The War for Men's Hearts

"The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it." Waking The Dead, p. 34

There is a war going on. We are trapped in this war whether we like it or not. It is a war for the hearts of men. The enemy knows that to win, he must cripple men in their hearts. He knows he must take the heart out of the warriors in this battle between Kingdoms. The enemy, like a skilled boxer, body punches a man, to take the fight out of him, to break his will to win, to cause his opponent to lose heart and hope...and quit the battle.

How many times does a man have to be body punched, sucker punched, hit below the belt before he quits? How much can the average guy take? Paul Newman in the movie Cool Hand Luke, keeps getting up when the George Kennedy character keeps knocking him down. Luke keeps escaping and the Warden keeps trying to break his spirit, trying to take the fight out of him. But Luke keeps getting up and keeps fighting. He never quits. Isn't this a picture of the way life is supposed to be for Christian men...getting up time and time again? (See Romans 5:3, II Corinthians 1:3-10, James 1:2-4, I Peter 5:8-9.) And never, never, never...quitting!

This is a picture of the war Christian men are trapped in, but many have been crippled in their hearts and have quit the fight. Look at the Christian men all around you. Most are like dead men walking, going through the routine of life, just getting through the day, putting in their time. Too many Christian men have had the fight whipped out of them.

How much fight, will to win, is left in you? Most days many guys put in their hours, go home, kill the pain with a few beers or a few hours of TV, trying to forget the day they had and wishing they did not have to do it all over again tomorrow. Some of you know that feeling and don't know how much longer you can keep getting up and not quit.

Who stands with these men to encourage them? Who stands with you to encourage you?

"Encourage" is an interesting word. It literally means: "to put heart into." When we receive encouragement, we are getting more heart, a refreshing new life for our inner man. Our heart is being "kick-started," jolted out of lethargic hopelessness into a revitalized new perspective by the encouragement of a friend. This is what the Scriptures tell us to do: "Encourage one another" (I Thessalonians 4:18, Hebrews 3:13, 10:25, Isaiah 1:17).

The essential element in spiritual warfare is the battle for men's hearts. Who will they serve? Will they lose their will to fight and quit? Is there anyone who can step up and encourage them from their corner of the world?

THE HEARTS OF MEN

The major battlefield in spiritual warfare is the hearts of men. The enemy is entrenched and well fortified. The enemy forces are relentless. Their hope is to break men's hearts so they will quit the battle. The enemy appears to be achieving a great victory. Men's hearts are faltering on every front.

John Eldredge writes about the enemy's strategies:

"Make them so busy, they ignore the heart. Wound them so deeply they don't want a heart. Twist their theology, so they despise the heart. Take away their courage. Destroy their creativity. Make intimacy with God impossible for them." Waking the Dead, p. 51

The enemy knows that he wins a battle every time a man quits living from his heart.

The battle is on. You are in the war. Remember the speech from Brave Heart? What will be your memories of this day?

Guard your heart for it is the source of your life (Proverbs 4:23). Join the battle for the heart of your buddies and the men God brings into your life. Learn to encourage one another, holding on to your hope in the One who is faithful (Hebrews 10:23-25).

Men need other men who will mentor and coach them in this day of spiritual warfare. You can be one of those coaches or mentors that other guys look to. You can learn how to be there for other men. You can train yourself to see and understand the issues Satan uses to crush men's hearts and you can learn how to lead men to the sure hope that is in Christ, regardless of the issues they face. Your brothers in Christ need you to stand with them, walk with them and they need you to help guard their back-sides. Jesus has called you for this battle, this purpose, and He will enable you to become equipped and emposered to mentor and coach other men.

Check out the "M3 Groups: Men Mentoring Men" offered by Mercy Matters. These groups can change lives...yours and the lives of the men God brings into your life! For information call 214-415-3486.