God & My Submarine 2

"For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world." 1 John 2:16 NIV

“One of the many terms used in the Navy and Marine Corps to let someone know they are not paying attention is to tell them to ‘Keep your Eyes in the Boat’. In general, the person has become distracted by someone or something and is not paying attention to what they are doing. It is important to give this command because, more often than not, a distraction in the military can lead to someone getting hurt, or in the Navy in particular, a ship getting off course. At the Naval Academy, this term is also used when a plebe (or freshmen) is not looking straight ahead while walking or marching which is a requirement for your whole first year.

In our lives as Christian men, we can become distracted in so many ways. The world offers up so many temptations that it becomes increasingly harder to stay on a straight path and do the right things. Whether it is influencers in the media, influencers on social media, influencers in sports, or take your pick of influencer, they are trying to sway your thoughts, your words and your actions. The problem with the influencers is that the majority of them are trying to sway you toward things in the world and often, away from the direction of God. I like to call them 'sinfluencers'. If we put our cards on the table, the sinfluencers are influencers being used by the enemy to tell lies and confuse us into wrong thinking. Lies are the only trick in the enemy’s bag and he will use anyone to accomplish his ultimate goal in separating us from God.

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:19-24 NIV

One of the most common distractions we as men fall prey to, that occurs in our daily lives, is when we see a striking or what we perceive to be a beautiful woman. What do we tend to do? We look. So far, we are ok, it’s only natural. But what if we look again? Or worse yet, what if we stare? That is when we cross the line and our actions are taking us away from what we know to be correct behavior. It is time for our inner self to give us the command, ‘Eyes in the Boat’. In other words, we are distracted and it’s time to look away. The second look or stare is a form of lust and should never happen. It may seem harmless, however it is one of the most immoral acts we can commit against our wives or girlfriend. The bible calls it adultery, which we all know has no place with Christian men.

“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 NIV

As Christian men, understanding the bible and the ways in which we are to behave is imperative to living our life in Christ. Filling our hearts with the right things is only accomplished by spending time with Jesus on a daily basis. Look at it as a form of training, a daily habit that equips us with tools, and as we remove the impurities from our hearts the Holy Spirit now has room to live within us. The Spirit will guide us in our ways and remind us to keep the enemy at bay as we live our life according to the righteous path that has been laid out for us. The Spirit will keep our eyes from wandering and allow us to combat the world one encounter at a time. Stay strong, stay in the word, and keep your heart in the right place.

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6 NIV

On a submarine, one of the worst ship wide announcements you could hear is ‘torpedo in the water’. That means that your enemy, most likely during wartime, just fired a torpedo at your ship. The likelihood that the torpedo will hit your submarine is very high as most torpedoes are fired at very close range, since submarines are commonly only detected at these short distances. The submarine is in grave danger once a torpedo is detected and is coming towards it. It takes almost instantaneous reaction and the use of other measures in order to successfully evade a torpedo and remain unscathed. One of the methods submarines use is the use of noisemakers. The torpedoes are generally programmed to run toward the noise of a submarine so they can maneuver to ensure a hit. In order to evade a submarine, swift tactical maneuvers are completed as well as dropping ‘noisemakers’ into the water. The noisemakers purpose is to make wide broadband noise similar to the submarine so that the torpedo is fooled and eventually tracks in the direction of the noisemakers, keeping the ship safe from destruction.

In our life as Christian men, we encounter a world on a daily basis that provides us with many distractions from how we are called to live. In Luke 9:23, we are called to “take up our cross daily” to be a follower of Jesus. Our goal is to focus on Jesus and strive to live our lives as he commanded us to. We move along a righteous path and become more like Jesus as we get into the word. The world is full of noise and people who are noisemakers, all who want to distract us from what we know to be the truth. Like the torpedo, as we move toward Jesus, the noisemakers will go off all around us trying to distract our focus from our target.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV

Make no mistake, the noise comes from the enemy. He will use any means necessary to try and confuse us with lies. He will use people, things, words, or other’s actions to try and get us off our path. The only weapon he has in his toolbox is the lie so he has to be crafty in how he uses it. In our world, it is disguised in social media, television, push notifications, news, other people, worldly things, etc. Behind all of these things lies our enemy, trying to manipulate the narrative and confuse the truth we know in the bible. It’s all noise, and it’s cleverly designed to have us veer off our path as we head toward Jesus.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

It is tough to live in today’s world and be a follower of Jesus. As the world becomes darker, more temptation and self-satisfaction become the norm of everyday life for some. More and more we see the removal of Jesus and Christianity from places where it has been at the forefront for more than two thousand years. The people who lead these efforts are noisemakers, filled with deception and lies of our adversary, and acting to perpetrate the big lie that is our enemy. Stay in the word, know the real truth which will help you filter the noise, and you will stay on your path toward your target, Jesus Christ.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:15-18 NIV

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV

Finding a submarine in the middle of the ocean is not easy. Surface ships, airplanes, and even other submarines deploy sophisticated techniques in order to try and detect a submarine in the ocean. One of the main methods utilized to detect submarines is the use of active sonar. This type of sonar involves sending out a sound pulse into the water and waiting for the sound to hit something, and then return back to the sonar equipment. The information that returns gives a target direction of something in the water as well as the distance to the object. The active pulse that is sent out with sonar is subject to bending based upon water temperatures. Sometimes when there is a warm layer of water on top of a colder layer of water, the sound can bend in two different directions depending on which layer of water it is traveling in. Right between the two layers of water is a place where sound cannot travel to, making it impossible to get a ‘ping’ on the sonar. This is where submarines hide because active sonar cannot find them. It is referred to as a ‘shadow zone’.

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1 NIV

When it comes to our Christian faith, it is sometimes difficult to boldly proclaim that we are followers of Jesus. The world seems to constantly want to beat us down and tell us there is no place for our beliefs in today’s progressive society. Companies, governments, schools, and others continually remove Christianity from their core value systems, resulting in a negative stigma toward Christianity and the people who proclaim to be Christians. Often, the negative shaming that the world puts forth causes us to retreat and enter a worldly ‘shadow zone’ where we don’t want to be known as having Christian faith. We tend to ‘hide’ in this shadow zone rather than proudly professing our faith.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” John 15:18-19 NIV

It is important that as Christians we are bold in our faith. Being bold doesn’t mean we are prideful or arrogant by thinking we are better than others. It requires us to be humble and loving in our daily lives, non-judgmental, and showing the world the goodness of Christianity. It also requires us to emerge from our shadow zones and be honest about where we stand with Jesus. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us and gives us the strength to be bold in our faith. As we go through our days, if we act as the bible tells us to act, others will often take note of our loving nature and wonder why we are this way. Kindness, love, compassion all are contagious and this is how we are called to live our lives. When someone asks, tell them this is true Christianity, not the Christianity that is portrayed on TV or social avenues. Often, we might be able to change perceptions of Christianity and witness to people who have never known the truth.

“As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20 NIV

It is imperative that we remain or become bold in our faith. The world is becoming aggressive toward Christians, mostly because they have a mistaken identity of what true Christianity stands for or looks like. Too many of us have been in the ‘shadow zone’ and don’t want to be seen by others for fear of pushback. The only way we make ground in spreading the gospel of Jesus is to remain strong, and remain bold. The simple act of living our life as Jesus wanted us to will change minds and hearts in the secular society as they realize we are here to help and love. Let others see true Christianity and be bold in your faith, and slowly the world will see the amazing truth that is Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.” Luke 8:18 NIV

Submarines use sonar for a various number of reasons in their operations. Sonar is short for Sound Navigation and Ranging. There are two different types of sonar, active and passive. Active sonar involves sending an acoustic signal into the water and waiting for it to hit something and then send that ‘echo’ back to the submarine. Using sophisticated transducers, the strength of the signal will allow software to calculate the distance of the object. The direction of the signal tells the submarine where the object is located. More often than not though, a submarine will use passive sonar. Passive sonar is a type of sonar that is the business of ‘listening’. No signals are sent out by the submarine in an effort to remain in quiet or stealth mode. Instead, with passive sonar, the transducers are listening for noise. With sophisticated techniques, the noise that is heard with passive sonar is filtered and the type of noise detected can be categorized into what the noise represents, whether that is biologics or another ship.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” James 1:19 NIV

As Christian men, it is important that we develop and groom our skills used in passive listening. Passive listening is an important proficiency we can use to filter out the worldly noise that can easily distract us. Just like the submarine, we can passively listen to the sounds that are all around us, pull them into our human transducers (ears), and then based upon our learnings of the word (sophisticated tools), decipher the clamor, and make more intelligent decisions which keep us aligned with our value systems. The sounds we hear when we listen to the world are both good and dark and can confuse us at times when we make decisions. If we do not have the proper tools to decipher what is being said, we can easily believe things that are not in line with the truth. The tool we use to decipher between good and bad is the bible. It contains the commands of Jesus on how we as men should conduct our lives in order to remain strong in our faith. This tool allows us to hear the world, and then know what is right and what is wrong.

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV

Our friends, social media, television news, athletes, entertainers, and many other types of people all have their opinions, and they try to influence our thinking. It is important that we allow ourselves to have an extra layer of protection to combat the various noise that will come from these outlets. Our enemy is a crafty nemesis, and he will use any method or tool possible to confuse us and trip us up. For that added layer of protection, it is important that we surround ourselves with people who provide positive influences in our lives. The more positivity, the less corrupt noise they can put out there for others to hear. Having people surrounding us who are optimistic and strong in their moral clarity will lessen the chance of dark noise reaching our human transducer. We can’t always control everyone who surrounds us, and there will be unhealthy influencers who get into our space. Our discernment and ability to recognize these toxic people will become easier as we get into the word and understand the truth of the bible. Our judgment of people and the noise will become much clearer when we develop a pattern of understanding what is true and what is noise.

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20 NIV

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13

US Navy ballistic submarines are used as a strategic deterrent as they maneuver through the oceans of the world. Simply put, those submarines are equipped with nuclear weapons, only to be used in the event of an attack by other adversaries. The goal is to never have to launch a nuclear missile, but enemies of the US know that if they were to attack us, there would be a decimating retaliation that would occur. Just knowing this retaliation would occur keeps our enemies from attacking. This is known as strategic deterrence. It is a peacetime strategy to show the world of our armament in an attempt to create a deterrent to attacks from the enemy.

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:11

As Christians, we face a growing number of adversaries every day. Governments, schools, the media, professional sports, social media, the entertainment industry, and many other factions are increasingly becoming aggressive in their negative attacks towards Christians and their beliefs. We are called “haters” for having traditional beliefs which may not align with what most of the world has mistakenly come to believe as the truth. To make matters even worse, we are one of the biggest targets of the cancel culture prevalent in today’s society. It is often difficult to stand up for our beliefs for fear that we will be treated in this appalling manner, especially when it is by people we know and consider our friends. So how do we fight back? What tools do we have in our arsenal that will allow others to know they cannot get away with their attacks? Better yet, what will keep them from attacking, in other words, our “Christian Strategic Deterrent”? The answer lies in the tool that we are armed with as Christ followers, a tool we call “grace”. Because of the incredible grace shown and ultimate price that Jesus paid for all of us, that amazing gift of grace is passed on to us as Christians.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16

Let’s be clear, the people who are speaking and acting out against Christianity are humans and nothing more than vehicles of our enemy. The only tool in his deception is the lie and he uses it to deceive people into believing that Christianity is wrong. Using ‘grace’ as our strategic deterrent, we can turn the tables and show the world they are incorrect, and that Christianity is good. As we face ill-advised people who do not understand true Christianity, Jesus calls us to be the better person and not engage in the hate-filled world. If we only show love for others, remain calm in intense situations others may us engage us in, perform positive actions in our communities, and provide grace to others in rough situations, we will show the world the truth of the gospel and what Christianity really looks like. The world will be scratching their heads at what they see and how opposite it is to how Christians are portrayed. Over time, people will see Christianity for what it truly is, not the version that the enemy has brought forth through his vehicles of the world. Our grace will eventually change the minds of the world and become a strategic deterrent against others to perpetuate hate.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you." Matthew 5:38-42

“No matter how many times you trip them up, God-loyal people don’t stay down long; Soon they’re up on their feet, while the wicked end up flat on their faces.” Proverbs 24:16 MSG

Sometimes events can go wrong on a submarine. One of the most dangerous things that can occur is when the submarine goes into a “Jam Dive”. When this occurs, the planes that keep a submarine level as it moves through the water fail into a downward position and the submarine begins to unwillingly dive and move toward the bottom of the ocean. This is dangerous as the submarine is moving toward unsafe depths where the structural integrity of the sub is challenged. Navy crews are trained to combat this condition by instituting what are known as immediate actions. Immediate actions are things that each crewmember is trained to do when an event such as a jam dive occurs. They are designed to put the ship in a safe condition until other fixes can be implemented.

Sometimes if we are not careful, our lives as Christian men can spiral out of control. Whether it is through some of our own actions or in some instances uncontrollable circumstances, it appears as if we have no control over the situation and no one is there to help us. We have entered our own personal “jam dive” and we are headed downward. Our worldly support system can disappear, and we often lose any faith in God we may have. Recognizing that we have entered this downward spiral and implementing our own immediate actions is important at this point in our life journey. We must get our life in an immediate safe condition.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

Our training on the immediate actions required for this difficult season of life stems from the bible and the instructions given to us to live like Christian men. To deter ourselves from entering a personal ‘jam dive’, we need to read the word daily and arm ourselves with the tools the bible instills in us. The more often we read the word, it is more likely our ‘jam dive’ will not be caused by our own actions. We will have equipped ourselves with knowledge and strength to live righteously, and the likelihood that we cause our own difficulties is decreased. For those occasions that a difficult season of life occurs where we could not control the circumstances, by understanding the word, the immediate actions to turn the dive around will be crystal clear in our memory and we will know what to do to upright the ship. In every circumstance, the first three immediate actions the bible requires us to do are the same:

Immediate Actions

1) Understand that God is in Control

God is always by your side, and He has a plan for us. His will is going to be done. Be calm in all situations.

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

2) Pray

When we are right with God, our relationship with Him is in a place where we can have a conversation with him. We can pray openly to Him about our current plight and the needs we have where we need help.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

3) Maintain your Faith

Don’t give up the ship! Be strong in faith in the good times and the hard times. God’s covenant with us promises us that His word will lead us.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

The bilge of a submarine is the area underneath the decks where certain things accumulate. Back in the engine room, you can usually find a mixture of seawater, oil, grease, and other interesting items. It is probably the lowest and grossest area of the ship. In the older days of the navy, rats that were on the pier used to climb across the mooring lines to the ship and then make their way on board ship. As rats tend to do, they usually would find their way to living in the bilge area and thus the term “Bilge Rat”. Modern ships utilize cones on their lines to prevent rats from getting on the ships. The term ‘bilge’ has remained around in the navy for decades. At the US Naval Academy, the term bilge usually would describe when a midshipman would dishonor or make another midshipman look bad to win personal gain in some way. This was highly frowned upon, and you did not want to be nicknamed a “bilge rat”.

In the normal course of being a human, we surround or associate ourselves with people every day. Knowingly or unknowingly, most of these people can have an influence on our thinking, our words, and our actions. As Christians, it is likely we hang around many people who are friends from church, but it is also probable that we have friends who are outside the church. In both cases, it is important we recognize early on whether the people we hang around will provide a positive influence for us. We must keep in mind though, negative influences can come from anybody, and it is key that we recognize the signs of these harmful people who are trying to change our belief system. These are the worlds ‘Bilge Rats’, and most of the time, they are only trying to achieve something which will help themselves. 

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

In today’s world, a more modern way negative influence type people may be described is with the word ‘toxic’. Toxic people can be harmful to us, and often act in insidious ways. These are false prophets. Sometimes they even appear to be speaking God’s words, but they twist and turn them to the point that they are not speaking the truth at all. Instead, they manipulate the words to mean what they want them to mean. They don’t realize they are only being used as a vehicle to deliver the enemy’s message, which is designed to completely confuse us in our beliefs. If we are not careful, these ‘bilge rats’ can influence our hearts into believing these false messages are what God really meant. They can become very toxic to us, and our belief system and their influence can cause us great pain. Recognizing that the words from the ‘bilge rats’ are not the truth is very important, and we should set up boundaries with those who can influence our hearts negatively.

“Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

Positive Christian influencers in our life generally provide good input to the decisions we make. They want to build us up in an encouraging way and celebrate our accomplishments. They will also provide deep accountability for us and call us out when we go off the track. They will never ask us to do things contrary to God’s words. It is vitally important that we read and understand the gospel of Jesus every day so that we will remain equipped with the truth and understand when we are in the presence of a destructive influencer. As Christians, it is crucial we openly state to toxic people when we think something is wrong and where our moral compass points. True friends will not try and deter us from our beliefs and not try to manipulate us into engaging in self-damaging behavior. If our friends still try to direct us into doing or saying something contrary to our beliefs, then we need to walk away. We should be positive toward these so-called friends, and we even should help them understand the error in their ways, but setting boundaries and knowing when it is time to move on from the relationship is equally central to removing bad influences in our life.

“Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips.” Proverbs 14:7

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:11

One of the most intense and rigorous times of preparedness on a submarine is when Condition 1SQ is set. When a submarine gets to Condition 1SQ, missiles are prepared to launch, most likely because an enemy is preparing to attack us. Leading up to this point, the submarine would have gone through four other conditions of readiness, general quarters would be in place meaning the crew was prepared for battle, the submarine would have to position itself at launch depth and in a hovering state, and the ship would have been rigged for ultra-quiet meaning many of the electrical loads would have been shutdown to minimize noise. This is an intense, all-out concentrated effort by everyone on the submarine to prepare for battle and be ready for an extreme offensive to protect the country.

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12

In our Christian life, we as men have the potential to be in an all-out spiritual battle that takes place in the spiritual realm and encompasses forces all around us, both good and evil. We do not necessarily think of this battle most of the time because we cannot see it, but the bible tells us that this battle is there. In John 17, Jesus tells us because He is not of this world, the world will hate Him and because He has given us to God, we will also be hated by the world. Our spiritual enemy lurks in this unique space and looks for every opportunity to pull us away from God. Our enemy will take advantage of even the slightest opening and enter our hearts. We see it more and more as the world turns further away from God. The harmful desires that can give us instant gratification are positioned in front of us to test are willingness to fight the enemy in his exhausting battle to pull us back into the world. As the world grows darker, this spiritual warfare is becoming extremely intense at times and is calling us to be at Condition 1SQ in our hearts. We must be at a heightened sense of awareness to protect ourselves from the enemy’s schemes to pull us away.

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ," 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Jesus gave us God’s word to fill us with what He called ‘the truth’. Having God’s word instilled inside of our hearts will get us in our best position for battle against our enemy. Our hearts will be in Condition 1SQ and ready to launch our offensive against whatever the world can throw at us. It takes two to tango, and if we do not allow ourselves to be pulled into the enemy’s schemes and lies against us, there may not even be a battle because we gave the enemy nothing, leaving no cracks in the armor to pierce. We win, period! We were given the tools which can destroy our enemy, we just need to keep those tools sharpened and ready. Our bibles need to be opened daily, knowledge and understanding fortified by reading, and the truth will be implanted in our hearts with no room to allow the enemy in. The enemy is out there, we need to be aware and not give any opening to start a battle with us.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, Romans 5:3-4

The US Navy submarine force generally recruits men and women of sound character. Typical character traits we see in submarine force personnel are hardworking, honesty, integrity, trustworthy, decisive, dependable, boldness, loyalty, strength, leadership, and many other traits. These types of traits are desired in those who work on a submarine crew because every person on that submarine relies on every other person to keep the submarine safe. In other words, everybody has each other’s back. Should one crew member put the ship in danger, it can be detrimental to the other members on board. Every member of the submarine has duties and responsibilities which must be always carried out, or they risk the entire crew’s life. Even the cleanliness of the submarine requires strict discipline of the crew to ensure the crew is healthy. Recruiting men who have a high caliber of character is crucial to the operations and safety of a submarine.

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. 2 Peter 1:5-7

As Christian men, we are also called to live our lives with similar character traits as those in a submarine crew. Not only must we be honest, trustworthy, of high integrity, a servant leader, dependable, loyal, and be strong, we must also put God as the number one priority in our life. Additionally, compassion, empathy, love, kindness, courage, and humbleness should be character traits we possess in our hearts. Our world is crazy right now and it is only getting darker every day. We need good influences in the world to disciple young people on how they are supposed to behave. The young generation is tired of our world, and they are thirsty for leaders who have integrity, compassion, and show love to others. They just do not see it in the outlets provided to them daily, namely television and social media. If we as Christian men can step up and show them true Christianity, we can impact the world and generations for good.

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:7-8 NIV 

The world is watching us as Christian men. Mostly what they know about Christianity is what the media portrays us as, and usually, it is not a pretty picture. By taking the truth out into the world, we can make a difference in generations who have been misled about Christianity. If younger generations see us in action as kind and loving men with great moral fiber, they may take note and inquire about us. Then we have the opportunity to teach the real truth about Jesus, not preach, but show them what true Christians are like. This world can change, but it all starts with Christian men acting with the character traits we are called to possess.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight Proverbs 3:5-6

The history of how ships have navigated the waters over time is very interesting. Early ships used to navigate along the shorelines because they would recognize certain landmarks to tell them where they were. As time progressed, ships got used to using some of the celestial bodies such as stars and the moon for direction. The compass was introduced, and it allowed ships to determine the direction they were going but it was still somewhat crude if you did not completely understand the technology. Submarines used to actually use celestial navigation to ‘shoot’ the stars, moon, etc. and then use multiple shots corrected for time of year to pinpoint their destination. Over time, terrestrial navigation systems were put in as technology advanced, allowing ships to pinpoint their location based on the ships motion in the water. Sonar and radar could also be used to navigate a submarine, but they make noise, something that submarines try not to do. Finally, like everything that we do today, submarines have adopted the global positioning system (GPS). Navy ship navigation and submarine navigation has been changing drastically over time with each iteration providing more accuracy of the position of the ship.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

As a Christian man, how is your life walk? Are you consistent in the way you live your life? Do you navigate the ups and downs of everyday life in the same manner every day? Like many in the human race, we tend to change the way we react to things over time. We are constantly changing our real-life navigation systems to try and get better at handling the world and its trials and tribulations. In reality, all we are doing is saying that we can control our lives and what we think is best. We tend to give God the things that we might not want to mess with, or things that don’t require too much work on our part. We need to learn to let go of everything. We need to give it all to God.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17

As Christian men, we should have only one navigation system. That navigation system is Jesus Christ. We must learn that when we are facing dark or tough times in the world, we must give it to Jesus. Giving our trials to Jesus will give us peace as He pours out His grace on us. Even in the good times, we should be navigating by Jesus. The scripture is truth and gives us all the direction we need to get through life. It is important that we read and understand scripture, so that we navigate correctly, even when we are in troubled waters. Don’t focus on the problems, focus on the Savior. He is asking us to cast our worries on Him, yet somehow, we think we can fix things ourselves. If you want true peace in life, give it all to God! There is no shame in giving it to Him, its not as if He doesn’t already know. Get in the habit of having a conversation with God, giving him all your troubles, and you will feel real peace in your life. Navigate by Jesus, it’s the only system you need!

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30 MSG