, and we start thinking well, I'm not that bad, maybe I just need a little coach to help me along. No, no, no, no. You're a sinner in need of a Savior. You don't need a coach, you need a Savior, because if we start comparing ourselves to a holy and righteous God, we all fall short. We just do Back in the day. If I would have done a home run contest with me versus Mark McGuire or King Griffith Jr, guess what they would stomp me? They just would. Right, and I tell you what we all fall short. Here's the difference, though, guys the difference when we fall short of the glory of God and we stop comparing ourselves to others like me comparing myself to Griffey it doesn't make any sense, right? But when I start comparing myself to a holy and righteous God, that's a tough one. Okay, so I fall short there, I get that. What do I do? Well, there's nothing I can do.

Chris Grainger: 21:46

Jesus did it for me. He came on a rescue mission from heaven for us. He was born of a virgin. He lived a perfect life. He fulfilled all the prophecies he taught. He did miracles, guys. He showed us the way, the only way to eternal life that comes through Him. Then he willfully just went to the cross. He was crucified, perfect, perfect Lamb of God. For our sins, for my sin, for your sin, for the sin of the world. He went to the cross for us and he died. They laid Him in a tomb. Guess what? The cross for us? And he died. They laid him in a tomb. Guess what? Three days later he overcame death. He walked out of that tomb and right now he's the right hand of the Father. No one gets there except through him. He is the way, the truth and the life. Fellas, that is it. There is no other name that has been given among men by which we must be saved. It is Jesus, and he loves you.

Chris Grainger: 22:46

So what do you have to do to get this gift of salvation? Because you need a Savior. What do you do? You confess Him as Lord and you cling to Him with all you have, and then you wake up every day, you put on your armor and you go to battle and you draw closer to that relationship with Him, the most important relationship in your life is your relationship with God. Everything else flows from that. It should be God your spouse, your children and everything else.

Chris Grainger: 23:22

When we get that stuff mixed up, trouble starts brewing. So I'm here to tell you If you've never surrendered your life to the Lordship of Christ, today is the day. Don't put off for tomorrow what God's calling you to do right now. Take action. So I'm going to pray for us, for that one listener Maybe it's just one who's at the end of their rope.

Chris Grainger: 23:48

They don't know what else to do, they don't know which way to turn, or they just know that they ain't got this. I'm going to pray for them right now. They take this step of obedience and surrender to you Because, lord, we just know you can do so much when we just choose to follow your path. So, father, that one listener right now. They're having a tough day. Lord, they're listening.

Chris Grainger: 24:13

This stuff is stirring them up. They're like what in the world is going on? What do I need to do, lord? I just pray for them. I pray they take that step of obedience, I pray that they surrender their life to you and in that moment they have that peace. Oh, that peace that passes. All understanding Just flood over them, god. So we just love you, I just love you, I just praise you so much and I pray that one listener, if they need help, lord, if they reach out, that they don't sit in the silence that's what the evil one wants. I pray they reach out, lord, I just pray that you just comfort them right now. Give them just joy. Oh, just give them some joy, lord. We love you and we praise you in Christ's name, amen.

Chris Grainger: 24:57

So if you just accepted Christ, look, I'd love to hear from you, chris, at the lion within that US. Send me an email. I want to send you some free resources, lots of Bible resources. For sure, get you plugged in. Also, if you need help finding a local church, let me know. We have resources all over the United States. We can try to get you plugged in and help at least point you in the right direction for what to look for in a church as well.

Chris Grainger: 25:20

And, guys, again, everything we do at the Lion Within us is at thelionwithinus. This is where you can join our community, which is the best way to get plugged in with me and the things that we're doing at the Lion Within us. Then we have our Summit Leadership Development that we do for training for business leaders. So if you're thinking about how can you start incorporating some of these biblical principles into your career, the Summit Leadership Development can do a great job of helping you with that. We also have lots of live events and mission trips and men's events. Well, guys, this is what we have going on, because we're very intentional about connecting things we're building with the stuff that you need help with. Let's just be real. We also have lots of live events coming up, as well as men's retreats. Guys. It's just a cool way to plug in with us on thelinewithinus Don't forget thelinewithinus. And then head over to the Bible app. I always encourage you guys to go check that out.

Chris Grainger: 26:16

I got to be blessed to be an author on the Bible app for YouVersion, so lots and lots and lots of devotionals out there Spend a fair amount of time just writing. I just want to get this stuff out there to help you. So we have lots of topics from marriage to parenting to business and leadership Tons of different topics out there, guys. Hopefully some of them stir you up, get you moving, get you headed in the right direction. All right, all right, guys, come on back on Wednesday. We're going to keep unpacking this idea okay of our circle of influence and how that makes an impact in our life, so I look forward to seeing you here on Wednesday. Give us a rating review. That would help tremendously. Become a monthly supporter of the show, for sure. That would help us as we continue to grow, do what God's called us to do and just thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen. Hope you have a wonderful day. Get after it and you know what's coming right. Keep unleashing the lion within.

Chris Grainger: 27:18

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 with Dennis community, and the areas that we're 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: 28:14

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 thelinewithdenus and get started. Your journey begins here. Visit thelinewithdenus and I'll see you inside with them.