For the past two articles posted, we have looked at the problem of young men going off the rails, through the Eyes of the Lord. We have actual proof of why all the problems with young men and boys in crisis for the past two decades began when the state replaced God as the father in many homes. Just look at the condition of almost every single American city. We have proof that what the Lord warned about in His Word is so true, it is difficult to look at without shedding a tear.
It did not have to be so. This was, is and never will be God’s plan for the half of the nuclear family, which He created. Men, who would father sons, were given a charge by God, since the beginning of time. This duty to raise up Godly children, as ordained in the Scriptures, has NEVER EVER changed. Never. (See video below for God’s instructions to parents).
The problems beyond fathers in the shrinking percentage of two-parent homes is their absence, now for the majority of children. When you add the intentional mocking of masculinity and Godly manhood by the secular culture, it is little wonder that men walk away or pull into a defensive or passive mode. Even so-called solid evangelical churches and especially influential megachurches shortchange or give scant attention to men’s ministry – the same men they say they want to be better fathers, husbands and community leaders. In fact, sometimes you get the impression that all these big churches care about is numbers and the big checks the shrinking amount of men going to church can write.
This is not how God planned it. When God created Adam, He gave Adam dominion over the earth and work to do. It was Adam who came up with the following names: rhinoceros, hippopotamus, and possum. One day, in Heaven, we should ask him about that…lol…but I digress. God created men to represent Him on earth. Even though Adam blew it sky high when he listened to his wife, who had just talked to a serpent, the mission never changed. God has a plan.
He said so very plainly in Jeremiah 29:11-13. While the original text was dedicated to the Land of Israel, all Scripture was written to all peoples of all time. So the words of the Bible are for all people of all time.
However, this final post of the 3 part “Oh Father Where art Thou” Series, is not just about diagnosing the serious problem of losing our sons to liberal pit. We are about solutions….and only the Lord knows and HAS this solution. He has told all mankind ALL through the Bible about His love, forgiveness, compassion and abundant life – in this life and the next. Lack of belief in His promises are not His fault but the fault of all who are disgruntled, depressed and in despair. Still, the promises are the same and are open for the taking, until the end of time.
Here is Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope".
We glean, from this, a factual and promissory statement from God:
- He (God) has plans for us (verse 11). Those of us who have encountered the Living Christ know He has called us to a purpose for living. He is the only Being in the universe who can provide not just the goal for a meaningful, abundant life, but the means to get there. God’s plans literally work in mysterious ways. He obviously cannot show us everything He has designed for us at once, or we would not believe, fail miserably and then give up. God’s plans unfold as we walk closely with Him and seek Him daily and learn more about Him, from reading His Word. His plans give Hope, Purpose, Direction, Inspiration and more. But the majority of our young people who are not just lost but are now called “NONES” because they want nothing to do with Faith or the simple Gospel of Christ. No one ever tells them about God’s Plans for their lives – THE RIGHT WAY. The lost generations become lost because adults did not care enough to go beyond teaching them in platitudes and empty words.
- God’s Plans (still verse 11), if taught accurately as the Scriptures exhort in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, also reveals the following:
- 1. He cares about our welfare deeply. His children never go hungry. I am here to say He always provides, even if is a plain saltine cracker. But His concern for our welfare goes beyond food, health, and shelter. He cares more about our souls and growth in the Knowledge of Him than if we see the latest super-hero movie or have the latest iPhone. Can someone please try to get to the nearest teenager/millennial to you so they can see beyond materialism and narcissism?
- 2. God is not here to hurt you, but there is pain in life. It is called life. Jesus explicitly stated that in this world, we will have trouble, but “behold He has overcome the world”. It is all about perspective. Worldly perspective leads to what we see daily in society, schools, culture and even churches and family. Godly perspective leads to the proper outlook on dealing with the peaks and valleys of daily living in a fallen world. If no one tells the young about original Sin and Satan, they will remain deceived until Judgment Day. By then, it will be too late and God will hold every single adult responsible!
- Provision and perspective give us Hope in the One Who provides both to us. Anyone who has been gloriously converted into the Kingdom of His marvelous Light; instinctively knows He Who gives us Hope. It is the absolute essence of Faith, which is in such short supply, in these last days. Lack of Faith in the God Who has the blueprints for the best life one can ever imagine, if we work/reason/believe in Him, does not change the concept of Faith. Calling the sky purple and yellow does not make it so. God is God and all His Words are consistent and true.
12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
- Herein lies a major failure by adults – from church and community leaders to parents. God DOES have all these amazing plans or blueprints for the lives of each human being born. However, the majority of this world has kept the next generations from accessing the Truth of these plans. The blueprints are there, BUT THEY MUST BE ACCESSED! There is a way, which the Lord lays out for us, to both access and maximize the potential of these “plans”. If we wanted a raise from our bosses or wanted to try out for "Band" in high school, don’t we go and talk to the boss, coach or bandleader? Don’t we communicate with a person who we consider influential in helping our situation? Of course, we do! So why are everyone with influence in the Christian world (family, friends, preachers etc.) NOT teaching the next generation about talking with and to God? It is called a relationship for a reason – relationships have two-way communication. This relationship can only be maintained through PRAYER! We all know the answer. The reason most Christians and that includes pastors CANNOT teach on prayer is because they do not pray themselves. Surveys have found that the average pastor in the west prays only 10 minutes a week....outside of saying "thanks for the food"! This is outrageous. The very fact the All-Powerful Creator of Everything says (and means it) that we can call on Him anytime and He will hear us, should boggle the mind with awe, fear, and respect….all of which are unknown even to a lot of Christians! God says “pray to me and I will listen”. He is right! He not only hears, but He pays attention. There is so much fun made of “thoughts and prayers” these days that the lost generations that the young and Millennials see no value whatsoever in praying to (or talking with), our Heavenly Father. This is outrageous.
13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
- So we know, (those of us with experience) that God has plans laid out for us. He is a good, good Father and wants us to talk to Him about it. He is NOT an ATM machine Who owes anybody anything. In fact, if God were to give us what we deserve, they would be no hope for all mankind. Somehow, in this rich entitlement culture, a wealthy, spoiled population of the lost generations expect all good things from both their parents and God to fall into their hands….and to keep being given to them. There is no concept of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ which requires us to be “ALL IN”. This is what God means by “search for me with all your heart” (verse 13b). This relationship, like any interpersonal one, requires commitment and work. This can only be taught through Discipleship, of which there is an awful lack, in these final days of the Age of Grace. The question is this: do we adults and the current crop of men especially - fathers and grandfathers, have enough HEART for our Heavenly Father, that we will try to help save the next generation of young men before it is too late? The little we can do, those who are not in men's ministry like my friends and me, is a lot more than the entire world is doing. Think about it. Act on it. Leave a Godly Legacy.
