Bible Text: Joshua 24:15 | Speaker: Darlene Sala | Series: Encouraging Words | Again and again women ask me, “How can I get my husband to assume the spiritual leadership in our home?” Men, will you give me two minutes to talk about that? Here goes.

First, being the spiritual leader involves so much more than being the one who reads Bible stories to the kids. That’s teaching, and that is certainly involved in spiritual leadership, along with praying with them.

But it was Joshua, not Mrs. Joshua, who said: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). He set the direction that the family was going to go. Mrs. Joshua must certainly have sighed with relief because he was assuming the responsibility for their spiritual welfare. But he was the one who voiced that decision for the family.

Most dads believe their prime responsibility is to provide for the physical needs of their family—food, clothing, and shelter. That’s wonderful! But the responsibility doesn’t stop there.

Psychologists tell us that a child gets his sense of emotional security primarily from his mom. But he gets his conscience from his dad. That involves his sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. This makes sense when we see the growing teen crime rate and the growing number of homes without dads. Your kids know, Dad, what is important to you—no matter what you tell them. Do you let the cashier know when she doesn’t charge enough for an item, or do you motion to Johnny to keep quiet? Do you watch raunchy TV shows when you think the kids won’t find out? Do you get out of bed on Sunday mornings for church even when you have a late Saturday night? You’d better assume that your kids know pretty much everything you do.

Dads, spiritual leadership in your home is the greatest arena of influence you have. Embrace the opportunity to give direction while you can, for one day your kids will walk in your footsteps.