Awareness: One dictionary defines the word as “attentive and well informed.” Have you ever considered just how attentive and/or informed you really are? I ask because as a father we must understand that as protectors of our families we must practice awareness.
In chapter seven of Judges we have a very good example of awareness. When God told Gideon to decrease the number of men in his army before they were to fight the Midianites He gave him specific instructions on narrowing his list to 300 soldiers. In verse five the Lord said to Gideon “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” In verse six he continues with His instruction “And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.”
The Lord chose these specific men because even in quenching their thirst they kept aware of their surroundings. They continued to be attentive of everything that was happening around them. They did not want to allow the enemy to gain a foothold while they were in a vulnerable position. So, they lapped the water while holding their heads up and kept watch while doing so. The rest of the story is one all of us remember. Gideon and his 300 defeated an army of Midianites that numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
We fathers are called to be no less attentive than the 300 chosen by the Lord for Gideon’s army. Our battles may not be against hordes faced by Gideon, but we face an enemy that is far more cunning and dangerous. This one is after the very souls of our families. If we get caught with our guard down our wives and our children can pay the price.
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