As I was praying for my children today, I was reminded of why we are doing this parenting thing. Why did God want us to have six children? What purpose other than to do our part in fulfilling the mandate to be fruitful and multiply does God have in mind for our children? I want more for them than to just land a decent job, have a nice family, afford a house and car, be good citizens, have enough money, be tithers, go to church(tongue in cheek), and be hard workers. Although some of those can be good things, I want them to be a Godly seed who seek first the Kingdom of God.
Several things came to my mind that I really desire for my children from a Kingdom perspective. I know these are also the things their heavenly Father desires for them.
- Be passionate for God, radical lovers of Jesus, worshiping him in Spirit and truth.
- Be more than once-a-week Christians, I want them to love and worship God with their entire lives.
- Discover and walk in their God-given purpose, talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts.
- Be full of the Holy Spirit and power.
- Not just know by faith that God is present, but also regularly sense God's inner presence and peace in their spirits.
- Know and experience the immeasurable love the Father has towards them. I want them to know his smile and sense his blessing upon their lives.
- Know that their Heavenly Father is not distant, but he is close to them and cares about them deeply.
- By God's Grace, be wholeheartedly committed to remaining morally pure until they get married to the spouse God has in mind for them (if he wants them to get married)
- Listen to the voice of God and be led by the Holy Spirit, even in the details of life.
- Regularly experience the joy and freedom that comes from the Holy Spirit.
- Commune with God in prayer on a regular basis, not out of discipline or habit, but because they love to spend time with the Father.
- Give of their time, talents, gifts, and finances for the building of God's kingdom, not to build an earthly kingdom and build up earthly riches.
- Love their own children and all people with God's love.
- Deal ruthlessly with any sin issues or idolatry in their life so they remain pure and unstained, maintaining a clean conscience.
- Live a life of non-compromise with the World, or the world's way of doing things(Church, money, entertainment, appearance, music), but not in a legalistic sense. I desire them to do what is right and holy with a heart of love for God and others.
- Rather than living in fear of the enemy and his lies, I want them to strike fear in the heart of the enemy. I want them to be courageous and bold, not backing down in the face of opposition.
- I want them to be free to confront the status quo and speak their minds in freedom and truth.
- I desire them to be truthful, honest, and humble. Able to be real in their relationships with others and with God.
