Real men exalt God
Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy. – Psalm 99:5 “Exalt” is not part of my conversational vocabulary. I looked at synonyms and got “elevate” and “glorify.” Not much help. How do we “exalt the Lord our God” in a way that feels natural and genuine? Here is a […]
Real men encourage others
Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” – Hebrews 3:13a Encouragement takes courage to give. For some people it comes more naturally than others, but it always requires that you offer something to someone else – and you have to risk that your words will be spurned or ignored. This week, […]
Real men lead by example
Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12b “How do you think that impacts your son?” These are the words I spoke to a man who was convicted of abusing his wife. He had just gotten done bashing this woman, calling her […]
Real men fight the battles
For the battle is not yours, but God’s. – 2 Chronicles 20:15c Have you ever gotten into an argument and then, upon reflection, realized how dumb it was? Me too. Don’t waste your time and energy fighting battles that don’t matter. It sucks you dry spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and even physically. Focus on the battles […]
Real men know God is with them
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God. – Psalm 46:10a I love disaster movies. I think it’s all the special effects. There’s almost always that one part in the movie when a group of people hear about some impending doom or maybe even see it coming. The crowd stirs and you can […]
Real men are surrendered
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. – Proverbs 16:18 One of the first things we need to see and understand is that it is not about you! The world does not revolve around you! Pride makes us only think of ourselves and our wants and desires. By nature we are prideful […]
Real men worship fully
Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. – Romans 12:1b Our word “worship” comes from an Old English word that can be roughly translated “worth-ship.” What do my actions in this body (physical, mental, emotional) show about where, or to whom, I ascribe […]
Real men seek God’s kingdom
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33 Within all of us is a hunger to belong, to be a part of something significant, to leave a legacy. These longings are hard wired into us. But the naturalness of the hunger […]
Real men lean into the truth
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. – John 8:32 It is certain that you and I will navigate seasons that upend us. They will shake loose pretense and any facade that has been constructed to “get us by.” Those moments offer a truth about who we are, what […]
Real men engage in battle
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12 Do you ever struggle? Do you ever think that your struggle isn’t going to end? Do you sometimes […]