Satan may tempt us to give up when we make a declaration, the Constitution says that God doesn't tempt any man.

James 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

    He tests and refines us.  What is the difference between a test and a temptation?  A test is more like the act of tempering metal.  The Greeks and Romans used tempering in the process of making swords for use in battle.  They took a piece of steel and put it in fire until it became hot enough that you could see into it and determine if there were any black spots in it.  The black spots that the heat revealed were areas in which the molecules were not close enough together; they were weak areas.

    When spots were discovered, they would put the hot sword on a steel anvil and hit it with a steel mallet several times.  They would strike the spots and, as they hit them, the molecules would come together.  They would keep hitting the steel until they couldn't see any more spots.  Then they would put the sword in cold water and the steel would harden.  After that, they would put the sword back in the fire until it became hot and malleable again, and they would look for additional spots. 

    If they found any, they would continue with the process until the sword was perfected, and ready for battle.

    You never trust a sword that has not been tempered.  The process is similar to how God tests us.  Tempering means testing for weakness to ensure strength.  Keep in mind, God doesn't need the tempering process in order to see your true secret "spots".  The tempering is for your sake.  He allows you to go through trails and tests so you can recognize what is hindering your life.

You as a real man must become a male of tests.  No vision is validated until it is tested.  A key principle of testing is that your tests are designed by your declarations.  This means that if you don't want any tests, don't declare that you are going to do anything in life.  The moment you make a declaration that you're going to do something life, will test your resolve.  Remember what the Constitution declares:

    Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.  (Proverbs 18:21) 

    Here is an example:  if a man says, "I am not going to have sex before I get married."  every old girlfriend will start appearing from his past, trying to get his attention once again.  He will start wondering what happened.  Well, he just invited the test by his declaration.  Or perhaps you will say, "I am going to start a real estate business!"  That declaration will be tested by obstacles and setbacks to see if you really mean what you said.  Keep in mind what Peter once said to Jesus the Christ:

    But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  (Luke 22:33)

    Peter should have thought it, rather than spoke it.  Now he was in trouble.  Jesus replied, in effect, "Peter, Satan has just demanded that you appear for trial on what you just said.  But I have prayed that your faith won't fail in the midst of it, that you will still believe what I have told you.  (Luke 22:31-32)

    Keep in mind:  An anchor is tested by storms; it is only as good as what it survives. 

    Remember this:  God will test before He entrusts.  If God is going to trust you with something and use you to accomplish it, He has to test you first. Stay in the Word, that will cause your faith in Him to grow.  Study the Word, and spend time with God alone, just you and Him.

    Constitution:  (James 1:2-4)  Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4) And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

    As a verb, to anchor means to fasten, to stop or to rest.  Those three words are a great description of fatherhood.  Men are supposed to fasten the society; to secure it with beliefs and principles that don't change.  The male is also supposed to stop things from happening that are harmful to others.

    As anchors, we can stop our families from being swept away by the currents of immorality, stabilize uncertain youth and bring safety and order back to our communities.  The anchors also bring rest; when people have a true anchor present in their lives, they experience an inner peace.

    A man should think of his family as a ship, and he as the anchor of that ship.  Remember, a ship has no foundation of it's own.  The hull, the masts, the sails, the riggings and even the helm can't fulfill that function.  Your boat may look beautiful on the outside; yet, by itself, it contains no foundation.  The only thing that secures a boat is an anchor.  When the anchor is in place, the entire hull comes to rest.  Even if the ship is beaten, twisted, and torn by the waves; a strong anchor keeps it from breaking apart and allows it to weather the storms.  Your anchor must be able to handle the rough currents and storms of life.

    It doesn't matter how much you may brag about the strength of your anchor; the only way it will be truly tested is during intense pressure.

    There are hazardous social and cultural forces and unexpected setbacks that will control the course of your life if you have not discovered how to be a strong anchor.  You must realize that if you break under pressure, your "ship" will become a victim of these currents and storms.  Just as it is not enough merely to say your boat has a strong anchor, it is not good enough just to say I am a man.  You have to ask, "What kind of man am I?"  What currents and storms am I really able to handle?

    Don't go out into the world without having your anchor already in place.  Having a very strong anchor takes away the fear of the currents and the storms of life.

    Here is some reassurance from our great Creator and Lord through the Apostle Paul:

    No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.  (1 Corinthians 10:13)

    It doesn't matter what comes against you or what  unexpected problems arise.  Maybe your plans for your life or your family fell apart.  Perhaps things have happened to you that you didn't foresee.  Keep in mind God's promise.  He would not have allowed them if you were not able to overcome them through His strength.  God will verify your quality as an anchor by how you respond to the tests He allows to come

    Do you know where the foundation is located?  Well, at the bottom.  You can see the walls, the door, the lighting and the furnishings of a building, but you can't see the foundation once it is laid and the building is build upon it.  Likewise, as the foundation, men are to do what they have to do for those around them without drawing attention to themselves.

    Remember, you don't see the foundation.  Why?  Because it is too busy carrying everything.  Real men do not advertise their responsibility.  Real men  do not go around telling everything to everyone--including their wives--what they're doing for them.  Real men do not pronounce to the community what they're doing for their families.  You just see the family functioning well and working together.  Keep in mind, the English word "husband" is derived from the Old Norse word meaning householder.  We can say that husbands are meant to "hold the house" intact.  He is the glue that keeps his family together.  In the same sense, a good pastor doesn't tell the church members everything he's doing for them; the community just sees or experiences the results of his work.

    Don't ever tell your children what you are doing for them.  Don't throw it in your wife's face what you are doing for her.  After all, she probably was doing better at her parent's house before she met you.  Real men are quiet about it.  They just carry the responsibility.

    The most important part of a building is the part you can't see.  Become a man that your family, community and nation can stand secure on; knowing that you won't collapse beneath them, regardless of what forces come against you.

    To understand something, we should find out the original purpose for which it was made.  "Understanding is knowledge and comprehension of the original purpose and intent of a thing and of the principles by which a thing was designed to function."

    Now to possess understanding of something, you must know the original intent for it.  It would help to know what was in the mind of the one who made it; and how did the creator of a product intend it to function.

    Now understanding is comprehension of the truth.  The question is "Why is this important?"  Because nothing is truly yours until you understand it.  No matter how much you sit and listen, if you don't understand a thing, it still isn't yours.  You will never truly own or possess a thing that you do not understand.  That's why information does not guarantee knowledge. 

    Remember, Jesus the Christ, who is the greatest teacher of all time, said in the Constitution:  Matthew 11:15  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

    Jesus was separating people who simply listen to information from those who actually understood it.  Remember, when you understand a thing it becomes yours.  Most of our lives are filled with or in misunderstanding of things and people.  We fail to examine why a thing is or why it exists.

    Keep this in mind, if you don't understand yourself, you don't really possess yourself.  This is why people who don't know who they are imitate other people and become someone other than who they were created to be.

    Remember, Abraham was a man who took his responsibility as head of his household very seriously.  And the Lord said:

Constitution:  Genesis 18:19  "For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what He has promised him."

    Does the Lord know you as the man?  Can God say about you "I know that you will teach your family the Word of God"?  If you want God to consider you His friend, then become a teacher in your home.  Again, you have to be filled with the Word in order to give it to your family.  So many men still don't understand and appreciate the value of the Word of God for the fulfillment of their purpose.

Many men just drop off their wives and children at church because they don't want to be responsible for their spiritual training.  Abraham knew the Word, and he taught it.  Remember, what God said:

Constitution:  Genesis 18:17 Then the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?"

    A man who instructs his household in the Scriptures attracts God.  No matter how much you pray and go to church, sing hymns; if you don't teach your household God's ways, if you don't give the Word of God prominence in your home, then God sees you as a weak man.  Remember what God said in His constitution:

    A deacon must be a husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.  I Timothy 3:12

    Keep in mind, God doesn't measure your ability to lead by your religious or academic qualifications.  He measures by your domestic qualifications.  If you can take care of your children, then God says, "All is right, now you can lead My church."  If you can manage your home, then you can manage the house of God.

The Thought for you today:

    Many men still don't appreciate the value of the Word of God for the fulfillment of their purpose,.

                     Now take some time to read and study--Acts 10:1-23.
                                               Read it several times.