The Hollywood Prayer Network On FathersSmakprov

A LOVING FATHER'S DISCIPLINE

"Train up a child in the way he should go – but be sure you go that way yourself." Charles Spurgeon

PRAY:  Dear Father, I know that as a father disciplines his children, You must discipline me. Would You help me not to lose heart when You rebuke me. Help me to endure hardship as discipline, for I know that You are treating me as Your child. Help me not only to accept Your discipline, but to respect you for it, as I am to respect my earthly father when he disciplines me. Teach me how much more I should submit to You, God, so that I may live! Show me when I go through hard times if it is just life or if You are disciplining me. I often am not sure. I seek you, Father, to mold me, shape me, and grow me into a Christ-like child of Yours whom you are proud of. Amen

REFLECT:  God tells us that life on earth is just a mere reflection of our life to come in Heaven. The understanding of our relationship with our earthly fathers vs. our Heavenly Father is a good example of this. It is so difficult to know how to discipline a child. Should we "spare the rod," or use the spoon? Do we give time-outs, take away things for a period of time, give lectures on right and wrong, or yell and scream in frustration? Only God knows exactly how to discipline His children. Human beings are still trying to figure it out. So, maybe the only way to know how to discipline our children is to read scripture, pray without ceasing, and seek wise advice from Godly mentors. 

ACT: Read Hebrews 12:5, 7 & 9 again and pray over each verse.  Seek wisdom about how you were disciplined and how you should discipline your children, your students, etc..  Also, ask the Lord for insight into how He is disciplining you.  Sometimes we need to just endure hardship because that may be when God is disciplining us in order to make us stronger or to learn a lesson.  Seek God's face, ask Him for wisdom, and don't assume that you know how God is disciplining you or how you need to discipline others.  Many, many mistakes have been made by fathers around the world because they have chosen incorrectly how to discipline their children.  Or maybe they never thought about it at all, but just acted out of frustration or anger.  Ask God right now to help you submit to Him so that you may live.  Ask Him to teach you how to be disciplined and how to discipline others.  This is a crucial element in our personal relationships and many fathers have destroyed their relationships with their children because they didn't know how to discipline them. He loves you so much as His precious child.  Seek Him as your Heavenly Father!

SONGS - BELIEVE YOU CAN FLY      

                 LITTLE BOYS ARE WILD AT HEART