Week of Monday November 24 – November 30
Anchor Man – Man as Battle Buddy
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love… Therefore, I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.” - 2 Peter 1:3-7, 12 ESV
My Battle Buddy Dr. Stu Weber in his book Tender Warrior, which he allowed us to excerpt for our Stand Courageous ministry to men, offers an insightful illustration I want to pass along:
I first learned the word piton in the same Army Ranger school… We did some tension climbing, where we would climb on vertical surfaces with nothing above us to pull us up, and with rope fed through snap links. The piton is a little anchor bolt. We would find a crack in the wall face, drive this piton into the rock, put the snap link on it, and pass the safety rope through it. That way, we knew we would never fall below that point. We might fall—because we were doing some unbelievable things—but the piton would catch us. We wouldn’t fall any further than the anchor in the rock. So, what is a piton of friendship? It’s a relationship principle that you can count on. It is an anchor bolt in a relationship that will bear your weight, that will hold you up when you find your fingers are slipping. There are other elements in a friendship, of course, but these are basic anchors. You don’t want to fall below these levels.”
In other words, we must serve other men in this same way. Like a piton anchored in a rock.
Peter writes to give us some Spirit-inspired “piton principles” that anchor us firmly. Faith is like the piton driven into the “Rock of Ages.” Hooked to that anchored faith, Peter adds a multi-link chain, with the first link being the vital importance of Christian virtue. He reminds them of the necessity to guard their hearts against the influence of the culture around them lest they compromise their walk with God. This is what a committed Battle Buddy does for the man or men whom he serves. The time you spend walking with the Lord, staying connected with and praying daily for another man and holding him accountable to do the same, matters more now than perhaps at any other time in history. Yet when our Battle Buddy slips or stumbles, that is the moment when we must serve as that secure anchor point and help him recover his hold.
It almost goes without saying but a man without a Battle Buddy asking the tough questions, providing that rock solid support, demonstrating “brotherly affection,” is all too vulnerable. As Peter put it, “having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire,” it is so easy to slip and fall back into that corrupt conduct. We live in a sin-saturated society where the seduction to engage in illicit behavior in private has been simplified to a tap or a swipe of a finger through digital media. It was J.C. Ryle who wisely observed, “Men fall in private long before they fall in public.” This is precisely why Peter’s words are so very appropriate for us today.
For the sake of our witness with our families and friends, we must be ever vigilant against temptation, relying completely on the Lord and anchoring our own lives into the solid rock of God’s word. Yet we must take it one step further. Having anchored ourselves firmly in the Rock of Ages, we then must serve as that “piton anchor” for a Battle Buddy, providing that secure friendship he can count on should he fall.
- After reviewing Peter’s teaching, how would you evaluate yourself on being anchored to the Lord by faith and cultivating the “chain” of virtues Peter lists in verses 3-7?
- Do you have a guy friend with whom you meet, pray with and hold accountable on a regular basis? If not, pray and ask that God would bring a Battle Buddy into your life.
- Ask God to help you become that “piton anchor” for another man.
Anchor Man – Man as Battle Buddy
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love… Therefore, I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.” - 2 Peter 1:3-7, 12 ESV
My Battle Buddy Dr. Stu Weber in his book Tender Warrior, which he allowed us to excerpt for our Stand Courageous ministry to men, offers an insightful illustration I want to pass along:
I first learned the word piton in the same Army Ranger school… We did some tension climbing, where we would climb on vertical surfaces with nothing above us to pull us up, and with rope fed through snap links. The piton is a little anchor bolt. We would find a crack in the wall face, drive this piton into the rock, put the snap link on it, and pass the safety rope through it. That way, we knew we would never fall below that point. We might fall—because we were doing some unbelievable things—but the piton would catch us. We wouldn’t fall any further than the anchor in the rock. So, what is a piton of friendship? It’s a relationship principle that you can count on. It is an anchor bolt in a relationship that will bear your weight, that will hold you up when you find your fingers are slipping. There are other elements in a friendship, of course, but these are basic anchors. You don’t want to fall below these levels.”
In other words, we must serve other men in this same way. Like a piton anchored in a rock.
Peter writes to give us some Spirit-inspired “piton principles” that anchor us firmly. Faith is like the piton driven into the “Rock of Ages.” Hooked to that anchored faith, Peter adds a multi-link chain, with the first link being the vital importance of Christian virtue. He reminds them of the necessity to guard their hearts against the influence of the culture around them lest they compromise their walk with God. This is what a committed Battle Buddy does for the man or men whom he serves. The time you spend walking with the Lord, staying connected with and praying daily for another man and holding him accountable to do the same, matters more now than perhaps at any other time in history. Yet when our Battle Buddy slips or stumbles, that is the moment when we must serve as that secure anchor point and help him recover his hold.
It almost goes without saying but a man without a Battle Buddy asking the tough questions, providing that rock solid support, demonstrating “brotherly affection,” is all too vulnerable. As Peter put it, “having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire,” it is so easy to slip and fall back into that corrupt conduct. We live in a sin-saturated society where the seduction to engage in illicit behavior in private has been simplified to a tap or a swipe of a finger through digital media. It was J.C. Ryle who wisely observed, “Men fall in private long before they fall in public.” This is precisely why Peter’s words are so very appropriate for us today.
For the sake of our witness with our families and friends, we must be ever vigilant against temptation, relying completely on the Lord and anchoring our own lives into the solid rock of God’s word. Yet we must take it one step further. Having anchored ourselves firmly in the Rock of Ages, we then must serve as that “piton anchor” for a Battle Buddy, providing that secure friendship he can count on should he fall.
- After reviewing Peter’s teaching, how would you evaluate yourself on being anchored to the Lord by faith and cultivating the “chain” of virtues Peter lists in verses 3-7?
- Do you have a guy friend with whom you meet, pray with and hold accountable on a regular basis? If not, pray and ask that God would bring a Battle Buddy into your life.
- Ask God to help you become that “piton anchor” for another man.