Speaker 1: 1:10

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, this is spiritual kickoff time. I'm excited to be here with you. Let's go, okay.

Speaker 1: 1:22

So the scripture we're going to dive into this week is 1 Corinthians 7, chapter 26, verse. Okay, because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. So now let's see how we can simplify and apply this to our life. And, as a reminder, we do this Monday through Friday within the line within us. We don't put it anywhere else. Exclusive content just for you guys. So head over to the line withinus. It's all free. By the way, we give the spiritual kickoff away because we just love serving. It's a great way to connect with us. So head over to thelinewithinus, all right. So now, how do we simplify and apply this? Well, first thing you need to know is where is first Corinthians? We got to know this stuff, fellas, this is New Testament. Okay, so it is not your Old Testament, it's your New Testament. You'll find it after the book of Romans.

Speaker 1: 2:08

So the apostle Paul wrote this one, and this was a word for all of us here to think about for some challenging times that we live in. We'll be talking a lot about singleness for this particular week in particular, and when the apostle Paul wrote this to the church at Corinth, he wasn't condemning marriage here. That really wasn't where it was. Paul was honored the covenant of marriage and he recognized that covenant is holy. It's good. But in this particular section of 1 Corinthians 7, he addresses a specific reality, because there was a present crisis, lots of persecution, lots of societal instability and Paul, again inspired by the Holy Spirit, urged believers to consider the benefits of staying single if they were in that season already. Ok, this wasn't a call to loneliness or to resign from current relationships. It was more of a call to focus and to be ready and to understand your purpose, because too often when we start thinking about our journeys, particularly when we were single, single guys are made to feel I remember feeling this way straight up like I'm just waiting, I'm in the lobby of, like I'm in the lobby of life and I'm just waiting. I'm in the lobby of life and I'm just waiting and I'm just waiting my time until I can finally get married and start my story, but Paul reframes that, he flips it, because he says you know what, boys, singleness, right here, where you're at, for this season, is an advantage, and we start thinking about why would that be an advantage? Well, first of all, because you're more available, you're more focused, you definitely have less things tying you down. It makes you more agile, right, and the world needs men who are fully surrendered to God and, at the same time, able and free to act boldly. Okay, so, this isn't a sentence. It's a strategic season.

Speaker 1: 4:16

So what we have to work through, though, is recognizing if you are single. You're single in a culture that's obsessed with relationships. It's obsessed with sex, right, and that isn't easy, and the enemy wants to twist it. The enemy wants us to think that we're falling behind, that we're not desirable, that something's wrong with us, but Scripture tells us that we're complete in Christ. We know that, out of Colossians, that we have everything that we need for godliness Peter tells us that and that we're chosen, appointed and equipped. John tells us that. So this is not a mark of incompleteness. That's wrong. This is a divine invitation to walk fully in what God has identified us to do without distraction.

Speaker 1: 4:57

So, if you're single. This is not a mistake. It may be for a time, but it may be for a lifetime. Ok, so some guys are called to that, but whatever it is, it's for a purpose. I can guarantee you that, because this could be a season that God uses you to deepen your relationship with him, because you have a great chance to learn, to train for your leadership and spiritual maturity, to send out and do ministry work and mentorship or service without restraint.

Speaker 1: 5:25

Like for me. To go out is ridiculously hard. We have a farm, we have four kids, there's lots of dynamics. For me to miss a week Are you kidding me? It would cause so much stress. People who are single don't have that. And it's also a great time for you to prepare for your marriage and prepare for the opportunities that you're going to have to influence others. So instead of asking, bro, is this guy ever going to meet anybody, instead say you know what? How can I glorify God with everything you've given me right now? And I just want to try to give you a couple of just encouragements.

Speaker 1: 5:57

If you're a single guy out there and you're listening, you are not in a holding pattern. You're not in a holding pattern, bro. You're in a launch zone. So use this as time to train and to love and to do what he's called you to do. Second, recognize this God is not punishing you. He ain't punishing you, he's preparing you for whatever that is. It's going to be bigger, it's going to be deeper, it's going to be different than what you expect. So he's recognized, he's not punishing you. And I recognize the third thing Loneliness is real, but it's not a curse. Maybe you need community. You have community here at the Lion, within Us. You have community at your church, whatever it is. But I would encourage you, be vulnerable, but that brotherhood is absolutely vital. If you don't have those brothers in Christ, you're going to struggle here.

Speaker 1: 6:44

Purity, the fourth point. Purity still matters. Don't compromise this, bro. Don't Fight for this, holiness. It's going to take a lot of fight, a lot of grit, a lot of grace. And remember you are not forgotten. God sees you, he delights in you, and that your faithfulness, right here, man, that matters so much. So Paul, right here, in 1 Corinthians 7, he's not just giving us advice, he's giving us words of empowerment. Remain as you are, not because you're stuck, but because you're strategically placed.

Speaker 1: 7:21

And God doesn't waste time. Remember that, fellas, he doesn't waste seasons of our life. So take the time, wherever you're at. If you're in this season of singleness right now, stand tall with it. This is not a setback. This could be preparing you for the next thing.

Speaker 1: 7:35

We all have to think and wrestle through this. How can we glorify God with what we have right now? I'm married with four kids two littles, two teenagers. There's lots of dynamics. My restraints are different than a single person. My restraints are different from a man who's got his kids out of the house and he's now in that empty nest season of life.

Speaker 1: 7:53

But whatever those restraints are, wherever the seasons that we have lean into it, how can we glorify God Now? We're not going to glorify him at all if we don't know him, and that's why it's so important that we surrender our life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and we recognize that we cannot do this without him, because the world's going to try to tell us that we can do it on our own, and I'm just here to tell you that's just not it, because the fact of the matter is at the very beginning, god had a perfect design for this world, and we ain't living in it right now, bro, if you think this world is perfect. I can't help you Find another podcast. There's nothing here that's going to be able to encourage you. This world is broken.

Speaker 1: 8:33

Sin broke that. That perfect relationship Again, the perfect relationship that Adam had, the first man, with God, was broken when sin entered the world. That fractured that. That separated us from him. We were separated, we were taken out of the world. That fractured that. That separated us from them, from him rather. And we were separated, we were taken out of the garden.

Speaker 1: 8:50

So God is holy. We are not, and we have this big chasm between us, and we try to do good and do good, and do good Never closes the gap, though. Never does, because we're trying to earn our way to a right standing with God and it just doesn't work that way. I wish I could feed a bearer of better news for you and tell you there's another path, but it's just not. There's nothing we can do to earn that salvation. So if we can't earn it, what do we need? We need someone to step in and do for us what we can't do for ourselves. That's where Jesus comes into play. So we don't need a coach to make us better. We need a Savior to come in and do for us what we can't do.

Speaker 1: 9:28

Jesus fulfills that and he left heaven on that rescue mission for you, for me, for the entire world. And he was born of diversion. He fulfilled all the prophecies. He did all the teachings, performed all the miracles and then did the ultimate. Ultimate by going to the cross and paying for the penalty for our sins. And they hung him right there on the cross, nailed him right up and he didn't pass out, he didn't faint, he didn't go to sleep.

Speaker 1: 9:57

Jesus died on the cross. So they took him and they laid him in a tomb and it's like well, bro, if Jesus died, what'd you guys so happy for? A bunch of Christians are weird. Like, yeah, you're right, you, jesus died. What'd you guys so happy for? A bunch of Christians are weird, like, yeah, you're right, you're right, because if he stayed dead, that would be weird. Like we wouldn't be showing up to church every Sunday, like we're going to a funeral. Everybody be somber, I'd be wearing black and my heads would be down and be tearful. But that's not what happened, because death couldn't hold him. Three days after he died, he rose and walked out of that tomb and I know, buddy, the tomb is empty and we can take that to the bank.

Speaker 1: 10:34

There's been so many accounts and firsthand testimony of the risen Savior. And I don't know about you, I'm not going to die for a lie, I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to die for a lie, I'm not going to do it. But every one of his disciples suffered tragic deaths because they would not remove themselves from the fact that he is the Messiah. So this comes to a tipping and an inflection point for us as people.

Speaker 1: 11:05

What are we going to do with this information? Right, because we recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, we recognize we can't work our way to a right standing with him. So how do we close that? Well, we have to confess him as Lord. We have to first recognize the faults that we have, that sin, right the sin, admit that we have this sin nature running through us, every single one of us. We have to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We've got to confess him as Lord and Savior of our life, and not just on Sunday.

Speaker 1: 11:38

It's easy to want Jesus to be your Lord on Sunday, where everybody's all prayed up and feeling good at church. I'm talking about on Monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, every day of the week, at all times, when you're at your darkest point in life. Maybe that's late on a Friday night, you've had a couple too many cocktails, maybe you're looking at things you shouldn't be looking at. Those are the moments. Are you going to, is Jesus going to be Lord over those moments? Because, if that's the point, if you're ready to make that confession, that's when things start changing, because once you confess him as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes in and dwells. So the scales fall off.

Speaker 1: 12:12

You don't have this brand new, awesome opportunity to serve God, but it starts with confession and really just completely submitting to him, to his Lordship, and inviting him in. If you've never done that, we're going to do it together right now, and I pray that you take the time to confess Lord Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life. So, father, for that one listener who recognizes they've gone too far, they've gone too long without you in their life, god, I just pray you just just be with them right now. Encourage them, give them hope, give them the peace that passes all understanding, and just put some people in their life, father, that are going to come alongside, encourage them and help them in their new discipleship journey. It's in your name. We pray Amen. So if you just confess Christ as Lord and Savior, touchdown, let's go.

Speaker 1: 13:02

I want to hear from you, though. Ok, chris, at the Lionel 10 dot. Us, just shoot me an email. Ok, I want to hear from you. I'm going to try to hook you up with some free resources. I got a bunch of discipleship tools to get you started, so send them over to you, get you started with that and also find out where you're located in the country, if you are in the US, and, if you are, see if we can get you plugged into a good gospel believing Bible, bible believing gospel, preaching church fellows that's what it's all about, because you're going to need that and then just be an encouragement to you. So, just want to hear from you. So, again, shoot me an email there, all right.

Speaker 1: 13:31

So, guys, come on back on Wednesday. We'll have a really good episode, particularly if you are single, okay, and if you're not single, don't check out, because you probably know guys that are Okay. We all, all of us do. Bro, if I can look at my phone, I got tons of dudes in my phone that are just not married. The message is going to be encouraging, it's going to be hopeful. The message is going to be encouraging, it's going to be hopeful and it's going to be a good reframe.

Speaker 1: 13:54

That I really man. If I could just go back Like man. I've made a lot of different decisions, but they all were learning. But if anything, I wish I would have heard a message like what's going to come out on Wednesday on our next episode, when I was single, because I probably could have made better decisions. Well, not probably. I definitely would have made better decisions and been in a better position to be the husband and father that I am now. So if you're single or know the guys that are, you're going to enjoy this one.

Speaker 1: 14:24

All right, guys, we'll see you next time. Thank you for hanging out. Give us a rating and review. That helps big time Done lying within. Don't forget the V-T-H-E LionWithinus. Connect with us. Daily Spiritual Kickoff, community Leadership Mastermind. That's where it's all at. All right, guys, have a great day, get after it. Thank you so much for hanging out and keep unleashing the Lion Within.

Speaker 1: 14:47

I've got something big to share. We're making a major shift because we know the battle was real and it's time more men had access to the support they need. For too long, guys have been trying to carry the weight alone pressure at work, tension at home, wounds from the past, in a world that demands strength but offers no place to rest. We see it, we've lived it, and that's exactly why we built our community. It's a stronghold, a place where warriors can find rest, truth and a band of brothers standing beside them.

Speaker 1: 15:17

And starting now, we're making it easier than ever to step in. We've lowered the barrier to just $15.99 a month. That means, for less than the cost of a drive-thru lunch, you can join a brotherhood that's centered on Christ and built for growth. Inside you'll find access to our daily spiritual kickoffs every Monday through Friday, our Lion Lunches, our Bible Studies, our Friday Forge Gatherings all that and so much more. Every man needs a stronghold, and you don't have to fight alone. If you've been waiting for the right time to jump in, this is it. Go to thelionwithinus and join the community and see for yourself what happens when iron truly sharpens iron.