Fathers at the Frontline. Standing strong in the face of adversity.

Bikers Church Cape Town

Fathers at the Frontlines: Standing Strong in the Face of Adversity By Pastor George Lehman Father is an appointed position from God; He has a very specific role. A father is neither an anchor nor a sail, but a guiding light in the sea of life 1 Corinthians 16:13 - Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. On Mother's Day many pastors across the nation praise our moms for her sacrifices, her dedication and everybody rejoices, we give her honour, some even weep. But on Father's Day there is this tendency to talk about absentee father's, deadbeat dad's statistics are repeated about his failures, and we lay on the guilt for not being there for the kids. If you look up the word ''father'' in the dictionary it occurs just before the word ''fatigue,'' and just after the word, ''fathead!'' Women today are looking for the ideal man. What does that even mean? He must be strong, good looking, aggressive, successful, dependable, well-dressed, and a responsible businessman, He must be interested in all things and excel in most. He must be a super spiritual leader in the home. Have you seen anyone that fits that description? Take heart, neither has any woman. What is a total complete man, might I ask? He is the one who understands and accepts the responsibility for the development of his mental, emotional, and spiritual capacity and demonstrates this by his maturing attitude and actions in his personal life, his home life, his vocational life, his social life, and his spiritual life. Right? A father standing strong in the face of adversity. 1 Peter 5:8-9 - Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” A good father is an example of what it means to be a man of faith. Psalm 22:4-5 - “Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to you, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.” From one generation to another, we pass on the faith, we are to point our family and friends to Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12(Amp) – 11For you know how, as a father [dealing with] his children, we used to exhort each of you personally, stimulating and encouraging and charging you. 12To live lives worthy of God, Who calls you into His own kingdom and the glorious blessedness [into which true believers will enter after Christ’s return]. We need men who have both a knowledge of God’s Word and the conviction to follow that Word: Men of faith who aren’t afraid to live out their faith before the world and in their homes consistently 24/7. 1 Kings 22:42-43 - “Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: Research has established that parents can have a significant impact on the religious beliefs and practices of their children. In one recent study it was found that fathers who frequently attend church, discuss religion at home, and are committed to their religion have sons who follow the same pattern concerning religious values and behavior. Interestingly, fathers who did not do these three things had an inconsistent pattern of influence over their son’s religious responses. - Dr. Michael Green, Kindred Spirit, Autumn, 1989 A good father exhibits purity and holiness 1 Timothy 2:8 - “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” God wants us to be pure in everything we think, say, see and do. God is looking for men who aren't afraid to strive to live holy lives. Malachi 4:5-6 - “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” What a premium, the Bible places on fatherhood. Psalm 128:1-2 (Amp) - “Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who fears, reveres, and worships the Lord, who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments. 2. For you shall eat [the fruit] of the labour of your hands; happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) shall you be, and it shall be well with you. “ You say pastor, I just feel so in inadequate as a father. Well, so do I my friend. That's the reason I'm glad for the Psalm 127:1 ''Except the Lord build a house, they labour in vain that build it.'' You see, we can't do it alone, God will do it and he'll do it in us. Listen, I don't know what kind of family you came from. I don't know what your background is. There may be some who are sitting here today, you were raised in a home where there was child abuse. You were raised in a home where there was drunkenness. You were raised in a home where there was greed and selfishness. There may some sitting here, that would say I'd give anything, if my daddy would just put his arms around my neck and tell me he loves me. If my dad would just tell me he loves me. The deepest need of your heart is for a dad just to hug you and say, I accept you, you're good, I approve you. But you don't have a dad like that and maybe you never will have a dad like that, please listen to me, somebody has to break the cycle! We cannot camp out at our place of hurt. You can't do anything about your past, but you can certainly do something about your future. How has what happened to you stopped God from restoring and restarting your new life? I mean you can say, maybe I didn't have that kind of a home, but thank God I have a church family and I have a pastor and I've got the word of God , I have Jesus and I can break the cycle. And the Bible says in Psalm 128:6 Yes, may you see your children’s children. That is, I'm going to see the peace of God upon my children's children, if you'll start today, and trust God. One father said, if I had it to do all over again, here's what I would do. I'd love my wife more in front of my children. I'd laugh with my children more at our mistakes and our joys. I'd listen more, even to the youngest child. I'd be more honest about my own weaknesses and stop pretending perfection. I would pray differently for my children. Instead of focusing on them, I'd focus on being like Jesus in me. I would do more things with my children. I would be more encouraging and bestow more praise. I would pay more attention to little things, deeds and words of love and kindness. And finally, if I had it to do all over again, I would share God more intimately with my family. I would use every ordinary thing that happened in every ordinary day to point them to Jesus.