Derek Prince - How To Fulfill Your Responsibility As A Father
This is an excerpt from: How To Be A Christian Father
Now one brief thought as we close. How can you fulfill your responsibility as a father? This is something I have thought about much myself. It’s not just a theory that I’m handing out. I want to suggest to you maybe five things to keep in mind. Number one, acknowledge your responsibility. Take your position. Say: God, I’m a father, I understand at least in a measure what you expect of a father. And I accept my responsibility before you. You see, in the Bible, as I’ve said, responsibility and authority go together. God gives authority to those who accept responsibility. If you don’t accept responsibility, you won’t have authority. Because, that’s the justice and the wisdom of God. If you will accept your responsibility. You don’t have to be a tremendous success, you don’t have to have all the answers but you have to be willing to say: God, I accept my responsibility. Then God will give you the authority that you need because authority comes from God. He’s the only source.
Second, humble yourself before God. Acknowledge: God, this job is too big for me. I really can’t handle it. Peter said humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Do you want His grace? Humble yourself. That’s not difficult because the job of a father is so exalted that none of us is capable of fulfilling it in our own strength. Thirdly, trust God for the grace. Expect Him to give you the grace.
Exercise faith. Like if you were called to the ministry of, let’s say, an evangelist. You would trust God for the grace to be an evangelist. Well, why can’t you trust God for the grace to be a father? See what I’m saying? Which is really a much more difficult ministry. My personal opinion, the two hardest jobs in the world are number one, being a father and number two, being a pastor. God have mercy on the man who is both a father and a pastor. I respect them. The fourth principle, very simple, be diligent. Give it all you’ve got. It’s not a part-time job, it’s not something you do with your left hand. It demands all you have to do it right.
And finally, make it the first claim on your time. You see, the amount of time you give to a thing indicates the priority you give to it. Most delinquent children, when they talk to counselors or youth workers, all have one complaint. Our parents never listen to us. They would lecture us, they would tell us what to do but they never let us talk to them. You see, when Moses said: To be a father, you’ve got to teach your child when you walk by the way, when you sit down, when you rise up; he meant it’s a full-time job. So, it takes all you’ve got. It doesn’t mean you don’t have a secular job but it means that really being a father is your number one priority. You give it first place in your life.
Let me just recapitulate my recommendation. And I want to say frankly, I know in many areas I haven’t succeeded in doing this all the time. If I were to go through my time as a father again, there’s one thing I would do. I would spend more time with my children. Like many ministers, I was personally ambitious. I wanted a successful church. And many times I think I sacrificed my family to the church. I would never do that again. I’m sorry. Let me give you my five recommendations and we close. Acknowledge your responsibility, and with responsibility goes authority. Second, humble yourself before God. Third, trust God for the grace. Fourth, be diligent, it’s a full-time job. And fifth, make it the first claim on your time. Those of you that are fathers and husbands, I’d like to pray for you. Would you stand? Wives, you just join me in praying for your husbands and the fathers of your families.
Father, I want to thank you so much that your name is Father, that you are a father, that you really care about families, that the family is the way you want to make yourself known on earth. I thank you for every dear brother in Christ who is standing before you now. And Lord, I include myself amongst them. I pray Lord, for the release of your grace in these men and in their families in a new measure from this night forward. Lord, I believe I have faith right now in the name of Jesus to release the grace upon them that they will need. For your glory, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Bless you.