NOTE: These are my thoughts as I go through “Heart of a Warrior” and put down into words its message and theme to help men reclaim their identity – as Kingdom men who stand firm in their faith and are willing and able to serve Christ and the greater good of this world.

Fighting for a Cause & a Calling in Life

A big part of my calling is to help men. Last August I made notes on it, “Blueprint of a Leader”. However, at the time, with so much going on in my life there was no way I could put together anything to help other men when what I needed most was to help myself.

Kind of like on the plane when you’re supposed to put on your own oxygen mask before you help others with theirs.

At the time I had reached out to a friend of mine who had a men’s group I had attended and asked for some advice on starting my own. Allen said to me, “You just need a good devotional and a desire to lead, and remember, always lead with love.”

Aside from the part about leading with love, I’ve come to realize that is a little off track.

I understand where he is coming from, though. Pretty much every church’s men’s group is like that – A good devotional, some scripture and some discussion.

I think I knew instinctively when I first put down my thoughts on it that men needed a ‘Blueprint’ as the title of my notes said, but that’s all I knew at that time.

Back then I didn’t view his advice as wrong. In fact, I thought it was great advice.

But there’s so much more to it, here’s why:

The go-to church method for dealing with men doesn’t produce engaged men. It doesn’t produce grounded men. It doesn’t produce trained men. Instead we arm him with a few bible verses and a weekly speech then send him off to a life group in someone else’s home where its assumed he will connect by talking with other men about that week’s speech.

What so many men get out of this is they have to do a better job in life. And they have to do more.

And then what? How?

Well, that’s pretty much where things stop. Well, you know you have to do a better job so go do it. Just be like Jesus… And that message is coming from someone else too – who is telling them about God and not coming their own relationship with Him.

The training they’re getting is…? Certainly not the life changing journey of personally walking with God.

Is that the best we can do?

Men are lost. Looking in wrong direction for initiation and validation. Turning to culture for answers to core questions about life and who they are.

A man should bring who he is to the world around him, not get his identity from it.

Men need to be equipped, guided, then deployed by God and remain in partnership with him, entering into battles for causes in this world, worthy & meaningful causes, and fight for the hearts of others. Every man should learn to see himself as a warrior – one that needs a cause and a (heavenly) King. Something he can fight for and someone he can fight with (i.e. at his side).

Because men were created this way. It is who men are. The story we are living in today is of war and conflict, both spiritual & physical. Men, real men are desperately needed who can bring kingdom ways into every aspect of his life and every situation. Especially his homefront.

Why does everything have to be such a fight? Because it is. That’s the reality of life – and one thing I’ve finally accepted. You have to step up and fight for what you want.

A real man knows how to fight with love and for love.

It took Salvation for me to know that, to be honest. But I think it might be the single most important thing I’ve learned about being a man.

That’s the thing, I know how valuable all this is to men. Me who are lost. Because I was one of them. And had been my entire life.

When I was saved, I saw disbelief everywhere. I would hear, “I hope that it is true.” I never followed up on that. Never felt the need to. Never will. I don’t need to explain myself to anyone.

Because that truly doesn’t matter to me. The point is I have nothing to prove, nothing to hide, and nothing to fear. My actions in this world speak for me and that’s all that counts.

I have an identity. I know who I am. I am a beloved son of the Father. And I find my security & strength in that identity alone.

I know where I am in life. God opened my eyes. To see and hear what is going on around me. And I am alert to the spiritual forces at work behind physical circumstances. Let me tell you – its pretty amazing what Salvation can do.

I have a mission & purpose. One that comes straight from a Heavenly King alive & working in my life. I am always alert and looking for the good God is doing in my life and through my life. I trust God completely that He will open the doors for me in everything – at just the right place and just the right time.

As the saying goes, God may not be early, but He is never late. And it’s my job to recognize that and go through those doors when they open.

I’ve seen it happen time and time again. It is real. Someday I’ll even meet my person like that. I believe in that one hundred percent.

Nowadays if someone doesn’t like me for who I am, I’m ok with it. Because I love myself & I know God loves me more than I’ll ever be able to know. As a man I can’t tell you how critical that is – to receive a father’s love & to love yourself, so that you can not only love others, but fight in every aspect of life – with love & for love.

What’s amazing is all this started with a five-dollar audio book that God put in front of me. It took about a month, but I kept seeing it over and over until I finally clicked on it and saw it was only 5 bucks and said what the heck, I can afford to waste that if its no good. I honesty don’t think I would have bought it if it had been 20 dollars. Not surprisingly it turned out to be the foundation of what my calling is.

I’m slowly making it into a program, expanding on its ideas using my own testimony & personal experiences in life.

A man’s life is a journey. It is the result of discovering & rediscovering oneself, time after time, failure after failure, success after success, through the grace & effectiveness of walking with God and living a purpose driven life.

Praise and Glory to GOD!