Bend the Knee First

So let me start with the main thing.

You cannot stand firm until you bend your knee.

Basically, everything else we will talk about in these weeks depends on that one thing. If you skip it, the rest becomes a pep rally. And pep rallies fade. By Wednesday you are back where you started.

I strongly believe this, after my experience with the Lord. For years I thought the Christian life was about trying harder. Do more, pray more, be better. Then I would fail again and feel worse. It was like running a marathon on a treadmill. Lots of movement, no distance.

The moment I admitted, “Jesus, I don’t have what it takes”, everything changed. That was the beginning, not the end.

What we are not doing

Let me be honest about what this is not.

This is not a “cowboy up” series. It is not about being louder, tougher, or more aggressive. I have seen that side too, the swing where strength turns into pushing people down. That is not it either.

There are two ditches on both sides of the road. One is passive. You step back, let others carry the weight, and call it peace. The other is harsh. You dominate, you control, and you call it leadership. Jesus lived in neither ditch.

And this is not about hobbies or style. Hunting, cars, tattoos, sports, the gym, none of that makes you who you are. And the lack of it does not disqualify you. What God is after is your heart, not your look.

Manhood is God’s idea

Let’s take a look at Genesis.

Everything else in creation, God spoke into being. One word and it was there. But when He made the first man, He got down in the dust and formed him with His own hands. Then He breathed His own life into him.

That says so much. You were not mass produced. You were made by hand, and God Himself gave you life.

Now here is what matters for you this week. A body without God’s Spirit is only a shell. You can look strong on the outside and be empty on the inside. God made you for relationship with Him, face to face. Nothing temporary fills that gap. The richest, strongest, most admired person in the room still lies awake at night asking, “Is this it?” Only God answers that itch in you.

What God gave, and what broke

In Genesis 2, God gave the first man three good things.

Work to do. Before sin, work was a gift, not a punishment. You were made to build something, to carry weight. A man without responsibility drifts. I think of David. His fall started when he stayed home in the season when kings went to war. Idle hands, trouble follows.

A will to obey. Joy is found in obedience. God gave him freedom everywhere and one clear boundary. That is a good Father.

Someone to love. God said it is not good to be alone. Whether you are married or single, you have people to love right now, your family, your sisters and brothers in the church. Practice honor now. You will not suddenly know how later.

Then Genesis 3 happens and all three get damaged. Work becomes hard. The desire to obey fights back and forth in you. Relationships get tense.

The moment it went wrong

I want you to notice one phrase in Genesis 3. The serpent was talking to the woman, and the man was right there “with her”. Standing next to her. Elbow to elbow. And he said nothing.

That is the failure. Not a loud rebellion. Silence. Passivity.

Then when God asked him about it, he blamed her. And basically blamed God too, “the woman You gave me”. She learned it from him and blamed the serpent. When we blame, we stay the same.

God asked Adam a simple question. “Where are you?” He was not hunting him down to punish him. He was giving him a chance to come out of hiding.

Hiding after you mess up means you have not understood the gospel yet. The gospel answer is not covering yourself with fig leaves and pretending. It is, “I messed up, Father, I am here.” That is a safe thing to say to God. He is a good Dad and you are loved by Him. Those two things are true even when His ways do not make sense to you.

It was never going to be willpower

So what is the fix?

Not trying harder. That gets you to the same wall every time. The fix is surrender first. Picture a knight kneeling to his king before he draws his sword. The strength comes from the king, not from the kneeling position.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.” That means blessed when you finally admit you bring nothing. “Blessed are the meek.” Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is strength placed under Jesus’ control.

And when you surrender, you get the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. Think about that. The power that opened the tomb now lives in you. If the tomb is empty, anything is possible.

Those three words I mentioned earlier, “I got this”, are the most dangerous words a person can say. I said them for years. God is not telling you what you need to go and get. He is telling you what you already have.

This week

So here is what I want you to do.

Every morning this week, before you touch your phone, kneel down or sit on the edge of the bed and say one line out loud to Jesus. “Lord, I don’t have what it takes on my own. I need You.” Say it even on the days you feel strong. Especially on those days.

Do it seven times. I want you to feel the difference between the person who starts the day on his knees and the person who starts it on his own strength.

God created you with purpose. He is not finished with you. Trust Him with the rest.