“It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.”

Pope John XXIII

The 8 Types of Dads (Chris Hippe) 

• The Missing in Action Man – Not due to rejection but sickness or loss.
• The Deadbeat Dad – The guy who rejected you and walked away.
• The Addicted Dad – Has no time for anyone else except his addiction.
• The Mr. Nice Guy – Tender but no discipline.
• The Selfish Dad – More known for his hobbies than his family.
• The Party Hearty Pop – Everybody likes him; nobody respects him.
• The Domineering Dad – Overbearing, bullying, driven, and strict with higher expectations of his children then they can ever meet.
• The Good Dad – He is not perfect, but he is present.

There are five things God expects from good, godly fathers.

1. A Godly Father Needs To Know The Heavenly Father

“I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”

2 Corinthians 6:18 

The term ‘father’ is used only 15 times in the Old Testament, compared to 165 times in the New Testament. The revelation of God as our Father has a huge impact on our relationship with God, which we in turn, we reflect on our children.

Having an encounter with the love of God heals you in the deepest way and enables you to love others in a way you couldn’t love by yourself. When you encounter the Father’s love, your attitude towards your earthly dad changes. That often changes their response toward you as well.

The first thing you have to do is encounter and receive the love of God. You didn’t come from your dad; you came through your dad. If you encounter the holy Spirit, you can be a whole man, a healthy man, and a new man. God says He will be a Father to you.

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2. A Godly Father Has The Power To Break The Cycle Inherited From Previous Generations

“If, however, he begets a son who sees all the sins which his father has done, and considers but does not do likewise“

Ezekiel 18:14

“Those from among you shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”

Isaiah 58:12 

Maybe the previous generations broke the foundations of your bloodline but the Lord is speaking over you that you are a curse breaker and a restorer of things that were broken.

You can’t control your dad’s past example but you choose your environment. You are not responsible for what your father passed on to you but you are responsible for what you let pass through you to the next generation. As long as you blame your dad for why you are struggling or a lousy dad, you will not break bloodline curses. Blaming doesn’t fight those but battling those mindsets, patterns, and attitudes.

Fatherhood isn't for perfect men, but it's something that perfects men. Share on X

3. A Godly Father Must First Be A Godly Man

A Pew Research Center study of 130 countries shows that the U.S. has the highest rate of children in single-parent households. What shocked me is that in the United States, 23% of children do not have fathers living with them. The global average of this figure is 7%.

Most research points to two major causes for the growth in fatherlessness since the early 1960s: divorce and out-of-wedlock births. So, the real cause of fatherlessness is that the men are not men; they are boys. You cannot be a godly father if you are not a godly man.

“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”

1 Kings 2:2-3

You’re male by birth but man by choice. You are born as a male, you become a boy, but you have to transition into manhood. To be a man means you endure suffering, delay gratification, embrace maturity, and you live life like its not about you. When you live as a godly man, you can become a husband and you will be a great husband because you were a great man. Then, when you are a good husband, it is easier to become a good father.

You don’t become a father because you made somebody pregnant. A good man loves his wife and takes care of his children. A good man honors God’s Word and doesn’t have sex with a woman he isn’t married to. Be a good man. We have a shortage of good man in today’s society.

4. A Godly Father Must Turn His Heart Toward His Children

“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.”

Malachi 4:6

As a father, you can turn your heart toward children by:

• Loving their mother. 
• Love and care for them (Psalm 103:13; John 16:27; 1 John 3:1)
• Provide for them (Matthew 7:7-11)
• Instruct them (Proverbs 4:1-2)
• Discipline them (Proverbs 12:11; 13:24; 22:15)
• Don’t provoke them to anger (Ephesians 6:4)

5. A Godly Father Is A Spiritual Fighter 

“And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.'”

Nehemiah 4:14

Nehemiah’s words encourage us all not to fear the battle, the challenge, the difficulty we face. Nehemiah spoke to those men and God is speaking to you today, do not be afraid. Only cowards flee and run. We are not cowards; we are men, good men. We are not afraid of a fight.

You might not even have what it takes but God has and that is all you need. Be a fighter. You can fight depression, anger, passivity, and fear. This is hard but it gets even harder if you leave. Choose your hard and fight for your family. Fight for your wife and children. Trust in your God.

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