Hypocrisy 101 is judging others. Let’s look at the story of Tabitha. Tabitha looked left then right, sure that no one could see her, she scooped two more pieces of meat into her bowl and covered them with some spoons of rice. She smiled to herself, congratulating herself for being so smart.
Later in the day, she found her sister eating more than the usual share of chocolate. She knew her sister had taken them without their parents’ permission.
“I will report you” she told her sister.
That’s hypocrisy 101!
A hypocrite is someone who condemns someone for doing or saying something that they also are doing or have done.
Just like Tabitha who stole meat from the pot and accused her sister for stealing chocolate and even threatened to report her to their parents.
Doesn’t it make you angry at Tabitha? How dare she do that? You would like to call her out this instance and call her a hypocrite!
See what Jesus says about hypocrites
“Why do you notice the little piece of dust that is in your brother’s eye, but you don’t see the big piece of wood that is in your own eye? You say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye.’ Why do you say this? You cannot see that big piece of wood in your own eye! You are a hypocrite! First, take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your brother’s eye. Luke 6:41-42 ICB
When you judge others, you are saying that you are perfect and without any sin.
The bible makes us to understand that no one is without sin. Only God is without sin and that’s bwhy He doesn’t want us to live in sin.
Judging others – you will receive same! Now let’s quickly read something Jesus said:
Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” Luke 6:38 ICB This Scripture portrays our topic (Judging others – you will receive same); let’s see how.
Looking at judging others from yesterday, you saw what Jesus said about the topic. Now, this is the continuation of that teaching by Jesus. He said you should give and you will receive just as you have given. What it means is simple: Judging others – you will receive same.
So, you are judging others, but don’t know that some people are judging you as well. Maybe on the assembly ground, you are making fun of people about their clothes, shoes, clothes or something else. There are people behind you making fun of you too. That’s just how it is (Judging others – you will receive same)
As you judge others so shall you be judged (judging others – you will receive same.) This is because no one is perfect. It’s the grace of God that has been at work in your life, that has helped you achieve all that you so far and still at work in your life. So why would you judge or make fun of someone who is not having as good as you are right now?
The last part of the verse says that it’s the way you give that God will give to you. So it is same in this matter too: judging others – you will receive same. If you judge people often without a thought, you will be judged also like that. But if you take some time to think before doing so and not judge, the same will happen to you.
The bottom line is – what you give you will receive! Judging others – you will receive same!
Prayer: Father, I want to receive mercy from you. Help me to show such mercy to others and not judge them. Help me to keep this phrase (“Judging others – you will receive same”) in mind always. Amen
Action plan: Give as much mercy as you want to receive from others, cos judging others – you will receive same!
Are you judging others? There have been times when you have been so quick to judge someone without thinking before you do so. Within seconds you form an opinion of them. But Jesus warns agains the dangers of doing so.
“Don’t judge other people, and you will not be judged. Don’t accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive other people, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 ICB.
You see one of your classmates with a dirty uniform and quickly you call him or her “dirty”. Well, you might not say it to their face, but in your heart you say it and it shows on your face too. You look disgusted and act snobbishly towards the person. Stop judging others. You don’t know what happened to the person. He could have slipped and fallen down hence the dirty uniform. Or he could have been attacked by a group of bullies who roughened him up.
Are you judging others?
Or you have a classmate who fails terribly at school in exams and tests. Calling her dumb and “empty head” is judging her based on her academic prowess. You don’t know what’s happening at home with her parents. Probably she doesn’t have time to study at home because she helps her mother at their little shop. Unlike you whose parents are not selling anything.
Are you judging others?
The bottom line is this – don’t jump to conclusions about people because you don’t know what happened to them. That’s why Jesus warns that you shouldn’t judge people.
Over the next few days we will look at what Jesus says about judging others. Are you judging others? If yes, it is my prayer that this teachings will help you.
May the Holy Spirit give you a heart that loves instead of judging. Amen
Prayer: Lord, help me to stop judging others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action plan: watch your words and thoughts the next time you are quick to judge others.
Everyone has fears. It’s part of our human nature. Fear can be good or bad depending on if you allow it to control you. But children can overcome fear. Yes, you can overcome fear. But first, let us look at how fear can play out.
Your words, thoughts, actions can be controlled by fear. Fear can make you say the wrong thing, act the wrong way, and think the wrong thoughts. That is the truth of the matter. Having a fear can make you not even take any action at all. But I say again, you can overcome your fears. Yes, children can overcome fear. It’s one thing to be afraid, but it’s another thing to overcome them.
The Bible tells you to not fear because God is with you. Rather than fear, the Bible tells you to give all your fears to God. To release them to Him because He alone can help you overcome any fear; children can overcome fear.
Someone gave fear the acronym
F- False
E- Expectations
A- Appearing
E- Real.
As time goes on, we will look at each of these words to learn more about fear. But do not forget that children can overcome fear. You can personalize it; say to yourself, “I can overcome my fear. I am not in bondage to fear!” Yes, that there is the spirit! You can overcome your fears, and you surely will. God is bigger than those fears you know.
Do you know that what you say or do shows how responsible you are? People can quickly judge that about you (how responsible you are) without even spending much time with you or knowing you for long? So you have to watch what you say. This truth cannot be overemphasized.
Imagine someone sees or hears you making fun of people all the time. Almost every time this person sees you, you are making fun of someone or doing one wrong thing or the other. What do you think they will say or think about you? It can’t be positive; therefore you must learn to watch what you say.
To you it may be fun and means nothing, but to the victim of your jokes it means something. To the person observing you, it says something about you. It shows how irresponsible you are because only an irresponsible person would take it upon themselves to always make jokes about people. So you have to learn to watch what you say.
A responsible person would rather help, support, provide and befriend someone rather than make fun of them.
“My brothers God called you and chose you to be his. Try hard to show that you really are God’s chosen people. If you do all these things, you will never fall.” 2 Pet. 1:10.
May the Lord take away the spirit of irresponsibility from you and give a spirit of responsibility and love. May the LORD help you to learn how to watch what you say; Amen.
Prayer: Lord, I ask for the spirit of responsibility and love. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Action plan: To become responsible, know what responsibility means. Then act it out always. Keep the phrase ‘watch what you say’ in your mind always.
The mercy of God is one beautiful thing we enjoy from God daily. The bible tells us so
“The Lord’s love never ends. His mercies never stop. They are new every morning. Lord, your loyalty is great.” Lamentations 3:21 ICB.
God displays a basic and constant part of Himself through showing us mercy. That you didn’t need to be perfect before He sent Jesus to die for you. In your imperfect state He saw the need for His mercy in your life.
This mercy of God goes beyond Him just making us wake up and rise up from our beds every day. It shows in many ways that even you can’t count or see. Or can you name all the times God has shown you mercy in times you didn’t know you needed mercy? Some favourable things that have happened to you were just His way of showing you His mercy.
The times when you don’t ask for or even know that you need the mercy of God, He has shown up for you. Because that is His specialty. He sees the future ahead of you. He knows what is going to happen if you make friends with some classmates with questionable characters in school. That’s why He made your parents not allow you go to the party they invited you to. He knows everything about your life – He is your Creator.
The mercy of God is a constant reminder that He is still alive and working in your life. No matter what you may be happening to you right now, know that His mercies are working for you. Ask Him daily for His mercies as much as you can. He never tires of hearing you ask. Remember that they are new every morning.
May the mercy of God be yours forever and ever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer: My Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercies over me. Thank you that they are new every day. I ask that you daily load me with your mercies. In Jesus; name, amen.
Action Plan: Never forget to ask for the mercies of God daily.
When you tell another person that you will do something for them, especially when you say the words “I promise”, you are committing yourself to doing that thing at any cost. To love your neighbour means to keep your promise.
A good neighbor keeps a promise because no one likes to be disappointed. Or would you like to see your friends not show up for your birthday or a visit after they had promised they would? Or how about not meeting your friend at home when they had promised they would be home?
A promise is a strong commitment and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Even the bible cautions us not to make promises we can’t keep. Jesus said that we should stand by what we say. If it is a “yes” we should stand by it. And if it is a “No” we should allow it to be a strong one and not change our minds. This is also a way to love your neighbour.
Matthew 5:37 (KJV) But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Your neighbor could be counting on you for help with something. It could be helping a classmate at school with some school work. Or helping a friend with some money. And you could be their only hope at doing or getting something. If you end up doing otherwise it could damage your friendship with them. It could also make people to label you as a bad and not trustworthy fellow. This indeed is not a way to love your neighbour.
Again, you only treat people as you would want them to treat you. Remember, no one likes to be disappointed.
May the Lord help you to make promises you can keep. May He also help you not make promises that you can’t or wouldn’t keep. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, give me the grace to not make empty promises. Empower me to make good my promises. Help me to obey the “love your neighbour” commandment. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action point: Before you commit yourself to help someone, pray and let the Holy Spirit lead you.
Tunrayo borrowed Lola’s Geography notebook from school to copy the new lesson into her own notebook. She flung the notebook into her bag and pushed the bag aside to the wall. When it was time to leave for home, Tunrayo stuffed her books and pen into her bag, crushing all the items in it, before zipping it right. The next day at day, when she returned Lola’s book, it was not like it was before. The edges were bent, there was oil stains and water marks all over it. (Does this portray “love your neighbour”?)
‘Tunrayo, what happened to my book?’ a shocked Lola asked.
You see, Tunrayo didn’t know that she was destroying Lola’s book with the way she was handling it. And she returned it not the way she borrowed it from Lola.
Let’s see what God has to say about this in the bible, in line with love your neighbour as yourself.
“A man might borrow an animal from his neighbor. It might get hurt or die while the owner is not there. Then the one who borrowed it must pay the owner for the animal. Exodus 22:14 ICB
Well, in this case, it’s a notebook that was borrowed. Yes, Fikayo gave it back but it wasn’t the way she had borrowed it.
The thing is, would you like to receive your belongings back in a rough, torn or dirty way? If no, then why would you want to do that to someone?
Remember, loving your neighbor is a sign of how much you love yourself and how well you want to be treated. If you want to be treated well by others, treat other people well too. If you love yourself well, you will love others too; you will love your neighbour as yourself.
What should Fikayo had done with Lola’s notebook? She should have handled it with care and ensured she returned it as she had received it. Even better than she had. That would have made Lola happy and ensured that she lend more of her books to Fikayo. But with what Fikayo did with the book, Lola might likely never borrow her anything ever again.
May you receive the grace to be a good neighbour. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, make me a good neighbour. Help me to love your neighbour in Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer point: What have you borrowed from people? Did you return them in a good condition? Or a bad one?
Today we will be learning how to love your neighbour as yourself from the story of Tom.
Tom glanced outside of the window, away from his video game, and noticed the dark clouds signaling rain any moment now. He returned to his game till it began to rain. It rained for hours. Remember the story is about ‘love your neighbour as yourself.’
Later that day, Fikayo, Tom’s roommate returned from class and found his clothes drenched on the line. He knew Tom had seen him this morning when he was washing. Why hadn’t Tom helped him to pack his clothes off the line before it rained? Did Tom not learn “love your neighbour as yourself”?
“Tom, why didn’t you help me to pack my clothes when it began to rain?’ asked Fikayo. ‘I don’t know.’ Tom replied.
Fikayo shook his head sadly and left Tom to his video game. “You must learn to love your neighbour as yourself,” he thought as he left.
In the bible, God laid down some instructions to the Israelites concerning this “love your neighbour as yourself” matter.
You might see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep wandering away. Don’t ignore it. Take it back to its owner. The owner might not live close to you. Or you might not know who he is. Then take the animal home with you. Keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. Deuteronomy 22:1 – 2 ICB
He says that it is a sin if you act nonchalantly towards your neighbor’s belongings. Not that you should be on the lookout for their things. No. What it means is that, when you are in a position to help keep their things safe, you should do so. Love your neighbour as yourself.
Just like Tom in our story. He knew it was going to rain and he didn’t help his roommate – his neighbor, to pack his clothes in. Even if Fikayo was not his roommate, but because he saw him washing and Tom was around when it began to rain. He should have portrayed “love your neighbour as yourself.”
All he could have done was to take some minutes to demonstrate how much he loves his neighbor by helping to pack his clothes from the line. Learn to love your neighbour as yourself.
God isn’t saying that you should love your neighbour as yourself because they are good, but because He wants you to grow to a point where you can love people irrespective of who they are or what they do to you.
May God bless you and give you a heart of love for people. Amen
Prayer: Lord, help me to act responsibly towards people’s things around me, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Action point: Be watchful of people’s thing’s around you; love your neighbour as yourself
Who is your neighbor? Is it the familynext to your family? The families on your street? Your friend? Your classmate? Your church friend? Who exactly is your neighbor? Why should you love your neighbor?
Let’s see what Jesus did about neighbours in the bible.
And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ Matthew 22:39 ICB
Jesus was talking about what loving someone else like you love yourself. Now ask yourself this question – “how much do I love myself?”
Thinking like this will help you take notice of how good or bad you have been treating yourself. If you are good to yourself, you will most likely treat others well and if you’re not, well, you will treat them badly.
Look at the way you think of yourself. Do you have healthy self-esteem and not self-pride. If your esteem is high, you will likely esteem others well too.
What words do you use on yourself? Are they negative words that you use to keep telling you how bad you are?
The verse above talks about how you are supposed to love someone – as yourself. And your neighbor is the nearest person to you. Not people who live beside you in the same compound or on the street. Your neighbor is whoever is close to you at any place you are.
On the bus, on the road, in class – anywhere you find yourself together with someone.
Yes, your neighbour lives beside you in the same compound or on the same street, but Jesus’ teaching wants you to see your neighbour beyond that. He wants you to see anybody you meet anywhere as your neighbour and treat them kindly just like He treats you kindly.
For instance, if you are sitting beside a young person like yourself on a bus and the person’s item falls down unnoticed by them, you should help to pick and give it to them. That’s the kind of love Jesus was talking about. Not that you ignore and look the other way.
For this series we will be looking at ways you can love your neighbour as yourself. May Jesus hi you a heart of love. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, teach me how to show much love to my neighbor In Jesus’name, amen.
Action plan: Buckle up as we learn more on this topic.
Good students attend class regularly, pay attention during class, ask questions when they don’t understand, study after school, and repeat the process over and over till they achieve excellent grades.
Jesus has called you to be a good student of the word of God. He expects you to read and study the bible well over and over till you become excellent at it.
The bible can help you understand so many things about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Heaven, life, emotions, thoughts, actions, people, and so much more.
The bible gives you practical ways to understand your walk with Christ. It teaches you how to do so with many examples starting from the old testament to the new testament.
“Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my way.” Psalm 119:105 ICB
“All scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching how to live right. Using the scriptures, the person who serves God will be ready and will have everything he needs to do every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. ICB
Everything you need for your walk with Christ can be found in God’s word. Jesus wants you to use all of it to become a strong, sensible, and informed Christian. One who can understand what is not good and how to deal with bad thoughts and stay away from bad friends.
I pray that the Lord will help you to read and study the word. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, Jesus, I want to be a student of the word. Teach me as I read and study Your word. In Your mighty name I pray, amen.
Action plan: Pick your bible, a writing pad and a pen and start to study the word.
No man is an island is a commonsaying that talks about the state of staying away and alone from others. It is not a good thing. This is why fellowship is important
Paul speaking in Gal, 3 said this:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
According to this, in heaven there will be no restrictions due to race, sex or social standing. It will all be about if you had Jesus or not.
This is not only going to be like this in heaven, but here also on earth. You are not meant to relate with people because of their sex, race or social standing in the society or school. It should be because they are born-again just like you. It should be because they are Christians just like you. Not because they are popular or have the best gadgets at home. Or because their parents are rich or their shoes are fine or they smell nice. What should matter is that they are born-again Christians.
As a Christian you should join other believers to worship God and for bible study at school, in church and every other place the followers of Christ gather to hear about God.
Jesus expects you to be in the midst and in constant connection to other believers. That way you don’t lose your calling as a Christian, you learn more about God and His word, and much more.
If you are not connected regularly to other believers, it opens up the door for the devil to introduce what being a Christian is not to you. You start to learn new things that could be harmful to you.
Another reason why you should be with other believers is that when you are lost, they can help to show you the way back home to God.
May the Lord help you to remain connected to the fellowship of believers. Amen
Prayer: Lord. Help me not to neglect the fellowship of the brethren. Help me to stay connected. Amen.
Action point: What gathering of believers do you need to join now?
The sixthday of creation was the mother of all days.
God created animals of all kinds and again commanded them to multiply.
Gen. 1:25 ICB So God made the wild animals, the tame animals and all the small crawling animals to produce more of their own kind. And God saw that this was good.”
He went on further to create man
Gen. 1:26 ICB Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.
He saw the need to put someone in charge of the whole earth He just created.
Gen. 1: 26 “…And let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the tame animals, over all the earth and over all the small crawling animals on the earth.”
He commanded man to rule the earth, name them as he deemed fit.
So, the last day was the day that birthed both man and his control over the whole creation.
Just imagine for a moment…what if God hadn’t created man? Who would have been in charge of it all? Why were animals and man created last?
God is a God of process. He follows through one step at a time.
Creation not only tells us about what God created but, how He did it, why He did, and for whom?
May the Lord continue to strengthen you. Amen.
Prayer point: Thank you Father for the whole day of creation. You made it all for me. Thank you.
Action point: Try to imagine how the earth was at creation.
Not everyone around you is saved. Some people still don’t know about Jesus Christ. They may never have heard about Him before. They could have heard but not accepted Him as their Lord and Saviour.
Some of these people may not even be around you. They could be far from you, maybe countries away. Though you can’t reach them, your prayers can.
Spend time daily in prayers for the unsaved. Pray that they will meet with Jesus Christ in one way or another. Ask that God will send His spirit to convince them or that they will meet with someone that would introduce them to Jesus. People get to meet Jesus in many different ways.
In the story of Phillip and the eunuch, the Holy Spirit took Phillip straight to meet the man in his carriage. If the disciple had not met the man, he wouldn’t have been born-again. He was reading what he couldn’t understand and needed someone to explain to him.
Some people may have heard about Jesus Christ but need to learn more about Him. Your prayers can make them get such knowledge through someone. It’s called intercession. Your interceding on their behalf, asking the Holy Spirit to convict and convince them of who Jesus is.
May the Holy Spirit give you a heart of intercession. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, I commit the unsaved into Your hands. Let them meet with Jesus. Amen,
Action Point: Say a prayer for the unsaved today and always.
“When did I see You, Jesus Christ and gave you food?”
“When you gave that hungry boy in your class food to eat at school.”
“When did I give you my clothes to wear?”
“When you gave that girl on your street your old clothes.”
The sentences above are scripted from Matthew 25:34-36.
“then the king will say to the good people on his right, ‘come. My Father has given you his blessing. Come and receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made. I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’” Matt. 25: 34-36 ICB
If you read further down this chapter you will see what the people asked him and his response to them.
Jesus Christ has called you to be help for others. Give to people and not grudgingly. Give with joy because that is the best way to give.
Imagine Jesus Christ telling you this when you finally meet him? How wonderful does it sound? It sounds great to me!
Don’t look down on the poor and needy. Instead, be a help to them. Share with others who don’t have as much as you do. Give your time and effort towards helping a classmate understand a lesson at school. Comfort a friend who has lost a loved one. Follow a friend to visit a sick family member in the hospital. Pray for a friend whose family is going through a hard financial period. Ask your parents if you can take foodstuff to them.
What you can do for the poor and needy is plenty. Ask the Lord for how to help them.
May the Lord make you a helper to the poor and needy. Amen.
Prayer: My Lord, Jesus Christ, teach me to give to others. Show me ways I can be of help to the poor and needy. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Action point: Is there a friend or neighbor who you think will need some of the clothes you don’t wear anymore? Ask your parents for approval first.
Christ has called you to be a light in a troubled and dark world.
“You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put the light on a lampstand. Then the light shines for all the people in the house. In the same way, you should be light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do. Live so that they praise your Father in heaven.” Matt. 5:14-16 ICB.
The verses above vividly tell you one of the ways Christ has called us to be – be a light to the world. Just like it’s written in the passages above, why would anyone light a lamp and put it under their bed? Why would you not want to let others know about the wonderful love God has for everyone through Christ?
Light is supposed to make what is in the dark known to those in the dark. People who are yet to know Jesus are in the dark. They are lost, hopeless, and lonely. You are supposed to offer them hope and love through your light (telling them about Jesus).
Jesus has called you to be a light and not to hide your light. Put your light on a lampstand to shine to others so they may see and follow the way to Jesus.
Doing good is another way of showing your light to others. Your actions and words must show how good you are which is also a reflection of the Spirit of God in you. So, when you do good, you are saying to the world “I have God’s spirit in me.”
May the Lord help you today to make your light shine to the world. Amen.
Prayer: Jesus, I want my light to shine to the whole world. Show me practical ways I can do this. In Your mighty name, I pray, amen.
Action point: What light are you showing today? Good or bright light? Read John 1:4.
Do you know you can meet with God as a child? Let’s hear the story of Sade, a 15-year old girl who meets with God everyday. The first thing Sade does every morning is to pray to God. She has set an alarm on her phone that goes off daily at a particular time.
Once her phone starts vibrating, 15-year old Sade gets up from her bed, switches on the light in her room, and begins to pray. After praying, she picks her bible and devotional and starts to read.
This is how she begins her day.
How often do you meet with God? Do you make out time to really meet with Him or spend more time with friends and in front of the TV set or your phone?
Having a special meeting time with God is very necessary as His child. Time spent with God is time that can never be a waste because, in His presence, you will discover more than you can ever imagine.
There are several ways to meet with God. One of them is by putting aside time to spend in his presence praying, reading the bible and, listening to and, for Him to speak with you.
This time must be guarded jealously by you – ensure that nothing or no one tampers with it so that you can maintain and increase your relationship with God.
When you give God an appointment, He is never late. Instead, He will be there waiting for you to show up. So, always show up at the meeting point with God. Do everything possible within your power to keep to that time, and meet with God.
Gen 3:8a, KJV And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:
Even in the event of things going out of your control, pray to God about it. He knows how to help you keep to the time. He can do all things. God will never allow anything or anybody rob Him of the opportunity to fellowship with you.
That’s how much He cherishes spending time with you. Learn to meet with God.
May the Lord bless you as you spend time with Him. Amen.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I want to have a regular praying time with you. And I need you to also help me keep to this time in Jesus name. Amen.
Action point: Make up your mind right now to have a regular praying time with God, to meet with God everyday.
Declaration: I will meet with God regularly. I will commune with my Father daily in prayers.
One of the traps the devil sets is making you hope and pray your parents or guardians won’t find out where you have been. Now there are warning signals wrong friends can exhibit.
Friends that corrupt, mostly advise you to give a false account of your whereabouts to parents or guardians. In other words, they tell you to lie.
For instance, they encourage you to buy a skimpy outfit which you know your parents won’t allow on you. This is part of the warning signals. They teach you how to hide it at home. Even when your parents find out and forbid you to wear it, they again, teach you how to sneak it out of the house for a party or an outing which you know will keep you late outside. Once more, they tell you what lie to tell to your parents.
Another way is you come home late from school and lie that you were at the library, studying for a test or exam. All the while you were playing football with friends or watching a PG movie at one of your friend’s house. They, of course, told you to say that. This is part of the warning signals.
You hope and pray your parents don’t find out or catch your lie.
You need to let go of such friends because they are gradually helping you to become a liar. Yes, and they have revealed themselves by showing those warning signals.
The bible tells us that the devil is the father of all liars. How can a child of God be friends with the children of the devil? You need to end your friendship with friends that teach you to lie. This is part of the warning signals.
John 8:44 (NKJV) You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
One downside of this is that, once your parents find out the truth, they won’t trust you anymore. They won’t believe anything you say again. even when you are saying the truth.
So, check your friends again. Learn to look out for warning signals.
God bless you.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, help me with good friends. I don’t want friends that will teach me to lie, I want friends that will help me grow to know you more. Amen.
Action point: Stop being friends with anyone who encourages you to tell a lie, especially to your parents (it’s part of the warning signals).
Declaration (children): I am kept far away from wrong friends. I choose my friends wisely and I receive grace to cut off every wrong association.
Distractions will come at you as you plan to manage your time well. They come straight at you, heavy and unrelenting. You have to learn how to identify and stop them if you want to make good use of your time. You have to learn to remove distractions.
Distractions could be from friends, family and even you. There will be good distractions that look pleasing and reasonable but are not pushing you forward.
For instance, you want to study your bible for the evening and a friend visits and asks that you both study for a test tomorrow.
It’s a good thing – studying for a test, but is it in your plan? No. You have to learn to remove distractions. Rather than study or tell your friend you can’t study with him because of bible study, ask him to join you for bible study. After that, you can both study for the test.
Ensure you explain to him first what you are planning to do and if he agrees to wait or join you, fine. And if he refuses, well you can try to further explain to him. But you have to learn to remove distractions.
I’m sure he will agree. If he doesn’t, well, it’s not your fault, you just have to stick to your plan.
Remember, there’s a time for everything under the sun.
There is a powerful concept of time that you should know – time lost can never be recovered. It’s not a piece of paper that can be found or a missing person. It goes away and becomes history to you. So you have to learn to remove distractions.
Always put this thought before you as you do things. Ask yourself ‘What I am doing now, is it what I should be doing?’
May God grant you more insight about the concept of time. Amen.
Action plan: Lord, give me the strength and wisdom to handle any distraction that comes my way. Teach me how to remove distractions. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action plan: Stay firm in how you manage your time.
Planning is a wonderful tool you should use to manage your time perfectly. Plan your day; it involves you writing out everything you are going to do in a day and when you are going to do them.
As a child, you have school for five days, assignments from school, church on weekdays and weekends, visitations and other stuff.
Plan around these activities. Give specific amount of hours or minutes to them.
Here is an example:
6 am – Personal prayers/bible reading/ daily devotional.
6:30 am – house chores.
7-7:30 am- Grooming/breakfast
7:30am – School
This is just to give you an idea of how to plan your day.
Learn to plan well. After school you could give some time to studying the day’s work (and more), and doing assignments, if any.
“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP)
The major thing about using your time well is to do the important, necessary and urgent things first before the rest. School is important/necessary and urgent. Assignments also. The church is the same. Personal bible study, praying and devotionals are important, necessary, and urgent too.
Don’t do what you need to do later now. Plan well and do them now, so that you won’t fail.
“I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, behold, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles were covering its face, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I beheld and considered it well; I looked and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep– So shall your poverty come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.” Proverbs 24:30-34 (AMP)
Prayer: Lord, teach me how to make good use of my time daily. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action plan: Draw a rough plan of how your day looks like. Perfect it to reflect the important things you need to do daily. Put the important things first.
