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Welcome to The Line Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leader. Scott intends you to be. I'm your host, Chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, guys, spiritual kickoff time. Let's get into it. Okay, so the scripture of the week this week is in the book of Isaiah, chapter 61, verse 7. It says, Instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion. And instead of disgrace, you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. So, guys, I love that verse. We're going to see how we can simplify and apply that to our life as Christian men right here today on The Line Within Us. And we're going to get right into it. We know, just so just so you know, rather, at The Line Within Us, we have what's called the daily spiritual kickoff. Okay, so we do that Monday through Friday at The Line Within Us. So you can go to the Linewithin.us. And the daily

Welcome And Verse Of The Week

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spiritual kickoff is pretty cool. So what we do is we we read scripture every morning. It gives you a way just to get into the word, just to be encouraged by other guys. And if you can't make the live stream when it's going live, don't worry about it. We put those videos out there for you each and every day. We don't put them anywhere else. We're not trying to put post them anywhere else or anything like that. It's just to serve you and to encourage you. And if you enjoy the spiritual kickoff podcast, this is more uh it's rough, it's that's not as polished for sure, it's it's on the fly. Uh we stumble a lot, but it's just it's just real authentic uh discipleship. Really what it is. So again, it's

Daily Spiritual Kickoff And Prayer

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a it's a free way that we try to serve you. You can go to the landwithin.us and then see the daily SKO. Start that there. It also gives you access to our prayer request space, which we have a prayer meeting every Monday, guys. So on Monday, every week, we open this up to everybody. You get to have a prayer with us. We would love to have you take part of that. If you just need prayer or just need encouragement, this is what we this is what we're here for. We just want to to to truly lean into that. And if you're in the continental U.S., hey, come, we got a free gift we'd like to send you as well. So sign up for it to lionwithin.us, click on daily sko and jump in. All right. So look, guys, the book of Isaiah, we need to first of all know understand where it is, we're understand where it's at. So it's in the Old Testament, it's a major prophet. You go to Isaiah right after you get past Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, you get to Song of Songs, and then you get after that when you get Isaiah. Now, if you get to Jeremiah, you went a little bit too far, but that's where you're gonna find the book of Isaiah, and that's where we're at this today with this with chapter 61. Uh, and it's a really hope-filled chapter. I mean, if you look at Isaiah 61, there's a lot of hope in this scripture because the prophet Isaiah is speaking to a people uh who had experienced devastation, exile, brokenness, uh, and humiliation because of the, quite frankly, they rebelled against God. And Israel had wandered far, far, far from him. And now they found themselves carrying the consequences of sin, uh, defeat, and ultimately they had some shame. And in that hopelessness,

Setting Isaiah 61 In Context

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what I love about God's word is we see a promise. A promise. Because God is declaring something right here. He's declaring that restoration is coming and that joy is going to be replaced. Okay, it's gonna it's it's just gonna take place in that morning that they were that they had for years. That beauty is gonna come come from the ashes. Right, no more despair. Right? Instead of despair, we're gonna have praise. And in this verse right here, it tells us that shame will be overturned. It just will. And so, really, what once marked them as broken and disgraced would no longer identify or define rather their identity because God Himself would restore what He had been what had been lost. And that verse hits deep, deep, deep, because shame for me kept me spiritually passive for a long time, fellas. I don't know about you. It's just the way it was for you, boy. I'd I'd open my Bible up and I'd read God's word, right? And then immediately I'd look at my life and and feel deflated. Because the standard that I saw in Scripture really was impossible to hold up to. Whoa. I there I won't know where I could do that. And because of that, I started removing myself from the game altogether. I convinced myself that I was unqualified to lead spiritually because I still wrestled with weakness and inconsistency and anxiety and failure and all this stuff, right? And deep down I knew who suffered the most from when I thought that way. Who suffered the most, guys, was my family.

How Shame Creates Spiritual Passivity

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My family. And this whole idea of shame, guys, we got we got to talk about this more. Because shame is whispering to too many fellas out there, including me, that you're disqualified, that you're not enough, that other guys are built for this, not you. And and I believe that crap. And I know a lot of you guys do too. And so therefore, I stopped trying to lead my family spiritually because I assumed uh that that role of spiritual leadership belonged to some men that were more polished or more knowledgeable or more put together than I was. But I was wrong. All right, I defaulted to relying heavily on like at the time, our children's pastor, who I love to death. I love him to be. I still love him. He's been on the podcast. He's an incredible teacher of God's word. But he helped me course correct and reframe something that was important, right? His role was to shepherd and to equip not to replace. Not to replace. And man, that that conversation changed something in me. Because I started to think and understand how broad and relentless the enemy is by using shame against men. And look, the details may differ, boys. They do, right? But the outcome's the same. We got passive, defeated, exhausted dudes who slowly remove themselves from responsibility because they no longer believe God can use them. And that's just, and when that happens, the enemy wins. The enemy wins. It didn't happen to me for years. But through fruitful conversations like I had with that pastor, God started showing me and reshaping my understanding of leadership. And here's what I've come to understand, guys. It ain't about degrees, right? Or knowledge or perfection, or having it all together that qualifies me. What matters the most was the posture of my heart. And I know that sounds like some of you guys say, oh, here we go. I'm just telling you, bro, it's true. It's true. Now, I'm not saying knowledge and things like that aren't bad, but the heart has to be. The heart has to be aligned. And the more my heart became submitted to God, the less power shame had over my life. I'm telling you, you can't decouple them. Now, here's the thing, boys. This doesn't mean shame disappears overnight. It doesn't. Because even to this day, even to this day, all the plans on the Bible app, all the incredible podcasts, all the stuff they're doing, speaking and talking and teaching God's word, like all the stuff, there's

What Actually Qualifies A Leader

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still moments when those old thoughts try to resurface. And some days they get the best of me. They just do. Okay. But I've learned something important. Shame starts to grow more and more and more when I isolate and when I hide, and when I refocus inwardly on my failures. It has a grip, right? And that grip weakens, though, when I bring those struggles honestly before God and continue walking in obedience anyway. That's why Isaiah 61.7 matters, fellas. Because God is not in the business of permanently labeling his sons by their worst moments. He does not. He restores, he redeems, he replaces shame with joy and inheritance. And what once was broken can now become whole again. And what was before disqualified, but at least we felt us disqualified, now is useful for the kingdom. And guys, that's the heart of the gospel. That is it. Practically speaking, I think the part of simplifying and applying this verse starts with refusing to let shame continue to narrate our identity. Shame wants us to freeze, it just wants us to freeze up, right? Jesus calls us forward. Shame tells us to hide. Jesus calls us to step into the light. Shame tells us that we can never change. Like you're never going to change. Are you kidding me? You know what you've done. And Jesus tells us that redemption is possible. And one of the biggest lies I believe was that because I struggled, I needed to step out of that spiritual leadership. And that's just wrong. It's wrong. Because the greater, the greater testimony is not perfection, fellas. It's humility, repentance, and a willingness to continue to pursue God despite the struggles we have in our life. Because your family, guys, I'm going to tell you, they don't need a flawless leader. They need a submitted one.

Practical Ways To Fight Shame

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That's what they need. A submitted one. And though the jo the journey of confronting shame is never easy. Right? Verses like this provide encouragement along the way. And you don't have to carry the label that shame has placed on you. Bro, you are not abandoned, you are not forgotten, and you are not beyond being restored. You're a son of the king. And those scars that you spent years hiding, that's not a proof of defeat. Through Christ, they become evidence of grace, healing, and redemption. Okay. Now, I I know this isn't a cure all in and all for every wound or struggle that you carry out there, guys. But I hope now that you see now, just by looking at this one verse, you see the weight you've been dragged behind you does not belong to you. We have to leave it at the cross. And then you don't pick the stinking thing back up. You don't. Because shame, there's no reason shame can have a grip on you anymore when you walk in the newness of life, right? And that's when we start really, it's that's when it gets fun, guys. That's when it gets fun. But look, the the the easiest way, probably one that I wouldn't say easy, but one of the most important ways to get out of this fog of shame is to have that personal relationship with Christ. And if you don't have that, you don't have that relationship with Christ, if you've never submitted your life to him, then that shame, it's gonna be, I'm just gonna be straight up, it's gonna be hard. It's gonna be very hard and challenging for you to walk out of that and to turn turn from that if you're trying to do things the world's way. It starts with understanding who you are, that you are made in the image of God. And that's who you are as an image bearer of Christ. Okay, but also recognizing that we're we're sinners, every single one of us, right? We had to send nature to enter the world. Sin fractured that relationship with us and God. Therefore, you know, God is holy, we are not. And and we try to overcome uh the things in our life or to try to work our way to our right standing with God. That's just not how it works. And then shame

The Gospel And True Freedom

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kind of go back to it. Shame beats us down, beats us down, beats over and over and over. I'm not good enough. I'm gonna try to do better. Boop, I'm not good enough, I'm gonna try to do better. It's just a cycle, right? So to overcome the shame in our life, we can't do it on our own. We need someone to do for us what we can't do for ourselves. That's what Jesus comes into the scene, who literally left heaven on a rescue mission for us to live the perfect life and to die for our sins on the cross. Like he bore it all, right? And when he bore it all, all the shame that we have, that sin, that combination, is gone. It's gone, right? I mean, I heard this yesterday, like what can wash away our our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus, right? Well, what can wash away the blood of Jesus? Nothing. Nothing. The enemy cannot wash that away. So what Jesus' blood did for us when that shame and condemnation and when all that sin went away, that's the beauty, that's what we have in the power of the gospel. So yes, they he he paid the ultimate penalty for that, but he didn't stay in the uh in the tomb. Three days after that the penalty, the the payment was was was was submitted, he he rose. He overcame death. This is the and this is this is why we worship a living savior, not some some dead guy. And guys, you got to recognize this, okay? And so if the shame is bothering you, if it's working on you, if it's weighing you down, then recognize what's going on here. Just recognize the power that's available to you when you walk in and the freedom that comes in that relationship with Christ. So, guys, I just I'm praying so much for you. If you're listening to the lion and you haven't surrendered your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, what what are you waiting on? And if shame is beating your door down, guys, I'm telling you, one of the most important steps you'll ever take is just surrendering to Him and inviting the Holy Spirit to come in and radically change your life. And guess what? It will radically change your life as soon as you take the step of obedience. So I'm gonna pray with you right now. And I pray if you're listening to the Lion right now, and you haven't accepted Christ as your Savior, that you do take that step. And I'd love to take it with you. So, Father, that one listener, I don't know who they are or where they're at or what they're doing, but maybe for some reason that because this topic of shame is getting at them, and they just they never felt like they can they're any good. I recognize, I pray, Lord, that they recognize rather who they are, and that they are a son or a daughter of the king. And Lord, what they see in the mirror is a lie from the enemy. And we also recognize, Lord, that we can't do this without you. We've been trying to do it, maybe they've been trying to do it their way for far too long. Things just aren't going well. So I pray, Lord, as they repent, as they turn to you, as they confess you as Lord and Savior of their life, that they feel the peace of God that passes all understanding just flood

A Prayer To Surrender To Jesus

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over them right now. At this moment, the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit is just taking over, it's giving them a new heart. They're being born again, Father, and they're just and they're now walking in the newness of life. They have that recognize that the new awareness now that you're with them. You're never gonna leave them, you're never gonna forsake them, that you are the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to Father except through you, but Lord. They right they're calling out right now. There's no other name under heaven by which given by God, by which we must be saved. Lord, it is you, it is Jesus, and it's Jesus alone, and we're so thankful for that. We're thankful for the decision that they're making. We also know this is not gonna be an easy decision. We also know that the evil one's not gonna be happy here, that the evil one's gonna do all he can to steal, kill, and destroy, and take things out of your life. We we're gonna pray against that. We're gonna just pray, Lord, that you just put some warriors around them to guard them, to direct them, and to disciple them. God, we love you so much. Thank you for doing for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. We thank you for Jesus. We thank you for the gospel, and we thank you for the Holy Spirit. We love you, God. It's in your name we pray. Amen. All right. So look, if you just accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, I'd love to hear from you first and foremost. I I genuinely would. Just send me an email, Chris at the lionwithin.us. I'd love to connect with you. I got a bunch of resources, guys. I mean, one thing we don't lack at the Lion is content, okay? So we are we're content heavy. So we'd love to send you some resources to get you started on your discipleship journey just to be a uh uh support system for you, okay? Again, the daily SKL is a great way to get connected with us as well, but we love to hear from you. Uh we guys, this is gonna be a big week at the lion. We got a lot of good things happening. Hopefully, you'll be encouraged by the messages out there. Uh, this week we're really focusing on one of our plants in the Bible app, which by the way, if you don't follow us on the Bible app, would you consider it? You don't have to, but if you would consider just opening up the Bible app, you just search for the Lion Within Us, follow our page, and guys, when the new plans come out on the Bible app and they come out pretty regular. I'm pretty diligent on writing for

Resources, Connection, And Support

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the Bible app. Uh, you would get notification, no, notified when they drop, and then you never know. There could be some plans that you enjoy going through with other buddies and things like that. I get regular feedback from guys, they really enjoy the plans. So I don't know. Hopefully you will as well. But the Bible app is a great way to get connected with that, okay? Again, the lionwithin.us is our website. If you want to check out our resources, you can all you can find everything right there from a daily SKO to the lion's den to a leadership mastermind application, all the ways we serve. Our weekly roar, I don't talk about that a whole lot, but the weekly roar, that newsletter, guys, we're talking uh the numbers are staggering. Staggering for how many guys get that every Monday. So it's just a simple reflection, but guys are finding a lot of encouragement with it. So hopefully you guys will enjoy that, okay? So look, we'll see you next time. Give us a rating and review. If you don't mind, that would be huge. Just a rating and review. And then you can also, if you want to support the show, the lionwithin.us slash donate. If you want to be a donor to support us, we would absolutely love and appreciate your support, okay? All right, we'll see you next time, guys. Get after, have a great day. Keep unleashing the Lion Within. Trying to find genuine resources to help grow spiritually can feel overwhelming. At least it was for me. For the longest time, the support that I was looking for didn't exist. And I knew I wasn't alone. And at the same time, God was leading me to take action. That's why we built the Lion Within Us community, which is simply a place for Christian men to grow together in an honest, practical way that's always rooted in God's word. We've made it simple. We have our daily spiritual kickoff for that little boost to get you going. We have Bible studies focusing on discerning truth and applying it. And we have a private forum where you can speak freely amongst other guys who listen. And then we have things like Friday Forge, Couples Night, where we gotta tackle the hard items that guys are craving to talk about. But most faith settings just

Join The Lion Within Us Community

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refuse to explore these areas. So our community is about a growth mindset, intentionality, and transparency. Simply put, leave the mask at the door and come back you are. No perfect resume, just a willing heart and a desire to lead. I believe in what we've built simply because I've seen God use it to strengthen so many men. And I'd be honored to walk alongside you. So if you're ready, visit thelinewithin.us to explore the community. Start your free trial. Look around and see how this could help you lead with clarity and courage. So your journey begins here at the linewithin.us. I look forward to seeing you inside the gym.