Be The Man God Is Looking ForНамуна

DAY THREE – Show Yourself a Man

David knew that effective leadership began with the foundation of being a man. Yet the type of manhood he was talking about didn’t simply happen as a result of testosterone and perhaps the ability to wield a sword. King Saul, who reigned before David, possessed all of that, but he was not a man after God’s heart. He had the physical stature and was charismatic, handsome, and a great warrior, but he let his ego, pride, and self-sufficiency lead to his fall. Saul had many toxic characteristics and behaviors that were not repented of and submitted to God.

David, on the other hand, was talking to his son Solomon about manhood that was to be demonstrated and proven by godly character. In short, proving himself a man meant Solomon was to embrace God’s definition of manhood and to be strong in the face of adversity.

David knew what was coming. He understood that Israel’s many enemies, from without and within, would be launching full-frontal attacks against them. Solomon would need to man up by making godly choices. To lead efficiently, he needed to see his source was God, not his own strength.

Solomon’s brother Absalom sadly went the same route as Saul. He trusted in his ego and brute strength instead of in God. Absalom was a high-strung, rebellious man who thought too highly of himself. Narcissistic at his core, he was ruled by his elevated sense of self and thoughts of grandeur and power. He even had a monument erected to honor himself. In the end Absalom wound up swinging by his hair from a tree limb, wide open to his opponent’s attack.

How many men today are lost in and trapped by their own egos and behaviors, leaving themselves wide open and vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks?