Men:
I’ve been thinking all week about the powerful night of prayer and confession we had Saturday night at the Advance.  Thinking and pondering about what occurred has convicted me but also confused me. 

Convicted to do something more.  Confused as to what I could or should do.

I’m convicted because I’d like to reach out to every single man that came forward confessing sexual sin and others that confessed needing to grow and change in other areas.  I want to come along side and encourage each man through accountability, prayer, and help him take the steps to eliminate the sin and grow once and for all.

I’m confused because I know that’s not possible and in many cases, isn’t the best thing to do because each man has to be responsible for himself.  So, I figured I’d compose this letter as a way to communicate what I know to be true and as a way to do something, rather than nothing.

To quote my brother Peter Samuelson, “Here’s the deal.”

For those of you that stepped out Saturday night, make no mistake - it’s huge.  It was, however, only the battle cry, not the victory dance. You toed the line with the enemy and called him out.  As Pastor Hutch has preached before, you probably haven’t been any threat to the devil up until now because you’ve been so ineffective for Christ as it is – all wrapped in shame, guilt, and fear.  Not any more.  The devil has never wanted you to succeed, but now you’ve definitely got his attention.  Don’t believe me?  How many of you have already been tempted since that time and fallen right back into self-pleasure, sin, and lustful thinking?

The battle has just begun.  Your sin won’t just go away because of your courage that night. God wants and needs to build your character through what’s going to happen from here on out.  He’s waiting and watching to see what you’ll do now. 

You need to stay on the offensive.  Here’s how:               

1. Accountability Group: Start your own or join one.  Not just any group, but one that uses the covenant model that Jon Kittna and his crew shared on Saturday.  Time to get real, get deep, and get honest.   If you’re not sure what that is, call me.   If you’re already in a bible study and can’t make another commitment, you’ll need to seriously step it up with the men you’re already meeting with.  And it still may not be enough, because there’s already a dynamic that may not be conducive to this kind of honesty.  You need to think about making a change to a new or different group. 
2. Accountability Partner: If you don’t know enough men to form a group, then get aggressive and connect with just one man that you can be accountable to.  It’s the same as the covenant groups, but is probably easier, because it’s usually easier to open up to one man than three or four.
3. Pure Warrior Groups: If you’re honest with yourself and think you’re just flat out addicted to sexual sin, these groups hit the issues hard, have curriculum that we work through, and also commit to accountability specifically around sexual sin. 
   

What makes me qualified to speak boldly about these issues?  Four years ago, I stepped out and exposed my sexual sin to the everlasting light that only Christ gives.  I learned the only way to overcome was to work hard, face the enemy head on and conquer with the power of Jesus Christ; not sitting back and seeing “what God has next for me.”  The prior 25 years, I failed miserably time and time again trying to do it every way I could without exposing myself to another righteous brother. 

Your choice.   Your soul will be influenced by one of two masters; choose to fight, get out of your comfort zone and have God fill you or sit back and wait for the enemy to continue his work on your soul.

Your wife needs you to be effective for Jesus; your future wife needs you; your children need you; your co-workers need you; other men need you; the world needs you; and most importantly, Jesus needs you to be effective for Him. 

Randy Navarro
c. 425.830.0467
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