This is the classic Ed Cole book – it is a foundation in biblical manhood. Even though this book was written in 1982, now close to 40 years ago! It’s themes are still so current and of course mans problems are timeless.

Kept out of Canaan:

Canaan is the place where God’s promises are fulfilled in our lives. Christ died to give us not only eternal life, but an awareness of the life of God in us here on earth and to live out our maximum potential. But there are traps the enemy sets up to stop us living in that place and to destroy our witness and joy.

Lust – is ‘satisfying self at the expense of God and others. It’s the preoccupation with what self wants.’ He goes on to say that true love is always giving. While lust only takes. And he maintains that it is clear when a man or women is loving or lusting in their relationship, by their actions towards their spouse.

Idolatry – ‘Is a value system that we create, in which we esteem something to be more worthy of our devotion than devotion to God.’ Many of us put things like power, money, and even porn in this place. He explains how all of pornography is idolatrous. It is important for us to realise this – when we view porn – we make a mental image that we worship, in that moment we are becoming idolaters and have removed God from the throne of our heart – have firmly put self their and are worshiping that lustful self pleasing image.

Fornication – ‘All sex sins are fornication’ I and you do not want to be a fornicator in Jesus’ eyes. And I thank God for the blood of Jesus that cleanses me when I repent! It is normal for men to be sexually tempted, however it is sin to act on it, thus taking thoughts captive are an essential practice for a man.

Tempting Christ – ‘Is demanding that God do what is contrary to His will or inconsistent with His character.’ ‘This could be lying in business and expecting God to bless your efforts’. ‘Or believers wanting the benefits of salvation and the pleasures of sin at the same time.’ How often does this occur? How often do we have a duplicity in view of God’s standard laid out in His Word? It’s not that God is a hard task master – it is that His desire for each of us is Holiness – to live a life more and more conformed to the image of His Son.

Murmuring – Lastly Ed Cole points in this chapter to a somewhat simple sin that often we fall foul of. At it’s simplest form he says this is ‘negative confession’, complaining, faultfinding – these things are easy for us humans to do, especially in negative times. Cole though often points out that Godly men have no place to be negative we live in a very positive place, we were taken from the negative in to the now positive, the Kingdom we live and reign from is wholly positive so our being should embody this. Since I have made this a daily confession on my morning walks (A simple, thank you Lord for this day – this is the day you have made and I will rejoice in it) I seldom find myself slipping during the day into the negative – even during covid lock-down number 3!

These 5 Sins are still the root cause for mans problem and the reason he finds himself living outside of a blessed life and the life of legacy and destiny that Christ desires to give us as His Spirit embodies us.

Which of these 5 sins destroys your life the most?

And what will you do today to remedy this and live in Canaan land?

Who will you speak with to confess your sins and gain accountability to move forward in strength and victory?