Men were born to FIGHT!
"A man must have a battle to fight, a great mission to his life that involves and yet transcends even home and family. He must have a cause to which he is devoted even unto death, for this is written into the fabric of his being. Listen carefully now: you do!"
Listen carefully now, men: You do!
What John Eldredge is saying there in his book, Wild at Heart, is that God has made you this way. It's in the very fabric of your being a man. This battle to fight - this mission you're on here in this short life you live - transcends even home and family. It's a fight worth fighting til the end. Even unto death!
As I write those words 2 things stand out to me. See if this is true for you as well.
1. I'm inspired by it. I want to live that way. I want to die that way.
2. I doubt it's (actually) true for me.
Do you resonate with that? Do you sense that split-personality disorder within you too?
You see, this is one the oldest tactics in the devil's book. He's been at this game for a long time and this maneuver is one of his favorites. Read Genesis 3:1-7 and you'll see it played out. It was the original move that he made that has caused all of this destruction and confusion that we're witnessing still today.
Doubt.
"Did God really say that?"
"Is that really what God meant?"
"What is God really hiding from you?"
It's the same old song and dance for the devil. Get people to doubt God and listen to doubt instead. As usual, it's a lie. Quite literally from the pit of hell. Here's what the lies say to us men:
"You aren't really important in the grand scheme of things. I mean, look where you're from! Look at what you've done in the past! Who do you think you are to think you're important like that?!"
"What you do doesn't matter."
"You don't have what it takes to take this on. You never have. You never will."
Listening to Lies and Truth
Lies, lies, lies. Doubt-filled lies. That's all the devil breathes and we just suck in the air and believe what he says.
It's like Eldredge says in his book, "That's a lie of the Enemy - that your place is really insignificant, that you aren't really armed for it anyway."
But, he goes on to say and rightly point out: "There is no other man who can replace you in your life, in the arena you've been called to. If you leave your place in the line, it will remain empty. No one else can be who you are meant to be. You are the hero in your story. Not a bit player, not an extra, but the main man."
John is not saying you're Jesus or the Savior or more important than him. He's simply saying that God has made you, equipped you, placed you strategically where you are for his purposes. And in light of that, it is critical that you plan the man God meant for you to be.
In our ministry, which we call Get In The Fight, we are agreeing with John's sentiments here and appealing to men to "become the men that God meant for you to be." That is our mission because that is God's too.
So what are those roles and missions that God has placed you in? What are those arenas that you've been called to where no one else can play the man that you're meant to play?
Your marriage. Your parenting. Your role in God's Kingdom. etc.
Only you can fulfill the destiny that God has in mind for you. It's up to you to follow him there and play the man. You were made for this. Now it's time to believe him and follow him into battle.
What's Happened To Men?
But as we know, most Christian men are not fighting. Most of us do not see ourselves this way. We've believed the lies and we doubt that we have an epic role to play in the great mystery of life.
Why is that? What's going on?
I think one word most accurately describes it: APATHY.
"To live without passion or suffering."
Men have become apathetic to conversations like this. We don't want to be uncomfortable. We don't want to have to do painful things. We don't feel like fighting. And for many of us, we just sit down and scroll away our lives.
John says this, "Ever since that fateful day when Adam gave away the essence of his strength, men have struggled with a part of themselves that is ready at the drop of a hat to do the same..(it) is that part of fallen Adam in every man that always wants the easiest way out."
It's true, isn't it?
Ask any Christian man if he wants to get involved or lend a helping hand and you'll find a typical answer: "I'd like to but I'm just. too. busy!"I
Instead of fighting and taking on hard challenges and engaging in the fight that God made for us to fight, we are busy, distracted, bored, and disengaged. No wonder the world is falling apart!
So what do we do about this? How do we fight back?
1. Say NO.
When you are tempted to check out, sit down longer, say yes to one more thing, go do something that is only for distraction - say no. Stop doing the things that are stealing you away from playing the role that only you can play.
2. Say YES.
Instead, say yes to that hard conversation with your wife where you tell her how you're feeling and you open up to her. Say yes to spending time with your daughter watching her do hand-stands and cartwheels when you'd really rather do something else (anything else!) that you enjoy more. Say yes to volunteering at your church or in your community. Say yes to waking up early and giving up some precious sleep in order to spend time with Jesus before you start your day.
The path to victory is found when you learn to say NO what you know you need to say no to and YES to those things that you know you need to say yes to. It's not simple or easy - but in many ways, it's as easy and simple as that to get you started.
Remember: No other man can replace you in the areas of your life that God has placed you! No one. You're needed in this critical time to play the critical roles that God has given you to play. Stop doubting and listening to the devil and start believing and following Jesus into the fight!
Want to hear more? Listen to Podcast Episode #14. Click here to listen to it or subscribe now!
