Will the Real Men Please Stand Up

This week, I got the privilege of reading the book Strong Men in Tough Times by Edwin Louis Cole and was amazed by its immediate relevance to the Ugandan situation today, and the role we men must play to rescue our country and ourselves from the rough socio-economic times we are facing. I would like particularly to share with you from the first chapter of the book, and will in the subsequent days look at other chapters as well.  

The strong men of Makerere Full Gospel Church

The author begins by citing countries like South Africa, Norway, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, England, Mexico and Philippines that are morally and spiritually decaying. Uganda is not innocent either. In fact, the tough economic times; the rising costs of foodstuffs like sugar and other basic needs, the unemployment, the carnage on the roads, the mysterious fires and recent earthquakes are to me writings on the wall that this country is under judgment. Makes me wonder how we came to this point; where are the men that are supposed to be strong pillars in society? Where are they at this time when, as the author observes, the “call for strong men is louder or the need greater” than never before?

I’ll tell you where all the men are! The men have been duped into believing that to be a real you must drive a big car, live in a mansion by the lake, take your children to international schools complete with holidays abroad. All this, unfortunately, puts the pressure on the man to be financially loaded all the time, and so integrity has been thrown out of the window as men have employed the Machiavellian principle of the end justifying the means in a bid to sustain this expensive and often ostentatious lifestyle and be seen as ‘super-man providers!’ The author captures it beautifully when he notes: “In the quest for self-fulfilment, self-awareness and self-gratification, masses of men have lost what it means to be a man, a hero, a leader. We have sold morality for economic privilege…in frustration we have succumbed to the stresses of eroded manhood and lost our ideals to immoral, illegal, unethical or irresponsible actions.”

“The world is crying for strong men who will overcome drifting philosophies and bring order, hope and dignity back to a world in desperate need of men who will be heroes.” These are men who will refuse to conform to the status quo. Men who recognise the vanity of worldly things and the significance of storing oneself treasures in heaven where moths don’t reach. These men stand as strong pillars in their homes, their church and their society and refuse to get carried away just because the world is making spectacular progress in science and technology –two disciplines that have led many astray. We refuse to be compromised. We refuse to equivocate in a bid to please people! I mean, of what use is it to gain the whole world and lose your soul in hell?

Truth to tell, honest men with noble intentions are being attacked by from all sides by forces of darkness -those that try to bring their children up as responsible, law-abiding, morally upright citizens. But then again it’s in such situations that the boys are separated from the men, chaff from wheat.  In the prayer closet, a real man has the power to demolish the enemy walls. You know what the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person is capable of!

Yes, the world is in desperate need of men whose manhood has not been emasculated. God created men to be leaders and heroes, writes Edwin Louis Cole, and to be effective in our roles, he gave us manhood. And I don’t mean the physical organ with which babies are made. No thank you! True manhood is that inner strength with which you resist the devil even to the point of death. Cole argues that there’s no excuse because Jesus set a precedence that must be emulated. He “exemplified the traits of manhood so elusive to us today…He accepted responsibility not only not only for His own actions, but for the actions of the entire world.” Is He your role model? Make Him, because He is the one that “teaches men on how to rise to greatness, to become real men, to achieve the heroic successes we dream of achieving.”

Daniel was another strong man real men should emulate, a man who in tough times used the godly principles of Christ and influenced the world. As Cole beautifully writes, “He held firm to his religious beliefs, faced the grim realities of the age and contended for truth in a world of lies and false images. He was endowed with attributes that make men great –integrity, moral excellence, character, a God-fearing spirit, political savvy, immeasurable courage, decisiveness and a strong, handsome appearance that emanated from a strong spirit. He lived during persecution, political upheaval and oppression; survived conspiracies against him, false accusations, near-fatal encounters, economic disaster and war. He was a strong man for the tough times in which he lived” and “serving God was his nature.”

Listen, 1 Peter 5: 8-10 says man’s enemy, the devil, is always prowling about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. The real man must resist him and stand firm in the faith and refuse to back down even in the midst of the fiery furnace. What our forefathers in Christendom endured was far more trying than the perplexing times we’re living in. Besides, we’re reminded we’re not alone; our brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory in Christ, after we’ve suffered a little while, will Himself restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast. Oh yes, weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning!

“For men to be men once again, we must regain the spirit of manhood in virility and integrity, the power of manhood in productivity and leadership, the conviction of manhood in resolve and moral excellence,” advises Cole.