WATCH: Author Delano Squires' talks about God's design for men and women

Author Delano Squires addressed attendees of Live Action's Young Leaders Summit and shared about God's plan for men, women, and a good life.

Key Takeaways:

• Squires said God's plan is not for men and women to be alone.

• Modern culture encourages men and women alike to be separate and resentful of each other.

• Rather than waiting for marriage until everything else in life is perfect, Squires said marriage should be the cornerstone on which a life is built.

The Details:

Why Men and Women Still Need Each Other | Young Leaders Summit 2026

Squires began his discussion by pointing out that human beings are meant to live in community with each other:

"We're going to talk a little bit about God's design. And one of the things that I want you to take away is that God's design for humanity is such that he created men and women to need each other, to create, sustain, protect, and enjoy life," he said. "So we need each other. So forget what the culture tells you. They want to pit men against women, women against men. We literally fit together like hand in glove. So I'm going to talk to you for a little bit of time — let's start with two becoming one."

He explained that, going back to Genesis in the Bible, God created man and woman in His own image. "This is where we get our dignity," he said. "This is where the importance of life comes from, that we were created in God's image. Created us for one another."

But as Adam and Eve suffered a fall, the same is occurring in today's culture:

"We are seeing this play out today in real life, in online life and social media, where there are forces that want young men to be resentful, to live in despair, to become self-destructive. Young men, they want you to be addicted to pornography and to gambling. They want you to lock yourself in your basement. And this is not good for the family.

Each of us has a role to play, because there are also forces operating on Eve, who want to deceive Eve, and they've been telling Eve, they've been telling women since at least 60 years, that men are toxic, marriage is oppressive, the home is a prison, and children are a burden. And so each side is being messaged by the enemy to reject the design that God has for humanity. So what I'm saying to you is, we need to reject their rejection of God's design, right? So men, you need to know what type of Adam you are. And young ladies, you need to know what type of Eve you are."

Zoom In:

Squire addressed a major problem around the world, which is that people are getting married at older ages than ever before. "You need to know who you are, because you need to know what you want to build."

Rather than waiting for everything else in life to be perfect before pursuing marriage, Squire said marriage should come first:

"You can choose the cornerstone view of marriage. This is where young people tend to get married a little earlier, and Live Action is definitely going to help you with that, with some of the things that they have planned today. You have cornerstone view of marriage, where you build a life together on the foundation of your relationship. Or you can have the capstone view of marriage, where you build a life together after you have accomplished several personal and professional goals.

So you don't only get your college degree, you get your master's, you get your PhD, you make partner at the firm, you buy several properties, and then your passport has more stamps in the post office. Then at the ripe old age of 45, you said, now I'm ready. That's the cornerstone view. If we don't change what we're doing, we're going to end up with the tombstone view of marriage, where people have more life behind them than they have ahead of them."

He also added that people need to think of family in intergenerational terms, and not just with their immediate nuclear family:

"Part of the goal is to order your life in such a way where your children get the benefit from what you pour into them, and what your parents pour into them. And it's an intergenerational transfer.

The older people get the benefit of the youth, the younger people get the benefit of older wisdom. And particularly young men, this starts with you because the righteous man walks with integrity, and blessed are his children after him."

The Bottom Line:

Squire concluded by urging attendees to build their lives on the word of God.

"Be a solid, stand-up man of integrity where your public life matches your private life," he said. "Get the basics down. Stable job. Stable mode of transportation. Some place to lay your head. Then you're in a position to enjoy the gift that God has for you and that wife, and then start a family."