The mind is conditioned to accept or reject whatever data is introduced to it. When some of the thoughts flow from the mind to the heart, the heart embraces what it receives, and a mindset is established. Subsequently, individuals establish their identity based on their perceptions. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov 23:7). The most intriguing question one could ask is, “Do you really know who you are?” You may know who you would like to think that you are, but who you think you are or who you may say that you are does not necessarily define you. The Scripture does not restrict your identity to the thoughts of the mind, but rather, the thoughts of the heart. The Bible speaks of the heart condemning those whose minds would never do such a thing. The Spirit searches the mind and the heart, but the deepest work is the work that must take place within the heart. You may force your mind to agree with your aspirations, and it can be changed with very little external influence. But the heart, during the time of silent reflections, may convict rather than justify unjust actions.

Fallen humanity has a fatal disease called ‘sin.’ The prognosis for sin is that it leaves no survivors. Every individual will eventually die because sin resides within our members. The wage that sin pays is death, yet death must work its way through the life of the unsuspecting. The poison of sin deadens the nerves and causes one to become insensitive to God’s Word of wisdom. Then, it looks for an environment to grow and reproduce after its kind. The heart of humanity was corrupted when Adam sinned and everything produced by him carried within itself the very nature of his fallen condition. There would be no remedy for his condition unless there existed a re-creation to replace the old one that was destined for decay and ruin. Wisdom has its beginning through the acknowledgement of mankind’s helpless state. Any effort on his part would merely further what has already been set in motion. The wisdom to repent is when one is wise enough to refrain from continuing the path of self-destruction where God takes away the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh. Sensitivity returns, and the voice of God can then be heard. A breakaway occurs when one follows Christ, rather than the crowd, wherever He leads. The Psalmist even acknowledged this when he said, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalms 90:12).

God adds value to life because He alone gives it meaning and introduces the formerly wayward individual to a life of purpose. Those who gain their lives on their own terms will lose the meaning assigned to life given to them by God, their Maker. However, the individual who is willing to allow the Lord to bring meaning and purpose to life will gain eternal life as a reward. To those who are the Lord’s, there is a reason to get up each morning. His mercy is new every morning, and His grace is sufficient to provide whatever is needed to complete whatever has been assigned to him. That is why we thank God for His wisdom, mercy, and grace!

Romans 6:15-19 “So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind?  16 Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do.  17 But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master,
18 one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!  19 I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing — not caring about others, not caring about God — the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness? (MSG)

“The Old Tyranny” Tyranny is defined as an oppressive government with harsh and unjust acts. Tyrannical rulers are defined as power hungry and intoxicated with selfish ambition for selfish gain. The attribute of pride disrupts and disconnects the individual from the purpose that he/she was meant to serve in every aspect of life. Additionally, the eclipsing element of pride then overshadows worship, which can be pride of nation, culture, and more specifically, racial superiority. Whenever God is replaced with another as supreme ruler, chaos is soon to erupt. As the Word of God clearly states, “wars erupt from within one’s members, and wars among nations have a similar origin.” If America is involved in a civil war between political factions, and divisions are generated along racial lines, no borders can contain the divide. It is not a matter of immigration alone that creates tension, but other underlying unaddressed factors cause the challenges of immigration to be magnified. America was established on the premise of freedom of worship, and that freedom to worship is built on truth. The Bible even requires that “They that worship Him (God) must worship in spirit and truth.”
Despite this, there are some efforts towards freedom that are also destructive. If the old master is still in charge, regardless of how eloquent the speech may be, all efforts on their part only lead to enslavement. The slave is a slave who knows that he is a slave, but the master of slaves is more of a slave than his servants. Yet his pride of life makes him feel superior to the precious souls under his subjection. As Opal Lee, the mother of the Juneteenth Movement stated, “None of us are free until all of us are free.”
The knowledge of true freedom must be reintroduced to many within Christendom. Malachi makes it clear that many have left their first love. It may require some to retrace their steps and do their first works again. When this is accomplished, there is room for God’s freedom to produce healing and expand His holiness throughout the world.

Fathers are vital in providing definition to life and assist in setting children on the path to fulfilling their destinies. The prisons are full of fatherless children who grew up lacking the structure and discipline needed to cope with life. Many women engage a multiplicity of sexual partners while those who have even tried to settle down with husbands have frustrated marriages because the breach in their hearts caused by the lack of being fathered. They in return place unreasonable demands on the unsuspecting husbands who must compensate for the unspoken request yearning within the heart of the little girl who is crying out because she wants to be daddy’s little princess.

Society does not develop in a vacuum. There are extenuating circumstances that contribute to things being as they are. Yet it is the responsibility of spiritual visionaries to look beyond the crisis in order to see God’s answer rather than merely parroting the statistics. If things continue without any change in how fathering is to be practiced and if there is no emphasis on strong ministry to men in general, the stability of society will completely degenerate. We are on a collision course headed towards destruction as the family unit is being redefined by godless individuals who find justification in practice rather than principle. Truth is ignored and common sense has shifted to the bizarre ways of the uncommon.

Culture is “the symbols of expression that individuals, groups, and societies use to make sense of daily life and to articulate their values. The rhythm of the beat of culture is set by fathers who interpret the symbols to their children. As God would speak by the prophets to the fathers and allow the fathers to interpret His Word to the families, we know God as Father through the fathers given to us.

It is father that instills within the soul of individuals the drive to become what each of us were intended to become. In the eyes of children, he is strong, courageous, and provides security through his very presence. He doesn’t have to say much, or even do much. Just being there adds the balance that would otherwise be lacking. His instructions were meant to stabilize the family when crisis occurs. It is the support of the wife that reinforces the respect that he justly deserves. Children learn to respect authority through the disciplines practiced within the home. The crisis among our youth today often can be directly associated to either the father figure missing, not fully understanding his role, or not adequately respected within the family structure. When I dedicate children to the Lord, I always emphasize the importance of creating an environment of love and respect at home for the sake of these precious children. They are like a canvas awaiting the artist to interpret values on its surface that will define the very meaning of life.
Fathers have the responsibility to know the Father of fathers. Since fatherhood represents the origin or the sending source from which all that comes from him is launched, it is necessary to know and honor the Source of life. Our being fathers is a derivative of God as our Father. As fathers provide security, stability, and is the authority that deserves proper respect, knowing God as Father is the only sure way for fathers to effectively govern their families. What is required of every father is a gift given to him by God alone. Jesus introduced His Father to those who followed Him. His intention was for them to know the Father. Our culture today is working to eliminate the very core of civilization in search of self-realization. It is trying to find identity devoid of the Source of life. The denied Father has given way to a violent society in search of meaning. Each individual is left to redefine life through his own experiences and need to belong. The collision course of self-willed, liberated from all constraints individualists are set for self-destruction. Something has to be done about this. Something must be done! The prophet Malachi spoke of the last days. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Mal 4:5-6

Fathers must take the lead in knowing the Lord for the sake of their children. The hearts of fathers will then be turned to their children thus opening the door for conversions to occur among them. We need a movement among men within the churches that will challenge men to live with the future generation in mind. We also need wives who will support the vision and lovingly under gird and support their godly husbands producing an atmosphere for the raising of a generation of godly children.