Let me ask you a question. "If you got hit in the head and had a concussion, do you have someone you could call and ask to stay up with you to keep you awake?"
I hear you saying, "Wow, Jamie, where did that come from? What a weird question!"
I am not crazy. Let me show you where we are going with this question.
Once, I was watching a show on TV where a man was playing football. He was a forty-something-year-old man in great shape. Being a little too cocky, he relied on his excellent physique to help him play ball with kids half his age. However, he found out in the first play that he wasn't as young as he used to be!
Playing quarterback, he called for the snap. The ball came to him in the shotgun formation, and 2 seconds later, a huge linebacker obliterated him, knocking him out cold! After waking up, he had a concussion. As is always the case with head concussions, the doctors told him to stay awake for 24 hours to ensure no complications.
Well, this man's wife was out of town, and his kids were young and couldn't stay awake to make sure he stayed awake. How would this injured, tired guy follow the doctor's orders?
As he sat on his sofa, struggling to stay awake, he heard a knock at the door. It was three of his friends, pizza in hand, arriving to help their friend stay awake through the night.
I instantly thought, "That's what it's all about! Men helping men and being there for each other, not only in the good times but the bad!"
Guys, we need men in our lives. We need teammates, what some refer to as a spiritual Band of Brothers. Why?
These men supply support to us. They provide a way for us to have accountability in our lives. We all need to be accountable to each other.
Our bands of brothers are men we can trust to look us in the eye and say, "Your priorities are out of whack."
They can tell us, "Bro, you need to make a change here."
They are men we are completely open with who can ask us anything they want.
It is men helping men. Such a man helps us grow in our walk with God. They point out areas of sin inside us, help us see it, and encourage us to grow and overcome!
We need men around us who we can learn from. We gain prayer support and encouragement from our teammates.
We can all learn from each other. No trial or temptation is new under the sun, and it is time for God's men to be open and vulnerable and admit to our struggles and weaknesses so we can support each other but also learn from others how to gain victories or avoid defeats. A band of brothers can help each other by saying, "I struggled with this area, I learned this going through it, now here is how you avoid making the same mistake."
I believe every man of God needs at least one man who holds him accountable. A man who holds his feet to the fire. A man who is able and willing to ask the hard questions that you don't really want to hear and don't want to answer. Why is this so important?
Because none of us are perfect, we all have things that we need to change in our lives. We all have character flaws and issues that we can't recognize inside of ourselves. We need to have men in our lives who are aware of the problems we have, the struggles, temptations, and bondages that hold us captive. We need to allow these men to ask us any questions at any time in our lives. They need to have free reign with us to go where we don't want anybody else going. Sounds uncomfortable, right? But that's the point!
You want somebody being that tough on you. You want somebody holding you accountable. You need it to keep growing in your spiritual walk with God.
What about you? Who are your teammates? Do you have a band of brothers?
Who are the men in your life investing in you, showing you ways to avoid the same mistakes and failures they encountered?
Do you have men you can contact for help during tough times?
Are there men in your life who will love you enough to stare you straight in the eyes and say, "Bro, you're in trouble; stop what you are doing?"
We all need men in our lives like this. If you don't have such men, ask God to send them into your life. If you are not already attending your church's men's group, I recommend you connect with them.
None of us was meant to live this life alone. Just like even the greatest football player in the world can't win the game without his teammates, we can't become all God wants us to be unless we are part of a team.
It's the way God designed it. Are you willing to become a team player?
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