Subs and Substance Week 4

This week we continued in our pursuit of wisdom and knowledge in Proverbs 2: 6-11

⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom;
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
   he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
   and protects the way of his faithful ones.
 ⁹ Then you will understand what is right and just
   and fair—every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,
   and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹ Discretion will protect you,
   and understanding will guard you.

Let’s talk about these words… Shield, Guard, Protect. What do they mean to you?

·        Desert Shield

·        Troy – Brad Pitt as Achilles

·        Secret Service Guards

·        Gladiator – Maximus Decimus Meridius

Are these passive, lackadaisical activities? No, they are action oriented and often akin to a battle or a mission.

Does the bible make any other reference to battles?

·        Battle of Megiddo or Armageddon (Revelation 16)

·        Gideon’s 300

·        King David went into Battle repeatedly

Are we in a battle? Look at  Ephesians 6 and let’s learn of a battle that we are currently in. Read Verses 10-18.

The Armor of God

 ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Specifically verse 12 talks about our struggle, or our battle and then goes on to talk about how we prepare ourselves for this battle, this conflict, this real and present danger!

And the Armament is listed so that you can “Stand Firm” in this battle!

Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding – preparing us for the battle we are in as men on this side of heaven. A battle we are to be readied for so that we can stand firm as the men of God we are expected to be!

Pray to that end…

Subs and Substance Week 3

The gang aftter their night in the woods!

This week Doug G shared from Proverbs 2: 1-5 and discussed

"Being Wise and Being Cool, Can you be both?"

Being wise:

·         The Treasure of Wisdom:  What does wisdom look like? 

·         Do you know anyone your age who shows unusual wisdom?  How can you tell?

·         Is it possible to know how to make a wise decision and yet still make a foolish decision when the time comes?  How can you keep from doing that?

·         Read Prov. 2: 1-5

·         Prov. 4: Above all else, get wisdom.  Though it cost you all you have, get understanding.

·         Read list of wisdom’s benefits.

Being Cool:

·         Do you know anyone your age who is cool?  (name them)

·         What makes that person cool?  Do characteristics make a person cool or is it how they act?

·         Who is cool at FSM?  Chris Tuttle, Landon Trulove, etc.

·         Cool doesn’t try – it is:  Being cool is an honor that only others can give you.  You can’t make yourself cool.  In fact, if you try to be cool, or think you are, you probably aren’t.

·         Cool people focus on others, not on themselves.  Matt. 23:12, those who humble themselves will be exalted.

·         Most cool people don’t even realize they are cool.  They are too busy making a difference in their world.

4 Reasons you should be cool:

·         Cool people have the ability to influence others for good

·         Cool people have confidence to do things others believe impossible

·         Cool people fine it easy and natural to show God’s love and acceptance

·         Cool people stand up for truth and don’t need everyone to agree with them or even like them

We then discussed the comcitments the guys made to each other:

Meet together each week to keep each other accountable in what they are reading, what temptations they are dealing with and to talk about what is going on each others lives.

We talked about this being a great start and encouraged them to take it a step further by documenting their committments to each other. A commitment that includes the process they will follow in the case where one of them is not living up to the standard they have agreed to.