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Existentialism

What is the reason men exist?

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.”
Ecclesiastes 9:13

The weak in the Church think that faith is never questioned. In reality we are always wondering about and questioning our faith. The only people arrogant enough to think they have everything figured out are the atheists. Questions about the faith will inevitably lead many to ask questions about the purpose of life. Here is an oversimplified definition of existentialism: Asking questions to try to discover why it is that we exist. It is not immoral or irreverent to ask such questions.

Hard Truth: Even if we think the answers about life are given in the Bible, that still does not mean the answers are satisfying.

God did not tell us to be happy about His commands, many of them are difficult and restrictive. Reject the idea that Christianity is some fun thing you get to do. No. It is difficult. Part of Christianity is the constant psychological warfare between you and your doubts.

We will be forced to think about our faith and our life in ways we never anticipated. We will have to ask the dark, deep seated questions of our mind to attempt to try to find some justification for the evil we experience. Even the extremely righteous man Job was forced to question his life, and he regretted being born (Job 3). Given his situation, who wouldn’t?

Solomon diligently sought life’s purpose, which is the point of the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon pursues everything he thinks might give him meaning in life. He chased sex, wealth and alcohol like most men. He chased food and enjoyment. Then e eventually comes to the conclusion that the only reason we are on earth is to fear God and keep His commandments. Again, that may not satisfy your longing inside, but it doesn’t have to. Chasing any kind of satisfaction on earth is moronic.

Men question why we exist and the meaning of life. I provide a new question: Why does life need a meaning?

Man always wants there to be “something more”, something to give meaning to the abyss of life. Because we think surely there must be something beyond this pit of pain known as life? That is the hope, but it cannot be objectively proven. This is why it is “hope and faith” rather than “reason and fact”.

The question of the meaning of life is one that will last a lifetime, whether you have faith or not. It is not a weakness of faith to wonder why we exist even if the Bible tells us we exist for God (Proverbs 16:4). That answer will not satisfy every mind. But satisfaction of the mind does not matter. The answer to the question of why we exist does not matter. All that matters is that we do what is right.

Mantra

Action matters more than purpose.

Application

This is a very difficult section. No one wants to hear that there may not be a purpose to life. But what is purpose other than another emotion? It is a feeling of traveling towards something that is worthwhile. You can feel purpose while chasing an oasis in the desert only to find that it was a mirage.

Do not deify the idea of purpose, because even though you may feel purposed at times, it will not always be there. Most days you will have to keep working without any of the emotional backing of purpose.

This is what you must do as a man.

Sure, you can acquire purpose in a wife and family, or you can train your mind to find purpose in faith. But like any other emotions, purpose will not continue indefinitely. This is why it is of the utmost importance to train yourself to not require those emotional boosts in every single discipline you take up for yourself. Action will always be more important than anything else. What you do matters infinitely more than how you feel. So pick yourself up. Focus your mind. Grind out the days. Be a Man.

Conduct Yourselves Like Men.

Blood – Unlimited Power

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” – 14 “For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.”
Leviticus 17:11,14

“Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
Hebrews 9:22

“But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
Genesis 9:4

The Israelites were instructed never to eat the blood of the animals they killed, for in it was the life force. Animal blood also contained many diseases and pathogens. This would be the practical reason to avoid eating it since it can make you sick and perhaps even kill you. I chalk that up to the scientific revelation of God to man before germ theory even existed.

Within our blood is our physical life.

Within the Blood of Christ is our spiritual life. Also within it is our lineage to generations long past. It has long been known that the blood of our fathers runs through our veins. Through that blood we are expected to stay the course and to be men of character, strength and integrity.

Through that blood also comes many weaknesses that have plagued our bloodline for years. Sons tend to inherit the weaknesses of the father or grandfather. This must be undone. We do not have to be our fathers. We do not have to carry their weaknesses just as we will not wish for our sons to carry on our personal flaws and weaknesses. In this way we must break away from the lineage and reject the evil that we are naturally inclined towards. We must defy this portion of our own bloodline.

Through choice and action we can create a new bloodline.

We create new habits and actions we carry out consistently and this results in a transformation of character. You do not have to be limited by the character of your father or grandfather. Forge your own lineage today.

The blood of God represents our salvation. It covers all the insufficiencies and flaws we have in our minds and bodies. It wipes away the rust from our character. And it guarantees that we have salvation even though we fail. This is the great value of the blood. This blood can be our blood. It can run through our veins. We are adopted into the lineage of Christ as His sons. It is about time we started acting like it.

Mantra

I alter my bloodline through my conscious actions.

Application

We do not have to accept our genetics. We can alter our genetic code through the actions we take. This fact was discovered recently (in the past 50 years) and now forms a portion of the scientific field known as epigenetics. By altering our genetic code we give a better foundation to our children when we have them.

At the same time, we are not limited to our genetics. We may naturally lean towards certain actions, but that does not mean we have to take them. Natural does not always equal good, meaning what we are naturally inclined to do is not always the best course of action. You must many times take the action that is in opposition to your nature, especially if you are looking to make change in yourself.

You have to take an inventory of your own character. Ask yourself the following questions and write our the answers:

In what ways am I like my father and grandfather?
What am I naturally inclined to do that is positive?
What am I naturally inclined to do that is negative?
How can I interrupt my current behavioral patterns and change?

You are not limited by your genetics. You can change anything about yourself that you want. Start taking action today by being mindful of your behavior.

Reject what you currently are.

Cast aside your current weakness and be more of the ideal man you want to be.

Honor the Lord with your wealth.

Focus your mind on the task at hand.

Conduct yourselves like men.

Chivalry and Knighthood

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:”
1 Peter 2:9

Men who wear the name of Christ must conduct themselves with the highest levels of virtue. Throughout history, men have formed various orders or groups by which they hold themselves to tremendous standards in order to improve as men. One of these ancient orders was knighthood.

While it was necessary to have the proper family lineage to become a knight (or gain enough wealth to forge a coat of arms and a lineage of nobility), one could still hold himself to the high standards that the code of chivalry required of knights. Historical accounts differ as to the order of the rules on the code of chivalry.

However, the first rule of chivalry was always the same: Fear God and honor the church. This was the knight’s first and most important duty.

The other rules would lay out the treatment of women and the weak along with ways to live a life of character. Though I would argue that men should not be completely chivalrous with women. Before you throw this book out the window, let me explain what I mean by that. While it is absolutely important to treat women with kindness and to protect them, you must reject the chivalric behavior that placed a woman at the center of a man’s life.

A knight was required to pursue a lady and go through “virtuous rejection” from that lady until finally he convinced her to marry him. At that point he would have to do some grand deed to earn the right to marry that woman and finance her lifestyle for the rest of her days.

The modern knight, the Spartan Christian should not have a woman as the center of his focus.

That place is reserved for God alone. Men can love, honor and cherish their women without making them the focal point of their existence. Chivalry expected men to essentially worship women, and this is the part of chivalry we must reject.

Men in the church need their own code so they themselves can improve their lives.

Unfortunately, many men need something more than the Bible, because they do not read it. Men need concrete rules outlining how they are to behave. We as men must hold ourselves to standards that may seem impossible to meet. By holding ourselves to titanic standards, we ensure excellence from ourselves. No man ever becomes great by trying to be a good man. All great men become great by attempting to be perfect. We cannot meet that standard, but by aiming extremely high we are able to attain greatness. We ourselves must aim at standards higher than we can ever attain.

The church is a select order of men and women who wish to give up the pleasure of this world for the benefits that God’s eternity has to offer. The church is a select, royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) of warlords who rage and war against the powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:10-17). Implicit in the code of chivalry is the need to fight and kill in the name of greater values. The opposition must always be crushed. And the adversary must always be thrown down for the sake of the faith.

You may never have to shed human blood, but you must wage intense war against principalities, powers and rulers of darkness of the age. You must wage war against your weakness. Men must hold themselves to a code at all times.

Mantra

Fear God and Honor the Church.

Application

Set rules for yourself. Write down the characteristics of the ideal man and then visualize how that man would behave and try to mimic it in your life. The only way to be great is to strive to be perfect.

Write your own code of chivalry. Pen your own laws and principles that would drive you to become the ideal man. Frame your code and hang it on your wall. Think and meditate on your code on a daily basis. Then evaluate yourself and see if you are living up to your standards or if you are falling behind.

You must have some goal or ideal that you are striving for at all times, this is the only way that you can make progress and attain excellence Keep records of how you conduct yourself and of how well you keep to your code. Have a notebook where you have written your codes and desired behaviors, then draw a small chart where you can track your behavior. This allows you to measure progress and make adjustments to your strategies, and what gets measured gets accomplished.

You should have a code with women: Never be alone with a woman who is not your wife.

Because the chance that you will try to have sex with her are high, even if you are a complete beta-male.

Do not raise your voice. Because any man who raises his voice in a way that is not calculated, controlled and purposed has not even fully mastered himself and is weak. Make sure you are not that weak man. By controlling your voice you show tremendous strength and power over yourself and your emotions.

Be honest.

Keep to your character.

Make difficult decisions.

We must always be trying to change and improve, this is the only way to live.

Think about your code.

Honor the church.

Think like a man of honor and then act like one.

Aim at perfection constantly.

Conduct yourselves like men.

Angels – Walking among Men?

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
Psalm 91:11

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them”
Psalm 34:7

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Hebrews 13:2

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
Hebrews 1:14

“Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:10

People’s beliefs about angels are primarily speculative.

Though we do have a few places in scripture that suggest angels could be at work in the present moment, we do not literally see them. Even though we cannot prove that at this very moment, angels have active roles in our lives or in spiritual warfare, let us assume for this moment that there are angels and they are at work. How do they help us as men?

The Hebrew writer speaks about angels a great deal, using the beginning of the book to show the distinction between God the Son and the created angelic beings.

The end of chapter 1 states that angels minister to those who are going to inherit salvation. Based on this passage it seems that angels are active in some way in the lives of men. What exactly they do is something men should discuss.

An angel ministered to Christ when he was in the garden before His crucifixion. In that instance, it seems that the angel acted as a being of comfort for Christ. Therefore, one possibility for what angels do for man is to comfort them at various times.

This does not have to be active comfort but instead could be passive instead. In theory, an angel could be the cause of that sense of calm that comes over you in the middle of a moment of fear. We cannot prove this, we can only speculate.

We know that based on scripture the angels rejoice in heaven when one sinner repents from his sin.

This was made clear by Jesus during His parable about the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-10). At the very least we can think that angels are cheering for us and are rooting for us to win the spiritual war while we are still alive.

Theoretically, angels could be walking on Earth disguised as humans. I find this unlikely in the present day, but we know this happened in biblical times. The last chapter of Hebrews shows that in past times people have entertained strangers not knowing that they were really entertaining angels (Hebrew 13:2).

This is most likely an event of the past, but it is still interesting to think that perhaps we have interacted with an angel. They could simply be regular people. This, again, is mere speculation – just a thought experiment.

The Psalmist writes about angels and the Angel of the Lord many different times. Angels are comforters and aids. What they do in the modern day is still up for debate.

However, it may be comforting to you to think that you are not alone and that someone or something else is there to help. Again, this is not a very scientific belief, and there is not a great deal of evidence to build upon. For most Christians, belief in angels tends to be personal and speculative.

Mantra

None

Application

None. Conduct yourselves like men.

Fasting – Mental And Physiological Benefits

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:16-18

“Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself?

Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”
Isaiah 58:3-7

Men do not talk about fasting anymore.

No one likes to fast because everyone loves pleasure and comfort. Many people view food as a god in the way they think and speak about it, including many Christians. This section is not going to be about bashing food and eating. Some Christians feel the need to avoid any and every type of pleasure including the enjoyment of eating. That is not the purpose of this section, though people do tend to bow to the altar of food.

“For forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.”
Luke 4:2

When Christ spoke to us about fasting, He said that “when you fast” you should conduct yourself in a certain way (Matthew 6:16-18).

We place emphasis on the word “When”. Christ expected us to fast, it was not simply a suggestion. And while it seems like fasting is just another commandment, it actually brings several physiological benefits. As always, God, the Great Scientist, directs us towards actions that benefit us in the long run. Here are a few of the assorted benefits of fasting, and the sources for these statements are at the bottom of the page:

Fasting has been shown to have anticancer effects. It can also reduce inflammation in the body. This is beneficial if you have inflamed joints or any kind of sickness that involves high levels of body system inflammation. If you have blood pressure problems, fasting can help mediate those symptoms to a degree. Fasting protects brain cells and prevents the onset of dementia. This is known as the neuroprotective effects of fasting. It also promotes the growth of new brain cells in a process called neurogenesis. Overeating and gluttony may be prominent contributing factors of all the various types of dementia that we are seeing in the world. Weight Loss is an obvious benefit of consuming less calories during a fast. Fasting also increases growth hormone secretion in men, allowing for more muscle growth and better hormonal biochemistry overall. Lastly, fasting, and calorie restriction in general, can increase your lifespan.

Fasting can be uncomfortable, but the benefits it provides are numerous.

You save time during fasts because you do not have to prepare food. When Christ gave the command to fast, He wanted us to replace the time we normally spend eating with prayer.

We gain more time besides what we spend eating meals. All the time it takes to buy and prepare food is saved. Besides all the health benefits, there are benefits for your mentality that come from fasting. After you go through the hunger pains, you might have greater focus and mental clarity though these benefits are more subjective and tend to vary from person to person. Whatever your motivation for fasting is, you must fast. Christ expects it from us.

Mantra

I Sacrifice the pleasure of food for the profit of prayer.

Application

If long-term fasting scares you, you are weak minded and must strengthen yourself. You will need to start with the easy path of Intermittent fasting (IF). IF is where you fast for a portion of the day and then consume all your calories in a small eating window. Most people practice 16 hours of fasting with an 8 hour eating window. Obviously you will want to sleep during part of the 16 hours fasting window. If you have a standard job and are hungry in the mornings, you may want to start eating at 10 AM and stop at 6 PM. 12 PM – 8 PM may be the most reasonable eating window if you can wait until lunch time. IF will give you some of the benefits of fasting without the pain of long term fasting.

I think full day, 72 hours and longer fasts are the best. Work yourself up to the point where you can hold these fasts. There is no advice and there are no tips for fasting. You simply do not eat. Be sure to drink water. Easy.

Build the strength of the mind.

Behave wisely and with honor.

Prioritize action over emotion.

Conduct yourselves like men.

Sources

1 – Brandhorst, S. “Fasting and Caloric Restriction in Cancer Prevention and Treatment.”, Recent Results Cancer Research, 2016.

2 – Lavin, Desiree et. al. “Fasting induces an anti-inflammatory effect on the neuroimmune system which a high-fat diet prevents”, Obesity, Aug. 2011

3 – Anderson, B. Et. al. “Acute effects of short-term fasting on blood pressure, circulating noradrenaline and efferent sympathetic nerve activity.”, Acta Medica Scandinavica. 1988

4 – Manzanero, Silvia et. al. “Intermittent fasting attenuates increases in neurogenesis after ischemia and reperfusion and improves recovery”, Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow Metabolism. Feb. 19, 2014

5 – Ho, K. Y. et. al. “Fasting enhances growth hormone secretion and amplifies the complex rhythms of growth hormone secretion in man”. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Apr 1988

6 – Carlson, Anton J. et. al. “Apparent Prolongation of the Life Span of Rats by Intermittent Fasting: One Figure”. Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Mar 1, 1946

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