Do you sincerely want to be a man of God? Are you looking for true fulfillment in your life? Have you tried, but failed, to be an honest and trustworthy man? Have you tried to be a kind and understanding father, but struggle with anger and impatience with your family? Is it difficult to work with other people? If you have tried and failed, God can help you.
When we are born again and accept Jesus as our Savior, God gives us a new heart. Our goals and motives in life change and we find a new desire to be like Jesus. We do not have the strength of ourselves to be true and godly men, but our strength comes from God alone. His Spirit comes into our heart and helps us every day. “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10).
God desires to be in the heart of every man. He is looking for someone to be a leader in his home, among his people, and in society. The Bible tells us about a courageous man named Joshua. God chose him to be the leader of the children of Israel. He told Joshua, “Only be thou strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:7). God wanted to give the land of Canaan to his people. He knew they could not conquer the land without his help. Men today also need God’s help.
When a man’s sins are forgiven and he experiences the love of God in his heart, that love reaches out to others. This love causes him to have a soft heart, to feel compassion, to have a desire to understand, and to be longsuffering. He will be honest, trustworthy, and willing to stand for the truth. These attributes are not signs of weakness but are true gifts from God. God is ready to give him strength and power in his life to overcome the evil, selfishness, and immorality that is in the world.
God has a perfect plan for his creation that has not changed. He created man and woman to complete and complement each other. “Male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). A man has a responsibility to be true to his wife and to provide and care for her. When God is his leader, his wife can have confidence to follow him. This provides her with security and fulfillment. If he has been blessed with children, he is responsible to care for and to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). A man must take responsibility for his own life and the lives of his family and others in his care. God intended him to be the leader of his home.
There was a man in the Bible named Job. He was a good man who faced severe trials. God told him, “Gird up thy loins now like a man” (Job 40:7). God was saying, “Face life like a man. Do not make excuses and blame others. Quit nursing hurt feelings. Be the man I made you to be.”
A man of God is willing to sacrifice his own time and interests for the sake of others and to guard his home against the evils that want to enter. He will be strong enough to refuse the influences that threaten to undermine godly principles and the integrity of his home. A man who leads will try to understand the emotional and spiritual needs of those following him, and he will lead them in love (1 Peter 3:7). He is willing to admit when he is wrong, apologize, and correct his mistakes. He also has a tender heart and is not ashamed to cry with the hurting people around him. He will try to ease the burdens of his fellow man.
A godly man’s strength comes from submission to God and is an anchor where others find security. Obedience to God brings understanding, direction, and fulfillment to his life; it also honors and glorifies God.
A man’s connection to God creates a desire to know more about God’s way for men to live. He is ready and willing to sacrifice and serve others around him with strength, courage, gentleness, and steadfastness in the truth.
In a world of chaos and turmoil, those who are sad and hurting are looking for a safe place. God has given men the responsibility to provide that place. Do you feel a desire in your heart to be this kind of man? God is looking for you. Jesus gave his life for us so we can truly live. He is looking for a man to do the same for others. Are you willing to answer the call?
“And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isaiah 32:2).