In the film “Taken” Liam Neeson plays a former spy who finds himself in the middle of any parents worst nightmare when his estranged daughter is kidnapped.  When he calls his daughter’s cell phone and connects with the kidnappers he utters this line:

“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”

haHA YESSS!!!! Even just reading that gives me the chills. If you’ve not seen the movie I won’t spoil it for you other than to say Neeson’s character has MAD skills.

In the first installment of Men and Women: part 1 we looked at the assertion that men were created as illustrations of God’s Justice in the same way that women were created as illustrations of God’s grace. As the picture of God’s justice men are created to BE dangerous.

We like the dangerous movie heroes like Maximus, William Wallace, King Leonidas because they kick some serious butt on the bad guys but generally in life we don’t get to be dangerous in that way. In fact if we were we’d be in serious trouble. So how is a guy supposed to be dangerous if he doesn’t get to kill bad guys? Let me suggest three characteristics of a dangerous man.

He has conviction breeds confidence

We LOVE the quite confidence of a father with a “particular set of skills”.  There is a coolness factor about Leonidas who, outnumbered 3 to 1, goes out to personally negotiate with the enemy who may kill him because , as he tells his men, “…there’s no reason we can’t be civil is there?”.   Even Indiana Jones who tends to “make it up as he goes” shows this belief in his abilities that breeds confidence.

If a dangerous man is one who has a confidence that comes from conviction then think again about Paul’s words to the Philippians:

4:1 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Being dangerous starts with a conviction that this is true and that it means ALL things.

His cause is just

Deep down justice resonates with all of us. We all appeal to “fairness” in one way or another. Faced with a life that is FULL of unfairness the dangerous man looks to scripture to understand that there IS justice at work, he works to align himself with it, and to call out injustice when he sees it rather than allowing it to go unchallenged.

His fight is for others

The dangerous man starts with a confidence based on conviction. He seeks justice and to call out injustice and he does all this on behalf of others. The truly dangerous guy, the guy we want to emulate, isn’t out for himself, for personal gain, or for personal glory. The truly dangerous guy sticks up for the underdog, takes on the odds, and fights for others. That’s why were ok when a Wallace, or a Leonidas, or a Maximus dies at the end of the film because the goal, the thing they’re trying to provide for others, is accomplished.

You want to help your sons be dangerous men?

Teach them to study the word until they own the conviction of faith. Teach them to recognize justice and to be willing to call out injustice. Encourage them to stick up for those who are weaker or disadvantaged or burdened.

Be dangerous. It feeds on itself. It’s what you were made for.

What opportunities might you have this week to be truly dangerous?