We’re talking about the Four Faces of Manhood, and if you haven’t read Part 1, The Face of the King, let me encourage you to do that before jumping into this one. You’ll be glad you did.

Now, let’s look at the second Face of Manhood we see in Scripture of a man who lives a life of balance — it’s the Face of the Warrior.

This Face of Manhood is a face that says, “We can take the company national. Let's do it!” It's the Face of a Warrior that says, “I'm going to lose weight” or “I’m going to get out of debt.”

I remember a young man coming to me who'd made a mistake in the early years of his marriage, and was thousands of dollars in debt. In fact, when he told me how much debt he was in, my first thought was, “This guy's gonna go bankrupt.”

But he took two extra jobs in addition to his white-collar professional position. He started throwing newspapers in the morning and working at a convenience store on the weekends. Yes, he put that warrior face on, and he dug his way out of debt!

In our culture, the Face of the Warrior is the one that’s most honored and celebrated. We love men who are warriors: George Patton, Teddy Roosevelt, Alexander the Great, William Wallace. There’s something about them that stirs our souls.

Even the fascination with fictional warriors like in the movies Gladiator or Saving Private Ryan is evidence that we aspire to strive greatly — even sacrificially — for a cause that’s bigger than ourselves.

That’s the Face of a Warrior. It’s a man who can take life head on and win. He can take the other guy’s best shot and still stand. He works the hardest and the longest, and outlasts the competition.

Now, it’s important we don’t confuse the Face of the Warrior with testosterone-fueled arrogance. 

Dave Berry writes a column where he shares an example about how the energy behind the warrior face can quickly turn toxic…

“One recent morning, I was driving in Miami on Interstate 95, which should have a sign that says, WARNING: HIGH TESTOSTERONE LEVELS NEXT 15 MILES.

“In the left lane, one behind the other, were two well-dressed middle-aged men, both driving luxury German automobiles. They looked like responsible business executives, probably named Roger, with good jobs and nice families and male-pattern baldness, the kind of guys whose most violent physical activity, on an average day, is stapling.

“They were driving normally, except that the guy in front, Roger One, was thoughtlessly going only about 65 miles an hour, which in Miami is the speed limit normally observed inside car washes. So Roger Two pulled up behind until the two cars were approximately one electron apart, and honked his horn.

“Of course, Roger One was not about to stand for THAT. You let a guy honk at you, and you are basically admitting that he has a bigger stapler. So Roger One stomped on his brakes, forcing Roger Two to swerve onto the shoulder, where, showing amazing presence of mind in an emergency, he was able to make obscene gestures with both hands.

“At this point, both Rogers accelerated to approximately 147 mph and began weaving from lane to lane through rush-hour traffic in an effort to get in front of the other. I quickly lost sight of them, but I bet neither one backed down. Their co-workers probably wondered what happened to them, unaware that the dueling Rogers, still only inches apart, were approaching the Canadian border.”

The Face of the Warrior isn’t machismo that comes out in an extreme way like it did with those two guys on that Miami freeway. Instead, it’s a face that reflects a conquering energy. It’s characterized by initiative, going for it all, protecting, and defending. The Face of the Warrier provides, and it says to those you love, “I’m going to take care of you, no matter what.”

The warrior face is one that perseveres in the midst of all kinds of adversity — a face that fights. But it’s not destructive. In fact, it's quite the opposite. The Face of a Warrior is a positive force in the lives of others.

I remember years ago when I first moved to Little Rock. I had completed all the classwork for my doctorate and the only thing left to do was my dissertation. But when I got to Little Rock, I learned that the head of my department had been changed and his replacement told me that they wanted my dissertation to be a little more scientific and that everything I wrote had to be backed up by statistical analysis.

I'd never had a statistical course in my life! Not only that, my wife and I were about to have our second child, were in the middle of building our first home, and it was Christmas. I had no energy to basically re-learn all I’d learned for my dissertation, and I was ready to give up. The mountain seemed just too big to scale.

While I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself, something deep inside me said, “You’re a quitter.” That started a war inside me, and I could hear the warrior rise up and say, “We’re going to get this done.” And what came through was that kind of conquering energy I needed to do the job — and I did it.

In 1 Timothy 6:11-12, we find this command…

“Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

Godliness. Righteousness. Faith. Love. Endurance. Gentleness. These things aren’t easily taken hold of in any man's life. They’re the kind of things you have to work hard for — things you have to fight the good fight for. 

As an older man, I’m calling you to put on your Face of the Warrior. Take up your sword and put godliness, righteousness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness to work. And just see how your life can become one that is honored and celebrated.

Check out my next blog post about the next vital Face of Manhood: The Face of the Lover — and see how you can put it on to serve your wife and take your marriage to the next level.