Praying is a type of spiritual exercise. As you pray, you are exercising your spiritual muscles, strengthening them. You are building them up. As you build your prayer life with prayer, you also build your body with physical exercises. It’s one way of keeping your body fit and trim.
Keeping fit gives you a pleasant appearance, your clothes seat well on your body and your self-esteem grows. You just love the way you look. This feeling adds to your mental health and you can’t help but be happy.
God loves it when you are happy. Your happiness is worship to Him. And when you are happy, your praise to Him comes not only from your lips but from your whole heart and soul.
Remember, your body is not your own. It was given as a gift. All gifts are meant to be treasured, kept well and used accordingly.
You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in you. You have received the Holy Spirit from God. You do not own yourselves. -1 Cor. 6:19 ICB
Exercise to keep your body fit as a way of honouring God with your body. Do not do it to please anyone at school or to join any group. Don’t do it out of peer pressure.
If you don’t need to exercise because of health challenges, then don’t do it. God understands and still loves you. There are other ways to keep your body holy for Him.
May the Lord give you the ability to keep fit always. Amen.
Action plan: Start small and don’t rush it. Gradually increase the routine as you keep up. Engage the help of someone as well.
James didn’t like how his brothers treated him. They always teased him about his love for reading and studying. They called him names like “effico”, “bookworm” and more. He wished he could just tell them what was on his mind. They weren’t that perfect too. He knew their flaws too and what they did in secret. What would God speak to him?
At church, he learnt about forgiveness. The Sunday school teacher used the story of Joseph to explain how to forgive.
That was going to be hard for James. So, he approached the teacher and told him about what he was facing at home. The teacher explained the reason why he had to forgive his brothers just like Joseph did.
By the time they were through, James learnt why he had to forgive and how to do so. It was a relief to him. He wasn’t going to continue in unforgiveness towards his brothers.
When you speak to other believers about an issue, you get more knowledge. They help you to understand what you are feeling, why it is wrong or right, and what to do about it. When the believer is older than you, you get to hear about their or other people’s experiences on issues like yours.
So, find a believer like yourself and share your fears or issues with them.
Ideally, when someone gives you a gift or offers a compliment, you ought to say thank you (that’s gratitude). Why?
Because it shows courtesy, that you are well brought up and not a country bumpkin.
Also, it’s a sacrifice on the person’s side. They decided to give you out of love or they saw that you needed something.
Even with a compliment, the person took his or her time to really look at you and decide to appreciate you for how you dressed, your hair, how clean your nails are, or how nice you smell. They noticed you.
The least you can say is thank you with a very genuine and friendly smile.
If someone pays you a compliment about how good your grades are, say thank you.
The Bible tells us to be thankful and that when we are grateful for what we have, we will receive more.
There are lots of people out there looking for who to notice them and would be grateful to just have one person say to them “you look good.” Remember to say thank you the next time you get a gift or compliment.
Prayer: Lord, I am grateful for all I have. Thank you for providing for my needs. Thank you for the compliments I have gotten and will get. Help me to always appreciate whatever I receive from others. Amen.
Action plan: Consciously be aware of people’s compliments. Ensure you reply with a smile and “thank you.”
Declaration: My children are grateful. They show appreciation in all they do.
Children, there is something I want to bring to your hearing this morning. You must have heard the phrase ‘not too young to rule’. Yes, that is what I want to talk to you about.
Many times, we relax and allow things to slip past our fingers because we have this notion that we are too young to do certain things.
We tend to procrastinate things till when we are much older. Truth be told, there are certain things we can’t do by virtue of age, physical stature, law, and so on, but there are still certain things we can venture into while still young.
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: KJV- Isa 55:6
One good you can do to yourself is to seek the Lord in your tender age. having a good foundation of the Lord, of scriptures, God’s promises, from now helps shapen the type of person we become when we grow up.
As parents, we are to ensure our children seek God early in life. No one is too young to seek God.
The bible records that Josiah became King at a very tender age and he ruled well.
The above verse tells us that there comes a time when the Lord may not be found. Hence, it is wise for us to align ourselves in the way of the Lord from now.
As long as you can call on your parents, then you should be able to call on God. God will answer because he is interested in children.
Declaration: I will seek the Lord early in life. Amen
Just like the psalmist, you should learn to declare God’s word over your situation. That is what will make a difference.
“The Lord is my shepherd;”
David knew what a shepherd does and the great length he will go to provide for the sheep. And no wonder he followed with the next statement to back up his declaration.
“I have all that I need.”
A sheep knows that it doesn’t have to worry about what to eat or drink for the day because the shepherd already has an idea of where the choicest of grasses and sparkling streams are.
It doesn’t have to see these things before following the shepherd. All it knows is that once the shepherd starts to walk in a direction, the next thing to do is to follow him.
This is a power-packed verse that you should know and recite at all times. Especially in times when you have a need and it doesn’t look like the need will be met.
Just say the words and truly believe that God is your Shepherd and He will give you the best of what you need. Say it as the psalmist did.
May the Lord meet you at the point of all your needs. Amen
Prayer: the Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. (Psalm 23:1 NLT)
Action point: Say the verse with all the faith you have and believe.
Declaration: The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing good. I declare God’s word.
