Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly” (Psalm 112:6-8 NLT).
Men, to be successful in life and to be a good leaders and providers for our families, it’s going to take more than natural wisdom and abilities. It’s going to take faith in God and His Word! It’s good to get an education, get a good job, or have a great career, but no matter how much training we get or how much natural skill and talent we have, we must have faith in God. Bottom line, God says that without faith it’s impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).
In Psalm 78 the Bible talks about the Israelites and how their lack of faith in God angered Him. Even though God did all kinds of miracles to deliver them out of slavery and get them to the Promised Land, they continually doubted Him. The Bible says they were “a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their hearts aright nor prepared their hearts to know God, and whose spirits were not steadfast and faithful to God” (Psalm 78:8 AMPC). As a result, it goes on to say in verse nine, “The children of Ephraim were armed and carrying bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle.” In other words, when it came time to go to battle, even though they were trained soldiers, they wimped out because they had no faith in God.
As fathers and leaders, we can’t afford to be stubborn, rebellious, and weak in faith. We need to be men of faith and not wimp out when we’re confronted with a battle. To have strong faith in God, we need to know what His Word says. Our families are looking to us for stability, direction, and guidance. If we will look to God and have faith in Him, He will strengthen, enable, and equip us to lead our families.
Take Away:
The biggest investment you can make in yourself and your family is to take time to read God’s Word and get it rooted in your heart. Faith comes by hearing the Word, and faith is what wins victories. Life is full of challenges. Things might be going well today, but tomorrow you might get thrown a curve ball that you didn’t see coming. The thing that will anchor you, sustain you, bring you through to the other side, and cause you to rise to the top will be your faith in God and His Word.
