In Matthew 16:18, Jesus gave this powerful promise to Peter: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (MEV).

But Jesus has given full authority to every believer—His church—over Satan’s government. “Why not take it?” Christian author and Pastor Jamie Buckingham asks.

Watch Buckingham’s full teaching here: 

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” – Serenity Prayer, attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr.

Stress is at the root of many health issues in America. Heart disease, depression, and hypertension are just a few of the many stress-related maladies. Physical health isn’t the only casualty of a stressful lifestyle. In marriages, stress is a leading cause of interpersonal tension and dysfunctional relationships.

There is good news. A lot of the stress in marriage is avoidable when both parties are aware of stressful triggers. Here are 10 things to do for reducing stress in your marriage:

1. Always put your spouse first. This is a huge principle and key to reducing relationship stress. Ideally, a husband and wife will put the other first, but you only have control over your behavior.

2. Have fun together. Movies, walks, picnics, games, trips … not just fun but hilarity. Laughing together is great relationship medicine.

3. Build together time into your schedule. Time with your spouse shouldn’t be relegated to the status of leftovers. Your relationship with your spouse trumps all other priorities and schedules. If that means scrawling “Relax together” on the calendar in indelible marker, then so be it.

4. Don’t sweat the small stuff. When you feel the first inklings of stress, ask yourself, “Is this a moral issue?” If not (nine times out of ten it isn’t), then let it go. Make your mutual priorities a recurring topic of conversation. Remind yourselves what really counts. Simplify your lifestyle. Celebrate what you have in each other.

5. Give back, and do it together. Work at the soup kitchen; volunteer with a faith-based community; hook up with a group that helps the less fortunate or restores the environment. Throw yourselves into charitable causes together, and watch things fall into perspective.

6. Communicate clearly and respectfully. Like sit-com fodder, misunderstandings are the source of a lot of tension. Always keep your spouse in the loop, and always communicate with love and good manners.

7. Tell the truth. Remember the old adage, “When you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you said the last time.” People who don’t keep secrets experience less stress in relationships.

8. Hold hands, hug and make out. Physical contact is a proven stress reliever. Squeeze into the same chair to watch TV; just hang all over one another. Reach out and take your spouse’s hand while walking, driving, or at an event. Be deliberate about demonstrating affection via physical contact. 

9. Play to your strengths and hers. Effective teachers know that playing to a student’s strengths works better than focusing on any weaknesses. Pay attention to your spouse’s strengths: build up, affirm, and encourage. Criticism always leads to more stress.

10. Live within your means. Money problems are the leading cause of stress in American marriages. Take preventative measures to work this one out. Remember No. 4, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Most of the stuff we get into debt over is simply not worth the stress.

For the original article, visit .

Sixteen years ago, Lou Engle started asking the Lord how he could be part of turning America back to God. This John the Baptist-style prophet and intercessor discerned the perils facing our nation before 9/11, before the Great Recession, before this new wave of racial tension—and before the rise of an Islamic terrorist group that is beheading Christians and threatening to “strike America at its heart.”

Lou’s humble question birthed TheCall, a prayer movement that has gathered hundreds of thousands of believers to stadiums in America for solemn assemblies in the spirit of Joel 2. TheCall is a summons to prayer, fasting, repentance and sacrificial worship that does not advertise bands or promote speakers—but exalts the Lord Jesus Christ.

On April 9, 2016—the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street outpouring that essentially birthed the modern-day Pentecostal movement—Lou is taking this holy prescription to the Los Angeles Coliseum. The goal is to unite believers in urgent, humble fasting and prayer, seeking the Joel 2 promise that God will pour out His Spirit again. It’s noteworthy that this is the same venue where Billy Graham once preached the gospel to 140,000 souls.

TheCall Azusa Now could be the most pivotal of all prayer meetings for Lou, who found Christ during the Jesus Movement—and was mowing lawns and sweeping basements for a living when he says he heard the voice of the Lord speak these words clearly in 1975: “I’ve called you to be an instrument of revival.”

“I began dancing in the room—and that began my journey. That call became more clear in 1984 when I was reading a book called Azusa Street by Frank Bartleman, who prayed and fasted before the Azusa Street Revival. His wife thought he would die,” says the 63-year-old revivalist. “I went into days of fasting and one night cried out to the Lord to give me the mantle of Frank Bartleman.”

Marked for Prayer

It seems God took him up on his petition. As Lou tells the story, the very night he was crying out for Bartleman’s mantle, his friend had a dream in which he saw a big black book with the title “revival.” In that dream, his friend opened the book to the inside cover and there was a picture of Frank Bartleman—and his face turned into Lou’s face.

“From that moment on, I knew my calling was revival and I was an intercessor for revival. My calling is to fast and pray,” Lou told Charisma in his characteristic rough voice. “I am a fire starter in prophetic intercession who calls people into fasting and prayer for breakthroughs with the end goal of seeing the spirit of revival.”

Lou entered full-time ministry when Ché Ahn, founding pastor of HRock Church in Pasadena, California, set him in place as his intercessor in 1984. Ché, who is also the founder of Harvest International Ministry and international chancellor of Wagner Leadership Institute, describes Lou as “one of the most amazing prophet-intercessors I’ve ever met.”

“TheCall and mobilizing prayer for revival has been historic,” Ché told Charisma. “There has been a turning point. Even though laws haven’t changed, the number of abortions is declining almost every year—especially since 2000, when abortion was the primary focus of TheCall D.C. that saw 400,000 people crying out to God.”

Ending abortion has been a burden on Lou’s heart for decades. In 2004, he founded Justice House of Prayer DC, which is committed to pray for national leaders and seeks spiritual transformation and cultural reformation from the government gate of our nation’s capital, and Bound4LIFE. Both ministries were birthed after 50 days and nights of 24/7 prayer and fasting that led a large group of prayer warriors to Washington, D.C., to re-enact a prophetic dream one of the intercessors had during the fast. On Oct. 4, 2004, they stood in a silent siege (Ezek. 4:1-3), wearing red tape with the word “LIFE” written over it, praying for an end to abortion.

This Bound4LIFE grass-roots movement, which seeks to exalt Jesus, see an end to abortion and contend for a great awakening in every sphere of society, has spread like wildfire in the pro-life community, even finding its way to the cover of TIME magazine. Although Roe v. Wade still stands, pro-life laws are passing across the nation and a recent Associated Press report reveals abortions have dropped by 12 percent nationwide since 2010.

“Lou has pioneered for a whole generation the reality that we have to stop abortion,” says Cindy Jacobs, co-founder of Generals International, a prayer-based organization that works to change lives and transform nations. “History will say Lou was a major voice that was the impetus for abortion to be stopped.”

40-Day Fast and a Dream

Perhaps the king of 40-day fasts, Lou is known for fasting as much as he is for prayer. His ministry is marked by prophetic dreams and visions God uses to lead and guide him on each step of his journey. One of those dreams came in 1996 during a 40-day fast inspired by Bill Bright, the late founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru). Bright, who also wrote The Four Spiritual Laws and was the visionary behind the Jesus film, realized that evangelism efforts were not bearing transformational fruit. He called 2 million people to join him in his annual 40-day juice and water fast. Lou responded to the call.

“I had a dream, and I was supposed to be giving a letter to a little boy named Joel. I lost the letter and I was looking for it frantically,” recalls Lou, who says he was raised on Derek Prince’s book Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting. In Prince’s book, the late Bible teacher declared the only answer in the last days would be united fasting and prayer. “I woke up and the Lord just spoke to me: Don’t lose Joel’s letter. Call the youth of America to fasting and prayer, the book of Joel. Little did I realize I would be calling solemn assemblies.”

On Oct. 4, 1997, Lou watched in awe as Promise Keepers, a men’s ministry on a mission to ignite and unite men to become warriors who will change their world, assembled 1.4 million men on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In a subsequent meeting with 600 young people, Lou started proclaiming from Malachi 4:6 that the hearts of the fathers would return to the children, and the hearts of the children would return to the fathers. He says he saw in the Spirit a corresponding move of young people—a John-the-Baptist, Nazarite generation—who would go to the National Mall and fast and pray as the older men had. When that day came, Lou declared prophetically, it would be a sign that America is turning back to God.

Then it happened. In 1999, a woman asked Lou if he had ever considered putting young people on the National Mall like Promise Keepers did two years earlier. When he told her about his proclamation and prophetic insight, the woman wrote him a check for $100,000 to fund what would become Lou’s first major solemn assembly. TheCall D.C. hit the mall Sept. 2, 2000, shortly after a dream Lou says he had in which he was overwhelmed with the possibility of America turning back to God.

“In that dream, a scroll rolled down before me, and I read Luke 1:17 to go on before the Lord in the spirit of Elijah and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the rebellious to the wisdom of the righteous,” Lou says. “I woke up, and the Lord told me, ‘What I’m pouring out is stronger than the rebellion.’ I knew TheCall was a John-the-Baptist, Nazarite movement. If TheCall is truly a John-the-Baptist movement, you can bet there’s a Jesus Movement coming.”

Mike Bickle, director of the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, got to know Lou when he was at IHOP for five years. Mike told Charisma Lou has a gift for national assignments that galvanize thousands of intercessors and mobilize them to action in a key day. Lou has held TheCall at over 20 sites in America with strategic focuses. For example, TheCall D.C. focused largely on abortion. TheCall Nashville in 2007 focused on the church renewing her marital covenant with the Lord, to repent of her tolerance of Jezebel and to pray for a new Jesus Movement to sweep the nation. TheCall Detroit focused on uniting races and ethnicities to pray as one unified body.

“Only people with these values gather to Lou’s voice—people who are desperate for breakthrough and are confident it’s coming,” Mike says. “Some people are desperate, but they are not confident. Some people are confident, but they are not desperate. Lou brings thousands of desperate, confident people together, and they are encouraged because they are not alone. They see there’s an army out there.”

Facing Down Goliaths

Lou’s ministry moves in a prophetic swirl of sorts, but he’s had plenty of spiritual warfare along the way. He’s tackled principalities such as Baal and Jezebel and wrestles with the spirit of mammon. In fact, he says funding has always been one of his greatest challenges: “It’s hard for people to lock on to funding prayer, but it happens.” But he says his feelings of personal failure and weakness are the greatest challenge. Indeed, Lou Engle says his greatest challenge is Lou Engle.

“It’s the challenge of having faith when you can’t see results,” Lou says. “You don’t even know people are coming. The enemy lies and says, ‘You can’t do it.’ And yet we have fought through and seen hundreds of thousands gathered. That in itself is a miracle. People say God is not answering the prayers. People criticize prayer rallies. Prayer rallies of 100,000 or 400,000 or 40,000 are the answer because it is the birthing. Prayer has always been the birthday of the great awakenings.”

Lou points to the Bright 40-day fast in 2000 as the catalyst for the greatest harvest in America’s history to date. After that, day-and-night prayer exploded around the world, the Global Day of Prayer was born, and TheCall was established. Lou believes God has answered Bright’s prayers and fasting with a massive proliferation of prayer that’s preparing the way for an explosive worldwide outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And Lou’s going to keep praying and fasting—and calling others to join him—until he sees it.

“People say we don’t see immediate answers to prayer,” Lou says. “I tell you, bowls have to be filled, and it might take years until they overflow. Think of the 70 years of people crying out for release from communism. In one moment, the Berlin wall came down. Everything shifts. Give us one moment of revival. God will change everything. I think God is bringing a massive prayer movement as part of the answers to our prayers.”

Dutch Sheets, an internationally recognized author, teacher and conference speaker, says he has never met anyone who lives what he preaches and teaches more than Lou, particularly with regard to prayer and fasting. “There’s no one more committed to the cause of the Lord, and more specifically, the causes that God has put on his heart: the pro-life issue and awakening and revival,” Dutch told Charisma. “Those things have made him so powerful and flow out of who he is. You’ll never find a more passionate person than Lou Engle.”

Mobilizing Intercessors

Lou will go down in charismatic church history as a general of intercession who mobilized the church to pray; a John-the-Baptist-like prophet who called the nation to repentance; a pro-life leader who understood that the blood of abortion is on our hands; a spiritual warrior who refused to tolerate Jezebel; and, hopefully an instrument of transforming revival.

“What releases the spirit of prayer is the spirit of prophecy,” Lou says. “When I tell the story of Azusa, bones start rattling, movement occurs, people begin to pray. I am convinced that the problem is not that there isn’t enough prayer. The problem is there’s not enough prophetic unction to create the spirit of prayer, or it’s the unbelief of the church, (who) won’t believe the prophecies until she sees.”

James Goll, president of Encounters Network, international director of Prayer Storm and founder of God Encounters Training, compared Lou to Kentucky Fried Chicken—he does one thing and does it right. “Lou Engle is not a show horse—he’s a trained racehorse with God-given blinders that hems him in to see the finish line,” James told Charisma. “Lou keeps his eyes on the prize to pay the price no matter what the cost. The prize is Jesus.”

Lou not only has his eyes on the prize, but he has inserted himself into the storyline. He’s standing in the gap and making up the hedge. He’s positioned himself as a watchman on the wall. And he is encouraged by what he sees: a growing number of churches across the nation holding 21-day, 30-day and 40-day fasts every year. He’s encouraged because he hasn’t seen this since Bright led the charge.

“The problem in the church isn’t unmotivated people,” Lou says. “It’s that we’re not listening to the right dreamers. When the Israelites were re-establishing the house of prayer when they came back from Babylon, the prophet Zechariah started prophesying, and it stirred the people. We’ve had 20 years now of storyline that’s fueling fasting, fueling prayer. God is in this generational Elijah movement, and I think we’re about ready to shift.”

Brian Kim, director of the Antioch Center for Training and Sending School of Frontier Missions in Colorado Springs, Colorado, told Charisma Lou embodies the marriage of prayer and prophecy and called him a visionary dreamer in every right.

“I have seen him lead hundreds of thousands in prayer, and I have seen him weeping in prayer in the early hours of the morning when he thought no one was watching, seeking solace in the front seat of his 15-passenger van for lack of a proper prayer closet,” Brian says. “I have seen him give literally all he has for the sake of the gospel—and not just one time, but on numerous occasions.”

Significance of This Call

Indeed, Lou sold his house in Pasadena to fund Asuza Now, and he’s hoping to fill the stadium for the glory of God. Beyond fasting, prayer and worship, Bill Johnson, senior pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, is joining forces with TheCall Azusa Now to hit the streets with evangelism in the weeks leading up to the main event. The evangelism component marks a shift of strategy toward proclamation of the gospel with the signs and wonders Lou sensed prophetically in 2011.

Leaders in the prayer movement agree that TheCall Azusa Now is significant at a time when America desperately needs revival. God never sends revival without first stirring united prayer.

As James Goll sees it, TheCall Azusa Now is strategic in the life of Lou Engle, which makes it strategic in the life of the nation. “There’s going to be grace, grace, grace, grace, and it’s a turning point to turn the innie into an outie,” James says. “TheCall is going to take us into a modern-day Salvation Army where we are not just doing prayer and fasting in rooms; we are taking it to the streets coupled with the worship and evangelists and gifts of healing and working of miracles. It is a turning point.”

Dutch believes God has another outpouring in mind at the Azusa Street level and says TheCall is part of the prayer momentum toward that outpouring. “God wouldn’t be moving so sovereignly if there was not hope for this awakening,” Dutch says. “TheCall is very significant and will bring great hope.”

Mike sees TheCall Azusa Now as important for several reasons. Beyond the 110th anniversary of Azusa Street, he’s looking at Lou’s 30-year history of blowing the trumpet and gathering people to prayer. “Lou is a class of his own,” Mike says. “I don’t know of another person who has his resume in the Spirit. That’s what makes this significant. That’s what gets my attention.”

“We are not saying this event will be what brings revival to America,” Ché says. “TheCall is one of a number of initiatives for revival. But gathering to humble ourselves and pray and fast and seek His face en masse is especially significant on the 110th anniversary of Azusa Street.”

Lou is asking the body of Christ some serious questions: Can you believe with us that denominations will unite, that the races could come together, that God could make us one as the antidote to the terrific division in our day? Could you believe with us for stadium Christianity where signs and wonders are breaking out and mass evangelism explodes across our country—the Third Great Awakening?

“I don’t believe that God will fasten our soul to a dead-end vision,” Lou says. “I stand in awe of the God who has been faithful to His promises. He will come to us like the rain. Though darkness covers the Earth, the glory of the Lord rises upon us. I pray your heart burns with this faith. Can a nation be saved? I still believe!”

Lou may or may not see 140,000 people fill the Los Angeles Coliseum as they did in Billy Graham’s day, but tens of thousands are likely to unite in prayer, fasting and worship, intent on turning America back to God. Cindy Jacobs told Charisma TheCall Azusa Now is one of those events that, 10 years from now, people will say “I was there” or “I wish I had been there.”   

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma, director of the Awakening House of Prayer, a senior leader of the New Breed Revival Network and author of many books, including Jezebel’s Puppets: Exposing the Agenda of False Prophets. Visit her online at .

Watch the incredible story of how God prophetically orchestrated each step leading up to TheCall Azusa Now at .

For a large portion of my life, I, and perhaps many others, might have characterized me as a “fly by the seat of my pants” type of guy. Now, there’s a phrase that the younger generation probably hasn’t embraced.

Some might call that spontaneous, while others may describe it as ill-equipped or perhaps even downright irresponsible. No matter how you look at it, the moniker doesn’t exactly carry the most endearing of connotations.

As I have spiritually matured, so has that part of my personality. And recently, I have begun to receive many messages—whether through sermons, books or articles I have read and posted on and —about the importance of preparation. If I am to move to the next level in all facets of my life and my ministry, “flying by the seat of my pants” simply isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Throughout the Bible, we encounter many specific examples of how God prepared certain individuals to reach their destiny in Him. One of the first and most memorable of these is Joseph.

Here was a young man who, like his father Jacob, loved God. But Joseph’s personality contained a couple of pitfalls—overconfidence and a lack of tact (see Gen. 37). His brashness eventually cost him when his brothers conspired against him and sold him into slavery. God knew He could eventually use Joseph; but Joseph required a strong dose of humility and refinement. We don’t know exactly how long Joseph spent in prison, but it was 13 years before Joseph began to fulfill God’s ultimate destiny for him. That’s a lot of prep time.

Yet, when Pharaoh called Joseph out of the dungeon (Gen. 41:14), Joseph was ready for almost anything because of his right relationship with God.

Then there is Moses, who grew up as an Egyptian prince and where servants did many things for him. Once again, we see an example of the absence of humility.

Circumstances, however, changed drastically and Moses took on the life of a Midianite shepherd, a job he was taught to despise. God began to prepare him for leadership, learning about the the ways of the people he eventually would lead out of bondage in Egypt and also about life in the wilderness (Exodus chapters 2 and 3). Moses didn’t fully appreciate the lesson God began to teach him, but God was getting him ready for a huge undertaking. That’s some preparation. You know the rest of the story.

And what about the apostle Paul? After his “Damascus Road Experience” in Acts 9, do you think the man who was then called Saul possessed the knowledge of God and the skills to preach to the masses? Certainly not. Galatians 1:15-20 reveals, “But when it pleased God, who set me apart since I was in my mother’s womb and called me by His grace to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach Him among the nations, I did not immediately confer flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me. But I went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus. After three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and stayed with him for fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!” (MEV)

Paul spent three years of preparation for His ministry. It’s a little less time than most spend to obtain a bachelor’s degree from a four-year collegiate institution. This period included time alone with God, as well as time conferring with other Christ followers. It was 14 years (Galatians 2:1) before Paul returned to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus to defend the gospel.

So as you can see, some of God’s greatest warriors needed time—some many years—to prepare for what God had in store for them. Often Christians, in their zeal, want to begin a full-time ministry without investing the necessary time studying the Bible and learning from qualified teachers. Certainly we can share Christ with others, but we need more preparation before embarking on the special ministry God has for us.

Years prior to my employment at Charisma Media, I spoke many times of my desire to work for God. When I got the job nearly four years ago, my brother and spiritual mentor, Kevin, told me my hiring here was the fulfillment of years of speaking it into my life. While I spoke it, God continued to prepare me for His plan. Daily, He continues to mold me for the plans he has for me—as long as I am obedient to His Word, stay in that Word and pursue a strong relationship with Him.

Like Joseph, Moses and Paul, God wants the same for you. He wants you as His follower to make an impact on the kingdom. He’s no respecter of persons—Joseph, Moses and Paul are no more special than you are. Don’t ever let the enemy make you believe you are inferior.

But, it takes effort on our part, and it takes preparation of our hearts and minds to fulfill the destiny God has for us. Remember Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we should walk in them” (MEV).

And as I always like to say, “there is that.” {eoa}

Jesus spent much of His time during His earthly ministry poking holes in religious balloons. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day observed many of the traditions of men, and Jesus consistently called them out for it.

One of the traditions was that the Pharisees forbid people from helping their parents—no matter how great the need—with the money, or Corban, that had been dedicated to God. But Jesus said meeting the needs of the elderly was exactly what the Corban was designed for.

In this video devotional, Christian author and Pastor Jamie Buckingham says that “the law is only fulfilled when we love God with all of our hearts and love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.” He urges us to “find someone to help, using our time and/or money to bless someone else.”

If you knew then what you know now, would you still get married? Some might say no.

For the vast majority of us, though, the answer is yes. But we’d also like some help figuring out what to do about those “irreconcilable differences.”

In reality, no two people are completely compatible. But did you know that compatibility can be learned?

Watch this video as Man in the Mirror Ministries takes a deeper look at God’s plan for compatibility, and several practical ideas you can immediately put to use.

The recent thawing of relations between the Unites States and Cuba is opening the door for a new lung cancer vaccine to come stateside.

The vaccine, called CimaVax, was developed by the Center for Molecular Immunology in Havana, Cuba, and is designed to treat lung cancer.

CimaVax is an injection given to adults who are at high risk of getting this cancer, such as heavy smokers or people who have already had surgery to remove a lung tumor. It isn’t the kind of preventative vaccine given to children.

Now that diplomatic relations are normalizing between the United States and Cuba, part of that effort involves an agreement with CMI to bring CimaVax to Buffalo, New York’s Roswell Park Cancer Institute for testing.

If all goes well, CimaVax would be available for public use in about five years.

CimaVax trials have already been conducted in Cuba on about 1,000 people, and an additional 4,000 people have been tested in Europe.

However, U.S. law requires any drug that is administered in this country to undergo research testing here, and must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Previous trials have revealed great promise for CimaVax for people with, or at risk of getting, lung cancer, the deadliest type of cancer. Clinical trials showed the vaccine extended the lives of cancer patients by more than a year, compared to people who weren’t treated with it.

The results showed people under the age of 60 responded the best. The vaccine is administered in the shoulder once a month and the side effects are mild.

CimaVax is not a cure for cancer. It only slows its growth by targeting the EGF protein, which tells cells to grow and divide. It stimulates antibodies that bind to EGF, thereby stopping the protein from attaching to the receptors on cancer cells and allowing them to multiply.

In addition to lung cancer, CimaVax may also be used on five other cancers: breast, pancreatic, head and neck, colon and prostate.

Cuba’s CMI and New York’s Roswell Park Cancer Institute are also reportedly working on a different vaccine for blood cancers.

For the original article, visit .

First John 5:21 (MEV) says, “Little children, keep yourself from idols.” And what is an idol?

It’s anything that captivates your heart, whether it is sexual addiction, drugs, money or anything else. Therefore, Pastor Shane Idleman says, any addiction is idolatry.

“There’s always a fight, a struggle,” Idleman says. “But the freedom is in Jesus. Spend time with Him; carry His burden; let Him be your priority. When Jesus is the priority, the idol has to take a back seat.”

For the entire teaching, watch this video, which includes a powerful poem:

Although He was God incarnate, Jesus knew what it was like to put in a hard day’s work, Christian author and Pastor Jamie Buckingham says. He often went out with His disciples to fish and worked alongside them, often putting in grueling hours.

He experienced the trials and tribulations of men. Like us, He experienced discouragement and pain, including the excruciating bodily pain of the cross.

“Remember, Jesus was God become man. He knew what it was like to work, to sweat and to be tired. As you worship Him, give thanks that He understands your problems. He cares for you. He understands, and He has been where you are,” Buckingham says in this video devotional.{eoa}

Early city planners knew that in order to provide controlled access and protection of the city, they would need gates. Thus, the city gate became an extremely popular place for all kinds of activities including the screening of who was going in and out of the city.

Business leaders and merchants often would station someone at the gate to recognize new arrivals—prospective clients and customers.

City gates were also a place for announcements. Solomon said that Wisdom stations herself at the gate, at the entry of the city, for anyone who will listen to her. So, the gate was the chief place of discourse and concourse.

It is also important to note the elders of the city would gather at the city gates to decide domestic situations (Deut. 21:18-21), legal matters regarding marriage (Ruth 4:1-11), and show hospitality to foreigners (Gen. 19:1).

So, the city gates were a significant place where rulers met and gave counsel to those seeking wisdom.

Likewise, the town square provides a public place often used for markets, entertainment, political discourse, and commerce. Town squares are designed to be the center of activity for a community. Early architecture often placed the town square at the best place in the city. As important as the city gates were to protect and provide leadership for the city, the town square is primarily the focal point of the residents of the city. It is where citizens interact with the community.

Cities no longer are fortresses with gates to lock and many town squares are now abandoned. However, social media has risen to replace both local venues as the center point of dialogue and social intercourse.

So, here is how men can use social media for a positive community influence:

1. Establish a protocol to enter into “friendship.” It is very important to screen the people who are “friending” you. Don’t accept everyone into your social-media community. Take the time to investigate who they are and how they made the connection with you. Don’t be concerned with the number of people who are following you—be conscientious of who is following you. Are they relating to you from your past? Are they relating to you based upon current relationships? Church? Business? Political? These are all important.

2. Have an authentic voice on your social-media outlets. As an author, I am appalled at ghost-written books. As soon as I pick a book up and start reading it, I can tell if it has been ghost-written. The voice of the author is unauthentic. The reading doesn’t have a natural flow to it. The words are sanitized and shallow. The same is true for social media. I refuse to follow someone who isn’t the actual voice. People want to connect directly with the person whom they’re following. If it can’t be your voice, don’t bother.

3. Create a rhythm in your postings. Don’t over do it, but be consistent. I like to think of it as a heartbeat. There are times when my adrenaline for social media kicks in, so I will post often and with a lot of energy. There are other times that I pull away to catch a breather. However, I strive to be consistent in the rhythm of my postings.

4. Don’t lose your integrity. If you repost something, use as much caution as if you were the originator of the post. I’ve seen people post ridiculous articles, videos and slanderous statements that made me question the integrity of the person reposting it. Your influence is at stake with reposts, so be careful to not discredit yourself by association.

5. Be positive. Don’t be a whiner who complains about everything. Let your words be encouraging and build up people. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t speak to current matters, but just know that you can’t make a full argument in 140 characters.

6. Unfriend or unfollow people who annoy you. If there are people within your social-media community who get under your skin simply unfriend or unfollow them. Don’t make a big deal about it. Don’t message them and tell them why. Just disappear from their feed.

7. Use it properly or lose it immediately. I use social media for very distinct purposes. My personal social media accounts are for those people who want to connect with me, well, personally. My voice and sharing on those platforms is of a personal nature. When I or others post on FivestarMan platforms we are raising the volume of authentic manhood. Our goal is to influence culture with our authenticity and representation of manhood. We want to counterbalance the culture.

8. Keep the main thing the main thing. Social media has the ability to creep into something that is unhealthy and inappropriate. Stay focused and sober-minded regarding your use of it and how it represents you. I never want to be shamed by something that I say or how I represent myself on my platforms. It requires diligence in my words and careful consideration of how a statement represents me. I am fortunate to have several people who help me and give me feedback on my posts.

FivestarMan was founded in 2008 by Neil Kennedy. Kennedy has passionately promoted God’s Word for 25-plus years of ministry. He is known for practically applying biblical principles that elevate people to a new level of living. As a business, church, ministry and life consultant, Kennedy has helped others strategize the necessary steps to reach their full potential.

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