If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.... Everything that is distinctively Christian... is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. “Father” is the Christian name for God. - J.I. Packer Protector and defender Throughout the OT, God spoke through Moses and the prophets that He would fight on behalf of His people. Nehemiah 4:14 - Nehemiah asks God's people to defend their families. Provider Matthew 6:25, 26 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Encourager Video Example to Follow Proverbs 20:7 The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him! Trainer Proverbs 3:11-12 god disciplines us for our good. Two points of application for us today. 1. The glorious God of the universe sent His Son into the world. He taught us how to relate to God in a way that no other religion teaches. Matthew 6:9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." God wants us to see Him as our Protector, Provider, Encourager, Example, Trainer He will defend you, provide for you, encourage you, lead you, teach and train you. He is Father to everyone who will seek Him. Do you know Him? 2. Men, God wants to show his nature through you. He has called you to fight for your family. He has called you to provide for them. He has called you to be an example of integrity, love, and strength. He has called you to be an encourager, not a critic He has called you to lead your family in loving discipline. Being a father is the most important role I will ever play and if I don’t do this well, no other thing I do really matters. What God has called you to, He will empower you to do. He never intended for us to todo this on our own, but to rely on His wisdom and strength. I remember times in my life where I felt like everything I was doing as a father was failing. I had brothers come alongside me and remind me, God will help you be the father and the husband that He has called you to be. Do you need to surrender to His wisdom and strength today? Do you feel like you've blown it? The past is the past and God's grace covers it. What about today? Do you need His strength and wisdom?