SPIRITUAL TENACITY

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. Oh boy have I had to live this verse over the past weeks.

Tenacity is more than endurance, it is endurance combined with the absolute certainty that we will find what we are looking for. Tenacity is more than hanging on. Being too afraid to fall off may produce “hanging on”. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero, Jesus Christ, is going to be conquered. The greatest fear a man has is not that he will be damned, but that Jesus Christ will be undone. The greatest fear is that the things Christ stood for - love and justice and forgiveness and kindness among men - will not win out in the end. Then comes the call to spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately on the certainty that God is not going to be overthrown. God watches over His word to perform it.

If our hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being changed or altered to please God. God will answer your prayer better than you can think or imagine. One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God. "Because you have kept the word of my patience." Revelation 3:10

To help in your willingness to be tenacious, dwell on this fact. The mainspring of Paul's service is not love for men, but love for Jesus Christ. If we are devoted to the cause of humanity, we shall soon be crushed and broken-hearted, for we shall undoubtedly meet with the ingratitude of men. If, however, our motive is love to God, no ingratitude can hinder us from serving our fellow men. Notice the ingratitude is still there. It is a fact of life. However, the difference is the focus, the motive, the target. Our devotion must be to God.

Paul's realization of how Jesus Christ had dealt with him is the secret of his determination to serve others. Paul says a few words to the effect of…"I was before a perjurer, a blasphemer, an injurious person"…no matter how men may treat me, they will never treat me with the spite and hatred with which I treated Jesus Christ. Realize that Jesus Christ has served us to the end of our meanness, our selfishness, and sin. Now, no meanness exacted upon us by man can exhaust our determination to serve men for His sake.

Remain spiritually tenacious.

With this thought in mind I want you to think with me about your passions, your drive, your goal. What engulfs your mind and energies to the point of being carried away? Have you ever been carried away for God? "She has created a good work on Me." Mark 14:6

God deserves a passion, a relationship with you that is beyond human love. If what you are experiencing with God come natural to you, I recommend you step it up a notch. God desires the super-natural with you. If you find yourself always in control, knowing what is coming, always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, you are not in love with God. You may be in “affection” with Him. Dare to be beyond yourself with God.

Ask yourself, as I do, have I ever sensed a desire to do something for God besides the things that are my duty? Do I do things for God besides the things that are useful? We have to get rid of this notion - "Am I of any use?" and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things that are of value to Him? In the middle of a hectic day with all sorts of practical things that need doing, can I daydream about the magnitude of His Redemption? Do I realize that there are things that I can do, not divine things, not colossal things which could be recorded as marvelous, but ordinary, simple human things which will give evidence to God that I am abandoned to Him? Have I ever produced in the heart of the Lord Jesus what Mary of Bethany produced?

"Then Peter began to say unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee. . . ." Mark 10:28

God wants you to know that abandonment is for Himself, and not for what you will get from it. Beware of an abandonment which has the commercial spirit in it. Clear yourself of thoughts like, "I am going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy." The result of being right with God is great, but that spirit of trade or barter is not of the essential nature of Christianity. Abandonment is not for anything at all. We have got so commercialized that we only go to God for something from Him, and not for Himself. It is like saying, "No, Lord, I don't want you, I want myself; but I want myself clean and holy; I want to be put in your show room and be able to say - 'This is what God has done for me.'" If the only reason we give up something to God is because we want more back, then there is nothing right in our abandonment; it is miserable commercial self-interest.

Salvation is not merely deliverance from sin. The salvation of God is deliverance out of self. Furthermore, if out of self then into union with Himself. In our abandonment we give ourselves over to God just as God gave Himself for us, without any hidden agenda. If we truly live our life as taken up with God, then the consequence of abandonment never enters into our outlook.

There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him the abandoned gestures of how genuinely we do love Him. Being abandoned to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own goodness; there is a trap. There we can be greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look. We care about what other think and we act fearful lest we offend God. Perfect love casts out all that fear and concern when once we are abandoned to God. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time.

Look up the definition of “devotion” Joshua 6:18 with regard to this thought of abandonment. You will find an interesting term meaning to destroy so as to be unrecognizable from the original look or purpose. Now apply that to youself. Are you devoted to Christ?

Enduring Hardship: The Practice of Becoming Mentally Tough

We should remember that one man is much the same as another, and that he is best who is trained in the severest school.” -- Thucydides

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
-- James 1:2-4

Pain. That is an unpopular word. For most people, the preferred method of dealing with pain is to numb it or, better yet, avoid it altogether. However, simply numbing or avoiding pain does not address the cause of it. Typically, pain avoidance only makes the situation worse. That is because the purpose of pain is to call our attention to a problem or weakness. Pain is not meant to be numbed or ignored, it is meant to be dealt with. In life, pain is often caused by hardship. God doesn’t tell us to ignore hardship or run from it. He tells us to endure it (2 Timothy 2:3). According to Webster’s dictionary, "endure" is defined as “To undergo without giving in” and “To remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding.” God tell us to endure hardship because He knows that, as followers of Christ, we will encounter it often in this life (John 15:20, 2 Timothy 3:12). Hardship is also the context God most often uses to make a man. Therefore, as men of God, we must learn to accept hardship willingly and recognize it as a tool God is using to bring us into our fullness – “…mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” How do we learn to endure hardship? We learn to endure hardship by practicing mental toughness.

When someone says “He’s tough” the picture that comes to mind for many people probably resembles Rocky Balboa in the final fight scene of the movie Rocky. Indeed, Sylvester Stallone’s character was physically tough. Indeed, it is also important for us to be able to endure physically. However, I believe mental toughness is far more valuable than physical toughness. Consider 1Timothy 4:8, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” This verse makes a clear distinction between physical training and godliness, with the latter being a mindset; a consistent practice of mental toughness. In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul says, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship …” Once again, there is a direct connection between mental toughness and enduring hardship. Ask any Special Operations soldier and they will tell you that a trained mind is the key to enduring stress and hardship. Perhaps that is because God intended it to be that way. But how is mental toughness developed?

The first step in developing mental toughness is to practice self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 states, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." That is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because I deeply believe that it defines our identity as men of God. I also believe it holds a powerful key to developing mental toughness. That key is self-discipline. God makes it clear in His word that we must live by faith if we want to please Him (Hebrews 10:34). To be faithful, we must learn to be consistent. To be consistent we need to build self-discipline. To build self-discipline we must learn to endure hardship. Enduring hardship requires training. Being trained is different than being taught. Being taught is a solitary act. Training, however, involves taking what you have been taught and doing it; practicing it again and again. Practice something long enough and it becomes reflex. Nobody can do that for you. You and you alone must choose to train, to practice self-discipline. It will not be easy. In the words of one U.S. Marine Corps. OCS instructor, “You need discipline most when it is hardest to muster – when you’re tired, hungry and outside your comfort zone.” However, it will be worth it. Self-discipline will protect you. Without self-discipline it is impossible to endure hardship.

A second way to practice mental toughness is to be optimistic during hardship. God tells us to be so in His word (Joshua 1:9, Psalm 31:24). In fact, I think optimism is a core tenet of faith itself. I love the simplicity of the Webster’s Dictionary definition of optimistic: Expecting the best. Think about that. As believers, we have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, the Most High God, the Lord of Lord, the King of Kings. A relationship which is so intimate and loving that He calls us His children and sent His own son to be crucified on a cross so that we might be able to spend eternity in paradise with Him! With God as our father, how could we ever be anything less than optimistic?! Yet, optimism during times of hardship is extremely elusive for most people and most of us spend time fighting off discouragement (the opposite of optimism). Even Joshua, a great warrior of God and the person God chose to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, got discouraged. So much so that God told him to “be strong and courageous” twelve different times. I think it is so difficult to be optimistic because our enemy – the devil – knows just how powerful optimism is and works hard to undermine that attitude in us. I am not exaggerating about the power of being optimistic. It was even emphasized during my wilderness survival training, when we were required to memorize the seven priorities of survival. What was the top priority? Positive mental attitude. It is that important.

In order to develop an optimistic attitude and guard against discouragement during times of hardship, it is important for us to realize that feelings are not fact. As with self-discipline, being optimistic is toughest when a person is under great stress. Our feelings will often work against us. Remember, being strong and feeling strong don’t always happen simultaneously. Being optimistic helps us to act with strength when we feel weak and be certain during times of uncertainty. Developing a strong mind is the key to this. We strengthen our minds by storing up God’s promises in our hearts so that we can draw on His power, strength and encouragement in the midst of hardship. The following verses are excellent sources resources to help us be optimistic: Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 40:28-31, Matthew 19:26, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Philippians 4:13 and Philippians 4:19. Start memorizing them now and they will be there to see you through when the going gets tough.

A third way to practice being mentally tough is to stay focused on the mission at hand. Jesus demonstrated this for us in Matthew 20:17-34. This passage begins when Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem with His disciples and had just told them that He was going to be beaten, flogged and crucified. Yet, in the next verse, He stops to allow a woman to ask him a favor. He then uses it as an opportunity to teach his disciples a leadership lesson. Soon after, He is stops again to heal two blind men. Think about the significance of this. Jesus was walking to His death and He knew it. Yet, He continued to focus on the mission at hand – putting others ahead of Himself, their interests ahead of His own and not acting selfishly. Talk about mental toughness! We should strive to achieve that same level of focus when God gives us a mission. A man of God should never allow the unforeseen circumstances of hardship to cause him to pause. Either he trusts God or he doesn’t. There is no middle ground. We must learn not to waiver just because we feel unprepared for what lies ahead. We must not try to look at God from the middle of difficult circumstances. If we do, we become “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). Rather, let us set our faces like flint (Isaiah 50:7) and focus on the mission at hand with a mental toughness that knows for certain God has forever demonstrated His absolute love for us on the cross and that He will never leave us or forsake us.

There is no doubt that learning to endure hardship – becoming mentally tough – is a long, difficult process. God intended it to be that way. He is treating us as sons (Hebrews 12:7), teaching us to obey Him (Psalm 119: 67-68, 71) and doing what is best for us (Hebrews 12:10). He does not want us to have an easy, convenient life because He knows that we will forget him if we do. He also knows that the more we hurt, the more we will be driven to Him and rely upon His strength and his strength alone. The Psalms show us that King David, a man after God’s own heart, was intimately familiar with this. In fact, he was desperate for God. Oh, that we might learn to be desperate for the love of our Heavenly Father! Young men, I beg you to heed my words: Enduring hardship is never easy, but always worth it. Learn to become comfortable with discomfort. When you find yourself in a tough, painful situation, don’t focus on finding a way out. Focus on learning the lessons God has for you to learn and trusting Him to provide you with the strength to persevere so that you may become “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” As the saying goes, “There are two types of pain in this world: The temporary pain of discipline, or the permanent pain of regret.” The first is a blessing from God. The second is something He never intended for you to feel. Practice mental toughness. It is an essential element of godly manhood.

Mike McFarland
Guest Director

Update

Hey Y'all
Shelby is much better. She was in and out of the hospital in under 48 hrs.Our God is Faithful do do all we have asked him I talked to her the day after the accident and she was very perky, and happy, but still hurting. After the horse tripped and fell into the ditch they slid about 24 feet so she has BAD road rash all up her right arm and a little bit on her face. But she said to thank you for all the prayers and thoughts.
Officer Phillips
Semper Fi.

LIMITATIONS OF THE POSSIBLE

"Arise, shine." Isaiah 60:1 (Let God Change you)
Immediate action drills (IADs) are a standard procedure to be carried out in the event of something going wrong (such as an ambush, weapon misfire, equipment malfunction, etc.). If performed immediately, can make a significant difference in the outcome of a life-threatening incident. I remember jumping from an aircraft at 800 ft off the ground. At that altitude (or lack thereof) there is little room for error in checking your canopy and ensuring your posture is correct for the parachute landing fall. On this particular day my ranger buddy had a malfunction with his main chute. He immediately deployed his reserve and worked his process all the way to the ground. Once on the ground he immediately put his weapon into action and went about performing his portion of the mission. Having practiced the IADs in peacetime, he was able to perform with confidence and efficiency in a stressful situation. Think bout how Jesus felt as he descended into hell after he died on the cross. What where his last words? God had forsaken him and yet he carried on his mission. We have to take the next step as though there were no God. It is no use to wait for God to help us, He will not; but immediately when we do arise we find He is there. We must do the thing and not lie like a log. If we will arise and shine, doing the utterly mean grubby things of life becomes divinely transfigured. Read John 13. We see there the Incarnate God doing the most desperate piece of drudgery, washing fishermen's feet, and He says - "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet." Some people do a certain thing and the way in which they do it hallows that thing for ever afterwards. It may be the most commonplace thing, but after we have seen them do it, it becomes different. When the Lord does a thing through us, He always transfigures it. Our Lord took on Him our human flesh and transfigured it, and it has become for every saint the temple of the Holy Ghost. So live your life not like everyone else does…let God transfigure it and let His light shine before all men. Drudgery is one of the finest touchstones of character there is and when we come in contact with them we know instantly whether or not we are spiritually real.

"In your patience possess ye your souls." Luke 21:19 (Grow in His direction)
That previous paragraph talks about being changed. Why should we change? What will happen if we do not change? What is wrong with the way we are? God has a plan for you and he know who you need to be in order for that plan to succeed. He knows the troubles ahead and the immediate actions you need to take in order to avoid tham. Are you training for those drills? Are you allowing to change your mindset? We have to form the mind of Christ. "Acquire your soul with patience." Many of us prefer to stay at the threshold of the Christian life instead of going on to construct a soul in accordance with the new life God has put within. We fail because we are ignorant of the way we are made, we blame events on the devil instead of our own undisciplined natures. Think what we can be when we are roused! We all know James 5:16. Some things need prayer and fasting and counsel…some things merely need to be taken care of…remember the IADs.

There are certain things we must not pray about - moods, for instance. Moods never go by praying, moods go by kicking. A mood nearly always has its seat in the physical condition, not in the moral. It is a continual effort not to listen to the moods which arise from a physical condition, never submit to them for a second. We have to take ourselves by the scruff of the neck and shake ourselves, and we will find that we can do what we said we could not. The curse with most of us is that we won't. The Christian life is one of incarnate spiritual resolution, mettle, boldness, pluck.

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”- Galatians 5:13

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”- Romans 15:5-6

"Rise, let us be going." Matthew 26:46
So what happens if we don’t practice our IADs or we aren’t where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there? What if we fail? The disciples went to sleep when they should have kept awake, and when they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of the irreparable is apt to make us despair, and we say - "It is all up now, it is no use trying any more." This is a very ordinary human experience. Do realize that we have not done that which we had a magnificent opportunity of doing. Do not sink into despair. Realize Jesus is saying "Sleep on now, that opportunity is lost for ever, you cannot alter it, but arise and go to the next thing." I use the term FIDO – Forget It, Drive On! Leave the past mistakes with esus. He will take careof them. Learn from the past and press on toward the future.
There are experiences like this in each of our lives. Never let the sense of failure corrupt your new action.

I am pleased with our monthly cyber-visits. I am looking forward to your growth with Jesus. He is a good man and a great influence in your life. Be aware the world is trying to bring you back to your once weak self. If you don't give the world some push back, the following may happen. In the name of tolerance, you may settle for a humanistic and "politically correct" theology that trivializes the glory of Jesus.
Pay attention to how "busy" you are. There is a growing crisis in many young Christians across America. Sincere young people are compromising the biblical truths. How is this happening? The young adults are increasing in works of compassion and justice. This in itself is a good thing. However, the work or busy-ness is a desire to fit in. The young adults try to find a place in the world. Without a strong background in bible knowledge the young adults do find their place in this world. They do not realize that they have bent biblical rules or broken spiritual boundaries in the process. The result is spiritual compromises. In the name of tolerance, they are settling for a humanistic and "politically correct" theology. This weakened spiritual life trivializes the glory of Jesus. Many young adults are falling prey to this as they seek “relevance” that dulls the razor’s edge of truth for the sake of man’s approval. It is not enough to mention Jesus’ name if they deny foundational truths about Him. Our works of justice must flow from deep allegiance to Jesus and the Scripture.

Know that Gods hand is upon you. His hands lead and guide you into your future. He desires to go ahead of you to prepare the way for you. Rest assured in that knowledge. Remember to seek first the kingdom of God. After that God will find your place in this world. God knows your future (Jer 29:11). He has a plan. Spend time with Him. Do not worry about fitting in with the world. As you grow in knowledge of God, He will make your paths straight. As you grow in a serious relationship with God, He will introduce you to His friends and family. As you get to know who God is and what He likes, you will make choices that please Him. Spend time with God. With a sense of purpose, grow and grow and grow until you are intimately engaged with God’s direction.

"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead." Revelation 1:17

Sooner than you think, it may be that like the apostle John you know Jesus Christ intimately, when suddenly He appears with no familiar characteristic at all, and the only thing you can do is to fall at His feet as dead. There are times when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is the awfulness of the vision which brings you to the realization of you desperateness; if you are ever to be raised up, it must be by the hand of God. "He laid His right hand upon me." In the midst of the awfulness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. The right hand not of restraint nor of correction nor of chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it is unbelievable peace and comfort, the sense that "underneath are the everlasting arms," full of sustaining and comfort and strength. When once His touch comes, nothing at all can cast you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, and to say - "Fear not." His tenderness is indescribably sweet. Do you know Him like that? I pray for you in order that you will desire this relationship. God can do nothing for you until you get to the limit of the possible.

Watch some of the things that strike despair. There is despair in which there is no delight, no horizon, no hope of anything brighter; but the delight of despair comes when I know that "in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing." I delight to know that there is that in me which must fall prostrate before God when He manifests Himself.

Men Guard yourself from emotional immaturity. Stay focused on your God and Your tasks. He is an awesome God. Get to know Him

Bruce Stansbury
Challenge Program Director