August 4, 2025 • 27 mins
The sacred value of human life isn't a political stance—it's at the very core of the gospel message. Drawing from Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you," this powerful episode unpacks the profound truth that God recognizes and values every life from the moment of conception. We confront the uncomfortable reality that our culture often devalues the most vulnerable among us, particularly the unborn.
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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, this is yourspiritual kickoff episode and
let's get right into it.
I'm so excited to be here.
I absolutely love the SKOs, bythe way, but you probably know
that by now.
So, anyway, the scripture ofthe week is in the book of
Jeremiah, the first chapter, andI want just one verse this week
(00:26):
, verse 5.
It says before I formed you inthe womb, I knew you, and before
you were born, I consecratedyou, I appointed you a prophet
to the nations.
Beautiful verse.
We're going to unpack it.
We're going to think about it.
(00:46):
This is going to be a heavyweek.
I'm're going to unpack it,we're going to think about it.
This is going to be a heavyweek.
I'm just going to be honest.
This is a heavy week becausewe're going to hit some brutal
truths that are quite often justglossed over.
They're not even touched frommany pulpits on Sundays, and
doggone it.
We're going to lead into theheart of conversations, because
that's what matters, but beforewe get into any of that, just
(01:07):
need to know to start aspiritual kickoff episode.
We dig into the Word.
If you enjoy this, skos is whatwe like to call them.
We do this Monday throughFriday within our line, within
this community, and again, it'sall 100% free.
We open that up free.
This year, guys are joiningpretty much every day.
(01:27):
It's been incredible just tosee.
So if you're just looking forjust a little extra content or a
little extra encouragement, man, I'm telling you the daily SKL
I just finished as, as recordingthe podcast, I came off an SKL.
We had a bunch of guys in there.
Skl we had a bunch of guys inthere.
We're just going through OldTestament prophets right now.
Jose is what we're workingthrough and it's just such an
(01:48):
encouragement to me.
So, guys all over the country,canada, australia, all over the
world.
Basically at this point, whichis kind of cool, rio de Janeiro
just had a guy join from Rio deJaneiro and it's just cool
because the ultimate thingthat's tying us all together is
God's word and that's it, andwe're really focusing on that.
We're leaning in on that.
(02:08):
And again, if you like, thespiritual kickoff episodes that
we have here on the podcast, wegot five more for you that we
don't put anywhere else and wedon't post that stuff anywhere
else.
Fellas, it's not like we'retrying to get downloads or
anything like that.
No, we just serve and we try toencourage other guys.
So the Lion Withinus is how youget started with that.
Ok, now, as we dig into thisscripture for Jeremiah, I need
(02:31):
to know, first of all, where isJeremiah?
Ok, it can be a little bitconfusing.
So it's in your Old Testamentand it's right after the book of
Isaiah.
Ok, so if you find Isaiah again, kind of towards the middle of
your Bible, just keep flippingto the right and you'll see.
You'll run into the book ofJeremiah.
Ok, again, one of the majorprophets and beautiful verse,
(02:53):
because it talks about beforeyou were born.
Ok, and there's a lot of weightto those words.
Right, lots of weight, becausewhat, what God is doing?
Right here is he's declaring toJeremiah, ok, that this is,
this is what right here is he'sdeclaring to Jeremiah, okay,
that this is what your purposeis.
It's not just a personalcalling.
This is a reminder to him that,hey, he was in charge and he
(03:17):
deeply values life.
In particular, he had a lot ofthings he wanted Jeremiah to do
and it just when I sit back andI reverse verse, because you
always think about pro-life.
You go to Psalm 139, and I dotoo.
That's a great verse.
But man, right here before, evenbefore that happened, bro, he
knew Jeremiah.
(03:37):
And that's the part, outsidethe Christian worldview, that
people can't make sense of,right?
Because you think, well, spermhits an egg and makes a baby and
at some point, depending on whoyou listen to, it actually
becomes a baby.
And I'm like, no, bro, thewhole point is like, at that
moment, that is a baby, that islife.
But the crazy part for me totry to wrestle with is, even
(04:02):
before that little moment, godknew, he knew, he knew, he knew
about me, he knew about mybrother, he knew about my kids,
my parents, you, he knew aboutus.
And that is something that, man, if you start wrestling with,
it's just pretty cool.
(04:22):
And you hear lots of Christianstalk about that out there,
about that.
Every life has a purpose andevery life has dignity and there
is a divine design.
And that's right, that's notwrong, it is right.
But the real test, bro, reallystarts coming when we're called
(04:43):
to do something, to take action.
So this is moving from justwords of affirmation to actual
defense, and maybe you'redefending with your time or your
prayers or your voice, andsometimes you're defending from
a place of discomfort becauseit's not comfortable being on
this side at times.
Right, jesus never said it'sgoing to be easy, bro.
(05:04):
He's like pick up your cross,follow me.
Yes, but his way is so muchbetter.
It's better because the gospel,at the end of the day, the
gospel, is pro-life, becauseit's about rescue, right,
redemption.
Jesus came to save the lost, toredeem those who are broken
(05:27):
Guess what we're all broken andto bring light to this dark
world and the problem man.
It just bothers me and theguest.
On Wednesday we're going to talkabout this.
I don't know how to prep youguys for it, but it's just going
to be real.
Because how to prep you guysfor it?
It's just going to be realBecause the culture we live in
(05:48):
devalues the most vulnerableamong us, and that's just real.
The unborn, completely devalued.
And as a Christian man, I can'tjust sit silently.
Now I'm using and trying toutilize the platform of the lion
, what God has built, to bringawareness and have conversations
(06:08):
and to hopefully startprovoking guys to take action,
because we have to be remindedthat we are called to stand up
and speak for those who can'tspeak for themselves.
I mean, it tells us that allthroughout the Bible.
Proverbs 31 tells us thatdirectly.
Okay, and I'm not talkingpolitical posture here.
(06:29):
Again, I'm not a big.
I have my political views, butI try not to bring them out to
the line.
Okay, because that's not whatthis is about.
But this is a gospel-drivenconviction.
Gospel-driven Every life, theborn and the unborn, guess what?
It's sacred Because they'reimage bearers of our creator,
(06:51):
right, womb to tomb baby.
That's what it's all about, andwe have to remember this.
And if we go back to Genesis,we're a man in his image.
Yes, that means we need to beall about serving and helping
others in their own journey.
And this requires fellas.
If you're going to be pro-life,it requires my old buddy Al
talks about it you're going tobe pro-life.
You're going to be pro-abortion.
I mean pro-adoption as well.
(07:14):
You can't be pro-anything fromabortion.
It has to be off our radar.
But it also requires for us tohave compassion as well as
courage, because you have awoman out there who's facing a
pregnancy that she, she, wasn'tplanning.
(07:36):
And guess what?
Right, there may be lots ofsurprise babies, you know,
surprise parents, rather, butain't no surprise babies, period
.
God knows about them all, hejust does.
So when we run into thissituation, we have to be so
attuned that we address it withlove and not shame, not
(07:58):
condemnation.
You remember now, there's nocombination for those in Christ
Jesus, right?
So it can't be condemning,right, and maybe you're not the
guy who is running a ministry tosupport these women, but I tell
you what we should support theones that do right, and we have
to be willing to boldly justactually speak truth in a world
(08:21):
that really prioritizes comfortforemost.
That's what they want.
Nothing to convict us.
We don't want to ever beconvicted, we want to be
comfortable, and that just ain'tit, man, that just ain't it.
And at the end of the day too, Iknow several guys out there,
just very prominent speakers andstuff, podcast hosts, people
(08:44):
like that, who love to debate.
They're all about debating, andI'm just not into that, be
honest, I'm just not intodebating because it ain't about
winning a debate.
No, it's about defending theimage bearers.
It's about aligning my heartand the hearts of others with
God, who forms the life in thewomb and he recognizes every
(09:10):
little baby out there, everyperson, even you, bro, fearfully
and wonderfully made.
So if we can kind of put to theside that we're in this big
debate and choose to you knowwhat, lord, how would you
utilize me?
How should I use theopportunities you've given me
today for people who arestruggling in this area or
(09:32):
considering these areas?
How can I educate or encourageor equip, or just come alongside
and let them know that you knowwhat?
You may be scared right now,but every life is valuable and
you don't need a platform, guys.
You don't need a podcast to dothis.
You don't need a bunch ofinfluence at a company.
(09:55):
What you need is a willingheart, right?
Just willingness to say Lord,I'm willing to be used.
Please provide me theopportunities, and you can start
with simple stuff.
Fellas, start praying right nowfor the unborn children and
their mothers and just add thatto your prayer routine.
I mean, there's power in prayer.
(10:17):
If you don't believe that, thenI'm not sure why you listen to
the line.
There's power in that.
But then you have localpregnancy.
Can't even say that word rightnow.
Resource centers out there, notPlanned Parenthood let's just
clarify that stuff.
That's a joke.
We're going to really unpackthat on Wednesday, but the ones
that actually care.
I'm big, I'm all in on thisorganization called Preborn.
(10:42):
We support like five of theirpreborn.
You know where you see thebabies I can't think of the name
of the word right now.
I've had a bunch of them withall the kids we've had.
You know, when they come inwith the wand and they show you
ultrasound, there you go.
I know it would come to me andthat's what they do.
Their ministry 100% is theytake the women and usually the
(11:04):
percentage rate is through theroof that if a woman can
actually see her unborn baby,that the chances that she'll go
through with an abortiondramatically decrease.
So we support that.
Our family supports that.
You could do stuff like you'redoing right now educating
yourself and really looking atwhat Scripture is going to talk
about and what Scripture teachesus about life.
(11:25):
Now the guest on Wednesday, andreally look at what scripture
is going to talk about and whatscripture teaches us about life.
Now the guest on Wednesday.
This is one you're not going towant to miss If you're trying
to really get educated on this.
You want to sit and just soakin this?
All right, then you need to beavailable to mentor, to
encourage, to talk, to walk withpeople as they're walking
through this.
And this could be guys andgirls, right, because it takes
(11:45):
two to have a baby, boys.
Let's just be real there.
But so many times the woman isthe woman in crisis.
We need to be willing to bethere, right, and we cannot be
apathetic about this.
We have to be convicted becauselife matters, because God says
it matters, right, and if heknows us before we were born,
the way this says in Jeremiah,then we must treat every life as
(12:09):
one worth fighting for and wehave to get that framing correct
.
So the question this week andyou really just have to think
about this on your own is howare you yourself look in the
mirror right now how are youdefending the voiceless in
today's culture?
They're out there and I'mtelling you, once you see the
(12:32):
darkness and we're going toexpose the darkness this week my
prayer is that it moves you toconviction and that conviction
stirs you up to do something.
My prayer is that it moves youto conviction and that
conviction stirs you up to dosomething, because there's lots
of pew sitters out there, boys,but that's not what being a lion
is all about.
And also, I'm here to tell youif you're going through this
(12:56):
thing called life and you neversurrender your life to the
lordship of Jesus Christ.
And you're listening to thelion maybe there's something
that was catchy with the title.
I don't know how podcast stuffworks.
Sometimes Guys listen, youlisten to a Christian podcast
and you're not even Christian.
It's okay.
You're here for a reason,brother.
I'm happy to have you here,happy to encourage you and happy
(13:18):
to share with you the best news, the best news I could possibly
ever even uh utter on thepodcast and that is that god
loves you, man, like he does,and there's this perfect design
that god had.
Go back to the beginning of yourbible, open it up and you start
.
You'll start seeing how godbuilt this beautiful world and
(13:39):
he spoke all these things intoexistence until he got to man.
He did a little bit differentwith man.
He formed him with his hands.
There's a personal somethingthat when you take something,
you make it with your handsright.
And then he breathed into hisnostrils.
It's called the Ruah of life,the breath of life.
(14:00):
And then the first man his namewas Adam, by the way he sat up
and he was face to face with hiscreator.
Bro, it was awesome.
Can you imagine face to facewith God in the garden?
It's all great.
It's hunky dory for like twopages in my Bible.
Then sin enters.
And don't get all hung up onwhat sin is.
(14:21):
Sin is just anything thatseparates us from God.
It is there and now we havethis chasm, this gap between a
holy and righteous God and us,and we try so many guys I talk
to that aren't saved and I'mlike, bro, what's your plan?
How are you getting out of here?
What do you think is going tohappen?
(14:41):
Today's your day.
Just curious.
Where are you going with that?
Well, man, I think I just gotta.
I've probably been good enough.
That's gotta be a good personlike I just gotta do.
I just gotta do what's right.
Gotta be ethical yeah, there'snothing wrong with ethics.
For sure I want you to do good,but I always follow it up.
(15:02):
But how good is good like?
Is there like a scale that Ican look at and see, have I
checked this many good boxes ina day if I help this many old
ladies cross the street, or if Ido this many good deeds or give
the dismayed charities?
Like, is there a numberinvolved with that, because I'm
an engineering background.
I like numbers is what doesthat look like?
(15:23):
And that's when they startsquirming.
Well, I don't know.
I don't know either.
As far as I know, there isn'tone, of course.
I know there isn't one fromGod's word.
So we can't work our way into aright standing with God.
So if I can't do it myself, ifI can't be coached up right,
(15:49):
then what can I do?
If a coach can't help me figurethis stuff out, then I'm left
to figure it out on my own.
And if I figure it out on myown, that's a pretty dire
circumstance to find ourselvesin.
(16:10):
And the reality is we don't needa coach to help us figure this
out on our own.
To do better, we need a saviorcoming to do for us what we
can't do for ourselves.
You see the fundamentaldifference there.
This is where so many peopleget hung up right.
We need to recognize that Ican't do this, and that's where
(16:32):
a Savior comes in.
And that's Jesus, who leftheaven on a rescue mission for
us, was born of a virgin,fulfilled all the prophecies,
did all the teachings, did allthe miracles, did everything,
showed us, taught us.
This ministry changed the world.
And the primary difference inhis ministry is that he went to
(16:56):
the cross and chose to pay thepenalty for our sins.
He took it all on, every pieceof it.
He took it all on and theynailed him to a cross and he
died.
He didn't pass out and faint orgo to sleep and all that stuff.
Jesus died and they laid him ina tomb and it's like a funeral,
right.
So we should just be mourning,we should be sad because our
(17:20):
Savior's dead.
But the story doesn't stop there, the way it stops with so many
other religions, because so manyother religions they're, you
know, quote, unquote, they'rechosen one.
They go, they ain't coming back, they're still in the ground.
But guess what?
For Jesus, three days, it waslike an Airbnb baby, that's all
(17:42):
he needed, and that tomb wasempty.
He came walking out and that iswho we serve, a risen, living
Savior, and he showed.
There's so much evidence of theresurrection it'll blow your
mind.
Blow your mind.
And then he ascended and that'swhere he's at right now.
(18:04):
He's in heaven, he's right handof the father.
He is the way, the truth, thelife.
There's no other name underheaven that has been given among
men by which we must be saved.
Period.
It's Jesus.
So it takes a little.
It takes first recognizing thatyou are a sinner, and that is
(18:26):
where so many people get hung up, because they don't think that
you are a sinner.
And that is where so manypeople get hung up Because they
don't think that they are.
I'm just here to tell you,buddy, you are, you're a sinner
in need of a savior.
You need to believe also thatJesus is that savior.
There's no one else.
There's no other path.
Oprah's wrong, sorry, period.
Jesus is it.
(18:49):
And then, once you recognizethat you have that
self-awareness and thatreflection, then it moves.
You have to move to a postureof submittal, submitting to him
and acknowledging him as Lordand Savior of your life.
That means Lord and Savior overnot just Sunday, but Monday
through Saturday as well, yourmarriage, your children.
(19:11):
As Lord and Savior of your life.
That means Lord and Savior over, not just Sunday, but Monday
through Saturday as well, yourmarriage, your children, your
career, how you treat people,all this stuff.
He has to be over every area ofyour life.
Okay, so if you've never donethat, then today is the day.
Confess Jesus as Lord of yourlife.
Well, chris, I can't do thatLet today's the day, confess
Jesus as Lord of your life.
(19:32):
Well, chris, I can't do that.
Let's do a podcast, why not?
I don't see anywhere in theBible that says you have to be
sitting in a church pew on aSunday morning to accept Jesus
as your Lord and Savior.
Now we're getting ready to pray, so don't close your eyes.
If you're driving, but you cantotally accept Christ as your
Savior while you're driving.
If you're driving, but youcould totally accept Christ as
your savior while you're driving, if you're feeling a nudge and
a prompting, don't put off thebusiness that the Lord is
encouraging you to put to tohandle today, cause I'm telling
(19:57):
you, none of us are promised,none of us.
And I'm not trying to be doomand gloom, to scare you, I'm
just telling you just realitythe mortality rate is still
hovering around 100%, boys,that's just the way it is.
So it's time to take thataction.
So, if you're out there andyou're ready to submit your life
(20:18):
to the lordship of Jesus Christas your personal lord and
savior, let's pray together.
Father, I just pray for thatone listener.
Savior, let's pray together,father, I just pray for that one
listener.
They've reached the point wherethey know this is what they
need to do.
I pray that you hear theircries out to you.
I pray that they know that theyare loved.
(20:38):
I pray you put people in theirpath.
That will encourage them ontheir new walk with you.
And I also pray against theattacks of the evil one, because
he is pissed off right nowBecause that one dude out there
is saying you know what, I'mgoing to follow God, I'm going
to do it his way and I'm makingJesus the center of my life.
(21:00):
So I know heaven is rejoicing.
I know the evil ones areabsolutely losing their minds.
I just pray that you give thisguy encouragement, give him
wisdom, give him discernment,give him strength.
It's in your name that we praythis.
Amen, all right, look, if youjust accepted Christ, hit me up
(21:21):
Seriously.
Send me an email, because Iwon't send you as much as free
resources and we have tons ofthem, by the way, chris at the
lion within dot US.
Okay, that's my email address,so just email me.
Tell me which episode you'relistening to, if you don't mind.
I'm super curious.
I'm always curious on whichepisode, and then I'm going to
hook you up.
I'm going to send you some freedownloadable type stuff that
(21:44):
will help you get started onyour journey.
We also have some really goodguys in the Line Within Us
community that I want to findout where you're located and if
you need help finding a church.
I'm going to at least give yousome things to consider, some
green lights as well as redlights, some areas to think
about when you go looking forthat next church family that you
need to get plugged into,because you do need to get
plugged into one.
Ok, so again, chris, at theline within that US and look,
(22:08):
guys, I'm telling you thisepisode is coming up next in
your podcast.
If you want to drop someWednesday, it's going to be.
It's going to be a hammer.
It's going to be a hammer.
I've been so excited for thisepisode.
Went through the guy's book, itbothered me in so many ways and
it also illuminated to me.
Man, we need to be talkingabout these items a whole lot
(22:30):
more than we are so highlyencourage you to come back on
Wednesday, check it out again.
The line within that us startsyour daily spiritual kickoff.
If you like these SKOs, hey,money through Friday, go get
that.
Join the community.
We're talking 1515, guys, Imean, come on, you spend more on
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(22:52):
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That's why we have our own app.
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(23:13):
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No, we built it because we wantto serve guys in a truly
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So the line withinus is whereyou find that.
That for the, for the level upguys, leadership mastermind,
baby, that's it.
I'm telling you, we've gone allin on leadership mastermind.
The groups are filling up andit's been incredible.
The feedback is awesome.
I'm so excited to see how Godmoves in these men's lives.
(23:37):
If you need that small personalboard of advisors that you don't
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These groups, seven guys, seven, not 70.
Seven, so you can come in, youcan be heard, you can ask
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The way we've developed thissystem in place, man, it's
(24:01):
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Not because we're awesome, butbecause we're obedient to what
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There's a very in-depthassessment that we lay out to
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(24:21):
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okay, remember that slashmastermind you'll find all the
information there.
All right, so go check it out.
Fellas, look forward to hearingfrom you.
We'll see you on our nextepisode.
Give us a rating and review.
That would be awesome if youcould do that.
And other than that, you knowwhat's coming right.
(24:42):
Keep unleashing the lion within.
I've got something big to share.
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For too long, guys have beentrying to carry the weight alone
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(25:02):
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We see it, we've lived it, andthat's exactly why we built our
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(25:24):
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If you've been waiting for theright time to jump in, this is
(25:47):
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Go to the lion withinus andjoin the community and see for
yourself what happens when irontruly sharpens iron.
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, this is yourspiritual kickoff episode and
let's get right into it.
I'm so excited to be here.
I absolutely love the SKOs, bythe way, but you probably know
that by now.
So, anyway, the scripture ofthe week is in the book of
Jeremiah, the first chapter, andI want just one verse this week
(00:26):
, verse 5.
It says before I formed you inthe womb, I knew you, and before
you were born, I consecratedyou, I appointed you a prophet
to the nations.
Beautiful verse.
We're going to unpack it.
We're going to think about it.
(00:46):
This is going to be a heavyweek.
I'm're going to unpack it,we're going to think about it.
This is going to be a heavyweek.
I'm just going to be honest.
This is a heavy week becausewe're going to hit some brutal
truths that are quite often justglossed over.
They're not even touched frommany pulpits on Sundays, and
doggone it.
We're going to lead into theheart of conversations, because
that's what matters, but beforewe get into any of that, just
(01:07):
need to know to start aspiritual kickoff episode.
We dig into the Word.
If you enjoy this, skos is whatwe like to call them.
We do this Monday throughFriday within our line, within
this community, and again, it'sall 100% free.
We open that up free.
This year, guys are joiningpretty much every day.
(01:27):
It's been incredible just tosee.
So if you're just looking forjust a little extra content or a
little extra encouragement, man, I'm telling you the daily SKL
I just finished as, as recordingthe podcast, I came off an SKL.
We had a bunch of guys in there.
Skl we had a bunch of guys inthere.
We're just going through OldTestament prophets right now.
Jose is what we're workingthrough and it's just such an
(01:48):
encouragement to me.
So, guys all over the country,canada, australia, all over the
world.
Basically at this point, whichis kind of cool, rio de Janeiro
just had a guy join from Rio deJaneiro and it's just cool
because the ultimate thingthat's tying us all together is
God's word and that's it, andwe're really focusing on that.
We're leaning in on that.
(02:08):
And again, if you like, thespiritual kickoff episodes that
we have here on the podcast, wegot five more for you that we
don't put anywhere else and wedon't post that stuff anywhere
else.
Fellas, it's not like we'retrying to get downloads or
anything like that.
No, we just serve and we try toencourage other guys.
So the Lion Withinus is how youget started with that.
Ok, now, as we dig into thisscripture for Jeremiah, I need
(02:31):
to know, first of all, where isJeremiah?
Ok, it can be a little bitconfusing.
So it's in your Old Testamentand it's right after the book of
Isaiah.
Ok, so if you find Isaiah again, kind of towards the middle of
your Bible, just keep flippingto the right and you'll see.
You'll run into the book ofJeremiah.
Ok, again, one of the majorprophets and beautiful verse,
(02:53):
because it talks about beforeyou were born.
Ok, and there's a lot of weightto those words.
Right, lots of weight, becausewhat, what God is doing?
Right here is he's declaring toJeremiah, ok, that this is,
this is what right here is he'sdeclaring to Jeremiah, okay,
that this is what your purposeis.
It's not just a personalcalling.
This is a reminder to him that,hey, he was in charge and he
(03:17):
deeply values life.
In particular, he had a lot ofthings he wanted Jeremiah to do
and it just when I sit back andI reverse verse, because you
always think about pro-life.
You go to Psalm 139, and I dotoo.
That's a great verse.
But man, right here before, evenbefore that happened, bro, he
knew Jeremiah.
(03:37):
And that's the part, outsidethe Christian worldview, that
people can't make sense of,right?
Because you think, well, spermhits an egg and makes a baby and
at some point, depending on whoyou listen to, it actually
becomes a baby.
And I'm like, no, bro, thewhole point is like, at that
moment, that is a baby, that islife.
But the crazy part for me totry to wrestle with is, even
(04:02):
before that little moment, godknew, he knew, he knew, he knew
about me, he knew about mybrother, he knew about my kids,
my parents, you, he knew aboutus.
And that is something that, man, if you start wrestling with,
it's just pretty cool.
(04:22):
And you hear lots of Christianstalk about that out there,
about that.
Every life has a purpose andevery life has dignity and there
is a divine design.
And that's right, that's notwrong, it is right.
But the real test, bro, reallystarts coming when we're called
(04:43):
to do something, to take action.
So this is moving from justwords of affirmation to actual
defense, and maybe you'redefending with your time or your
prayers or your voice, andsometimes you're defending from
a place of discomfort becauseit's not comfortable being on
this side at times.
Right, jesus never said it'sgoing to be easy, bro.
(05:04):
He's like pick up your cross,follow me.
Yes, but his way is so muchbetter.
It's better because the gospel,at the end of the day, the
gospel, is pro-life, becauseit's about rescue, right,
redemption.
Jesus came to save the lost, toredeem those who are broken
(05:27):
Guess what we're all broken andto bring light to this dark
world and the problem man.
It just bothers me and theguest.
On Wednesday we're going to talkabout this.
I don't know how to prep youguys for it, but it's just going
to be real.
Because how to prep you guysfor it?
It's just going to be realBecause the culture we live in
(05:48):
devalues the most vulnerableamong us, and that's just real.
The unborn, completely devalued.
And as a Christian man, I can'tjust sit silently.
Now I'm using and trying toutilize the platform of the lion
, what God has built, to bringawareness and have conversations
(06:08):
and to hopefully startprovoking guys to take action,
because we have to be remindedthat we are called to stand up
and speak for those who can'tspeak for themselves.
I mean, it tells us that allthroughout the Bible.
Proverbs 31 tells us thatdirectly.
Okay, and I'm not talkingpolitical posture here.
(06:29):
Again, I'm not a big.
I have my political views, butI try not to bring them out to
the line.
Okay, because that's not whatthis is about.
But this is a gospel-drivenconviction.
Gospel-driven Every life, theborn and the unborn, guess what?
It's sacred Because they'reimage bearers of our creator,
(06:51):
right, womb to tomb baby.
That's what it's all about, andwe have to remember this.
And if we go back to Genesis,we're a man in his image.
Yes, that means we need to beall about serving and helping
others in their own journey.
And this requires fellas.
If you're going to be pro-life,it requires my old buddy Al
talks about it you're going tobe pro-life.
You're going to be pro-abortion.
I mean pro-adoption as well.
(07:14):
You can't be pro-anything fromabortion.
It has to be off our radar.
But it also requires for us tohave compassion as well as
courage, because you have awoman out there who's facing a
pregnancy that she, she, wasn'tplanning.
(07:36):
And guess what?
Right, there may be lots ofsurprise babies, you know,
surprise parents, rather, butain't no surprise babies, period
.
God knows about them all, hejust does.
So when we run into thissituation, we have to be so
attuned that we address it withlove and not shame, not
(07:58):
condemnation.
You remember now, there's nocombination for those in Christ
Jesus, right?
So it can't be condemning,right, and maybe you're not the
guy who is running a ministry tosupport these women, but I tell
you what we should support theones that do right, and we have
to be willing to boldly justactually speak truth in a world
(08:21):
that really prioritizes comfortforemost.
That's what they want.
Nothing to convict us.
We don't want to ever beconvicted, we want to be
comfortable, and that just ain'tit, man, that just ain't it.
And at the end of the day too, Iknow several guys out there,
just very prominent speakers andstuff, podcast hosts, people
(08:44):
like that, who love to debate.
They're all about debating, andI'm just not into that, be
honest, I'm just not intodebating because it ain't about
winning a debate.
No, it's about defending theimage bearers.
It's about aligning my heartand the hearts of others with
God, who forms the life in thewomb and he recognizes every
(09:10):
little baby out there, everyperson, even you, bro, fearfully
and wonderfully made.
So if we can kind of put to theside that we're in this big
debate and choose to you knowwhat, lord, how would you
utilize me?
How should I use theopportunities you've given me
today for people who arestruggling in this area or
(09:32):
considering these areas?
How can I educate or encourageor equip, or just come alongside
and let them know that you knowwhat?
You may be scared right now,but every life is valuable and
you don't need a platform, guys.
You don't need a podcast to dothis.
You don't need a bunch ofinfluence at a company.
(09:55):
What you need is a willingheart, right?
Just willingness to say Lord,I'm willing to be used.
Please provide me theopportunities, and you can start
with simple stuff.
Fellas, start praying right nowfor the unborn children and
their mothers and just add thatto your prayer routine.
I mean, there's power in prayer.
(10:17):
If you don't believe that, thenI'm not sure why you listen to
the line.
There's power in that.
But then you have localpregnancy.
Can't even say that word rightnow.
Resource centers out there, notPlanned Parenthood let's just
clarify that stuff.
That's a joke.
We're going to really unpackthat on Wednesday, but the ones
that actually care.
I'm big, I'm all in on thisorganization called Preborn.
(10:42):
We support like five of theirpreborn.
You know where you see thebabies I can't think of the name
of the word right now.
I've had a bunch of them withall the kids we've had.
You know, when they come inwith the wand and they show you
ultrasound, there you go.
I know it would come to me andthat's what they do.
Their ministry 100% is theytake the women and usually the
(11:04):
percentage rate is through theroof that if a woman can
actually see her unborn baby,that the chances that she'll go
through with an abortiondramatically decrease.
So we support that.
Our family supports that.
You could do stuff like you'redoing right now educating
yourself and really looking atwhat Scripture is going to talk
about and what Scripture teachesus about life.
(11:25):
Now the guest on Wednesday, andreally look at what scripture
is going to talk about and whatscripture teaches us about life.
Now the guest on Wednesday.
This is one you're not going towant to miss If you're trying
to really get educated on this.
You want to sit and just soakin this?
All right, then you need to beavailable to mentor, to
encourage, to talk, to walk withpeople as they're walking
through this.
And this could be guys andgirls, right, because it takes
(11:45):
two to have a baby, boys.
Let's just be real there.
But so many times the woman isthe woman in crisis.
We need to be willing to bethere, right, and we cannot be
apathetic about this.
We have to be convicted becauselife matters, because God says
it matters, right, and if heknows us before we were born,
the way this says in Jeremiah,then we must treat every life as
(12:09):
one worth fighting for and wehave to get that framing correct
.
So the question this week andyou really just have to think
about this on your own is howare you yourself look in the
mirror right now how are youdefending the voiceless in
today's culture?
They're out there and I'mtelling you, once you see the
(12:32):
darkness and we're going toexpose the darkness this week my
prayer is that it moves you toconviction and that conviction
stirs you up to do something.
My prayer is that it moves youto conviction and that
conviction stirs you up to dosomething, because there's lots
of pew sitters out there, boys,but that's not what being a lion
is all about.
And also, I'm here to tell youif you're going through this
(12:56):
thing called life and you neversurrender your life to the
lordship of Jesus Christ.
And you're listening to thelion maybe there's something
that was catchy with the title.
I don't know how podcast stuffworks.
Sometimes Guys listen, youlisten to a Christian podcast
and you're not even Christian.
It's okay.
You're here for a reason,brother.
I'm happy to have you here,happy to encourage you and happy
(13:18):
to share with you the best news, the best news I could possibly
ever even uh utter on thepodcast and that is that god
loves you, man, like he does,and there's this perfect design
that god had.
Go back to the beginning of yourbible, open it up and you start
.
You'll start seeing how godbuilt this beautiful world and
(13:39):
he spoke all these things intoexistence until he got to man.
He did a little bit differentwith man.
He formed him with his hands.
There's a personal somethingthat when you take something,
you make it with your handsright.
And then he breathed into hisnostrils.
It's called the Ruah of life,the breath of life.
(14:00):
And then the first man his namewas Adam, by the way he sat up
and he was face to face with hiscreator.
Bro, it was awesome.
Can you imagine face to facewith God in the garden?
It's all great.
It's hunky dory for like twopages in my Bible.
Then sin enters.
And don't get all hung up onwhat sin is.
(14:21):
Sin is just anything thatseparates us from God.
It is there and now we havethis chasm, this gap between a
holy and righteous God and us,and we try so many guys I talk
to that aren't saved and I'mlike, bro, what's your plan?
How are you getting out of here?
What do you think is going tohappen?
(14:41):
Today's your day.
Just curious.
Where are you going with that?
Well, man, I think I just gotta.
I've probably been good enough.
That's gotta be a good personlike I just gotta do.
I just gotta do what's right.
Gotta be ethical yeah, there'snothing wrong with ethics.
For sure I want you to do good,but I always follow it up.
(15:02):
But how good is good like?
Is there like a scale that Ican look at and see, have I
checked this many good boxes ina day if I help this many old
ladies cross the street, or if Ido this many good deeds or give
the dismayed charities?
Like, is there a numberinvolved with that, because I'm
an engineering background.
I like numbers is what doesthat look like?
(15:23):
And that's when they startsquirming.
Well, I don't know.
I don't know either.
As far as I know, there isn'tone, of course.
I know there isn't one fromGod's word.
So we can't work our way into aright standing with God.
So if I can't do it myself, ifI can't be coached up right,
(15:49):
then what can I do?
If a coach can't help me figurethis stuff out, then I'm left
to figure it out on my own.
And if I figure it out on myown, that's a pretty dire
circumstance to find ourselvesin.
(16:10):
And the reality is we don't needa coach to help us figure this
out on our own.
To do better, we need a saviorcoming to do for us what we
can't do for ourselves.
You see the fundamentaldifference there.
This is where so many peopleget hung up right.
We need to recognize that Ican't do this, and that's where
(16:32):
a Savior comes in.
And that's Jesus, who leftheaven on a rescue mission for
us, was born of a virgin,fulfilled all the prophecies,
did all the teachings, did allthe miracles, did everything,
showed us, taught us.
This ministry changed the world.
And the primary difference inhis ministry is that he went to
(16:56):
the cross and chose to pay thepenalty for our sins.
He took it all on, every pieceof it.
He took it all on and theynailed him to a cross and he
died.
He didn't pass out and faint orgo to sleep and all that stuff.
Jesus died and they laid him ina tomb and it's like a funeral,
right.
So we should just be mourning,we should be sad because our
(17:20):
Savior's dead.
But the story doesn't stop there, the way it stops with so many
other religions, because so manyother religions they're, you
know, quote, unquote, they'rechosen one.
They go, they ain't coming back, they're still in the ground.
But guess what?
For Jesus, three days, it waslike an Airbnb baby, that's all
(17:42):
he needed, and that tomb wasempty.
He came walking out and that iswho we serve, a risen, living
Savior, and he showed.
There's so much evidence of theresurrection it'll blow your
mind.
Blow your mind.
And then he ascended and that'swhere he's at right now.
(18:04):
He's in heaven, he's right handof the father.
He is the way, the truth, thelife.
There's no other name underheaven that has been given among
men by which we must be saved.
Period.
It's Jesus.
So it takes a little.
It takes first recognizing thatyou are a sinner, and that is
(18:26):
where so many people get hung up, because they don't think that
you are a sinner.
And that is where so manypeople get hung up Because they
don't think that they are.
I'm just here to tell you,buddy, you are, you're a sinner
in need of a savior.
You need to believe also thatJesus is that savior.
There's no one else.
There's no other path.
Oprah's wrong, sorry, period.
Jesus is it.
(18:49):
And then, once you recognizethat you have that
self-awareness and thatreflection, then it moves.
You have to move to a postureof submittal, submitting to him
and acknowledging him as Lordand Savior of your life.
That means Lord and Savior overnot just Sunday, but Monday
through Saturday as well, yourmarriage, your children.
(19:11):
As Lord and Savior of your life.
That means Lord and Savior over, not just Sunday, but Monday
through Saturday as well, yourmarriage, your children, your
career, how you treat people,all this stuff.
He has to be over every area ofyour life.
Okay, so if you've never donethat, then today is the day.
Confess Jesus as Lord of yourlife.
Well, chris, I can't do thatLet today's the day, confess
Jesus as Lord of your life.
(19:32):
Well, chris, I can't do that.
Let's do a podcast, why not?
I don't see anywhere in theBible that says you have to be
sitting in a church pew on aSunday morning to accept Jesus
as your Lord and Savior.
Now we're getting ready to pray, so don't close your eyes.
If you're driving, but you cantotally accept Christ as your
Savior while you're driving.
If you're driving, but youcould totally accept Christ as
your savior while you're driving, if you're feeling a nudge and
a prompting, don't put off thebusiness that the Lord is
encouraging you to put to tohandle today, cause I'm telling
(19:57):
you, none of us are promised,none of us.
And I'm not trying to be doomand gloom, to scare you, I'm
just telling you just realitythe mortality rate is still
hovering around 100%, boys,that's just the way it is.
So it's time to take thataction.
So, if you're out there andyou're ready to submit your life
(20:18):
to the lordship of Jesus Christas your personal lord and
savior, let's pray together.
Father, I just pray for thatone listener.
Savior, let's pray together,father, I just pray for that one
listener.
They've reached the point wherethey know this is what they
need to do.
I pray that you hear theircries out to you.
I pray that they know that theyare loved.
(20:38):
I pray you put people in theirpath.
That will encourage them ontheir new walk with you.
And I also pray against theattacks of the evil one, because
he is pissed off right nowBecause that one dude out there
is saying you know what, I'mgoing to follow God, I'm going
to do it his way and I'm makingJesus the center of my life.
(21:00):
So I know heaven is rejoicing.
I know the evil ones areabsolutely losing their minds.
I just pray that you give thisguy encouragement, give him
wisdom, give him discernment,give him strength.
It's in your name that we praythis.
Amen, all right, look, if youjust accepted Christ, hit me up
(21:21):
Seriously.
Send me an email, because Iwon't send you as much as free
resources and we have tons ofthem, by the way, chris at the
lion within dot US.
Okay, that's my email address,so just email me.
Tell me which episode you'relistening to, if you don't mind.
I'm super curious.
I'm always curious on whichepisode, and then I'm going to
hook you up.
I'm going to send you some freedownloadable type stuff that
(21:44):
will help you get started onyour journey.
We also have some really goodguys in the Line Within Us
community that I want to findout where you're located and if
you need help finding a church.
I'm going to at least give yousome things to consider, some
green lights as well as redlights, some areas to think
about when you go looking forthat next church family that you
need to get plugged into,because you do need to get
plugged into one.
Ok, so again, chris, at theline within that US and look,
(22:08):
guys, I'm telling you thisepisode is coming up next in
your podcast.
If you want to drop someWednesday, it's going to be.
It's going to be a hammer.
It's going to be a hammer.
I've been so excited for thisepisode.
Went through the guy's book, itbothered me in so many ways and
it also illuminated to me.
Man, we need to be talkingabout these items a whole lot
(22:30):
more than we are so highlyencourage you to come back on
Wednesday, check it out again.
The line within that us startsyour daily spiritual kickoff.
If you like these SKOs, hey,money through Friday, go get
that.
Join the community.
We're talking 1515, guys, Imean, come on, you spend more on
that, on gum, probably for themonth.
(22:52):
$15 gets you plugged into ourfull community.
It gives you ideas of how youcan grow in your Christian walk.
It gives you a bunch ofbrotherhood, a bunch of
fellowship, a bunch of funevents that we have each and
every week.
Just a great way to engage,have a little bit of fun and
it's super clean.
That's why we have our own app.
We have the way that we dostuff, guys, because we're not
putting out his junk out thereon Facebook and all these other
(23:13):
social media platforms.
No, we built it because we wantto serve guys in a truly
meaningful way.
So the line withinus is whereyou find that.
That for the, for the level upguys, leadership mastermind,
baby, that's it.
I'm telling you, we've gone allin on leadership mastermind.
The groups are filling up andit's been incredible.
The feedback is awesome.
I'm so excited to see how Godmoves in these men's lives.
(23:37):
If you need that small personalboard of advisors that you don't
have, we're talking small guys.
These groups, seven guys, seven, not 70.
Seven, so you can come in, youcan be heard, you can ask
questions without judgment andI'm telling you, guys, the
conversations, the structure.
The way we've developed thissystem in place, man, it's
(24:01):
second to none.
Not because we're awesome, butbecause we're obedient to what
God's called us to do.
So if you like the podcast, ifyou're looking for that
brotherhood, if you feel alittle bit isolated, if you feel
a little bit spirituallypassive, we need to chat.
There's a very in-depthassessment that we lay out to
get guys going with.
(24:21):
Just getting started with theLeadership Mastermind.
That's the first step.
So if you go to thelinewithinus slash mastermind
okay, remember that slashmastermind you'll find all the
information there.
All right, so go check it out.
Fellas, look forward to hearingfrom you.
We'll see you on our nextepisode.
Give us a rating and review.
That would be awesome if youcould do that.
And other than that, you knowwhat's coming right.
(24:42):
Keep unleashing the lion within.
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.
For too long, guys have beentrying to carry the weight alone
pressure at work, tension athome, wounds from the past in a
(25:02):
world that demands strength butoffers no place to rest.
We see it, we've lived it, andthat's exactly why we built our
community.
It's a stronghold, a placewhere warriors can find rest,
truth and a band of brothersstanding beside them.
And starting now, we're makingit easier than ever to step in.
We've lowered the barrier tojust $15.99 a month.
(25:24):
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.
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
(25:47):
it.
Go to the lion withinus andjoin the community and see for
yourself what happens when irontruly sharpens iron.
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