Be On Your Guard
God teaches men of God lessons through the journey of life. He especially teaches us through trials and tribulations. In 1 Corinthians 16:13 God says through the apostle Paul to be vigilant and on your guard: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” To stand firm in the faith we must be watchful… Christ’s eyes behind our eyes. We cannot resist temptation on our own. The devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
The “man code” that we learn from the world and the culture of our times says that we must be “self sufficient.” It says we cannot ask for help or admit that we can’t do it on our own. However, Jesus says, “come unto me all who are weak and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
God is raising up men of God for such a time as this. When the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his men to be the reliable ones. According to Oswald Chambers, men will be shipwrecked unless men of God throw themselves recklessly upon the calling and will of God.
It’s easy to become lukewarm and then allow our hearts to turn cold toward God. It takes initiative and deliberate action to stay on guard. Our calling is to keep our hearts with all diligence for out of the heart are the issues of life. Our responsibility is to “quit ye (conduct yourselves) like men…” Men of God in whom the spirit of the Lord is.
We trust others in all phases of life. We trust that things in our technologically complex world will work as they have been designed. However, people will let you down. Things will break and wear out. Men are insecure because they have put their faith in people and things that can and will be taken away. Men lose their confidence due to trials and tribulations. As Pete’s wife Suzan said, “every relationship in this earthly life will end in pain except for one.” Our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ is the only relationship that will last into eternity.
For a man of God there are four foundational truths: Life is hard. It’s not about me. I’m not in control. This life will end.
Since it’s not about me, it is more blessed to give than to receive. The blessing of life is to give glory to our Heavenly Father.
Pete and Phil Van Horn have recently published the book they wrote with Mike Yorkey called, “Cracking the Man Code.” Phil leads the Influencers men’s ministry in La Crecenta. About five years ago, Phil approached Pete and said, “You need to write a book and I want to help you write it.” When Phil made this commitment, his world started to fall apart. He lost his house, his car, was admitted to the emergency room twice, endured attempted murders on his children, and grieved the deaths of over 50 friends and family members. Despite these trials, Phil rejoices that he had Men of God to stand with. Men who came alongside to comfort and encourage him in the Lord.
“Cracking the Man Code” is a tool to bring men into close proximity with their Lord Jesus Christ. The book counters the indoctrination of our culture’s man-code. It teaches that a “Man of God” is called of God to shatter our culture’s definition of what it means to be a man. The book is an encouragement for men to be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.
“Cracking the Man Code” illustrates one of the greatest lessons of life summarized by a quote from Jim Elliot, a missionary who was martyred in South America for his faith: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Therefore, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ.
Michael