What would happen if we actually put God first in our lives?

A.W. Tozer once said, “Our number one problem is a faulty concept of God.” I believe Tozer was right. The world is suffering from an identity crisis. It is only when we have a proper view of God that we can begin to develop a proper understanding of who we are and what our roles are as men of God. When you put God first, you begin to experience the  abundant life that Jesus speaks of  (Matthew 6:33, John 10:10).

Voice in the Wilderness Ministries is committed to helping men learn to live lives of lion-hearted boldness for the Lord.

We have a series of messages that can be adapted to fit a Sunday morning sermon, a Saturday seminar, a men’s retreat (actually we should be advancing not retreating, but you get the idea) or a 4 part series for Sunday school entitled, The Fear of Man Vs. The Fear of God — How To Get Out out of the Wilderness and into the Promised Land.

This seminar began as a sermon. Originally preached at a 3,000 member church the response was off-the-charts! Over 900 orders poured in for copies of the message.  It has since expanded into a seminar and a book.

We have received e-mails, letters and  phone calls from men sharing their testimonies of how God used this message to deliver them from the fear of man. Many men have learned how to live the Christian life in non-Christian world.

Filled with real life illustrations, the impact this ministry has sustained in the lives of men has been very encouraging. One man emailed us after attending the Iron Sharpen Iron men’s conference and said,

“God bless you Phil! We men were absolutely blessed by your  presence last Saturday at the Iron Sharpens Iron conference in New Lenox.”

“And what an incredible work of Christ this tract is. I sent out a clarion call to all the Brothers and Sisters on my e-mail list that included your URL and the PDF copy of that tract. It went all over the United States this morning. Thank you!”

Dave Kent

Here is another letter from a very grateful father who attended the conference with his son,

“I also wanted to share something with you. My 14-year-old son, Jack, attended with me that day. Your seminar really set off a spark in him and he gave his life to Jesus and was baptized on March 13th.”

In Christ,
Jim Kerry

One verse that profoundly impacted me

The first time I read Matthew 10:32-33 I really felt the Lord speak to me. Jesus said,

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. ”But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”

Many men are afraid of being thought of as a ”religious fanatic” by the world so they’re afraid to go “all in” for Jesus Christ.  Humanly speaking it’s understandable. The name of Jesus can clear out a room faster than any other name in the world. Paradoxically, Jesus draws more people together every week than any other person in history.

The Bible has a lot to say about the fear of man. In Proverbs 29:25 King Solomon said,

“The fear of man is a snare, but he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.”

The word, “snare” in the original Hebrew langauge was used figuratively or literally as a trap. 1 Peter 5:8 says,

“Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

What does a hunter do when he captures his prey? He either holds it in captivity to be put on display, or he kills it and eats it! In this case, Satan is the hunter and you, Christian, are the hunted one.

Satan spreads the net and the love of the world and the fear of what people will think drives us right in to it. The word, “world” in this Biblical context is a code word for “godlessness.”

No one wants to be laughed at or thought a fool so we often smile when we should frown, or we laugh when we should remain silent, or worse we remain silent when we should speak. This is never more true than when it comes to acknowledging Jesus publicly.

In Matthew 10:28 Jesus speaks again on the fear of man,

“And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Man will never know the intimacy of God’s love, overcoming spiritual power and true wisdom until our priorities are right.  The fear of man is rival worship.  Rival worship is idolatry–which is spiritual adultery!

Deliverance from the fear of man is an act of grace. An act of grace is something only God can do. Paradoxically, our part must be factored in.  God does His work in us and through us. Self control is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

Allow me to illustrate

How would you feel if you walk into a restaurant with your significant other and the host or the hostess comes up to you and says,

“Table for two?” And your spouse says,

“We would like separate tables please.”

Bewildered you ask,

“Why would we do that?” And your spouse replies,

“Well, I wouldn’t want anyone to know we were married.”

How would you feel if someone you deeply loved was ashamed to be seen with you in public? How do you think Jesus feels when his people are ashamed or embarrassed to be seen with Him going to church, carrying a Bible or praying in a restaurant?

If you would like to see the men in your congregation or youth group learn how to live the Christian life in a non-Christian world, our Overcoming the Fear of Man conference is right for you. Contact:  Voice in the Wilderness Ministries today at  jesus@safeplace.net

Phil is an annual presenter at the Iron Sharpens Iron men’s conferences as well as Districts, a huge youth rally in Green Bay.