When Fathers Take Their Rightful Place….….
Well, we gave some loving jabs to the ladies on Mother’s Day, so here’s some friendly jabs at the men….”What men say, and what they mean”…
1. "I can't find it" MEANS: It didn't fall into my outstretched hands, so I am completely clueless.
2. "That's women's work" MEANS: It's difficult, dirty, and thankless.
3. "Will you marry me?" MEANS: Both of my roommates have moved out, I can't find the washer, and there's no peanut butter left.
4. "It's a guy thing." MEANS: There's no rational thought pattern connected with it, and you have no chance at all of making it logical.
5. "Can I help with dinner?" MEANS: Why isn't it already on the table?
6. "It would take too long to explain" MEANS: I have no idea how it works.
7. "I'm getting more exercise lately" MEANS: The batteries in the remote are dead.
8. "We're going to be late." MEANS: I have a legitimate reason for driving like a maniac.
9. "Take a break, honey, you're working too hard."
MEANS: I can't hear the game over the vacuum cleaner.
There’s also some things women say to men, that may be different than they sound. Men need to understand these…1.“Fine”: This is a word women use to end an argument when she knows she’s right and you need to shut up….2.”Nothing”: which actually means something and you need to be careful to not be around when it lands. 3.”Go Ahead”: This is actually a dare, not permission,, so whatever you do. don’t “go ahead”…4.”Whatever”: This is her way of really socking it to you when you least expect it. 5.”That’s Okay”: She’s thinking about how and when you will pay for your mistake. 6.”Wow:” This is not a compliment, she’s just amazed that any one person could be so stupid! (Now that you know this secret code, you may be able to have a trouble free Father’s Day)
Well, to get a bit more serious, If Fathers have lost their way, how can they point the way to children who are badly in need of direction… without the guidance of a father in their lives, their internal compass is dysfunctional and they lose sight of their true “north”.
ADAM WAS TOLD BY GOD TO LEAD HIS FAMILY – TO GUIDE, GUARD AND GOVERN… TO DIRECT, PROTECT AND CORRECT…
AND, GOD HAS NEVER CHANGED THAT DIRECTIVE. IT IS THE CHARGE TO FATHERS STILL TODAY…
GOD IS THE FATHER OF FATHERS…. THE CORE OF A MAN IS FORMED IN THE IMPARTATION OF HIS FATHER….WHEN GOD CREATED ADAM FROM THE DUST OF THE EARTH… THE BIBLE SAYS – HE LEANED IN CLOSE – AND IMPARTED His LIFE INTO HIM… WHEN A MAN IS HELD CLOSE TO HIS FATHER…FEELS THE STUBBLE OF HIS BEARD… THE STRENGTH OF HIS ARMS… THE SMELL OF HIS MASCULINITY… THE TOUGH AND THE TENDER OF HIM… THAT INTIMACY FORMS A KIND OF CENTRAL CORE IN HIS LIFE… MOST MEN SPEND THEIR LIVES LOOKING FOR THAT CENTER – WITHOUT IT, THEY ARE MEN WITHOUT A TRUE NORTH ON THEIR LIFE’S COMPASS.
Two boys, back in the day, thought it would be a good prank to push over the outhouse. They crept up, pushed the outhouse over on one side and ran into the woods. They circled round and returned home an hour later, trying to divert suspicion from themselves, in case someone was around.
When they got home, their father was there with the whuppin strap in his hand and bellowed, "Did you two boys, push the outhouse over this afternoon?" The older boy replied, " I cannot tell a lie. Yes, Father, we pushed over the outhouse this afternoon." The farmer strapped the two boys severely and sent them to bed without supper.
In the morning, the two boys were very contrite as they came downstairs. Their father finally said, "Have you two learned your lesson?"
"Yes father!" they said, "But, in school we learned that George Washington admitted to HIS father that he'd chopped down a cherry tree and he was forgiven because he told the truth." "THAT’S TRUE!' said the farmer, "BUT, George's DAD, wasn't in the cherry tree when he cut it down!"
If we don’t train our children well, we may be the one in the outhouse when it gets toppled over, BECAUSE OF THEIR BROKEN SENSE OF VALUES AND BOUNDARIES!
Winston Churchill was Born at Blenheim Palace in 1874. It was 2 hrs. NW of London, in the beautiful countryside surrounding Oxford. At 12 yrs old – His father Lord Randolph Churchill – became Chancellor of Great Britain (a high government position)
Winston wrote to him from boarding school, “Father, if you could come by my school when you’re here in the area, I would like that.” His father never did come… they had a very poor father/son relationship. 38 years later, 24 years after his father died… at the age of 50, Winston became the Chancellor of Great Britain (the same position his father had held)
As they brought the robes for the ceremony, he said, “No, I’ve brought my own robes” He produced a box, and pulled out the robes his father had worn, as he put them on, he turned to his assistant, and this great man said – “Now, maybe I’ve done something my father would have been proud of.” He was still looking, at age 50, for the affirmation that had never come to him from his father as a child!
Listen, our children may not always appear to be listening to us, but they will always imitate us. It makes me wonder how many people that we have a hard time liking, are the way they are, because something needs to be fixed, that got broken in their childhood years….
A MAN’S GREATEST CALLING IS TO DISCIPLE HIS FAMILY. STRONG MEN make STRONG FAMILIES… STRONG FAMILIES make STRONG CHURCHES… STRONG CHURCHES WILL TRANSFORM THEIR CULTURE!
THERE ARE 7 KEY ATTRIBUTES A FATHER PROVIDES IN THE HOME…..
The First, is LOVE (a place where you belong and are accepted)
Then, there’s ACCEPTANCE (affirmation of your personhood)
Next, is VALUE (self-worth, and an interactive relational center)
Then there is INTIMACY (openness, accountability and transparency)
Next is DISCIPLINE (a healthy place for self-evaluation, growth and development)
Then there’s SECURITY (a safe, predictable place, from the world’s pressures and intrusions)
And last, A NAME. (an awareness of who you are and why you’re here)
Paul Said in 1 CORINTHIANS 4:15 “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten or birthed you through the gospel”.
AN INSTRUCTOR WILL TELL YOU WHAT HE KNOWS, BUT A FATHER GIVES YOU WHO HE IS.
A FATHER REJOICES AND IS PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN THE SUCCESS OF HIS CHILDREN… AN INSTRUCTOR MAY BE INDIFFERENT OR EVEN JEALOUS OF THEIR SUCCESS
INSTRUCTORS ONLY SET BOUNDARIES, BUT THE SPIRIT OF A FATHER RELEASES THE SPIRIT OF HIS CHILDREN AND BREATHES LIFE INTO THEIR HEART AND SOUL !
FOR SO MANY TODAY, A SURROGATE FAMILY, OUTSIDE OF THEIR BIOLOGICAL FAMILY, PROVIDES THESE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS OF NURTURING, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PROVIDED FOR, AT HOME…
How vitally important it is for the Church to understand this and be sensitive to this vital and critical area in our society. It is the church that is so often called upon to be the surrogate family, providing LOVE, ACCEPTANCE, VALUE, INTIMACY, DISCIPLINE, SECURITY AND A SENSE OF IDENTITY…
We are to be known as the “Place that loves you and accepts you with unconditional love ”…
LOVE, is the desire to benefit others even at the sacrifice of its-self…LOVE desires to give and to bless … And LOVE IS NOT A FEELING, IT IS AN ACT OF THE WILL..
THAT‟S WHY IN THE BIBLE, we are commanded to be followers of Christ, and That becomes an action of the will, to love God with our wills, not just with our feelings and emotions…
THE CORE ISSUE OF broken relationships, is selfishness and a broken sense of self-identity and self-worth… That’s true whether it’s friendships, your marriage, your family members, your job or your church …
MATURITY doesn’t come with age, it comes with the acceptance of responsibility. MEN can be mature at 18 and they can be immature at 50!
What GOD WANTS IN A MAN, is what every woman and every child wants and needs…..Love, Integrity, consistency, decisiveness, strength and courage.
1 Corinthians 13:11… When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
So, if this is the case, we must ask ourselves…..
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN?
They demand to be the center of the universe
They want their own way and throw temper tantrums if they don’t get it
They don’t care about the results of their actions or who they hurt.
They are incapable of managing their own lives consistently.
They must be managed externally because they are not able to manage themselves internally, so they are easily manipulated and deceived.
A proud father brought home an elaborate backyard swing set for his children and immediately started to assemble it with many of the neighborhood children anxiously waiting to play on it. After several hours of reading the directions, attempting to fit bolt A into slot B, etc.
He finally gave up and called upon an elderly handyman working in a neighboring yard. The old-timer came over, threw the directions away, and in a short while had the set completely assembled.
It baffles me," said the father, "how you got it together without even reading the instructions." "To tell the truth," replied the old-timer, "I can't read, or write, and when you can't read, you've got to actually use your brains."
Men, it’s time to start using our brains, and that begins with reading the manual for fatherhood…..the BIBLE!
In the book, “MAXIMIZED MANHOOD”…By Edwin Louis Cole, it says that “when a man acts like a child, it forces his wife to act like his mother”…… What do mothers do for children”?.... They feed them, correct them, make decisions for them, change their diapers… clean up their messes and generally, treat them like overgrown children.
A boy and his sister were playing on a Sunday morning while their Dad was on the couch, reading the paper. And the father said: “children, get yourselves ready to go to church with your mom”. The little boy asked: “Are you coming today Dad?” The man replied: “No, I’m not coming. But I want you to hurry up and get ready”. His son then said: “Did you used to go to church when you were a boy, Dad?” He said: “I most certainly did!” *….As he walked away the boy mumbled: “Yeah, and I bet it won’t do me any good either!” (woah,, they really are watching and listening!)
You see…A CHILD CAN BUILD SPIRITUALITY FROM A MOTHER, BUT TRUE INNER STRENGTH OF CHARACTER ALWAYS COMES FROM MEN.
A TRUE FATHER SPIRIT, FIGHTS FOR HIS FAMILY AND CHILDREN,
Because a true father realizes that he is fighting for generations to come.
WE NEED SOME MEN WHO KNOW HOW TO FIGHT AND WIN!…
What will we do when the seas get rough?
What will we do when the enemy comes in like a flood?
What will we do with the negative talkers and lawbreakers?
What will we do with the Father’s Blessing committed to us?
-We will Start Fighting and we won’t stop fighting until we see victory and Revival. . . .
Harmon Killebrew who used to play for the Minn. Twins said, “My father used to play with my brother and me and the neighborhood kids in the yard. Mother would come out and say, ‘Hey, You guys are tearing up the grass.’ Dad would reply, ‘We’re not raising grass here, we’re raising boys.”
2 Timothy 2:2 And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust [as a deposit] to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach and disciple others also.
WHEN YOU LET OTHERS, WHO DON’T HAVE THE FATHER’S SPIRIT, CREATE YOUR WORLD FOR YOU… THEY WILL ALWAYS CREATE IT WAY TOO SMALL.
Ephesians 2:10 – (The Father’s Spirit says) You are my masterpiece, I created you for good works from before you were even born!
Tough times demand some strong, real men, FILLED with the Father’s spirit in our day!
EDDY LEO – was called of God to INDONESIA – there, he discipled 120,000 MEN over his entire life time– and a NATION THAT WAS 95% MUSLIM BECAME 30% FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST. His motto “Bless Indonesia, and transform the world”
Our motto should be “Bless the Keys, and transform the world”
ALEX MITALA – made it his life calling to disciple young men and women in Uganda, Africa. He tirelessly instructed the girls to remain virgins until they married, and it had a positive impact. Those disciples went on to establish 15,000 CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS in Africa…The Aids epidemic over his 20 year period of ministry, went from 50% of the male population, down to 8%!
Yes!, There will always be fathers who try to save themselves from pain, discomfort, sacrifice and hardship, but in doing so, dreams and visions remain UNFINISHED, and they are never realized as a result. Some things have to be dug out and hammered out in prayer.
Some things will only yield themselves to fasting.
Some of the greatest heights come only through the deepest roots.
Some of the mountain tops in the Kingdom can only be conquered through the disciplines of the Spirit and of the will.
Can you really have character and courage without some danger and risk?
Can you really have depth, if you have not carved out some deep wells within your own life from which to drink?
Can you really have sympathy without any suffering or sacrifice?
Can you really understand someone else’s suffering, if you have not been wounded in some places of your own?
Hebrews 13:5,6 …For He [God the Father] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give up on you, or leave you without support. I will not in any degree leave you helpless, or forsake you, or let you down, or (relax My hold on you)!
Here’s just the last part of the poem… entitled “The Race” Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again, Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end. They cheered the winning runner as he crossed, the line, first place, Head high and proud and happy; no falling, no disgrace. But when the fallen youngster crossed the line, last place, The crowd gave him the greater cheer for just finishing the race. And even though he came in last, with head bowed low, unproud; You would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd. And to his dad he sadly said it, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”
And now when things seem dark and hard to face, The memory of that little boy helps me in my race. For all of life is like a runner, with ups and downs and all, And all you have to do to win—is rise each time you fall. “Quit! Give up, you’re beaten,” they still shout in my face. But another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race.”
That’s the Father’s voice speaking, and cheering us on! Thank God, we have an ever vigilant Father, who’s watching over us… and He gives to each of us….
HIS LOVE (a place where we belong)
HIS ACCEPTANCE (affirmation of our personhood)
HIS VALUES (self-worth, and an interactive relational center)
HIS INTIMACY (openness, accountability and transparency)
HIS DISCIPLINE (a healthy foundation for self-evaluation, growth and development)
HIS SECURITY (a safe, predictable place, from the world’s pressures and intrusions)
HIS NAME. (an awareness of who we are and why we’re here)
In Joshua 3:15 we are given the account of Israel coming to the overflowing Jordon River, which blocked their way into the promised land. (I want you to see something, we may have missed) when Joshua commanded the 12 heads of families, one from each tribe, to step into the water with the ark of God’s glory, Think about it….these were fathers, they were men of Consistency, decisiveness, strength and courage. The success of the entire nation, in arriving at their destination, rested on these fathers who first stepped into the overwhelming place, that seemed uncrossable.
They were willing to sacrifice themselves for the families of Israel, they were determined to fight for God’s place in their lives and God’s call and destiny.
The ark which they carried, with all the gold upon it, is estimated at about 2000 pounds. No easy task in the swirling, swelling current of the river.
Godly men need to know that the weightiness of God’s glory, will not let you be swept away by the currents of life. Carrying the ark, may at times be a heavy responsibility, but it will hold you steady when everything and everyone is being swept away all around you.
Many years ago a farmer had an unusually fine crop of wheat. Just a few days before the wheat was to be harvested, a terrible hail and wind storm came. The entire crop was destroyed.
After the storm was over, the farmer, with his little son, went out into the field. The little boy looked at what was formerly a beautiful field of wheat, and then, with tears in his eyes, he looked up at his dad, expecting to hear words of despair.
All at once his father started singing softly, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee. Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labor of my hands can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone. Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee”.
Years later, the little boy, now grown to manhood said, “That was the greatest sermon that he ever heard.
Every father, needs a good belt, and a belt is no good without a buckle, so, I want to direct your attention to…. Psalms 91:2 “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. v3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare that would entangle, and from the noisome pestilence. v4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shalt you trust: His truth shall be your shield and buckler. v5 You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; or for the enemy’s arrows by day; v6 Or for the pestilence that walks in darkness; or for the destruction that wastes at noonday. v7 A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come nigh unto you. v8 Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked. v9 Because you have made the LORD, which is your refuge, even the most High, your dwelling place. The word buckler in the scripture, is “so-khay-raw”… to surround, to defend, to hold together, to hold up and support. Another word I found for this is “the hook”… God is the hook, that’s what everything hangs on! Without the hook (keeper) the belt won’t work! A godly father always knows what the hook is in every situation.
(what everything hangs on and is supported by)
When you’re in the overflowing Jordon, you can keep your head up high, because you know “the hook”, you know what everything is hanging on!
• You can Stand and remain standing in the shadow of the Father God.
• You can Stand for Christian principals in a world that’s been set adrift.
• You can Stand for the values of purity and separation from the world.
• You can Stand for the Truth.
. You can Pick up the ark of His presence and hold it high….
. You can Stand in faith and the assurance that you’re attached to something unmovable and unshakable!
I know a lot of fathers that are going against the wind and doing their best to get their families across the swelling, overflowing Jordon of our day and into the Promised Land! And we ought to do everything we can to help these modern day bearers of the ark, to get us all across to the other side!
I encourage every father to keep your feet in a firm place, to keep your hand on the handle of the Ark of His presence, and keep your head up high in faith believing. So much depends on what you’re doing in this generation.
David Frum, one of President George W. Bush’s speechwriters, wrote in his book “The Right Man”, that when he drove home on the evening of September 11, 2001 after the tragic attack on our nation by Muslim terrorists that something grew within him. He wrote that a sudden sense of American ownership gripped him as never before. He said that suddenly the F-16’s flying overhead were his jets. The empty streets in Washington were his streets. The burning Twin Towers in New York were his towers. The smoldering Pentagon was his Pentagon. He said that when he got home his wife and children ran and embraced him and clung to him in desperation. They were his family. On that night they piled up pillows and sleeping bags and all of them slept in the living room to be together, and draw from his new found values, vision and strength.
There is great and mighty power in a father’s blessing, influence and love. When a Father’s redeemed spirit comes to rest on a child, a family, a community, or a country, what is lost can be retrieved, bad choices can be turned around, even dead things can live again! The story of the prodigal son is a story of a father’s love that brought lost things back, and caused a returning of righteousness and peace. It brought restoration and healing… When Dad gets close to Jesus, everyone gets the blessing in the shadow of his commitment and covenant with God…..
We want to release the power of a father’s blessing this morning…..
Let’s pray over them and bless them today with the blessing of the Lord….
PRAYER… “Father God, we pray a special blessing on all the fathers today. Guide them to be good role models who are courageous, faithful and loving to their families. Help them to be a father like You are. Give them grace and patience to handle situations in a wise and effective way. Strengthen them as they strive to be Christian fathers, whose example of faith and steadfastness will shine brightly in a dark world. May they receive the honor of their sons and daughters with a spirit of profound love and respect. Give unto them wisdom, guidance and boldness as they conduct their lives in an unbelieving society. As the seasons change and time unfolds, keep and preserve them mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically, day by day, month by month and Year by year.
Bless them in the work of their hands and may their word be spoken with truth and integrity that they may succeed in all they do. Inspire them, as they challenge and inspire us, to higher heights and deeper depths.
Give them back a hundred-fold as they have invested themselves in the lives and futures of others. Fill up their joy and may they know the peace that comes from a job well done and a life well lived. Let them know how very much they are loved by You, Lord, and by us as well.
For your glory and honor and for the transformation of generations yet to come, we ask this, in Jesus name, Amen
