Stop Behaving

Jerrad Lopes

Description

Follow Jesus, Not Rules Whatever you struggle with as a guyanger, pornography, lying, lust, or something elseyou won't overcome these pitfalls by simply trying harder to do what's right or following arbitrary guidelines. You don't need more rules. You need Jesus to change your heart. This four-week devotional will help point you toward Christ and the gospel as the catalysts for real change, the kind that not only modifies your behavior but transforms your heart and mind. Each week features five short devotions from Jerrad Lopes (creator and host of the popular Dad Tired podcast), room to write down your own daily thoughts and prayers, small group study questions, and a day to rest, pray, and reflect on what God is teaching you. Break the demoralizing cycle of trying and failing. Instead, learn how to start walking in God's grace. Spend thirty days discovering the difference in your life when you stop behaving and start following Jesus,

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers
• Date de parution: 02 mars 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736983150
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE , OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Cover art and design by Bryce Williamson
Interior design by KUHN Design Group
Stop Behaving
Copyright 2017 by Jerrad Lopes
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97408
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-8314-3 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-8315-0 (eBook)
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
DEDICATION

TO THE HUMBLE MEN OF THE DAD TIRED COMMUNITY
CONTENTS
DEDICATION
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
INTRODUCTION: Why You Need More Than an Accountability Group
WEEK 1: THE GOSPEL AND YOUR HEART
Day 1 Salt Water: Finding Satisfaction in Christ Alone
Day 2 Ocean Floor: What to Do When You Feel Far from God
Day 3 Community Table: How Surrounding Yourself with People Can Point You to Jesus
Day 4 Turn Down the Radio: Having the Courage to Lay Down Distractions
Day 5 Get Hungry: The Surprising Strategy to Deal with Temptation
Day 6 Get Together
Day 7 Rest | Pray | Reflect
WEEK 2: THE GOSPEL AND YOUR MARRIAGE
Day 1 A Holy Helper: Your Wife s Role in Your Righteousness
Day 2 Just Camping: Remembering Where Your Citizenship Lies
Day 3 A Broken Bride: The Gospel Motivation for Loving Your Wife
Day 4 Every. Single. Day.: How to Pursue Your Wife the Way Christ Pursues You
Day 5 Here and Now: Finding a Greater Purpose for Your Marriage
Day 6 Get Together
Day 7 Rest | Pray | Reflect
WEEK 3: THE GOSPEL AND YOUR KIDS
Day 1 A Better Dad: What Is Your Ultimate Goal as a Dad?
Day 2 I m Sorry: The Gospel Motivation for Apologizing to Your Kids
Day 3 Well-Behaved: Getting to the Heart of Your Child s Disobedience
Day 4 Beautiful Feet: Becoming a Father of Joy
Day 5 Aliens: Teaching Your Kids About the Kingdom of God
Day 6 Get Together
Day 7 Rest | Pray | Reflect
WEEK 4: THE GOSPEL AND YOUR WORK
Day 1 Business Cards: Finding Your True Identity
Day 2 The Real Provider: Pointing Your Family to the God Who Feeds Them
Day 3 Gold Coins: Using Money to Advance the Kingdom of God
Day 4 Say No More: Chasing the Titles That Last for Eternity
Day 5 Paid Missionaries: Why Every Man Is in Ministry
Day 6 Get Together
Day 7 Rest | Pray | Reflect
FINAL THOUGHTS
ALSO FROM JERRAD LOPES
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Days One Through Five | Learn
R ead through one chapter each day. Using the Prayers | Thoughts | Reflections time, write down everything that comes to mind when you read the chapter. Don t overthink it. This is a good time to list specific changes that you feel need to be made in your own life. Then write out specific prayers for your heart, your wife, your kids, and your work.
Day Six | Gather
M eet up with some friends who are also going through the book. There are questions at the end of each week to help keep the conversation flowing. Talk about what you ve learned and how it applies to your lives.
Day Seven | Rest
D on t skip this part. Resting reminds us that we are saved by the work of Christ, not our own. I ve intentionally left one day open each week for you to sit and remember what Jesus has done on your behalf. Spend time reflecting on what you ve learned and how it affects your life. Thank God for saving you by his grace, not by your good behavior.
INTRODUCTION
Why You Need More Than an Accountability Group
I f you ve been around the church world for a while, you ve probably been told that you need to join an accountability group. These groups typically include three to five guys who meet once a week and check in on each other s behavior.
Did you lust?
Did you look at porn?
Did you cuss?
Did you lose your temper?
Years ago, as a young member of a church pastoral staff, I was part of a mandatory accountability group with some of the other pastors. During one of our times together, one of the pastors asked me bluntly, Are you having sex with your girlfriend?
Fortunately I wasn t, so I could honestly answer no. But it was awkward to say the least. The whole session lasted about ten minutes before we quickly moved on to lighter topics.
I understand the point of accountability groups-we want to be the best men we can be, and we know that if someone else is going to ask us hard questions, we are less likely to do dumb things.
There is just one major problem-accountability groups almost always address our behavior and very rarely deal with our hearts.
Jesus dealt with the same problem during his time here on Earth. Some of the religious leaders of his day, called Pharisees, tried to manage the behavior of the people who wanted to follow God. They loved rules. So much so, in fact, that they added their own set of rules to the list of things God had already instructed them to do. The more they followed the rules and managed their behavior, the more righteous they felt.
Jesus was clearly more concerned with people s hearts than their behavior. In one of his teachings, he told the religious leaders that if a person lusted after a woman, then they had already committed adultery in their heart. Or if they hated someone, they were already guilty of murder. On one occasion, he called them whitewashed tombs, saying they looked clean on the outside, but their hearts were wicked (Matthew 23:27).
Instead of an accountability group, team up with some guys who can point you toward Jesus and remind you of the gospel. The group s intention should be to ask why, not what. Ask questions that address the heart, not the behavior.
Why do you feel compelled to look at porn?
Why do you want to overwork and neglect your family?
Why did you lose your temper?
This book is not meant to manage your behavior. Behavior management is exhausting and only leads to pride or shame. It leads to pride when you are disciplined enough to follow the rules and begin to convince yourself that you re a better Christian than the rest of us. Or it leads to shame when you, like many of us, screw up over and over again. Jesus wants to free you from both your pride and your shame. You don t need behavior management. You don t need more rules to follow. You need Jesus to change your heart. I m convinced that if I can point you toward Jesus, and if you are willing to humble yourself enough to draw near to him, he can and will change your heart. And according to Jesus, a changed heart is the source of changed behavior.
To get the most out of this book each week, read one devotion on days one through five and write a brief prayer or other thoughts that come to mind. On day six, meet up with some guys who are also going through this book, and talk about what you ve learned and how it applies to your life. I ve included some questions to help keep the conversation going.
As I mentioned earlier, don t skip day seven. Use this time to build into your life the important habits of resting in Christ, reflecting on what you re learning, and thanking God for what he has done for you.
My prayer for you is that as you seek Jesus during these next 28 days, you will find him in new ways. I pray that you will be released from the heavy burden of behavior modification and will begin to walk freely in the overwhelming grace of Jesus Christ.
Dad Tired is a community of men from around the world who are taking their faith, family, and marriage seriously. Join us at
www.dadtired.com
A video introduction for each week of this devotional is available at
www.dadtired.com/video
Share your journey through this devotional with the hashtag
#dadtired
Week 1
THE GOSPEL AND YOUR HEART
Week 1 Day 1
SALT WATER
FINDING SATISFACTION IN CHRIST ALONE
SET YOUR MINDS ON THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS THAT ARE ON EARTH.

COLOSSIANS 3:2
Y ou and I struggle with the exact same sin. In fact, we struggle with the exact same sin that Adam and Eve dealt with in the Garden of Eden.
Before sin had entered into the world, Adam and Eve were perfectly satisfied in God. He alone was the source of their joy, hope, adventure, longing, and fulfillment. They had never experienced joy outside of him.
That is, until the one who was more crafty than any other beast of the field (Genesis 3:1) posed a simple but earth-shattering proposition to Eve:
God knows that when you eat of [the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5).
It was never about the fruit.
Satan wasn t tempting Eve with fruit; he was tempting her with satisfaction outside of God.
The serpent that tempted Eve in the garden is the same enemy who tempts you and me today. And although his tactics tend to be extremely effective, they certainly aren t new. The question he planted in Eve s head is the same question you and I struggle with today:
Is there something other than God that can satisfy my soul?
Imagine you were on a r