subject: Obstacles to the Success of a Man in the Kingdom of God [print this page] Obstacles to the Success of a Man in the Kingdom of God
One of the biggest obstacles to the success of a man in the Kingdom of God (KOG) is his heartfelt understanding of who he is (his perspective as it relates to God). There is a great deal of pressure for a man to "live right" according to the norms and mores of our society.
A new "convert" to the faith is thrust into a new realm of unrealistic expectations with the "self-induced" pressure for immediate results. Don't be discouraged my brother, you are only a manflesh and blood, completely flawed, thoroughly contaminated, wicked and manipulative.
You are cunning and deceitful with a capacity to do anything, commit any crime and/or transgression against anyone without blinking. You can spew out venom and skillful profanity from your mouth and heart simultaneously.
Your quest for lustful things captivates every waking moment and your vain imaginations control you like any addictive drug. You are weak and extremely limited and powerless to stop yourself from repeated offenses, yet you say you love God, serve His people and are a born again believer! How can this be? After reading this short diatribe, it is clear to see why Christ had to die for us!
You see, our humanity (I will use the word "flesh" interchangeably throughout this chapter) is one our most compelling weapons against the forces of evil and darkness. It is the dwelling place of everything that is diametrically opposed to God.
Yet, our capacity for evil doesn't surprise God nor does it dissuade Him from His "obsession" with His beloved sons. Many of your Pastors will not communicate honestly that they wrestle with their own lusts and desires. This is a major violation against our trust. Pastors don't just give your men the "surface" stuff, meet with them as men and let the men see you "naked" (transparent).
More importantly, please don't turn these sessions into another opportunity for you to preach to them! Allow the men to engage and empower one another in small groups. Please Pastors, I know this is going to sting, but your men don't need to hear another sermon.
They don't need any more conferences. They don't need any more guest speakers, tapes or CD's. Newsflash: "MEN NEED TO TALK TO EACH OTHER WITHOUT PASTORS LORDING OVER THEM!"
Men need to feel the freedom of "pouring out" of the bowels of their souls to other men with similar tribulation going on in their lives without condemnation (this doesn't mean without correction or accountability for one's actions). The men need to know you are a man just like them. This exchange will also take a lot of the pressure off of the Pastor so he can stop "fakin' the funk!"
As a man, we see examples everyday of what is both acceptable and unacceptable behavior in our lives. Be it family, work or social environments, there are just certain things we can and cannot do.
Parameters have been set by our society, family values and our local, state and federal governments. However, there is incredible pressure for a man to behave a certain way. This behavior is generally flawed and unacceptable.
The ease with which believers vacillate between righteousness and wickedness is mind boggling. To many, this might appear to be an inherent contradiction between what is being promoted as an easy way to live as a Christian.
On the contrary, it is extremely challenging trying to live right in our culture. In addition, the transgressions I alluded to earlier most often do not take the form of some major crime against society but rather is something very subtle like the exaggeration of an incident, cheating on our expense accounts at work, not returning property that has been lost or telling a lie for any reason.
These snares and many others keep Christians captive inside the realm of guilt and frustration and dilute their faith in opposition to the forces of evil.
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