Often said over time and time again
That life begins at forty
You can slice that any way you want
But it always come out middle age
Like it or not forty-five is in the middle of aging
It’s an appropriate exercise for a man
Who finds himself at middle age or mid-life
To evaluate how he’s doing now
That he’s reached halfway point of journey
Not only is it good to evaluate the years
You’ve already lived but is very wise to consider
How you want to spend the rest of your life
A mission statement is a document a person
Writes that sums up his or her personal philosophy or creed
A personal mission statement should
Articulate the values that represent a person
Here is someone mission statement
Succeed at home first
Never compromise with honesty
Hear both sides before judging
Obtain the counsel of others
Defend those who are absent
Develop one new proficiency a year
Plan tomorrow’s work today
Maintain a positive attitude
Keep a sense of humor
Be orderly in person and in work
Listen twice as much as you speak
Concentrate all abilities and efforts on task at hand not worrying
Here is another person mission statement
Just in three words – Don’t Screw Up –
Men screw up all the time but this person goal is not to screw up
I don’t want to screw up my marriage
I don’t want to screw up my relationship with my kids
I don’t want to screw up my integrity
One day in the future there will be a funeral
My funeral after the funeral they’ll get in their black limos
And head for the cemetery where a brief graveside service will be conducted
Then everyone will head to the house and have some food
As they are at home have some food the worker will dump dirt
On the casket it is common to have words on the marker
Have you ever given any thought to what you’d like
To have inscribed on your grave marker? Wait!
Let me show you what some would like to have on his own marker
And here it is
Name: Okoh C. Paul
Born: 1984
Died: _______
He Didn’t Screw Up
Twenty four characteristics of a godly man
I like to think of these as twenty four stabilizing nails
That you can hammer into the character of your life
A man of knowledge…A man moved by faith
A man fired by love…A man like God
A man careful about the worship of God
A man who serves God, not men
A man who prizes Christ…A man who weeps
A man who loves the Word
A man how has the Spirit of God residing in him
A man of humility…A man of prayer
A man of sincerity…A heavenly man
A zealous man…A patient man
A thankful man…A man who loves the saints
A man who does not indulge himself in any sin
A man who is good in his relationships
A man who does spiritual things in a spiritual manner
A man thoroughly trained in religion
A man who walks with God
A man who strives to be an instrument for making others godly
Guys who finish strong are stayed on Jehovah
And guys who stayed on Jehovah consistently do four things
They stay in…the Scripture
They stay close…to a friend
They stay away…from other women
They stay alert…to the tactics of the enemy
There is no time to be sedatives
This is the time to stay alert!
Too many men who have started well
Have failed to finish strong
History is strewn with the wreckages of their lives
God gave us men a time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands
Men whom the lust of office does not kill
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy
Men who posses opinions and a will
Men who love honor men who will not lie
Who said anything about ambushes?
The bottom line in determining
How a man will finish centers
Around getting through the ambushes
The ambushes
To finish strong means that you
Survived the ambushes
Getting through the ambushes
Is what separate men from the boys
The ambushes
And the guys who get through
The ambushes are generally the guys
Who anticipate the ambushes
We can expect to encounter at least
Three major ambushes as we attempt to finish strong
They are
The ambush of another woman
The ambush of money
The ambush of neglected family
Think through some men in the Scripture
Who should have finished strong but couldn’t
The enemy has been using these three ambushes
To keep God’s men from finishing strong
For thousands of years let’s take a little closer to each one
The ambush of another woman risk is also the critical issue
In determining whether or not you will survive the ambush of another woman
The ambush of money
For the love of money is the root of all evil
Remember Ananias and Sapphire had such love for money
They both had what could be called a premature finish
The ambush of neglected family
A minister once asked a question
Whats your greatest fear about going into ministry
The said minister did not hesitate to answer and here his is reply
Being successful in ministry and losing my family
