April 7, 2025 • 24 mins
What are you clinging to that's weighing you down? Apostle Paul's powerful declaration in Philippians 3:7 offers a transformative perspective on surrender and true fulfillment: "But whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." Paul wasn't speaking as someone with nothing to lose. As the "Pharisee of Pharisees," he had achieved the highest religious status in his culture. Yet after encountering Jesus, everything he once valued suddenly appeared worthless compared to knowing Christ. His radical transformation reveals a powerful truth: the things we believe bring fulfillment often leave us empty.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Chris Grainger (00:03):
Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast
serving Christian men who arehungry to be the leaders God
intends you to be.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
Let's jump in.
All right, fellas, spiritualkickoff time.
I get so excited for SKOepisodes Hopefully you do too.
Really just enjoy unpackingscripture with you.
And so this week we're going tolook at the book of Philippians
.
Okay, so this is Philippians,chapter 3, verse 7.
(00:24):
So just one verse, it says.
But whatever were gains to me,I now consider loss for the sake
of Christ.
And this is a beautiful littleverse, fellas, let's see how we
can simplify and apply it to ourlife.
And again, the spiritualkickoff.
That's all we do.
It's simple reflections to helpyou to simplify and apply
(00:46):
scripture to your life.
So, if you find thisencouraging, we do this inside
our Lions, within the LionWithin Us community each and
every day.
We call it the daily SKO, thedaily spiritual kickoff.
So if you like that, if youfeel like these will be a little
bit of boost on Monday mornings, you'd like to get one every
day of the week.
Hey, jump in the community withus.
Love to see you over atthelinewithinus.
(01:07):
Okay, so first thing we need tounderstand is in your New
Testament.
Where is Philippians?
Well, I guess that's just alittle bit of a question.
Like, philippians is NewTestament, I normally start as
just Old Testament or NewTestament.
This is New Testament,philippians.
And you'll find that you'llkind of get Matthew, mark, luke
and John, and you get throughActs and Romans and you get 1st
and 2nd Corinthians and then youget into these other epistles
from Paul.
(01:27):
So you get Galatians, ephesians, then you get to Philippians,
then you get to Colossians.
So if you get to Colossians,you went a little too far.
Put it in reverse, back up alittle bit.
Okay, this is chapter 3.
And this is a pretty powerfuldeclaration from the Apostle
Paul that we're seeing herearound surrender and realignment
.
Okay, and remember, paul is thePharisee of Pharisees.
(01:50):
Right, I mean, he was crushingit so far as being a Pharisee it
made him get any better thanhim, right.
But then he had a moment ofreflection here where he sees
that everything he once valued,that Pharisee of Pharisee, paled
in comparison to knowing Christ.
And that was extremely relevant.
(02:13):
Extremely relevant,particularly for us today.
If you feel like that you'rebeing weighed down by sin, or if
you feel like you're trapped ina cycle that you can't get out
of.
Okay, and so many of us, we'recarrying around these things
(02:33):
that we think are going to bringus fulfillment or joy or just
some type of satisfaction.
And I'm telling you, fellas,this week we're going to talk
about some heavy stuff likepornography.
How about stuff like greed orpride or any other idols that
tell us, hey, this is going tosatisfy you, but then afterwards
(02:56):
we feel what Shame, regret,empty.
Paul, right here, in 3, verse 7, he tells us nah, there's so
much more.
When we surrender these falsegains to Christ, we find
(03:16):
something so much more powerful.
And we need to start addressingthe idea of this whole illusion
of what a gain is okay, becausethe world is going to
constantly tell us that it's allabout self-gratification, it's
all about personal achievementand pornography.
(03:37):
That's an illusion, fellas.
It promises connection but atthe same time it isolates.
It promises us pleasure butrobs us of our joy.
It seemingly gives you a way toescape, but at the same time it
enslaves you.
Doesn't make any sense, does it?
(03:58):
So it's a momentary gain, butin the long run it leaves us
bankrupt.
I'm telling you, Pauldemonstrates this.
I mean, he hits a head on.
He had all the credentials,everything.
He compared all that crap tolosses, to surprising greatness
(04:19):
of knowing Christ.
And I'm telling you there'ssomething, fellas, I know there
is.
There's something in each andevery one of your lives, just
because there's things in mylife that I'm clinging on to,
what's that Death grip right,that I gotta let go of, gotta
let go of, because true gain isfound only in Christ.
(04:40):
Because he didn't stop, pauldidn't stop by saying his former
gains is losses that wouldn'thave made any sense, like okay,
that's cool, everything he didis a loss.
No, he's like no, I foundsomething infinitely better,
infinitely better.
(05:00):
Christ, that's the key to thefreedom, fellas.
I'm telling you.
It's the key to the freedom,fellas, I'm telling you, it's
not enough just to renounce theharmful crap that's in our life
and to break free from thatshame.
Freedom, fellas, at least I'veexperienced it, comes when we
replace that empty stuff of thisworld with the abundant life
(05:23):
that we found in Christ.
You know, john 10, 10, the evilone comes to steal, kill and
destroy.
But I have come that you mayhave life and have it abundantly
, or have it to the full,whatever your version may be.
So when you surrender, when yousurrender to Christ, here's what
you get.
You get identity you everthought about that?
Because you're no longerdefined by those past mistakes,
that crap, that struggle, itdon't matter, right?
(05:46):
Because you're called sons anddaughters of the king.
You also get a new purposebecause you become aligned with
God's eternal plan.
Then you can find some truemeaning there.
You also find freedom, and therarest commodity out there,
fellas, is peace of mind.
I know it because so many guysstruggle with it.
(06:06):
Yet Christ offers that up to us, as when we surrender to him,
we get to walk in that.
So we got to break this cycleof shame that's out there.
And one of the lies I don't knowabout you, fellas, I hear this
one all the time.
I know guys talk about it, andwhether or not you want to admit
(06:27):
it or not, but one of the liesthat I hear pretty regularly is
that the sin that we're in hastaken me too far for redemption.
So that shame just startswhispering in our ears I'm not
worthy.
Are you kidding me?
There's no way I'm worthy.
I'm unfit for use.
(06:50):
I'm incapable for change.
Paul's story refutes that,though Think about this he
wasn't just a sinner, yo.
He was actively persecutingChristians.
I don't know To me that getspretty bad.
I don't know To me that getspretty bad.
I don't know how much worse itcan get.
Yet God redeemed that dude andused him to spread the gospel
(07:10):
across the world.
So just think about this for asecond.
If they can transform someonelike Paul, what about you?
There's no sin too great or nopast too messy, or no shame too
deep for the redeeming power ofChrist.
You have to recognize there's awhole lot more grace in Jesus
(07:34):
than there is sin in you.
As soon as we recognize that tobe true, it starts changing
things.
And too often, fellas, the evilone wants to play in those
areas in our life where we haveexperienced the most brokenness,
and it's in those areas whereGod does his greatest work.
And Paul is telling us here,he's calling us here, he's
(07:57):
challenging us here to examineour lives and to think about
what are the things that we'reholding on to that we think are
gains but are actually keepingus from experiencing the
fullness of Christ.
And here's a few steps, simplesteps, fellas.
Identify the items that youneed to surrender.
What are you clinging on to?
(08:19):
Maybe it's sin, or it could bethings like achievements.
Think about relationships aswell.
Are you holding on torelationships you know you need
to let go of?
Do you need to replace the losswith Christ?
Replace it with him?
But you're also going to needsome community to walk in,
(08:42):
because you're going to need toshare your journey with fellow
brothers and sisters in Christwho can pray for you, that can
have that accountability thatwe've already talked about and
that can encourage you.
And you have to.
At the end of the day, you'vegot to keep the long-term view,
because it's not about this dashbetween our birthday and the
day we go to heaven.
No, it's about eternity,because the things of this world
(09:07):
, they, are so temporary.
I want you to focus onsomething so much greater.
Okay, the stuff that you'restoring in heaven, this stuff,
fellas, the whole idea ofsurrendering is not about losing
.
Please hear me on this one.
It's not about losing.
Please hear me on this one.
It's not about losing.
It's about gaining, gainingwhat truly matters, because if
(09:29):
you let go of stuff that weighyou down, you're going to find a
freedom, joy and purpose thatpasses anything that this world
could ever offer you.
And I just here to tell youthere's a dude listening that
needs to hear this world couldever offer you.
And I'm just here to tell youthere's a dude listening that
needs to hear this right now.
I don't know who you are, butplease, please, please, hear my
(09:52):
voice and hear me clearly.
God is not finished with you.
He is not finished with you.
The fact that you woke up thismorning, the fact that you're
listening to this podcast, thefact that you have air in your
lungs, he has a purpose for yourlife.
I don't know what that is, butyou can take that.
(10:14):
That is the truth.
Take heart, lean into it andexperience the power of
surrender, that freedom thatPaul talks about.
It awaits each and every one ofus.
So think about what that itemis.
I mean, what are you clingingon to that?
You know you're being called tosurrender.
(10:36):
If you need help there, tellany fellas, the Lion Within.
This is where we help.
This is what we do.
Our community we lean inthrough our discipleship
masterminds for our foursessions, for our Bible studies.
This is where you have theconversations for true healing
and hope, encouragement andaccountability.
(10:58):
All right, thelionwithinus.
So, fellas, look, also knoweach and every week.
I'll be naive to think thatevery listener to the Line
Within Us is a Christian.
You know, that's just.
It's impossible to believe thatto be true.
I just want to take anopportunity to share the good
news of the gospel with you andreally it all starts.
(11:20):
I just need you take anopportunity to share the good
news of the gospel with you andreally it all starts.
I just need you to hear metoday, particularly if you're
struggling with some things inyour life you just don't know
what to do with them.
You are made in the image ofGod.
You are.
Scripture tells us that and youneed to know that.
When God formed Adam, the veryfirst man, when he formed him
(11:40):
with his hands and he breathedthe breath of life into Adam's
nostrils and Adam sat up, he wasface-to-face with his creator.
It was perfect, it was awesomeand things went really well for
Adam.
For like a page and a half ofmy Bible, it was a dumpster fire
after that.
But what happened was sinentered the world and sin fellas
(12:04):
easy way to remember it.
It's just something thatseparates us from God.
That's all it is.
And this sin entered the worldand that fractured your
relationship and created thismassive gap between a holy and
righteous God and us as sinners,and so many dudes, so many guys
(12:24):
trying to work their way backto the right, standing with God.
And we do it through going tochurch or reading a Bible, or
praying, or helping people orjust being a good steward, all
the things.
And the problem is, all thoseare I, I, I, I did, I did, I did
, I did.
None of them are inherently bad, don't hear me wrong, but those
(12:47):
works like.
The question is okay, well, howmany is enough?
Like yo, bro, tell me the truth, how many times have I run into
you at church and it's like,bro, it don't work that way.
Like, no, it doesn't matter.
There Should you go and be partof a body, for sure, but are
you counting on that for yoursalvation?
Probably not a good strategy.
(13:09):
So it's not about our works,because the works are never good
enough, no matter what we maytry to think or who we compare
ourselves to, because we getinto that trap as well.
Right, we start comparing whowe are to our neighbor.
Well, if you want to feelreally good, compare yourself to
someone who's in prison, right?
Well, compare it to them.
Are you kidding me?
(13:29):
Look what they've done comparedto me.
Come on, god, seriously, I'm somuch better than them, and I'm
being a little tongue-in-cheekhere, but this is how lots of
people think.
I'm just here to tell you, bro,this is.
The problem with thinking thisway is that you can't work your
way into the right standing withGod.
(13:50):
You need someone to step in anddo for you what you couldn't do
for yourself.
Okay, what a question is well,who was that?
Well, jesus.
Jesus left the throne in heavenon a rescue mission for you and
me, to come to save the entireworld.
He was born of the Virgin Mary.
He fulfilled all the prophecies.
(14:13):
He did the teachings, he didthe miracles.
He showed us all the signs.
He taught us the new way.
He is the way, the truth andthe life.
No one comes to the Fatherexcept through him.
He did it all and then he paidthe ultimate penalty for our sin
when he went to the cross andthis by paying the penalty for
(14:33):
our sin.
They laid him into a tomb.
And you may be having aquestion.
Well, wait a minute.
A tomb, and you know something?
You may be having a question.
Well, wait a minute.
Jesus is dead, like well, jesusdied.
Yes, he did die because thepenalty for sin is death.
So, yes, he indeed did die.
Don't, don't let anyone foolyou.
There he died.
They let him in a tomb.
But the difference is we don'tworship a dead guy.
(14:56):
That would be ridiculous.
Lots of other religions worshipdead guys, but hang with me
here, christianity doesn't.
Because that tomb didn't holdJesus.
He wasn't there long.
No, no, no, no.
No.
Jesus, three days after payingthe ultimate penalty for our sin
, rose.
(15:17):
He overcame death.
This is the God we serve.
See how awesome that is.
He loves us so much, so so much.
He overcame death.
He paved the paths to eternallife for you, for me, for the
(15:37):
entire world.
So you have to take some actionnow.
You have to actually turn fromyour old ways and understand
that you are a sinner and youdon't need a coach to come
alongside and help you getbetter no-transcript.
Then you better, at that point,confess him.
(15:59):
I mean confess him as Lord andSavior of your life, not just
over Sunday, no, every day,every hour, every minute, every
second, every place the bedroom,the bathroom, the business room
, the backyard, the ball field,everything everywhere, the
(16:20):
grocery store, traffic.
Yes, I had to say that one.
He's Lord over it all.
Once you recognize that, to betrue man, things are going to
start changing for you, bo.
You're going to have the HolySpirit's going to come and dwell
, give you a new heart.
The scales are going to falloff.
You'll be able to see the worldfor what it really is.
(16:40):
You'll be more equipped to dowhat he's called you to do.
But it takes a step.
It's a free gift of salvation.
I literally just talked aboutthis free gift for you for the
last what five minutes or so?
Are you going to accept thefree gift?
Because you're at the point ofdecision making right now.
(17:03):
Am I going to accept the freegift of salvation, or it's a big
, or am I just going to keeptrying to do things my way?
I can't answer that one for you.
I can tell you, the peace thatpasses all understanding what
Christ has done for me in mylife, has changed it to the
(17:28):
point.
Every week I want to share thegospel.
I just want to share it withyou.
If you're ready right now toconfess him as your Lord and
Savior, why don't you do thatright now?
You may be thinking I can'tconfess him as your Lord and
Savior, why don't you do thatright now you may be thinking I
can't confess Jesus as my Saviorlistening to a podcast.
Are you kidding me?
I'm just here to tell you theevil.
One wants you to think that Iwant to encourage you.
(17:51):
This is not what this is.
It's not about perception orimage.
No, if God's calling you to dobusiness with him right now,
lean in dog on it and do itright now.
He'll figure it out.
He'll clear the rest of it upfor you later, but you can
(18:12):
confess Jesus as your Lord andSavior right now.
Let's pray.
So, father, I just pray forthat one listener, just that one
who's ready to confess you asLord and Savior of their life.
Lord, they're here for somereason.
They've listened to the show,they've heard the gospel.
Maybe they've heard the gospelfinally in such a way that they
(18:33):
understand and they're ready totake action.
So for that one listener who'sconfessing you as Lord and
Savior right now, I pray.
You just put your hand on them.
Let them feel that peace thatpasses all understanding.
Let them just know that theyare now a son or daughter of the
most high king and that theyhave that, that that promise of
(18:55):
salvation is now just been givenfreely to them.
So we love you, god.
We praise you in Jesus' name,amen.
So if you just accepted Christ,look, I want to hear from you
directly.
Okay, I want you to send me anemail, chris at thelionwithinus.
Okay, I'm going to hook you upwith some free stuff, primarily
our Bible study, some PDFdownloads that I know are going
(19:18):
to help you, and I also want tofind out where you're located in
the country, because we havelots of resources, lots of guys
all over the US, and we may beable to get you plugged into a
good, bible-believing,gospel-preaching church.
Okay, let's just be honest,there's lots of bad churches out
there.
I want to equip you, to helpyou get ready so that you know
what to look for when you go toone.
(19:39):
Okay, you to help you get readyso that you know what to look
for when you go to one.
Okay, and this is.
This takes a lot of discernment, but we're willing to help.
We're willing to step in andwalk alongside you.
We also want to encourage youto check out our community at
the Lion Within Us, becauseyou're not going to be able to
do this alone.
You're going to need somebrothers in Christ to walk
beside, all right.
So, guys, thank you so much.
(19:59):
Thelionwithinus is where youfind all our resources.
Come back on Wednesday.
We'll have a wonderful episode.
I'm just going to be honest.
It's not going to be an easyone.
It's going to go kind of deepwhere we're going to be talking
about a topic that most guyskind of cringe at a little bit.
But it's needed.
These conversations are doggone.
It needed If we're going tolead the way that he is calling
(20:20):
us to lead and do what he'scalling us to do.
So I'm praying, guys, that youdon't turn away from this one.
Lean into this one.
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We'll see you next week.
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(21:05):
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today.
Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast
serving Christian men who arehungry to be the leaders God
intends you to be.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
Let's jump in.
All right, fellas, spiritualkickoff time.
I get so excited for SKOepisodes Hopefully you do too.
Really just enjoy unpackingscripture with you.
And so this week we're going tolook at the book of Philippians
.
Okay, so this is Philippians,chapter 3, verse 7.
(00:24):
So just one verse, it says.
But whatever were gains to me,I now consider loss for the sake
of Christ.
And this is a beautiful littleverse, fellas, let's see how we
can simplify and apply it to ourlife.
And again, the spiritualkickoff.
That's all we do.
It's simple reflections to helpyou to simplify and apply
(00:46):
scripture to your life.
So, if you find thisencouraging, we do this inside
our Lions, within the LionWithin Us community each and
every day.
We call it the daily SKO, thedaily spiritual kickoff.
So if you like that, if youfeel like these will be a little
bit of boost on Monday mornings, you'd like to get one every
day of the week.
Hey, jump in the community withus.
Love to see you over atthelinewithinus.
(01:07):
Okay, so first thing we need tounderstand is in your New
Testament.
Where is Philippians?
Well, I guess that's just alittle bit of a question.
Like, philippians is NewTestament, I normally start as
just Old Testament or NewTestament.
This is New Testament,philippians.
And you'll find that you'llkind of get Matthew, mark, luke
and John, and you get throughActs and Romans and you get 1st
and 2nd Corinthians and then youget into these other epistles
from Paul.
(01:27):
So you get Galatians, ephesians, then you get to Philippians,
then you get to Colossians.
So if you get to Colossians,you went a little too far.
Put it in reverse, back up alittle bit.
Okay, this is chapter 3.
And this is a pretty powerfuldeclaration from the Apostle
Paul that we're seeing herearound surrender and realignment
.
Okay, and remember, paul is thePharisee of Pharisees.
(01:50):
Right, I mean, he was crushingit so far as being a Pharisee it
made him get any better thanhim, right.
But then he had a moment ofreflection here where he sees
that everything he once valued,that Pharisee of Pharisee, paled
in comparison to knowing Christ.
And that was extremely relevant.
(02:13):
Extremely relevant,particularly for us today.
If you feel like that you'rebeing weighed down by sin, or if
you feel like you're trapped ina cycle that you can't get out
of.
Okay, and so many of us, we'recarrying around these things
(02:33):
that we think are going to bringus fulfillment or joy or just
some type of satisfaction.
And I'm telling you, fellas,this week we're going to talk
about some heavy stuff likepornography.
How about stuff like greed orpride or any other idols that
tell us, hey, this is going tosatisfy you, but then afterwards
(02:56):
we feel what Shame, regret,empty.
Paul, right here, in 3, verse 7, he tells us nah, there's so
much more.
When we surrender these falsegains to Christ, we find
(03:16):
something so much more powerful.
And we need to start addressingthe idea of this whole illusion
of what a gain is okay, becausethe world is going to
constantly tell us that it's allabout self-gratification, it's
all about personal achievementand pornography.
(03:37):
That's an illusion, fellas.
It promises connection but atthe same time it isolates.
It promises us pleasure butrobs us of our joy.
It seemingly gives you a way toescape, but at the same time it
enslaves you.
Doesn't make any sense, does it?
(03:58):
So it's a momentary gain, butin the long run it leaves us
bankrupt.
I'm telling you, Pauldemonstrates this.
I mean, he hits a head on.
He had all the credentials,everything.
He compared all that crap tolosses, to surprising greatness
(04:19):
of knowing Christ.
And I'm telling you there'ssomething, fellas, I know there
is.
There's something in each andevery one of your lives, just
because there's things in mylife that I'm clinging on to,
what's that Death grip right,that I gotta let go of, gotta
let go of, because true gain isfound only in Christ.
(04:40):
Because he didn't stop, pauldidn't stop by saying his former
gains is losses that wouldn'thave made any sense, like okay,
that's cool, everything he didis a loss.
No, he's like no, I foundsomething infinitely better,
infinitely better.
(05:00):
Christ, that's the key to thefreedom, fellas.
I'm telling you.
It's the key to the freedom,fellas, I'm telling you, it's
not enough just to renounce theharmful crap that's in our life
and to break free from thatshame.
Freedom, fellas, at least I'veexperienced it, comes when we
replace that empty stuff of thisworld with the abundant life
(05:23):
that we found in Christ.
You know, john 10, 10, the evilone comes to steal, kill and
destroy.
But I have come that you mayhave life and have it abundantly
, or have it to the full,whatever your version may be.
So when you surrender, when yousurrender to Christ, here's what
you get.
You get identity you everthought about that?
Because you're no longerdefined by those past mistakes,
that crap, that struggle, itdon't matter, right?
(05:46):
Because you're called sons anddaughters of the king.
You also get a new purposebecause you become aligned with
God's eternal plan.
Then you can find some truemeaning there.
You also find freedom, and therarest commodity out there,
fellas, is peace of mind.
I know it because so many guysstruggle with it.
(06:06):
Yet Christ offers that up to us, as when we surrender to him,
we get to walk in that.
So we got to break this cycleof shame that's out there.
And one of the lies I don't knowabout you, fellas, I hear this
one all the time.
I know guys talk about it, andwhether or not you want to admit
(06:27):
it or not, but one of the liesthat I hear pretty regularly is
that the sin that we're in hastaken me too far for redemption.
So that shame just startswhispering in our ears I'm not
worthy.
Are you kidding me?
There's no way I'm worthy.
I'm unfit for use.
(06:50):
I'm incapable for change.
Paul's story refutes that,though Think about this he
wasn't just a sinner, yo.
He was actively persecutingChristians.
I don't know To me that getspretty bad.
I don't know To me that getspretty bad.
I don't know how much worse itcan get.
Yet God redeemed that dude andused him to spread the gospel
(07:10):
across the world.
So just think about this for asecond.
If they can transform someonelike Paul, what about you?
There's no sin too great or nopast too messy, or no shame too
deep for the redeeming power ofChrist.
You have to recognize there's awhole lot more grace in Jesus
(07:34):
than there is sin in you.
As soon as we recognize that tobe true, it starts changing
things.
And too often, fellas, the evilone wants to play in those
areas in our life where we haveexperienced the most brokenness,
and it's in those areas whereGod does his greatest work.
And Paul is telling us here,he's calling us here, he's
(07:57):
challenging us here to examineour lives and to think about
what are the things that we'reholding on to that we think are
gains but are actually keepingus from experiencing the
fullness of Christ.
And here's a few steps, simplesteps, fellas.
Identify the items that youneed to surrender.
What are you clinging on to?
(08:19):
Maybe it's sin, or it could bethings like achievements.
Think about relationships aswell.
Are you holding on torelationships you know you need
to let go of?
Do you need to replace the losswith Christ?
Replace it with him?
But you're also going to needsome community to walk in,
(08:42):
because you're going to need toshare your journey with fellow
brothers and sisters in Christwho can pray for you, that can
have that accountability thatwe've already talked about and
that can encourage you.
And you have to.
At the end of the day, you'vegot to keep the long-term view,
because it's not about this dashbetween our birthday and the
day we go to heaven.
No, it's about eternity,because the things of this world
(09:07):
, they, are so temporary.
I want you to focus onsomething so much greater.
Okay, the stuff that you'restoring in heaven, this stuff,
fellas, the whole idea ofsurrendering is not about losing
.
Please hear me on this one.
It's not about losing.
Please hear me on this one.
It's not about losing.
It's about gaining, gainingwhat truly matters, because if
(09:29):
you let go of stuff that weighyou down, you're going to find a
freedom, joy and purpose thatpasses anything that this world
could ever offer you.
And I just here to tell youthere's a dude listening that
needs to hear this world couldever offer you.
And I'm just here to tell youthere's a dude listening that
needs to hear this right now.
I don't know who you are, butplease, please, please, hear my
(09:52):
voice and hear me clearly.
God is not finished with you.
He is not finished with you.
The fact that you woke up thismorning, the fact that you're
listening to this podcast, thefact that you have air in your
lungs, he has a purpose for yourlife.
I don't know what that is, butyou can take that.
(10:14):
That is the truth.
Take heart, lean into it andexperience the power of
surrender, that freedom thatPaul talks about.
It awaits each and every one ofus.
So think about what that itemis.
I mean, what are you clingingon to that?
You know you're being called tosurrender.
(10:36):
If you need help there, tellany fellas, the Lion Within.
This is where we help.
This is what we do.
Our community we lean inthrough our discipleship
masterminds for our foursessions, for our Bible studies.
This is where you have theconversations for true healing
and hope, encouragement andaccountability.
(10:58):
All right, thelionwithinus.
So, fellas, look, also knoweach and every week.
I'll be naive to think thatevery listener to the Line
Within Us is a Christian.
You know, that's just.
It's impossible to believe thatto be true.
I just want to take anopportunity to share the good
news of the gospel with you andreally it all starts.
(11:20):
I just need you take anopportunity to share the good
news of the gospel with you andreally it all starts.
I just need you to hear metoday, particularly if you're
struggling with some things inyour life you just don't know
what to do with them.
You are made in the image ofGod.
You are.
Scripture tells us that and youneed to know that.
When God formed Adam, the veryfirst man, when he formed him
(11:40):
with his hands and he breathedthe breath of life into Adam's
nostrils and Adam sat up, he wasface-to-face with his creator.
It was perfect, it was awesomeand things went really well for
Adam.
For like a page and a half ofmy Bible, it was a dumpster fire
after that.
But what happened was sinentered the world and sin fellas
(12:04):
easy way to remember it.
It's just something thatseparates us from God.
That's all it is.
And this sin entered the worldand that fractured your
relationship and created thismassive gap between a holy and
righteous God and us as sinners,and so many dudes, so many guys
(12:24):
trying to work their way backto the right, standing with God.
And we do it through going tochurch or reading a Bible, or
praying, or helping people orjust being a good steward, all
the things.
And the problem is, all thoseare I, I, I, I did, I did, I did
, I did.
None of them are inherently bad, don't hear me wrong, but those
(12:47):
works like.
The question is okay, well, howmany is enough?
Like yo, bro, tell me the truth, how many times have I run into
you at church and it's like,bro, it don't work that way.
Like, no, it doesn't matter.
There Should you go and be partof a body, for sure, but are
you counting on that for yoursalvation?
Probably not a good strategy.
(13:09):
So it's not about our works,because the works are never good
enough, no matter what we maytry to think or who we compare
ourselves to, because we getinto that trap as well.
Right, we start comparing whowe are to our neighbor.
Well, if you want to feelreally good, compare yourself to
someone who's in prison, right?
Well, compare it to them.
Are you kidding me?
(13:29):
Look what they've done comparedto me.
Come on, god, seriously, I'm somuch better than them, and I'm
being a little tongue-in-cheekhere, but this is how lots of
people think.
I'm just here to tell you, bro,this is.
The problem with thinking thisway is that you can't work your
way into the right standing withGod.
(13:50):
You need someone to step in anddo for you what you couldn't do
for yourself.
Okay, what a question is well,who was that?
Well, jesus.
Jesus left the throne in heavenon a rescue mission for you and
me, to come to save the entireworld.
He was born of the Virgin Mary.
He fulfilled all the prophecies.
(14:13):
He did the teachings, he didthe miracles.
He showed us all the signs.
He taught us the new way.
He is the way, the truth andthe life.
No one comes to the Fatherexcept through him.
He did it all and then he paidthe ultimate penalty for our sin
when he went to the cross andthis by paying the penalty for
(14:33):
our sin.
They laid him into a tomb.
And you may be having aquestion.
Well, wait a minute.
A tomb, and you know something?
You may be having a question.
Well, wait a minute.
Jesus is dead, like well, jesusdied.
Yes, he did die because thepenalty for sin is death.
So, yes, he indeed did die.
Don't, don't let anyone foolyou.
There he died.
They let him in a tomb.
But the difference is we don'tworship a dead guy.
(14:56):
That would be ridiculous.
Lots of other religions worshipdead guys, but hang with me
here, christianity doesn't.
Because that tomb didn't holdJesus.
He wasn't there long.
No, no, no, no.
No.
Jesus, three days after payingthe ultimate penalty for our sin
, rose.
(15:17):
He overcame death.
This is the God we serve.
See how awesome that is.
He loves us so much, so so much.
He overcame death.
He paved the paths to eternallife for you, for me, for the
(15:37):
entire world.
So you have to take some actionnow.
You have to actually turn fromyour old ways and understand
that you are a sinner and youdon't need a coach to come
alongside and help you getbetter no-transcript.
Then you better, at that point,confess him.
(15:59):
I mean confess him as Lord andSavior of your life, not just
over Sunday, no, every day,every hour, every minute, every
second, every place the bedroom,the bathroom, the business room
, the backyard, the ball field,everything everywhere, the
(16:20):
grocery store, traffic.
Yes, I had to say that one.
He's Lord over it all.
Once you recognize that, to betrue man, things are going to
start changing for you, bo.
You're going to have the HolySpirit's going to come and dwell
, give you a new heart.
The scales are going to falloff.
You'll be able to see the worldfor what it really is.
(16:40):
You'll be more equipped to dowhat he's called you to do.
But it takes a step.
It's a free gift of salvation.
I literally just talked aboutthis free gift for you for the
last what five minutes or so?
Are you going to accept thefree gift?
Because you're at the point ofdecision making right now.
(17:03):
Am I going to accept the freegift of salvation, or it's a big
, or am I just going to keeptrying to do things my way?
I can't answer that one for you.
I can tell you, the peace thatpasses all understanding what
Christ has done for me in mylife, has changed it to the
(17:28):
point.
Every week I want to share thegospel.
I just want to share it withyou.
If you're ready right now toconfess him as your Lord and
Savior, why don't you do thatright now?
You may be thinking I can'tconfess him as your Lord and
Savior, why don't you do thatright now you may be thinking I
can't confess Jesus as my Saviorlistening to a podcast.
Are you kidding me?
I'm just here to tell you theevil.
One wants you to think that Iwant to encourage you.
(17:51):
This is not what this is.
It's not about perception orimage.
No, if God's calling you to dobusiness with him right now,
lean in dog on it and do itright now.
He'll figure it out.
He'll clear the rest of it upfor you later, but you can
(18:12):
confess Jesus as your Lord andSavior right now.
Let's pray.
So, father, I just pray forthat one listener, just that one
who's ready to confess you asLord and Savior of their life.
Lord, they're here for somereason.
They've listened to the show,they've heard the gospel.
Maybe they've heard the gospelfinally in such a way that they
(18:33):
understand and they're ready totake action.
So for that one listener who'sconfessing you as Lord and
Savior right now, I pray.
You just put your hand on them.
Let them feel that peace thatpasses all understanding.
Let them just know that theyare now a son or daughter of the
most high king and that theyhave that, that that promise of
(18:55):
salvation is now just been givenfreely to them.
So we love you, god.
We praise you in Jesus' name,amen.
So if you just accepted Christ,look, I want to hear from you
directly.
Okay, I want you to send me anemail, chris at thelionwithinus.
Okay, I'm going to hook you upwith some free stuff, primarily
our Bible study, some PDFdownloads that I know are going
(19:18):
to help you, and I also want tofind out where you're located in
the country, because we havelots of resources, lots of guys
all over the US, and we may beable to get you plugged into a
good, bible-believing,gospel-preaching church.
Okay, let's just be honest,there's lots of bad churches out
there.
I want to equip you, to helpyou get ready so that you know
what to look for when you go toone.
(19:39):
Okay, you to help you get readyso that you know what to look
for when you go to one.
Okay, and this is.
This takes a lot of discernment, but we're willing to help.
We're willing to step in andwalk alongside you.
We also want to encourage youto check out our community at
the Lion Within Us, becauseyou're not going to be able to
do this alone.
You're going to need somebrothers in Christ to walk
beside, all right.
So, guys, thank you so much.
(19:59):
Thelionwithinus is where youfind all our resources.
Come back on Wednesday.
We'll have a wonderful episode.
I'm just going to be honest.
It's not going to be an easyone.
It's going to go kind of deepwhere we're going to be talking
about a topic that most guyskind of cringe at a little bit.
But it's needed.
These conversations are doggone.
It needed If we're going tolead the way that he is calling
(20:20):
us to lead and do what he'scalling us to do.
So I'm praying, guys, that youdon't turn away from this one.
Lean into this one.
Come check it out,thelionwithinus.
We'll see you next week.
Give us a rating and review.
Go check out all our resourcesAgain.
The Weekly Roar you definitelywant to get on the Weekly Roar
email.
That's our newsletter.
(20:41):
It comes out every week.
It's super short, but Iguarantee it's going to be
encouraging to you.
So go sign up for the WeeklyRoar.
We also have a brand-newChristian leader assessment.
Guys, this thing is dope.
I mean it is really cool.
Go check it out, take theassessment, see how you stack up
.
We'll give you some resourcesand some tools to help you along
the way.
So just check it out, see where, see where you land on scale.
(21:05):
Okay, so again, the lionwithinus.
Obviously we'd love to see youinside our community where our
discipleship masterminds, ourFriday forge, our lion lunches,
our Bible studies, our couple ofnights, all the things that we
offer day in and day out, mondaythrough Saturday, we have an
opportunity.
We have events within the line,within us.
It's crazy.
Our live events, all thedifferent ways we serve fellows.
(21:27):
Look, the line withinus iswhere you find all those
resources.
Hope to see you there.
So, have a great day, get afterit, leave us a rating and
review, be a supporter of theshow.
We could definitely use yoursupport monetarily there.
Jump on that.
At the line withinus support.
(21:47):
You can be a donate or you cansponsor.
We have great ways to sponsoras well.
It's a great way to supportwhat we're doing to help build
uh, to to build leaders, to bethe leader that god intends you
to be.
I know I get out thereeventually, so anyway, guys,
have a great day, fellas, getafter it and remember to keep
unleashing the lion within.
I don't know about you, but Iused to find Mondays really
(22:07):
rough.
I would find myself trying toreset for work, trying to get my
bearing on the family calendar,trying to find time for my own
spiritual growth and developmenttime for my own spiritual
growth and development and oftenI found myself overwhelmed or
just flatly ignoring aspects ofmy life that I know are
meaningful to me.
What I learned was that if Ihad immediate access to
(22:30):
important and impactfulspiritual topics and reflections
to start my week well, afterthe allure of a Sunday sermon
has passed, I would set my wholeweek up to be more meaningful
and for the opportunity to makea true impact.
If you think that getting sucha boost would help your week to
get started on the right foot,we would love for you to sign up
(22:52):
for the Weekly Roar, which isour newsletter that is produced
by the Lion Within Us.
Each week, we'll deliver apowerful reflection and
practical steps to help youapply Scripture with clarity and
purpose, all being rooted inlight and truth.
So in just a few minutes, wehope to arm you with insights
(23:14):
for living out biblicalleadership with confidence and
strength, and maybe even have alittle extra bounce in your step
.
If that sounds useful, headover to thelionwithinus slash
ROAR to sign up today.
That's thelionwithinus slashROAR to get your weekly ROAR
(23:37):
today.
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