Men often struggle most with pressure, isolation, and internal confusion in hard times and seasons, leading to rushed, reactive, or avoidant decision-making rather than slowed, prayerful discernment. #1 of 8 Pressure to “be decisive” and not show weakness. Many men carry an internal script that says: - real men decide quickly - don’t hesitate - don’t ask for help Cultural pressure pushes them toward: - snap decisions - overconfidence - pretending they are sure when they are actually confused or afraid of the outcome and consequences.  Key decision-making effects: - Emotions and body signals ignored–treating feelings as a threat instead of data  - Seeking counsel is avoided ________________ “What do you do next?” “What is your best calculated, productive, fruitful way to respond?” barry/fs

Have you ever had someone tell you a story about something that happened to them, and based on what you heard, you immediately felt a certain way? 💥 Supplemental "Rightly Read" Weekly Devo: Read it now: "The Whole Truth About Salvation" Follow Scott on Substack See you on Tuesday, Rightly Read

I have fallen into, on several occasions, listening to people's testimony and thinking "man, I wish I had a good testimony." I think this is flawed, envious for sure, possibly prideful. No one WANTS a rock bottom testimony, not really, not when you hear what people go through. I think the overarching base is this: die, die to self, kill off the old and put on the new. Whether it is you used to be a different denomination, you grew up in a broken home, you became addicted to something, you were a liar, a cheat, a manipulator, etc, etc. Killing off what you claim as your identity is difficult and it hurts, but your identity in Christ is so much more fulfilling. Whatever it may be, pick up your cross, and FOLLOW. In order to be a good leader, you must learn to follow. It hurts, it humbles, it teaches. Ultimately this is the take away: no ones testimony is better or worse, more than or less than. Every one of us has a testimony that will help someone at some point. Use YOUR testimony, shout your love for God, inject it into every day conversation, but never think your path is obsolete or not enough. What you went through to get to Christ, to follow our LORD, is valuable and so are you.

I once heard it said that wisdom isn't found in resolving the tension between two true things — it's found in being able to hold both, without flinching, without picking a side. Scripture doesn't shy away from this. Solomon warns against being too righteous in your own eyes and too wicked in your indulgence — both extremes miss the point (Ecclesiastes 7:16-18). Paul goes further: he boasts in his weaknesses, because it's there, not in his strength, that Mashiach's [Messiah's] power shows up clearest (2 Corinthians 12:10). The tension isn't a problem to solve. It's the place where God meets us. - To be deeply disturbed by the state of the world, and still genuinely grateful for the gift of life. - To grieve what you've lost, and still be thankful for what remains. - To release what you cannot control, and still take action toward what you can change. - To be powerful, and still deeply tender. To hold firm boundaries, and still carry a giving heart. The immature mind needs certainty — one thing has to be right so the other can be wrong. But real chokmah [wisdom] lives in the paradox. The moment you can hold it without flinching, you have access to something most men spend their whole lives arguing their way around. Here's the harder truth underneath all of it: - Just because God (YHWH [Hashem]) uses me does not mean He's pleased with me, agrees with me, or will use me again. Paul knew this fear well enough to discipline his own body so that, after preaching to others, he wouldn't find himself adokimos [disqualified] (1 Corinthians 9:27). - Usefulness to God and righteousness before God are not the same thing — Scripture is full of men He used and still held accountable. My first purpose in this life is to be known by God (YHWH [Hashem]) — to know Him, and to please Him, above all else. Everything else — platform, influence, fruit — is downstream of that one thing. Supplemental Deeper Dive

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