I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not what you think. Most of us already feel like we have enough on our daily plate, so why would we want to be challenged even more?
The answer is simple. Among all of the chaos of work and family during each day, we must find a way to be challenged in our walk with Christ. Although Sunday service is a great experience and necessary in our Christian walk, we must pursue our walk with Christ the rest of the days of the week.
I have come to believe that this process of being challenged in Christ has to become a desire. It has to become something you almost crave each day, and if you miss any challenges, you feel like you have suffered a loss and not done your proper duties. If it is made a desire in your life, you will find the time.
Here are five of my personal challenges that I make myself face each day. Do I have to do these? No, but I do them because I want to be respected among my peers, disciplined in my walk with Christ and because I do not want to allow work and chaos to control my life.
1. Discussion with God. This process can also be called prayer, but I like to refer to it as discussion. This could be turning off the radio show on the way to work and talking to Him. It could happen after a frustrating talk with a co-worker or any time you have a moment. The time does not have to be fancy, but it must be pursued and must be intentional.
2. Personal quote. This has become one of my favorite things to do throughout the day. For any of you who follow the Manturity Facebook or Twitter, you will see many of my personal quotes. These are simply born out of situations throughout the day, after discussions with God on subjects or whatever is on my heart. Keep a journal of your thoughts and quotes, or post them on your social media as well. This simple but effective process will make you think on a deeper level and test your knowledge.
3. Attitude of love and respect. The first two challenges can happen at any time, but this one really requires a man to take things to the next level. Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in hurtful conversations. Don’t encourage wrongdoings. And don’t allow the negative influences around you bring you down. Your center, your core, should be built on Christ, and your daily attitude should reflect it whether you are at work or home.
4. Uplift someone. An unselfish man of God should be able to recognize when someone is in need. Take those opportunities to show the love of Christ, and give them some words of encouragement. Maybe you work with someone who does a great job, day in and day out. Make it a point to thank them for their diligence and service. You might be surprised what will happen after you take that initiative.
5. Take a quiet break. It’s not hard to believe that in this busy world, one of the hardest things for a man to do is to just take a break. The best ways I have found to do this is to take a walk by myself at lunch, find a bench, and relax, or find some alone time when you get home. Even if it’s a half-hour or 15 minutes, this time can be very fruitful to a busy man.
Think about Jesus and all the times He would disappear from the disciples or the crowds and just pray. This was no mistake, and we should follow His example. Forget about work and the daily struggles and just relax.
This is by no means a complete list. Share some ways or some things that you like to challenge yourself with every day.
Manturity is a blog built on establishing spiritual maturity in today’s man. The goal is to assist men in building better marriages, help men in grow in maturity and explore different aspects of manhood. Manturity.com features new weekly blog posts, daily social media updates and a powerful resources page. Stay up to date with the Manturity blog communities on Facebook and Twitter.
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Joseph Mattera 
BJ Foster 
Shelby Bowen 
