dad | Heartstone Journey

The 15 Principles Of Manhood

There are times along our journey when God calls us to stand in the authority of His Son; to engage in spiritual warfare against the enemy of our souls and shout with authority, “Enough—thus far and no more!” This is not something we should take lightly, because there is not an earthly power that rivals that of satan, and whenever he wages war against one of God’s children, he does so by trying to intimidate and paralyze us through fear. We need God to fight the battle.

In 1 Samuel, we read the awesome account of the confrontation of David and Goliath. The scene unfolds where David is asked by his father to bring some food down to the battle at Ephes-Dammin, which literally means “edge of blood.” At this point in the story, Goliath has been relentlessly taunting the army of Israel for thirty-nine straight days, simply beating them down through intimidation and fear. David walks into the scene on the fortieth day as Goliath continues to curse and intimidate the army of Israel. This shepherd boy looks back at one of the soldiers and says, “Who does this guy think he is and what do I get for shutting this fool up?” David stands before this giant enemy of Israel, picks up five stones and with divine line of sight, sends a stone deep into the head of Goliath sending him to his death on the ground.

There are giants in our land that aren’t supposed to be there!

Hey Dads, Get Your Head Out Of Your @$$ And Listen Up! [Series]

Planning and providing is part of a man’s leadership role in his home. Sadly many men often misplace their vision and focus on things such as; a house, car, boat, money, rising up the corporate ladder, guy stuff, fill in the blank ________.

Sound familiar?

One of the passions I have is reaching people who have lost themselves to prosperity, power, and position. Whether we know it or not guys, we all ask the basic question “do I have what it takes?” We want to know from our fathers that we have what it takes and when they’re not around or emotionally unavailable, this question often goes unanswered. So, what do we do? We pursue everything else for that validation. We don’t even look for it from God!

Because this question eluded me and I didn’t lean into God, I ended up pulling a Maverick — I crashed and burned! After a devastating “life shaking”, God got me off my “pity potty” and taught me how to man up — and He is coming for you!

As Christ comes out of the water, His Father speaks validation. His voice ripped away the religious drapery and the Father said, ‘Jesus, you are the real deal. You have what it takes.’ And this is right at the moment Christ is about to launch into his mission. When we show that image to men, they see that God will speak to them the same way. We are sons of God and He will validate us.

—John Eldredge

So for all the dads (or soon to be dads) out there here are 7 tips to get you thinking before it’s too late, so listen up.

Answering The Question, “Where Have All The Men Gone?” [Series]

“Man up!”, “Be a man!”, “Grow some balls!”, “He’s a real man.”, “Authentic manhood.”

These phrases (and more like them) echo in today’s culture and hidden behind those phrases is a question seems to haunt men in society today — “What does it mean to be a man? An authentic man?”

In today’s post modern culture the meaning and image of true masculinity is seriously getting diluted, tainted, watered-down and completely lost. Unfortunately the narrative that’s being played out today is ‘boys in men’s bodies’ with only a few wanting to be men…but not exactly knowing how, while others remain nonchalant.

Houston…we have a deficit of authentic manhood in today’s society! Seriously, where have all the men gone?

Lets answer that question.

How To Hit The Target — All The Time!

As our church men’s group worked through week nine of our Stepping Up series, we learned the metaphor of the arrow in reference to having a clear vision for our family and specifically our children.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

—Psalm 127:4-5

Have you ever shot an arrow? You take an arrow out of your quiver, you place it into position on the bow, you pull back looking down the length of the arrow…waiting for the target to come into focus before you launch it. It’s awesome! Hitting your target with an arrow requires skill, strength, patience and a calming focus. The destiny of the arrow is completely dependent on many factors.

Ok, so what does this have to do with vision or children for that matter?

What Can The Guards At Tomb Of The Unknowns Teach Us?

We are half way through our ten week Stepping Up series with our church men’s group and the finish line is slowly coming into focus. This weeks topic was about men ‘stranding firm’ and it really hit home for me. The video that kick started the session led with a byopic of the the guards that have chosen to take on the duty of guarding the Tomb Of The Unknowns.

The Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains being identified. It is also known as the Tomb Of The Unknowns, but it has never been officially named. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States of America. The World War I “Unknown” is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the Victoria Cross, and several other foreign nations’ highest service awards. The U.S. Unknowns who were interred are also recipients of the Medal of Honor, presented by U.S. Presidents who presided over their funerals.ⁱ

Even if you already know this, its worth repeating — these soldiers have NEVER left the tomb unguarded for any reason. Pause and take that in for a minute!

Why the example of the Tomb Of The Unknowns? And, why is this so important in God calling a man to step up?

Lets unpack it a bit.

The 15 Principles Of Manhood

Hey Dads, Get Your Head Out Of Your @$$ And Listen Up! [Series]

Answering The Question, “Where Have All The Men Gone?” [Series]

How To Hit The Target — All The Time!

What Can The Guards At Tomb Of The Unknowns Teach Us?

Favorite Quotes

Cool Scripture

Never Out Of The Fight!

Resources