Before the arrival of Jesus, God spoke to His people through the prophets, so you can start studying the Bible by learning from the prophets.
Heb 1:1 (KJV) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
The prophets received the offerings that the people brought to the temple as sacrifices to God.
They prepared it in accordance to God’s instructions.
Prophets were also sent to deliver messages to someone or a nation.
Jonah was a prophet sent to Nineveh to warn them about their ways.
Elijah was a great prophet, filled with the power of God. He refused to bow to idols worshipped by king Ahab, Jezebel and the false.
Prophets also prayed for sick people and they got healed.
Back in biblical days, prophets were full of God’s raw power, that’s why what they say will happen, will happen. Their words were held in high esteem. So you will grow by learning from the prophets.
There are also stories of good and bad prophets.
Through studying these great men of God (i.e. learning from the prophets), you will learn how and why God chose them.
As you study today, God will bless you with more revelation. Amen.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the mighty prophets in the bible.
Action Plan: Choose a prophet today and study about him or her.
Declaration: As I study these prophets, I get insights. I am learning from the prophets.
Children can cry for mercy. Mercy is a vital force to be reckoned with. No one can do without mercy. It is something we should pray for, long for, hope for, and expect all the days of our lives.
One way our children can obtain mercy is through prayers. That is why we must teach them the art of prayers. Nobody is too small to pray.
Taking a cue from the great psalmist, when he messed up with Bathsheba, one way he was quickly restored was when he cried for mercy.
HAVE MERCY upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions.
Ps 51:1 {AMP}
Also looking at the story of blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, he received his sight when he cried for mercy.
so he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Luke 18:38 [TLB]
Parents, we should always pray that the mercies of God will continually preserve our children wherever they go.
Withhold not Your tender mercy from me, O Lord; let Your loving-kindness and Your truth continually preserve me!
Psalm 40:11 AMP
They should also be taught that our God is a loving and merciful God. They should always pray for God’s mercy over their lives, academics, and everywhere they go.
Wherever or whatever situation you find yourself, cry out for God’s mercy and He will surely answer you.
Prayer for children: Lord, let your mercies continually rest upon my children, in Jesus Name. Amen
Prayer for parents: Lord, let your mercy speak for us and our children, in Jesus Name.
Action Plan: Parents, let’s ensure we pray, confess, and teach our children God’s words always.
Declaration: My children are continually preserved by God’s mercies.
Children are not forsaken. Let’s look at the short story of Bimpe and Mabel, the leader of the popular girls at the tutorial center.
‘Don’t sit there!’ a harsh voice said behind Bimpe as she was about to sit on the chair. It was Mabel, a year older than her and the leader of the popular girls at the tutorial center.
‘Why?’ Bimpe asked, masking the feeling of rejection inside her with a pleasant smile, as she turned towards the approaching Mabel.
‘Because you’re not in our group’ Mabel replied, swiping Bimpe from head to toes with her eyes. Her little entourage at her heels did the same to Bimpe, giving cruel smiles and chuckles as they passed her and took the row of seats.
Bimpe managed to find a seat somewhere but held her head high as she did so.
‘Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me’.
Psalm 27:10
Rejection is hard on children because it screams out to them you are not wanted, needed, beautiful, important, or worthy of love.
God doesn’t love us because of who we are, what we have, where we live, our parents, or for any other reason. He loves us just the way we are.
The bible says He first loved us. He loves us so much he made the earth for us, gave us air to breathe, the sun to shine and so much more the earth contains.
And He will never reject us. He promised to always love us. Even if others reject us, he won’t.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for Your unconditional love for me. I am glad that I have your love. Amen
Action Point: Read more of what you haven’t seen in a while.
Declaration: God loves me. Even if the world rejects me for any reason, God will never do so.
Yesterday, we learnt one way to study the bible. Let’s see yet another way this morning. Another way to approach the Bible is by doing a male character study.
The Bible is rich with stories of both men and women. Even children (little Samuel, Joseph).
They were people who like you faced certain challenges you could be facing right now.
People who had flesh and blood like you, walked the earth, ate food, drank water, much like you do today.
There’s no difference between you and them. The difference is only in how they related to God back then and how you are relating to Him today.
Do a male character study. Study the many male characters in the bible, look at what they did, how they did it and the outcomes of what they did.
Look at how God spoke to them, showed Himself to them, what He promised them and more.
As you study may God bless you with revelation. Amen
Prayer: Lord, help me in my study of Your word. Amen.
Action point: How about picking some names to start studying? Do a male character study
Declaration: I am a student if the word. I will study the Bible for profiting.
While studying the Bible, you can decide to study female Bible characters. The Bible records stories of them. There were the good and bad ones.
Apart from giving birth to children and keeping the home, they also played key roles in many important situations.
Read up on them. What did they do? How did they behave back then?
You could study the story of Deborah, a prophetess in the bible. There’s Esther, a Queen that saved her people from genocide. Women also supported the apostles in spreading God’s word.
Check what God says about women, how he spoke to them, what He did to them.
This is a great way to discover God’s purpose for women.
