Take the Land

“Day 1

Take the Land

The Book of Psalms reveals the fullness of the rule entrusted to humankind:

The heavens are the LORD’s,

but the earth He has given to the human race.

Psalm 115:16

We were created to manage this third rock from the sun, for good or for bad. It has been given to the sons of men. But just because something is given doesn’t mean it is taken. Even though God has provided you with everything you need to maximize your life and everyone else’s within your sphere of influence, He won’t make you do it. He will equip you, but He won’t force you. Every man must take responsibility and initiative.

At the same time, God’s Word clearly tells us:”

“Wait for the LORD;

be strong and courageous.

Wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

Waiting for the Lord doesn’t mean to sit down and do nothing. If you’re waiting on the Lord for a job, you don’t sit at home all day looking at the phone. If that’s all you do, you’ll be waiting for a very long time. That’s passive waiting.

God wants active waiting. You ask the Lord for a job, and you believe, in His time, He will provide that job. Because you believe, you get up, get dressed, and go out and look for what you believe God has provided for you. By being active in your waiting, you exercise faith. You believe so strongly that God’s going to do what He said He would do that you actively look to find just how His provision is going to come.

Read Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:26.”

“Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?

How do birds demonstrate how to actively wait on God?

A bird doesn’t create or provide its own food, but it still has to do something to get the food that’s been provided for it. A bird can’t just sit on a branch with its beak wide open, waiting for God to drop in a worm from heaven. Instead, the bird needs to look for a worm, a bug, or a seed that God has provided.

Describe in your own words the difference between active and passive waiting.

What are you waiting on from God?

Is your waiting active or passive?

It’s one thing to acknowledge intellectually that effectively leading your home, church, and community is God’s will. It’s another thing to believe it so strongly that you actually begin to walk in God’s will as a kingdom man.

“If you’re just waiting for your wife, kids, church, or friends to align themselves under the rule of Christ, you’re going to be waiting a long time. You’ll be like a starving bird sitting on a limb, looking up to heaven, and wondering when the worms are going to drop. This kind of faith is no faith at all. James 2:17 says, “Faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.” If you believe God’s destiny for you is to be a kingdom man, start acting like a kingdom man.

You can do that by starting to take what God has already given you. A kingdom man moves according to what God’s instructed him to do, thus ruling his world rather than allowing everything and everyone else to rule him. Be a man of movement.

A kingdom man moves according to what God’s instructed him to do, thus ruling his world rather than allowing everything and everyone else to rule him.

Read Joshua 1:1-9. What phrase did God repeat to Joshua over and over?

Why do you think God chose to emphasize that phrase?

What types of emotions might Joshua have felt?”

“Joshua 1 records a pivotal time in the history of Israel. In this passage the nation, after 40 years of wandering in the desert, had finally come to the border of the land God had promised to Abraham centuries before. They were on the edge of their destiny, poised to cross over the Jordan River.

Imagine the sense of excitement around the camp. The land their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents had longed for was within sight. The tents must have teemed with excitement about what was before them. But perhaps not everyone was excited.

Moses had led the people out of Egypt and through four decades of desert life. But now he was dead, and an untested leader named Joshua was taking over. His first assignment was to lead the people to their destiny, to claim what God had promised them. I’m sure Joshua was nervous, especially since the impenetrable fortress city of Jericho waited on the other side of the river.

Maybe that’s why God reminded Joshua again and again to be strong and courageous.

What task might God be reminding you to be strong and courageous for today?”

“What are the immediate challenges waiting for you if you decide to be a kingdom man?

If you have the same feeling as Joshua—that the task is too big for you and the responsibility is too great—then you might find Joshua 1:3 particularly comforting. God told Joshua, “I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses.”

That’s right. The outcome isn’t in doubt. God has already given you the land. He’s already prepared the way for you to be a kingdom man. This is what He wants for your life. Your job is to be strong and courageous and cross the river.

Thank God for having already secured the victory for the battles you will face as a kingdom man. Pray for strength and courage to take possession of the land He has promised you.”

Excerpt From

Kingdom Man (Member Book)

Tony Evans

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kingdom-man-member-book/id1041134779?mt=11

This material may be protected by copyright.

Claiming your Territory

“CLAIMING YOUR

TERRITORY

The church I pastor has a motion-detector lighting system, which automatically turns off the lights in a room if no one is present for a certain number of minutes. When someone walks into the vicinity of the motion detector, the lights come back on.

In many ways the motion-detector lighting system pictures a kingdom man’s practice of his right to rule. The electric company has supplied all of the electricity needed to fully power every light in our buildings, but that power doesn’t come on until motion is detected. No motion, no lights.

Similarly, God has provided each man everything he needs to exercise his authority. But just as with the motion-detector system, motion is required to witness the power that’s available.

For a kingdom man, the question isn’t one of power or authority. It’s one of motion.

It’s time to start claiming the territory God has granted you.”

“Group Experience

Get Started

1. Share one insight you gained as you completed week 2.

2. Why does the Enemy want you to forget that God has created you with glory, honor, and dominion?

3. Describe the dominion God has entrusted you to lead. How, as a kingdom man, are you meant to exercise authority over it?

4. What is a kingdom man’s family supposed to feel when he is rightly exercising his authority?

Man Up

Watch DVD session 3 as you complete the viewer guide below.

God has decided to do most of what He does based on the ___________________ we make.”

“God now must stand with you and for you and in support of you because you are ___________________ with Him.

Every man has a divine ___________________.

God will only deliver that destiny when you’re ready to ___________________ it.

There’s no man who has reached his destiny without going through the ___________________.

Everything you need for where God is taking you, you ___________________ have.

God will ___________________ it, but you have to ___________________ it.

When you’re a kingdom man, there is an ___________________ to claim because there’s a ___________________ to fulfill.

Four Principles to Taking Your Destiny

1. Leave ___________________ behind.

Yesterday will ___________________ you, whether it’s good, bad, or ugly.

2. Seize your ___________________.

God is waiting on us to ___________________ our movements toward Him under His rule so He can take us to what He has set up for us.”

“God responds to ___________________.

God is looking for movement. That movement is called ___________________.

3. Focus on ___________________, not people.

4. Stay tied to God’s ___________________.

Kingdom men first ask, “What does ___________________ say about this matter?”

Discuss the DVD teaching with your group, using the questions below.

1. What kind of yesterday do you need to leave behind—good, bad, or ugly?

2. Why do you think God responds to motion rather than just words?

3. Do you struggle with focusing on God and not people? Which people in particular draw your focus away from God?

4. What practices do you need to introduce into your life to stay tied to God’s Word?

5. What is one specific way the other men in your group can pray for you this week?

Close with prayer.”

“Hit the Streets

Scripture Memory

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. Ephesians 1:3

→ Consider what experiences in your past are holding you back—good, bad, or ugly. Write them on a piece of paper; then bury them as a symbol of leaving them behind.

→ To stay tied to God’s Word, find a daily-Bible-reading plan online or at a Christian bookstore. Make room for a daily devotion in your schedule.

Read week 3 and complete the activities before the next group experience.”

Excerpt From

Kingdom Man (Member Book)

Tony Evans

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kingdom-man-member-book/id1041134779?mt=11

This material may be protected by copyright.

Reclaiming Manhood

“Reclaiming Manhood

The path to a better world starts with one kingdom man. I know what you’re thinking: The world is a big place. That’s true. But consider the potential influence of a single kingdom man. A kingdom man has the power to change his home, which changes his family. That family can initiate change in a church, which in turn can influence an entire community. That community can influence a state, which can then begin to impact the nation. All of this transformation can begin with one man who has fully aligned himself under the comprehensive rule of Jesus Christ.

Highlight the biggest obstacles to submitting your life to Christ’s rule.

Personal habits

Family struggles

Difficult relationships

Lack of education

Limited influence

Financial challenges

Spiritual immaturity

“Misplaced priorities

Other:

Now think about the way God would respond to the obstacles you identified. Record one sentence that expresses what you think He might say.

Maybe you think your wife would never follow your leadership. Or your children would never respect your authority. Or you don’t have enough influence in your community to make a real difference. I imagine the Israelites might also have had some objections when they heard what God had commanded them to do.

Read Exodus 34:23-24.”

“Three times a year all your males are to appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel. For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory. No one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.

What practical objections might these men have raised when God told them that they had to leave their jobs, homes, and families three times a year?

Exodus 34 outlines the Israelites’ covenant obligations to God. The chapter is full of commands about how to operate inside the land God would give to the people, and it describes the cyclical life Israel would lead. God instituted specific times each year, corresponding with the harvest, for the people of Israel to celebrate their heritage and to remember God’s great works in their past.

When the people celebrated these festivals, they would not only remember the past but would also be encouraged about the future. These regular occurrences served as reminders of God’s past, present, and future power and faithfulness.”

“If I were a farmer who lived off the land in a time when foreign powers threatened to invade and loot, I would probably be a little hesitant to leave my family and home to go to a meeting three times a year. I could easily justify skipping those times. I have to take care of things at home. I have to protect my family. I have to make sure everything keeps running properly. In fact, I might even argue that by requiring me to leave home, God was asking me to do something contrary to what it means to be a kingdom man.

How does Exodus 34:24 answer objections like these?

“I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory. No one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.

Why would attending these meetings require faith on the part of the men of Israel?

God was saying to the men of Israel, “I got your back.” Worried about your income? Don’t worry. I got your back. Concerned about your family? I got your back. Thinking about the future? I got your back. When a man commits himself first and foremost to living under the rule of Jesus Christ, you can rest assured that God will take care of the rest.

When a man commits himself first and foremost to living under the rule of Jesus Christ, you can rest assured that God will take care of the rest.

If you’re serious about being a kingdom man, all kinds of obstacles will stand in your way. Some of them might be practical. You might have to make difficult decisions about finances, time, and career. Others might be spiritual. You might have to make tough choices about your personal habits, your goals in life, and your approach to faith.”

“Being a kingdom man is hard that way. But God’s got your back. Do you really think the Lord God is intimidated by any of these obstacles? If He can take care of invading armies, I’m pretty sure He can provide for you.

The only question is whether you’re ready to take hold of your destiny and become the man you were created to be.

Present to God your biggest obstacles to becoming a kingdom man. Submit to His rule and profess your confidence in Him to bring the rest of your world in line with His lordship. Ask Him the first step He wants you to take in becoming a kingdom man.”

Excerpt From

Kingdom Man (Member Book)

Tony Evans

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kingdom-man-member-book/id1041134779?mt=11

This material may be protected by copyright.

Adam Where you at?

“Adam, Where You At?

It was a simple enough assignment: “Here’s your garden. Work here to cultivate it. Take care of it and protect it.” Pretty simple. But in Genesis 3 everything went haywire.

Read Genesis 3:1-7. Who was tempted in these verses?

Now read Genesis 3:8-9. Whom did the Lord look for in the garden?

If Eve initially ate the fruit, why did God look for Adam?

It’s true that Eve ate the fruit. But curiously, when God came looking for the responsible party, it was Adam he called out to instead of his wife. Evidently, Adam was ultimately responsible. We read in the text, “The LORD God called out to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ ” (3:9). Notice that by using the name LORD God, the writer reasserted God’s authority that Satan had tried to subvert. But also notice that God didn’t call out, “Adam? Eve? Where are y’all?”

Even though Eve sinned first, the question was posed to Adam because he was the one responsible. Adam was accountable as God’s assigned representative to carry out His agenda in the garden.

“Instead of cultivating and protecting, Adam was the first man to exhibit a persistent problem that plagues the men of our day: silence. Up until this point Adam had been doing a lot of talking. He had been naming birds, cows, and fish. But when the snake showed up, Adam had nothing to say.

Now I know what you’re thinking: He wasn’t there! What was he supposed to do, watch his wife day and night?

You sure about that?

Read again Genesis 3:6. Where was Adam when Eve was facing temptation?

The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

“Does that verse change your view of who was responsible for the first sin? How?

Despite the pictures you might have seen in a children’s Bible, Eve wasn’t alone and vulnerable. Her husband was standing right beside her. The whole time the snake was rapping, Adam was there—silent. Even when Eve turned to him and effectively deposed him as the leader of their home, Adam didn’t say a thing. He just ate.

The disease of silence still afflicts men today. Who is speaking about the discipline of children in the home? Women. Who are the vocal leaders volunteering for leadership in the church? Women. Who is willing to take a stand against immorality in their families? Women. There are exceptions, but too many men operate just like Adam. When it’s time to take a stand, they simply have nothing to say.

Do you feel tempted to remain silent when critical issues arise? Why or why not?

What does a man’s silence say about his view of his role in the world?

“First Adam was silent. Then he hid. In both cases Adam refused to embrace his God-given identity to rule well. Abdicating his authority, he became a follower instead of a leader. Then, when the responsibility finally caught up with him, he resorted to blaming his helpmate.

Read Adam’s response to God’s inquiry in Genesis 3:12.

The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.

What are some ways men today try to shift blame to others?

The problem keeping many men in our culture today from being kingdom men is that they have relinquished their God-given right to rule, either through silence or blame. Instead of loving the fact that they are men and therefore are responsible by nature, they flee from their responsibility. And they always seem to find a reason not to own up to what it means to be a man. As a result, men have given up their opportunity to approach the Christian life as a challenge to conquer and rule well.”

“The problem keeping many men in our culture today from being kingdom men is that they have relinquished their God-given right to rule.

Ask God to show you any areas of your life in which you are not taking responsibility. Record them in your notes.

Can I share the truth with you, friend? You’re a man. As a man, you’re responsible. You’re to take the full responsibility to rule, under God’s authority, for the blessing and benefit of everyone within the domain of your influence. You were created for this. It’s time to reclaim your destiny.

Confess the areas you identified in which you have not taken responsibility. Ask God to forgive you and to give you boldness and wisdom to rule responsibly under His kingship.”

Excerpt From

Kingdom Man (Member Book)

Tony Evans

The First Man

“The First Man

It was all good. Everything. Without exception. In five days God created a spectacular earth with all of the features and amenities needed to live life to its fullest. On the sixth day God spoke forth His crowning achievement: man.

Read Genesis 1:26-28 and record God’s actions.

“God ” (v. 26).

“God ” (v. 27).

“God ” (v. 28).”

“God said it, God created it, and God blessed it. But specifically, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule … ” (v. 26). This verse communicates two key ideas. First there is the image of God.

What do you think it means to be made in the image of God?

How does being made in God’s image influence the way you view your life and purpose on earth?

The plurality of “Let Us” and “Our image” refers to God’s trinitarian nature. That is, God exists in three Persons from all eternity and to all eternity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To be made in His image is to be a reflection of Him. Just as an automobile built in an assembly plant reflects the nature, purpose, and intention of its creator, humankind has been designed to reflect our Creator. That leads us to the second key element in this passage: man was created to rule.”

“Does God’s command for man to rule mean that God no longer rules? How do God’s rule and man’s rule relate to each other?

When God created man in his image, He delegated to him the responsibility to care for and manage His creation. Up until that time God did all the work. He separated the water from the land, formed the light, grew the plants, created the sun and the moon, placed the stars in the sky, and made the animals. But on the sixth day, when God created man, He turned over the stewardship of the earth to the hands of men.

What is the difference between stewardship and ownership?

Why is that an important distinction?”

“Let’s be clear. God has not turned over absolute ownership of the earth to men. But He has assigned to us the managerial responsibility for ruling it. God endowed men with the opportunity and responsibility to manage what He had made.

Read Genesis 2:15.

The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.

Why did God place Adam in the garden?

What implications does this verse have for the men God places in particular situations today?”

“Adam was placed in the garden to work it and watch over it. These two actions still hold true for the identity of men today. Despite the fact that you might moan every time the alarm clock goes off, going to work is not a bad thing. In fact, work is from God. It’s part of your identity and responsibility as a man.

For Adam, working the land meant making it productive—developing its potential. From the productivity of the land, Adam would have what he needed to provide for those within his care. For men today, working the land means providing for those under our care. We also cultivate them, making sure they live up to all God has made them to be.

Adam was also to watch over the land. The Hebrew word used here means guard or have charge of. Every man is given a certain area—his garden—to care for and protect from threat. As with Adam, God’s purpose is for each man to be responsible to cultivate and watch over what’s within his care.”

“What is your “garden”—the area you are responsible to care for and protect?

What are you doing to cultivate that garden?

What are you doing to watch over it?

Which of these functions do you sense that you need help with? Why?

Pray about the things and people God has put under your care. As you think about that responsibility, ask God for grace, courage, strength, and wisdom to cultivate and watch over what He has entrusted to you.”

Excerpt From

Kingdom Man (Member Book)

Tony Evans

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kingdom-man-member-book/id1041134779?mt=11

This material may be protected by copyright.

A Kingdom Man

“A Kingdom Man

Listen with me for a second. Can you hear the cry for a kingdom man?

It’s in the heartbeat of every child who has been born or raised without a father. It’s in every woman’s dream that has been dashed by an irresponsible or neglectful man. It’s coming from the homes, schools, neighborhood, states, and nations that have been shattered by the absence of kingdom men.

As a kingdom man, you have been commissioned by heaven to rule on earth. You represent the King. As His representative, there is much more to you than you may have even realized.

Read Jesus’ words in Mark 1:15.”

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!

Define kingdom of God in your own words.

The Greek word used for kingdom in the New Testament is basileia, which means authority and rule. The kingdom of God is the authoritative execution of His comprehensive rule in all creation. God’s kingdom transcends time, space, politics, denominations, cultures, and all realms of society. The primary component on which any kingdom rests is the authority of the ruler. Without that there is anarchy. Chaos. A mess.”

“Read Genesis 2:15-25 in your Bible. Record the name of God that is used in these verses exactly as it appears in the text.

Now read Genesis 3:1. When Satan referred to God, what name did he use?

Genesis 2 contains several references to God, particularly in recording the way God related to Adam. For each one God is referred to as LORD God. Anytime you read the word LORD in all caps like that, it denotes the name God used for Himself: Yahweh. Yahweh, which literally means Master and absolute Ruler, is the name God used to reveal Himself to humankind.”

“But in Genesis 3 Satan used a different name for God. In verse 1 Satan asked Eve a seemingly innocuous question: “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” Notice that Satan didn’t refer to God as the LORD God; instead, he stripped off the name LORD. Satan sought to remove God’s titles of Master and absolute Ruler.

Why do you think Satan chose this particular way to refer to God?”

“How did that usage reveal Satan’s plans and purposes?

It might not seem important at first glance, but Satan revealed his true character in the way he referred to God. By twisting God’s name in a subtle but significant way, Satan sought to reduce God’s rule over humankind. Satan kept the appearance of religion while eliminating divine authority. He’s still doing the same thing today.

In what ways does the world deny God’s absolute rule today?

How do believers and churches undermine God’s rule?”

“How do believers and churches undermine God’s rule?

Ever since Satan issued his challenge in the garden, there has been a continual battle over who will rule humanity.

Ever since Satan issued his challenge in the garden, there has been a continual battle over who will rule humanity. When men make decisions based on their own thoughts, beliefs, or values rather than on God’s Word, they choose to rule themselves. They call the King God without recognizing His authority. Essentially, men become like Satan. Although they recognize the Creator’s existence, they seek to dethrone Him.”

“Take a look at your life. Highlight any area in which you acknowledge God’s existence without submitting to His authority.

Family

Social relationships

Career

Church or ministry

Personal ethics

Other:

Community involvement

Recreation and entertainment

Hobbies”

“If we want to be kingdom men, we must fight hard against the tendency to dethrone our King. We’ve got to buck the trend of living under our own authority. A kingdom man is a male who places himself under the rule of God and lives His life in submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Instead of following his own way, a kingdom man seeks to know God’s will and to carry out God’s kingdom agenda on earth. When a kingdom man functions according to the principles and precepts of the kingdom, there will be order and provision. When he doesn’t, he opens himself and those around him to chaos.”

“Pray through the definition of a kingdom man in the previous paragraph. Submit to your King any areas of your life you identified that are not under His authority.”

Excerpt From

Kingdom Man (Member Book)

Tony Evans

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kingdom-man-member-book/id1041134779?mt=11

This material may be protected by copyright.

Milk Carton Men

“Milk-Carton Men

I was walking through the various security checkpoints in a local prison where I was due to speak to a group of inmates. The scene was what I expected to see: guards, bars, weapons, and fences. But what struck me most on this particular day was the fact that each man confined behind these walls, at one point in his history, had been under the care of a man whose job it had been to lead.

Yet most of them had not only lacked a man to protect and guide them but had also suffered under the negative impact of men. In fact, roughly 70 percent of all prisoners come from fatherless homes. Approximately 80 percent of all rapists come from fatherless homes.

“Are these statistics surprising? Why or why not?

Outside the prisons the numbers are just as alarming. Fatherless homes produce 71 percent of all high-school dropouts and 63 percent of all teen suicides.2 But a man doesn’t have to physically leave to create a void in the home.

How might a father be physically present and yet still create a void in his home?

What might be some of the effects on the children?”

“In suburbia many fathers are missing in action through divorce, neglect, overindulging children in an effort to replace real parenting, putting their careers first, or loving the golf course more than their kids. Virtually every adult social pathology has been linked to either fatherless homes or homes with an absent, abusive, and neglectful man.

If those statistics fail to move you, let me see if I can punch you in the wallet. On average, taxpayers spend more than $8 billion annually on high-school dropouts for public-assistance programs like food stamps. High-school dropouts also earn an average of $260,000 less in their lifetimes than graduates, reducing our nation’s earned taxable income by more than $300 billion annually. Teen pregnancies cost American taxpayers an average of $10 billion annually in public assistance, lost revenue, and health-care costs. Our prison population has increased 708 percent since 1972 to the highest per capita rate in the world. We now spend 1 of every 15 federal dollars on prisons. Are you starting to get it? Men—real kingdom men—are on the sides of milk cartons. They’re missing, and we’re all paying the price.

“Are you starting to get it? Men—real kingdom men—are on the sides of milk cartons. They’re missing, and we’re all paying the price.

Read Ezekiel 22:30.

I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.

What was God looking for?”

“Kingdom men have been slowly disappearing for a long, long time. In the Book of Ezekiel we read that God released His judgment on a culture that was devoid of strong male leadership. Because no one would stand up and obey, He allowed the people of Judah to go their own way and choose their own idols. No man stood up before the people to lead them in the ways of God, and eventually God brought destruction to the nation.

If the almighty, omniscient God can’t find a man to stand in the gap for an entire nation, then real men must be hard to come by. Oh, I’m sure there were plenty of males around. But kingdom men? Not so many of those. What about now?

If God made a thorough search for kingdom men around our nation and world today, would He still come up empty? In what ways would God want men to stand in the gap today?”

“Pray today that your heart will be open to conforming to God’s definition of a kingdom man as you continue in this study. Express your desire to be the man He has made you to be.”

Excerpt From

Kingdom Man (Member Book)

Tony Evans

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kingdom-man-member-book/id1041134779?mt=11

This material may be protected by copyright.