Men, Toughen Up!

We are called to stand in the gap. To be an example of God's strength within us. We are called to be tough.

Imagine for a moment a poor man, traveling around the United States.

While he travels, he talks to anyone willing to listen. He tells them they are loved, they are better and stronger than they believe. He teaches them how to live a better, more fulfilled life. There are also rumors about this man performing miracles and healing people.

The United States government has heard about him but they've never heard him speak and certainly don't believe he performs miracles. Yet, despite their limited knowledge, they decide that this poor man is such a threat to them that the president of the United States calls for his death. No crime was committed, no threat made but they feared this man.

That's the power of Jesus Christ.

He is the most powerful, debated, painted, loved, hated, sought after man in the history of the world. A man that only lived 33 years, never built an empire, never made much money and spent a lot of His time in solitude.

There are many who believe He is a fictional character but if they are honest with themselves, they're just in denial because of what His existence means. There is more proof of Christ's existence than most historical figures taught every day from text books. Other historical figures are not questioned because their existence means much less for the individual.

So we know He existed and that He accomplished a lot in a short period of time. We are familiar with His peaceful nature, His patience, His understanding... but one thing we don't often talk about is His manly nature and His anger.

Jesus and the Bible are very clear on the position men are supposed to take in the world and more importantly in the family. We are the leaders. We are the head of our households and we are to stand in the gap between the evils of this world and the women and children we are meant to protect. Despite the demonic ideologies being pushed in our society, this is what it means to be a man, among other things.

There is an old saying, 'It's better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war.'

Boys and young men are learning that it's ok to be harmless and weak. After all, aren't we supposed to just "be ourselves"? The true answer to this question is 'absolutely not!'. You are not made to "be yourself", you are made to be God's. So what exactly does that mean?

It's not necessary for us to be body builders and warriors. We are not all called to lead an army. Some of us are not physically capable of being the ultimate alpha but we are called to be strong and brave. There is also righteous anger and it's important to be able to stand up to the evils of this world when we are called to do so.

I believe we are entering a time in our world where we are going to have to stand up and fight against the demonic nature taking over the West. That doesn't mean physically fighting (although it might) but it may mean speaking out against a wrong even when everyone around us believes it's good and I'm not convinced that the Church is ready for this fight.

It's obvious to most Christians that there is a war against masculinity in our world but I believe it's happening within the Church also.

The modern church is not designed with men in mind. There is a lot of focus on emotion, community and fellowship. All necessary things but it alienates many men.

I'm not a social person. I keep my circle small. I've lived a rough life compared to many and as a result, I relate differently to people than more social or outgoing individuals. People who have lived lives like I have, don't feel like they belong in church. That doesn't mean they don't seek a real relationship with God but they need to find him in other ways.

There are certainly churches where they would be welcomed once people got to know them but guys like this typically don't return.

Men in our society need to toughen up but men within the church need to also. We need to stop sitting quietly when evil comes for our families.

There is a book called 'Live Not By Lies' that I read recently. It is about how the Christian church went underground during Stalin's Soviet Union. These brave men and women would sneak pastors into their basements in the middle of the night. They would listen to him preach and sneak him back out before daylight and if they were caught, they were put in prison or the gulag.

Once locked up, Christians were tortured, starved and eventually taken out into the woods. The Soviet guards would line them up chest to back and put a gun to the first man's forehead. The gaurd would then ask "is there a God?". If the prisoner said yes the gaurd would pull the trigger and the next had to answer the same but with the blood and brains of the previous man on their face.

One of the gaurds was interviewed years later and while he sat and wept, he admitted that not one of those who called themselves a Christian, ever said no.

That is strength!

If we as Christian men don't know for a fact that we would proudly proclaim that yes, there is a God, I am His and count it a blessing to die for His sake, then we still have work to do.

We are called to stand in the gap. To be an example of God's strength within us. We are called to be tough.