The Point of Purity Podcast

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 Helping men and women find hope, help, healing, restoration and redemption
leading to lasting victory over sexual addiction through a growing, vibrant, powerful relationship with Christ.

Episode #132 - "Who's Got the Power?" 

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Transcript

Do you want to be a Super Man of God? Do you want to be stronger spiritually, able to stand firm when the enemy attacks, capable of not giving in to your Kryptonite, bending your will so it conforms to God’s? Do you want to be faster, able to go immediately to God when facing a trial or temptation? Do you want to see through the walls of doubt and fear and comprehend what God’s path is for your life? Then you must train yourself to be godly.

Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. A weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity. I’m your host Steve Etner, author, National Speaker, and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry. This is Episode # 132 entitled “Who’s Got the Power?”

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away … Oh, wait a minute – wrong story. I have to sit here and chuckle though, because to me it seems like ages ago in a different lifetime, I was a kid wearing a red bath towel tied around my neck running through the back yard, super-cape flapping behind me, pretending to be Kal-El – better known as Superman - from the Planet Krypton.

Back then almost every boy I knew secretly wished he could be that man of steel. And who wouldn’t? After all, Superman had super powers. He was able to fly, he was faster than a speeding bullet, he was practically invulnerable, he had x-ray vision (how cool is that), and he always beat the bad guy. He was my hero.

Today I am older and more mature (I only wear my cape the first Thursday night of every month - standing in front of a fan in my basement, hands on my hips and chin held high), but I still secretly wish I could be a man of steel. Although I no longer have aspirations of flight, ultra-speed and the ability to see through walls (I still think that would be pretty cool) – I do long to be a man of God who stands for what is right and who always beats the bad guy.

In the DC Comic series about Superman, we discover that he draws his strength and supernatural power from one single source – Earth’s sun. Without the energy from the sun, he is just a normal being, like everyone else. Without the sun he has no supernatural abilities. Without the sun, he cannot defeat the enemy. Without the sun, he is not Superman.

Spiritually speaking, for you and me to be Super Men we must also tap in to a very specific power source. You see, our ability to be God’s Men of Steel, our capacity to stand firm and fight off all the attacks of the enemy; the strength we have to be Super Men of God comes directly from the Son. The fact is, it is only through Christ that we can do anything for God; because Christ alone gives us the strength to do it (Philippians 4:13).

Without the Son we are powerless. Without the Son we are unable to stand firm in the faith. Without the Son we cannot defeat the enemy. Bottom line: apart from the Son, we can do nothing (John 15:5). The closer we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, the greater our ability to be strong and courageous; to not be frightened and lose heart (Joshua 1:6). As James writes, only when we submit ourselves to God can we effectively resist the Devil and see him turn tail and run like a whipped pup (James 4:7).

You see guys, no matter how hard we try at being a godly man, as long as we are the ones trying to be godly - we will be nothing more than just men trying to be godly. Let me come at it from a different angle. If I am attempting to be godly, if I am trying to act out all the things that I believe to be the marks and characteristics of godliness; simply by virtue of the fact that I’m the one trying to do it - I will ultimately fail to be that godly man. In our own strength we will never succeed, never achieve and never be Super Men of God.

“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced (this godliness) for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce (godliness)”. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18) Truth be told my friend, you just aint got the power! You don’t have the ability within yourself to be a godly man. Left on your own, you will choose every time to please and satisfy King Me. Our ability to be godly men can only come from God (2 Corinthians 3:5).

Clothes-pinning a red bath towel around my neck did not make me Superman. Putting on a suit and tie on a Sunday and walking into church with a Bible tucked under my arm does not make me a godly man. Watch this now: Our ability to be godly men can only come from a deep relationship with God Himself, because only God can be Godly.

It is “(God’s) divine power (that) has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence”. (2 Peter 1:3) Wow! Did you catch that? The only way we can achieve spiritual Super Manhood is through the divine power that God has chosen to provide us with. That power gives us everything we need to be godly men.

I’ve got to repeat that again. This is so potent I don’t want you to miss it! God has already given you everything you need to live a godly life that honors and glorifies Him! So, I must ask, what is keeping you from being a Super Man of God?

Let’s take a look again at 2 Peter 1:3. “(God’s) divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” Now I know the answer to this next question is so blatantly obvious that I don’t need to ask it – but I’m going to anyway. Whose power enables us to be God’s Super Men? Certainly not your power, or mine. It’s God’s power. It’s God’s divine power. It’s a power beyond our wildest imaginations. Kal El from the planet Krypton aint got nuttin next to the El of the Universe.

We’re talking a supernatural power that belongs only to the King of Glory. “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:8). And what kind of power does Elohim have? It’s the power to create the universe and all that’s in it out of absolutely nothing. How awesome is that! I mean seriously, can you do that? Do you have that kind of power? Not even Superman could accomplish such a feat.

“(God) determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power” (Psalm 147:4). God says, “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). “God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding” (Jer. 10:12). Now that’s amazing, unlimited, incomprehensible power! And it is that same power – God’s power - that provides you and I with everything we need to be God’s Men of Steel!

Not only is God so powerful that He created the universe out of nothing, but get this: it is “by his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (1 Corinthians 6:14). Yes, you read that right. “God raised (Christ) from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:24). Now that is inexplicable power. C’mon guys, face it. Do you have the ability to create something out of nothing? Can you just speak a word and have life appear? Can you stand over the coffin of a loved one, call them by name and make them rise up from the dead? God can, and God did! (see John 11)

This is so overwhelming to me that I need to pause for a moment and pray. In fact, would you join with me, right here, right now. I want to pray the words of the Apostle Paul from Ephesians 1:17-22.

“Father, as we are trying to comprehend this truth, please give us the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, so that we may know you better. I ask, Father, that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened so that each man reading this can truly know the hope to which you have called us, and the magnificent power you have equipped us with. Please help us to grasp even a fraction of that great power. We acknowledge that this supernatural ability you have provided is your mighty strength working inside of us. We understand it’s the same power you used when you raised Christ from the dead and seated him at your right hand in Heaven. Father, you, and you alone are far above all rulers and authorities, powers and dominions, and every title that can possibly be given to man. Everything, and everyone is under your feet. You are the head over it all. You are head over me. Help me, teach me, fill me, use me – make me your man of steel. Amen.”

As he sat there contemplating all that God is, the author of 1 Chronicles wrote these words: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:11-13). Truly “(God) rules forever by his power” (Psalm 66:7).

I don’t know about you but can’t even begin thinking about God’s awesome power without it just blowing a few mental gaskets. Add to that the fact that He has chosen to give us that same power so that we can live a life of godliness – a life that honors and glorifies him and I’m on the verge of thought overload! Gentlemen: It would be very wise for us to follow God’s advice and make the time to just “be still, and know that (He is) God” (Psalm 46:10).

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:28-31). Let’s face it guys, it’s not because of our great skills or our formidable abilities that we can (or ever will) achieve godliness. When you try to be godly in your own strength, you will fail every time – guaranteed. You can’t be godly on your own, simply because you are not godly. Only God is godly. Each and every one of us are totally incapable of living a consistent life that glorifies God. Let’s face it, time and again our lives have proven that point.

The bottom line is this: only “the God of peace, who … brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep”, only God can “equip you with everything good for doing his will” (Hebrews 13:21). It is through God’s divine power that we have everything we need to live a life that honors him.

OK. Let’s hit the pause button until next week’s episode as we continue our journey through my book “Are You A Super Man?” If you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry, be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com.

Let me take a moment here and tell you about the book this current Podcast Series is based upon entitled, “Are You a Super Man? How to Become God’s Man of Steel.” You can purchase a copy on Amazon.com.

Here’s what I want you to know: If you’re a man looking for a 12-week men’s Bible study then this book is a must. “Are You a Super Man of God? Becoming God’s Man of Steel” is a fun, tongue-in-cheek look at what it means to be God’s Man of Steel in a world that is Anti-God, Anti-Christ, and Anti-Bible. Let’s face it guys: As Christian men we try to be the Super Man of God that others want, need, even expect us to be. We do fairly well most of the time at presenting the “spiritual man of steel” persona to those around us, yet inwardly we know we are far from being the godly man we want to be.

As a Super Man of God your strength, your ability to effectively live a life that honors and glorifies God, comes directly from the SON. The closer you are in relationship to Jesus Christ, the greater your power to resist the archenemy of your soul (the devil) and watch him flee from you (James 4:7).

Yet, truth-be-told, you also have a weakness. It’s your Kryptonite, that radioactive element of your life before Christ that your spiritual archenemy uses to his advantage. The fact is, when you play around with your Kryptonite, it weakens your will and ability to stand firm and fight the fight of faith.

In this 12-week men’s Bible study you will learn how to identify your Kryptonite, steer clear of it, find your super-spiritual strength as you daily draw closer to the SON, and be the man of steel God has called and equipped you to be. So, let me encourage you to go to Amazon.com today and purchase your copy of “Are You a Super Man of God?”

And if you have not yet subscribed to this Point of Purity Podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!

So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.

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