Incredible Men,
Put the phone down.
Not after you finish this email. Not after you check the score, answer one more text, or watch one more video.
Put it down.
Then sit still long enough to find out what’s been happening inside your soul while you’ve been busy looking everywhere else.
Paul wrote something in 1 Corinthians 7 that hit me differently this week:
“Time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple… Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you.”
Then he tells us why:
“I want you to live as free of complications as possible.”
And finally, he brings it all the way home:
“All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions.”
—1 Corinthians 7:29–35, The Message
That’s it.
Paul wasn’t telling men to abandon their wives, families, jobs, or responsibilities. He was saying that time is short, this world is passing away, and we cannot afford to let temporary things consume all of our attention.
He wanted them to live with undivided devotion to God.
Not leftover devotion.
Not distracted devotion.
Not five minutes with God while checking notifications.
Undivided devotion.
For the past few weeks, I’ve spent more time flat on my back than I ever wanted to. When sitting hurts, standing hurts, walking hurts, and even sleeping hurts, your life gets simple pretty quickly.
I hate it, but God is using it.
Not because He caused the pain, but because He refuses to waste it.
The noise stopped. Meetings stopped. Training stopped. My schedule stopped. A lot of things I thought needed my immediate attention somehow kept going without me.
I realize how much of my life had become complicated simply because I allowed it to.
Some responsibilities are real. I’m a husband. A father. A pastor. A provider. Those things matter to God, and they deserve my attention.
But if I’m honest, not everything taking my time deserves my time.
Some of it is just noise. Some of it is distraction.
We say we don’t have time to pray, but our screen-time report tells a different story.
We say we want to hear God, but we never get quiet.
We say our relationship with Him matters most, and then we give Him whatever is left after everything else has taken its share.
Paul’s words are not complicated:
Time is short. Don’t waste it.
Keep your life as simple as possible.
Spend plenty of time with the Master.
Get rid of some distractions.
So here’s my challenge to you this week:
Find a room where no one needs anything from you.
Leave your phone somewhere else.
Take your Bible.
Shut the door.
And stay there.
Don’t rush to fill the silence. Don’t turn it into another task to complete. Don’t give God ten minutes and spend nine of them wondering if someone texted you.
Stay in the room.
Let your mind slow down. Let your heart settle. Talk to God honestly. Then stop talking long enough to listen.
You don’t need a perfect prayer.
You don’t need worship music playing in the background.
You don’t need to post a picture of your Bible and coffee so everyone knows you had time with God.
You just need to be with Him.
The floor has become an altar I never intended to build. I’m grateful for what God has shown me here, but I don’t want pain to be the only thing capable of getting my undivided attention.
And I don’t want that for you either.
You do not need a pinched nerve to simplify your life.
You don’t need everything to stop before you choose to stop.
Put the phone down.
Turn off the noise.
Stay in the room.
Spend time with the Master.
And ask Him one honest question:
“God, what have I allowed to compete with You?”
Then be quiet enough to hear the answer—and be man enough to do something about it.
With you in the fight,
Pastor D
P.S. I’m feeling a little better each week, and I’m grateful for every prayer you’ve prayed. Please keep them coming.
Learn more about the seven pillars of Incredible Man—Relationship with God, Husband, Father, Provider, Rest, Health, and Fun—at IncredibleMan.org.
You’re receiving this email because you matter to God—and you matter to me. Whether we’ve met or not, I’m for you, I believe in you, and I’m praying that you step fully into who God created you to be.
I consider you an Incredible Man—not because you’re perfect, but because you’re called. Called to live with conviction, lead with integrity, and stand firm when life gets hard.
I’m grateful you’re here.
