I wear these battle garments to make a prophetic statement to myself and my fellow brother. My heart is stressed because I hear the sound of war. When I say war, I’m talking about a spiritual and physical attack against men. This battle is to be launched by brave men who are serious about advancing what true manhood is by building strong relationships in this generation and generations to come. When I say war, I’m not talking about grenades, smart bombs or ground troops. I’m talking about humble men who want to change society’s perception on who we are as men and the impact we can have in our home, on our jobs and in our communities when we establish healthy friendships with other men.
God has called us to be a victorious army. But there is one problem, we as men have let society turn us into a civilian force. Our uniforms are folded and put away and our weapons are rusty and not working. The enemy is advancing into our territory, but we can’t see his movements on our malfunctioning radar screen. It’s not too late to launch a counterattack, but we must take four steps to become combat-ready:
1. Develop a Warrior mentality.
We must be willing to launch an offensive attack against society and the enemy. We can’t sit back and think we are enjoying the comforts of this life, when we are actually losing out on the greatest gift God created us for, relationships. A relationship with God, a relationship with ourselves, a relationship with our family and a relationship with other men. We must be willing to understand what it means to spend time in the trenches together where the bullets of life are real and the body bags are filled with family members and friends.
2. Allow Regular Tent Inspections.
Hidden secrets, silence, stress and frustration that are being kept under our mattresses are defeating us. Don’t wait for a preacher to give you an alter call; he may be hiding contraband under his mattress. God is requiring all warriors to embrace radical change for manhood. We can’t advance on the battlefield if we’ve given the world a place to hide in our hearts and an opportunity to control our minds.
3. Know Your Mandate.
Quit looking up in the sky and hoping for Jesus to rapture you up today. God has already given us the weapons to be victorious in this life if we only use them. God’s orders haven’t changed. We must refocus our attention on bringing more men and boys together, not only for friendships but to establish a brotherhood.
4. Receive New Power.
If you are weak and feel you don’t belong in this war, join the crowd. None of us are qualified to be on this mission. But it’s up to us to redefine what manhood is. When we share our strengths and weaknesses with one another we become strong. With God’s strength working in us the enemy will suffer major damage, because, “Greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world.”