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Attributes of a Godly Man SURVIVAL VOL-1 SURVIVAL VOL-2
Survival Begins In The Mind

“ATTRIBUTES OF A GODLY MAN”

author: Daniel Ploof

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Survival Expert. Best-Selling Author. Television Host. Renowned Speaker. Entrepreneur. Godly Husband & Father.

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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.

TESTIMONIAL

“I love this devotional for a few reasons and am sure you’ll find it useful as well. Dan doesn’t preach AT you but by leading each day with a snippet of his life, he draws you in. Day 1 is brutal. Brutally honest. The daily dose of knowledge he gives us is short in length but plenty long in spirit as the words continue on in my head. This is a great, easy read. I wish I had been able to read this before I got married as I would likely not have made the mistakes I made. Thank you, Dan, for being brutally honest. This is a must have for those thinking about getting married all of the way to someone like me who’s been married for 38 years! It’s from a man’s perspective and might make a good devotional for a woman so she can see inside of our thoughts and struggles. The cost is about the same as a meal from Chic-Fil-A! God Bless!”
— Justjohn (12/4/23)

BOOK EXCERPT:

“God will do what only He can do and perform a miracle in our hearts if we are committed to change, but we must walk by faith and allow His Spirit to radically transform our hearts from the inside-out. Conviction is a powerful tool God uses to remove the cancer of sin from our lives, but we must give the Spirit free reign to leave no stone unturned. Only then will we begin to demonstrate the character attributes of a Godly man which will change the trajectory of our lives and give us confidence to survive forty days in the wilderness.

Until we are sick and tired of being sick and tired, we will never overcome the chains of bondage which leave us enslaved to sin. If we have not hit rock bottom, we still have room to fall before understanding why we need Jesus so desperately. A man who is unwilling to admit how selfish and wretched he truly is will never taste the joy of freedom from sin. He cannot because he has not developed enough hatred for his sin to ultimately change his wicked behavior.

Heart change will only come when we weep and mourn over our sins, which requires us to view our thoughts and actions from God’s holy perspective. Thankfully, He has given us His Word to provide a roadmap to redemption and restoration, but we must stick to the trail and not veer off course assuming there is a shortcut to reconciliation with the Father. If we have any desire to rise up from the ashes and turn away from sin once and for all, we must surrender our pride and run to Christ. Otherwise, we are just fooling ourselves.”

 
 
 
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WHAT INSPIRED THIS DEVOTIONAL BOOK?

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