Destined for Victory

Guest (Male): Just because you have knowledge doesn't mean you have wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to know what to do with the things you're learning. All of us know people who have knowledge and no wisdom. All of us know people who are gaining data, but they live their lives in ways that make no sense. So there's a difference between knowledge and wisdom, and you need to be a person who is growing not only in knowledge, but growing in wisdom, the ability to apply it appropriately.

Paul Sheppard: If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to him. That's James 1:5 and you're listening to Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Sheppard. Well, one of the reasons it's so important to gain wisdom is so you can pass it down to the next generation. Fathers, this means you. As you raise your children, make sure you tell them how to live lives rooted in the wisdom and understanding of God. More importantly, show them how.

Today's message is coming right up. But remember, you can always stop by PaulSheppard.net to hear any recent message on demand, including today's. That's PaulSheppard.net. Now, let's listen closely to Pastor Paul's Destined for Victory message, Fatherhood by the Book.

Prepare your children for every eventuality. Prepare them financially. Help them understand what to do with money. In fact, that was the original way we were raised. That was why you got allowance. It wasn't just to give you spending money. It was to begin to help you to manage money. I know there are different theories. I've heard people say, "No, you shouldn't. It's too early in life to make them earn it. Just give them the allowance and then begin to teach them." So if that's the way you do it, that's fine.

But the way I was raised, you didn't get allowance because you were cute. You had to earn allowance. You did your chores. They were listed right up there on a little list right up on the fridge on a magnet, something like that. Little chore, that's what you did. You do your chores, you get your allowance. No chores, no allowance. That was just the way they did it. And so that was what I saw, that's what we model. But listen, however they get the money, teach them how to manage the money.

I remember when I was very little and my allowance was a dollar. My mother didn't give it to us in paper money. She gave us three quarters, two dimes, and a nickel. And then she said, "That dime belongs to the Lord." And listen, what that means is they were teaching us about tithing before we understood spiritual principles, grace giving, and all that. Before I understood that, they were just flat out legalistic with it. They said, "That's not your money, that's God's money." And you stand there as a kid and think, "Well, then why is it in my hand?" You said that to yourself.

It's in your hand because He wants to bless you by causing you to manage what is His. And if you manage it according to His will, then you set yourself up for the things He has in store for you. And I now know that. It's wonderful. Tithing was never a stretch for me at any point in my life because I started tithing when I got a dollar allowance. And I understood that God didn't release this into my hands for me to just spend frivolously. But I've got to honor Him.

And then you've got to teach them what to do with the ninety percent. Teach them how to manage, teach them how to save, teach them how to delay gratification. You've got to prepare your children for the future. Some of us, by giving them everything they want when they want it, all we're doing is training them to be full of debt when they get out and on their own because they don't know how to delay gratification. All they know how to do is spend everything they get ahold of. So you've got to teach the principles. Prepare your children.

Look at where you want them to end up. And based on where you want them to end up, you chart the course that'll get them from where they are to where they need to be. That's your job. So in order to do that, you have to be constantly learning yourself. I contend that all leaders must be learners. All leaders, whether you lead in church, lead at home, lead on your job, lead in the community, in any capacity. Certainly as a father and as a parent, if you are a leader, you must be a learner.

You cannot stop growing. You cannot stop learning because your children's thirst for knowledge and their need for knowledge is going to continue. So you've got to be ever learning yourself. Then as you learn, you grow. And God's taking you through some seasons so you'll know how to pour these things into your children. And I'm encouraging you to be a learner, a lifelong learner. The Bible talks about knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Proverbs 4:7 talks about, with all of your getting, get understanding.

And as you read your Bible, you'll see knowledge, wisdom, and understanding constantly propping up in various passages. And you've got to be a person of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Knowledge means I'm gaining more and more information as I live my life. I'm open to truth and I'm applying and I'm seeking truth and you'll gain the knowledge. Then wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge. Just because you have knowledge doesn't mean you have wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to know what to do with the things you're learning.

All of us know people who have knowledge and no wisdom. All of us know people who are gaining data, but they live their lives in ways that make no sense. So there's a difference between knowledge and wisdom, and you need to be a person who is growing not only in knowledge, but growing in wisdom, the ability to apply it appropriately. And then understanding is the lifestyle that is lived by wisdom. Knowledge says, "I know it." Wisdom says, "I know how to apply it." Understanding says, "I experience it for myself and I'm living it."

And you want to get to the place of understanding on every level in every way in your life. You want to walk in understanding. When you walk in understanding, people can't sell you a bag of goods. They can't sell you any old thing because I know too much. When I read some of when I hear some of these theories on various areas of life, I just say that's a Greek word for that, baloney. Why? Because I'm walking in understanding. I've applied the word long enough where I know it works. You can't talk me out of what I know the Bible teaches to save your life.

And you need to be a person of understanding and prepare your children. Pass on to them what you're learning as you go. Number five, provide for your children. 1 Timothy 5:8, Paul said, "Timothy, teach those fathers that are in your ministry that if a man does not take care of his household, he is worse than an unbeliever." Worse than an unbeliever. In fact, King James says he's worse than an infidel. Teach them that you have an obligation by virtue of being their father. You have an obligation to provide for the material and financial needs of your children until they get up and able to provide for themselves.

Listen, let me tell every father here, if you have children, you have an obligation before God. It has nothing to do with legalities. It has nothing to do with technicalities. Has nothing to do with whether or not you live physically at the same address of your children. God holds you responsible to take care of your children. And so I want to tell you, if you want to be a man of God, a man of integrity, then you have to be a man who handles your business financially and takes care of your children. I don't care about court orders. This is not about man's court. This is about the court in heaven.

Don't say, "Well, I'm not court ordered. We don't have any court orders." It's not about that. You've got to do what God is calling you to do. And the word says you take care of those children. They are your obligation. And again, I grew up in days where I saw this lived out. I saw fathers go sometimes to two jobs making sure that they took care of the needs of those for whom they were responsible. Number of my friends had dads who would come in five o'clock or so from his first job, sit down and eat, rest for a little while.

But before long, he'd freshen up and head back out the door going to a second job because that's what it took for him to do what he had to do. And let me tell you something, that's respectable. God will bless you when you make the decision to be a man of integrity and handle that kind of business. In fact, the Bible says in Deuteronomy 16:15 that God will bless the works of your hands. I want to tell you, I don't care, you might not be very well educated, but if you are committed to being a man after God's own heart, if it takes two jobs, ask God to bless you to be able to work well, stay employed so that you can handle your responsibilities.

It's just a matter of doing what's right. That's all. This isn't doing something over and above. This is just what is right and take care of your children. They deserve to have that. They deserve to have that until they get up and on their own. Now, when is that? That's after they have been properly educated and they are in a place where they can fend for themselves. And on this point of providing, let me say something. Some of us need to not only just provide everything our kids think they want, but we need to teach them as they're growing older the work ethic that will prepare them to provide for themselves later on.

In fact, some parents, the problem you have is you are overindulging your children and you're teaching them to have a welfare mentality. I'm not talking about the system of welfare now, I'm talking about a mentality. The mentality is somebody is supposed to take care of me. Welfare even as a system was designed to be a hand up, not a hand out. It was to be a temporary hand up to help people get on their feet, develop marketable skills, or get through a tough time or season in life. And I support that wholeheartedly. There are people who need a hand up.

But let me tell you something, you are doing your children a disservice when you are teaching them to keep their hand out and not developing in them the sense of self-worth and self-responsibility. Don't sit around teaching your children to make excuses about why they can't get ahead and who's holding them back and all of that nonsense. Teach them that if they will be honorable, God will bless the work of their hands. And in this, the Lord is well pleased. And you've got to make sure that's the case.

That means you have to delay gratification, dad. Parent, that means sometimes you've got to go through a season where you can't do what you want to do because your higher responsibility right now is to take care of those children's needs. Some of you all are riding around on sharp rims, high gloss chrome rims, bling-blinging on your fingers and round your neck, and children don't have their needs properly taken care of. Your priorities are out of order. You delay your own gratification.

You can't get your dream car yet. You've got to get your children's lives straight first. I'm not telling you what I think, I'm telling you what I did. I was eyeing my dream car for years. "Oh, Lord, when am I going to be able to ride like I want to ride, Jesus?" But I committed to our children. "If you do well in school," we taught them that that's your job. Everybody in this family has a job. Your job is to do well. When you're a student, your job is to do well in school. We taught them all along the way.

And I told them, "If you get good grades and do what you're supposed to do in high school and get accepted at any college that accepts you that you want to go to, I will get you through." I know I'd stay up and I know a lot of the Christian financial counselors now tell parents, "You don't really have to obligate yourself with your children's undergraduate education. That's kind of investing in their future, so let them do it through student loans and part time jobs." That wasn't my philosophy. I understand that that works for some, but I wanted to make sure mine got educated.

I believe, let me just tell you my personal thoughts, especially in a minority community, we need to ensure our kids get a solid education. I didn't want them starting that far behind coming out of school with a whole lot of debt. So I told them I'll take it on my shoulders. "If you do it well, by the grace of God, your mother and I will fund your one hundred percent college education as long as you are doing right." And we pledged that to them. And so our kids did real well, got accepted some good schools and what have you.

And said, "Just pray about it, decide where you want to go, and the tuition will come to me and I've got it covered." And those were the days I was saying, "Lord, I hope you've got my back. Hope you've got my back." But I found out the Lord did have my back and we were able to get it done. And finally I was able to get my car. Thank you, Jesus. But listen, you've got to get your priorities in order. Dad, you have to provide for your children and make sure that every need is met and give them a work ethic so they provide for themselves.

Number six, protect your children. Protect your children. The Bible is really clear just by example after example that men throughout the ages have understood that that is part of your calling to provide a sense of safety and security for your families. In Numbers chapter thirty-two, when the children of Israel were about to cross over into the promised land, two tribes, the Gadites and the Reubenites, saw land on the east side of the Jordan river that they thought was perfect for them.

They said, "We have a lot of cattle and livestock and this is ideal. We really don't want to cross the Jordan and go into Canaan proper. We like this area right over here." And they went to Moses and said, "Can we settle here?" Moses said, "No, you've got to go help us fight first. You can't get some nice, already conquered land and then send us over there where we've got to fight giants and carrying on. You've got to come with us." And they said, "We are willing to come with you. Just give us time to stay here and build fortified cities so that we can protect our women and children."

There was an understanding throughout redemptive history that God has called men to see to the security of their children. Your children, I don't care what city you're in, how dangerous it is, you pray for them, cover them in the blood when you send them out, but they need to come home to a place that is safe. They need to come home to a place where they know home is a place I enjoy coming. I have a sense of safety and security here. And so you do what you have to do. Don't be cheap. Go on and get the alarm. Let the people come in there and wire your house and get that thing hooked up.

"Yes, but you've got to pay a monthly fee." That's worth it for the security of your family. Get that place wired up, so if somebody come in there that house will scream. You'll be surprised the security it will give your family. If you need where you live, your situation, if you need a mean dog, get one. Get one. I, we've always had dogs just for family purposes, just to kind of part of the family type pet. Of all the years all my life off and on, I've had dogs growing up and I only had one dog that was as mean as I wanted him to be.

All the rest of them were just little cute dogs or we had one, I had one black shepherd back in the when I was a teenager. Oh, that that now there's a dog. He bite you as soon as look at you. I said, "That's what I'm talking about." But all the rest of them and certainly when we got married, when our kids were smaller and we decided we wanted to have a dog, I wanted them to have the joy of growing up with a dog as I had always enjoyed. And we got ourselves a black lab. We called him Jet. He was jet black, so we called him Jet.

And I was just hoping he'd have a little meanness in him. I was so disappointed. Oh, that dog was the friendliest dog you ever saw. He's gone on to be with the Lord. I know he's in heaven, friendly as he was. He loved Jesus, everything, man. Come in that door during devotion, just sitting there, pray with us, everything, man. That dog was that dog was saved. I didn't want a saved dog. I'm glad my children got saved at a young age, we had a household of faith. But I wanted my dog to be the one heathen in the house.

That dog was saved, man. Jet was you ring the doorbell, ask some of the saints used to come over when we had Jet. You ring the doorbell, he come running to the door. "Praise God. Come on in. Bless the Lord. How you doing? Good to see you. Come on in. Have a seat. What you want? Lemonade? What you need?" He loved fellowship, everything, man. That dog I said, "I feed you every day. Why won't you bite somebody or at least try?" My wife tried to encourage me one time. She said, "Honey, he's I think he's coming along. He growled at the garbage man."

I said, "No, I don't want growling. I want teeth." But whatever you have to do to secure your family, they deserve a sense of security. Home needs to be a place where you feel protected and guided. Finally, be passionate towards your children. When you look at the story of the Prodigal Son, it's found in Luke chapter fifteen. What I'm always struck by is the passion of the father. He had a passionate love toward a child who had completely disrespected him, run the family reputation into the mud. I'm telling you, that boy, the Bible says he took his inheritance prematurely and squandered it on riotous living.

Oh, but one day he came to himself. And when he came to himself, read it when you get a chance. As soon as he came to himself and he thought about how things would be if he would just return to his dad, he knew enough about his father to know my dad's servants are living better than I am. And I believe that my father will take me back at least as a servant. Why? Because he knew the character of his father. Your children ought to know your character. They ought to know that there's nothing you won't do to see to their best interest.

The young man is walking home in the story there in Luke fifteen and the Bible says he is practicing this little lame speech. "Father, I've sinned and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But if you would please take me back as one of your servants." And you know he's just rehearsing this little speech because he has enough confidence to know my dad loves me and I've messed up miserably, but I think I can get through to him on some level. What he didn't know was how deep the love of his father was. But we see it in the story because the Bible says when the young man was still afar off, his father saw him.

I contend that his father saw him because his father was looking for him. And I'm here to tell you, Jesus told that story not just to give us a nice little cozy story, but to tell you how much God loves you. That long before you were looking for him, God was looking for you. Oh, I'm here to tell you that God so loved you. When you were his enemy, when you weren't thinking about him, when you were totally depraved out of your mind in sin, God loved you and in Christ, he reached out to you.

Oh, let me tell you something, the father saw him and the Bible says the father ran toward his son, hugged him and kissed him. Threw a robe on him, put sandals on his feet, put a ring on his finger. "You're no servant. I don't even need to hear your little lame speech. I'm just glad you're back home." And I'm here to tell you that we need to be passionate as dads and as parents. Let our children know that they are loved. Some of you fathers would have the testimony, "I never in my life heard my father say that he loved me." Some of you have a testimony that says, "I never in my life received a hug from my father."

Let me tell you something. I charge you, man, do not place that same curse on your children. You need to reverse that curse. And you need to be the first man in your family to throw your arms around your children and to tell them that they are loved. I don't care, you never heard it, it feels strange, feels funny. Force the words out. "I love you." They need to know, they deserve to know that there's passion in your heart toward your children. And if you'll do this, if you'll be a father by the book, God will bless you and God will bless your children's lives because of your faithfulness.

Guest (Male): Thanks so much for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory message, Fatherhood by the Book. As you may know, the summer season is a difficult time financially for most ministries like Destined for Victory. So today, when you give your generous gift, we have something special we'd like to send you with our thanks. With the details, here's our executive director, Pastor Paul's daughter, Alicia Greer.

Alicia Greer: I'm excited to announce that in June, we are offering for the first time a new compilation of Let My People Smile on video. One of the things that many of you really love about my dad's teachings is that he makes learning enjoyable. Even when the subject matter is convicting, he finds a way to deliver God's word without watering it down at all and yet still make it funny, down to earth, and relatable.

And if you think about it, that's such a rare combo to find these days. So thank you so much for continuing to support this ministry. So I hope you enjoy this collection of lighthearted teaching clips from his latter years on video. It's available as a thank you gift to anyone who sends in their most generous donation of twenty-five dollars or more only in June. God bless you.

Guest (Male): Well, Let My People Smile is Pastor Paul at his very best, combining biblical wisdom with his unique style and humor. And for the first time, we're making it available on video. So you can choose from the DVD format or a streaming link when you make your most generous donation of twenty-five dollars or more in June.

Visit PaulSheppard.net to make a safe and secure donation online. Or you can call us at 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. If you prefer, you can mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California 94538.

Paul Sheppard: I want to tell you something. If servanthood was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for us. Jesus, who was God, chose to humble himself, took on the form of a servant.

Guest (Male): And that's tomorrow in our continuing message, Be Faithful. Until then, remember, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.