Do you have a spiritual battle buddy in your life?
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"Battle Buddies" are men who commit to building each other up through a one-on-one relationship that is built on honesty, openness, and accountability.
Unfortunately in most churches, men's bible studies, men's fellowship, men's outreach events, men's prayer meetings, and men's retreats, are the most sparsely attended events in the local church. It's not that men don't have time for such meetings or gatherings; it's that they won't make the time.
Men are far less inclined than women to develop such relationships, but they need these kind of relationships every bit as their female counterparts. As a result of attending a recent Stand Courageous Men's Conference, some of the men in our church were encouraged to develop a "Battle Buddy," a one-on-one relationship with another man, and a few of us have started building such relationships with the hope that other men will do the same.
There were no more powerful pair of warriors in the Bible than Joshua and Caleb. They were a dynamic duo. "Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, 'You know what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me.'" (Joshua 14:6)
"Don't miss those words "You and me." They are important. It would be these two seasoned warriors who with God's help would enjoy victory after victory as together they prepared for their people's entrance into the Promise Land. They were truly the first biblical spiritual and military "battle buddies." They both knew they needed each other as they faced the future challenges before them.
Serving together for almost 50 years, they fought many battles before they would set foot in the Promise Land. As I thought about these "battle buddies," I was once again reminded of how important it has been for me to have had men in my life with whom I could be honest and open. For many years before I even learned about the idea of having a "battle buddy," I had a friend whom I had come to know while pastoring in another church.
Today we still remain close friends and meet for breakfast each Wednesday morning, and we have done so for many years. I can't imagine what my life would be like without this dear friend.
However, more recently, I have begun to develop another "battle buddy" relationship in our church. My new friend recognizes the importance of providing encouragement and accountability for one another. Did not Jesus tell Peter in Luke 22:32 to " strengthen your brothers"?
Men who are strong in the faith are usually that way because they have had men in their life who have strengthened them. As the Scripture reminds us, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Prov. 27:17).
John reminds us, "If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7). As "battle buddies," we encourage one another "to walk in the light," and as we do so we enjoy the wonderful promise of fellowship while also experiencing a cleansing from sin, and how badly we need both these qualities in our lives.
If you don't presently have a "battle buddy" in your life, why not start praying today for God to reveal that special person, so that like Joshua and Caleb you might enjoy all those personal and spiritual victories God has in store for your life?"
 | Tom Crenshaw serves as Connections Pastor of the New Monmouth Baptist Church (non denominational) where he previously served as a three year interim.He has been married to Jean for almost 50 years, and they have four children, all of whom are teachers.Tom loves perennial gardening, umpiring high school baseball, coaching baseball and football, fishing for small mouth bass, rooting for his favorite team, the Cleveland Indians, and listening to ‘real’ country music, the classic kind. Learn More » |
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