What kind of men are we?  That was the question I had to ask myself after reading a couple of things today.  The first was a quote by John Stuart Mill.  He wrote the following about war,

     "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degrading state of moral and patriotic
     feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to
     fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance
     of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."   - John Stuart Mill - 


When I read this I honestly wondered about myself.  In light of what we face as a nation, can I say that I am not guilty of a certain "moral and patriotic decay" that shies away from the war for the very soul of our nation at present?  There is a battle for the soul of the United States and it rages every day.  Some would have us move toward being a nation that is based upon a philosophy of Socialism where the state becomes the caretaker of all within it.  We are walking in that direction and fast destroying the once great nation given to us by God and our forefathers.  It is said that Socialism only works until the government runs out of other people's money to spend.  That is quickly coming upon us each day that we do not rise up to the moral, social, political, and spiritual battles that surround us.  

Let me better define the war of which I speak.  It is my hope that it will never descend into a war of weapons where the outcome is dependent upon which army destroys the other.  But at present it is a war of ideas.  A war that is fought with words and actions based upon those ideas.  There is a greatly decayed moral state in America that must be addressed if we are going to survive as a nation.  Nations fall not because of conquerors who fight from without - but because of moral decay and destruction within.  We must first stand against the moral decay that is rotting us from the inside out.  That means fighting the battles that rage in our flesh.  It means once again valuing honesty, integrity, honor, hard work, faithfulness, and a host of other character traits which are far more often mocked by our godless society than glorified.  It also means recapturing our homes as the primary place where education takes place.  It is in the home where morals and godly character must be taught.  More than this it is where moral character must be displayed by fathers.

Such an endeavor will mean that we have to fight and war against some things.  I will list several here.  Please understand that we can either realize war is what MUST take place against these things - or we will lose.  We can either fight in this war - or remain one of Mill's miserable creatures who live only for their own safety, security, and comfort.  If we do, we will have to rely on other, more godly and principled men to maintain our freedom.  My concern is that there are not many such men left in this hour - possible not enough to stem the tide of moral decay and political tyranny.

First, we must fight and war against our own pacivity men!  It is the easiest thing to start out days at the mercy of the clock.  What I mean by this is that we get up so late that we do not have time to get quiet and meet with God.  We must awaken early enough to spend time with Him - both in reading God's Word and in praying for ourselves, our family, and our nation.  This is where is HAS to start.  Men, we need to war against the moral decay in ourselves.  If we do not, we will have nothing of substance to give in the war that rages all around us. 

Second, we must war for our marriages and our homes.  I ask a simple question men.  What is the state of your relationship with your wife?  Do you cherish her?  Do you nourish her with the Word?  Are we patterning for our children and those around us a delight in God's institution of marriage?  One of the most blighting scourges that is rotting our nation from within in the state of marriage and family in our land.  We can either decry it and weep on the devastated landscape around us - or - we can begin to labor to restore the ancient foundations by loving our wives and loving our children.  And that being said, what is the state of your role as "father?"  Do YOU inspire your children with your lifestyle - and with your regular teaching.  If we do not want a "nanny-state" we must then take on the rearing of our children and not leave it to the state and to the educational system.  Do you speak to your children of the morals they should embrace?  Even more - do you yourself display them to your children?

Third, we must fight and war against the rule and reign of entertainment in our lives.  I have nothing against entertainment - unless our devotion to it outstrips our devotion to God, our family, God's church, and our country.  Too often we sit and decay simply by allowing the entertainment industry to speak to us - then for us in our homes.  Think of their values men.  Think of what you've seen and heard on television and in movies.  Then realize that they not only reflect the moral decline in our nation - the urge it to continue to new heights.  

Lastly, are you warring for godly leaders in our land.  I find it disturbing that over and over again we are told that morals in a man do not matter when it comes to electing our officials.  A man can stand and say that he wants to lead our nation - indeed take an oath to do so - when he has not even honored his oath and covenant to his wife!  Such men should be questioned much about these things.  I understand that we all need God's grace - but do we not have men among us willing to run - who have not cheated on their wives . . . while being an elected official of our land.  The Democrats defend President Clinton while he commits adultery in the White House - and the Republicans now defend Newt Gingrich while he does the same in the position of Speaker of the House.  We must fight for principled men to lead us.  If neither party is willing to put up such men should we not so war against them with our words, our financial contributions, and our direct involvement until such men are put forward?  We will not see change - godly, moral, principled change - until we demand it.

Men, I know this has been a long article - and I also know that many of us suffer from moral as well as family and patriotic failures of our past.  But there truly will not be change until we passionately seek it.  May we not be the pathetic, overindulged, and unwilling miserable creatures that John Stuart Mill described above.  May we instead be the men who are willing to war against the culture - war against our own self-indulgence - and war for the reviving our our own hearts, marriages, families, churches, and nation.  There are some things worth dying for in life.  So I ask once again, "What kind of men are we?"

I wanted to take a one week break in the midst of this series of articles to ask a simple question.  That question is this, "Are you fighting?"  That may seem like an interesting question to ask - but it is very applicable to the battle of being a godly man.  Let me quote a pamphlet with that same title, Are You Fighting? which was written by J. C. Ryle.  

"There are thousands of men and women who go to churches and chapels every Sunday and call themselves Christians . . . but you never see any 'fight' about their religion!  Of spiritual strife, and exertion, and conflict, and self-denial, and watching, and warring they know literally nothing at all.  Such Christianity may satisfy man, and those who say anything against it may be thought very hard and uncharitable; but it certainly is not the Christianity of the Bible.  It is not the religion which the Lord Jesus founded, and His apostles preached.  True Christianity is a 'fight.'"

As we've walked through Psalm 101 we've seen some pretty strong language used.  One might even say that this language is the language of conflict - of battle - of war.  My answer to this is simple - IT IS!  Our fight is perennially one against the flesh, the world, and the devil.  These three are our main enemies - and if we are not engaged in a fight with them - we are most likely enslaved by them.  One thing the Bible promises to us is that these enemies will not be idle.  They are constantly looking for ways to make inroads in our lives.  They want to set up beach heads that will serve as launching pads for further incursions into our lives morally and spiritually.  What I am trying to say is that if we are not having any "fight" in our religion - we are losing a battle of which we not even aware.

Raging all around us currently is a war currently for the souls of the men of our nation.  The main front of that battle is for the menl of the church.  But even that front has multiple avenues where we are being attacked.  Let me mention a few (and please know that in no way is this seeking to be an exhaustive list).  

#1 - Guys . . . are you fighting with your eyes?  I know this is a battle that seems to rage everywhere you go.  From the grocery store where they put immoral magazines right at the checkout lines (and no I am not referring to Playboy, but to the women's magazines and tabloids in saying this - anyone want to argue with me biblically on this point?) to the television, to movies, to the way that women dress in our society, the battle is raging.  But guys, we need to fight with our eyes - by turning them away from lust.  Jesus put it this way, "if you right eye makes you stumble - rip it out and throw it from you."  That sounds like a fight to me?  But are we fighting?  May God grant us grace to battle the lust of the eyes daily.  I know that it is tough - and that at times we grow weak - but we cannot give in to the immorality of the world - the lust of our own flesh - or the lure of the devil in this.  We need to FIGHT!  

#2 - Guys . . . are you fighting with your mind?  This is closely related to the first - but it is important.  What is filling your mind?  The world will offer you a smorgesboard of things to fill your mind - and none of them will draw you closer to Christ - or encourage you to walk in His ways.  Our flesh will rise up and fight getting into the Word - but do it anyway.  With younger men this battle rages through the world of games - both on game consoles and on the internet.  The amount of time that is wasted by our young men in this pursuits is monumental.  Hours upon hours are spend filling our minds with worthless quests into an electronic world that provides escape from the real world.  The frightening part of all this is that these escapes are from reality - and from the real issues of manhood that should be wrestled with at this age.  To bring this up, I realize, is to possibly alienate myself from a whole younger generation.  But unless someone says something - we are going to either delay an entire generation from becoming real men - or - lose them altogether.  We need to fight for our minds.

#3 - Guys . . . are you fighting for your morals?  Here is a third area where we are being destroyed by the world, devil , and the flesh.  I am speaking about pornography and gratifying our flesh.  Recently I went to a sight that helps men get free from these things - and saw that they have had over 320,000 clients come to their site for help.  According to their reasoning - this represents about 1 in 10 of the men in the church who struggle with these sins.  If that is accurate - we have a problem in our country.  There is reason to believe that somewhere in the rage of 3 million men, IN THE CHURCH, have these problems.  I am not saying this to make you feel condemned, but rather to call all of us to action.  If we are not free - we need to be - as soon as possible.  Once we get free - we need to continue to FIGHT - not just for ourselves - but for our brothers in Christ as well.  

#4 - Guys . . . are you fighting for your integrity?  This goes beyond the battle in our minds - to the battle for our daily actions in our jobs, our homes, our churches, and anywhere else we walk.  This is the fight to take what we learn from the Word and make it a part of our lifestyles.  Here is the reason why so much is falling apart in our society - a lack of integrity.  Every scandal at its core happened because someone somewhere did not maintain their integrity.  When you multiply that times over 350 million Americans - you are going to have serious problems.  Are you willing to fight for integrity - even when your competitor does not?  Are you and I willing to trust the Lord to prosper and keep us afloat - even if we do not cut corners and "cook the books" for our benefit?  The worst crisis we face as a nation is not financial.  Our worst problems are not healthcare, jobs, or security.  Our key crisis is one of integrity.  Without men of integrity our nation will not continue to stand.    Will you be one of the first to embrace God's call to integrity - and fight for it even though many other men around you will not?  

These are just four areas where the battle rages - or should be raging.  What is sad is that many shun the fight.  They just want a comfortable life - one without difficulties or the struggles it takes to "fight the good fight of faith" the Bible presents to us.  But as long as we remain on a fallen earth - filled with fallen people - who do fallen things - and who promote fallen lifestyles - there is going to be a fight.  So hear me brothers as I seek to encourage you today!

Brothers in Christ . . . we are called to be MEN OF GOD!  We are called out of this present darkness into His glorious light to embrace the conflict that WILL begin the moment we are saved.  We are not perfect - but we are in the process where God is perfecting us!  We are not sinless - but oh how we are called to both hate and battle sin in our lives.  We are called to put on the armor of God - daily putting each piece on so that we can stand - and after we have fought to the last ounce of strength which God provides - to keep on standing!  We cannot afford to quit!  We cannot afford to be lazy and undisciplined!  We fight for our families!  We fight for our children - esepecially our sons, who are watching and begging us to be men they can follow!  We fight for the church - the bride of our Lord - the pillar of truth - and the manifestation of God's grace - and the place where the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ should shine forth the brightest!  

But in this hour, my blessed brothers, we are fighting for our lives!  The devil and his world system feel they are on the brink of victory.  They flex their muscles through the media and government thinking that they will win the day.  We face onslaught after onslaught - attack after attack - and battle after battle.  They fight us personally in our minds - relationally in our homes and churches - and morally in our national discourse.  But like those who have stood in what seemed like impossible battles - we stand.  Like the 300 Spartans who stood alone against the invaders who landed on their shores - we stand against hordes of those who fight against our God and against His Word.  But know this, brothers, we will stand.  We will stand upon the Word of God that has faced countless attacks and yet stands firm as the revelation of God.  We will stand upon the grace of God in the gospel that has won millions upon millions in every generation - under every form of government - in every trial - and under every type of oppression.  Finally, we will stand with our Lord Jesus Christ - Who has vanquished sin, death, and hell by His cross.  Who has stood strong against the attack of every false prophet, every false philosophy, every false religion, and every falsehood the devil has thrown at Him.  We will stand in Him knowing that He has won the victory - not just at the end of the age - but He has won the victory in every generation.  Now is not the time for us to faint.  Now is the time for us to FIGHT!  

     May the Lord grant you grace as you are a “man of integrity” within your own home.  We continue this week in our look at the man of integrity from Psalm 101.  This week we are going to focus on what a man of integrity “looks at” within his home.  The Psalmist states the following about his desire to be a man of integrity—one who “gives heed to the blameless way.”  He says at the beginning of verse 3, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.”  Let’s take a look today at what it means to have the sight of the blameless way in our eyes. 

     The word “worthless” here is from the Hebrew word “beliyyaal” which has as its most basic meaning that of utter worthlessness.  The word always has a very strong moral component to it and therefore has the idea of wickedness and something that is good for nothing at all.  In the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) this word was used as a personal name for Satan.  Those who were of the most corrupt and godless character were called, “sons of beliyyaal,” and were seen as being in rebellion against God’s moral authority.  Therefore the blameless man who seeks to maintain integrity in his home is careful not to put anything that is morally worthless and base before his eyes.  Note also that he does this by making strong choices against it.  He has a will SET in God’s direction—a will that is SET according to God’s moral compass and the Word of God.  This will not be easy in our society.  It requires hard choices—and choices that may seem legalistic to others around you.

     How do we live this way then?  How do we live as men who do not want to set any morally worthless thing before our eyes?  First, we must set the Word of God before our eyes—for through His Word God will begin clearly defining what is and is not morally worthless.  Here are a few.  In the Old Testament we are told not to look upon the nakedness of    anyone other than our wife—and that is to be done in the marriage bed as a holy thing.  Well, that pretty much rules out R-rated movies (and for that matter a large number of PG-13 rated ones where the nakedness of others is paraded   before us on a regular basis.)  Then there is the passage in Ephesians that says, “. . . And there must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting . . . “  Filthiness is defined by the Amplified Bible as obscenity or   indecency.”  So, all things which are in these categories are out as well.  I hate to say it, but this pretty much rules out probably 90-95% of what is on television and what is in the movie theaters.  Here is where we will hear the accusations of legalism come out.  But those who do this miss that Scripture tells us that it is the “grace of God that teaches to say no to ungodliness.” 

     Let me ask a question at this point about the moral sloppiness that is based on this “non-teaching” grace of today.  Where has it led us?  How is it morally in the church today?  Has the practice of being lenient with our eyes brought great blessing to our marriages?  Has it blessed us with great moral fiber and steadfastness?  The eyes are the windows into our souls.  What we allow to pass through them has the ability to bless us—or torture us with temptation and unnecessary trials.  A man who desires to be blameless and maintain integrity in his home will guard his eyes, and make sure that he places NOTHING worthless before them.  This is part and parcel of why he continues as a blameless man.

     This morning I was reading in my quiet time in the book of Psalms.  Today’s chapter was Psalm 101.  As I read this psalm of David, I was so blessed because this Psalm deals with how a father should walk within his own home.  David begins the psalm with a statement of commitment to the Lord.  He says, “I will give heed to the blameless way.”  Here he is declaring that his life is dedicated to living before God blamelessly and holy.  Then he makes his second declaration as he says, “I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.”  The two words “integrity” and “blameless” are interchangeable in Hebrew.  Thus, as David makes his commitment before God, it is one that states that he wants to walk blameless and in the highest integrity possible.  But how does one do this?  The rest of this Psalm explains this to us as we see the other commitments that come with a desire to walk in one’s house in integrity and blamelessness.  What I’d like to do for a few weeks is to look at the commitments that are necessary for a man of God to be what God desires for him to be within his home. 

     The first commitment is what I mentioned above.  A man of God needs to commit to a life of integrity within the home.  He needs to come to God and ask the Lord to work in his heart so that he is blameless   before the Lord and before his wife and children.  But who defines this “walk of integrity?“  That is answered by David in the statement he makes immediately after making this commitment.  After he says that he will give heed to the blameless way he makes a request.  That request is this, “When will You come to me?”  In saying this, David is saying two things.  First, he is committing to “giving heed” to the blameless way.  The word here speaks of discernment that is gained from listening to another.  Therefore what David commits to is to listen to someone.  This one he listens to will help him discern how to walk in life—blamelessly.  Who is this person?  David makes that clear to us when he says, “When will You come to me?”  The “You” in this verse is Jehovah God.

     To be a man of integrity and blamelessness is to be a man who daily listens to God.  To be the godly man of integrity in your home, you will need to meet with God regularly.  As you fellowship with God you will be taught how to discern between what is good and what is evil.  You will know the right way to walk—and be warned against paths that will hinder you.  They are the paths filled with roots and stumbling blocks that trip you up.  Men, spend time with God each day—seeking Him—reading His Word—talking with Him so that you begin to learn the way of integrity.  This will help you be the man of integrity your family needs within your home.  As you face the trials, temptations, and difficult decisions to be that man—may your request each day be this, “Lord, when will You come to me, teach me, strengthen me, guide me, and enable me to be a blameless man?”