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Fathers at the Frontlines:
Standing Strong in the Face of Adversity

By Pastor George Lehman



Father is an appointed position from God; He has a very specific role.

A father is neither an anchor nor a sail, but a guiding light in the sea of life

1 Corinthians 16:13 - Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 

On Mother's Day many pastors across the nation praise our moms for her sacrifices, her dedication and everybody rejoices, we give her honour, some even weep.

But on Father's Day there is this tendency to talk about absentee father's, deadbeat dad's statistics are repeated about his failures, and we lay on the guilt for not being there for the kids.

If you look up the word ''father'' in the dictionary it occurs just before the word ''fatigue,'' and just after the word, ''fathead!''

Women today are looking for the ideal man. What does that even mean?

He must be strong, good looking, aggressive, successful, dependable, well-dressed, and a responsible businessman, He must be interested in all things and excel in most. He must be a super spiritual leader in the home. Have you seen anyone that fits that description? Take heart, neither has any woman.

What is a total complete man, might I ask? He is the one who understands and accepts the responsibility for the development of his mental, emotional, and spiritual capacity and demonstrates this by his maturing attitude and actions in his personal life, his home life, his vocational life, his social life, and his spiritual life. Right?

A father standing strong in the face of adversity.

1 Peter 5:8-9 - Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

A good father is an example of what it means to be a man of faith.

Psalm 22:4-5 - “Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to you, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.”

From one generation to another, we pass on the faith, we are to point our family and friends to Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12(Amp) – 11For you know how, as a father [dealing with] his children, we used to exhort each of you personally, stimulating and encouraging and charging you. 12To live lives worthy of God, Who calls you into His own kingdom and the glorious blessedness [into which true believers will enter after Christ’s return].

We need men who have both a knowledge of God’s Word and the conviction to follow that Word: Men of faith who aren’t afraid to live out their faith before the world and in their homes consistently 24/7.



1 Kings 22:42-43 - “Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD:

Research has established that parents can have a significant impact on the religious beliefs and practices of their children. In one recent study it was found that fathers who frequently attend church, discuss religion at home, and are committed to their religion have sons who follow the same pattern concerning religious values and behavior.

Interestingly, fathers who did not do these three things had an inconsistent pattern of influence over their son’s religious responses. - Dr. Michael Green, Kindred Spirit, Autumn, 1989

A good father exhibits purity and holiness

1 Timothy 2:8 - “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”

God wants us to be pure in everything we think, say, see and do. God is looking for men who aren't afraid to strive to live holy lives.

Malachi 4:5-6 - “Behold, I will send y

Character Development - By: Pastor George Lehman

We are who we are before God nothing more and nothing less.

 

“Character is what God, and the angels know of us; reputation is what people think of us.”  Horace Mann.

Godly excellence flows from Godly character.

No character, no excellence.

2 Peter 1:5 - In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with (Goodness) a generous provision of *moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge

Moral – Its about the Principles of right and wrong behaviour.

Have you ever stopped to think what God sees when He looks into the depth of your being?  What kind of person does He find in you?

Sadly, so many Christians live so carelessly it doesn’t even bother them!!

Are you:
Loving, generous, full of the fruit of the Spirit, with a serving forgiving heart?

OR are you:
full of anger, bitterness, and self-centeredness, walking with un-forgiveness?

Who you are determines how you will react to any and every situation whether good or bad; positive or negative; favourable or unfavourable –

KNOW THIS:- God is in the character development business.

He is more interested in your Character than your comfort.



Ephesians 4:23-24 (Msg) - “A life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His ‘character’ in US.”



God is committed to develop, discipline and to stretching our lives to form our characters so we will become vessels of honour for His use. We are in the University of God getting our degree in Character Development.



Luke 6:40(NLT) – Students are not above their teacher but everyone who is fully trained will be like their Teacher.

 

Prove of His unending love and involvement in our lives.

Philippians 1:6 (Amp) - And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.



No matter how long it takes or how uncomfortable it makes you feel as long as there is growth, it’s our responsibility to partner with God in this lifelong process.

One thing we must clearly understand is that the destiny and fulfilment of our purpose lies in a fine balance of:

God’s awesome grace and sovereignty.
2. Human responsibility



We are ultimately responsible for responding:
- Correctly;
- Godly and
- Biblically.

Not just any old way will do.

The way you respond to situations will determine the character you will possess.

Like so many sad stories of failure in the word of God.
Reuben was Jacob and Leah’s son. He lost his birth right to Joseph.

Genesis 49:3-4 (Amp) - Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the beginning (the first fruits) of my manly strength and vigor; [your birthright gave you] the preeminence in dignity and the preeminence in power.  But unstable and boiling over like water, you shall not excel and have the preeminence [of the firstborn], because you went to your father's bed; you defiled it - he went to my couch!



Reuben thought it didn’t matter about his quality of character, he will receive the blessing and inheritance anyway.

Reuben was born into greatness, but there is not guarantee that he would become great. He had a failed Character

You cannot think if you violate God’s word and live with wilful deliberate sin and an ungodly Character there won’t be consequences.

So it is with us, if you want to receive ‘the best which is to come’ you need to be committed to personal character development.

“Not education, but character, is man’s greatest need and man’s greatest safeguard.” Spencer…. So many people are educated beyond their obedience.



Definition of Character:

Character is the inner life of man.
Character is displayed in the actions of an individual under pressure.
Character is the sum-total of all the n

Self-Control is an outer sign of an inner change.

(The True you always reveals what’s in you.)

By Pastor George Lehman



“Though we cannot see the heart, we can see the life” [David Kirkpatrick]



Each of the different characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit focuses on how we respond to God and how we treat other people.

John 15:11 – That our joy may be full

Joy and faithfulness are expressed vertically while peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and gentleness bear directly on how we interact with others.

And, the juiciest fruit, which is at the centre of our spiritual fruit salad, is love, which has both a horizontal and vertical dimension.



HOW TO LIVE A LIFE OF SELF-CONTROL IN A SOCIETY OUT OF CONTROL

2 Timothy 3:2-3  - “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

When the Greeks wanted to illustrate self-control, they built a statue of a man or a woman in perfect proportion.

To them, self-control was the proper ordering and balancing of the individual.

Husband: “When I get mad, you remain calm and don’t react. How do you maintain your self-control?
”Wife: “I just go and clean the toilet.”
Husband: “Really How does that help?”
Wife: “I use your toothbrush.”

Aristotle once said, “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.”



The word translated “self-control” in the NIV is rendered “temperance” and in the King James Version.

It comes from the word “strength” and means, “one who holds himself in.”

To be self-controlled is to not live in bondage to the desires, passions, and appetites of the flesh.

While “self-control” is a good translation of the Greek word, it’s a bit deceiving because we all know that we can’t control ourselves simply through our own willpower or self-determination.

Self-control is more than just self-help. Paul speaks of our dilemma in Romans 7:18 - “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out.”

We can get a fuller meaning of self-control from Paul’s extended discussion of his ministry in this passage, Paul contrasts exercising control over his body with running “aimlessly”.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 - “25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

He argues that athletes exercise self-control because they have a clearly defined purpose or goal.

They cannot afford to be distracted by every passion or desire that comes along.

We can therefore define this final fruit of the Spirit as the “control of the self by the Spirit for the sake of the gospel.”

What looks like self-control is actually the result of letting someone else take control.

Self-control, biblically speaking, means walking by the Spirit, under the Lordship of Christ.

It’s not by human effort or willpower – but by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. God will not give us His Spirit of self-control if it were not possible to control-self.

In order to fully understand this fruit, it’s helpful to describe what the absence of self-control looks like.



Proverbs 25:28 provides a dramatic description of the individual living out of control, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”

When the book of Proverbs was written, one of the main sources of strength and protection for a ci

Training yourself in Unshakable Resilience



!!!Maranatha!!!



My faith in Christ



James 2:26 - 'As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.’



Luke 17:6 - 'He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. ‘



Romans 5:3 - 'Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ‘



2Pet 1:10 - 'Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, '



2 Pet 1:5-9- Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. '



2 Peter 1:2-3 - May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).'

Ordinary Christians in extra ordinary times - By Pastor George Lehman



What the world needs is NOT more Christianity but more Christians who practice Christianity.

We cannot live ordinary lives anymore!

Here Jesus is speaking to the scribes an Pharisees:

Mark 7:13 – Jesus said, “Tradition destroys the effect of the Word”.

We become comfortable with traditionally doing church and spiritual things,

We go through the motions in a way that’s marked with ordinary and don’t by faith - rise up to an extra ordinary life. A life touched by Jesus cannot be the same.



Story of a statue in a cemetery in America:

It was not a statue of a man, angel, or Mary, but a statue of a dog.  They say when his master was buried.  The dog followed the procession to the graveyard, and he lay on the grave and wouldn’t leave until he died.  They put up a memorial next to his master because he demonstrated extraordinary loyalty.

Here’s a story of extra ordinary loyalty:

2 Samuel 15:13-21 (Amp) - 13And there came a messenger to David, saying, the hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.  14David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Arise and let us flee, or else none of us will escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us and smite the city with the sword.  15And the king's servants said to the king, Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king says.  16So, the king and all his household after him went forth. But he left ten women who were concubines to keep the house.  17The king went forth with all the people after him and halted at the last house.  18All David's servants passed on beside him, along with [his bodyguards] all the Cherethites, Pelethites; also all the Gittites, 600 men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.  19The king said to Ittai the Gittite, why do you go with us also? Return to your place and remain with the king [Absalom], for you are a foreigner and an exile.  20Since you came only yesterday, should I make you go up and down with us? Since I must go where I may, you return, and take back your brethren with you. May loving-kindness and faithfulness be with you.  21But Ittai answered the king, As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or life, even there also will your servant be. 



What an extra ordinary dedication to serve his King, “no matter what”.



Paul writing to the church in Corinth: (over a period of time ordinary will become lukewarm / backslidden)

1 Corinthians 3:3 (Amp) - For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling* (stryery) and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men? (Clearly by this message it’s clear that Paul is talking about an Extra Ordinary life!)



Our ordinary should be Extra Ordinary.

The Moffett's translation says:  “Are you behaving like ordinary people?”

Why did God allow these disciplining correcting verses in the Bible?  “It was for our good so we can change and serve Him correctly. To live an extra ordinary life.

We have come to a time in the history of the world when, for those of us who are Christians it's not acceptable it’s a sin to live ordinary.

It's no longer enough to live nominal (not real) lives in a time of phenomenal need.



Acts 17:30 -31a(Amp) – 30Such [former] ages of ignorance God, it is true, ignored and allowed to pass unnoticed; but now He charges all people every where to repent (to change their minds for the better and heartily to amend their ways with abhorrence of their past sins). 31Because He has fixed a day when He will judge the world.



The words of Josiah G. Holland:  God give us men!  A time like this demands g

Mother’s Day - By Pastor George Lehman

Motherhood is priced of God, at a price no man may dare to lessen or misunderstand.



Motherhood is a God design; therefore it is a very important and honored institution.

Leviticus 19:1-3 (Amp) – 1And the Lord said to Moses, 2Say to all the assembly of the Israelites, You shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy. 3Each of you shall give due respect to his mother and his father, and keep my Sabbaths holy. I the Lord am your God.

 

Ephesians 6:2-3 (Amp) - 2Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother - this is the first commandment with a promise. 3That all may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.



Without it none of us would be here tonight…

For many mothers it can be very sentimental and not their favorite day of the year, for others it’s a rich blessing and a joy.

Your mother may have passed away.
You may have bad memories of your mother.
Biological motherhood isn’t possible.
You may have children that don’t contact you.



To become a mother is not so difficult; on the other hand, being a mother is very much so.  Wilhelm Busch



So, with all those qualifications, why bother with Mother’s Day at all?  I tell you why…

…because Mothers give life, love, comfort, counsel, guidance, teaching and encouragement.

They turn a house into a home and nurture families.

Families are the basic building block of society and mothers have the most important responsibility in daily love and counsel raising children in the love and fear of the Lord.

They go through many stumbling blocks, pitfalls, mistakes, and broken dreams; for all the dirty nappies, dirty rooms, sleepless nights and heartaches.

We are talking about a beautiful ideal – a natural part of God’s creative plan to bring love, caring and patience to light.

As a mother there is a constant demand for the gift of love and caring.

A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie anyway.

Mothers are the people who love us for no good reason.  And those of us who are mothers know it’s the most exquisite love of all.  Maggie Gallagher

Certainly, the bible recognizes women in positions of power – women who contributed to making the world a better place.



There was…

Miriam who lead the people of Israel in praising God after the crossing of the Red Sea.

Exodus 15:20-21 (Amp) – Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing.  And Miriam responded to them, Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously and is highly exalted; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.



Ruth who put God first and became the ancestress of King David. She was a Moabite woman who chose God’s way.

Ruth 4:17 (Amp) –  And her neighbor women gave him a name, saying, A son is born to Naomi. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David [the ancestor of Jesus Christ].



Deborah, a judge in Israel.

Judges 4:4 (Amp) – Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, judged Israel at that time.



Hannah who “lent to the Lord” the child of her prayers.

1 Samuel 1:28 (Amp) – Therefore I have given him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is given to the Lord. And they worshiped the Lord there.



Mary who gave birth to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Luke 1:28 (Amp) – And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!



So, being a mother does not suggest lack of initiative and ability.

It does mean getting priorities straight.



People are what their mothers make them.  Emerson

All that I am or hope to be I owe to my angel mother.  Abraham Lincoln

Give me a generation of committed Christian mothers and I will undertake to change th