Just as you study your textbook as a school student, you also have to study the Bible as a spiritual student that you are. As a student, you have textbooks for each subject you are taught in school. As a child of God, the Bible is your spiritual textbook too. Inspired by God to teach you about Him and what He wants you to do.
Textbooks are meant to be read and studied so that you can best understand a subject. You spend time reading and studying them. If the Bible is your spiritual textbook, then you should also spend time studying it too. Pick a book from it, read and study. You just have to study the Bible.
Forming the habit of regularly reading and studying your bible is a brilliant way to grow your spiritual life. Starting early in life is the best. Because as you grow up, it becomes a part of you and you won’t be able to stop reading and studying your Bible. You won’t rest until you study the Bible.
Like Samuel who began to serve in the temple at a young age.
Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a child dressed in a linen ephod [a sacred item of priestly clothing] 1 Samuel 2:19 AMP
His mother gave him to God as she had promised. Under Eli, Samuel learnt about the ways of God and how to serve Him. And as he grew into an adult, with the knowledge of the things of God (…And the boy Samuel grew before the Lord 1 Samuel 2:21 AMP) he became a mighty prophet of God.
The Bible is filled with so much knowledge that will grow your spirit, mind and soul. You just have to study the Bible for yourself. Inside the Bible, you will find stories of love, hate, fear, anger, redemption, and much more. You could read it in the morning, afternoon or at night before you sleep. Even if you have a daily devotional that you read, it still doesn’t take the place of your personal Bible reading plan.
Study the Bible daily. Let regular Bible reading be a part of your daily life. God bless you as you do so. Amen.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, thank You for the Bible. I receive help to study the Bible daily. Amen.
Action plan: Pick a version of the Bible, and start to read. As you do so, note things down and ask your parents to explain further for you. Or just ask the Holy Spirit.
Prayer is one habit that you should have as a child. It’s your way of communicating with God and making it a regular habit is a huge bonus for you as a Christian child.
When you pray often, you are creating an open channel of conversing with God. The more time you spend with Him, the more you will know Him, know yourself, know His plans for you and enjoy His glory spread all over your life.
Jesus, the son of God, had the habit of always taking time off to pray to God. See what the bible reveals about how Jesus took prayer while He was on earth, in the verses below.
But Jesus often slipped away to other places to be alone so that he could pray. Luke 5:16 ICB
At that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night, praying to God. Luke 6:12 ICB
After he said good-bye to them, he went alone up into the hills to pray. It was late, and Jesus was there alone. Matthew 14:23 ICB
Early the next morning, Jesus woke and left the house while it was still dark. He went to a place to be alone and pray. Mark 1:35 ICB
Prayer was an important part of Jesus’ life while He was on earth. He did so early in the mornings, left His disciples at some times to go pray alone and even to empty and quiet places to pray. Through prayer He communicated with His father. He asked for help with what was going to happen to Him. He also prayed for the disciples and many people.
Be like Jesus, find a quiet place where you can be alone and pray to God. Early in the morning, pray to God. During the day, pray also. Put aside some few minutes to pray and see how your relationship with God grows. The habit of prayer will sure do you some good.
May His grace give you the strength to pray at all times. Amen.
Prayer: Heavenly Lord, I want to develop the habit of praying to you often; help me to take on the habit prayer. I want my life to improve and my relationship with you also in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Action point: Find more verses in the bible that speaks about habits. Read and study them. What did you learn?
In this series, we would be looking at some great habits children should pick up that will greatly advance them in life.
What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [god’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow?
Romans 6:1 AMP
What’s a Habit? A habit can be defined to be a set of actions we do regularly, especially if it’s for a long time and quite hard to give up. There are some great habits and there are some bad habits. Let’s take a peep into your life: What are the things you do regularly that you have been doing for a long time and is very hard for you to give up? Can you mention them? Now are these things good or bad?
So habits can be good or bad. It depends on what you are doing. Do you lie a lot? It’s because you probably have spent a long time doing so. Do you smile when you greet others or just pass by without a hello or hi? Is it what you have been used to doing? These are not some great habits you know.
They say it takes 5 days to form a habit and 21 days to break it. So, you can learn to be a bully within 5 days and spend 21 days to try and stop being a bully. You see that it easier to get on some great habits in your life than to break bad ones?
But the thing about habits is that, most people don’t complete that 21 days cycle. There’s the tendency to revert to the old habit. It’s just so hard to do.
Imagine if you always read your bible daily at a particular time of the day? That’s a habit you have formed. And it has been a part of you and will be quite difficult for you to stop doing. There you have it! You can form some great habits.
In this series, we will be looking at some wonderful habits you should form as a child of God. And why you should.
God bless you. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, help me to form some great habits in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Action point: Can you make a list of all your habits. Which ones do you want to keep and which do you want to stop?
God speaks to everyone including children, and there’s also how to hear from God as children. Remember the story of little Samuel in the bible, who later became a strong prophet that ministered to the Israelites and anointed kings?
Our heavenly Father wants to speak to us and He does so in different ways.
One of such ways is through His word- the bible. The bible is the only place where all of God’s words reside. And that is also how to hear from God – one place you can hear God in.
Reading the bible is one of the ways you can hear from God. When you read about what God did, how He did it, and who He did it for, you get to know more about God.
Maybe you are facing a situation and don’t know how to go about it, read the bible. God will speak to you through a verse or chapter. That is how to hear from God.
He will direct you to a book where someone just like you, faced the same dilemma you are in.
When you read through, you will learn how the person resolved it with God’s help. And that way you would have received wisdom for you situation; that’s how to hear from God.
Heb 4:12 KJV For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The bible says His words are living. They are alive, quick, and sharp. Always speaking. See it as God speaking directly to you. See it as how to hear from God as a child.
God bless you as you read.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your word that is forever living and true. Let your words speak to me daily, in Jesus name. Amen.
Action plan: When next you think God is speaking to you or have a problem, pray and ask God to use His words to speak to you (That’s also how to hear from God)
Declaration The Lord speaks to me through his word. My ears are opened to God’s word.
God provides for all your needs. Be grateful for food, clothing, shelter, education, and so many other things that God provides for you through your parents and other people.
The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 AMP.
“I will feed my flock and I will let them lie down [to rest].” Says the Lord God Ezekiel 34:15 AMP
Be grateful for having all these things. Without Him providing for your parents to get you all the things you’re enjoying right now, they won’t be able to provide for you. So be grateful for food you eat everyday.
Show your gratefulness to Him by first thanking Him then your parents. Let it show in your behavior towards Him.
Thank Him for all the times He has provided food for your family to eat, that every morning, afternoon and night, there was food to eat in your house. Yes, be grateful for food.
Be thankful for the clothes you have on, that you are not walking around naked or have never done so and will never do so.
Thank Him for the house you live in, that during sunny days you had a place to stay away from the sun. During the rainy seasons, you had a place to stay, away from the rains. Be grateful for food, and shelter.
Thank Him for your shoes; the new and old ones. That you don’t walk barefooted is a blessing.
Thank Him for the schools you have attended, are attending and will attend. It’s because of His great love for you.
The Lord is your Shepherd, He will provide for all your needs in Jesus’ name, Amen. So be grateful for food, and everything God does for you.
Prayer: Father, I thank You for all that I have. Thank you for food, clothing and shelter. I will never take for granted all these things you have given me. Help me to always be grateful. Amen.
Action point: Be grateful for food, clothing, and shelter. Show your gratitude to God in a special way.
