Part 2 of the “God Builds Men” series
Missed Part 1? Read “The Lie That’s Destroying Young Men’s Faith” first
So if God doesn’t build you through easy circumstances, how does He actually build you?
The answer might surprise you. And it’s definitely not what our comfort-obsessed culture wants to hear.
The Forge Nobody Sees
Most guys think character gets built in the big moments. The touchdown pass. The graduation speech. The promotion. When people are watching and cheering.
That’s not where real men are made.
Real strength gets forged in the places nobody sees. At 5 AM when you get up to work out even though you don’t feel like it. When you tell the truth, even though lying would be easier. When you treat the cashier with respect, even though they can’t do anything for you.
When you choose to work hard on something, even though no one will notice or applaud you.
These moments feel small. Insignificant. But they’re actually the moments that determine what kind of man you become.
I think about the men I most respect—the ones whose marriages I want to emulate, whose character I admire, whose impact I want to have. They all have this in common: they made the hard choices in the hidden places, over and over again, until those choices became their character.
They didn’t become strong by avoiding difficulty. They became strong by facing it head-on with God’s help.
God Isn’t Preparing You for Comfort
God isn’t preparing you to be comfortable. He’s preparing you to lead.
That job rejection isn’t just about finding work—it’s teaching you resilience you’ll need when you’re running your own business. That difficult relationship situation isn’t just about dating—it’s preparing you to love a wife well for 50 years. That struggle with discipline isn’t just about getting organized—it’s building the character you’ll need to raise children who actually respect you.
Every hard season is God asking the same question: “Are you going to be a man who gives up when things get difficult, or are you going to be a man who finds a way through?”
The men who build something lasting—strong marriages, kids who turn out well, businesses that serve people, real impact—they’re not the ones who had it easy. They’re the ones who learned to push through when it was hard.
Convenience vs. Conviction
Our culture worships convenience. Same-day delivery. Instant streaming. Skip the line. Make it fast, easy, comfortable.
But God is building something different in you: conviction.
A man of conviction doesn’t change his values based on what’s convenient. He doesn’t compromise his principles to fit in. He doesn’t take the easy path when the right path is harder.
Conviction at your age looks like this:
You work hard in school and work even when nobody’s making you. You treat women with respect even when other guys don’t. You stay pure even when everyone says it doesn’t matter. You tell the truth even when lying would benefit you. You keep your word even when it costs you something.
This isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being consistent. Building a track record of doing what’s right when it matters, so when bigger tests come (and they will), you’re ready.
The Daily Build
So what does this look like when you wake up tomorrow morning?
Work harder than required. Excellence is a habit, not an accident. Whether it’s school, work, or personal goals, give more than what’s expected.
Keep your word in small things. Your character gets built one promise at a time. If you say you’ll do something, do it. Even if it’s just showing up when you said you would.
Choose the harder right over the easier wrong. Every time you face a choice between convenience and what’s right, choose right. These small decisions build the strength for bigger ones.
Think 10 years ahead. Ask yourself: “What kind of man do I want to be at 30? What am I doing today to become that man?”
Three Simple Things
I was recently asked by a 14-year-old: “How can I keep from falling and help others?” His question reminded me that sometimes we overcomplicate this. The building process isn’t mysterious. Here’s what I told him, and it applies whether you’re 16 or 25:
First, remember who you are. If you’ve given your life to Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living in you. That means you have “a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7), not a spirit of fear. You’re not facing your struggles alone. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. That changes how you approach every challenge.
Second, read your Bible every single day and do what it says. This isn’t about checking a box or looking spiritual. This is about daily formation. Psalm 119:9 asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” The answer: “By guarding it according to your word.” You’re being shaped every day by something—social media, friends, culture, whatever. Make sure God’s Word is part of that daily shaping.
Third, tell people what the Bible says. When your friends are struggling with decisions, when conversations turn to real issues, speak up with biblical truth. This isn’t just about helping others—it strengthens your own convictions when you articulate them.
Why Your Age Is Actually an Advantage
If you’re in your teens or early twenties and things feel hard, you’re actually in a blessed position, even though it doesn’t feel like it. You’re going through obstacles that will make you tougher, smarter, and wiser than people who had it easy.
When you’re 30, you’re going to look back on these hard years and think, “That was difficult, but that made me the man I am today.”
The struggles you’re facing right now? They’re not just random hardship. They’re preparation. God is using every challenge to build something in you that can’t be built any other way.
Romans 5:3-4 puts it this way: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
As a young Christian, you’re signing up for something with ultimate purpose. The process might be harder than your friends who aren’t following Christ, but the end result—the man you’re becoming—will be worth it.
What Are You Actually Being Built For?
When Joseph was in prison, he wasn’t just waiting for his circumstances to change. He was becoming the man who could run Egypt. When David was running from Saul, he wasn’t just surviving. He was learning to lead and trust God in impossible situations.
Your current struggles aren’t obstacles to your purpose. They’re preparation for it.
The leadership skills, the emotional strength, the unshakeable faith, the work ethic, the integrity—all of it is being forged right now in the season you’re in.
But forged for what exactly?
The mindset shift that changes everything: instead of enduring difficult seasons, embrace them as your preparation for greatness. Stop asking “When will this end?” and start asking “What is this building in me?”
Because what God is building in you is bigger than you think.
What’s Coming Next?
You might be wondering: “Okay, but what am I actually being built into? What’s the endgame? What does this unbreakable man actually look like?”
That’s exactly what we’re covering next.
In Part 3, I’ll show you the vision that should drive everything—the man you’re becoming and why it’s worth every difficult season you’re walking through right now.
Part 3 “The Man You’re Becoming (And Why It’s Worth Everything)“
Part of the “God Builds Men” series.
Scripture References:
- Philippians 1:6: God finishes what He starts
- 1 Samuel 16:7: Man looks at outward appearance, God looks at the heart
- James 1:2-4: Consider it joy when you face trials of many kinds
