5 Biblical Reasons Why Young Men Should Take Life Seriously

6 MIN READ

I got married when I was twenty-five. Soon after our nuptials my wife and I were invited to this fabulous party filled with wealthy and pretty people. At that juncture, my wife and I had very little money. We lived in a house that was a little bigger than a full-size Chevy van. Yep, we did not have much from a materialistic point of view but, OMG baby, we were brimming over with vision and were in earnest about being used by God to put a big ol’ jagged scar on Satan’s haggard backside.

During the soiree, a very wealthy non-Christian young businessman asked me what my goals were for the future. I told him I wanted to preach the gospel to as many people as I can. He told me, and I quote, “Dude… don’t take life so seriously.” Then he and his father had a good chuckle at my expense and then moved on feeling very superior to my po’ little Christian self.

If I didn’t have a stranglehold on the Word of God, I probably would’ve let that frat boy’s critique of my glide path shame me from my holy duties. But alas, the Word of God was dwelling in my heart, and it shot down that bad advice from Richie Rich and it helped keep my young nose to the grindstone, taking life and God seriously.

Here’s one of the verses I digested as a young Chris- tian man that assisted me greatly in cudgeling off Satan’s temptation to stupidity, frivolity, and a fascination with this world’s Vanity Fair of earthly delights. Check it out …

The AMPC puts it this way … “In a similar way, urge the younger men to be self-restrained and to behave pru- dently [taking life seriously].”

Paul instructed Titus to tell the young men to behave carefully, show self-restraint, behave prudently, and take life seriously.

I believe in order to remedy the particular problems we’re facing in the church, family, and state, we need a cool metric ton of young masculine Christian protago- nists to lead the way.

So, young Turks, salvaging the planet is on you.

Awww … what’s that I hear? Are you crying? Do you want your mommy? Should I call the wambulance? Do you need a blankie or are you going to rise to the occasion and be a kingdom player at a young age, huh?

Paul tells Titus to command young men, exhorting them to be sober-minded. Young men are to be free from intoxicating influences. And we’re not just talking about booze and dope but worldviews that are demonic. Young squire, you are to be free from pressures to conform to that which is not according to God’s will and way.

Herewith are five reasons young men should be so- ber-minded.

One. God commands you to be, duh. That’s not a suggestion, young squire. That’s a command. To not be sober-minded is to sin. If you’re not sharp, solid, and smart … ie. sober-minded … you’re sinning. That’s what you call not loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. God commands you in the most urgent manner, to be sober-minded in your youth. Guess what young dude, you get to decide whether or not you will obey that injunction. Go ahead. Ignore it. And let’s see what hap- pens to you in the next twenty years.

Two. Why be sober-minded? Well, death and judg- ment are waiting for young men, not just us old cats. We all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. I’ve seen many young men die. Just because you’re young it doesn’t mean you’re invincible. Nothing is promised to you, years-wise. We don’t know when we will spring off this mortal coil. The day of your death could be just around the corner. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says,

Three. So, young men, why be sober-minded? Well, aside from it’s commanded and death and judgment await you and nothing’s really promised as far as life-span goes; Another bueno reason is this: What you are now, more than likely, you will be later. Young idiots morph into old idiots. Young drunks turn into old drunks. Young perverts become old liver-spotted lecherous men. Yep, barring a true conversion, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you’ll just become older and worse. A leopard cannot change its spots (Jer. 13:23). Here’s a question for you? Would you like to get on what God’s doing now or wait ‘til you’re 60 and bald and tired? Most young fools say, “I’ll get serious about God later. Y’know, after I’ve sowed some wild oats.” But the scripture says today’s the day of salvation (2Cor. 6:2). You don’t know at all what tomorrow holds (James 4:13,14). Personally, I’m so glad God karate-chopped me when I was young. I’d be dead or in prison if it weren’t for a massive clean Holy Ghost break from my young sin-lovin’ demonic flesh.

Four. Why should young men be sober-minded? Here’s a good reason: 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” If you’re goofy and thoughtless the devil will make certain you’re road- kill on the Highway to Hell. Here’s an FYI to the young males: Satan is here to steal from you, kill you, and de- stroy you (Jn. 10:10) and he operates by stealth, just like a lion. So, sobriety of spirit is a must, young man. By the way, your typical young man isn’t aware of Satan’s desire to destroy him forever. If you do not resist him, like Pe- ter said, he’ll walk all over you and yours. Again 1 Peter 5:8. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

I’ve been on three African lion hunts. My male lion charged us, and I dispatched him as he came in close, baring tooth, fang, and claw to permanently part my hair. I will never forget that. When my buddy Glenn was hunting his lioness a few years ago I accompanied him. Our trackers picked up his lion’s tracks and off we went on foot following her pugmarks. We’d been tailing her on foot for about three miles when we stopped to chill and drink some water. Her tracks went out to the left. They were very prominent in the desert sand. I was standing at the back of the tracking troop with my professional hunter and a tracker. For whatever reason I looked to my right from where we came from and less than five yards away the lioness was crouched behind a little scrub brush, almost totally hidden. She could have easily killed one or more of us in a split-second but she decided to turn tail and run. We tracked her for over ten miles, and she backtracked us at least three times we were aware of. She was following us following her. That was some unnerving stuff, y’all. So, what’s my point? Well, it is this: I don’t want you to be paranoid but you’re being followed by Satan. Yes, you have the victory in Christ. Yes, you have the Armor of God. However, if you’re silly, unguarded, and not sober-minded, you will probably get eaten and turned into lion scat.

Five. Serving God now, when you’re a young man, will save you from unnecessary and massive heartaches, regrets, and demonic bondages. I got converted when I was twenty-one after nearly a decade of drug and alcohol abuse and criminal activity. The crowd I was running with blew off my appeals to them to repent, turn to Christ, and turn their back on sin and Satan. The carnage several of them lived through up into their fifties was brutal. Some of my old buddies did get converted but the hell they underwent was the stuff of Stephen King novels.

So, remember at the beginning of this lecture when I said that my wife and I went to a party with wealthy and pretty people and a young, non-Christian, businessman advised me to not take life so seriously when I told him I wanted to preach The Gospel? Two years ago, he died an abysmal drunk. That was the fruit of him not taking his life so seriously. My advice to you, young men, is to follow Paul’s admonition and be sober-minded and joyfully and wholeheartedly take your life seriously.

The preceding was taken from my bestseller, LIONHEARTED: Making Young Christian Males Rowdy Biblical Men. It’s a great book for men’s studies. Buy five extra copies for your buddies. It could save their soul. Purchase Here