Quiet Times Search

Fathers, start spending more “heart to heart” time

ATTENTION

Get their attention, ask important questions like:

• Tell me how you are doing.
• What have you been up to lately?
• What are you most excited about right now?

Make a little one-on-one time with Dad

AFFIRMATION

Kids, as well as adults, want the approval and praise from their dads

They want their father’s "blessing” in their lives.
To bless means "to speak well of"

God: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased” - Mark 1:11

It is important that you communicate to them, “You are my son (daughter) and I dearly love you. I am very pleased with you.”

Anytime you greet them or talk to them, your countenance, the look in your eyes, and your tone of voice either says, “You are a delight to me” or “You are an irritation to me.”

You should praise them privately, one-on-one, and publicly in front of others. “That is awesome! You are really good at that,” needs to come from your lips as their biggest cheerleader. Regardless of your past, step up to do this now!

AFFECTION

Father pours out His unconditional love on us (Romans 5:5), and so should we to our sons and daughters.

Interact with them in ways that make them fully see, hear, and feel your love.

not only the discipline of a father but also his warm affection and tender love.

Boys who feel loved by their dads are bolder, stronger, kinder to others, and more secure

Girls who feel valued by their dads are more radiant, less desperate for a boyfriend, and more careful whom they marry.

So invest in them, take them places, flood them with tender affection, leaving no question in their minds about your genuine love for them.

You should actually want your leaders to succeed. You should be eager to help them fulfill their roles.
Helping them to win actually sets you up to win their ear and gain their favor. examples: Moses and Joseph

This is how we should treat those over us - with a clear conscience, in respectful ways - not only from a fear of God but as a witness and an example to our children.

Our kids will most likely adopt our views on authority in their own lives as well.
Whatever patterns we set for them will be the ones they use to train their own kids and so on.

We are accountable to Him - both to love Him and to fear Him.

When you teach your children to honor authority, you are teaching them to better honor God.

• How do you talk about your leaders at work and church?
• What do your children hear you saying about the government or elected representatives?
• They see you praying for your authorities? - 1 Timothy 2:1-4
• How do they see you respond to speed limits and state troopers?
• Does this match your talk about how God places authorities in our lives for our benefit?

Helping them not “forget his deeds” but to “keep his commands” - Psalms 78:7

Honoring authority will help them obey you.

Honoring authority is a hallmark of godly men and their children.

A major part of your role as a father is to disciple your kids

Discipling your kids requires discipline on our part

Discipline doesn’t feel good, nor should it - Hebrews 12:11

Discipline should be more on the father’s shoulders than the mother’s because of who we represent.

Loving discipline prepares our kids to respect and obey their heavenly Father

We had earthly fathers to discipline us, for they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good - Hebrews 12:9-10

It is the father’s job is to take the long view, not the short one.

Withheld discipline may seem momentarily pleasant to the child and the parent but it takes no skill or courage to be a passive father

Not disciplining guarantees that uncorrected sin will follow his child into adulthood and follow his family into the coming generations

Its momentary discomfort - knowing that sin will harm a child in far worse ways than even the painful discipline of a loving father.

He who loves him disciplines him promptly - Proverbs 13:24

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it - Proverbs 22:6

IT is a lie from the Enemy to believe that rebelling against and dishonoring authority brings more freedom and peace

Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord - Ephesians 6:4

Joseph: So it was God who sent me here, not you! - Genesis 45:8

Joseph's hear and mind had made peace with his treacherous brothers

He firmly believed that the God who remains in control of all things had sent him to Egypt

When one of your kids defies everything you save or your job moves in a different direction, how do you react?

Do negative emotions to rule the day or take refuge in God who is in control?

God has an amazing way of using even the worst circumstances for your good

Like you, Joseph did know the events ahead of him, he had to move forward by faith

We alone will build the Temple for the Lord just as KIng Cyrus of Persia commanded us - Ezra 4:3

It is important to guard against those who try to lead you away from a strong, biblical faith

Zerubbabel had good judgement overseeing the building of an alter to the Lord and the rebuild of the holy Temple

This got the attention of some traditional adversaries who offered to help with highly suspect motives

It was tempting to get the work done faster but Zerubbabel said thanks but no thanks

We need to have sound judgement in who spends time with your family and what images you and your kids should view and the activities you choose