You only get the Holy Ghost - He comes, and the first thing He does, convicts where you're going wrong; so men who aren't praying, are irresponsible spiritually. They're leaving their wife vulnerable. Men ought to be the strongest prayers, strongest intercessors, should be punching at the devil! It's really the truth. Why? Because you know when they have a war, they don't call up all the ladies. [No, they call the men.] [Laughter] Let the men stay home and look after the home... they call the young men! It's only recent years they've given women equal status. I believe it's completely wrong, and out of God's order. [That's right.] It actually aborts the role God gave them. Why would a woman want to be in the front row of a military engagement, and exposed to everything like that? It's just bizarre, shows how far everyone's thinking has gone away from what God intended. God intended for men to protect the women. The women have it in their heart to protect the children, so you get the men protecting the women, women protecting the children; family becomes a safe unit.
Okay, number one, man needs to be a man of prayer; connect to God, get connected. If you're not connected, find someone who can help you. If you're not listening to God, and getting some direction, find someone who can show you; but don't say: I don't know how, and don't live with it being different. Okay, so there's the first thing.
Number two, he needs to hold his wife and his children in his heart. You hold them in your heart with a sense: I'm responsible for them; so you'll lift them up with gratitude and value, and you pray God's blessing over their life. You release and speak God's blessing. When a dad releases blessing, they are blessed. Now it doesn't mean mums can't, but dad has got a unique role in this area.
The third thing, he needs to exercise spiritual authority, speak into the spirit world, and take dominion over demon powers. Forbid them to attack your children and your wife, and say: any demon, you listen to me! I come against you in Jesus' name. I stand here as the head of my home, I forbid you to attack my wife, attack my children. Listen, you want to do any business, you do it with me. That's how it ought to be. Speak that way. They're very real, and they do hear you, and you start speaking that way, then they'll see what you're made of. They'll push on you, and mess with your mind for a day or two, see whether you really mean it or not. I can tell you, I can tell you now.
I told one guy to do this, he come back a week later, I said: how you going, are you still praying? He said: no, it doesn't work. I said: what happened? He said: oh, it got worse. My wife went crazy, and I had real problems, it doesn't work. I said: listen mate, you just rolled your sleeves up, and waded into the battle, and got a black eye - get back in there! Don't stop. Get going. Okay, so spiritually, he needs to do those things: connect with God, hold the responsibility in his heart, so he's listening to God; praying for them with gratitude and thankfulness, not focussing on all their faults and failings; and he needs to speak to the spirit powers, forbidding them to attack his wife and family.
Now he needs to do some practical things as well, practical, okay now I'll just give it quick, here they are. Number one, he needs to hold his covenant commitment he will love his wife and family no matter what. Well you do this, then I'll do that? Well you didn't do this, I'm not going to do this? That's not the deal. The deal is: you love, even as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself sacrificially for it. You need to hold fast in your heart, your commitment to love and honour and value your wife.
The second thing you need to do is this, 1 Peter 3:7, you need to listen to your wife. This is a big word, listen. 1 Peter 3:7, dwell with your wife, with understanding. In other words, it says: live together, not apart. Don't live in separate rooms! [Laughter] We won't go there - live together. [Laughter] Live together, with understanding. Now how can you understand your wife? That's a good question for men. They all look, they say: I don't know. [Laughter] When we started out, I thought it was a bloke with women's clothing you know, and then sort of - women's body, but I found it's a totally different being. There's only one way, and this is how you do it: you've got to listen to her concerns, and her thinking; and don't be surprised, it'll be different to yours. She'll come from another view altogether. It doesn't mean it's wrong, it doesn't mean it's right, it's just different - so if you're going to dwell, if you're going to exercise spiritual leadership, you've got to listen. How can you lead people, if you won't listen to them? Find out what they're concerned about - I'm going to finish with that one again. I'm going to come around there in just a moment, okay.