ManUp Moment - Jay Cookingham

Psalm 34:19 states... "Many are the troubles of a righteous man but God delivers him from them all" and I've always taken that as a battle cry.

My response to tragedy must contain hope. My comments, my speech, my actions, my opinion must be saturated with the hope that sheds light on truth

The guts it takes to suffer physical, emotional, relational pain and endure faithfully, is nothing short of amazing…and to me, that courage describes Jesus perfectly.

Worry isn't always bad; you simply have to let it lead you to action.

The enemy will tempt you with false adoption promises, filled with lies to make you doubt the Father’s goodness. Sonship is a covering and a protection against identity theft.

The pursuit of Father God’s heart is the driving force behind living a life that honors and loves God with all he is.

If our life (our identity) is hidden in Christ, then our identity looks like Jesus. His mind was set on things above, things like His father’s will, His Father’s purposes and His only motivation was to fulfill His Father’s mission.

My story of freedom started in a very dark place of abuse and neglect. Growing up in an abusive home may not seem like the correct environment for me to discover freedom, but this is where my story began.

I have discovered that many men have a masquerade problem… They have spent most of their lives covering up, disguising themselves in fear of being discovered. The fear comes from having a misunderstanding of their true identity as men, I know this from experience.

Thankfully the Father has made our identity known… Made in His image, saturated with His Spirit, Father God defines your identity with Himself!

Seeing through God’s eyes makes all the difference in how we respond…when God asks…what do you see?

In the word revolution, somewhat hidden at the beginning, is the most powerful word…if we want to affect change, shake things up, overthrown a kingdom of darkness…we need more of this word in our life.

In Matthew 14 we read about Jesus feeding the 5000 It’s a powerful story of compassion and is going to lead into a huge teaching moment for the disciples.

The truth to embrace today is this… The greatest commander, the wisest general…God, has positioned us for victory!

Following Jesus is not for the fainthearted…we want a map, a GPS, a detailed route but then Jesus hands us a compass and simply says…Follow me. The question that rises is…What do we put our trust in, our navigation skills or His?

One of my favorite authors G. K. Chesterton says this about joy. “Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian.” Joy has the wonderful side effect of strength; it’s an energy drink for the soul. Joy lifts, joy empowers, joy endures…it comes from inside…from the life God imparts.

Insecurity is a cage and a fear that keeps you from trusting people and ultimately, God. For many men this is a huge battle and they believe the lies of their failures. Lies that shout that they are not good enough, that they are worthless and weak.

The New Testament is full of “new life” instruction that involve living like you were dying moments.

Everybody, if they are honest with themselves, feel afraid sometimes. Feeling afraid, that’s not the issue…being controlled by that fear is. Thankfully, Father God has a answer for fear.

Following Christ is a life long journey…walking out the Great Commission is a journey of disciple making.

Repentance then is part of walking a holy life; it’s re-connecting to God’s heart when we drift, fall or rebel (sin) against His ways. It’s a turning point in our life that helps us remember the truth. Sin wants you to remember your failure, the wrong you have done, but repentance remembers the goodness of the Father and returns to Him.

Every man needs a strategy for his faith. Here are 4 quick tips to put into our faith arsenal.

This is the holding pattern of faith; standing firm, armed and dangerous We must take the initiative to put on the armor and stand firm in the battle because we love the King. It’s not a matter of “letting go and letting God,” where you are passive and God does it all.

Too often a leap of faith is avoided because of fear…because we think we can’t see where our feet will land. This is where our fear and faith collide. Faith is seeing God with (spiritual) eyes wide open…seeing where He’s going, what He’s up to and knowing we’re supposed to follow. Human sight sees in human ways….focusing on trials, sorrows, difficulties, failures…and allowing these to keep us from...

In the seminars I teach, I’m often asked this question. How do we become sons? That’s easy…when we accepted the call to follow Jesus, when we bent our knees to the Messiah…. We became sons. John 1:12 says… But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12