1 Corinthians 16:13

1 Corinthians 16:13 - "Be watchful. Stand firm in faith. Act like men. Be strong."


I'm in a writing kind of mood lately. This is my art, this is my haven, this is the deepest part of me. I'm acting right now, acting like a fool. I've been tested by fire and even going through that, I've been holding back. I'm letting other forces control me. I know what it takes, I know what to do; yet I do not do it. How does the saying go; "to know and not to do is to not really know." I forget who said it, I could Google it, but I'll let you do that...
Be watchful.
Yes, observe the world around you. Too many people are just living day to day, letting life control them. They are not watching their surroundings, they are not watching themselves. I believe this sentence goes both ways. Watch others, see what they do. Learn from them, learn from their successes, but most importantly learn from their failures. The second part, watch yourself. Reflect on your actions, understand what thoughts started the chain of events that put you in the situation you are in today. If you don't like it, change your thinking. Watching what you think should be the key, everything else falls into place after that.
Stand firm in faith.
The question you ask, faith in what? Faith in what you believe. Who cares if someone tells you what you're doing is right or wrong. Only God can judge you. If you don't believe in God, well He's going to judge you for that too. Have faith in what you do, in why you're doing it. Have faith in the reason of why and how you decided to go along doing whatever it is you do. Stand firm. Too many people are wishy-washy. Letting the tide over-run them, not going against the current. I accuse myself of this too, I have become a "swimmer-with-the-current," rather than an "up-streamer." My knees have faltered, my thick skin has softened, my spine has loosened. Good in some ways, but bad in a lot. I've lost my stance, I'm slowly regaining it again. It's better if we stand together, don't you think?

Act like men.
We're a generation raised by women. My father was busy working for his career and his family when I was growing up,good for him. Bad for me when I was seeking guidance. He was gone a lot. I truly can say, when it came to questioning of what a man was and what he was supposed to do...I learned from outside sources. These outside sources were fighting for my attention. The men I saw on t.v., the men I saw and learned from in the church, the men that coached me (our biggest examples growing up), and my father. I believe the television set raised me more than my parents, teachers, coaches, and pastors ever did or had done. This is a great struggle. What is a "man," and how should he act? I don't think it's these sissy boys our generation is raising. When the men of a country falter and don't stand and act for the truth, the country falters soon after. I have dedicated part of my life to teaching this to young men, and I hope I can be the example I need to be. I suggest you men read, "Wild at Heart," by John Eldredge.
Be strong.
Yes, be strong. Physically, for your health purposes but ever the more mentally. Mental strength, is the top priority. Not every one is able to physically be strong. The first thing one should do is to work on their mental strength. Your muscles and bones will become brittle in time, your brain though is the muscle that will take you to any heights you want to achieve. I know I'm not the biggest guy nor the strongest but I do what I can with what I have. Be strong for yourself, be strong for others. Take your first step into gaining strength in any area of your life in which you think you are weak. Whether it's pulling or pushing that weight, whether it's taking that first step into gaining new relationships, whether it's learning how to overcome that new challenge, or whether it's having strength in knowing that you're weak in certain areas and being able to conquer adversity. Be strong for yourself, but moreover, be strong for others.


I may be the only one that ever reads this, I may be the only one whoever gets something out of this. If one person can grow and change from this, that is all that matters. Talking the talk is easy, all we have to do is move our mouth and our lips. Can we though, walk the walk and keep walking - till our time is up? See you at life's finish line...

1 Corinthians 16:13 - "Be watchful. Stand firm in faith. Act like men. Be strong."