Tag Archives: christian manliness

Apologetics, Faith, last days

Evil, Suffering, and Truth

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Why does a loving God allow suffering and evil? Why doesn’t God take away all our temptation? Why do I keep having doubts about God and the Truth of His son Jesus?

Each one of us struggle with these questions at some point in our life journey.

Digging deeper into another tactic of Satan; using confusion and distraction to steal, kill and destroy. The main goal is to keep men in darkness and unable to hear the Gospel. Proverbs 4:19 states: “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”

Read the below two chapters in my book Flesh Tamers: Christian Manliness: The Courage to Stand Firm. (Yes, ladies, you can read it too) Then answer the questions below for yourself.

Chapters to Read:A Reason for Evil, Suffering and Temptation
Truth: The Ultimate Battle

Below is a short excerpt from the book on the topic of suffering.

Constant contact and conflict with evil and oppression of all kinds are necessary actions of the moral effort of developing true Christlike manliness. To learn not to shrink from conflict, a man must face conflict. Jesus Christ did not ever shrink from conflict with evil, even when He knew at that moment, He was going to feel the strike of human pain both emotionally and physically. Certainly, He felt hunger during His temptation in the wilderness. He felt heart ache many times, but most certainly as Lazarus is dying and his family mourning. He felt disappointment as he is betrayed and when His disciples leave Him. He suffered with the feeling of separation from His father as He hung on that cross with the sins of the world on His shoulders.

Below is a short excerpt from the book on the topic of Truth.

Facing and believing the truth is one of the most important trials for man in this fallen world.  It is crucial to be an objective observer of what is, rather than what you wish it were.  A real man calls it like it is and refuses to look away from actual reality.  The most important truth is that the God of the universe who created all things, came as a man to take on our sin, and then hung on a cross for it, rising from the dead three days later.  In so doing, He destroyed death, and now we await His return when He will not come humbly, but in blazing glory with His powerful angels to bring judgment on the earth and gather up His Church.

Read John 13:26-38 and answer the following questions:

  • What Truths was Peter unable to grasp?
  • Why did Jesus want Peter to know the Truth?
  • Can you think of any Truth in your own life that you struggle to accept? How would your life be different if you could accept it?

Memorize and meditate this week on John 8:32, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (NASB).

Pick up your copy of the book and study guide on Amazon and help me spread the word by leaving a review.

Thank you all for your support!

Faith, last days

The Infiltrated Church

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What is the attack plan of the adversary? How would Satan choose to steal, kill, and destroy the bride of Christ?

Fortunately for us, the Lord has already reviewed the playbook of the enemy and has written it down for us to read.

It includes propaganda via misinformation campaigns, preying on the fears of the people, and using the desires of the flesh as a weapon against us.

Digging deeper into the first tactic, misinformation, below is an excerpt from the book Flesh Tamers: Christian Manliness: The Courage to Stand Firm.

True Christian manliness requires that we stand firm against the cultural norms and progressive tendencies toward accepting and allowing all desires of the flesh.  Our current culture has moved into almost a mob mentality of defending and protecting any sinful want that their mind and fleshly nature crave within them.  By the Holy Spirit, Peter wrote:

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, 11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; 15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. 18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2 NASB1995)

One example of how a Christian man must act and stand firm is Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah……………

Flesh Tamers: Christian Manliness: The Courage to Stand Firm

Pick up your copy of the book and study guide on Amazon and help me spread the word by leaving a review.

Thank you all for your support!

Faith, Life

The Call to Christian Manliness (Truth)

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Internal Conflict. A state of being with more meaning for a man of imperfect nature. Yet in battle with an external force of borrowed legitimacy.

And in this life-long fight, to be waged by every one of us single-handed against a host of foes, the last armament for a good fight, the last proof and test of our courage and manfulness, must be loyalty to truth.

This is the most rare and difficult of all human qualities.

For when the truth is spoken it has been wielded as a weapon of destruction. Tearing down kingdoms and strongholds built on false doctrine and desires of foolishness.

Loyalty to truth, perfected over a lifetime, asks increasingly more of us. It sets before us a standard of manliness always rising higher and higher. Though the nature of men is of decreasing courage in the face of opposition.

And this is the great lesson which we will learn from Christ’s life, the more earnestly and faithfully we study it.

“For this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, to bear witness to the truth.”

To bear this witness against declared and open enemies is comparatively easy; but, to bear it against those we love; against those whose judgment and opinions we respect, in defense or advancement of that which approves itself as true to our own inmost conscience, this is the last and abiding test of courage and of manliness.

Copyright 2020, Johnathan Sexton

Adapted from True Manliness, Thomas Hughes

Christian Manliness

Faith

Check your own heart

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Then, test the spirits.

Don’t let your heart be fooled by eloquent speeches or unproven theories of origin.

Self focused affirmations are not an illuminating force.

Don’t let your faith be shaken by the enemy of your soul.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1 John 4:1‭-‬6 NASB

In Genesis 8, God noted that man’s heart is intent on evil from youth.

It is only the Spirit of God in us that leads us and helps us rise above our own selfish intentions.

The Spirit guides us to a Christ centered sticking place. And when we can’t hold on, He will never let go.

Faith, last days, Politics

Many Will Fall Away And Will Betray One Another

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At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.

Matthew 24:10‭-‬12 NASB

Have you noticed a falling away of many? How about betrayal and hate?

I know this time of devisiness in the United States is not unique. And I know that other areas of the world are experiencing turmoil of real physical consequences already.

Even this country has had times of internal struggle to the point of civil war in its past.

Yet, this current episode of venom and vitriol in the United States is particularly worrisome. Because any conflict within our borders will be seen as weakness by the adversaries of democracy that have been waiting to destroy it for so many years.

Digital manipulation of “evidence” and the rapid dissemination of that “evidence” using the internet is going to cause another war that I’m not sure this country will come back from.

A war against Christianity with the mob mentality we saw last week on social media will soon turn into real physical violence against Christians.

If propaganda through radio and newspaper helped start world wars in the past, then the digital media of today will soon bring about a war against God’s people that will escalate very quickly.

We know as Christians that our war is not against flesh and blood but against the forces of darkness in this world and spiritual forces of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12‭-‬13). So stand firm and put on the whole armor of God and be prepared to give a reason for the hope you have in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 3:14-16).

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

1 Peter 3:14‭-‬16 NASB