What lies have been told regarding manhood by the enemy?
Lie #1
Man comes from Ape-The theory of Evolution
Let's put this thing to rest. If you believe in evolution, you are not a Christian. Did you see what was at the end of that sentence, it was a Period! There is no way to be both Christian and evolutionist.
People, we are created beings, not evolved beings. If we believe that we came from monkeys, then we are merely animals. Thus, we cannot be expected to exercise control over our animalistic urges. The enemy uses this argument to disarm us subconsciously. It serves as our ultimate excuse. After all, if we are merely animals, then we cannot be expected to govern ourselves.
When God created this world, he created animals and man separately. He gave man dominion over the animals, thus he must have placed something in man that makes us greater than any animal. The enemy, who is Satan, has honed in us (through all manner of media and public thinking) those aspects of our humanity that are more closely related to the animal kingdom in his effort to make us believe we are somehow related to the animal kingdom. In doing so he has made it easy for us to indulge in, and derive pleasure from, lust, greed, envy, violence, and a host of other sinful deeds. He does this by pushing the thought that we do these things because they are essential for our existence. In a sense, he makes us believe we must live as animals, exercising no self control. Eating is not good enough, overeating is better. Having one wife is not good enough, man must conquer what he lusts after with his eyes. It is only natural--right? If I see something I want, then I can participate in all manner of activities to get it. The end justifies the means. Is this not what we tell ourselves. Then we say, I'm only human. If we are human, why are we behaving like animals?
Men, we don't fight those powerful urges because we are second cousins to King Kong. We have these urges because our idiot forefather, Adam, didn't tell his wife to put the apple down. We are the way we are because we live in fallen world. Our sinful urges are a remnant of Adam's weakness, not a leftover from our days of swinging on vines in the jungle.
The good news is this. God has placed on the inside of each of us a free will. Through this free will we can govern our urges and emotions. The operative word in free will is free. Free is the root word in 'freedom.' Hence, our free will can grant us freedom from those seemingly overpowering urges. We can choose not to act on our urges and emotions.
Here is the hard part (not really). The strength to properly operate the free will given to us, and therefore access the freedom to live out our lives as men who are not beholden to any earthly, or carnal urges does not belong to us. The power belongs to the one who paid the price for our transgressions, and the one who sent him. The way to access that power is by accepting Him, and conforming our lives to his example. It is only then that we have the strength necessary to live as free men. Otherwise we are leaning on our own strength, which is inadequate in the face of our enemy. Without Jesus, men, we are waging a supernatural battle with natural resources. Picture facing a fully loaded tank with a plastic water gun.
Without Jesus, men are not free to be who they are created to be. Therefore, a man without Jesus is merely an imitation of a man. We are not evolved from apes. However, without the power of Jesus working through us, our humanity, and our manhood cannot be fully realized.
