Satan’s Worst Nightmare

I am in an incredible battle and in many ways I love it. In every area of my life there seems to be a fierce battle. How cool is that!!! To be under attack is for me an indicator that I am doing some things that upset the evil one. In addition, I think that men in particular were created to be in a battle. We were created to be warriors.

Consider this with me - - Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image….” Then Genesis 1:28 “Be fruitful and multiply….” The question should not be multiply what? Exodus 15:3 “The Lord is a Warrior; the Lord is His name.” If we are in His image and He is a warrior, then by real simple deduction, we are created to be warriors.

Frogs reproduce frogs. Trees reproduce trees. Cowards reproduce cowards and warriors were designed to reproduce warriors.

I am not in a battle just because, as depicted in some far-fetched movies, the gods are just having fun watching. First of all there are no gods. There is one God.

The battles rage because there is sin and we are to battle what is right and of God.

I am in this battle for three reasons:

1. To be victorious for God.
2. To train another generation to fight and be victorious when everything in them does not believe it is possible.
3. To be satan’s worst nightmare and make his life miserable.

Some have asked me if I really believe that I can be satan’s worst nightmare. I am believing the answer is yes.

When satan goes to bed tonight, I want him to check under his bed and look in his closet to see if I am there. When satan hears a noise tonight, I want him to be afraid and get up to see if it is me. When satan hears my feet hit the floor in the morning, I want him to say/think, “Oh crap, he’s up.”

I believe that InterGenerational means being the warrior God created me to be and helping another man be the warrior he was created to be - - for God’s glory.

InterGenerational Takes Effort And Intentionality

When was the last time you thought about the age range of your relationships? I am not referring to people who you see or come into contact with during your activities such as church or at your kid’s school.

Think about who you intentionally schedule on your calendar. Do not consider your children or co-workers you see only at work.

Think about the people you pursue and the ones who pursue you to have coffee or lunch.

Pictured with me is Brandon Chrisp. We met over three years ago when he was a student at Denver Seminary. We began in a structured mentoring program. Now I guess you could say, we meet because we are just really good friends.

Several years ago, I listened to Dr Gordon McDonald at Denver Seminary. At one point he was asked a very pointed question. The questioning individual asked Dr McDonald about the biggest difference in his life now compared to when he was much younger. Without hesitation, Dr McDonald responded that it was the men in his life.

The answer to the follow-up question was very significant. He was asked, “How did you find those men?” He responded, “Just like I got my wife, Gail. I dated them.”

Dr. McDonald went on to explain that when he realized the void in his life, he first decided what type of men he needed. Then he made a list of guys he already knew. Then he began to ask them to meet for coffee. No agenda except to see if they wanted to meet again.

Dr. Mc Donald was clear. Some guys were good men but they did not make “the cut.” Others he continued to meet with and in time he found that he had an amazing group of men surrounding him.

Frankly, if you do not have others in your life, you are most likely not putting forth the effort. If you do not have younger and older people in your life, you are most likely not putting forth the effort.


If you do not have true friends and relationships beyond your age group, you should ask yourself:

1. Am I actually available to others?
2. Do I intentionally pursue others?
3. Am I willing to invest in someone else?

We must make a decision to be intentional about the relationships in our lives. We are intentional about things that we value. If we truly value and desire relationships that go beyond our own age-range, we must be available and intentional.

Always Two Questions

There are two questions that are asked of me at most Rites of Passage. The first is, “Where was this for my older children?” That is normally followed by the statement, “Maybe they would still be in church if we would have done this for them.”

The second question seems to be more sensitive to the person asking. It is, “Where was this for me?”

These are not easy questions to answer, except to say that we are trying to (re)capture something that is “of God” and so needed in our churches today. It is not just about a spiritual blessing. It is also an issue of speaking truth - - truth about who and whose we are.

Far too many Christians have never been told that they are loved because of who they are and not what they do. Blessings counter the lies and deceptions of satan.

A significant dynamic that we see at Rites of Passage weekends is the high number of men and women of all ages who come forward to receive a Father’s Blessing. I have witnessed men and women in their 80’s kneel to be blessed.

Afterwords, many have told me that they have known for years that “something was missing” but they just did not know what it was until that night.

I believe that churches must focus on being families that bless one another.

Clearly a foundational work on this subject is The Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Trent. One of my favorites is Rolf Garborg’s book The Family Blessing.

Blessings change life and help shape our destiny. No one in God’s family should ever wonder if they have been blessed.

Here is a question for readers - - When did you receive a Father’s blessing? Leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.