Strength Under Control: What Bully Breeds Teach Us About Biblical Manhood

Culture looks at a strong man—or a powerful bully breed—and often sees a threat. But what does biblical masculinity actually look like?

In this episode of Abiding Trails, we're diving into Proverbs 16:32 and the truth about strength under control. Drawing from the daily reality of managing an eight-pitbull household, we explore why the man who can rule his own spirit is greater than the one who conquers a city.

What we cover in this episode: • Why culture misunderstands both bully breeds and bold, faith-driven men • What Proverbs 16:32 reveals about biblical strength and self-control
• How unmanaged power becomes dangerous in dogs and in men • What strength under control looks like in daily leadership, not just crisis moments • Why your God-given strength isn't something to apologize for—it's something to submit to His authority

Whether you're leading your family, managing multiple dogs, or walking boldly in a culture that doesn't understand you, this episode reminds you that real strength isn't the absence of power—it's power under God's control.

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Transcript

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Hey everyone, welcome back to Abiding Trails. I'm so glad you're here with me today. Whether you're driving to work, out on a walk, or just taking a few minutes to breathe before the day gets crazy. I'm not a pastor, I'm not a theologian, I'm just someone who loves Jesus, loves these eight pit bulls he's entrusted to me, and genuinely believes God has something to teach us through every part of our lives, including our dogs. Last week we talked about biblical stewardship and daily discipline. This week I want to dive into something that is I see lived out every single day in our household with these bully breeds. And it's something I believe speaks directly to what God calls men to be. We're talking about strength under control. So grab your coffee, settle in, and let's walk this trail together. You know, if you've ever owned a bully breed, you already know what it's like to walk into a room and watch people make instant judgments. They see your dog and they've already decided what you're what they're looking at. Dangerous, aggressive, a liability waiting to happen. But those of us who actually live with these dogs, we know a completely different animal than the one culture has created in their minds. In our house right now, we've got eight pit bulls. And I'll be completely honest with you, they don't all live together in some peaceful Instagram perfect pack. We've got our senior Damos with Atlas, our daddy dog. Gallen the mama stays with four of the younger ones, and then we have Gaia, who's currently on her own for reasons I won't get into, but she needed to come back to us. This isn't chaos, this is stewardship. Because when you're dealing with powerful dogs, and I mean genuinely powerful, pretending everything is fine when it's not is how people and animals get hurt. These dogs have incredible strength. Atlas and Titan have gotten into it before. Galena and Damos have had their moment in the past. So we structure, we manage, we make hard decisions about who can safely be with who, because that's what love actually looks like sometimes. And here's what strikes me about this reality. It's the exact same thing culture doesn't understand about strong, faith-driven men. There's a verse that's been sitting heavy on my heart lately. Proverbs 1632 says, Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. Think about that for a minute. The man who controls himself, who takes all that strength and drive and intensity and submits it to discipline, God says he's greater than a military conqueror, greater than the mighty. This isn't saying strength is bad. It's not saying boldness is a problem. It's saying the highest expression of strength isn't raw power, it's directed power, disciplined power, power that has been submitted to wisdom and God's authority. That's exactly what I see in a well-trained bully breed. All that muscle, all that natural boldness, all that protective instinct, but it's been channeled. It's been submitted to leadership. The strength didn't disappear, it got aimed. And that's what God is calling men to do, not to eliminate your strength, not to apologize for being bold and protective and convicted, but to bring all of that under his control, under his direction. Here's what I've learned managing this household. Power without wisdom is genuinely dangerous, not because the dogs are evil, but because raw strength without proper leadership becomes unpredictable. When Atlas and Titan got into it, it wasn't because they're bad dogs. It was because in that moment their strength wasn't submitted to the structure we've established. Their power went off leash, so to speak. And honestly, I think this is what happens in men's lives too. You've got all this God-given strength, physical, emotional, spiritual. You've got drive, boldness, protective instincts. But if that strength isn't anchored in God's word, if it's not submitted to his leadership daily, it starts leaking out in ways that hurt people. Maybe it comes out as anger that destroys instead of protects. Maybe it becomes stubbornness that isolates instead of leads. Maybe it turns into control that dominates instead of serves. Romans 8.6 puts it this way. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. The flesh, our raw, undirected human nature, is like that untrained dog, powerful but without wisdom, capable of real damage. But when that same strength is submitted to the spirit's leadership, that's when it becomes something beautiful, something trustworthy, something that builds up instead of tears down. So what does this look like practically? Because I think we can talk about biblical principles all day and still not walk away not and still walk away not knowing what to do Monday morning. It looks like leading consistently, not just when it's convenient. Real leadership, whether it's with dogs or family, doesn't take days off based on how you feel. The days when structure matters most are often the days when maintaining it is hardest. But you show up anyway, because the responsibility matters more than the mood. It looks like protecting without creating unnecessary conflict. A well-trained bully breed doesn't react to every little thing. It reads the situation, it responds appropriately. It knows the difference between a real threat and just something unfamiliar. A man walking in strength under control operates the same way. He doesn't need to win every argument or dominate every conversation. He has the wisdom to know when to stand firm and when to extend grace. It looks like gentleness that surprises people. Some of the strongest men I've ever known have also been remarkably gentle, not soft, not passive, but genuinely tender with the people they love. That gentleness isn't weakness, it's what strength looks like when it's been fully submitted to God's purposes. Galatians 5.23 ends the fruit of the Spirit with self-control. The Greek word here is egrata, probably mispronouncing that, but it literally means to hold oneself in. It's the picture of a powerful force that has been gathered, focused, and directed with purpose. That's your bully breed on his best day. And that's a man walking boldly in his faith on his best day. Here's the thing about training that I think applies directly to this conversation. The kind of calm, controlled strength I see in my best behaved dogs didn't happen overnight. It's the result of patient, consistent, daily investment. And the same is true for the kind of strength God is calling men to. It doesn't come from one powerful moment or one great sermon. It comes from the daily discipline of submitting your strength to God's leadership. Daily time in His Word, daily surrender in prayer, daily choices to respond with wisdom rather than just react. Daily commitment to leading your family and your own heart with the same patient consistency that good dog ownership requires. This is hard work. It's not glamorous. Most days nobody's going to notice or applaud, but it's in those daily, unglamorous moments of choosing discipline over impulse that real strength is built. Before we wrap up, if you're serious about living out biblical stewardship with your bully breed, I put together a free resource that I think you'll find incredibly valuable. It's called Faithful Companions, a Guide to Loving and Caring for Your Bully Breed. It covers the practical foundation of caring for these incredible dogs from a faith-based stewardship perspective. Everything from daily structure to the deeper calling behind owning these misunderstood breeds. You can grab it completely free at Abidingpaws.com and the description below. And I genuinely think it'll be something you reference regularly. So here's where I want to leave you this week. If you're a man who has been told that your strength is a problem, that you need to be less bold, less intense, less convicted, I want to offer you a different perspective. God made you a strong man for a purpose. He gave you that drive, that boldness, that protective nature, because he has something for you to do with it. The goal was never to eliminate your strength. The goal is to submit it daily, consistently, faithfully, to his leadership. Just like a well-raised bully breed doesn't come become less of who he is through training and structure, he becomes more of who he was, always meant to be. The same is true for you. Walk boldly, lead faithfully, and let God direct the strength he gave you. Thanks for walking this trail with me today. If this encouraged you to share it with someone who needs to hear it, please do. And if you haven't already, head over to abidingpause.com and join our email community. Every Friday I send out a devotional to carry you through the weekend strong. Until next time, keep abiding and keep your strength under his control.