"A man's need for validation is one of his most desperate longings. Until we have that validation, we live with an uncertainty down deep inside. As men, we need to know who we truly are, and what we are destined to become."
A lot of the focus I've had over the past few years, and very intentionally for the past few months, is the discovery of my true name. This isn't the name given to me by my parent's when I was born, after all, they didn't know anything about me at that moment. This isn't the name, or names, that the world tries to bestow on us either. Instead, I'm after who God says I am, and I believe that this name is discovered through the healing God desires to give us, and through the battle He has called us to fight.
In Revelation 2.17, the Bible talks about a new name, written on a white stone, that is given to those who overcome. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it."
This is your true name, the name God knows you by. God knows what He created you for. He knows the potential you have, because He is the one who has give you that potential. This name is not the one your parent's gave you. It is not based on your education or profession. It is not dictated by your successes or failures. This name reflects your true calling, and it bestows your true identity.
God heals, God calls, and God renames. God validates.
This is the name that I want, God's name for me. A name that speaks of destiny. A name that is not impacted by failures, or successes, but that impacts every aspect of my life. This is the name I want all of my brothers, and every man I have the opportunity to disciple, to discover.
When I think about the true name this scene from Gladiator always comes to my mind:
This name speaks of who he really is, and what he is here to do. It is a name bestowed by a loving father, validated through battle, and declaring his mission. I want a name like that. A name that is not shaken or questioned during hardship and trials, but gives focus and the strength to endure.
So how do we discover this name? For me, it has been a process of seeking healing, getting alone where God can speak, and paying attention to what He says in those times, and allowing Him to speak to my heart. I've noticed a consistent theme for about two and a half years, a theme everything keeps returning to. I believe that all of this combines for God to reveal who He made us to be.
Brothers, we must learn who we really are. It is because Maximus knows his name that he is able to do what he does. He has an identity and a destiny, and is able to embrace it. He does not spend his life seeking approval, or trying to prove himself; he lives because he knows his true name.
Who are you? Who does God say you are? What are you here for?
That is what your true name reveals.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
The Need for Battle, by Will
If you read just about any book on masculinity, one of the themes that always appears is that of battle. In Wild at Heart, John Eldredge observes that one of the three core desires of a man's heart is for a battle to fight. Men were made as warriors, and warriors engage in battle; it's part of who we are. I've found that the times in my life when I've been the most miserable are the times when I have not felt like there was a battle for me to fight.
As I've talked to my brothers over the past few months, the key theme I've picked up on from each of them is the desire for battle. So many of us are unsatisfied with where we are in life. We don't feel that what we're doing is making an impact, and so many of us are just unmotivated, exhausted, and bored. It's true, and that isn't what God intended for men. Men were made for battle, we need a battle to fight.
We need healing, and we are healed so that we can head to the front lines. We were not made to sit idly by and watch; we were made to draw our swords, and add our shield to the phalanx. We need battle, it is an essential part of who we are as men, and it is for that reason that the enemy works so hard to keep us from the fight.
I have been working on this post for almost three weeks. Life, work, and school have been nuts, bringing one distraction after another. I've had a lot to process, and very little time to process it in. I've shared before how I feel like I finally have a direction in life, like I finally know what I'm supposed to do. I finally feel like I know what my main battle is, and all of these side things are popping up in the moment to try and discourage and distract me from that. Men need a battle to fight, and Eldredge points out, don't ask me where right now, but he points out that one of the tactics from the enemy to distract us is to bury us in battle. To keep us from the main fight we need to focus on, he sends all of these side battles to grab our attention.
Think about The Patriot, Mel Gibson's character leads a group of militia against General Cornwallis' army in the southern colonies. He is keeping the British busy with smaller raids and attacks so that they cannot fight the main army. If the enemy can distract us with enough small fights, be lose sight of the main goal, or simply grow tired of fighting all together, and we give up, never taking on the real fight.
The other side of this, is that he tries to keep us out of the fight completely, never even allowing us to get to the raids. When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh for the first time, seeking the freedom for the Israelites, Pharaoh's response was not simply "No" but "No, and work more." Not only did they have to continue making bricks, but they had to gather the straw they needed for those bricks. He adds these words at the end of the order, "Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words." (Ex. 5.9). Pharaoh knew that a man is a powerful, and potentially dangerous, force. He doesn't want them to be able to engage in the fight, so he buries them in the mundane tasks of life. Nothing has changed.
Men, it's time to fight. It's time to get focused on the real goal, and go after it. I keep thinking of Leonidas and his Spartans at Thermopylae. They knew that they were there to fight the Persians, and so the went to the narrowest part of the pass, covered the secret pass, and focused on the enemy. Nothing else mattered except for holding the pass. The same can be said of all of the last stands, or defining victories of history. We were made to fight, and we need to engage in the battle. We cannot afford to get discouraged in the constant skirmishes, and we cannot allow ourselves to get distracted by the overwhelming aspects of everyday life. I'm not saying ignore either of those, you can't, but don't allow yourself to lose focus of the real battle you are called to fight.
The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Stand firm, fight back, stay focused.
You are a warrior, that is who God made you to be. You can endure this. You can fight back.
So many Bible verses are on my mind right now. 1 Peter 5.1-11, Ephesians 6.10-18, James 4.7-8, Psalm 62.5-8, Proverbs 3.5-8; all of these deal with this, but perhaps the verse that is most applicable is the one that has really stood out to me about guiding boys, and awakening men, to stand as warriors.
2 Timothy 2.1-4
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
When God brings healing, He gives affirmation that we are His beloved sons. As He tests and trains us as cowboys, He reveals our strength. All of this is done to develop us as warriors. Soldiers of Christ, strong in His grace, discipling others, focused on the real battle, and faithfully serving His commander.
That is what a man was made for.
That is what the enemy does not want you to be.
You, my brothers, are warriors. "Warriors don't give up and they don't back down. Pick up your sword and shield and fight." You need a battle to fight. What is it? What makes your heart come alive? Go after it, every day. Get focused, and keep moving forward. Fulfill the responsibilities you have in life; go to work, take care of your family, but always keep fighting the battle. Don't live a life that leads to regret because you never engaged in the battle you were put here to fight.
God made you a warrior, and warriors need battle.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
As I've talked to my brothers over the past few months, the key theme I've picked up on from each of them is the desire for battle. So many of us are unsatisfied with where we are in life. We don't feel that what we're doing is making an impact, and so many of us are just unmotivated, exhausted, and bored. It's true, and that isn't what God intended for men. Men were made for battle, we need a battle to fight.
We need healing, and we are healed so that we can head to the front lines. We were not made to sit idly by and watch; we were made to draw our swords, and add our shield to the phalanx. We need battle, it is an essential part of who we are as men, and it is for that reason that the enemy works so hard to keep us from the fight.
I have been working on this post for almost three weeks. Life, work, and school have been nuts, bringing one distraction after another. I've had a lot to process, and very little time to process it in. I've shared before how I feel like I finally have a direction in life, like I finally know what I'm supposed to do. I finally feel like I know what my main battle is, and all of these side things are popping up in the moment to try and discourage and distract me from that. Men need a battle to fight, and Eldredge points out, don't ask me where right now, but he points out that one of the tactics from the enemy to distract us is to bury us in battle. To keep us from the main fight we need to focus on, he sends all of these side battles to grab our attention.
Think about The Patriot, Mel Gibson's character leads a group of militia against General Cornwallis' army in the southern colonies. He is keeping the British busy with smaller raids and attacks so that they cannot fight the main army. If the enemy can distract us with enough small fights, be lose sight of the main goal, or simply grow tired of fighting all together, and we give up, never taking on the real fight.
The other side of this, is that he tries to keep us out of the fight completely, never even allowing us to get to the raids. When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh for the first time, seeking the freedom for the Israelites, Pharaoh's response was not simply "No" but "No, and work more." Not only did they have to continue making bricks, but they had to gather the straw they needed for those bricks. He adds these words at the end of the order, "Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words." (Ex. 5.9). Pharaoh knew that a man is a powerful, and potentially dangerous, force. He doesn't want them to be able to engage in the fight, so he buries them in the mundane tasks of life. Nothing has changed.
Men, it's time to fight. It's time to get focused on the real goal, and go after it. I keep thinking of Leonidas and his Spartans at Thermopylae. They knew that they were there to fight the Persians, and so the went to the narrowest part of the pass, covered the secret pass, and focused on the enemy. Nothing else mattered except for holding the pass. The same can be said of all of the last stands, or defining victories of history. We were made to fight, and we need to engage in the battle. We cannot afford to get discouraged in the constant skirmishes, and we cannot allow ourselves to get distracted by the overwhelming aspects of everyday life. I'm not saying ignore either of those, you can't, but don't allow yourself to lose focus of the real battle you are called to fight.
The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Stand firm, fight back, stay focused.
You are a warrior, that is who God made you to be. You can endure this. You can fight back.
So many Bible verses are on my mind right now. 1 Peter 5.1-11, Ephesians 6.10-18, James 4.7-8, Psalm 62.5-8, Proverbs 3.5-8; all of these deal with this, but perhaps the verse that is most applicable is the one that has really stood out to me about guiding boys, and awakening men, to stand as warriors.
2 Timothy 2.1-4
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
When God brings healing, He gives affirmation that we are His beloved sons. As He tests and trains us as cowboys, He reveals our strength. All of this is done to develop us as warriors. Soldiers of Christ, strong in His grace, discipling others, focused on the real battle, and faithfully serving His commander.
That is what a man was made for.
That is what the enemy does not want you to be.
You, my brothers, are warriors. "Warriors don't give up and they don't back down. Pick up your sword and shield and fight." You need a battle to fight. What is it? What makes your heart come alive? Go after it, every day. Get focused, and keep moving forward. Fulfill the responsibilities you have in life; go to work, take care of your family, but always keep fighting the battle. Don't live a life that leads to regret because you never engaged in the battle you were put here to fight.
God made you a warrior, and warriors need battle.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
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