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MAKE DISCIPLES!

3/30/2016

Having children is a huge assignment and responsibility. Unfortunately, many take the job lightly and don’t realize the impact that God is allowing them to make by raising children. Children are more than an heir to our belongings or a continuation of our legacy. They are our disciples that we have been assigned to in order to impact the world.

I never would have imagined that I would be a parent of so many children. In our culture it is frowned upon and stay at home moms often lack the respect and honor that is deserved. I know many moms have to work and that is honorable as well, but there is a stigmatism of low worth that is placed on a woman who isn’t in the world pursuing a career goal. Believe me, I worked full time up until almost 2 years ago, and it was often easier working then staying home with a baby and 2 toddlers. Not to mention the older ones coming home hungry from school with homework and an “I want list” longer than I want to think about.

Just think, if believers had as many children as nonbelievers, we would be raising the opportunity for reformation to take place and an advancement of the Kingdom of God to overturn the wickedness that is now considered normal. I realize that everyone is not called to children, but we must give this area to God and surrender our will for His. Sometimes we decide what we want before we let Him have a say.

When I was pregnant with my last child, I was complaining to God about being tired, my age, and the gender of my baby (I was having a girl and I know I’m supposed to have another boy). I was in worship and I saw an image of Jesus being crucified. I saw all of my sin placed on Him as He hung there brutally tortured. I heard Him say “I did this for you, and you can’t endure the children that I’ve called you to have?” I in no way felt condemned, but the conviction of God to be obedient to my assignment. Everything that I desire to do is for Him anyway. So who am I to say that have Kingdom kids is less significant than pursuing a ministry or starting some organization. I am called to make disciples. What better disciple could there be than my children who see me and know me on every level.

Matthew 28:18-20(NKJV)
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.[

We have to do more than just parent our children. We have to disciple them. God trusts us to raise them according to His will. He expects us to activate their gifts and nurture their callings. We are to teach them, correct them, encourage them, and send them out. Everything they learn is rooted in what we teach them at the foundation. We shape their perspective and teach them boundaries. We build their faith and point them in the direction of Jesus.

Luke 6:40
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.

If we train them properly, they will look like us. Hopefully we look like Jesus! This is not to say they are our clones. They will have their own assignments and gifts, but their character and integrity will mirror ours.

This is not to say things won’t happen and they will never mess up, but with the proper guidance, they will know Who to turn to. They will know Who their source is. They will know Where the answer is. They will know that God will never leave them and in Him they are safe.

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

So I encourage you today to embrace your assignment as parent. There is no more important job on this earth. Someone’s life is literally in your hands and dependent on you. For moms, it starts in the womb. The well-being of your baby is determined by your well-being. Enjoy your assignment. God sees you well fit to bring His creation into this world. The most amazing accomplishment ever!

Father, we thank You for the joy of parenting. Forgive of for feeling unworthy or less successful than woman who are doing other things. We embrace the assignment that You have given us. Show us how to not just parent our children but disciple them. Help us raise Kingdom leaders that will set a standard of holiness and righteousness. Let them destroy perversion, lawlessness, and all the works of the devil around them. Help us be content in our season and not miss what You are doing through us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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Let There Be Peace!

3/23/2016

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This world we live in is very busy, chaotic, and quite confusing at times. It often looks like the exact opposite of what we teach our children from the Bible. Finding balance is extremely important. We can’t keep our children in a bubble, but we must try to teach them how to be in the world but not of it. We have to let them see the circumstances and teach them how it contradicts what we believe. We have to be brutally honest without watering down the truth. We have to teach them how to love with compassion and pray for those that are lost. We can’t be afraid for them to be exposed to the world or they will never be able to shine for Jesus.

Matthew 5:13-14
Believers Are Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

The Word of God becomes normal in their life when we live the Word before them. We have to be a light that exposes evil and magnifies God’s glory. We have to be salt that keeps its flavor and seasons those around us.

Romans 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

When their minds are renewed, they won’t conform. Even when they drift, conviction will bring them back into alignment. If we want them to be transformed, we must be transparent and use real life to bring them to God’s Word. My children always understand better, when I can relate the situation to what the Bible says. This gives them understanding instead of just memorization.

As they get older, they are subject to their own decisions. We cannot control what they do and we can’t be accountable for their choices. We train them and let them go. The rest is between them and God. All we can do is to continue to pray.

Proverbs 22:6
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

We have to trust God’s Word. The truth promises that if we train them according to God’s purpose than they won’t depart from it.

In the meantime, we must pray continually about all things. God promises His peace to guard our hearts and mind when we are thankful and come to Him with our desires. We must do this with our children and let them experience peace even when they are surrounded by the chaos of the world. We have to be the calm in the storm when no one else knows what to do. It is beyond man’s intellect and will draw people towards our God.

Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The devil would love to come steal this peace by tormenting us in our minds. He will have us worrying instead of praying. He will have us looking at the circumstances instead of what God has promised. He will come to attack our faith and displace our hope. With children, he will often come in their sleep with nightmares. They have had busy days seeing all that goes on around them. We can guard their peace at night with prayer, scriptures, worship, etc. We don’t want them to end their day with whatever they saw on the news or at school. We should practice this as well.

Philippians 4:8-9
Meditate on These Things
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

God promises to keep our peace if we think about these things: truth, justice, loveliness, good reports, virtue, and anything praiseworthy. He goes onto say do them also. The more we fill our thoughts with these things, the more we will be likely to do them also. We should bless our children and affirm them of who God says that they are. Encourage them to think about these things and pray about them too.

God wants us all to experience His peace. This world will fade away, but God’s Kingdom is everlasting and it lives within us. As everything seems terrible around us, let us be the solution instead of antagonizing the problem. We are world shakers and atmosphere shifters. Let’s keep our peace and destroy the work of chaos by the enemy!

Father, we thank You that You are a God of peace. Forgive us for conforming to chaos instead of coming first to You in prayer. Help us keep peace by meditating on Your Word and all that it promises. Show us how to train our children and help them to be in the world but not of it. Keep our minds renewed. We want to be transformed. Give us strategy to be salt and light wherever we go. We want to be a living example of Your Word on this earth. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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She Gets It From Me!

3/16/2016

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I am very transparent with my children. I give them truth based on their maturity level. When they ask about my past, I do not hide from my shortcomings, but share as a testimony of how God has changed my life for the better.

My oldest daughter will be 16 in May. We have gone through a rough season of teenage woes. She’s learning who she is. She’s becoming more independent and desiring more freedom. She has been mad at the world (thank God that is over). She wants to argue about everything, and has no filter for her words. She often speaks the truth, but hasn’t yet learned how to tell the truth in love. She also wants the finer things in life and doesn’t understand why I can’t get her everything that she wants even though I have four other children. She calls herself my golden child!

She is now understanding that maturity will bring her more responsibility and freedom. I see her blossoming, yet she still gets on my nerves, lol! Why does her behavior vex me so? Now that we are on a more mature level of relationship, we are able to joke around about some of our issues. She sent me a quote that she saw on twitter that summed it all up…….

“my mom always wonders where I get my attitude from….you homegirl, I get it from you”

I had to laugh at this one. First of all, she is my only child who remembers me before salvation, secondly, because she is the oldest, she knows more about my past through “real talk” conversation.

My mother used to always tell me two things. She would tell me that I need to be a lawyer because I had an answer for and wanted to argue everything. She also would say that I needed to marry rich because I had expensive taste even though she couldn’t afford the things that I wanted.

The truth is, when she behaves in a way that reminds me of the “old” me, my spirit gets irritated and my flesh wants to rise up to go there with her. There is a struggle between my spirit and soul and I don’t want her to have to go through the same things that I went through. I want her to get the revelation of who I am now is better because of Jesus.

There is nothing wrong with her personality. It was designed by God. It just needs to be filtered and cultivated through the Word and the love of God. Her strong desire for truth and unwavering convictions will be very useful in her walk with God. When she sees unjust behavior, if she can learn to pray first, address it in love, and be compassionate; she will be able to help others through deliverance and healing. It’s okay to desire the best things in life, as long as we don’t make “things” our god. God calls us His elect and has given us an inheritance through the blood of Jesus that gives us access to His best. If she learns Who her source is, delights in Him, and is generous in her giving, she will also have the desires of her heart.

Colossians 3:12-17
Character of the New Man
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

In the meantime, I must put on love that will bond us with perfection. I have to be patient, kind, humble, merciful, and gentle. I have to forgive her as Christ continues to forgive me. Every time she now says in her own words “I get it from you girlfriend”, I must remember that it is my job to help cultivate her character into who God has created her to be. I have to remember that I was once her, but 10 times worse. I have to let her find her way to the Father. Even though she is still my baby, she will soon be an adult. I have to trust her in the hands of God and reassure her that my love for her is unconditional. Although she sometimes disappoints me, there is nothing that can separate my love for her.

Father, we thank You for our children. Forgive us for being too hard on them and forgetting how we used to be. Show us how to be merciful and forgiving. Teach us how to strategically pray for them and lead them toward You. Let our bond be perfected by love. Keep us humble and always searching for ways to cultivate them into who You have called them to be. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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Help Is Here!

3/9/2016

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I was busy preparing dinner with a handful of raw chicken, when my 4-year-old son came asking to help him with his game. The game was frozen and would not respond to any commands. I couldn’t touch the phone at the time and told him that I would help him after I finish with dinner. Of course, later is never an answer suitable for a 4-year-old. He disappeared as I continued with my meal. He came back a couple of minutes later super excited. He said “the Holy Spirit told me to turn the phone off and back on and it will work. I did it, and now it is working!” Wow, he caught a revelation of the fruit of obedience to the Holy Spirit.

John 14:15-18 (NKJV)
Jesus Promises Another Helper
15 “If you love Me, keep[a] My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Jesus didn’t leave us alone. He lives in us and helps us by the leading of the Holy Spirit. I never taught my son to restart the phone to make it run better. He got help when I was unavailable. When I ask my son how did he get so smart, his answer is always God did it. He says that when he has questions he asks God and God puts thoughts in his mind that make him smart.

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

The Holy Spirit is a teacher. As we study the Word of God and experience life lessons. He will bring back to our remembrance information that we have stored. He will guide us into truth. He will give us strategy. We can ask the Holy Spirit for instructions in everything. We don’t have to limit Him to only the “big” stuff. God is concerned about all things that concern us (Psalm 138:8), for my son it was his game and God used it to teach him to obey the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:13 (NKJV)
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Some might say, but he is only 4. There is no age limit to when someone can be filled with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist was filled in his mother’s womb. As believers, we ALL have access to the Holy Spirit. This is where our power lives. This is the place where Jesus lives in us! It is only weird when we make it weird. When we teach our children young, it becomes normal to them and part of their culture. Think about how successful they can be at a young age if they know how to let the Holy Spirit guide them into their purpose!
Still not convinced?

Acts 15:7-11 (NKJV)
7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ[a] we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

This text is addressing how people were binding the gentiles to the laws of religion that Jesus came to free us from. It speaks of God knowing our hearts and not making distinctions but purifying us by faith. Placing age limits on the Holy Spirit is a religious spirit. God wants all who have faith to believe to be free! If our children experience this freedom at a young age, the devil doesn’t stand a chance. If they can tap into their identity and purpose through the Holy Spirit, they will be well equipped to overcome and conquer any obstacle that the enemy tries to derail them with.

We are raising a generation of Kingdom Ambassadors. They are going to arise in power and without fear of the enemy. They will know who they are and why they are here. They will know their assignment and fulfill their purpose. Miracle, signs, and wonders will be their portion and the gates of hell will not prevail against them.

It is time to come out of religion and enter into the Spirit. We serve a Supernatural God that cannot be contained in a religious box. The Holy Spirit has all of the answers to your questions. You only need to ask. Let’s teach our children now how to listen for His guidance so they can walk boldly as Ambassadors for Christ.

Father, we thank you for sending the helper of the Holy Spirit. Forgive us for putting Him in a box and placing limits on His power. We ask for the Holy Spirit to be fully active in our lives and in the lives of our children. Teach us how to yield to what the Spirit is saying and obey His instructions. Help us recognize His lead even when He is leading our children. Make us fully aware of the constant help that we have and not let it go to waste. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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Mommy Can't Do What?

3/2/2016

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I love to run my hands through my 4-year-old son’s curly hair. This past week he has decided that he no longer wants me to do this. I jokingly told him that I am his mommy and I can do it if I want to. He shook his head no. I then told Him that he came from me and I made his hair, so I can touch it if I feel like it. He continued to resist and told me that I didn’t make his hair. So I asked him “who created your hair then”? He said “God did”! Well, I can’t argue with that. My boy is growing up and I’m blessed to know that he understands the root of his identity.

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Yes, I carried him, but only because God saw me fit for the assignment. God opens and closes the womb. I do my part to take care of myself and God does the rest.

Psalm 139:13-14 (NKJV)
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[a]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

God makes each one of uniquely and carefully to fit our purpose. There are no mistakes. Every life holds value. He knows before we are even born what we are supposed to accomplish in life. It is our journey to align with His plans.

Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Not only did God create us, but He created us for good works. He wants us to make an impact by walking in our call through Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

As parents, we have a huge responsibility. God has entrusted us with treasure. Our children are His craftsmanship that He has hand crafted to serve a special purpose. The instructions for raising, training, and guiding them can only be found in His Word. We must never stop praying and continuously seek Him for truth. God values each one of His creations. We were all made for greatness.

Matthew 10:29-31 (NKJV)
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

So yes, God even created my son’s hair that I am no longer welcomed to play in. God cares about each of us so much that He knows the number of our hairs even as they fall. He cares about all of the details of our life. We have to soberly remember that our children’s lives do not belong to us but to God. We can’t vicariously live through them by making them fulfill our dreams. We must walk out our own purpose as they walk out theirs. We lay the foundation and give them truth as God forms and grows them into who He has created them to be.

Father, we thank You for Your sovereignty. We thank You for being our creator and making all things good and beautiful in its time. Thank You for placing purpose on the inside of us and our children. Forgive us for forgetting that our children have their own purpose outside of us. Make us more aware of the plans for their life so that we can help guide them. Let us always point them in the direction of Jesus, never putting our plans before Yours. Give us wisdom in our parenting decisions. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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Mommy's Garden

MAKE DISCIPLES!

Let There Be Peace!

She Gets It From Me!

Help Is Here!

Mommy Can't Do What?

Bonnie Kay Rimpson

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