Father’s Day 2021 – Paternal Patterns

phil
by Phil Parkinson

Marketing and Partner Relations, CBN Europe

Featured Articles

The last thing we want as parents and Father’s is for our children to pick up our bad habits or negative traits. But how do we escape this happening? By killing giants. Taking down the monsters that lurk in our character and in our past can help us to raise children that are more free and are set up to win in ways we never could.

Generational Giants

As men, and as fathers, we are called to be giant killers. 

But what does that mean? 

In our lives, there are certain patterns, traits, or habits that are unhealthy for us, but that we naturally gravitate towards. These can be a wide array of things: laziness, lust, lack of commitment, addiction, cynicism, to name but a few. These can be just things we have fed as a result of unwise choices, but sometimes they are a result of things that have been passed down the generations.

You may call it a ‘natural disposition,’ which often means that without care and attention, you can slip into these patternsAnd while we should reflect on how we have been created, we need to fight some of these giants in our lives. 

Take addiction, for example. If you know that the generations before you had a tendency to become easily addicted to things like gambling or alcohol, but didn’t do anything about it to change, then it’s a disposition that is passed down that says, ‘that’s just the way you are,’ and, ‘that will always be a part of our family.’

So how can this giant be killed? 

Well, it’s not always easy, but with God’s help, it’s possible to face this head on, making healthy choices, setting boundaries that don’t allow you to go near those things that could become a vice, and praying over those things that have had a spiritual hold over your family, and breaking them off in Jesus’ Name. 

If we do our best to fight these giants on their behalf, it gives them a significant boost to achieve the potential that God has placed in each one of them.

A New Way

Another practical example is negativity or cynicism that runs in the family.

If you’ve grown up around negative words or behaviour it can be so easy to pass this on through your words. But God has called us to be encouragers, and that includes our families. Through prayer and conscious effort, it is possible to fight against this pattern and create a positive atmosphere. This involves speaking out words of encouragement to our children when they do something well, especially if it’s for the first time.

Speaking well of others in front our kids can be a massive help, as they see you honouring others, it creates a culture of integrity and respect. 

These are quite specific examples, but the point is to be aware of what we are passing on to our children. If we do our best to fight these giants on their behalf, it gives them a significant boost to achieve the potential that God has placed in each one of them.

And we’re not doing this on our own.

God says in His Word that He will ‘never leave us or forsake us,’ and this means He is there for us as we face down these giants in our lives. He has given us everything we need to overcome any work of the enemy, so we can be confident in building a better platform for our children and the generations to come. 

Related Articles

Prince of Peace

Everlasting Father

Mighty God

Wonderful Counsellor

Real Life Stories

Power in the Light

Parenting Halloween

Out of the Darkness

Free and Free Indeed

The Power of the Gospel

Gospel Power

Proximity

Protecting Your Joy

Joy Has A Reason

Choose Joy

True Joy

The Love we Deserve

Love in the Community

Surrounded

Love is a Verb

Servant or Served?

Hide and Seek

Selah

Never Lose Your Wonder

When They Saw the Star

Superbook Christmas 2021

Walking in the Sweet Spot

When Lives Are Restored

God Uses Broken Lives

Still in the Race

Growing Healthy Fruit

Stuck or Safe?

Embrace Your Journey

Ditch The Rotten Fruit

On Eagle’s Wings

In The Field

Life-Giving Words

Inside Out

The God Chase

My Redeemer Lives

Love Never Fails

Love Out Of Faith

Love Rejoices In Truth

Love Hopes All Things

99-1

CBN Europe READ

New Year, New You..?

The Gift Of New

Faithful Servanthood

Distracted

Hope In Action

Ask

Made To Worship

The 18-Inch Gap

Me, Myself and I

My Jesus Story

Songs That Speak

The God Who Sees

Warrior, Not Worrier

Finding Your Why

7 Days Ablaze Devotional

Don’t Date A Christian

Kill the Cancer of Contempt

Help! I feel called to…

You Are What You Love

He Likes To Be Asked

Remember Who You Are

A Letter For You

We Are The Selfie

Chase Wisdom

Jesus Leadership

Give God Some Space

Choose Faith

Tear Down Those Walls

How To Handle Bad News

Get Into The Flow

The Power of Partnership

Is God Too Busy For Me?

It Is A New Day

Presents & Presence

Unashamed To Be Naked

How To Overcome Offence

Don’t Be A Pigeon!

How Do You Treat Jesus?

The Colosseum of Mercy

CBN: A Ministry of Prayer

Does God Tempt Us?

The Secret To Contentment

How Do I Pray Out Loud?

Why Should I Pray Out Loud?

Do You Believe?

“Call Me Dad”

The Pinnacle Is Praise

A Tip About Tense

When Bono Met Eugene

‘Wonder’ Review

Elohim

Get A Life!

Generous Light

Faithful Prayer

Off By Heart

Faith In The Feels

Give God Some Space

Whose New Life?

Sharing Is Caring

The God Who Renames

Whatever The Weather

“To the Mothers”

Me, My Selfie and I

Making Time for God

Fresh Starts:

A Focus On Praise

Paul’s Challenge

Thanks to the Past

Steadfast Relationship

The Search For Approval

Don’t Date A Christian

My Champion, My Friend

Adoption And The Gospel

Remembering God

We Need “One Another”

Journal The Journey

Love Like Jesus

First Love

Love Language

Pursue Love

Down Is Up

The Simplest Law Of Love

Everything Made New

Too Busy Not To Love

Building Site Faith

Naked and Unashamed

Same Same but Different

Sitting with Dad

Trained for Dependence

Where’s Your Faith?

Waters

Keep Moving

The Way

The Training Ground

Hungry

Risky Faith

Substance or Shadow?

Come to the Waters

When God Breaks Your Legs

Getting Through Asia

Expectant

His Hand and His Heart

Barrier or Bridge?

It Belongs To You

Eager Expectations

Let’s Talk

Tangles

 in Blog, Blogs, Devotional
0