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Ten Things Dad Doesn’t Hear
If you don’t have a desire to run down to the jailhouse and the courthouse to deal with your children, raise them up in the love and abomination of the Lord. Parents, you need Jesus to come in and throw out the beer cans, the crack pipes and the filthy magazines!
There is such a thing as a biological parent who can never be a father. I need to remind some of you dads who are still hanging on by a thread that you need to let the Lord come in there and take control of that house. Fathers who would dare let a child stand up and cuss his mother ought to be whipped. And mothers who let a child disrespect the father ought to be whipped. Not the child, the parent who allows such disobedience!
A lot of you have been through divorce and issues which you wish you could go back and redo. You can’t undo them. I made mistakes myself. As Steven was growing up, I was so involved in the church that I missed ball games – basketball and baseball – because I was married to the church. One day God asked me “Why are you in an adulterous affairs with my bride? That happens to be my church, not yours.” From that day I started saying “God, you’re going to have to send me some leadership because I’m divorcing your church.” I returned to my family.
For those of you who have already made mistakes, let me tell you what you can do. You can start from today; it’s never too late to start. Even if your children are grown, get your grandchildren and make them a part of your life. And if your children are nowhere around, find some children who don’t have fathers and be a father to them. Love them. Care for them. Spend your time with them. Let them see a father figure. Let them see what a real man is like. I promise you that you will change their life for eternity.
I’ll raise these children in this church for the rest of my life. I have been offered many, many jobs in many different churches, big jobs with big money in big churches with nice parsonages and new cars, but I’ve told the overseer that a father doesn’t leave his babies. I can’t leave my church. I’m not going to leave the adults; I’m not going to leave these little ones. You’d be surprised at the e-mails, the text messages I get from the children in this church saying “Pastor, I just want to tell you how much I love you. Pastor,
I just want to say hi and I hope you have a nice day.” Yes, when I see them and I hug them they know it’s real. It’s genuine.
For those of you who are fathers, God bless you! For those who aren’t, start by being men, stepping up to the plate and asking “How can I help you?” We may have made mistakes, but when we start being fathers we can clear out the jailhouses, and fill up the church house. Let them see your love for God and they’ll understand their need for a Father and turn their hearts to Jesus every single time.
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