A Man’s War for Sexual Purity, Part I

The UNIT is a television show about a group of army special operations soldiers. Their identities are hidden or falsified so their cover will not be blown. They perform military missions that no one else is trained to do or wants to know about. Their orders remain top secret and hidden, often even from the highest of ranking officials. Their work is rarely known, seen, or even acknowledged by others. But what they accomplish never holds less than a high significance for the safety and security of the country. Yes, it is just a television show, but it illustrates much about how the war for sexual purity in a man’s life must be engaged.

Sexual purity in a man’s life never comes without a battle. This war will be one of the toughest battles he will ever face. The enemy is relentless in pursuing and punishing him if he remains passive. Many men try to avoid the war while others simply try to ignore it. But the enemy will not retreat. The battles that have to be fought are often intense and may or may not be known to most people. But until a man engages the enemy and wages war to kill it, he will find no rest and no peace. An aggressive strategy is the only hope for a man to experience victory over sexual temptation and sin. The war rages and awaits every man to enter the battle. It will not be easy, but the gospel gives hope and promise of victory. The war for sexual purity must be strategically fought on three battlefields: the heart, the mind, and the body.

The heart is the first battlefield in the war against sexual immorality because it is the core where every major life component (mind, will, emotions, desires, etc.) converges to shape the defining motivations of life. This is the most intense ground for battle. Proverbs 4:23 teaches that we are to guard the heart above all else because it is the source of life. This is no small command. A Christ-follower must be vigilant in defense of their heart. This fight is for the health and well-being of their very life. That which controls our heart controls all of life. Until God’s grace so consumes the heart that sexual immorality finds no room for existence, a man will not only struggle with defeat and condemnation in this area but will experience little victory in mind and body.

Paul challenges the Christians in Thessalonica to continue grow in the way they were to walk in life in order to please God. The first mention Paul gives in sanctification is abstaining from sexual immorality in contrast to how people in the world who do not know God were living. God has not called Christians to impurity, but in holiness. Men who live for Jesus must be consumed with a vision of sexual purity for life. This call must first be rendered complete in the heart of a man in order to experience victory over sexual sin and condemnation. The only way this will happen is to believe, as Paul says in Romamns 6:11, I am “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” This is surely no passive reality but a truth to be firmly established within the heart by faith. A man must engage the battle for his heart with this truth. Sin does not go away or improve when left alone. It must be mortified. If a man is slack or passive in engaging the battle for his heart, sin will take root, grow, and consume him. When a man reckons in his heart that he has been crucified with Christ, that he no longer lives, but Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20), then he will experience freedom from sin and will offer his body to God as an instrument of righteousness (Rom. 6:13).

Have you received God’s work in Jesus Christ on the cross for your life by faith? Are you laboring to lessen the condemnation of sexual sin, trying to overcome the urges and temptations by sheer force of your will alone? Is your heart full of desires that compel you to think and act in ways that you know are contrary to God’s will? Confess these desires to Jesus. Repent and ask him to forgive you. Read Romans 6:1-14. Ask God to establish the truth of his Word within your heart. Thank him that he is faithful to forgive and to cleanse (1 John 1:9). Share your prayer with a brother in Christ who can encourage you and pray for you. Do not forget. Take time to meditate on Romans 6:11 for the next several days. Let Holy Spirit lead you.

Guys Gather for Men’s Fall Kick-Off

by Donovan Dobbs

On Monday September 24, we had the first fall gathering of the men of Lifepoint. It was great! We ate real man food (fried fish, fried potatoes, and cookies) that was cooked like real men should cook (outside over open flames). A little over 20 men showed up to eat and fellowship. It was nice to see men fishing with their sons. Men talking and getting to develop new relationships. Men deepening old relationships.

In his message, Lane spoke about authentic manhood. This made me think “Is that when I can whoop anyone else in the church?” or “Is that when I am always right about everything and my wife knows it?” I wonder if that is what some think is the right and proper view of manhood. My question would be “Is that your view of authentic manhood?” The world has so skewed the view of manhood that at times it has infiltrated the church. This is the view that men should be tough at all costs. Men should be right at all costs. Serving and sacrifice are weakness and bad.

God from the beginning has had the plan for manhood. Lane brought out the point that the first man (Adam) was designed for and had a relationship with God. Since his sin, we have not been able to have a complete relationship with God. Just like us, Adam thought something was better than his relationship with God. He took that relationship so lightly that he threw it away for nothing. We are not any different. Jesus continually wants to build a relationship with us yet we ignore or dismiss him. We allow so much to take priority in our lives other than Christ. Who gets most of your thought, time, and heart? Christ or everything else—work, activities, playing, building our dreams, etc.? As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.” What are your actions saying? Do you have authentic manhood using God’s standards?

Come join us at the next men’s gathering on Monday, 10/29 (check E.notes in the coming weeks). Let us gain authentic manhood together!

Raising a Modern-Day Knight Teaches Fathers — Sons About Authentic Manhood

by Don Emmack

Can you clearly define authentic manhood? Even if you’re able to cobble a few thoughts together, can you imagine trying to teach this idea to a young boy? It’s a big challenge for most fathers and one where we fail often, yet Robert Lewis’ Raising a Modern-Day Knight [RMDK] Bible study attacks this problem head-on.

Like many dads, I didn’t receive much Christian guidance as a young man or as a young adult. After 30+ years Christ saved me, but I remember how my life waned absent of true purpose. I don’t want my boys to leave the care of my house lost in a fallen world without hope and guidance, yet I feel overwhelmed teaching my sons the right things in life—with no clear plan to fix the problem.

Just imagine, your son is 18 years old, waving good-bye and driving off to college. How would you feel? Is your son equipped to handle the rough ride life will surely bring? Robert Lewis, author of RMDK, presents this sorrowful picture clearly to young dads. Based on his own experiences as a son and father, Lewis gives dads strategies to raise their boys. A six-week series, RMDK exposes many of the pitfalls of fatherhood and teaches men to lead their sons toward authentic manhood.

The study is short, yet the program teaches fathers techniques to raise their sons toward being a real man. It’s a clear process to teach boys life lessons marked with appropriate ceremony. As a dad, you exit the program much better equipped and with a precise plan to teach your sons the underpinnings of manhood.

Recently, a dedicated group of fathers from Life Point and Second Baptist joined me in working through the program. I’d love to tell you all the details of the series but it would spoil the fun. First off, no girls allowed! This program is about godly men working together to form an environment for impressionable young boys. Don’t worry, there are no secrete handshakes or passwords; however, ceremonies are important and kept private to enhance the memory of the event in the boys’ life.

At the end of the program, each dad walks away well-equipped to work through the upcoming years with their boys. Some projects from the program will take years to complete and ultimately provide a road map for future generations in the family. Plus, the camaraderie from the program helps the fellowship of the men’s community.

At the end of our first RMDK series, the fathers joined together to take the boys camping. It was the most rainy trip I’ve ever seen! Thunderstorms raged all night filling the tents with 2 inches of water. While we were wet and muddy, everyone had a good time and I’m certain the boys will always remember the trip.

If your a father of young boys I urge you to take the RMDK program. Better yet, sign up to lead an upcoming program. RMDK is helpful to most fathers, yet the program suits young boys from 6–12 years old. Scott O’dell has volunteered to lead the next RMDK adventure in the first quarter of 2008. Contact him directly for more information.