“Did you just call me a sissy?!!!”
So there I was… a few years ago, I met a large, muscular, battle-hardened US Marine Gunnery Sergeant — about 6’4″ and 240 lbs. He said he had just arrived on Okinawa after having served two combat tours – Iraq and Afghanistan. I thanked him for his service and then asked, “Where are you with all the god-stuff?”
Like so many other men I’ve met, he said, “That’s my wife’s thing. She handles that area of our home.” I responded, “Sounds to me like your wife is fighting alone.”
By the puzzled look on his face I could tell he didn’t understand. I proceeded. “What would America look like if we only had women serve in combat?” He quickly said, “We’d look like a bunch of sissies.”
He paused, did a double-take, now peeved, looked down and at me and asked, “Did you just call me a sissy?!!” Without blinking, I looked up at him and told him, “If the shoe fits, it belongs to you. But don’t miss the point! Your wife is fighting greater battle than the ones you were involved in. She’s fighting spiritual battles, and she’s doing it alone because you are either ignorant, lazy, or just plain passive!”
He let that sink in and then he humbly said, “I’ve never thought of it like that before. I receive that message.” He shook my hand and thanked me. (I wrote a song about this. It’s on Youtube: HERE. Please share with your Peeps! LOL!)
Having shared this, Christians, stop being afraid! Tell your friends, family, co-workers — everyone you know and meet — about Christ. So what if they get mad! So what if they call you a Jesus freak! So what if you don’t have all the answers! Simply put, your primary mission is to just share the gospel (my youtube video) because the power of God is in the gospel (Rom 1:16) and not your ability to debate or sell. And your immediate secondary mandate is to pray! (Read Eph 6:18-20)
I declare this over you:
I pray that (Col 4:3) God opens doors for you so you may share His word, and declare the mystery of Christ! (vs.4) I proclaim that you will make it clear when you speak. (vs.5) I declare that you walk in wisdom toward outsiders, and you make the best use of your time. (vs.6) I pray that your speech will always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer each person! In Jesus’ name, amen!
Christians, take your place in the battle and fight the good fight that your God has called you to! (1Tim 6:12) The reality is, “If you truly love people, you’ll tell them about Christ. If you truly love yourself more, you’ll be silent.”
Christians, particularly you men, “Don’t be a sissy!”