And Why It’s Worth Everything
Part 3 of the “God Builds Men” series
Catch up: Part 1 – “The Lie That’s Destroying Young Men’s Faith”
Part 2 – “How God Actually Builds Unbreakable Men“
So we’ve established that your circumstances don’t determine God’s opinion of you. We’ve talked about how God actually builds you—through the hidden choices, the daily grind, the seasons that feel like setbacks.
But what’s He building you into?
The Vision That Should Drive You
Ten years from now, you’re 30. Picture this:
You’re the man other people come to for advice. Not because you’ve got it all figured out, but because you’ve learned to stay steady when things get shaky. When crisis hits your friend group, your family, your workplace—people look to you. Not because you’re perfect, but because you’re unshakeable.
You’ve built something meaningful. Maybe it’s a business that actually serves people instead of just making money. Maybe it’s leading a team that respects you because you’ve earned it through integrity, not just talked your way into it.
Your wife (when God brings her) doesn’t just love you—she respects you. Because you’re a man who keeps his word, who leads with strength but treats her with gentleness. She knows that when you commit to something, you follow through. When you say “I’ve got this,” she can actually relax because she knows you do.
Your kids (when they come) don’t just obey you because they have to—they want to be like you. They see how you handle stress, how you treat people, how you work hard and stay humble. They’re proud to have you as their dad.
This isn’t fantasy. This is what God is building in you right now through every difficult season, every hidden choice, every moment you choose the harder right over the easier wrong.
Why Your Struggle Season Matters
Every rejection you’re facing right now is building resilience you’ll need later. Every time you choose integrity when lying would be easier, you’re building a reputation that will open doors years from now. Every moment you push through when you want to quit, you’re developing the endurance that will carry you through whatever comes next.
You’re not just surviving your twenties. You’re being forged into someone unbreakable.
The man God is building in you will stand firm when others fall apart. He’ll lead when others follow. He’ll love well, work hard, and make a lasting impact because he was built to last.
God Finishes What He Starts
Scripture promises: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
God didn’t start this work in your life to abandon it halfway through. Every hard season, every character test, every moment of growth—it’s all part of His plan to build you into the man you’re meant to be.
The same God who spent 40 years preparing Moses to lead a nation is spending this season preparing you for whatever He has next. The same God who used David’s years as a fugitive to teach him leadership is using your current struggles to develop something in you that comfort never could.
The Choice in Front of You
You have two options:
Option 1: Fight the process. Complain about how hard things are. Wish for an easier path. Waste these years waiting for life to get comfortable.
Option 2: Embrace the forge (challenges). Trust that God knows what He’s doing. Let every difficult season make you stronger instead of bitter. Become the man who’s ready for whatever comes next.
The men who choose Option 2 don’t just survive their struggles—they’re transformed by them. They become the leaders, the husbands, the fathers that this world desperately needs.
Your Move
Maybe you’re in a season where it feels like nothing’s working out. Where the weight is heavy and the way forward is unclear. Where everyone else seems to be moving faster than you.
Take heart. God isn’t punishing you. He’s building you.
And when God builds a man, He finishes what He starts.
Trust the process. Embrace the challenges that shape you.. Make the hard choices in the hidden places. Keep your word even when it costs you. Choose conviction over convenience, integrity over image, long-term character over short-term comfort.
Ten years from now, you’ll look back on this season and realize it wasn’t wasted time. It was preparation time.
The question isn’t whether you’ll face difficult seasons. The question is: will you let them make you stronger, or will you let them make you bitter?
God is building you into something unbreakable. Don’t waste the opportunity.
Part of the “God Builds Men” series.
Complete Series Citations and Sources
Early Christian Growth Statistics:
- Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity and Cities of God: Early church grew at approximately 3.4% annually from ~1,000 Christians in 40 A.D. to ~6 million by 300 A.D. (10% of Roman Empire population)
- Gospel Coalition, “Early Church Growth”: By year 100: ~7,530 Christians; By 200: ~218,000; By 300: ~6 million
- Britannica Encyclopedia, “History of Early Christianity”: Growth occurred during both persecuted and tolerated periods
Biblical References Verified:
- Job 1:1, 1:8: Job called “blameless and upright” by God himself
- Job 1:13-19, 2:7: Job lost wealth, children, and health in single day/short period
- Acts 7:23, 7:30: Moses was 40 when he fled Egypt, spent 40 years in Midian before returning at age 80
- 1 Samuel 17:34-37: David fought and killed lions and bears while shepherding before facing Goliath
- Acts 9:3-9: Paul was blinded on road to Damascus for three days before becoming greatest missionary
- Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”
- Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”
- 1 Samuel 16:7: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”
- James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds”
Historical Context:
- Persecution of Christians in Roman Empire documented by Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Suetonius
- Major persecution periods: Nero (64 A.D.), Decius (249-251 A.D.), Diocletian (303-312 A.D.); ended with Edict of Milan (313 A.D.)
- Tertullian’s actual quote: “semen est sanguis Christianorum” (“the blood of Christians is seed”) from Apologeticus
- Growth occurred during both persecution periods and times of relative tolerance
