Posts Tagged ‘God’

He is our Heavenly Father

Posted: December 7, 2025 in Father
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“…when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds He inflicted.” Isaiah 30:26b 

I wanted to talk today just a little bit about the side of God that a lot of Pastors avoid because it isn’t easy to discuss. I am speaking about accountability, or the side of God that uses discipline to ensure compliance. God has used discipline on His own people throughout history when they chose their own path…and to be clear…many, many, times they chose their own path. Read through Isaiah 30: 1–26 and see what I mean.

But let’s steer this conversation back to our level because most of us grew up with a father in the house. And speaking just to the men, if your dad was anything like mine, discipline was required and used to ensure my brother and I did what he asked. Just like this entire blog is titled, using the “iron sharpens iron” method, my brother and I grew up to be contributing members of society…for the most part.

And guys, God worked the exact same way using discipline with his own chosen people, and when they rebelled against him, or specifically, when they intentionally chose to disregard His direction by not seeking Him first before making an alliance with Egypt to help them fight the Assyrians…He gave them over to their enemies and many of them were destroyed. Yes…tough love.

Yet the Bible tells us that deep in His heart, “the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18

Guys, I have spoken about this before, but we either choose God or we don’t. But know that we will all judged for those choices. As Jerusalem found out the hard way in these verses…God will wait for a certain amount of time; If you move towards Him, you will receive salvation… If you move away from Him, He will give you over. In other words, God will give you exactly what you want…even though death is NOT what you want. But you cannot be foolish enough not to recognize that the way of sin is death?

Plain and simple… He is our Heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us, but at the same time, He will use discipline when deserved. We are all personally accountable for our own actions. It is our choice, we were all created with free will and each of us gets to do what we want to do. But the Bible is quick to remind us that all choices have an outcome. If we choose Him and the way of salvation, we get to live forever…with Him in Heaven.

At his core, I knew my father loved me because he told me but as his son, he required me to act in a certain way and follow his rules. If I didn’t, there were consequences that I did not like so I made the choice to listen and do what he asked. 

Our God requires the same from us…it’s really that simple. The only difference; the consequences. I urge you today to think about this and work to make the right choice for you and your family.

Remember, right now, you are in charge of your choices, so make the right one…

Until next time guys-

Heavenly Deposit

Posted: November 16, 2025 in Heaven Bound
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I had the opportunity to spend some time with an old work friend recently who I hadn’t seen for a long time. At one point, we had worked together every day for two years but after I left that company, I lost touch with him. But as luck would have it, I had the chance to re-connect with him over some dinner so I took advantage. 

As you can imagine, we talked about the usual work stuff and family stuff but somehow the topic bent toward him planning to win the lottery. 

To be clear, in MY mind, that topic was mentally wasting energy because the chances of winning are not worth spending the time thinking about what you would do with all that money. But as I sat there and listened to my friend talk, I realized he had taken this lottery-planning topic to a whole new level. 

Honestly, the amount of detail he had already planned out was utterly amazing. He knew what businesses and stocks he would invest in, who he planned to give money to, and how much. He knew what upgrades he would make to his home, where he would take his first vacation, how he would quit his job, and the list went on and on. 

He even worked out a plan to help his kids pay off their student loans, buy his parents, sister, and nephews new homes…and guys, I could keep going. I finally interrupted him and asked him why? Why would you invest so much of your time and brainpower on a topic that will most likely NEVER happen? 

He replied simply, “ah, but it could, and I want to be prepared”

“Prepared”, I thought. “That is an Interesting concept.”

From your perspective, what does it really take to be prepared for anything? Investing your time and brain power towards something helps one be prepared. However, from a Christian persepctive, Christ told us to prepare by storing up for ourselves, treasures in Heaven. 

In other words, preparation for eternity…not preparation for winning the lottery, or for that matter, anything else here on earth. Besides, like my Dad always used to say, “you can’t take it with you”.

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust can consume, and where thieves can neither break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt. 6:20-21

So what is a treasure in heaven? How can I have any connection with heaven while I am still here and living on this earth? 

Here is how I look at this; my friend was investing huge amounts of his physical time thinking about a fantasy event rather than thinking about how to make a difference now. 

For example, how about spending more time with his kids, or his wife, or both? What about focusing on or engaging with a particular subject that might make him better or even the people around him better? 

The way I see it, all of these suggestions are treasures that are being stored in heaven for him. It truly is like making a deposit in a bank or better yet, it’s an investment in your heavenly eternal future.

Jesus said, “How will they know me? By how YOU love one another”

Pretty simple actually. If we take the time to be kind to someone, anyone…when you aren’t required to do so… it helps them, but believe it or not, that is also a treasure YOU have stored in heaven. 

What you do here on earth is preparation for your eternal future…and it is SAFE

You see…everything we store up in heaven is safe…forever. There are not any malware or viruses that can wipe out your deposits in Heaven. Christ said in that same verse above, where neither moth nor rust can consume, and where thieves can neither break through nor steal.

NOTHING can destroy what you have stored there…It is safe for all eternity

My simple advice:

Why don’t we try to get out of our own way and focus on each other for a change, and watch what happens…

What I think you will find is a far happier group of family and friends because you aren’t 100% solely focused on you…or like my friend at the beginning of this post, who simply spent too much time planning for something that would never happen

So as you begin to look and plan for this next year, 2026…my recommendation is to start making your own heavenly deposits sooner rather than later…

Honestly, your future depends on it…

Until next time Guys…

Do you just Go with the Flow?

Posted: November 2, 2025 in Tough Times
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One of the hardest things some of us had to deal with when we were younger, and maybe even now as adults, is peer pressure.  It’s that single point of divide where you are either one of the crowd or you separate and decide to act alone. As I am sure some of you have experienced, peer pressure is one of the strongest forms of influence you can be subjected to especially when you are young and aren’t equipped. You probably remember, that person who just goes with the flow.

Unfortunately, there are countless stories of young men who did not have the strength to say no, and found themselves in difficult situations that they only regretted later on. Whether that regret was with their family or even God, giving yourself over to the crowd, usually ends bad with all sorts of wrong outcomes.

I wanted to talk about that in today’s post after reading in 1 Peter 4:4 where he says, “they think it’s strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation (wasting away) and they heap abuse on you.“

Peter wrote these verses specifically to you and me who or are trying to separate themselves spiritually and more importantly, are working every day to keep it that way. The crowd or you’re so-called friends, when they see that you are not going to jump in with them…then heap abuse and insults on you. As if you are the problem.

Guys, are you ready for that abuse? Are you ready to be the one who separates from the crowd for the right reasons or are you the guy who can’t say no and just keeps on hanging out with that group?

Peter understood that point was important for all of us to comprehend. He tells us how we are going to be treated, but, and more importantly, he reminds all of us of what happens…in the end… if we don’t.

“But they will have to give a account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead“ 1 Peter 4:5

The way I see it, this is still your choice. It’s always been your individual choice. You can either live your life with the intent to serve God or you can continue to give into the peer pressure and keep going down the wide road which scripture tells us that ends in destruction. I am not being melodramatic…

I think that one of the main reasons why guys don’t make the right choice is because of the potential of suffering. But, I will tell you that those of us who willingly suffer for Christ’s cause find it easier to resist sin and to ultimately follow His will. What am I saying here? For all of us as Christian men, in 2025 soon to be 2026… You may be ridiculed for what you believe. Are you prepared for that?

My challenge to you today is to finally hand the steering wheel of your life over to God today and let Him drive. Make the choice to separate yourself from what the crowd is doing. Give Him the control and then watch, in wonder, what He does.

Why is this so important, so that when it comes time for you to give the account… of your life… God is only smiling.

Until next time Guys-

We don’t Wrestle against Flesh and Blood

Posted: October 20, 2025 in Something to think about
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My nephew wrestled in high school and I remember him telling me how unique wrestling is from a team sport because it’s not like football or basketball… It is just sheer strength against sheer strength, cunning against cunning and may the best man win.

Wrestling is a sport where you are literally grappling with your opponent and using every ounce of strength you have to try and overcome someone who’s trying to do the same to you. Experience matters, like it does in life, but at the same time pure strength can be hard to overcome.

Why in the world am I talking about wrestling today? There is a verse in Ephesians that communicates to you and to me about a battle that we Christians find ourselves in. And this battle is unique because we can’t see our opponent. But I felt it very necessary to communicate something that you may or may not have thought of before.

I think it is pretty obvious and and frankly safer to fight a battle from a long way away. In the US military, snipers can fire at targets over a mile away and be successful. In most successful battles going back to the Civil War, soldiers would set up cannons and fire at the opponent so they could soften the front lines in order that their infantry could advance. After all of that preparation, it was the infantry who gained the physical ground and ultimately again, battled their opponent, man-to-man.

So today guys, I wanted to introduce you to the warfare that our enemy is executing on us… You and me. Depending upon which translation you read, Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but rather against the rulers, the authorities, and against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”

What does that really mean? That means the enemy is not a mile away, he’s not next-door… He is right next to you, whispering in your ear. Telling you things that are not true in order so he can bump you off your path and get you going in a different direction… 

We are literally wrestling with the enemy as Paul says. We are not dancing. We are wrestling. It’s important that you recognize how close your enemy actually is or, how close he is to your family. It’s easy to go about our day and never really think about that battle going on. But I assure you, it is, and there is active strategy being put forth and executed to destroy you and everything you love. You, must think about it and be ready for each day.

Now that we know what we are up against, how do we fight?

This will probably surprise you but when your adversary is the devil, you don’t stand and fight, you resist. I say this again, if you try and fight, you will lose. Even Jesus, after spending 40 days in the wilderness, Satan came and met with Him with the sole reason to tempt Him (Matthew 4:1-11). You will notice that Jesus did not fight but rather He resisted and that is exactly what we are called to do, resist. Take a look at these 2 verses:

  • Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
  • Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:9

Guys, if you only recognized the power you have right now that already exists within you as a believer, it would really change your mind about wrestling not against flesh and blood. Yes, you are a target, but not defenseless. The power within you comes from God’s Holy Spirit which is pure strength from Him to use when you are in a wrestling match. If you feel an evil presence of unseen forces, then call on His name. He will not abandon you. Most importantly remember the words of the Apostle John below which is always a gut check reminder for me-

Greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world.  1 John 4:4

Until next time Guys-

God is Serious about Salvation…Are you?

Posted: October 7, 2025 in Something to think about
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I wrote a blog a few months back titled, By Not making a Choice, You have made a Choice, and I wanted to expand on that further after reading some very direct, and to-the-point scripture. You see, as I have learned by reading His word, God has a serious edge to Him. What I mean is, there is a STRONG reason why Fearing Him is a real thing and that point very rarely gets mentioned…Unless you read His word like below:

God ALWAYS speaks directly and He means what He says

I can’t communicate this any clearer than that. Secondly:

If you dont fear God, please rethink that. (I will unpack the Fear of God in an upcoming blog)

But please…read this verse below:

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 

For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  Hebrews 10:28-31

What in the world does this mean to you and me? It means that God takes His gift of salvation to all of humanity extremely seriously. He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, so He could provide a free gift to everyone who would accept Him. However, if you make the conscious choice to reject His gift, the writer of Hebrews asks, How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot…? 

Here is a really important point to understand about this. You, me, everyone…is accountable, whether you believe in Him or not. And I wrote that blog about not making a choice…is actually making a choice, specifically so that you can’t or won’t plead ignorance when the time comes.

No excuses are accepted.

Remember the story about the wide gate and the narrow gate that Jesus talks about in Matthew? 

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it”. Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus tells us that many will enter the wide gate and few will enter the narrow one. And then, when judgment day comes and we try and remind Jesus that even though we actually entered the wide gate…because we chose NOT to make a decision for Him…His answer will be simple, “I never knew you”. No conversation. Just judgment.

THIS IS REALLY TOUGH TALK

I completely understand that but this blog serves zero purpose to you or anyone if I pull punches and not clarify what God really is asking of you. Remember that you, me, everyone are accountable for our own actions on this earth. My question is, did you make your choice and then follow through by living out that choice in front of God?

Every single person who has ever lived on Earth will face the same judgment, all having been made accountable for either accepting or rejecting the gift of salvation.

Guys, I cannot end this blog without pointing out the last couple of verses I shared earlier from Hebrews. God is absolutely serious when He tells us…

“It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

No one can live in denial after reading these verses. Yes, God is a faithful and loving God…but He is also a God of vengeance and judgment…and if you reject Him then all I can say is…

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Until next time Guys-

Is your Salvation Conditional?

Posted: September 1, 2025 in Something to think about
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This question has been troubling me for a while because it is a tough topic. I think the reason I find it so difficult is because of the people in my own family who at one point, were a “stand up and be counted”, Christians… But now, if you looked at their lives, you would clearly see that isn’t the case.

So how does God see the relationship while they are disconnected from Him? Will He give them a grace pass while they deviate from their Christian walk? How much rope does God give them? How much slack does He give any of us if we drift?

Before I really understood, I thought that once you were saved, that was it…you had salvation for the rest of your days. But that was before I knew I had a role in the relationship. I had to participate by living a different life than I did before. I could not just say I believe and then continue to live as I did before otherwise, it wasn’t really a salvation experience. 

But if we are all honest about life, then we also know that no one is always 100% on fire, all the time. We all have an ebb and flow effect in our daily walks. And we also have some days we are not proud of. Days we completely messed up. How does God handle those days with us?

That said, I decided to go back into God‘s word and really seek some answers to these questions… Is yours and my salvation conditional? Can we get lost on our way and therefore lose our path to heaven? The smart answer is, I am going to let God‘s word speak for itself because, as I have found in research, the Bible has much to say about this topic.

So let’s get started by reviewing these verses in Hebrews below:

How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? Hebrews 2:3a

    But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. Hebrews 3:6

    We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Hebrews 3:14

    If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Hebrews 10:26-27

    All of these verses have something important in common besides the content about our salvation, they all use “if” statements.

    For you and me in our everyday lives, an “If” statement is a conditional rule that dictates a specific action or outcome based on a specific condition being met. Essentially, it is an “if, then” statement, which says that “if [condition] is true, then [action/conclusion] happens”

    Simply put, “If” we hold up our end of the relationship part of the bargain, then God will hold up his end of salvation for us. BUT…you and I have to participate in the daily walk of being connected to God. It can’t be just a Sunday thing, or a Thursday night thing…it is an everyday, every hour of every day thing.

    So how can you and I avoid these pitfalls?

    First, let me remind you that you and I are responsible for our own relationship with God. NO ONE can do this for you. AND… each of us will be held accountable for our relationship with God on judgment day. And if that shakes you up… It is meant to. 

    Second, we have to be consistent. Consistency can be the hardest thing about our Christian walk. Staying focused on what is important each and every day can be very difficult. What God has asked us to do is not hard, however, it requires some effort from you. Guys, figure out how to include God by just spending a few minutes each day with Him to keep your foundation firm. 

    Finally, you must be aware. I say this about 2 areas  – First,  you must be aware that you are a target for the enemy. That is why staying in the word consistently, and focused on God throughout your day is important. The farther you drift the more difficult it is to come back. 

    Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

    Second, don’t live your life as if you are walking on a high wire. You cannot juggle your Christian walk with the world’s version of you. There are too many examples of men who tried, failed, and lost everything. Staying aware in each situation you find yourself is critical for your salvation success. Don’t lie to yourself and say, “I can do this just one time”…that will not work.

    So, after reading this post today, which I know is HARD truth, have you come to the same conclusions as I have, that our salvation is conditional? If you and I drift from our Lord and no longer listen to the still small voice of his Holy Spirit and decide to do our own thing, then we will find out we cannot enter into his rest. Or, in other words, into heaven.

    See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12

    I do not want that for anyone.

    I know that all of us want Heaven to be our final destination, but, as you have read today, for all of us, there is a conditional requirement; We are required to live a Godly life.  If you have ever read any of my posts here on Iron-Man-strength.com blog … You will see how exactly to live a Godly life. 

    We do not get grace passes, indefinitely. 

    Does living a Godly life change your approach? Absolutely…100%, but I’m here to tell you living a godly life makes your life better… Not worse. I encourage you to take the next step.

    But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today”, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13

    Until next time guys…

    Does Jesus know you?

    Posted: July 22, 2025 in Something to think about
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    One of the very last messages preached by John MacArthur before he passed was titled “Why most Christians will miss the Rapture”. Now if that doesn’t grab your attention, I am not sure what will. We have never spoken about the Rapture on this blog before and today, I am proceeding as if you know what this is…but to summarize, The Rapture is when God will evacuate Christian’s before the beginning of the Tribulation. You can imagine there is a whole lot more to this topic but not today.

    Now…I will tell you there is a great deal of debate about the sequence of events for what I am telling you. But, I am not an expert and I don’t pretend to be one… but I can tell you, as a Christian, you don’t want to miss the Rapture.

    That said, here is the critical point you need to understand that as a Christian, you cannot love both Jesus and the world. You cannot have your feet on both sides of the fence simultaneously. God is very clear in the Bible that he is a jealous God and someone trying to live in both worlds will fail. Read this verse below:

    They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.  1 John 2:19

    The second point to understand is that this world is NOT neutral and if you think it is, you are very mistaken. I can take this statement a step further and say that if the world feels like home to you then maybe Heaven won’t. This world has no intention of helping you be a better Christian. Read this verse:

    You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  James 4:4

    Simply put, rebellion against God are people with hearts that are married to the world. MacArthur said it this way, “Christians who have hearts that are captured by the temporary and not longing for the eternal”. 

    The third major point for you to recognize is God is coming back for a people who have separated themselves from this world.  What does that mean for you and me? As the scripture says below, making every effort to be holy. You can never be perfect, but you can live your life trying. Read this verse:

    Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

    MacArthur says, “Holiness is a requirement and not optional”.

    Finally, and really one of the most important points I can make today is that without repentance, there is no salvation. I understand that is a tough, hard statement to hear but that is the truth. That is a significant part of the point above about working to be holy. Read this below:

    In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  Acts 17:30 

    It is important to recognize that God is not fooled by appearances. You can’t fake God into thinking you are someone different than you really are. God knows your heart so we are back to the statement I made before, that you can’t keep sinning and keep Christ too. That is not a suggestion.

    I will close with this statement from John MacArthur when he said, “Christ finds lukewarm christians nauseating”. If you are not pursuing God, you are running from Him. Plain and Simple. You may make an excuse, but that is a fact.

    Guys I firmly believe you can do this. It will take your attention away from other stuff in your life but frankly, that is the point. Read this verse below:

    For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age

    Titus 2:11-12

    I know this was a heavier topic but I can’t stress enough its importance and I have to ask this question one more time. 

    Does Jesus know you?

    Until next time guys-

    Tribute to John MacArthur – 1935-2025

    Posted: July 20, 2025 in Inspirational
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    Many of you may have heard the very sad news this past week about the passing of John MacArthur, the Teacher-Pastor at Grace Bible Church near Thousand Oaks, California. He had been there for over 56 years. He became even more renowned during the awful Covid season when he stood firm against the State of California and Governor Gavin Newsom and refused to shut down his church. 

    He literally defied what the State of California told him, deferring only to God, and in the end, Grace Bible Church won and held services throughout that difficult time.

    It is very possible that you may never have heard of this man until the news broke this week of his passing, but I assure you that if you have read this blog before, then you are familiar with him because his influence is all over my IronManStrength blog and will continue to be. I have read 15 of his books and many of them twice and I found they are even better the second time. 

    One of my regrets is I never got to see him preach in person, but thanks to YouTube, his sermons live on. 

    I am the guy who likes to listen to him preach via his podcasts while I walk the miles I walk and in my opinion, his ability to speak biblical truth is exactly what this world needed and continues to need. His series of books titled:

    The Gospel according to God,

    The Gospel according to Jesus

    The Gospel according to The Apostles,

    The Gospel according to Paul,

    …are extremely relevant and written in a way whereby he explains the theology of the good news of the gospel in an easy to understand manner. 

    I learned this week through the media that he was a teacher that used the Bible to prove the Bible. He didn’t unnecesarily use lots of stories or personal anecdotes to help justify or emphasize sermons. He just used what the Bible says and that was enough.

    Because of his influence on myself and this blog, I wanted to take just a few words and tell you that we lost a very important man in the Kingdom of God this week. In my opinion, he was the kind of man that doesn’t come along very often and from where I sit, I don’t see anyone now who can or will replace him. Why is this important? Because Satan knew John MacArthur as his enemy and one of his biggest adversaries on earth. John MacArthur reached millions of people throughout his lifetime using various media channels that broadcast his sermons. 

    Guys, we need someone right now that isn’t afraid to speak Gods truth to a world that doesn’t want anything to do with it. We need another adversary like him to continue battling with our collective enemy.

    John MacArthur said reading the Bible is like a lion, just open it up and let it out and it will do what its intended to do because Gods Word never returns void and will accomplish its purposes. 

    So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
    It shall not return to Me void,
    But it shall accomplish what I please,
    And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.     Isaiah 55:11

    Guys, more than ever, we need more men to stand up and be committed to the truth of the Word of God. My commitment to you and the readers of this blog is that I will continue to bring you the truths of Gods Word wherever I find them and that will always include the very best of Pastor MacArthur.

    We lost a great man of God this week and if you couldn’t tell, I am bummed.

    But I will I leave you with some of his quotes from his books and sermons along the way.

    Until next time guys-

    • We should not be entertained by the sins for which Christ died 
    • For some reason, we think of doubt and worry as “small” sins. But when a Christian displays unbelief…or an inability to cope with life, he is saying to the world, “My God cannot be trusted,” and that kind of disrespect makes one guilty of a fundamental error, the heinous sin of dishonoring God. That is no small sin.
    • The simplicity of the gospel gives what the complexity of human wisdom promises but never delivers.
    • There are basically only two kinds of religion in the world: those based on human achievement and those based on divine accomplishment. One says you can earn your way to heaven; the other says you must trust in Jesus Christ alone.
    • All sin results from failure to act in faith.
    • The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with Him, the more the Spirit will make you like Him. The more you are like Him, the better you will understand His utter sufficiency for all of life’s difficulties. And that is the only way to know real satisfaction.

    Why is it so Hard to Believe?

    Posted: July 13, 2025 in Tough Times
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    Much has been written and spoken about Abraham, the Old Testament patriarch—and far more than can be covered with a single blog post.

    Abraham is not only important to the Christian faith, but also to Muslims because he was the father of Ismael, who as mentioned in Genesis 16:12 below, was against everyone.

    This man will be like a wild donkey. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; he will live at odds with all his brothers.

    Interesting verse, isn’t it? But let’s get back to Abraham because he did something in his life that caused God to award him with status that I know all of us would give anything to have. God saw something very different in Abraham that gave Him confidence to know that He could begin the Jewish nation. 

    Abraham was clearly very special in God’s eyes and that has always struck me…what made him different? What did he do that would cause the Creator to think in his mind, “that is my guy”? “He is the one I am going to work with”.

    When you read about Abraham you can tell right away that he is a man of action. He was a complete doer when the situation called for it. He wrestled with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He rescued his nephew Lot and his family when they were captured. 

    But what I found most intriguing about Abraham was that his “believing,” not his “doing,” is what moved God. This is the central verse of this post is exactly why I wrote it.

    Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:12

    Think about that verse for a moment…for the very first time in the Bible, we see faith and righteousness mentioned together. Why is this important? Because of this statement:

    By Abraham simply believing in God, God gave him a right standing or a “different” standing with Him.

    God performed a transaction: Abraham’s belief = right standing with God

    Abraham’s heart was turned toward God in an enduring trust, obedience, and submissive relationship. Because of that rock-solid belief, that changed his status with the Creator of this universe. 

    Abraham didn’t conquer the greatest army in the world or climb the highest mountain. All he did was believe, and that belief caused his position with God…to be BETTER.

    In nearly every post I’ve shared on IronManStrength, I’ve highlighted the challenges of navigating this world as a Christian man. This isn’t meant to discourage you, but rather to inspire you as we are on this incredible journey together.

    What’s truly encouraging about Abraham’s story is his unwavering belief, even when faced with what his physical eyes told him was impossible. Imagine: God promised him offspring as numerous as the stars, starting with his own son. And yet, Abraham was over 100, and his wife a ripe 95, when God made this statement and yet he still believed.

    Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”  He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then the Lord said to him, “So shall your offspring be. Genesis 15: 4-5

    Guys, hear me out for a second…how does this really apply to you and me? How does the story of some old guy who lived over 2,000 years ago make a difference to any of us right now? 

    • Abraham had problems – we have problems
    • Abraham had struggles – we have struggles
    • Abraham had family issues – all of us have family issues
    • God spoke to Abraham – God can speak to us

    The HUGE difference:

    ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD

    It all boils down to genuine belief, not just lip service—a true conviction inside of you that God is capable of fulfilling His promises.

    When you believe God in your core that He can be trusted…your relationship with Him changes. When you are obedient and submissive toward God and not allow that arrogance inside all of us to show through…things will change.

    I encourage you to take your own belief to the next level by trusting God.

    Establish a “right standing” with Him…Do you Believe?

    Until next time guys…

    Pharoahs Hard Heart

    Posted: July 6, 2025 in Knowledge
    Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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    Do you remember the famous biblical story in Exodus where the children of Israel, having been enslaved  in Egypt for over 400 years, then left in search of the promised land? Moses, one of the most famous figures in biblical history, was raised up by God to lead them out of not only Egypt, but into the desert where they instead experienced 40 years of their bad choices. But, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Before they could leave Egypt they had to get through Pharaoh…and he had his mind made up.

    What we learn as Moses and God discussed how this exodus would happen is that God specifically told them that He would harden Pharaohs heart…to start. What in the heck? Why would He do that? If God really wanted Pharaoh to release His people, then why would He harden his heart and make that process more difficult to happen? Read this below:

    Then the Lord said to Moses, See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your Prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt with mighty acts of judgment, I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. Exodus 7:1-5

    As previously mentioned, why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart when it made more sense for it to be flexible, or at least easier for Moses to negotiate with him. This fact has always perplexed me. But as I looked further into it, I have come to realize that, as the Bible states clearly, when you or I make it clear over the course of our lives that we do not intend to serve God or repent, God will give us up to our own sinful desires. In other words, if we make the choice to choose the sin of unbelief, then He will let us/you ultimately have your way.

    So let’s take that information and apply it to Pharaoh here… 

    God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as a punishment because his heart was already hard and opposed to God. In adding to the hardness of Pharaohs heart, God was also acting on a divine principle that applies to all the unrepentant. 

    As I said before, when a person persists in rebellion against God and His word, God will ordain that (he or she) heart be hardened (yours or mine). 

    Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. Romans 9:18 – NIV

    Simply put, this is God giving people up to their sinful desires and sending a delusion on those who refuse to love the truth of His word. As an example, you will notice that the judgments of the early plagues (in the Exodus story), softened Pharaohs heart just a little, however, when God removed each plague, his heart was hardened again. 

    In other words, Pharaoh hardened his own heart whenever God showed mercy.

    Like I said, Pharoahs mind was made up.

    Guys, this is an incredible story but an even better lesson for all of us. 

    The bottom line for you and me; God intends to show mercy to those who repent and believe In Jesus as their Lord and Savior while at the same time, hardening the hearts of those who refuse to repent and choose to continue in their sin and thereby rejecting the salvation in Christ. 

    I know, that is a lot to unpack but you can do it. For you and me, we need to make good choices, stay focused on Gods word, and most of all,  remember to repent.

    Until next time Guys-

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