Welcome to day three of learning about Cleanliness and Godliness as it relates to us God’s children. God wants you clean and godly.
What is Cleanliness? It means the condition of being clean, or not dirty; the habit of always keeping clean.
What is Godliness? It is characterized by reverence and love for God and respect for the ethical teachings of scripture.
I quote this scripture to you yesterday;
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. – 3 John 2 (NIV)
I told you that God wants you to be in good health and that all may be well with you, and that good health is one of the many things that Jesus Christ assures us, because it’s a promise in the work of redemption.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. -1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)
One thing you just need to realize is, as much as sound health is a believer’s right, if you do not take care of yourself, you won’t enjoy this freedom.
Take for instance, not wearing your nose mask or not wearing it properly, puts anyone including a believer in a place of being infected.
Personal hygiene is very important for us all. What is personal hygiene?
It is a condition or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease, especially through cleanliness.
Let me show you some personal hygiene practices.
Take your bath everyday
Brush your teeth twice a day
Wash your hands with soap and water after using the toilet
Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing either with tissue, your sleeve or elbow.
Wash your hands often.
We have come to the end of this series; do well to keep your heart and body clean at all times.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be clean at heart and in my body; Amen
Hi, beloved of Jesus, yesterday I spoke to you about an interesting topic and we will be continuing with it today because a sound health is a prized possession.
Just like you paid attention yesterday, I want you to also listen with your heart today and learn as much as you can.
We discussed why you must be clean, and centered our teaching on the saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”
I told you that as children of God, he wants you to live this kind of lifestyle, both in your heart and in your body. God wants you to be conscious of the things that go into your heart, and also what happens outside your body.
Once again let’s look at the dictionary meaning of the word Cleanliness and Godliness.
What is Cleanliness? It means the condition of being clean, or not dirty; the habit of always keeping clean.
What is Godliness? It is characterized by reverence and love for God and respect for the ethical teachings of scripture
Yesterday we looked at how to be clean at heart; today I want to talk to you about cleanliness in your body.
See what the bible says here…
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. – 3 John 2 (NIV)
God wants you to be in good health and that all may be well with you. Guess what?
Good health is one of the many things that Jesus Christ assures us because it’s a promise in the work of redemption.
You need to realize one thing, as much as sound health is a believer’s right, if you do not take care of yourself, you won’t enjoy this freedom.
We’ll continue with this tomorrow, kindly follow through.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be clean at heart and in my body; Amen
Action point: Decide to watch what goes into your mind.
Hi, dear one, you must learn to be a peacemaker. Let me tell you something about God, he rewards! God isn’t a taskmaster; everything he asks us his children to do will always come with a reward for our obedience.
Have you ever been obedient to your parents? See how glad they are when they realize that you did what you were told to do. Same as God, when we obey him, he has a lot in store for us, and one thing about God is that he always keeps his promises.
Let me show you a place in the bible where he clearly states the reward for a particular trait
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. – Matt 5:9 (NIV)
Who is a peacemaker? A peacemaker is someone who brings about peace, a person who seeks peace at all time, wherever he or she find themselves, they walk in love and stay away from whatever it is that is not peaceful.
As a child of God, this is one of God’s desires for you. These are Jesus’ exact words and see what he says first, he called peacemakers blessed. Do you know what it means to be blessed?
The Oxford English Dictionary explains it to mean being endowed with divine favour and protection! Hmm, how interesting is that? This means that you are loved and sorted for, and in addition to that, you are also protected, not by security personnel but by God’s angels!
Look at the concluding part of the verse; it says “they will be called sons of God!”
What an honor that is. Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to be called a son or a daughter of God?
Choose to be a peacemaker today and see God marvelously bring all these promises to pass in your life.
What do you think is the greatest gift of all? Your parents? Money? Education? Well, join us this morning as we seek to find out.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
Love is the greatest commandment of all; God commands that we love him, then our neighbor as ourselves. In this order, Love God, yourself, and then your neighbor.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)
Why did I put you before your neighbor? That’s because the bible didn’t say love your neighbor above yourself. It says as you love yourself in that same way, love your neighbor.
So you see that it’s not the law of God to do to others what you cannot do to yourself.
If you decide to buy something for yourself, it means you can do the same for others, but if you can’t look in the mirror and say bad things to yourself, then you shouldn’t speak badly about others or abuse anyone.
Love for God is paramount because God is deserving of it. Look around you, look at the beautiful things he created for you and me, just for us to be comfortable on earth. Don’t you just love and appreciate him?
Even more, God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die for the sins of the whole world, so that we all can be reconciled to him. See what the bible says in John 3:16 (NIV)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (KJV)
Little one, you see that God has set a standard for love, if you love, you give. Give in whatever capacity that you can, not necessarily monetarily, because you don’t have a source of livelihood.
You can give in service to your parents and friends, by helping out when necessary and praying for them all the time. By doing this, you will fill their hearts with so much joy and happiness.
Prayer: Father, help me to give my best at all times. Amen
Action Point: Keep giving.
Declaration: I put my neighbor before me at all times
What other benefits of gratitude do we have? Let us see more examples from the passage we read yesterday
Gratitude draws us closer to God
As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough — and he was a Samaritan. – Luke 17:12-16[MSG]
Mr. Bamidele has been ill for years. He was so ill that he spent all his life’s savings on his health. He moved from one health center to another, but all to no avail. It seemed as though the more he sought medical help, the worse his case became.
Luck however smiled on him one day, when he met a benefactor. This ‘good samaritan’ not only ensured he got to the best hospital in the world, he also paid for his hospital bills and other medical expenses.
When Mr. Bamidele got back to his feet, he got close to his benefactor, literarily serving him in the process. Who wouldn’t want to get closer to such a person?
Just like Mr. Bamidele, the leper who was healed naturally got close to Jesus.
One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough — and he was a Samaritan. – Luke 17:15-16
The leper couldn’t but imagine the magnitude of God’s kindness towards him. He had to go back to give him thanks.
Little children, let us learn to show gratitude everyday of our lives.
Prayer: Father, help me to show gratitude at all times. Amen
Action Point: Keep showing gratitude.
Declaration: I will not murmur. I will give thanks to God at all times.
There are benefits of gratitude. The dictionary defines gratitude as the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
The last time your classmate showed you art of kindness, did you return it?
Why do we need to show gratitude?
Gratitude brings healing.
As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” They went, and while still on their way, became clean. Luke 17:12-15 [MSG]
Now see what happened a few verses down the line.
One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough — and he was a Samaritan. – Luke 17:15-16
Are you following? Did you see what I saw?
Now, let’s listen to the conclusion of the whole matter from Jesus mouth.
Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.” – Luke 17:17-19
Notice the difference. Nine lepers were cleansed but only one got healed.
Will you still be filled with complaints or will you be full of gratitude?
The ball is in your court.
Prayer: Father, help me to show gratitude at all times. Amen
Action Point: Keep showing gratitude.
Declaration: I will not murmur. I will give thanks to God at all times
How do you face rejection, especially when it is coming from a loved one? Let’s look at the story of Tosin.
‘Don’t sit there!’ a harsh voice said behind Tosin as she was about to sit on the chair. It was Mariam, a year older than her and the leader of the popular girls at the tutorial center.
‘Why?’ Tosin asked, masking the feeling of rejection inside her with a pleasant smile, as she turned towards the approaching Mariam.
‘Because you’re not in our group’ Mariam replied, swiping Tosin from head to toes with her eyes. Her little entourage at her heels did the same to Tosin, giving cruel smiles and chuckles as they passed her and took the row of seats.
Tosin managed to find a seat somewhere but held her head high as she did so.
Rejection is hard on children because it screams out to them you are not wanted, needed, beautiful, important, or worthy of love.
Psalm 27:10 ‘Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me’. (NIV)
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.
So children, know that God loves you. Even if the world rejects you for any reason, God will never do so.
As you go about your daily activities, thank the Lord for his unconditional love towards you.
Little children, keep thanking God. That is my word for you today. There is just something about gratitude.
The week might have begun smooth or rough for you, depending on what happened to you.
For some people, you wish you could change the hand of time and begin the week on afresh.
There is something quite a number of us do not do, which ought not to be so.
Listen to what the bible says;
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
God’s will is that you give thanks. How best can it be explained?
Regardless of how your week started, how your day went, or how the last month was, God is saying you should cultivate a habit of thanksgiving.
See how another version puts it.
Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do. – 1 Thess 5:18{CEV}
Have you taken a moment to wonder what would have happened if Jesus Christ did not come?
Thank God for your parents. Thank Him that you have life. Thank Him for the school you are attending. Thank Him for your country. Some nations are at war as we speak. Children like you cannot go about their normal lives or play as kids should.
This week, just like the scripture admonishes; whatever happens, keep thanking God.
Don’t murmur. Don’t complain. Just be full of gratitude.
Tomorrow, I will show us a few benefits of being full of gratitude.
Be grateful always, little children. But what’s with saying, “Thank you?” Why all the fuss?
Saying “thank you” is much more than speaking the words. It should come from deep within you. It is a sign that you truly appreciate what was done for you.
Being grateful is sweet because it tells the person doing you the favour that the help they rendered to you was indeed needed by you. No one wants to receive what they don’t need. So also, no one wants to give help or do favours that are not needed.
Again, your show of gratitude tells the person that their time wasn’t wasted on you. If you refuse to say or show your gratitude, you are saying to them that they just wasted their time and resources on you. That you don’t need it. Or even value it.
That’s very unfair and could mar your chances of ever receiving from them again.
Today and onwards, learn to show your gratitude with your words and actions. Let these two things tell people you are an appreciative person.
Jesus commanded the disciples to take the Good News to all the ends of the earth; that is what witnessing for Christ means. He wants everybody on the earth to know about Him. Knowing Jesus means they accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.
Mark 16:15 (KJV) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
As a Christian, you are more or less like the disciples in the bible. Jesus’ command still stands today. He wants you to tell others about Him.
Why do you need to tell them about Him?
If you discover a cool program or song that you think your friends will like, won’t you want them to know about it?
That’s the same way with telling others about Jesus. You know the benefits of knowing about and accepting Christ into your life as Lord and Saviour and you want them to enjoy these benefits too.
May the Lord grant you the grace to witness to others. Amen.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Lord and Saviour. Give me the grace to tell others about you.
Action point: Which people do you think you should tell about Jesus
Galatians 5:22 (KJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
What exactly does joy mean? What was the writer of Galatians saying when he was talking about this fruit of the spirit?
Joy can be defined as gladness and delight. It can also be said to be a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
Going through the bible, we can define joy to be a feeling of good pleasure and happiness. This feeling is dependent on who Jesus is, not on who we are or what we are experiencing around us.
Joy comes from the Holy Spirit, abiding in God’s presence and from hope in His word.
Dear children, understand that joy is not found in possession, activities or other people. Joy is found in God, in His presence, in His spirit and in who He is.
As children, learn to be joyful in all circumstances. Never allow your countenance to be down. You should always exhibit this priceless fruit of the spirit wherever you find yourself.
As parents, let us learn to affirm our children as this will also be a source of encouragement to them even as they strive to be more joyful, by the spirit.
Prayer: Lord, help me to live a life of joy; Amen.
Action point: Ask for the spirit of joy
Declaration: I am a joyful child. I have the spirit of joy in me.
One of the most important things in life is to live a life that pleases God. It’s good to be loved by your parents, and be the best in school, have nice friend and wear nice things, but a righteous life is much more important than all this.
God wants you to always put him at the beginning and end of every decision you make. He wants you to consider what Jesus will do in any and every situation you find yourself.
How do I know this?
Ecclesiastes 12:13 [KJV] Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
This is what the Bible says
The end of the matter is to fear God and keep his commandments
In fact, when we do this as little children, God is happy with us and blesses your parents to take better care of you.
1. Fear God.
Live in constant reverence for God. Think of how he will feel if you didn’t care for your friends. Think of how God will feel if you don’t tell the whole truth to your parents. That’s how to fear God.
2. Keep his commandments
Doing what the Bible asks you to do.
Don’t lie. Don’t steal. It’s all listed in the ten commandments God gave Moses. To make it easy for you, love God and honour him and then love your neighbor as yourself. When you love those around you, then you won’t steal or lie to them.
Are you thinking of how to do this? It’s easy with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Just say these words;
Precious Holy Spirit, come and dwell in my heart today and forever. Teach me how to love God and everyone around me, help me to always live a life that pleases God, all this I pray in Jesus name. Amen
Believe that the Holy Spirit is already with you to help you achieve this.
I await your testimonies.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to live a life that pleases you; Amen
Action point: Ask the Holy Spirit for help
Declaration: I am an obedient child in Jesus name, Amen.
As children, we must learn to accept discipline or correction, no matter how it comes. Any child who refuses correction will soon be destroyed.
See what the bible says about being corrected.
A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. – Proverbs 13:1 (NET)
When your father or mother corrects you, see the good in it.
You are being corrected because they want the best in you. Your parents will not be happy if you don’t turn out well, so the best you can do is to listen to them and cooperate with them.
As parents, we always want our children to be obedient. No parent will smile when the child flouts an instruction. The joy of parenting is that our children listen and obey when we speak.
Likewise, parents should pray for Grace to instill the right kind of discipline into their children.
Today, we will continue from the storyline we started with yesterday; the story of Prophet Samuel, learning from his birth.
Despite one of his wives being barren, Elkanah never gave up on God. On a yearly basis, he would go up to offer sacrifices to God and seek His face.
3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. –1 Sam 1:3-5 [ESV]
The lesson here is that despite what you are going through, never give up on God. The promises of God are yes and amen.
2 Cor 1:20[NKJV] For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
Though it may take a while, keep your faith high.
What had God promised you? It will come to pass.
Don’t begin to throw tantrums at your parents, siblings, classmates, and everyone around you because what you are believing God for has not yet happened.
Maintain a positive attitude and you will see the salvation of the Lord your God.
God bless you.
Prayer: Oh Lord, help me to stay faithful to you. Amen
Before we delve into learning from Prophet Samuel, I want to wish a Happy New Month to all partners and members of KHC. This month, your dreams shall become a reality.
From the first to the third of March, we will be waiting on God in fasting and prayers. If you are in Ibadan, Nigeria, join us by 6 pm at Shouts of Grace Center, Joke Plaza, beside Trans Amusement park, Bodija-Ui road, Ibadan.
This morning, I want to take us on a journey into the life and times of one of the greatest prophets in the land of Israel; prophet Samuel.
He was so great that the bible records that none of his words fell to the ground. This means that all he ever said came to pass.
But before we delve into Prophet Samuel, let’s take a look at his family history.
There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. – 1 Sam 1:1-8 [ESV]
It wasn’t
One would naturally feel for Hannah because she had no children.
Are you somewhat in the shoes of Hannah? Are there things you need and you don’t seem to have?
Are there certain areas you want God to intervene in your life?
Could it be your parents? Are they going through issues that seem to defy help?
Join me in this series as we see what Hannah did eventually that led to the birth of Samuel the prophet.
Prayer: Help me to learn what I need to know. Amen
Dear children, I want to show you something I found exciting in the scriptures. I believe it will excite you as well. Do you yet understand the reason for your creation?
I know you might have sometimes wondered why you were brought forth to this earth. Your mind might have wandered far and near as to the reason God made you.
You might have even wished to be born into another country, home, or some other parents.
Hey, listen to me! You are here for a reason. You are here for a purpose.
See what the bible says about you.
My children and I are signs and proofs for the people of Israel. We have been sent by the Lord All-Powerful, who lives on Mount Zion. – Isa 8:18[ERV]
Did you see that? Did that excite you as much as it did me?
You are here as proof of God’s faithfulness.
This means every time someone looks at you, he or she is reminded that God truly exists. Wow!
That neighbor of yours might have been having it rough in school, but merely looking at you gives him hope to forge ahead.
You were sent to the earth by the Lord All-powerful. Which devil can stop you from excelling?
The moment we refuse to step into what God has designed us to be, we are simply short-changing our divine abilities for something less.
I want you to ponder on this verse throughout today.
Read it in several translations so as to have a better understanding of what is being said.
May God give you more understanding in Jesus name, Amen.
Prayer: Oh Lord, make me a wonder to my generation.
There are side effects of not forgiving. Your failure to forgive has made you unholy before God, which won’t make Him listen to or even answer your prayers.
That’s because when God looks at you, He sees the mark of sin on you – resentment, unforgiveness, hatred, and He can’t look at you like that.
When you ask for forgiveness before you pray, it takes the mark of sin away from you.
Or even while praying and the Holy Spirit convicts your heart of unforgiveness, quickly forgive whoever you need to forgive so that your prayers might be answered.
When God sees your entire heart as unholy, He also sees your body as unholy too.
By allowing unforgiveness to stay in your heart, you are causing yourself more harm than good.
An unforgiving heart affects your entire body. It can cause you to have medical conditions.
Be holy today and forgive who you need to forgive.
There is the law of life, and it is found in the Word of God. It is good to know, once more, that God has you in mind. As the scripture says, he has plans to take care of you and not abandon you.
Not only will you be cared for, all that concerns you will also be taken care of.
See this verse of promise in the second book of Moses, the book of Exodus:
Exoduses 9:4 And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children’s of Israel.
What a promise! This is a word of assurance that nothing that belongs to us will die.
Let us therefore approach God with that confidence over our health, business, academics, finances, and even our parents.
If your parents are having a hard time in marriage, take it to God in prayers, using the above scripture.
God is a prayer answering God, so be rest assured that a change will happen.
Till we meet tomorrow again, keep basking in the euphoria of God’s love.
Prayer: Nothing dies in my hands in Jesus name. Amen
Do you know about fighting from a place of victory? Sometimes you might feel afraid to do something because you are afraid of failing or being mocked. The verse below tells you to do otherwise.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
Fear is part of our lives but is not supposed to stop us from doing what we are supposed to do. Especially as children of God.
God doesn’t want us to be afraid of anything because, according to the verse above, He is with us all the way.
This was what he told Joshua when the children of Israel were going out to tackle an enemy. He told them not to be afraid. They believed Him and went out to battle. Guess what happened? They came back victorious.
May the Lord give you victory and eliminate every spirit of fear in you. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, give me a spirit that is bold and courageous in You. Help me conquer mountains in Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Action plan: Bring every one of your fears before God. Ask Him to show you what to do and obey His instructions.
