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Making men MEN again. The David Alliance will help you slay your giants.
Episodes
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
webstix.com Tony Herman - the coolest cat on the net
Why can’t you bench 315? Why can’t you squat 500? Why can’t you deadlift 600? The same reason you can’t live a holy life.
Why are you offended? Why do you fall so easily? Why do you mess up so regularly?
Because you are prone to it. Because you are weak spiritually.
This past week I was training a client and I was kneeling down and above me at the top of the power rack was a cable with a heavy iron grip attached to it. Now it somehow came off and dropped about 7 feet onto the back of my neck. Luckily I have a thick head connected to a thick neck. It bounced off and we moved on.
… Hey Im ok, I am 6’3 and weigh 290 pounds right now… the most I have weighed in a long time.. .and proud of it. Lifting more than I have in years.
But the point it, I have a friend who is 5”5 and weighs about 175 and he is solid muscle. If the same thing would have happened to him he also would have shrugged it off. He is in shape!
So I repeat…
Why are you offended? Why do you fall so easily? Why do you mess up so regularly?
Because you are prone to it. Because you are weak spiritually.
1 Peter 4:1,2 Arm yourself so you will not be offended… so you will not sin!
NIV 4 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
The message
4 1-2 Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.
3-5 You’ve already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it’s time to be done with it for good. Of course, your old friends don’t understand why you don’t join in with the old gang anymore. But you don’t have to give an account to them. They’re the ones who will be called on the carpet—and before God himself.
My Mom says remember the first three rules when dealing with people: People are stupid, People are stupid, People are stupid.
* i.e. people are immature spiritually and then wonder why they are offended!
Look, can I be honest with you? We as men are really good at making excuses as to why we slip up and sin and make mistakes and keep failing… etc… etc… etc…
THE TRUTH? You are just weak.
I follow a lot of powerlifters and one of my favorites is a guy by the name of Brandon Lilly… I do not think he is a Christ follower, but I love him just the same- he is a great dude. But in one of his instructional videos on his social media he was answering questions. One question that came in was from someone who wanted to know how to bench 315. (That is something many people shoot for…the old 3 plates a side) He reads the question and says as deadpan as you can get. “Get stronger”. and moves on to the next question.
How do you keep from sinning? Get stronger.
Read more
Pray more
Seek God more
Obey more
Risk in faith more…
GET STRONGER!
Monday Oct 05, 2020
Monday Oct 05, 2020
webstix.com Tony Herman - the coolest cat on the net
You are chastised and even ridiculed for the project you were on at work. Unfairly scorned, and blamed for things you did not do… You feel the heat boil up inside your throat… what is your response?
Prov. 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Gentle - an answer that is with a soft heart and tender towards the other person. Trying to see why they are hurting and why they responded that way.
Wrath - venom, poison. You will with the right response keep a person from poisoning themselves…
Harsh - Painful and harsh to cause pain. You were hurt so now you will hurt them.
Stirs up anger - enrages them to where their physical being changes.
Do you realize that quite possible your response might be the greatest tool in leading others to Christ?
Luke 23 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.
Mark 15:32 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
*At some point this mans heart changed… as he watched Jesus not become embittered or take an offense it softened him to the message of Christ… he saw Jesus for who he really was.
I want to be known for a few things in life… but first and foremost I want to be known as someone who did not get offended and always responded in love.
Friday Oct 02, 2020
Friday Oct 02, 2020
webstix.com Tony Herman - the coolest cat on the net
Whos the greatest Basketball player? Regardless its a short list of 3. I will take Michael Jordan.
Who is the greatest golfer, again a short list of 3, but I will take Arnold Palmer.
Who is the greatest swimmer… another short list of 3 and i will take Michael Phelps.
But why were they the greatest? That is really the question we should be asking when it comes to greatness.
The first and second books of Samuel tell the story of 2 kings.
2 Kings…
One was Saul - head and shoulders over the people. He started out awkward and almost humble. He was immediately appointed King by the prophet. And he quickly rose to fame… and just as quickly crashed and burned.
David - hidden in obscurity, the youngest of 8 brothers, neglected by his father, a kid, a runt, and worst of all a shepherd. He didn’t rise to the throne, he slowly waited all the while endlessly escaping death at the hands of King Saul.
Why was one a man after Gods own heart? Why did one rule and acquire the goods to be a great King while the other seemingly should have been the best of both but hit a wall early on and failed miserably?
Have you ever put yourself in Davids shoes? As a kid he is anointed King. Its a done deal. The prophet Samuel does not do things carelessly- he knows God. Then David Kills Goliath, then he begins to work for the King, then he has to flee from the king. Continually proving his loyalty to the king, but only to have the King turn on him again and again. David has to run on fumes and hope for 15 years before he becomes king.
But here is the beauty of it. He always trusted Gods timing… and God knew what he was doing.
During this time that we might call waiting or running or even disappointment… God teaches David some amazing lessons and prepares him for Kinghood. He learns how to attract low life men and train them up and create great loyal followers. He learns how to map out attacks and how to escape. He makes friends with allies and learns the ways of his enemies. He learns the terrain of his nation for future battles and more than anything gains a mind that is able to deal with any obstacle… he doesn’t panic, he has learned in all things to trust God. Yes, it is true that the kingdom was not just handed to him because he had a bowl of oil doused over his head… but it was rather rationed out to him in trial by trial.
King Saul was just the opposite. He had no trials by which to learn to be King. He was immediately appointed and granted access to whatever he deemed right. He made passive decisions one day and irrational ones the next. He never had the tests nor the preparation that David had.
So do you want the easy life? - What does one get with the easy life? Really do you have the guts to answer that?
What are the things you struggle with while going through trials?… Maybe you don’t see it as preparation.
We many times fall into a trap thinking that if I am in Gods will than I should be firing on all cylinders right now… but I have found that most of the time life is teaching me so that as I get older I am actually more prepared for greater service to God. I am way more prepared at 55 than I was at 45, and even more so than when I was 35. I have no doubt even as I feel like I am in the middle of my greatest work… I will still look back on this as preparation for when I am 65, and then 75 and yes 85 and 95.
To quote Bruce Lee
“Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
webstix.com Tony Herman - the coolest cat on the net
You may recall that for centuries people believed Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. The philosopher was regarded as one of the greatest thinkers of all time, and so it follows that he MUST be right!
But nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle’s death someone actually tested the theory. In 1589 Galileo Galilei summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He pushed two weights from the top of the tower — one light and one heavy. They landed at the same instant. But the power of belief was so strong that the professors denied their eyesight! They continued to teach that Aristotle was correct.
Galileo and others also tried to convince the educators of his day that the earth revolves around the sun. But they would not believe anything so radical and eventually forced him to recant his support of the Copernican theory. He lived the last years of his life under house arrest.
1 PETER 1
12-15 Because the stakes are so high, even though you’re up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I’m not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. This is the post to which I’ve been assigned—keeping you alert with frequent reminders—and I’m sticking to it as long as I live. I know that I’m to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me. And so I am especially eager that you have all this down in black and white so that after I die, you’ll have it for ready reference.
13- CHANGE
Call to Repentance and Change
Erwin M. Soukup has compiled what he terms “The Seven Steps to Stagnation”:
I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU TO LOOK AT THESE FROM A SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE.
1. We’ve never done it that way before.
2. We’re not ready for that.
3. We are doing all right without trying that.
4. We tried it once before.
5. We don’t have money for that.
6. That’s not our job.
7. Something like that can’t work.
Soukup admits that “there’s probably an eighth step, but we’ve never looked
it up before.”
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
webstix.com Tony Herman - the coolest cat on the net
Bored are you? Lets spice things up a bit… Lets start this week by doing everything the opposite of what we normally do. Ready… Do you shower with your clothes off? Then shower with them on. Do you eat your dinner hot? Then eat it cold. Do you relieve yourself in the toilet? Then start using your waste basket at work… hold on… That’s not exactly where we are going today… but close!
“The character of Luke Rhinehart is the fictional protagonist of cult-classic The Dice Man, a novel by George Cockroft, himself a psychologist, published in 1971.”
Excerpt From: Jeremy Dean. “Making Habits, Breaking Habits.” Apple Books.
Have you heard of the Urim and Thummin in the Old Testament… it was a little like the dice.
It’s a couple of paragraphs from Dr. Bruce Waltke’s excellent book (which I highly recommend), entitled, “Finding the Will of God” (pp. 62-64):
“The priest could use the urim and thummin to determine God’s will in a particular situation. We are not exactly sure what the urim and thummin were, but the priest carried in his breastplate perhaps two sticks or stones, one white and the other black, that would give a yes or no answer to a specific question. Should Israel be preparing for battle, they would somehow shake or toss the sticks. If they turned up black the Israelites would not go to battle, and if they turned up white they would proceed into battle with the knowledge that they were in the will of God. That is one form of divination that God allowed in the Old Testament. We read in Exodus 28:30, “Also put the Urim and the Thummin in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.”
So do you find your spiritual life a little bland?
A little boring?
Do you wish it was more risky? Maybe you have always wanted to sneak bibles into China, or go help Victor Marx rescue girls caught in sex trafficking…
Well lets play a game the next few days and spice it up a little ok?
It goes like this. Grab a dice from a game or just make your own out of a box. Get up for the next 10 days and roll the dice and here are your options.
- 1 Share your testimony with a neighbor
- 2 Witness to a stranger - share the gospel
- 3 Pray for a stranger who has a need
- 4 Pray for the sick
- 5 Memorize a scripture and share it with a coworker
- 6 Give a non-believer a bible
I believe most men are to comfortable and because of that their spiritual walk is flat and lifeless. This is why we love mission trips- it gives us an excuse to risk it.
Monday Sep 28, 2020
Friday Sep 25, 2020
Friday Sep 25, 2020
webstix.com Tony Herman - the coolest cat on the net
Mom what am I the best at?
You will probably never be the best at anything… but what is important is that you try your best and you be the best God has made you to be.
- Connect with who Jesus sees you as
Repeat after me:
In Christ...
I am chosen – 1 Thess 1:4
I am changed – 2 Cor 3:18
I am a new creation – 2 Cor 5:7
I am forgiven – Eph 1:7
I am blessed – Gal 3:9
I am victorious – Rev 12:11
I am set free – John 8:31
I am healed– 1 Peter 2:24
I am free from condemnation – Rom 8:1
I am more than a conquerer – Rom 8:37
I am dead to sin – Rom 6:2
I am alive with Christ – Eph 2:5
I am accepted in Him – Eph 1:6
I am complete in Him – Eph 2:5
I heal the sick
I make the blind to see
I make the lame to walk
I cast out demons
I preach the gospel with words of power
I make disciples
I am not ashamed of the gospel
No weapon formed against me shall prosper
… and about 1000 more.
But why do we struggle believing these statements.
Lets say your mom always tells you how great of a basketball player you are.
THE PROBLEM???? She’s your mom.
But lets say a red Ferrari stops by the park and Michael Jordan steps out and begins to tell you how great you are. He wants you on his team and he will help you become play in such a way that the world will sit up and notice.
WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR MOM AND MICHAEL JORDAN?
Michael Jordan has a proven record and is the greatest player in the world.
So when you quote scripture over your life and it seems a little flat… realize you need to come into contact with God and how much he loves you and his track record.
Ephesians 3:16-21 Gods love for us is impossible to fathom, but continue to know it.
- Remember its not about being the best, but doing your best
"But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world." (1 Timothy 6:6-7)
You will never have a problem with comparison if you realize that all you have is enough in God.
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
webstix.com Tony Herman - the coolest cat on the net
Ok, ok the truth about this comparison series is that you actually are able to compare yourself to someone else… I may have stretched the truth by saying you can’t compare yourself to anyone… but if I am to be completely honest - then yes, you get to compare yourself to the one person you do not want to compare yourself to… and who is that person?
- Compare yourself to yourself
*When you get to heaven God is not going to look at you and say “how come you were not more like _________” He will say Were you who I created you to be?
Galatians 6:4-5 the Message
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
As is! On a rack.... God loves us AS IS!
But he expects us to grow in him…
So you get to compare yourself with yourself.
One safe way to compare yourself is by asking this question. What would the best version of Garth do? What would the Garth who is madly in love with Jesus and trusts him completely do?
This is a simple yet effective way to compare yourself to yourself and see if you are in fact growing and becoming more like Jesus.
I find a quote from the movie The Princess Bride helpful.
The villain (Vizzini) accuses buttercup saying I suppose you think you’re brave, don’t you?
She responds with humility and wisdom. Only compared to some..
Maybe we could answer that question like this… “I suppose you think your brave, don’t you?
More than I was yesterday.
And isn’t that really what God is asking of us? Just to be a little more like him today than we were yesterday?
So how do you measure up to you… from yesterday?
Wednesday Sep 23, 2020
Wednesday Sep 23, 2020
webstix.com Tony Herman - the coolest cat on the net
There is an interesting finding when researchers ask people to list what they don’t like in their lives. They can list a lot immediately. In comparison when asked to list what they do like, its not as long of a list…. However this is where it gets tricky. If given an unlimited amount of time, those asked this question can always come up with more things they do like in their lives. Its seems we all have more good than bad, but its easier to focus on the bad.
- Count your blessings. And work with what he has given you.
Focus on the good and good feelings follow
Think about it…(when we compare) we typically think if I had that I would be happy… the root is greed.
But the foundation of that is you are saying God is not enough.
*You build an offense against God by comparing.
BUT IF YOU BEGIN TO SEE ALL THAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU- IT WILL CHANGE YOUR OUTLOOK.
Well if God gave me this, he will probably help me do and have this.
The scripture principle is simple: what you sow you reap. What you focus on in your mind “what you sow into your mind” is what you reap… is what you reap in your mind. If you constantly focus on comparing and coming up short…. you will only notice your shortcomings.
Matthew 25 The parable of the talents. God gave 3 servants talents. 2 of them focused on what God had given them and it multiplied. One focused on fear, comparing his life to what the master might do.
*But here is the truly interesting thing in the story… you attract what you focus on. The servant who focused on what his master had entrusted to him not only doubled his gain… but The master also gave him what the wicked servant was given. You compare yourself to others and in doing so focus on what you don’t have and you get less… You focus on what you do have and God gives you even more.
Comparison simply repels Gods blessing.
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
webstix.com Tony Herman - the coolest cat on the net
What is the secret to happiness? NEVER COMPARE!
- Is there a place you can improve?
Comparison is not bad if it is not used by you to evaluate your value but rather where and how you can add more value.
(pick one and work on it)
You have the body God gave you — with all its genetic capacities and limitations (Psalm 139:13).
MATURITY SAYS: I will never be an NBA player… but that is not my value. However I could be a coach, or work with teens,
MATURITY SAYS:
I may never be a millionaire: But I can do better at handling my money, and investing.
MATURITY SAYS:
I may never be a CEO, but I can continue my education and always look for better employment options.
MATURITY SAYS I can grow in my God given capacities.
The problem with Self Esteem.
High/Low Self Esteem vs. Positive/Negative Self Esteem
THE TRUTH:
High Self Esteem can produce great things
High Self Esteem can produce bad things
Low Self esteem can produce bad things
Low Self esteem can produce good things
*GODS SELF ESTEEM WILL PRODUCE GOD THINGS.
Focus on improving on who God created you to be!
- Look to his word! Seek his voice!