As a man, a Christian, a husband and a father

As a man, a Christian, a husband and a father, here are the things that I promise:

1. To fight for my faith - I will always fight for what I believe in. I will not tell you that you are wrong, but I will tell you why I believe what it is right. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says to "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." (NIV) I will fight for what I believe in and I will be strong for the Lord. When things don't go my way, I will not waver, I will stand firm. If I get punched in the gut, I will not get KO'd! I will stand firm and punch back.

2. To fight for my wife - My wife, Amanda, is the best thing to ever happen to me, besides becoming a Christian. She is my rock, my better half, my everything. I will stay strong for her, I will fight for her, I will guide us. If there is EVER any problems in our marriage, it is my responsibility to find help. It is my responsibility to make sure that our marriage stays on the right path. I am responsible to God for my family's actions and our family's decisions. Ephesians 5:25 says "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for her." (NIV) That last part is often skipped or forgotten, "And GAVE HIMSELF up for her."! As husbands, we are to give ourselves up to our wives, to give it our all, to FIGHT like a man and make sure that whatever you do, it is for your family.

3. To fight for the lost - My fight as a Christian is to fight the good fight and fight the evil of this world for the souls of the lost. In Acts 1:8 Jesus tells the disciples and tells future disciples to go out and spread the gospel. As a man, put on your big boy pants and go out there to fight for the souls of the lost. Ephesians 6:16-17 tells us to "...take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God." (NIV) God was telling us here to not sit on our butts and be lazy, but to be ready, to stand up, and go into war for yourself and for those around us.

4. To fight for my daughter - Lorelai, you are the most amazing little girl ever. Your daddy will fight for you always. I am going to fight the world for you and I am going to give my all for you. You will never see me giving up, you will never see me throwing in the towel. I am your daddy and I will fight for you. If I am going through hard times, I will not let this hinder my fighting spirit. Your daddy is a fighter and I am your knight until you find the right man to take care of you. Men, you make sure to fight for your children, to not give up on them, do not leave them, show them you will fight for them! You don't give up when times get hard, you don't wave the white flag when the battle is just beginning.

Do you notice the common theme here? Too many men these days don't know what it takes to stand up and fight like a man. God made us with an unhindered spirit and we were beautifully made! God made us and He was VERY pleased! Do you think He gave us this fighting spirit on accident? This is our responsibility as men, as Christians, as husbands and as fathers. Do not give up this battle!

Witnessing

"Being an extrovert isn't essential to evangelism...Obedience and love are." -Rebecca Manley Pippert

Today I am reading about the Great Commission. The Great Commission are the last words and instructions of Jesus to His apostles and to us as Christians. As I was reading, a very interesting fact came up. "In the final giving of the Great Commission, Jesus does not tell them what to do (evangelize) but what to be (witness.)

Here is the verse: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the Earth." (Acts 1:8 NKJV)

Jesus never said to go out and evangelize, He said to go out and be witnesses. People often say; "Well, he was speaking to the apostles here, right? I mean, I am just an ordinary person, not a preacher or evangelist." But I like to point out the last point of this verse, and I know Jesus was looking right into our eyes when he said the last part; "...and to the ends of the Earth."

Do you know that in the legal sense, the word witness means "telling what you have seen and heard with consuming passion." It is from the Greek word "martus" which is where we get our word for martyr. We should be delighted and ecstatic on telling the word of God, and go so far as dying to do it. God told us to be witnesses to people. Through our actions, our words, our ways.

Tell what you have heard people. Show people what you have experienced. When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you might have gone through an emotional experience, or maybe not. Not everybody shows emotion after becoming a Christian, but I do know one thing you experienced...the entering of the Holy Spirit. Everybody feels it when they become a Christian. Why not share this with everybody? Why do we not go out and PROCLAIM from the mountain tops what we have done?

My goal is to be a "witness" for God through my actions and my words. God has called me to be a witness in Acts 1:8 and I want to be obedient to Him.

-James