Life in the United States of America has suffered drastic changes.
Some of those changes are good and some are bad. On the positive
side, it appears that more people are gaining the opportunity to participate
in what has been billed as "The American Dream". The "dream" says that
anyone can (by working hard) make it in America. That is probably a
very optimistic appraisal of the American opportunity but many who suffered
in other countries have indeed prospered in the United States of America.
The American economy has gone through much change. The agrarian
South and Midwest in which small farms once thrived are relics of the past.
Since the mid 1950's the trend has been toward mega-mechanized agricultural
industries. Many Americans that once were able to earn monies working with
their hands in such crops as cotton, bean, corn, etc. are no longer able to
do so. Mechanization has monopolized farm "work" and human labor is
no longer the premium commodity it once was. The foregoing is just a
glance at some of the changes that have affected people who depend on America's
agricultural economy. Changes just as drastic and disturbing have also
occurred in America's social and cultural arenas.
The roles of men and women have been seriously impacted by a
number of events, movements and philosophical shifts. In my view, the
American man has been weakened by the philosophical paradigm which seeks
to deny any difference in the gender of human beings. On the one hand,
it appears that in order to prove the female "equally strong" the American
male had to be weakened. I think this is a tragedy. I have noticed
the weaknesses many American men now display when confronted by women. I
know of very few American homes that are not now being "ruled" by women. That
is a tragedy. God gave the rule to the man. Atheistic philosophies
that have been allowed to seep into the American family have sought to negate
God's plan for the family and substitute a "better" one. Women have
learned that they can "get their way" and they are doing it. I even
experienced this situation in my own home. I had to consciously exert
my manhood and refuse to be weakened. It meant withdrawing from the
controlling influence of my wife and being willing to risk the entire marriage
in order to maintain the position God intended for me to occupy. (I
am careful to not be evil or abusive but I am also very very careful to make
sure I do not allow my wife to control me [that is not God's will]). Being
a Christian minister I have an advantage: I am commanded to be kind
and loving. However, I am very concerned about many American men who
do not have the advantage of being a Christian minister. I am concerned
that many of them will attempt to assert their manhood in ways that will
harm their wives and get them (the men) in trouble. (That is one to
the reasons I wanted to write this article.)
About Abraham, God said the following: "For I know him,
that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall
keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring
upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." (Genesis 18:19 [The
Holy Bible]). It is very clear from Holy Scripture that God gave man
the rule. Contemporary American society no longer believes that. They
have decided to do "their own thing" and forget God. That sounds unbelievable
but the laws and court decisions of the past forty years soundly prove this
point of view. Atheism has gained a foothold in America and many in
the "Christian" church seem ignorant to atheism's damning agenda. So,
the movement away from God's plan for the family continues to wreak havoc
in America and in the American family. The answer to reversing this
course lies in the men of American but so many of American's "men" have been
captured by the venomous enemy philosophy that it is unlikely that they will
ever again be free. Captured and weakened, they go on like zombies,
accepting the loss of manhood and seeking to avoid the conflict that being
a real man can bring.
There is a phrase among us which says to young men, "be a man
like your papa, not a man like your mama". That phrase used to mean
something. I'm afraid that in the United States of American that phrase
no longer means what it used to mean. Somehow, in America, being a
"man like your papa" could mean something similar to being a "man like your
mama". That is truly tragic. What is even more tragic is the fact
that many of the women who are abusing their sons (and their husbands
[though the husband is at fault in allowing it]) seem to care less. They
(the mothers) are so caught up in the women's' movement (and blinded thereby)
that they are willing to seek to weaken their own sons and husbands in order to be
"equal".
It appears to me (from Holy Scripture) that God did not intend
for men and women to be "equal". No, God had a better idea: Women
were to be put on a pedestal. Here is part of what God says: "Likewise,
ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the
wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace
of life; that your prayers be not hindered" (I Peter 3:7 [The Holy Bible])
This leads me to believe that God intends that women be treated with
special care. He has given them special qualities which men do not
have. Men are to respect them for who and what they are and who and what God
made them to be. They are not ever to be abused. They are to
be delicately cared for. That is God's plan, God's intention and it
is best.
The problem (or question) is this: How does a man treat
a woman the way God wants him to treat her when she has usurped the position
God has given man and sought to establish a paradigm that God never meant
to exist? Well, men in different eras have dealt with this question
in different ways. In earlier centuries, men forcefully (physically)
made women remain in their proper roles. One of the problems that came
out of that method was abuse. Many men apparently abused the women with
whom they interacted. Since men controlled the societies nothing much
was done about such abuse. (However, during the last five years I have
come across accounts of men who abused their women and were physically "straightened
out" by groups of men who lived in the community). However, such vigilantism
should not be allowed to operate. The rule of law should have been
used to handle such situations.
Ah, "the rule of law". Well, that is just what is happening
now, isn't it? The law takes care of abusive men. Well, not exactly.
What the "law" does, (in many instances) is deny the man the latitude
needed to rule his home. As a matter of fact, almost anything can be
cited as being "abusive". Therefore, weak men simply acquiesce
rather than carry out their manly ruling elder responsibilities. In
other words, they have chosen to be "men like their mamas". Some men
have sought to exert themselves and have ended up in jail, divorced, losing
the greater part of their possessions and paying alimony. So, the American
man seems to be caught between a rock and a hard place. What does he
do?
I have sought the leadership of God. I make every effort
to yield my life to God, study, learn and obey His word, take heed to myself,
show love, be slow to become angry, and pray daily. By maintaining the
Godly perspective I have been able to determine God's will for me and elicit
his guidance and active help. I tell my wife what God wants us to do
and I do it. If she chooses otherwise that is between her and God.
I never hit her. I never physically abuse her. However,
whenever she wants to do something that I believe God does not want us to
do, I refuse to cooperate. I never allow her to lead me into sin. If
she decides to sin I tell her that it is sin. I also tell God that I
have told her the way of God. I also ask God to not hold against me
the sin(s) of my wife. I do not believe that God requires me to physically
restrain my wife from the sins she decides to willfully walk into. There
are times when our wives will choose the wrong way even when they know the
right way. (Remember Lot's wife. [Genesis 19:26 {The Holy Bible}]
). I am careful to pray often and ask God to help my wife choose His
way rather than the way of the world.
Seeing that atheism has taken hold in America, I urge every American
male to get to know Jesus Christ. In my view, that is the very best
way to reclaim your manhood and know what you should do. Also, by following
the commandments of Jesus Christ you have the best possible chance of staying
out of jail while you "fight" for your manhood. With Jesus, the struggle
becomes just another element of the Christian life. Being out of Christ
will probably get you into trouble. Being in Christ could possibly keep
you out of trouble.
Many of you are truly troubled. Your burdens are heavy
and you don't know what to do. You know your manhood rights have been
usurped and you are acting out your frustrations by having extramarital affairs
(committing adultery), drinking intoxicating liquors, using harmful drugs,
staying away from home ("hanging out"), gambling, and/or engaging in other
harmful activities. It might help to remember the following words of
Jesus: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 [The Holy
Bible] ).
Getting your wife Saved is also a major step toward repairing the situation.
Women who are truly Saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost
will gladly obey the word of God. Sanctification will make your wife
a joy to behold. Sanctification will make you a joy to behold.###