The Holy Ghost makes Men, Husbands, and Fathers
There is a difference between being a man of the world and a man of God. There is also a difference between being a Christian man and a Holy Spirit-filled man. Men of the world play by the rules of the world, good or bad. Christian men play by the rules of the Bible, but not all Christian men are of God.
There is a difference between being a man of the world and a man of God. There is also a difference between being a Christian man and a Holy Spirit-filled man. Men of the world play by the rules of the world, good or bad. Christian men play by the rules of the Bible, but not all Christian men are of God.
The objective of most men expected by society, is to work hard to raise and protect his family, whether they are self-proclaimed Christians or not, or any religion for that matter. All men are vulnerable to the seductions of the world, to the pride of life and to the lust of the flesh. But not all men can withstand either or all of those tests of manhood.
The flesh is weak to many things the world has to offer, such as the lure of money, the temptress of lust, and the seduction of power. However, the Holy Spirit assist in overcoming temptation and gives victory over the flesh. It also molds a man into what God requires a man to be, not what the world makes of a man. Therefore, it is essential that men receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to meet the standards of God where it pertains to being a man, a husband and a father.
A Spirit-filled man of God who has a spouse does not allow the things of the world to disrupt his responsibility to his family, but only concerns himself with the things of the world to the point of providing for and protecting his family as a man, husband and father. “…but he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.” 1 Corinthians 7:33. He learns – though the Holy Ghost – how to overcome the things of the world. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” St. John 16:33.
The temptations of the world consist of the same things the devil offered Jesus in his moment of weakness during his fast, such as material things, power and prestige, idolatry of things and others over God, and the transgression of seeking authority over God. If a man becomes distracted by the ideologies and material lust of the world, this obsession will become a hinderance in his life because he is consumed with things not of the Spirit, but of the flesh.
Jesus condemned the lifestyle of the scribes and Pharisees because they sought for power and prestige, upheld traditions over true worship and professed to love God but did none of the things has asked of them. Men today seek the same through the prestige of secular degrees, positions of worldly status, increasing riches, and praises of popular culture. This is all considered the pride of life. No real man of God is concerned with these things and learns to live for God without either. Unfortunately, too many men today measure their success in God by all of the above.
If any man has the Holy Ghost and allows these corruptions to interfere with his relationship with God, the power of the Spirit is diminished and the lust of the flesh is increased. “For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.” Deuteronomy 31:20.
God concludes this passage by proclaiming that these type men will have many evils and troubles come upon them. Men of God are to be humble and inconspicuous while doing God’s work. They are to focus on God’s work and not become an icon in the world, or loved by the world. Men of God know how to remain pure to God and unaffected by the evils of the world and to recognize when temptation is trying to lure them away. They run from these things, not to them.
In being a husband, men of God are as Christ is to the church. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” Ephesians 5:25. Their life is devoted to making sure the wife is taken care of, loved, protected from the world and doing what God has for her to do. They do not subscribe to the false relationship ideologies of the world or break this covenant for anyone else. The man does not hold back love, knowledge, or money from his wife, have separate bank accounts, or use any his and hers or mines and your ideology. As Christ gives his all to the church, so does the husband to the wife.
As one flesh, the husband cannot do anything outside of the will of God because he knows that she will suffer in the flesh as well. He understands that they have to both take care of themselves in manners of health, mental, and spiritual needs. The man must at all times stay in the Spirit of God so he receives instruction from the Lord about their life and its direction. He has to encourage the wife and help increase her faith and trust in the Lord and learn to hear her when the Spirit speaks through her. He must deal with her according to her knowledge, on her level, not on his own.
He must maintain her trust and never leave doubts in her minds as to his faithfulness to her. He cannot allow her to think or believe that he would ever leave her, cheat on or betray her. He must respect her work as a wife and mother and her work in the Lord. He must understand what God has for her and help her accomplish God’s work, because he can never take lordship over her against God’s will. Studying the bible between themselves is a must so they can both agree on and understand God’s word. They should never have conflicting opinions and beliefs about God’s word on any issue in life.
He learns the concept of showing passion and compassion toward his wife; and he appreciates the natural progression of intimacy throughout their life and that it is always respectable and a bond of growth between him and her over time and not to be used as a weapon of grievance, manipulation or power in their marriage, and vice versa. He understands the power of communication between them and how to incorporate the Holy Ghost into any disagreements they may have so they can both come away in peace.
As a father, the man of God has to learn patience. He must understand that there is a level of growth in children and he has to seek understanding of that growth. He cannot browbeat, bully, or use knowledge above a child’s understanding for correction, direction or character building. He must be led by the Spirit when instructing children; for children are a blessing from God and precious in his sight. He and the wife also, must agree on this issue as well and have similar beliefs and understanding of raising children. They cannot go against each other because this will cause confusion in the children.
As a father, the man must search the scriptures for knowledge of raising a child the same as Christ raises a babe in him. He must know when to use the correct amount of discipline in every situation. He must understand the child’s world around them such as school, friendships, authority figures, and entertainment. The father must know the right amount of exposure the child should have to the world and how to prepare the child’s mind for what the world has to offer, whether good or bad. The father has to relate to the child through the child’s eyes and not be brazen and harsh in discipline.
He has to trust in his wife to nurture the children as he provides direction to them. He cannot always look to the world for solutions on raising his children but must look to the scriptures and the Spirit for guidance. As they grow, the father has to know when to let them go and learn for themselves and also keep the spiritual connection between them when they are apart, and to understand when the child needs him or when the child needs the mother instead. The father must understand that some children may drift away farther than others from the direction before them but have trust in God that they will return in God’s time. Understanding and patience is the key.
They have to understand that they are a glory to their children and their children look to the father’s example when the father is not around. “Fathers are a glory to their children.” Proverbs 17:6. Children draw from the past teachings and words of the father when they are in the world by themselves, thus the father has to always give good knowledge, wisdom and direction to the child while they are young and growing. He must provide positive examples of how to treat people well, take care of themselves, and understand what things are good for them in the world and what things are not, and pray they stay on the right path.
They can never teach children dishonesty, crookedness, or ways around the system, but honesty and to always tell the truth and the benefits of both. Buy them bibles to take out into the world with them. Remind them to pray every day. Teach them to help others, stay close to one another, and avoid conflict with others but to always seek peace. Teach them to be clean, to eat healthy, and keep a job or make honest money in order to take care of themselves because nobody else will. Be an example to them by respecting them, their friends, their mother, and each other if they have siblings. Teach them that family is important and too many friends lead to trouble.
The Holy Ghost teaches men to be men of God and not men of the world. If a man does not have the Holy Ghost, he cannot ever be a man of God. A man of God does not fear death like men of the world do. In fact, a man of God looks forward to death. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain… For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” Philippians 1:21-25. Any threats of death from the world means nothing to a true man of God.
Therefore, a man of God does not need a gun or to live in fear. He does not need to fight the war with carnal devises, because he trusts in God that he will be protected from the evils of the world: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” St Luke 10:19. With this mind, a man of God cannot be bought or bullied by the world but men of the world are always compromised by fear and threats. If a man of God has done nothing wrong and has a conscience clear of sin, he can trust that God will keep him from evil.
The Holy Ghost is a maker of men, husbands, and fathers. Many men who claim to be Christians do not have the Holy Ghost and merely have a form of godliness but deny the power of the Holy Ghost. They are vulnerable to the deceptions of the world and all the evil it offers, and are many times trapped in bondage by the world. Men of God are also vulnerable but are taught what to look out for when faced with temptation, and if they ever become trapped, they are freed of the stronghold and all yokes are broken, as long as they stay humble, in the Spirit, and true to God.
