"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" -Micah 6:8
Type
in anything sinful, immoral, or repulsive in an internet search engine and
you'll receive an overwhelming amount of information. For example: I
typed in the phrase Harry Potter in Google and 123,000,000
webpages came up. I then typed in the phrase "Being a man of God"
(including the parenthesis) and only 924 webpages came up. It appears
that not too many men are interested these days in being a man of God.
I have read some online articles on "being a man of God" and to be honest am
not impressed at all. It surely can't be that complicated to live for
God. I want to tell you what it means to be a man of God from the Word
of God.
First, no man will ever be a man of God who is not saved. Hebrews 11:6 proclaims, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Have you been born again? Many men claim to have faith in God; BUT they are as lost in sin as the Devil, and hellbound. Have you believed upon Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, trusting His blood sacrifice to wash away your sins? 1st Peter 1:18,19 states... "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." A man of God has been cleansed by the precious LITERAL blood of Jesus Christ, and defends the blood against malicious imposters like Pastor's John MacArthur and R.B. Thieme, Jr. Hebrews 9:12 declares, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Anyone who talks about being a man of God who doesn't mention the LITERAL precious blood of Jesus an ignorant fool. It is a lost sinner's faith in the blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God that cleanses away all sin (1st John 1:7).
Second, a man of God hates sin and evil, as Jesus did (John 2:15; Hebrews 1:9). The man of God realizes he is a big sinner himself, and continually casts himself at the feet of Jesus Christ in humility, begging God to help him be a better man, father, husband, and citizen. The man of God realizes fully that the Word of God is his double-edged Sword (Hebrews 4:12), with which he must fight off the Devil and the hordes of Hell which attack him daily. He knows that the Bible is not merely a Book, or a religious manual; BUT rather, the inspired, eternal, preserved, inerrant Words of Almighty God in Heaven. The man of God loathes Hollywood, pornography, and all forms of evil. He detests Harry Potter's witchcraft, false Bibles which obscure the truth, murderous abortion, and the vile sin of homosexuality. The man of God is not passive concerning sin, but takes some form of a stand, whether it be in the workplace or amongst family members.
Third, the man of God is compassionate, caring, and loving. The man of God loves animals and doesn't cause needless pain, suffering, or harm to animals (Proverb 12:10). He hates sin, and is brokenhearted by the consequences of sin which he sees in society. The man of God tries to be understanding, and fair, though at times he may fail. Ephesians 4:32 states, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." The man of God strives to be fair, reasonable, and is willing to make restitution for his wrongs. No man can walk with God who harbors hatred, bitterness, and a vengeful spirit towards others. Life is too short to live with a burden of hatred. The man of God will at times being enraged with anger, because he is human. he will sin and make plenty of mistakes; BUT, he rises up, shakes off the dust, and gives it another shot... "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief" (proverb 24:16). You can't keep a good man down.
Fourth, being a man of God means walking with God. We often hear people say that the way to walk with God is by praying and reading the Bible. Let me tell you friend, some of the biggest hypocrites and phonies in this world can quote the Bible inside and out, like Jack Van Impe, who claims to have spent over 70,000 hours studying the Bible, yet he foolishly has publickly thanked God for Catholic leaders. According to TBN's Jack Van Impe, the Vatican's doctrines are wonderfully correct: "I believe in this book," Van Impe tells the TV audience, holding high the New Catholic Catechism. "The Catholic doctrines are right on," he adds. Who turned Van Impe around to the Papacy's way of thinking? Why, it was the Satanic Pope himself. Says Van Impe... "Pope John Paul II has given me real direction in my life." "He is a giant of the faith." This is apostasy of the worst kind. The Catholic Church is straight out of the pits of Hell. Salvation is not merited by good works, religious ceremonialism, or by keeping the Sacraments. Don't tell me this is of God. The man of God correctly divides the Word of Truth, i.e., the Bible. 2nd Timothy 2:15 states, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Thus, God's man sees the dangers of false religion and the greedy televangelists who take advantage of the ignorant, elderly, and sincere.
Fifth, the man of God cannot be bought with money, opportunity, or advancement. 1st Timothy 6:10-12 states... "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." The man of God would rather live poor, than to sellout to the Devil for great riches. There was a good reason why John the Baptist lived in the wilderness, lived off the land, and dressed in animal skins. If John were alive today, I think he would be a recluse living in the woods to escape this insane world we are living in. I am not exaggerating when I say that many good Christian men have moved to northern climates in America, where women have no choice but to wear more clothing. There is nothing any more sinful than a woman who deliberately sports in causing lasciviousness by wearing immodest clothing.
Sixth, The man of God is careful to protect his reputation and name, continually considering the words of Proverb 22:1... "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold." The man of God doesn't have to prove anything, because his character is such that it speaks for itself. The man of God is honest and pays his bills on time. He doesn't like owing on credit, considering Proverb 22:7... "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." He likes to own what is his, and not be a slave to others.
Seventh, the man of God cares. The hallmark quality of being a Christian is CARING. Nothing else matters if a believer doesn't care. 1st Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." God sets the example. We should care, because God cares (and He most certainly does). What a wonderful Savior! Oh what a debt of gratitude we owe to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our God. Jesus is Precious! Phooey on seminars, religious books, and catechisms! God created us, and keeps us breathing (Acts 17:25). Walking with God is as simple as drawing near to Him... "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." There is no secret to being a man of God. We are sinners, and Jesus is our Savior who loves us and desires to fellowship with us through the Word of God. A man will be as much a man of God as he OBEYS the Word of God.
