Phew, look this post may be slightly personal but God has led me to share this. If He is leading me to share, then it is meant to help someone. I am not in the business of sharing my business. In fact, I am extremely private with my relationship statuses, but we have to understand when God says do, we do and when he says share, we share. So, I am sharing!
Side Note: To the men that are reading this, please continue reading. This will either encourage you to become a good man, identify that you are a good man or help you to identify a good woman. This post is not exclusive to one gender :).
Recently, I have made some conclusions. Unfortunately for me, I have been reminiscing on past relationships. I say unfortunately because I have not always had the best experiences with them. A few days ago, when I was talking to God about my relationships; I concluded that I have never experienced a “good man“. Don’t worry I have taken full accountability in my selections and know my experiences are self-inflicted wounds. I am simply sharing a conversation between me and my Father on my relationships.
When “feeling sorry” for myself about never experiencing a good man, God impressed on my heart a question…
“What is a good man?”
And honestly, I really didn’t know. I mean, I know man’s definition of a good man: doesn’t cheat/manipulate, honest, loyal, opens doors, romantic and brings home the bacon. Seems legit, I guess. But what is God’s definition of a good man. That my friend started an enlightening conversation between me and God the Father that has been ongoing for the last few days.
First thing God told me was, I was mistaken. That I have experienced a good man, Jesus! I know it may sound corny or cliche, but I mean the truth is the truth. He went and broke it down for me-
- Before I walk into a room who opens the door? Jesus!
- When my emotions are all over the place, who comforts me? Jesus!
- Who protects me and stands up for me? Jesus!
Jesus is the standard!!!!!
After God downloaded these things into my spirit, He reminded me of the verse Mark 10:18 when Jesus told a man “Why do you call me good? there is none good but one, that is, God“. Well, you can imagine my confusion because God had JUST TOLD ME that Jesus was my example and standard.
One thing you have to know about God is He never just tells you the answer right away, he likes to build it out in a way you can understand. I hope I am doing the same for you!
Anyways, after he shared with me Mark 10:18 he broke the verse down for me. In this verse Jesus was reminding the man that he himself came in the sinful nature of man but there was only one nature that is good, God’s. Which brings me to the next point God had made to me-
It is impossible for a man to be good without the NATURE of God. Without spending genuine time with God and picking up His characteristics a man can NEVER be good.
Matthew 12:35 says "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."
A person can only give you what they feed their heart. If they feed their heart with evil, then you will only receive evil. If they feed their heart with the word of God, fear God, love Jesus and carry the Holy Spirit than what they will give you will be good. It is truly that simple!
So, today if God asked me the question-
“What is a good man?”
My answer is a good man is someone who fears God, makes decisions confidently, protects others, keeps their promises, is faithful and kind, helps me stay away from sin, opens doors, and most importantly; loves God and is about His Father’s business.
Jesus is more than what I have listed. The point God was making to me, and I will make to you is look to Jesus as the standard for a good man and ACCEPT NOTHING LESS.
If Jesus is known to keep his word, then a good man will keep his word. If Jesus keeps our soul from sin, then a good man’s goal is to keep your soul from sin.
Again, this post can be applied to for woman as well. This was just a conversation me and my Father had on MY relationships, and I am obviously a woman. One thing is for certain, God made clear to me, is that my standards are too low. Most of the time our experiences shape our standards. Now that God has identified a new experience, I now have a new standard. I hope this post helps you identify the difference between the world’s definition of a good man and God’s definition.
Written by: Elisarri
radicallychanged.co 