I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately: This first great sin of man was not adultery or stealing or swearing. The first great sin of man was actually just ‘doing nothing’ when he should have done just the opposite. The Scripture points out that Eve was truly deceived by Satan in the garden. Adam, on the other hand knew and saw what was taking place; he just went along anyway. So, when he should have stepped up to the plate and been the man, he didn’t. She was deceived; he sinned with his eyes wide open. Guys, the first big sin of our forefather Adam was none other than PASSIVITY. Do you see yourself yet in this story? I sure do, and it hurts. It is important to know that Adam’s DNA and his tendencies flow through every one of us and must be eradicated by our submitting to the Holy Spirit. Samson and King David became great warriors when the Spirit came upon them. We, men, in this dispensation have a privilege they didn’t have; we can have the Holy Spirit ‘reside and abide’ in us constantly, not just ‘come upon’ us every now and then. In other words we can be warriors every day.

This paragraph by John Eldredge sums up a lot:

“The heart of the warrior says, “I will put myself on the line for you.” That is why it must come before the lover stage, for he will need to do that time and time again in his marriage, and it is passivity that has broken the heart of many women. The warrior nature is fierce, and brave, ready to confront evil, ready to go into battle. This is the time for a young man to stop saying, “Why is life so hard?” He takes the hardness as the call to fight, to rise up, take it on. He learns to “set his face like a flint,” as Jesus had to do to fulfill his life’s great mission (Isa. 50:7).”

~ Paul Stubka