Can Boys be Men: Embrace Your God-Given Role as a Man:

Okay ladies, I know some of you are excited about the title of this article but, if your looking for anything (world’s definition) other than God’s definition of a man, you just opened the wrong article. To my Christian sisters in courtship, the singles, those engaged to be married soon, this will be helpful, but the next post is for you, challenging you to be Godly ladies, watch this space, enjoy this one though. To the boys, I hope this will help you become men.

What does it mean to be a man? God calls you to be servant initiators, firm but gentle, masculine yet caring, leaders yet servants, protectors  not seducers. Ever wondered what God had in mind when He made two sexes? What is His plan? Can the men of this generation understand and embrace the unique role God has assigned to them? Your role as men was assigned by God at the beginning, in the creation story, He created you first for a reason. He made Adam first signifying his unique role as a leader and initiator. He created Eve from Adam and brought her to Adam to be his helper in the tasks God had assigned him. She was made to complement, nourish, and help her husband. God’s greatest gift to man was “ a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18). This doesn't minimize a woman's role, but it does define it. Men and women were created equal, yet different. And the fact that we are different is wonderful. God didn't make us to duplicate each other, but to complement each other. Mathew Henry in his commentary on Genesis explains: “ Eve was not taken out of Adam’s head to top him, neither out of his feet to be trampled by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him”

Boys can you just be men, you have your work cut out for you and you need to take it very seriously. What business do you have pursuing a relationship with a woman when you still haven't figured out what it means to be a man. You owe it to the women in your lives, your future wives ( I hope your praying for them), and to God to figure this out. The world is crying for men who are strong in conviction, strong to lead, to stand, to suffer. I pray you will be that kind of a man, glad that God made you a man, glad to shoulder the burden of manliness in a time when to do so will often bring contempt. To my ladies, don't be scared, wondering if such men, still even exist, the good news is that they do, I know one. Just seek God and pray, to the singles, pray for yout future husband daily, just let the Spirit lead you, to those in relationships, pray for him, God will change him, remember, you cannot change him, only God can.

Men can you assume the responsibility of leading and initiating in your relationships with women. Leading is a form of serving, provide direction, suggest ideas and initiate conversations or activities. Plan times together, carefully plan your dates. It's your job as men to make sure that the relationship is contuning to grow at a healthy rate. It's your responsibility to make sure you’re both guarding your hearts. I know its difficult for most of you but it’s a big part of what it means to be a man.

Be the spiritual leaders, its your role to make sure that your relationship isn't merely superficial and entertainment oriented, but deep, God focused, and characterized by biblical fellowship. Don't be content to be spiritually lukewarm, strive to set an example of passion for God. I love Jesus today and have a passion for God that amazes my family and friends and they keep wondering what happened to me but its because an awesome man set a beautiful example for me. Boys would you do the same for the woman in your life. The best thing you can do for her is to draw her closer to God than to yourself.

Boys, do little things in your relationship with women that communicate your care, respect, and desire to protect. This doesn't have to be complicated, simply be a gentleman to the women in your life, your goal is to show through your actions that their status as women is a noble one. Just small actions like: open the door for her, open the gate ( if you don't have a gateman) even if its you driving, pull out her chair. If you need more ask some godly women, you’ll be amazed how willing they’ll be to help educate you.

Encourage women to embrace godly femininity: when the lady is humble and gentle, encourage her, femininity is not weakness, it requires great strength of character to be gentle in an age that screams for her to do otherwise.

So boys can you be men, you may not realize  it but you desperately need God’s help to be who He has called you to be as a man. You can't do it in your own strength, you need His Grace. God is the center of the universe. He created you for Himself. Your a man because He made you a man for His glory. Express your manhood for Him, His ways and in so doing, point to His greatness and reflect His goodness.

God is crazy about you and I am praying for you.

How to Maintain Our Peace in the Midst of Spiritual Warfare

"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" - (Romans 12:16-18). 

Dear intercessors,

Spiritual warfare is part of the Christian life. Psalm 144:1 says, "Praise be to the Lord, my Rock. Who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle." Exodus 15:3 says, "The Lord is a mighty warrior; the Lord is his name." We are living on earth in enemy territory, and, therefore, we experience spiritual warfare. We must always be on the alert. The enemy comes in like a flood, trying to fill us with doubt, fear, and discouragement. He tries to bring division in our relationships. But our God always has victory when we trust in Him and walk in His peace.

If we want to be healers and helpers in battle, we must be clad in His armor. We must have a strategy to rescue those taken hostage or left wounded on the battlefield. We must understand the seriousness of war.

How can we walk in victory and maintain peace right in the midst of personal, and sometimes unrelenting, spiritual warfare? How can we be joyful in war? 

Ways to Maintain Peace in Spiritual Warfare

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness"  - (James 3:17-18).

It is possible to walk in a level of joy and peace even when things on earth seem to be getting worse. We can bring peace wherever we go. Here are some ways:

We must be a lover of God first and then a warrior- Jesus must be our all in all. We must concentrate on our relationship with Him, and abide in that intimacy always. The busier we are, the more we must cultivate our relationship with Him. Many unintentionally lose their intimate relationship with God. It happens little by little, if we are not alert to the enemy's devices. The enemy is crafty, and he knows where your power lies.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5).

We must develop a life of praise and worship - Worship is powerful warfare. When I go to the nations. Prayer and worship open the way for everything else. God opens the door for His grace to come pouring into the nations.

"The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior" (Psalm 18:46).

We must persevere and resist the devil - The enemy is intent to stop us as we move forward. We need perseverance. Nothing good happens without it. We are all living in enemy territory. We are called to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus destroyed the works of the devil at the cross (1 John 3:8). To take our stand against the enemy means that we refuse to give him ground and that we will not retreat. We settle that in our hearts. We resist the enemy and draw near to God.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you" (James 4:7-8).

We are not going to retreat or depart because of enemy pressure, but we are going to go on from glory to glory to victory! God's grace is sufficient. We resist the enemy, stand firm in the Lord, and do not give way. We carefully maintain peace in our relationships. We worship and praise God right in the middle of the difficulty. Satan will not give us territory without a fight. We are taking ground in heavenly places, even if we do not see it. We must not relax our vigilance. It doesn't mean that we are frantic, nervous and anxious. We walk in that supernatural peace and joy that is possible only as we abide in Him.

This is the amazing truth of the Christian life as we enter into the harvest in the nations. We are living a life that is not of our own strength. Let's get comfortable with a life of dependence on God; loving Him totally, standing firmly on His Word, and walking in His peace. 

Times of Testing in Warfare

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:10-13). 

You may be in a time of testing. The devil will always try to steal your hope. But God gives us hope when we spend time with Him. Hope that He would finally break through, hope that the seas would one day be calm again, and hope that God would turn your very trial into something supernatural and good.

When we are in the midst of a difficulty, we can handle it God's way and with His peace. The enemy brings in discouraging thoughts, false reasoning, doubts and disappointments. He tries to steal our peace. But if we choose to worship Him and grow intimate with Jesus, then the clouds will begin to lift as we persevere. The perseverance is all part of the testing time. We are being stretched. It's part of the package of how God plans to train and work through us, bringing maturity and victory.

Let's thank God for every day that He has to stretch us. He is developing spiritual muscles that we would never have had before, and it is so worth it. It is all part of love even when we don't feel it at the time. God loves you. This is why He is permitting whatever trial you may be facing. It is for your good (Romans 8:28). He is making you a worker of great stature and purpose, and you shall not be disappointed. See your circumstances from His perspective, and let His peace rule in your heart. It will all be worth it!

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful" (Colossians 3:15).

God is crazy about you and I am praying for you.

6 Ways to Reinvigorate Your Prayer Life

Every believer knows what it is like to struggle in his or her prayer life. You know you need to pray and feel guilty for not praying more, so you kneel down, fold your hands, close your eyes, and then have no idea what to say. Then once words start coming out you don’t know if you are praying for the right thing or if your prayers are even being heard.

If this is your experience, here are a few practical steps you can take to reinvigorate your prayer life.

1. Remember the Gospel

Sometimes our hesitation in prayer is driven by our insecurities about whether or not we will be heard. In times like these allow the message of the Gospel to remind you that your audience with the Father is not conditional upon your performance as a believer. Remember that Jesus gave himself in your place after he lived the perfect life none of us could have lived. God raised him from the dead and exalted him to the right hand of God. When we trust in Christ, God gives us Christ’s righteousness and adopts us as his children. In addition, he gave us the Holy Spirit who helps us pray when we don’t know how to pray. Because God is our Father, Jesus gave his life for us, and the Holy Spirit helps us, we have every reason in the world to come to him in prayer, knowing we will be heard. When you feel like God will not hear you, remember this Gospel message.

2. Meditate on Scripture

Often the way we talk about our devotional lives hinders the way we pray. We often present prayer and Bible reading as if they are two unrelated halves of the “quiet time.” The greatest help to my prayer life I ever heard came from Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. He pointed to biblical meditation as a bridge between Bible reading and prayer. As we think deeply about Scripture, asking it questions and plumbing its depths for application, we think of things that will move us to pray. We will see things we should thank God for, sins we should confess, challenges we need the Spirit’s aid to conquer, and ministry opportunities for which we need strength. When we read our Bibles we need to read them with an eye towards communion with God and requests we should bring before him.

3. Pray a Psalm

When you don’t know how to pray, trying praying a prayer God inspired in the Psalms. The Psalms cover the whole range of human emotions and stir up our affections when we are dry. Pray Psalm 6 when you are hurting, Psalm 51 when you have sinned, or Psalm 63 when you desire to meet with God more than anything else. Let Psalms like 19 or 100 help you see the glory of God and the praise due to his great name. To aid you in this, read through the Psalms and keep a list of which ones would be helpful to pray in different times of need.

4. Make a List

If you aren’t sure what to pray for, stop and make a list of things to pray about. Ask yourself some key questions to get the list started. Are there sins I need to confess? What are some reasons I have to thank God for his goodness to me? What people in my life need to hear the Gospel? What Christian friends do I have who need encouragement? What are things causing me stress and anxiety? These and other questions will yield a list that you could spend a significant amount of time praying through.

5. Use a Book of Prayers

We can learn a lot about prayer by listening to other people pray. Often as believers we need other people to teach us how to pray. One resource to help us with this is a book of prayers like The Valley of Vision. We can read prayers other believers prayed and be drawn near to God as our hearts begin to be meshed together with the words of the prayer. Also, in our age where we are tempted to pray with a sometimes thoughtless informality, reading prayers that have been carefully thought through can give us greater insight into our own prayer life.

6. Walk Around and Pray for Your Neighbors

If you get confused about what to pray for and don’t want to sit in a room by yourself, head outside. Walk around your neighborhood and pray for your neighbors. If you have been in the neighborhood for a while you know their names and situations. If they are not believers, pray for opportunities to talk to them about Jesus and pray for the Lord to open their hearts. If you don’t know them well enough to have an idea of how to pray for them, pray for opportunities to get to talk to them or pray about how you can go out of your way to engage them. Let your prayers drive you to look for ministry opportunities with those around you.

Good luck and I am praying for you!