As the man of the house, it is my job to ensure that ants, roaches and spiders stay outside. This requires periodic treatment of a concentrate around the foundation of the house and the window sills. In our area, depending on rain, treatment every six to eight weeks keep the pests subdued.

The job does not call for tolerating the pests, allowing them to have their space or entertaining them as fellow inhabitants in our home. When one does penetrate the barrier and shows up in the house, I have learned not to laugh when the kids scream. I am to smash it or capture and purge it from our home in prompt fashion.

So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. – Genesis 1:27-28. In creating them male and female, in His image, God granted mankind the power needed to “Be fruitful, and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” The Hebrew word for subdue is “kabash”. It means to “bring into bondage, make subservient; to force, violate; to dominate, tread down.” Adam’s job was to subdue the serpent as soon as he started talking. He failed. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. – 2Corinthians 10:5. The Greek word for demolish is “kathareo”. It is the same word used to describe Gideon’s actions against cultural idols of his time in Judges 6:28 – “…there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down…” Subdue and demolish are verbs, they call for action. There are a plethora of cultural idols present in society today that have penetrated our homes and our psyche. Passivity, as practiced by Adam standing beside Eve when she was deceived (Genesis 3:6), is the natural response. The charge is to rebuke the natural and embrace the spiritual, the second Adam (1Corinthians 15:45-47), to subdue and demolish the modern-day idols, arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God. Dad’s role is to recognize the pest of evil influence in the home, and take action to subdue and demolish it under the authority of God.

One example of an argument and pretension penetrating many homes today is the confusion stirred up around gender identity. The Bible is clear, God does not make mistakes. An additional resource that may help you subdue and demolish this pretension is Pamela Garfield-Jaeger’s book, A Practical Response to Gender Distress. Stay alert to pests penetrating your home, evil influences at work distracting a generation, and take action to subdue and demolish them under the authority of God.

Prayer guide: Thank You Lord for Your Word and the power granted mankind to stand firm in this world. I confess I have been passive in recognizing arguments and pretensions that have set themselves up against the knowledge of You. I have failed to stand firm under Your word. Forgive me. Help me recognize evil influences at work and discern well through Your Word any action that needs to be taken to subdue and demolish the pests satan puts forth. That is the dad You call me to be, and that’s the dad the next generation needs. Amen.

A faithful father subdues pretensions set up against the knowledge of God.