Many ministers of God make the mistake of prioritizing their ministries over their families – this is not how God intends it. Today’s Bible reading doesn’t tell us that a man should first put his house in order before taking a leadership position in the ministry. As far as God is concerned, your home should come first, and then your ministry. If you don’t set things in order at home, you have no business in the ministry.

If you are a minister, do not neglect your family while helping build other families. There are many pastor’s children with serious problems that require special attention while their parents help other children sort out theirs – this is not right. Do not ignore your children because you believe you are already teaching them the word of God during family devotions and religious services. Your children don’t just see you as a minister; they also need you to listen to them as their parent from time to time.

When you are with them, don’t speak as a minister; speak as a parent, showing them love and attention. The reason why many ministers’ children go astray is that they live with a minister, not with their parent. Make ministry work something they love, not something they hate because it takes their parents away from them.

I realized that I had to be with my children during holiday periods; therefore, even when we had religious programs at those times, I always made sure they accompanied me. On the way to these programs, I would tell them jokes and riddles so that they could have fun and relax. Whenever we arrived at the program venue, wherever I slept, that’s where they slept too. Even when things were tough, and I had to sleep on a bench, we all slept there together. So, instead of seeing programs as things that took their father away from home during holidays, they became moments of bonding and adventure for us.

When you pray for great achievements in the ministry, don’t forget to pray for your family. Let it be the first in your prayers. Your prayer subject reveals what you prioritize.

This text is an excerpt from the book “The Open Heavens: A Daily Guide to Intimate Communion with God 2024” written by the Pastor Enoch Adedjare ADEBOYE.

We invite you to read the following article “God will make you Powerful” to better understand how God makes you powerful.