Chris Grainger: 1:01

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, fellas, fun Friday time, let's get into it. Okay? So we're in the book of Proverbs, chapter 18, verse 16. It says a gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great God. I spent a lot of time and I knew me a fair amount of time unpacking that scripture to try to give you some insight, some wisdom, some things to think about so far as the gift that you have as a believer and doing what God's called you to do. And again, you can't outsource these gifts. So stop trying, guys, and go check out that episode. And again, if you like, the reflections on the scripture each and every week. We do these Monday through Friday within the line, within us community, and we call it our daily spiritual kickoff. Happens every every morning and for guys, that can make it as live as a live feed, you can chat, you can have conversation, you can talk there. Second, if you can't make that, it's all good, we post them. So it's just free, exclusive content with inside our community that I would hopefully that you take advantage of and come check out and, while you're there, check out our full blown community, where we're having mastermind groups, we're having lion lunches, we're having Bible studies, we're having forge sessions, where we're digging in deep and we're helping each other grow to be the leaders that God has called us to be so highly encourage you to check all that stuff out, guys. That is what it's all about, okay. So All that stuff out, guys. That is what it's all about. Okay. So now for so far, as the last episode, I want you to go check out the conversation with Robin Powell. He's a great guy. I really enjoyed meeting him, having a conversation with him, full disclosure. I'm recording this out of sync, so I haven't recorded the episode with Robin yet, but I know he's just a great dude. I'm looking forward to doing that. I'm actually recording that next. But I'm looking forward to doing that. I'm actually recording that next. But just because of scheduling reasons, I needed to do Fun Friday first. So look, go check it out. I'm excited to talk with Robin and I know you're going to be fully blessed by it. So let's get right into our Fun Friday. Okay. Fun Friday.

Chris Grainger: 2:52

We're on the line with Dennis, we always do a health, wealth and a self tip. Now what this is all about is for you new listeners out there. The health is how do we have stronger minds and bodies? It's not just about looking good in the mirror. It's about honoring and glorifying God with both. Wealth tip is around stewardship of our finances and our career. What can we do to steward that? And self it's not about our individual self, but the self that we show up as husbands and fathers. That's what's most important. So now, health tip I want you to start practicing the idea of taking every thought captive. I couldn't get that sentence out. There you go.

Chris Grainger: 3:30

So it can be very easy to feel reluctant to obey God's call or to take that step in faith, and the mind is the battleground. That's the battleground because that's where doubt, fear and insecurities grow. But God's word gives us a tool to take control of those thoughts and to shift it from that perspective, from fear and doubt, to courage and obedience. Okay, here's how you do that. Whenever you have a thought of reluctance or doubt, pause and evaluate in the light of what God says in his word. Okay, like he says, like, let's say, your thought is I'm not good enough. I can't do this. Counter it by scripture. Philippians says I can do all things in Christ to strengthen me. And then pray that God will give you his strength which makes obedience possible even when you're hesitating. Ok, so this is an intentional thought process to redirect your mind to truth and strengthen your faith by grounding it in God's promise. See how that works. That just takes daily practice Right. Taking your thoughts captive ain't easy, but it becomes a habit if you make it one, if you make that step forward. So if you, if you really say you know, I'm going to capture this thought and I'm going to reframe and redirect it with this God's truth, man, that's when, that's when you start walking in the light Makes sense. All right, now wealth tip. What you think about this.

Chris Grainger: 5:05

Not keeping score doesn't mean you ain't losing. I just need you to know that just because you're not watching the scoreboard doesn't mean you're not getting your butt kick Cause if you're reluctant to be obedient with your finances. You start rationalizing, rationalizing your choices with your, with the thought that you know what. Well, I'm not keeping score anyway. And if I'm not keeping score, it means not losing. I'm not keeping score, it means I'm not losing. I'm telling you, boy, when you start rationalizing, you're trying to start making rationalized and the reality is, if you're not managing your finances in alignment with God's principles, then you're probably missing out on the blessings and opportunities that he intends for you.

Chris Grainger: 5:37

Okay, so financial reluctance isn't about the money itself, but where our trust lies, because Jesus teaches extensively on stewardship, because he knows why Money is a stumbling block for many of us. Let's just be real. And when we try to avoid keeping score, in other words, when we ignore the need for wise stewardship or hesitate on tithing or giving or saving according to God's principles, we may be trying to tell ourselves that it's not a big deal. But in reality, god is like he wants us to be mindful, responsible and generous, because all these resources that we are blessed with are his. They're not ours. So one easy way to combat this reluctance is by intentionally asking this Am I stewarding God's gifts with integrity or am I keeping them tightly held out with fear and selfishness?

Chris Grainger: 6:40

It's kind of an open palm concept. Right, got a closed fist around $100 bills. Guess what? That $100 is not going anywhere. It is yours, brother, but guess what else? Nothing else can come in Because the fist is closed versus the open palm mentality. Yeah, that $100 is vulnerable to the world, but God, he can move that out and he can also bring stuff in, and this means evaluating your heart and being more open to His direction. This also means maybe moving into the act of tithing and budgeting and giving as an act of worship to reinforce that it's God's money. It ain't yours. You're just a steward, because whether or not you're keeping score or not, your financial obedience or reluctance reflects where you put your trust at. Think about that for a second. No matter where you're at, your financial obedience or reluctance is a reflection of where you put your trust. And I'm encouraging you to embrace God's call to stewardship and knowing that with Him, you're never going to be losing, but you're going to be getting a life marked by generosity. All right now.

Chris Grainger: 7:47

Self-tip when you don't talk about issues in your marriage, it doesn't mean that they ain't there, fellas, let's just be real. So if you're reluctant to address something I can kind of pick up a theme of these tips today when you're reluctant to address something, you may be falling into a trap of thinking that if you can avoid the conversation, maybe they're just going to go away. But that ain't how it works, because unspoken issues have a way of creating distance and then they breed resentment and they damage trust. And we have to remember marriage is a sacred covenant where honesty, love let's just be real mutual growth are key and we have to speak. That is a sacred covenant where honesty, love let's just be real mutual growth are key and we have to speak that truth to love right. And this means we can't ignore challenges.

Chris Grainger: 8:36

No, that's not protecting your marriage. It's creating a barrier for intimacy to grow and to combat reluctance. You really you can. You can do that by making time for open, honest and prayerful communication together. This is where the evil one's going to try to do everything he can to keep you from doing this.

Chris Grainger: 8:58

Boys, I'm just here to tell you. So find a time where you're both calm, pray and ask God for humility as you address any of these unspoken issues and embrace the mindset that discussing these challenges isn't about finding fault. You're not trying to find fault here, no, no. No. It's about creating a foundation based on understanding, grace and respect out of love for Christ. That's what it's about, because what you're doing is you're surrendering to temptation to hide or ignore and you're inviting God in through honest conversation, connection and feedback, because your avoidance isn't a form of fear, right? Sorry, you need to recognize that avoidance is often a form of fear. It's very much a form of fear. So you counter that fear by trusting what God's going to guide you and direct you. And those conversations are going to be difficult, but with him you'll be able to manage it. When you bring your concerns to light, you give him space to heal, restore and strengthen, and then that is going to bring the unity and closeness in your marriage that he desires.

Chris Grainger: 10:04

So, guys, just think about those tips. I'm praying that they serve you well this week. Put a lot of thought in trying to just bring you something that's going to give you some encouragement. Again, you've got to take those thoughts captive. Strengthen that mind. From a stewardship standpoint, you need to make sure that you're keeping score, because just saying that you're not doesn't mean you ain't losing. Stop being reluctant there and, from a self-tip, address the issues head on. You can't just hide this stuff and pretend everything's okay. No, you need to address it All right.

Chris Grainger: 10:38

Now for the book of the week. Guys, it's right here, the Reluctant Disciple. This is Robin's book. Highly encourage you guys to check it out. We'll have a link in the show notes. Highly enjoy this Anytime. I read so much nonfiction that when you get a fictional book it's just fun. It's just a fun read. Love the story, love the different characters, the insights that Robin unpacked here. So go get your copy today.

Chris Grainger: 11:00

All right, now for our dad jokes. We've got two fun ones for you. Dad joke number one what type of shoes do ninjas wear? That would be sneakers, man. Come on, that's pretty good. Number two how? That would be sneakers, man. Come on, that's pretty good. Number two how does a dog stop a movie? Hmm, he presses pause. Get it BAWS, all right, guys. Number one what kind of shoes do ninjas wear? Sneakers. Number two how does a dog stop a movie? He presses pause. All right, fellas, let me know which one you like, number one or number two. Remember eye like number one or number two. Remember, eye rolls totally count. When you have dad jokes out going on out there, particularly if you have teenage daughters like I do. Hey, anytime you get an eye roll, you know that's a good one. If you have a dad joke that we should use, that we haven't used support at the line withinus, send that dad joke in. If we use it, we'll hook you up with some free gave you.

Chris Grainger: 11:51

Now I got the gifts God's given, chris and I'm going to try to doggone, use them to the best of my ability. Some days are better than others. I've learned over the past couple of years. One gift he's given me outside of podcasting, which I don't think that's really one of my greatest gifts, but it's a gift that I'm using. One gift is writing, and I never thought I was a writer, and I think the evil one wanted me to never think that I was a writer. And now I'm embracing a gift that you know what. I'm not a terrible writer. I'm not the greatest, I'm not CS Lewis, but the writing that I do, I found it, encourages people and for me, I'm going to keep leaning into that gift. So for you, what is your gift? How are you using it to honor and glorify him? All right, that's it. So, guys, I hope you have a great weekend.

Chris Grainger: 12:39

And, by the way, head over to thelinewithinus. I know I say it each and every week, but that's where all our resources are our Bible study plans, our community access, all the things we're doing within our weekly roar, our I'm telling you guys our mastermind groups, our forward sessions, all this stuff is. You can be, you can find all that at the line withinus and we put a ton, a ton, a ton, a ton of work into that website and it would just bless me and I'd be honored if you would go check it out. Okay, you can find our live events there, all the different things we have coming up and going on, all our books of the week, all the different things we have coming up and going on, all our books of the week, all the fun stuff, the blogs, the articles, the videos, youtube all that stuff is found at thelinewithinus. And also, if you're listening to the show, whatever you're listening on, whatever platform that you find yourself on, if you could give us a rating and review, that would help, particularly if you're on Apple, that's a big one. Just give us a five-star rating, right, one or two sentences of you. I'll read them all, the good and the bad and ugly. So, any, anytime you do that, it's just a great encouragement to me and I just will be extremely grateful for that. Okay, so again, the line withinus, how you connect with us. You can also, at the line withinus, you can become a donor of the show. Support us each along the way. You could be a one-time or a monthly donor. We have several guys who are just monthly donors. They just support what we're doing. We'd just be highly blessed if you would consider hopping on and supporting us there. All right, guys, have a great day. Have a great weekend. Thank you so much for listening. Hopefully you found this encouraging. Have a great day. Remember to use those gifts that he has given you and we'll keep unleashing the lion within.

Chris Grainger: 14:16

I don't know about you, but I used to find Mondays really rough.

Chris Grainger: 14:22

I would find myself trying to reset for work, trying to get my bearing on the family calendar, trying to find time for my own spiritual growth and development, and often I found myself overwhelmed or just flatly ignoring aspects of my life that I know are meaningful to me.

Chris Grainger: 14:40

What I learned was that if I had immediate access to important and impactful spiritual topics and reflections to start my week well after the allure of a Sunday sermon has passed Well, after the allure of a Sunday sermon has passed I would set my whole week up to be more meaningful and for the opportunity to make a true impact, if you think that getting such a boost would help your week to get started on the right foot. We would love for you to sign up for the Weekly Roar, which is our newsletter that is produced by the Lion Within Us. Each week, we'll deliver a powerful reflection and practical steps to help you apply scripture with clarity and purpose, all being rooted in light and truth. So in just a few minutes, we hope to arm you with insights for living out biblical leadership with confidence and strength, and maybe even having a little extra bounce in your step. If that sounds useful, head over to thelionwithinus slash ROAR to sign up today. That's thelionwithinus slash ROAR to get your weekly ROAR today.