Spartan Christianity

Monkeypox is being touted as the new Covid variant among some groups. But these groups tend to leave out one very important point about the disease that we will discuss later.

When God issues a command, it is generally for a good reason. When God commands men to avoid having sex with other men [Leviticus 17:22], it is for a specific reason:  to protect them from the practical consequences of homosexuality.

God does not blindly create commandments to arbitrarily limit human fun or enjoyment on the earth. Everything He does is for a specific purpose. He is not interested in making life on earth as miserable for humanity as possible. 

We have written before about the practical consequences of sin. Which is the idea is that everything we do has consequences that are not only spiritual but also physical while we live on earth. Sure, there are eternal consequences for the way we conduct ourselves on this earth. But there are also practical consequences that affect our day-to-day living on earth. 

When a man commits adultery, he does not only sin against God, but he damages his own reputation, character, and likely his wealth in the form of alimony or child support payments. Those are the practical, earthly consequences of the sin of adultery.

So when God makes commands, He is not trying to limit our enjoyment of life, He is trying to protect us from the practical consequences of our actions. 

That leads us to the discussion on monkeypox. If you pay attention to the mainstream media, you will likely have noticed an interesting spin on this new disease. Much of the media is trying to spin monkeypox into the next covid. They already have people in the habit of chronic fear, so it is likely that many people will simply fall in line to whatever they are told. If the average person is told to fear monkeypox, they will do so without question. The average man will give up his freedom for nothing. 

But there is an interesting twist on monkeypox: it is a homosexual sexually transmitted disease (STD). This is the fact that many groups touting monkeypox as the new covid are leaving out. 

What this means is that the only way to acquire this “scary new disease” is through homosexual contact. You wouldn’t know that simply from listening to the mainstream media though. If you have not learned to think for yourself, you would be paralyzed with fear to hear about this “next covid”. 

Look at this block from Apologetics Press.

n August 4^th, 2022, the Biden administration declared a public health emergency in response to the outbreak of “monkeypox.”¹ The World Health Organization (WHO) had already done so in July.² Rashes with painful blisters, facial, genital, mouth, throat, eye, and anal lesions, scabbing, swollen lymph nodes, severe rectal pain, kidney damage, heart inflammation, fever, chills, flu-like symptoms, excruciating pain while eating or going to the bathroom, and throat swelling significant enough to prevent drinking are common with the disease, some leading to hospitalization, permanent damage, scarring, and even death.³ New Scientist reported that “the vast majority of cases have been in men who have sex with men, according to the WHO. It reported that 99 per cent of cases have been in this group in the UK, US, Canada and Spain…. The disease is more likely to occur in people who have had multiple sexual partners recently.”⁴ Rarely is it the case that our brazenly immoral society stumbles across the biblical solution to a problem but, to their credit, one of the solutions being advocated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is homosexual abstinence—at least temporarily.

Monkey Pox: Homosexuality Is Bad for You, and God Called It Again,
Jeff Miller

This is truly incredible. A generation of people has been brought to their knees through fear. They have been conditioned to feel fear and they have forgotten what it is like to be free.

But the main point is this, there are practical consequences to sin, including the sin of homosexuality. When people engage in this sin, they put themselves at a serious health risk. We have known this for years, as other STDs presented en masse in homosexual populations. 

It comes back to the idea of the guardrail versus the fence when discussing the commands of God. Do you view the commands in the Bible as a fence preventing you from doing what you enjoy? If you do, you will have a difficult time viewing the commands of God as a guardrail protecting you from the negative consequences of your actions.

Shift your mentality. Embrace the fact that God commands things to protect us from their consequences. 

When God restricts different food sources in Leviticus 11, it looked like He was placing arbitrary culinary restrictions on the Israelites. But we know now based on scientific evidence that this was done to protect the people. Because those different food sources, if not cooked correctly like the way master chefs prepare them today, result in sickness and disease for the people who eat them. Bats are toxic to eat and can cause neurodegenerative diseases, as different African countries are discovering. 

The point is that these food restrictions were to protect people. Similarly, restrictions on sexual activity, heterosexual or homosexual, were designed for the protection of human beings, not for their torture.

I would argue that many people today are homosexual because of social contagion. There are few true homosexuals. The majority of them have adopted this perversion because it is “hip” and gives them instant status. The person who engages in homosexual behavior is simply trying to become valuable in any way they can. What faster way to go from an insignificant person to one of the most protected populations in the country than by adopting homosexuality? 

I’m not saying some people do not have legitimate desires for members of the same sex; I am saying that the people who are truly homosexual, if there can be such a thing, are few and far between. And the fact that they have genuine desire does not make the behavior correct.

We are not supposed to engage in every single behavior that we desire to engage in. It’s something called “discipline” – resisting what we want for what is of greater value.

Should a man engage in sex with a woman he is not married to because he desires her? We know he should not. And we know this because we know that we are not to give in to any and every desire we have. We are called to resist the urges of the flesh if they oppose the teaches that come from the mind of God. 

If you want to avoid contacting monkeypox, it seems to be a very simple solution. Simply avoid having homosexual sex.

There is no need to overcomplicate it. God protects man from disease by teaching that he should allocate all his sexual desires to his wife only. Not to rob man of fun, but to protect man from all the consequences that come from sexual promiscuity. 

Monkeypox is a practical consequence of homosexuality. And it is a consequence that can be avoided if men will simply listen to the commands of God. 

The story of Joseph can teach us important lessons about how to conduct ourselves as men. Here are 3 lessons from Joseph’s interactions in Egypt.

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent word and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. ¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard ^[h]it said about you, that ^[i]when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” ¹⁶ Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “^[j]It has nothing to do with me; God will ^[k]give Pharaoh an answer for his own good.” ¹⁷ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, there I was, standing on the bank of the Nile; ¹⁸ and behold, seven cows, ^[l]fat and fine-looking came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass. ¹⁹ Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ^[m]ugly and ^[n]thin, such as I had never seen for ^[o]ugliness in all the land of Egypt; ²⁰ and the thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows. ²¹ Yet when they had ^[p]devoured them, it could not be ^[q]detected that they had ^[r]devoured them, ^[s]for they were just as ugly as ^[t]before. Then I awoke. ²² I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears of grain, full and good, came up on a single stalk; ²³ and behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind sprouted up after them; ²⁴ and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then I told it to the soothsayer priests, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

²⁵ And Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s ^[u]dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. ²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the ^[v]dreams are one and the same. ²⁷ The seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine. ^28 [w]It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. ²⁹ Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; ³⁰ and after them seven years of famine will ^[x]come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ^[y]ravage the land. ³¹ So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe. ³² Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is confirmed by God, and God will quickly bring it about. ³³ So now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and appoint him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers ^[z]in charge of the land, and let him take a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt as a tax in the seven years of abundance. ³⁵ Then have them collect all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and have them guard it. ³⁶ Let the food be used as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish during the famine.”

³⁷ Now the ^[aa]proposal seemed good ^[ab]to Pharaoh and ^[ac]to all his servants.

Genesis 41: 14-17

1 – Manage your appearance before appearing before people of power and influence.

Notice how Joseph improves the way that he looks before he goes before Pharaoh. How many people do you know who walk around dressed like overgrown ten-year-olds? That is not a good look, and it will not get you where you are trying to go in life.

Joseph realizes the importance of not appearing before Pharaoh looking like he just walked out of the prison holding cell. He shaves and cleans himself up before appearing before royalty.

We could learn to do the same in our lives. Even if we never appear before royalty we could still do much better at dressing with self-respect and acting like professionals. It would certainly not hurt to behave this way.

How many men enter into the worship assembly with no thought to how they dress?

I would argue that it is the majority of men, unfortunately. You can instantly set yourself apart from the men around you simply by taking greater care of your personal appearance.

2 – Give God the credit.

When Pharoh asks Joseph to interpret the dream, he immediately states that the interpretation of dreams belongs to God. He takes no credit for himself, but places the credit where it belongs, with God.

Many times in our life we try to take all the credit for our accomplishments. Perhaps we do achieve something with our own hands and with the sweat of our brows. But we should always acknowledge God’s hand in those matters. If we do not, we are planting seeds of arrogance, which inevitably leads to failures of various kinds.

3 – Maintain humility, but manage power with grace. Do not seek power directly, but be ready to manage it if it comes to you.

Joseph didn’t ask for power, but it came to him nonetheless. You may find yourself in similar circumstances. You may not directly seek out riches and power, but it may come into your possession, and you have to make sure you are the caliber of man who can handle that power. What would you do if the blessings of earth found their way into your hands? Would you forget God or would you be like Job who was faithful to God through wealth, poverty, and wealth again? That should be the ideal to strive toward. What will you do if power or possessions come to you?

I would encourage you to build the character now that can handle power or possession lates in life. Make sure you can mamnange blessings if they come your way.

These are 3 lessons from Joseph. As simple as they are, they are practical. We could learn many more from this man’s life, but this is where we will stop today.

Whether you know it or not, every attempt you make it living a faithful Christian Life is an attempt to lay Siege to hell. You are attempting to rob the enemy of souls that you would drag there. This includes your own soul. You are actually planting your machines of War outside the gates of the enemy, and laying Siege to it. Your weapons are for pulling down strongholds.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, ⁴ for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but ^[b]divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. ⁵ We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

 Why is it important to think like this? Because many in the religious world have made it popular in virtuous to be a pacifist when it comes to the Christian lifestyle. They’re all about softness, and what they trying to pass off as love and kindness, is in actuality weakness and cowardliness.

 It is important to think of your life as an assault on the enemy because it Taps into your innate masculine desire for war. It allows you to take advantage of your warlike nature. Many of us will never have to go to war, and will never have to see the fields of combat. And we should be grateful for that every single day. But the reality is that this leaves a portion of our souls untapped. It is that portion that is responsible for allowing us to fight in a war if necessary. What are we supposed to do with that part of our nature as men if we’re not going to war?

 What we can do is learn to convert it into energy to help us live a faithful life.

Whenever you are resisting the urges of the flesh you are at War. Whenever you are attempting to follow the precepts, commands, and principles found in the scripture, you are engaged in a violent and bloody spiritual war. You need to think of it this way because it is a war. At the end of time, it will have lasting consequences depending on the way that you fight in this war.

 You need to start thinking of every attempt at evangelism that’s a serious blow to the enemy.

Every time you’ve lived according to the principles of scripture you are laying Siege to hell. It is this masculine warlike attitude that will fill you with an indomitable spirit, and Limitless energy. When you begin to think of your lifestyle as more than just being a weak man who doesn’t do anything fun, but instead you are a noble Warrior who is engaged in constant Warfare for the betterment of himself, those around him, and all of those who will be impacted by the way he lives his life,  You open the door to infinite power.

 So begin to reframe you’re thinking. Think about the war you are engaged in, and that you lay Siege to hell every single day with the way that you act.

With that mentality, you will begin to take everything more seriously and give the mundane activities of life more importance. Things that once seemed small will now have more significance. How do you conduct yourself day today? Do you have integrity in all aspects of your life or just in the big ones that everyone sees?

 Those are the serious questions we have to ask ourselves as men. If we are honest with ourselves we fail more often than we would like to admit. But it is through that failure that we were eyes again and again and go back to work. We reset our Siege equipment and engage in Warfare yet again. That is what you must do every day of your life. Convert the weakness that many have made religion into 2 a strength, and a powerful mentality.  Lay Siege to hell

When it comes to your life and the eventual destination of your soul, you need to develop the ability to think for yourself. So many people in life and in religion outsource their thinking to someone other than themselves. I am always amazed that people would entrust the eternal destination of their soul to someone else. How much trust must one have in a teacher to allow them to do all their thinking for them with regard to spiritual matters? Why not learn to think for yourself?

But that is sadly how much of the religious world behaves. Even when it comes to their souls, people will outsource their thinking to someone else. They will avoid the difficult labor of thought that comes with making decisions. 

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Philippians 2:12

You must learn to think for yourself. There are many ways to do this, try these exercises to begin with.

I – When watching videos online, do not read the comments. Formulate your own thoughts and evaluation of the video without falling into the opinion of the mob.

II – Do not ask what others think before deciding what you think.

This doesn’t mean you cannot change your mind once you hear the other side of the story – but you must be in the habit of relying on your own thinking and consulting your own mind first. Then consult the minds of others after you have formed an initial hypothesis.  Have the autonomy to think for yourself, but also the humility to change your opinion if you find a more correct way of thinking. You can adjust your opinion as you gain more facts, but at least develop an initial idea to work off.

III – Do not expect things to be good or bad based on what others say about them.

Understand that you will have your own interpretations and way of valuing each scenario. Do not make a pre-judgment when someone describes a movie, song, or book as “awesome” or “terrible”. Learn to formulate your own judgments only after you have examined the movie/song/book with your rational mind.

You have within you the latent and often untapped ability to think, be creative, and generate unique thoughts. Why waste the incredible capacity of your mind by allowing others to do all your thinking for you?

Besides, those people didn’t even think for themselves either. They inherited the majority of their ideas, swallowed them without question, and proceeded to live their lives based on ideas they do not know are true or false. They have never taken the time to scrutinize them and determine what the real elements of truth are, and what elements of their beliefs need to be done away with. 

Thinking is the process of asking and answering questions in your mind.

We avoid thinking by asking others questions instead of ourselves. Get into the habit of asking yourself questions. What you will be surprised to learn is that if you can get into the habit of asking yourself questions, your mind will actually generate answers for you. Sometimes it will do this with no additional work needed on your part. Your mind is so powerful that the unconscious components of it can do work and provide answers to the questions that your conscious mind is asking.

Of course, I’m not asking you to avoid ever asking questions or getting help from others. Of course, we need help from others and we need their expertise from time to time. We would make infinitely more mistakes and lose much more time if we exclusively relied on our own thinking to allow us to reach our goals.

What we are trying to avoid is continually and habitually asking others for help and asking them questions at the expense of thinking for ourselves.

Your reflex reaction to a problem should not be to immediately ask for help without first trying to think through and figure out the situation you are in.  Instead of asking ourselves questions and searching for the answers internally, we externalize every single question and never force our minds to generate any answers. This will cause us difficulty later in life because we will never have developed the ability to think rationally. 

Begin by employing the handful of strategies suggested in this essay. You will find yourself using mental muscles that you have not used in years. You will learn to think for yourself. We must re-learn to think for ourselves and develop our own thoughts to the fullest.