How to Build a Godly & Manly Foxholeናሙና

NOTE: This devotional is meant to be consumed mainly in audio form. The text below simply serves as an outline for the audio material.

RECAP: In days 1 and 2 of this devotional, we spent some time diving into two questions:     

• 1. What makes a godly man? & 2. What makes a manly man?  
      
  • Day 1: What makes a godly man?
            
    • 1. Truths outside the self (the narrative of humanity)      
    • 2. Truths displayed publicly (answers the question: What makes a godly man?)  
                  
      • Listed characteristics of a godly man                         
  • Day 2: What makes a manly man?  
            
    • At Undaunted.Life, we have a definition of what a “man” is, and it’s this: “A man is a male that cultivates spiritual, mental, and physical resilience DAILY.”                         
• Make sure you’ve listened to days 1 and 2 before you take in today’s lesson.

Today, we bring those questions together to form a new question: CAN YOU BE BOTH GODLY AND MANLY?

A great example of a godly and manly man: Nehemiah     

• Story of Nehemiah  
      
  • What’s described in the book of Nehemiah occurs in the mid-400s BC, likely between 445 and 432 BC, in the Persian Empire in the Near East.               
• Short description of Nehemiah 1-3      
• Nehemiah 4  
      
  • This is where we start to really see the opposition to this project.     
  • Nehemiah 4:1-23           

So how is Nehemiah both godly and manly?     

• Day 1: What makes a godly man?
      
  • A godly man is repentant.  
            
    • Nehemiah 1:4-11               
  • A godly man does not rely on his own strength alone.
            
    • Nehemiah 2:4               
  • A godly man loves God and his neighbor.  
            
    • Nehemiah 2:17-18                         
• Day 2: What makes a manly man?
      
  • Spiritually resilient:  
            
    • Nehemiah 2:19-20               
  • Mentally resilient:  
            
    • Nehemiah 4:4-6               
  • Physically resilient:
            
    • Nehemiah 4:16-17     
    • Nehemiah 4:21-23                    

So, can you be godly AND manly?     

• Yes. Absolutely.      
• Adam Brown is a great example of that.     
• Nehemiah is a great example of that.

Before you move on to the next thing, here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. Am I a good example of someone that is both godly and manly?

2. Do I have a lot of men in my life that are both godly and manly?

3. Can a man excel being just one or the other or neither?

For more content like this, be sure to check out our other YouVersion devotionals.

Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 4 where we discuss whether Jesus was a manly man.

Until then, keep pushing back darkness… keep forging spiritual, mental, and physical resilience… KEEP SEEKING THE LION OF JUDAH.