Be A Great Dad
by Kevin Allen
June 20, 2021 · Centerpointe Apostolic Church (Murfreesboro, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Proverbs 22:6, Psalms 127:1-5, John 3, 2 Peter 1:4, James 1:5, Hebrews 11:7

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kevin-allen--be-a-great-dad
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

------------------------------------------------------------
Proverbs 22, Debbie, I'm just gonna read verse six. It says, train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. And then going to Psalms 127. The Psalmist's writing says, except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman walketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are in heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. Then shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

These passages of scripture give us some insight into how we can become great fathers. Now we live in a world that doesn't put a lot of value the office of father. And you can't convince me any different than this: we struggle with a lot of the things we struggle with today, because the office of a father has been all but removed from society. We need dads. The world needs fathers. It's important. God instituted the office of fatherhood. It was his, he set the precedent, it's his office. We don't have a right to remove it. There was even a movement, that didn't gain a whole lot of traction, for there not to be a celebration of Father's Day, because it was offensive. I tell you, the enemy is slick at his tactics, what he tries to do, for he knows if he can destroy the home, if he can destroy the home, if he can destroy the hub where things are supposed to be built, then he has a better chance at overcoming you and I.

But I'm here today to preach for just a few minutes, be a great dad. Simple, just be a great dad. Be a great dad.

Now we know that our children make their own choices as adults. We want to give them every opportunity we can. We want to do our best to be the best parents. But today there's so many different situations represented by the word father in our world today. Many different people represented, our church today, our representation of the world. There are single parents, single moms, and I'm going to tell you, we need to give some honor to those single moms today, because it's a tough job. There are blended families, sometimes their dad, sometimes their stepdads and grandfathers and step-grandfathers, and that is the way that the world is today. It doesn't disqualify anybody. It doesn't make you less than, just because that happens to be your scenario. Don't anyone let anybody ever tell you any different. God loves all. God died for all. The qualification was being born. If you've been born, then you were born into the love of God.

Sometimes people grow up, and just because they fathered a child does not mean that they are a father. Just being able to procreate does not make you fulfill the office of fatherhood. In the middle of all the scenarios we're dealing with today, I want you to know this. I want every father in this house to know this. I want every potential father in this house, every future dad, to listen to me. But this also applies to everyone in this room, and that is this truth: the children are watching. The children are always watching. And everything we do, in every way we act, in every way that we, we go about our daily activities, we need to be always mindful of that truth, the children are always watching what we do. And it's because of this that I feel to make a few points today, on how it is that we can accomplish being a great dad. If you're a note taker, I encourage you to take notes. This is not going to be anything that's going to be mind-blowing today. But as I wrestled with prayer, asking God to give me some words of wisdom to dads today, this is the direction he led me to.

Now I want to say this: all the offices that I hold, there is none higher calling than being a father. Now I've been at youth camp for a week. You probably can tell my voice is not all that it needs to be. I feel like I've been in one continuous church service for about 129 hours, and I've loved every minute of it. Because of that, I may get a little bit emotional day. It seems the more tired I get, the less control I have over the liquid that comes out of my eyes. That, and the fact I live in a house full of women, and the estrogen has gotten on me. But I love my daughters, Kaylee, Avery, and Emery. Outside of the Holy Ghost and your mama, you're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't take lightly the office that I hold. It is the greatest calling that's been placed in my life.

I want to speak to every father that's in this room. If you don't take it that seriously, you're going backwards. You're going backwards. I hope today, I'll start off teaching this a little bit, and I'll get to preaching in just a minute. We'll go slow, but I'll get it up in the.

Air. But I want you to know, for every dad that's in this room, what you have done behind you, you can't undo. But you have this moment. Please listen to me, I'm in the Holy Ghost right now. You have this moment right now, and you can determine right now that you're going to change. And from this moment forward, you can move with him, and he can do what you think is impossible. He can rebuild bridges. He can restore relationships. He can cause walls to come down, as you think they could never topple over. Please listen to me: the enemy will lie to you, and tell you that those things cannot be mended. He is a liar. If he's talking, he's lying. I'm here to tell you those relationships can come back. And you may think you're worthless, but let me tell you, if you're a dad and you have fathered a child, there's a chance. If you're still breathing, there's a chance. If you're still breathing in this room, if you'll take to heart these principles I have for you today, it'll start you on the right road. It'll take some time, it will. Don't fool yourself, it'll take some time. But if you'll commit yourself to these, I promise you, your relationship will be enriched with your children. You're not a loser. You're not a loser. I rebuke that spirit in Jesus name. Be gone from this room.

The world tries to label a father, and tries to make us some kind of a fool, or the butt of every joke that's out there. Hollywood's never going to portray the fatherhood the way it's supposed to be. But I'm going to tell you, men, it's important. It's important that you fulfill the role that God has placed you in. You hear me? It is important that you fulfill that role.

The first point I have to make is, to be a good man first. I think it's the best place that we can start, is just, before you can be a good dad, you have to be a good man. You need to be aware of your current state. Be aware of how you are physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You have to take care of yourself. Are you listening to me? You have to take care of yourself. The trouble is, I find that some people that have children, new dads, that may not have a relationship with the Lord like they need to, they try to jump over that, and be a good dad without being a good man. I'm going to tell you, you cannot be a good dad if you're not a good man. You have to keep things in order. You have to start by being a good man first. You can't put fatherhood on if you're not a good man. And your spirituality is going to make a difference in what you communicate to your children, because your actions flow out of your nature. Your actions flow out of your nature, and your nature is a place where change has to happen. That's why John 3 talks about a man being born again, being born again. Are you listening to me? I don't care what kind of Enneagram number you are, what color someone said you were. Those things are great, and it'll help you a lot of ways, but you're a new creature in Christ. Do you hear me? You are a new creature in Christ. You need to quit justifying some things in your life, and just saying, that's the way you are. That is not right. You are a new creature in Christ. And if you don't align up with God's word, then you have the ability to make some change. Quit justifying all your bad behavior. Get in a relationship with God the way you're supposed to be, and allow him to finish the work that he started long time ago. You may have put it on Paul's for a little bit, but God's not done with you. He said, if I'll start it, I'll finish it, if you'll let me. And some of you need to let God do a finished work in your life. You have to start by being a good man. It takes a relationship with God to be who you're supposed to be. And if you don't work on that relationship, and I mean work on it every day, you're never going to fully become all that you could be. And I refuse to just be something that was wasted on the sideline.

Oh, if some of you men could realize the potential that God placed in you a long time ago. There's a lot of untapped potential in this room, lying dormant on these seats right now. And I'm not meaning to make you feel better, but I hope you feel bad a little bit when I get done with this message today, because we need strong fathers. We need strong fathers. It's time to stand up and be a man the way God says to be a man, not what this world labels out there. It's not about physical strength, but it's about having a dedicated relationship with the Almighty God. I'm telling you, strength doesn't count in your muscles. It counts on getting down on your knees, and being able to get ahold of the throne of God when tired, because crisis is going to come. Crisis is going to come. And what's powerful is a man that knows how to get down on his knees and say, God, my family needs you. You want to flex.

Some muscle, flex it in the prayer room. Flex it in the prayer room. You have to have a relationship with God first, because everything else flows from that nature. Your priorities, what you think is most important in life, is going to be communicated by a few areas: your calendar, your checkbook. Those priorities that are there, where are you spending your time, where you spending your money, it says a whole lot about who you are. Your actions flow out of your nature, so man, you have to work on your nature.

The good news is this: according to Second Peter chapter one, verse number four, we can be partakers of the Lord's divine nature, whereby we are giving us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you may be partakers of the divine nature. Divine nature supersedes human nature. The problem is, we have a world that is only glorifying human nature, where whatever you, you feel like doing is good to go. Whatever you think is right in your own eyes, just leave me alone, I'm not hurting anybody else. Let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen, there's a whole lot of stuff going on out there, but I can boil this down plain and simple: it's all about one word, obedience. Obedience. You can have all kind of desires, all kind of likes, all kind of things that you think, well, it's just in me, I think it's natural that God placed it there for me to have a desire. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, there's a whole lot of stuff that goes on inside of you, that goes on inside of me. It may be a hunger, it may be a craving, but it goes against God's divine word. And if it goes against the word, I have to bring myself into obedience. Just because I feel like it doesn't make it right. There's a whole lot of stuff I feel like doing that's not right. The world says it's okay. The world says human nature is that. But I'm telling you, we are to be the partakers of divine nature. It's a promise that we get. God has the right kind of love. He has the right kind of compassion. He has an abundant supply of wisdom.

And I love that Brother James tells us, in chapter one, verse number five, if any of you lack wisdom, that'd be mean, I'll admit it, me and Jalen, we lack wisdom. James says, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, that giveth to all men liberally. That's something I pray about every day, and I really prayed about the moment I became a dad. As a father, I have prayed that verse many times, because there's times I say, God, I don't know what to do. I need some wisdom in this moment right now. I need some spiritual wisdom to guide me, because I'm facing a circumstance or a situation, and I don't know what to do. Lord, I'm standing at a crossroad, and I refuse to move until you give me some direction. Because you're going to find situations you deal with, where you're not going to have a clue of what to do. That means it's time to get on your knees. It's time for you to say, God, I gotta have some help. I gotta have some wisdom. If you want to be a better father, then work on that relationship with God.

To be a great dad, you need to have the fruit of the Spirit manifest in your life. You need to have love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These virtues are contrasted and counteract the works of the flesh. So if you're struggling with flesh, you need to make sure you're working on letting those fruits manifest themselves inside of you. This, this isn't a one time thing. This, it isn't just, well, I got a little bit of joy. Well, I'm glad you're not to have just one kind of fruit. We're not talking about something in the natural. We don't go out to an apple tree and pick oranges. I get that. But we're talking about the fruits of the Spirit. His Spirit's in you. It's getting quiet now, in it. His Spirit is in you, and the evidence of that Spirit being alive and healthy and well, is you manifest fruit.

If we get into trouble, you know, everybody, you've heard me say this before, it's amazing how many non-Christians know Bible, and they know just enough Bible to be dangerous. They're like guns going around, red fire off all the time. And you get into that with those individuals, because you try to help them a little bit, and they'll immediately say, well, you're judging me, and I know the Word of God says, judge not unless you be judged. And you're like, well, you know some Bible. Guess who else knows the Bible? The devil knows the Bible. Maybe you're the devil. Because if you really know the Bible, the Bible also says to judge with righteous judgment. That I should look at your life, and before you ever tell me, or your T-shirt declares it, or your bumper sticker, or your tattoo, I should be seeing fruit that lets me know, oh, well, they're a Christian.

Well that's pretty good preaching, even if it was me. You should be bearing fruit, dad. You should be bearing fruit at home, you know where it counts. Oh, anybody can put a little fruit on and go out. Yeah, that's what happens a lot of times on.

Sundays. We put a little fruit on, little, you smell a little aptly, a little citrusy. Yeah, you spray a little fruit on, because you're covering up some stink. Hmm. I'm a bishop. I'm on the meddling post today. But I want you to be a good dad, and a good dad bears fruit at home. A good dad, his children know that there's love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness. They know now that, I mean, we're a pushover, right? I'm gonna get in that in just a minute. I mean, we're a pushover. But remember, they're always watching, even if they're not living at your house. They're always watching.

A father must get control of his own emotions. We've all been there on vacation. You remind them how much money you spent. You threaten to kill them. You make declarations: you will get over there, you will smile, you will quit hitting your sister, you will look like we're having the best time that anybody has ever had on this vacation, and you will do it now. We've all got that picture, right? Little one's, their eyes, the streetcar, and they're like, yeah, you'll put a smile on your face now, you'll be happy in one, two, three. Be happy, one, two, three. Got confirmation right there.

There are times when you need to ask for forgiveness. It goes both ways, gentlemen. Don't just expect your children to obey, if you're provoking them. Please remember that the things you say can be remembered for eternity. Whoever the, I'm sleeping, my filter's low, stop. Whoever the unwise person was who said, sticks and stones may break my bones, with words will never harm me, it was a, his words hurt. And dad, words hurt from you. Be careful what you say when you lose your temper.

I've been in ministry for over 26 years. I've seen parents come in crying, I don't know what my kids, I don't know what they're doing, I don't know why they're going away. Well, I know why. Because they spent 15 or 16 years watching you be emotionless in service. The Holy Ghost come in here like a tornado and ripped everything up, and you sit back there picking your nails. They're always watching. You cannot take them to a place you haven't been. One of the best things you can do, gentlemen, is be the first in the altar. Or, my kids don't go to the altar. When's the last time you went to the altar? Well, I mean I'm, no, no, I'm telling you right now, I'm telling you, around you, listen to me. You listen to me. Ain't none of you all that good. Ain't none of y'all that good. I go to my own altar every week. Every week before I get in this pulpit, I stay in that altar. Now I'm going to give you a little grace. Maybe you're a little better than me. Chances are you might be. But if you go two or three months and you haven't been down here, liar, liar, pants on fire. You ain't that good.

And if you wonder why your kids don't ever go to the altar, when's the last time you went to the altar, and set an example of what it looks like down in the altar? I'm tired, I probably am a little bit crabby, I'm sorry. If you treat God like a hobby, chances are your kids are not even going to know him. You cannot be a good dad without being a good person. You cannot be a good dad, and you cannot take them where you have never been.

Now listen, I've been a little hard. I'm, I'm, I'm, I want you to know my heart today, that I hold this in such high regard. It's a very personal thing for me, to be a good dad. I'm not looking for your pat on the back, I mean, I'm not, it's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for the day when I get there, and they're standing with me. I love you. I love each and every one of you so very, very much. I put my heart into everything I do around here, but if I don't get those girls with me to heaven, then I failed. I don't care how good a preacher you say I am, how good organizer, how much vision I've cast around here, and I believe in doing all those things. But my priority is Allen party of five.

You have to be a man of prayer. Listen to me, dad, you have to be a man of prayer. I don't care how young you are, I don't care how old you are. You have to be a man of prayer. Prayer is essential to being a good man and a good father. Do your children know what it sounds like to hear dad pray? Do they know? Is the home quiet? Where's your voice, dad? Where's your voice? They need to hear it. It needs to echo in their mind. They need to never doubt that dad prays. Needs to be there. You need to take the initiative. You need to be the one who steps up, to set the precedence, to show them this is what we do. That when we have trouble, when we have a struggle, we pray. Our first line of defense is prayer. The first place we go is pray. We have to be men of prayer. Prayer at home. Spend time with God daily, downloading. You need it. You need it in your life. I have time, I have.

A dedicated prayer time, not because I'm your pastor, not because I'm needing a sermon. No, I don't even pray for those things on a regular basis. I pray for those things throughout the week, but that's not my, my daily prayers. God, give me what I need for my family. Give me what I need so I can get through this day. Help me be the best dad I can be. Help me lead my wife. Help me point them in the right direction. God, I gotta have you. Man, you have to be known for prayer. When I'm in his presence, I feel his compassion. When I'm in his presence, I feel his righteousness, I feel his holiness, and it is expressed in my life, and it doesn't happen without prayer.

The third thing you can do is, bring your kids to church. You don't send them, you bring them. We work together as a community. God designed it that way. When you come to church, you need to be engaged. You need to worship. You need to give. You need to fellowship. Your children are watching. It's imperative that we, that we all receive what God has for us in every service. We need to engage. You have to be involved. You have to show up. You have to be there. It's not the church's responsibility to show them Jesus. It's not the church's responsibility to show them Jesus, dad. It's yours. It's yours. We're going to do everything we can. We're going to love your kiddos. We're going to do our best to have the best programs and have the best teachers. Jennifer and her staff are amazing. The guys that work on Wednesday night are amazing. The youth, the students, they do, it's all amazing. We're gonna do everything we can. We're gonna spend money, we're gonna do whatever. But look, that is not enough. It has to be at home. Has to be at home. What we do here has to be reinforced at home. I may offend somebody right now, but I'm more concerned about you and your kids being saved.

I've seen the Holy Ghost move in this service, and people stand just like statues. What do you expect your kid to do? What do you expect your kid to do? I mean, it'll get, it'll get crazy around here. We'll bite sheet rock, and Bobby Finn's a, bobby pins fly around like missiles. And it's just, and there's some people, it's like, are you, how do you not aware that God is moving? Attendance is just an opportunity. It's not an accomplishment. I'll say that again: attendance is just an opportunity, it's not an accomplishment, that you just walked in the back door. There's an opportunity for you to engage around here. And guys, we have good church all the time. His presence flows. We get into worship and engage, and he shows up. When he's lifted up, when he is praised, his presence is here. But don't become so used to it that you take it for granted. Every time I come into his presence, I need him. As a father, I need him. They're looking for us.

Because my fourth point here is, you have to be consistent in your life. If we're going to teach our children to live by spiritual principles, they need to know that we don't change from day to day. That the way we are on Sundays, the way we are on Monday, and on Tuesday, on Wednesday, and on Thursday. We have to be Christian in other places too. It's not about appearances. It is who we are, is the life we live.

I've been very blessed in my life. I know today's a hard day for a lot of people. Some people, their fathers have gone on, and today can be a tough day. My heart goes out for you. I'm a very blessed man. My dad is in service with me. I love my dad. He's a great man. Brandon and I, my brothers in the room too, we, we're very blessed to have a father. There's never been a day in my life I didn't know my dad loved me. I know not everybody can say that, but I can say that my dad loved me. He's been a good man. Dad, thank you for working hard and providing for us. You didn't have to whoop us quite as hard as you did, but thank you. And I got whoopings too. I didn't get a spanking, spanking, whatever. I got a great father-in-law, good man, good examples looking. I, if your dad wasn't the best, and that's a reality for some people, your dad wasn't the best, it's okay, right? It's okay. There's good men here. There's good examples around you. God, God's blessed you, and put you in a place where there's good, there's good men around you. You can find someone. Maybe, maybe it's time that you have a good spiritual father in your life. Maybe they're not physically responsible for you being here, but they can be a spiritual god in your life. There are men here. I'm telling you, if that, if that is a scenario in your life, then I'm encouraging you, find a good man around here, and, and couple up with them. Look, I, I, I'm blessed. I know I got my dad. I don't know how many times my dad's prayed for me. And even now, I know my dad, he tells me he's getting real soft in his old days. He gets boo hoo and all the time, and he'll tell.

Me he loves me, and crain, you cry a lot. And I love my dad. But you may not have that, but there's other guys around here that I promise you will love you just as much, that will nurture you, is in a spiritual way, just as much, and give you, you need it. We need it. All right, quit being so macho. There's nothing wrong with having to say, I gotta have something in my life. Gotta have, I gotta have a father. I have a spiritual father in my life. Quit being an island by yourself.

We have to be like Jesus, and he was the same yesterday, today, and forever. We have to be constant, even in our correction. This is especially true for new dads. Our children need to know what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable. Now our world's different today, you know, I get that. We've all been there in the grocery store line. Some kid, you know, he's screaming at his mama, crawling everything but what she is. I mean, I still get nervous, man. Even my kid, I'm looking around, I'm ducking, because I'm like, man, I'm gonna get spanked just being close by. Like, man, someone, I don't know. I'm not into violence, okay, I'm not. But there is a time for correction. There's a time, dads, you need to be, it ain't up to mom, all right? My brother and I live with that. You know, my mom, she's only this tall. That's, well, maybe somewhere in there. She's right about there. She's right over there. I remember her saying, I'm gonna tell your dad. Man, don't tell dad. Don't tell dad. Because dad just comes in like a hammer. He don't even know, he's tired when he gets home, he's irritable. He's going to get whooped. Whooped, I said the right way. Whooped, not a spanking. Whooped. But we knew where the boundary was. Kids are gonna push. Dad, step up. Our children need to know what's right and wrong.

Number five, give your kids roots and wings. What I mean is, they need an emotional and a spiritual root system, to weather storms. They need to see that you've been doing your part, because they're watching. Did I tell you, they're always watching? They're always watching what's going on. You cannot just simply throw them out into the world, without a strong foundation. You have to give them roots, where they know what they can do, and what they can't do. And, and because I said so, that only works one or two times. Eventually that's not gonna work. You have to teach principles. And you know why some people don't do it? You know why they don't do it? You know why? Because it's hard. Because it's hard, and people will just being, being honest, they get lazy. Don't be lazy with your kids. Teach principles. Teach them to grow roots, so that they can be productive, so they can move forward, so that they can benefit. Give them a strong root system, so that, teach them, be brave like David, when they face a giant. The yo, the giant may look big. You've put something in them that says, giants are still being slain. But they're going to have to have somebody to tell them that. We can let our children know, that's why David succeeded, because he learned how to be dependent on God. You're going to face giants in your life, but God's going to be with you. But they need to hear from you, dad. They need to hear you talk about those things with them. You're going to face a Red Sea in your life, but God will part it. When you place that in a child's heart, when they grow, it will be a root system from which they can draw.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego needs to be a theme in our homes, that sometimes you may stand by yourself. It's okay, because the principle always works. The principle always works. I mean, it's time for us to be men, to be fathers that are counter cultural. It's time to us for, to be like Hebrews 11 7, when it talks about Noah, that he was a man for his time. We need men in this room that are willing to stand against the grain, and say, that's not what we're going to do. Noah was willing to face all the adversity, all the laughs, all the ridicule. I'm sure he even got some, some cern talking to from his kids. I'm sure they were like, dad, why do you got to be building a boat? We're in the middle of a desert. There's like water anywhere. Why do we gotta do? Son, this is what God wants us to do. But you guess who was not complaining when the rain came? His family. His family. You know why? Because his family was in a boat that his dad had built. Dad, sometimes we're going to face opposition. It's okay, if you know it's God's principles. Stand on God's principles, because this world has temporary success, temporary success. But God's word has always stood. Give them a chance for roots.

Six, I'm almost done, live by principles, not just list. The way we train our children is through principles. This can help for a time, but if our children don't learn scriptural principles, they won't know how to make godly choices in their life. Behavior modification is not the goal. It may feel good for a while, but it doesn't produce lasting results. When the moment comes for you to teach.

Teach. Listen, I don't care how old you are, you can still teach them. Even if they're not living in your house, you can still teach them. It's important to try and have family time together. Listen to me: if your kids are still in your house, if they're still living under your roof, you need to have family time around the dinner table. And please, please turn the phones off. Turn the phones off. Because I know this may be one you would expect on a Father's Day message, because you know, normally I get ranked and get cranked up around here, but listen, this is so important: bring them to the table. Bring them to the table. Talk about their day. Talk about what's going on. If they're small and young, and they're still having to pick up all their stuff, it's okay. If they're teenagers, they have to pick up their stuff. Make them pick it up. But spend time around the table with them. I know it's an impossibility to make it every night, but there should be two or three nights a week you can make that happen. And then look, look, don't, don't make mama always have to cook. Dad, sometimes you can cook too. Boy, somebody's gonna take and run a lap, aren't they, right there. Proof, somebody's like, boy, presser's on it right now. It don't have to be as good as mine. I can't cook as good as my wife, but sometimes I don't mind stepping on the plate and cooking. But what's important is the time, because they're learning stuff, they're asking questions.

My last point is this: take time. Take time. Be with him. It's something I'm not good at either. I'm working on it. Last weekend, you were so kind and gracious, let's be away. We were at a senior pastor's retreat, and we around some great people, and some great things were spoken into us. But that was a part of what was said there, that really, really spoke to my heart. I'm trying to make some changes, because I want to be the best dad I can be. I'm like Paul writing to Timothy: there is no greater joy than seeing that my kids walking the truth. I'm not a perfect man, I'm not. I just ask my wife, she lives with me, she'll tell you. She's got a list of things I need to change. Let me tell you, this week, this coming up week, we get to go to senior camp, and KK be with us there for that. But this, this past week, we were there, and there's a moment where tongues went out in the middle of service, and then all of a sudden I heard a very familiar voice, and my middle daughter gave the interpretation. I'm not a perfect man. Please, I'm not a perfect man. Try every day. My kids make me proud. Kaylee, Avery, and Emory, you make dad proud. Please live for God. I can't buy them spirituality. I can't, I want to give them everything I can give them, and they always find out how to ask for something else, but that's kids. But I can't buy him that. I can't buy those moments. Oh, my dad heart. And I just thank God, and I said, thank you, Lord, for letting me, let me be there.

Some of you know what I'm talking about, because your kids are grown, and they're sitting in this room. You know, you see him worshiping God, and I think, maybe, just maybe, I did something right, because God is good. Some of you, there's pain today when I say that, because you've tried, you lived a good example, and your kids, they're not here right now. Let me tell you something: he loves them more than you. He loves them more than you. Don't you ever quit praying, dad. Don't you ever quit praying, mama. Don't you ever quit praying, because God can do quick works.

But for every father listening to me, let me say this to you: I don't care where you are, where you are in your relationship, where you are and you walk, I don't care what you've done in the past, I don't care how big a failure you feel like, you're not a loser. Yeah, you made mistakes, and I have two, but I have this moment, and I can be the best me I can be right now. And the best thing I can do is make sure my relationship with God is where it's supposed to be, and to love my children enough to teach them his principles, to not just bring them to church, but set an example while I'm here of worship, to let them hear me pray in that home, to call their name out every day, that when I make a mistake, got on my mistake, and I go and I ask them for forgiveness, to keep that relationship alive and well, to the best of my ability, to be there, to be there, to not just be physically with them in the room, but to be engaged with them when I'm in the room, to be there, to keep myself in a right walk with him, to just be a great dad. It doesn't cost a.

Lot of money, but it does cost you some time. But he gave them to me. Children are the heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. And whether they're physically yours, they adopted yours, whatever the case may be, you've adopted them, you just brought them in.

As you stand with me today, dads, be the best dad you can be. Be the best dad you can be. Be present. Be real. Be honest. And walk with God. Now those same principles apply to moms and sons and daughters, and nana's and paul's, and grandmas and grandpas. It applies to us all, because it takes us all to raise our kids. That's why it's so important we have this community here. Now I know this has not been a normal Sunday service we're here, but God is moving right now. I feel it, I feel it. And I still feel like God intends to do something at the close of this service, so I want us to be sensitive right now. In just a minute, I'm going to ask you to pray with me. But I'm asking my intercessor warriors right now, you have my permission to start praying. Because here's what I know: the enemy doesn't like what I have taught today in this room. He's going to fight. And this is how he, this is how he goes. He likes to come in with doubt. Oh, that's a big one. He likes to spread those lies, and he likes to remind us of our past. So in my closing prayer, I'm going to pray against those things, because I feel like there's a restoration in the house today, a restoration of fatherhood.

So here's what I want to do. If you're okay with this, look, it's not above me to put you on the spot. So I'm going to put you on the spot. If you are a father in this place, if you're a father and you're 20, if you're a father and you're 102, if you can get down here, I want all my fathers right down here. Just spread out. Come on, quickly. Every father, just push in here, pushing here among us. Yeah, come on guys, this is good stuff. Everybody come on down here, all my fathers. Come on. I don't want you to be by yourself. So every man, buddy up. Get your buddy, that's your buddy. Come on down, come on down. A few more coming. We're coming. But everybody, get them, get them, get you, get your partner here. And as I pray, I want you to pray for that man beside you, okay? Because here's the deal: sometimes we're not so good praying for ourself, but if I pray for somebody, that's a little bit better. So I believe in the power of prayer. So whoever you're with, your buddy up right now, I'm giving you a second. We still got a few people coming. Get your buddy, where everybody is, there you go. And here it is, I'm on, I'm going to pray for each other. Nobody be by themselves down here. Nobody be by themselves. And we're going to pray for each other. We're going to pray that God will make us aware of the responsibility we have, and that he'll give us a hunger and a desire, to further our relationship with him, and to foster a right relationship with our children. Okay, let's pray, church. I want you to help us pray. If you're okay to stretch your hand up here towards these dads.

Oh holy God, you see the fathers in this room. Lord, you know each home that is represented right here, right now. God, you know what is going on in that home, what is being faced, every challenge, every difficulty. And in the name of Jesus, I plead your blood over every home, every father right here. I rebuke doubt, in the name of Jesus. I rebuke fear and failure, in the name of Jesus. And God, I loose in this place a freedom of worship and praise. God, on the authority that is in your name, I pray that this role of fatherhood will be established right now. Jesus, Jesus, every man that is here, every father, Lord God, give them wisdom for what they're going to face. Help them, Lord, with every decision they have to make. God, I pray you give them the ability, Lord, to stand firm when they need to. You gotta let there be the manifestation of those gifts, those fruits of the Spirit in their life. Let them have a right relationship with their children. Any brokenness in the home, God, I pray that you would start the process of restoration. Yeah, come on, keep praying, guys. Keep praying, keep praying.

Yes. Now I know this may be, y'all keep praying, Jim, this may be difficult, but I want all the moms to come on up. Come on up, if your husband's up here. Come on up, come on up. Get with them, get with them. Come on, come on, quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly, guys, doing something. They got to have support. Well, if you can find your fella, we've been there. You guys keep praying. Keep praying, guys. Something about being unified as a home. All right, I want, I want you to, yeah, everybody get together. Is this something about us being unified, that's so important? Now I've, I've done something that I'm going to ask my wife to pray. Okay, I just put her on the.

Spot. She's a godly woman. I'm going to ask her to pray, because this woman prays. I might not know that about this woman prays. Pray for me. She prays for this church. I'm going to ask her to pray for the homes that are here, for God to do something special in our homes. Guys, we're not having to pray for revival. Revival is here. But we have to pray for a revival in the halls, because there's so much of posiness outside these walls. And I want her to pray however God leads her to pray. But if you're with your spouse right there, if you're living, just, just getting close, and I want you to pray to, and agree with what's going to go on right now on this, because I feel like God's doing a restoration here in the homes.

Oh, in the name of Jesus, God, I pray, Lord, right now for the home. I pray, God, for every home represented, Jesus, Lord, every father, every mother, every child, Lord, I pray that the power of the Holy Ghost would move in their homes. Lord, that they would know you, that they would seek you. God, that they would lay aside distractions, Father. Lord, that you would teach us to submit, Lord, to honor each other, to love each other. Oh God, I pray that you would touch our tables, God, that table of conversation, the table where they share a meal. God, I pray that your spirit would be at work in those homes, and in those times. God, anoint every conversation. Lord, open opportunities for us to teach our children. Lord, I pray for every wife, that she would support her husband, that she would pray for him, God, to be the leader of the home. God, I pray for those that do not have a father in their home. Lord, I pray you would be that father, you would be that strength, Jesus. Oh God, that you would pour out your spirit, and your kindness, and your grace, and your mercy. Oh God, I pray right now that you would strengthen us, encourage us, God, help us get back to the order that you created. Oh, we love you, Lord. I thank you, Jesus, for every family, and every home, and every child, every blessing. God, thank you, Lord, for your goodness. Please, Lord, go with us. Bless our homes, in Jesus name. Yes, in Jesus name. Now receive that right now. Do you receive it? Oh God, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Jesus.

Do you, do you believe that God's done something in this place? Because I think it's important that we agree on that. Do you agree? Do you agree? Oh, I see a change taking place. Things are happening. God is moving in our homes. He's putting some stuff back together. Oh, I don't believe this is the end. I believe this is the start of what he's wanting to do. I know I've said it a long time, but I still believe in my core, that our prodigals are coming home. They're coming home. They're coming home. I refuse to give up. I refuse to go. As long as there's breath of me, God, you know every circumstance and situation. So I want to thank you more. Thank you, Jesus, for what you've done in this place today. For your presence, Lord, we felt. For what you've done, the changes you've set in motion. Oh God, I pray as we prepare to leave here today, that we carry your presence everywhere we go. God, I'm thankful for every father that is here, Lord, and the office they represent. I thank you for the commitments that were made here today. Go with us, Lord, as we leave this place. As we face opposition in this world, God, give us the strength to stand firm in who you are, and the promises we have in you. Oh, I love you, God. And I thank you. You are so good and so wonderful. We ask all these things in Jesus name. Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen.

You know what, I think you'd be good. I don't know what you were going to sing. Where'd you go? Oh, you hit them in the dark. Sing. And while they're singing, let's just have a moment of fellowship. All right? Don't be such a hurry sometimes. Look, all right, there's other people already at the restaurant. It's Father's Day, okay? But I think we could take five or ten minutes, and just fellowship and praise and worship. But that'd be okay, all right? Go ahead, just, just take your time. Hug some necks. Love some people. Love you. Happy Father's Day.