*THE FATHER-SON DYNAMIC* Abusive systems are real and for this reason, sons are important and fathers are important. *And Jesus said to him, “the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”* Luke 9:58 *When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. She made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Then she began to afflict him,and his strength left him.* Judges 16:18–19 Samson had no place to lay his head, and if a man has no place to lay his head, or a ministry has no place to lay its head, then the enemy provides a place. Samson laid his head in Delilah’s lap. *So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz.* Genesis 28:18–19 *I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.* Matthew 16:18 Jacob was fortunate; he laid his head upon a rock that was Christ. When Jesus came He had no place to lay His head, so He created a church. The human institutions, even Judaism, were no place for Him to put His head. Jesus created a church so He can lay down His head. He says to Peter, ‘Upon this rock I will build my church.’ It probably was the rock where Jacob put his head. In building the church Jesus acknowledged that the systems of the day economic systems, the Babylonian system, the Jewish system, the Sanhedrin system, and the zealot system—were not strong enough for His head. *I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shallhave been loosed in heaven.* Matthew 16:19 *Jesus says to Peter, ‘I will build the church.* You do not build the church. You preach the kingdom. I give you the keys to the kingdom.’ There are people who want to build into an abusive system a place for you to lay your head; but your head does not fit there, nor do you fit in that body. If you do not have a spiritual father, it may take a lifetime to find one. Do not put yourself under pressure and put yourself in an abusive system. You have come this far without a spiritual father. Why do you suddenly want to put pressure on yourself and make a decision right now and risk finding something that might be abusive? It is not going to hurt you to wait in time to find a spiritual father. Do not think you have to get one now. If you are in this process, please do not put yourself in an abusive system. You will be better without a spiritual father than being in an abusive system. *For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘you also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right i will give you.’ And so they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ They said to him, ‘because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘you go into the vineyard too.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.’* Matthew 20:1–10 Look at the way the Father’s will works in a person’s life. A man went out into the marketplace and he saw in the morning men that were idle and he employed them. He goes out four other times and employs idle men. First, he finds the pastoral gift idle and he employs it. Second, he finds the evangelist gift and he employs it. Third, he finds the teaching gift and he employs it. Fourth, he finds the prophetic gift and he employs it. The last time he goes, when there is one hour left, it is the apostolic gift and he employs it. In the last century, there were pastors given for the first 50 years, then evangelists for the next 30 years, teachers for the next 20 years, and apostles and prophets given for the last 50 years. Each of them will receive the same pay, but the key to what was lacking in the last century was apostolic fathers. The reason apostolic fathers will get the same pay as all the others is because they bring in the necessary order and fathering. Find yourself apostolic fathers that can direct you. Start by getting a surrogate, someone out there that is saying the kinds of things that you want to hear and ask the Lord to direct you to a corporate group of leaders that can be a blessing to you, that is not abusive. *Prayer* Let me pray for you. You may right now be looking for an apostolic father. You are looking for someone that can father you—not coach you or mentor you, but literally father you. What you may need to do is listen to a couple of John Maxwell CDs. Listen to some Oral Roberts teaching. Pick up some T. L. Osborn product. Get some of the old school to speak into your life because this is a journey. It is a journey. I believe that part and parcel of needing a father is the corporate anointing of not just one individual but several individuals that form a corporate father for your life. I pray that God will lead you into that, in Jesus’ name. *Amen.* https://chat.whatsapp.com/ElKaNjH1oHz6UF5yulS7b2 https://chat.whatsapp.com/ExCD9jKcKnR8wQUJqC1mSj