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This past week I received an e-mail from a
former business associate of mine. Usually he sends the funny jokes about life
that make me chuckle a bit and tend to brighten the moment. But this time it was
labeled, 2006 Calendar Girls. Now usually these types don't have anything to do
with the title; however, this time it was the real thing. I don't need to go
into detail because you all know what that e-mail contained. But then the Lord
started to minister to me to send an e-mail with the Valiant Man link to all of
the people on my friends e-mail list that I was part of who also received the
calendar. Now this was a big risk because of my association with some of the
people on the list ... Ah, But For Jesus ...
The next day I received
this following e-mail from one of those on the list who had
actually gone to our Valiant Men Nugget Website:
"Please do not send this stuff
again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who ever you are!"
At first my feathers were
ruffled, but the Lord quickened my heart to send the following e-mail to
my friend, the originator of the first e-mailed attachment:
"[Friend],
I trust that you have been well. For me, every day brings me one
step closer to my healing. Hopefully, when I see the doc. next
week he'll be able to start me on physical therapy which from
what I understand will take about three months.
Hey, btw, I appreciate your sending me the military updates,
jokes, and things that keep my spirits up during this tough
time. However, I would appreciate your removing me from your
list when things like this calendar come up. You see, in my
church, I am ministering to men, some who struggle with sexual
additions, and it is tough to stay straight in the ministry when
things like this come my way. I pray that you understand and not
completely remove me from your list.
Below is a link to a site that I developed and maintain that I
trust will bring some light to this subject."
And I added the link to last
weeks message regarding a bit of my testimony and Sodom and
Gomorrah.
This was his reply:
"Sorry
about the calendar. I didn't know. It won't happen again. Glad
to hear you're doing better. Take your time and let things heal.
That's the best way. Take care and be as well as possible."
Valiant Men of God,
look at what his response is telling us. There are three little
words that are HUGE in his e-mail to me. Yes, it was wonderful
to receive his apology but then came those three HUGE words
.....
"I didn't know."
In our book in
session two, The Arena of Healing, Dr. Meyer speaks about
"Attitude # 3: teachable (the meek). He states, "Meekness is an
attitude that takes down defenses and says I am willing to be
corrected. I am willing to hear the truth even if the truth
challenges me and shows me in need of change."
Further down, he gives a few reasons why the truth cannot get
in. One of those, Dr. Meyer's says is, "We decide we are
unwilling to allow the pressure of what we hear to have it's way
in our lives."
For the man who sent the "do not send this stuff again" e-mail;
from the outside it looks like he is simply unwilling to allow
God's word into his life; however, only God
knows what is happening in his heart. For my friend though, God
humbled him and allowed him to receive what was in my heart. I believe he
then visited
our site, realized what the Valiant Men Nuggets were
accomplishing, and, either a seed was planted or, it was watered.
And
as an added benefit, with respect to advancing God's Kingdom, I know that some
of the people who received this web site's link actually visited
the site by looking at the counter you
see at the bottom of the website. So, the truth went out.
Question is: Were seeds planted or were
they watered?
You see, by sharing the Kingdom of God with
others, we don't know whether we are the planters of the seed,
or are the ones who have watered the seed. But what this verse
is telling us is that it's not about who planted the seed, nor
who watered it, but that we understand the increase can only
come from God. We also need to realize that each of us, as we
continue our journey to becoming Valiant Men and Kingdom
Builders, have the responsibility of both planting and
watering the Word of God into our fellow brethren.
By now, we should all know what the truth
is; especially those who took the Valiant Man course but also
those who have been diligently reading their "Nuggets." But what
about those out there who don't know the truth. As
Kingdom Builders, what are your responsibilities over the
"truth?" If you are truly blessed, do you keep
your doors closed or open them to other men? We know the power of becoming Valiant Men and
we know why we must take God's Kingdom into the World.
Dr. Meyer says that
"seeking to be a Valiant Man can be hard and painful. Sexual
habits and desires pull you in one direction, integrity sends
you in another direction. The pain and the tension of the
conflict are like being persecuted." He goes on to ask, "Do you
want to be a Valiant Man? Then pay the price. God calls you to
embrace the pain and face the struggle, because it is in those
moments that God will be able to do His best work in you."
Do you receive e-mails like
the one mentioned above? Do you know other men out there on
their way to destruction? Then take God's Kingdom into the World
by speaking the Word to them and if appropriate, especially for
the men, send them the link to this site or better yet, get them
on the e-mail update list. By Faith, Seeds will be planted,
Seeds will be watered, and God's true glory will come to pass.
Until next time, keep
your eyes on Jesus !
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