A Father's Blessing

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham a little later in the program will tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's book men of God first hears the message the blessing of the father. Chapter Abraham is described on numerous occasions in Scripture as father Abraham, because he became the father by faith to a great nation. Jewish people at not only the Jewish people but to all who believe we are descendents of Abraham by faith. We are a part of the spiritual family of this man, and in the second verse of chapter 12. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and your name shall be great, and you shall be a blessing.

Now Abraham has blessed the world father Abraham a man whose faith has been carried on from generation to generation and is my prayer that every father here every dad every mom every parent would extend that blessing to our own families, as we are living are all on the legacy of faith and I want to ask and answer the question today.

How do we bless our children.

So many children grow up without the blessing of God upon their lives. So many children never experienced the blessing of the father. The blessing of a parent.

Those words of affirmation and acceptance were supported and that were strengthened in so every child needs the blessing of the file. Every child needs the blessing of the family. What is it to bless our children. I would use in a little acrostic this morning. BL ESS if were going to bless our children. We do it. First of all by building our children's self-esteem by building our children's self-esteem inside of every child. Maybe created by God stamped with the signature of God himself is incredible potential for life, just as God promised Abraham to make a great nation of his people.

God has promised greatness to all who believe and trust in him. And so there is the opportunity within every child born the gifts given to us by God the opportunity to build character and confidence, and compassion by blessing our children God made every child to win. And yet the reason that so many kids today are acting like losers is because they've never been told they never been blessed. They've never been built up in their own confidence in Christ and therefore they don't know how to win when you look at your child what you see. I hope men that you see an incredible amount of potential. When I when our children were little, we used to sing with them. The little Gaither song.

I am a promise, I'm a possibility I am a promised with a P I'm a great big bundle of potentiality and every child carries within the heart and the life. Certainly when that child is redeemed by the blood of his cross, and the power of his resurrection. Every child possesses amazing potential.

I heard about a little. A classic vacation Bible school and they were asking the Boys and Girls Club what they wanted to be when I grew up and the various answers were the normal answers were on the way. Of course I want to be a fireman. I want to be a policeman. I want to be a mom. I want to be a president and finally one of our raises hand and said I want to be possible. The teacher said possible.

Why do you want to be possible, he said, because my dad tells me all the time. I'm impossible. I want to be possible.

God help us to teach our children to tell our children that they are possible. God has poured out lavishly, his love upon everyone about in the same manner as he has blessed us with this confidence. This Christ confidence that we can square our shoulders and lift up our heads and live life confidently. So in passing our faith to our children in the blessing of our faith upon our children that we teach them to live life with self-esteem and confidence in possibilities for the future.

Your child is a blank check from God, and we get the joy of building them up and who they are. But secondly we bless our children by loving our children unconditionally. This is a non-breakable love that perseveres through trials and obstacles.

Love is best defined. Of course I sacrifice particularly in the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, but God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, God gave himself in love for us and when we love our children unconditionally. Our children respond to that love. Don't ever in any sense of the word in any way in your life suggesting your children that your love is based upon their behavior based upon what they do, but rather let your children know that no matter what they do, that your love is last, even as the love of God is eternal so is the love of the dad lovable mom lasting the other day and I will dinner with our family and friends are children gave attribute dear old dad and it was interesting what they said and it was a very emotional moment, but each one of them. Each one of them mentioned the unconditional love, but in particular they said that thank you, thank you for providing security in our home by loving our mother being faithful to mom.

One of the best ways you can show your love for your children is by loving their mother men to be faithful to the calling that you have as a husband and as parents know that unconditional love must not cannot be withheld and we express our unconditional love and all kinds of ways and and dad doing with hugs, do it with kisses and embraces the expressive big use in your love for your children know the standoff, but rather open and transparent with your love for your kids. Several years ago, a letter was recorded by a lonely man.

He was riding during the fearful days of the second world war. His son was fighting in a far-off distant place in the second world war and the man sat down to compose the following anguish versus dear son.

I wish I had the power to write the thoughts wedged in my heart tonight as I sit watching that small star and wondering where in how you are.

You know son is a funny thing how close a war can really bring a father who for years with pride is Emotion inside. I'm sorry son when you were so small. I let reserve build up that wall I told you real men never cry and it was mom who always dried your tears and smooth your hurts away so that you would soon go back to play with Sunday. Deep down within my heart I long to have some little parts some little part in drying that small tears thing face but we were men. Men don't embrace.

Suddenly I found my son a full-grown man with child have done tonight. Your far across the sea fighting away from men like me will somehow pride in what is right have somehow changed places here tonight. I find my eyes won't quite stay dry and that real men sometimes cry if I stood here face-to-face. I'm sure my son we would embrace. Embrace your children. Dad's hold them close. Love them with all your heart and express it every day you're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in his message the blessing of a father pastor this month with a special gift for listeners to give a gift to PowerPoint. If your book man of God. What can you tell us about this powerful resource know I have a real passion to see men know and follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and is this a and that if I was just speaking to me right now I would say the greatest thing you can do with your life fully follow the Lord Jesus Christ said that it doesn't take much of a man to be a Christian but I tell you this. It takes all the man that there is another words you are to give yourself to Christ. Some of you guys your tomorrow. Good husband family Guy worker by goodness is to have that doesn't make us a man of God. God Jesus your faith and trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior. You can become the man didn't make the person that he made you some of you never done that you have a relationship with the church.

You have a relationship with students, but you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I really want to challenge you today that you would trust him with all your heart and then if you are a believer you find yourself happy and not fully. I want to hurt you to walk with God like never before. And that's the reason I've written this book man of God I really want you to have this book because it talks about how we as men can truly be men of God that sounds overwhelming.

I promise you is possible for you. You can be the man. The person that God want you to be as you walk with him and the power of the Holy Spirit. So I've written man of God so that we could live life with purpose and passion in life and make a difference and that's why I want you to get this book man is available to you right now. You see, called today and get Dr. Graham's book man of God is our thank you for your gift. Call 1-800-795-4627 that's 1-800-795-4627 or text the word PowerPoint 259789. Now let's get back to today's message the blessing of a father, bless our children by building their self-esteem by loving them unconditionally and thirdly by encouraging our children's best.

Every child needs a cheerleader and dad, you don't have to put on a skirt to be a cheerleader, I'm so thankful for my dad, Tom Graham, who cheered me on every step of the way.

I can't remember a ballgame or an event that my father was not there cheering me on.

He was willing to stand in the background, in order that my brother and I might take center stage.

So many children grow up with constant criticism and negativity. And if we grow up with criticism we learn to be critical, but if we learn to grow up with praise we learn to be praiseworthy and expressive praise. Remember when you start blessing your children with encouragement you are encouraging generations to come. Some of us here today are negative are cynical are critical in our family environment because that's what we learned in our families, perhaps you grew up in a family where there wasn't much praise nor was there much criticism and you have just succeeded this in the generations of today, but you can break the cycle of criticism.

You can tear that wall down and remember this how you praise and encourage your children will ultimately remove reflected in their own lives and in their own parenting. I'm talking about your grandchildren. And so began the cycle of prey and encouraging them in every way possible. Next we bless our children by shaping our children's values.

We must not leave our children alone in order to pledge for themselves in this world that is no friend to grace. We shape our children's values by praying for them by protecting them and then by teaching them to love God's word and to live in obedience.

For example, the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament is actually a book of short and simple truth is given from a father to a son, and it is the role of the father.

The big-time role of the father to make sure that we are imparting wisdom, not just human wisdom but God's wisdom to our children and prepare our children for life by shaping their value. The psalmist said in 100 Psalm 127 like arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior, so are the children of your you and just as arrows are to be prepared and pointed and polished and then propelled against the adversary so we dad's like warriors must be setting the arrows and releasing them. What is a narrative, an arrow flies to a place that you cannot go and our children will live in a time in an era that we will not live but they are our message and the mission of Christ in the world through our lives, and therefore we are shaping the developing them train up a child in the way that he should go nourish the child and develop that child into a disciple of Christ.

What is the role of the dad you were to be a disciple maker in your own with your own children as you take the responsibility of shaping the values of your children for the years to come.

And then finally we bless our children by building their self-esteem by loving them unconditionally by encouraging them to be at their best for Christ by shaping their values and finally by strengthening or sharing our own faith with them is like the passing of the baton as we transfer our faith in the race to our children and our children's children. Joseph Bailey is one of my favorite writers speaks of this transfer this very important moment that some of us need to be thinking about a little more today. Dad's right.

Sometimes God speaks to us or causes us to take a long look at ourselves and our families at a time of change.

In that time maybe beginning the beginning of a new year, or it may be an unexpected jolt for coming up short by 60th birthday.

He writes with such an occasion.

It was a time when I had a warning of my own mortality that a day was coming when my boys in this world would be still. Then I shall awaken in my Lord's awesome joy expressed warning was a tap on the shoulder, not hands around my neck or shoved to the ground that it calls me to think the thoughts and consider separations and ponder my life and work. One heavy thought that came to me was what final testament, I would leave for my children and other Christians of their generation that was not a new thought.

But in recent weeks. It'd been a recurrent, but now there was an edge of urgency to it. I cannot avoid the evidence that my generation is in the process of turning the team over are rather turning the game over to a fresh team. We are now in the process of turning the game over to a fresh team. Our children and our grandchildren and how we make the transfer is vital to the cause of the kingdom of God in the future of our families. They say that in a race a relay race. The most critical moment is the exchange from one runner to the next. The passing of the baton and you don't get to slow down to do it. In fact, you're running at full pace.

If you intend to be successful and you make the exchange by handing that baton to the one who will run after you. So is in the Christian life. In this race of faith that were in gentlemen and ladies that we have the opportunity and the responsibility to pass the baton of faith to our children and ultimately to their children and the bottom line is that the last step in the race are the most critical in passing the baton as were getting older and is the race continues.

Let's make sure that we don't stumble, but that we keep running and running well and that from the first step to the last steps that our children will know that we are men of faith, women of faith and that we are sharing our faith and strengthening the faith of our children. That's how you bless generations to come is my prayer that you would not only know the blessing of God upon your own life that you would get that blessing away is it where you would lay your hands upon the heads of your children, even as an ancient bless sacred guys show listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message the blessing of a father. Today's culture has so distorted the concept of masculinity that some even rejected toxic world doesn't need less manly men.

We need more men of God, men who love Jesus make a living. Husbands and fathers and lead as servants we like to help you uncover what God says about true masculinity by sending you Dr. Graham's man of God will gain difficult insight into how you met in your life can win with purpose and passion for Christ first in living radically for him.

Men of God is our thanks for your gift to help proclaim God's word to PowerPoint to request your copy when you call today: 800-7954 627-2000 795-4627 can also text PowerPoint to 59789 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store.

Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie Hester what is your PowerPoint for today. Never felt last encouraged are favored by their fathers or by their mothers.

They did not have a good experience growing up.

Maybe they came from a very dysfunctional and discouraging family. So often people grow up. Therefore, without a sense of blessing, but you can know the blessing of the father. The blessing of the heavenly father God loves you and God believes in you. He believes in you so much that he died on the cross for you and rose again. God wants to bless you. He wants to be your father.

He wants to give you incredible favor that it begins with the forgiveness of your sin and the acceptance into his family and it continues with the affirmation of his love every day in hundreds and hundreds of way and it will take an eternity for us to experience the full blessing. And the wonderful joy of being in the family of God. And when you are loved like that when you know that God loves you, then you can love other people, starting with your own family. He wants you to reach out to your kids to touch them to hug them to put your hand on them and bless them with your words.

All you have to do is ask God to show you how.

Ask him to give you the words. Ask him to show you the way that you can make a difference in your child's life by loving them extravagantly and giving them your very best blessing.

Now if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you have very little chance of being a great parent.

But if today you will trust in Christ by receiving him as your Lord and Savior, then you can receive not only his grace and power and forgiveness and salvation, but the power to live a godly life and to be a godly dad to be a godly mom or parent. So today invite Christ into your life by simply praying Lord Jesus, I know you died for me, and rose again I believe and trust in you.

The Bible says if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead. We will be saved. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So call upon his name right now.

Just pray. Jesus be my Lord be my Savior, my God, I come to you. Thank you for your blessing and your favor and your grace and help me to live in that grace and to give that grace to others. This day would you know this love in this blessing of God the father. The blessing of salvation, then you can pass this blessing on to your children is the best thing the very best thing you can give to your family. Maybe today you never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

You never invited him into your life, receiving forgiveness and the free gift of eternal life.

So right now wherever you are. Pray this prayer, Lord Jesus, I do invite you to come into my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. I believe you rose again on the third day and right now I do receive you as my Lord and my Savior.

I pray that I will follow you and the power of your Holy Spirit all the days of my life until you come for me now if you pray this prayer and with honesty and sincerity invite Jesus into your life. Welcome to the family of God, and I would personally love to hear about your decision and give you some material to help you get started in your relationship today. If you pray that prayer with Dr. Graham and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. We love to hear from so we can help you begin your new life in Christ. Please call us at one 800-7954 627-1800 795-4627. Join us again next time. As Dr. Graham brings a message about how Psalm one provides the principles for being the father knows best. Next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham, PowerPoint Jacaranda, sponsored by PowerPoint ministries