Samuel was taken to the temple by his mother in fulfilment of the vow she made to God, but a spiritual father was needed to take responsibility for the spiritual growth of the boy. An angel appeared to Samson’s mother bringing the news of the birth of a deliverer, but the same angel said to the father; “all that I commanded her let her observe.” Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary bringing the news of the Messiah, but the instruction for preservation was given to the father; he said to him in the dream, “Arise, take the young child and his mother and flee to Egypt.” The responsibility of the father is to make sure the seed live by the rules.

 

Today we are going to be discussing very briefly the role of spiritual parents in birthing, preservation and accomplishing of destinies. This article does not refer to the male gender alone, I am referring to whoever assumes the responsibility for the spiritual growth of any child. In the case of Apollos, we could say Priscilla and Aquila was his spiritual parent. So, any of the gender could represent the father depending on the context or situation. In today’s discussion, I would focus more on the male parent called the father. So, who is a father? A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father is one who has a parental, legal, social or spiritual relationship with the child, and carries with it, certain rights and obligations. So, a father is one who has certain rights and obligations over a child or children.

 

God said in Genesis 1:26 “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” In other words, He said let us become a Father to a specie called man. Let us be responsible for their wellbeing, and our obligation is to take care of them; that they will pattern their lives after us, we would be an example to them. As long as they can follow us, and do what we are doing, they will have “have dominion.” So, the dominion of the child or young seed comes by emulating the father figure he sees. This is the origin of the concept called Fatherhood. If I may ask you; Who is making you? Who is the perfect picture you are looking at? Who are you imitating?

 

When you read the book of Genesis 4:25, it says; “And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, For God has appointed another seed for me” God a perfect being bore Adam who was perfect and working in authority until he fell. So, he became broken and estranged to God, you will agree with me that an imperfect man cannot bear a perfect seed. So, this verse says “God appointed another seed for me” Adams imperfection was replicated in his son Seth. This why the office of Fatherhood is a very critical. This shows us that our seed is a product of whom we are. So, Seth took after his father Adam. This is the reason why you can’t give what you don’t have. Your walking in error is only a sign that your children or disciple or followers will also walk in error. There is every possibility that the mistakes of the fathers are replicated in subsequent generations, and there is also every possibility that broken fathers raise broken children except there is an intervention. The deformity of any seed can be replicated in the subsequent offspring. If the next generation is to be corrected then the parent seed should be fixed right.

 

Are you mindful of the next generation? What you doing now that that may affect them and maybe prevent them from experiencing the fullness of what God has prepared for them to achieve. That is why when God haven had his plan to restore man back to Himself the perfect Father, He told the serpent “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed” God knows that the seed of the woman may likely take after the pattern of the parents, so there was a dislocation, we were cut from the lineage of Adam, reconciled and engrafted to God through His Son Jesus Christ. This is the reason why Jesus said in Luke 12:51 “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.”  What kind of division? He said in verse 53 of the same chapter; “Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” Breaking the order of progression, because I have a new identity in Christ I am of a new creation, functioning in the order of Christ, I can now live freely and differently, triumphantly from my father, if he was in mediocrity I am different, if he was poor I am rich, if he didn’t live for purpose, now I do; there is now a Father we must look unto in order to get our brokenness fixed and restored.

 

Men who are destiny conscious are father conscious, men who desire realignment, and spiritual restructuring never take for granted the role and the kind of father they should have in their lives. There is hardly a manifestation to any generation or in any generation without the backing or ordination from the office of a Father. Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” And Jesus replied “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” at a point He said; “I and my Father are one” We are inseparable when you see Me, it is as good as seeing Him, I Am the express image of the invisible Father. If you see Me you have seen My Father. How many of us can say that? That spiritual father you follow; do you look like him? It tells a lot about much exploit you will make.  

 

Jesus said what I see My father do I do, what I hear Him say I say. I don’t just look like Him in facial appearance, I also emulate Him, if you detach Me from Him, I won’t manifest, I will lose My peace, I will lose My essence and purpose for existence. My destiny manifestation is tied to my following Him. That was why when he felt an excruciating pain on the cross, the first person he reached out to was not His uncle nor relatives. He simply cried; “My Father, My Father, why have thou forsaken Me?” Every true son will know or can tell or feel the father’s presence or absence through an experience in his life.

 

What is it that you experience and without any iota of doubt you are aware that the father is far from you? The prodigal son came to himself and said the servants in my father’s house are living better than me. There is no father that will be far away from his beloved son for no reason. That is why you have to find out. Will you also scream like Jesus My Father My Father, where are you? Will you also cry like Elisha “My father, my father the chariot of Israel and its horse men?” Every true father like Elijah will leave his mantle behind, every true father like God will release His son, every true father like Jesus Christ will not leave the children like orphans, he lives a presence behind that guilds the child through though situations. That is the role of the Holy Spirit. It takes of what belongs to the Father and declare it to sons of the kingdom.

 

If I may ask you again, who is your father? That thing you are doing now; does it look like what your father is doing? Is the excellence being replicated or you are estranged from Him? Character and behaviour whether good or bad are tied to the father, when they saw the manifestations of Jesus Christ, they didn’t give Him the glory but rather they gave the glory to the Father for giving such power to men.  Jesus said you are of your father the devil and his will you will do. The father you associate with determines the result you produce. You cannot by the Spirit of the father produce works of lawlessness. So, who is your father? Whose image and likeness do you have?  Let’s talk about that ministry you are doing, who do you pattern it after?  

 

Have you ever seen a son who says I don’t have a father or I don’t need a father, or I don’t wish to have a father? If you encounter such a person there is an underlying dysfunction, a form of psychosis or such a son is in a perpetual state of rebellion living in self-denial.  A rebel is one who has no one he is submitting under, a rebel is one who interprets lawlessness as freedom. Decision to go away from the father is a decision to self-destruct.

 

When joseph was told “Indeed your father is sick” he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim to their father Jacob for blessings. And Jacob made pronouncements of blessings over them. Every son needs a father to speak words of strength, encouragement, and prophetic words over the lives of their children. The pronouncement of fathers is powerful, and should not be toiled with; by the pronouncement of his mouth Ephraim was set before Manasseh in destiny, by the pronouncement of Isaac Jacob was set ahead of Esau in destiny.

 

Be careful that you don’t depart from the father’s presence carrying leprosy like Gehazi, see the dimensions of blessings he pronounced on Judah and Issachar, leadership blessings that cannot be contested for nor denied. Don’t leave the fathers presence into riotous living and if you have done so return quickly, the father’s arms are wide open to receive you. His love knows no bound and he is willing to receive you back into the fold. You need someone to speak words of wisdom and prophetic declarations into your life. His words maybe sharp but until you are cut there can never be a change. You need someone who knows the way, you need to be shown the pattern that will disconnect you from taking after your broken father. You need a new image to look unto in order to become who God absolutely want you to be.

 

Malachi 3:7; “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, wherein shall we return?” This is the plight of God the Father to children who have gone astray away from the ordinance of the perfect father and He is saying return to Me. Until you return to Me you can’t fix the damages and imperfection created by your fathers who have long strayed away from His ordinance. You have to receive this word with meekness and return to Jesus who is the way to the Father.  

 

Thanks for the gift of your time.

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Apeh Francis Abah!

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