Warrior Within

Pat Williams, Jim Denney

Description

This hurting world needs men of character and integrity--fathers, leaders, warriors --who will not only take a stand for godliness and righteousness, but who will also raise future generations of godly, righteous men. Where can one find the model for such a man? The answer lies in 1 Chronicles 7:40, with the story of Asher--the kind of godly man that all Christian men should aspire to become. In The Warrior Within, Pat Williams combines solid biblical principles, powerful contemporary stories, and an imaginative narrative of the life of Asher to discover how Christian men can become complete and dynamically effective in the four crucial dimensions of manhood.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 10 avril 2006
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441226129
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

P RAISE FOR
THE WARRIOR WITHIN
All too often, I visit homes in which the father figure is not a part of the family unit and the family is dysfunctional. Having had a father with a very strong commitment to the love and safety of his family, I am grateful every day for being raised in an environment that helped shape the type of person I am today. I feel it is my responsibility to raise my children in the same loving and supportive manner. The Warrior Within is a must-read for fathers in today’s society. It is truly an inspiration.
T OMMY B OWDEN
H EAD F OOTBALL C OACH , C LEMSON U NIVERSITY
Through Asher, a little-known Old Testament patriarch, Pat Williams challenges the men of today to step up to the plate with their families. The Warrior Within will stir you to examine your role in your family and challenge you to become a complete and godly man like Asher.
V AN C HANCELLOR
H EAD C OACH , WNBA H OUSTON C OMETS
Who knew that such a precious nugget lay buried in the Old Testament genealogies? Pat Williams mines a segment of Scripture that most people skip over and discovers a wealth of advice for men, fathers and husbands. I wish I had the benefit of this book when I was raising my own kids. I’m making sure that they have the benefit of it as they lead their own families.
M IKE H UCKABEE
G OVERNOR OF A RKANSAS
Some works prove timeless. The Warrior Within is a resource for generations. Fathers will hand it down to their sons.
B ILL M C C ARTNEY
F OUNDER , P ROMISE K EEPERS F ORMER H EAD F OOTBALL C OACH , U NIVERSITY OF C OLORADO
The Warrior Within should be required reading for every man in America. You’ll learn about four principles that will radically transform every area of your life. Plunge in and thank me later.
D AN R EEVES
F OOTBALL O PERATIONS E XECUTIVE , H OUSTON T EXANS
Pat Williams has discovered a treasure in one of the Bible genealogies! Way to go! Learn from Asher how to be a brave warrior and man of integrity as well as a godly husband and father. Apply what you have learned for your family and share it with your men’s group!
B OB R USSELL
S ENIOR M INISTER , S OUTHEAST C HRISTIAN C HURCH L OUISVILLE , K ENTUCKY
The Warrior Within shows us the way with the kind of transparency that endears and empowers us to lead successfully! An utterly fascinating read!
S PENCER T ILLMAN
L EAD S TUDIO A NALYST , CBS S PORTS A UTHOR , S CORING IN THE R ED Z ONE
There is no one better equipped or qualified to challenge, motivate and inspire men than Pat Williams. His track record speaks for itself. Pat is a modern-day Asher, who models manhood God’s way—in fatherhood, character, boldness and leadership. I recommend The Warrior Within to any man who yearns to impact this world for God and leave a legacy that counts for the Kingdom.
E D Y OUNG
P ASTOR , S ECOND B APTIST C HURCH H OUSTON , T EXAS

2006 Pat Williams
Published by Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.revellbooks.com
Revell edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-2612-9
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Other versions used are:
THE MESSAGE—Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE . Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson, 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
NASB —Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible , © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
NKJV —Scripture taken from the New King James Version . Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
NLT —Scripture quotations marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Any omission of credits is unintentional. The publisher requests documentation for future printings.
This book is gratefully dedicated to Pastor Cal Rychener, a choice man of God, a warrior and a leader. If not for you, Cal, this book would not have happened. Thank you, my friend.
ASHER AND HIS FAMILY

The sons of Asher:

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel, who was the father of Birzaith.

Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer and Hotham and of their sister Shua.

The sons of Japhlet:

Pasach, Bimhal and Ashvath. These were Japhlet’s sons.

The sons of Shomer:

Ahi, Rohgah, Hubbah and Aram.

The sons of his brother Helem:

Zophah, Imna, Shelesh and Amal.

The sons of Zophah:

Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran and Beera.

The sons of Jether:

Jephunneh, Pispah and Ara.

The sons of Ulla:

Arah, Hanniel and Rizia.
All these were descendents of Asher—heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders. The number of men ready for battle, as listed in their genealogy, was 26,000.
—1 Chronicles 7:30-40
CONTENTS
Foreword
Mike Singletary
Introduction: The Seven-Forty Club
Dimension 1: Fatherhood
Fiction: Imagine a Father
Fatherhood Principle 1: Be Your Kids’ Dad
Fatherhood Principle 2: Raise Godly Kids
Dimension 2: Character
Fiction: Imagine a Man of Character
Character Principle 1: Be a “Choice Man” of Character
Character Principle 2: Build a Generation of “Choice People”
Dimension 3: Boldness
Fiction: Imagine a Warrior
Boldness Principle 1: Be a Warrior for God
Boldness Principle 2: Raise a Generation of Warriors
Dimension 4: Leadership
Fiction: Imagine a Leader
Leadership Principle 1: Be an Outstanding Leader
Leadership Principle 2: Raise a Generation of Outstanding Leaders
Fiction: Imagine a Legacy
Epilogue: The Asher Movement
Acknowledgments
F OREWORD
Ready for Battle
Mike Singletary
NFL Hall of Fame linebacker (inducted 1998), ten-time Pro Bowl player, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1985 and 1988), and NFL Man of the Year (1990)

Life is a battle, and the Christian life is the most intense battle of all. It takes a real warrior to live the Christian life, because our enemy is playing for keeps. That’s why I encourage you to read this book, The Warrior Within , by Pat Williams. It’s based on the life of a little-known Old Testament hero named Asher. Frankly, I didn’t know much about Asher before reading The Warrior Within . But as I learned Asher’s story, I was struck by the fact that the four themes that defined his life are truly the four great themes of my life. I’m not saying I’ve mastered these principles, but I have certainly set my sights on them! Those four principles are:
1. Be a Great Husband and a Great Dad
The eight most important people in my life are Kim (my wife) and my seven children. I have a solemn responsibility before God to love, teach and lead my family. My number one priority as a Christian father is to lead my kids to know and love Jesus Christ.
I had to learn what it means to be a Christian father because godly fatherhood was not modeled for me when I was young. My parents were married in their teens and our home life was troubled. I was the youngest of ten kids, and my dad, who was a preacher, left our family and the ministry when I was 12. My mother kept the family together with her love and prayers, but I grew up with a lot of resentment toward my absent father.
Once, at a family reunion, I looked around and realized that almost all my brothers had gone through a divorce. I heard the ex-wives talking about how hard it was not having husbands as the head of their households. I saw that the effect of my father’s abandonment was being passed down to later generations. I realized I had to let Jesus free me of my resentment if I wanted to truly live as the kind of father God intended me to be.
Kim and I are committed to keeping our marriage and family strong through what we call the “Three Cs of Marriage.” First C: Communication . We talk, we listen, we serve one another by keeping the lines of communication open. Second C: Commitment . We take our wedding vows seriously. Feelings go up and down, but we know that a promise-keeping commitment will carry us through the tough times. Third C: Companionship . Marriage should be fun. Kim and I try to renew our friendship every day.
This man Asher must have been quite a husband and father, because 1 Chronicles 7:40 tells us that all of his descendents were “heads of families.” All of them!
2. Be a “Choice Man” of Character
Because the Christian life is a battle, we need to be choice men of character. We have to be men of honesty, courage, hard work, humility and more. We need to have our priorities squared away. We have to set an example for those who follow after us. Our kids need to see consistency and integrity in our lives.
As men of God, we have to be willing to humble ourselves and demonstrate Christlike character to others. God brought that lesson home to me one time when I visited the Cook County Women’s Prison in Chicago to minister, talk about Jesus, and bring a message of hope to the women prisoners who were there. When I got to the prison, the chaplain told me not to expect much of a response. He was right. I went into the room and started talking about what the Lord had done in