God calls husbands to lead their homes, churches, and communities to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. That simple statement of truth is considered controversial in the culture in which we live.
Nevertheless, it is still a true statement.
Men have a duty to be the spiritual leaders in their homes. However, the enemy has convinced most men that this calling is not as important as working a 'real job’ to achieve a level of financial success. The idea is that if men want their family to have certain comforts and possessions, they must focus all their time and attention on their ‘9 to 5.’ This is just not true. Yes, we must work, but there is so much more than just the modern comforts of this life.
Sadly, the majority of men have fallen for this deception. As a result, men have been sacrificing their wives and children for financial success for the past few generations. Their role as spiritual leaders in the home has been disregarded and abandoned. We are now experiencing the "rewards" of those deeds.
Look at these statistics from the OneHope Global Youth Culture Report from January of 2022:
51% of U.S. teens, ages 13 to 19, identify as Christians, but only 8% display beliefs and behaviors that are consistent with being committed to their faith.
56% of Christian teens in the U.S. believe that it is ok to have sex before marriage compared to
76% of their unbelieving peers, yet Christian teens are more sexually active than unbelievers.
1 in 4 U.S. teens report experiencing same-sex attraction.
21% of Christians and 33% of unbelievers
35% of girls and 19% of boys
55% of U.S. teens fully support gay marriage.
*63% of girls and 46% of boys
47% of U.S. Christian teens fully support sex reassignment surgery for trans people.
* 66% of girls and 39% of boys.
Where did this come from? This is what happens when men ignore and abdicate their role as spiritual leaders in their homes. When men do not take time daily to read God’s word and pray with their children, these are the results.
1 Peter 5:2a says “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing…”
Fathers, you are the Shepherd of your home. You are responsible for the discipleship of your children, your wife. You are to be the person who leads the home, period. The consequences of ignoring this mandate are catastrophic, as we can see from these statistics.
Doug Wilson writes in his book “Federal Husband,” ‘A husband must assume a mantle of strength and a demeanor of masculine leadership.’ It starts with the husband having the strength in his marriage to lead his wife to the feet of Jesus. Then that carries that over to raising his children.
Men, the Lord has equipped us to fight this battle. God gives us the authority and the ability to destroy strongholds. With this authority comes responsibility. This is exactly what the devil does not want you to know.
Look at this text from 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
Christian husbands and fathers need to reclaim the ground that the culture has stolen and lead in the way God intended us to lead. God designed us to conquer. Do not sell yourself short. Do not believe the lie that you are not capable of leading your family spiritually. Instead, dig in deep to the Word of God and find your footing in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has called you to this, but He does not leave you to figure it out on your own. When God calls, He also equips. Begin to lead from the front of the pack. Show your families, by the grace of God, we can and will destroy the wicked strongholds of the culture. We will, as families grounded in Christ, build an altar to the Lord. On that altar it will say, ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’
コメント