Read:  Proverbs 24:3; Deuteronomy 6:5-8; Ephesians 6:1-3; Proverbs 4:23

Think:   This week Pastor Ben talked more about the role of parents in our home lives and the importance of raising spiritual champions. So what is a spiritual champion? How do we recognize them in life?

They are people who learn to depend on God first and not on other lesser things, such as idols (or as Tim Keller calls them in his book of the same name) "counterfeit gods" like money, power, fame, privilege or sex to get through life. I know for me, this week it's been much easier to see what the cost of spiritual defeat can be in my own life. A close friend I have known since high school called me to mention that another mutual friend of ours had posted something negative about religion on Facebook. We both found it to be offensive and disturbing. I probably wouldn't have given it much thought except the person who did this gesture used to be a very close friend, someone I considered a model disciple when we were younger.

As a young man he had kept a daily time each morning for prayer and Bible study. Later, he was also active in leading worship music in his home church. But something had clearly changed in him over the years. A couple years ago, I learned he and his wife of 25 years were divorcing and he had moved in with another woman. I stopped to think about where my friend was now, 180 degrees away from the life of godly devotion I once knew him to lead. I also realized I was likely helpless to speak to him persuasively, to do little more than commit him to prayer.

So what could I do? I realized that while I might not have an impact on my friend now, I could do something positive for my family. I could use this experience to remind myself of the importance of my role as my children's father, to fully commit in my heart to my role as the spiritual leader in their lives. Amazingly, they still do listen to me more often than not. They still pay attention to what I say and do and care about what I think. And they are still in the first two stages of forming faith (1) experiencing faith with me as a normal part of our home life and (2) by associating with other people of faith in the church.

But I realized as Pastor Ben pointed out that for their faith to be fully formed and won, they will need to be able to go through two more advanced stages: (3) a searching period where they test and prove their faith in God's truths through a season of questioning to reach the final stage (4) owned faith, where they, too will hopefully arrive and stand fully accountable as adults for deciding who they will choose to know, love and serve (or likewise, disown, despise and disobey) and they will know what the consequences are making that choice wisely and well for themselves.

Do:   Proverbs 24:3 says that "By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established…". So how do you see wisdom being lived out in your own spiritual home life? What things are you doing to mature yourself and your family in understanding God's Word and how to live it out? In Proverbs 4:23, it says: "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." In what ways do you currently safeguard your heart? Are there other wise practices you need to consider adding or restarting to help further safeguard it or the hearts of your spouse or your children?

Pray:  God, help me to remember the full cost of allowing the roots of spiritual defeat to take hold over my life. Help me to be brave in searching for a deeper faith and owning my faith journey fully so that I can be a supportive and encouraging example to my loved ones. Amen.