Feel My Faith

Lainey Lou, Jesus Was a Litterbug, The Pastor Needs a Nap (From the File Friday)

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 11:51:40 -0400

Welcome Lainey Lou

We are happy to announce the birth of Laine Louise Hawkins (7lbs 4ozs). She is our second grandchild and the daughter of our eldest daughter, Morgan and her husband Kameron. She is doing great and our grandson Evan is excited to be a big brother! Evan was 9lbs+ at birth. Momma was glad for a little Lainey Lou!

Laine's birth is definitely one of those nods God gives you. She was born on Shannon's mother's birthday. Shannon misses her mom so much. What a wonderful, Fatherly gift from God.

Louise is a nod to my grandmother, who everyone knew as Lou Branam, or Lou Truelove after my grandfather died. She was a godly woman who prayed for a preacher "in all her generations." I'm the only preacher of her 6 generations. A lot of the way I read the Bible and preach comes from the simple, yet profound faith of my mamaw.

So now we have another Lou. Look out!

Jesus Was a Litterbug

One of my favorite books was given to me by Randy while I served as his pastor in Birmingham, AL. The book, written in 1934, is entitled Religion in Shoes. It’s the biography of James Alexander Bryan, affectionately known as Brother Bryan, who served as pastor of the Third Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, from 1889 – 1941.

Throughout the week, Brother Bryan would go into his study early each morning to pray and work on his Sunday sermon. Later in the day, he would travel throughout the city, visiting and ministering to people. As he did, Brother Bryan would try out the portion of the sermon he prepared that morning in casual conversations. He would talk it out with someone in a streetcar, or as a devotion at the fire hall. As he would share, he would modify his message, adding experiences, stories, and responses that came from the people to whom he ministered.

I had one of those sermon prep moments this week.

On Monday morning I began working on a message from Acts 12. That afternoon I headed to Atlanta to visit a man in our church who has spent far more time in the hospital than he has at home over the past 6 weeks.

This man is suffering but he is witnessing. Every time I talk to him, he points to the providence of God and he often says, “Man, when all of this is over, I’m going to have a story to tell.” He’s an inspiring man and God is using him.

He’s also one of those guys that as you get to know him you wonder, what does he NOT do? He has lots of skills and loads of stories.

While visiting him on Monday he shared with me a song he wrote several years ago entitled Jesus Was a Litterbug. And, like many people he’s pitched it to, I laughed at the title; but I was intrigued.

The song pulls together various healing stories from The Gospels. It imagines then the debris of bandages, crutches, and beds left behind.

He entered his lyrics into AI and let it come up with music and a video – I was entertained! And inspired. Apparently, the AI interpretation of the song is that Jesus left quite a mess. I love it!

Maybe someone will pick it up. I think this song would be a hit in Southern Gospel circles. It reminds me of My Name is Lazarus by Greater Vision – a #1 for them back in the day.

I’m going to mention my visit with Sandy as a sermon illustration on Sunday, but I won’t have time to show the video. So here it is.

Help Our Pastor Not to Be So Tired

On Wednesday night our DOCK kids brought me in to pray for me and to present me with a special gift. So, they gathered in close and our wonderful children’s ministry leader, Jodi, called on a few of the kids to pray.

First of all, if God answers those prayers – there will be a lot of people healed! Amen to that! Those kids pray for the sick and it was sweet to hear.

I can’t remember where we were in the sequence, but after praying for all the sick to be healed, one of the children started praying for me. And in the course of the prayer she said, “Dear God, help our pastor not to be so tired. . . .”

I loved it, but I almost lost it – laughing. I guess I look tired LOL.

But I did sleep well Wednesday night! Healed!

Thanks crew!

ICE in Church (What in the World Wednesday)

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:02:05 -0400

This week’s What in the World Wednesday came from a couple of conversations, social media interactions, and a news story circulating in the religion section. My wife says that sometimes God speaks in themes. This issue keeps coming up and it impacts people I know and love. So, I’m listening. Let’s talk about it.

On Tuesday, a federal appeals court ruled that a coalition of Christian and Jewish organizations could proceed with a lawsuit that challenges a policy change that would allow for greater ICE enforcement at places of worship. You can read the article here: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/bid-to-block-ice-arrests-at-churches-revived-by-appeals-court?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Rather than taking sides, let’s take a step back and see how Scripture would inform our thinking on the issues of immigration and enforcement in places of worship.

The church should reflect God’s heart for the foreigner (Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 22:37-40, Matthew 25:31-46).

Compassion is not an option for the church. We are to feed, clothe, and love people regardless of immigration status. We are called to minister, not to investigate. When it comes to the government, a person may be legal or illegal, documented or undocumented, but when it comes to the gospel everyone carries the neighbor card.

I love my church in this regard in that we have helped a lot of “neighbors” over the years by supplying food, beds, rides, funds, a place to recover and a place to worship.

Government has a God-given responsibility to make laws and protect its citizens (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-20).

Compassion does not enable disorder. A nation that has no border is no nation. Open borders endanger everyone; immigrant and citizen alike.

When a nation does not secure its border, the conflict comes to my door, your door, and the church door. This lawsuit is not the problem. It’s a symptom of the problem. Because these issues have not been resolved in the hallways of Congress and enforced at the border, they are now issues we are dealing with in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and churches.

If we don’t want ICE in our service, then we need to enable ICE to secure the border and give people a clear, affordable, and reasonable pathway to citizenship.

The church should be a refuge from the world, but not a shelter from the law. I’m not trying to paint the plaintiffs in the case with a wide brush, but some of the accounts that I have read of confrontations between ICE and congregations come from places where churches seem to be more motivated by political activism than gospel outreach. And some of the churches that are being “cased” as the sources describe seem to be trying to prove a point rather than provide a place of worship. Worship does not displace decency, order, lawfulness, and accountability.

There is a place where the people of God are warranted to obey God rather than man. But I haven’t heard of ICE shutting down any services because someone is preaching the gospel.

My wife and I (and others in our church) have helped to pay legal fees, written letters, and have been willing to be character witnesses in court proceedings to help people navigate the system. We do not help people dodge the law.

The problem with our nation is apparent. First, citizenship has become a business, not a privilege. People who want to contribute to the country have a hard time becoming citizens because the laws are arbitrary and the pathways are filled with attorneys looking for payment.

Second, neither political party has fixed the problem despite ample opportunity. They’ve had 30+ years to do it, yet both Republicans and Democrats see immigrants as political pawns instead of people. They point the finger at the other party for the sake of being elected but once they sit in office they seem to go deaf, blind, and mute to the issues facing immigrants who want a better life. Instead of emotionally pitting people against one another for the sake of winning elections, why don’t elected officials do something for the good of “We the people?”

Those who live in America, citizen or not, should seek the welfare of the nation (Jeremiah 29:4-7)

Everyone loves to quote Jeremiah 29:11 as their life verse on senior night. I always chuckle when I hear it because very few people who quote it have checked the context.

The context isn’t that God has a prosperous amazing plan for your life. The context is God telling His people, Israel, (and I paraphrase) you rebelled so you’ve been hauled off into exile. Get used to it because you’re going to be in Babylon for a while.

Jeremiah 29:11 means that God has not forgotten His promises and the nation will one day return. But for now, park it and learn to like it!

But before Jeremiah 29:11 comes Jeremiah 29:5, which tells the exiles build a house, plant a garden, make a life, contribute and “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

That’s wise!

Somewhere along the way our immigration policy moved away from inviting the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to be free to come to America for a better life. Instead we enable them to be their country in our country.

It’s not working. If you live here – citizen or not – contribute. We can appreciate culture, but if people come here because it is a better opportunity then why don’t we continue together to make this nation an even better country?

Immigration is a gospel opportunity (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Acts 17:26-27)

I end with a story.

A man came to me several years ago because his immigration status was in danger of being revoked. He was one traffic stop from being deported, losing his family, and his business. He had built a life here and contributed to our community. But he had made some mistakes before redemption that cost him a chance at citizenship.

I love this man. I didn’t like what he was saying. I did not want to lose him as a friend, a brother, or as a member of our church. I was willing to do whatever it took to find mercy in the eyes of the judge and keep my friend here.

But he told me his story about how Jesus has changed his life and how he had grown in discipleship during his time in our church. And with tears in his eyes, he said, “If I get deported, I will just take that as God wanting me to preach the gospel there instead of here.”

His confidence was not in an immigration ruling. It was in the sovereignty of God and the mission of Jesus Christ. He understood clearly that he was called to be a witness wherever he lived.

God is sovereign over the nations. We can’t get so distracted by politics that we forget the gospel opportunity of immigration.

Our church has a campus in a forgotten pocket of our community that I call “a mission trip without an airplane.” The nations are there – and so are we.

For some reason we have come to a place of political polarity where we think one thing comes at the exclusion of another.

I can have compassion and not be careless with the law.

I care about my country and also see our immigration issues as a Great Commission opportunity – a mission trip in my backyard.

I can love my neighbor and respect the responsibility of those tasked with enforcing our laws.

I don’t want people afraid to come to church, nor do I want my church to become a place where people come to evade the law.

I don’t want people to be afraid to come to our country and I don’t want those who live here to live in fear.

I want the church to be faithful to the mission of spreading the gospel.

I want the state to be faithful to the mission of making and enforcing just laws that protect people.

What Makes Grace Not So Amazing? (Sermon of the Week)

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:42:44 -0400

Amazing Grace is a familiar song. But are you still amazed by grace?

When was the last time you were overwhelmed that God would save even you?

It’s like a beautiful mountain someone sees, and they are so overwhelmed with its beauty that they build a home with a view.

But after living there for a few years, they drive past the mountain and hardly notice it anymore. The mountain is still amazing, but the person sees it so much they are no longer amazed.

Is grace still amazing? Yes!

Without repentance and faith in Christ people still go to Hell. The gospel still saves. The blood of Christ still cleanses us from sin. God’s mercy is new every morning.

So what changed? Grace is no less amazing but we are no longer amazed.

In this message we explore Acts 10 and encounter three attitudes that creep into our hearts that make grace appear to be not so amazing.

The Mormons are Winning (What I Didn't Say on Sunday)

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:46:49 -0400

On Sunday, I preached a message entitled: What’s Not So Amazing About Grace? In the message I contended for the idea that grace will always be amazing, but because of self-righteousness, entitlement, and pride that we are no longer amazed.

In the message I said that one of the ways entitlement manifests itself in the church is when people say that they want to “go deep” but their spiritual disciplines have them standing in the kiddie pool. We want great things from God but our Scripture meditation, fervency in prayer, and willingness to seek God in fasting are in the shallows.

Here’s what I didn’t say.

The Mormons are winning.

BYU took down Notre Dame in an epic football game on Saturday night. But Mormons aren’t just winning football games. They are serious about their faith.

This summer I spent two weeks in Utah and Idaho. Did you know that across from many of the public schools I saw is a Mormon seminary? And that children are allowed by law to be released from school, for certain approved periods, for religious instruction?

Did you know that Mormon students (on average, at 18 yrs old) go on mission, typically, for two years? And they are ready!

My wife and I met two of them outside the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City. They approached us and asked if we had any questions. And while we didn’t engage them much, I knew who I was talking to. These were not novices.

I walked away wondering if the students in our church . . . or their parents . . . or people that have been in any Baptist church for 30 years had been as diligent in preparing for “mission” as they?

I don’t think so.

The Mormons are winning.

I believe that Mormon theology is heresy. According to the Bible they propagate “another gospel” that is a deceitful lie. I also understand that within Mormon circles there are cracks and caveats we could explore. Technically – they are not winning and in the end they lose.

But they are committed. Perhaps that’s a post for another day.

But for now, I’d rather talk about where I see our church LOSING.

We started a discipleship emphasis 9 weeks ago in which people signed up to meet with a mentor for 35 weeks. We would teach the foundational principles of the Christian faith while also challenging our people to memorize 2 verses every 5 weeks and do 3 quiet times per week.

Week 9 . . . and people are dropping like flies. I don’t know everyone’s reason. Maybe it’s work. Maybe something has come up that prevents them from completion, but I got a text from one of our leaders last week that said, “We aren’t meeting tonight and I’m trying my best to hold our group together. It broke my heart.

We started with over 100. We are down by almost 40% . . . in 9 weeks.

4 weeks ago we had 68 men. Last week we had 38.

The Mormons are winning.

We say we want to go deep but we are standing in the kiddie pool.

But here’s the problem. While guilt will help you feel the pain, guilt will not motivate long term change.

Grace will always keep you in the game? Why? Gratitude!

Grace is motivating – it keeps you in the game! Titus 2:11-14 articulates the point that we are trained and motivated by grace:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

When I have gratitude that God would save even me, is it really a stretch to do 3 quiet times a week?

When we remember the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus for my sin, is it too much to ask to memorize 2 verses in a little over a month? Is memorization too hard?

35 weeks is quite a commitment. Maybe that’s why every Baptist study is 8-12 weeks . . . because we can’t hardly make it nine.

Grace is amazing . . . but are we not amazed . . . for more than just a couple of weeks?

At 18 years old Mormon students go on mission for 2 years . . . not 35 weeks . . . not nine weeks.

I am working to get some things together to be on mission in one of the least-reached counties in America, located in Idaho. There are plenty of Mormons there. It will be hard to reach a people who are ready for us (in our theology, doctrine, and gospel presentation) if we are not ready for them.

But BY GOD’S AMAZING GRACE we can be like Ezra. I love what the Bible say about him (which ironically is one of our quiet time passages this week).

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezra 7:10

By God’s grace let’s set our hearts to study God’s Word, do what it says, and master it in such a way that we can teach it to others.

We should not be losing! By God’s grace, in Jesus Christ, we have won!

From the File Friday: Is My Baby Still There?

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 09:13:21 -0400

From the File Friday will offer some quick hits from books, experiences, past content, new information, or a reader’s question. Who knows what you might get on a Friday. Before moving on. I know, AI images are overdone, but they are quick and keep you from getting flagged for copyright infringement.

Atlas on Fear

One of the books I’m currently reading is Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (1957). I rarely read fiction, but when I do it’s typically a proven classic that has contributed to culture. I’m often amazed at how old books still hold relevance as if they were written last week.

There is a scene in the third chapter in which one of the protagonists in the story, Dagny Taggart, is leaving a building and stops to talk to the old man who runs the corner newsstand. The man shares an observation about how he has noticed the change in people.

“I don’t know. But I’ve watched them here for twenty years and I’ve seen the change. They used to rush through here, and it was wonderful to watch, it was the hurry of men who knew where they were going and were eager to get there. Now they’re hurrying because they are afraid. It’s not purpose that drives them, it’s fear. They’re not going anywhere, they’re escaping. And I don’t think they know what it is that they want to escape. They don’t look at each one another. They jerk when brushed against. They smile too much, but it’s an ugly kind of smiling: it’s not joy, it’s pleading. I don’t know what it is that’s happening to the world.” He shrugged. “Oh well, who is John Galt?”

This statement feels recent. We are no longer driven to produce and achieve only to avoid. We want comments and clicks on computers but avoid conversations. We are more about influence than innovation. We are so afraid to fail that we no longer try.

And who is John Galt? At this point in the book it’s a seemingly pointless question that gets repeated – unanswerable, unanchored in reality. It calls attention to the frivolous, tautological pursuits of our time on social media.

Tales of a First Grade Atheist

Since I’m bringing the blog “back,” though it never technically went away, I want to recall the first article I ever posted. June of next year will mark 20 years of Feel My Faith. Perhaps we need to plan a party!

But the little girl in this article is now 26 and next week she will give us grandbaby number 2!

Looking back on this article, I’m proud of both of my girls and the godly women they have become. They are different people who have travelled different paths. Both have had their challenges and crisis of faith moments, but they both love the Lord and walk in faith.

Here’s the link: Tales of a First Grade Atheist

Is My Baby Still There?

I round out the week by sharing a story that I’m sure will become a sermon illustration at some point. It’s still so shocking, I’m not sure what the application is – other than to make sure you shut your car door.

But I was leaving the barber shop and opening the door of my truck when I noticed an approaching car. As the car approached the back passenger door swung open and I saw a baby in a car seat.

I started to run after the car and yell, hoping to get the driver’s attention, but fortunately she slowed down and pulled into a parking space near me.

I hurried over to her car. I noticed the baby was fine, secure in her car seat. Oblivious to the danger of the whole situation.

I then went over to the driver, got her attention and said, “Ma’am, did you know that your car door came open as you were driving?”

Frantically, she got out of the car and asked, “Is my baby still there?”

Everyone was fine but she was frantic. Maybe it goes back to what the newsstand owner said in Atlas Shrugged chapter 3. Maybe she was running from fear. Maybe she was escaping. Maybe she was just in a hurry to nothing. I don’t know. She seemed like she wanted to get her baby and move on from me, so I let her go with very little conversation.

But she either didn’t shut the door or didn’t shut it well. And as she was driving she didn’t notice that her car door was swinging wildly as she traveled down the street. And then her question . . . “Is my baby still there?”

That’s the part of all of this I can’t get out of my head. Fear. Terror. Has my life taken a tragic turn?

That’s sort of where I was with my first-grade atheist. And it is a place you’re often in as a parent whether it be your child’s faith or other choices they might make. What did I do wrong? Is she still there? Did I get in a hurry carelessly leave something unlatched? Am I just running from fear?

That part of her story ended well, but it made me wonder: is she well? Is her life going well? Is my baby still there?

Who is John Galt?

What in the World Wednesday: News Sources, Apocalyptic Horses, and Chihuahua Special Forces

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:35:27 -0400

You ever take in the news and wonder, what in the world is going on? Yeah. Me too. So grab a Bible and join me for a What in the World Wednesday. This week:

• What are some reliable news sources I use?

• Should we be apocalyptically afraid of what’s going on in the Middle East?

• And a chihuahua commando has joined the Mexican national guard.

Sources

In this inaugural post of the Wednesday series, I want to point you to two sources I use to digest news, 1440 and The Pour Over.

1440

It is hard to know what to believe from mainstream media. You might scroll Fox News for a conservative/right perspective and then click over to CNN.com for the progressive/left perspective.

I wanted to find some sources that just report the news. No one is unbiased, but I wanted as much of “just the facts” as I could find.

In my search I came across the 1440 Newsletter. It is an email newsletter that basically presents a stripped down (non-editorial), fact-based version of the news.

1440? That’s the year the printing press was invented and it is also the number of minutes you have in a day (that’s cool)! Follow the link and read about the method and purpose of 1440.

The Pour Over

I was at a college football game telling my friend about 1440 when he in turn recommended to me The Pour Over. The Pour Over, like 1440, is a facts-based news presentation with an addition. The Pour Over shares the facts of the story and then offers a Scripture for a Biblical perspective.

Theologian Karl Barth implored Christians to have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Given that we now have a generation who’s never seen a newspaper, The Pour Over helps you fulfill the principle of giving you a Bible in one hand with an email in the other. My guess is that Barth would have subscribed to The Pour Over. Again, follow the link and read more about The Pour Over.

Apocalyptic Horses

And speaking of needing a Bible in one hand and the news in the other, let's talk about what's happening in the Middle East.

Tensions are high in the Middle East and there are plenty of videos on social media telling you how to reconcile what you see with Scripture.

Are you afraid?

You shouldn’t be . . . if you respond biblically.

I graduated high school in 1991. That was yet another escalation of tensions in the Middle East through an American military incursion known as Desert Storm. I thought my senior trip was going to be to Iraq.

There were rumors about reinstituting the draft. Prophecy preachers were speculating that American military hardware wouldn’t work in the sandy desert and that we would resort to fighting on horseback . . . which would fulfill prophecy . . . which would mean Jesus is coming back.

I just wanted to graduate. And I was afraid.

I graduated high school. I know several men and women who served nobly in Desert Storm. I went to college. Jesus still hasn’t come back.

But I did learn to read what’s in the Bible rather than just listen to what people say about what’s in the Bible.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:6 that in the last days there will be wars and rumors of wars. In Revelation 6, four horsemen enter the world scene bringing conquest, war, famine/pestilence, and death.

Frightening. But there is no reason to live in fear. . . if you are born again.

The Book of Revelation is addressed to the church. The audience of Matthew 24 was the apostles. And Jesus didn’t share this information to help us decide whether to be A, Pre, or Post-Mill. He didn’t preach so we would make prophecy charts.

Jesus begins the entire conversation of Matthew 24 by NOT answering the apostles ONLY question – WHEN?

The point of prophecy for those who are born again is:

1) Be ready – turn to Jesus and obey Him.

2) Be wise – evil will not prevail and the world as it is will not last. The Book of Revelation wasn’t written to give us an ulcer, but to give us hope!

3) Be faithful – don’t falter in the end.

When there is a dust-up in the Middle East – YEAH – pay attention but don’t be surprised and don’t be distracted by every social media take on what’s going on.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be afraid – but His main point was that we not be deceived.

Don’t pay more attention to TikTok videos than you do to what Jesus said about these times:

And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:4-14

Chihuahua Special Forces

I’ll most likely end these What in the World Wednesday posts with something light-hearted. Biblical insight? Probably not.

But according to ABC News the Mexican National Guard has recruited a tiny commando – a Chihuahua to be exact. You have to see the pic. The dog is actually wearing tactical gear and what looks like night vision goggles. All I can hear in my mind is a Rambo voice saying, “Yo quiero taco bell.”

Check it out here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-30/mexico-national-guard-debuts-tiny-chihuahua-recruit/107210882

Thanks for reading What in the World Wednesday. If you have a story you’d like me to cover, comment, or send it my way Brian@feelmyfaith.com.

Sermon of the Week: What is God Doing When My Plans Fall Apart?

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:18:07 -0400

Your plans failed. The dream died. A sweet season of life comes to an abrupt end.

Frustrating!

Confusing!

What is God doing?

Your frustration may not be because God isn't working, but because God is working in a way you didn't think He would.

Acts 8 offers perspective that our plans may change but God's purposes never fail.

What I Didn't Say: About the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 19:41:09 -0400

On Sunday I stated that I do not believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a second act of grace but that it happens simultaneously with salvation. And while I didn’t have time to expound on this topic in my sermon, I have friends who are sincere followers of Christ who would disagree. You probably do as well.

So, let all good Baptists, Charismatics, Protestants, and Pentecostals pull up a chair. Let’s take a Monday and flesh it out.

What I Said on Sunday (In Review):

It is hard to establish the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a second act of grace based on the Book of Acts because the sequence is not Luke’s concern.

• Acts 2:38 – repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (water), and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

• Acts 8 – people respond to the gospel, are baptized, and later receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit when Peter and John lay hands on them.

• Acts 9 – Saul is saved. Ananias lays hands on him, Saul receives his sight and is filled with the Holy Spirit, and then he is baptized (water).

Luke’s concern is to establish that as the gospel spreads from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and into the uttermost part of the earth the same Holy Spirit that saved souls and established the church at Pentecost is at work in Jew and Gentile alike.

What I Didn’t Say on Sunday (In Resolution)

In the sermon I stated only that I don’t believe the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a second act of grace based on later NT passages. Let’s resolve that thought.

• While Acts 19:1-6 isn’t technically “later” in the NT it speaks to an event much later in the Acts 1:8 progression of the gospel. And while the Ephesians had not yet received the Spirit, Paul’s question is telling. Why would you ask, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” if that hadn’t been occurring simultaneously on a more regular basis in other places? My take: While Luke isn't concerned with establishing a universal sequence in Acts, Paul's question suggests that receiving the Spirit was expected in connection with genuine faith in Christ.

• Ephesians 1:13-14 – The context of Acts 19 sheds light on what Paul says later to the Ephesians in his letter to them. If Acts 19 was the initial experience as the gospel moves into Ephesus and the Gentiles there are also confirmed as part of the church through Spirit baptism, then Ephesians 1:13-14 seems to describe what became the normative experience. “In him you also, WHEN you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, WERE sealed with the promised Holy Spirit . . .”

• 1 Corinthians 12:13 – “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body . . .” My argument here would come not just from what the later NT says, but what it doesn’t say. There is no language to suggest that some regenerate people have received Spirit baptism while others should continue to seek it. Ephesians 5:18 case in point. He tells the Ephesian Christians to “be filled with the Spirit” but never does the later NT command believers to be baptized by the Spirit as if this is a continuing concern.

• Other NT passages to consider (Romans 8:9, Galatians 3:27, Titus 3:5-6, 1 Peter 3:21, 1 John 3:24 and 4:13) but they seem to only further confirm the above arguments so I won’t belabor it.

What I Want to Chew With You on Monday (In Response)

On Sunday I said that when it comes to things like this that we should seek to state most simply what the Bible says most plainly. If I didn’t say it quite like that – that’s pretty good – so that’s what I meant to say :). So here it goes:

There is no New Testament version of a Christian who does not have the Holy Spirit.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. Romans 8:9

So to the Baptists (of which I am one), Protestants, and the like:

• We have grown content with bestowing a false sense of salvation on the person who professes Christ, who has even prayed for salvation, who yet shows no fruits of repentance or any evidence that they have been baptized by the Holy Spirit.

• We cannot blame spiritual immaturity solely on a lack of discipleship. We can discuss ad nauseum what discipleship is and isn’t, but if the baby does not breathe and does not eat, the baby is not alive. Jesus said it clearly, “You must be born again.” Sometimes the problem isn’t the lack of disciple makers. Sometimes it is simply a lack of spiritual life.

• So we should not ask the spiritually immature who insists on sin if they prayed, if they were baptized, or if they have joined the church. We should ask them if they have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Or ask the same question another way, “Is the Holy Spirit in you?” A local church membership roll is not the guarantee – the Spirit is (2 Cor 1:22, 2 Cor. 5:5, Eph. 1:13-14).

To the charismatics and Pentecostals:

• My sermon was based on Acts 8 which contains not only the Samaritans receiving the baptism of the Spirit but also the warning to Simon. I have many Pentecostal and charismatic friends who I love and who love Jesus. They see the Holy Spirit in everything – and I love that! And if you received the Holy Spirit later – after your salvation – and maybe even after water baptism – I can argue semantics (I would say you were already baptized by the Spirit but not filled) but I cannot argue your experience and I do not want to be a stumbling block to anyone’s faith. Rock on for Jesus my brothers and sisters! The Holy Spirit is sovereign. He can do what He wants to do (which I also said in the sermon).

• But I do see a Simon sort of abuse that takes place amongst people with strong personalities and giftings who insist on a sort of “giving” the Holy Spirit. It’s like they have a power you need to become a complete Christian. And I see in that “doctrine” room for that Simon-type magician manipulation of which Peter sternly rebukes. For those who are in this camp I would concur with Peter, “your heart is not right before God. “Repent, therefore of this wickedness of yours . . . “

I love where Acts begins, waiting on God in prayer and Pentecost. And at Pentecost, in the Spirit, Peter proclaims that we are living in the last days promised in Joel 2 in which God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17a).

When it comes to the Holy Spirit:

- Let’s not dismiss Him.

- Let’s not manipulate Him.

- Let’s surrender to Him.

Versify - Scripture Memorization Tool

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 20:26:30 -0400

Memorizing Scripture is important but not easy. That is especially true if you’re not given to working on memorization – which is the case for most adults.

I have a daughter who was a theatre major. She did 2-3 shows a semester. She could memorize the script in a couple of weeks.

I prepare sermons and preach weekly. I do devotions daily. Memorizing Scripture . . . not easy for me.

What’s the difference? Why can she memorize a full-length script in a couple of weeks while I struggle with a few verses? Memorization is like muscle. You have to train it and if you don’t use it you’ll lose it.

So, I need a tool. Something to help me train. And I found it!

It’s an app called Versify. It is free to download and use. I did discover a donate option buried in my profile options. Versify has been such a helpful tool I donated to the developers. Our church has an app, so I understand the cost of even making something free available.

Our church is in a discipleship process called Foundations. Part of the process is memorizing 2 verses every five weeks. As far as my Bible memory muscle goes, I feel like the guy who’s going back to the gym after it’s been a while.

So, I train my brain on the various options the app offers for practice in memorizing verses. You simply enter the verses you want to memorize and set a goal for the timeframe of having them memorized. Then, as you open the app and review the verses you have various options to train your brain:

Read – reveals the verse or passage bit by bit. This helps you get the verse in your mind a phrase at a time.
Blank – this module gives you the options of Easy, Medium, or Hard. Easy gives you a large percentage of the words in the passage and you try to fill in what’s missing with multiple choice options. Medium gives you about half of the passage with blanks while Hard mode gives you all blanks. I use this module a lot.
There are two Beta modules – speak and listen. One reads to you while the other you speak to it.
Type and Test – allows you to free type the verse and Versify grades you on your accuracy of completion.

Versify is helping me memorize Scripture and hide God’s Word in my heart. I highly recommend it.

And no, I'm not being paid for this endorsement nor do I receive a free Bible or something of the sort for referrals. Just trying to point people to a tool that's been helpful to me.

Evangelical Mute

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Sun, 4 Oct 2026 20:24:41 -0400

In an area with a sizeable homeless population, I first came upon a man waiting with a cardboard sign at the top of the interstate exit. I see men begging at this intersection so often that I no longer see them.

But the guy behind me saw him. He rolled down the window of his truck and the beggar came over. Sheepishly the beggar took some folded bills from the man’s hand and nodded in gratitude before sauntering back to his corner.

I saw that exchange and it made me wonder. Should I have given him some money? It’s not like I’ve never done so. I’ve given money, bought burgers, and even given a few guys who looked needy and lost a ride.

And then I remembered. I don’t have any cash. So, I had nothing to give.

About an hour later came a second opportunity. Pulling up to another intersection I saw a woman limping along the side of the road. She looked haggard. Disturbed. Her eyes fixed dead ahead as if the rest of the world didn’t exist. She sipped on one of those gigantic drinks you get from a fast-food restaurant.

I stared at her. She never looked at me.

It didn’t matter. I had nothing to give her.

I slowly rolled on.

Did she see me?

When a song gets stuck in your head they call it an earworm. What is it called when you replay your decisions over and over again? Because for the next 45 minutes of my drive I heard no songs despite the radio being on. All I could think about were my decisions.

I saw two people in need, but I had nothing to give so I just let them go.

In Acts 3 Peter and John encounter a beggar at one of the gates to the Temple. This man was at this gate daily. The man in the Bible is lame, but he’s like the man I saw at the corner and the woman limping along the road. It’s an area of town and they are always there.

But the Bible says of Peter and John that they directed their gaze at him (Acts 3:4). They saw him. And they spoke, “Look at us.”

“And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them (Acts 3:5).”

He saw them.

“And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.”

He’s the beggar sheepishly approaching the truck behind me.

But Peter and John are in the same situation as me. They have no change. No cash. No money.

“But Peter said, ‘I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you (Acts 3:6).’”

Then in the name of Jesus Peter commands the man to rise up and walk. Miraculously the beggar is healed.

Giving is complicated and the ugly side of benevolence is captured well in the book, When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. Our church opened a mission point in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in our community. I had our team read the book and discuss it as we considered how to be helpful, not hurtful in a place of overwhelming need.

You don’t have to read the book to know that helping can hurt. Our attitudes. Our methods. Having resources with no understanding of the mechanisms of poverty . . . often leads to help that hurts.

But I often use what’s complicated to justify my blindness to what’s simple.

I can see but I don’t look. If I turn the other way, do you still see me? Maybe that’s why the woman never glanced at me. She’s been ignored numerous times by guys like me . . . experts on giving . . . people with resources well-aware of the complications of charity.

Disturbing.

Even when I don’t have cash, I stay silent.

But why is it that when I don’t have anything to give, I also think I don’t have anything to say?

A pastor.

A preacher.

An evangelical mute.

So here’s what’s stuck in my head now. What if I had just pulled over and said something? Share the gospel. Share the Bible verse I read that morning. Ask how she’s doing?

I don’t know. She might have thought I was disturbed. She might have just kept limping along as if I were not there.

But what if I had shared Christ and like the man in Acts 3, she was healed. Whatever made her limp . . . whatever it was in her mind that made her look so hardened to the world around her . . . what if he had risen up to walk in the power of Jesus’ name?

I was short on cash but what about:

Attention?

Compassion?

Encouragement?

Conversation?

The Gospel?

What might it have done in her to know that someone was paying attention.

She doesn’t care about the books I read on poverty.

She doesn’t care about my experiences as a pastor with the complications of charity.

At least I don’t think she cares, but how would I know?

I have no idea what she cares about because I didn’t give her the one thing I had – a few moments – the hope of Christ – the gospel.

I wasn’t empty handed but I just drove away.

I can’t get that out of my mind.

Why I Could Not Continue Watching Netflix's Death of a Pastor's Wife

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Wed, 2 Sep 2026 21:58:23 -0400

Did I watch the Netflix documentary Death of The Pastor’s Wife?

Yes. 2 of the 3 episodes, but I didn’t finish it. It made me angry and I turned it off.

Is the pastor a fraud? Absolutely. And while he made me angry that’s not why I turned it off.

Was it the victimization and manipulation of Mica Miller that made me mad?

It’s hard to watch. She’s a case study on how choosing sin will lead you into the lair of the thief who wants to steal, kill, and destroy. Her joy was stolen. Her marriage was murdered. Her life and the testimony of service she so longed for before the Lord was destroyed.

Seeing her destroyed grieved me. It angered me. But that’s not why I turned it off.

What made me so angry I could not continue was not just the death of the pastor’s wife but the death of ecclesiology. It was the willful ignorance of a Biblically illiterate congregation that pushed me over the edge. A congregation as culpable as their leader in the death of the pastor’s wife. They made me angry.

What is a Church?

What you are watching on Netflix is not the story of a church.

What is a church?

In his letter to Pastor Timothy, Paul makes a profound statement about the identity of the church. He says:

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 1 Timothy 3:14-15

In the documentary, JP Miller boasts that one of God’s blessings despite his trials is that Solid Rock was named Best of the Beach Church (Myrtle Beach, SC) for the 4th time.

Firstly, this “reader’s choice” award going to Solid Rock church shows the worth of an award given to a church by the world.

But secondly, Solid Rock should have been disqualified from winning the award because a church – it is not. The sheer disregard for Scriptural truth makes Solid Rock a cult at best, but hardly a Christian church.

The fact that a church “of the living God”, is a “pillar and buttress of the truth” the operative question asked of a congregation in the midst of scandal can’t be, “But what will this do to the reputation or momentum Solid Rock?” The question of a church in any given situation must be, what does the Bible say?

A church isn’t about the brand. The church is about the Bible.

When a congregation shelves the Bible for the sake of the brand it ceases to be a church and becomes a cult of personality.

Which brings me to my second point.

Who is qualified to be pastor?

The Bible states the qualities of a Pastor and/or Elder (both positions of which are mentioned in the docuseries) in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.

A lady who is interviewed often in each episode mentions “red flags.” Excellent. Let’s raise some red flags, shall we?

Let’s keep 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 before us, compare them to JP’s actions and see if anything makes its way up the flag pole of discernment. I will acknowledge that there are various angles of interpretation on these passages, but even the broadest of interpretations should see red flags when:

1) The pastor’s marriage is floundering because he’s having an affair – red flag.

2) He divorces his wife due to having an affair – red flag.

3) He divorces his wife due to having an affair with a woman on staff, whose husband is also on staff – red flag.

4) He begins dating the woman with which he had the affair – red flag.

5) While openly dating the woman with whom he had the affair, his other girlfriend comes walking into choir practice – red flag.

6) He marries the woman with which he had the affair – red flag.

7) He calls an elder to go to the airport and pick up a girl he’s going to meet up with – red flag.

8) While his second marriage is failing, most of the congregation knows he’s having an affair with a recently widowed woman (to whom he’s now apparently married) – red flag.

The pole if full of flags yet he remains your pastor? – red flag!

The docuseries mentions numerous accounts of sexual misconduct, manipulation, and grooming – of which numerous people were admittedly aware.

There is NO WAY a “church” that has a Bible, reads it, and applies it allows a monster like JP Miller to continue exercising authority over them. It is mentioned in the documentary that the church was setup to shield the pastor – again – red flag!

Even if that is the case, the church building should have been empty but from the scenes I saw – it was full in pretty much every shot. HEY - congregation – the by-laws may have shielded JP and the “yes men” he called elders may have protected him – buy it’s your butt that’s still in the seat!

If JP wanted to remain pastor, he could stand in an empty building and preach to himself. Shame on the sheep who continued to attend the cult and feed the wolf! You are as culpable as the man you followed as pastor.

What is Forgiveness and Restoration?

After the first moral failure of JP, some of the people interviewed defended their decision to continue to follow JP as pastor as an exercise of forgiveness and restoration.

Whatever your understanding of forgiveness and restoration may be, Biblical forgiveness and restoration does not require you to restore a pastor who has used spiritual authority to destroy marriages, groom young women, cover up his sexual perversion, and mentally abuse his wife.

Grace is not an enabler.

You can forgive. But he has forfeited his Biblical authority and opportunity to lead.

Shame on you Solid Rock church cult. You used a perverted understanding forgiveness to enable an and empower an abuser.

The documentary is not just the death of the pastor’s wife. It is the death of Biblical congregational polity. It is a documentary about the death of a church.

Takeaways

Our takeaway from the documentary has to be better than a post on social media that says JP Miller is full of poop emojis. It has to be more than pastors are full of poop emojis.

Hey, the Bible warns you that there would be lots of pastor poop emojis. Don’t think that Netflix has uncovered a scandal that the Bible didn’t warn you about. Netflix is 2000 years too late on that.

See Matthew 7:15, Romans 16:17, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Peter 2:1 and several others.

Our response needs to be Biblical discernment and congregational responsibility.

A “Best of the Best” award does not a church make.

A charismatic personality does not a pastor make.

Great music isn’t worship.

Open your Bible and read it. God’s Word will equip you to see past personalities and performances and see the wolves.

The Bible will help you discern deceit but it will also help you discover authenticity. The real thing does exist.

Pastors and elders worthy of honor who find the approval of God are out there (1 Tim. 5:17, 2 Tim. 2:15). They may not be the most captivating or have the biggest following, but they don’t plagiarize sermons, send inappropriate texts to women, groom staff wives, or level lawsuits. They just love their families, study the Word, and shepherd you as the flock of God.

The church of the living God that Paul describes to Timothy as the pillar and buttress of truth exists. In their local manifestations they may not win awards, have professional musicians, or offer the most quality Sunday experience . . . but the presence of God is in them. He is there.

At the end of the day, there are poop emoji pastors and poop emoji personality cults masquerading as churches. But unless you, the congregation, take responsibility to pick up a Bible and read it for yourself, poop emoji’s like JP Miller will become pastors and victimize people.

As long as you don’t read the Bible, cults masquerading as churches will create powerful toxic structures that shield influential personalities.

But most importantly, unless you pick up the Bible, read it, and do it . . . you’ll miss the real thing, the right thing, where the living God is at work and the beautiful buttress of Biblical truth rests upon a firm foundation.

Why Doesn't God Prevent My Problems?

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Tue, 1 Sep 2026 15:26:42 -0400

You may be disillusioned to turn to faith and find that it causes a whole new set of problems. Faith can cause problems in your family or at work. There are inexplicable problems that sometimes can only be chalked up to spiritual warfare.

And then there's the church. You joined the church to get away from all the drama only to find yourself centerstage in a whole new scene.

Why doesn't God prevent the problems?

This message from Acts 5 will help you get perspective on why God doesn't prevent some of your problems.

Braves Win, Diggers and Grandsons

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 11:13:07 -0400

I had a great weekend. The Braves win. The fireworks remind me of my dad. Lil' E and I discuss "diggers" after breakfast.

Some people visit the cemetery, stand by the markers, and remember their loved ones. I don't. My dad died in 2017 and I've only been by his grave once.

It's not just my dad. I've been that way about all of my loved ones who have passed away. For whatever reason I don't feel the same connection with friends and family that others do in cemeteries.

Maybe it's because of all of the funerals I've done in 30 years of ministry. I don't know. But a cemetery seems more like a marker to me than a memory. A marker is like a card catalog in a library - it's just the record, not the book.

I had rather drive by Mamaw's house. There my mind is flooded with memories. The grave of Ernie Carver means very little to me, but seeing an El Camino on the road, passing through Huntsville, or listening to Dawes makes me remember one of my favorite uncles.

I know where Roy is buried. But I had rather catch a bass and remember that time he set the hook so hard that he pulled a fish out of the water that I can still hear it slap against the side of the boat. I can smell those cigarette/cigar things he smoked and I can hear him laugh.

The cemetery does nothing for me. It's just lifeless stones. Catching a bass or passing through Crossville, TN makes me laugh . . . and remember.

That's what going to the Braves game has become for me. I enjoy the game but I remember my dad. It was especially true this weekend as the Friday night fireworks show erupted post-game.

Dad loved to take a trip to Fulton County Stadium on July 4 to see the Braves and watch the fireworks. We would stay at either my aunt JoAnn's apartment or at the HoJo down the street from the stadium. Either way, they had a pool and that was cool!

This weekend was August something, not July 4. But apparently now with the Braves fireworks is a Friday game thing. But nevertheless, it made me smile and think about my dad.

By the way dad . . . the Braves are pretty good this year.

That night we stayed with my daughter and her husband. They live about 20 miles from the stadium. So that meant breakfast with them and Lil' E, my grandson, the next morning.

They took us to a great place. The food was really good. But the best part was the heavy equipment working out front to widen the highway. Lil' E was mesmerized.

"Beep, beep, truck," he would say as he watched with awe.

He has plenty of trucks in his playroom, but to see the real thing amazed him.

He loved watching the trucks. And I loved watching him. Amazing. I am in awe of God's gift of a grandson.

I don't want to be remembered with a marker. I had rather it be something you hear in a sermon. My grandson seeing "diggers" and trucks beside the road or a Braves win. I had rather fireworks make you smile or there be something like a passing El Camino or a song on the radio remind you of me; much like those things remind me of Uncle Ernie or Roy.

It was a great weekend.

Session 6 - I'll Just Do It Myself

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:58:00 -0500

People are complicated. People are frustrating. So men take on the mentality, "I'll just do it myself." While doing it yourself may make life more simple, it is an unrealistic expectation that will take a man to a place where the Bible says no man needs to be. Alone!

Discussion Guide

Session 5 - Unlucky or Invevitable

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 09:22:00 -0500

Some guys feel like the bad stuff only happens to them. They can't understand why they can't catch a break and they constantly battle defeating, defeating, and discouraging thoughts. Ecclesiastes 3 offers a redemptive perspective that you may not be as unlucky as some things in life are just inevitable. With the right perspective you can battle through the various seasons and enjoy life now. Discussion Guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qfpA2swVWPVZCWgKDU-pfhOl7P5tc4tH/view?usp=sharing

Session 4 - Working for Nothing

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:09:00 -0500

A lot of men hate their jobs. Most men are dissatisfied with their work. But a redemptive change in perspective can help a man enjoy his life AND HIS WORK!

This content is part of a larger men's Bible curriculum: Ecclesiastes, Living on Empty designed to help a man deal with the unrealistic expectations that drain him and give him a redemptive perspective to enjoy life now.

Discussion Guide

Session 3 - Making Failure Fatal

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:06:00 -0500

It won't happen to me. I read the books. I went to the seminars. I sat in church. And it still fell apart. What did I do wrong? I hate my life. Many men have reached this rock bottom of despair when they think they did everything right and it all went wrong. What's the proper perspective on learning and applying wisdom to life? Wisdom will make life better but it won't make your life perfect.

Discussion Guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IbCXJxiL30mmLg0_avuwEYK2qkY7cFVP/view

Session 2 - When More Isn't Enough

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:59:00 -0500

More pleasure, more power, more projects; most men think they need "more" to enjoy life. Solomon had it and did it but still ended up empty. Men, don't let your hobby become your mistress and lose your family.

This message is part 2 of a men's Bible Study curriculum on Ecclesiastes entitled Living On Empty.

Discussion Guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xIXhEve1jD01YRinSeb9rGKGdcD7n2kO/view?usp=drive_link

Session 1 - Living on Empty

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 13:01:00 -0500

Unrealistic expectations will DRAIN YOU! Introducing a new series on the Book of Ecclesiastes entitled Living on Empty. This series will help a man gain perspective on the unrealistic expectations that leave him frustrated and weary with life and show him how to enjoy life now.

Session 1 challenges a man to have the humility to learn from another man's mistakes. Solomon had all the money a man wants. Solomon had all the power and experienced all the pleasure a man could ever desire. Yet at the end of it all, Solomon said he was empty. Why?

Listen in and learn from his mistakes.

Roundtable Discussion Guide

SESSION 4 - TAGGING OUT (Psalm 107)

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 10:00:00 -0400

Teaching Manuscript (Rough Draft)

In tag team wrestling a wrestler has a partner standing on the apron. When a wrestler is worn down and about to be overcome by his opponent all he has to do is reach over and tag his partner’s hand for relief and rescue.

There have been some legendary tag teams like the Midnight Express, the Rock ‘n Roll Express, the Steiners, The Road Warriors/Legion of Doom, The Hart Foundation, and one of my favorites from way back, The British Bulldogs.

Psalm 107 is a unique Psalm that presents 4 men; each in a precarious situation. We have the wanderer, the prisoner, the sinner, and the sailor. In the midst of their battles they each reach a place where they realize that they can’t save themselves and so they cry out for God’s help. Each of the men find that God loves them, helps them and redeems them.

Psalm 107 is important because as men wrestle with life men also wrestle with wondering if God really loves them and will help them. Perhaps there has been a time of trial when a man reached out to God, wanting to tag out, get some relief, find rescue, and he feels that God did not answer. That sort of discouragement can certainly damage faith.

So let’s find out how we can tag out and get God’s help by reviewing the four situations. As we do so, see if you can discover a pattern. Also, place yourself beside each man. What are the similarities and differences in the situation when you tried to tag out, cry out to God, but didn’t get his help?

The Wanderers (vv. 4-9)

The wanderer wasted his life. As the Psalm describes him, he goes from place to place searching for satisfaction only for his soul to faint (v. 5) in the end. He tried his fill of all of it but only found it empty in the end.

The Psalm specifies only hunger and thirst. But these basic cravings represent all of the natural longings of a man’s body and soul. These encompass everything from a man’s desire for pleasure to his desire for provision. Men crave happiness and meaning. Every man desires a sense of destiny. That he is going to become someone significant, that his life will have purpose.

The problem is that men seek ways to satisfy these longings apart from the Lord. This leads a man to his various wasted places. Every man can identify some things he pursued thinking it would satisfy his soul only to find it empty and that he had wasted his life.

But the Psalm says in verse 6 that this man tagged out. He cried out to the Lord in his trouble and that the Lord delivered him from his trouble. But notice something about this Psalm. Though I am going to teach it in the singular so that you can personalize it. Notice that the Psalm is written in plural. Notice the use of the word SOME, THEY, and THEM.

There are lots of wonderers and all of them have found the same truth. That when they cried out to the Lord he delivered them from their distress.

How did he do it? “He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.”

In the next 3 cases we will see the power of God do some amazing things to change a situation. Sometimes men need that sort of intervention, but I think all men expect that sort of intervention. But oftentimes what a man needs is a new direction and a new destination. But the only way a man can be led is for him to commit to follow. In this case, to follow the Lord’s leading.

Once the wanderer followed the Lord’s leading, he came to a place where his soul was satisfied with only what the Lord could give (v. 9).

So let’s keep these observations in our mind and now travel on to the prisoner. Remember, notice the patterns. Put yourself alongside these men and in the end we will draw some conclusions.

The Prisoner (vv. 10-16)

The prisoner represents everyone who rebelled against God’s Word and found themselves in bondage. Verse 12 reflects a hard truth of life. There are some things that once you make the choice for them they will then begin to make the choice for you for a long, long time. The Bible teaches that not only does sin lead to death, but sin also leads to a life of bondage (Romans 6:16-19).

The prisoner finds that he is bound and cannot free himself and there is no one to help (v. 12). So in verse 13 he cries to the Lord in his trouble. He tags out. And God delivered him “them” from their distress.

Again, this is plural. There are many examples of God doing this. This is not an isolated testimony.

The Bible says that God “brought them out of darkness.” This is really important to point out. That verb in Hebrew is a hifil Imperfect. What does that mean? Hifil implies that the object of the verb is a participant in the action. So God is the cause. But the prisoner becomes a participant. It is imperfect, which means that the action is ongoing. If it were perfect that means the force was applied and the action is completed. But hifil imperfect means that God not only brought the prisoner from darkness, but that the prisoner continues to participate in what God is doing to bring him out of darkness.

Again, watch the patterns. Take mental notes.

The sinner (vv. 17-22)

The sinner represents our foolish decisions that bring painful consequences in our lives. This person may suffer physically, mentally, or financially. And he, like those before finds himself powerless to save himself (v. 18). So, here comes the 3rd repetition of tagging out. He cries to the Lord and the Lord delivered him from his distress.

This time the Lord sends out His Word. That is a powerful command that changes the situation. It shows the Lord’s authority. But it is also reflective of the power of God’s Word. God created the world with His Word. And God’s Word forms our world when we walk in it. The essence of foolishness is despising the Lord’s ways, His Word, His counsel.

And even though healing and deliverance are both contingent upon God’s power as God is the primary mover in the situation, the verbs there are both imperfect meaning that the healing and the deliverance are ongoing. It was not one instance or action, but it is the initiation of an ongoing state of healing and it is the initiation of the process of deliverance.

The sailor (vv. 23-32)

The sailor is a professional. He knows how to handle his vessel. But the Psalm says that God raised up a storm so fierce that “their courage melted away in their evil plight.” They staggered like drunken men until they found themselves at their wits end (v. 27).

You story may or may not have found common ground with the first three, the wanderer, the prisoner, or the sinner. Each of them made bad decisions and paid the price. But here’s an instance of the sailor and the storm in which he was doing everything right and everything went wrong.

Despite different paths the sailor finds himself at the same point of need as the prisoner, or the sinner, or the wanderer. He cannot save himself. So he cries to the Lord. He tags out. The Lord stills the storm. And then look at verse 30. Like the Lord led the wanderer, like he delivered the prisoner, and like he delivered the sinner, the Lord brought them to their desired haven.

By now, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ve become a Hebrew scholar. You guessed it! This is another imperfect. This one very similar to the one associated with the wanderer. There is a sense in which the Lord’s action isn’t completed, but his deliverance was only the beginning of his leading in the sailor’s life.

So now let’s pull some dangling threads together and find the patterns. In doing so it may help some men who wrestle with the idea that they prayed and God didn’t help.

Patterns:

1. The men could not save themselves. This is a consistent theme in Scripture with the gospel. We are all sinners and at some point we have to realize that we cannot save ourselves.

2. They all cried to the Lord. All four instances had the exact same stanza, “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” Romans 10:13 says that all who call upon the Lord will be saved.

3. The Lord loved them. All four instances also repeat this stanza, “Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man.” Some men simply don’t believe that God loves them. Psalm 107 is written to Israel in exile. As they are going through the trial they may struggle if God was still faithful and loving toward His people. The message of Psalm 107 is that He is . . . so cry out to Him.

4. In all four cases, the Lord responded to them. Again. Psalm 107 is written to the exile to encourage them to do as the 4 did in the Psalm and cry out to the Lord because He will respond.

5. In each case those who were delivered followed the Lord’s leading. This is where a lot of men fail in the tag out. What we want is for God to change the situation. Break open the bars of bondage. We want the Lord to give us satisfaction. We want the consequences of our foolishness to subside and for the storm to be stilled. And many men are looking for the possibilities of what God can do to change a situation as they are expressed in verses 33ff. But here’s my question if you’ve tried to tag out and call upon the Lord. Were you willing to follow the Lord’s leading? Did you just want relief in an instance or were you looking for His long term leading in your life? True deliverance isn’t an instance, it’s a leading, a direction that God takes you for the rest of your life as you follow Him.

6. And here’s that theme again we are finding in the Psalms – the idea of wrestling into worship. Each man does as verse 2 calls him to to, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” Each man thanks the Lord for his steadfast love and offers songs and sacrifices in celebration of what God has done. Each man has a testimony and he worships God.

Discussion Questions:

Which of the 4 men most resembles your story? Explain your answer.
- The wanderer - a man who wastes his life always searching but never satisfied.
- The prisoner - in bondage
- The sinner - suffering the consequences of sinful choices
- The sailor - I found myself in a storm and could not save myself
The wanderer (vv. 4-9)
- What are some pointless pursuits men can chase, seeking satisfaction, only to find out later that they have wasted their lives?
- Look at verse 9. How does the Lord satisfy longing souls? How have you found this to be true in your own life?
The prisoner (vv. 10-16)
- Verse 11 says that this man found himself in bondage because he rebelled against the words of God. How does the wisdom and counsel of God’s Word keep a man from bondage?
The sinner (vv. 17-22)
- How does God use suffering to get a man’s attention?
- Verse 15 is one of four instances that celebrate the love of God. All four of these men learned in crisis that God loves them. Why is it that when men suffer, they often don’t believe God loves them? How does the truth of God’s Word correct this mistaken belief?
The sailor (vv. 23-32)
- The sailor experiences a miracle and in response worships God. Salvation turns sinners, wonderers, prisoners, and sailors into worshipers. If this is true, why are many men in the church reluctant to worship God?

Session 8 - Wrestling for Forgiveness

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 09:56:00 -0400

Manuscript (Rough Draft)

In 2024 at UFC 302, Kevin Holland put his opponent, Michal Oleksiejczuk (O-lek-SHAY-chook) in an armbar. An armbar is a submission hold that applies devastating pressure on the bones in the arm and counter-pressure on the elbow. Oleksieujczuk refused to tap out. Realizing his opponent would not give up, Holland applied more pressure and Oleksieujczuk’s arm snapped . . . but still refused to tap out. Hearing the sound and seeing the broken arm limp, the referee stopped the fight to prevent further damage. Despite the condition of his arm, Oleksiejczuk maintains that his arm did not break and that he disagreed with the referee’s decision to stop the match.

If UFC 302 were a Psalm, it would be Psalm 32. Here is the confession of David who was caught in sin but refused to confess. He is being slowly destroyed mentally, spiritually, and physically. As we go through the Psalm he describes the pain of holding on to sin.

What’s interesting is that modern medical science has found correlation between health and conscience. The Mayo Clinic and John’s Hopkins, both leading edge research hospitals, have published articles on the detrimental effects of a guilty conscience, unforgiveness, and even the refusal of one to forgive oneself. Research shows that people with prolongued guilty conscience suffer:

• Increased stress levels (raising cortisol levels in the body)

• Anger and bitterness

• Increased cholesterol levels

• Heart disease

• Reduced immune response

• The effects become more exponential as we age.

Basically this means that based on Psalm 32, it took medical science 3000 years to catch up on the damaging effects of sin on mind, body, and soul.

Psalm 32 is David in an arm bar. He had an affair with a woman. She’s pregnant. David had the husband killed and tried to cover it up. And though no one else knows what David did, it’s killing him. The more he refuses to confess and surrender, the more intense the pain of holding on. But later in the Psalm comes the contrast of relief when David finally confesses.

So a question we can explore in this session that connects with our condition is how much of your lingering issues of anger, stress, lack of sleep, loss of contentment, lack of happiness, body aches, poor health, marriage issues . . . might be caused because you are in an armbar but refuse to confess and be forgiven?

The Heaviness of Unconfessed Sin:

• When I kept silent – this is the catalyst for the misery. This is his refusal to tap out and describes anything a man might do to hide his sin.

o When you make the decision to sin, sin will then start making the decisions for you, particularly when you try to hide it.

o When this happens a man begins developing secret places in his soul. The heaviness begins when his relationships become hypocritical hiding places.

 He is conflicted

 He is not himself

 He is living a lie

 He has no fellowship because he is afraid of being found out

• Your hand was heavy upon me

o For those who know the Lord, they are familiar with this heaviness. Conviction is crushing. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, no matter even what you read in the Bible, or no matter the topic of a sermon you only hear one thing.

o So preaching makes you miserable. You don’t want to be around your friends. You can be at the ballpark, at the lake, or sitting in a stadium with your team winning the game – but you can’t escape the misery.

• Summer heat – conviction becomes like summer heat, it drains you, wears you down and you can’t find relief.

• Sorrow – v10 he summarizes the experience as “many are the sorrows of the wicked.” Persistence in sin and a lack of confession will effect everything else in a man’s life. You can’t compartmentalize it.

The Relief of Surrender

The Blessedness of Forgiveness:

• V. 5 – forgiveness begins with God – it is immediate. There are numerous places where the Bible reveals we have a forgiving God full of grace and mercy. We have forgiveness because of the finished work of Jesus Christ in atonement.

o Verse 2 – the blessing is two-fold

 The Lord does not count sin

 But the man is no longer living in deceit

• V. 6 – 7 – forgiveness with God releases guilt, but confession in a fallen creation often comes with consequences. David suffered some devastating effects of his sin on his family. But a man who has truly confessed his sin to God, finds that God will help him navigate the rough waters of consequence.

• V. 8 – he makes God’s Word his guide – like a navigator steering a ship through the fog with the instruments. He can’t trust what his eyes see, but he can trust the path the instruments lay out for him.

• V. 9 – The worst thing a man can do is return to stubbornness

• V. 10-11 There is sharp contrast in two paths – choose wisely!

Discussion Questions:

David’s story of covering up his sin is not uncommon in men. How does hidden sin effect men: Relationally? Mentally? Physically? Spiritually?
If sin brings such misery, why do men continue to sin and refuse to respond to conviction?
Scan through Psalm 32. Which verse or verses describe your personal experience? How so?
Verse 2 says that when a man confesses his sin that the Lord counts no iniquity against him.
- Biblically, why is this true?
- Mentally/Spiritually, why is this so difficult for men to believe?
Verse 2 says that a man is blessed, “in whose spirit there is no deceit.”
- Explain the meaning of this verse in your own words.
- What is the relief in a man’s life when he doesn’t live a lie?
Verses 6-7 refer to how a man who confesses may experience difficult consequences.
- How does the fear of consequences keep a man from confession?
- Scan verses 6-8 - make a list of the ways God helps a man through the consequences of confessed sin.
Verse 9-10 refers to the stubbornness and the sorrow of a man living with unconfessed sin. What is the breaking point when a stubborn man moves from the sorrow of verse 10 to the gladdness and joy of verses 11?
What are your takeaways from this session?

Session 7 - The B-I-B-L-E and a Man's Battle for Purity

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:03:00 -0400

Roundtable Questions:

Which statement best describes your relationship to the Bible (please explain your answer)

Disengaged - I have one but hardly ever read it.
Discouraged - I read it but don’t understand it.
Disturbed - I read it but I don’t like it.
Disciplined - I read it regularly.

BEST EFFORT - Verse 10 says that this man seeks God, through His Word, with his “whole heart.” What’s the difference in a wholehearted effort towards God’s Word and a half-hearted effort towards God’s Word?

What changes do you need to make so that you are wholehearted and bringing your BEST EFFORT to God’s Word?

INVESTIGATE - Read back through the passage. What are the various synonyms the writer uses for the Bible?

List 3 attitudes the author shares in his approach to the Word of God.
What did you notice as you reread the passage that you didn’t notice the first time through the passage?

BEST VERSE - what verse (or verses) speaks the most to you as a man as you read this passage? Why?
LISTEN/LEARN - rewrite or rephrase your best verse(s) in your own words.
EVALUATE - what will you change based on what you learned from the Word of God in this session?

What is a recent situation you would have handled differently had you known the truths from Scripture you learned in this session?

Rough Draft Teaching Manuscript:

10/8/2025

THE B-I-B-L-E and a Man's Battle for Purity

In the venue of professional wrestling there are various title belts for which competitors aspire. At last check there are 17 active championships in the WWE brand and depending on what week you ask there are 23 in the WWF.

So what are the title belts of the Christian life? To what goals do you aspire?

I would say that many men want happiness and prosperity from their Christian lives. Many men may not say it, but by their actions I think many men think that following Christ should exempt them from suffering. And they operate on the premise of a false theology that if they do enough for God and live well for God then they should be blessed and bypass suffering.

If those are your aspirations in following Christ; prosperity, happiness, and a life of relative ease then you will soon be disillusioned with Christ and Christianity.

In the Bible, the undisputed title of championship Christianity is as Paul described in Philippians and that is to know Christ and to attain the resurrection. The Bible speaks of the reward of pleasing God and receiving a well done, good and faithful servant. There is a reward for faithfulness in suffering. There is a reward for faithfulness in waiting. If we are thinking of rewards and goals in the Christian life as belts for which we should aspire, there are probably several we could mention.

But what about purity? But if purity were a championship belt. How many men are training to win and fighting a good fight against temptation?

I think many men might be giving up on this goal due to something that is implied in the opening question of the second stanza of Psalm 119. “How can a young man keep his way pure?”

The way the question is stated implies:

• Can a man keep his way pure? Is it even possible? It is perhaps the most difficult fight for any man.

• The addition of young man doesn’t exempt older men. I think it is a mistake to think that only young men experience great temptation. I consider myself to be an older man now and I can tell you that I understand the question now better than I ever have. The question is really asking how can a man keep his way pure given his wrestling with the temptations that began in him as a young man. It’s almost as if he’s saying, if this will work for a young man it will work for any man. He’s saying that if you will start this as a young man it will work for you as a man the rest of your life.

The answer comes in the second sentence. “By guarding it according to your word.” Notice he doesn’t say by God taking temptation away. It doesn’t say by greater will power. It says by guarding it according to the Word of God.

Gaurding is a term that implies constant readiness. It means that I am every applying what I am learning from the Word of God. I am doing what it says. As I do what it says, it purifies my life.

Purity in Psalm 119:9 isn’t perfection. It is:

• Removing the tarnish of sin past so I don’t repeat them

• Breaking the bondage of sin present so I am not controlled by them

• Avoiding the foolishness of sin by making me wise about God’s ways

And though we may not attain perfection in this life, it does not keep me from aiming at perfection.

And the way that happens is by a man guarding his way in the Word of God.

When it comes to the Bible, for many men the Word of God is like a house alarm they never arm. They pay the monthly subscription but somewhere along the way they got out of the habit of turning it on. The same is true of God’s Word. They have a Bible somewhere in the house – but God doesn’t call a man to have a Bible. He calls a man to aim for purity by guarding His way with the Word of God.

• God doesn’t call us to read the Bible – He calls on us to guard our way with the Word of God.

• God doesn’t challenge us to do a devotional - He calls on us to guard our way with the Word of God.

• God doesn’t even call men to study the Bible in the sense of becoming more knowledgeable about what it says – in fact, the Bible say that knowledge for the sake of knowledge will puff you up, make you proud – NO – God doesn’t call on us to learn the Bible – He calls on us to guard our way with the Word of God.

When it comes to winning championships, athletes have to have the right attitude and approach in their training, preparation and practice. If you are going for a title when it comes to purity, you need a championship attitude and approach daily in the Word of God. So in this session we are going to glean some principles from the passage about a man’s attitude toward the Word of God. If I am going to keep my way pure by guarding it according to God’s Word, what needs to be my daily attitude toward the Word -what’s the mindset?

And then, what is the approach? How do I get into it in such a way that it guards my way and helps me be a man who walks in purity before God?

And I want to make this easy by creating an acronym B-I-B-L-E.

B – BEST EFFORT (vv. 10-12) – The only way a man can walk in purity is for him to come to the Word of God with his best effort. This is described with the words, “with my whole heart I seek you.” This is important because he doesn’t want his life to wander off from the commandments. So if we are to have a life that doesn’t wander off – think of how we need to approach the Word so we don’t wander off. When it comes to God’s Word are you giving it your BEST TIME of the day? Do you protect that time or do you pick up the Bible if you have time? Are you making time? Are you just reading verses or are you giving your whole heart to what it says? Because notice verse 11. He stores up the Word in his heart so that he may not sin. He doesn’t just read some verses. He wants to master the content. He wants it to get down into his heart so that it impacts his life. Head knowledge isn’t enough. So, he brings a teachable spirit (v. 12). I’m not here to just do my devotion, I’m here to learn. I want to grow. I want to mature. I want to hear from God.

I – INVESTIGATE – in every stanza he has a different synonym for the word of God. So as he goes through the Bible notice that he’s gleaning and thinking about the statutes, all the rules, the way of God’s testimonies, precepts and ways. He’s not rushing through. The cardinal offense in most Christian’s approach to the Bible is that they read it too fast. They need to slow down and see all that’s there. Ask investigative questions. Circle words. Observe the text with who, what, why, when, where type questions. EMAW questions. Maybe 2 Tim 3:16 – method – reproof – what am I doing wrong – correction – how do I make it right, training – what repetitive action/decision do I make

B – BEST VERSE – EMAW cred. – In what you are reading, what is the best verse or verses? What are the ones that are speaking to you? Sit down on it. Maybe underline it or write it out. Here is where you are picking up on that desire to be taught, you are delighting in a verse. You are setting yourself up to mediate on it now. Maybe you memorize this verse – maybe one a week.

L-LISTEN/LEARN – notice he says in verse 13 that with his lips he declares all the rules of your mouth. You haven’t learned it until you can explain it. And maybe this is where you do a rewrite of a verse. Maybe you journal some stuff about it. But whatever you have to do to meditate on it – get quiet before God and let him speak to you about that verse.

E – EVALUATE – Verse 16 says that he won’t forget the Word. He doesn’t just read the verse of the day and go on about his day. He is intent to do something about what God says. Also, evaluate yourself based on the best verse and what it means. And either that evening or the next morning – evaluate the decisions of the day based on what you learned in God’s Word.

Conclusion:

God calls men to battle for purity. And the only way that happens is with an attitude and an approach that I want to win this battle. We must be on guard – always applying God’s Word.

Session 3 - Angry, Aggravated, Worn Down Man

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Thu, 2 Oct 2025 16:22:00 -0400

How is your attitude? Are you angry, aggravated, worn down and burned up? Psalm 37 describes that feeling as "fret." Fret is about friction. And Psalm 37 warns that it leads to bad decisions. If you need relief, follow these 5 commands.

Discussion Questions:

Name something that frustrates you.
When you are frustrated are you:
- A groundhog - I’m going down in my hole, LEAVE ME ALONE!
- A dog - I’m going to bark (A LOT) but I probably won’t bite.
- A tiger - Corner me and I’m going to attack.
- A squirrel - I’m probably going to do something stupid like dart back out into the road and get ran over.
Verse 3 calls on a frustrated man to trust God and “befriend faithfulness.”
- What are some ways a man can fulfill this command when he is frustrated?
- When you are frustrated are you more prone to seek the Lord or to stray away? Explain your answer.
Verse 4 calls on a frustrated man to delight himself in the Lord.
- What was something that in the beginning was really frustrating to learn but now it is something you enjoy?
- What made the difference?
- Why do men seem to delight more in everything else BUT the Lord?
- If a man were to “delight himself in the Lord” what might be some changes he would make in his life?
Verse 7 calls for a frustrated man to “be still” before the Lord. Verse 8 commands him to refrain from anger. What are some ways a frustrated man can obey these commands before he does something sinful?
Look at verses 16-17.
- Explain the meaning in your own words.
- Do you believe this is true? Why or why not?
- How might this perspective help a man not to fret in frustration?
What are your takeaways from this session?

Reading for Next Session: Psalm 107

Wrestling into Worship is a men's curriculum based on selected Psalms from the Bible.

Does the Bible Say Sex is Bad?

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 22:15:00 -0400

You are burdened for your family and friends to know Christ. And you've invited them to church before but it wasn't effective. Why not?

Paul was effective in reaching the lost for Christ. 1 Corinthians 9 reveals his mentality and shows you how to win your friends and family to Christ.

SESSION 2 - BATTLING THROUGH MY MESS WITHOUT MAKING MORE MISTAKES (THE HOLINESS OF GOD)

bbranam@rbconline.net (Brian Branam) — Wed, 3 Sep 2025 12:28:00 -0400

There have been some infamous contests in sports history where an athlete crossed over into another sport. In 1994, NBA legend Michael Jordan played professional baseball with the AA Birmingham Barons. Jordan hit 3 home runs and stole 30 bases, but he couldn’t hit a curve ball. And with a meager .202 average the NBA’s greatest player couldn’t make it on a major league baseball roster. Jordan returned to basketball and went on to win 3 more championships and was named league MVP in 1996 and 1998.

Though fictitious, a crossover that grabbed my attention as a child occurred in the 1982 film Rocky III when Rocky took on a wrestler named Thunderlips (played by Hulk Hogan. Rocky was tossed, slammed, and eventually thrown out of the ring as Thunderlips went into a fit of rage, determined to embarrass the boxing champ.

Every man has his battles. And there will be times in which he finds himself fighting on multiple fronts. And in some situations, much like a crossover athlete, the battle can be unfamiliar.

Such is the situation in Psalm 18. David is a king and a commander. He is a ruler and a warrior. In verses 4-5 David describes his turmoil. He is about to get tossed over the top rope. He is wrestling for his life.

In verse 6 David cries out to the Lord for help. God heard David and answered him. God rescued David from “my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me (v. 17).”

Like David was a king and a warrior, men are dually employed. Men crossover in their roles as:

• Husbands and may find that they must fight for their marriage.

• Fathers and may find that he must battle for his children.

• Workers, employers, managers and may find that he must take a stand for God in the workplace as he is called to compromise his faith.

• Members of a church where a man may teach or lead. As such he constantly finds himself in spiritual battles, pushing back on the darkness in his community as he seeks to fulfill the Great Commission and to make disciples. He may find himself called within the church to stand for sound doctrine.

And a man may find himself in more than one of those battles at any given time.

And when a man is in the throes of battle, like David describes in verses 4-5, he may feel like he is in over his head. So, a question arises. Not only how he can have victory, but how can he avoid making mistakes, maybe even a moral failure, that make a bigger mess than the one he is already in?

This concern is at the heart of the celebration in Psalm 18. Not only has God given David victory (v. 17), but God has minimized David’s mistakes (v. 23).

In the midst of our battles, we want to know the right way to go, the right thing to do. So imagine, in every future fight you are going to face (18:31-39) that the Lord:

• Equips you (v. 32)

• Strengthens you (v. 32)

• Secures you (v. 33)

• Guides you (v. 34)

• Protects you (v. 35)

• Supports you and helps you stand (v. 35-36)

• Gives you victory (v. 37-39)

The way David secured a righteous victory was by following a Holy God in his battles. If a man follows the Lord, the way he fights and wins will reflect the character of the God he follows.

The Lord will help you win His way, the right way, in a way that reflects who God is.

God is holy. The holiness of God is explicitly mentioned throughout the Psalms. An example would be Psalm 99 where we are called in verses 3 and 5 to praise the Lord. Why? It goes on to repeat in both verses that we praise the Lord because, “Holy is he!”

What does it mean that God is holy and what are the implications of His holiness as he leads me through my battles:

1. The holiness of God means that God is unique. He is unlike any created thing. This means that God’s ways are not the world’s ways. Because of God’s holiness, His ways are not obvious. You can’t just do what you feel. You can’t just do what everyone else would do in the same situation.

2. The holiness of God means that God is morally pure. God leads His people to do things in wise, righteous ways. We cannot fight evil with evil. You can’t fix what’s wrong by doing wrong. When we follow the Lord we do not seek revenge, but righteousness.

And the Bible says that because God is holy, His desire is for you to be holy, even in our battles. This holy influence on David’s life is reflected in Psalms 17 and 18 as he celebrates how the Lord brought him to victory. We will glean some verses from the text and see how a holy God not only helps a man win in his battles but helps him win the right way.

Because God is holy:

• I will be careful about what I say (17:3)

The battle is a trial. Psalm 17:3 reveals that God is not only concerned about your circumstance but your character. God uses the battle to mold his man!

In 17:3 David says that God tested and tried David. But David, “Purposed that my mouth will not transgress.”

Think of how many battles where you, as a man, made a mess, not based on what you did, but based on what you said. You may be right in the decisions you are trying to lead your family, business, or church to make. But we all know that words can do a lot of damage.

You may be fighting for your marriage, but make sure you don’t wound your wife with your words.

You may see that your kids are straying off into danger. But make sure your words don’t drive them further away.

You may have the best idea for your business but forfeited your right to influence this situation based on foolish words said in the past.

A holy God tests us in our battles so be sure that what comes out of our mouth is pleasing to Him.

• I will hold myself to a standard so that God can righteously answer my prayers (17:6, 18:6).

Your moral life effects your prayer life. Often we need to ask God to clean up the man before we ask God to clean up the mess. David wanted to ask for God’s help, but David made sure that he was right with God.

Are you right with God?

The Bible makes it clear that if we regard iniquity in our heart, He will not hear (Psalm 66:18).

As a pastor I’ve met a lot of men who lived in sin but got serious about their faith when the bullets began to fly in their battle. So they prayed. But nothing happened. And many of those men got angry at God. Some even gave up on God.

The problem wasn’t that God didn’t care or didn’t exist. The problem wasn’t that prayer failed them. The problem was that they weren’t repentant. They wanted to persist in sin but get a holy God’s help.

James 4:1-4 teaches that if God cannot righteously answer our prayers, He won’t. God won’t become an enabler to your self-centeredness. His concern in answering prayer is His Holy glory! Pride is no motive for prayer. Because God is holy, sin and selfishness should have no place in prayer.

• I will get in God’s Word so I can know what pleases God (vv. 21-23).

When we are in the midst of the battle our emotions and opinions tend to take over. In verses 21-23 David made sure that his decisions were not based on what he felt or thought. David said that his concern was to keep the ways of the Lord. “All of his rules were before me.” And because David was concerned to obey God, “I was blameless before Him and I kept myself from guilt.”

When a man is in a situation where he feels like he is in over your head, he gets desperate. He starts swinging emotional, opinionated haymakers hoping to land a knockout blow and end the situation quickly. But a man would do well to deny his emotions and set aside his opinions and instead get in the Word and learn the ways of God.

God loves to give His people wisdom (James 1:5). A wise man doesn’t make decisions out of desperation but based on the revelation of a Holy God that is found in God’s Word, the Bible.

• I am careful that I let God’s Word shape my attitudes and my actions (vv. 25-28).

The old saying in computing is “junk in, junk out.” The same can be said for our souls. In verses 25-28 David was careful in the battle that his attitude reflected God’s attitude. If he wanted God’s mercy, David needed to be merciful. If David wanted to be saved, then he needed to be humble, not prideful.

Sometimes God doesn’t deal with the battle because He’s dealing with the man. Again, a holy God won’t bless sin. So, we must be careful in the midst of the battle that we keep a check on our attitudes and our actions so that they please God.

• My faith is increased (29-30).

Throughout the Psalm David gave testimony of how God worked in the battle to help him overcome his enemy.

If a man follows God in the battle he will not only come out with victory, but a testimony. He will be able to share stories of what God has done in his battles to show himself mighty and faithful.

In the midst of the battle David’s faith increased. Verse 29 doesn’t necessarily mean that God made David into an incredible athlete, a superman who could leap tall walls with a single bound. But David is expressing confident faith that as he followed God that there would not be a single thing that came against him that God did not have something for him.

And how does this sort of faith increase in a man? It isn’t in miraculous strength or mystical feelings. But notice verse 30. David’s faith increased as he realized who God was in his holiness:

i) This God – His way is perfect. His way is better than my way.

ii) The word of the Lord proves true. He has revealed to me the path that pleases Him.

iii) He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. I can trust and follow the Holy God in the midst of my battles.

Conclusion:

As a man you have various roles and there will be times in which you fight multiple battles. But when you pray and employ the help of the holy God, His ways become your ways. His righteousness becomes your concern. You minimize mistakes that are often made from emotion. Instead of harsh words doing damage out of desperation, you are careful to follow God’s Word and do things and say things that are pleasing to Him.

In his wrestling David learns to worship. He grabs on to a holy God and learns that His ways are right. His way is best. David praises the Lord for his help.

When a man grabs onto a holy God in his wrestlings, when he is overwhelmed, he will get the help of God but he will also walk away in worship. He will gain a testimony of God's holiness, faithfulness, and goodness that he can share with others.

When you are overwhelmed and the battle unfamiliar, cry out to God and He will help you.

Discussion Questions:

Michael Jordan tried baseball. Rocky wrestled Hulk Hogan (fictitiously) but it didn’t go well. What are some other crossover athletes or matches you can recall that didn’t end well?
What is a role in your life or a situation where you feel like you are in over your head?
- What are some mistakes you’ve made in difficult situations?
David turned to the Lord in the midst of his battle and he testifies in Psalm 18 that, the Lord “made my way blameless.” In each verse below explain how turning to a holy God in the midst of a battle:
- (v. 32a) equips a man and trains a man (v. 34) for what he is facing.
- (v. 32) strengthens a man through his battle.
- (v. 35) protects a man, lessens the blows and the damage.
Look at verses 37-39. Is there a man at the table who can share a story of how he turned to God in the midst of a battle and the Lord gave him victory?
When a man turns to a holy God he will win in ways that reflect God’s character. Turning to a holy God helps a man minimize the mistakes he is prone to make as he wrestles with the various issues of life. Read each of the following verses and explain how turning to God in our battles:
- Psalm 17:3 - makes a man more careful about what he says.
- Psalm 18:6 - makes a man more prayerful and intentional about what he asks the Lord to do.
- Psalm 18:21-23 - makes a man more diligent to be in the Word so he knows how to obey God.
- Psalm 18:25-28 - makes a man more humble in his battles.
- Psalm 18:29-30 - increases a man’s faith.
What are your takeaways from this session?