A Word to Young Men
Posted October 17, 2022 by Steve HallRecently I made a statement to my family, and my fourteen year old nodded pretty vigorously. If you can get a fourteen year old to agree with you, then you may be on to something. I said, “Men are born conquerors. You may have noticed.”
Many young men today are aimlessly wandering through life without any purpose or real goals. I’m sure you have seen it. Sadly, there seems to be no sense of living for a cause that is bigger than themselves.
Here is a word to young men:
If you are a follower of Christ, you have the greatest of all causes right in front of you! Men are built to build something, to be warriors who defeat the giants and dragons, and who go all-in for a great cause. Being a real Christian certainly fulfills this need for men. God knows what we need.
Christian young men need to understand a proper sense of duty. Men have certain duties to fulfill that they must purpose to shoulder, no matter how they feel, no matter what. Christian men really are soldiers, given suits of armor, with Christ as their commander.
It is shameful when any man avoids or runs away from his duty, like a soldier on the field of battle who runs away from the fight, because he is scared. That man is labeled a coward, as he should be. And no real man wants to be called a coward. Duty does always require courage, sometimes more than other times. David was one of those young men who knew what his duty was, and with the power of God on him, he defeated the giants in his life.
God told Joshua, another real man spoken of in the Bible, to be strong and of good courage, and to not be afraid. Joshua could do this because he believed by faith that the Lord was with him wherever he went. He was duty-bound to do the hard tasks God had called him to do, no matter what anybody else thought, or what foes he might face. And God was able to do mighty works through that man of faith who performed his God-called duty.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9
Our duty is to simply obey the Commander and act like a man. This means everyday (all-important) things like honoring and obeying authority. It means getting a job done like a man (leaving lazy, “try to get out of work” boyhood behind) completing the task no matter how hard, making muscles in the mirror (💪🏼), or being that young guy at church who helps take the tables down without being asked. It may also mean things like having to turn down a friendship with someone whom you know in your heart is not going God’s way, but heading toward foolishness. That kind of stuff takes a lot of courage. It will mean cutting the head off giants in your life, such as lust.
It means boldly telling people about the Savior, and showing them what a Christian young man looks like. And one day, it will mean providing for and loving a godly lady with all your heart, defeating the giants that will attack you and your family, and joyfully raising up other duty-bound young men and women for Christ in this world.
This is how courageous, purpose-filled, Christian young men change the world for the Kingdom of Christ. Do your duty now, wherever you are. And determine now to be strong, unafraid, defeating the giants, and knowing the Lord your God is with you in this great Cause.