What does it take to be a “real man”? This is the question that many Christian and secular men alike are haunted by and are internally screaming to themselves in frustration.
As we all know, the road of life is full of twists and turns. Each day brings new challenges and decisions to make and answers that have to be given. Old friends reside and new friends are made with both fruitful and unfruitful results along the way. There is a constant flow of new people and things coming and going, easy things to accomplish and hard things. Scary times and euphoric or brave times, confusing things and things that are very clear. What does it all mean? How does it all fit together? Why is life so hard to understand and confusing for Christians, while many lost souls just seem to just “glide” through it, with everything handed to them?
Well, first of all, lost souls are ignorant. They have a lack of information, which makes them such, and many of them perceive that Ignorance truly is bliss but not for long, as all men are called to serve God and they will eventually have to make a decision about answering that call or living life with a large hole in their spirit, where God belongs. No offense is intended here, so you must understand that there is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. Ignorance means that you have not yet gained the information that will give you wisdom in an area. Stupidity is different. It means that you have no will or capacity to learn and retain truth as God created it. They are VERY different!
Being a man is a decision and a state of mind. You’ve got to reconcile with death! It’s going to happen to all of us either way, so you need to make a decision. Would you rather go out defending your wife, or children against an assailant in one beautiful and honorable stand for what is right, or would you rather pass while being beat down like an abused animal because you are too busy turning the other cheek? I'm not advocating unnecessary violence here but there is no honor in the latter and nobody but you can make that decision for you, so seeks Gods Will for your life in prayer before having to face this situation!
Matthew 11:12 tells us, "From the days of John The Baptist until now, The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and violent take it by force. Luckily for the weak and the meek by worldly standards, it also tells Christian Men to "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men and be strong." in 1 Corinthians 16:13
There’s really nothing physical that makes us different from each other besides a little stature and mindset, so how are some guys so “manly?” while others seem so feeble and emasculated? The difference is prior confirmation from a male authority and some sort of “right of passage.” Other “manly men” are almost always raised well by a caring father and had their question answered when they asked their earthly father, “do I have what it takes to be a man, dad?” Many did not! We had to fight our way out of this paper-bag of a worldly life that we are born into to see that we have as much, if not more, of what other “men” have.
I submit this; both male and female Christians have a very specific purpose in life! God called you for a very specific “role” in this movie of His that we call life, yet many of us have no idea why we are here - whatsoever. That is of course, until we find the woman of our dreams, have children or discover an unbelievable career or hobby. Then we have all kinds of “reasons” for life. While those things “become” why we strive and are alive, I submit that it’s not the “main” reason that God gave us life. Remember, “Life is what happens to you. While you're busy making other plans!” – John Lennon
Men in general are bored and angry. I wonder why? We’ve been taught that “our nature”, adventurous and aggressive and dominating is wrong. It’s repressed many men to a point of no return. A place where emasculation has become normal and accepted by him. This is a VERY dangerous place to live gentlemen and it will kill your heart, even if your body survives to a ripe old age!
Male masculinity is under attack! It happened because some bra-burner back in the 70’s got hurt by a man that was overly aggressive or confused about how to treat a woman and she got P-O’d and turned to her own kind to get her social and physical needs met. That began a war against the American Male that has become the central part of many women’s purpose in life. Instead of realizing she was dealing with a dirt bag, usually because of his positional authority in her life or the situation and moving on, she turned against her nature and why God put HER here. Oh, it’s not just bad for us either guys, it’s killing her too. If masculinity is under attack, femininity has been slaughtered!
You see, she’s not living her role either. She was created to be our “soft rock, comforter, the precious vine of our lineage and nazir edgo, or “helper”, it means way more though. It means she completes us a “whole one” and without her, we are lost.
God is a warrior and we are created in His image! Exodus 15:3 states, “The Lord is a warrior, and the Lord is his name.” 2 Chronicles 36:15-17 tells of a time when He tried to reach the people of Jerusalem time and again, with nobody willing to listen. After MANY attempts to “reach them” and when nobody would respond after numerous attempts, he killed them all through King Nebuchadnezzar. Also, I’m sure you are familiar with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, right? Also all dead! Does that sound like the “fuzzy” Jesus in EVERY SINGLE PICTURE YOU’VE EVER SEEN OF HIM?
No, of course it doesn’t! I submit that these are worldly pictures of JC, strategically designed to be “inviting”, or “inoffensive” to lost souls or “potential future candidates” for the work of God. The logic and reasoning behind why every single artist in history did this is sound, but not an accurate depiction. Jesus, as His son and our brother as Christian Men was also a “very bad dude”. He absolutely wreaked havoc when needed to. He cleared the entire temple with a vine, very “matter-of-factly”, when “God came upon Him”. No big deal to Him but devastated the people of Jerusalem. It was Passover and there were ox, sheep and goats being sold off with other animals there, in the temples market place, with what must have been hundreds of people trading goods and animals, tax collectors and soldiers walking about and LOADS of reasons to “turn the other cheek”. Does He? Nope! He blasts right through them on Their Religious Holiday, like a kid opening presents on Christmas morning. John 2 – 12:20
We are told to “turn the other cheek” when dealing with other men because they have not enough information to know with whom they are dealing, not because we are scared!
I think it’s more than this though. I believe that like God, Jesus had a great sense of humor, thirst for adventure and confidence above reproach. He was after all, the Son of God! That’s strong creds where I come from!
Matthew 5:38-44 says to turn the other cheek to evil. I believe because no man is so far gone that God cannot use him, if called. Ours is not to make a life decision for someone else (ie… intentionally kill without cause), but Christian men are called to protect those we love and our gifts for the Kingdom of God. We cannot be used otherwise!
There are some pretty violent rules for life and we are abiding by very few of them! Exodus 21:12-17 talks about how anyone who attacks or curses his mother or father, kills someone and God allows it and kidnappers… ALL ARE TO BE KILLED! Who’s going to enforce those rules? Maybe Oprah or her mouthpiece Dr. Phil? No… ITS MEN!
It’s no coincidence that movies like Gladiator, Die Hard, Terminator, Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Conan, Warriors and the like are blockbusters! These are all movies where men are being men in these movies and they are “acting like men.” When we watch this kind of show, something inside of us knows that we were created for this, to find a battle worth fighting, and adventure to live and a beauty to rescue. So what’s the problem?
The problem is, that HOLLY WOOD is living our lives for us because society has said, “those are just actors being dramatic and violence is not acceptable”. Really, is it? Or are the fairy tales of our childhood memories, before they were “socially conditioned” real?
Why do boys play with guns, knives and swords? I submit that we were built for that and God is preparing us for life. This, in spite of how “life” says we should be acting. Were they fake or some kind of fantasy? I think not, ask your heart. Were we only “acting” like a warrior or was that our “identity”, that we somehow alienated somewhere down the line in some frail attempt to gain acceptance? I propose that we were built for it and it flows easily out of boys and young men because it’s how God built us! Think about the implications here and you will gain clarity on the topic.
Mathew 11:12 says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and violent men take it by force.” Does that sound familiar? Seen the TV show “Cops” lately? Better yet, why do we have “Law Enforcement Officers?” To enforce the law right? To protect and to serve right?
What if we added a couple of words to the average Police Department’s Slogan and said, “To protect (women) and to serve (God)?” Doesn’t that effectively make us our own protector against man? Are you starting to get it yet?
Christian men were created by God to be warriors! This isn’t a license to go “kick the crap” out of those Pharisees though; it’s a call to strength. The strength you were given before birth, to do the job that God created you to.
Again, women are missing the mark too it seems. How can we protect someone who not only is trustless with men, but becomes the controller? What happened there?
It goes back to Adam and Eve. The original sin was a man not protecting a woman, or the garden of the tree of truth and evil as God instructed Adam to. He fell second. Eve fell first! She “listened” to Lucifer’s temptation and because she wanted “true” wisdom, gave in. She began controlling the situation immediately because Adam was weak and she knew it. She even had Adam take a bite of the apple, to ensure that He was involved. Adam stood right there, listened to the temptation and then not only wimped-out by watching in fear but he succumbed to her temptation too. That’s the sin we are still dealing with today!
Let me ask you something. The last time you were on the freeway, trying to get where you were going, do you remember seeing a slow car in the fast lane…ever? Of course you do. We all do and it’s horribly annoying, but it plays to my point. People are angry and feel out of control for a reason. The safety of their car (of so they think) is a great place to have control! They are moving for nobody and now you know why… How about the DMV? Been there lately, how was it? Any lazy people (admittedly minority females usually) controlling their environment and actions there? Do you see the patterns of frustrated people in the world yet?
Do you see why now? I’ll advise you to start your new life’s journey with some great reading, or books on CD, as I prefer. 2 books by 1 author; John Eldredge – Fathered by God, but only after reading Wild at Heart, discovering the keys to a mans soul. These books, when confirmed with scripture - among others, will open doors in your mind and heart that you never even knew were there. If your results are similar to mine, your soul will shift and completely change your life and priorities, giving your walk a perspective that will create a “generation gap” type feeling with yourself and Married or Single Christians who are unhappy and don’t know why.
So, do not fear any man, as he was created exactly as you were, with a different purpose. The only true threat you should feel toward them is the possibility of losing your societal freedom if he so chooses to risk life and limb by your hand. Don’t give it away by doing anything silly though!
Seek your adventure, win your beauty (or win her back - she needs you!) and don’t be scared to “kick-ass” to do it, if necessary! You are best husband, the best father, the “William Wallace”, the “Randy Couture” and the “John Riggs” of your part of “Gods life movie!” Who else could be?
*Single Christians Ministries International is not affiliated with John Eldredge or his employees in any way and no money is changing hands anywhere for book recommendations. I only wish my freedom and happiness for you, our brothers and sisters of the world.
Courtesy - Single Christians Ministries International, located on the web at http://www.SingleChristians.com
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