TOOL TIME

1 Corinthians 16:13 (NKJV)
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”

Yesterday may have been Father’s Day, but today… It’s still TOOL TIME.

Being a godly man doesn’t end when the cookout is over or the cards are put away. The calling to “act like a man” is a daily mandate from Heaven.

Paul gives us four sharp instructions in this verse:
Watch.
Stand fast in the faith.
Be brave.
Be strong.
Act Like Men. (ESV)

This isn’t a call to masculinity by the world’s standards; it’s a call to godly maturity. Real men don’t just flex muscles; they build a legacy.

Let’s look again at the spiritual toolbox God’s handed us:

The Level – Stay Balanced
The level keeps you centered. When life pulls you off track, the Word brings you back to alignment.

✔ Are you steady in prayer?
✔ Are your family, faith, and focus balanced?
✔ Are you living straight in a crooked world?

Prayer:
Lord, help me keep my heart aligned with Your truth. Let my life be balanced by Your Word, not swayed by pressure or pride.

The Hammer – Build and Stand Strong
“Stand fast in the faith… be strong!”

This is the hammer in your hand. A hammer builds and sometimes it breaks.

Every man of God is called to build something that will outlast him!

Build what?
Your Home: Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”
A godly man doesn’t let culture raise his children…he does!

Your Faith: You can’t pass down what you don’t possess.
It’s not enough to say you believe… build your life around it.

Your Church: The church doesn’t need more spectators…
It needs hammer-swinging men who will serve, give, lead, and build the body of Christ.

Prayer:
God, deepen my roots. Let me stand firm in You when life shakes me. Give me courage and strength to keep pressing forward. Lord, help me build my faith and my walk with you, help me build a relationship with you that will outlast me when I am gone, so I can leave a true legacy for my family.

The Tape Measure – Live by God’s Standard
This world measures success by wealth, status, and noise. But God measures a man by how he loves.

Are your words building or breaking?
Are your children experiencing love that reflects the Father’s heart?
Are you building your home around “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord”?
Are you planting seeds today that your grandchildren will harvest?

Prayer:
Father, let all I do be done with love. Help me lead my family with compassion, speak with grace, and leave a godly legacy behind me.

Reflection Questions:
What area of your life feels “off level”? What needs to be realigned?
Where do you need to go deeper in your faith walk?
What legacy are you measuring your life by right now?

Don’t put the tools back in the tool bag just because Sunday is over…

Keep building. Keep Hammering. Keep Measuring.

Because when the men of God rise up, families get stronger, churches get bolder, and hell gets nervous.

This is TOOL TIME… and the work is just beginning.

Blessings!
Pastor Jonathan W. Pannell III