Pillars of the Masculine Journey: Hearing from God, When He is Silent

Every man life doesn't usually feel that way. Jesus speaks of narrow gates wide roads masculine journey is filled with many twist and turns, so how do we keep from losing heart trying to find a way when life feels more like a losing battle and something worth dying for, grab your gear and come on a quest band of brothers will serve as the guides we call masculine journey masculine journey starts here now. Welcome masculine journey.

We are glad to have you with us on this post Thanksgiving edition of the mass country radio show so rueful today. That's pretty awesome there's five of us here today. I'd like to think it's because we only see each other maybe just to get away from family not eat turkey. I really don't know which it is good to be here, you feel better on feeling better. Have a little bit of the winter stuff going around here recently so it's been good to have the team back in the room today, waiving any and Jim Jim Ravi yes once right now means so we're continuing our journey on the pillars now if you don't know or talk about your listing to us and probably least 1/4 the year ones I love binge listeners that go on the podcasting on Dave listen to like 123-4560 there there ready for you to wrap them off their exam. It almost pillars separate microphone in front and because I thought he might want them off okay and anybody will first talk about the concept of pillars of government listening uses her first show you can always go back and listen to a pillar if you if you build a unit, a structure of any kind. You have to have a foundation that strong under right you know you want to put build your house on rock on sand things like that.

Well, your masculine journey is a foundational thing that you need to have a foundation under it that long journey you have an internationally started this concept. It was one of those pillars… Foundational things that's underneath that journey that you have to have as actual steppingstones in that journey with God along the way and so we originally come up with what we thought were three of them now faith is the first unit which is really foundational right your faith and hope and love and joy and joy were down four pillars.

The top yeah Raymond and let's get going at the four corners and those are all vitally important.

Obviously, in our foundational nature, but there's a lot of lot of others.

As we talked about it as we had a boot camp now really realize there are more and so from there we went into what was in the Netherlands. We had anyone in a battle to fight. Yet I venture to live a beauty to rescue those are all very important foundational for men want us to be have this I thought before the show. I said, Earth wind and fire and she said that was probably have a need as a community parts one and two.

Yeah, it was pillars of support all the pillars we could have multiple parts, but we realized after we went back and looked at some topics that we didn't cover as many aspects as we wanted and so we had. Let's go back again, faith, hope and love, joy, fight adventure, live beauty to rescue community gently think of one. We have the strategy one right about a plan having a battle plan against the enemy. We also had son ship the importance of learning how to be assigned to the father in the last week we had the conversational intimacy with God, right, walking and unity walking in that conversation relationship with the and today's the second half of that pillar and Jim this is your idea soon talk about where were going with this part of the part of the pillar of conversation relationship with God. Well, it came to the end of the latter.

There are still plenty to say listen Michael card saw was talking about God's silence. I was thinking what about when God is speaking or we can't hear him as my wife corrected me.

That happens. Well, I actually would like to get our first clip, it really doesn't need anything to be set up at I know that there are times this is been my example that I've lived, and I think we've all lived at some point when we been out in prayer, asking God something in the response sounds a little like this since you like that little extra little his dichotomy is that sound effects that was just 20 seconds there.

But isn't that how it sounds. Sometimes as you know, when you're out angrier spending time praying especially outside praying. Obviously you can hear crickets with more than insight. Hopefully you feel that way times from does immediately. Most of us turned to okay what am I doing wrong God silent because sending and we go down deeper into the hole that we were already yet because God silent and there are other options and there is truth in that right, God is sound scripturally – about that you know if you confess your sins in his neck and hear prayers and so that is one filter we need to run it through his or her unconfessed sin that we have, as you said, there are other things as well get Dennis at like to actually ask your question about you. It is a Christian, you're grown up in a hear this I have these unconfessed sins.

But what's another thing that can kinda get in the way of us hearing God you want something that you've experienced potentially being able to not be able to hear God all I think I think a couple of things. One is one is that I'm not listening very much.

Now we had the crickets and you may hear the crickets but I may not be really truly listening for God and that happens a lot of times with me because I can't.

I have a hard time shutting my mind down to a point of being able to hear and and getting still I think another is getting in the way sometimes of God speaking to us and II can do this in personal relationships is I'll talk to much and still which kinda goes counter to or maybe with a listening one of the other is not.

There's too much talking and not enough listening think you rub it with a heavy set of this next clip is replete with said this is from Evan Almighty you set it up and will come back and talk about that aspect of it as well had a personal relationship with God and in our heat is been hearing a lot from them on how to build this ark if you seen the movie Evan Almighty and you know he's gone the beard and he's got the most disgusting or that Manoa costume on and all seems to be headed in the right direction. But today it's posted actually flood there's no clouds or snow rain because everybody's gathered and he looks a bit foolish and this is the point where he would really like to hear from God or at least a little precipitation will will our national parks problem will profit.

It's called business on the message of the Congressman elected people who pay for it. And yes those people want this bill to happen, and by down there take on this boat giving you one last parent possibilities. Progress is for good luck and pull down his you love that clip of that clip because you know a lot of us had a timer. We stepped out in faith. We felt like God was going to be there. This seem like it absolutely glorious thing that was going to happen and you end up standing out there looking a bit foolish and you're waiting, waiting, waiting, and you know I've been at a hard place salmon you know that a few years ago where someone very dear to me it had attempted suicide in and I was beyond sad over that and then that night just below the complete Evan Almighty moment you know that the heat didn't work in the house. My daughter done all the stuff to move and everything that could possibly go wrong in a day went wrong in my normal procedure was to praise God every morning and I was sit there and I said nope. I'm not posing anymore.

I'm not happy I'm not one bit thankful. I just watch the now it's freezing cold in here and I'm in a and I was like, just like last week put the gloves off God. You took my verdict my Bush here we are exactly where was and all of a sudden I started the picture.

The orderly that was in the hospital that helped this dear one next to go through this and helped her with a blood gas test that I thought would been just like the end of the world and and as I saw what was going on with the compassion of the time that he spent on that and then I went oh she is alive and it was like the smoke started to clear. Sam and I realized it.

Oh yeah, God had been there in the midst of all that yeah I may feel like a full right this minute. For all that, but when I really felt like a fool as I didn't see that God was so clearly there he so clearly came through in all that I didn't hear it. I didn't see it.

Precipitation didn't seem to be there but boy was he there think that this brings up a lot of points that there's no formula right on on why we think were not hearing sometimes it's it we do have unconfessed sin and we do need to approach that Seneca got his or something their Holy Spirit promptly and that the others other thing sometimes it's our perspective right we weave the fogs to have you talked about before the show. I can't really see through the fog what's going on here or I'm not listening even in the Evan Almighty clip you God told him to build ark, you didn't really think follow-up with a lot of questions about he just assumed it was raining there is this big assumption of God told him what your duty when did it in some levels. The conversation stopped and that might be what God silent as we continue we don't continue that relational aspect of talking work and I can talk about this more. There's a whole lot of other reasons on why God can appear to be silent in the midst of doing a lot of work in our lives and work in our lives of boot camp coming up.

That's April 12 through the 15th. Register now messenger the radio.org salmon mask I talked about ways you can help support clearly smiled as he was on the information that Facebook.com where we can get something PO Box 552 7285 you find out from Jesus what you will do that freedom for day venture with God.

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For now, for the show's minister with the sometimes actually recommended that clip and there's a clipboard and go to here in a minute where the person thinks that there's unanswered prayers going on with the reliably reality of it is there being answered.

We just don't again have eyes to see them. I think Garth Brooks may have had an answer prayers as he had friends in low places. Okay, I was his problem in the other time finally came around with that that the other the other bump and we did talk about which we speak will be. To that end up unit. This time, but it was from Don Don Henley written song that the Eagles did on their CD about 20 years that's been over 20 years ago, now called learn to be still really what he was talking about was how folks go through their lives rushing through everything that there is to do and trying to be somebody in this world.

And then whenever things comes crashing down. You know, where are you in at the end of the song he talks about there being a glimmer of hope and I'm not sure he was talking about God necessarily in this case, but I certainly heard that when he said there was hope. We just have to learn to be still in the thing that I heard that to me always goes back to that thought would be still and know that I'm God. Sometimes we just gotta slow it down and be still and listen for God. We don't always do that we don't take time away from even Christians. We get so caught up and we got to do the next thing we gotta do the next Christian thing or do the next project we don't take time to listen for the great things about the boot camps which I'm so sorry that I missed was having that time away with God in you to set up this next clip. Second but it really kind of ties in both of those pumpkins give this unanswered prayer portion right you think God's unanswered prayers and that's what's happening in this clip, when she takes time to listen to God.

It is not Scott at the time. She thinks it's Al Almighty right that the waiter switch takes time to listen God is active God is answering if you would go ahead and play clip number four we have on their which should be from Evan Almighty story starts, the art of knowing you got happening in the ark showed signs sign told if someone presentations you think the basis to give them. If someone craved family think you'd talk a bit about why you chose that clip in with this topic in mind. So I think that you know we want the immediate gratification. A lot of times we want the immediate answer. So it's praying for this. So give me this, by the way, you know, make it green note and we were not seeing what was going on around us, Morgan Freeman was playing God in this in this clip we also unit were praying for precipitation and there's something else going on there and that's the as he said there you know sometimes we have to look a little further into what's going on. I think about will my sister passed away this past summer. My sister had a lot of addiction problems had some health problems and not as as you guys know we talked about. I was going to graduate school and taken some classes to do addictions counseling and have really struggle with how my going to continue to do that or not. And since that time, God has given me some different opportunities to really kinda reach out to others who may be struggling with that he's given me opportunities to love my family well.

Which didn't exist as much before Lisa passed away this past summer my brother and my parents so he's given healing and and we can talk about what Robby said to do when I was say not you, not pray for healing and weeding get it and we get it for Lisa. Well, two things happen. Number one she was healed. Maybe not the way that we thought that she would be. And also there's healing taking place after her passing away. So our prayers have been answered, and we been given opportunities. It just wasn't always so. Always what you expected to be or not always the quickie. It's that you have to kinda go and see what else God has in mind. And that takes some time yet. Does it in you get back to that point of are there truly unanswered prayers well promote true answer to that is no and we all heard the sermon. I will go into it.

There's yes no or not yet wait on the answers you get for prayers, but that's kind of it doesn't help when you're sitting here at this opportunity. That opportunity. Which one do you want me to do God and nothing, and one of the story that I actually forgot this morning out of out of the dream was on the playground when we were babies mom nurses elsewhere getting attention all the time and went back to work for baby Christians.

But when were more mature, go to the playground just mom or dad say okay, first I want you to go get on the slot. Then after you do that and be careful at the bottom. If you do not go to the monkey bars but don't swing because you might fall down while Bob or do you let your child go play and pick what they wanted and so often God has marrow the narrow path, but he also wants us to be free and part of that freedom is making decisions without feeling like oh are Use this toilet paper that toilet paper without God's approval.

That's not how it works. Answers just pick one. I think that's a valid point to anything. 70 times a God answers is clearly the sometimes think I just wants to love us through whatever choices that were making those lungs are not against things in the Bible and not making choices high on the guys in the MB encouraging me to go. You have an affair or something like that know that's not the case but God just wants to walk with us through a lot of these life experiences. I loved example you made of money. Hall that sometimes you have a share the money Hall experience because I think that's part of the reason sometimes to lead on this yet. Part number one, two, or three, and you ask Carol you know which you know which one US euro contest in which Juan and Carol go the curtain for each one.

It's those options that we have been we we we came we come with a preconceived idea of these are the only options are not considering that God has curtain for five something when I wanted to be this one of this letter right now behind number one David and go to God Becky Riley can talk about this, but David didn't go to God against the Philistines and say we do it this way to do it that way. How did he approach now and I think his men, you know, I think CS Lewis. We have a tendency to be men without chest. We don't live from our heart we live from her head because that's the strategist and the strategist is always strategizing and so we got away that were going to go do this and we don't necessarily check with God.

But David did when he faced the Philistines twice the story the first time and said go right straight up against them and you're going to prevail and so he let God be the strategist and off he went.

The amazing thing about that story was that he didn't repeat it because if it been me and had that strategy one. I'm alright. I know now God. You shall be how it's done.

I'm a take off know a second time. He paused like Dennis said, and he was still in said okay God, what's the strategy this time and didn't give God to options God's at this time what you come up through the balsams when you're walking through leaves no then you get. Then you can come upon them, and again turning off the strategist is one of the challenges from my standpoint and in being able to hear God because the strategist my life is run all the time we were rewinding amicable men suddenly go ahead and try to get this last clip in its little over minute and look back and talk about it. That's from Rudy and Rudy spent spending his time trying to get into Notre Dame in the in the movie Rudy and he's been doing everything he can at the coaching of the priest and it's just not working out where to pick up the conversation and Rudy saying why isn't God answering my prayers and desperate for next semester it's over and done editing is accepting the transfers have a job that Carol can a child, I did doesn't produce results doesn't mean anything. I think you'll discover will create enough that's not the problem frame assembly to an on-time dance coming I Done Everything I Possibly Can. Can You Help Me Son 35 Years of Religious Studies I've Come up with Only Two Incontrovertible Facts God, As You Pick the Clip As Well and to the Point. There Good and Articulate What You Will. There You Have It in a Nutshell Exactly Know It's God's Timing and I Believe That There Is a God and I Talked to Him but I'm Not Him, so I Don't Know What His Time Is Going to Be As We Saul If You've Ever Seen Rudy As We Saw with Him.

God's Timing Was Perfect Because All Rudy's Dreams Came True.

The Came True in God's Praying They Were Not in the Way He Thought the Exact I Think A Lot As We Talk about Winding down for the Show Is It Can Be Unconfessed Sin. Start There and Whispered This Really Me Getting in the Way of an Upgrade Enough That I Listened Well Enough Right. Have I Teamed You with My Own Options, or Gave Room for You to Give Me Option All the Things We Talked about Here Appeared to Be God Being Silent but I Promise You. God Is Silent He's There, He's Listening Is Active. Please Wait.

Waiting on You to Continue the Journey with. See You Next Week