You need the joy of the LORD. Constant joy is one of the things you have when you are a child of God. You know that things will be fine because God is in control. He is in control because He knows all things and how to make things happen or not happen.
Your worries shouldn’t be so great that you won’t be joyful. Why? Because, God will take care of you. No matter what you are facing, anywhere or anytime. If someone is making fun of you all the time at school, God knows how to deal with such people on your behalf. Don’t get sad or worried. Let the joy of the LORD be your strength. Just pray with verses such as the ones below:
The Lord is my strength and song. And He has become my salvation (Psalm 18:14 AMP).
Behold, God, my salvation! I will trust and not be afraid, For the Lord God is my strength and song’ Yes, He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2 AMP.
Use them to build your trust in God always. When worries come your way and it seems like there is no hope of a solution or that help isn’t coming, speak these verses. Say them over and over and as much as you need to till you feel the joy of God inside of you… till the joy of the LORD wells up inside you
Never let anyone or anything steal your joy. It is your God-given right. Jesus died on the cross for you so that your joy may be complete.
You should be joyful always because your joy comes from God. He alone gives joy like no one or anything in this world can.
May the Lord keep blessing you with His joy. Amen.
Prayer: Father in heaven, I ask that your joy will never leave me. Teach me how to keep it always inside of me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action Point: Write down some verses on joy and daily read them as you go about your day.
Telling Others about Jesus, evangelism, is an important habit every Christian child should have. Jesus commanded His disciples to take the Good News all over the world. To tell people of different ages and in different countries about Him and God’s great love for all people.
They were told to share the news of how Jesus was soon coming back and taking us all to heaven.
Isn’t that something you would like to learn how to do? To regularly share the Good News to people you meet. To tell them to change from their wrong ways and accept Jesus into their lives as their Lord and Saviour. That’s simply evangelism, and it brings joy to you as you do it.
You are Jesus’ disciple right now. You are His follower and expected to do what the disciples written about in the bible did.
Let’s look at the story of the woman at the well side who came in contact with Jesus, and how she immediately imbibed evangelism.
A Samaritan woman went to get some water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink of water.” (His disciples had gone into the city to buy some food.) The Samaritan woman asked him, “How can a Jewish man like you ask a Samaritan woman like me for a drink of water?” (Jews, of course, don’t associate with Samaritans.) Jesus replied to her, “If you only knew what God’s gift is and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked him for a drink. He would have given you living water.” John 4:7-10 GW
As we keep reading, still keep your eyes open for this habit of evangelism in the life of this Samaritan woman.
Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will become thirsty again. But those who drink the water that I will give them will never become thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give them will become in them a spring that gushes up to eternal life.” The woman told Jesus, “Sir, give me this water! Then I won’t get thirsty or have to come here to get water.” John 4:13-15 GW
Then the woman left her water jar and went back into the city. She told the people, “Come with me, and meet a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could he be the Messiah?” The people left the city and went to meet Jesus. John 4:28-30 GW
She found something cool and wanted to share with her townspeople; that’s evangelism. To her, this was a discovery too good to keep for herself alone. She had to share.
Don’t keep Jesus alone for yourself. Share him with other people. Let them know the cool things you have been enjoying, have enjoyed and will enjoy in Jesus.
Form the habit of constantly telling people about Jesus.
Do you know that giving is a great habit? And God has given you a pattern of how to give. According to the bible, God gave His only son, Jesus, to die for your sins.
God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. John 3:16 GW
Jesus did so too through His actions, to show us that giving is a great habit. Look at how He fed the thousands of people while teaching them about the kingdom of God.
Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and blessed the food. He broke the loaves apart and kept giving them to the disciples to give to the crowd. Luke 9:16 GW
Giving is a great habit. It’s a habit you show that makes people know that you are truly a child of God. If God can allow Jesus to swap places with you, why won’t you forgive that person that hurt you? If Jesus can pray to God to bless the food to feed the people, why won’t you pray for a friend who has a need?
You can give your things, time, prayers and even a smile. As long as your gift makes their situations better.
Developing giving as a habit reflects to others that you have God’s spirit working in you. As you start little by little, it becomes a part of you. And as you grow older, you become a person that gives. That way you have formed the habit of giving.
May the Lord bless you more and more as you give to other people. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for showing me that giving is a great habit, and for showing me how to give. Help me to give cheerfully, with love and respect for those I give to. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action point: Remember to give with joy in your heart. And to show respect to the people you give to.
Your fellowship with other Believers is one of the great habits to imbibe, and today we would start with a scene that happened in Jide’s life. Jide took the stairs two at a time as he made his way up to the second floor of the school’s building. It was almost fellowship time and he was leading opening prayers. He didn’t want to keep the others waiting and God too.
“not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [ faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching. Hebrews 10:25 AMP
The verse above tells you why you need to develop the habit of constant fellowship with other believers like yourself. You worship God together and learn from Him. Not that you can’t do this on your own. You can, but with other believers, you will experience God in a new way.
Look at how people in church speak in different tongues. Or say one prayer in different ways. How about when someone or the pastor says he has a message from God for everyone. Yes, God will speak to you when you are alone with Him, He can also do so in a gathering of believers.
Another thing you will enjoy in a fellowship with other believers is encouragement. When you feel weak to pray, they can pray for you. Their prayers will boost your spiritual muscles and connect you to God’s power node where you draw strength to pray.
And finally, you know Jesus’ return is almost here, you need to be more spiritually sound and one way to be so is in the presence of the brethren (fellow believers). Constantly connecting with them keeps you from falling into sin easily or at all. You should learn to fellowship with other Believers.
So, when next your parents say it’s time for church, don’t frown or grumble. Rather, grab your Bible, put on a beautiful smile on your face, and say “I am ready!”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for my fellow believers. Thank You for the wonderful Christian family I have. Teach me to fellowship with other Believers. Amen.
Action point: Why not lead prayers or praise at the next prayer meeting or fellowship at school or in church.
Gratitude is a great habit to start practicing as early as you can. It is the act of looking for the good things that you have or that have happened in your life and be thankful for them. Look deep into your life and search for things you are enjoying right now. Thank God for them.
Thank God that you have parents who love you and provide for all you need. Appreciate God for giving you a roof over your head, food to eat, clothes wear, friends, and more. Gratitude is a great habit!
When you refuse to be grateful, you are taking for granted God’s blessing over you. You are saying to God that you don’t need Him or that what He is doing for you is not enough. Or that He is not even doing anything for you. But God is always doing something for you. Even if you are being bullied at school, still thank God that you can pray to Him and He will answer your prayers.
Always look around you and find something to be thankful for; gratitude is a great habit for you. Every morning you wake up, thank God for keeping you and your family members alive. Thank Him for the good health you are enjoying. Even if you are sick, thank Him for the medications you are using and the medical personnel that are treating you.
Don’t keep looking at the bad things happening. Search for the good ones. And be grateful for them. Learn to put on the cloak of gratitude. Yes gratitude is a great habit that you can wear, and it will sure do you good.
in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 18:5 AMP
Keep a journal of all the things you are grateful for and check them in a month. You will be surprised at how many items you are going to have in it.
May the Lord bless you with a heart of gratitude. Amen.
Prayer: I am grateful for all the Lord has given me, is giving me, and will give me in the future. Engrave this phrase in my heart: Gratitude is a great habit. Thank You, Lord.
Action plan: Keep a Gratitude Journal and start recording
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.
The Psalmist in the book of psalms tells of how it feels to thank God. This feeling leads him further to do more than just saying thank you to God. It’s leading him to sing praises and to tell the whole world about how good God is. He wants to do it in the morning and even at night.
It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, To sing praises to Your name, O Most High, To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night.
Psalm 92:1-2 AMP
When you wake up every morning, thank God for keeping you alive. Thank Him for the grace He has given you to be among the million people worldwide that are awake and praising Him right now. Be thankful also for your parents and siblings who have also woken up like you too.
Add this to your prayer journal and the date. This is a good spiritual habit you should learn as a child. Once it becomes a part of you, gratitude will come easy to you.
And at night, just before you sleep, thank God for how He kept you, your parents, and your siblings throughout the day. Include the things He has made possible for you to do or have like passing a test at school or making a new friend.
Begin and end your day with gratitude, just like the psalmist – thank God.
May the Lord keep and bless you every day in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prayer: Heavenly Lord, I thank You for each day that I am awake and when I sleep at night. Thank you for my parents and siblings. I will always praise Your Holy name in Jesus’ name, amen.
Action point: Start your day by thanking God for keeping you alive – thank God.
God ensures that there are many things in your life that you should be grateful for. So you must learn how to be grateful. God gave you loving and kind parents, a roof over your head, shoes on your feet, clothes to cover your body, food to eat and even a pet dog to play with. These are just some of the things you should be grateful to God for.
O house of Israel, bless and praise the Lord [with gratitude]; O house of Aaron, bless the Lord; Psalms 135:19 AMP.
Gratitude should be about looking around you and in your life to see the things that you are enjoying. Or the ones you have enjoyed in the past. This is one way to learn how to be grateful – by carefully looking around.
Get a journal and daily write down the things you are grateful for. No day passes without a blessing from God. Find those blessings and write them down. Yes, write them down. That is how to be grateful.
Don’t just look at the big things only, note the little things too. God wants you to thank Him for both the big and small things because He made it possible. As big as our God is, He still does the little things. And you should learn how to be grateful no matter the ‘size’ of what God has done.
It’s better to write these things down as soon as they happen to you or at a convenient time for you. That way you don’t forget any.
May God give you a heart of gratitude always and help you find things to be thankful for daily. May He teach you how to be grateful in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer: Thank you Father for your daily blessings. I will always be grateful for your blessings.
Action Point: Find an unused notebook or a diary, label it “My Gratitude Journal” and start to write all that you are grateful for each day. Don’t look at a good thing that happens to you as small, include it in your journal.
Gratitude means to declare that you acknowledge something good that you received. It could be a gift or help. How to practice gratitude as a child is what we wish to look at today.
I will exalt You, my God, O King, And [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Psalms 145:1 AMP
The psalmist in the above verse is showing this gratitude to God by writing Him a poem to say how grateful he was. That is how to practice gratitude.
Look at this second verse:
Remember [with gratitude] His marvelous deeds which He has done, His miracles and the judgments from His mouth, 1 Chronicles 16:12 AMP
Now the writer here is saying that we should remember with gratitude what God has done for us. You have to just learn how to practice gratitude as a child.
When people show ungratefulness it’s because they forget about what people or God has done for them. They believe that they have never received anything good in their lives. They refuse to say thank you. They refuse to praise God.
When you appreciate people for the good things they do for you, it’s a sign of gratitude. Rather than focus on what you didn’t get, be grateful for the ones you have. Yes, that is how to practice gratitude.
Saying thank you to God every time He blesses you gladdens His heart and He will bless you more.
For the next few days we will look at ways on how to practice gratitude to God and others.
You will also learn how to find things to be grateful for.
May your gratitude always go before God as a sweet smelling aroma in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
Prayer: Father, I am grateful for the spirit of showing gratitude at all times. Teach me how to practice gratitude. Thank You dear Father in Jesus name. Amen.
Action point: Look for an empty notebook or jotter to start writing down things you are going to be grateful for as we continue the series.
In today’s article, we would be examining how children can pray, as seen in the Bible. The bible is full of so many power-packed prayers from ordinary people like you and me, who faced one issue or another at different times in bible history.
It’s a reservoir of prayers said out of fear, pain, and loneliness. Some were faced with destruction and had to cry out for help. Some more said prayers out of confusion, hopelessness, and despair. Prayers for mercy, deliverance, and strength are found in the bible, said by people who were faced with huge challenges. And in these stories we see how children can pray.
Sometimes, God can lead you to a particular book, chapter, and verse in the bible as a guide to pray with. When directed to read from the bible, obey. That way, you get to know what God wants to teach or tell you about that burning issue in your mind.
David praised and worshipped God a lot in the psalms. His prayers also showed that he too had fears and prayed about them. He had hope in God to save him from all his enemies. And the Bible records that God gave him victory over all his enemies. Reading these life stories, you learn how children can pray.
When he was afraid, lost, and unsure of what to do –“Later David prayed to the Lord. David said,
“Should I go up to any of the cities of Judah? The lord said to David, “Go”. David asked, “Where should I go?” The Lord answered, “To Hebron”. 1 Sam. 2:1 ICB
As you learn how children can pray, include reading and meditation from the bible. God bless you as you do so. Amen
Prayer: Lord, as you lead me to read the bible, help me to grasp the meaning of what I read. Help me meditate on these readings so I can learn how to pray. Amen.
Action point: Read some Psalms of David. Note the different ways he prayed for help, forgiveness, and other things.
Declaration: Prayer is the master key, so I use it well.
As we continue in this series, we will look at another aspect today – “pray for yourself.” You know it’s very easy to judge others. You see them doing something you perceive to be wrong and bam! You find a word to quickly call them maybe out loud or in your mind. Your face even shows it even if you don’t say it.
That’s very natural. And God being merciful will give His Holy Spirit freely to you. The job of the Holy Spirit is to quickly and lovingly show or tell you some things.
One, the Spirit of God will tell you how you have acted like the person you are judging immediately. He shows you the many instances you have acted like them. That you are not any different from them. It is when this reality hits you that you will know you need to pray for yourself.
An example of this is when prophet Samuel told king David a story about a man and David was so quick to judge the man in the story. But when he realized he has acted like the man, he broke down and prayed. Learn to pray for yourself.
Another thing the Holy Spirit will do is to lead you towards repenting and asking for forgiveness immediately as well. He wants your remorse at the stage. And it is not a good thing to try and argue with the Holy Spirit.
Don’t try to say how different you are from the person or how the circumstances are not the same. It is the Holy Spirit you are talking with. He knows all things. He knows the minds of all men. He knows your thoughts, past, present and future. Just break down and pray for yourself.
Thirdly, He will reveal to you the probable reason why the person is doing what they are doing. He wants you to understand so you can empathize with them. This does not in anyway mean He accepts what they are doing. No! But He only wants you to not commit the sin of judging others thereby causing yourself to be judged as well. When He shows you this, it also makes you pray for yourself, so that you don’t fall into the same thing.
Finally, He could show you other ways you can help this person out. Apart from praying for them, He could show you what you have that they need and that you can give them. For instance, if you noticed a classmate who cheats during exams, you could pray for them and offer to teach them some school work after school hours. That’s what the Holy Spirit would want you to do.
Judging others does no good to anyone. Not to you or the other person.
May the Holy Spirit watch over your thoughts, words and actions. Amen.
Prayer: Sweet Holy Spirit, show me my faults. Brood over my words, thoughts and actions in Jesus’ name, amen.
Action point: Listen to the prompts of the Holy Spirit anytime you feel like judging someone, and pray for yourself.
The power of a genuine prayer for something to happen or for someone to change can never be overrated. Instead of judging your friends, pray for them. Prayer is one mighty tool to use to create the change you want. In its purest form, it touches the heart of God and moves His hands to do the miraculous. And God always listens to a prayer said on behalf of someone.
When God hears your prayers concerning somebody, He listens. So pray for them. It is called intercession. When you intercede on behalf of someone, asking God to help them have a change of heart, He loves it. This is because God loves it when people change from being bad to good. That’s why He sent Jesus to die for us all
Instead of judging someone, pray for them. Speak to God about them. Ask God to help them see the errors of their ways and stop doing every wrong think they are doing. Give them your prayers instead of judging them.
Your prayer is a cry for mercy to God for them. You are telling God to look upon them with mercy and not on their wrongs.
Instead of the punishment that they should receive for their wrongs, ask the Lord to forgive them and make them new again in His sight, just like Jesus cried on the cross, asking our Heavenly Father to forgive us all. Learn to ‘pray for them.’
Pray as often as you can as the bible encourages to pray always.
Prayer is like preparing a bowl of stew. You first gather your ingredients, get the pot and fire ready and start the process. It takes time to prepare the soup and the process has to be followed if you want the stew done and ready.
Continue to pray and believe God will bring a change in them. Don’t forget our anchor phrase this morning – ‘pray for them.’
May the Lord bless you as you pray for people. Amen.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, fill me with the urge to pray for others instead of judging them. Help me to continue to do this, in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.
Action plan: Who is the first person you think you should start praying for? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you.
It takes the grace of God for you accept discipline with humility. The most natural way you would likely react would be to reject it instantly. Maybe, you spent longer than you should at a friend’s place and your mother grounds you.
“But, it was just 30 minutes” you say to her. Instantly your brows build up a storm on your face, your mouth shoots out, you fold your arms and turn an almost 180 degree away from your mother. This is not how to accept discipline with humility.
“Not just 30 minutes only, you also didn’t wash the dirty plates in the sink before you left,” your mum replies.
Just 30 minutes, but you stayed longer than you should and didn’t wash the plates also.
The first thing you should have said was “I am sorry, mummy.” That’s how to accept discipline with humility. That alone would first make your mother calm down.
“I will wash the plates immediately.” Another sentence that will douse the situation again. Then you can start to give your reasons for staying long, that is if they are tenable. If they are not don’t say anything. Accept discipline with humility.
Saying sorry is a sign of true humility. It shows you are sorry for your actions and are open to making amends for what you have done.
Here is what the bible says about people who are humble
“The Lord hates those who are proud. You can be sure that they will be punished. Psalms 149: 4 ICB.
“God is against the proud but he gives grace to the humble” James 4:6 ICB.
God doesn’t like pride because it is a sin. Pride in your salvation through Christ and as a God’s creation is good. Learn humility; accept discipline with humility.
Being proud is saying that you are above mistakes and therefore can’t and shouldn’t be corrected. As a child, you need to be always corrected.
May God give you a heart that is open to correction. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, give me the spirit of humility through Your Holy Spirit. Teach me to accept discipline with humility. In Your mighty name I pray, amen.
Action point: Remember to always apologise first before giving excuses.
Now that you know what you should do, do it! Do what you should do! What is the change that you need to embrace? What is that thing or those things you need to start doing?
Knowing what to do and not doing it is a sin. Look at it here in the book of James
“And when a person knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, then he is sinning.” James 4:17 ICB.
Refusing to do the right thing shows both arrogance and ignorance of the things of God. Like we learnt in the last post that God hates the proud, God also hates feigned ignorance. So do what you should do.
Sometimes you can pretend to be ignorant of what you are supposed to do so as to fool the other person. You may fool the person, but not God. Remember that He knows and sees all things.
You are also telling God that you are not a sinner and saying God is a liar. But God doesn’t lie
If we say that we have not sinned, then we make God a liar. We do not accept God’s true teaching. 1 John 1:10 ICB
Making the changes that are needed is a sign that you value and respect the other person. Therefore learn to do what you should do.
When you apologise and start to do what you have promised to do, it builds more love between you and the other person. It also speaks well about you. You are seen as truly repentant and humble.
A word of caution though – don’t just do what you should do because you are asked to. Do it because it is the right thing to do. Don’t do it physically while in your heart you are rebelling, grumbling and hating every minute of what you are doing.
Yesterday we began to look at discipline. Today, we will see how you as a child should accept discipline. The first thing you need to know is that your parents love and want the best for you. It’s only a child that is loved by a parent that is corrected and disciplined. So you need to accept discipline as a show of love.
Think of it like this; why would your parents remind you to brush your teeth every night before going to bed? They are not asking you to brush your teeth or that of your sibling or even theirs. It’s your teeth and you will carry them for the rest of your life in whatever condition you put them in.
So, if you brush them twice daily, you will enjoy perfect dental health in future. And if you don’t listen to their advice, you will have bad dental health as well as reap the consequences of it. The consequences include: a bad self-image, rotten teeth and gums, bad breath and more. You see that? So you need to accept discipline as a show of love.
Your parents discipline you out of the love they have for you, not hate like you would like to think. Just like God telling us not sin because sin in the end has consequences that can never benefit us in any way. It can only harm and destroy us.
“If you do good, I will accept you. But if you do not do good, sin is ready to attack you. Sin wants you. but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7 ICB
Also, knowing discipline is done from a place of love (when you accept discipline as a show of love) gives you the power to grow from being a person that doesn’t know how to do something to someone who does now. When you learn how to arrange and keep your clothes well, you have grown into a well-organised person.
“I correct and punish those whom I love. So be eager to do right. Change your heart and lives. Rev. 3:19 ICB.
Reciprocate the love of your parents by releasing yourself to discipline. And by doing so, you are creating for yourself an adult life filled with excellent values that help add to your society and church. Say to yourself right now: I accept discipline as a show of love.
I pray that your heart will be open and ready for discipline. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, help me to see the actions of my parents towards me in light of the love they have for me. Help me to also obey you and receive your discipline because I know you love me too much to see me remain in sin.
Action Plan: How about apologizing to your parents for disobeying them and thanking them for their love for you.
It’s important to learn how to accept discipline as a child. The word ‘discipline’ is quite common. How many times have you had this word thrown around you by your parents? It must be like forever. Or is it like every 5 seconds you hear them use “discipline” in every sentence they say to you?
How come that’s the only word they are using? Like is that the only word in their dictionary?
How about when God disciplines you? Do you think God is just like your parents too? Well, He is like them and much more than them.
Don’t see discipline as a bad thing. It’s a good thing that will automatically build you up into a matured, responsible and God-fearing person. So you must learn how to accept discipline.
When your parents tell you to arrange your clothes well in your wardrobe, clean your room and take your bath regularly, they are teaching you to be neat in life.
When they discipline you for taking something of theirs without their permission, you are being taught a lesson about taking someone’s thing without permission. If you they don’t do that, you could end up being called a thief outside if you do so outside of the house.
Asking you to brush your teeth every night before you sleep is teaching you good dental hygiene that will increase your chances of having perfect dental health in adulthood.
It may look hard and time consuming, but it’s for your own good. The more time you give towards doing what you are supposed to do, the more it becomes part of you.
“Anyone who loves learning accepts being corrected. But a stupid person who hates being corrected is stupid.” Proverbs 12:1 ICB.
May the Lord give you the grace to receive and embrace discipline at all levels. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, give me a heart that accepts and cherishes discipline. Help me not to refuse it. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action point: What areas have you been rejecting discipline in your life? Think and write them out. Begin to pray for help to do them and do so immediately.
