The purpose of fatherhood is to show our children the Heavenly Father. This is why fatherhood is under attack. Satan hates fathers and the role they are designed to have in the family because God has revealed Himself as a Father. Likewise, fathers have the power and authority to point generations to God.
Luke 11:2 says…
- “So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name…’”
Satan hates God’s image and wants to distort and destroy it in all its forms. One of the forms of God’s image is in fatherhood.
The Purpose of Fatherhood | To Leave an Inheritance
Proverbs 13:22 says…
- “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…”
This inheritance left by a good father isn’t simply for his children but for his children’s children. The greatest inheritance a father can leave his children is not wealth, but rather his words:
- Words of wisdom
- Words of affirmation
- Words of affection
- Words of blessing
His words are an inheritance that will last beyond the material.
The Purpose of Fatherhood | To Have a Prominent Place
Children learn about their Heavenly Father through their relationship with their earthly father. The most important purpose of fatherhood is to show children the Heavenly Father.
Proverbs 17:6 says…
- “Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father.”
This proverb implies that God has given every father a prominent place in the lives of his children. Sons and daughters need their dads. They long for a close relationship with their earthly fathers. Wounds can be deep when that relationship is broken. This is because the purpose of fatherhood is to reveal God’s prominent place in our lives, just like the father is intended to have in a family. And when the role of fatherhood is out of alignment with God’s purpose, the prominent position shifts, and the family structure becomes distorted.
We tend to look at Father God like we look at our earthly fathers. Sadly, many fathers have been misled to think their role in the family isn’t important or doesn’t make a difference. Or worse, that the child is better off without them. As a result, many children have a misconception about the Heavenly Father.
Satan’s Plan for Fathers
If Satan can erase the role of fathers in our society, he can erase us knowing God as the ultimate Father. If he can distort our ideas of fatherhood, he can distort our thoughts about God.
Satan doesn’t want us to see God as being a…
- Provider
“And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’”—Genesis 22:14
- Strong tower
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”—Proverbs 18:10
- Leader and teacher
“Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.”—Psalm 25:4-5
- Lover of our souls
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”—Galatians 2:20
Fathers are given a choice in the family; they can leverage this place of prominence or squander it. God wants it leveraged for His glory. Satan knows the prominent place and destiny God has given fathers, and he wants it squandered, wasted, and treated as nothing. That way, it is lost, and the truth about God isn’t passed down to the next generation.
God’s Plan for Fathers
God wants a relationship with each of us as sons and daughters. He wants us to see how we belong to a family that isn’t full of hurt and brokenness but is restored, healed, and redeemed. God’s plan for fathers is to reveal His heart to all of humanity. This is why Jesus came—to reveal the Father.
John 14:6-10 says…
- “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.’” (emphasis added)
The purpose of God’s Son was to show others the Father. The purpose of all God’s sons (fathers) is to show others the Father, starting with their own sons and daughters!
When the Purpose of Fatherhood Is Fulfilled
A godly father shows his children the Heavenly Father when he…
- Disciplines and directs them
- Affirms and gives affection
- Sows into their destinies
Discipline/Direction
Hebrews 12:5-11 says…
- “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (emphasis added)
Read these words from your Father. When He disciplines you, He is doing so because He loves you. He wants what is best for you. However, if you sin with no conviction, He states that you are not a legitimate child of His. Instead, you are an illegitimate son. In other words, you might confess Christ, but you don’t possess Christ.
Just as an earthly father would give his own child a consequence when misbehaving, he wouldn’t, however, walk over to someone else’s child and give them a consequence. This is because they are not his. Discipline is evidence that you are a child of God.
Takeaway: If a child doesn’t learn to take what you say seriously as their earthly father, they will never learn to take God seriously as their Heavenly Father.
Affirmation/Affection
No godly father will discipline his child without also giving affirmation and affection. The purpose of fatherhood isn’t only about disciplining and directing but also about building a relationship rooted in words of love and encouragement.
Matthew 3:16-17 says…
- “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” (emphasis added)
Romans 8:14-17 says…
- “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…” (emphasis added)
Takeaway: The term abba is an Aramaic term of endearment. It implies a close relationship between a daddy and his children. The Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus. He doesn’t show favoritism or partiality. You are joint heirs with Jesus.
Destiny/Destination
There are many children whose dads weren’t there or didn’t direct them in the ways they should go. This causes a deep father wound. If this is you, know there is a Heavenly Father who can redefine your destiny. As a father, you have the power through Jesus to redefine the future for your family.
Exodus 20:5-6 says…
- “You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
As a father, you represent spiritual authority over your family. That authority is not to oppress but to protect. This is why dads are the destinies of their children. When they protect as God intended, they lead them to a place of true worship and shield them against idolatry.
Takeaway: God promises that when you choose to walk in godly integrity and exercise your godly calling as a father, fulfilling your purpose of fatherhood, God will show mercy to the next generation, and the next, and the next. Walking in God’s purposes as a father releases divine family blessing.
Embrace Your Role as a Father
Satan is attacking fatherhood because it reflects God’s heart. So, step under your Heavenly Father’s protection and ask Him to empower you to leave words of wisdom, affirmation, affection, and blessing to your children. Know that God’s purpose of fatherhood is to point your children to Him. And when you do, He promises blessings to flow through you to the next generation. Discover more about your identity in Jesus and your role as a father here.
