Opening Verse
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2, KJV)
The Message
Most of us spend our weeks at home, work, church, and the grocery store. Then we step out into a crowd, maybe a fair or a ballgame, and it hits us. You can see it on people’s faces. So many are lost, weighed down, and wandering. Young people are growing up fast, dressing and acting in ways that would have been unthinkable not long ago. It is not a reason to look down on anyone. It is a wake up call.
“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36, KJV)
Compassion is our starting point. But it also raises a hard question: if the world is shaping them this way, how is it shaping us and our children? God’s answer is plain. We are not called to copy the world. We are called to be different, and that starts at home and at the altar.
Guard the gates of your home
The world does not have to knock on the front door anymore. It comes in through the screen in our children’s hands. A game is no longer just a game on a disc. It is the internet, it is another form of social media, and it is constant. Listen in for ten minutes and you will hear strangers who feel free to be anybody and say anything. Attitudes change. Children get angrier. Too much of it changes who they really are.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23, KJV)
Many of us got tired of hearing our parents warn about this. Now that we are parents, we see the truth in it. A father who puts limits in place is not being harsh. He is being a gatekeeper. When the Lord shows you where things are heading, listen.
Expect some friction
Here is the honest part. When you pull back what a child has grown used to, there will be pushback. There may be attitude, yelling, and acting out. Think of it as a kind of withdrawal, the same way someone who is hooked on something goes through a hard stretch when it is taken away. It does not mean you made the wrong call.
“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:11, KJV)
God does the same with us. He does things we do not like and do not understand in the moment, but He is keeping us from running off the cliff.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, KJV)
So move with patience and purpose. Explain to your children what is coming before it comes, and plan your time with them on purpose. Busy fathers working to provide can forget the most important thing, which is simply being present.
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4, KJV)
Let the past go
Some of us did not have that growing up. Our fathers were busy, and many of them never had fathers themselves. It is easy to parent out of that old pain, either repeating it or overcorrecting to make up for it. Either way, the past is still driving. Set that weight down, forget what is behind, and reach for what is ahead. Your home is a new chapter.
Test the spirit and stay grounded
The same care applies to worship. Big gatherings can be a blessing, but not everyone is there for the same reason, and a polished show can be alluring. Many people get it twisted and end up praising a man instead of God. When something grows fast and looks like a concert, slow down, know why you are there, and test the spirit for yourself.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1, KJV)
One yearly event cannot replace a steady life with God. You still need a place where you show up in person, and real fellowship. You can pray for an hour any week, with brothers who will pray with you.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25, KJV)
Build an altar, not a copy
Too much of modern Christian culture has become a copy of the world with Jesus’ name stuck on it. Whatever is trending, we rush to make our own version with a “we can do it too” attitude. But why is that our desire? God did not call us to follow trends. He called us to be pioneers who follow Him.
The real work is not gaining a following. It is making disciples, raising leaders, and living as priests right where we are.
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” (1 Peter 2:9, KJV)
A priest builds an altar, and the altar is the most important thing in a life with God. It is a place of closeness, a place of sacrifice, and a place where He does surgery on the inside and transforms us. We need a personal altar and a shared one, where brothers seek Him together.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1, KJV)
Love not the world
John wrote to every stage of life, children, fathers, and young men, and then gave all of them the same warning.
“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.” (1 John 2:12-13, KJV)
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15-16, KJV)
You cannot love this world and truly follow Him. Something will have to be given up. That is why we will not always do, look, dress, or talk like the world does. We belong to Someone else.
What This Means
The world is working hard to shape us and our children, mostly through what we let in through our eyes and ears. God calls us to love people with compassion while refusing to copy what the world loves. Guard your home even when it causes friction. Let go of old wounds so they stop steering your parenting. Test what you follow, stay in real fellowship, and build an altar where God can change you from the inside.
Think About This
- What is coming into my home through screens that I have not really looked at or listened to?
- Where do I need to set a limit with my children, and am I ready to be patient through the pushback?
- Is my own childhood still steering how I lead my family, either by repeating it or overcorrecting?
- Am I following a trend or a personality more than I am following Jesus?
- Do I have a personal altar, a regular place and time where I meet with God?
- Which of the three, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life, pulls at me most?
Prayer
Father, open our eyes to see the people around us the way Jesus saw the crowds, with compassion. Help us guard our hearts and our homes. Give us wisdom as fathers to set the right limits, and patience to stand firm when there is pushback. Heal what was broken in our own growing up, and help us leave the past behind so we can lead with a clear mind. Give us discernment to test every spirit, and keep us grounded in Your Word and in true fellowship. Teach us to build an altar and to meet You there, so You can transform us from the inside. Keep us from loving the world or the things in it. Make us a royal priesthood that shows forth Your praises. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Closing Verse
“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:17, KJV)
