Proverbs 27:17

¹⁷ Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

I am blessed to belong to the FaithWalk South Louisiana community. FaithWalk is a ministry that “focuses closely on the person of Jesus Christ and his teachings as they apply to real experiences in our daily lives.” In addition, “It is best described as an opportunity to have a spiritual encounter with Christ. Many who have attended the weekend have experienced a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Christ as they sense His love in a dynamic way.” If you are interested in learning more about this weekend, ministry, and community, please search for your nearest community and get involved.

FaithWalk South Louisiana      https://faithwalksl.org/

[Other 4th day weekend ministries include: ACTS Retreat, Discipleship Walk, Tres Dias, Great Banquet, Walk to Emmaus, Chrysalis, Cursillo]

I wanted to share a profound lesson that I learned during my FaithWalk over a year ago, which was then reinforced when I worked as a servant. The devil has done a good job at convincing men that we don’t care about each other and therefore we most certainly wouldn’t be interested in developing meaningful, Christ-centered relationships aimed at building, sharpening, and edifying one another. In fact, the devil has deceived us so well, that we simply avoid each other – convincing ourselves that we are being “self-protecting.”

We think, “Why would I subject myself to judgment by a group of men? It’s easier to stay where I am.” We continue in our irrational thoughts by saying, “Men aren’t interested in ’emotional’ concepts even when it comes to Christianity; I have too much baggage so why get involved?” Our minds take us down even darker roads when we believe, “This sounds too much like high school, and that didn’t turn out very well for me. I don’t feel like being teased, bullied, or judged for my past so why try?”

Within just a few minutes of this ministry experience, doubt is erased; fear is destroyed and love WINS! You quickly realize that you are not alone. Of most importance, we must identify that there is a spiritual war on godly men. The evil one will do everything in his power to keep us apart because as the passage above states, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” I have learned that most men carry baggage from their youth and superimpose those negative experiences onto adult encounters.

For me, I carried the baggage of being the short, skinny, red-headed kid who wasn’t big enough to play football. Was I teased? – Absolutely! Did I inadvertently give myself permission to own these negative feelings? – Most certainly! You see, we define our young men by ability. Sadly, most of us carry this weight around our necks for decades. I am thankful that I was able to not only identify the devil’s ploy but to release the negative permission over my life! Yes, I’m still short; I’m still skinny; I’m now bald and only wish I had my red hair. Yet, I am a child of the King, and I’m not the only one carrying baggage!

So today, I speak directly to our godly men. Stop giving the evil powers permission over your life. Your baggage does not define you, but most importantly please know you are not alone—you are loved! The best thing you could do is release these wrongfully planted evil thoughts and seek the counsel of other godly men who can mentor you, sharpen you, and build you up. Do not run the other way. That’s the devil’s hope for you. As long as you are alone, then you are “dull.” A dull sword is not as effective as a razor-sharp weapon that had been sharpened time and time again.

Question: Are you interested in attending a FaithWalk weekend or another 4th day ministry? Feel free to contact me directly, and I will help you get connected.

Thankful,

Christian Armetta