‘I choose to forgive you for the bad words you have said to me.’ These were the words Tatiana said to Mercy before she turned away and started walking home.
Earlier that day, Mercy and her gang of bullies had done all they could to get Tatiana to lose her cool and start a fight. From spreading gossip about John and her kissing under the stairs during recess, to purposely pouring water on her. Can she forgive?
Tatiana didn’t lose her temper because she knew what they were trying to do. And she had made a vow to God that she wouldn’t answer back at Mercy. Her vow to Him was more important than anything the bully gang did or said. What mattered most was her vow to and relationship with God. And that was one of the reasons she found strength to forgive.
So instead of speaking or fighting back, choose to render forgiveness. You could say “I forgive you”, to the person’s face or in your heart. Not because you are afraid of them, but because that is what God wants you to do.
Remember the part in our Lord’s Prayer that talks about forgiving those who trespass against us? (“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.” – Matthew 6:12). That is exactly what how God wants you to live. That is exactly what God desires you do when your friends annoy you – ignore them and forgive.
I pray that God will give you the power to choose to forgive. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer: Father, help me to choose forgiveness over retaliation. And as I render forgive, may I receive forgiveness too, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Action Plan: Practice forgiveness all the time. Practice to just let go.
I’m sure you have felt angry before. The feeling you have inside your heart when someone or something gets under your skin; that’s anger. You feel all the blood pumping inside your heart, ready to release some very harsh words through your mouth and actions. When it’s a person, you want to say bad words to them or harm them back. If it’s a situation you might likely scream out or yell or hit the wall or something.
Everyone feels anger. It’s a human emotion. Even God that isn’t human feels anger. Jesus felt angry when He saw how the people turned the temple into a market place.
But it was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. So Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple he found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves. He saw others sitting at tables, exchanging money. Jesus made a whip out of cords. Then he forced all these men, with the sheep and cattle, to leave the Temple. He turned over the tables and scattered the money of the men who were exchanging it. Then he said to those who were selling pigeons, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a place for buying and selling!” John 2:13-16 ICB
Anger isn’t necessarily bad on its own. It’s what you do or say when you’re angry that is the major issue with getting angry.
Jesus spoke about anger in the bible. He showed how to not let your anger remain in your heart overnight. If your sibling offends you in the morning and you remain angry at them till the next day, that’s bad. That’s what Jesus was talking about
You will face some situations in life that are beyond your control and get angry because of this. People will do or say stuff that you don’t like to you or someone close to you. That’s just the way life is.
In this series, we will be looking at how you, as a child, can and should handle anger.
I pray that God will give His Holy Spirit to minister to you. in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer:
Lord, help me deal with every spirit of anger in me. Amen.
The world is full of so much evil; everyone needs to be protected. And this is where your prayer comes in – you can also pray for protection; for people to be protected by God. The bible tells us that God is the ultimate protector of all mankind. If God does not protect someone, then every form of human protection is utterly useless. See this verse of the Bible:
If the LORD does not build the house, the work of the builders is useless; if the LORD does not protect the city, it does no good for the sentries to stand guard.
Psalm 127:1 (GNT)
Did you see that? Therefore you must learn to pray for protection, if you want people to be guarded by God. Pray for your parents on their way to work, at work, and on their way back home. Pray for your friends, neighbors, extended family members, classmates, and others.
Pray that God will keep them safe from any accident, infection, trouble, or loss. God can protect, and He will protect whatever you hand over to Him. Do you think there is anything that can come and take what is in the Hand of God? I don’t think so. God is so powerful that whatever you commit to Him is kept safe. When you pray for protection, you are putting those people or things into the Hand of God, and they will sure be safe.
You could pray for people worldwide also, especially in places where there are wars or insecurity.
May the Lord keep you and your family safe, as you pray for protection. Amen
Prayer: Lord, I pray that you keep all my family members safe throughout today. Keep my friends safe. Watch over all my loved ones. Amen.
