Becoming Powerful

The great problem of the earth and the great aim of the masculine journey boil down to this: when can you trust a man with power? ~ John Eldredge

A thirty-year-old man is like a densely populated city; nothing new can be built… without something else being torn down. ~ Mike Mason

Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. – Jeremiah 6:16

Introduction

Do you remember a moment when you were entrusted with power? Think of a childhood adventure where you felt like you were handed over the keys to the kingdom.

While riding bikes with my daughter yesterday, I had a visceral memory of the first time I was turned loose as a young boy to head off by myself on my bike into the neighborhood beyond our street. I remembered the power I felt in that moment years ago. Memories like this whisper to us a secret that is waiting to be recovered.

I’ve spent the last two decades excavating this desire for power in my heart and in the hearts of many men. With intense curiosity I’ve sought to discover where this desire comes from and why it so often ends up leading a man sideways. As I scan the landscape of my own life and those of other men, I notice far too many stories of men being entrusted with power only to have that power bring harm to themselves and others.

Is there another way? Is there a path to becoming the kind of wholehearted man who can be entrusted with power and have it turn out for good? As I spent years leaning into the wisdom of contemporary sages as well as the wisdom of sages from millennia past, a path began to take shape. In time that path revealed a process of transformation to become the kind of man to whom God can entrust His power.

In session one, I invite you to risk recovering your God-given desire to be powerful. Where has this desire surfaced in your masculine heart over the years? Where has it led you to places you never wanted to go? And what might the path look like to restoring your masculine heart and, in time, becoming the kind of man who can wield power well? What if you could have your heart fully restored, your power refueled and seated in a life worth living? Let’s dig in.

Watch Session One Video: Becoming Powerful

Two-Minute Pause

One of the core beliefs behind this series is that God is the initiator and we have the role of responding and participating. In each session, I invite you to choose a two-minute pause. Whether you are watching these videos alone, in a small group setting, or at a retreat, make room for the message to soak into your soul, for the questions to rise up, and for God to shine his light. Let the silence and room to breathe pave the way for courage, and let vulnerability be the atmosphere with which you engage.

God, I invite You into this space to participate in stillness with You. Here and now, I choose to recover my breath. I turn my attention and affection toward You, God, and what You have prepared for me in this time. I choose two minutes to breathe and center on You.

Consecration Prayer

You’ll find the following prayer within each session of the study guide. I encourage you to revisit it after watching each video session, before moving to conversation. It will serve both as a powerful practice to bring everything under God’s care and direction as well as an essential opportunity to continually give God permission and access to guide us through this journey.

God, I consecrate this journey to You. I bring every aspect of this experience under Your care and into honest and transparent connection with You. I declare Your rule and authority over my life and over every man participating in this adventure. I pray that You would make known Your true heart. I choose to give You permission and access to my heart. I pray that You would raise up prayer warriors on my behalf, led by the Spirit of God, to agree with the full portion you have for me as a man in this. I choose to risk engaging with curiosity, an open heart, and an honest desire to become the man you meant when you meant me. I open my soul to You and ask that You break every limit I have placed on who You can be, what You can do, and how You can do it. I agree with who You are, what You are doing, and how You are doing it. I want more of me to be given more fully over to more of You. I choose to give You a chance to speak and move and breathe Your breath into me through this experience. And I am asking that You would lead me as I consent to a process and choose to respond to Your invitation to risk in courage, vulnerability, and love. I want my whole heart back. I invite You to anoint this time with Your presence, Your power, and Your favor. And I ask that You reveal where and how You are leading me to become the kind of king to whom You can gladly entrust the care of Your Kingdom. Amen.

Big Ideas
Desire reveals design. Design reveals destiny.

The primary work of God is finding men to whom he can entrust his power. And the story of most men is being entrusted with power and it bringing harm to themselves and those under their care. – Dallas Willard

The most important thing about a person is not what he does. It is who he becomes. – Dallas Willard

The masculine journey consists of a process of becoming the kind of man to whom God can gladly entrust the care of his kingdom.

Discussion Questions

1. Think back to your childhood. What are some of your earliest memories of feeling powerful?
2. Describe a good king. Think of an example of a particular man (past or present) who, in your mind, is a compelling model. List the specific qualities you admire in him. Also ask yourself what qualities he is missing that would add even more to what you esteem as the kind of man who can be entrusted with the care of a kingdom.
3. In the video I explain how each man is entrusted with a particular kingdom. Describe the aspects and scope of your personal kingdom as you see it.
4. Think of the people entrusted to your care. Call to mind a few specific faces and put words to what you hope they would one day be able to say about the impact of your life on theirs. Take time to write this down.
5. How is your kingdom? Put words to the condition of your kingdom currently. How are the people doing whom you’ve been entrusted to care for in this season of your life?

Closing Prayer

God, to be entrusted with power is a sacred responsibility, fraught with the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Thank you for leading me to this journey and assuring me that there are other like-hearted men who want to become the kind of man to whom you can gladly entrust the care of your kingdom. I consent to this process. Reveal what is next and align me with your pace and portion as we dig deeper. I consecrate my masculine soul to you. I celebrate that the most important thing about me is that I have been created as your masterpiece, from your image. I am made in your likeness. And you are inviting me to partner with you in the process of the restoration of my heart as a man. I give you permission and access once again. I want my whole heart back. I choose to trust your leadership. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart filled with courage to go with you, wherever you want to lead me.

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Your Turn

Let us know what you think of Becoming a King. We’d love to hear from you in the comments!