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Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that"); document.writeln("when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you"); document.writeln("have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth"); document.writeln("buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in"); document.writeln("place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the"); document.writeln("gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of"); document.writeln("faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take"); document.writeln("the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the"); document.writeln("word of God.¹

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General Douglas MacArthur said, \'��By profession, I am a"); document.writeln("soldier, and take pride in that fact, but I am prouder, infinitely prouder, to"); document.writeln("be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; a father only builds, never"); document.writeln("destroys. The one has the potentialities of death; the other embodies creation"); document.writeln("of life; and while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are"); document.writeln("mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember"); document.writeln("me, not from the battle, but in the home repeating with him our simple,"); document.writeln("daily prayer, our Father Who art in Heaven.\'��

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The influence a father has on his children and household is"); document.writeln("so important and creates lifelong memories. Sometimes it is simple things that"); document.writeln("dads do that create the most meaningful and fun memories. For my children, I"); document.writeln("know my husband\'��s jokes and conversations around the dinner table are so"); document.writeln("special and something they will always remember. Being a dad, however, is not"); document.writeln("all fun and games. Their role comes with great responsibility as well.

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God is the head of man, and man is the head of his family."); document.writeln("The parents are the primary teachers for their children and set the example for"); document.writeln("them to follow. Satan will often aim to attack the father in the home because"); document.writeln("if dad falls, it causes an effect on the entire family. That is why it is so"); document.writeln("important that a father constantly put on the full armor of God so that he can"); document.writeln("stand firm when those attacks come. It is equally as important for wives and"); document.writeln("children to uphold him in prayer. The father is at the front of the battle, but"); document.writeln("his family is his army.

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As we celebrate Father\'��s Day this Sunday, my prayer is that"); document.writeln("God would strengthen fathers and protect them from the many darts Satan will"); document.writeln("throw at them. Fathers, may you seek God always, submit to His authority in"); document.writeln("your life, so that you can lead your family in the ways of the Lord. You are"); document.writeln("soldiers of God. Your role is irreplaceable, and we are so thankful for each"); document.writeln("one of you.

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Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for being our loving"); document.writeln("Heavenly Father. Thank you, also, that you have given us earthly fathers to"); document.writeln("guide us. We lift them up in prayer, as we know their responsibilities are not"); document.writeln("easy and Satan will attack them and try to destroy our families. Please guard"); document.writeln("their hearts and minds. Help them stay focused on you so they can lead us in"); document.writeln("the ways of the Lord. In Jesus\'�� name, amen.

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1. "); document.writeln("Ephesians 6:13-17 (NIV).

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Today\'��s Encounter was written by: Crystal B.

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