Think You’re Tough? Scripture Has a Test for That!

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13

If you have watched any of the videos Dan has been in, you've probably noticed he's a man who says what he thinks—and, oh boy, can he sell that Boss Hammer! 😂

Also, anyone would have a difficult time describing Dan as the soft-spoken, delicate type. You are welcome to try, of course. I’m sure the rest of us would be interested in hearing how on earth you plan to spin that one!

But it got me thinking: What does it really mean to “be a man”?

Is there a bench-press requirement? Do you have to work in the trades? Own a truck? Know how to fix things without looking at the instructions? Is there some secret formula?

And yes, after typing that, it occurred to me that males have one X and one Y chromosome, so technically there is a formula. 🙄 Someone was thinking it. I just saved you the trouble.

But I’m talking about something deeper than biology. What does Scripture mean when it tells us: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong”?

Reading that verse paints a vivid picture in my mind.

A centurion. A soldier standing guard. A bodyguard whose entire job is to notice what everyone else misses. He isn’t wandering around distracted. He is watching. Listening. Paying attention. Prepared.

There is something undeniably tough about that picture. And spiritually, we are called to do the same thing. We cannot walk through this life half asleep. We have to pay attention to what is influencing us. What we are allowing into our homes. What is creeping into our thoughts. What is pulling at our children. What is slowly changing our convictions.

Some dangers do not kick the front door down. Sometimes they slip in quietly while nobody is watching.

So Paul starts with: Pay attention, but then comes: “Stand firm in the faith.”

There is something about those words that I love. He doesn’t say, “Stand firm in your own ability.” He doesn’t say, “Stand firm because you are tough.” He doesn’t say, “Stand firm because you have it all figured out.”

He says: Stand firm in the faith.

You can build the toughest-looking structure in the world, but if the foundation underneath is weak, it will eventually come down.

The same is true for us. You can be physically strong. You can be successful. You can be intimidating. You can have money, talent, influence, experience, muscles, calloused hands, and enough tools in your garage to make Home Depot jealous.

None of it can replace Christ.

Real strength has to stand on something stronger than ourselves.

And then we arrive at the line that started this whole rabbit trail: “Act like men.”

While studying this verse, the Greek word andrizomai was revealed.

The word carries the idea of being courageous—showing bravery, standing boldly, behaving with courage. And here is where it gets really interesting.

That same Greek word appears in the Greek Old Testament in Joshua 1:9, where Joshua is told: “Be strong and courageous.”

Think about what Joshua was facing. Moses was gone, and Joshua was now responsible for leading Israel.

Battles lay ahead. Enemies were waiting, and people were counting on him. A tremendous responsibility had just fallen on his shoulders. If there was ever a moment when someone could have looked around and said, “You know what? Maybe somebody else would be better for this,” that was probably it!

But God tells Joshua: Be strong. Be courageous. And notice why?

God does not tell Joshua, “Be courageous because you are amazing.” He does not give him a motivational speech about believing in himself. He tells him to have courage because: “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

That changes everything! Biblical courage is not pretending you are never afraid. It is knowing Who is standing with you when you are. That kind of courage does not need to puff itself up. It does not need everybody in the room to know how tough it is.

It simply stands.

Maybe strength looks like protecting the people God has entrusted to you, or standing for what is right when staying quiet would be easier.

Maybe it is providing for your family even when you are exhausted, or having the courage to say, “I was wrong.”

Maybe it is teaching your children about Christ when the rest of the world is teaching them something completely different.

Maybe it is praying with your wife, or asking for help when pride is screaming at you not to.

Maybe it is controlling your temper when losing it would feel a whole lot easier, or even doing the right thing when nobody would ever know if you didn’t.

That ALL (and so much more!) takes strength.

And here is the part that I think is important: Paul was speaking these words to the church.

So although our English translation says “act like men,” the call to courage certainly does not stop with men.

Which reminds me of a story. You know how every class has that one troublemaker?

Well...If you are familiar with Christian schools, you may know that during senior year, students are often asked to choose a “life verse” for the yearbook.

One of the Boss workers picked Psalm 144:1–2: “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge…”

Apparently, “who trains my hands for war” did not give the yearbook committee the warm, fuzzy senior-year feeling they were going for. 😂 Her verse did not meet with approval.

Yes….Her….Plot twist.

So they told her to choose another one. And eventually this verse made it into the yearbook instead:

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7

Thinking more about it, I realized that might actually be the perfect verse to finish this.

Because look at those three things:

Power.
Love.
Self-control.

There it is. That is biblical strength. Power without love can become cruelty. Power without self-control can become destruction. Courage without wisdom can become foolishness. Strength without humility can become arrogance.

But God does not give His children a spirit of fear. He gives us power. And love. And self-control.

All three. Together! That means being strong does not always mean being the loudest person in the room.

Sometimes strength is keeping your mouth shut.

Sometimes strength is speaking when everyone else is silent.

Sometimes strength is fighting.

Sometimes strength is walking away.

Sometimes strength is standing your ground.

Sometimes strength is falling to your knees.

There is nothing particularly remarkable about looking tough. Plenty of people can do that. But standing firm when life hurts? Trusting God when you cannot see what He is doing? Remaining faithful when compromise would be easier? Loving people when they are difficult to love? Controlling yourself when every part of your flesh wants to react? Admitting you need God?

That takes strength.

So maybe when Paul writes: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong,” we should not picture some cartoon version of masculinity with bulging muscles and a beard that deserves its own zip code. Maybe we should picture someone standing guard over what God has entrusted to them.

Eyes open. Feet planted. Faith anchored. Courage ready.

And maybe most importantly...Someone who knows that the strength to do any of it was never really theirs to begin with. It came from God.

So this week: Be watchful. Do not sleepwalk through your faith.

Stand firm. Know what you believe and Who you are standing on.

Be courageous. Do what is right even when it is hard.

Be strong. But never confuse being strong with pretending you do not need God.

Because perhaps the strongest thing any of us can do is recognize exactly Where our strength comes from.