The Bible says that if you faint in the day of adversity; then your strength is small (Proverbs 24:10). That scripture is not intended to be an insult to call a person weak, but an indicator to measure our strength or how reliant we are on God.

Life has a way of distracting us from God at times especially when things are going well. The sun is shining, gas-tank is full, and belly is full. What more could we want out of life? The truth is sometimes things going well and always feeling well can be an illusion for strength. It can be an illusion to cause us to forget our need for God.

During those times and seasons, God’s mercy comes and knocks us down. God allows circumstances and trouble to take place in our lives to mature us, strengthen us, and to cause us to have to find our strength and joy again in God.

As believers we know that our strength comes from God. The person who is weak in of themselves, but has the wisdom enough to know to depend on God is the person who is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9[i]).

As believers our strength is not built separate from God. Ephesians 6:10 – 18[ii] specifies how we as believers become strong. If you find that your strength is currently small at the moment. Notice it as a good thing that you have become aware of that, and get your spiritual weight up by following Ephesians 6:10-18. Turn off the R&B in this season, and turn on the worship. Prepare yourself to enter into God’s presence by meditating on him, his word, worship music, and much prayer.

When we get our strength up, trouble and tribulation are no longer a strange thing that has come out of the blue, but we place ourselves in position to hear from God as we come through our situations and to see what those situations are bringing us to. In the end, there will be glory, victory, and strength.

Remember the three Hebrew boys in Daniel who went through the fiery furnace. It wasn’t to destroy them, but it was to build them up. After God delivered them from that situation, their faith and understanding of God was stronger, and not only did they see that God was a strong and mighty deliverer, but the whole land of the Babylonians saw that as well giving glory to God.

So, get your spiritual weight up and allow God to turn your story in to glory.

[i] And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

[ii] 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:10-18

Other Encouraging Scriptures to build our strength when we are weak and faint:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Luke 18:1

Some men spend a lot of time and money trying to become the perfect fit of what they feel will attract a woman from shaving, purchasing suits and cologne and doing all the things that scream man, and those things are nice, but may not be the thing that makes the difference when it comes down to snagging the right type of woman.

Most women may not be physically attracted to a guy the first time she meets him so all of the physical preparation goes out the window if that is what a man was banking on to get himself the girl. A woman of God will take the time to get to know the man and she falls in love with his great traits, such as character, and genuine love and affection for her. Normally, after the guy has met the non-physical traits he becomes attractive to that woman in every way and the possibilities become endless. Below are ten of some of the sexiest traits I’ve noticed in men:

A man who follows the instruction of the Lord

This man is very attractive because he carries a certain amount of humility where he realizes he is not in control. He realizes that there is a head over him and therefore he will have fear and respect to treat his woman with because he knows that God is watching. A woman will feel safe to trust his leadership as well knowing that her husband is trusting in the Lord. When this man is wrong, a woman doesn’t have to worry that he will continue in wrong, all she has to do is pray and the Lord will deal with this man and the man will follow the Lord.

The Humble Man

The humble brother is real cool. He carries an aura of peace with him wherever he goes. He isn’t trying to compete with his lady or anyone else, but he is just thankful for who he is and what he has. Humble guys are usually hard-workers who greatly appreciate the big and little things in life. To the humble man his wife is a great jewel and she stays polished with his love bringing honor to her husband wherever she goes[i].

A respectful man

This man considers others in addition to himself. He doesn’t only consider his opinion knowing that he is only human and can be wrong at times. He treats others the way he wants to be treated whether male, female, child, or elder. Because he understands the value of respect, he gives much respect, and receives the utmost respect in return. His lady will have no problem submitting to him because submission is rooted in respect for one another [ii]. This man will be made to feel like a king from his lady and any children that he has especially if his respect is something that he genuinely shows all the time.

A Man of his word

In a world where so many people play games and say they will do something when they actually don’t; the man who actually does what he says he is going to do raises the eyebrows of interest in a woman to be curious about what else could be there. If the man is just genuinely a man of his word; This will be very attractive to a woman. Even if the guy cannot meet an expectation that he has set; he will honor his word enough to call the woman and say, “I wanted to or I tried to, but I just could not do it, let’s do something different” or whatever the case may be.

A man who pursues his God-given vision

This man already listens to God, who has given him vision. He is therefore walking by faith as he takes steps toward his vision. This man is wise. He counts up the cost before he makes a decision. He plans wisely and becomes successful because he is willing to sacrifice according to wisdom for his vision to come to past. His sacrifice includes not doing what he sees other men do as far as wasting time, getting drunk, high, and living the fast life. He knows that he has to be sober to think, plan, and accomplish and that is what he does. He keeps his eyes on his goals, which keeps him out of a lot of unnecessary trouble and makes him a very attractive potential.

A man who is stable

A man who is stable provides security for a woman. He isn’t double-minded one day wanting to live for God and the next wanting to live for the world. The double-minded person is a a person caught in a cycle of instability.[iii]. That person can never get ahead because they have not made up their mind to follow Christ all the way; therefore whatever that person births will be unstable. A woman of God does not want to follow that. A woman needs stability. The stable man who has made it clear that he is submitting himself to God, and when the time comes to one woman, with stable and sustainable income has a few stars in a woman’s eyes. Notice, I did not emphasize income by putting it first when talking about stability. That’s because stable income is not enough to get a woman of God. A man can have income but be unstable in other ways that can hurt the relationship before it even gets started. That’s why it is so important for both men and women to learn themselves and grow as singles before stepping into the responsibility of marriage so that they can handle it better.

A man who listens

This man is not chauvinistic. He doesn’t feel that his opinion is the only one that matters because he is a man and his woman is beneath him, but he understands the value in having a wise woman by his side and therefore listens to her opinion respecting her for the help-meet that she is instead of looking at her like a door-mat or an object to be used and discarded. This man will build his marriage on good communication understanding that communication is not one-sided, but it means listening as well as speaking, not thinking about what he wants to say while the woman is talking to continue to disregard her opinion. The man who listens shows value for his woman, respect, affection, care and love. This man is always to be greatly appreciated.

A man who is handy

I used to talk to a gentlemen who was always multitasking his skills to take care of business and make extra money on the side. He had his regular job, and then when he was off he would remodel people’s bathrooms replacing sinks, towels and such. He also did his own brakes on his car and he was just handy with a few things. I thought to myself wow this dude is so manly Ummm, but the most important things he wasn’t as far as being committed to God and such, so there was no reason for me to continue talking to him. He did have me impressed with his handiness however.

The Manly Man:

While women are credited for many skills such as multitasking, being nurturing, and great care-givers, there are some things that just kind of go along with being a man and they are very attractive. Things such as a man’s communication style offering another perspective that a woman would not have thought of. A man’s willingness to help to solve problems even though he may not always have the clear answer. He will take time with trial and error until he finds a solution. The covering of a man when he naturally protects a woman in a loving way. He may not even know a specific woman, but he may offer to walk her to her car at night, carry her groceries, or hold the door for her. He speaks with strength and authority and enjoys just being a man. His walk is manly. Can you say manly swag? Lol. His talk and manner of dress is manly. He is just an old-fashioned man.

The Mature man

The mature man is a totality of the above mentioned great traits in men. The mature man marks growth, strength, and a readiness for promotion. Maturity shows that a man can handle what he is given. He possesses the very things needed to take on the responsibilities that come his way, and he does it well because he is mature, learned, polished and grown in the ideal of what it means to be a man.

This list is not meant to be a check each one of these off and you will be able to get any woman, but whether to honor and encourage godliness, character, and strength in men. There are still other things involved like God’s will, timing, and whether a woman can see herself committing to a particular guy. Even if a woman isn’t interested in a guy for marriage, if he has some of the above qualities she will definitely pay attention. Thanking God for the men!!!! Hey!!!!!!!! A man and A man!!!!!!!!!! Lol!

i A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. Proverbs 12:4

ii Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:25

iii For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:7-8

This past Tuesday evening, I went to an event sponsored by the Abstinence & Marriage Partnership. The organization provides strength to the family structure by promoting healthy relationships, teaching practical steps to achieve a sustaining marriage and abstinence from high risk behaviors such as sex outside of marriage and other critical decisions that can impact one’s life and future.

The executive director of the organization Mr. Scott Phelps explained the need for such education showcasing the percentage of children born to two-parent households from the 1940s to recent years. According to statistics garnered from the Center for Disease Control, the percentage for children born out of wedlock in the 1940s and 1950s was 4%. This is a time where Mr. Phelps pointed out that there was a clear divide or boundary line when it came to morals.

He went on to explain the sexual revolution that took place in the 1960s and how since the sexual revolution, those boundary lines began to become erased. The percentage for children being born out of non two-parent homes has risen all the way to 46% for the country, and of course it is the highest in the Black community where it is 72%.

Anyone who has been around a while knows that a man’s presence in the family is immensely important to the home and to the children in the family. A man’s presence or the lack thereof affects nearly every facet of society because men in families provide worth to children, structure, guidance, strength, and so many other things. Phelps closed his presentation in asking how will we be able to strengthen the family? How will we be able to fix the problems discussed tonight?

That is when a man stood up in the room and addressed the audience with passion, authority, and strength. He represented a mature man. His answer was that what he felt would fix every problem in this country would be for there to be more men.

Not just any type of man, but men who honor God. Men who honor their vows of marriage. Men who stick with their families when times are easy and when times are hard. Unselfish men, who are willing to be fathers. It was so refreshing to hear him speak. He did not speak in a manner to condemn men, but to invite men to the challenge of fulfilling their places as pillars in the community and in the home. When the home is strengthened the communities are strengthened.

That man who stood up was Mike Singletary, pro NFL football player for the Chicago Bears during 1981- 1992. He talked about how he fills the shoes of a father in his home. He doesn’t just allow anything into his home, but he guards his home because he is a protector. He talked about how he talks with his kids getting into their lives making them think about different things. For example, he mentioned a young daughter of his who is on her way to college. He told her if he was a young man who did not know her he would try to holla. He asked her what would she do in a situation like that would she be so caught up in the ideal of wanting to be in love.

He has another son who is working towards being an actor. He asked him to think about how he is going to stand for God in that type of an environment. Not only is he protecting his household, but he is equipping his household to protect themselves and to protect and lead others. That is what fathers do. That is what men do. What would this world look like if we had more men like that?

Please, enjoy a snippet of what Mr. Singletary shared on Tuesday evening: