Intentional Guy

Michael Chestnut
  • 5.0 (19)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

What does it take for a man to truly change? Intentional Guy Podcast explores that question through powerful conversations with men who've lived it. From addiction to freedom. From prison to purpose. From broken to rebuilt. These men surrendered their old lives and intentionally became better versions of themselves. Their stories aren't just inspiring—they're proof that no matter where you are right now, a turnaround is possible. Join us for raw, honest conversations that will challenge and encourage you.

  1. 5d ago

    I CANCELED IT / COVENANT EYES

    When money got tight, I canceled Covenant Eyes. I told myself I was doing good and didn't need it anymore. And I'm the guy who tells every man at coffee to put it on every device he owns. In this solo episode I get honest about why I dropped it, why God convicted me, and why I signed back up. If you've ever said "I'm fine, I don't need that," this one is for you. About 3 out of 4 Christian men look at porn at least once in a while. We'll pay for Netflix and Amazon Prime without thinking twice. But we won't protect the heart we gave to our wives. Tonight, write down every device you own. Then ask yourself which ones are protected. CHAPTERS 0:00 I canceled it 0:36 Why "I'm doing good" is dangerous 2:01 Job 31:1, a covenant with my eyes 2:27 How do I tell men to have what I don't? 3:21 Write down every device 4:16 The Netflix question Get Covenant Eyes with 30 days free: https://victory.covenanteyes.com/register/welcome?refer_a_friend=u2868918 This is an affiliate link. Using it gets you 30 days free and supports The Intentional Guy. Listen to my conversation with Sam Black from Covenant Eyes: https://youtu.be/buh_C2dXVFY Grab my book, Are You Ready? A Practical Battle Plan for Christian Men: https://a.co/d/07RxCWAc Comment COVENANT below if you're making your list tonight. If this hits close to home, you don't have to do this alone. Find a Celebrate Recovery group near you at crlocator.com. In Pensacola, we meet Tuesdays 6 to 8 PM at Momentum Church. Search The Intentional Guy Podcast. #CovenantEyes #PornAddiction #ChristianMen #Accountability #TheIntentionalGuy Ep. 146

  2. 6d ago

    Why Christian Men Stay Stuck in Porn | Sam Black, Covenant Eyes.

    A man sits in church every Sunday carrying a secret. He sings the songs, shakes the pastor's hand, and believes if anyone knew, he'd be done. So he stays quiet. And the church stays quiet too. Sam Black, Director of Recovery Education at Covenant Eyes, has spent almost 20 years breaking that silence. For his book The Healing Church, he interviewed more than 70 pastors, counselors, and men who found freedom from pornography to learn what churches getting it right are actually doing. Sam and Michael Chestnut get honest about porn addiction, shame, and why so many Christian men stay stuck even when they want out. Sam shares his first exposure at 10 years old and why almost every man remembers his. They break down the addiction cycle, why willpower never lasts, how to start a recovery group at church, how porn affects your wife, the rise of AI pornography, and how Victory by Covenant Eyes protects every device. Michael also shares the day a pastor told him God was done using him, and the stranger who walked with him instead. Jesus isn't done with you. CHAPTERS 00:00 You still remember your first exposure 01:11 Why the church stays silent about porn 06:10 Why Christian men get stuck in porn addiction 19:09 How to break the porn addiction cycle 21:25 Starting a porn recovery group at church 33:07 What Barna research says about Christians and porn 36:26 The pastor who said God was done with me 41:18 How Victory by Covenant Eyes works 53:11 How porn affects your wife 55:37 AI pornography and what to do about it 1:00:41 2026 Samson Summit, October 23 to 25 RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE Victory by Covenant Eyes: https://www.covenanteyes.com/victory/ Free Covenant Eyes resources: https://www.covenanteyes.com/resources/ Strive21: https://strive21.com Samson Society: https://www.samsonsociety.com 2026 Samson Summit: https://samsonswag.squarespace.com/events/p/2026-samson-summit Want a real plan for the fight? Are You Ready? A Practical Battle Plan for Christian Men by Michael Chestnut is on Amazon. If this hits close to home, you don't have to carry it alone. Find a Celebrate Recovery group near you at crlocator.com. If you're in crisis, call or text 988. Comment KEY below if you're done keeping the key to your own cage. Follow Covenant Eyes @covenanteyes Search The Intentional Guy Podcast #CovenantEyes #PornAddiction #ChristianMen #TheHealingChurch #PornRecovery EPISODE 145

  3. Sep 24

    Not Yours To Fix

    Somebody you love is hurting, and everything in you wants to fix it. Say the right thing. Find the right counselor. Throw out the pills. Search the house one more time. But what if the person you have been trying to fix was never yours to fix? Wanting to help someone you love is not a sin. But somewhere along the way, love turns into control. I know it, because I have done it. Today we talk about the fixer, what it costs the people around him, and the one prayer that puts it down. The challenge this week: pick the one person you have been trying to fix and pray this. God, I am putting them back in Your hands. Show me my part. Then do your part, only your part. Putting somebody back in God's hands this week? Drop the word RELEASE in the comments so I can pray for you. Mentioned in this episode: my conversation with Steve Rotermund, A SILENT KILLER. Married to someone battling addiction? Steve built a place for you: https://partnersofaddicts.com Find a Celebrate Recovery group near you: https://crlocator.com/It is for hurts, hang-ups, and habits, and codependency is one of them. In Pensacola we meet Tuesdays at 6 PM at Momentum Church. The Intentional Guy: The Whole Story, all three on Amazon. Worn out from trying to fix somebody? Start with More Than a Picture. Still fighting your own battle? Are You Ready? is the plan. More Than a Picture: https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Picture-Restored-Free/dp/B0CCCMZHD3 Are You Ready?: https://a.co/d/02cBh6uY Exposed: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Secret-Divorce-Journey-Restoration/dp/B09PHJS848 Search The Intentional Guy Podcast wherever you listen. #TheIntentionalGuy #ChristianMen #CelebrateRecovery #MensMinistry #Codependency #AddictionRecovery Ep. 144

  4. Sep 23

    A Silent Killer

    Steve Rotermund built a life that looked like ministry success. Pastor. Men's ministry leader. Celebrate Recovery director at his own church. Underneath all of it, his first wife's addiction to pain medication had turned him into someone he never saw coming, a man managing chaos instead of loving his family. Fifteen minutes into his first session with a Christian counselor, the counselor stopped him cold. "You're part of the problem, too." Today we talk about codependency, the identity most churches never name from the pulpit, and how Steve found his own identity in Christ only after he stopped trying to fix everyone else's. If this hits you, find a Celebrate Recovery group near you at crlocator.com. In Pensacola, we meet Tuesdays 6 to 8 PM at Momentum Church. This one ties straight into "Are You Ready? A Practical Battle Plan for Christian Men," available on Amazon. Drop your comment word below so I know you were here. Search The Intentional Guy Podcast to find us wherever you listen. 0:00 Cold open: "It's a silent killer" 0:51 Meet Steve Rotermund, founder of Walk Right Community 2:46 Where codependency starts: shame since the garden 4:24 Abandoned by his mother, molested at six 6:41 Called into ministry while his marriage fell apart 8:52 The doctor's question that exposed the addiction 13:01 Why you feel shame for an addiction that isn't yours 15:16 "You're part of the problem, too" 17:32 The savior: naming his own codependency 22:13 You can't put down what you can't identify 27:28 Thirteen years of managing an addict 31:38 Finding clarity and starting to disengage 34:31 Breaking up with her addiction 36:49 Why Walk Right Community exists 51:36 His book, God's Imperfect Plan Is Perfect 58:08 Where to find Steve, and a final word partnersofaddicts.com Get my book Exposed: https://a.co/d/0bh9DFHb Get my book Are You Ready? A Practical Battle Plan for Christian Men: https://a.co/d/07RxCWAc Search "The Intentional Guy Podcast" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio Come be a guest on The Intentional Guy Podcast: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/intentionalguy #TheIntentionalGuy #ChristianMen #FaithBasedPodcast #CelebrateRecovery #MensMinistry #Codependency #AddictionRecovery #ChristianMarriage #IdentityInChrist #SpouseOfAnAddict Episode 143

  5. Sep 21 ·  Bonus

    I'm No Longer Being Adopted

    I'm No Longer Being Adopted Jason Lyle spent over a decade behind a pulpit telling other men how to walk with God. The whole time, he was living a second life inside a sex addiction that started when he was ten years old, one that eventually cost him his marriage, his job, and nearly his life. His rock bottom was a night spent planning his own suicide. What pulled him back out wasn't another program to sit through. It was learning to regulate his own nervous system through cold water, breath work, and stillness, and rebuilding a life where who he actually is finally matches what everyone sees on the outside. Today he coaches men through that same process and leads them into the wilderness to learn what he had to learn the hard way: you are not in control, and that is exactly where healing starts. This episode touches sexual addiction, infidelity, and a disclosed history of suicidal thoughts. If any part of this is where you are right now, please reach out. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If this hits you in a different way, find a Celebrate Recovery group near you at crlocator.com. In Pensacola, we meet Tuesdays 6 to 8 PM at Momentum Church. This one ties straight into "Are You Ready? A Practical Battle Plan for Christian Men," available on Amazon. Drop your comment word below so I know you were here. Search The Intentional Guy Podcast to find us wherever you listen. 1:13 Cold open: from the pulpit to the wilderness 1:51 Meet Jason Lyle 2:32 Adopted, untethered, and an addiction that started at ten 3:19 Becoming a pastor, the affair, and the night he planned his suicide 6:35 Somatic experiencing and "The Body Keeps the Score" 8:47 Michael's own story: molested as a child, hidden for decades 10:07 Cold water, breath work, and the constructs he believed about himself 14:59 Why he takes men into the wilderness 17:21 "To be still" 18:11 What to tell the man still sitting in secret 19:19 Michael's turning point: a pastor, a Wendy's, and four hours of truth 20:39 How the coaching actually works 21:55 No judgment: the guy from the SA meeting 24:04 "I'm Mike, and I'm a sexaholic" 25:05 His book, Sacred Grit 26:47 The first step is the hardest one 28:44 Closing and a final word thesacredgrit.com Get my book Exposed: https://a.co/d/0bh9DFHb Get my book Are You Ready? A Practical Battle Plan for Christian Men: https://a.co/d/07RxCWAc Search "The Intentional Guy Podcast" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio Come be a guest on The Intentional Guy Podcast: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/intentionalguy #TheIntentionalGuy #ChristianMen #FaithBasedPodcast #CelebrateRecovery #MensMinistry #SexAddiction #PornRecovery #PastorsStruggle #NervousSystemRegulation #SuicidePrevention Bonus

  6. Sep 17

    Strengthen Yourself in the Lord

    Since May I've had three surgeries and complications I never told you about. The episodes you've been watching were recorded weeks, sometimes months, before you saw them. This week I'm telling you what was actually happening behind the screen, and where I found solid ground. Timestamps (estimated, confirm against final cut): 0:00 Why I'm asking for your prayers today 0:55 What you didn't know about the last three months 1:50 Randy Gladden's episode and the wilderness season 3:00 1 Samuel 30:6, David strengthens himself in the Lord 3:20 My identity was never in what I could carry 4:00 Genesis 3:15, the enemy will not win 4:20 Don't build your identity on your hardest season 4:55 Praying for me and Amber 5:05 Celebrate Recovery and where to find help 5:35 Sign off Links: More Than a Picture: Restored & Free: https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Picture-Restored-Free/dp/B0CCCMZHD3 Exposed: A Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Secret-Divorce-Journey-Restoration/dp/B09PHJS848 Are You Ready? A Practical Battle Plan for Christian Men: [still need you to confirm the right link, see below] Celebrate Recovery locator: https://crlocator.com/ https://www.joinpodmatch.com/intentionalguy Hashtags: #ChristianMen #MensMinistry #CelebrateRecovery #IntentionalGuy #IronSharpensIron #Prayer #FaithAndMentalHealth #Testimony Ep. 142

  7. Sep 16

    Your Worst Moment Doesn't Get to Define You

    If your identity is still wrapped around the worst moment of your life, you're carrying something you were never meant to carry. J. Randall Gladden built a life most men would call a win. Then he watched nearly everything visible get stripped away, and had to find out who he was underneath it. This conversation is about what's left of a man's identity when the business, the reputation, and the evidence of success are all gone, and where Randy found solid ground instead. J. Randall Gladden is a strategic advisor, author, and thought leader who works with leaders navigating consequential decisions, emerging opportunities, and complex challenges. Beyond his advisory work is a deeply personal passion, helping people discover who God created them to be. That passion is expressed through God Powered and Young Warriors. CHAPTERS 0:00 The Hook: Are You Still Defined By Your Worst Moment 1:55 Expectation: What You Tell Yourself Becomes What You Believe 4:50 Losing Everything: Working Two Jobs Just to Survive 6:31 Gideon in the Wine Press: Called Before You Feel Ready 9:01 The Lowest Point: I Didn't See How We'd Survive 10:06 Why God Leads You Into the Wilderness 17:26 The Darkest Moment Is When He Gets Glorified 22:04 Elijah and Elisha: Don't Quit Before the Promise 23:38 63 Years Old and More Excited Than Ever 30:43 Delegated Presence: What It Means to Carry God's Image 44:17 Two Truths After the Pain 53:49 Free Resources and the Final Charge: Strengthen Yourself in the Lord Randy's book, Delegated Presence, and more of his teaching: https://www.god-powered.com/Videos--Ebooks His YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@jrandallgladden Comment INHERITANCE below and let us know what stood out to you. Grab a copy of my book, Are You Ready? A Practical Battle Plan for Christian Men: https://a.co/d/07RxCWAc This episode touches a real season of loss and crisis. If it hits you, find a Celebrate Recovery group near you at crlocator.com. In Pensacola, we meet Tuesdays 6 to 8 PM at Momentum Church. Search The Intentional Guy Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio. #TheIntentionalGuy #MensMinistry #CelebrateRecovery #ChristianMen #FaithBasedPodcast And until next time, just keep being intentional. Ep. 141

  8. Sep 12 ·  Bonus

    Beat Up By God, Not Abandoned By Him

    Matthew Jenkins had a full ride Army scholarship and his whole future mapped out until a rare cancer diagnosis in college took it away. He carried anger at God over that loss for years without fully knowing it. In March of 2025, that anger collided with chronic pain, job loss, and a marriage he could not save, and he reached the lowest point of his life in his driveway. What he told his mother that day became the title of his book, Beat Up By God: From Pain to Redemption. This one goes to some dark places. A future that never got to happen. Twenty three years of unprocessed anger at God. A divorce he never wanted. And a church culture that too often says just trust God, when what a man actually needs might be counseling, medication, or both. We also talk about how he got from feeling abandoned by God to trusting Him again, an unexpected kind of healing that came out of the hardest season of his life, and what he wants a man standing in that same driveway to hear. If this hits close to home, you do not have to sit with it alone. Celebrate Recovery has groups all over the country, find one at crlocator.com. In crisis right now, call or text 988. CHAPTERS 0:00 The cold open, in his own words 1:15 Welcome, fair warning, and who Matthew Jenkins is 3:09 His story: the book's raw title, and twenty years of anger at God 9:50 Grieving a future that never got to happen 11:50 Twenty three years later, and a divorce he never wanted 13:37 When "just trust God" is not enough 19:20 Depression, anxiety, and why medication is not a lack of faith 24:39 An unexpected kind of healing 28:13 What he wants a struggling man to hear 29:42 Where to find Matthew and the book Drop DRIVEWAY in the comments to let us know you were here today. If you are standing right where Matthew was, wondering if there is anything left, my book More Than a Picture: Restored & Free was written for exactly that. It is about what restoration actually looks like once the falling apart is over. Matthew Jenkins Book: Beat Up By God: From Pain to Redemption, search it on Amazon or find the link on his site Website: https://www.beatupbygod.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdjenkins Celebrate Recovery: crlocator.com Crisis line: call or text 988 Search The Intentional Guy Podcast to find us wherever you listen. And until next time, just keep being intentional. Bonus

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About

What does it take for a man to truly change? Intentional Guy Podcast explores that question through powerful conversations with men who've lived it. From addiction to freedom. From prison to purpose. From broken to rebuilt. These men surrendered their old lives and intentionally became better versions of themselves. Their stories aren't just inspiring—they're proof that no matter where you are right now, a turnaround is possible. Join us for raw, honest conversations that will challenge and encourage you.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Chestnut
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    151
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Michael Chestnut
  • Show Website
    Intentional Guy