Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders, God attends you to be. I'm your host, Chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, fellas, this is your spiritual kickoff episode. Let's get into it, okay? So the scripture of the week this week, the book of Amos, the third chapter, the eighth verse, says this the lion has roared. Who will not fear? The sovereign Lord has spoken, but who can prophesy? Man, that's some powerful words right there, boys. Let's go. This is gonna be a good one. So let's get into it. First, need to understand, you know, where is the book of Amos, and that is actually your Old Testament before uh before Obadiah, and it's after the book of Joel. Okay, so it's gonna you're kind of gonna find it towards like you're getting closer to the back end of the old testament, okay? So again, spiritual kickoff, what we try to do is simplify and apply God's word. Guys, we do this Monday through Friday in the Lion Within Us community. So if you haven't checked checking out what we do there, we call it the daily spiritual kickoff or daily SKO. It's free. Head over to the LionWithin.us and start your daily spiritual kickoff experience today. Like get in there, fellas. Like, what do you what are you waiting on? Okay, it's free. It also opens up our prayer request area where we just try to be super intentional about praying for each other. So, guys, again, all that stuff gives you access to our app and just gets you a little bit of insight to the way we try to help guys, okay? So it's all found at thelionwithin.us. Now, let's unpack this verse. I love about lions roaring. I mean, you're kidding me. This podcast is called The Lion Within. Of course I love it. I want to talk about something else that um really has hit me recently. Because uh there are moments in our life where God is not just speaking to us, I mean he's roaring at us. And and recently, guys, uh the the the meet episode this week, I'm on Unpack the Men's Conference that I was able to go to uh back in October, and uh just some salient things I learned there. But at the conference, there was something said, and then God whispered this into my ear, and it shook me. And and what God told me was I am a prophet. And uh P R O P H E T and not prophet like making money. Like I'm still trying to figure that one out, but I'm a prophet, okay? And and he clarified, he's like, Look, you're not predicting the future, you're not a fortune teller. Here's what you are, Chris. You're a truth teller. And I was like, Man, I don't know. I mean, that's pretty that's pretty incredible. And a truth teller is simply a man called to stand firm on the authority of God's word and declare it boldly. So it doesn't matter, you know, what how popular that is or uncomfortable it makes people, that's what a truth teller does. And the more I have shared this with people, the more affirmation has come my way. And it's like God keeps saying, like, look, uh, the world doesn't need a bunch of polished speakers or silent saints. It needs guys like you that are willing to roar with truth so long as it's grounded in my word. And I'm just telling you, that that hit me hard. I'll talk about it more on a meet episode. But this verse in Amos hits it because we live in an age where so many guys uh are fearful of different stuff, but we're not fearful of God. Like we fear rejection, we fear being ridiculed, or we fear being too bold or too Christian, right? But man, the only fear that should drive us guys is the fear of the Lord. And because scripture, I go back, my my mentor takes me here often. The beam of seat of judgment, man. It's not a throne of condemnation. So that's not what it's there, and that's not what it's there for. But it is a throne, it's somewhere going to sit for accountability. And I just imagine standing before the King of Kings, seeing all the moments he gave me to speak truth, to take whatever action he wants me to take, to advance his kingdom. And in those moments, I probably stayed silent. That bothers me, man. That bothers me a lot. And I'm not trying to like guilt trip you, bro. Like, no. What I'm trying to do is ignite you. Because what we need is a reframe for our mission. That's what we need. Because the fear of the Lord gives us courage to speak when other guys are running away. It gives us courage to act when other dudes are just standing frozen. And it gives us courage to stand when others are just kind of, you know, getting out of the way. And I'm telling you, we got too many. I'm sorry, it just is offending guys if they hear this message, but we got too doggone many, timid, heads down, hands in their pocket dudes who show up on Sunday, they're claiming faith, but they shrink when the world pushes back. And God is raising up an army of prophets, not just Christ, not to predict either, but to proclaim. Because we ain't just talking about telling the future, we're talking about telling the truth, even when it costs something. And I'm gonna tell you what, I think I've learned now why the lion has been so hard, because this mantle is heavy. Because the truth confronts comfort. You can't be carrying the fire of the Holy Spirit, guys, and playing nice with compromise. You can't roar like a lion and whisper when the world is screaming lines at you. No, you gotta have a very clear voice, a very precise voice, and a very determined voice to drown out that confusion and speak what God's telling you to speak, not negotiating, proclaiming. Because Amos tells us right here the lion has roared. Who will not fear? So when God's word grips you and burns you, you better do something with it. Jeremiah talked about like it's being fire shut up in its bones. Like you can't suppress it. Okay? So it's our time to roar. It's our time to lead our families well with truth. It's our time to call out sin with grace, but courage, and it's time to live unashamed of the gospel that saved us, guys, because we're not called to think and blend in. We're called to stand out, reflect Christ with boldness, conviction, and love that is not compromising to the world. And here's the truth that you need to hear: you are a prophet, or you could be. And you may not have heard that whisper the way I heard God whisper it to me. But if you surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and this truth applies to you, you are called to be a prophet in your sphere of influence. So that means at home, at work, at your church, and they need it too, and in a community. You are God's mouthpiece. You are his representative, you're his ambassador, you are his truth teller. We have to stop hiding behind comfort and walking in this conviction because God has placed his word directly in front of us to be used out of our mouth. Not to keep it safe, but to send it for. So when lions roar, what do they do? They're not cowering, they're not apologizing, they're not waiting for permission, they're roaring. Because the world doesn't need more silence. It needs men like me, like you, who are willing to tell the truth, to stand on this, God's word, and to live without compromise. And I'm telling you, fellas, it's been a big deal. It's something that I've just, this truth has hit me hard this week, uh well since the the conference. I just feel like sharing that with you. And I'm not coming here trying to tell you that God's called me to be a prophet and I'm some special type of no, it's not that, bro. God just clarified to me that I am a prophet and I need to use that gift. And the cool part is I've been doing it for a long time with the lion within us. Now, before the lion, there was no prophet whatsoever. But this is this has been my outlet to to encourage other guys. And I've also found this is an outlet that guys have are finding so that they can find their own voice. It's really cool how God is using it. And I just encourage you to keep leaning in yourself. Okay, so I mean the question I want you to think about this week is where are you staying silent when God's calling you to speak? Where is that? And how long are you gonna put up with it? Because when you get to the beam of seat of judgment, you're gonna see those moments where you stay silent. And look, I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just trying to speak truth to you. We need more men willing to stand on the word of God and share that with others without fear of of consequences or anything like that. And that is unleashing the lion within. That's what this is all about. Now, maybe listen to the lion within us, and you just thought it was the cool name of a podcast. I don't know. Maybe you hung around this far, and you never surrender your life to Christ, but you've hung around this far for a reason, and I don't know why. Yeah, maybe you like the the the message, but a good message is nothing without conviction and direction of the Holy Spirit, and I can't give you that. The Holy Spirit comes from God, and the only way you can receive the Holy Spirit to understand God's word, to have that wisdom and discernment is surrendering your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That recognizing first and foremost that you are a sinner. You are in need of a savior. Okay? Now, the the in the beginning, we didn't need a savior because God made Adam and his image, and it was perfect, bro. Like it was you couldn't go wrong. Adam could not go wrong. He had one thing to do, like not picking on Adam, and he did it because sin is tempting. So when sin entered, that fractured that relationship. And the problem is, man, when sin fractured that relationship, all of a sudden we try to work our way to a right standing with God, or we compare ourselves with others. And we say, you know what? Compared to so-and-so, my neighbor, my co-worker, my boss, I'm actually a pretty good dude. Like, you know, this guy's crazy. Like, you see the way he treats his wife, how he treats his kids, man. This guy's drinking and smoking all the time. Like, compared to him, I'm good. So I should be good when I die. Like, obviously, guys gonna let me in on off a good merit. And I'm like, bro, that's a dangerous game to play. And most people are like, well, why? I'm like, because your standard's wrong, man. Your standard's just wrong. It ain't compared to your neighbor or even a guy on death row. The standard is God. And when we do that, when we compare ourselves to a holy and righteous guy, guess what? We all fall short of the glory of God. Like every single one of us. Me big time, all of us. So if we fall short, and I just went through that we can't do anything to earn it, like we can't earn our salvation, then what in the wide world sports are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to overcome this? And I'm here to tell you, boys, this is where it changes, man. Like at this point, you have to recognize that you don't need uh uh someone to coach you up. You need a savior to do for you what you can't do for yourself, and that's where Jesus enters the scene. We need a savior, and that's what this is all about. Having Jesus as our Lord and Savior. So, guys, look, he came, he lived the perfect life, he died on the cross for our sins to pay the penalty for our sins, and it is through him that we have access to the kingdom. It is through him that we have salvation, and it's through him that we have peace that passes all understanding. But it only happens when we surrender our life to him. If you've never done that, then what are you waiting on? Like, this could be the day that changes everything for you because you recognize that you need something that you don't have and that you can't get on your own. But salvation is a free gift given. So if you're ready to accept a gift, let's pray together and invite Jesus into your life. So, Father, that one listener who isn't ready to accept the gift of salvation, I pray you hear their prayer. I pray they that they know, they know without a shadow of a doubt, that they are saved. And I pray you put a hedge protection around them because the evil one just got really mad. He got really mad just now. But you are greater, you are stronger. And Lord, if they walk with you, if they're just obedient, I know you're gonna show them the way. So give them strength, God, in Jesus' name. Amen. So look, if you just accept that Christ as your Lord and Savior, I want to hear from you, okay? Because I got a bunch of resources. I just want to give it to you. All right. So send me an email, Chris at thelionwithin.us. I get the emails. I don't go anywhere else. I get the emails. I'll send you some resources. I want to pray for you. I love to connect, hear your testimony, and then try to encourage you to figure out what that looks like for your discipleship journey so far as the next step. Maybe get some plugged into a church or a small group or a men's group, whatever that may be. I just want to support and serve as you start your journey. All right. So, guys, come on back on Wednesday. Okay, we're gonna have a fun episode this week. I'm gonna unpack the things we learned and discovered at the men's conference this October in Jacksonville, Florida, Florida, at the Church of 1122. Love the conference, learned so much, lots of fun stories. Just give you some insights, some things we learned as well there, just from the speakers. So hopefully, you guys will hang out. You're gonna enjoy this week. Obviously, we'll have our fun Friday episode as well. But uh look forward to hanging out with you, look forward to sharing those stories with you guys. And I'm praying that you have a great day, great week. Get after it, stay strong. Okay, give us a rating review if you don't mind. Thelionwithin.us is where you find all our resources, guys. Again, daily spiritual kickoff, community, leadership mastermind. They're the primary ways we help you, or head over to the Bible app or pick up a copy of our book. All right, guys. Have a great day. Get after, just keep unleashing the lion within. If you're tired of going at it alone, we understand every man needs wise counsel, but finding it can be quite the challenge. That's why we build our leadership masterminds. This isn't just more content, guys. It's real discipleship with a consistent rhythm, small cohorts of no more than seven guys, honest hot seat sessions, and biblical counsel that turns good intentions into action. You'll get accountability, clarity, and a circle of brothers who will challenge you and cheer you on. We open up new options regularly so there's room to find the right fit. It's not always easy, but it is worth it. The first step is simple. Take the leadership mastermind assessment. No pressure, no hype, just thoughtful questions to help you see where you are, where God is leading you, and whether this is a good option for your next step. Hey, if it's a fit, we're gonna follow up with details. And if it's not, we'll point you to resources to help you keep growing. Either way, you move forward. So if you're ready to take the assessment, head over to thelionwithin.us slash mastermind. So that's thelionwithin.us slash mastermind to get moving today.