SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER TEN

A VISION FOR THE FINISH LINE

Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible – Frank Gaines

So what’s the big deal about vision? Some people have it, some don’t. 

The big deal about vision is this:

IT TAKES VISION TO FINISH STRONG

What do you want your life to look like in ten or twenty years? What about the life of your children in ten years?

The quality of life that your children enjoy ten or twenty years from now will, to a great degree, depend upon the choices you will make in that ten-twenty year period of time.

The wonderful provision that so few men offer their children is the example of a strong finish.

Tragically, many Christian fathers leave their families because they have no vision.  Your kids deserve better than that. Your Lord deserves better than that. You must be a man of vision. Not just for this month or year but for the next forty or fifty years out.

We’re not finishing strong by luck or by taking life as it comes. We must have vision to finish strong. Vision is what is really important, vision for what our kids really need, and the vision to steel ourselves against the strategies of the enemy to destroy everything near and dear to our hearts. It’s that kind of vision that helps us to make choices with our heads and not our sex organs thus enabling us to leave a legacy to our children that most kids only dream about.

To finish strong means that you will come to the end of your life with a strong and close relationship to Christ. it means that, unless God has taken your wife ahead of you, you’ll be married to the same woman that you are today. It means that you are a man who is in the Scriptures and living the Scriptures. It means that you are a man who has fought some battles for the kingdom and has the scars to prove it. To finish strong means that you are leaving your children and grandchildren the priceless heritage of a godly life. Few men, especially those in their twenties of thirties, have the vision at that age to look forty years into the future and think about how they want to finish. It takes vision to see that the majority of men who start strong don’t finish strong. It takes vision early to be the one guy out of ten who does.

No one is without a divinely appointed task and the divine means of getting it done – John Ruskin

You are doing something significant and He sees it. No wonder you are going to finish strong.

Source: Finishing Strong by  Steve Farrar

Summary Attempt: Finishing Strong Chapter 9

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SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER NINE

156 BUCK-NAKED MILES TO BIGHORN

Another ambush

In football, you suit up, in running, you strip down. The average footballer player wears pounds of equipment. Runners wear ounces.

The great question which in all ages, has disturbed mankind and brought them the greatest part of those mischiefs which have ruined cities, depopulated countries, and disordered the peace of the world, has been, not whether there be power in the world…but who should have it.

Are you worried that you don’t have much of a network? Joseph didn’t either. But he had a Friend in High Places. And if you have surrendered your life to Christ, so do you. It’s all the network you’ll ever need.

John Colter was stripped of his clothes but not his courage, his weapons but not his will, his provisions but not his purpose and his comforts but not his composure. Joseph’s case was similar: he was stripped of his coat but not his character, his family but not his future, his position but not his purity and his accomplishments but not his attitude.

Joseph, like Jesus, was rejected by his bothers, loved by his father, victorious over temptation, taken into custody because of a false witness, suffered for doing right and promoted from the prison (of death) to rule the nation(s).

You don’t have to be God to finish strong. You just have to depend on God.

It’s hard to look up to a leader who keeps his ear to the ground – James Boren

 The stripping down process is in two parts: Things that God strips from us (things God will take away) and things that we strip from ourselves (things which we must put away).

Joseph put away the thought of trading his purity for his position and turning his betrayal into bitterness. Joseph was a unique man and that is why he was so greatly used. He had been tested. And he passed those tests with flying colors because of his willingness to put some things away. In responding to Potiphar’s wife, he said, “How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?” that’s the difference between finishing strong and finishing so-so. Joseph was not willing to participate with her sexually because it was a great evil. Yet to her, it was great fun. The man who finishes so-so has kept back one or two areas of his life from the Lord. His theme song is “I Surrender Ninety-Five Percent.”  In his heart, he knows what he is doing is a great evil, but he’s not willing to give up his great fun. The man who finishes strong keeps back nothing from the Lord. He is brutal in dealing with sin in his own life because he does not want to dishonor God’s name and holiness. So when it comes to sin, or “great evil,” as Joseph called it, he doesn’t coddle it, he doesn’t favor it, and he doesn’t hold on to it. He gets rid of it. His theme song is “I Surrender All.” That’s it. That’s the secret – I surrender all.

It’s tragic how many Christian men don’t stop to count the cost before the opportunity presents itself. For sin will always cost you more than you wanted to pay. Sin will always cost you, but sometimes purity can cost you, too. But that’s a price that strong finishers are always willing to pay.

Before a man falls sexually, he first falls emotionally. Guys change jobs all the time. Some will change for promotion. Some will change for power. Few have the guts to change for purity. But those are the guys who make it all the way to Bighorn.

So what made Joseph great? Why does God devote more space in Genesis to his story than to any other individual’s? Because of Joseph’s attitude, how he responded to difficult circumstances. That was the most remarkable thing about him.

The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure (contemptuous treatment) without resentment. – Elbert Hubbard

Bitterness, like a burning match only burns the one who holds onto it. – Steve Farrar

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power – Abraham Lincoln

If you are focusing on some person or what he did to you, you will not finish strong. You’ll never make it. You are being conned and you are being set up. You can only finish strong if you fix your eyes on Jesus.

As you grapple with the hurt and humiliation and fight off the desire to become a hardened, bitter person, you are actually building spiritual muscle tone that it takes to finish strong.

Source: Finishing Strong by  Steve Farrar

Summary Attempt: Finishing Strong Chapter 8

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SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

FAILURE THAT EQUIPS YOU TO FINISH

He who has never failed cannot be great. Failure is the true test of greatness - Herman Melville

Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). The first 40 years of his life, he was an unqualified success. The middle 40 years, he was an undisputed failure. The last 40 years, he was finally fit for the Master’s use. Around the age of 40, Moses knew he had been chosen by God to be the deliverer of Israel. He was dead right about the task but dead wrong about the timing. There is a type of self-esteem that is healthy and good. But there is an excessive self-confidence that is very harmful to one’s spiritual health. How do you tell the difference between the two? Easy. A wrong self-confidence is usually characterized by prayerlessness. Jesus said “…apart from me you can do nothing” the person with excessive self-confidence really doesn’t believe that.

Many men experience some type of transition around the age of forty. Midlife is when men are forced to come to grips with the changes that have occurred in their lives. For Moses, it was the following:

A change of address: from the palace of Pharaoh to the pastures of Midian

A change of vocation: from leader of men to leader of sheep. Most men get their feeling of self worth from what they do.

A change of status: he was rejected by Pharaoh. It is always worse when rejection comes from inside our own camp. Depression stems from some type of loss…or chemical imbalance.

The masters of character acquisition

Unemployment 101: this challenging course will cause you to suffer but it’s the suffering that qualifies you for ministry. You may have no desire to be in full-time ministry, but if you know Jesus Christ, then you are in the ministry.

Advanced obscurity: in Exodus 2:16-22, the entire middle forty years of Moses’ life get six verses. Why? Because Moses was obscure. In those forty years of obscurity, solitude and quietness, God was rebuilding His man from the inside out. Some type of obscurity is required if you are going to earn your M.C.A. Obscurity is tough, especially if you are in a hurry to climb the corporate ladder. But climbing the corporate ladder will never fit you to finish strong. God wants you to climb the character ladder. John Luther wrote that “good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece – by thought, choice, courage and determination.” There is no better place to begin making those right choices than in the bleak, gray sands of obscurity.

Remedial waiting: God rarely uses Federal Express to build character into our lives. He doesn’t overnight or fax character to us. It takes time to build character. Lots of time. That’s why He’s taking so much time in your life. God isn’t in a hurry. God has a principle, and the principle is this: character development comes before ministry. You should know that you are right on schedule. Maybe not on your own schedule, but on His schedule. He knows precisely what He is doing in your life.  Every trial has a beginning, middle and an end. You cannot determine where you are in your trial, but He knows exactly where you are. And He is moving you along at just the right pace. Someone once said that everything is in walking distance, if you have enough time. Believe it or not, you’ve got time. You’ve got plenty of time, because you belong to Jesus Christ. And He literally has all the time in the world.

Intermediate loneliness: research has demonstrated that prolonged loneliness can even affect us physically. Most leaders like to be with people. They enjoy the company of their followers. But in the desert, Moses didn’t have any followers. Well, he had a few sheep. But the fact is, Moses wasn’t in the desert to lead; he was in the desert to be led. That’s why he had to be isolated. God had to get him off by himself so that He could have his undivided attention. Moses thought he was a leader, but a leader really isn’t a leader until he has learned to follow. God would not use Moses until he had learned to submit to God and to His timetable. So Moses was alone. Loneliness is never a pleasant experience. But God, in His wisdom, at times will separate us from our normal network of family and friends. Isolation is an opportunity to get to know Him better.

Many believers are simply frantic over the fact of failure in their lives, and they will go to any lengths in trying to hide it, ignore it, or rationalize about it. And all the time they are resisting the main instrument in the Father’s hand for conforming us to the image of His Son! – Miles Stanford

It is defeat that turns bone to flint, and gristle to muscle, and makes people invincible, and forms those heroic natures that are now in ascendancy in the world. Do not, then, be afraid of defeat. You are never so near to victory as when defeated in a good cause. – Henry Ward Beecher

Everyone fails but the true failure is the one who doesn’t learn from his setbacks. That’s why a teachable spirit is so important. When you are in the midst of a desert, the fastest way out of the desert is to ask God to let you learn everything that he has for you in that experience. Stay open, and stay teachable. God is not trying to ruin you. He is rebuilding you so that you can be used strategically. And the people God loves to use most are those who have learned to depend completely upon Him. For many self-sufficient types, that doesn’t come easily.

Abraham Lincoln entertained large thoughts about God and small thoughts about himself. Humility means that someone has a proper self-confidence, a proper self-esteem, and a proper kind of godly courage. That kind of character only comes from being in the furnace of affliction and hardship. No wonder it was said that “the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3)

There are not many undefeated people around – John Gardner

God uses our failure to equip us for future success.

Source: Finishing Strong by  Steve Farrar

Summary Attempt: Finishing Strong Chapter 7

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SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 7

PART THREE:

THE PROTOTYPES OF FINISHING STRONG

CHAPTER SEVEN

LOUSY START, STRONG FINISH

We make choices and God responds. Every action of the common day makes or unmakes character. If you allow pleasure to dominate you, you end in horrible disgrace.

True repentance comes from the heart. Genuine repentance is always accompanied with great remorse.

Repentance is the vomiting of the soul – Thomas Watson

Genuine repentance always brings evidence with it. That’s how you recognize it. Demonstrate your repentance. Genuine repentance unlocks the floodgates of God’s amazing mercy and forgiveness.

Guilt keeps us enslaved like a shackle around an elephant’s leg. The elephant is not chained to the stake, he is chained to the idea that he can never get away. So, a ten pound stake holds down a two-ton elephant.

Maybe it was sexual immorality, lying to get your job, cruelty, neglect or a broken vow or pledge to God. Whatever it was, the enemy keeps throwing that one sin up in your face. The enemy uses it to paralyze you, intimidate you and neutralize you. No, Satan cannot take away your salvation but he can rob you of your joy and all he has to do is to bring up that one past sin. We all have skeletons in the closet. We all have things in our past that embarrass and shame us. As a result, some of us are chained to the past today. And it’s hard to run a race when you’re pulling that kind of chain. You’re going to need some strong help to cut through those rusty old links.

“It is finished” can also be translated “Paid in full”. I owed a debt I could not pay, He paid a debt He did not owe.

Source: Finishing Strong by Steve Farrar

Summary Attempt: Finishing Strong Chapter 6

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SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER SIX

UNTEACHABLE, UNACCOUNTABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE

When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package –John Ruskin

A leader is someone who leads. Just because you have a title of leadership doesn’t mean that you are a leader. You are only a leader if you lead.

People who hang out with the Lord everyday can’t stop talking about Him. They can’t help looking at every issue the way He would look at that issue.

Marks of the UnLeader

UnServant: one thing that sets apart Christian leadership from any other type of leadership is the idea of being a servant. According to Leonard Bernstein, New York Symphony conductor, the most difficult position in the orchestra is “second fiddle” because everybody wants to be first.

Christian leadership is giving your best without having to be first.

Diotrephes loved to be first, served, a big shot, given special privileges and impress people (3 John 9-10). If I want to lead like Jesus instead of Diotrephes, I will have to make drastic changes. The challenge with reading the Bible is every time I open it, I keep getting the idea that God wants me to change and conform to the image of Christ. If we’re going to grow up in Christ, we’ve got to change everyday. If we don’t, we’ll merely be growing old instead. Be willing to change and be a servant.

UnTeachable: great leaders have teachable spirits. Great leaders know how to submit to authority. A lot of people have leadership inclinations but don’t want to submit to anybody because they want to do it their way. The one trait to look for in a husband is teachability – a teachable guy will listen to your input. He’ll be a big enough man to admit he’s got lots of room for improvement. More importantly, he’ll be open to input from the Holy Spirit. He’ll know how to humble himself before the Lord. A teachable guy will grow up in Christ. If you’re not teachable, you don’t have a chance in the world of finishing strong, not a chance!

UnJust: more than anything else, spoken words determine the atmosphere of a home. Every home has an atmosphere – ambience. Your home either has an atmosphere of construction or destruction. The people in the home are either being built up or torn down. What kind of home were you raised in? Is it one with an atmosphere of construction or that of destruction?

The family you come from is not as important as the one you are going to have. – Ring Lardner

I can’t do anything about the family I was born into but when I’m the dad, it’s on my shoulders to make a good home. What’s going to be the atmosphere of my home? More than anything else, it will be my words that spell the difference between construction and destruction. What kind of words will echo off the walls of my home and sink into the souls of those impressionable folks under my roof? Words are awesomely powerful instruments – for evil or good. In a Christian home, there is no room for unjust words. We need to think about the words before they come spilling out of our faces. We need to ask ourselves “am I being just here? Is that a constructive remark? Or am I just trying to score a point?” as men who want to finish strong, we need to make sure our remarks and comments are constructive – and just.

UnHospitable: hospitality isn’t always convenient. It isn’t always comfortable and handy. It doesn’t always fit right in with our plans and our schedules. A family willing to be inconvenienced is a sign of spiritual maturity.

UnHappy: does God speak to us today? You bet He does.  He speaks to us in His Word. But He also has another way of getting through to us. It’s amazing how God will talk to me through my wife and kids. And when I start hearing the same thing over and over again, I better listen up. If I want a happy family, I better listen to some of those words – and even some of those silences! That’s not easy because sometimes we get into a groove. We get goal oriented and locked on course. At such times, it’s not easy for to pick up on the family’s emotional needs.  In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to get upset and irritated and start throwing around harsh words. That’s a natural tendency.

Being an UnLeader is UnManly. Real men serve just like Jesus did.

If I have to finish strong, I have to work on it. As we ask Christ to make us teachable, accountable men that He wants us to be, we will begin to change.

 Source: Finishing Strong by  Steve Farrar

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SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER FIVE

 THE STATUS BROTHERS AND THEIR NOT QUITE RIGHT FIRST COUSIN, PRIDE

The greatest fault is to be conscious of none – Thomas Carlyle

We live in a society intoxicated with success. Everybody wants to make a mark. The world defines success in a different way than God’s Word describes it.

Success is attaining cultural goals that are sure to elevate one’s perceived goals that are sure to elevate one’s perceived importance in that culture - John Johnson

When people are successful (by the world’s standard), they experience elevation in at least one of three areas: power, privilege and wealth.

We all know that the teenage years are difficult years because of incredibly intense peer pressure. Teenagers are pressured to “do what everybody else is doing” even if it violates the morals learned at home. Some guys who seem to have a lot of potential can’t pull it off after they emerge from initial successes as a teenager. Few of the biggest nerds in the class who couldn’t seem to relate to anybody are millionaires now. They own software companies in Silicon Valley, wear Italian suits and drive BMW’s.

Uzziah’s story is one of those about a man that had everything in the world going for him but ended up throwing it all in the toilet and heading in another direction. It’s like a kind of insanity that hits men in the middle part of life.

Three reasons for Uzziah’s fall:

He began to spend more time and attention on the external rather than the internal: aka the barrenness of a busy life. True success has a lot more to do with who we are than with what we “accomplish.”

His character did not keep pace with his accomplishments: how many successful dads and husbands do we put on the cover of Time? Why don’t we say, “Here’s a guy who’s got his priorities squared away. He’s making a good living but he’s also making a good character. He doesn’t have much of a financial portfolio, but he’s spent a lot of time developing character in the lives of his kids. He’s had a quiet, steady walk with God for 30years.” One of the things about raising children is that you cannot impart that which you do not possess. Character isn’t something you mandate but something you model. If you are spending your life chasing after external accomplishments rather than internal character, it will show.

He was tripped by his own success: Sometimes we get upset with the Lord because we are not as “successful” as we would like to be. We would like to be making a little more money or moving up the ladder at work a little bit faster. We’ll like a little elevation in status to go along with our tenure on the job and our experience, but it seems terribly slow in coming. God is gracious when He does not answer our prayers for external success. Success is like ice. It’s beautiful, smooth, clean and cool but not many men can walk on it without falling flat on their faces or duffs. Too many accomplishments and too much recognition too soon can be tragic. Not many people can handle that kind of dangerous footing. God knows when we can handle success and He knows when we can’t. As a loving father, He makes sure that He orders events in such a way that we can walk steadily along the road to heaven without slipping.

If God puts something in my hand without first doing something to my heart, my character will lag behind my achievements, and that is the way to ruin. – Warren Wiersbe

Pride is so subtle, I usually don’t recognize it in my life. If you don’t think you struggle with pride, then you are the proudest person of all – and you are in great danger. Pride blinds us.

Pride is spiritual cancer; it eats the very possibility of love or contentment, or even common sense - C. S. Lewis

Lord, keep me from pride – Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

Lord, keep me from pride, help me to recognize it. Help me to be aware of it. Help me not to be dazzled by it, seduced by it, intoxicated by it. – Steve Farrar

Symptoms of pride

Arrogance: we become arrogant when we convince ourselves that we “deserve” certain perks and privileges. The problem comes when you begin to expect the privileges.

Aversion to accountability: being accountable is a willingness to explain your actions. Everyone of us needs friends who love us enough to make us explain our actions.

God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves – D. L. Moody

Two lessons to ponder

External accomplishments can be false indicators of success: We look at some guy’s build, or his tailored suit, luxury car, track record of accomplishments, and compare ourselves. We find ourselves wishing we could have, do, speak or make money like he does.

We should beware of spiritual indifference: blindness to spiritual things doesn’t come first. Arrogance and presumption don’t come first. There is something that comes before these things; there is something that provides the necessary soil for these poisonous plants to germinate and grow. And that something is spiritual indifference. It’s an ever-so-gradual cooling of your spiritual temperature. It’s an ever-so-subtle fading of your love for the Lord Jesus. It’s as silent and subtle as a slow moving shadow.

The essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison. It was through pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice; it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

Ask God to open your eyes and show you your pride. And be prepared that He may use your wife, your kids, or a friend to point it out to you. And ask Him to give you the grace not to be defensive when they tell you. Ask God to give you the courage to face it. And deal with it, and crush it, everyday.

Source: Finishing Strong by Steve Farrar

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Just Another Day | Insights From A Meeting

Just a few things received yesterday, 24^th January 2012 and at a prayer meeting that I thought to share:

Firstly, Isaiah 58:11 - I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places— firm muscles, strong bones. You'll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. (MSG)

Wherever He guides, He provides (Ps. 23:1). May your ideas be ever fresh and bubbling with life.

This next one fascinated me: 1^st Samuel 16:13 “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel THEN went to Ramah.” (NIV)

The “then” in that text was emphasized to show the insight received. Samuel had been standing for quite a while and it was only after the Spirit of the Lord came POWERFULLY upon Dave, that Prophet Sam had the release to go home.

May God pour such an anointing on you that every Spiritual Authority and Covering in your life will find Fulfilment and Satisfaction in the Power that will be released on you this season.

Pastor Adeboye while ministering at the last Shiloh, said of Bishop Oyedepo…”there are sons, and there are Sons”. I think this explains it.

Lastly, keeping a journal says to God that “I’m ready to trap the ideas that come from the open heavens of Mal. 3:10 when I tithe, the light (insight and revelation) that comes from Isaiah 58:8 when I fast, the direction and guidance that comes from Isaiah 30:21 when I listen, etc” who knows, maybe the idea the world has been waiting for hasn’t come through us yet because God has been asking us over and over…”where do I put it? (Isaiah 54:2-3)”

Thanks for reading.

- ‘Bayor

Ps.

If you are not already using this site, please do check it out. I think you’ll like it.

http://www.biblegateway.com

SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 4

PART TWO:

THE PERILS OF FINISHING STRONG

CHAPTER FOUR

DRY SHIPWRECK

It’s always a tragedy when a father overlooks the potential in his own son. God will choose leaders for the next generation. And that great leader of the next generation may be running around your house right now with a diaper that needs changing and a nose that needs wiping. So make sure you take good care of the kid.

The pilot of a ship is worth as much as all the crew. – Greek Proverb

Sin takes you farther than you wanted to go, keeps you longer than you wanted to stay and will cost you more than you wanted to pay. It’s not uncommon to meet a Christian man who is polygamous. His first wife is Sarah, his second is pornography, his third is soft porn movies when he’s travelling, and his forth is calling sexually explicit 900 numbers. Maybe you never thought pornography makes you a “many-wived man” but it does. And like other wives, they bear children. Pornography births shame, soft porn births guilt and prostitution births humiliation.

Deception never covers obedience, it just makes it worse.

To act is easy, to think is hard – Goethe

Painful consequences follow confessed sin. That’s why we want to avoid sin in the first place. The next time some sin looks particularly attractive, remember the consequences of sin that haunted David for the rest of his life. Whatever that specific sin is, it’s not worth it.

You can take this to the bank: no matter how alluring the sin looks right now, it will wind up costing you more than you are willing to pay.

Compromise chills the soul. – Max Lucado

Source: Finishing Strong by Steve Farrar

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SUMMARY ATTEMPT | FINISHING STRONG | STEVE FARRAR | CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER THREE

 STAYING THE COURSE

Do you have a personal mission statement? You should! 

As an example, this is the personal mission statement of Stephen Covey’s friend, Rolfe Kerr:

Succeed at home first

Never compromise with honesty

Hear both sides before judging

Obtain the counsel of others

Defend those who are absent

Develop one new proficiency a year

Plan tomorrow’s work today

Maintain a positive attitude

Keep a sense of humor

Be orderly in person and in work

Listen twice as much as you speak

Concentrate all abilities and efforts on the task at hand, not worrying about the next job or promotion.

Guys who screw up are those who willfully and purposefully remove themselves from the protection of Jesus Christ. There’s no reason in the world that any of us shouldn’t finish strong. I don’t care what the odds are, you and I don’t have to go down.

The Godly Man’s Picture by Thomas Watson; Twenty-Four Characteristics of a Godly Man

A man of knowledge

A man moved by faith

A man fired by love

A man like God

A man careful about the worship of God

A man who serves God, not men

A man who prizes Christ

A man who weeps

A man who loves the Word

A man who has the Spirit of God residing in him

A man of humility

A man of prayer

A man of sincerity

A heavenly man

A zealous man

A patient man

A thankful man

A man who loves the saints

A man who does not indulge himself in any sin

A man who is good in his relationships

A man who does spiritual things in a spiritual manner

A man thoroughly trained in religion

A man who walks with God

A man who strives to be an instrument for making others godly

Such a man is as sure to go to heaven as if he were in heaven already.

Summary in four:

Guys who finish strong STAY

Stay In the Scriptures: pick a book in the Bible and read it in bits and pieces. Take note of the passages that jump out to you. Highlight them and then when through with the book, compile the outstanding passages on to 5x4 cards and put them in your car, bathroom, office etc

Guys who finish strong are those who chew God’s truth all day long. It works! Try it for a week and see if it doesn’t help you fight off temptation. You chew, you spit and guess what? You finish the day strong. And at the end of all days, you finish life strong.

Stay Close to a friend: one of the primary ways the enemy keeps a guy from finishing strong is isolation. Instead of being close to anyone, you become distant. Instead of being gut-level honest, you begin to shade the truth. And instead of following Christ, you begin to act like you were following Christ.  That’s what happens when a guy gets isolated and tries to go one on one with Satan.

According to Hebrews 3:12-13, (NIV), if you don’t have encouragement – even daily encouragement – you could be deceived by sin. You could get hard and begin to turn away from the Lord. This kind of friendship isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. If you don’t have a friend, ask God to give you one and be willing to take the first step and become a friend to someone. Friendship doubles our joys and divides our grief. Depression is one of the more subtle ambushes of the enemy. Truth is, most men, at one time or another in their lives are going to walk through some valley of depression. The family circle is the supreme conductor of Christianity. The enemy loves to isolate us, to get us into thinking we don’t need anybody. That’s not masculine, that’s stupid. We desperately need good friends, those with whom we can share failure as well as success. Those that are there when times are good and when they are bad. They care about us enough to tell us when we’re on track and when we are screwing up. If you’ve got a friend or two like that, your chance of finishing strong will go up a thousand percent!

If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man, sir, must keep his friendships in constant repair. - Samuel Johnson

He who ceases to be your friend never was a good one. – Scottish Proverb

Stay Away from other women: keep an appropriate distance in your relationships with women with whom we work and associate. You don’t need to be weird or act strange. You don’t need to make anyone feel uncomfortable to be around you. But both the women you work with and your wife will intuitively know by your behavior and actions that here is a man who is clean and pure in relationships with all women. Here’s a man willing to go the extra mile in commitment to his wife. Sexual temptation and immorality is the number one issue in the lives of most men and the time-proven tactic for snaring Christian men and keeping them from finishing strong and the statistics prove it.  Given the right person in the right circumstances, we all have the potential of paying the wrong price for a moment of pleasure.

Some things in life are more important than life itself. Like removing oneself from situations where one could possibly be tempted.

Ministry begins at home. My first ministry responsibility is to my wife. The second is to my children. If you want to finish strong, there is one non-negotiable trait that you must embrace in your life regarding sexual temptation and that trait is gut-level honesty.

Stay Alert to the tactics of the enemy: Satan makes the worse appear a better reason.

Not to realize that you are in a conflict means only one thing, and it is that you are so hopelessly defeated, and so “knocked out” as it were, that you do not even know it – you are unconscious! It means that you are completely defeated by the devil. Anyone who is not aware of a fight and a conflict in a spiritual sense is in a drugged and hazardous condition. – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

God give us men. A time like this demands

Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands.

Men whom the lust of the office does not kill,

Men whom the spoils of the office cannot buy,

Men who posses opinions and a will,

Men who love honor, men who will not lie. – Josiah Gilbert Holland

Source: Finishing Strong by Steve Farrar

Summary Attempt: Finishing Strong Chapter 2

Summary Attempt: Finishing Strong Chapter 4

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