In The Service Of The Father-Figure – Evang. Timothy Babalola

TOPIC: In The Service Of The Father-Figure

MESSAGE:

When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he started with the Phrase "Our Father who art in Heaven"... (Matt 6:9). It is expedient to acknowledge that we have a heavenly father, and we must always be at his service at all times. When God made Man in his Image and Likeness (Gen 1:26-27), he simply replicated the Fatherly-figure principle on Earth. Jesus said:

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” — Matthew 6:10 (KJV)

One of the wills of the Lord is for his governmental structure to be replicated on earth and things to be done accordingly as done in heaven.

Adam called Eve the mother of all creation (Gen 3:20) because he is the Father of all creation. God doesn't work behind Fathers, they might not be fully involved but they will be evolved. One out of the Cell theory says that Cell exists from pre-existing cells which are confirmed in the Bible at the creation of Eve ( Gen 2:21-23, 1 Tim 2:13).  If that is the case, then you need to understand that our God works in continuity with Man and will not start with anyone from the scratch, but would build them upon foundations that are built on his truth, veracity, holiness and his virtues.

How do I mean, God has Everly been in the business of making Man from the beginning and would not make another man from the dust. It was recorded that only Adam was made from the dust, and not Eve because she was made from Adam's rib; if that is the case, if God didn't make the woman from the dust then he will not make you from the crude state he made our predecessors, but make you from the finished state of our predecessors which foster Fatherhood in Life, Ministry, Relationship, Business and anything you can think of on the planet Earth so it is expedient that you are fathered to be made because in fatherhood lies the making of new generations.

Being in the service of the Father figure is something you cannot do without because even when God created Adam at the beginning, he was kept in the service of the Father to till the ground ( Gen 2:5,8). I know of a surety that so many Father-figures have grossly abused their Fatherly role and even misled the younger ones, but without the presence of Fathers, some dimensions would not be released.

As much as being in the service of a Father-figure is important, it is exceedingly pertinent that you are in the service of a Father Fathered by the Lord and chosen by the Lord to Father you. You don't have to choose by mere sight because sight is deceptive. I must dwell more on this because so many people have served and are in the service of a Father figure, but God didn't send them there instead, they were led by their heart and not by the spirit of the Lord. At the service of Jethro, Moses' Father In-law, he encountered the Lord. A man was to be a Messiah of a whole Nation called Israel, the apple of God's eyes; what an assignment, but he needed to be in the service of a Father Figure to get access/entrance to become the Messiah. Elevations, Promotion, Anointing, and certain dimensions of the spirit at kept in servitude, and if you don't serve, you can not possess it. It is dangerous, especially when you know you have a strong Mandate of the Lord upon you and feel you cannot serve others, perhaps because your Mandate is stronger than theirs if you are with such a mentality, please, rid it because Men are the entrance into some awe dimensions of God and some dimensions would not be opened unto you if you do not serve a Father-Figure. Moses was said to have served Father Jethro for 40 years, and in the 40th year, the Lord appeared to him and gave him an assignment to liberate his people.

The first king of Israel was at the service of his Father when he was chosen by Samuel to become the King of Israel ( 1Sam 9:3ff; 10:1ff), David was at the service of his Father when he was anointed as a King( 1Sam 16: 11-13). It is expedient that you know that being at the service of the Father Figure chosen by the Lord is a pathway to fulfilling God's Mandate for your life.

Come to think of it, David was about 15 years old at the time he was first called king and was at the service of his Father. Why should a boy of 15 years be in the wilderness alone, why should he render a life-costing and threatening service to his Father? At least he had older brothers that could have been of help but he was left alone in the wilderness. Jesse was sentimental because he loved his brethren and forgot David because David said:

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”— Psalms 27:10 (KJV)

David was forsaken by his parents in the wilderness, do not forget he was at their service and they still forgot him. When you serve a Father figure you serve for yourself and not them because without you they are what they are but without them, you might not be what the Lord wants you to be. David served in the wilderness, a place far away from home. Just like Moses encountered God in the wilderness, David too encountered him. He was left alone with God. He began to grow and mature under the tutelage of God, he became a chosen of God even in the wilderness God sent his prophet to go and anoint him. If you were David, you would have left before the Lord send for you, and you would be broken by the torture received but this young boy stayed with the Lord and remained faithful until the Lord sent for him.

Moses saw God in the 40th year of his service to his Father In-law, God was silent for about 40 years and spoke to him in the burning bush when he saw his faithfulness to his Father-In-Law. That is why I titled it " In the Service of a Father Figure" because the person you are to serve must not necessarily be your foster parents but a Father Figure. Who would have thought that God would later reveal himself to a stammer that was faithful to his Father In-law as a shepherd to fend for his family and live a good life? What is needed is your faithfulness. Can you say the Lord should reward you with people like you where you have served? Moses was faithful to the end in the service of the Father-Figure.

 If David was barely 15 years old when he was anointed by King Samuel, when did he start being a shepherd? He was younger when he began to serve his Father as a Shepherd to the extent that he was not counted as a genuine member of the family because he was not invited by his Parents when the Prophet came to anoint a king. After all, they saw a Shepherd in him when God saw a King in him. This young man was later remembered when Prophet Samuel was careful to listen to the Lord and saw that none of the 7 Males that walked past him are worthy by the Lord to rule his people because they are not in the service of a Father Figure, but they love to be in the service of people that would reward them bountifully:

“And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.” — 1 Samuel 17:13 (KJV)

The Prophet Samuel was bothered because he was sure that it was the Lord that had led him to Jesse's house, and he can't leave unless he fulfilled God's assignment, so he asked Jesse:

“And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he comes hither.” — 1 Samuel 16:11 (KJV).

The moment Jesse said he keeps the sheep, Samuel knew it was him he had come to anoint; he knew the Lord doesn't use idle, lazy, attention-seeking, and benefits-seekers but someone given to service so he said we will give him standing, ovation until he returns. Come to think of it, who would the Lord commit his people into his care, the shepherd or the reward-seeking knight? God trust a man that has committed himself to the service of a Father Figure more than anyone.

The Prophet Samuel himself was a faithful steward to Eli; even when the Lord told him devastating things about Eli, he still told him. Eli had children, but they were not in the Service of the Father figure. Instead, they destroyed the hanging promise of the Father figure because they didn't give themselves to service. God would not entrust his covenant into the hands of someone that have not served.

Because Samuel was Faithful in his service to God, the Lord passed the Sons of Eli by and went to speak to Samuel. Without Eli, there might not be a Samuel, do you know why? Eli taught Samuel how to communicate with God. Can you see why it is important to be in the service of a Father Figure? See what the Bible says about it:

1 Samuel 3 (KJV)

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⁴ That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

⁵ And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

⁶ And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered I called not, my son; lie down again.

⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.

⁸ And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.

⁹ Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he calls thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ And the LORD came and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

In truth, God called Samuel but he needed a Father Figure to help him communicate with the Lord and this is where the onus lies. So many people have been misled by the Father figure at the juncture where the Lord is leading them and giving them a Mandate that would make them leave. They know what the Lord is saying to them but they will mislead them because they don't want them to leave. Contrary to this, the Bible says:

“And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.” — 1 Samuel 3:8 (KJV)

Eli perceived that the Lord had called him. The Prophet Eli knew that this young man has just been called by the Lord, he knew the Lord had a message for him and didn't want him involved, he knew that the Lord wanted to commission and give him an assignment that probably he had been waiting on the Lord to give his children but he still chose to help him communicate with the Lord. This is the reason why I said earlier that it is good to be in the service of a Father Figure, but better to be in the service of a Father Figure chosen by the Lord because with him you will always find fulfilment not necessarily through him but through the presence of God in him and his environment. Samuel was contacted by God because he was in the service of the ambience of a Prophet of God that made the atmosphere conducive for God to call him.

It is expedient that you know sometimes the Lord will lead you to a Father figure because his environment is conducive for you to encounter him.

God chose Elijah to be Elisha's Father so that Elisha will be a prophet in his room. Even when the Prophet Elijah wanted Elisha to stay behind, he refused and followed him until he was taken away by the host of Heaven. Elisha knew that virtues lie in servitude so he refused to stay behind and shun the Sons of Prophets at Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho that told him to stay behind respectively and refused when his boss told him to stay behind. He knew there was more to his Father being taken away so he adamantly followed until the end. What Elisha needs to get the double portion of Elijah's spirit was to see him when he is been taken. He asked for something that Elijah couldn't give but would later get with the presence of God that comes to take his boss away. Truth be told, without Elijah's permission, Elisha wouldn't have gotten the double portion of Elijah's spirit because he told him the secret to getting the power, which is:

“And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.”  — 2 Kings 2:10 (KJV).

Secrets to ascend into awe dimensions of God are kept with Fathers and Faithful service would bring them upon you. They might not have the grace and power to get to that dimension, but the secrets to enter into such dimensions are kept with them and if they do not release it, you might not be able to get it on time. When you serve a good Father figure, speed would be added to your race. If Eli had not taught Samuel how to hear and communicate with God, he would later learn it because the Lord already picked interest in him but it might take a longer period to get to know God. If Elijah had not told Elisha the secrets to getting the double portion of his Spirit, he would later get it because the Lord told Elijah to anoint him to be a prophet in his room (1 Kings 19:16).  When Samuel served Eli he became greater than Eli when Saul served his Father, he became greater than him when David served his Father and Saul, he became greater than both of them and when Elisha served Elijah, he received the double portion of his Spirit. There was a trend of standing tall above those that were served because Fathers are the foundation that should be built upon and not under.

It is quite pathetic that a pseudo-teaching, doctrine goes around that we cannot ascend than our Fathers in the realm of the spirit because of the exploits they have done, there are dimensions and there are still dimensions. Our Fathers walked in dimensions that we need not go back to but continue from the legacy they have built to attain higher dimensions. Moses didn't honour God to call out water from the rock ( Num 20: 12), but Joshua made God honour his request when he told the Sun and Moon to stand still ( Joshua 10: 12-13). You wouldn't have known that you can speak to nature and it will obey if Joshua had not done it, some even think that the Bible is a fictional book, No! These things happened and they were done by Men like you and me, don't limit God! Please, brethren, ascend, don't start under the laid foundation but on the foundation. Joshua did not need to go and meet God for 40 days and nights to see him because a Father had built an atmosphere that made it conducive for God to find him. We need to step up, go up and ascend unto the hills of the Lord. We have Father figures that have built an ambience that makes God find expression, be led and find one to be able to ascend unto unseen realms, dimensions, and heights in God. When the Lord wanted to release some spiritual dimensions unto me, he told me to go to Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola Mountains, why? Because a Father had prepared the way for the Lord to visit generations unborn, you just need to locate where the Lord awaits you and who he has assigned to Father you. You should have only one spiritual Father but perhaps several Mentors and Fathers in Faith. You need to know that your spiritual Father or Father figure might be younger than you, but it does not necessarily mean someone older, he might be younger in the flesh but ancient in the spirit, don't choose Eliab by sight but chose David by the spirit. Don't choose Reuben by experience but choose Joseph by the encounter with the Lord and not of men.

So many people have missed their Father figure because they chose by sight and not by spirit. God is spirit and if you must worship him, follow him, and get acquainted with him, you need to choose your Father figure through the spirit. The Lord chose Elijah to be Elisha's Father, don't choose a Father for yourself. Does it mean that because the Lord chose a Father figure for you it would be easy to ascend, you can not ascend without paying the prize of ascension. I wrote about the lengthy distance Elisha had to endure and how he shun distractions and stay focused until he saw his boss to claim the double portion of power. Because you have a Father does not mean you will get there doing little or nothing but your effort will be spiced with speed. The same goes for Samuel, he went through the process of hearing God but he got speed by his boss' Intervention. Who is your Father or Father figure? Did you choose him by revelation or by selection? Every one of them has its reward. What if you were directed to a Father figure that never wanted you to find expression, are you meant to run when the Lord has not led you? My advice is to stay until God instructs you on what next to do either wait or leave. The 2 outcomes of serving a Father figure are that you either succeed in the case of Elisha or you leave in the case of David and Joseph. But wait until you are led by the Lord. if you are not led to go, don't go and when you are led to go, don't continue to wait.

Even Jesus needed John the Baptist to prepare the way, and when he prepared the way, Jesus didn't go back to prepare the way because the way had been prepared already. He needed to be baptised and shown to the world as the Messiah, and John the Baptist was the channel needed for his announcement, even when John wanted to stop Jesus, he interjected. Jesus received the Holy Spirit and was pronounced God through the ministry of John the Baptist. Brethren, you can not get there all by yourself, you need a Father figure to establish yourself and find expression in God's Agenda. Jesus didn't have to go back into the wilderness to start preaching to people because John the Baptist already did that and through his ministry, men's attention was drawn to him (Matt 3:13-17). The Lord said to me some time ago that Timothy, Covenant is built on pre-existing covenants which means you cannot get a covenant from scratch but would be built on a standing covenant because our God is a God of continuity ( Psalm 102:27, Heb 13:8, Rev 1:8; 22: 13).

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” — Acts 2:42 (KJV)

It says in the Apostles' doctrine they continued because the new testament was built on the doctrine of Jesus passed to the Apostles but people don't have to see Jesus physically to be taught his word, but they saw him through the doctrines of the Apostles and perhaps in dreams, visions and encounters. What I am saying in essence is that God deals with Man through Men and has kept some secrets with Men. To get access you need a Father figure chosen by the Lord so you would be able to get there on time.

NOTE

Getting a Father figure is not a call to laziness because when you don't gear up, you would be legged off at their time of departure

Having a Father figure is good but Having the Heavenly Father lead your affairs and lead you to get a Father figure is better.

 

Are you led by the Lord, and you are encountering problems, please, wait on God before you leap.

Don't be a bad son like Gehazi, that loved the things of the world and lied to his Master so you won't become leprous. Don't ever sabotage your boss, whether he is worth it or not, just remain faithful, it will speak for you in the end.

If you have chosen by the selection of your heart, kindly go back to God and get revelation on who should Father you.

Getting a Father figure is not a license to laziness, idleness, eye service and sycophancy, if you are not worthy before God, he will make you unworthy before Men.