Men's Fraternity Week 13

Men’s Fraternity
Week #13 Idols

Pastor Brian began our first session of the new year with this video from the Skit Guys.



Exodus 20:3
You shall have no other gods before me.

Psalm 106:36
They served their idols which became a snare to them.

1. Goals for this session:

• Discuss some key realities that are foundational to the traps that a man faces in life.
• Describe a framework for understanding temptations in the life of a man.
• To help get to the root issue. The sin beneath the sin.

Questions for Discussion:
1. Many men live in both shame and guilt while hiding from those around them. Why would men abandon the “abundant life” that is available in Jesus Christ for idols that trap them in bondage? (Some examples of these idols are: workaholism, pornography and other addictions, desperate need for approval, disappointment with life or fear of failure).

2. Why would we ever choose anything other than God’s best for our lives?

2. Key Realities:

a. In order to experience ultimate freedom you must practice ruthless honesty.

2 Samuel 10:11
And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.

[Praying for others is good but you must also be willing to step in and help others in need.]

David White puts it this way: “All of us live in fear of exposure. We don’t want the worst things about us to be made known. We posture and wear masks. We establish elaborate facades and hide behind our good deeds. This refusal to be truly known and exposed keeps us stuck in our sin.”

b. There’s no such thing as a life apart from struggle and temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.

c. Understand grace.

[Grace can be defined as unmerited favor granted to us by God.]

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

d. Authentic manhood is primarily about heart change.

• The noble fight against sin and temptation is not just about behavior modification.
• For instance, God doesn’t want us just to stop lying He wants us to love the truth!
• Behavior modification without heart change is dangerous.

3. The Framework of Idolatry

• An idol can be anything, even a good thing. [The idol itself is not necessarily evil. Like guns: guns are not evil, it’s what we do with them.]
• Idolatry is built on a lie. [This will make me feel better, help me achieve my goals, etc.]
• Idols come from legitimate desires that are being expressed in inappropriate ways.
• Idols can be divided into two categories, or what Pastor Tim Keller calls surface idols and deep idols.

Examples of Deep Idols

• Control

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

• Significance

Galatians 1:10
If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men. [This follows closely with my own life verse 2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed rightly handling the word of truth.]

• Comfort

Questions for Discussion:
1. The idols that we face are tempting us with relentless intensity throughout life. Which of the idols discussed above is one that is a consistent area of struggle for you? Practice “ruthless honesty” on this one!

[I volunteered that one of my most difficult idols to overcome is money: something that I think and worry about too much and that I have the most difficulty giving over to God. Another man at my table mentioned Control and it was generally agreed upon that some control is probably necessary in most situations but we also have to understand that things will not always go as planned and we need to be flexible.]

2. It has been said that we are only “as unhealthy as our secrets.” Do you agree or disagree with that statement? Why or why not?

[A couple of the men at my table started talking about secrets and were of the opinion that some secrets are better left unsaid as bringing them to light will only cause more harm. I’m not really sure what to think about that. I think it really comes down to trust, if you’re sharing your secrets with someone you truly trust with your heart and soul then that person won’t judge you for it or be hurt by it; they will help you to rise above it.]

3. Share one or more of the idols that you would like others to be praying for your concerning. Then take a few minutes together and pray before heading out for the rest of your day.

Journal - A Period of Rest

So I haven’t been writing much lately, except for audiobook reviews that is. Now that I’m working it gets harder and harder to find the time.

I’ve been at Walmart for almost 5 months now. Hard to believe it’s been that long. I’m still enjoying the job although I confess I’m tired of working in the cold. I can’t complain too much though, we’ve had lots of nice days in between the cold snaps. Just yesterday it went over 60 degrees and I worked in a long sleeved t-shirt. More cold this week though and some high chances of snow. My feet and legs rarely bother me anymore although there are days. In general I think I’m a lot healthier than I was 5 months ago: thinner, stronger, and sleeping much better at night than I used to. I always feel pretty tired by 9pm each night even on my days off.

I spend my days off taking it easy for the most part although I have been doing a lot of cleaning up in the basement. On each of my off days for the last month or so I’ve been spending an hour or two in the basement going through stuff and seeing what can be thrown out and organizing a little. I’m amazed at how much stuff we’ve accumulated since we moved into this house 4 years ago. We had very little in the basement at first, but now it’s getting full. I dread the thought of ever having to move again. Anyway, I talked in my last Island Earth post about cleaning out the carpeted room a little to make space for a little recording studio down there. Well, Joni and Adam came through for me and got that whole room in ship-shape with plenty of space for me to set up in.

Other than that there really hasn’t been much going on. Kind of a nice quiet period for us. I saw the eye doctor back in January and got a good report on both eyes. He said I can make an appointment for my prosthesis whenever I’m ready but didn’t pressure me at all, which I appreciated a great deal. I’ve been dragging my feet a little because I haven’t really felt like making more trips to Omaha and I know Joni doesn’t either. I guess I’ll need to get that done before too long though. Around June or July my social security benefits will run out and I’m assuming my Medicare will go with it. I should be eligible for insurance through Walmart about that same time but who knows what it will cover or if I’ll even be able to afford it.

And I’m still putting in some work on Audiobook-Heaven. My audiobook listening time was drastically reduced when I started working but I still get in a couple of hours a day and instead of 3 reviews each week I’m down to 1. Still keeping it going though, which I’m glad of. I put a lot of time and work on that and I would hate the thought of having to abandon it. Also something kind of cool happened a couple of days ago. I got an email from a person who introduced herself as a translator for a Czechoslovakian sci-fi magazine on the internet. She was asking if they could translate one of my audiobook reviews into Czech and use it on their site. That sounded pretty cool so I said yes! Don’t know when that will go live for sure but she said she would send me a link when it does.

And that’s about everything that going on around here. Like I said, kind of quiet, which suits me just fine.

Exodus 33:14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” ESV

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” ESV

Journal - Dr. Halsted

On Thursday we traveled to Grand Island to see Dr. Halsted. Dr. Halsted, if you remember, is an associate of Dr. Feilmeier from Midwest Eye Care in Omaha. Dr. Feilmeier visits Kearney once a month while Dr. Halsted visits Grand Island on a rotating basis so that one of them is in this area every two weeks.

We left home at 11am for my 12:30 appointment at Proffitt Eye Center. As it turns out, that office is just a few blocks away from Central Catholic High School, where we were last week for District Music Contest. We arrived at 12:00.

The office was busy and we had quite a wait. It was about 1:30 before we were taken into an exam room, but from there it was only about 10 minutes before the doctor came in. The report was encouraging.

Two weeks ago my vision tested at 20/200 and pinholed to 20/50. Today I tested at 20/70 while still pinholing to 20/50. The pinhole test is supposed to tell what my best possible vision might be with corrective lenses. The doctor checked me out and said the spot in my eye looks to be healing over nicely. Of course, this is the first time he’s seen me so he didn’t have much to compare to, but I got the feeling he was expecting something worse from what he had heard from Dr. Feilmeier. Aside from the bad spot, he said the rest of my cornea is looking very good and the sutures are secure. He said that this spot may have been a flare-up as a result of the herpetic virus that showed up at around the same time. He didn’t adjust any of my meds because that is Dr. Feilmeier’s place to do, but he would recommend backing off the Natycyn when he spoke with Dr. Feilmeier. All in all, it was a good and encouraging report.

And that was it. We got back home at about 3pm. The day was cloudy and gray and much cooler than the last two so I didn’t mind missing a day of working in the yard. Joni and I needed a break from that anyway as we are both a little sore and tired from our exertions.

Psalms 107:19-20 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them ESV

Exodus 23:25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.

The Lord Helps Those Who Help Themselves

We’ve all heard that old saying, right? But what does it really mean? Does it mean that God will only help us achieve something if we are already beating our brains out trying to achieve it for ourselves? Or maybe He just wants to make sure we’re willing to put forth a little effort before He will help us through those last crucial steps. This topic has been on my heart for quite a while now, and it’s been kind of a tricky one for me.

Let’s start by taking a look at the phrase itself. “The Lord helps those who help themselves” is not found anywhere in the bible. I researched the origin of the saying, and found conflicting information. Some people attribute it to Benjamin Franklin in “Poor Richard’s Almanac” in 1757. Others give credit to a British philosopher, Algernon Sidney, who used the phrase in an article titled “Discourses Concerning Government” in 1698. Further research reveals that Algernon Sidney died in 1683, so who knows if that one is true. Yet another source credits the phrase to one of Aesop’s fables from the 6th century BC. The fable, titled "Hercules and the Waggoner", tells the tale of a man whose wagon became stuck in the mud. The man got down on his knees and prayed to Hercules for help. Hercules promptly told the man to get up and put his shoulder to the wheel because "the gods help those who help themselves.” It seems the phrase actually originated in pagan Greek mythology.

That’s all very interesting as a history lesson, but it doesn’t really help to answer my questions. As a Christian, I naturally understand that I must turn to the scriptures for answers. Here are a few passages I came across:

Exodus 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.

Psalms 104:23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

Psalms 128:2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Proverbs 13:11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

Hebrews 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

That certainly makes it sound like God expects us to work. He sure isn’t advising His people to sit around and do nothing, but in all honesty, I’m not completely convinced that those verses apply directly to the topic at hand. I do like that last one, though. Incidentally, there are more than two hundred verses in the bible that speak of labour. Let’s look a little further:

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

Psalms 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Psalms 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

I recognize a couple of those verses, I’ve used them in my blog before. Those verses make it sound like we’re supposed to trust God and wait on Him. That last one in particular seems very clear to me. Incidentally, there are also lots of verses that talk about waiting on the Lord.

I have read a few articles that I found on this subject and, surprise, surprise, opinions are varied. Some support one theory, and some support the other, and, depending on your interpretation, you can find plenty of scripture to back up either one. So what’s the answer?

Here’s what I know, or maybe I should say here’s what I believe:

I believe God does not want us to be lazy or slothful.
I believe that God does not want us to suffer needlessly.
I believe that God wants us to help others in need.
I believe that God wants us to have patience, and wait for Him to do things in His own time.
I believe that God will provide us with everything we NEED.

I guess what it all boils down to is faith. We must have faith in God to provide for us, and to lead us where He will. I think it’s okay for us to try to achieve results for ourselves, but let’s face it; if God is not ready for it to happen, It’s just not going to happen, no matter what we do. How will we know whether to work at it, or just wait on the Lord? That part, at least, is easy, ask God. If He wants us to do something, He will tell us. If he wants us to be patient and wait for Him to take care of it, He will tell us that too. It’s all about faith and trust.

Well, I’ve done a lot of praying about this, praying for God to instruct me, and praying for Him to open my heart so I can receive His instructions, and this is what I seem to be getting. Of course, I will continue to pray and will wait to see were He leads me next. In the meantime, I will put my trust in the Lord.

I’m going to leave off with some words of wisdom that Pastor Mike shared with me:

“..…Steven, the Lord is your help in time of need. No one knows what you need more than the Lord and He will indeed either give you the grace to stand up under your difficulties or He will remove the difficulty. Our responsibility is to seek the Lord and leave the results totally with Him. If He gives you the opportunity to have some medical procedure done that will allow your eyesight to be restored He will provide for that as well.”

Psalms 121:1-3 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.