Men Who Beat the Odds, Part 1

When God is ready to leave a bunch of Dr. Tony Evans talked about the importance of putting everything in God's hand, especially when the odds are stacked against you type what you got right you will what to do with celebrating faithfulness. This is the alternative Dr. Tony author, speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship Dallas, Texas, president of the alternative.

A lot of times when we try to size up our circumstance.

The odds against us can seem overwhelming, but today Dr. Evans talks about some important factors we may have left out of the equation. Let's join him went to a pet shop that happened have a talking parent when the parrot saw the man walk in the parrot said Mr. you are nothing but a punk because the man was shot with a parent would be trained to say something but he ignored it. The next day had to come back to the pet shop and the parent was there again when he walked in the door.

The parrot said Mr. Park, but he ignored it a second time before Tommy went to the pet shop, the parrot again said Mr. Jan did nothing but so man goes over to the owner. Please tells only you need to teach her parents.

Amendments. Although Todd and Ms. but he insults me every time a company telling this to you. I am insulted, the owner of the pet shops that are often given out our handling so that all of the pet shop talk to the parrot in that the parent node. You can be talking like that to our customers. You can be insulting. People come in here to frequent our business. Lo and behold a few days later the man returns the parrot sees him walking through the door. The parrot says Mr. you know sometimes the devil was the key remind of what is wrong with sometimes using whatever language you can come up with. He wants to keep us down. Ineffective and without it, even when he doesn't say it directly find some other way to keep us from maximizing our spiritual and outburst today you read about a man named Sharon that only two in the Bible that mention his name. Chapter 3 verse 31 of Judges chapter 5 verse six Judges yet as we will discover this man has a message for the men in this house today for all of us, but especially for the men were told in chapter 5 verse six that during the days of Shem. Nobody was traveling along the highways they went in a roundabout way.

The main highways had been deserted and wanted to go somewhere people wanted to travel. They had to go. Roundabout ways. They had to go all the dirt roads.

They had to go on the side road space. They couldn't go on the main therapy to understand why we are told that you have to understand the book of Judges see the book of Judges talks about God's people in a failed scenario. Judges 21 verse 25 says that there was no king in those days, and every man that right in his own so during the days of the judges. This was a time of what we would call the day postmodernism, no absolutes existed. Everybody had their own truth. Everybody did what was right in their own everybody dealt with situations based on how they felt about that was no governing standard that governs every body, so people made up their own, leading to cultural chaos. So when you read about the book of Judges is one chaos after another chaos that's family chaos. This community chaos that national chaos is all kind of violence that is all kind of scenarios that was tearing people apart. It was a calamitous situation in Israel because there was no standard in those days, so people individually became their own God became their own king and did their own thing because they were their own standards.

There was no super integrity governing guidance to which all the people subscribed enter the Philistines. The Philistines were the enemies of Israel when they saw the chaos in the society.

They took that as an invitation to take advantage of a disintegrating culture since the folk can get along with everybody else is making up their own rules since there's chaos everywhere we look, we are going to invade Israel. So you have an invasion occurring. That's why talked about him splaying the Philistines because you have chaos that you don't need to read the Bible see what that looks like I could do is read the newspaper on look at the news and you will see today we are in a chaotic situation because people have made up their own rules about life, about sexuality, about race, about culture, about class nobody get along with anybody in this conflict in a person's own life in our families free in our community divided over all of these issues and so you get arguments back and forth, back and forth about this and complaints about that and that is chaos with always sets the stage for the enemy to invade the environment. So don't be surprised when things get worse when there is no standard to which all can appeal as an absolute standard. If your child goes to college today. It will be made inextricably clear that there are no absolute you make the rules and so we got people redefining themselves coming up with new word for themselves coming up with new definitions of himself wife because there is no abiding rules is one of the culture doing trying to accommodate why because there was no standard in those days and so every body was right in their own eyes in our culture. We were in a Judeo-Christian ethic. It was not obviously perfectly applied but it was there to appeal to today. There is no standard that we can appeal to everybody has their own so that was the situation that brings us Shem a chaotic situation of violence of terrorism of cultural collapse of people defining themselves, not by God by their own thinking their own feelings or their own information. Opening the door for the Philistines to invade the land which affected commerce because you could not do the main roads anymore so any business that you needed to conduct anybody you wanted to visit you at the final side way to get medical roundabout because of you showing up on that Major Hwy., Philistines will go get you shut down mobility in the culture. So you've got major cultural collapse in the midst of the crisis where 22 words. Judges chapter 3 verse 31, 22 words about amending Shem, but these are 22 powerful words that gives each of us, but especially the men here principles by which, if you grab understand them and inculcate them. How you can make a difference in spite of how bad things are.

And trust me, if we don't make a difference there only going to get worse before they get better after him.

That is after the previous judge you came with told Shem God. Now the first thing I want to note about sin.is what he did before he became a judge because he says he's saloon 600 Philistines went out so that tells us what his job was before he became a judge over Israel, cousin exploded is a pole with a sharp metal tip on one in and a flat chisel area. On the other. So this was a very important tool in the hand of a father, farmers and goats so we find out about Shem God that you start off as a judge he starts off as a phone know why you need to know that you didn't know that because the first thing you and I need to do is start when you you know start when you want to be you start when you a lot about awake until I get more money for education position more notoriety before they do anything. Many people are praying for God to do something big. We got to get them to move on some small start out as the big name in Scripture. All this man is doing is plowing his field that you are willing to let God use you where you that you will keep him from doing with you ultimately want you to go. Dr. Evan says that's exactly the problem we're facing in our modern me first culture back with some thoughts about that in just a moment first so I want to tell you about his brand-new book kingdom men rising this just-released title empowers men to be strong and courageous, loving leaders at home, at work, at church, and in the community you learn how to reject societies warped image of manhood and replace it with the biblical blueprint God had in mind when he created you.

What becomes of the next generation of men depends on what happens with this one. That's why we want you to be one of the first to have a copy of the new kingdom men rising book is our thank you gift when you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station along with it will send you all 12 messages in Tony's kingdom, men rising series as a bonus, you can get them on CD or digital download. But this limited time offer won't last long, so be sure to get in touch with us today to get the details and make the arrangements.

You can do that online had Tony Evans.org and while you're there you can also check out getting a copy of the kingdom men rising Bible study that can help you dig even deeper and assist in sharing this important biblical insight with others. Once again it's Tony Evans.org or reach out to our resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 anytime of the day or night. That's 1-800-800-3222. I repeat that information for you right after part two of today's lesson here is Dr. Evans. We are living in a day when people are refusing to do what God says now hoping that God will do something else bigger formally you stop what you you don't stop when you there are many things in God's kingdom that do not get done because he's waiting on God's people to move with where they are right now. Stop waiting on God because God waiting on you and me and if there is no movement when you are and what you're saying is I don't trust God and trust him when I go there. Shem God we find him on the phone. However, even though he was on the phone he was not with the conditions in which he was having too far because we are told what was happening in the days of Shem.

God so even though he was a Fama. He had a vision for a better community in which to live. One no longer run by the terrorist or the gangs. One of the things we must have along with fulfilling what God has given us today is a vision for a better you're supposed to be a vision cast a lot because without a vision, people perish. The reason why many men are having trouble with their wives as they never given their wives a vision for whether families going so says she got mad God vision to follow. She creates her own then you'll get mad that she going in the hallway when you've not given her dream the dog away, so it is the man's role to cast a vision. This is where we like things so I'm going to seek God to give me a vision for what he wants to do to take it from where it is where he wants me seven dollars a Fama but is dissatisfied with the conditions because he's a man of vision. It don't. I can use this act go for morning from I can use this act go to make this a better place to live were playing raise a family. I can use this tool to do something God would choose the right way you guess what else you want to want you to use what is already given for fees are added note. He's already got that right, and it had just never knew it could be used for more than five until it dawned on him one day when already have what I need to get what God wants me to do done looking for new stuff. We got about a given of the old stuff and use it for his purposes but because we been so secularized in thinking we use it for our growth. Our income notoriety are prestige and that there is something big on the stage. It says that he slew 600. With the act go about 601 – because I know a lot of many Things against you, but is probably not 600 to 1 600 Philistines against one God will only have one tool he slew 600 Philistines with Lord because when you take what you have in God to get a hold of it right, you will be amazed at what he could do with it.

He has one goal and this one go get rid of 600 problems in one tool, but because he knew how to use the one tool the right way. The divine influence. It was able to get the job done. When God is ready to move. You'll need a bunch of stuff, but he needs to own the stuff God as Moses. Moses, what is that in your hand says shepherds hook God from throwing he throws it down and all of a sudden it becomes a snake so Moses runs as a poisonous snake. Then God says Moses pick it up by the tail. Sometimes I will ask you to demonstrate your faith you to do something opposite to your logic was getting a lot of us in trouble is our human understanding human logic raises what they taught me in school. This is what I'm used to. This is what I think, feel God to totally stop melt and we never get around to the supplementals so we never see what I go.

Moses picks it up by the tail, it becomes a shepherds only now he can use it for more than leading sheet because now he can go to Pharaoh and say God said, let my people go. He gets rewarded in the blood he can get lights to come down we can get frogs in their income to the Red Sea and hold it up in the Red Sea opens up the baby could stand on the mountain while they were fighting in the Valley. It says whenever he El Dorado God's people would prevail when the rod came down God's people would lose because it was now no longer called the rod of Moses. It was now called the rod of God. God could ever get the snow in your life. What he is you that he wants to use something bigger than just your little small world because your dissatisfied with the confusion you dissatisfied with the crime. Your dissatisfied with the chaos you dissatisfied with the terrorism, but now you want to take what God has given you, and it back to him. All David had was a stone as all he had, but he said who is this uncircumcised Philistine that were taught the armies of the living God.

Just let us know in the slingshot, but he also had one thing he said you come to me with all that equipment Goliath come to you in the name of the Lord. So let's see what he does with this stone when I let it go. Holy Ghost took the stone drawing into goal. I have had Goliath said. In other words, all he needed was what he it just had to get sanctified by God so that he could now do something bigger than he could ever do on its own. Sampson had was the jawbone of a donkey thousand Philistines came against him. He put himself in the crevice of the rock in the Bible says when the spirit of God came on him. He slew 1000 Philistines of the jawbone of a donkey.

Why because it was no longer just the jawbone of a donkey get something bigger with that big Sampson could ever do on is all the little boy had was sardines and crackers. A couple of patients involved in those. But Jesus turns it into a Moby Dick sandwich, but he only turned it into a Moby Dick sandwich with the little boy gave her sardines attractive to Jesus Christ and when he gave Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ prayed over and it did something bigger that what the boy could ever do on its own. If you will allow God as a man to give you a vision for what he wants to do with your life will blow your mind as to how we can take a little and do a lot with Dr. Tony Evans will have more tomorrow on how the odds of victory can swing in our favor continues this lesson from his teaching series kingdom and rising more on that in just a moment, every man wants to make a difference to influence others to impact the world around him and Tony Evans has written a powerful and personable kingdom advising them on the way to follow what the police previous bestseller kingdom man with over 400,000 copies sold shows you how to take the next up on your journey to intentionally live as a man of influence right now.

Get kingdom and rising online at Tony Evans that all our at your favorite Christian bookstore today. Together we rise.

Don't forget this powerful book is available for a short time as our gift when you make a contribution toward the ministry of the urban alternative and will send it along with Tony's 12 lesson audio series. Also called kingdom men rising a separate Bible study is available as well get yours before time runs out by calling 1-800-800-3222 or visit Tony Evans.org. You can check out our huge library of resources and sign up for Tony's free weekly email devotional that's Tony Evans.org.

Also, if words like salvation and the idea of being born again are familiar to you. Understanding what they really mean can change your life. The Bible says that everyone of us has fallen short of God's standard. In other words, we send in that our only hope of heaven is trusting that Jesus death paid the price to make it right. Learn more about how this truth can rewrite your future visit Tony Evans.org and follow the link that says Jesus tomorrow. More from Dr. Evans about standing strong in the face of overwhelming opposition. I hope you be with us, the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by the urban alternative celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you