Men, what are you afraid of? / Just Surrender! / My Plea

Let me go ahead and begin this blog with a disclaimer.  I apologize if I offend anyone. Sometimes God puts words on my heart which turn into sentences which turn into paragraphs which turn into messages that need to be heard and received.  So if at any point during the reading of this message you feel hurt or insulted I ask you to simply stop what you’re doing and take your issues to God.  He has already been dealing with you in this area and now that you are seeing these words you feel convicted.  Go to God.

I was talking to a guy friend the other night that had recently come into some issues with law enforcement.  I’ve known him for quite awhile and as he described his situation I couldn’t help but stop him and say, “This isn’t you!”  He didn’t go into great detail about his situation, but I could tell through his voice how serious the situation was or could become.  As he continued to talk, I silently asked God, “God, what do you want me to say to him? This is obviously a time where you want me to speak on your behalf, so tell me what to say.”   After allowing my friend to say a few more things I said to him, “Now that you’ve come out or are coming out of this situation, what are you going to do?  What are you going to do differently?  You don’t have to share these things with me, but I want you to think about it.  My only suggestions would be for you to write down everything that you’ve gone through and that you will face in the coming months.  There is someone out there who will go through what you just went through so you need to be prepared when they come to you for help.  You also need to determine what keeps taking you back to this lifestyle.  I know that you are a good person.  This isn’t you.  There are people in your life that you will have to let go.  There are places that you can’t go anymore. There are things that you can’t do anymore.  What are you afraid of?!?  What’s holding you back from being the person – the man that God has created you to be?  I understand that it’s not easy, but you’re gonna have to surrender.  Give this situation and every situation to God.  You have two choices; Life or Death.  If you go back to your old lifestyle then you will die, but if you surrender to God you will live.  There are a lot of people walking around today who are dead, but have a heartbeat. “He was quiet for a little while, but I know that he heard me.  Before ending the call he told me that he would think about the words that I had just said to him. This situation had definitely been a wake-up call for him.  He said that he was ready to change.  I hope and pray that he will. 

My friend’s story is not uncommon.  We hear stories like this one all of the time.  The devil is so busy trying to tear down our men.  In every direction they turn they see images of themselves.  They see the lives that they are “supposed” to be living based on today’s society.  Our men have gotten caught up into the lifestyle of fame and fortune and have lost sight of their rightful place in the home.  I believe that our men understand their position, but fear is keeping them from stepping up to the plate.  Some of our men are afraid to be the head of the household, the backbone of their family, the provider and the protector so they play the field using, abusing, and reusing women.  It is a pattern that they have developed over time, but a pattern that they saw played out time and time again when they were younger.  Many of the issues that we all face stem solely from situations we experienced when we were children. The displacement of our men has caused an adverse affect on women young and old.  Women have become envious of one another and downright disrespectful.  Mother’s are fighting daughters, sisters are fighting sisters, and friends are fighting friends.  With reality TV you can tune in on any night of the week and see what I am describing firsthand.  Women are using harsh and aggressive language to belittle each other.  They are taking extreme measures to make themselves more desirable to men.  These are the same men who are afraid and who are standing behind their careers, cars, houses, and even other women.  The things that we see are only temporary.  Time is running out.  God is waiting for us to get our lives together; surrender to Him and be the change that we want to see in the world.  It is not going to be easy, but God never said it would be.  What hurts my heart most of all is the affect that our behavior is having on future generations.  Our men are more concerned with temporary glory, our women have forgotten why they were created and all the while our children are dying.  Let me say that again.  Our men are more concerned with temporary glory, our women have forgotten why they were created and all the while our children are dying. 

So, like I asked my friend, “What are you going to do now?  What are you afraid of?!?  What’s holding you back from being the person that God has created you to be?”

Dear God, I ask you to lift up the man, woman, or child who may be reading this message.  God I pray that the receiver of this word, your word will find a renewed strength in order to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy.  God you have revealed to us time and time again through your word how we must live during the time that we walk this earth.  Remove the fear from our hearts so that we may come into the men and women of God that we were created to be.  I ask you to lift up our men God. They are afraid, they have been misguided, they are lost and confused and we need you Father to guide them back to You so that they may take up their rightful place not only in the home, but in the world.  In your son Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.