In I Cor. 13:11 it says, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Oh, that men would be men, that young men would be young men, that they would be those that put away childish things.

          I thought about a child. A child is very vulnerable. A child is weak. A child is easily fooled. A child cries easily, is easily scared and quick to run from trouble. Paul here says that when he was a child he thought as a child, he spake as a child, he understood as a child, but when he became a man, he put away childish things. What he is saying is, when I became a man, I left my childhood and I took on responsibility, and this is the burden of my heart.

          It is a burden on my heart when I hear little children saying, “Please pray for my daddy, that he might be saved.” It is amazing that children can see, and daddy’s can’t see. It is amazing that the child is afraid of what the devil can do to them, and daddy is not concerned. It stirs my heart when I see a mother with several children coming to meeting, endeavouring, by the help and grace of God, to stand between those little ones and the devil. She is doing her best to protect the children; to save their souls, to keep them from being lost forever, and daddy isn’t concerned.

          Fathers, many times, are not even concerned enough to bring their child to service. It’s hard to tell what they are doing at home. While the wife, the mother is doing her very best to save their souls and praying and crying, trying to keep them from being lost forever, daddy sits home and watches television.

          The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:7 that the wife is the weaker vessel. Here is someone that is weaker, yet trying to withstand the power of darkness. Now this happens all the time. This is a common happening. We have situations right here in our midst, and not only here, but you can go to other places, and the one that should be standing between the devil and the family is asleep. Often he is gone fishing, or doing something else.

          I thought of the scripture that says the devil goeth about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The Bible, in another place, says the enemy “cometh not but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” I am especially thinking about our families. I am thinking about our little children. The devil has his eyes on each and every one of our children. He is set to take them down. He is set to destroy lives. He is working against them, and he is by far getting most of the children of the world. Even among the saints, it is amazing how the devil can pluck one here and there. Listen, can you imagine a mother with her children huddled in a corner, and a pack of angry wolves endeavouring to get those children? And the mother, in her feeble way, but yet in her determined way, is doing her best to stand against it and daddy is over there in a lawn chair drinking ice tea. You would say, “What a good for nothing man is that!”

          There is something worse than a pack of literal wolves trying to get your children. We will get to you, young men, as you may be married one of these days and this will be good for you, too.

          The devil is getting the children. It is happening. They are being murdered. They are being consumed. They are being torn up, and we still hear the cries of the children, “Please pray for my daddy, that he can be saved; that he can help us; that he could be on our side.”

          The Bible says that two are better than one, and if you have one you would hope it would be the strong one. But many times, I think about mothers, “the weaker vessel” and they are the ones trying to face the world, the wickedness, and trying to stand against its forces, to keep them alive, while fathers are just doing nothing.

          Listen, to do nothing for the souls of your children is worse than when someone would break into your house, and you just sit back and grin and say, “He’s my buddy.” The Children’s Aid would take them away from you. We don’t do that, we just try to get you saved. But I have a burden–let the men be the men. My God, the devil is going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour! It is amazing how fathers will leave the spiritual welfare up to the mother and just say, “Well, you take them to service; you be the example.” What you are doing is letting her fight alone and it makes it harder for her to win, unless others will step in and help.

          I want to preach unto us how to be men; that men would be men. It is shameful that a little child can stand up to the devil and keep their salvation and daddy can’t do it. Young people go through the fire, go through temptations, standing against the devil, keeping saved, and daddy can’t stand up against temptation. Daddy buckles under. Daddy gives into his flesh. Daddy yields unto temptation.

          The Bible says a little child shall lead them. A little child determines in their mind, “I’m not giving up, even if one of my parents is not saved. I am not giving up. I am going to pray for them.” “Pray for my daddy.” Big old man hangs his head. A little child outfights him. A little child outruns him. A little child has more determination and more self denial. A little child, when they don’t know what to do, just prays anyway. Big daddy buckles in. Fathers can’t take it. “Johnny, you’re strong enough, daddy isn’t. Momma somehow pulls through, too.” The family works together, kind of pulls together. It’s kind of halt and it’s kind of maimed. It’s kind of a feeble army, but somehow God sees it and God is helping them. The mother feels the lack. They wish they had the support, but there is something in their heart–I have to save my children. I am their mother. I just can’t let them die.

          Somehow it seems the father loses all touch and he steps back and watches them fight alone. The father thinks he is tough; he has things in control. But really, they are weaklings and they are a failure and it’s a shame.

          Luke 1:16, “And many of the children of Israel shall be turned to the Lord their God and he shall go before him”–talking here of John the Baptist, who would go before Jesus Christ–“in the spirit and the power of Elias,”–to do what?– “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.”

          You know fathers, we need to have a heart for our children. Our hearts need to be for our children. Your hearts don’t need to be set on pleasures and having your own way and doing your own thing. But may God help that something can turn their hearts to their children.

          Many of you know the effects it had on you when your father’s heart was not turned toward you. When you were left to fight alone, you know what happened. You know the trouble and grief that it caused you. You know that some of the problems you are dealing with today are because you didn’t have the help and the support that you should have had.

          I desire this evening to do as John the Baptist did, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children; to preach to you men about being men. As I said already, it is a shame for you men that women can keep saved and go through some things (I am not saying that all women keep saved, there are some that backslide), but it seems for the most part, if there is someone backsliding, it is the men or the young men. Those big strong men are just buckling under and yielding to temptation, just wilting. A little suffering in the flesh and you give up and quit. You are a flunky! It’s not only young men, either, it’s big grown men. It’s fathers that just quit the race. God wants to turn your hearts to the children. The apostle John said, “I speak to you, young men, because ye are strong,”

          “If a man know not how to rule his house, how shall he take care of the church of God.” I Tim. 3:5. The part that I want to get out of this scripture, is a man is to know how to rule his own house. You might say, “Now, I like what you are saying now.” You do? The scripture says a man is to rule his own house, to take care of his own house. He is the ruler, the head. He is the one you should be able to depend on. He is the one you are to be able to lean on. When you don’t know what to do, ask him. The man is to rule his own house. Yes, you may say, “I like that. I like that preaching and I hope my wife is hearing and understanding that I’m to rule the house.”

          “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” Prov. 25:28. There are men that would like to rule their own houses, but they can’t even rule their own spirit. Men that cannot keep saved, there is no wall in their home. There is no protection. Their house is vulnerable and it is opened up.

          Before we can rule anyone else–and fathers do need to be ruling their own homes–men need to be able rule their own spirit. We need to be able to be in control. We need to be able to say, “No, I will not yield unto temptation! No, I will not give in. This a hard place, but I will not yield to it. I will stand against it.” You have to have the victory in your own soul first.

          “...and he that ruleth his spirit [is mightier] than he that taketh a city.” Prov. 16:32. You might say, “I wish I had control,” but if you can’t control your own spirit, if you can’t have control over yourself, you can’t go through yourself, how can you expect to help your children and family?

          It is a shame how little children can have a vision that they need to be saved, and daddy can’t see that. Little children are praying, “Lord, open daddy’s eyes, that he can see,” when the father should be ruling the home and the prayer should be, “Pray for my little children, saints, pray for my children. I am concerned for my children.” Instead, it is the other way around, children requesting prayer for their daddy because he is not saved.

          Men, I am going to tell you something. Some people are unfit to be married. If you don’t have rule over your own spirit and can’t stand up to the devil and your own self, please don’t get married.

          It is amazing how young men are noodlebacks. Some can’t stay saved for two weeks; can’t overcome their own flesh. When the going gets tough, they stand about three days and then it is over. We are men, they say, and I can pick up one hundred pounds, but spiritually they fall and watch some little child run right by them. To be a real man, the scripture tells us that he that ruleth over his own spirit is greater than he that taketh a city. We read stories how in war time men do great acts and do honourable things. But you’re a nobody if you can’t rule your own spirit. I would hate for you to be married to some dear, little sister and you have some children and then be kind of in and out half the time, and can’t keep saved. Little Johnny and little Susy looking at you and saying, “Daddy can’t keep saved, mama. Is daddy not saved now?” “Daddy, Jesus can help you keep saved. Jesus has helped me.” Oh yes, but it is so hard, you say–You big baby!

          Men have become effeminate. Men are becoming womanish, and men are not men anymore. A man that can watch his family starve and just keep on drinking the money away–that is not a man. A man that can’t keep saved shouldn’t have any children. Men should be ashamed of themselves.

          “...the righteous are bold as a lion.” Prov. 28:1. Men need to be bold. There should be a lion boldness in them. The Bible says “resist the devil and he will flee.’’ Can you make the devil run? Your little children might be, and your wife is making the devil run, in her weak and feeble state. But the devil comes and attacks you and in about five minutes he has you in the corner and you are giving in again. He will send a temptation your way and you put a little fight up, and then you think, oh well, I can’t do it. So I guess your little children and family will have to go on by themselves. They are making it, but you can’t. The trial kind of gets hard, there’s a strong temptation, the man puts up a little resistance and in a little bit, he gives in–what a man. This is hardly a man.

          Now being saved is not like being part of a club and trying to hold out. This is about the spiritual welfare of your family. This is about where your children will be a million years from now. This is more than someone putting a gun to your child’s head and you sitting back and doing nothing. This is worse than that. Someone can kill your child and it is over, they go to heaven. But if the devil kills them spiritually, if he comes in and starts ripping them apart, starts killing and stealing and you sit back and you can’t help because your hands are tied. You have dealt with this murderer before and you have made an agreement with him. This is a shame. You know this is real. This is happening and if we can get a glimpse of it, it should spur us on. It should create in us a cry, “Lord, help me be a man.”

          Young men thinking of being married and yet can’t overcome the devil–Don’t get married! Young women, don’t marry that kind of man! You only want to marry real men. You want to marry someone that can keep saved. You want to marry someone that when the going gets tough, they will keep their face like a flint and their feet to the grind. Day after day they will face the devil. They will stand between you and the devil. They will make the devil run. You know it is good to have someone with you that can make the devil run. If you were out in the world and you had people coming after you, you would want someone with you that could make them afraid. Who can do that? Real men can do that.

          Can you endure temptation, day after day when the devil is pounding on you? Day after day when you are drawn away by your flesh and tempted, can you say no? Can you put up a fight? Can you make him run? It’s real men that can do this. Can you crucify your flesh? Can you live the crucified life? If you don’t live the crucified life, you will be serving sin.

          The Bible says, “...he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin.” Can you suffer? Can you take pain? Can you endure “hardness as a good soldier?” Can you deny yourself?

          You say, well I did for three days. I know young men that are this way. You ask them how they are doing. “Good, good.” “How long have you had victory over sin?” “About three days.” If they make it two weeks they are doing pretty good. What a shame. My little children do better than that. Oh, that God would help us to be men. We need to ask the Lord to help us to really see what is going on.

          “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil...” Psa. 97:10. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” Prov. 8:13. A man’s wrath should be feared. If we love the Lord, we are to hate evil. It is amazing, your little children and wife abhor it, but you are courting it. They can’t stand it and think it is awful and your attitude toward it is, it isn’t all that bad. You kind of have a leaning that way.

Evil is designed to take the life of your children away and you are not really against it. Can you imagine if you knew there was a wolf that was determined to eat your children? The mother knew it, but the dad just says, “Oh, he is a nice puppy. No, we are not going to kill him. No, we are not going to get rid of him. He is going to stay around,” even though it is determined to kill the children.

          I thank God for my mother. I want to tell you what my mother did once. My mother was saved many years before my dad was. My dad used to have a shop out by our house and the men that worked there were not good men and they had dirty magazines. We children would go out there and be getting those things. My dad didn’t do anything about it. My mom, thank God for her, got so upset. I remember the day she did it. She went outside and was walking toward that shop, and she said, “I am going to do something.” She walked in that shop and she looked around and they had this big boom box. She grabbed that big boom box and slammed it to the floor. She got a sledge hammer and started beating it. Batteries were rolling everywhere. My momma got mad! She was angry at the devil. She was furious.

          The men came in and they were quiet. They knew something had happened. They knew someone was mad. My dad wasn’t that concerned. He wasn’t saved. But my mom saw the evil; she saw what the devil was trying to do to us children and she got mad.

          Do you ever get mad? Do you ever get angry when the devil beats you and gets you again and again? When you fall into temptation and into the flesh, there should rise up an anger, “I will never do it again. I hate you, devil. I’ll never give place to the devil.” Instead of it being a light thing when you don’t have full victory, there is a holy indignation that rises up in you. “I’ll never do it again.” You are furious. You’ll die before you do that again.

          Men should be able to get mad at the devil easily, but it seems like it’s hard to get their anger stirred up. You know what I am talking about, just so nonchalant. There needs to be a holy indignation. A real man will rise up and say, “This will not happen again.” They might tell their wife they are sorry for the past, but one thing is for sure, it is going to be different. When a man responds that way, it is a man that is starting to see his responsibility. That is a man that is starting to feel the man rise up in him–”This will not happen again.”

          You read those stories about drunkards that come home and tell their wives, “Don’t worry, things are going to be different now”–drunkards that were not even saved. Something just rose up in them. They were not going to do it again. They saw their little child hungry and in tattered clothes, and the reality hit them and they decide it is going to be different; it’s not going to happen again, and for many of them it didn’t happen again because the man part of them rose up.

          If we do not stand up there will be many people lost. Families will be lost even among the saints. They are depending on you to be a man; depending on you to get mad, to get angry, to hate evil, to give no place to the devil, to make no provision for the flesh.

          Joshua, in Joshua 24:15 said, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” He took the lead. He was the one that said, “We are going to serve the Lord.” I don’t believe Joshua said that just so his family would follow after him, but Joshua saw that serving the Lord was life and the only way to escape eternal damnation. He didn’t ask questions. He said we are going to do it. We are going to serve the Lord and take the straight and narrow way.

          Most of the time, you see women wanting to take the straight and narrow way. The men are wanting an easier way. You see young sisters being able to hold out and be saved and you see young men falling off; they can’t take it.

          You may ask me what I am trying to do here. I am trying to impress the reality of this on your heart and mind. I am trying to stir up the man in you and a sense of responsibility.

          “And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.” Num. 16:47-48. Here was a plague and God’s wrath was turned out upon the children of Israel. I believe they started to die by the thousands. But there were two men, and one man took incense, which is a type of prayer, and ran out and stood between the living and the dead. He had enough power to stay back the power of death. One man stood between death and life. Men, brethren, we need to be that one man, to stand between our families and the world; to be able to stand between the devil and our children. But how can you stand if you have fallen? How can you be that for your family if you are not saved? If you can’t keep the victory for yourself, how can you do it for your family?

          In Gen. 32:22-28, we have the account of Jacob just before he was going to meet Esau. “And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”

          Here is Jacob and there was trouble ahead. It even looked like death might come to all of them. Jacob took his family across the brook to a safe place and he went back and was going to work this out alone. There was a battle to be fought. There was prayer to be made. There was something that had to be prayed through, or they might all perish. If he didn’t get a hold of God, more than likely they would have all perished.

          Jacob put his family in a safe place, picked up his manly responsibility, and went to work praying and wrestling, even though he was tired. The angel said, “Let me go,” but Jacob wouldn’t let the angel go. I’m not going to quit. I have to get the blessing, not only for myself, but for my children and for my family. I have to get help.

          As we know, he was told that his name would no longer be called Jacob but Israel, for as a prince thou hast power with God and men and hast prevailed. Jacob fought and wrestled until the victory was won. Here was a man standing for his family; a man standing between life and death. And because of his persistence and him seeking God as he needed to, the lives of his family were saved.

          Most men don’t do this. Most men are not even around to do it. It’s the mother that does it, or some of the little children that are fighting the fight; little children prevailing with God.

          “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph. 6:12. There are things that are coming against us. There are things we are going to have to wrestle against. There are things that are going to come against your family. You know the devil is not polite. The devil will just walk right into your home and try to take control. If someone doesn’t wrestle him and fight him and stand against him, he will completely take over. Everyone will be lost if someone doesn’t stand up. Who is going to stand up against him. Who is going to wrestle against him and endure? Who is going to be bold as a lion? Is it going to be your wife? Will it be your children?

          The song says, “His power can make you what you ought to be.” God can make you to be the husband, the young man you need to be. Young men, we need you now. It seems in this day that young men are just expected to backslide. People just expect young men to not be able to go through. Young men, be an example of the believers. Be men for the church. Don’t be noodlebacks. When the going gets hard, when the temptation is on you, and the trials severe, you need to say, “I am a man!” I have little children watching me. Young people, I have little children watching me. They are looking up to me. They are depending on me. The old saints are depending on us to carry this on when they are gone. You need to feel a responsibility. There needs to be something that rises up in you that will say, “I will be a man. I will be faithful. I will be true.”

          “And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” Neh. 4:14. The message I am sending to you is–Fight for yourselves. Fight for your wives. Please fight for your children. Fight for your homes! There is someone fighting against you and if you don’t fight, they may be overcome. Many times, you have to fight to keep yourself saved so you can save others, also. Fight for your children!

          The man that came to Jesus said, “If thou canst do anything, please help my child.” And Jesus said, “If you can believe,” and the man said, “I believe.” There are times when we need to have faith for our children and for our families. When it seems everyone else is trembling and afraid and doesn’t know what to do, the men need to stand up and they need to say, “I believe. Lord, help my unbelief, but I believe.” That child’s healing was depending on the father’s faith. I would hate my children to suffer under some affliction because I have a lack of faith.

          We need to be men. May God help us to be men. May God help us to take up our responsibility. May we be able to lead and rule the home. Fight for your family. More than likely, some of your children will be lost if you don’t fight for them.

          John said, “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong.” The devil says, no, you are not strong, you have to give in. But you just say, “I am strong.” When the temptation is on you and you don’t think you can keep saved, you just say with faith, “No, I am strong. I have to keep saved and go through.” If you backslide, you will take someone with you and if go to heaven you will take someone with you, too.

          Parents, if you are not saved, more than likely, you will cause some of your children to be lost forever. And if you are saved, you will more than likely help some of your children to be saved forever. After a million years, they will still be thanking you. “Thank you dad, thank you mom, for being true. I know you had your battles, but thank you for being saved for me.” I thank God that my mother was saved. If it was not for her being saved, I would probably not be saved today.

          Hold on, not only for your own soul’s sake, but for your family’s sake, too. There is a lot at stake. Take your responsibility and be men. Remember, His power can make you what you ought to be. Remember when it feels like you can’t go on that you are a man and you have to go on. The children are saying, “I have to go on.” Surely you men can.        May the Lord help you men and impress the seriousness of this message on your hearts and minds. Think about it if you are not saved, if you are not doing good in your soul, remember there is a broken down wall in your house that the devil can come through. Remember the struggle for your family is a lot harder without you. Fight for yourself and your family!

Preached in Aylmer, ON in February 2004