Thousands of years ago, a man and his wife were walking through a garden. During this stroll, the wife was suddenly approached by a stranger who began to tempt her with supreme knowledge and god-like abilities. She knew it was wrong; he knew it was wrong. But she did it anyway.
And through the whole thing, the husband stood by his wife’s side.
Silent.
This was the beginning of a curse; from ever after, men would be cursed with toil, sweat, and dirt. And for some reason, the curse of silence would be the worse part of it. Men would allow their wives to lead them around by the …um… nose; men would allow their wives to lead them in church and in the home; and men would fail to stand up and protect their wives from sin and pain.
As men, we have to begin to step into our roles as Men of God–to lead our families, our wives, our communities, our churches, our businesses, and our small groups to a greater relationship with Christ and greater relationships with each other.
Man Up: SPEAK
We need to protect our wives. For generations, men have lost their headship in families and churches due to apathy, insecurity, and an unwillingness to speak up. We have forced our wives to take on the role of protector of children and the priest of our homes.
We must break this curse of history! Jesus, the second Adam, redeemed the stupidity of the first Adam. Jesus started his ministry with a shout: “Away from me Satan!” as he overcame the temptation in the desert. And he ended his earthly ministry with a shout: “It Is Finished!” as he declared final victory over the devil through his death on the cross.
Find Your Voice Men
We must find our voices. In our homes, we can’t let our wife be the sole prayer warrior of the family. Our wife and children need to hear our voices as we pray and proclaim over our family safety, health, peace, and love. For the sake of our sons and daughters, we need to model how a true priest should act and speak.
Our churches need to be filled with men. Not with emasculated, namby-pamby, “whatever you say, dear…,” nice guys that always finish last. But with spiritual leaders who are willing to go to battle for our communities and families in the name of Christ. Who aren’t afraid to stand up for something.
Why are 75% of mission trip participants women? Why do 2.5 million more women than men attend church on any given Sunday? Why do churches struggle to build sustained men’s ministries? The curse.
The curse that WILL be broken.
We’ve got to be the generation that does it. We’ve got to be the generation that will protect, care for, and shout for our families. Next time sin, temptation, or attacks from the Devil come against your family, SHOUT BACK.
