“ATTRIBUTES OF A GODLY MAN”

Every Christian man should want to become more Godly, yet few will ever take on the challenge of developing spiritual disciplines necessary for survival. Why? Is it because we are lazy and indifferent or do we think too highly of ourselves? Perhaps our intent to change is pure but we do not know where to start or how to find help. All we feel is a disconnect from our faith and a constant struggle to overcome sin and resist temptation. How then do we fix our problems and achieve Godly character?

“Attributes of a Godly Man” is a 40-day devotional designed to help men identify and repair their spiritual weaknesses. It focuses on the most common sins men face daily by using examples from the author’s life to model vulnerability. As each day alternates between twenty attributes to avoid and twenty attributes to learn, those who embark on this spiritual journey into the wilderness will learn how to face their fears, own their sins, and be transformed by God’s grace.

If there is one thing I have learned shepherding men through my “Wilderness Survival, Vol-1 & Vol-2” discipleship curriculum, it is that most guys will never take a risk and get honest until someone opens up first and establishes a “safe zone” for being broken. Vulnerability is not something which comes naturally to men. Rather, it must be modeled if we expect other men to get real and let down their guard.

The challenge is that being vulnerable is risky. We do not know how others will react when they lean about our darkest sins. That is often why we remain silent rather than stepping into the unchartered waters of exposing who we are publicly. However, what if vulnerability were modeled? Would we finally feel comfortable enough to stop living in darkness? Those questions are as real as it gets, and that is essentially why “Attributes of a Godly Man” was written—to help men discover the freedom of vulnerability and the power of humbling ourselves.

What you will read throughout this devotional is what I share weekly with the men I shepherd. Living in the shadows of self-protection is bondage. Therefore, I challenge my “Wilderness Survivors” to release their burdens to God rather than shouldering them alone. Far too often, we carry around an 800-pound gorilla of guilt, shame, and regret, yet act as if we are just fine. However, we must lay our burdens down at the foot of the cross if we have any desire of being free. Otherwise, that gorilla will crush us!

Keep in mind, that does not mean I have it altogether teaching these hard lessons. I have made countless errors in judgment and sinned more times than I care to remember. I once mastered the art of living in the shadows which almost cost me everything! However, I am saved my grace through faith in Christ and that is all that matters to me now. For my identity is not in the sins of my past but in the blood of Christ, and I am determined to help men trade the scarlet letter of guilt, shame, and regret for the yoke Jesus provides which is easy and light.

The truth of the matter is that Satan wants to crush us with the weight of guilt, shame, and regret for sins we have committed. However, God wants to shift our perspective and use those same weights to draw us to repentance. He wants us to depend upon Him as our only source of strength, and that is the message I pray all men recognize and see woven throughout each day of this devotional, “Attributes of a Godly Man.”

In the end, this book is not a “cure-all” but a starting point for men to get real with themselves and embrace absolute truth. That is the only way we can be free, and it is my prayer for every man who reads, “Attributes of a Godly Man.” For nothing I personally have to say has the power to change any man’s heart. That miracle is reserved for the Lord alone. I am simply the broken vessel He is using to demonstrate that nothing we do will ever separate us from the love of Christ.

May you be challenged and encouraged by this devotional to demonstrate the “Attributes of a Godly Man” to the glory of Jesus’ Name.

—Daniel Ploof