In His Likeness w/ AntTBri

Absentee fathers and mothers inundate our homes, churches and communities. The issue isn’t limited to physicality, presence or provision. It is housed in the comfort of justification.  The foundation of our practice rest upon our desire to escape the problems, pressures and pains of growth and maturity…that of our own and those persons connected to us.  We don’t want to do the work of life and love yet we want to reap the reward, regard and respect of doing so. Purpose has to be cultivated, cared for and corrected to reach maturation.  As parents and leaders we have to be actively present in the process of life and love. Our testimony cannot be one of mere presence.

How many are absent although they live with us and provide for us? They are in the house but otherwise engaged…watching television, talking on the phone. playing the game, reading, studying, working, thinking, planning…having me time…winding down from work…doing them.  After giving the very best of themselves to their jobs or those persons that make them feel valued, preferred, needed, worthwhile they come home depleted, drained, down right ineffective.  How misconstrued our priorities while we are winning and impressing the external world we are loosing our internal integrity, investment and intimacy with the heart of God. God purposed your role, assignment and call to parent, lead and guide life and love in His stead.  You were chosen for this…called to this.  There is something in you…that only you can give, gift and grace life and love with.  Something the enemy is threatened by, something your current perception of God, yourself and others is causing you to forfiet vigor, vestment and victory.  God is absolutely right in his choice of you.  You have who and what is needed to fulfill your assignment of life and love you need only to regain proper focus. Allow yourself to fall back in love with God’s purpose for being.  Repent of the times you attempted to do it in your own strength and release unfulfilled dreams, desires…the disappointment of failed efforts up unto this point.  Take responsibility for your actions or inability to act or respond in the moment because of your pain, problem or perplexity.  Start over…recommit to God’s call.

Why this discussion because lights are on but daddies and mommies are not home with us. They are physically present but emotionally, mentally and spiritually unavailable. Life and love with an absentee present is our current epidemic. Children and churches are left unattended and are growing up in error.  We are grooming a heartless generation that don’t recognize, reciprocate or represent the love of God.  They are bastard childten expected to believe and behave according to the Word we speak to them but fail to live with them. We’re developing, grooming and leading them in silence leaving to interpretation the word, way and work of application.

When’s the last time you tuned in to the present morale, mannerisms and motives of your children? Are they growing right or wrong as a result of your attentiveness?  Who is God going to hold accountable for the impression your actions or inaction is leaving…the sitter, surrogate or special speaker? What have you missed or groomed in your absence?  Whose. fostering, faking and fondling your responsibility…the television,  teachers, time and chance or trial and error.  Is the demise of your family a result of your doing or is it the devil?

A many persons parent going through the motions, out of routine without vigor, vestment or victory.  ” I’m here…I show up..good for me”…feeling justified by their physical presence and provision without realizing their mindset, mannerisms and movements grant or give permission to the work, way and words of evil powers  and principalities. We’ve given darkness our position and authority to operate through our disobedience, disorientation and disengagement with life and love.  Our house, children are out of control, chaotic and in crisis as a result of our presence when we weren’t actively present…we gave the enemy the advantage on our watch. If ever we needed to repent and rely on God to repair the damage, destruction and destroy the hold of darkness it is Now.  Many of us need to reconfigure our prayer a.d allow the Holy Spirit to break alliance, agreement and association with antithetical practices. that keep us cycling avoidance. 

What ever happened to TRAINING up a child in the way s/he should go? When did the roles, expectations and standard of parenting change? Is it no longer our responsibility to ensure our childrem grow correctly? Are we alert, aware and attentive to what’s transpiring on our watch? Is God pleased with our effort, energy and engagement in the process? Could we parent, lead and steward God’s purpose for life and love better?

What’s in you that’s meant to be deposited into the life of another? If God makes no mistakes his choice of You for them has purpose. Purpose can’t be delegated, left to chance or transmitted through osmosis.  You have to do the work of life and love.  It requires more than showing up it requires sacrifice, selflessness and spiritual empowerment.  As a parent/leader you cannot be self absorbed, SELFISH, stuck on stupid. You must avail your life and love to the Word, way and work of the HolySpirit.  You live and love pouring out what God pours into you. Sometimes you plant the seed other times you will water and at all times you will speak to the expectation of growth and increase as God defines, desires and designates for life and love. 

It’s. our responsibility…God trust us with the gift of life and love.  May we…you and I do more, be more, give more than mere presence and provision as we live and love in His likeness.  May we lose not another to the justification of our fallen flesh, what we need and desire for ourselves and our refusal to sellout completely. Together, as helpers one to the other may we keep eachother accountable to the necessary sacrifice of actively present when we gift. life and love with our presence.  May we take serious our responsibility and assignment of life and love proactively preparing for the distraction of prevention. Most of all God return the hearts of mothers and fathers to your children…stir up an urgency…new vigor, vestment and victory on our homes. churches and communities.

If life and love is tallied would heaven’s roll mark you ACTIVELY PRESENT or ABSENT.  What would your assignment grade be? Father’s, mother’s , leader’s where you at as you live and love?~ AntTBri