1 Kings 21:20, 25-26, 29 (NIV) Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”
“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.) “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”
Ahab was not a weak man in the world’s eyes—he was king, he saw God’s power firsthand, and he heard God’s word from Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in history. Yet Scripture says there was never a man like Ahab who sold himself to do evil. Why? Because he chose comfort, compromise, and his wife’s influence over courage, conviction, and obedience to God.
Men today are no different. Too many Christian men want the benefits of God without the burden of obedience. Like Ahab, they’d rather keep peace at home, blend with culture, and satisfy their flesh than stand firm in faith and lead with godly strength.
Here’s the truth: Godly masculinity is hard. It means saying “no” to the easy road. It means leading your family toward Christ even when your wife, kids, or culture pull in the opposite direction. It means refusing idols—money, porn, comfort, career—and choosing daily the hard road of denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus.
Ahab shows us what happens to weak, passive men. Elijah shows us what happens to strong, godly men who stand firm. Which will you be?
Man up. Get up early. Seek God in His Word and prayer. Lead your family by example. Reject compromise. Confront sin. Live with holy conviction. Our world has enough Ahabs—it needs Elijahs, Moseses, and above all, men who reflect Jesus Christ.
God is looking for men who won’t bow to culture, won’t cower to pressure, and won’t sell themselves to sin. Men who will stand, lead, and obey—no matter the cost.
So I’ll ask you: Are you selling out like Ahab—or standing strong like Elijah?
To go further, read my book MAN Up! It was written to help men become more like Elijah and less like Ahab.
