As I look across this rapidly changing America, I do not believe the deepest crisis is political, economic, or technological. At its core, it is spiritual.
So much delusion! So many crazy beliefs are ruling minds like we've never seen before. Listen, you don't want to be given up to a depraved mind as has literally happened with some seared folk.
We are witnessing confusion about truth (all truth is God's true), a confusion about personal identity, a confusion about what a real marriage is, confusion about morality.. what baby is a real human, and even a confusion about what it means to be a man or a woman today. Scripture warned us this would happen.
And so many people are calling evil good. Stop it! “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). When a culture loses its moral compass, it eventually loses its stability as well.
A godly man is not defined by cultural trends, social media approval, or ideological slogans. He is not harsh, arrogant, self-absorbed, or domineering. Neither is he passive, cowardly, irresponsible, or morally compromised. Biblical manhood is not brutality on one side or softness without conviction on the other. It is Christlike strength clothed in humility.
And no, a godly man does not look like a biological male competing dishonestly against women in women’s sports. That is not courage. It is confusion at best, and in many cases unfairness disguised as virtue. God created mankind “male and female” (Genesis 1:27), and His design is neither outdated nor oppressive. It is wise, purposeful, and good.
It's true. I was lost as a lizard without even one clue. Why did I do what my fleshly nature and the world kept telling me to do! It was bad, and I was really bad -- And I really enjoyed bad. Man, why start reaping all the horrible consequences from that kinda sideways lifestyle?
No slight intended at all, really.
Well, in the original Hebrew, it basically means that your sin will indeed find you out, Mister Sinner-man (No putdown, I too was one and am now a saved sinner. Am not better than, never was, but better off? Sure.)
I, Kurt, came to faith in Jesus Christ during the Jesus Movement of the 1970s, and in many ways, I sense echoes of that same season once again. There is a spiritual hunger returning to America. Bible sales have risen. Christian media platforms are growing. Conversations about truth, purpose, masculinity, and faith are resurfacing. But perhaps most striking of all is the growing number of young men searching for something deeper than entertainment, pornography, political outrage, or empty ambition.
Many guys feel weary of being told that masculinity itself is the problem.
For years, words like “toxic masculinity” and “patriarchy” have often been used so broadly that even biblical strength, leadership, courage, and responsibility became suspect. Young men were frequently told that to be gentle, they must become weak, and to be loving they must abandon conviction. But Scripture never presents manhood that way.
The Bible calls men to courage with tenderness, strength with compassion, leadership with sacrifice, and conviction with humility.
A recent report from The New York Times noted an unusual demographic shift: young men in America are increasingly showing greater religious interest than their female peers. Whether every statistic holds long term remains to be seen, but there is little doubt many young men are searching for solid ground again. They are hungry for meaning, discipline, responsibility, and truth.
Deep down, many men do not want to drift through life addicted to comfort and entertainment. They want purpose. They want a mission worthy of sacrifice. God built men to carry responsibility, protect others, work diligently, and walk faithfully.
The Apostle Paul gives a concise but powerful description of biblical manhood in 1 Corinthians 16:13–14:
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
That short passage contains an entire philosophy of godly masculinity.
Be watchful. Be strong. Be meek. Consistently act in love.
A godly man stays awake spiritually. He pays attention to what enters his home, his mind, and his heart. He understands that the greatest dangers are not always physical. Sometimes the greatest threats arrive through compromise, deception, addiction, bitterness, pornography, greed, pride, or moral passivity.
He guards his family because he first guards his own soul. "Love.. always protects." With protecting them, we start by prayerfully protecting our own ear gates and eye gates. Can Jesus make this a bit easier for you when everywhere we go we're surrounded by ads even from individuals on social media? Yes, He can.
We don't feed lust, we starve it to death.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
A husband who never notices his wife’s loneliness, a father absent from his children’s lives, or a man consumed by selfish ambition while neglecting spiritual realities is not truly watchful.
The Christian man must be alert, prayerful, discerning, and engaged.
Stand firm in the faith.
Truth matters. Doctrine matters. Conviction matters.
A godly man does not constantly bend with every cultural wind. He lovingly stands on the truth of God’s Word even when it becomes unpopular. He leads spiritually not merely by words, but by example.
He says, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
Far too often, women have carried the spiritual weight of the home while men remained disengaged. But God calls husbands and fathers to lead with humility and consistency. That does not mean acting superior. It means taking responsibility.
You've told your wife and kids many times that you love them. Try that again. Pray with your family.
Open the Bible.
Go to church faithfully.
Repent quickly when you sin.
Ask forgiveness when you fail.
Lead not as a tyrant, but as a servant.
The greatest leaders in Scripture were rarely self-promoting men. Moses was called the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). Yet he confronted Pharaoh. David wrote worship songs, but also faced Goliath. The Apostle Paul wept openly, yet endured beatings, prison, and persecution for Christ.
Biblical strength is never separated from humility.
Be strong in the Lord.
Our culture often confuses strength with aggression. But Jesus Christ, the strongest man who ever lived, described Himself this way: “I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
That is astonishing.
The One who created galaxies welcomed children, touched lepers, washed feet, and allowed Himself to be crucified for sinners.
True strength is controlled strength.
Meekness is not weakness. It is power surrendered to God.
A raging man with no self-control is not strong. Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who rules his spirit is better than he who takes a city.”
The truly strong man remains faithful when temptation whispers. He remains honest when dishonesty would profit him. He remains calm when anger would be easier. He remains pure when lust saturates the culture around him. He keeps his word when breaking it would be convenient.
Anyone can follow impulses. Character requires surrender.
Let all that you do be done in love.
Without love, strength becomes cruelty.
Without truth, love becomes sentimentality.
Biblical love is neither weak nor self-centered. It is sacrificial.
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Ephesians 5:25 commands husbands, “Love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.”
That kind of love is costly and it feels real costly.
It means remaining faithful to your marriage vows when emotions fluctuate. It means listening when you are tired. It means protecting your children. It means apologizing sincerely. It means working hard. It means showing tenderness without embarrassment.
A godly man is not emotionally dead. Christ was not emotionally dead. Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb (John 11:35). He welcomed little children. He defended the vulnerable. He confronted hypocrisy. He served the undeserving.
He was both lionhearted and compassionate.
That is biblical masculinity.
One elderly Christian businessman once told me a story I have never forgotten. During a severe financial collapse decades ago, he lost nearly everything he owned. Friends abandoned him. Business partners disappeared. For a season, it appeared his life’s work had completely unraveled.
But every morning before sunrise, he would quietly open his worn Bible at the kitchen table while his family still slept. His wife later said she often heard him praying softly, “Lord, I do not understand what You are doing, but I trust Your character.”
Months became years. Slowly, God rebuilt what had been lost, though not always in the ways he expected. His greatest testimony later was not financial recovery, but spiritual transformation. He said, “I discovered that when God is all you have, you finally realize God is all you ever truly needed.”
Psalm 37:25 proved true in his life: “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.”
Another story comes from the life of George Müller, the great Christian known for caring for thousands of orphans in England. There were mornings when there was literally no food left for the children. Yet Müller gathered them for prayer anyway.
On one famous occasion, after thanking God for food that had not yet arrived, a baker unexpectedly knocked on the door with fresh bread because he “felt led” to help. Moments later, a milk cart broke down outside the orphanage, and the driver gave the milk away before it spoiled.
Skeptics mock such stories, but Müller’s life consistently testified to God’s faithfulness through decades of ministry.
Hebrews 10:23 says, “He who promised is faithful.”
The missionary Jim Elliot, who was killed while trying to bring the Gospel to the Huaorani people of Ecuador, once wrote these famous words:
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
That is not the language of weakness. That is eternal perspective.
And C. S. Lewis wisely observed:
“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”
Faithfulness becomes visible when circumstances become difficult.
Anyone can praise God when prayers are answered quickly. But mature faith clings to Christ when heaven seems silent, when suffering lingers, when temptation intensifies, and when the future remains unclear.
That kind of steadfastness shines brightly in a drifting culture.
America does not merely need stronger politics, louder personalities, or trendier churches. It needs men and women transformed by Jesus Christ. It needs fathers who pray. Husbands who remain faithful. Young men with conviction. Young women with wisdom. Christians who love truth more than applause.
The need of the hour is not performative religion, but genuine repentance and spiritual awakening.
And revival has always begun when ordinary believers humbled themselves before God.
2 Chronicles 7:14 still speaks with prophetic clarity:
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Now is the time for Christian men to rise up prayerfully, not in pride, not in anger, not in self-righteousness, but in holiness, in courage, in real humility, in truth.
As Billy Graham once said, “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, all is lost.”
Okay, So What Are Some Habits of a Godly Man?
(Here's some Verses drawn from Proverbs and the whole counsel of Scripture)
1. He guards his heart carefully
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” — Proverbs 4:23
A wise, godly man knows that the battle for his life begins in the mind and heart. What he feeds into his mind will eventually shape his heart's desires, his decisions, and his direction. We each reap what we sow to. A godly man is willing to die to self -- he does not casually consume trashy poison through entertainment, bitterness, lust, pride, or unbelief. He watches over his soul like a shepherd watches over sheep in wolf country.
In an age where people guard their phones with passwords but leave their hearts spiritually unguarded, Proverbs calls men back to vigilance. A godly man understands that compromise rarely arrives with sirens blaring—it slips in quietly through unchecked thoughts and tolerated sins.
John Owen famously warned:
“Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.”
Jesus echoed this truth when He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
2. He speaks words that heal instead of wound
“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life.” — Proverbs 15:4
His words do not become weapons of destruction. He knows that the tongue can either breathe courage into weary people or crush them beneath careless speech. A godly man refuses sarcasm that humiliates, gossip that divides, or angry words that scorch relationships.
Instead, his speech carries grace, truth, wisdom, and restraint. He understands that some people are barely holding themselves together, and one sentence can either strengthen them or deeply injure them.
My former Frisco Texas pastor Chuck Swindoll wisely observed this:
“Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.”
Scripture says:
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying” (Ephesians 4:29).
A godly man leaves conversations cleaner, calmer, and more hope-filled than he found them.
3. He walks in integrity when nobody is watching
“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” — Proverbs 20:7
Integrity is who you are when applause disappears.
A godly man does not wear Christianity like a public costume while privately entertaining compromise. He is the same man in secret that he appears to be in public. He keeps his word. He pays honestly. He tells the truth. He refuses hidden corruption.
In today’s world, image management has replaced character formation for many people. But God is not impressed with curated appearances. Heaven sees the hidden life.
Charles Spurgeon said:
“A man's life is always more forcible than his speech.”
The Bible says:
“He that walketh uprightly walketh surely” (Proverbs 10:9).
Children may forget many sermons, but they rarely forget hypocrisy—or authenticity.
4. He plans wisely instead of living recklessly
“The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness.” — Proverbs 21:5
A godly man is not lazy, impulsive, or careless. He understands that wisdom thinks ahead. He counts the cost. He prepares. He works diligently. He is flexible enough to learn, humble enough to adjust, and wise enough not to confuse recklessness with faith.
The book of Proverbs repeatedly contrasts diligence with slothfulness. Wisdom is not frantic panic—it is steady faithfulness over time.
The late John MacArthur often emphasized that spiritual maturity involves disciplined obedience to the word, not emotional instability.
Proverbs says:
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6).
Many ruined lives did not collapse overnight. They slowly drifted through years of unwise decisions, unmanaged desires, and neglected discipline.
5. He shows mercy to the poor and needy
“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD.” — Proverbs 19:17
A godly man notices hurting people.
He does not become hardened by endless bad news or insulated by selfish comfort. He reflects the compassion of Christ. He understands that generosity is not merely about money—it includes attention, kindness, patience, dignity, and practical help.
Jesus consistently moved toward the broken, not away from them.
Hudson Taylor said:
“Christ is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.”
Scripture teaches:
“Whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 John 3:17).
A hard heart toward suffering people often reveals a deeper spiritual problem.
6. He leaves a godly influence wherever he goes
“A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children.” — Proverbs 13:22
A wise man thinks beyond himself.
His greatest inheritance is not merely financial—it is spiritual. Long after his voice is gone, his example still speaks. His prayers echo in future generations. His integrity becomes a shelter for his family. His faithfulness leaves footprints others can follow.
A godly man realizes that every private decision eventually casts a public shadow.
D. L. Moody once said:
“The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.”
Psalm 112 describes the righteous man this way:
“The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance” (Psalm 112:6).
7. He fears the Lord above all else
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” — Proverbs 9:10
This is the foundation beneath every other virtue. Biblical manhood does not begin with toughness, money, muscles, or status—it begins with reverence for God.
The fear of the Lord is not terror that drives a man from God, but holy awe that draws him near in humility and obedience.
A. W. Tozer wrote:
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
8. He receives correction with humility
“He that regardeth reproof is prudent.” — Proverbs 15:5
A foolish man is offended by correction. A wise man grows from it.
Godly men remain teachable. Pride resists instruction, but humility receives it. Mature believers do not pretend they have arrived spiritually.
Proverbs says:
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6).
9. He chooses his companions wisely
“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.” — Proverbs 13:20
Who surrounds a man will shape a man.
A godly man understands the influence of friendships, media, mentors, and environments. He does not casually attach himself to destructive influences.
My former California pastor, Chuck Smith Sr. often emphasized the importance of staying close to believers who stir your heart toward Christ rather than toward compromise.
1 Corinthians 15:33 warns:
“Evil communications corrupt good manners.”
10. He controls his temper
“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty.” — Proverbs 16:32
Strength is not found in explosive reactions but in Spirit-controlled restraint.
Anyone can lose control. Wisdom remains steady under pressure. A godly man does not excuse sinful anger as “just how I am.”
My former So Cal Pastor Greg Laurie has said:
“A hot temper can undo a lifetime of good.”
James 1:20 reminds us:
“The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”
11. He works diligently and avoids laziness
“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing.” — Proverbs 13:4
A godly man is dependable. He works wholeheartedly unto the Lord. He understands that laziness slowly destroys purpose, relationships, opportunities, and spiritual vitality.
The Protestant work ethic historically rooted itself in verses like Colossians 3:23:
“Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord.”
According to research from Barna Group, many practicing Christians report struggling with spiritual consistency and intentional discipleship in daily life, reflecting a broader cultural drift toward distraction and passivity rather than disciplined spiritual formation.
12. He pursues knowing his first love better, (Jesus) and His wisdom more than worldly wisdom or applause
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.” — Proverbs 4:7
A godly man would rather be wise than merely impressive.
He knows that social media popularity, applause, and worldly recognition fade quickly. But wisdom from God preserves, protects, and guides a man through life’s storms.
There ya have em -- my 12. I think God has more in the Bible. Let's go find more about being godly men. Missionary Jim Elliot once wrote this (shortly before his martyrdom):
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
A real godly man loves God with all his mind, heart, and soul. The godly man's life reflects that love of the Lord. He will love a healthy church, not a sicko church, and there sure are a lot of those.
Like Christ, the godly man will shun sin and follow after righteousness. He will, in the power of the Spirit, seek to keep God's law and live at peace with all people if possible.
That's 12. Perhaps you can give me some more from the Bible? I would love that. Now, hhere's an old hymn that describes us guys and says:
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love.”
Prone to doesn't mean we must wander. Let God's Holy Spirit and His word give you victory over sin, Satan, the flesh, and this world. When guys fall, it's normally in three areas: over -- the gold, the glory, or the girls (or nowadays over other guys and that's also serious).
We don't have to, none of us need to, take a foolish stride from our Master's side! There are lyrics I love that go: Come Thou Fount -- it remains painfully honest. Even godly men are weak apart from the sustaining strong grace of Christ. Biblical manhood is not sinless perfection—it is humble dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ, daily repentance, growing obedience, and persevering faith. When we are tempted, it's dealing with a real human need, and guess what.. God says He'll meen all our real needs, so why not just go to Him early.. daily.. all day depending upon Him!?
The world tells men they must be dominant, self-centered, emotionally numb, and proud. Scripture calls men to something far deeper: holiness, courage, servant-hearted leadership, truthfulness, compassion, self-control, and faithfulness to Christ.
The strongest men in God’s eyes are not the loudest men in the room. They are the men who quietly walk close with God when nobody sees or notices.
Dudes, I double-dog dare ya to start thinking and behaving like real men. Don't live all woke, just really wake up.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with real men acting like real men.
Jesus was and is the ultimate man—defending the weak, loving children, and serving others (yet not so much that he ain't there with his family much).
Men should know and emulate Him. Now is the time for men to step into His plan for them, to step up, to grow up, and be who God has called them to be. The Bible (the Owner's manual) tells us how. I think when more do this, a broader spiritual awakening (a 5th one even) in America with genuine revival has a chance to take place. Together, let's pray for this.
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13 KnowGod.org
Read more about real men (Click here)
Think back for a sec. Do you remember Israel's greatest King's final words? David's last words to his son Solomon are found in: 1 Kings 2:2–3, yep, his final charge to Solomon is:
“I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”
Dare ya if I may to follow David and Solomon's King!
"..in the faith, act like men, be strong. Do everything in Love." (1 Corinthians 16:13,14).
Two men had love, and one didn't.
