40 Days in a Desert

I oftentimes find myself going through a period of desolation in my daily walk.  Granted, most of the time I arrive at one of these points is due to my sin causing a great abyss between Jesus and me.  There are times, however, that the slightly standoff feeling arises,do you ever experience this? Let me explain.

A young couple after being married for a short time had reached a point in their relationship where the initial feelings of “in love” were no longer there.  For some reason, they could not seem to reinvent the beginning passion they once enjoyed.  After some time, they began to drift further apart, eventually seeking this “in love” euphoria from other aspects of life: parties, other romances, work, you name it.  The overriding reality was that the hunger was there for something fulfilling, it just lacked the effort.

Sometimes we all go through the same sort of problem in our relationship with Christ.   We may come off of a dynamic retreat or some other type of spiritual experience and realize after a few days of the real world, the euphoria has worn off.  It can be a vast expanse of loneliness and frustration, those times when you pray and do not “feel” as if Christ is listening.

The Israelites had the same type of problem as Moses was leading them through the desert.  While in the literal wilderness, they began to fall away from the very one who had delivered them from slavery.  It is not to go unmentioned this nation had witnessed the saving power of God first hand with the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, not to mention the pillar of fire that led them through the first part of the desert.  With all of this first hand, “see it with my own eyes” testimony to the reality of God, they still wondered.  Their wilderness was literal, but the manifestations of what brought them there is the same as the behaviors you and I do on a regular basis.  It can simply be broken down to laziness.

When you are going through a wilderness, there is one vital thing to remember, Christ promised to never leave or forsake us.  Perhaps this season of your life is intentional on the part of God to teach you something, prune something out of your life, or simply allow you to grow.  Imagine going through an actual desert, nothing but sand in sight for miles and miles.  Would you not have a renewed sense of joy and thankfulness when you finally reach a piece of land with water, trees, food…? Sometimes in our daily walk with Christ, we reach a point of complacency.

Another important aspect of the desert is the ability for the experience to prune us, take us deeper.  As a new Christian, I felt at times, as if Christ was right next to me as I prayed, I could “feel” His presence as I entered into worship of him.  Gradually over time, my schedule would get in the way of my daily time with God.  Instead of spending my day praying, or simply talking with Christ, I found myself giving a last ditch “hey there thank you” prayer as I drifted off to sleep.  Hardly what is Christ deserved.  Through my laziness and lack of intimacy, I began to lose that “feeling.”  Over time, this helped me grow.

During my desert times, I remember the Psalm that I love to hate.. (I say that reverently of course.)  This verse was given to me several times throughout my first major lull, so much so, I could never get away from it.  I would open to it randomly in my Bible, see it on bumper stickers, or even admire a painting only to realize in the lower right hand a reference to it.   There was one time when I had enough and literally yelled to God, “What does this stupid verse mean?” (My neighbors thought I was nuts.)

Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”

I encourage you to read this verse if you are currently experiencing a desert in your walk.  Pray over it and be sure to read the follow up to this blog explaining how this applies to the wildernesses of our lives.

Part II

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About the Writer:

Trent Cotton has spent a number of years in management and business consulting. After spending some time in the field, he joined the HR department, beginning in recruiting and eventually serving as the Department Head of HR for one of the major lines of business. With such a varied background, he works to bring all of these together to help churches and other Christian organizations incorporate some common business practices into their ministries to enable them to better serve the Kingdom. He currently works for SourcePointe, an HR Outsourcing Agency while continuing to own and operate Christian Management Consulting as a ministry. In his free time, he also writes a lot on Church Development as a Church Consultant.

As a husband and father of three, Trent Cotton has a passion surrounding the role Christian Men are to play in their families, communities, churches and businesses.  This particular blog is dedicated to helping men take back the role that we have lost in society.

The Christian Sword – The Guard

The most effective piece of armor to be used against any enemy is the warrior’s sword.  Unfortunately, for most Christians, I would daresay this is the one piece of armor that is rarely used, and if used, used effectively.  Truly, the sword for the Christian Warrior is to be that of  “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  But for most of us, we do not know what this means?

In the last posts, A Warrior’s Sword and A Warrior’s Sword-The Handle, we opened the discussion by opening Ephesians 6 and discussing the sword as part of the armor.  In spiritual warfare, the enemy is at our doorstep.  For those of us who are Christian Husbands or Christian Fathers, this war is a daily one.  Again, as we explore this passage, we have to remember that when Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, especially the passage we are discussing, Ephesians 6:10-20, war was a bit more personal.  So we have discussed the sword and the handle, let’s move on to the guard.

Every sword had a portion of it right above the handle referred to as the guard.  There are a multitude of styles of the guard, but each of them served a major function for the warrior.  In personal, hand to hand combat, the warrior was incredibly exposed to injury from all angles and the guard of the sword was critical for protecting the warrior’s hands.  If your only weapon was the sword, an injury to your hand could be life threatening.

The same is true with God’s Word.  If we truly understand the meaning and importance of the handle, we will spend more time in the Word daily.  Just as the Word can prove to be an attack on evil, it is also our guard against the attacks of Satan.

We use what Christ teaches us through His Holy Word as a baseline for decision making.  For those who are lost or without Christ, the whole idea of right and wrong can be greatly affected by the world.  If you were to look over various generations, the views of what was “wrong” or “unthinkable” has changed with the passing of year.  On the contrary, those who spend time in the Word of God, this baseline of decision making has little “wiggle room.”  Decisions made cannot be simply reasoned away, but rather, have to balance with what we are told in Scripture.

Scripture is also our guard for when we are under spiritual attack.  I know personally, when worry and anxiety overcome me, I reflect upon Phil 4:4, “Be anxious for nothing.”  When I feel the need to speak my mind, I am reminded of the Scripture verses that speak to the danger of a loose tongue.  As a warrior, it is vital for me to keep my mind guarded against the schemes of Satan and the tricks of this world.

If I do not spend time training myself, I will be weak against what the world tells me is right.  The beauty of Scripture is the way it permeates through every aspect of our lives when we devote time to His Holy Word.  If we spend the appropriate amount of time learning how to use our weapon, the powerful nature of the Word is it will also serve as a guard against our enemy’s attacks.

If you would like more on the Christian Sword, check out the  series of post covering the uses of Scripture in the daily life of every Christian Warrior.

The Handle

The Guard

The Blade

Join us as we continue to discuss how today’s Christian Men can step up and become the Christian Warrior their family, friends, work, and community need them to be.

Have new posts delivered right to your email, join our subscription.

About the Writer:

Trent Cotton has spent a number of years in management and business consulting. After spending some time in the field, he joined the HR department, beginning in recruiting and eventually serving as the Department Head of HR for one of the major lines of business. With such a varied background, he works to bring all of these together to help churches and other Christian organizations incorporate some common business practices into their ministries to enable them to better serve the Kingdom. He currently works for SourcePointe, an HR Outsourcing Agency while continuing to own and operate Christian Management Consulting as a ministry. In his free time, he also writes a lot on Church Development as a Church Consultant.

As a husband and father of three, Trent Cotton has a passion surrounding the role Christian Men are to play in their families, communities, churches and businesses. This particular blog is dedicated to helping men take back the role that we have lost in society.

A Warrior’s Sword- Part II “The Handle”

The most effective piece of armor to be used against any enemy is the warrior’s sword.  Unfortunately, for most Christians, I would daresay this is the one piece of armor that is rarely used, and if used, used effectively.  Truly, the sword for the Christian Warrior is to be that of  “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  But for most of us, we do not know what this means?

In the last post, A Warrior’s Sword, we opened the discussion by opening Ephesians 6 and discussing the sword as part of the armor.  In spiritual warfare, the enemy is at our doorstep.  For those of us who are Christian Husbands or Christian Fathers, this war is a daily one.  Again, as we explore this passage, we have to remember that when Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, especially the passage we are discussing, Ephesians 6:10-20, war was a bit more personal.  So let’s start with the first part of the sword, the handle.

The handle is perhaps one of the most important pieces and is the first step in taking hold of this weapon.  The handle is the responsibility on our part to pick up the Word of God and use it.  In essence, this requires each Christian to make time daily to spend in the Bible, training if you will. Here are some helpful hints on how to get started, taken from the American Bible Society:

1.  Select a passage
Some people find it helpful to follow a specific Bible reading plan to guide their reading.  Many Bibles have reading plans included at the back.  The American Bible Society provides a Daily Bible Reading plan that you might want to consider.

Other people want to read through the Bible on their own.  Still others move from one passage to another based on preference, lectionary readings, or Church School lessons.

Any of the above ways to select a passage is fine.  The important thing is not to spend too much—if any—of your reading time in selecting the passage!

2. Read the passage the first time
Read the passage the first time without stopping in order to gain an overall sense of the passage.  Listen to your initial reactions to the text…both positive and negative.

3. Read the passage a second time
As you read, pause from time-to-time and answer questions about the background (or context) of the passage.  You might choose to pause between verses or small groups of verses, between significant events or announcements in the passage, or between any natural break you see as you read.  Below are some types of questions about the context of a passage that you might find helpful as you read.

If you’re like me, you might struggle with this discipline.  Although I usually make valiant efforts at the beginning of a week or the beginning of a season, they usually wain over time due to my own lack of self discipline.  In looking at the training habits of warriors, one of the most vital portions of their training was training with their weapon, sometimes even done daily.  I thought it might be best if we translated some of these warrior activities into applications for grasping the handle of our Christian Sword.

Warrior Activity	Christian Warrior Application
Daily Exercises	Set aside time daily to spend in God’s Word.
Sparred against other warriors to improve their skill	Find an accountability partner to “spar” with.  Perhaps consider adopting the same Bible Reading plan and spend some time daily or even weekly to discuss what Christ has taught you through your training time.
Start small, grow gradually.	Perhaps one of the biggest chances for a warrior to get depressed is to set a lofty goal that cannot be reasonably attained.  If you’re not used to this type of a daily reading, start small by taking one book to complete a quarter or simply start by reading a verse a day.  Beware of trying to conquer the entire book of Leviticus the first week of your training!
Step up to advanced training.	Once you feel more comfortable with your regiment, try increasing your load with applications of Scripture or by looking for additional material to teach you more about the book you’re studying.

These are only a few suggestions, but they could transform this sleeping weapon into one ready for use.  Your challenge for this post: GRAB THE HANDLE!  The next posts will teach you how the other functions of the  Christian Sword.  Be sure to join us!

The Handle

The Guard

The Blade

Join us as we continue to discuss how today’s Christian Men can step up and become the Christian Warrior their family, friends, work, and community need them to be.

Have new posts delivered right to your email, click here.
Subscribe to Christian Men-Christian Warriors by Email

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About the Writer:

Trent Cotton has spent a number of years in management and business consulting. After spending some time in the field, he joined the HR department, beginning in recruiting and eventually serving as the Department Head of HR for one of the major lines of business. With such a varied background, he works to bring all of these together to help churches and other Christian organizations incorporate some common business practices into their ministries to enable them to better serve the Kingdom. He currently works for SourcePointe, an HR Outsourcing Agency while continuing to own and operate Christian Management Consulting as a ministry. In his free time, he also writes a lot on Church Development as a Church Consultant.

As a husband and father of three, Trent Cotton has a passion surrounding the role Christian Men are to play in their families, communities, churches and businesses.  This particular blog is dedicated to helping men take back the role that we have lost in society.

Warrior Activity	Christian Warrior Application
Daily Exercises	Set aside time daily to spend in God’s Word.
Sparred against other warriors to improve their skill	Find an accountability partner to “spar” with.  Perhaps consider adopting the same Bible Reading plan and spend some time daily or even weekly to discuss what Christ has taught you through your training time.
Start small, grow gradually.	Perhaps one of the biggest chances for a warrior to get depressed is to set a lofty goal that cannot be reasonably attained.  If you’re not used to this type of a daily reading, start small by taking one book to complete a quarter or simply start by reading a verse a day.  Beware of trying to conquer the entire book of Leviticus the first week of your training!
Step up to advanced training.	Once you feel more comfortable with your regiment, try increasing your load with applications of Scripture or by looking for additional material to teach you more about the book you’re studying.

Christian Sword- The Handle

The Sword Itself

Let’s look at the sword as a weapon and it’s relation to the spiritual warfare we, as Christian Warriors find ourselves exposed to daily.

The Handle

Starting with the basics, the handle is critical to the sword.  It goes without saying that you must have a handle on the sword in order to be able to use it.  Otherwise, it is too sharp and would slice you as much as it would your enemy.  This is true of the Word of God as well.  Oftentimes, a Christian Warrior wears their most powerful weapon in a sheath around their waste as a way to prove they are truly a Christian Warrior.  Unfortunately, in order to effectively deal an effective blow against our spiritual enemy, we have to be able to first pick it up.

The “pick it up” aspect of the weapon is as simple as spending daily time in the Word.  You can learn so much about previous battles and heroes of our faith who used the Word of God effectively.  Learning how the heroes of our past used the sword of the Word will have an impact on how you use it.  Granted, we may not be able to identify totally with Peter or Paul and their struggles, but we could empathize and see some of the similiarities in our struggles.  How did they use the Word to either get them through the battle they were in or simply use it for peace?

Another aspect of the handle of the sword is the ability to know how to hold it or in our example, how to wield Scripture.  I am not endorsing a blanketing of Scripture for all of life’s worries.  That’s a great tool to use if it works for you, but for most, this is not effective.  One tool or method to use this highly effective weapon is to memorize Scripture.

Before I lose you, I want to be clear that we are not talking about memorizing all of the Bible and be able to draw some Scripture verse out of the recesses of your mind at any given moment.  I am, however, inviting you to look at the battles you’ve already faced.  Now, let’s look at Scripture to find verses that are applicable for those battles.

Perhaps you have dealt with some financial warfare. (Yes, our enemy can use financial strife to get to us.)  Would you need to pull out every verse that deals with financial issues?  Of course not, but what you could do is use the verse that most applies to your particular situation and memorize it.  When the enemy begins to stir up anxiety, stress, anger or whatever other fire-bomb he decides to use, you can simply repeat that memorized verse to yourself as a reminder of the promises Christ has given us.  That is using the handle.  If you aren’t in it, you won’t know it, if you don’t know it, you won’t wield it.

If you would like more on the Christian Sword, check out the  series of post covering the uses of Scripture in the daily life of every Christian Warrior.

The Handle

The Guard

The Blade

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About the Writer:

Trent Cotton has spent a number of years in management and business consulting. After spending some time in the field, he joined the HR department, beginning in recruiting and eventually serving as the Department Head of HR for one of the major lines of business. With such a varied background, he works to bring all of these together to help churches and other Christian organizations incorporate some common business practices into their ministries to enable them to better serve the Kingdom. He currently works for SourcePointe, an HR Outsourcing Agency while continuing to own and operate Christian Management Consulting as a ministry. In his free time, he also writes a lot on Church Development as a Church Consultant.

A Warrior’s Sword

The most effective piece of armor to be used against any enemy is the warrior’s sword.  Unfortunately, for most Christians, I would daresay this is the one piece of armor that is rarely used, and if used, used effectively.  Truly, the sword for the Christian Warrior is to be that of  “he sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  But for most of us, we do not know what this means?

So as a Christian Warrior, using our weaponry can be tricky if not properly trained.  Sure, anyone can quote a Scripture verse from memory, and many do so, attempting to swat at the spiritual enemy as if it were merely a fly.  There’s a difference in using that type of approach versus using the Christian Warrior approach.  We have to remember that when Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, especially the passage we are discussing, Ephesians 6:10-20, war was a bit more personal.

Unlike the current wars where the weapons are designed for warfare from a distance, the warfare of Paul’s day was up close and personal.  When the enemy was at your doorstep, they were literally at your doorstep.  Because of the types of societies in those days, you always had to be on your guard and ready to fight if needed.  Today, we have become a bit more sociable, of course I am using those words lightly.  Granted, there are pockets of our world where the type of environment Paul was afflicted with still exists, for most American and even some of the more modern era countries, the idea of hand to hand combat is something you read about in the history books.

In spiritual warfare, the enemy is at our doorstep.  For those of us who are Christian Husbands or Christian Fathers, this war is a daily one.  Unfortunately, the enemy has succeeded in training most of us to be either too busy with our work, or too skeptical of the “hype” of  spiritual warfare.  As a result, many of our fellow warriors have fallen after being injured by the enemies most common weaponry.  Some have fallen to greed, others to lust, others to rage, some to adultery, and yet the list goes on.  Somehow, over the past century, the Christian Men, Christian Husbands & Christian Fathers have allowed the enemy to gain ground.  We have an unreal statistic of the number of children growing up fatherless, another statistic that is more in favor of divorce than long marriages, and the list goes on.  Why has this happened?  Part of the reason is due to the Christian Warriors of the former years not knowing how to effectively wield their sword.

The Sword Itself

Let’s look at the sword as a weapon and it’s relation to the spiritual warfare we, as Christian Warriors find ourselves exposed to daily.  The next series of post will cover the uses of Scripture in the daily life of every Christian Warrior.

The Handle

The Guard

The Blade

Join us as we continue to discuss how today’s Christian Men can step up and become the Christian Warrior their family, friends, work, and community need them to be.

Have new posts delivered right to your email, click here.
Subscribe to Christian Men-Christian Warriors by Email

//

About the Writer:

Trent Cotton has spent a number of years in management and business consulting. After spending some time in the field, he joined the HR department, beginning in recruiting and eventually serving as the Department Head of HR for one of the major lines of business. With such a varied background, he works to bring all of these together to help churches and other Christian organizations incorporate some common business practices into their ministries to enable them to better serve the Kingdom. He currently works for SourcePointe, an HR Outsourcing Agency while continuing to own and operate Christian Management Consulting as a ministry. In his free time, he also writes a lot on Church Development as a Church Consultant.

As a husband and father of three, Trent Cotton has a passion surrounding the role Christian Men are to play in their families, communities, churches and businesses.  This particular blog is dedicated to helping men take back the role that we have lost in society.