As I am in a ministry that I minister to broken men that are in need of strength, my question is, where did we (men) lose our strength?  Have I lost my strength?  If so, where did I lose it?

A brief history on why I am asking this.  I was asked to lead a ministry to minister to broken men (I am finding out we all are to a point) last fall.  The main scripture I was given is Zechariah 9:17 How attractive they will be! (in the days before the our Kings triumphant return)  Grain (strength) will make the young man thrive, and new wine the young women.  The Lord began to reveal to me how men are badly in need of strength in this hour.   We have been completely stripped of our “manhood” and need to claim it back!  Then shortly after I was asked to lead this ministry, we found out we are going to have a baby!  Soon we found out we are having a boy, Gideon Jordan.  I know males and females are very different.  I love Libby and desire to be the best dad the world can offer, understanding all I can do is try to portray My Heavenly Father to her.  As a father-to-be to a son, my role now expands to training a boy to be a strong man in the Lord!

Where we lost our strength as men?

We can go as far back to Adam and see how he, in the moment of decision, the choice that forever changed the human race, got scared and did not stand his ground!  Adam see’s the most beautiful of all creation, Eve, get deceived by a serpent.  He was with her and listening to this serpent speak doubt and fear into her.  Yet he never jumped in the middle to say, “No, I know God is good!”  FEAR!!!  All men deal with is fear.  Fear of not adding up, or succeeding, or not performing, or not being good enough in bed with your wife…..and so on.  We see leader after leader in the Old Testament fall to fear!  Abraham feared so much he would let another man, that could have him killed, sleep with his wife.  Moses feared his speech and would not speak on behalf of God.  David, my favorite man of God, was one of the strongest and closest to God’s heart, yet he feared a man that worked under him because he fell to lust and killed him.  Elijah, Jacob, I must say Gideon, and the list goes on and on.  Then comes Jesus!  He did not fear!  He stood after being baptized and called out by His Father, after fasting 40 days (no strength aka grain!).  So here is the man we are to follow!

Jesus, was called into His identity by who?  God!  Here is my answer.  Only God can give us the strength, I so desperately want to see in each man of God!  These are the men I want to stand in battle with as we ride with Jesus to cleanse the world and bring His kingdom to earth for eternity!

I then, looking at myself, began to look at my fears.  Why my fears?  That is where Adam lost his strength and so many other mighty men along the way.  Where did they originate from and why?

(This is my personal journey with God.  Everybody has their own to a different degree, but I believe God is still the source to receive our strength.  I also believe He wants to release that today in each man willing to go on a journey with Him.)

I grew up in a fantastic home.  I accepted Jesus truly and was filled with the Holy Spirt as a young boy.  I remember playing ball all the time.  I loved being outside!  Anything I could do to get outside, because that is where I loved to be.  The first time I recall being really full of fear was in Kindergarten.  I hated school and really did not understand why until recently.  Remember me saying I love the outdoors.  Still to this day, I would rather be outside and learn on the job.  You can give me a book and I can read and study but until I get my hands dirty I really am not confident in doing the job.  No wonder we have so many young boys diagnosed with ADD.  Sarah is currently on bed rest, with Gideon on his way any day now.  I have been serving her and loving it.  In the Prayer Room a few days ago, God asks me,”could you handle sitting doing nothing?”  My response is simple and fast! “NO!”  She is sacrificing so much!  I love her more and more every day.  It is such a great adventure.  Moving on….I was eventually tamed enough to go to school and sit for hours a day.  In junior high and into high school I go.  We move right before my freshman year.  I was in a great place and on my way (so I thought) to playing Division 1 sports and going pro.  (I was going to be Tim Tebow, though he was not known then that truly was my goal-that is probably why I like him so much as well)  This time of my life was hard.  My Pops was in a huge transition changing jobs.  He is an amazing father and I love him and all he did for me so much.  My two heroes are him and my Dado.  I don’t know that they really know that but it is true.  I believe all boys hero is truly a father figure in their life!  This job change was hard.  I was at a critical point in my life.  I was not called into my identity at this juncture and so who I previously was, left me because of FEAR!  Fear of man, of being accepted!  Fear of not being the best.  I had worked so hard to be the best and was, but that was taken from me.  So fear sets in, and I turn into being the macho man that fits in the crowd.  After almost 10 years of that I get awoken!  The Lord so often uses the enemy to get us on track and He did with me.  I hit rock bottom and move back home.  Soon I meet Sarah, we get married, I get a great job, we buy a beautiful home, have a beautiful baby girl, and then…..BOOM!  Yep, God wanted more of my heart!  A tornado hits.  He says, “move!”  It is confirmed from many sources.  We pick up and go to Minnesota.  Away from all that I leaned on, my family and my 2 heroes.  He strips me of all the familiar, doesn’t allow me to work for a time, nor have our own home.  All the things most men find strength in, He took from me!  My golf clubs, twice!  Once in a tornado, next in a fire!  We move to Kansas City and He says (no sports on TV).  He keeps going deeper, but I keep getting stronger!  My fears, are leaving.  Why?  Perfect love casts out fear!  Who is love?  God!  That is right GOD IS SPEAKING TO ME, “Jamin, you are My son, and I am pleased with who I have made you to be!”  Now go and fight for Me!  It is a great battle and a great adventure!  When I said yes, to Jesus taking my life, I signed up for a battle and an adventure.  I didn’t just want my life to be easier.  How boring!  This is why men are so bored.  They are tame, scared, and looking for the easy route.  It is time to have adventure!  Take up your cross and follow Jesus!  Give Him everything and enjoy the ride.  I am not saying it is easy though.  This has been extremely tough, but extremely rewarding!

Libby loves a song by Laura Hackett “The battle is raging, the devil is raging, I don’t want to be sleeping, because the battle is raging…give me eyes to see and ears to hear!”  We are in a battle and losing guys!  It is time we take a stand and fight!  Fight for our strength.  Creation is groaning for us to take it back.  The women in this world are as well.  They want a strong man to lead them on an adventure.  Not a passive man that is too scared to fight for them.  Nor a man that’s so scared of opening up that he controls and dominates them.  God is strong and we are made in His image!  Women have the beauty and mercy.  Men have the strength.  Jesus is not Mr. Rogers!  He picked fights!  He wasn’t the one shying away in fear.  “Yes, I heal on the Sabbath, what are you going to do about it!”  This is the man the disciples saw and went and told everybody about.  A man of passion ready to restore the world with a fight!  Peacemakers! Not Peacekeepers.  We are the light!  The salt!  It is time to take back ground.  I am ready to stand!  Lord I am ready to fight for You!