Dad, The Family Shepherd
If you are a father here today, I want to congratulate you because God has given you a responsibility that surpasses any other you will ever have in your life. It is the responsibility of being the spiritual leader in your family, the family shepherd. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, the apostle Paul tells the saints in Corinth to “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” As fathers, we should make it our goal to say this to our children, “Imitate me as I strive to imitate our Lord.” Having said all this, I want each of you who is a father here today to know that Satan’s goal in your family is to neutralize you as the leader in your home. He knows that if he can neutralize you as the leader of your family, he has effectively neutralized your family. This means He will tempt you and attack you in an effort to destroy your spiritual leadership in your home. If you are already passive and indifferent to the things of God and to the spiritual leadership of your home, Satan will not bother you because he knows he has already neutralized your influence in your home.