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Day 28
Day 28 | Mobilize The Man Called To Act
ACTIVITY
Continue:
- P.A.C.T.—Pray | Ask | Confess | Thank
- P.A.S.S.—Pray Prior | Author's Intent | Stop when Convicted | Share
Your Call To Act (C.T.A.) today is:
- D.O. Accountability (Declare it and Own it) with one person, and keep it going.
- Prepare your heart to be mobilized for ministry.
PROVERBS 21
21 In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
that he channels toward all who please him.
2 A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.
5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.
6 A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.
7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away,
for they refuse to do what is right.
8 The way of the guilty is devious,
but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
9 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
10 The wicked crave evil;
their neighbors get no mercy from them.
11 When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.
12 The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked
and brings the wicked to ruin.
13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
will also cry out and not be answered.
14 A gift given in secret soothes anger,
and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.
15 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.
16 Whoever strays from the path of prudence
comes to rest in the company of the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.
18 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
and the unfaithful for the upright.
19 Better to live in a desert
than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.
20 The wise store up choice food and olive oil,
but fools gulp theirs down.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.
22 One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty
and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
keep themselves from calamity.
24 The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name—
behaves with insolent fury.
25 The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,
because his hands refuse to work.
26 All day long he craves for more,
but the righteous give without sparing.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—
how much more so when brought with evil intent!
28 A false witness will perish,
but a careful listener will testify successfully.
29 The wicked put up a bold front,
but the upright give thought to their ways.
30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the Lord.
31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the Lord.
TRANSCRIPT
Goal: Prepare your heart for mobilization.
Gentlemen, I am so pumped for you right now. It is day 28 this means that we are at the end of our fourth week. If you've stuck with me so far, you have learned how to make a pact in prayer. You've learned how to pass on scripture. You've learned that brotherhood is of critical importance and probably set a meetup already. You have learned how to do accountability and your responsibility in doing and preparing for that activity. This next week you're going to be mobilized into action and today I'm going to have not going to have you do a whole lot. I just want you to prepare your heart to be mobilized into ministry. All right, so just focus your prayers around this for the coming week and as we engage in these last seven days together, I want you to pray that God would show you what it is that he would have you do with your life and how he wants to mobilize you to have an impact on the world around you. With that, remember to pray today and remember to dig into scripture. Um, if you're reading along with me, just hang on a couple of seconds and I'll be right back.
DEVO
"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5
Have you made some plans for this coming year? If not, you might be planning poverty. Avoid debt and be diligent. Plan to set a spiritual goal even prepare for it. Get the tools needed. Get the support required. Get the resources wanted. Stop putting it off because spiritual poverty is no fund at all. Have an abundant year.
DO THIS: Use this planning tool - Download
PRAYER: God, give me the time to plan diligently. Be in my planning and provide the resources needed.
Share That You Completed Today's Challenge
Praying
Lord please keep me out of the desert and off the roof
These are two powerful verse to me.
2 A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. 3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
v3: To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
How many times do I believe that the odd gesture of goodwill will be sufficient. However, the Lord demands that I constantly live my life in his word and meet everybody in my life with love and graciousness.
Verse 9: “Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife”. I’ve always thought of this and other similar verses as the wife being the problem, but then realized that if I’m being a good Godly husband, I can minimize those quarrels. I strive to be a good husband to keep my marriage intact to avoid situations like this verse is referencing. Lord help me to be a good man, husband to my wife and father to my boys.
We are reminded again about the Lord knowing our heart.
Planning and working hard lead to profit, but acting too quickly leads to poverty.
This is something I struggle with. I do my best to respond to situations instead of reacting. One is a careful plan and the other is made in haste. My struggle is that I want to hear from God and have His guidance with my response, but sometimes I don’t get it. I need to remember that sometimes, my past experience is enough guidance to make the right move.
Verse 31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the Lord.”
John Quincy Adams, known as the “hellhound” of the abolitionist movement was relentless on abolishing slavery. So much so that a gag order was placed upon him in Congress so that he couldn’t bring up legislation opposing slavery as well as death threats. He continued to bring up legislation anyway, and was punished for it. When asked why he didn’t just give up he said, “Duty is ours. Results are God’s.”
Every injustice in our world needs to be fought with this mentality.
Wow, Ryan V, I did not know that!
Be diligent
3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
I thought this one is interesting it is basically saying having God’s ingrained principles are better than sacrificing things. I will be considering this in more depth in the future.
I like verse 23, “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.” It takes self control to avoid saying things that are not uplifting or that are critical or reveal anger. I need to be better about holding my “tongue” when driving and feel offended by other drivers. I can “speak ill” with a honk, which is pretty much like saying something pointed to the offender.
(2/18/21) Proverbs 20:24 The Passion Translation
“It is the Lord who directs your life, for each step you take is ordained by God to bring you closer to your destiny. So much of your life, then, remains a mystery!”
Each day I need to seek God’s priorities for my life. Today, my priority is to place my papers and writings into their assigned categories. Getting organized with my writing is my highest priority today.
I’m feeling like the area I need to really focus on over the next little while is to deliberately pray and read Scripture *with* my wife… at least three times a week. I believe that to be a very doable goal.
Personal note: he has supplied the resources.
Blesses be the name of the Lord.
Verses 2, 3, 21, and 30 are speaking to me today. I should always listen to God and show my love to others around me. When I do that, how can life not get any better than that. That’s my prayer today
Stay with it, you are almost there 👊🏼
My partner is so faithful he does not let a day go by without a text, l love it. He just called for prayer and l am for him
I need to keep my eyes on the Lord and be a blessing for those around me.
Getting ready to be mobilized and share the truth of Christ with others. Verse 5 really stuck out today,. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Staying diligent in ready scripture and prayer is what is need to grow in Christ and share the message of His word with other that need to hear it.
23 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
keep themselves from calamity.
I’m keeping my heart open for this opportunity.
V23…very convicting…we always want to get our thoughts in/opinions…but many times it good to be silent and just listen!
2 A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
14 A gift given in secret soothes anger,
and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.
All to often I think my way is right and become a bit defiant if my way is not used. Sometimes I also do things for the recognition instead of doing it out of pure love. But God knows my heart and I’m often reminded the reason I should do things is not for my glory, but His!
v 3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Too often (especially at work) I hear the phrase, “sometimes it’s easier to ask forgiveness than for permission”. I am guilty of this on occasion. This verse reminds me that I am working for the Lord and not for man (Col. 3:23-24). When faced with a choice, I need to do what is right and not what is easiest.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Plan something and just stick to it. Glory to God in the highest!
Verse 2. A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
Something so simple but so hard to do. God know everything and will tell us where/what we need to do. But we have to be still and listen and feel him!
Verse 16 stands out to me because I am a determined person. When I was saved I said to myself don’t ever look back and do your best to stay on the righteous path.
Open my eyes, Lord
There is true pleasure in the practice of religion, but certain destruction at the end of vicious courses.
V. 13 “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.”
Several years ago, I traveled to Denver, CO for my first time for business. At that time, Denver’s homeless population was beginning to rise significantly, and I was told that the city of Denver was asking people not to give money/handouts to the homeless.
My hotel was downtown, and I was approached by several people who were homeless on the way to my hotel (one guy even specifically asked for money to go towards his marijuana fund). While some were easy to turn down for that reason, one guy approached me and specifically asked for food, not money, but food; however, following the advice that I received I turned him down. I have since come to regret my decision, as I fear that it hardened my heart a bit. This verse reminded me of that trip to Denver.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.
I have been focused on Love – Love is an action – this should be my daily focus as I venture off into the World – I pray that I would be able to keep Love at the forefront of my daily activism.
19 Better to live in a desert, than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. This verse stood out to me. The verse makes me laugh and wonder how did this end up in the bible. It lead me to do some study and found this article as a way to unpack the this verse. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-should-a-husband-treat-his-quarrelsome-wife
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.
Oh Lord use me to help further your kingdom , I thank you for the opportunity that you have given me with the men at Rima Ridge I pray as iron sharpens iron approaches and passes we can keep this momentum going for your Glory!
I don’t know why but this verse jumped out to me today. 13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
will also cry out and not be answered. I have been seeing a lot more homeless people as well as people begging on the side of the road. Most of the time I drive past. I think I will start stopping more and give them some food or warm clothes.
31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle,but victory rests with the Lord.
Proverbs 21:31 | NIV
Be prepared to do your daily part in battle, but know the victory is the Lords!
I’m praying for more individuals and their families.
Hi
I am sorry I missed putting a comment in yesterday. Had some issues preparing for a procedure this morning. It was interesting though. I believe because of this challenge, I was able to talk to the Doctor that put me ‘under and found out he is born again!! What a wonderful time sharing. This experience is giving me courage to stand and share our God’s love more publicly.
I praise our God for you my brothers!
Blessings
“whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.”
⬆️Mrs Sprocket is not going to be happy about this⬆️
In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.
Prov 21:30…mic drop!
3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
This jumps out at me, and reminds me that I must continually strive to keep my words and conduct pure. That it matters to the Lord.
Funny how I had to come back to this. Satan tries his hardest to get us to not do Gods will. I think I was discouraged by a Men’s burger night that didnt quite go so well, but we had a good time. So when I get discouraged I tend to not do things to my fullest potential, or if I am not 100 percent sure of my self I tend to steer away from things. God please help me, as I learned in Day 29, there is a line between confidence and pride. Please help me not to stray.
The last verse…Victory rests with the Lord.
Reading through Proverbs gives you a great contrast between the wise and foolish. As we mobilize for ministry I believe we should be all in (work hard/not sloth like) when it comes to commitment but prayerful and thoughtful (wise) as it pertains to what specific plans we make.
Completed
V30 All my wisdom, insight and plans need to be in accord with those of the Lord.
A man is known by his actions. Verse 8
A wise man learns by listening. Verse 11
Life counsel from this is applicable some 2000 years later and we all still struggle to stay the path.
Being a servant is investing in others to grow them into a mature disciple. Jesus gave the final command. I am to mobilize.
Verses I took note of:
13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.
30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.
Verses 25-26
As I ponder this “mobilize for ministry” topic, I couldn’t help but stop on these verses. Solomon tells us not to be like the sluggers, lazy and selfish, yet to work and give without sparing. And that is exactly the model that Jesus gave us as someone who gave lavishly. I pray that the work I do is a conduit to allow me to give lavishly and out of the abundance of what I have in Christ.
A bit of a challenge today as I had a long stressful one and thought about passing tonight on my 28th day, but I held myself accountable, stayed focused and stayed the course!
verse 2, the Lord weighs the heart (where all actions come from). He doesn’t judge on outward appearance alone or thoughts, but from the root cause of the choice of actions, the heart. verses 16-17 also stood out to me: (16) anyone that strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead. (17) whoever loves pleasure (my own personal, along with many men’s personal, repetitive sin) will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich. I am going to pray for an open heart to be mobilized for ministry as soon as I finish this comment, as the A in my P.A.C.T. prayer. 🙂
In Phoenix Arizona on vacation. It is hard to keep up with all you guys, but doing my best. Get back to a normal routine next week. I appreciate all your comments. Thanks for sharing. Dean
please pray for a difficult situation I have. Long story short, someone i used to know very well (20 years ago) just committed suicide. Her husband found her yesterday. She left him and their teen daughter behind. So sad, so many questions.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will
In a time of political turmoil and hatred, Brothers in Christ can rest assured that God is in control
2 A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
This is a call to be closer to God. I need to be attentive to his presence and feel his nudges. When I lean more on my own understanding than listening to God, that is when things go poorly.
Make ready for battle, give glory in victory to the Lord.
Focused on mobilizing! I pray God leads us all in this call.
V. 26 and v.31 really puts it to you
Keep on men !!
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.
My pursuits and actions determine where I go and what is included in my life. The choice is mine and the Lord provides every opportunity for me to do what is right and good. All I need to do is continue in the best path for my life and not let the distractions of this world pull me from the path. This starts with what I take in on a daily basis; what influences my thinking, thought-life, and attention. My intellectual diet must consist of God’s Truth more than the junk food of pop culture.
Prov 21 : 2-3 A person may think their own ways (thoughts, actions and intentions) are right but the Lord weighs the heart. 3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the the Lord than sacrifice.
Psalm 139: 23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Lord help me to remain pure of heart that I may be a blessing to You and others.
23 “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
keep themselves from calamity.” I, like Ryan mentioned a few days ago, can put my foot in my mouth with my wife. I pray that I “guard my mouth” to keep me from “calamity.”
30 “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the Lord.” In the day of polar politics, I just say “Amen” to this verse!
Verse 21 says whoever pursues righteousness finds life. Jesus’ righteousness gives us abundant life!
I have been doing a public ministry with the men in my church for a while now. It benefits me more I believe every day. I love working with men who want to be helped in some of there marriage struggles.
Go out and make disciples.
30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. This is the hardest thing for me to ascertain. Is what I’m doing my will? Or is it God’s will? Is it for my glory? Or is it for God’s glory?
Day 28:
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.
I pray that I will pursue (actively!) A Christlike love and righteousness in all of my actions and words and receive the promised blessings.
13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.
I really liked Proverbs 13 – As it reminds me that all I have is from the Lord and only mine to pass on to others in need. I’m ashamed sometimes when I see someone in need and think to myself that I don’t have the time to stop, or, say what “I” can do to help. How selfish is that! Lord, please grant me a soft heart when these situation arise and make me wise to your ways. Please make me more like Jesus everyday.
mobilize to have an impact on the world!
I am in the middle of learning how to plan differently after all these years of a certain way of doing things at KA, it is teach me a new way to trust and to have a certain discipline to budget differently. 4 weeks of this already..seems like we just started!! Proud of all of you that have kept this up!
Going to try my best, pray for additional Wisdom and adjust my MOTIVES going forward because……….
Proverbs 21:21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.
Preparation = attuning to what God has already set in motion
Wrote down a few verses this morning to ponder and think about. Pondering what it means to let my heart stream life into others, hearing the cries of the poor, and being careful not to love pleasure so that I don’t become poor… Poor for sleeping in a little bit too long, for deciding to watch television instead of intentionally connect with my wife etc…
Do the right thing always
Prepare for the lord
30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the Lord.
This verse really spoke to me. Trust me, I’ve got this I felt him saying to me.
Heavenly father help me, and all of us men, trust you and your plans for us. We too often try to make our own and follow false idols in hopes they’ll bring us happiness. You are the source of everything we need.
26 All day long he craves for more,
but the righteous give without sparing.
When I lay down my earthly desires and submit to his plan, even when it does not seem to make sense- he has always given me more then I deserve!
The Plans of the diligent lead to profit.
Don’t give up. Keep pursuing His plan in your family, work, life.
Ready to mobilize for men’s ministry! Keep your eyes open for opportunity guys!
Ed Cole said, “It’s easier to obtain than maintain”. Verse 26 reminds me of this quote. Greed verses giving…do I desires stuff I can’t afford and can’t take care of or do I hold my things with a open hand willing to give as God directs? Remember we are just stewards and it all comes from the Father.
“Remember we are just stewards and it all comes from the Father.” I just discovered this truth a few weeks ago.
Day28:
Verse 2 is where I pray for God’s wisdom in the choices I am making. I often am wrong or get off, but it is God who I need direction from daily.
Vs. 25-26 reinforce the work ethics my father taught me to have and why to have them. God give me hands that are not afraid to work and help me to give without sparing and be generous in everything I do!
“A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.
The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.”
Proverbs 21:2, 25-26 NIV
God knows the outcomes of our plans and is in complete control, but He expects us to be prepared and to work hard to achieve our goals. Work as though you are working for the Lord, we have been called to be his disciples. let us answer His call and live that life.
13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. So great a need with a call to mobilization, I can help however little it may seem to me.
I Pray, God keep me strong in good thoughts and actions. Keep me humble and open minded in daily encounters and interactions with others.
v21 whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor. Lord help me to pursue righteousness and love because I would like to know that life and all that accompanies it.
Our task today reflects our Vision 2020 for our Reach Men’s Ministry where we are encouraging each other to pray in to where God may be directing us in to community and ministry with other brothers. I’m looking forward to seeing what the Lord has for us!
Proverbs 21:30 “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.” It’s the Lord that’s directing our steps!
The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright. Therefore if we lead Godly lives and live by his word, we’ve nothing to be guilty for and we will not have excuses, we will obtain eternal life.
Have a plan for your spiritual walk with the Lord. Do not go through your life carefree. Be righteous and wise and live for the Lord.