The Next Generation of Fathers

The Battle for the Hearts of Fathers

To peer into the hearts of the next generation of fathers is a sobering experience. The battle for the hearts and minds of todays teenage boys is not for the faint hearted. There are evil forces that are ever present in the lives of our next generation of leaders. The power that the father of lies uses to distort truth in the minds of children is unfathomable.

After a week with 8 young men at youth camp, I have seen firsthand the affects of the destruction that comes from the lack of fathering. To see a young man only 16 living life without purpose or destiny is a foreshadowing of things to come. To look into his eyes and see no trust or security in who he is, paints a grim picture of his future. With more questions than answers he searches for significance and manhood in dry wells. Looking at the men around him he finds none with virtue or integrity. There is no wisdom available to him, no source of encouragement or strength. The apparent hopelessness is written on his face and displayed by his words. Surrounded by friends that are searching for the same answers, he continues to find himself frustrated and empty.

What kind of father will this young man become ? How will he avoid passing on the pain? Will he ever experience the embrace he so desperately needs ? How can he protect his heart and the heart of a bride ? What does he have to give to another?

There is Hope!

As I watched the revealing of truth to this young man, I was blown away by the instantaneous shifts in his heart. The smile that had only been used to hide pain, now reveals peace and hope for his future. The tears are sweet instead of bitter. As he fixed his gaze on the Fathering Heart Of God, his countenance changed in an instant. The tearing down of walls around his heart brought intimacy that had not even been imaginable. As he was embraced by the arms of men that care and love him, his broken heart began to heal. With every tear he cried, his ability to receive love increased. After years of beholding wounded men and father figures, he chose to shift his eyes to the one that knows him best. To be loved well and to return that love to the giver, released him into a future filled with adventure and hope. Life for this young man no longer appears dark and lonely. He now has confidence in his ability to have intimacy without shame. The release of the pain has made room for joy.

Who is this God that he would tend to the heart of one child? Who is this God that inclines his ear to those who mourn? Who is this God that embraces the weak? Who is this God that fashions a new heart in place of one that has been destroyed?

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, continue to love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sin.
No only does the Love of God cover our personal sins, His love also covers the multitude of sins committed against us. Love is the key to the doors of protection and self preservation. There is no other way to experience release from pain and hopelessness.

John 17: 24-26
24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

Take every opportunity to express the Love of Jesus to those around you. For the Saviour of the world desires us to experience the Love that His Father has for Him. The same love that God has for God, is our inheritance.

And where the Spirit of The Lord is, there is FREEDOM.

The battle ground of social injustice is fought on many fronts. The hearts of young men are a central focus in the fight to end all social justice issues.