Thursday, October 23, 2008

Title: The Enemy's War Against The Family
Scripture: Ephesians 6:4
Passage: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Thoughts: America is in danger of losing an entire generation of young people.

Why???

I believe it's because of a lack of parents standing up and being real parents, rather than friends to their children, and even more specifically, the lack of male leadership in the home.

There is a war against the family with extremely high stakes. And the key to winning this war is leadership.

We need parents, and especially men, to enlist in the war on the family.

Now, if you are a dad, I know you're probably willing to lay down your life for your children.

But my question to you is this: Are you willing to live for your family?
Are you willing to sacrifice your life now for your children?

What our children need today are men of spiritual quality who are devoted to their families… real men who raise their children both with strength and sensitivity, and who are in tune with their children's needs and aren’t afraid to be the parent God expects them to be, even when it is unpopular.

Here are a few ways to do this…

· Don't show favoritism or compare your children to each other.

· Offer encouragement, not discouragement, but direction and instruction.

· Don't force your child to be something he or she is not.

· Spend time with your children as a family. Show them you love them. Love them enough to do the right thing even when it’s the most difficult thing.

· Raise your children with strong spiritual direction. That means we're to provide protection, correction, and instruction.

· Teach them to be accountable for their choices and actions.

As dads, we should have a passion for excellence in parenting.
We have the responsibility to bring our children up with the training and admonition of the Lord.
They need to know about rewards and consequences. But we also need to nourish them.

We only get one chance to raise our kids and someday we will all stand before the Lord and answer for how we’ve raised them.

Children need dads who show affirmation and who are not afraid to say, “I'm sorry.”

They need dads who will teach them the rules, regulations, and provide a moral compass.

Dads.....are you the leader of your house?

Are you God's man in your home?

Parents---are you willing to sacrifice and live for you family?

Then raise them with Biblical standards and hold them up constantly in prayer!