Luke 5:17-26 (NKJV)
17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present [a]to heal them. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.
20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

Real Dudes,
In this passage, we read in verse 24 that Jesus gave the paralytic specific instructions…Arise, Take up your Bed, and Go to your house. In verse 25, we read about the immediate obedience of the healed paralytic…he rose up, took up his bed, and departed for home. 
Maybe some of you have had an injury in the past. Due to your injuries maybe you received a walker, wheelchair, scooter, crutches, cast, boot, a brace, or a sling, and as you dig through your basement you come across these items that you’ve kept for some reason and it reminds you of that experience in your life. An experience that maybe you wish you could have completely forgotten about. But look at you now. All healed. No restrictions to a wheelchair, walker, cast, sling, etc. Praise the Lord, right? So why keep all of these reminders in our homes or in our memory banks? Reminders of such trying times in our lives. Consider the passage above, if you were the paralytic man who had been attached to that bed for years, wouldn’t you think he would have despised that bed so much that he would love to leave it behind to never think on it or sleep on it ever again? Oh, just to toss it in the nearest dumpster, finally! Yet, Jesus specifically tells him to take this old bed with him. Seriously, why? Take it as a reminder of where you used to be and where you are today. Take it as a testimony to those you encounter to use as part of your story, so they can come to a point of glorifying Him too after seeing the evidences of how He’s completely changed your life. Gentlemen, this is the gospel we read about in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4…the death, burial, and resurrection. Remembering where God brought you from, how it’s been put to death, and where He brought you to. Let me encourage you to “take up what you had been lying on”...take up your past, show it to others, and use it as your testimony to a lost and dying world…Publicly sharing that “this is what once defined me, but no longer, why? Because of what Jesus did in and through me.”
And my prayer is that those you share your salvation story with will desire to come to know Christ as well and glorify Him the rest of their lives. All because of your story. All because you obediently took up your bed and did what He asked you to do. You got this!
Practicing His Presence,
Nate

Real Dudes,
I recently had a friend of mine share this message with me. It hit home for me, so I couldn't help but want to pass this along to each of you as well. Hope this helps your personal and prayer life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifC4vtdYeS8
I would recommend pausing after he speaks about the wood, hay, and stubble, and then spend some time talking to the Lord about it...what is it that He's revealing to you at that moment? You'll find that between minute marker 5:15-11:50, otherwise the entire message is very powerful and will definitely speak to you as well...completely worth your time to listen to it men. 
Practicing His Presence,
Nate

Real Dudes,
In verse 22 below we read that Jesus spoke with gracious words. How did His audience receive such words? Take a look in verses 20 and 22 for the answers. 

Luke 4:16-22 (NLT)
16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
    that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19     and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

Colossians 4:6 (NLT) Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Ecclesiastes 10:12a (NIV) Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious…
 
The word gracious means “a winning quality or attractiveness that invites a favorable reaction, graciousness, attractiveness, charm, winsome.” (BDAG, p. 1079). 

Would you say that Christ choosing to speak graciously got the response that He was hoping for? 
How are we going to win others to Him? What style of speech should we choose to use when we're attempting to point others to Him?  

Practicing His Presence,
Nate

John 3:11 (NLT) John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”

Real Dudes,
Let me encourage you to spend some time with the Lord to see how He’d have you apply this verse in your life. Are there items you already have that you could donate to someone in need? Are there items that you could purchase that you could give to others? 
What’s the reward? A peace of mind that you were obedient to what God asked you to do to help. Remember, God will meet the needs of everyone and He just might be wanting to use you to fulfill His promises to those He’s placed around you https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2012%3A22-34&version=NIV. Who knows, you just might be the answer to prayer in someone’s life who was worrying about what they would wear or eat or how they would clothe or feed their families. Will you be the one to meet a need today?  
Practicing His Presence,
Nate

Isaiah 58:7
Share your food with the hungry,
    and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
    and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Ezekiel 18:7
He does not oppress another, but restores the pledge to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.

Ephesians 4:28
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

1 Timothy 6:17
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.

1 Timothy 6:18
Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,

James 2:14-16
What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?