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“No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.” —Leonard Ravenhill
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Tag Archives: Fatherhood

Reclaiming Fatherhood and Restoring Fathers (Part 2)

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As stated in Part 1, it simply cannot be an accident or coincidence that the Old Testament concludes in the last two verses in the last chapter of the last book, Malachi, with this prophecy:

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse.” (Mal. 4:5,6)

As I also stated at the beginning of this discussion, I believe the ultimate purpose of the prophetic, or at least the Elijah-type of prophetic ministry, those who operate in the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Lk. 1:17), is to restore fatherhood and reclaim fathers, both in the spiritual and natural realms. (more…)

Traumatic Traits of Fatherless Men

Traumatic Traits of Fatherless Men
by Joseph Mattera

There is a dearth of fatherlessness in the world and in the church today. The emotional and spiritual effects of this have been nothing less than catastrophic! The following are some of the symptoms of fatherlessness. (This can be applied to both natural and spiritual fathers.) (more…)

Reclaiming Fatherhood and Restoring Fathers (Part 1)

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse.” (Mal. 4:5-6)

The state of affairs in the world today wherein corruption and criminality is ubiquitous makes it evident that the land has been smitten with a curse as the prophecy of the prophet Malachi predicts. Indeed, we see revealed in these two verses culminating the Old Testament, the fundamental root-cause of all that corruption and criminality — a dearth of fatherhood.

History and sociological statistics tell us that wherever and whenever there is an absence of fatherhood there is an increase in sin and rebellion in the affected society, accompanied by a long list of resultant crimes and corruption that sin and rebellion inevitably engender.

The produce of a dearth of fatherhood in individual lives and collective society is disorder and disobedience of all sorts and kinds, both to God’s authority and God’s delegated authority — i.e., human authority — on earth.

Lack of fatherhood produces rebellion and lawlessness of every kind, which always strongly impacts every society and nation in which it transpires, not merely in a negative way, but a destructive way. The ultimate end of lawlessness is always destruction of the underpinnings that hold any society together.

Thus, the pattern is that fatherlessness begats lawlessness, and lawlessness begats destruction. “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” (Psa 11:3), the Spirit laments through the Psalmist.

Moreover, it is this destruction of the foundations of human society that has a profound part in causing the entire world to reel and “everything that can be shaken” to be shaken in this last hour.

The profound and far-reaching negative impact of fatherlessness is manifest in every segment of societies around the world today as well as in the church realm. Desperate beyond comprehension and expression is the need for Godly fathers to emerge in both realms to manifest the many positive and desirable effects that result only from the proper spiritual function of fatherhood! (more…)

The Blessings Coming to the Righteous

Yesterday I was reading Psalm 112, and was totally blown away by the prophetic promises it contains! I just had to write to share with you what the Lord was speaking to me about you through it. I say “you,” because I believe you are one who fears the Lord and finds delight in His commands!

Psalm 112
1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.
7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.
10 The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

What a glorious picture the psalmist portrays of the life and posterity of “the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands!” The list of blessings it says will accrue to that man is truly mindboggling! And they concern every aspect of life that, when the final curtain of life comes down, really counts! (more…)