Life audio. Hi from the Salvation Army, and you're listening to Words of Life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. Welcome back to Words of Life.
We are now in our third week with our guest, Dr. Zach Clinton. Zach is an author and a counselor, and he really has a heart for men's ministries. And so we really want this series to be an encouragement to the men out there.
So if you know anyone who could be blessed by these conversations, I would really encourage you to share these episodes with them. Subscribe to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store, and you can share individual episodes or an entire podcast via email or text. But if you need any help in doing so, send us an email, hello at wordsoflifepodcast.org. It's important to recognize again every man. Serves the role.
I'll give you guys one more fun little stat came to my mind as you were talking about just the significance, especially as it relates to the spiritual life. Of our children, of our families, of those that we spend the most time with. Nancy Piercy. She came out with this stat years ago. But it showed the significance, again, of a father in the lives of their kids.
Because as of this recording, right, Father's Day is just around the corner. It's fresh on my mind. But Nancy Piercy said this: when a child is the first to come to know the Lord within the home. There's a 3.5% chance the rest of the family will also convert to Christianity. When a mother Is the first to come to know Christ within a home.
That stat actually increases to a 17% chance that the rest of the family will convert to Christianity. Catch this though. when a dad, when a father. A male influence is the first to come to know Christ. within the home.
There is a 93% chance that the rest of the family will begin to convert to Christianity. It just shows, right, that naturally as men, man, God has. Uniquely given us this ability to lead and to lead well. And something that you mentioned there, Chris. I want to touch on for a second because, as Christian men, I think we get a bad rap.
That we're just mild and meek, and that you know we have to love people and we have to speak words of kindness all the time. But let me tell you something, I think people that have that understanding of God and that is who Jesus is. Let me tell you something, there was nothing weak. Or nothing in that capacity about Jesus, man. He was bold and he was courageous.
He stood on his commitments, right? He stood firm in who he was. He knew his identity. He knew his mission. He was missional, right?
It wasn't about the money. It wasn't about the influence. It was about the mission and the level of intimacy. That God placed in his life to create with other people.
So, yes, you know, as godly men, our goal is to bear the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Number one, that doesn't come from us. Those aren't things that we, in a sense, become better at. That's a man that we become more like. Our goal is not to be the best version of ourself.
Our goal is to become a version that is more closely, in a sense, reflecting of that of Jesus. That is our goal as men, recognizing that our power is found through surrender. But man, you can still hunt and fish. You can still be rugged. You can still work out.
You can still stand firm on those truths. You can still speak up and step out. That doesn't mean you're not a godly man. Oftentimes, that's exactly what Jesus did, right? He flipped tables, he did things that people would say: well, that doesn't seem very loving.
But at the same time, It was all about the mission. And so that should be our goal as men. Hey, We're not just wheat. We're not just silent, we're not just apathetic. No, no, no.
We're men who are living lives on a mission the proclamation of Jesus Christ. that end, I think that's what biblical masculinity really looks like. Hey, you're listening to the Salvation Army's Words of Life. We're going to take a quick ad break and we'll be right back. We all know that feeling.
You finally manage to get away on vacation, and the worrying starts. Will that bogus beware of dogs sign keep your home safe? What about that fake camera you set up? And will someone finally find your old hide and key rock? That's where ADT comes in.
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Don't settle for safe-ish. Visit ADT.com today to learn more. Just kind of digging deeper into what it looks like to be, you know, a godly man. What are the practices? What are the things we as men should be doing in our lives to bring us closer to the likeness of Jesus?
So good, Chris. You know, I think We can revert back to the spiritual disciplines that God gives us in His Word. But also many theologians have written about over time You know, there's this reason, though, I want people to understand why we do that. There was a book. By Donald Whitney titled spiritual disciplines that I read years and years ago, and he opens up with this statement.
Discipline without direction. is drudgery. Mm. What he means by that is if we're just doing it to check a box. and we don't understand the why behind the discipline in the first place.
And, like, man, we're just going to go through the motions, and it's going to ultimately produce this monotonous, drudgery-like process for us where it's going to get old, we're going to burn out. And eventually we're going to stop or we're going to quit or give up. And so this idea of how can we begin to embrace This spiritual formation, the sanctification, right? After we receive salvation from God. After we are labeled now a son of God, being adopted into the family of Christ, right?
That is Romans 10:9. Again, for those listening, that maybe are like, well, what's salvation? That those who confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and they believe in their heart that God raised them from the dead, they will be saved, right?
So that is done. Through a place of faith and repentance, turning away from the old ways and now turning toward. the direction or the person of Jesus Christ. But now It's this process from that moment until the end of our life here on this side of eternity. What we would call is sanctification or spiritual formation.
Let me tell each and every one of you: that's not just a spiritual process, that is a human process. Everyone is being formed. by the things that we listen to, by the things that we see, by the people we surround ourselves with, by the circumstances that might happen to us throughout our lives, right? Formation is happening all around us each and every day, whether we admit it or not, or we choose to acknowledge it or not.
Now, when we're talking about spiritual disciplines, I believe that, that is really just the active process and the engagement and the acknowledgment that we as men of God, as believers, as individuals who are followers of Jesus, are just a little bit more particular about. the things, again, that we are surrounding ourselves with. And that we are absorbing and taking it into our lives so that way we can begin to apply it in an entirely different way. That's what I mean when we read God's word. I don't want to just read for absorption.
I actually want to read for application. How can I begin to utilize this and now apply this into my daily life?
Some of the other spiritual disciplines, beyond just being in God's word. Maybe time in prayer. being able to, in a sense, be in just the presence of God. And being able to not just go to him and ask for help, like he's this genie in a bottle up in heaven or up in the sky. but really be able to Invite him in to the hard moments of my life.
Invite him in to the challenges, to the struggles, and more. And being able to also go to him with this posture of praise and gratitude.
So, prayer, being in God's word, being in community. That's not just going to church on a Sunday. But that's living in community. That's living in friendship. That's being a part of a life group.
That's going over to your neighbor's house and knowing their name. That's cooking a meal for somebody. That's not just showing up when asked. That's showing up when led. And so, being able to do all of these different things in our lives, and again, not just making God a compartment of our life.
but allowing him to be the box in which all other compartments of our life fall under and into? I think that's really how we can begin to be formed by Christ, not just on a morning by morning or a day by day, but a moment by moment and decision by decision basis. And that's what I think. we as individuals and followers of Jesus need to partake in every single day. We pray that you're enjoying and being blessed by this conversation.
We're going to take one more ad break and we'll be right back. We all know that feeling. You finally manage to get away on vacation, and the worrying starts. Will that bogus beware of dogs sign keep your home safe? What about that fake camera you set up?
And will someone finally find your old hide and key rock? That's where ADT comes in. All that stuff? It's safe-ish. It seems fine when you don't really think about it, but you know it truly doesn't work.
Instead, ADT provides security solutions that keep you actually safe, giving you real peace of mind. Because vacation is supposed to be, you know, relaxing. Don't settle for safe-ish. Visit ADT.com today to learn more. Zach, would you just kind of share with the listeners?
your most recent book, even if What was the heart behind writing this? Who do you believe this book is for? And just kind of set us up for your book, even if. Yeah, Chris, you know, I think the book is really for anybody who Wants to level up in life. Maybe they feel discouraged, maybe they're disappointed with the way that life has gone.
Maybe they feel like they've hit a stalemate. and they feel like God has more for them. Maybe they're living a life of fear or what we would identify as analysis paralysis, so afraid of making the wrong decision that they choose to make no decision at all. When we have to recognize the indecision is still a decision, And so if there are any in that Bucket, which is pretty much all of us, right? I believe that this book is just a way in which.
it can produce hope, encouragement, and motivation for you and your life. This book was really sparked out of a A dark, deep. And difficult season for me personally. I'll say that. Years ago, going through just a really, a big challenge, a battle that I kind of faced.
And in that particular season, having to understand what it looked like to surrender. certain things, my circumstances, and more to the Lord. And in that moment. of where God I felt like really met me. And it wasn't even that he met me, it was that I met him.
In that lowest point, because God doesn't just meet us in our challenges, He already lives there. And I've come to realize that throughout my life, but as I met the Lord there, He took me back to a passage in scripture, Daniel chapter 3. And that's really what the book is about. It's about these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who when their backs are pressed up against the wall and they were struggling in the midst of a hardship and a difficult season of whether or not they were Going to conform to their circumstances or conform to the culture around them, or whether or not they were just going to simply be conformed to the image of Christ and stand firm and not bow the knee. That's what this story is all about.
And just for some context and for some understanding, maybe for our audience today. Back in those times, there was a king named Nebuchadnezzar who was the ruler over the entire empire of Babylon. He made this decision that he was going to build this. Statue of gold 90 feet tall and nine feet wide, and upon the sound of particular instruments or music. Everyone in all of the land was going to bow down and worship the king's gods in this image of gold he had put up before them.
And everybody did. Everybody just went with the flow. But there were three people, again Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that refused to bow the knee. Even and this goes back to this idea, this is biblical, right? Being in the world, but not of the world.
This was a beautiful example of that very thing. And so the king was ticked off. He was frustrated. He's like, dude, I had just appointed them within my kingdom. They're right underneath me.
Like, I like these guys. I just put them up in the ranks. And so he calls them into his presence, beginning in Daniel 3, I believe it's verse 13. And as he calls them in, Here come these three men and he looks at them and says is it true? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Like, is it true that All the words that I've been hearing that when we play the sound of music, you refuse to bow the knee.
Now, I'll give you one more chance here. I'll bring in all the instruments. We'll start playing. And if you bow down and worship, right, this massive golden statue and this pillar, whatever it is. all will be fine and well, right?
I'll actually forget it even happened. But if you don't You see that furnace over there, right? Like, we're going to start a fire, and I promise you, like, this will be the last day you live on this earth. And I don't know about you guys, Chris and Chris, and I don't know about our audience and those out there listening. But man, like when you're confronted with a death sentence, you probably start to question some things.
You probably start to say, well, maybe this one time, right? Like, hey, we can always ask for forgiveness afterward, right? But man, no, there was a position of boldness, and these three men looked at each other, probably. And this is how they responded. They said, With all due respect, your Majesty.
You don't even have the right to approach us about this matter. And what they meant by that, they weren't being disrespectful, they were just saying this: we've already made up our mind. Then they offered us a beautiful three-tiered prayer. Not only do we believe that our God is able to deliver us from this fire. But number two, we believe that he will.
So, not only do I believe God's capable, man, I'm confident that He will deliver me today, right? That's more than a hopeful expectation. That's, I know He will do this. But then, man, they gave the two words that changed my life, Chris and Chris, when. He mentioned this.
But even if he does not. We still will not worship your gods or bow down to the image of gold. you've set up a forest. The Salvation Army's mission, doing the most good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army.
Visit SalvationArmyusa.org to offer your support. You can subscribe to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit SalvationArmysoundcast.org. Join us next time for the Salvation Army's Words of Life. Yeah. These are the words, these are the words of life.
These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life. We want to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the show. Visit lifeeaudio.com where you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They have shows about prayer, Bible studying, parenting, and more.
Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time. Dedicating time each day to spend feeding our minds and our hearts the truth of God's Word is immensely helpful in our growth as followers of Christ. I'm John Stongi, and each day I host a show called Daily Devotions with Pastor John. On the show, I spend just a few minutes taking an applicational look at one or two verses of scripture before coming to the Lord in prayer.
If you'd like to make a habit of spending more time meditating on the truth of God's Word, You can listen to daily devotions with Pastor John at lifeaudio.com. or on your favorite podcasting app. The Historical Jesus Podcast is the sweeping saga of the life and times of Galilean Jesus of Nazareth. As well as the faith, religion, and church founded to honor and disseminate his acts and teachings. Join me, Mark Vinette, on this fascinating journey through time, exploring the many great works of Christian theology, literature, architecture, music, and art inspired by the words and deeds of Jesus Christ.
