What are the 12 issues every man must face in Life?

Defining manhood is a difficult task. Just try it yourself! Manhood is like time, we all can comprehend the concept, but an exact description is almost impossible. Even the Bible’s treatment of manhood leaves us with a long list of descriptions, and there is no single verse that declares God’s exact definition. We have a collection of material without a catchy phrase to hold it all together in our minds.

At TheMakingofMen.com we have decided to explore biblical manhood based on who a man is (descriptive) and what a man does (prescriptive). To help us with this strategy, we have ordered all of our content around twelve specific issues or themes that appear in the life of every man whether he likes it or not. Because these twelve issues make their presence known to us even from childhood, we believe that a man’s challenge is to learn to lead in all twelve areas.

We admit that these twelve issues are arbitrary in number. Perhaps, we could have discovered more issues or attempted to condense these issues under a few more generic headings. Regardless of how we arranged these issues, the fact remains that all of us will be confronted by their reality. Our challenge, as men of God, is to discover God’s plan for addressing these challenges and then helping each other conquer them.

Before you engage in the world that is TheMakingofMen.com, you will want to know what these issues are and why they are so pressing as to demand your careful response. They are (in no particular order):

Issue #1 - Authority

God’s existence ushers in the reality of authority. He is God and we are not, which means that there is at least one level of authority that demands our obedience. The God who is authoritative over all creation has also instituted other layers of authority like government, the pastorate, parents, husbands, etc. Our role, as men, is to learn how to please God by living in a right relationship to this authority. Whether we are the man in a position of authority or under the leadership of another person, He expects us to model and practice proper leadership and submission.

Issue #2 - Purpose

God created Adam for a reason. There was a responsibility that the first man had to fulfill, and all the men who follow after their ancestor must fulfill God’s purpose for their existence as well. Discovering our purpose is both easy and difficult, but God expects that we do His work. Understanding this work is the key to ordering the rest of our lives.

Issue #3 - Strength

What makes a man strong? Is it his ability to perform athletically, militarily, or sexually? If God’s men have work to do then how can they successfully gather the power and ability to accomplish their purpose? A man of God must get into the right condition or shape in order to complete the work that is his to do. While physical fitness might be a part of that, there is area in a man’s life that must be even stronger than his body. His spirit. We want to know how to get into non-physical strength.

Issue #4 - Wisdom

Wisdom and knowledge are not the same thing. Plenty of people are full of knowledge and yet the actions of their lives prove that they are missing the main points of life. With so much information available to the common man, a man of God must learn how to discern what knowledge needs to be attained, and then he must learn how to apply it to his life so as to gain true wisdom. This challenge lasts a lifetime, but that lifetime will prove you to be either a wise man or a fool. There are only two outcomes, and if you desire to be God’s man then there is much wisdom to begin pursuing!

Issue #5 - Time

The reality and inevitability of death should serve as a provocative reminder that we are living on borrowed time. There is a limit to how long we have to fulfill our purpose on this earth. A real man of God is going to harness his days and hours so that he finishes his mission for the glory of the Lord. We are not promised tomorrow, we cannot get yesterday back, but we have now, and that it enough for us to learn how to master now for the sake of tomorrow.

Issue #6 - Self-control

Men, both young and old, hate the idea of self-discipline. The thought of having to restrain ourselves from overindulgence or passivity hardly evokes enthusiasm. However, God demands that His men lead themselves if they are to be of any use to Him. Leaders cannot sustain long-term success without a control of themselves, and the same is true for followers of God.

Issue #7 - Money

A real man of God holds his wealth captive and is not held captive to his wealth. This truth is far easier to write than to practice, but God is far from silent about money in the His Word. If a man masters the management of money, and this management includes learning to be generous as well as selfless, he will stand equipped for faithful service to the Lord. His family, if he has one, will also be able to launch into ministry. However, failure to be a strong financial leader will result in the loss of spiritual focus or credibility before the Lord to manage what He considers far more important treasures.

Issue #8 - Sex

If you think that God’s view toward sex is “don’t do it,” you are heavily mistaken. Sex is a creation of God that is to be put to use, but its tremendous power to build and destroy means that He has designed it to work within the covenant relationship of marriage. A good sex life demands the right kind of spiritual preparation. Therefore, if you are not married, we hope to share with you the reality of sex and its influence in a relationship. If you are married, we hope to encourage you to understand the same truths and glorify God by employing them in your God-ordained marriage.

Issue #9 - Family

The single greatest evangelistic ministry that exists on this earth is the family, which should not surprise us considering that God launched the family unit. A man’s role in the family, whether he be the child, sibling, husband, or father, cannot be abused through neglect or selfish aggression. God has strong expectations for the man’s role in the family, and we will do the greatest harm in society if we fail in this inescapable responsibility. Therefore, we need to hear from the Heavenly Father’s teaching as well as the testimony and wisdom of Christian sons, siblings, husbands, and fathers.

Issue #10 - Church

Just as God has created marriage and the family, so has He also created the Church to be His instrument of truth, love, and grace in the world. Just as men are held to a leadership role in the marriage and family, so men are also charged with the effective leadership of His witnesses to a lost and dying world. More than any ministry program, discipleship paradigm, or worship style, the Church needs authentic, substantive, God-honoring men. If you are a male and a believer in Christ, you will be held accountable for your role in shaping Jesus’ Church.

Issue #11 - Society

The Church is a powerful instrument that God has designed. He expects His men to pour their energy and God-given gifts into building it up and helping those within its group. However, the Church is an instrument that should be heard by those who do not believe in Jesus either through rejection or ignorance of Him. God cares greatly about the people of the world, especially those who cannot care for themselves. God’s men will become aware of ways to be salt and light to the world, and then they will have the courage to do something about meeting society’s spiritual and physical needs.

Issue #12 - The Crucible

The world, and all of the people that inhabit it, are full of sin. Sin perverts and destroys lives. That is why we all will face struggles like failure, family or personal tragedies, persecution, temptation, and eventually death itself. Suffering and hard times are not a sign that God does not exist. They are evidence that we have screwed up our responsibilities before Him, and now we need Him more than ever to remain faithful to Him as we face these difficulties. Every man, whether he believes in God or not, will face times of testing. Will you, as a believer, be found approved upon examination?

So there you have it. These twelve issues might be broad in nature, but they are inescapable. We can deny their presence, but they will affect us and we will still account for how we handled them. Such responsibilities can be overwhelming when they are presented to us all at once. That is why it takes real manhood to handle them and cause them to thrive under our short watch on this earth. That is why God has promised to show Himself strong through those who are committed to being real men, and why He has told the veterans to share their lives to younger males so that manhood can be developed for the next generation.

Whether you are on the front end of your manhood or a grizzled veteran of the Lord for several decades, we want this site to be a place where both groups can merge. The veterans will train the untested. The untested will get started on their journeys to manhood. Hopefully, if that happens, the Church will be strengthened, communities will have life, families will thrive, marriages will intensify, and God will get all of the perfectly deserved glory.