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Key Bible Verse: No more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself. (Ephesians 4:25, The message) Dig Deeper: 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15

A Band of Brothers is a small number of men committed to fighting alongside one another for the cause of Christ, no matter the cost. For a brotherhood to not just survive but thrive, there must be an agreement: relationships with no secrets and no condemnation. As crafty as Satan is, there is always a common line to his attacks—divide and conquer. And if there's anything that can divide and defeat men, it's secrets and shame.

I believe the most effective way to forge a bond between men begins with the willingness to share your personal story. But there cannot be any secrets; it must be an honest telling. There is an infatuation these days with being raw and authentic, a tendency to spill our guts. However, many times, especially among Christian men, it is a collection of "rubber guts": falsehood, fabrication, lies, posing, saying the things people either want or expect to hear. I have a friend who told me of working with a well-known Christian businessman, a leader highly praised for his transparent living. However, the reality was that this man allowed others to see only what he wanted them to see, nothing more. As bracingly honest as his stories seemed, they were still a pile of rubber guts.

—Vance Brown in No Matter the Cost

My Response: Am I giving "rubber guts" to the men in whom I confide?

Thought to Apply: No man is an island, entire of itself.—John Donne (British poet, preacher)

Adapted from No Matter the Cost (Bethany House, 2012) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.

Copyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Lord, compel me to seek out like-minded men who will commit to investing in each other's lives, so that we can encourage one another in the walk of faith.

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