Men’s Attack
Over 50 men from Evergreen are signed up for the Men’s Retreat this weekend but I am praying the retreat will become an attack. This is not just a whimsical bit of wordplay. This is a burning conviction that the lion’s share of our problems as Christian men come from a passive approach to God and life rather than aggressive. Many of us are very driven in our work, with our health or even in our hobbies, but we often apply very little of that in following Jesus.
The call to spiritual zeal is all over the Scriptures. Peter tells us to get our minds ready for action so we can be self-controlled. (1 Peter 1:13) We have to arm ourselves with the attitude of Jesus because we are done screwing around with sin and are ready to suffer for Jesus. (1 Peter 4:1) Paul likewise told us to get our armor on because the battle for souls is on. (Ephesians 6) We have to kill sin (Colossians 3:5), strain to walk with Jesus and struggle with all his energy working powerfully within us. (Colossians 1:29) Jesus said “the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” (Matthew 11:12) These words are debated but I believe Jesus is simply serving notice that you better gear up if you want to follow him. This is no walk in the park.As the retreat nears I am praying we will come away ready to attack the pressing needs in our lives. That means having a good heart and strategic plan to…
- …fight for our marriage rather than fight in it.
- …take care our bodies rather than habitually yielding to excess.
- …invest our money for Christ rather than always operating reactively.
- …make time to seek Jesus the Bible and in prayer.
- …kill porn and all other expressions of lust rather than secretly living in bondage.
- …serve Jesus with your time and talents rather than waiting to be guilted into it.
Attack. That’s my prayer for this weekend. Bring your golf clubs and shoot at the pin. Bring your shotgun and blast clay pigeons out of the sky. But most of all, bring your Bible and attack the priority issues Jesus has put in front of your face.
Pastor Toby