Manup Moment - Jay Cookingham

This push me, pull me, tugging sensation is the tension of following Christ, abandoning my selfish desires and pursuing His and His alone. It’s the leading of the Holy Spirit, placing us, positing us and aligning our will with the Father’s. What we see…or don’t see is not as important as what we know.

To understand hope is to capture a vision of how God sees life. Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 I do believe that hope is oxygen for our souls… it breathes life into the empty part of our souls. Hope makes you believe redemption is possible.

Will we choose to see God as Father… will we only accept the lens of Jesus Christ to see Him through? Not our past, not our failures, not the way we were raised or the abuse we may have walked through…just the way Jesus shows us.

We have to make a stand…let’s go 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.” This verse is saying Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it everything got, be powerful, and love without stopping

One of the greatest mistakes I made in the early days of this journey with God was projecting the image of my dad (and the way he treated me) onto that of Father God.

God showed me what loves was and kept me from committing suicide.

My heart needs something beyond expectations… even great expectations… it needs hope in Father God.

At the very point of attack, our Father has made it possible to defeat the enemy…we have no reason to fear!

In a culture abounding with many religions and spiritual paths, Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles declared plainly that Jesus was the way to God.

“But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.” - Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

Are you geared up to love your wife as Christ loved the church like it says in Eph. 5:25? Are you ready to shift into overdrive to love her as she NEEDS to be loved?

When I applied for a marriage license 32 years ago, all I had to do was pay a fee! There was no test, no training course, no Marriage Ed in school, just slap down some money and you’re all set! So, even though I lacked many of the basic skills on how to make a marriage work, they issued the license anyways! Thankfully Father God is so committed to the covenant of Marriage that He has helped me develop a healthy and strong one.

Listen to this verse in Romans 12:2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. This verse describes the difference maker between being a copy cat or thinking like a man after God’s own heart. So how do we get a mind makeover?

A lot of men struggle in this area, but I believe that every man is all ready equipped to lead their family. It’s supposed to be part of our everyday life, not just limited to weekly family devotions.

In the middle of a dark chapter in my life Father God spoke hope and promise. Sure I endured abuse, pain and neglect but they did not author my story. God did, through His son Jesus

This is the journey offered, to follow Christ and be changed men, the choice is always ours. Not merely trying to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled but allowing the retooling that fuels the transformation that releases that fruit in our lives.

Cultivating a life that mirrors the Fathers love requires the Holy Spirit to work on us from the inside out

This is the lifestyle of sons… men who give their heart to the Father. They are motivated by relationship not by reward. They will follow the Father to the ends of the earth and help others on the way.

In 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 we receive no-nonsense instructions… “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

I don't believe that the days are getting darker.. I believe they are getting lighter. As the light increases, dark things are revealed, exposed and discovered. It may be unsettling and scary to see such evil raw and out in the open but it's a good thing.