Over the past month I've been reading and researching through the Bible about different sermons and other resources that talk about being a man of God. So drawing from everything I've experienced, here is my eight-piece guide for becoming a man of God in multiple ways. As always, I will not reach these goals completely, as I and everyone else in the kingdom of God are works in progress, striving to become as much in Jesus' likeness as possible.

1. Make abiding in the Lord THE priority. {John 15:4}

A Relationship with God comes before ministry. Ask to establish that relationship, then He will do what He wants to do in you. Once that's set, ministry is nonstop. You'll always have something to do. If you don't, you're doing it wrong. Life gets the best of us and we get consumed by chores, distractions, and people; take a whole day, just for you, paper, a pen, and your Bible. He says, "come on in. Stay awhile." It's hard! But you want it, and that's how you'll get it.
•Stay attached
•Keep mental focus on Him
•Remember He will not leave you
HOW?
~Start days by thanking Him for being with you
~When you wander to something troubling, mind or body, bring back Scripture or just the thought of the Lord
~Thank Him for wanting to take care of you

2. Humility over everything. {Romans 12:3}

When we see faults in others, we're so close to seeing the faults in ourselves. We condemn others and/to justify ourselves. But then we realize that Jesus came to take our sins to be forgiven. If we see the flaws of others, it's the same for us, and the first step to being all-in for Jesus is giving our dirty selves to His clean ways. THE FIRST CHRISTIAN DIED ON A CROSS NEXT TO JESUS. When Jesus meets our needs, it's easier to see we aren't meant to serve ourselves, but to serve Christ's kingdom.
It's for helping and bettering others, not to prove ourselves. And still Jesus should receive all the credit.
Depend on Jesus. Realize that we don't judge others, we all deserve judgment. Don't justify yourselves, we all need God's grace and mercy.
He looks with favor on the humble, and opposes the proud and boastful. {James 4:6}
Be generous! Jesus gave all He had and made himself less in the world, didn't take his ability to be like God as something to be grasped. Our earthly deeds will be repaid in heaven. Don't do it to look good down here, do it for good up there. God doesn't want human goodness.
I was the head of my church's youth movement. For ten years I was the guy, everyone looked to me when we needed an answer. I was happy to be that guy. It can be a trap though. I love Jesus, I want to go where he wants me to, I want to be how he wants me to, I think much of him. Yet when I think much of him, others notice, and think much of me. Where does the line between living for the One who satisfies and living for the ones who make you feel good get drawn? It is so much better to be slow to speak, not dominating conversation (Philippians 2:3) Whose approval are you pursuing? What the heck are you living for?

3. Faith. {Romans 8:28}

Joseph's life plan didn't involve prison, but it worked out for good thanks to God. {Genesis 50:19-20}
-You can't plan your life. That's already been taken care of. You can put together a blueprint, second by second, of who you want to be, what you want to do, where you want to live. But it DOESN'T MATTER. God is in control of EVERYTHING. Let go of it all, give it all to the Lord! You are helpless without Him, and taken care of with Him. Having everything without God or having nothing with God is the question. Who are you all-in for? Are you really all-in? Do you give every end of yourself to His cause? Faith. Faith moves mountains, and it might not bring you where you thought you'd want to be, but you'll end up where you're supposed to be. That's satisfaction, and it's impossible to actually grasp until we have it. And that's the beauty: nobody has it yet. The best is yet to come. Have faith.

4. Be diligent in areas of weakness. {Ephesians 4:13-15}

"Grace is nothing more nor less than the face that love wears when it meets imperfection, weakness, failure, sin." -Joseph Cooke
-We all have certain aspects of our daily lives that could be better. A lot of times we try to ignore or skip over the shortcomings and move on without them, let them fall to the side and pretend they aren't there. God can make the exception for your weakness if He wants to; He is God, after all. But at the same time He desires us to strive for completeness and maturity. Don't quit. Keep moving forward and strive to live fully, especially earthly matters with heavenly intent. You have to be able to speak your words clearly if you want to give a sermon. You must be a decent musician to lead worship. If that's what you feel your calling is, or a piece that needs work to become your calling, work on it.
God says, "Give me your good part and your bad part and let me make you whole." Offer up your shortcomings to Him, and with your faith that He is taking care of you, you will be healed.

5. It's not about/to/for me, and I can't make it about/to/for anybody else. {1 Chronicles 22:19}

Ever realized that being unselfish can still be extremely selfish? Putting others before ourselves is really good, it's what we're taught to do, be a selfless person. But we're missing a key component; you can't put others before God, or make others the reason you put God first. God should come first because He SHOULD COME FIRST. Period. Nobody deserves the likeness of God or any kind of comparison to Him (Daniel 4:35). Live first for God because He is God and He came first and He loved you first and He will always love you first, before anyone else could. Be a light, a friend, a husband, a wife, a family, but everything else flows from making God your only true beloved. You must love God more than anyone in this whole world. Train your heart to seek Him and His Word in all you do, not with motivation to please someone else. Seeking God to please someone else is taking advantage of His goodness and perfect love for us.

6. Love fiercely. {1 Corinthians 13}

So much is going on around us that takes away from who we are as God's people. If we give in to worldly hate, how do we live for Christ? Christ is love. (1 John 4:8) So many issues are coming to the surface with hot debate and scandal and just hateful things. Our best opportunity to be leaders for Christ is to show love and care and passion for who and what God created. We are nothing without love; to lead for God means to lean on love and compassion.

7. Be an extension of God. {Romans 15:4}

As a servant of God, it's our duty to be pushing the people around us toward the right path and help their focus become God. Not doing so is being a selfish person and only looking to please yourself. Be a light to others, they want that motivation and help from others. It will go a long way.

8. Cultivate intimacy. {James 4:8}

There are two parts to fighting the war for Jesus: moving AWAY from things that destroy my intimacy with God, and moving TOWARDS the promotion of that intimacy with God. Ways of thinking and living that deconstruct all we are meant to be are the roots of temptation. We become lured into affection of things that destroy our relationship with God, then our will moves that way too, and that's sin. The perfect storm will brew up to entice you. And you'll make that mistake.
But being discouraged at the situation is nothing compared to being encouraged by the One who can understand it and control it.
What you think about, you care about. What you care about is what you chase. What are you setting your focus on, what is your mind on?
Thinking about Godly things, desiring to, intimacy with Jesus Christ, will make you care about it. And when you care about it, you will it, and that brings Christian life.