Los Pescadores Men's Ministry

~Accountability Is The Antidote~

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

You've likely asked God more than once to help you break loose from that "thing" which keeps you sick inside. It has a name... and you know it well. Don't you?
God gives us a prescription for keeping our spirit healthy - which is a dose of accountability.

Remember, Christianity is not a solo practice. If God saw the value of not being alone (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), then shouldn't we see the value in doing faith in tandem with others?

Are you serious about healing your spirit? Do you really want freedom?
Then it's time to get accountable today. Agreed?

GO DEEPER: Galatians 6:1-2

Next Step: Start praying for God to send a dose of accountability into your life.

(taken from Live Bold)

~Christianity vs. Religion~

The number-one enemy of Christianity today is religion, not unrepentant sinners. It was so from the very beginning. Jesus did not offend sinners - he offended the religious men of His day. He was the cornerstone rejected not by the passers-by, but by the builders themselves.

“Jesus is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’” Acts‬ ‭4:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In the person of Jesus, religion and Christianity tackled head-on. How can you distinguish religion from authentic Christianity? Here are a few clues. First, religion loves ritual. Religion delights in the status quo. Change makes it uncomfortable. Religion is a commitment to a system of beliefs, attitudes and practices. Second, religion responds to challenge with intimidation. Challenge religion, and it will attempt to intimidate you into submission. What does an attorney do when he suspects that truth may not be on his side? He buys time, attacks procedure and assassinates character. Religion is defended the same way.

What about Christianity? Well, Christianity loves the truth. Aristotle defined the truth as "saying of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not." In other words, truth has a standard, and is not relative. Also, Christianity responds to challenge with boldness. Why? Because knowing the truth and embracing it gives us courage. When religion and Christianity clash, what happens? Many times, people come to know Christ. When Peter and John were arrested for the first time, five thousand people were saved!

Don't be afraid when your faith is challenged by religion. When this happens, the stage is set for blessing, not for defeat.

(YouVersion devotional by Dr Ed Young)

~Total Depravity~

To clarify what total depravity does and does not mean, a few points are helpful.

First, depravity is total in that it refers to all people. Paul here speaks of “all”, “none is righteous”, “no, not one”, “no one”, “all have turned aside”, and “no one does good, not even one”.

Second, depravity is total in that it infects and effects the totality of our being. Think of it like a cup of clean water that then has polluted water added to it. The polluted water dirties the entire glass in the same way that sin dirties the entire person.

For clarification, total depravity does not mean utter depravity. Utter depravity means a person is as completely sinful and evil as possible. Although people are totally depraved, Romans teaches that they are not utterly depraved for three reasons:

1. God has given us a conscience that knows something of right and wrong even if we do not know God
(Romans 2).

2. God has allowed death to occur so that sinners are brought to an end, and to deter people from reckless behaviors that cause death (Romans 5).

3. God has provided governments and laws to punish some wrongdoing which helps restrain much evil (Romans 13).

Most people also struggle to believe that they are also totally depraved sinners. Sin is not just we do, but who we are. Sin is not just doing bad things, but also the failure to do good things. Sin is not just outward, it is also inward and includes our motives, thoughts, and desires. Sin includes living independently of God and doing what we want rather than what He created us for and commands us to do.

For those who struggle to see themselves, or others, as bent toward sin, consider for a moment, that you had unlimited resources, no restraints, and no consequences as no one would ever know what you did, you could never be arrested, and you could not die. Once those variables are removed, you can be sure that your shadow side would emerge and you would increasingly do things that were dark, depraved, and damnable. What restrains us is not our goodness but God’s goodness to help save us from ourselves.

What is curious about sin is that we are far more aware of, sensitive to, and judgmental of all sin but our own. People continually march for justice, demand wrongs be made right, and argue ad nauseum on social media about system sin using all the various -isms (racism, sexism, nationalism, classism, ageism, etc.). What you never see is someone equally upset about their own wrongdoing. As sinners, we tend to want law for everyone else, but grace for ourselves. Like a person who owns binoculars but not a mirror, we clearly see everyone else and somehow never see ourselves for who we truly are.

In areas of your life are you a hypocrite, being much more critical and harsh towards others' sins than your own?

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” Romans‬ ‭2:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

(Taken from Mark Driscoll’s “Duck Duck Doom”)

~Fixing A Lust Problem~

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” ~Galatians 5:16

Men who struggle with lust tell stories of depression, loneliness, and darkness. Not one single man has described it any other way.

A lust problem is symptomatic of a man who chooses to serve himself first, others second, and maybe God gets a third row seat.

The wound of lust can go deep - but God's spirit can go deeper than any wound.

GO DEEPER: Psalm 147: 1-11

NEXT STEP: The quickest way to kill that lust habit is to confess it and allow the Holy Spirit to heal your scar.

(taken from Live Bold)

~Speak Life~

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” ~James 1:26

Who wants to hang around with a bunch of complainers? Nobody…... except complainers.

How did Jesus use His words? He was direct, life-giving, honest, and encouraging. These are the things which build our witness to God within us when we speak.

Let your words be powerful, strong, and encouraging to the people around you. Speak life. Bless others.

Who will you bless today with your words? Who will you bless by saying nothing at all?

Send a text message to someone on your mind. Share a word of encouragement, gratitude for their friendship, or how they have blessed you lately.

(taken from Live Bold)

Toss Out The Fakes

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was / who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was / who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love.” ~
Hosea 11:1-4

The world flashes its shiny objects and we chase the world - as if it can offer hope, rescue our souls, or fill our empty spaces like a little god.

Men, The world only offers cheap, impotent, strange toy gods -- like money, time, pride, greed, lust, power, food, etc.

Put away the toy gods and turn to the one and only God who knows you and loves you. Confess, repent, and find rest.

(taken from Live Bold)

“I remember Christian teachers telling me long ago that I must hate a bad man's actions but not hate the bad man: or, as they would say, hate the sin but not the sinner. ...I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life -- namely myself. However much I might dislike my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself. There had never been the slightest difficulty about it. In fact the very reason why I hated the things was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things.” C. S. Lewis