Men's Breakfast, June 2nd, 2026

Introduction

Hedges says:

If you look at great men in history, many of them had a crucial skill—they prepared for the worst case scenario beforehand.

They didn’t wait until things got bad to react. They were ready to respond if the hammer dropped.

"And this is the first thing in our watching, to consider well the seasons wherein temptation usually makes its approaches to the soul, and be armed against them."

John Owen

In other words, temptation isn't random.

If we are discerning, we can detect the seasons where they tend to show up

John Owen (the Billy Graham of his generation) and John Flavel (another English Puritan) help us out

Season 1: Prosperity (Owen)

1 Timothy 6:9 ESV

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

Owen says the real danger is when life is good.

Hedges says prosperity dulls our spiritual senses—because when things are not going well we might think that we don’t need God.

John Bunyan captured this brilliantly in The Holy War.

When the enemy Diabolus wants to retake the city of Mansoul, his strategy isn't to send in the warships.

He sends in Mr. Sweet-world and Mr. Present-good.

His plan is to choke Mansoul "with a fullness of this world" until the castle — meant to be a garrison — becomes a warehouse.

The men stop watching the gates because they're too busy enjoying the goods.

If we are men looking at our goods—at the riches of the world—Satan will use our distraction to storm the gate and attack.

Season 2: Solitude (Owen)

Owen observed that times of solitude are either your best times or your worst — and that they reveal the "predominant principle" in a man.

What actually rules you will show itself when no one else is around.

Solitude is a dangerous thing for men because it is such an opportunity for selfishness.

No one is around. Life is all about me.

BUT THAT IS A MYTH—LIFE IS NEVER ABOUT US.

As Hedges says, understanding this is more urgent than ever today.

Pornography is a few clicks away.

Social media is engineered to keep you scrolling.

The volume of distractions and opportunity for disobedience actually get louder when no one else around.

Men need to be careful with alone time.

Flavel's Twelve Seasons

In his book Keeping the Heart, Flavel argues that the heart requires watchfulness across twelve distinct seasons of life — essentially the whole range of human experience. Here they are:

Prosperity — when God's providence smiles on you

Adversity — when providence frowns on you

When the church is suffering and Zion is in trouble

Times of danger and public distraction

Times of financial hardship and want

Seasons of duty — when you draw near to God in worship, prayer, and Scripture

When you've been wronged — injuries and abuse from others

When you face great crosses and provocations

The direct hour of temptation — when Satan lays close siege to the heart

Seasons of doubt and spiritual darkness

When you're suffering for your faith

Sickness — when you're drawing near to eternity

Notice the extremes — prosperity and poverty, strength and sickness, public suffering and private doubt.

There is no season of life exempt from the need to keep the heart.

The conditions change; the duty doesn't.

Closing

400 years later we are men facing the same battle in every season

We have to be watchful so that we don’t let our guard down and find Satan taking the gates

The good news is that Watchfulness is something you can ask God for

Prepare now by:

Considering when you tend to be tempted

Then go to God and ask Him to grant you watchfulness for the coming seasons