As for Me and My House: 7 Principles to Mark Your Family for God

Introduction

At the end of the book of Joshua, an old man nearly a hundred and ten years old calls all Israel together at Shechem. This is his final sermon. He looks his people in the eye and speaks a line that has traveled thirty-five centuries to reach you, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). In this sermon at the Chapelle, David Pothier takes this declaration and places it in your hand, because one day you too will preach your last sermon, probably from a hospital bed or in your own room. And the most important question will not be what you say, but who will be there to hear it. Will your family be walking with God?

Shechem is not a random location. It is where Abraham built an altar to the Lord after receiving the promise. It is where Jacob built an altar after his reconciliation with Esau. It is where the bones of Joseph were buried after the return from Egypt. It is where, in Joshua 8, the people renewed the covenant after crossing the Jordan. Shechem is the place of commitment. And Joshua brings you there today for one last face to face encounter with God.

"Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness... And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.", Joshua 24:14-15

Before going any further, a word to set you free, this message is not here to make you feel guilty. If you have fallen short as a parent or a grandparent, welcome to the club. You cannot redo the past. The right question is not "what should I have done yesterday?" but "what can I do today to shape tomorrow, in the name of Jesus?" Here are seven principles Joshua leaves us for having a spiritual impact in our homes.

Article Outline

1. Deep convictions
2. Personal responsibility
3. Courageous decisions
4. A prophetic declaration
5. A divine calling
6. A catalytic example
7. A generational impact

1. Deep Convictions

In some translations, the text reads "As for me." This phrase draws a contrast, no matter what the crowd decides, I have already decided. Joshua does not make his decisions based on popular opinion or convenience, but on deep convictions. Today, people of conviction are rare. Even inside the church, we often think just like everyone else about sexuality, marriage, the sacredness of life, money. We go with the flow.

Joshua, on the other hand, had the courage to stand against the majority in order to obey God. In Exodus 32, the whole people fall into idolatry, but Joshua stays at Moses' side and does not bow his knee before the golden calf. In Numbers 13-14, when the people refuse to enter the promised land out of fear, Joshua stands up with Caleb and says, "That land is a good land. Let us be strong, let us take hold of what the Lord is giving us."

Your children and grandchildren do not need parents who go with the flow. They need parents with deep convictions, able to set boundaries. It takes courage to say no in an age when saying no is seen as a lack of love. Jonathan Haidt, an author who is not a Christian, now recommends no smartphone before age 14, no social media before age 16, no phone at school, free play in the real world. The evidence is there. No one would hand a stack of pornographic magazines to their thirteen year old, but we leave them alone in their room with a cell phone, which is worse. It takes deep convictions to set boundaries in love.

2. Personal Responsibility

"As for me and my house." It starts with you. If you do not take spiritual responsibility for your family, no one else will take it for you. That is why one of the best pieces of parenting advice is found in Deuteronomy 6:5, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

Loving God is not just about feelings. It is easy to fool yourself. What proves that you truly love God is the way you walk, your actions. Your children need to see you love God with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind. They need to be inspired by a father or a mother who loves God. It starts with you.

In 2026, you need a thoughtful, intelligent faith, able to answer your children's questions. Do not be afraid of questions, of science, of knowledge. What is in your heart must make sense in your mind. The Christian faith is not illogical. But it is not passed down from head to head. It is passed down from heart to heart.

David Pothier tells the story of his father, a big, tough guy who never cried, except when he praised his Creator, hands raised, singing louder than the whole church put together, tears on his cheeks. As a little boy, David watched that and thought to himself, "He sees something I do not see. I want to see what he sees. I want to know the one he knows."

And what if you did not have that model? Pastor Craig Etridge, one of the most solid men David knows, did not grow up in a Christian home. His father was an alcoholic. One day Craig decided, "It stops with me. The things of God start with me." Today he has had the privilege of leading both of his parents to the Lord Jesus Christ. God changes the destiny of those who say, "It starts with me."

3. Courageous Decisions

It takes courage to say "as for me." It takes even more to say "as for me and my house." Because Joshua understood that he was the priest of his household and that he also had to decide for his children. And that starts when they are young, when they cannot yet decide for themselves.

David is grateful to his mother, who used to tell him, "You do not have a choice, you are coming to church." Do you make your child go to school? Take a bath? Do their homework? Eat their vegetables? Then you can make them come to church. Today we give children too many choices. Little three year old Samuel decides what he eats, where he sits, what seat he gets in the car. We believed that by giving them all this choice we would raise adults with strong self-esteem. Instead we have raised adults with an oversized ego, eaten up by anxiety. The child kings we have raised have produced child gods. But being a god is not easy to carry.

There are three phases in parenting, care, coaching, counseling. Care is high control when they are little, nurture and protection. Coaching, in the teen years, it is their game, but with your game plan, under your authority. Counseling, once they have left home, advice given only when asked for. The problem today is that we counsel three year olds and we still care for thirty year olds. A plant that is never put into a pot eventually dies. David walks with God because his parents were planted in the house of the Lord, and because they planted him there too.

4. A Prophetic Declaration

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." This is a prophetic declaration. Joshua speaks the future of his household out loud. Life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Parents, you hold an incredible power in your mouth. Your murmurs over your children land like shouts in their hearts. Make sure they are constructive, make sure it is the voice of God coming out of your mouth.

Young parents, you have a window into your children's hearts. You are the most influential person in their lives. That window closes fast, do not waste it. Prophesy life. Tell them, "I believe in you. God has good plans for you. You are going to make it."

An important nuance, encouraging your children does not mean affirming them in everything. You cannot approve what God does not approve. You can love them, accept them unconditionally, always be there for them, without approving everything they do. When God says "good" or "not good," it is not based on his moods, it is good for you or bad for you.

Beware of parents who, in order to save the relationship with a child who is drifting away, end up cutting the anchor line of truth. But then, who is going to save your child? Someone will need to save you too. This posture is seen as a lack of love, including by the whole world. Yet David has met so many people who testify, "When I was living in confusion, everyone was applauding me. The only ones who did not affirm me were my parents. Today I am grateful they stayed anchored to the truth so they could come find me."

Prophesy your children's identity in Jesus Christ alone, not in their social media, their popularity, their friends, their clothes, or even their sexuality. And when they do not want to listen to you? Go pray in their empty room, lay your hands on their bed and prophesy in the name of Jesus. When people used to ask David, "Is your son walking with God?" he never answered "no." He answered, "Not yet. But it is coming."

5. A Divine Calling

"As for me and my house, we will serve." If you define yourself as a Christian, the ultimate goal of your life is not to have a beautiful life, a beautiful family, a good job, good vacations. Your primary calling is not to be a doctor, a lawyer, a mechanic, an IT specialist, or an esthetician, that is simply the means God gives you to earn a living while you exercise your true calling. Your primary calling is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, starting with those under your own roof.

You are not the lead actor in the movie of your life. You are not even a supporting actor. You are an extra in God's great story. And if you want to inspire your children to walk with God, you will have to bring them into that great story, because your own small personal story is fairly flat, it does not interest them. They need to see you on mission for the kingdom, parents who slay dragons, mothers who crush demons, fathers who carry the gospel and the hope of God into dark places. That is a vision your children will find compelling.

6. A Catalytic Example

"Choose this day whom you will serve." Joshua says this in front of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people. He is bold, unafraid of what others think. If Joshua had been a fraud, this line would never have reached us 3,500 years later. His sons, his grandsons, his great grandsons would have betrayed him. No one would have followed him. But it worked. For an entire nation.

David says, I do not want my children to think of me first as "he was a good pastor." I want them to say, "My father was a man of God, with deep convictions. He kept his word, he kept his commitments. He was hardworking, generous, not attached to money, full of integrity. He asked for forgiveness, he repented of his idols, he submitted to the Word of God, he loved his wife. He was the husband of one wife. He made disciples." That is the kind of example that lights a fire in others.

7. A Generational Impact

Verse 31 says, "Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua." An epitaph. Imagine your own. "The family of... served the Lord all the days of... and all the days of the children who outlived them."

Jesus said, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? And David adds, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his children? Joshua achieved more success than we could ever hope to have, but he never forgot that it starts at home.

David tells the story of his ninety one year old mother, in a retirement home. She has almost nothing left. No more possessions, no more health, no more mobility, no more Marcel her husband, no more friends, no more brothers and sisters. She may have ten objects left. The first, her Bible, an old little Bible rebound three times. Then an old hymnbook with a red cover, Songs of Victory. And on her wall, a frame made by her father with the phrase "As for me and my house." Next to it, a stool. On the stool, a list of names, David, Karine, Anthony, Zacharie, Lea, Naya, Maude. She has never met Maude, but Maude is on the list.

That is a striking picture of life. The further you go, the more everything slips away from you. In the end, two things remain, your God and the mission of God. His mother has almost nothing left, but she still has me and my house. She carries the spirit of Joshua in her.

Key Takeaways

• One day you will preach your last sermon. The most important question is not what you will say, but who will be there to hear it, and which of your loved ones you will find again in eternity.
• Shechem is the place of commitment. Today, God brings you there to renew your decision, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
• Loving God is passed from heart to heart, not from head to head. Your children need to see you love God, not just hear you talk about him.
• Encouraging your children does not mean affirming them in everything. Stay anchored to the truth even when they drift, that is how you will be able to go find them.
• Your primary calling is not your career, it is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, starting with your own household.

Personal Application

1. Write down on a sheet of paper the names of the people God has entrusted to you to disciple, spouse, children, nieces and nephews, godchildren, younger siblings. Keep that list where you can see it.
2. Where are you currently going with the flow instead of standing on God's convictions (sexuality, marriage, the value of life, money, screens)? What courageous decision do you need to make this week?
3. What words most often come out of your mouth about your children? Are they shouts of life or of death in their hearts? What can you prophesy over them starting today?
4. Which phase of parenting are you in right now (care, coaching, counseling), and does it fit your child's age? Where do you need to adjust?
5. Symbolically return to Shechem this week. Renew out loud, with your family if possible, your commitment, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Verses Cited

• Joshua 24:14-15 - "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
• Joshua 24:31 - Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua.
• Deuteronomy 6:5 - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart."
• Exodus 32 - Joshua remains faithful during the golden calf episode.
• Numbers 13-14 - Joshua and Caleb facing the people's fear.
• Joshua 8 - Renewal of the covenant at Shechem.
• Proverbs 18:21 - Life and death are in the power of the tongue.

FAQ

What exactly does "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" mean?

This is Joshua's prophetic and public declaration at the end of his life (Joshua 24:15). He affirms that no matter what the people decide, he and his family have already chosen to obey the Lord. It is a personal commitment that becomes a framework for his entire household, built on deep convictions and fully embraced responsibility.

Can you really "make" a child go to church?

Following the logic David Pothier lays out, if you already make your child go to school, do their homework, eat their vegetables, and take a bath, then you can also bring them to church while they are young. The point is not control for its own sake, but planting the child in the house of the Lord while their choices are still limited. This calls for discernment based on age, family context, and the parents' own situation, do not carry these questions alone.

What should I do if one of my children or loved ones is currently drifting away from God?

Do not cut the anchor line of truth in order to save the relationship. Keep loving them unconditionally, stay present, without approving what God does not approve. Pray in their empty room, prophesy life over them in the name of Jesus, and when people ask you if they are walking with God, answer, "Not yet. But it is coming."