FATHERS & FAITH & FIGHTING

Today a Facebook friend posted a quote from David Murrow (WHY MEN HATE GOING TO CHURCH): “When a father comes to faith in Christ, the rest of the family follows 93 percent of the time.” It prompted my thinking about FATHERS & FAITH & FIGHTING. I was immediately reminded of Joshua’s declaration in 24:15 (NIV): “…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." In the patriarchal (father-centered) Jewish culture the faith of a father provided the spiritual leadership for his family. In Joshua’s day the false gods were attracting the attention of fathers to the point families were turning away from Jehovah God. These were desperate times for the chosen people of God and Joshua understood he needed to take a strong stand and provide clear, unwavering leadership for his family. I want to suggest to you, in these days leading up to Father’s Day 2011, we live in desperate times. There are evil forces and cultural influences which pose a clear and present danger to families, marriages and our children. The need is as great as it’s ever been for fathers to provide strong spiritual leadership for the families: “…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

I thought of another account from the Bible: Acts 16. When Paul and Silas were thrown in jail, they proceeded to have a midnight worship session. As they filled the jail with prayer and singing, a violent earthquake shook open the doors to all the cells. The jailer thought the worst, assuming all the prisoners had escaped, and cried out to Paul & Silas: (V30) “What must I do to be saved?” Their answer was: (V31) “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” V33 records that even though it was the middle of the night, the jailer and his whole family, were baptized in water. That’s what I call strong spiritual leadership. 

I have a question for all the fathers: What kind of spiritual leadership are you providing for your family? Dad, do your children (youth and adult children) see a living example of Christ in the way you’re living each day? We know our children, especially when they’re teenagers and young adults, don’t always listen to what we say, but they do always watch how we live. 

The title of today’s blog is: FATHERS & FAITH & FIGHTING. So far we’ve looked at fathers and faith, but you may be wondering where FIGHTING enters the picture. When I first saw the David Murrow quote, one of my initial thoughts was the high percentage (93%) explained why fathers face such a major spiritual struggle. If what Murrow is suggesting is even close to accurate, it explains why Satan comes against fathers with such strength and frequency. If Satan can in any way hinder the spiritual growth or health of a father, he can affect a whole family. Satan will fight against the family by fighting against fathers. So, dads, you really have no other choice but to fight back. You may accuse me of being a little extreme on this point or exaggerating the role of fathers, but I don’t think so. If our children never hear us pray, never see us read our bible, never hear us talk about Jesus, never share our faith story with someone, never giving in an offering, rarely see us serving others, frequently skipping Sunday worship, we should not be surprised when our sons and daughters are disinterested in spiritual things. They’re following the example we’ve shown them. 

Fathers, Satan is fighting for your family! Satan is fighting for the devotion of your children to the false gods of this age. The question is, ARE YOU GOING TO FIGHT BACK? Are you going to fully devote yourself to Jesus Christ and provide strong spiritual leadership for your family? As someone said, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” I believe we’re living in desperate times. We’re living in a period of time when fathers have to step up to a whole new level of dedication and devotion to God. Ask the Lord the question, “What must I do for my family to be saved?” and then start fighting.