5 Marks of a Godly Man
What does it mean to be a godly man?
What does it look like?
At Get In The Fight, we are aiming at specific tenets or strategic ideas that help us demonstrate what the marks of a godly man look like in action. They are: Honor, Discipline, Strength, & Joy. These are the foundational elements that make up the life of godly men.
Today, then, we want to look at the primary verse that we use at Get In The Fight ministries and share what we think are 5 clear marks of what it takes to be a godly man.
Here's the verse that we use: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NASB)
"Be on alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Do everything in love."
Let's take a closer look at each of these 5 marks of godly men.
Be On Alert
Have you ever gone on a hike in the Southwest or maybe on a trail like the Appalachian Trail? If you have (or maybe even if you haven't), you'd know that there are potential dangers all along the trail. Namely: the high possibility that you'll encounter rattlesnakes.
Ask anyone who regularly hikes or runs on trails like this and you'll know that they are always on alert. They know the danger exists and they are aware that aimlessly running or hiking could prove to be deadly.
This is exactly what Paul had in mind when he said to, "be on alert".
There is danger on the road that we're traveling and many men have aimlessly walked the path and been bitten by it.
So the apostle Paul reminds men that the path you are on is marked by danger and it is imperative that you keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead, and your mind on alert. It's not safe to live your life as if there is nothing to fear. You are in a battle - whether your know it or not - and there is an enemy who "prowls" and is "seeking to destroy" aimless men.
So the first step in being a godly man is to be alert.
Stand Firm In The Faith
There was a story circulating (again) of another well-known pastor who had an affair, went off the rails, and lost his way.
How does this continue to happen to men who started off so strong in the faith?
The answer: They weren't alert and it lead to consequences they never imagined they'd face.
That is why we are encouraged to stand firm in our faith.
It reminds me of a boxer, or a lineman playing football. One of the first things you learn in either sport is the importance of a powerful stance. To do this, you must have your feet about shoulder-width apart (not too close or too wide), feet parallel with your hips, bend your knees, chest up, keep your weight on your toes.
When it comes to being a man, we, too, must have a powerful stance in order to stand firm when the trials and fires of life come at us. We must position ourselves for the storms that come so that we don't get blown over and destroyed by them.
If you hope to be a man of Honor, Discipline, Strength, and Joy - then its imperative that you stand firm in your faith and keep on your toes.
Act Like Men
In many bible translations, the word used instead of this phrase is "courage". Be men of courage. I like that too.
To have courage is to have the power or strength to take on difficult, scary things that you'd just as soon run away from or avoid.
We are tempted to run away every day.
From our feelings....from doing the hard right things....from saying "I'm sorry" or "Please forgive me"....from the impulses to cheat or cut corners....from the hard work required to make your marriage work or to be the dad your kids need you to be.
Over and over again we are faced with situations that require men to act like men. To "man up" and face our troubles head on.
If you're wondering how to become a man like this, here's my suggestion: find someone who is acting like a man in an area you'd like to improve on and then do what he's doing.
That, or ask yourself this question: What would a godly man do in this situation if he were me?
With Christ inside of you, you have what it takes to act like a man. "I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength." (Phil 4:13)
So act like a man.
Be Strong
One of the 4 key tenets of Get In The Fight is Strength - and for good reason. The apostle Paul is encouraging us to embrace this, once again, in this passage in 1 Corinthians.
In our daily prayer at Get In The Fight (click here to get this free document and pray it with us each day), we ask God to help us be men of strength:
"God, please make me a man of strength. A man who is spiritually, mentally, physically, relationally, and emotionally strong and who uses that strength to help serve others."
Are you always going to be strong and courageous? No. But that's exactly why we pray this everyday. Our strength is found in Christ's power - not our own. This prayer is an acknowledgement of a simple fact that, as men, we are weak...but He is strong.
Do you want to be a godly man? Then identify the areas of your life that you need the most strength in today. Then ask God to give you His power to be a man of strength.
Do Everything In Love
Last, but certainly not least, the path of Christ compels us to embrace a life of love.
Do everything you do in love.
Do your work with love.
Do your chores with love.
Do your forgiving with love.
Do your exercising with love.
Do it all - in love.
Doing "some things" in love will be easy. But to do "everything" in love will require supernatural strength. When you're fighting with your wife or you're frustrated with your boss - you will be called on to handle that with love. Yikes. Not easy to do!
It takes a real man, a god-infused man - to live a life like that. In Jesus, we've seen it done and the good news for us is that he now lives in us!
You have what it takes, because Christ lives in you, to do everything in love.
So, do this today: Get the free pdf of the Get In The Fight daily prayer below and then memorize this verse from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14. Repeat it daily. Personalize the prayer and seek to live this out as you get in the fight to become the man that God meant for you to be. A man who is alert, who stands firm in his faith, who acts like a man, is strong, and who does everything in love.
