June 25, 2025 • 24 mins
The quest for spiritual growth often leads us down paths where we hear about knowledge, understanding, and wisdom—but what exactly separates these three critical elements, and how do they work together in the life of a disciple?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Chris Grainger (00:03):
Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast
serving Christian men who arehungry to be the leaders God
intends you to be.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
Let's jump in.
All right, fellas, meet episodetime.
Let's go, all right.
So the scripture of the weekthis week is James, my favorite
book of the Bible.
The first chapter, the fifthverse, says if any of you lacks
wisdom, you should ask God, whogives generously to all those,
(00:25):
without finding fault, and itwill be given to you.
So, guys, I unpacked that verseat length in our spiritual
kickoff episode.
So pop back one in your podcastfeed.
It'd be right there.
Just, you know, 10, 15 minutes.
Get a little bit ofencouragement right there.
And now also, guys, we do thesespiritual kickoffs Monday
through Friday in the LionWithin Us community.
That's a great part of what wedo, just so guys get so
(00:47):
encouraged by it.
So again, thelionwithinus ishow you get started with all
that stuff.
Okay, all right.
So now we're going to betalking about today, really,
what the difference is betweenthree items Knowledge,
understanding and wisdom.
Three big, heavy words.
Particularly, what does it meanas a disciple of Christ?
Okay, we're going to explorethem independently and we're
(01:10):
going to try to bring someclarity to these crucial
elements.
And again, this is one of ourBible studies that we have on
the YouVersion Bible app.
So, again, if you're a Bibleapp user, okay, please, please,
do this.
Open up your Bible app, searchfor the line Within Us and
follow our page, because we dropBible studies pretty regularly.
You know we try to do about twoper month out there, but then
(01:34):
you can also connect with medirectly and then we go through
two Bible studies as a groupeach month on the Bible app on
their platform.
It's just a great way toconnect, have a lot of fun with
fellow brothers in Christ, soyou can connect with me directly
there.
Go to thelinewithinus slashBible.
There's a link right therewhere we can connect on the
Bible app.
Love to be a part of it.
(01:55):
We're big proponents of theplatform.
We're all in on supporting, onserving, on creating content,
and they've been a greatplatform for us.
It's crazy the downloads andthe subscribers, the followers,
all that stuff on that platform,because God's doing some great
things.
Almost a billion users on theBible app right now, with a, b,
(02:17):
okay, so that's pretty neat.
So super, super pumped up.
So that's where this contentthat we're working through today
, that's where it's coming from.
Okay, all right up.
So that's where this contentthat we're working through today
, that's where it's coming from.
Ok, all right, fellas.
So now let's get into the firstarea, knowledge.
And we think about the pursuitof knowledge, think about our
head, our minds.
And Proverbs 9, verse 10, saysthe fear of the Lord is the
(02:38):
beginning of wisdom, and theknowledge of the Holy One is
understanding.
So when I start wrestling withthis whole idea between
knowledge, understanding andwisdom, it became abundantly
clear that they are indeedfundamentally different in their
source, okay, and they'refundamentally different in their
(02:58):
purpose and they'refundamentally different in their
outcome.
And I really spent a lot oftime in this one praying and
looking at God's word for and,and it was through that process
that some clarity came.
And hopefully that clarity isgoing to be helpful for you as
we, as we kind of unpack thistogether and this whole idea of
(03:19):
knowledge.
The first point of clarityreally was the point of clarity
for me was the word head.
You know, h-e-a-d head, becausethis starts showing up in my
life, and maybe your life too,in different ways, because so
often we're learning stuff for adifferent skill At one point in
(03:40):
my life I worked on race cars,absolutely loved it.
We spent a lot of time racing atSouth Boston Speedway in South
Boston, virginia.
That was a big part of it and Ireally didn't grow up around
race cars.
You know we watched it but Ireally wasn't working on them.
So when I entered the world ofracing man, I was a novice, so I
(04:02):
was consuming anything I could,I was reading, I was on the
internet, I was asking questions, anything I could to get the
ins and outs of what it takes tomake a car go fast.
I want to know that and as myknowledge for that, for that,
that craft began to increase,guess what also increased my
confidence.
(04:23):
Okay, cause I I find myselfmaking decisions on the race car
and then that started justshowing up at the racetrack,
right, so if I start shiftingthat same framework to be in a
cycle, it really made me thinkabout how memorizing Scripture
is really it's just key forspiritual growth, is really it's
(04:44):
just key for spiritual growth?
And on the surface, taking thetime to do that, you may think
it's childish, okay, you mightbe like well, man, I memorized
crap as a kid, like I never usethis stuff.
Now you know, and basically Idon't remember something.
I would memorize stuff for atest and then flush it.
What did classes know?
(05:04):
You guys know what I'm talkingabout.
But from a disciple standpoint,if we're trying to acquire
knowledge from God's word, thatis a staple in the
sanctification process.
Okay, because we have to getthe stuff into our head so that
we can put it into action in ourlife.
This has to be done daily, canput it into action in our life.
(05:24):
This has to be done daily.
And thinking about this process, I stopped looking at it as an
academic exercise.
I had to, because if I thinkabout it from a pure academia
standpoint, it's not going toget there.
I had to recognize that this isa way of planting seeds of
(05:44):
truth and I'm doing the work sothat God can do the change.
And then suddenly trying tomemorize verses really shifts
from laborious work to that moremeaningful impact.
Right, because it's going togive you clarity, it's going to
give you purpose.
And this wasn't like memorizingsomething back in English class
(06:07):
either, fellas.
This was closer to likethinking about a poem and
memorizing that and thenwatching that impact how I lived
, behaved and acted in life,because the trick wasn't
memorization.
Memorization was the key toreflection which led to
(06:28):
implementation, and it's throughthis process that discernment
started coming up.
Right, because there's lots ofcrazy messages out there.
Right, this world andconflicting and it's going to
tell us one thing or this otherthing over here.
But as we think about knowledge, remember this it's only the
beginning.
(06:48):
It equips us with truth, right,but understanding and wisdom
that helps us apply it correctly.
So knowledge tells us whatGod's word says.
That's our head and we need toknow that.
Understanding tells us what itmeans and wisdom shows us how to
use it.
Okay, so we're going to keepcontinuing this journey.
We're going to exploreunderstanding and wisdom deeper
(07:11):
and hopefully, you're going tofind this encouragement you know
, and help you in your ownpersonal walk.
So look, fellas, we'll take ourfirst break.
We'll be right back.
We're going to keep unpluggingthis together.
I've got something big to share.
We're making a major shiftbecause we know the battle is
real and it's time more men hadaccess to the support they need.
(07:34):
For too long, guys have beentrying to carry the weight alone
pressure at work, tension athome, wounds from the past, in a
world that demands strength butoffers no place to rest.
We see it, we've lived it, andthat's exactly why we built our
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We've lived it and that'sexactly why we built our
community.
It's a stronghold, a placewhere warriors can find rest,
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(07:55):
And starting now, we're makingit easier than ever to step in.
We've lowered the barrier tojust $15.99 a month.
That means, for less than thecost of a drive-thru lunch, you
can join a brotherhood that'scentered on Christ and built for
growth.
Inside you'll find access toour daily spiritual kickoffs
every Monday through Friday, ourLion Lunches, our Bible studies
, our Friday Forge gatheringsall that and so much more.
(08:18):
Every man needs a stronghold,and you don't have to fight
alone.
If you've been waiting for theright time to jump in, this is
it.
Go to thelionwithinus and jointhe community and see for
yourself what happens when irontruly sharpens iron.
All right guys, welcome back.
So look, we just talked aboutknowledge the head.
(08:40):
Now we're going to move tounderstanding our hands.
Okay, so look at Proverbs 2.6.
It says the Lord gives wisdom.
From his mouth comes knowledgeand understanding.
Okay, so, as we keep movingalong our journey, we need to
shift right now to the conceptof understanding.
Again, we've got to move fromthe head here because we've
(09:02):
unpacked knowledge and we've gotto start thinking about our
hands Hands and the reason forthis is because, you know, at
our level, as our level ofknowledge kind of goes up, okay,
there becomes a point where wemust start taking action.
So having a solid how-to isimportant in our discipleship
(09:23):
journey.
Again, I talked about racingearlier.
Again, I talked about racingearlier From the racing
standpoint.
That started to show up.
My understanding began to showup as I transitioned into the
primary person who set up thecar each week, because a setup
(09:44):
on a race car involves a lot ofdifferent parameters.
So you're thinking about yougot ride heights that you have
to maintain.
You have your shotconfigurations.
You have of differentparameters.
You're thinking about rideheights that you have to
maintain.
You have your shotconfigurations.
You have your different springs.
You have camber that you haveto work on.
Overall, a big part of what Iwas focused on was the overall
balance of the car.
There are lots of other factors, but these are the big ones.
(10:06):
You have tire sizes.
There's also tire pressures.
There's so much that goes intogetting the car One.
We're in a past inspection.
That's a big one.
But two, this was fast, and notjust fast for a lap, like
anything.
I can make it go fast for a lap, for sure, that's easy.
How do you make it go fast?
For, you know, 50 or 150, right, that's the big piece.
(10:28):
And the tricky part is thateach one of the components on
the race car had adverse effectson each other.
You mess with the right frontcorner, you're impacting the
left, rear and vice versa, right, and ride heights change.
You find yourself chasing rideheights all over the place, and
a single turn of the wrench inone area had an impact on the
overall handling machine overall, all over the place.
(10:49):
And a single turn of the wrenchin one area had an impact on
the overall handling machineoverall.
And as I learned more and had adeeper level of understanding of
how the car reacts, then Icould learn how to make the
necessary adjustments thatprovided the outcome we were
looking for right Trophy at theend of the day.
(11:10):
So think about this as my baselevel of knowledge was there and
the understanding increased, myunderstanding just began to
increase.
All of a sudden, applying theright adjustments began
happening.
Okay, all of a sudden, applyingthe right adjustments begin
(11:30):
happening and we start thinkingabout the power of understanding
in the light of being adisciple.
There's a simple connectionhere.
You can know all the Bibleverses on the planet and that
cannot be the desired finishline.
At some point you got to getthe head knowledge of the Bible
(11:52):
verses to manifest intosomething tangible If we're
going to fulfill what Jesus iscalling us to do.
And in my discipleship journey Isee understanding show up the
best when I'm teaching andreally when I'm teaching God's
word to my family, because it'sbeen awakening for me to see how
(12:16):
studying a section of scriptureand building a level of
knowledge can shift into anopportunity to help those in my
home grow.
And I see it over and over andover.
And some of the sweetestmoments we have as a family has
been that we started doing Biblereading this year.
(12:37):
We've always read the Bible.
I should clarify we read theBible every night at dinner, so
we finish eating dinner and thenwe have a Bible reading plan
we're working through andsometimes we'll read one chapter
.
It's always at least a chapter,but sometimes, if we're getting
caught up, maybe we missed itor something, we read two
chapters or something, but it'sjust a great moment for us to
(12:59):
sit down together and read God'sWord.
But then the understanding kicksin.
Okay, what do you think aboutthis?
And we start wrestling with thescriptures, and it's just a fun
thing.
But that understanding bridgesthe gap between knowledge and
application, because it turnswhat we know about God into
(13:19):
actions that we can take toglorify Him.
Right, and it's not enough justto have the knowledge in our
minds.
We have to help it, guide ourhands to take action.
And that understandingtransforms our choices and our
conversations and just the waywe live our life.
And this is where discipleshipreally becomes real, because
(13:39):
it's not just about what we know, it's about how we live and
lead others to Christ.
So now that really coversunderstanding.
And we're going to look at theconcept of wisdom next, because
that's really the last part ofTriple Crown and that's the
guiding light.
That's really the guiding lightthat's going to bring it all
together for us.
So, guys, as you think throughthis now, just think about
(14:00):
knowledge and understanding, seehow that is showing up in your
life, and then what are maybesome practical adjustments you
can make in your own spirituallife to better align to his
purpose.
I know these are kind of big,heavy questions but, buddy, if
you'll just take a few minutesand think about it, you'll be
amazed what the Holy Spirit'sgoing to reveal to you.
So we're going to take our lastbreak, fellas, we'll be right
(14:22):
back.
We're making a big change thatI think you're really going to
enjoy.
I spent a lot of time thinkingabout our spiritual kickoffs and
, honestly, I love doing themeach week, so much so we started
doing them live every Mondaythrough Friday inside our
exclusive platform.
(14:43):
And here's the best part wedecided to give full access,
completely free.
So now you can join our dailyspiritual kickoff space at no
cost.
Every day, we go live to readthe word, to encourage each
other and find simple andpowerful ways to apply God's
truth to our lives.
(15:03):
You'll even have the chance toengage with me directly, and if
you missed a live stream, don'tworry, the videos are posted the
same day so you can catch upwhenever it works for you.
This is exclusivebehind-the-scenes content that
is not available anywhere else,and now we've removed every
excuse.
So if you're ready to getstarted, head over to
(15:26):
thelionwithinus and grab yourfree access today.
Let's grow together.
All right, guys.
So now we're back.
So we've talked about, you know,the head, the hands.
Now we need to move to theheart.
So get that knowledge,understanding, wisdom.
And again, our verse, our verseof the week this week, james
(15:48):
one five, talks about if youdon't, if you lack wisdom, you
better just ask brother.
And we've talked a lot aboutthe race car, you know, and we
start thinking about the, the,the, our life in general.
My mentor has a beautifuldefinition of wisdom and he
calls it the ability to seethings from God's perspective
(16:12):
and that's just a pretty awesomegoal.
It's just a pretty in general.
And we start.
You know, we've talked a lotabout the race car in this
episode.
So far, that head knowledgewhich turned into understanding,
which connected the hands.
And those two are important forsure, but there are very little
value if they don't directlycouple our hearts with wisdom.
(16:35):
So at the, at the track,everything revolved real speed,
right, and it all comes ahead ofwhen you get to race day.
But reality, 80% of the worknecessary to win on weekend
occurs at the shop by applying.
But you know you got to get towork at shop done, but applying
wisdom at the track is where yougo to victory lane.
(16:56):
Does that make sense?
Like you got to do the work,you got to get the work at the
shop done, but applying wisdomat the track is where you go to
victory lane.
Does that make sense?
Like you got to do the work,you got to do the homework, you
got to get everything set up,you got to get all your ducks in
a row, but when you get to thetrack, you got to perform too.
Okay.
And there's several weeks on atypical race weekend, you got
practice sessions and all thistype of stuff and you can test
your equipment out and all thisstuff to figure out what's
happening.
And this is in those sessions,buddy.
(17:18):
That's when the race is won.
That's when wisdom prevails.
You kind of see how the car isresponding on that particular
day and you know what?
Sometimes it's not stable,sometimes it will be way too
loose, or sometimes it's way tootight.
Car's not turning.
I feel like that's all mydriver ever says Car's tight,
tight, tight.
But we knew what we had to doto fix those things.
(17:40):
But it was right there.
You had timing andopportunities met and success
came because we knew what to do.
We knew what to do and there'san uncanny parallel fellas
between how wisdom was appliedat the racetrack and how wisdom
manifests in my life as abeliever, because the more time,
(18:02):
effort and attention that I putinto studying God's Word, the
easier it becomes to know whatto do with it and to apply it to
my life, and I'm seeing alinear path of progression.
But it all starts with His Wordand studying it, then it moves
to sharing it like I've talkedabout earlier, teaching it too,
though and it ultimatelyculminates with the practical
(18:25):
application.
So this is kind of like atrifecta, if you will.
Again, the triple crown right,and it's only possible through
the sovereignty and the goodnessof God, because, at the end of
the day, I've had to teachmyself and remind myself that
wisdom is from Him.
He provides it with extremegenerosity.
(18:45):
I have to humble myself enoughto ask Him for it.
Again, pride's a headwind, boysit is.
It holds us back from seekingit.
I don't know if that resonateswith you or not.
I'm sure it does with lots ofguys.
So maybe now you're a littlemore equipped to navigate his
(19:06):
way, because wisdom is wherethey all come together.
You got knowledge,understanding, humility all that
stuff coming together in Christ, and it's our ability to align
our perspective with God's Okay,seeing the opportunities, the
challenges, the decisionsthrough His lens.
Right, because, just like atthe racetrack, it takes a ton of
(19:29):
preparation and practice andapplication.
So does our journey asbelievers, because it's not
something we generate on our own.
It's a gift.
It's a gift.
It's a gift.
And again, wisdom is not thefinish line, but an ongoing
pursuit.
Like you know, she's going toget there.
Oh, I'm finally wise.
No, bro, it don't work that way.
(19:50):
I wish it did sometimes, but no, it doesn't.
Because maybe you're in apreparation phase right now hey,
keep prepping.
Maybe you're in a preparationphase right now hey, keep
prepping.
Maybe you're in a practicephase and keep refining this, or
maybe you're actively applyingwhat you've learned right now.
His wisdom is always available.
(20:11):
It's leading you towardsvictory.
But you got to lean in, you gotto ask boldly and then you got
to watch how he transforms yourlife.
So, guys, this has been a great.
I hope you've enjoyed this.
I thoroughly enjoy walkingthrough this Again.
This is one of our studies onthe Bible app.
Now I pray that you just takeaway some practical steps you
can take towards seeking God'swisdom.
And now, if something comes tomind, put it into action.
(20:33):
That's what you have to do.
You have to put it into action,fellas.
So thank you, guys, so much forlistening Again.
The LionWithinus is how youconnect with us directly.
So head over to theLionWithinus, join our
mastermind, join our community.
Connect with us in differentways, fellas.
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(20:53):
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So if you could just click thefive-star rating, give a couple
cents review, that would beamazing.
And, guys, we certainlyappreciate you taking the time
(21:15):
hanging out with us.
All right, have a great day,fellas, get after it and
remember, keep unleashing thelion within.
Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast
serving Christian men who arehungry to be the leaders God
intends you to be.
I'm your host, chris Granger.
Let's jump in.
All right, fellas, meet episodetime.
Let's go, all right.
So the scripture of the weekthis week is James, my favorite
book of the Bible.
The first chapter, the fifthverse, says if any of you lacks
wisdom, you should ask God, whogives generously to all those,
(00:25):
without finding fault, and itwill be given to you.
So, guys, I unpacked that verseat length in our spiritual
kickoff episode.
So pop back one in your podcastfeed.
It'd be right there.
Just, you know, 10, 15 minutes.
Get a little bit ofencouragement right there.
And now also, guys, we do thesespiritual kickoffs Monday
through Friday in the LionWithin Us community.
That's a great part of what wedo, just so guys get so
(00:47):
encouraged by it.
So again, thelionwithinus ishow you get started with all
that stuff.
Okay, all right.
So now we're going to betalking about today, really,
what the difference is betweenthree items Knowledge,
understanding and wisdom.
Three big, heavy words.
Particularly, what does it meanas a disciple of Christ?
Okay, we're going to explorethem independently and we're
(01:10):
going to try to bring someclarity to these crucial
elements.
And again, this is one of ourBible studies that we have on
the YouVersion Bible app.
So, again, if you're a Bibleapp user, okay, please, please,
do this.
Open up your Bible app, searchfor the line Within Us and
follow our page, because we dropBible studies pretty regularly.
You know we try to do about twoper month out there, but then
(01:34):
you can also connect with medirectly and then we go through
two Bible studies as a groupeach month on the Bible app on
their platform.
It's just a great way toconnect, have a lot of fun with
fellow brothers in Christ, soyou can connect with me directly
there.
Go to thelinewithinus slashBible.
There's a link right therewhere we can connect on the
Bible app.
Love to be a part of it.
(01:55):
We're big proponents of theplatform.
We're all in on supporting, onserving, on creating content,
and they've been a greatplatform for us.
It's crazy the downloads andthe subscribers, the followers,
all that stuff on that platform,because God's doing some great
things.
Almost a billion users on theBible app right now, with a, b,
(02:17):
okay, so that's pretty neat.
So super, super pumped up.
So that's where this contentthat we're working through today
, that's where it's coming from.
Okay, all right up.
So that's where this contentthat we're working through today
, that's where it's coming from.
Ok, all right, fellas.
So now let's get into the firstarea, knowledge.
And we think about the pursuitof knowledge, think about our
head, our minds.
And Proverbs 9, verse 10, saysthe fear of the Lord is the
(02:38):
beginning of wisdom, and theknowledge of the Holy One is
understanding.
So when I start wrestling withthis whole idea between
knowledge, understanding andwisdom, it became abundantly
clear that they are indeedfundamentally different in their
source, okay, and they'refundamentally different in their
(02:58):
purpose and they'refundamentally different in their
outcome.
And I really spent a lot oftime in this one praying and
looking at God's word for and,and it was through that process
that some clarity came.
And hopefully that clarity isgoing to be helpful for you as
we, as we kind of unpack thistogether and this whole idea of
(03:19):
knowledge.
The first point of clarityreally was the point of clarity
for me was the word head.
You know, h-e-a-d head, becausethis starts showing up in my
life, and maybe your life too,in different ways, because so
often we're learning stuff for adifferent skill At one point in
(03:40):
my life I worked on race cars,absolutely loved it.
We spent a lot of time racing atSouth Boston Speedway in South
Boston, virginia.
That was a big part of it and Ireally didn't grow up around
race cars.
You know we watched it but Ireally wasn't working on them.
So when I entered the world ofracing man, I was a novice, so I
(04:02):
was consuming anything I could,I was reading, I was on the
internet, I was asking questions, anything I could to get the
ins and outs of what it takes tomake a car go fast.
I want to know that and as myknowledge for that, for that,
that craft began to increase,guess what also increased my
confidence.
(04:23):
Okay, cause I I find myselfmaking decisions on the race car
and then that started justshowing up at the racetrack,
right, so if I start shiftingthat same framework to be in a
cycle, it really made me thinkabout how memorizing Scripture
is really it's just key forspiritual growth, is really it's
(04:44):
just key for spiritual growth?
And on the surface, taking thetime to do that, you may think
it's childish, okay, you mightbe like well, man, I memorized
crap as a kid, like I never usethis stuff.
Now you know, and basically Idon't remember something.
I would memorize stuff for atest and then flush it.
What did classes know?
(05:04):
You guys know what I'm talkingabout.
But from a disciple standpoint,if we're trying to acquire
knowledge from God's word, thatis a staple in the
sanctification process.
Okay, because we have to getthe stuff into our head so that
we can put it into action in ourlife.
This has to be done daily, canput it into action in our life.
(05:24):
This has to be done daily.
And thinking about this process, I stopped looking at it as an
academic exercise.
I had to, because if I thinkabout it from a pure academia
standpoint, it's not going toget there.
I had to recognize that this isa way of planting seeds of
(05:44):
truth and I'm doing the work sothat God can do the change.
And then suddenly trying tomemorize verses really shifts
from laborious work to that moremeaningful impact.
Right, because it's going togive you clarity, it's going to
give you purpose.
And this wasn't like memorizingsomething back in English class
(06:07):
either, fellas.
This was closer to likethinking about a poem and
memorizing that and thenwatching that impact how I lived
, behaved and acted in life,because the trick wasn't
memorization.
Memorization was the key toreflection which led to
(06:28):
implementation, and it's throughthis process that discernment
started coming up.
Right, because there's lots ofcrazy messages out there.
Right, this world andconflicting and it's going to
tell us one thing or this otherthing over here.
But as we think about knowledge, remember this it's only the
beginning.
(06:48):
It equips us with truth, right,but understanding and wisdom
that helps us apply it correctly.
So knowledge tells us whatGod's word says.
That's our head and we need toknow that.
Understanding tells us what itmeans and wisdom shows us how to
use it.
Okay, so we're going to keepcontinuing this journey.
We're going to exploreunderstanding and wisdom deeper
(07:11):
and hopefully, you're going tofind this encouragement you know
, and help you in your ownpersonal walk.
So look, fellas, we'll take ourfirst break.
We'll be right back.
We're going to keep unpluggingthis together.
I've got something big to share.
We're making a major shiftbecause we know the battle is
real and it's time more men hadaccess to the support they need.
(07:34):
For too long, guys have beentrying to carry the weight alone
pressure at work, tension athome, wounds from the past, in a
world that demands strength butoffers no place to rest.
We see it, we've lived it, andthat's exactly why we built our
community.
We've lived it and that'sexactly why we built our
community.
It's a stronghold, a placewhere warriors can find rest,
truth and a band of brothersstanding beside them.
(07:55):
And starting now, we're makingit easier than ever to step in.
We've lowered the barrier tojust $15.99 a month.
That means, for less than thecost of a drive-thru lunch, you
can join a brotherhood that'scentered on Christ and built for
growth.
Inside you'll find access toour daily spiritual kickoffs
every Monday through Friday, ourLion Lunches, our Bible studies
, our Friday Forge gatheringsall that and so much more.
(08:18):
Every man needs a stronghold,and you don't have to fight
alone.
If you've been waiting for theright time to jump in, this is
it.
Go to thelionwithinus and jointhe community and see for
yourself what happens when irontruly sharpens iron.
All right guys, welcome back.
So look, we just talked aboutknowledge the head.
(08:40):
Now we're going to move tounderstanding our hands.
Okay, so look at Proverbs 2.6.
It says the Lord gives wisdom.
From his mouth comes knowledgeand understanding.
Okay, so, as we keep movingalong our journey, we need to
shift right now to the conceptof understanding.
Again, we've got to move fromthe head here because we've
(09:02):
unpacked knowledge and we've gotto start thinking about our
hands Hands and the reason forthis is because, you know, at
our level, as our level ofknowledge kind of goes up, okay,
there becomes a point where wemust start taking action.
So having a solid how-to isimportant in our discipleship
(09:23):
journey.
Again, I talked about racingearlier.
Again, I talked about racingearlier From the racing
standpoint.
That started to show up.
My understanding began to showup as I transitioned into the
primary person who set up thecar each week, because a setup
(09:44):
on a race car involves a lot ofdifferent parameters.
So you're thinking about yougot ride heights that you have
to maintain.
You have your shotconfigurations.
You have of differentparameters.
You're thinking about rideheights that you have to
maintain.
You have your shotconfigurations.
You have your different springs.
You have camber that you haveto work on.
Overall, a big part of what Iwas focused on was the overall
balance of the car.
There are lots of other factors, but these are the big ones.
(10:06):
You have tire sizes.
There's also tire pressures.
There's so much that goes intogetting the car One.
We're in a past inspection.
That's a big one.
But two, this was fast, and notjust fast for a lap, like
anything.
I can make it go fast for a lap, for sure, that's easy.
How do you make it go fast?
For, you know, 50 or 150, right, that's the big piece.
(10:28):
And the tricky part is thateach one of the components on
the race car had adverse effectson each other.
You mess with the right frontcorner, you're impacting the
left, rear and vice versa, right, and ride heights change.
You find yourself chasing rideheights all over the place, and
a single turn of the wrench inone area had an impact on the
overall handling machine overall, all over the place.
(10:49):
And a single turn of the wrenchin one area had an impact on
the overall handling machineoverall.
And as I learned more and had adeeper level of understanding of
how the car reacts, then Icould learn how to make the
necessary adjustments thatprovided the outcome we were
looking for right Trophy at theend of the day.
(11:10):
So think about this as my baselevel of knowledge was there and
the understanding increased, myunderstanding just began to
increase.
All of a sudden, applying theright adjustments began
happening.
Okay, all of a sudden, applyingthe right adjustments begin
(11:30):
happening and we start thinkingabout the power of understanding
in the light of being adisciple.
There's a simple connectionhere.
You can know all the Bibleverses on the planet and that
cannot be the desired finishline.
At some point you got to getthe head knowledge of the Bible
(11:52):
verses to manifest intosomething tangible If we're
going to fulfill what Jesus iscalling us to do.
And in my discipleship journey Isee understanding show up the
best when I'm teaching andreally when I'm teaching God's
word to my family, because it'sbeen awakening for me to see how
(12:16):
studying a section of scriptureand building a level of
knowledge can shift into anopportunity to help those in my
home grow.
And I see it over and over andover.
And some of the sweetestmoments we have as a family has
been that we started doing Biblereading this year.
(12:37):
We've always read the Bible.
I should clarify we read theBible every night at dinner, so
we finish eating dinner and thenwe have a Bible reading plan
we're working through andsometimes we'll read one chapter
.
It's always at least a chapter,but sometimes, if we're getting
caught up, maybe we missed itor something, we read two
chapters or something, but it'sjust a great moment for us to
(12:59):
sit down together and read God'sWord.
But then the understanding kicksin.
Okay, what do you think aboutthis?
And we start wrestling with thescriptures, and it's just a fun
thing.
But that understanding bridgesthe gap between knowledge and
application, because it turnswhat we know about God into
(13:19):
actions that we can take toglorify Him.
Right, and it's not enough justto have the knowledge in our
minds.
We have to help it, guide ourhands to take action.
And that understandingtransforms our choices and our
conversations and just the waywe live our life.
And this is where discipleshipreally becomes real, because
(13:39):
it's not just about what we know, it's about how we live and
lead others to Christ.
So now that really coversunderstanding.
And we're going to look at theconcept of wisdom next, because
that's really the last part ofTriple Crown and that's the
guiding light.
That's really the guiding lightthat's going to bring it all
together for us.
So, guys, as you think throughthis now, just think about
(14:00):
knowledge and understanding, seehow that is showing up in your
life, and then what are maybesome practical adjustments you
can make in your own spirituallife to better align to his
purpose.
I know these are kind of big,heavy questions but, buddy, if
you'll just take a few minutesand think about it, you'll be
amazed what the Holy Spirit'sgoing to reveal to you.
So we're going to take our lastbreak, fellas, we'll be right
(14:22):
back.
We're making a big change thatI think you're really going to
enjoy.
I spent a lot of time thinkingabout our spiritual kickoffs and
, honestly, I love doing themeach week, so much so we started
doing them live every Mondaythrough Friday inside our
exclusive platform.
(14:43):
And here's the best part wedecided to give full access,
completely free.
So now you can join our dailyspiritual kickoff space at no
cost.
Every day, we go live to readthe word, to encourage each
other and find simple andpowerful ways to apply God's
truth to our lives.
(15:03):
You'll even have the chance toengage with me directly, and if
you missed a live stream, don'tworry, the videos are posted the
same day so you can catch upwhenever it works for you.
This is exclusivebehind-the-scenes content that
is not available anywhere else,and now we've removed every
excuse.
So if you're ready to getstarted, head over to
(15:26):
thelionwithinus and grab yourfree access today.
Let's grow together.
All right, guys.
So now we're back.
So we've talked about, you know,the head, the hands.
Now we need to move to theheart.
So get that knowledge,understanding, wisdom.
And again, our verse, our verseof the week this week, james
(15:48):
one five, talks about if youdon't, if you lack wisdom, you
better just ask brother.
And we've talked a lot aboutthe race car, you know, and we
start thinking about the, the,the, our life in general.
My mentor has a beautifuldefinition of wisdom and he
calls it the ability to seethings from God's perspective
(16:12):
and that's just a pretty awesomegoal.
It's just a pretty in general.
And we start.
You know, we've talked a lotabout the race car in this
episode.
So far, that head knowledgewhich turned into understanding,
which connected the hands.
And those two are important forsure, but there are very little
value if they don't directlycouple our hearts with wisdom.
(16:35):
So at the, at the track,everything revolved real speed,
right, and it all comes ahead ofwhen you get to race day.
But reality, 80% of the worknecessary to win on weekend
occurs at the shop by applying.
But you know you got to get towork at shop done, but applying
wisdom at the track is where yougo to victory lane.
(16:56):
Does that make sense?
Like you got to do the work,you got to get the work at the
shop done, but applying wisdomat the track is where you go to
victory lane.
Does that make sense?
Like you got to do the work,you got to do the homework, you
got to get everything set up,you got to get all your ducks in
a row, but when you get to thetrack, you got to perform too.
Okay.
And there's several weeks on atypical race weekend, you got
practice sessions and all thistype of stuff and you can test
your equipment out and all thisstuff to figure out what's
happening.
And this is in those sessions,buddy.
(17:18):
That's when the race is won.
That's when wisdom prevails.
You kind of see how the car isresponding on that particular
day and you know what?
Sometimes it's not stable,sometimes it will be way too
loose, or sometimes it's way tootight.
Car's not turning.
I feel like that's all mydriver ever says Car's tight,
tight, tight.
But we knew what we had to doto fix those things.
(17:40):
But it was right there.
You had timing andopportunities met and success
came because we knew what to do.
We knew what to do and there'san uncanny parallel fellas
between how wisdom was appliedat the racetrack and how wisdom
manifests in my life as abeliever, because the more time,
(18:02):
effort and attention that I putinto studying God's Word, the
easier it becomes to know whatto do with it and to apply it to
my life, and I'm seeing alinear path of progression.
But it all starts with His Wordand studying it, then it moves
to sharing it like I've talkedabout earlier, teaching it too,
though and it ultimatelyculminates with the practical
(18:25):
application.
So this is kind of like atrifecta, if you will.
Again, the triple crown right,and it's only possible through
the sovereignty and the goodnessof God, because, at the end of
the day, I've had to teachmyself and remind myself that
wisdom is from Him.
He provides it with extremegenerosity.
(18:45):
I have to humble myself enoughto ask Him for it.
Again, pride's a headwind, boysit is.
It holds us back from seekingit.
I don't know if that resonateswith you or not.
I'm sure it does with lots ofguys.
So maybe now you're a littlemore equipped to navigate his
(19:06):
way, because wisdom is wherethey all come together.
You got knowledge,understanding, humility all that
stuff coming together in Christ, and it's our ability to align
our perspective with God's Okay,seeing the opportunities, the
challenges, the decisionsthrough His lens.
Right, because, just like atthe racetrack, it takes a ton of
(19:29):
preparation and practice andapplication.
So does our journey asbelievers, because it's not
something we generate on our own.
It's a gift.
It's a gift.
It's a gift.
And again, wisdom is not thefinish line, but an ongoing
pursuit.
Like you know, she's going toget there.
Oh, I'm finally wise.
No, bro, it don't work that way.
(19:50):
I wish it did sometimes, but no, it doesn't.
Because maybe you're in apreparation phase right now hey,
keep prepping.
Maybe you're in a preparationphase right now hey, keep
prepping.
Maybe you're in a practicephase and keep refining this, or
maybe you're actively applyingwhat you've learned right now.
His wisdom is always available.
(20:11):
It's leading you towardsvictory.
But you got to lean in, you gotto ask boldly and then you got
to watch how he transforms yourlife.
So, guys, this has been a great.
I hope you've enjoyed this.
I thoroughly enjoy walkingthrough this Again.
This is one of our studies onthe Bible app.
Now I pray that you just takeaway some practical steps you
can take towards seeking God'swisdom.
And now, if something comes tomind, put it into action.
(20:33):
That's what you have to do.
You have to put it into action,fellas.
So thank you, guys, so much forlistening Again.
The LionWithinus is how youconnect with us directly.
So head over to theLionWithinus, join our
mastermind, join our community.
Connect with us in differentways, fellas.
We have lots of ways we try toserve.
We have our Christian LeaderAssessment.
We have a weekly roar out there.
(20:53):
There's a newsletter that goesout lots of live events, all
different ways we serve and tryto just be there to encourage
and equip and just be there forothers.
So we'd love to see you over atthe Lion Within Us, okay?
So, guys, give us a rating andreview.
They do help, believe it or not.
So if you could just click thefive-star rating, give a couple
cents review, that would beamazing.
And, guys, we certainlyappreciate you taking the time
(21:15):
hanging out with us.
All right, have a great day,fellas, get after it and
remember, keep unleashing thelion within.
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