Practical Discipleship
For Christian Men
~ Helping men live intentional lives ~
Here's a terribly embarrassing story of mine that I think can help you defeat temptation.
When I was in junior high, I was at a track meet and was sitting near the finish line with some buddies and a few girls from our grade that I'm guessing we were trying to impress or show off in front of.
I don't remember the specific details of what was said, but we were harassing runners from other schools (and probably our own school, too!) and just being your typical teenage dummies.
In my mind, it was harmless fun, and we were just goofing around.
But the short, very fast, and extremely muscular Mexican kid from Springport didn't see it that way.
Something was said as he was running by, and he didn't think it was very funny at all. After his race ended, he came by the area where we were all sitting and said:
"Hey! Meet me right here after the track meet ends. I'll see you then!"
All of a sudden, nothing seemed funny to me anymore. All three of us idiots were about to get beat up by this kid who looked like he was already a full-grown man, and I was scared for my life.
So, what did we do?? What every wise man should do in this situation...
We ran for our lives!
As soon as the track meet was over, we sprinted out of the stadium and into someone's car. At the moment, I didn't care whose it was!
We quickly jumped into the back seat and were holding down the locks when the irate 20-year-old-looking kid sprinted over with a friend who looked just like him. They were trying to open the doors and were screaming at us to get out and fight.
To make matters worse, one of the dads came over to see what the commotion was all about - saw us sitting in the vehicle, afraid for our lives - and instead of protecting us or defending us, he just yelled, "Get out of the car and fight like a man!"
Um....how about NO you crazy weirdo!
Instead, we held the locks down like our lives depended on it, cowered in the backseat, and prayed that they'd get on the bus and head home asap.
It was a terrible ordeal for a wimpy teenager whose mouth was more than he could handle. But it provided a good analogy for this newsletter and what I want you to remember from this story:
When temptation shows up (i.e. the big Mexican who looked 20 years old) - do like me and my buddies did and run for your life!
In biblical language, it's this: FLEE!
Run for your life!
Get the heck out of there!
Flee the scene like a muscular Mexican with a bad attitude is trying to kill you!
So, take it from me:
The next time you're tempted, this is what you should do, too. It kept me alive that day and will help you if you'll do the same thing when temptation comes your way, too.
Nate
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P.S.
Most men don’t fall into temptation because they’re weak — they fall because they stayed too close to it.
They linger. They negotiate. They tell themselves they’ll handle it “better this time.”
But the Bible doesn’t say to analyze temptation. It says to flee from it!
So, if you keep finding yourself in the same spots, fighting the same battles, it’s probably not a willpower issue — it’s a positioning issue. And that’s something you can change.
If you want help learning how to set up your life so running is easier (and temptation has fewer chances), that’s exactly what I help men do. You don’t need to be tougher — you need a better plan and system.
**When you're ready...here are 3 ways that I can help:
- My weekly podcast is made with Christian men in mind who want to be better husbands, fathers, & followers of Jesus. Subscribe to that here.
- I have several books and courses for Christian men that you can check out here: Quit Porn For Good, Let's Talk About SEX!, Better Man, & Training For Change, and more.
- Join our exclusive, online Fight Club for Christian men only. Click here to learn more and apply if you're interested.
