There is quite a contrast being witnessed in real time. In Afghanistan, under threat from the Taliban in August, 2021, President Ashraf Ghani evacuated to a safe haven as Kabul fell to the enemy. In Ukraine this spring, President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to an offer for evacuation with the statement, “I don’t need a ride, I need ammunition!” He, along with leaders of the Parliament and the mayor of Kyiv, took up arms with the military and civilian regimens to stand together against Russian forces.

There appears to be ‘No Quit’ in Ukraine in the face of what are supposed to be superior Russian forces. The bold leadership has rallied the people of Ukraine and garnered respect from around the world. To date, they refuse to be bullied and threatened into submission. Surrender of their freedom is not on the table.

They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. … They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: … and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you or to Him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After further threats they let them go. – Acts 4:3, 7, 18-21. This is quite an exchange with the priests, the captain of the temple guard, the Sadducees, Annas the high priest and Caiaphas. (Read the entirety of Acts 4 for context.) Peter and John were certainly outnumbered by supposedly superior forces. But they both, filled with the Holy Spirit rebuked the threats and intimidation. There was ‘No Quit’ in them when it came to speaking in Jesus’ name. Surrender of their freedom in Jesus the Christ was not on the table. A ‘No Quit’ mindset is a characteristic of what Dr. Del Tackett has referred to as the “Noble Male”. The “Noble Male” is grounded in and driven by absolute truth, wisdom and righteousness. This is the charge to dads today, to step up as noble men in the face of a culture that bullies, threatens and intimidates all things noble about manhood. Truth is absolute, wisdom is from God’s word and righteousness is doing what is right in the face of trial. Dads are to stand firm against the threats and intimidation from worldly forces with a ‘No Quit’ mindset.

In his 1981 inaugural address, Ronald Reagan reminded Americans that, “On the eve of our struggle for independence, a man who might have been one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers, Dr. Joseph Warren, president of the Massachusetts Congress, said to his fellow Americans, ‘Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of … On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions upon which rests the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves.’” Thank God for the ‘No Quit’ mindset of the first-generation Americans. Surrender to supposedly superior British forces was not on the table and they indeed proved worthy of themselves.

Prayer guide: Father, thank You for Your word and Your love. I confess that my leadership in the home has been more worldly than godly. I have surrendered to other gods instead of standing firm under the One True God. Forgive me. Strengthen me to lead spiritually by example with a ‘No Quit’ mindset that glorifies You in my home and beyond. That is the dad You call me to be and that’s the dad my kids need to see. Amen.

A faithful father stands firm with a ‘No Quit’ mindset that glorifies the Father.