CQI+ Fellow Warriors Share Anticipations for Their Second Year:

Ken and Tim,

I am so grateful to you and CQI+ for helping me apply God’s ways.

What I anticipate accomplishing in my life in 2025 is further growth and improvement in my character being more like Christ in my ATTITUDE, thoughts, words and deeds. Through this growth, gain respect and admiration most importantly from my wife but also my sons and

daughter. Through that same growth, bring real joy and peace to me, our marriage, home and family. Really anticipating these results. 

Jim

Ken and Tim,

I anticipate the second year as a Fellow Warrior will be about consistency in my emotional

relationships, where I can show up more proactively and consistently meet the emotional

root needs of those around me.

Dan P.

Ken and Tim,

This second year seems so far to be about Biblical manhood: Praising God and giving appropriate compliments to others, forgiveness and forbearance, building a trust that God is leading in your life even when bad things happen, learning more about God through the marriage relationship.  I expect to continue learning how to be more like the man God wants me to be, more like Christ, during the remainder of the 2nd year. I also hope to become more empathetic and understanding of others so that I can work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit so that my life is an example and allows me to minister to others and bring them to Christ for salvation.  That my testimony would reach the spirit of others is something that I have felt I have been lacking for at least a few years. Knowing how to describe the emotions in my own heart/spirit has helped me to identify and label the emotions that other people are experiencing.  Casually mentioning a few different emotions, a friend was feeling recently, helped to calm him down. Thank you for the Christ Quest Institute.  CQI+ is playing a significant role in filling in the missing pieces in my life.

Frank

What am I hoping to get in the second year of Fellow Warriors?  I love a systematic blueprint for connecting to the spirit of my wife. Just as Lego instructions have step one, step two, step three etc.  I love getting an opportunity to practice the skills of connecting to the spirit of another in the Fellow Warriors’ group, so I will be better prepared to connect to my wife’s spirit. 

Jonathan

Years ago, in the 70’s, I was traveling for work. I would stop at different antique stores and look for old novels for Nancy to read. At only around a dollar a piece, if I found 3 or 4, I’d get them for her.

Both she and I would read them to our kids. Their favorite was a book series titled Honey Bunch. Below is a picture of a small portion of them. The books on the top shelves, although written in the 1800’s, are stories and history which cover dates from the 1600’s to the 1800’s. The next shelves cover the very early 1900’s. Almost all were written with a distinctive Christian flavor.

Right now, I’m reading to Nancy an original printing of Grandfather’s Chair.

Though it was written in 1840, we didn’t know that it’s a history book about the Puritan’s arrival in New England in the 1600’s. It contains three historical epochs. Epoch I is about the arrival of the Bible believing Puritans who were escaping abusive persecution, even execution, in England. So, they left for Holland. They were there for several years and again began experiencing abuse, so they decided to sail for what became known as New England. It also portrays the Puritan’s brand of Christianity through their determination to be biblical correct in the new country of what is now America.

It's particularly noticeable to me, that Christians of the 1600’s were aware of the human spirit. For starters, on page 12, it recognized the human spirit by telling of Lady Arbell’s spirit. Then, on page 13, it portrays the general thinking of men, by comparing a man’s heart to iron, and he questions why a woman’s heart is not also a heart of iron.

Other examples:  page 18 addresses that the church of England was not in subjection to God. But states that it was in subjection to the Pope. On page 21, it addresses the need for all Christians to believe the same as their being obedient to God’s Word. And on page 35, in the third paragraph, the sin nature is portrayed.

Epoch II takes place during the following years where the population was increasing but the Puritan community was diminishing and how Satan, through the Salem Witch Hunts, brought on the executions of many who were Christians. It also records the epidemics that were killing off populations.

Epoch III begins explaining how the “Americans” became determined that they would not be ruled by a government that was not ruling for their welfare.

We were reminded by reading these how history repeats itself when God is not the Ruler of the spirits of men.

Although we read God’s Word daily, we can’t wait to see which novel we will read next.

Who came up with this?

Before I get going, let me explain: There’s a huge difference between Jesus being my Savior (accepting His crucifixion for my sins which saves me from Hell) and Jesus being my LORD. Proof that He is indeed my LORD can only be validated by ME and MY attitudes, words, and actions. 

Jesus being my Lord is proven by me daily developing my ability to exchange my natural-to-human-being ways through personal discipline, moving me closer and closer towards the goal of becoming a literal, living example of the Christ to my wife. All that’s not going to happen if I’m not obediently reading and applying the Bible as God’s instruction manual for my life. My goal is, that I will become a living, walking-talking, situation-by-situation, illustration of Jesus, the Christ and His ways, which includes me learning how to defeat my sin nature as a husband.  

Here’s what’s behind my question in the title. Have you ever heard of the following “theology” being taught as the method to permanently eliminate a person’s sin(s)?

Here’s the question that introduces that “theology”: If you’ve tried and tried and tried unsuccessfully to get rid of a sin, or sins, then, give it to God — let Him take it away.

Here’s what occurs to me. If it is indeed God’s job to take away a man’s sin-nature and its sins, surely God would know that was His job.

I’ve asked thousands of men if they’ve heard of that “theology” spoken, and they’ve answered, “Yeah, I’ve heard that.” So, I ask, “Have you, (or do you know someone, who’s) asked God to take away their sin-nature and it’s sin(s)?” They’ve answered, “Yes.” So, my next question is, “Were your/their sin(s) gone? Were they never troubled again by it/them?” They’ve replied disappointedly, “No, they’re still around for me (or them) so their struggles continue.” 

Then I propose, “If it’s indeed God’s job to take away our every-day, sin-nature’s sins and clean us up, and we’ve asked/pled with Him to do it multiple times, and they’re not gone, then wouldn’t a logical conclusion be, that either: God is a failure at doing His job, or the philosophy’s wrong? And we surely know that God never fails! 

Here’s more “Christian” community “theology”: To lay our every-day, sin-nature’s sins at the foot of the cross and Jesus will take them away.

And again, when I’ve asked if they’ve heard that “theology” they’ve replied, “Yeah, I’ve heard that.” Which prompts me again to ask, “If it’s Jesus’ job to take away — eliminate the sins we’re daily struggling with — surely He too would know that’s His job, right!?” They agree, leading me to ask, “Have you, or has someone you know, metaphorically ‘lain your/their sins at the foot of the cross?’” They’ve also answered, “Yeah.” So, I inquire, “Are they gone — never to be experienced again?” Again, they’ve replied disappointedly, “No, they still struggle with it.”

Then I proposed, “If it’s indeed Jesus’ job to take away your sins and clean you up, and you’ve asked/pled with Him to do so — multiple times — and it hasn’t happened (no matter how many times you’ve asked) then either Jesus also is a failure at doing His job, or this “theology” is also wrong. And we know that neither God nor Jesus are failures! 

But here’s the biblical contrast, God commands us men (me) to become a living example of Jesus, the Christ to our (my) wife. Why would God even need to command us to become Christ-like if it’s His, and/or Jesus’ job to “clean us up?” If it’s Their job to take away our sin nature and its sins, I have to ask another question: “How do we claim victory if we haven’t learned how to specifically defeat our sin nature — and therein gain victory — if, it’s genuinely Their job?” Consider too, why is it a man’s Christian duty, to disciple other men about how he gained victories if that isn’t the case. (See II Timothy 2:2.)

While false theoretical concepts are being taught that its God’s place to obtain victory for us over our sin-nature, the truth is that it’s our responsibility. Those who are teaching these concepts are supposed to be righteous “spiritual leaders” and it saddens me that they not only don’t know of, nor have practical biblical applications and steps to help others see how to actually defeat our sin nature’s sins.

Further proof that it’s a man’s job: James 4:8; II Corinthians 7:1; II Timothy 2:15; Philippians 2:12; Luke 18:14; Galatians 5:25; Galatians 6. 

Have I mentioned reading the Bible from cover to cover and applying it so we can experience our own victory? Then, we can share with others how we gained that victory. That’s how to get on the road to mastering life.