Tag: Prayer

As the world grows darker, and men and women seek out answers for their lives that are out of whack, I am amazed at how many of them are reeling from fathers who had little or no ability to parent. The world is looking to its own wisdom as to why we have horrific things done by youth, or why marriages are thrown away at a whim, or why our cities are festering with hate and crime. For them there are no answers.

In God's economy, however, the answer is very simple. Satan understands the incredible detriment a strong family, headed by a man who seeks the Lord, is to his kingdom. He does everything in his power to destroy it. Generations upon generations have been blinded to the importance and power of a God-honoring father and a Christ-centered family. This erosion has brought our world to the point that the family, God's most important institution, is guided and controlled by peer groups, experts trained in the ways of the world, and governments who make life decisions for us instead of Him.

How is your family doing? As a husband and father, are you leading those God has given you to a place of spiritual power, the kind of power that is overcoming the world and its pressures? Do you have a strong relationship with your heavenly Father, and does your guidance come from Him? Have you determined in your heart that as a steward of your wife and children, you will do what is necessary by the power of the Holy Spirit to see that they have real answers for their lives and are equipped to represent Christ to a world that is out of answers? If not, what do you plan to say to the Lord when you stand before Him and have to give an account for those He has given you?

Let's talk more! (if you still want to)

Jim Corbett

As a husband and father, are you teaching your family to be spiritual wimps? If you are, you probably believe that if everything is going your way you are in the will of God. Conversely, if you are under pressure of any kind - especially if the pressure is tremendous or if you don't seem to have what you need to remain in your comfort zone - you feel that you have somehow missed God, or He has missed you.

In general, United States Christians work from their comfort zones. With a few exceptions, they give away only what they no longer need. They pour into God's work only after they have done what is necessary to fill their personal containers.

To take a day off from work simply to be with God is almost unheard of. To actually trust God for everything is looked upon as foolish and even lazy. Prayer is considered less productive than whatever can be accomplished on their own. Only when they run out of their own abilities do they pray, and then only to remove them from their hurt. Whether these examples are extreme or not, any one of them is not a blueprint for others to follow.

If you are a spiritual wimp, you are going to be surprised as the world heads for the conclusions that the Lord has planned from the beginning. You will experience many before unheard of challenges. You will be further surprised when God does not respond to your needs in the way you expect. If you have created a god that serves you and your needs, you will find out that your false god does not exist.

Those who have trusted in their own abilities - what they have earned, what securities they have established for their safety - will not know what to do. When all the normal handles of security have disappeared and there are no familiar places to hang on to, only those who have made intimacy with God their priority will understand His purposes during difficult times - which do not necessarily include their safety or their seeming best interest.

Men, God is sovereign. God's plan is eternal and has eternal consequences. Although greatly loved, we are to be His servants and implementers of His plans, no matter what it costs us, just as Jesus did. All challenges that come our way are designed to make us function like Jesus did, overcoming the world in each of us. As husbands and fathers, we are to listen to our Father from our place of intimacy on His lap, and then do whatever we are called to do for the good of His plan, all to His glory.

Extreme challenges make us weak and out of answers. Trusting in God to overcome those challenges brings us in line with our Father's plan for mankind. Jesus trusted Him for every need as our example. For every challenge, every soul, every situation, He did the unquestioned will of His Father no matter what it cost Him. We are to do the same in front of our families.

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

As a man reclaims his office of husband and father, there are godly principles that he and his wife should use to determine the will of God for their family.  They are to approach all decision making in family circumstances with the attitude of what is best for God, each other, and the children. Each decision will then produce safety and harmony within the family and fertile soil in which the parents and children can prosper and become everything they are designed to be. If the children are of reasonable age and reasonable in their walk in Christ, they should be provided an opportunity to present their opinions that will be considered by the parents.

As a husband and wife come together for the best interests of each other and the children, they pray, consider all the options, and make a determination. Should they have an impasse and are unable to agree, even after much prayer and submission to each other, the husband should go to prayer and make the decision he feels has been given to him -  one that is best for his wife and his children, not for himself. 

While seeking to find that decision, his posture must be the same kind of sacrifice that Jesus made. He is to lay down his rights, opinions, and personal gain to be able to hear clearly. Knowing this, the wife submits herself to prayer and then submits to the decision that is presented. Any decisions that involve the children are then presented to them by both parents, who are in agreement. What an incredibly joyous way to glorify God! Try it!

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett