Dumping the Baggage
Links mentioned in the video:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Well, Dave, congratulations- you got me SCREAMING at my computer, “THE OLD MAN IS DEAD-MOVE ON!!!!” Today’s men are so emasculated because they look to the WORLD’s standards for their identities, and not from GOD, who says, “behold (look you boneheads), all things are made NEW!” We seem to be stuck in the pity party of self despair because we see ourselves as VICTIMS rather than VICTORS. We seek sympathy rather than opportunity to BE the MAN God MADE us to BE! We listen to the false accusations of the Enemy rather than the author and finisher of our faith- what’s with that, anyways????
This is an IDENTITY thing. We keep dragging around the OLD MAN because it’s familiar, I guess, instead of embracing the NEW MAN God has given to us to put on and live in VICTORY. Let go of the OLD man (it stinketh) and put on the victorious NEW man IN CHRIST !
Yeah, I know, you say, “but I’m not GOOD enough, I’m a sinner, blah-blah-blah”. There’s a million excuses to NOT embrace the new man, all FALSE!
That’s BS. God thought you and I were good enough to give us his only begotten Son Jesus, that,”Whosoever(insert name here)would receive Him and believe on His name He would give the RIGHT to be SONS of GOD and have everlasting life”. WOW, He gave that to ME? YES! I receive it (HIM). Now, I am a NEW MAN, sanctified, made pure, forgiven, etc etc, I got it. And I live in Romans 8: There is NOW NO CONDEMNATION for those who are IN Christ Jesus, and live NOT according to the FLESH, but according to the SPIRIT!!!
AMEN! Men, get outta the pity party of poor me and take your rightful place as GOD has made us: MORE THAN CONQUERORS.
MAN UP ! -(y’all can go to your ‘safe spaces’ now…. I know this has been traumatizing…pfffft.
Preach it brother….
That’s it, Dave, it’s your show. That said, “As iron sharpens iron, so does one man to another”, and, man, you sharpen me. Thanks!