While it is indeed true that you possess great power, i.e. creative power, within your vocal organs and brain, it is just as true that your real and true beliefs are always borne out through the actions and efforts you bring forth…not just through the words you speak. A real man, a male who accepts his God given responsibilities and meets and fills all of the needs of his family and who will provide for and protect all the members of his family is always the man of great character. He is the man who says what he means and means what he says. Truth…pure sweet and sometimes most difficult truth…always prevails within the spirit of the real man, husband, and father. A man’s lifestyle, personal conduct, communication, and how he handles his personal and economic responsibilities always reveals what he truly is!
You see men, you simply cannot be two different things, people, or recognized leaders simultaneously. No man can. Ours is a balanced world created by an Almighty God who purposely ordered everything He created and placed into operation so as to insure everything worked properly together just as He designed it to work. Ours is a God of specifics, not generalities. God is always precisely direct, right on time, never late or early, and always right on target as to what He commands and/or directs us (His creations) to do. He never “straddles the fence” or is “wishy-washy” in any of His instructions, directions, promises, or precepts. God’s rules and instructions are always right on the bulls-eye of His targeted desires for mankind.
In our modern day world man continues to try to sweep God and His Truths under the rug…hide them in a closet…or actually deny them even when they are occurring in our everyday life. The Word of God undeniably tells us that sin is anything that separates us from God…Anything! He also tells us that the Wages of Sin is Death and that without the shedding of human blood there will be no forgiveness of sin. Now please remember that these are not parenthetical comments or suggestions!
However the sad facts are that sinful man just keeps on trying to take all of us further and further away from the absolute truth of God’s Word. You see, in our modern world of today, we don’t have sins…we just have problems or challenges. We, as a permissive and sinful society, have psychologized the Gospel of Christ and in the process of doing so have simply eliminated the word “sin” from our vocabulary.
We don’t talk about sins today; we talk about problems. Words were created and defined to have great meaning and purpose. Words of our language are intended to convey thoughts, truths, facts, and feelings. The real character of a man or woman is not based upon the feelings or emotions of their being but rather upon their education, knowledge, beliefs and related actions. Problems are much more convenient than are sins,…because we rationalize to ourselves that we don’t have to do anything about our problems. Even if we recognize them as an aggravation or irritation, we can still continue to live and get along with them without having to address and resolve them. You see, according to the fleshly world today, if you only have a problem…(as compared to having sinned against God), you can get sympathy for it or understanding for it or professional help for it, of some other of a myriad of other possible solutions to your dilemma. Sin, on the other hand, has to be recognized, confessed, asked forgiveness for, repented of, and never performed again…i.e. forsaken. That requires facing one’s guilt, and working hard and long to overcome the eventual consequences of having sinned. No wonder most people want to avoid dealing with their sins of commission or of omission. As a quick reminder, however, There are no short-cuts in the Word of God. Here is the simple truth: Without an actual confrontation with our own sins, we will never do anything about resolving them.
All real problems in life are one way or another based on sin of some sort. This is precisely why sinful man (and woman) need a Savior as a ways and means of forgiving their sins and providing a workable and acceptable solution to all of their problems. God knew that fact which is exactly why He sent His Living Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to die (be crucified) as a substitute death penalty, (i.e. the shedding of blood) for all of mankind’s sins,….past, present,and future.
Father, Creator, God is very serious and intentional about the issue of unrepented for sin in the life of a human being,….particularly in the life of a Christian Believer. Within the pages of Holy Scripture, the Apostle Paul strongly advocated personal self discipline. He stated his position quite clearly when he said, “If anyone calls himself a brother, and then maintains a lifestyle or habitual pattern of sin, don’t keep company with him: don’t even have lunch with him!”
His exact words as recorded in the Holy Bible in the Book of
1 Corinthians, chapter 5, verses 9–13, NKJV read as follows:
Immorality Must Be Judged
(9) “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with
sexually immoral people.
(10) Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral
people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners,
or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the
world.
(11) But now I have written to you not to keep company with
anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or
covetous, or an idolater, or reviler, or drunkard, or an
extortioner–not even to eat with such a person.
(12) For what have I to do with judging those also who are
outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
(13) But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put
away from yourselves the evil person.’ ”
Permit me to say to you that although these words are strong and straight forward, contrary to what you, or anyone else may think, they are an act of love,…not of hate. God specifically tells us within the pages of Scripture that His ways are always much greater and higher than are our own ways. He says that His thoughts are always higher and more understanding than are ours….Why? Because He is the One who created us,…not the other way around. As our Creator, He knows more about us than we know about ourselves.
Let’s go to the heart of the matter of Paul’s words……If a person calling himself a Christian continues in his sin with total impunity and is allowed full membership privileges, he has absolutely no incentive to confront and confess and set aside his own sin. Why should there be any change? Under this scenario, the person in question has the sin and still has the full acceptance and agreement of the believers with whom he or she is associating.
Discipline always carries with it a certain degree of pain and humility as well as embarrassment. Ofter times, the person (believer) committing the sin would rather admit that he has a problem, or that he is just unfortunate, and usually will wail or cry when dealt with in disciplinary actions.
The best way to lead any other person(s) is by example. People always do what people see. Whenever your actions and related lifestyle do all of your talking for you, there really is not any need for you to do a great amount of speaking.
The greatest example you as a real man need to display is that you through your own thoughts, words, deeds, and actions are becoming more and more Christlike in every manner and way.
Be A Real Man and Always Act Like One………..