The crises of life come to all of us, and the presence of a spiritual father will make the difference in those times.
How important it is for your to have a spiritual father in your life, especially if you are in full-time ministry? Hebrews 13:7 reads, “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God; whose faith follow….”
We need someone to speak into our lives just as Paul spoke into the lives of those he fathered in the faith.
The crises of life come to all of us, and the presence of a spiritual father will make the difference in those times. For the believer, your pastor is your spiritual father. You must obey God and attend the local church God told you to attend, for this is the minister who is anointed to be a spiritual figure in your life.
For those who are in the full-time ministry, God will lead you to submit yourself to the fathering of a more seasoned minister.
In 2 Kings 6:1-7,we read:
And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too straight for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said, Be content, I pray thee and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was falling a beam, the ax head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, Master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand and took it.
There is a spiritual application to this passage, as well as a natural one. This young man had a spiritual father he could go to in a time of need. Evidently, he trusted that Elisha would be able to do something different for him than anyone else, for he went to the prophet for help instead of one of his peers.
Just as this young man had lost his ax head and could no longer accomplish his task without it, many believer’s have lost the edge of the anointing in their lives and are not able to accomplish their tasks without it. It has sunk to the bottom and been covered over with the waters of adversity.
Just because it is out of sight doesn’t mean that it can’t be restored. The young man was able to go to his father, and because of the anointing upon the life of his father, Elisha was able to retrieve the lost ax head.
A spiritual father is a retriever of lost ax heads, of lost edges, of lost revelations, and of lost anointings.
That young man knew better than to keep trying to accomplish his task by beating that tree with only the ax handle. The man of God would have distinguished the sound of the empty, dull, vain thud of an ax handle striking the tree. Thank God for perceiving fathers who hear clearly.
Too many believers are making lots of spiritual noise, but it’s only the dull, fruitless thud of the ax handle striking the tree. You won’t be able to fool your spiritual father. He hears the thud. He knows that you’ll never fulfill your call until you get the edge of the anointing retrieved and restored.
And a father’s skill with his own anointing will help you retrieve the anointing in your life if you have let it slip. We need the help of our spiritual fathers!
But don’t be mistaken. It’s not by being a buddy or a pal or even a right hand man to that spiritual father. It’s not by dogging him to have fellowship with you or to have lunch with you. We don’t seek to know people after the flesh, but after the spirit.
By being in the church services of our fathers, sitting under their anointings and teaching, our answers are supplied, our clarity comes, and the sharp edges of the anointing are retrieved.
Don’t let anything keep you from the influence of your spiritual father. He is a supply of the Spirit and one of the gifts that God gave unto men.
Don’t be too familiar with him on a human level, but acknowledge, esteem and honor him, and God will use him to aid you in times when a child needs a father.
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Dr. Ed Dufresne was a bold and compassionate minister with over 49 years in the ministry. In 1971, God put a tangible healing anointing in Dr. Dufresne's right hand, and since then he had traveled over 11 million air miles carrying that healing anointing to this generation.
In 1999, Dr. Ed Dufresne had a vision of heaven, and at that time God gave him an endowment to kill cancer. Since then, there had been an increased number of dramatic healing's from cancer recorded.
It has been said of Dr. Dufresne that he had a unique ability to draw the anointing's and gifts out of ministers. His Campmeeting's and Conferences drew ministers from around the globe who desired to receive impartation's through this man of God whose ministry is earmarked by the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Dr. Dufresne's heavenly assignment was enlarged to go to the nations. With a heart for the harvest, Dr. Dufresne traveled extensively encouraging the Body of Christ to get ready for the last days move of the Holy Spirit, which will usher in the harvest and mark the return of the Lord!
Dr. Ed Dufresne has five children, Carole, Suzie, Stephanie, Stephen, and Grant.