Manhood

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This is good Truth Network welcome to If Not for God stories of hopelessness that turn to hope. Your host Mike Zwick welcome to if not for God. When Mike Zwick and Mike got got on your heart today.

Well, you know, I you got a than is it the main camp or what was you confuse me with Nikita.

Okay, now I'm not that Russian nightmare. I'm just little Robbie but anyway we have mescaline journeys boot camp is coming up November 18 through the 21st very very excited about that is always and you've had a chance to attend that with this email several times and I plan on coming to this one now. Yeah, how cool Nikita himself, even though he does man camp and he just got done with them in Canada is going to be there in attendance with us.

Sweet as we get in in the camp.

If the masculine journey that's the show that you have and this this camp is associated with absolutely and it's very much a picture of what happens John Eldridge wrote the book wild at heart.

Great book by the way, for any man is subject were talking about today's is you know Satan came after you know that the whole idea of masculinity and so John Eldridge's book did a whole lot more generation for giving us an idea of what's at stake there and so he's been doing his boot camps in Colorado for years and so Sam and Darren and the guys masculine journey had been out. These boot camps and and so they wanted to model the same type of thing which we teach the same stuff. It's just a matter we have our stories versus Johnson stories are the presenters that they have there at the map at the wild at heart boot camps there in Colorado. That's it.

The one of the things that when you were talking about this. We were talking about.

What is it mean to be a man and there's actually Bible verses first Corinthians 1613 and it says the watch be watchful stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, and in so II really started to think about it a little bit and I said what is it mean to toot to be to be a manner to act like a man, and so you know, of course you go online and see some stuff and you know first of all, you have to have a beard right you have a beard you have to lift a lot of weights. Now I would huge amount of testosterone, drink a lot of beer and chew tobacco to spit the air and obviously were kidding about that, but there are a lot of things out there that I think kind of tell us what it what the world thinks that it means to be a man, but you know in the word of God where it says to act like men. You're one of the things that I that I thought is is is being a man is to is to stand firm stand firm to your convictions, even when even when nobody else seems to agree with you, you know, I've heard an old expression, and it said that God plus one equals a majority and I started to think about us to know God.

Plus no one equals would you like even if nobody is with God that then then it it it it it equals a majority but you know I think that were in kind of an age now where on it. It's kind of fashionable and and kinda sheik to just be argumentative with other people or to say hey I'm I'm gonna believe this, no matter what. And it's it's almost like people say stuff on the Internet that they would never say to somebody's face and so standing firm. To me that's not what it really means.

But what is standing firm for the faith or are standing firm in your beliefs were that mean to you Robbie is a loaded question that I I think that there's something a lot deeper going on there and you know Jesus must've said if you find it interesting little study sometime go through the gospel of John and see how many times Jesus referred to God as his father and and so unfortunately so many men out there have not had the fathering and nor do they relate to God as their father, and you can't course do that until you're in Christ and obviously that's the whole reason.

If not for God but but the idea unfortunately for many men is they've never been welcomed into what I would call a big deal biblical picture of what a man is I and and I I heard about an event that that was done actually in Colorado and these guys works welcoming their sums that they have this campfire and they were bringing them in. You know like we welcome you into the family of being a man and and begin to minimum disciple them into what that actually beat is and as I was listening to actually went to tears because you know I was 13.

Nobody welcomes me to be a man. I didn't even know have any concept of of what that actually meant sure. And again we as fathers have this unique fun thing in you being a father, even recently, of helping our children deal with right there gender yes yes I got knows that how much everybody wants to confuse that. But it's interesting how much a man when I'm you know that you can pass on masculinity, but a woman can't pass masculinity onto a man only a man can pass masculinity on torment and interestingly of man helps a woman a step be established in their femininity as well and so you know, very, from the very beginning, God made us male and female in the neat thing to stand when you look at that biblically is theirs in Hebrew to see that picture is, is absolutely outstanding and it has to do with the way a tree stands right standing right it's in a right angle and is pointed up. The only way that Israel ever grows towards assignment and the only way a Christian lever growers and four pointed towards the SON yes and yes I do know if you ever noted it that all when you when you look at at redemption picture of what trees mean as originally there was this whole idea of you know there was a tree of knowledge. There was a tree of right life. Well, the tree of life is made of wood and it was the Jesus that hung on that right. The ark was made of wood that saves Noah write all the sacrifices had to be burned over what would right and and and so this this idea of of being right and righteous and standing as a tree right in with the roots down of interest.

Tonya second about living water, and then yet you know your your branch is a payment towards the SON. It's a beautiful thing.

It's a beautiful thing is that we should write a song where they say on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. But you know I was talk about think about were talking about. It was looked up a couple Bible verses on standing firm.

It says in Ephesians 611 put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the evil schemes of the devil. Ephesians 613. Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of the evil comes over here. You may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand first Peter five nonresistant but but resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world who are in the world you it's interesting we talk about talk to so many people and they say will work to get out of here before it really gets bad as it will that's interesting because there's a lot of Christians all over the world for the past 2000 years who have been in the middle of it. And through a lot of persecution when things got tough and you just be honest, some of them start firm in some of them said you know him to get out of the way. Philippians 127 conduct conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and finally, Philippians 41. Therefore, my beloved brethren, whom I long to see my joy my joy and crown.

In this way.

Stand firm in the Lord, my beloved, I was actually thinking of a story that you represent Poco, hurrah there was this thing few years a guy thing was back in Nigeria were these girls were, they were they were kidnapped you don't talk about Robbie. I don't need or listen so but it was that they they've made this whole thing bring back our girls and what they did was they kidnapped a bunch of girls who were on who were Christian girls, Poco Baran, who was a Muslim group and what they did was they said, look, they said you can either deny your faith and and we we will let you live and die then we will marry you off to these Muslim men. Or you can stand firm in your faith were to kill you, and one of the girls who actually finally gave in and said okay yeah I'll I'll marry you and all deny the faith or whatever she told the story of this other girl named Monica and what would happen. Monica was Monica was only 14 years old and when when Bill Garon told hurst that she had the choice. She says I'm not can it deny the faith. She sat on the stand firm in and so what happened was, was they said okay were to kill you they they bury her up to her neck in the and darker sand and they stone her to death when her father who was in Nigeria was a pastor he found out about this he said I am so glad that my daughter did not deny her faith in Christ. He said one of the proudest monies of the proudest moment of my life was that when she stood firm for the faith. That's a 14-year-old girl you know I mean this is sometimes you know it was talk about acting like men, but you know it when I when I think about standing firm and I'm reminded of that girl and you right now.

I mean there's there's a lot of pressure to conform the United States to me and I know you're talking about gender, or in other single that you can you can be this gender, you can be whatever gender you choose, but you know the word of God says that God created the male and female, and if you know if somebody else says that's not true, then that's their belief. But that's not what the word of God says in the word of God doesn't change, and so on and I heard Pastor Chad I recently was on a one of his Sunday sermons and he said you know he was talking about Daniel chapter 3 word word. There were three of them who would not bow down Shadrach me shack and Abednego and he he said that when the leader things Nebuchadnezzar said okay I'm going to give you a choice where you can you can bow down and if you bow down will forget the whole thing ever happened but if not he said will refer you to the fire and he said what they didn't say was okay were to grab a couple of lattes were to go to Starbucks and working to try to find some middle ground on this whole thing and try to work something out. They said no they said we don't even need to just to discuss this matter. It's not up for discussion. They said we know what the word of God says were standing firm in our faith.

End of story. And they didn't know how the end of the story was in and because they even said they said you know God will save us, they said.

But even if he does not work. Working to stand firm in certain and that's one of things that I think about when when standing firm in I don't know about you Robbie that I've seen that when when I stood firm there.

There have been people who may not have agreed with me but they will respect you for sticking to your beliefs.

I'm sure you seen that as well and others. Again, you got a home out for dinner and then when you're mentioning the things that I couldn't help it. Sometimes I get to interview people. I can disclose all that I know and I'm try to honor that as much as I can right now but there's a lot that's going on in Afghanistan.

The last few months and what I know to be the case without disclosing too much is that there were lots of folks that had an opportunity literally very special clear opportunities get out of Afghanistan and these were people of God. They were no and they had their opportunity.

But what they chose was no if things are going to get really bad here.

These people are going to need us right and and so they were standing firm but it's interesting thing when you when you can. When you when you think about the Commandments is another 613 of them mitzvah of the way the Jews look at that, but the ball landed to write love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and and and with all your might. But then the other one is to love your neighbor as yourself is an interesting thing to stand firm does not mean hitting your neighbor or or or and in some way becoming aggressive is actually how do I love this person which the girl who got buried in the sand was, you know, still considering how come I love these people around me in spite of the fact that they're persecuted and and those people in Afghanistan are not fighting the telegram, necessarily, although I'm sure I mean are the know brotherhood or whatever that what they're doing is you're trying to figure out how to love these people because they too are deceived and that's all about what Ephesians 6 is all that standing that they're talking about is is actually standing in the spiritual realm because he says our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces in the high places and so, so much of our standing. From my perspective it is is standing in Christ in a spiritual sense. In other words, in prayer in in which is very very difficult. By the way, rate is for me anyway probably said it before on your show and I'll say it again, is one of my quest in life is is this this this man who lost his wife in Houston.

No, not pray much until after that happened, and then he started to pray and every time he prayed to God.

He said it was like picking up the phone and calling God in the after his wife and been on more time.

He kept on picking up the phone: until one day he never hung up while think about that to be so in prayer and in this is what this is my quest that to be so in prayer that even in these situations where all sources shenanigans are going on can I be in prayer and be in Christ and in love like Stephen as he stood there being stoned and saying you hold this sin, not against him.

You know or Paul is is he was in their jails and of sharing price for them and leading them to Christ. So it's an interesting thing that that manhood is.

Is it is a different and only because of the fruit of the spirit and because being in God's word and in all that that you can have an opportunity to live in an outrageous way with. I agree and in unit one of the things that Jesus said was he says if somebody smites you on one cheek or slaps you in the cheek, turn the other cheek on it and I think we see as men.

Sometimes that we need to fight we need to stand up. You know an edit scene is kind of the manly of the macho thing to fight or to go towards or whatever and in the Bible. The Old Testament talks a lot about Warren and even says Solomon says there is a time for war, but when I was watching a video series on on the TV before I came to do the show there was a guy who was speaking. He says sometimes he says it's harder to turn the cheek. He said some of these if I that's what you want to do right and you want you want to get a confrontation you want to stand up.

You want to fight somebody you want to stand up for what you book but sometimes it means to hold your tongue on it and sometimes it means even you know are our friend Jeff Hoover mean he was in that he was in another country and there was a guy who punched him in the face was over a parking spot or something. I think he was in Lebanon or something in an and Jeff is about 6 foot four big guy and he did see Jeff stand up and get out of the car till afterwards but Jeff probably could've taken this guy, but Jeff said no he says I want to act like Jesus and he said that he he turn the other cheek. He didn't hit the guy back and he said after the whole thing happen. The guy apologized to him and date with EPO.

Jeff was even able to share Jesus and I thought that was pretty cool.

It's really cool and in it, but it illustrates really neat point.

We do want to fight and you know that you're supposed to be fighting, but the interesting thing is what Jeff was doing was really fighting. I mean, he was fighting as the spiritual battle up against what he felt like his flesh was dominant to do up and asking God what you want me to do in this situation, and in the fight to hold onto this sensitive you know God what what what would you have me do in this situation and and and and getting that type of insight is truly what we refer to and what we actually teach at mass country boot camp is spiritual warfare. Yeah right. We fight through prayer and how we fight.

That is how it's I fight that's that's how we fight our battles at midnight, I heard a story of your birth of Charles Blondin. No, he was a was a tight rope walker.

He would walk across a tight rope and he did it over the Niagara Falls in the 1850s 1860s and so he would literally he would go across and walk on the tight rope.

He would sit in the middle of the tight rope and he took himself an omelette.

He he walked with a wheelbarrow over his head and he eat, he walked with a wheelbarrow he would carry stuff over his head and people would watch him and they would just see him do these amazing feats and they would say no and he said do you think that I can walk across Niagara Falls with with with even somebody on my shoulders and they said yes absolutely you can do it and he goes all right. Anita volunteer and there were crickets.

Nobody did it in so that's that's kind of the difference between saying okay. I believe in something and actually having faith because you could say I believe you can do it, but hey, when you're talking about me being on your shoulders and me having the possibility of of of falling off your shoulders. That's real faith and so I guess in the same way. That's maybe maybe that's what were looking at right now as men is to say okay and we talked about this before. There's the idea of standing firm. There is the idea of acting like a man and it all sounds good when it somebody else when it's cut it out there, but what about when the mirror is when the mirrors pointed towards ourselves then it becomes a little bit tougher while we speak to messenger any rate we have for years actually have this concept of asking God at this time. Years beginning in November right at you know God where we going next year. You know what what you know as we continue to grow to be the man that you want us to be and we accept God as our father. We walk into that fatherhood because Jesus is the way that to seeing God as our father. Where would where we go on and so last year as I came into this time of year I was praying that safe and God said Robin in 2021. I want you to engage.

That's the word engage and I thought all now that's interesting out.

I can the lives think and Top Gun right. You remember the scene where the Mavericks ending date for every day so I'm like yeah that's my whole problem.

I'm not engaging in an and it sounds and is very much a masculine concept right and so I was intrigued and so as I began to work through that.

Okay God was engaged 20, 21, you know, at first he told me do you want to memorize the 13 so the first one was the 16th something so right I get done with that mess okay rocking on where we go next knowledge memorize the 13 Psalm while while my initial thought on that was man I hope it's not a long one for God's humor. When I turn to the 13th Psalm you know, the first words of the 13th, without how long it actually says no longer the Lord right will you you forget is forever. How long will you hide your face from us but after I finish this is God's sense of humor.

After I finished 13 Sonia Lisa Lisa I want you memorize the hundred 19 Psalm that's varsity right there is. That's the longest chapter in the Bible and it's it's eight versus on on every letter and you may know, my love for Hebrew. So where he sent me was definitely in my heart's delight, but all my goodness you're more, I told you my quest right for like were God's had me was, could I get to the point in prayer that I don't hang up.

Well, if you work on memorizing Scripture is what you're getting inside your heart, I mean he is the word and the word is God. It's okay as all these things go in there, you know, it starts to happen is you can hardly look at a situation. I know I know you well enough to know how much scriptures in your heart you hadn't sat there, memorize it like I'm a memorize the hundred 19 Psalm that you memorize tons as I can see whenever I say some meat some clicks near in your head and the next thing you know, I know where that is the Bible and and you and your thinking because it's all in their I and so can you imagine that just as you begin to see more, especially the hundred 19 Psalm, which they say was completely spiritual warfare. So here's King David. You think he went. Do you think Satan had a bull's-eye on his back. You think the other get the underwent just a little bit of persecution, yeah. I mean, you know, whatever we had to face.

We have to face, but you know what he did the hundred 19 Psalm that was you know that was his prayer that was in in and if you really, the more I've done it the more I realized all this was it in a root remove for me the way alignment. That's one of my favorite verses we talked about your initial coupled but see what I discovered was oh my goodness for me to stand when you're standing on the word of God. You know you go oh I know what this is, yes, yes I know, I know where I'm where I am and and like oh my goodness what God's given me through this, but you couldn't be more right that you know ends for such a time as this. How do we get, you know more prepared and I and I think it's by attending boot camps in but is also by spending time with God inputting and falling more in love with Jesus right in a lid and put them put you on your in other words, I didn't come up with that great plan here Rob you can do this by just simply asking God. Where would you where we going this year yes and then he takes me where he knows I need help. So if somebody wants to go to the boot camp, is it too late now.

You can maybe share Capital and the key to goal often with Mike Zwick.

I mean, how fun is that.

But yes it's coming up. It's a Carolina Bible camp in Marksville, it's November 18 which is the week right before Thanksgiving so that Thursday Friday when he gets starts Thursday evening okay and then it's all you need to take office.

Friday I would have signed up it is good mastering journey.org masculine journey.org and no since were talking about it, standing firm in an and being man, you may say will what is all this Jesus stuff about I just gonna change the radio station but on you know Jesus said that I he said that I am the way the truth and the life in and it says in Scripture that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And so if you've never called upon Jesus is to be your personal savior today like to invite you to do that. Just repeat after me, Lord, I Jesus I repent of my sins, which means I'm sorry for them.

I turned away from the Lord. I turn to you Jesus I give my life to Jesus and take me to heaven when I die. Jesus left the if not for God. Right if you heard that you prayed that Mike wow you could have gone as your father considers just as much a set on the way and the truth life. No one comes to the father except through me. So men you I know if you're like me you want to be welcomed into that fellowship of fatherhood is the way Jesus not for God has reminded us how fragile and unpredictable life is not about your loved ones in their financial security plan for the teacher what are 1873 the Polish Roman Catholic America has been protecting its members and their families financially join our like affordable life insurance community rate and lower your income are like transferring 3.1 year hundred dollar man in our work how your life are important in our life, protecting life. This is the Truth Network