The Traitor Within; click here to listen

Jesus many losing hand. Why things more like a losing battle than something, my quest is no longer have you with us talking about the topic. Maybe a little different new touched around the times that we've actually talked about the topic itself, and what were and talk about is the traitor within the traitor with it will make you walk the plank first meet this way. That type of traitor that's right, like a stock trader that was in the start. Mark and Sam probably want to talk about the traitor within what what took time to come to you with that.

When you talk about. Wouldn't someone ask you, what does that mean well you know when Paul was in seven Sam for some reason I don't do what I want to do, but I want to do this, but then I don't do it in and there's this battle that goes on inside of me that is. Is this essentially a battle between the spirit and the flesh and the traders quite often, the flesh is not usually the spirits of the flesh, and that's a great point because we talked about on the show and we really have three enemies out there and and one is really obvious we have we have Satan that I mean that's pretty clear in Scripture. And that's easy to see. Well, it becomes easier to see as you read more.

The Scripture, but you also have the world and because it's it standards its direction is deathly not moving towards Christian events moving away and so it's taking a back and watch the debates last night. You might enough, but it's the lowest it's taking down the wide roads that an error and then the third one is the flesh until we do have to battle all through those and sometimes we forget about flesh one. Yeah, the flesh, one man and why was actually studying Ephesians 6 this week and William Bernal wrote a book called the Christian farmer and he spent about 20 pages just talking about that line that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces in high places, and that wrestling.

I always assumed had to do with wrestling with that you know powers meeting Satan, the enemy, but he mentioned that if you get caught into the trap of wrestling with your own flesh then it's like trying to speak a language to something that has no understanding, similar to when you try to speak to a nonbeliever about Christ. The gospel is foolishness well when you're wrestling with your own flesh, so to speak. William Bernal put it, you're wrestling with somebody that doesn't really speak that language in that clip from the lion King, Sam I think speaks right to what happens to poor little Simba when he comes and they're all excited because he's kinda prideful when he talked about his pride and is it progress if he talks to his uncle scar isn't quite a great guy reminds me of a certain sort. I despise guessing game rock Fuji yes will forgive me for not leaping for joy that you know a monkey's uncle.

You have no idea. So, your father showed you the whole kingdom deity. He didn't show you want to be on the rise of the molten bullet now okay right to dangerous end of the Braves live is modest, but I'm only looking out for the well-being of my favorite nephew all the more reason for me to be protective. An elephant graveyard is no place for the young prince's knives had too much. Well, I suppose you find out sooner or later you will being so that police is a good lad you really love to have fun and remember.

So as Robby was going into the clip. He talked about the serpents when you listened to vision very much a parallel to something we find in Scripture that's one question I have for you is it time in a little bit to what we read very early on in Scripture we know we think about the way Satan approaches Eve you know he first he comes off like he's ignorant. He's asking her questions. Now is a true you can't even see the trees in the garden of Eden by and we can eat just about one why not well got told us not to do you know why he said that because you'll be as smart as soon you will be like God is keeping that from you is holding you back. You should be the easier created to be. By eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and so Simba gets kinda played there by the uncle he manipulates along the way and Robby as we talk about that. There's a couple different battles going on there.

As we talk about the three enemies. We have sorts. Once he battled against their little bit skeptical that is called pride rock back and there you got little Simba who is proud of what is daddy showing that he's going to get the kingdom and we it's a similar story to our own.

But Satan is going to use that pride to entice him that you know he says only the bravest lions go there and and and and it's a trap and any sets it with essentially Simba's pride and that the same thing that Satan entered into in the desert with Jesus. If you are the son of God.

Rancidity is right after the I did and he tries to attack pride in getting to fall on that that since pride since we talk about some of these things that are traitors within pride can be one of them.

Pride can play out in a couple different ways with what some of the other ones we could battle against as we have these traitors within us. The kinda pull us away from God, you, he doesn't move but we move away from them. He follows us.

That's a good point when you say identity in Jesus was attacked because what's the first thing that a man struggles with his identity good enough to have what it takes and so were trying to prove ourselves all the time just in subtle ways. We want people to know that were good enough do it at home it would work. Do it at the ballfields I I'm thinking. Lust is one that gets me in on in that picture of wrestling you know that it would way.

William Bernal put it was you don't have any close on that the enemy can throw you with and if you put on that close of luster you put on anger word. There's other things you can get be grabbed by his targeting influencers out there. We do have closing literally. It's a flashlight and it will make sure the watchmen periscope right now they know that we have closed probably grateful brings up a good point. I think they tied together because what made Jesus so strong during his trial. He knew his place with the father and when do we win or we the most vulnerable to temptation farther. We are from the father were not comfort comfortable and strong in our relationship exactly right.

There's there's times enemy comes after us and he uses what to recall false comforters rightness false comforters can be things like lost, it can be.

Anger is anger actually is really more about control. That is anything and so you approach it typically on the comfort level something to easier pain, so to speak, or some way to get control that's usually the two sides. The kinda place with that and so for some people that might be. I go and I i.e. a whole lot you know I eat more than I should because I find comfort there instead of turning to God.

Or maybe it is to pornography or something like that that people struggle with. Or maybe just get the hat trick you need to have all three that you struggle.

I never thought of that as a hat trick that I I think I have to yeah I think there's times that it's it's been that way for me as well so I was you talk about these things, you know, anger is one that you had to face early on I was raised in a household where when there was something wrong. Everybody became a prosecutor look for the death penalty and that was something that made I had to struggle with because I could see.

I remember what it was like as a child I could see it. My son I remembered I could see it. My wife and I knew that was a battle had to fight anger is when the only applicable quick before we go to break that deals with this will anger this is fastest when I was a kid and what's Olivia it's happy Gilmore not happy Gilmore happy Gilmore were all happy, easy to get. Remember now this is you don't play with wall moves to clear your mind of everything else. Stay focused place that's really perfect little room happy place go there goes your anger will just disappear and happy.

Okay don't you know you don't put angry, but don't drive anger either in that Chris Wright has that brokerage there's some real key things that obviously if you watch the whole clip we can't tell you that that's a great lodge is not a great family family movie but in that clip.

There's a lot of truth that anger gets control of you and as you talk about Robby Satan gets a hold of that and he gives them a really good hold on you when you can go to that place that your your happy place that anger kinda disappears in salute, talk about finding that happy place, but also the other things we battle his men is not just yes-men but ladies out there as well.

That pornography is been on the rise for women and watching it until talking about lust talking about those things as comforters, we go to if you want to learn more about him asking her to go to mass (radio.org is a great way to support us by using Amazon to watch the video now well after the trader hard part. Dream programming. Learn more about child fund international and its dreamlike programmatic child funds.org child fund safe passage to a better future slowly lost the ability to walk. You remember about your final staffs listings the power to use their legs hold someone close and simply say I love you for losing most often remain aware and alert to the world around us associations walk to the last spine treatment. ALS is talking about we talk about that right within that inner fight the truth about Scripture it's written about that. The old man to be sacrificed each day, meaning the flesh wants to try to rise back up and that that little man was actually sacrificed on the cross with Jesus, but he just doesn't like to stay there now allowing for you. Tell this often well how to an extent working around this body of death. It's kind of like how the Romans would punish people they would chain did body to a guy and that was part of his punishment drag around is that man and and Paul was actually making reference to that, and when he said cannot deliver me from this body of death will drag around the dead guy comes think that while you talk about Paul who wrote obviously inspired by God. The road most of the New Testament and so you have a guy that didn't walk closely with God. Here you have a human that saying hey I still have struggles and so it's not a measure of you know, are you a Christian, are you not a Christian as a Christian, you're going to have struggles in these areas and guards can continue to help help you move past those LU talk buddies really help you move past anger and for me that's not quite been there yet. You know it is working on it but it's not quite there yet but as we talk about this. Don't men deal with these issues, but they don't really see him for what they are. You know that the situation with I'm wrestling and I can see I'm in the struggle, but as this to me. William Col. pointed out so well that if I try to wrestle with that anger that the anger does not understand anything spiritual so that war that's between the mind and the flesh is spirit in the flesh is as is a heck of a struggle.

So I need to be able to go to the what it says in Ephesians 6 I need to battle against the spiritual forces in high places and realize what is dragging the old man out around me that I've got to fight that not the flesh, and it's like see that's a great point, but I got it. I don't mean this to be funny. But did you see Williams girdle yet.

Williams girdle video and ask you a quick question. I know that growing up and in New York the way you did in the air that you did the Mafia was pretty much all about that area at the time and and so as you watch movies like the Godfather and things like that is the truth of the way they dealt with traders and that it isn't there.

Very much so I'm in the movie depicts my life as it I couldn't believe it, just while I was watching the movie. So many things came into my head. You know what anger and and then retaliation.

But one of my biggest problems that I never really got over as a young boy I had three male cousins who are like about four or five years older than me and my father and I when we were outside of together treated them so wonderful and his nephews, my cousins and we got along terrific. You know and then we went into the house totally changed. I was nobody you know to my father, and boy did I bill up with that I grew up. Maybe it's still with me.

I don't know you know these that I couldn't take care of because he's gone but you know some way.

I feel like when I'm praying that my time. I release the anger from me and I almost can hear them.

I understand you know, and it'll be okay. Trying to figure out who stalk the good Lord and my father left the I'm listening. Anyway, that's right it's right that brings up a good point that your woundedness a lot of times is really what what we meant the enemy holds onto with anyone they dealt with the trader back then they didn't give much of a second chance today. No, not at all. There was no such thing as a second chance. No such thing and you know people have seen the movie the Godfather is kinda kind of rule know where brother kills the brother but that was really what was all about. Of course it's wrong and it was wrong, but it in the movie. I happen to know of a father-son situation that was in the movie that I seen in real life just because it had to be done. I just don't know any other way than that had to be done any that there were to be killed to be a traitor. There will not arrive at traders what they actually were reasonable and bring it up is there. We have to take that approach with the trader that's within us, we can't partially let him live just like back then.

You know that they would be either they would do it again or other people would try to do it and simply let that trader have any life within us. Then it gets a foothold in us and we can't partially hold on to anger. We can't partially hold on the last Friday Mama" is he is. I know I want to go to clip back and talk about it, but it's from a movie that's very special to your heart in the Raleigh that's from the movie Braveheart and that the person speaking is Robert the Bruce and he speaking to his father. He's bringing his woundedness to his father. What happened in and you bring it up a great point before the show Sam that he was actually wanting his father to understand what it was and now he understood about truth and his father's recognition and that some of the what what was described.

You went against some of what he wanted to do in order to try to get the father's approval. Thank you Jesus greater than mine must have something to prevail and he achieved his Savior family increase July time all the discussion. Lines title… And Alla testing. Nothing in fight for me. If they do not, I throw them off my mind and I stop their wives and the children.

Those men who bled to ground red folk they fulfill William Wallace and he fights something that I've never had whatever trader menace. This is the battlefield and its top will all lose from that. He goes on the sale. Never be on the wrong side again is where he goes in and that's where he really is is saying hey I'm not gonna listen to, in this case was actually his father was Satan figure. And he wasn't gonna listen to that trader within anymore and so as you guys listen to that. How can we apply that to her life. How can we go out here and say okay I know I'm still gonna struggle with different things were not done with this life that's were still can have some struggles so how do we try to avoid those traps well you know I love the picture that I kind of learned this week that that happy place is what you get back to what happy with everyplace look like what happy place looks like your God's favorite and that you're actually there resting in his love, and under his blood, so to speak, and so the old wrestlers of old is getting back to make it all got they would anoint their bodies with oil and or so the people can get a grip off I can anoint my body with Christ blood and if I'm under the blood.

There is nothing that Christ can get a grip and if I'm there resting completely and that I've been forgiven and that he's healing these wounds and I keep going in but it takes work.

Sam is not just a matter of getting in there, but sometimes you gotta go through some pain to recall so he can give you the freedom that you oh yeah yeah pain is the part of the process you're talking you said Christ can get hold you meant Satan can get a hold of her mind was working at the chance to clarify that yeah it is a painful process of not realizing you are covered, and in God's love. I know for me. The happy place that goes back to something you talked about outs identity when I can hold on to my identity in him then I don't. I'm not really suspect as tempted as I am that when I start to find my value somewhere else value in a relationship for my value and my work or whatever that might be the way I fight that is through my understanding of spiritual gifts. People think my gift is singing so I sing and people love me and God gave me that that's not really what spiritual gift is spiritual gift is a gift that God gives you to give the world. He gives that to the world through you.

And so, for in my family what I try to do is like warmaking dinner. I try to get something in there that everybody likes try to do something every week special individually for biting the family when I go to work, try to make sure everybody's included so they feel like they're part of the team. You know I try to be fair about it but the more I think about other people and try to make things make their lives better. The happier I am. I mean it just fills me with joy, and it makes it easier for me to fight the anger because when I'm angry it's about me. But in that what God does is he trying to help us. Is he reaching out showing as well. That's when moods and that selfish anger that protecting what you know my rights are my wants or desires.

Want cake now exactly that type of thing that the gods after to say no that's can it take you to really really bad place most most men struggle with anger or they struggle with passivity on the other side which can be just as bad is that I don't want to fight and want to fight against anything which is not where God is going to be there and that's where the enemy can really get a hold of that as well.

But what you think. Pornography such a big deal in our country in ways that affect recommend the percentage of people, but at one point it was like 60% of pastors struggle with it and so it's because the enemy knows that that's a place where he can take guys and is not normally in the situations about sex as it is about finding comfort so you know regardless were you going to find comfort whether it's in that whether it's in food, whether it's in relationships can't have to take that back to God that you guys in Nashville, you got it.

The choice, and if you keep running to God and you get your happy place.

There is I know of any late at night where is your happy place for looking up at the ceiling thought and let others take that happy place and free spot that we know were walking with God in the midst of his presence and that will keep us from straying from side to side. It won't be easy guys.

It will be painful times the gotta be right there with you, they solicited a few and get more information go to masculinity radio.org