While in Honduras, I had the opportunity to be on a radio show along with my teammates, Dillon and Nathan. This radio show has a total of 250,000 listeners. It was just a tad out of my comfort zone, which I was rejoicing in because I went the whole month feeling I hadn’t really stepped out of my comfort zone besides trying to ask the village people survey questions in Spanish.
We were to prepare a message for the men of Honduras on how to be a man of God and treat their families. It was broken up into three segments. We decided to each come up with an example of what it looks like to be a Man of God. Dillon shared his own personal testimony of what he was like before; to the Man of God he is now. Nathan shared a couple of Biblical examples of a Man of God. When I thought about a man of God, I thought of my daddy and decided to share parts of his testimony and the Man of God he has been to mama, my siblings, and me.
In 2 Tim. 6: 11-12 it say’s, “Man of God, flee from all of this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many others.”
My daddy isn’t a perfect man but strives to be more like Christ daily. However, things haven’t always been easy and he’s faced many trials and tribulations.
In 1994, he was in a tractor accident; crushing his skull and breaking his arm. He had every reason to be angry and turn his back on God but that wasn’t the case. He remained faithful and gave glory to God through it. In return, God gave healing to the injuries caused by that accident, income to provide and three more children throughout the following years.
In September of 2009, another tragedy struck. My daddy was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The tumor was removed but it had formed a hole in the lining of his brain, causing much pain and side affects that could be deadly. This took toll on him and the rest of us over the next two months of unsuccessful surgeries. Nevertheless, we continued to look to and give glory to God. Daddy knew that through the pain and suffering, God had a perfect plan.
The night before the last attempt to close the hole to his brain, He prayed and asked God to heal him. The next morning, all the pain and side effects were gone. The hole was gone and surgery wasn’t needed!
It was because of his faithfulness and obedience to God that he was healed and able to withstand all the trails and tribulations he has faced and will face. He struggles daily and falls short from time to time, but Gods grace is sufficient and overall daddy remains faithful.
Not only is he a man of God through his faithfulness to God, but also through his faithfulness to my mama, my siblings, and me. To be a man of God is to be a man after Gods own heart. To be a man after Gods own heart is to know the heart of God. To know the heart of God is to know God’s Word. It say’s in 2 Tim. 3:16-17 that All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness: so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
My daddy has been devoted to God’s word and kept the faith. He has shown us the characteristics of Gods heart through his own.
He is…
Loving
Forgiving
Kind
Trustworthy
Faithful
Righteous
Humble
Honorable
Wise
And Courageous
He is…
A Leader
A Teacher
A Hard worker
He is…
A MAN OF GOD
I strive to be the man of God that my daddy is. A man who can live the life that God has called me to and be a Godly leader to my future family. One who is faithful, loves, and respects.
I want to challenge you to strive for the same thing. You may feel unqualified and broken, unworthy to serve the one true God. Do not listen to the lies of the Devil. God loves you and is inviting you to take Him by the hand and live a life that brings Glory to His name!
If you have been faithful but things still seem to be broken, hang in there because it is these places of feeling unqualified and broken that we see the Lord do the most! Allow Him to break you through the experiences on your journey with Him. He will never give you too heavy a burden or too large a task.
Joshua 1:9 reads,
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
***Credits to Nathan for letting me use his ring for the photo***
