10 Challenges Every Dad Must Conquer – Day 3

The Bible.com (or Bible App from YouVersion) has so many great plans to go through and read. As I continue through the list of dad devotionals using their search capabilities, I have come across today’s devotional which is a 12-day devotional titled 10 Challenges Every Dad Must Conquer. Checking out the publisher’s information and signing up for their newsletters as well as getting to download their survival gear, I am excited to get better connected with them as I believe they have many resources that will be helpful and useful for men who answer the call to step up and step into being the dads God has called and created them to be. Looking into this devotional and trying to better understand the purpose of Manhood Journey, I discovered they are “a ministry who helps dads become disciple-makers. We do this through various tools. Things like blogs, eBooks, Field Guides, Bible studies, digital courses, and live events“. I am so excited to get to go through this devotional with all of you and see where God will take us. I am excited to have gotten to communicate with Kent and to have found their resources as I believe it will be of great help to dads.

The Bible.com site describes this plan as follows:

“Feel overwhelmed—or worse—like a failure? We took your most-pressing challenges and matched them up with battle-proven, busy leaders who also happen to be dads—to give you theologically deep and super-practical help. You CAN be the dad God calls you to be. This plan will help.”

10 Challenges Every Dad Must Conquer

Today’s devotional points us to James 1:19.

‘My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ‘

James 1:19

Today’s Word from God gives us some wise instruction in terms of how we live and respond to situations. It gives us the wisdom to avoid issues and complications that tend to arise when we do it in a different order or in a different way. It tells us we need to be quick to listen first. We run into problems if we are slow to listen or if the last thing we do is listen. Let’s be the dads who are quick to listen. It tells us after we have listened we need to be slow to speak, let’s internalize, contemplate, and pray about what we have just heard. We run into problems when we are quick to respond and speak with a high chance of putting our foot in our mouths as the analogy goes. We trip ourselves up if we don’t take time to consider what was spoken and to hear from God. Let’s be the dads who are slow to speak as our second step. We also run into problems if we are quick to become angry and in some cases so quick that we don’t take time to listen or to speak to understand first. Allowing our emotions to rule us keeps us from accomplishing God’s will and doing what we are supposed to do. Ever lost it and later regretted it? Ever taken hold of the reality of how becoming angry (that isn’t righteous anger) also called the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Let’s be the dads who are slow to become angry as our final step and option. Let’s take note of God’s instruction to us from James. Let’s remember it next time we find ourselves in a situation. Let’s glorify God by being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry! Let’s be the dads who have receptive hearts and as such are able to be quick to listen! Let’s be the dads who have receptive hearts and as such can control our tongues in order to be slow to speak! Let’s be the dads who have receptive hears and as such can control our emotions in order to be slow to anger! Let’s be the dads who are careful and thoughtful listeners! Let’s be the dads who carefully choose the words we are going to speak! Let’s be the dads who are patient, reflective, and forgiving!

Today’s devotional has been provided by Manhood Journey (more details can be found https://www.manhoodjourney.org/fieldguides/)

Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me:
(check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)

For more information, please visit Manhood Journey: https://www.manhoodjourney.org/fieldguides/.

“Day 3 Culture’s pulling your child away.“

• Where are you seeing your child today?
• Are they drawing closer to God or being pulled away by society?
• Are they drawing closer to God and a deeper relationship or are they being pulled into the ways of the world?
• Are they leaning on God and spending time in His Word or too focused on worldly things?
• Today’s devotional speaks to us 3 keys we need to take hold of:
  1. “Accept your influence“
  2. “What are you speaking into the lives of your children?“
  3. “What I’ve learned is that I can lose my voice quicker the louder I respond.“
• Let’s be the dads who are the most influential voices in our kids lives.
• Let’s be the dads who don’t give up just because it doesn’t feel like it.
• Let’s be the dads who are positive influences on our kids even when doors slam or tears are shed.
• Let’s be the dads who speak the truth in love early and often into the lives of our kids.
• Let’s be the dads who are quick to listen to what’s going on in their lives.
• Let’s be the dads who are slow to speak, let’s listen to understand and choose our words wisely so as to speak life and love and truth into our kids.
• Let’s be the dads who are slow to anger, let’s love on our kids and demonstrate patience, are reflective, and forgiving.
• Let’s be the dads who build our relationship with our sons and daughters so that they are ready and willing to hear our voice, even when things get tough.
• Let’s be the dads who speak into their lives what matters!
• Let’s be the dads whose response leaves a positive and uplifting impression on their hearts and minds.
• Let’s be the dads whose response to culture speaks to our love and hope for our kids.
• Let’s be the dads whose first or quick response to culture isn’t anger because we disagree with it.
• Let’s be the dads whose first or quick response to culture isn’t shouting because we disagree with it.
• Remember how our kids are watching up and learning from us and so we need to model our responses as we would want them to respond when they are faced with similar situations in the future.
• Let’s not give up our voice to speak into our kids lives by being the dads who are yelling and screaming and losing it all the time.
• Let’s grab a hold of what today’s Word from God has to say and teach us.
• Let’s be the dads who are loaded with love and joy, unity and building up, and gentleness and respect!
• Let’s remember what today’s devotional warns us about: “We can’t battle the culture if we’re locked and loaded with hatred and disagreement.“
• Let’s be the dads who equip our kids on how to deal with this culture!
• Let’s be the dads who show our kids how to respond and react to this culture!
• Let’s grab hold of what today’s devotional tells us about how to best equip our kids to battle this culture when it says: “Our children can’t battle this culture if all we’re giving them is ammunition without an ounce of gentleness and respect.“
• So let’s be the dads who have our kids ears.
• Let’s be the dads whose voice can be heard even in the midst of the noise of society.
• Let’s be the dads whose voice can be heard even over the noise of culture fighting for their ears.
• Let’s remember as God’s Word tells us we are not alone and we weren’t created to go it alone!
  • Remember what Ecclesiastes 4 says:
  • ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. ‘
    Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
• So we aren’t fighting this battle alone!
• Our kids aren’t fighting this battle alone!
• We are in this together and so let’s be the dads who walk out this life, this battle alongside our kids and with God!
• Let’s be the dads who share the truth that has stood the test of time!
• Let’s be the dads who share the truth that will last for and stand for eternity!
• Lets be the dads not driven out of fear and worry but instead stand on the truth and are bold and courageous!
• Let’s be the dads who are like Joshua who said “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”
• Let’s be the dads who are confident rather than fearing having our voices heard in the ears of our kids!
• Let’s be the dads who influence our kids inspite of what the culture is trying to influence them to do or be!
• Let’s grab hold of and remember the final 2 statements from today’s devotional:
  • “The culture has an influence, don’t let it silence yours.“
  • “What are you speaking into the lives of your children?“