Matthew 3:9 “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise children unto Abraham.”

This statement from the mouth of John the Baptist is one that every Christian, especially the children of pastors and church leaders, needs to ponder deeply.

It means that a father’s faith will not deliver his children, nor will a child’s faith deliver his parents. Everyone will stand before the judgment throne of God to give an account of how he lived his life on earth, whether for himself or for God.

The children of Eli went against the laws and ordinances of God, even though their father warned them. They continued in their ways and eventually brought reproach upon the name of their forefathers. Their father’s faith and labour in the kingdom could not deliver them. They perished with their father on the same day.

The same can be said of the children of Samuel. Though their father occupied the position of priest, prophet, and judge in Israel, they still disobeyed the law of God to the extent that the children of Israel rejected them as leaders over the nation.

Therefore, don’t think that because your father or mother is a pastor or a leader in the church, their position in God’s kingdom will wipe away your atrocities against God.

Unfortunately, many children of church leaders become wayward and refuse to listen to instructions. Instead, they abuse those who attempt to warn them about the danger ahead.

Some have become Ichabod to their parents’ ministries. They have allowed themselves to become instruments through which their parents’ ministries are damaged. They become agents of the devil in the very churches where their parents once pastored.

Just as the Jews turned themselves into enemies of God by following the will of the devil rather than obeying God’s commandments, some people can carry the name of a godly heritage while living in rebellion against God.

They believe they can hide under the canopy of their fathers and do things against the church of God without facing the consequences. Even if no one speaks because of fear of their father, they will still answer to God on the day of judgment.

And even while they are alive, they may face the consequences of their actions, so that others may learn how to handle holy things with reverence.

Jesus also warned the Pharisees not to rely on their claim that Abraham was their father. They claimed a relationship with Abraham but denied his character.

They wanted to enjoy Abraham’s blessings while rejecting the faith and obedience that characterized his relationship with God.

A son should resemble his father in nature. If you do not have the nature of God or the character of Abraham, you have no right to claim their sonship.

Satan has used this deception to distract many children of church leaders and lead them into perdition. He has used it to prevent them from developing a genuine father-and-son relationship with God.

Jesus told those who claimed Abraham as their father that if they truly belonged to Abraham, they would do the works of Abraham. But because their lives did not reflect Abraham’s relationship with God, Jesus told them plainly that they were of their father, the devil.

You can be born of Abraham by blood, but if you do not possess the nature that characterized him, you cannot claim to be his true child. Likewise, you may claim to be born again, but if you do not possess the nature of Christ, your confession alone will not establish your relationship with Him.

The mindset of many children of church leaders is that if their father is anointed by God, the father’s anointing will automatically cover them. What they fail to understand is that the anointing and position of Samuel could not cover his sons, Joel and Abiah. Neither could the position of Eli cover Hophni and Phinehas.

If the godly heritage of these fathers could not exempt their children from the consequences of disobedience, no child of a pastor or church leader should assume that his father’s anointing will shield him from God’s judgment.

The anointing of your father will not cover you when God visits for judgment.

I heard a story about a group of people who gathered for prayer. As they prayed with intensity, an angel appeared in their midst, ready to deliver the answer to their prayers. But when the angel looked around, he could not find anyone who had a connection with the Abrahamic covenant, so he took the gifts back.

The pastor in charge, who was in a vision, saw the angel and approached him, saying, “Why will you take them back? Give them to those who are praying.”

The angel answered, “I looked around, but I could not find anyone in relationship with Abraham. None of his children are here.”

The pastor then asked, “What about me?”

The angel simply carried the gifts back to heaven.

This illustrates the condition of the church in this generation. We want Abraham’s blessing, but we are not ready to align ourselves with his covenant.

Your father, as a leader, can pray for you, but he does not have the power to change your character. Even if your father has a covenant with God, he cannot force you into that covenant. Every man must bear his own cross.

The children of Israel had a direct relationship with Abraham, yet they failed God. Therefore, God raised the Gentiles, who were once like stones, to become children of Abraham by faith and to inherit the blessing associated with that relationship.

Even if a pastor’s child fails in his responsibility to God and to his father, God is able to raise others who will obey Him. He can raise spiritual sons and daughters by faith who will become the fruit of that ministry for the kingdom of God.

This also applies to believers who claim the fatherhood of God without following His ways.

Don’t say you are a Christian while deliberately working against divine ordinances. A father knows the children who belong in his house and who will enter and find rest when the night comes.

Don’t claim to be walking in grace when you are unwilling to obey divine ordinances.

God is announcing replacements for many servants in His kingdom, just as He announced a replacement for King Saul while Saul was still sitting on the throne.

Your position cannot save you.

Your father’s anointing cannot save you.

Your family name cannot save you.

Your connection to a great ministry cannot save you.

You must have your own relationship with God, walk in obedience to His Word, and bear your own cross.

Do not say, “We have Abraham as our father.” Let your life prove whose child you are.

Prayer:Father lord, make your children align with your purpose in Jesus name. Amen.