Spiritual Survival Guide
6: Keeping It Going: Moving Beyond Survival Mode
Just seeing another man turn his life over to (or back to) God is probably the most gratifying thing. —James It’s a surprise that I have actually found true Christians here who have shared their trials and turmoil along with mine. —Nathaniel New depths and heights of understanding. A huge surprise for most guys is how many levels of understanding there are in the life of faith. God’s truth is like a diamond—every little turn makes a new facet shine, sending off new rays of light. It’s like going up the Sears Tower— every new floor allows you to see things you couldn’t have seen before. You get a whole new perspective. You can make new connections. You can look down at your life, your past, your neighborhood, the streets, all of it—and see it from God’s perspective. And through it all, you can glimpse God’s mighty, unshakable love that loves you no matter what. There’s no bottom to God’s truth—it goes far and wide and deep— but it also makes its home in our soul. It has filled that blank or void in my soul that no drug ever could. It’s exciting to feel the joy of new believers around me. —Jose It’s just amazing to see God at work. He has always come through for me right on time, and he’s there for me even when I’m living in my filth at times. He forgives me and is patient with me. He assures me of things. He blesses me.The list goes on and on! It just surprises me and brings me joy that God doesn’t give up on me and that he’s always faithful even though I don’t deserve it. —Anonymous
God-fearing friend. You may have walked into prison filled with sus- picion, with your self-protective defenses jacked up a mile high, deter- mined never to show weakness, trusting nothing and no one. Maybe you looked into the faces of the men around you and thought, Keep your distance. Maybe you felt terribly alone. But God had other plans in store. He can lead us out of our isolation to men who know what it is to be a friend, who want nothing for us but the best. God can show us men we can trust with our thoughts and feel- ings; men to share both awful and wonderful days; men who tell it like it is and whom we can listen to, because we know they care about and respect us deep down. And when the time is right, God will surprise us by turning us into trustworthy spiritual men who then lead new men to Jesus and watch Jesus do what only Jesus can do in a man.
The biggest joy and surprise is that Jesus loves me in spite of myself. —Anthony
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