No one likes to lose. We don’t like losing games, our hair, or our marbles. But most of us have lived long enough to understand the phrase “You win some and you lose some.” One of the most frustrating things about losing is giving all that we have, but still losing. Sometimes we lose because we did not try hard enough, but when we have given our all, but still come up short, we find it hard to take. Losing is unfortunately a part of life. Sometimes we fight losing battles. Despite our best effort, the challenge before us is too great. That is often true in the world and worldly problems, but the bible tells us that the battle is already won. God had done so much for Israel: escape from Egypt, passage through the Red Sea, and safe passage to the promised land. Yet even with all this in their memory, the came to a place where the doubted. We are often the same. We know what God says, but we also know what the Doctor says. In our text, God told them to go and possess the land. The decided to send spies into the land to see what they were facing. Sounds like a rational plan, but it was not what God had told them to do. It is easy to look at this story and ask “what were they thinking?” The reality is we do the same thing. We have promises from God in our lives, but we still try to handle things on our own. The spies went on their journey and came back with stories of a land of plenty and more than they could have imagined. But the bible says that they began to murmur in their tents about the challenge before them. The spoke harshly of God’s plan and how it would not work. Before long, they caused dissention and division among the people. Moses tried to encourage the people, but they would not listen to him. God then tells them that He is not with them and turned them away from the Promised Land. THEN they wanted to fight. That was not even what God told them to do. He said to posses the land, not to fight. But they were still taking matters into their hands. God told them not to go, but they went anyway and were destroyed. This familiar story contains the answer to winning a losing battle: Don’t fight it. God said to posses it. God had already given it to them, all they had to do was claim it. God does not need our help or advice. A God that can bring plagues on Egypt, that can split the Red Sea, and can provide cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night does not need our help in His plan to deliver on His promises. When we fight a losing battle we will exhaust ourselves for no benefit. God has given us the victory, so why do we continue to fight? The best way to win a losing battle, is to stay out of it.

No one likes to lose. We don’t like losing games, our hair, or our marbles. But most of us have lived long enough to understand the phrase “You win some and you lose some.” One of the most frustrating things about losing is giving all that we have, but still losing. Sometimes we lose because we did not try hard enough, but when we have given our all, but still come up short, we find it hard to take. Losing is unfortunately a part of life. Sometimes we fight losing battles. Despite our best effort, the challenge before us is too great. That is often true in the world and worldly problems, but the bible tells us that the battle is already won. God had done so much for Israel: escape from Egypt, passage through the Red Sea, and safe passage to the promised land. Yet even with all this in their memory, the came to a place where the doubted. We are often the same. We know what God says, but we also know what the Doctor says. In our text, God told them to go and possess the land. The decided to send spies into the land to see what they were facing. Sounds like a rational plan, but it was not what God had told them to do. It is easy to look at this story and ask “what were they thinking?” The reality is we do the same thing. We have promises from God in our lives, but we still try to handle things on our own. The spies went on their journey and came back with stories of a land of plenty and more than they could have imagined. But the bible says that they began to murmur in their tents about the challenge before them. The spoke harshly of God’s plan and how it would not work. Before long, they caused dissention and division among the people. Moses tried to encourage the people, but they would not listen to him. God then tells them that He is not with them and turned them away from the Promised Land. THEN they wanted to fight. That was not even what God told them to do. He said to posses the land, not to fight. But they were still taking matters into their hands. God told them not to go, but they went anyway and were destroyed. This familiar story contains the answer to winning a losing battle: Don’t fight it. God said to posses it. God had already given it to them, all they had to do was claim it. God does not need our help or advice. A God that can bring plagues on Egypt, that can split the Red Sea, and can provide cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night does not need our help in His plan to deliver on His promises. When we fight a losing battle we will exhaust ourselves for no benefit. God has given us the victory, so why do we continue to fight? The best way to win a losing battle, is to stay out of it.

In the game of Monopoly, there is a Get out of Jail Free card. That phrase has become part of our cultural lexicon. It is something that will get us out of a difficult circumstance. A jail is designed to limit freedom and to control the person who is in jail. None of us want to be in a place where those restrictions and limitations are placed on us. There are prisons that are not physical. There are circumstances and issues in life that lock us away just as if we were in a physical prison. Out text says Paul and Silas were in the inner prison. Many people live in an inner prison of fear, anxiety, or stress. Some people are bound by people; they worry more about what people might say about them than what God says about them. People get trapped in prisons of disappointment over something that may have happened many years ago. Another prison that many people fall into is their own failure. We are quick to forgive others of mistakes, but we do not extend that same grace to ourselves. The story that our text brings the answer to escaping these prisons. Paul and Silas did not deserve to be in the prison, but they found themselves there nonetheless. The way that they reacted while there resulted in them regaining their freedom. First, they began to pray. They were in the inner prison and bound with shackles, yet they prayed to God. When we find ourselves in a prison, we have to shift our focus to the right thing and concentrate on that. They may have been in a prison, but their focus and attention were on God. If we want to get out of our prison, we have to turn our focus to God. Secondly, Paul and Silas praised God. They were in a bad place, but they still praised God. The word praise in the original Greek text means celebrate. It is not easy to celebrate when we find ourselves in a prison, but that is just what Paul and Silas did. By singing they refused to acknowledge themselves as prisoners. What comes out of our mouth does more to change circumstances than anything. An attitude of praise, and attitude of gratitude toward God will break those chains and open those doors.

In the game of Monopoly, there is a Get out of Jail Free card. That phrase has become part of our cultural lexicon. It is something that will get us out of a difficult circumstance. A jail is designed to limit freedom and to control the person who is in jail. None of us want to be in a place where those restrictions and limitations are placed on us. There are prisons that are not physical. There are circumstances and issues in life that lock us away just as if we were in a physical prison. Out text says Paul and Silas were in the inner prison. Many people live in an inner prison of fear, anxiety, or stress. Some people are bound by people; they worry more about what people might say about them than what God says about them. People get trapped in prisons of disappointment over something that may have happened many years ago. Another prison that many people fall into is their own failure. We are quick to forgive others of mistakes, but we do not extend that same grace to ourselves. The story that our text brings the answer to escaping these prisons. Paul and Silas did not deserve to be in the prison, but they found themselves there nonetheless. The way that they reacted while there resulted in them regaining their freedom. First, they began to pray. They were in the inner prison and bound with shackles, yet they prayed to God. When we find ourselves in a prison, we have to shift our focus to the right thing and concentrate on that. They may have been in a prison, but their focus and attention were on God. If we want to get out of our prison, we have to turn our focus to God. Secondly, Paul and Silas praised God. They were in a bad place, but they still praised God. The word praise in the original Greek text means celebrate. It is not easy to celebrate when we find ourselves in a prison, but that is just what Paul and Silas did. By singing they refused to acknowledge themselves as prisoners. What comes out of our mouth does more to change circumstances than anything. An attitude of praise, and attitude of gratitude toward God will break those chains and open those doors.

It is increasingly difficult in today’s word to be a good man. In the eyes of many in our culture, manhood is in a tailspin. Technology that replaces labor, the feminist movement and other social trends has produced a steady decline of the view of true manhood. The media and our culture engage in a subtle undermining of reputation of men. Manhood is under attack. Being a true man in our world is a difficult job. It requires courage and determination, because being a true Godly man is to go against our culture. Men in our culture are searching for what it means to be a man because that definition has been blurred and changed by many years of assault by the enemy. As Godly men, we look to the bible for God’s definition of what it means to be a man. Our text contains four concepts that define what it means to be a man. First Paul said to watch. He means to be alert, awake and concerned about where we are at all times. There are many enemies who will come at us. Paul was reminding us to be ever vigilant to remain focused on the most important things in life. We must watch ourselves; our minds and what we allow to come into our mind. When secondary issues become more important than the primary issues, we are in trouble. Our walk with God is chief among these primary issues. We must watch over our house. We must watch what comes in and what we allow to go on in our house. We have to watch against the subtle things that creep in; the temptation that come daily. A true man is one that is watchful about what truly matters. Second Paul said that we must stand fast in the faith. To stand fast is a military term meaning to keep rank; to stay in step with the other soldiers. To be a true man, we have to learn how to keep in step and continue on in the face of adversity. Third Paul reminds us to act like men. It means be courageous in the face of battle. Do not flinch or turn away when facing the enemy. It speaks of a mature stability. God is calling for men who will hold on when it is easier to give up. FInally Paul encourages us to be strong. This is not physical strength, but spiritual strength. What makes a man strong is when he can look at temptation and say no and walk away from it. To become strong in spirit is to become strong in life. We have to be strong enough to close the door that will lead us down the path to where we do not need to be. True manhood is not defined by our culture. God defines true manhood and that has not changed. It take courage for men to be Godly men.

It is increasingly difficult in today’s word to be a good man. In the eyes of many in our culture, manhood is in a tailspin. Technology that replaces labor, the feminist movement and other social trends has produced a steady decline of the view of true manhood. The media and our culture engage in a subtle undermining of reputation of men. Manhood is under attack. Being a true man in our world is a difficult job. It requires courage and determination, because being a true Godly man is to go against our culture. Men in our culture are searching for what it means to be a man because that definition has been blurred and changed by many years of assault by the enemy. As Godly men, we look to the bible for God’s definition of what it means to be a man. Our text contains four concepts that define what it means to be a man. First Paul said to watch. He means to be alert, awake and concerned about where we are at all times. There are many enemies who will come at us. Paul was reminding us to be ever vigilant to remain focused on the most important things in life. We must watch ourselves; our minds and what we allow to come into our mind. When secondary issues become more important than the primary issues, we are in trouble. Our walk with God is chief among these primary issues. We must watch over our house. We must watch what comes in and what we allow to go on in our house. We have to watch against the subtle things that creep in; the temptation that come daily. A true man is one that is watchful about what truly matters. Second Paul said that we must stand fast in the faith. To stand fast is a military term meaning to keep rank; to stay in step with the other soldiers. To be a true man, we have to learn how to keep in step and continue on in the face of adversity. Third Paul reminds us to act like men. It means be courageous in the face of battle. Do not flinch or turn away when facing the enemy. It speaks of a mature stability. God is calling for men who will hold on when it is easier to give up. FInally Paul encourages us to be strong. This is not physical strength, but spiritual strength. What makes a man strong is when he can look at temptation and say no and walk away from it. To become strong in spirit is to become strong in life. We have to be strong enough to close the door that will lead us down the path to where we do not need to be. True manhood is not defined by our culture. God defines true manhood and that has not changed. It take courage for men to be Godly men.

When God gave Israel the plan for the tabernacle, it was very precise and exact. It was to be a place where God and man could connect. Every area of the tabernacle is a sermon that speaks a powerful message. Each area of the tabernacle was designed for a specific purpose to provide a interaction with God. The first thing encountered in when entering the tabernacle was the alter. It was an impressive piece measuring 7 ½ feet square and 4 feet tall. It was overlaid with gold and there were horns on each of the four corners. This was the place where they would place the offering and kill it there as a sacrifice. The altar was (and is) a place of prayer. Prayer is very important. It is the only way for us to communicate with God. The bible tells us to pray. It says pray constantly. Some of us struggle with prayer. More precisely we struggle with some aspects of prayer. Often people will say “I don’t know what to say.” The power of prayer is not in what we say, but that we are saying to Him. Prayer is not about the eloquent words, but the honest communication with our creator. We make prayer about us, but prayer is not about us; It is about Him. We struggle with prayer in that we do not understand what makes prayer successful. Our text tells us that the sacrifice was tied to the corners of the altar with cords. Bro. Hughes offers four things to tie our prayer life. In Genesis 32:12 Jacob is meeting his brother Esau many years after cheating him out of his birthright. Fearful that Esau would make good on his threat to kill him, Jacob begins praying to God. In this prayer, Jacob reminds God that He had promised to make his seed like the sands of the beach. He reminded God of His faithfulness. The first cord to tie our prayers to is God’s faithfulness. In Genesis 18:25, Abraham is pleading with God to save Sodom. In doing this, he reminds God of His righteousness. When we go to God in prayer, we tie our prayer to His righteousness because we know that God will do what is right. The third cord to tie our prayer to is found in 1 Peter 1:17 and that is God’s impartiality. God does not value the prayer of one over another. His desire is for all of us to have a relationship with Him. He listens to all prayers regardless of status, wealth, or position. The final thing to tie our prayer to is that God is a god of Liberality. He gives liberally to all that ask and without chastising us. When we come to God in prayer, we come with the understanding that no need is too great or too small.

Prayer is not about us. It is about Him. We do not tie prayer to what we can do, we tie it to what He can do.

When God gave Israel the plan for the tabernacle, it was very precise and exact. It was to be a place where God and man could connect. Every area of the tabernacle is a sermon that speaks a powerful message. Each area of the tabernacle was designed for a specific purpose to provide a interaction with God. The first thing encountered in when entering the tabernacle was the alter. It was an impressive piece measuring 7 ½ feet square and 4 feet tall. It was overlaid with gold and there were horns on each of the four corners. This was the place where they would place the offering and kill it there as a sacrifice. The altar was (and is) a place of prayer. Prayer is very important. It is the only way for us to communicate with God. The bible tells us to pray. It says pray constantly. Some of us struggle with prayer. More precisely we struggle with some aspects of prayer. Often people will say “I don’t know what to say.” The power of prayer is not in what we say, but that we are saying to Him. Prayer is not about the eloquent words, but the honest communication with our creator. We make prayer about us, but prayer is not about us; It is about Him. We struggle with prayer in that we do not understand what makes prayer successful. Our text tells us that the sacrifice was tied to the corners of the altar with cords. Bro. Hughes offers four things to tie our prayer life. In Genesis 32:12 Jacob is meeting his brother Esau many years after cheating him out of his birthright. Fearful that Esau would make good on his threat to kill him, Jacob begins praying to God. In this prayer, Jacob reminds God that He had promised to make his seed like the sands of the beach. He reminded God of His faithfulness. The first cord to tie our prayers to is God’s faithfulness. In Genesis 18:25, Abraham is pleading with God to save Sodom. In doing this, he reminds God of His righteousness. When we go to God in prayer, we tie our prayer to His righteousness because we know that God will do what is right. The third cord to tie our prayer to is found in 1 Peter 1:17 and that is God’s impartiality. God does not value the prayer of one over another. His desire is for all of us to have a relationship with Him. He listens to all prayers regardless of status, wealth, or position. The final thing to tie our prayer to is that God is a god of Liberality. He gives liberally to all that ask and without chastising us. When we come to God in prayer, we come with the understanding that no need is too great or too small.

Prayer is not about us. It is about Him. We do not tie prayer to what we can do, we tie it to what He can do.

In our text, God has called Abram out of the land of Ir into what we know as the promised land. The journey was around 600 miles that they undertook on foot. Abram stepped out on no more than a promise from God. When he arrived in Bethel, Abram built an alter. Sometime after arriving in the promised land, a famine came on the land. This famine seemed to send a panic into Abram’s life, and in his weakness and flesh, he failed to remember what God had provided. Relying on his own wisdom, Abram goes to Egypt to seek help. In doing this, he set into motion events that result in an out of character situation for him where he almost lost both his wife and his life because of a decision that seemed unrelated at the time, but that he made without God’s intervention. How could someone who had such faith in God get to a point where a secular king would rebuke his faith? Abram left Egypt with his spiritual life injured. When he returned to Bethel after this, the first place he went was the alter he had built. Unlike many of us who would wallow in our misery, or try to cover up what we had done, Abram went to the place where he could recapture what was lost when he went to Egypt. It is at an altar that we can regain what we have lost. It does not matter the poor choices we make in life, what matters is that when we reach that place of brokenness, we can return to an alter. All of us will fall at one time or another. It is important to know during those times, that even if we fall, He has provided a way for us to get back up. That place is an alter. The key to recovery is to return to the altar where it all began.

In our text, God has called Abram out of the land of Ir into what we know as the promised land. The journey was around 600 miles that they undertook on foot. Abram stepped out on no more than a promise from God. When he arrived in Bethel, Abram built an alter. Sometime after arriving in the promised land, a famine came on the land. This famine seemed to send a panic into Abram’s life, and in his weakness and flesh, he failed to remember what God had provided. Relying on his own wisdom, Abram goes to Egypt to seek help. In doing this, he set into motion events that result in an out of character situation for him where he almost lost both his wife and his life because of a decision that seemed unrelated at the time, but that he made without God’s intervention. How could someone who had such faith in God get to a point where a secular king would rebuke his faith? Abram left Egypt with his spiritual life injured. When he returned to Bethel after this, the first place he went was the alter he had built. Unlike many of us who would wallow in our misery, or try to cover up what we had done, Abram went to the place where he could recapture what was lost when he went to Egypt. It is at an altar that we can regain what we have lost. It does not matter the poor choices we make in life, what matters is that when we reach that place of brokenness, we can return to an alter. All of us will fall at one time or another. It is important to know during those times, that even if we fall, He has provided a way for us to get back up. That place is an alter. The key to recovery is to return to the altar where it all began.